March 2007 Moms & Babes....growing so fast!

[danalou]

Mia Got to love the red hair as well!!

Brink The bath tub picture is too precious!!

Janey Pictures that capture the seasons are a keepsakes and remind me I need to get DD with some pumpkins as well!! K looks too cute in her overalls and jacket!!

Shimmerstar I can't believe how big your son is getting these days. The picture of him eating with only a bib is too funny!!

Buffy Your girls are all adorable!! I hear you on the patch of hair on the top of the head.

[betsyboop]

Mia- I love his blue eyes!

Brink- Their fly-away hair is cracking me up:D

Janey- I can't believe she has so much hair! She looks like a kid rather than a baby:eek:

Shimmer- I love the one with the bib- he's rolling his eyes like "oh, mom"

Buffy- Your girls look a lot alike!

Dana- I like the look of the second wagon better, but I'm not sure if it's just because it's a better quality picture with kids playing in it, you know?

And here are a couple of pictures of Millie:

Picking out a pumpkin-
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g56/bugs1234_2006/DSC_1210.jpg?t=1193408969

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g56/bugs1234_2006/DSC_1229.jpg?t=1193409007

Angry baby (this one had me giggling for like 20 min last night when I downloaded it off the camera:p )-
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g56/bugs1234_2006/DSC_1250.jpg?t=1193409048

[shimmerstar]

Buffy- look at her cruising the wall! I love the color of that room too.

Dana- I like the second one, probably because we had a metal one when I was little.

Betsy- look at her in the pumpkins! That's a cute idea.

food- We have been doing puffs forever and I gave him cheerios this morning. I kept thinking they were too hard but he did fine. He has been tasting lots of stuff lately- bananas, cheese (oops- supposed to wait until 9 months), chicken bits, peas, carrots, and potatoes. I love feeding him real food, but I'm not sure what's appropriate. He has mostly stopped gagging on stuff.

[MarriedaGoalie]

I just wanted to drop off a couple of pictures of my little guy....

http://images24.fotki.com/v800/photos/1/1116680/5537543/IMG_1081-vi.jpg?1193413652

Here you can see his two teeth...

http://images30.fotki.com/v473/photos/1/1116680/5537543/IMG_1063-vi.jpg?1193413572

http://images30.fotki.com/v42/photos/1/1116680/5537467/IMG_1139-vi.jpg?1193412012

[miaclear]

Such beautiful babies!!!!

Dana....one thing to think about is if you think the metal wagon would get too hot in the summer. I know in Texas I'd probably prefer a wooden one.

[miaclear]

Whit....were you the one asking about payment for a sitter. My friend just emailed me this link. Not sure how accurate it is but maybe check it out. http://www.sittercity.com/rate_calculator.html

[danalou]

Betsy I love the picture of your DD in with the pumpkins!! I know what you mean about the wagon (everyone prefers the metal one as it looks like the classic radio flyers).

Shimmerstar Yeah the metal one is the more pricey option and it is the classic look from our youth.

Married Your DS is getting so big and he is just too cute these days. I love the picture of him cuddling and screaming at the same time!!

Mia We live in MI so it won't get as hot as TX but we are planning to get the accessory package with padding and the sunshade.

http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/radioflyer_1970_271766

[miaclear]

dana....ah the wonders of wagons now :) If you live in Michigan I'd totally get the metal one of the two you posted. However in the pic you just posted reminded me of how cool I thought the wagon with the lift up seats was, it's the one with the sunshade on it. I love how they fold down for a more conventional wagon, and lift up for a more comfortable ride.

[pewee9196]

OMG...so much going on in here. I am so rarely on CC anymore.

I am loving all the pictures..
Betsy- Love the pumpkin patch one!! She is a ham!!

Wow, everyone talking about finger foods. I feel so far behind. We did not start purees until 6 months. I always forget DD was one of the last babies born on the thread. We are still BF exclusively. We supplemented about 2 oz a day when she was a couple weeks old but once she gained we stopped. We too wanted 6 months now I am hoping for a year. Work makes that hard but I wouldn't have it anyother way. I never thought the first couple weeks we would have made it.

Goldenbridge- That is so wonderful that things are going better!!

My DD
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d156/pewee9196/Isabella8Sep056.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d156/pewee9196/Isabella20OCT07014.jpg

[happy1nuv]

bf - still going strong at 7 mos... i plan to continue til at LEAST 18 mos and I'm hoping to make the WHO recommendation of 2 years but so not sure... (and, there is still totally a nutrition/immunity benefit up til 2 years... not so much after that though cause that's when their tummies seal up totally and don't let the immunity stuff (yea thats the science term... i can look it up and quote it directly if anyone is interested) pass through anymore...

pics - LOVING all the pics...i'll drop some by later. (can i link from lj or do i have to put them somewhere else to link here?)

solids - joe won't eat anything off a spoon. NADA! (although he does like to chew the spoon...it just better be clean or he screams and spits it out (raspberry style - yay) and then chews the spoon. He has no teeth yet, but the only way he'll eat ANY solids is if i cut them into tiny cubes and feed them to him off my finger. So far, he really enjoys banana, avacado, broccoli, and sweet potatoes this way... gotta get off my butt and start some more stuff...maybe we'll do blueberries next since i have some in the freezer already...

wagons - we have the plastic radio flyer wagon with the two seats that fold down. At this age, i would totally recommend the seats... Joe LOVES riding facing his brother (and at this age, nic loved riding alone) ...and i dont worry about them in it cause they're strapped in! ;)

[whitlockan]

This was the first day he got his new shoes
**removed**

Today, please excuse me but we just couldnt get him to leave the tail alone but its from Boo Zoo today!
**removed**

Fly bye but we are standing 4-6 seconds unassisted 100% he falls and gets right back up and does it over and over and over again, he also walks around his excersaucer, with no help and we sit behind him and he turns around (pivoting) and transfers to our leg or something else he can hold.....please let me walking is super far off

I am nervous....anyway everyone is sooooooo cute!!!

[shimmerstar]

Whit- i don't know, but Noah stood by himself for a few seconds yesterday too. He pulls up on everything and cruises. I am excited for walking, though. I want him to do it by thanksgiving so we can show off to my family. We are also climbing now and love the tv.

Here are a few halloween pics from today.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2069/1781927830_0c0c626120.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2110/1781963926_88454be7d7.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2265/1782040822_1a6b7ed6bf.jpg?v=1193534326

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2258/1781134105_e62c9c03ed.jpg?v=0
Helping me carve a pumpkin.

[miaclear]

Shimmer.... Noah looks like a little boy, I think he's always looked like a little boy and not so much baby. I love his costume, and his little mustache. I was debating about putting a nose on DS for his monkey costume, using eyeliner but thought he might rub at it. Isthat what you used? Did Noah do ok with it?

Standing....Aaron has been standing with assistance since he was about 3 months, his legs are super strong and his balance is getting so much better. He still doesn't like to pull up on anything that isn't attached to me or my DH (mainly our fingers). But when he is if we let go he can balance for a few seconds. I really hope he doesn't walk till at least Christmas. DH was an early walker (10 months). I didn't walk till my 1st birthday....literally at the party. Apparently I wanted to be a show off ;)

Christmas....so we got Aaron's first Christmas Present in the mail (that Radio Flyer Walker). I so want to put it together to see if he'll walk with it but thank god it's in little pieces in a box, if it wasn't I'd probably have it out. At least now my procrastination is on my side. I also bought him a rooster flashlight that he always seemed to love when we'd walk by it at Target. It was only $6 so I figure that can be my cat's present to Aaron ;)

[Orion]

Things have been a wee bit crazy around here lately and I haven't had much time to come in and post so here is my attempt to catch up.

Everyone Who Posted Pictures: Those pictures are so cute. We do have the cutest babies around though!

Breastfeeding: Seven months and going strong. He's been nursing a lot lately and my nipples are killing me, so I'm just waiting for him to slow down a bit.

Solids/Cheerios: We've been doing solids since just before 6 months and he loves it. He eats three meals a day. Breakfast is always a cereal with pureed fruit, lunch is a finger food he can eat by himself (cheerios, cut up banana, etc) and supper is a great big bowl of veggies. I have given him yogurt and egg yolk so far as well but he only gets those every once in a while.

Standing: He pulls himself up but only on his knees. I'm sure standing is just around the corner though.

*******
Update on Us: DH left yesterday for sea and won't be back until December 8th. The first day was a good one...almost too good. I went for some retail therapy and spent $450 at baby gap...yikes! It wasn't all my money though. My Mom wanted me to pick out $150 worth of clothes for each kids and I love Baby Gap (it's the only brand that will fit my very petite DD). It was so much fun shopping.

We should be getting our posting message in the next three weeks and we will find out which coast we are going to be posted to. We are pretty sure that we will get the East Coast, which is the one we want because that is where both our families live. I'm going to get through these next six weeks knowing that this will be the only time I will have to do this without the support of family around. Last night my friend Cindi came over to cheer me up about DH leaving and she brought frozen yogurt and soy crisp chips (yummy!). I have decided to really cut down on my food weakness in order to try to lose weight a bit quicker. I love, love, love cheese and crackers and can live on cheese and bread or crackers...hello fat! So today is day one and so far so good (could help that it is only 8:30 am! but it is a start...lol).

Dalton and Sophie have a cold right now. Can I just take a minute to say that I hate snot...OMG, it's everywhere. I look forward to the day that I can hold a kleenex to their nose and tell them to blow. I just hate seeing them wipe with their hands as I am going to them with kleenex in hand.

Hope all is well with everyone else. Once again, I can't post pictures here (although I would love to) because I have a really slow internet connection and it would take forever.

[shimmerstar]

Mia, he didn't really rub it off, but we didn't have it on for long. It was hard to get on because he wouldn't hold still and kind of hard to get off.

[betsyboop]

Mia- Funny, Millie is the same way. She'll only pull up if she's holding on to Dave's or my fingers. But then I look around the house and maybe it's because there's nothing low enough for her to use? I mean, the coffee table and the seat of the dining room chairs are only about an inch shorter than she is, you know? I wonder what all the other kids are using to pull up?? Dave and I were early walkers too, but I'll be happy if Millie walks late- I'm pretty scared of her walking to be honest:eek:

Orion- Sorry to hear that your DH will be gone for so long:( At least he'll be home for Christmas though. Good luck with getting posted back to the east coast!

Shimmer- Noah is really adorable!

[goldengbridge]

Betsy- We have the leapfrog table and the Fisher Price incredablock that she likes to pull up on!

http://trus.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pTRU1-2856880t130.jpg

http://www.fisher-price.com/img/product_shots/C5523_b_1.jpg

[shimmerstar]

That incrediblock thing is really cool!

etsy- thanks! Noah pulls up on his story chair, the overstuffed chair, his rocker, the coffee table, the tv, and the kitchen drawers. Oh, and the toilet, if I would let him. :pB

[happy1nuv]

Ok... what is Joe doing wrong? EVERY time he tries to pull up on that fisher price incrediblock (golden's 2nd pic) - he ends up pulling the block over on himself! it's a pretty wide base, but it is pretty light (thank goodness). At first I was blaming his brother (not out loud, just in my head ...cause nic is usually on the other side of the block when joe tries to pull up, but i started watching closer and thats not it...) Joe's pulling up on anything he can get a hold of... we have a trampoline for nic (let me tell you...the BEST money ever spent. seriously. consider it! ...it looks like this:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31D4TY3D03L._AA280_.jpg
Joe pulled himself up to standing on that, then he pulled himself ONTO it! There's nothing he wont pull up on, his favorite being my knees (when i sit with them bent).

I swear... sometimes i think poor joe, sometimes i think he's lucky to be #2. We were at the playground today, and i was holding joe while running around with nic, so at 7 months (and today was hardly the first time), joe got to go down slides, across chain bridges, etc. When nic was this age, he got to go on a swing. and only for a few minutes til i got bored...joe gets to go on a swing, and he's super amused since nic LOVES to push him and make funny faces at him... i even let joe crawl around the flat part of the playground thing... (we were the only ones there). Never in a million years would Nic have gotten to do any of that at Joe's age... ah well...they'll never know of the inequality...

I'll have halloween pics tomorrow! yay! (we're trick or treating at mom's office...they're having a halloween thing, but we're going earlier, since we're across the street for aardvarks (music class) anyway...

shimmer - if you're interested and don't skeeve yard sales ... that seems to be THE TOY around here to sell right now...i've gotten two so far (and we've done yard sales 3 days total...) ... one for my mom's house for $2.00, and one for here for $1.00 ... so if you've got some time to spare - it's worth looking used... (actually i've gotten a TON of cool toys, cheap at yard sales... looking to pad the tree for christmas, without spending a fortune!)

[kindermom]

I am loving the pics ladies. The pirate mustache was a nice touch shimmer.

orion - So sorry to hear about DH. I can not even begin to imagine.

breastfeeding - We are at 7.5 months and still no formula to date. This time with DD it was not going as well.

pullingup - We have a toddler chair and a fisher price laugh and play table that are great for DS. He also pulls up on the sofa (one goes up to his nose), DD's bed, bookcases, etc.

us - We visited family this weekend, me and the kids. I drove 320 miles each way. What a nightmare. DS is in teething h-e-double hockey sticks right now and I ended up stopping 6 times on the way up to comfort him. By the end I was stopping every 30 minutes or so. When we were up there he pretty much refused to let anyone hold him and forget about anyone trying to give him a bottle. He ended up being super constipated. My poor little guy was pooping super hard bits until he screamed. Add in teething and it was awful. On the upside I got to see my nieces and nephews, celebrated my niece turning 4, went Christmas shopping with my Mom, and got our stockings for the kids finally.

ETA: DH is watching Friday the 13th Part 2. H got a hold of the remote and just changed it to the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders: Making the Team show on CMT. Way to go little guy!

[shimmerstar]

Uh oh. Noah bit someone at daycare today. I feel terrible, even though there's nothing really I can do since he's so little. I feel like the teachers should have been watching him and not letting him put his mouth on the other kids. No wonder he keeps getting sick! They looked at the teeth marks and realized that he has gotten one of his upper teeth! I just hope he is not a biter from now on.

Happy1- thanks for the tip. Our neighbors have yard sales all the time, and if I can get up early enough I will check them out.

[littlemia]

Pulling up- when Claire first started pulling up, she would only do it on low surfaces like the couch but it wasn't too long before she could pull up on anything- coffee table, chairs, the wall, my legs. Activity tables should be pretty easy for babies to pull up on but make sure you get on with rubber on the bottom if you don't have carpeted floors. Ours just has a hard plastic bottom and I have to use a rug to keep her from just pushing it around.

Standing unassisted- wow, I can't believe some babies are already doing this. We're definitely not there yet which is okay by me because that seems awfully close to walking.

Solids- We've only done avocado, sweet potatoes, and banana purees so far. I don't think she's ready for table foods or foods with much texture. Thanks to whoever (Happy1nuv, I think) suggested mixing banana and avocado, she seems to like it. Not sure what we're going to do next. I gave her just a tiny taste of my apple and she got a horrible diaper rash a little later, so I'm going to be careful with giving her fruit. I've been making everything myself, so can someone explain the difference between stage one and stage two foods? Do stage two foods have any lumps or are they just thicker?
Shimmerstar- Noah does look like such a big boy. Claire doesn't have much of a baby look either. It's funny how much older she looks than her cousin who is only 2 weeks younger. I hope your sleeping situation gets better. We've been having a hard time here, too.

Breastfeeding- right now I pump and give her bottles during the day and have her nurse overnight and in the early morning or when she needs comforting. I would like to stop pumping at 13-14 months but I will let her decide when she wants to quit nursing.

Betsy- Yay Mille! Sounds like she's getting back on track. She's a cutie!

Orion- sorry your DH is going to be away for so long. I hope everything goes smoothly and you are able to get your East coast posting.

MAG- Look at those eyelashes! I'm jealous!

Buffy- How's the new house? I forgot until now that you moved in right after Morgan was born.

Brink- Those fuzzy heads are so cute. I can't believe your girls are already 9 months.

Happy- I think I want one of those trampolines.

Janey- what kind of clasp does that bow have? I bought some barrettes and hair bands but I'm having a hard time getting the hair to stay neatly pulled back.

Pewee- good to hear from you!

Kindermom- Wow, that trip sounds stressful but it seems like it was worth it.

Sorry if I missed anyone!

Photogenic babies- all of your babies are so photogenic. Most of my pictures of Claire are terrible; she has her eyes closed or even better only one eye half-closed in a lot of them. I don't have any recent good pictures, so I'll just post this funny one. Child gets some major bedhead sometimes.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2036/1801862569_4be1c68b73.jpg?v=0

[shimmerstar]

Wow, little, she does look older. She is a cutie- is her hair very curly when it's done?

[Kanga]

littlemia - I am still giggling at that photo. Claire has more hair than my 2 year old. Not fair!

Orion - so sorry to hear about your dh being gone. I have no idea how you do it. I hope you get the coast you want.

solids - Cami has definitely decided that spoon feeding is for babies and that she is much too big for that, but she'll let you feed her puffs and that sort of thing. We tried cheese for the first time yesterday and it was a huge hit and she didnt seem to have any problems from it. I was kind of hoping she'd be on purees for a little while since I never got to do that with dd1 but oh well. Less mess for me.

stage1 vs stage 2 - I'm not entirely sure, but i think the only difference is that the jars are bigger and some of them are mixed - apples with pears, etc. I don't think there's any actual lumps in any of the jarred foods, but I could be wrong. The ones with cereal in them are definitely thicker though.

standing unassisted - She's been doing this for a couple of weeks now. Only occassionally and only for a second or two but it just amazes me how much more advanced she is when Daytona was this age.

Begger's night was last night so we went out with the kids around the neighborhood. They must have known Mom was just as excited about the candy as they were since they kept picking candy I don't like:p

[danalou]

Little I love that picture of your daughters bedhead!!

Orion I hope you guys are managing well with DH at sea!! I love the idea of retail therapy and it is even better when it isn't your money!!

Shimmer I hope the bitting is just a short stage as I know my mom had issues with my sister and bitting!!

Stage 1 versus Stage 2 I agree my understanding is that the containers are larger, but still the same puree. They also start mixing items to expand the range of taste buds.

Solids I made another batch of bananas this weekend and I don't think I added enough water as DD gags on them. This didn't happen with my first batch, so my best thought is to save them for later and make a new more runny batch. Has anyone given their kids blueberries yet??

Halloween I hope everyone has a great time tonight trick or treating and I can't wait to see all the pictures!! As always make sure to be safe!!

[betsyboop]

Halloween- I hope everyone post pictures of their babies in costume! Millie isn't in hers yet because I know she's just going to spit up all over it if I put it on too early. I'm waiting until right before I go out to run some errands after her morning nap.

Pulling up- I guess I spoke too soon. Right after I asked the question, she woke up from a nap and when I went in I put her in front of the rail of her crib and put her hands on the rail and she stood right up:eek: She seems to be a baby that needs to be shown to do stuff- she never thinks to try new things on her own. Kind of funny.

Stage 1 vs 2- Like the others have said, the only differences are the quantity and the variety.

Blueberries- In the info packet my ped hands out about feeding, it specifically says NO BERRIES UNTIL ONE YEAR- all in caps like that. Just an FYI.

Happy1- Ha, at least you took your first to the playground at all. I had never thought to do it with Millie at all until reading your post:o

Little- Love the bedhead:p

Kanga- What's beggar's night?

MIL called all excited last night. Apparently she won a $100 gift certificate to Toys R Us at work (odd prize for a work place, but whatever) and she'll be giving it to us when we see her this weekend at a family birthday party. I think we'll end up using it to buy stuff for Millie for Christmas since she really doesn't need anything right now.

Dave and I have been noticing that Millie has some funny favorite things. During the World Series (yay, Red Sox!!) she would completely stop everything and sit mesmerized during the national anthem and then as soon as it was over, she'd go back to whatever she was doing before. I guess we have a patriotic baby:p The other weird thing she loves is the Tivo sound. Any time we use the remote she smiles at the "beep beep" that comes from the tv.

[Orion]

Thanks everyone! We are managing just fine. I fall into a heap exhausted at night but I'm really lucky to have two fairly easy going, happy babies. Both Dalton and Sophie go to bed between 6 and 6:30 pm and they don't get up until 7 am (mind you Dalton does get up usually twice to nurse). It helps when you get that much of a break at night. During the day, I am just so busy with the kids and the house and errands that I don't have time to think about missing DH. The nights are tough but I've been letting my 70 lb dog sleep in bed with me (shhhh...don't tell DH!) so I have something to cuddle into! I'm sure the time will fly by and in no time, DH will be back home! I can't wait!

[dollface]

Happy Halloween to all my fellow March Mommies!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v403/makeupwhore/4cd6d2bf.jpg

[danalou]

Dollface The Halloween greetings it too cute!!

[betsyboop]

Here's Millie dressed as a skeleton:D

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g56/bugs1234_2006/DSC_1335.jpg?t=1193856900

[happy1nuv]

We tried blueberries today... blueberries don't count as a berry...they're like cranberries not strawberries/raspberries... Joe LOVED them... of course, i gave him TINY pieces of frozen blueberries, so they probably felt good on his gums...

Happy Halloween! We have a busy day tomorrow, so we probably won't get good pics til Friday! (cause todays were a total BUST!!!!)

[littlemia]

Shimmer- her hair's pretty straight unless she's outside in the hunidity. This is as curly as it gets.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2096/1815799160_de6c89505a.jpg?v=0

Here's one picture from yesterday. The pumpkin was carved on Sunday and was looking a little worse for wear yesterday. I need to take more pictures of her in her costume as none of them came out very well.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2133/1815796032_32b5307dcd.jpg?v=0

[Janey]

Littlemia - the clip is just a little alligator clip. The single bows stay in pretty well but I have some double-stack ones from the same company that fall out really easily. I ordered them from http://www.bloomingbows.com/

Betsy - The skeleton pic is fantastic. :D

[Brink]

I hope everyone had a great time on Halloween. I thought we were going to be out of luck since Katie got the flu the night before. We were up all night with her vomiting. But, like a trooper she pulled through and we went trick or treating with all three girls (I know, bad mommy). Here are the twins......

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2362/1828059755_8afee67f86.jpg

[miaclear]

Happy belated Halloween! Happy November!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2271/1832629319_01b4cb1836.jpg?v=0

[miaclear]

Double post...sorry

[goldengbridge]

Happy Halloween!

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i125/prugh12/pumpkinpatch031.jpg

http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i125/prugh12/pumpkinpatch035.jpg

[littlemia]

Cute Halloween pics. Here's Claire Bear:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2116/1867187696_33d485cc43.jpg?v=0

[Tandis]

Love the Halloween pics everyone! I have to agree with whomever said we have the cutest kids :D

Littlemia - Your daughter is just too cute. She looks so much older than what she is.

GoldenG - Glad to hear your son is doing good!

[danalou]

Everyone looks great in their Halloween costumes!! I will get a picture up soon, but DD is recovering from a cold and double ear infection -> fun days for my 30th birthday today!!

Tandis I love your parents as english bulldogs rock!!

[betsyboop]

Oh my god you guys, I'm having such a rotten day.
1. I woke up with a stiff neck from sleeping in a weird position and I can't turn my head all the way to the right.
2. I had to hand wash a few items- a sweater for Dave, 2 brand new sweaters for Millie, and a brand new jacket for Millie. I filled the kitchen sink with cold water and soap, put the clothes in and then got distracted and like 2 hours went by. By the time I remembered about the laundry, Millie's bright orange jacket had stained everything (her 2 sweaters were cream colored and Dave's sweater was light blue). I'm so annoyed with myself.
3. I microwaved the last bowl of butternut squash soup that I had made over the weekend WAY too long and the saran wrap on the top of the bowl melted into the soup, thereby ruining my lunch. Ugh.
4. My contacts are slightly different Rx's and I think, but I'm not sure, that I have them in the wrong eyes.

Anyway, we bought Millie's Christmas dress over the weekend. I can't seem to find it on the Baby Gap website, but it's red and black plaid with a black ribbon around the waist and short sleeves. I'm sure you've all seen it at the store:D

[shimmerstar]

Sorry Betsy. I hope tomorrow is better.

ALL the halloween pics are adorable. I love that we all have different costumes.

Dana- I hope she is all better soon!

Brink- is Katie doing better now?

Dh and I both have a cold. Noah has been exposed to roseola at daycare, so I'm looking forward to that too. I'm pissed at daycare, because I don't think they clean the toys and stuff well enough. I knew he was going to gets sick quite a bit, but this has been back to back to back!

Also, he is cruising now and he will stand next to the coffee table and tap it with one arm, like he's ready to take off. He is driving me crazy most days because I have to chase him around and keep him from eating bugs, lint, leaves, dog food, thread, etc. And this happens right after we vacuum! He also fights diaper changes, getting dressed, getting meds, getting his nose sucked out. He has always been so easygoing and now it's like he's purposely antagonizing me! :D I love him to pieces though, even when he uses my hair to pull up onto my back!

He was eating table food fairly well but spit out everything I gave him tonight. I hope he's not turning picky.

[Orion]

I am so not ready for this...I went in to Dalton's room after his nap (if you can call it that...I hate DST) and he was standing up in his crib. He has perfected the art of crawling so now he feels the need to move on to something else. DH is away until December 8 and he is not going to believe it when he comes home. This is so weird because Sophie was always such a late bloomer with everything (she didn't even walk until she was 17 months!). All afternoon he has been practicing standing up on anything and everything...yikes!

Betsy: I hope things are better for you tomorrow.

Shimmer: I hear you on the tough diaper changes! I've had to resort to changind Dalton on the floor with one of my legs gently draped over his chest to hold him down...it's like a mini yoga workout with every diaper change!

[danalou]

Betsy I hope your day finished off better than it began!!

Shimmer Diaper changes are getting tougher and tougher each new day!! I like Orion idea of the floor and one leg as that would help out. Also as for what happened to easy going baby -> I think they have decided that resisting is more fun!!

Orion I think this whole mobile thing is going to get me back in shape. DD is all over the place these days and just wants to start walking. She is standing on everything even not so safe items which makes our job as parents even more important.

I think that DD is finally starting to get over her cold and double ear infection. Today is her 1st day back at daycare, so lets hope all goes well!!

[Orion]

Danalou: I meant to wish you a Happy Birthday yesterday but my mind is a wee bit off since my kids aren't sleeping so Happy Belated Birthday! I hope you had a great one.

[danalou]

Orion Thanks it was my 30th and it was nice to just have it be low key!! Plus I loved the extra cuddle time with DD as being sick and all.

[danalou]

QOTD I was hoping we could share our children's food list to date. I haven't done much finger foods and was curious what others have done.

[Brink]

Hi everyone, all is well over here in twinland - the girls are doing great but it is always hard to come in here and post because they are so far behind all of your babies. They were born almost 2 months before your babies and they don't even roll over yet. They sit up by themselves, but that's it. They don't hold their own bottles, they don't crawl and they certainly don't pull themselves up on things. I know from their developmental appointment that there isn't any concern about it, but it just seems like forever since they have done something "new". Anyway, just jealous of all you ladies that are watching your babies move through stages. We'll get there, it's just taking a long time.

Shimmerstar - thanks for asking - yes, Katie is all better. It turned out to be some 24 hour bug and she was fine the next day. I just can't believe that I got away without my other two getting it. Thank goodness for that!

[betsyboop]

Brink- I know what you mean. Sometimes I see what the babies in this thread can do and I'm like "Whoa, seriously?!" I mean, Millie is NOWHERE near cruising, has only pulled up once and it was because I actually took her hands and put them on the crib rail for her, and doesn't really crawl (it's more of a "swim"- her belly is in constant contact with the floor). I'm always worrying that her weight issues have been holding her back. But then I look at the babies that I know in real life from Gymboree and this first time new moms group that I'm in and I see that she's right on target. I just think that the babies in this thread are really advanced physically.

danalou- Do you mean just finger foods or purees as well? As far as finger foods, Millie has tried Cherios once or twice. She's pretty bad at actually getting them from her hand into her mouth though. I think she's only actually eaten 2 Cherios so far:p Happy (belated) birthday!

Happy1- Why do blueberries and cranberries not count as berries? I've never heard of that before. Is it like how a tomato is really a fuit, but people think of them as veggies?

QOTD2- What kind of diaper bag do you carry?
Up until now, I had not found a need to carry a diaper bag, but now that Millie is mostly on formula, I need a bag to hold bottles upright. I am currently using one of those cloth Longchamp totes (the medium size), but I need something with inside pockets now. I want something that's not HUGE, but that seems to be the norm for whatever reason. What bags do you guys have and how do you like them?

[Kanga]

Brink - I have to agree that it seems most babies on here are more advanced than others the same age. While dd2 seems to be average in this group, everyone is always amazed at the playgroups we go to. Dd1 seemed to be doing the same things as your twins though at that age. She definitely was not crawling, pulling up or standing. I can't remember if she was doing the hands and knees rocking thing yet or babbling though. And she wasn't even a preemie.

Betsy - hope your day is going better than the other one. I'm right there with you though. Daytona got into and lost one of my contacts (last pair), then broke my fav. pair of glasses a couple of weeks ago. Then today the nose piece broke and fell off my back up pair of glasses. I'm starting to feel like the eye gods hate me:p
Food - At the store today I bought carrots, sweet potatoes, acorn squash, and pears. For the pears, I cut up like an apple, then dice a little bit of it for her and the rest goes to Big Sister. Same with the SP, squash and carrots, though they have to be peeled and steamed first. She also likes pasta (plain, sometimes she has the pasta out of our casseroles), bananas, tofu, small bits of bread, applesauce, soft crackers (graham crackers, puffs, baby goldfish, etc) cheese, pirate's booty, and of course the occasional lint/fur ball found on the floor:o. Basically she eats what she can from what we're having. She loves her food as long as she does it herself, and rarely turns down anything we give her. The only foods we stay away from besides the choking hazaards, are eggs, peanuts, tomato stuff, and beef. Dh gave her some hamburger helper one night (:o) and almost instantly her chin and cheeks turned bright red. He tells me after she started breaking out, that it has tomato paste in it. Boy did i fee like mother of the year. Fortunately it never upset her tummy or gave her a nasty diaper rash and the redness dissapeared after 30 minutes. It most likely was the tomato paste, but we're steering clear of beef for another month or so just to make sure.

diaperbag - I have one from Eddie Bauer. I love it because it's divided into two sides on the inside so i can keep the girls' stuff seperate. But it's big, though i do carry everything but the kitchen sink with me so i wouldn't have it any other way.

[Janey]

Re: Milestones - Count me as one who has a Not Physically Advanced baby. K was born at the end of February, 3 days post due date, and is not crawling, pulling up, or cruising. She sits on her own, but falls over so often that I usually put the Boppy around her so I can get a few things done around the house without having to rescue her every time she gets excited and wiggles a little too far over to one side & falls over.

She does scoot backwards & pivots on her belly, though. I don't even think she realizes she's doing it. She is up on her belly, and walks her little hands backwards. More than once, I've come back into the living room after I've made myself a sandwich to find that she's scooted herself under the couch. :eek:

*shrug* ... I just have to remind myself that these milestones will happen when they happen. I'm not worried, and I hope by posting this, I've made you a little less worried too. :)


Re: Diaper Bag - I have two diaper bags. I have an OiOi Carry-All, which I really like but it's huge. I mostly use that one when we go on overnight trips to grandma's house. For every-day use, I have this Land's End Little Tripper (http://www.landsend.com/pp/LittleTripperDiaperBag-53322_89159_-1.html?CM_MERCH=PAGE_53320). I LOVE this bag. It's small and compact, but big enough to carry:
3 diapers
Wipes
My "doggie bag" roll for dirty diapers
a bottle in each side pocket
an 'emergency' 3-oz bottle of pre-mixed formula in each side pocket
My Munchkin powdered formula container, if I know we're going to be somewhere BF would be difficult
My cell phone (in mesh inside pocket)
My wallet (in front outside pocket)
A sleeper
A cloth diaper
A small toy

And at $19.50, the price can't be beat.

[Brink]

Thanks ladies for all the assurance that my girls are ok. I guess we just hear about all the babies that are doing things and not the ones that aren't. My first DD was so advanced that I'm comparing the twins to her also (not fair, I know). I just keep waiting for them to do something different. I know once they start moving around I'll probably wish for the days when they just sat there. Anyway, thanks for the support.

Diaper bag - I carry two. I have one for my DD and one for the twins. The one for DD is a backpack which is really terrific. We keep diapers, wipes, extra clothes and snacks in that one. The twins bag is just your typical bag with handles that I can throw over my shoulder. We keep the usual in there - diapers, wipes, formula, bottles, burp cloth, extra clothes. I pre-fill their bottles with water so when we are out I can just add the formula and be done. I always re-fill their bag when I get back from somewhere, that way I don't have to remember days later what I used and what needs to be replaced. We are usually ready to go somewhere at a moments notice, so it makes it much easier to get out of the house.

[shimmerstar]

You all have to remember too that Noah was a Vday baby, so he is more than a month older than some of the other babies in this thread. And I hear you on the worrying thing. Even though he's really mobile, I still worry because he doesn't babble that much, and certainly doesn't mimic anything I say. He will sometimes pseudo-sign "more" but only if his dad does it. I am really anxious for him to start communicating somehow!
All the babies in here are doing great!
Food list-
We have tried all the stage 3 fruits and veggies. I hate that there's not more variety. He gets some jarred meat at school but I refuse to feed him that nasty stuff myself. I have given him bites of real meat and veggies that we are eating, he's had some pasta pick-ups, and some oatmeal cookie. He gets fruit in his mesh feeder, and has had some random bread and crackers at restaurants. He gets puffs, cheerios, and wagon wheels to feed himself while we're eating.

Diaper bag-
I have one from Eddie Bauer that I got at Sears. It's okay, but I don't keep it very organized. We don't use it too often.

Today he bit his finger until it bled, and didn't cry. That concerns me a little bit.

[Tandis]

Brink - my girls are a month behind your girls, and physically they are closer to what Janey's daughter is doing. Lots of scooting on their bellies, pivoting, and sitting up but only with a pillow behind (because when they get tired they just flop over :)). Miss A has still never rolled from her back to her belly, though she does try, but just can't quite make it. So I don't think your girls are all that far off from some of us. I just think there are a lot of babies are here who are super developmentally advanced :)

Foods - My girls have done almost all the fruits and veggies Gerber offers (minus the ones with corn, strawberries and oranges, which, why would they sell those?). They've tried Cheerios (not big fans), Gerber Puffs (loved the cherry ones), and Zwieback Toast (their favorite, until I read the ingredients - no more until they're over nine months old). I'm almost out of Stage 2 Gerber, so I'm going to have to start supplementing with homemade food until they can eat Stage 3.

Diaper Bag - I have a big Eddie Bauer one, but the one I use most often is the one I got free from Similac at the hospital. :o It has two pockets on the outside where I can carry two 8 oz bottles, or four 4 oz bottles, plus there is plenty of room inside for diapers, toys, extra clothes, and anything else I think we might need. So now the Eddie Bauer one is only used for overnight trips to the Grandparents.

[Kanga]

Tandis - what's in the zweiback toast?

[danalou]

Milestones At times I almost wish I didn't know what other babies her age are doing as it makes me question her skill level!! I just remind myself that everyone reaches milestones at different times. Her newest thing these days is shaking her head "NO" at you. It normally happens when she sees you doing it, but at times it works out when you say something that you think she would say "NO" in response and it just makes you laugh. The other thing she has been doing is giving me open mouth kisses!!

Diaper Bags I actually just ordered the bag that Janey mentioned for a on the go option. I love Land's End bags and this will be our second as we have their backpack diaper bag and find it a great option. DH said he wouldn't carry a bag that looked too girlish and in the end the backpack style worked out really well!!

Food I have yet to really give DD much in terms of finger foods as she doesn't have any teeth yet. When I have tried the puffs she puts them to her mouth and with help gets them in. Once they are in she generally gags on them!! I am curious if those how give finger foods regularly -> do your kids have some teeth?

[danalou]

Random Question I was hoping you gals might be able to help me out with a decision I have to make. We live in a city that only allows it residences a max of 3 pets (cats or dogs). Our neighbors are renters in a house and they currently have 6+ cats that they allow to roam outdoors. Last week with Halloween they had the majority of the cats outside and it just caused problems. It was windy that day and the cats were chasing leaves around even in the street. Cars had to stop on the street as the cats just ran out into the street. Then we were out on our front porch and the cats come up to us as they want attention. I don't normally have a problem with this by DD doesn't know these cats and I don't want to cause an issue if she pulls on one of them. Our two cats are one thing, but strange almost ferille cats are another thing. On top of the whole Halloween night the cats try to play with ours through the windows and it makes our cats go crazy. We have even found the cats in our garage. I want to call the city on them, but am worry about the neighbors finding out I called on them. It says clearly in the city by-laws 3 pet max, but they are renters and I don't believe they care. I have let this go on for a couple years now and every year there end up being more and more as they breed. I want to stop it, but I just feel like I am sending them to the slater house. Any thoughts would be great and sorry for the complete random topic!!

[Tandis]

Kanga - They have wheat, butter and whole eggs in them, which is a real shame considering how my girls go crazy over them. :)

[miaclear]

Food... we've tried a lot of the Gerber 2nd foods but still have some to make it through. For finger foods we've had a Gerber Biter Biscuit which DS LOVED but it made such a mess. We've also had a few Gerber Puffs which he seems indifferent too. But when it comes to the purees I can't seem to shovel it in fast enough.

Teeth....we cut #5 this weekend! Our first top tooth, and the other one is right behind it. Should come through by this weekend I'd think.

Milestones.... DS is still not crawling, he can scooch a little on his but and rolls with the best of them though. Just in this last day I've noticed him on his knees for a moment here or there. After spending the evening with my friend who's DS is crawling I'm glad that I don't have to deal with that quite yet.

Diaper Bag....I use the Lands End Diaper bags. I don't really "use" it though...it just sits in my car. I'm looking for something a little more stylish though for when I do start toting it around.

[MrsKinnison]

I've been following along, but have no idea when I last posted so I am just going to pick up from this week :)

Milestones ~ I always get comments on how people can't believe how much Ollie is doing already and he is not fully crawling, not pulling up, and certainly not cruising. I think we just have some very advanced kiddos in this group!!! Early on I saw how easy it was to compare him to every other baby on the planet and worry that he wasn't doing this or that, so I decided that I wasn't going to and have been much happier for it. Those that aren't doing all the physical stuff could very well be developing a whole bunch of cognitive skills but since we can't actually "see" those skills you don't realize it. I've also learned that Ollie doesn't work on stuff very long before he just does it, so just because he shows no signs of doing it doesn't mean he won't be doing it fully the next day. I don't know which is worse, to be advanced physically and chasing them all over as they get into everything, or cognitive we're they outsmart you all the time ~ lol! Either way, we are all in trouble very soon :D

Diaper Bag ~ I have an Eddie Bauer bag that is good for overnights and I used all the time when I had to have a change of clothes for both of us at work every day. For everyday, I just got myself the Skip Hop Dash and I absolutely love it! I got the striped print, and it is a messanger style bag, so its really cute and fits with my "style" (or lack thereof).

Blue/Cranberries ~ I just read about these on wholesomebabyfood.com (http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/blueberrybabyfoodrecipes.htm). Cranberries are listed as one of the least allergenic foods and blueberries are a close relative of cranberries so it is rare to have an allergy to them. They are not at all related to what are considered "true berries" like strawberries and rasberries that are considered low to high allergy. I just made some last night with pears that we will probably try today.

Finger Foods ~ For Finger foods Ollie has had Puffs, Cheerios, breads, goldfish, and Healthy Times Vanilla Biscuits for Teethers (definately need time for a bath after those). Puffs did make him gag at first, but I think it was more of his gag reflex getting used to something not pureed and not choking because the same thing would happen when he had a piece of banana that was not completely smashed even if it was really tiny. I'd say it was only a few days and that went away and I've even started giving him chunky pear/applesauce. He gets really excited for puffs and cheerios now! I plan to try him with some cheese this week too.

Other Foods ~ Ollie has had Yogurt, Bananas, Apples, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Sweet Potato, White Potato (don't think he likes much), Carrots, Peas, Corn Broccoli, Pumpkin, Chicken, and recipes that have stuff like sauteed onions, celery, leeks, chicken broths (homemade), etc so he is getting lots of different flavors. I've been using the book 100 Top Baby Purees and really like it. This week I'm making recipes with lentils, tomatoes, zuhccini, and cheese, so we'll be trying those over the next couple of weeks.

QOTD 2 ~ How much is everyone eating? I'm always worried that I'm not feeding enough or feeding too much! Ollie has Cheerios and either a Yo Baby or 4 cubes of fruit both with 1/4 cup cereal (just upped it from 2TBS) for Breakfast and Puffs and 4 cubes of Dinner (protein & veggie or fruit combo) and 2 cubes of Dessert (fruit combos with cinnamon). Also, when is the right time to add a lunch. I don't want to take away from his bm consumption, but I don't want to starve him either.

Ollie had his first sleepover this weekend. He spent the night at my parents because we had a night wedding. It was so nice to STTN myself and sleep in a bit in the morning, but boy did we miss him like crazy!! We couldn't wait to go get him in the morning! It was the first time he'd had bottles in a while so I got a better idea of how much he is taking in. The only full 6oz bottle he drank was his middle of the night feeding, so at least I know that he really does need to eat then and I can ignore all those people that keep telling me it is just habit!

[deelcie]

OMG, how did I miss this thread???? Well, we were traveling for about a month from end of Sept. to the end of Oct. so I guess I will blame it on that.... I just read the last few pages...too overwhelming to read the whole thing!

Milestones I am right there with you moms who feel a little left behind. Reikke is sitting up on her own but not much more. She scooted around backwards for a few minutes the other day and will gradually scoot a foot or so on her butt if she sees something interesting in front of her...she also loooooves walking assisted and will happily stand for a long time if you put her hands on the edge of her pack 'n' play for her. Oh and she does get up on all fours and kind of rock back and forth for a little bit but doesn't go anywhere. I was a little worried b/c DS was crawling, pulling up to standing and cruising at this age but after reading the last few posts, I have decided not to anymore. :)

teeth no sign of here! DS had 4 at this age!

OK, done pumping. Will try to post more later...

[MrsKinnison]

danalou ~ If the cats are just chasing cars and being friendly, I don't really see it as a big deal and they certainly do not sound ferrill and I wouldn't be concerned. HOWEVER, if they are not being cared for (not being fed, taken to the vet, let in on cold nights, etc) then that would be cause for concern. Even then you have to consider what would happen to them ~ is your local shelter a kill or no kill shelter, are they better off where they are? It's a tough decision that only you can make, just make sure that you whatever you decide it is for the best and right reasons.

[littlemia]

Betsy and Kanga- since you two have smaller babies, what brand of pants fit your girls?

Danalou- Happy Birthday (Belated)!

Miaclear- 5 teeth! We still just have two. I read somewhere that the upper teeth tend to come about a month after the lower two teeth but that hasn't been true for us and I guess not for you either.

Diaper changes- they're horrible. It's been that way for about the last 3 months. God forbid she stay still for one minute.

Foods- I'm pretty sure we've done the fewest foods. Avocado, banana, sweet potatoes, carrots.

Diaper bag- I have this Okkatots one (http://www.okkatots.com/html/handbag.htm). It's small and has one inside pocket for a bottle.

Shimmer- I think Claire has eaten a bug and I know she's eaten leaves and grass. She's an expert in picking out and trying to eat all small objects. I wouldn't worry too much about Noah biting his finger. I think babies have different pain sensitivities than adults or older children. Claire bumped her head a few times when she was a little baby and didn't even flinch. I worried about that but now that she's unfortunately bumped her head lots of times I know that she does feel pain but that the back of her head's just not that sensitive.

Development worries- I think it's definitely true that people tend to talk about what their kid is doing not what she's not doing. Claire's doing very well with her motor skills but there's a big gap between those and her communication skills. I think if I lived in a bubble and just watched her I would think she's fine but when I read those what your baby should be doing things and hearing about other babies doing stuff like signing, I start to get worried. Claire does babble but she rarely imitates and she doesn't always respond to her name and she definitely doesn't understand no or danger.

[miaclear]

How Much Food....I always wonder this myself cause at times it seems like DS could eat a horse. We do cereal and a Stage 2 fruit for breakfast. We used to just do half of the container but he very eagerly eats all of it now. Then we do 2 Stage 2 containers for dinner, a fruit and a veggie. Sometimes it seems like he could eat 3!!! But I think that's too much so we just stick with 2. My Ped wanted him to be up to 3 meals a day by his 9 month WBV so next Friday we are starting 3 meals a day. Likely I'll just give him 1 Stage 2 container at some point during the middle of the day. I'm eager to start giving him bits of food from our plate but want to talk to our Ped before I do so. So till then we'll stick with the premade purees and some puffs on occasion.

High Allergy Foods.....I've given DS a Puree that included Strawberries. I didn't realize they were a high allergy food. Other than honey, eggs and peanut butter I figured we were ok with most foods (so long as we wait 3-4 days between introducing them). We didn't start DS on solids till he was 6 months. For those who are waiting on these other foods when do you plan on introducing them?

Littlemia...yeah, we got the bottom two, were expecting the top two but instead quickly got 2 more bottom. Then it was about a month before these top two decided to show up. I used to miss his gummy grin but he's so cute with his teeth.

[betsyboop]

Littlemia- We have yet to find a brand of pants that fits properly. Cherokee jeans/khakis sold at Target have a narrow waist, but they are too short now. Every other brand is too loose. This happens to her a lot:p

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g56/bugs1234_2006/DSC_1342.jpg?t=1194455790

Diaper bags- Thanks for the recommendations. I'll have to get out and look at Lands End sometime this week.

Eating little things- Oh yes, we have a baby that's into that as well. She will travel any distance to put a piece of leaf into her mouth (we track them in to the area where we take off our shoes from the back porch at this time of year) only to choke on it as soon as she gets it in there:rolleyes:

MrsK- Thanks for the berry info!

Tandis- I didn't know corn was a no-no. Thanks for the heads up!

QOTD- We feed Millie about 4oz of food per day. Some days, we don't get around to it at all though. I don't bother with cereal anymore because she's getting iron from the formula.

So, we just got back from Millie's follow up appt with the gastrointerologist. What a waste of time- we got there on time for the 9:30 appt (which was a struggle for us since Millie doesn't get up until after 8). We then waited for about 45min and then I went to the desk to find out what was going on. I mean really, how late could they possibly be running at 9:30am? It turned out that we were supposed to see the nutritionist and she hadn't even shown up to work yet:eek: I have to wonder how long they were going to let me sit there before telling me! Anyway, so I said I wasn't just going to sit there indefinitely and I'd need to reschedule. They then told me that I was scheduled to see the Dr at 10:40, right after I was supposed to have seen the nutritionist, and would I like to see him before I left. (Note, that was an hour of meeting with the nutritionist- how long can you really talk about feeding a baby??) I said I would as long as he'd be in right away because Millie was starting to get cranky at this point (her nap usually starts at 10 am and with the time change, she's been napping a little early this week) . They sent me back to the waiting area and tell me that they'll call me right away. 15 min go by and they finally call me and Millie got weighed in- she's now 15lb 4oz and 24 7/8". Honestly, I was shocked- that's over 1lb gained in 2 weeks! Then we waited in the room for another 20min and the Dr still hadn't shown up. So, I went out to the desk and told them that I was leaving- it had been an hour and a half of waiting at that point! Babies (and mommies!) only have so much in them, you know? I didn't bother rescheduling becuase I think with the weight gain, she's doing fine and I don't need a nutritionist's/gastrointerologist's advice anymore. Oh, and I made them refund me my co-pay as well:p

Oops, I wrote a novel here:o

[Kanga]

Betsy - How ridiculous about the wait! And YAY! for the weight gain, especially in such a short time. I think I'd have to do a combo of retail therapy and celebrating with the copay refund though;)

littlemia - We have the same problem as Betsy. She crawls along and off they come. We also cloth diaper so the bubble butt combined with long skinny bird legs makes for an interesting fit. 6mo Carter's elastic waist pants seem to work the best. I've given up on finding jeans that work. I don't have any for dd2, but we've nixed Children's place for dd1 because they run too skinny and long for her so you may want to give those a try.

Diaper changes - Another roller and fish flopper for changes over here. It seems to be getting better, and she's started to catch on that when I lay her on her back and hand her a random toy that she must stay still for 30 seconds and then she can be on her merry way. It also helps to sit down and have her sit on lap facing outwards to put pants on. I'm not brave enough to try diaper changes like that though;)

danalou - how old are the cats? If they're >1 year, they'll probably get placed pretty quickly, >6 months would be even better. Personally as long as they are cared for - food, clean water, shelter, etc and not attacking your pets or other people, I would leave them alone. Maybe leave an anonymous note with your neighbor that they're in the street and your garage and you don't want them to get ran over accidentally. Maybe a phone # to a low cost spay/neuter clinic too. I don't know how ethical you are, but I've cat and dog napped a few "pets" that weren't well cared for and given them to people who I know would care for them better. Like I said, not completely ethical but better for the cats that way.

food quantity - Not much. She refuses to let anyone feed her, so the amount she actually digests is very little, but the amount I give her is probably on par with the rest of the group.

[miaclear]

Betsy....that's just WRONG....I can't imagine waiting that long.

Torticollis....we are still going to therapy for this but it's down to once a month. At our appt today Aaron got on all fours FIVE TIMES! That's about how many times he's done it this whole last month. I have a feeling crawling is SO close.

My bump.....just an update on the bump on my breast. The first round of antibiotics didn't work and they sent me for a mammogram. After the scariest hour and a half of my life while they took 10 scans of my boob and then proceeded to do an ultrasound on it I was convinced they were going to tell me I had cancer. The Dr however said the tissue underneath the bump is very normal, however the tissue on top of my breast was dense. I asked her if that could be related to my BFing....apparently the tech didn't share that news with the Dr and she was 95% positive that after I'm done BFing it will go back to normal. So I will have a follow up for that. So my regular Dr Rxd a stronger antibiotic for the bump which at this point was the size of a pencil eraser. After five days of that it started looking like a really big zit. I popped it yesterday. Not sure if that's a good thing but I did it as sterile as I could. It's already looking better I think. I hope it's gone in another five days when the antibiotics are gone. If it's not my Dr is referring me to a Breast Surgeon for a biopsy.

[MarriedaGoalie]

Hey ladies! How are things going? It has been so long since I've actually been able to sit down on here. Everything has been super crazy lately. We just got back from spending a week in Las Vegas for SEMA (the aftermarket automotive show). Between that, expanding our office at work and trying to catch up on my 9 credit hours of school, I haven't had any free time.

Since we were in Las Vegas for Carter's first Halloween, I don't have any pictures of him from that actual night yet, but I will post one when I get it. I do want to post this picture. It is a picture of Carter helping to carve his pumpkin at my mom's house. Isn't he so cute? haha

http://images.photo.walgreens.com/232323232%7Ffp%3B7%3Dot%3E2328%3D894%3D466%3DXROQD F%3E2323%3A%3B%3A%3A%3A7%3A35ot1lsi

Here is a picture of Carter with a Biter Biscuit. Anyone else give these to their little ones? My mom bought them and I don't want to give them to him because they are a MESS!! I will let her do that. haha

http://images.photo.walgreens.com/232323232%7Ffp%3B9%3Dot%3E2328%3D894%3D466%3DXROQD F%3E2323%3A%3B%3B446958ot1lsi

Has anyone else noticed any allergies with their little ones (other than food)? I think Carter is allergic to Tylenol. We have given it to him a couple of times lately because his teeth have really been bugging him and he has been spitting up a lot after we give it to him each time. How do we know if he's allergic to it? If he is, what are my other options for pain medication while he is teething? Any ideas?

[littlemia]

Betsy and Kanga- thanks! I had her in a Children's Place outfit yesterday and the pants fit pretty well so I'll try them again. She has a few Carters outfits and they're a little loose but might be as good as it gets. There's a CP and a Carter's outlet across town that I need to go check out.

Thanks to those who answered my question about stage 1 vs. stage 2 foods. We definitely don't need the larger size but the variety is much better for stage although Claire's been refusing all purees lately.

Betsy- that wait is ridiculous. Good for you for leaving and good for Millie for plumping up.

Miaclear- sounds like he'll be crawling very soon. I hope these antibiotics work.

[happy1nuv]

mag - i love hylands teething tablets - not as long lasting but very quick to work!

food - hmmm, i try to do breakfast and dinner... joe refuses to eat off a spoon so he gets everything cut in tiny pieces and finger fed (he got his first tooth 3 days ago, and its still JUST poking through the surface) ... we've done bananas, avacado, sunchokes, pears, blueberries, broccoli, sweet potato, and we'll do artichokes today! (although, ive let him suck on a raw carrot.. i dont think he actually got anything off though, so i dont count that)

In other news... joe has a rash on his legs..i think its either excema or really dry skin, but i've tried two different creams and its not going away (one was new, but the other id used on him before) It showed up on day #3 of blueberries so we stopped those ... but that was over a week and half ago and the rash is still there...

And...i HAD a theory that all the advanced babies were baby#2 or more... but, after skimming the last page or two that disproved that theory...i know joe is doing WAAAAYYYYY more on all fronts than nic did at this age...

[miaclear]

MAG....I had to change his outfit and mine after he ate a biter biscuit. But he loved it. Although once he got it gummed down to a small size it really worried me cause it seemed like a great choking hazard.

[Kanga]

Tyelonol alternatives - The ones I know of are amber teething necklaces, hylands, baby orajel and motrin.

Oops, baby is up. I'll write more later.

[MarriedaGoalie]

Motrin! That's what I was looking for... I will check with my neighbor (the pharmacist) as to how much to give him. You know, I've never really had any luck with the teething tablets. I'm convinced their just sugar pills. ???

[danalou]

Motrin (childrens version) - 1/2 tsp per our dr last week. I believe your DS is over 18 lbs, but the key for motrin is over 6 months!!

[betsyboop]

I was giving Millie a bath this morning and I got to thinking- where do you guys give your babies their baths? In the baby tub thing? In the kitchen sink? In the bathroom tub? Also, do your babies play with bath toys?

We are still using the baby tub, but I guess I don't need to because she can sit up just fine. Or can I- would it be too slippery for her to stay sitting in the sink? (we broke the drain stopping thing in our tub when we remodeled the bathroom a few years ago, so there will be no baths in the tub until we move to a new house. Plus it seems like it would be more comfortable for me to use the sink- no kneeling) We haven't bought any toys yet, but I'm thinking that might make bathtime a little more interesting. She's totally "blah" during baths as of now.

[goldengbridge]

Betsy- We just moved Ashlyn out of her baby tub a few weeks ago. She can sit up too but I don't trust her to sit up in the tub without a safety seat. Its just too slippery. We have this one:

http://trus.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pTRU1-3013689reg.jpg

We also have some toys we put in there with her that she likes to play with.

http://trus.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pG01-3870324reg.jpg

http://trus.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pTRU1-3873384reg.jpg

[danalou]

Betsy We are still using her newborn/infant as to be honest I hate cleaning our tub. I did take a real bath with us both in the tub last weekend even with the no-skid things she was still all over the place. As for the bath toys she loves them and I would imagine your daughter would be the same way!!

[miaclear]

Bath....we're still using the infant/toddler tub in our sink. He sits up in it though so the reclined back just makes it easier to clean his behind ;) We give him some toys to play with, just little squeezy bath toys, otherwise he tries to grab everything in site. I wouldn't give him a bath in just the sink alone, I've heard that that can be the dirtiest place to give your kid a bath unless you're scrubbing it with clorox every day. I'd rather not. We'll likely be moving to the big bath soon because DS really enjoys his baths and I want him to have the whole experience. We'll be investing in these items (all from One Step Ahead but available elsewhere too)....

So that we don't have to fill up the whole tub and there's some cushion around DS
http://content.onestepahead.com/assets/images/product/detail/11828.jpg

For my back
http://content.onestepahead.com/assets/images/product/detail/13866.jpg

For the toys
http://content.onestepahead.com/assets/images/product/detail/13376.jpg

For DS when he tries to stand up
http://content.onestepahead.com/assets/images/product/detail/13042.jpg

[kindermom]

To catch up...
Betsy - You can buy little plugs for the tub that are separate and allow you to stop up the water. Oh, and I am so sorry about the wait.

Baths - We use the Baby Safe Bather which is a sponge for the tub. He used to lay on it now he sits on it. The few times I have just put him in the tub, I put a hand towel down first for some grip. He likes to splash in the water and he will play with the shampoo bottle.

MAG - Great photo with the pumpkin. At first I thought he was covered with pumpkin until I read it was the biscuit.

Skinny kids - My DD is really thin (think 50th for height and 2nd for weight). I find that leggings fit her best. Gymboree and Lands End both fit her really well. Gymboree regular pants however are huge! As far as jeans go I have yet to find a good pair. Perhaps the new skinny jeans work?

Food - We still barely feed Henry solids. He is just not interested in them. Cheerios are about the extent to which he eats right now.

Mia - I am glad to hear that the bump may be nothing.

Diaper bag - We have a skip hop duo and a Lands End backpack (just a plain backpack) that we use. I also have the big do it all diaper bag but I think it is cumbersome.

Development - The first time around I compared my kids to everyone in my moms group. My DH started to get really mad at me because I would wonder why DD was behind in some areas. He would constantly point out that she develops what she wants to at her own pace. With DS, he is developing physically and is not talking at all, just like his sister. So I could worry about him being behind in language development or I can celebrate his climbing his first stair. Others may celebrate their little ones saying mama or dada. Or maybe their DC is really observant and likes to just sit and figure things out. Ok, off my parent soapbox. Back to your conversation!

[Janey]

Baths - We have a large, single-basin kitchen sink, so we've bathed her in since she was newborn. We got a bath sponge at BRU that we put in the bottom. She both sits on it and lays on it. She has a rubber ducky that she plays with (read: eats) in the bath.

[buffy]

Baths ~ I have been wondering about this too. I usually still use the infant/toddler tub. I've given her a bath in the tub without it a few times but she just sees it as a license to stand up. Every once in a while she tries crawling and standing in her infant tub but not as often as the big one.

Food ~ still 100% breastfed. I've tried solids a few times and she wants nothing to do with them.

Sleep ~ I'm pretty sure I've got the worlds worst sleeper here.

[happy1nuv]

i put joe in a bath ring in the bath tub so both kids cxan play in the tub together... both are happy that way.

[Tandis]

Baths - We stopped using their infant bathtub about two months ago. While on vacation we got into the habit of using the kitchen sink (which was great for the back, but not much room), and now we're using the bathtub with a hand towel for them to sit on. Unfortunately, our bathroom is really small, so I have to squeeze between the toilet and the tub, and DH squeezes between the vanity/toilet/tub. :rolleyes: As for toys, the girls have some rubber duckies they love to play with/eat.

[Kanga]

Sleep - I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one getting up tons at night with their baby. I visited a friend the other day and she made it sound like 8 months was waaaay too old be getting up at all. ETA - she currently gets up at least 2x. I think it maybe 3 or 4 though, I can never really remember. Just roll over and give her the boob:D

Baths - We use the big tub and have for quite some time. Before she could sit I'd just hold her on my lap, but now I have a folded up towel underneath of her. She does try to stand up which gets annoying but I keep reminding myself that sooner or later she'll get it. She's also slipped underneath the water a few times, but I'm always right there so it's not a big deal. No bath toys as dd1's were getting nasty so I threw them all out and put it on their christmas list. Sucking the water out of the washcloth seems to be extreme amounts of fun for her anyways:rolleyes:

[deelcie]

Sleep - Reikke was waking up ~1x/night usually around 3 am up until a couple weeks ago. Lately, I just can not get back to sleep after being woken up in the middle of the night and it was killing me. After several days of waking up for the day at this time, finally giving up on sleep around 6 am and getting ready for work, I bit the bullet and had her CIO. It was 3 nights of pure hell but she is now sleeping from approximately 7 pm - 7 am plus naps and is a much happier baby (happier mommy too!)

Baths I think we are going to have to switch to the big tub here too. She made such a huge mess last night and it was like trying to bathe a hyperactive baby octopus who wanted OUT. I was soaking wet at the end of bathtime as was the bathroom counter and the floor. The problem is, there is only 1 tub in our house and it's gigantic. I mean, it's like the equivalent of a baby swimming pool. I'm trying to remember what we did w/ DS but I think I just got in the tub and took baths with him.

[miaclear]

Deelcie....maybe something like the tub I posted on the previous page would work for you.

[betsyboop]

Baths- Well, we tried using the kitchen sink over the weekend, but Millie really hated it. We even put a toy in there with her and she just yelled and made weird faces the whole time. So I guess we're going back to the baby tub for a little while. Oh well.

Sleep- We've had the same schedule for probably 3 months now. She goes to bed at 8:30ish, we wake her at 11 (when we go to bed) to top her off for the night, and then she sleeps until about 8am. Though, this morning she slept until just about 9:eek: Since we always have to wake her at 11, we're not sure if she really needs to eat at that point, but we're scared to stop doing it because we don't want her to start waking up in the middle of the night or too early in the morning.

Millie was such a trooper this weekend. We were kind of nervous about how she'd react because we had 2 family parties on Saturday and she was going to have to nap in the car during the hour long drive between them. Not only did she sleep the whole way, but she was not scared of all the "strangers" at the parties who were holding her/passing her around. The only problem was when one of my cousins tried to play peekaboo with her- she hates peekaboo. I guess it's too scary because she always ends up crying whenever we try it:p

[deelcie]

miaclear I was thinking the same thing and plan to look into those further but on 1st glance, it looks like they need to fit fairly snugly in your tub. We don't have a standard shape tub, it's this big ole circle whirlpool tub with big fat sides. It's such a pain in the butt.

betsyboop for some reason it made me LOL that Millie hates peek-a-boo. :) DS wasn't a big fan for a while either, I think b/c when he was an infant, whenever I saw some of my friends in a group, their older kids always wanted to play peek-a-boo with him and they'd gather around, get w/in about 2 feet of his face and go "PEEKABOOPEEKABOOPEEKABOOPEEKABOO!!!", waving their hands back and forth in front of their faces and it would freak him out. :p

Well, a sign that Reikke is learning to emphasize with others today... I was in my bedroom, nursing her before her afternoon nap when I heard the most horrific scream from DS outside. I jumped up and ran w/ R to the back door before I even knew what was happening. DS had run into one of the solid wood pillars outside with a full-on face plant. I plopped her in her pack 'n' play, ran and grabbed him from the nanny and brought him inside. R took one look at his blood-covered, screaming, crying face and started wailing. So my nerves are pretty much shot for the afternoon... :( Everything is fine and both kids are napping now. I think I'll finish off that bottle of vodka...

[miaclear]

After MUCH searching I think I finally found a decent outfit for Aaron's 8 month photo. They are in the park tomorrow....unfortunatly it's supposed to be in the mid 80s!!! How am I supposed to get a fall look with the mid 80s!!!! Errrr. I had hoped to put him in a sweater but it's just going to be too damn hot for that. So I found a longsleeved tee that will work, khaki pants and some cute new robeez. For myself I might just have to suck it up and go with my original outfit which includes a longsleeved tee and a FLEECE VEST! I'm going to roast to death! I'm going to see if I can't find something that will work without the vest.

Deelcie....actually in reading the reviews on the OSA website the biggest complaint was that it didn't fit in a standard tub and the only way they got it in the tub was by not blowing it up all the way. Someone had posted that they had a big oval garden tub and it fit perfectly in there. So who knows.... We also have a big oval garden tub in our master but I think I'll go the route of not blowing it up completely and putting it in the other more standard tub.

[danalou]

Deelcie What does CIO stand for as I am a bit confused and would love to get DD to STTN!!

Miaclear Isn't the weather crazy this year?? I hope all goes well with the photos as I know it can be hairy!!

Betsy That is too funny how kids either love or hate peekaboo!! DD is one that loves it currently, but that is bound to change.

I haven't posted pictures in some time and wanted to share this one from Sept at my parents house!!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2034/1969441361_430f20f79e.jpg?v=0

[miaclear]

dana... great point of view shot! CIO = cry it out.

peek a boo .... DS could care less about the game. Sometimes if he's got a blanket he'll do it himself...but when you do it (play the hiding part) he's indifferent.

[danalou]

Christmas gifts for DC - I am curious what you guys plans to do for Christmas gifts for your kids daycare providers? DD is at a home-center and I will only have to buy for one person. TIA!!

[betsyboop]

Language development? I was just curious what the other babies are doing so far with this. It was also last week's discussion topic at Gymboree and I thought it was interesting. So far, Millie says mamama, dadada, bababa, tatata, nanana, sssss, nynyny. She will say baba (just 2 sylables as opposed to repeating ba over and over) and/or look at the photos of herself on the wall when I say baby, so I'm thinking she's starting to get that word and that it'll be the first one she says. But who knows?

Dana- Cute photo- she looks pissed:p Sorry, we don't have daycare/babysitters, so I can't help with the questions about gifts.

Mia- Wow, 80 degrees!? I hope the photos came out well- will these be for your Christmas cards? We are doing that this weekend. I bought a string of those big old fashioned multi-colored lights and a santa hat to use as props.

[deelcie]

miaclear well, hmmmm....I will have to check those out then. I love taking baths together but it's not always convenient.

dana yeah, what she said ^ CIO = crying it out. It's not for everyone, a nightmare to live through, and before DS was born I thought I would never do it but sleep deprivation makes you do desperate things. :o

Xmas gifts We have a full-time nanny at our house. Here in Bolivia, you are legally required to give domestic help one month's pay as a bonus every year. We do that and throw in a huge gift basket as well. But our situation is a little different...people make very little $ here so we tend to err on the side of being a little more generous.

language development Reikke says 'mama' a lot but it's hard to tell if it's indiscriminate or not. I make a big deal when she says it so she may just be trying to get a reaction out of me. She also does the bababababababa, didididididididi, kkkkkk (kind of a tv static sound) and the other day when I pointed out the cat and said "kitty" she started going "gigigigigigigi." The other day she said "yeah yeah goo goo" which DS thought was hilarious. So according to him, baby always says "yeah yeah goo goo."

[shimmerstar]

Daycare presents: I think I'm just going to get them some candles or something from Bath & Body. We haven't been going very long, and they aren't necessarily my favorite people, so I don't know what they like, really. There are several other people who work there in the afternoons, and I can't tell them apart, so I don't know how many there are. I might just bring some cookies or chocolates or something- as a teacher, I know those are always appreciated in the lounge.

Language- Noah babbles some. He says mama when he's crying, and dada all the time. He also says goo, gggggg, and oh. The other day I would feed him a bite and he would say "buh buh buh", and then crack up when I said it back. He said "mo" for "more" once, but never again. This morning he picked up the door stopper to chew on and said "yeah!". It's his favorite toy.

He has a cold or a horrible stuffy nose from teething, or both. He is so whiny and it's driving me nuts. I wish he would start talking more because he is getting so frustrated when I don't do what he wants. We have signed a little bit with him, but he hasn't caught on yet.

[happy1nuv]

sounds - mamamama, dadadada.... buhbuhbuh... i think thats about it... he likes to play with sounds though, and babbles all the time...

[MrsKinnison]

Baths ~ We are still using the baby tub. He sits on the little seat part while I wash him up, then moves into the "deep end" to play. He has always loved his rubber duckies in the tub, but is also a big fan of the wash cloth. He thinks splashing is great fun too!

dana ~ That is such a great shot!!

Gifts ~ I've been wondering this same thing too. Ollie doesn't go to daycare, but I thought it would be nice to get his yoga teacher a little something. I'll definately share what I find and hope you all do too. One of us is bound to come up with something cute!

Language ~ Ollie's favorite by far is dadada, daD!, daDA, and any other form fo dada you can think of. He also says baba, gaga, nana, and the occassional mama, but that one usually comes out when he is eating so it could be more of a mmmum. I don't think he knows yet that we are dada and mama yet though. He loves to babble and will go on and on, often with his hands going too, and will even mix some rasberries in there too. Rasberries seem to be a very happy sound for him. If he likes something a lot, he always starts blowing rasberries.

Dumb Cooking Question ~ When I cook turkey I always poor a bottle of beer (Honey Brown seems to be my fav so far) in the turkey pan as it makes for delicious gravy. It all cooks off, so it would be okay to feed that turkey to Ollie right? I will definately skip any salt this year and use MrsDash instead.

Look what I found (http://tinyurl.com/2hvr2a)while doing some online Christmas Shopping for Ollie!!! Also, babycenter.com has a category for toys made in the US and Europe. They are cute, reasonably priced, and they have free shipping for orders over $49 and 15% off non-sale items until Monday.

[shimmerstar]

We had our 9 month appt today. Noah is 21 lb, 5 oz (50-75th), and 29 3/4 inches (90th). He still has a small head though. :p

She sent us to get his blood drawn to check for anemia. She said this is standard. We went, but the doc didn't fax the order over in time so we had to leave without getting it done. Has anyone else heard of this/done this? I really don't feel like it's necessary, but I've never heard of doing it before. He gets enfamil with iron.

He is getting two more teeth. I hope they hurry up so we can get a break soon.

[miaclear]

Shimmer....I know at our 6 month they told us DS would be tested for something at his 9 month and I'm thinking it was anemia.

[Kanga]

Shimmer - Around here they test for lead and anemia at either 12 or 15 months. I can't remember. I'd probably opt out if it were mesince he is getting formula with iron anyways. We plan to have both girls tested soon for both anemia and lead poisoning, but I tend to have low iron levels and Cami is EBF. I think I remember reading that around 6 months, the iron levels drop off in bm, but that's obviously not an issue if you ff with an iron formula. *scratches head*.

language - So far it's only, mamamamamam. But now that I think about it, it's been awhile since I've heard that. It seems that she is a little behind than most other kids on this, but she's advanced on her motor skills so it all works out in the end. I'm assuming once she slows down a little and isn't so concerned with doing the next big thing, she'll work on her "words".

I'm fairly certain Cami did her first sign (milk) today!! I was helping her with her sweet potatoes. She got a some in her fist and started opening and closing it like the sign for milk and was also getting increasingly fussy. So I wiped off her hands thinking she just didn't want them dirty, but she did it a few more times with the other hand. I'm with you shimmer, i'm so ready for her to communicate more. I never have been able to tell the difference in her cries so it'd be nice not to have to waste time trying to get her down for a nap when really she wants to eat or nurse or whatever.

[betsyboop]

Shimmer- I know our Dr takes blood at 9 months for anemia and lead levels. We'll need to get it done because we live in an older house (75 years) and probably have lead paint somewhere. Having already had blood drawn from Millie once for her weight issues, I'm NOT looking forward to doing it again though. It's SO awful when they do it- it actually took 3 tries (at 3 different labs over the course of 2 days) to get it and she was all bruised on her little arms from it:( It was the first time she ever cried that hiccup-y gasping cry that little kids do- so awful. Ugh.

[littlemia]

Language- She says stuff like mama, baba, bada, ki ki ki, ti ti ti, and all sorts of vowel combinations with d- dada, di di, dadi, etc. I think everything's just random sounds, though, I haven't noticed her using the same sounds to indicate anything in particular. As far as words she knows, if you ask her where Mia (the dog) or Daddy is, she will look at them most of the time. Besides her name, those are the only words I know she understands. It's kinda hard to tell at this age, though.

Peekaboo- We play "Where's Mommy?" and "Where's Claire?" She loves it. She started really responding to it a few weeks ago.

Blood draw- We haven't been to a WBV in a long time :o so I don't know if or when my ped does the iron test, but I'm going to get it done in the next few months. Claire's iron level was a little low at 3 or 4 months and I want to make sure it hasn't dropped too much. The blood draw we had wasn't fun but not too traumatic. There were two techs helping her and the one who actually took the blood called a supervisor over to make sure she was going to get a vein in the first stick. Of course, Claire is much stonger and squirmier now, so it probably won't be as easy.

[betsyboop]

Uh oh, she's started pulling up to the plank position on her own now- I'm sure it's only a matter of time until she's fully standing:eek:

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g56/bugs1234_2006/DSC_1402.jpg?t=1195138570

I guess we really have to lower the crib mattress now.

[danalou]

Betsy - That is a great action shot!! I never seem to be able to reach the camera in time these days. DD has started this new thing were she is seated and them bounces into a half standing position.

Language - I really have only been able to make out "dada" as most of the time it is just mumbling that she does. She has discovered her tongue these days and seems to prefer sticking it out versus talking!!

Blood draw - Not looking forward to that as we had to do it several times as a newborn with jaundice and it wasn't fun then!!

QOTD - Has anyone started give whole milk plain yogurt yet??

[betsyboop]

I feel like all I've been doing is posting here lately, but anyway...

Dana- Yeah, we did yogurt a few weeks ago and she really loved it. We did baby yogurt in vanilla and pear flavor.

[danalou]

Betsy - Thanks we will try it tomorrow with some apples!! That is what the boards are for posting!! Plus I know I love to see pictures of everyones growing babies!!

[happy1nuv]

betsy - they sure do move fast, huh? Joe can stand himself up, but he can't get back down...so he'll get up, see what he wants, and then start crying cause he doesn't know what to do next... and if you dont get there fast enough, he slowly wilts over...its actually kinda funny... :)

[littlemia]

MrsK- that's so cool. Are you going to get it?

Betsy- you always get the best action shots. She's going to be standing soon.

I hit the outlet mall last week. I only had time for Carter's and Children's Place but I found a few cute things. I'm going to go back and hit Gymboree and OshKosh. Children's Place jeans seem to have pretty small waists, so I got some of them.

I think Claire has been signing Mama today. She's done it before but I thought it was just a fluke but I think it might be purposeful today. I don't know, though, because sometimes she'll just move her thumb up to her mouth.

I want to get her a push car because she's been pushing anything that will move across the house. I'm thinking about this one (http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2333029)from Little Tikes. Any experience or comments? The wooden ones look nice but I don't want to spend much.

[goldengbridge]

Ashlyn had her 9 month WBV today. They pricked her finger to check for anemia and she did fairly well. She also got 2 shots. Here are her stats:

20 lbs even
30 inches long!

The Dr. said that the average one year old is 29 inches so we've got a tall girl on our hands! But both DH and I are tall and so is Andrew. Has anyone starting giving their babies meats yet? The Dr said to itroduce them but it seems early to me. I don't remember Andrew starting this early.

[littlemia]

Meats- I was thinking about giving Claire some turkey for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving- what's everyone's plan? Are you giving your baby Thanksgiving dinner? We're going to my parents for a few days. We haven't introduced enough foods to do much of a dinner, but I might give her turkey or something else new.

Goldengbridge- she is a tall girl! I'm hoping Claire won't be that tall until about 14 months so I can get more use out of her carseat.

[shimmerstar]

Meat- Noah has been having little bites of meat for about two weeks now. He really likes it, especially pork chops and the bites of mom's burger he had tonight. :) He actually tried to grab it out of my hand.

Thanksgiving- I plan on just giving him a little turkey and mashed potatoes, and maybe some veggies or something. Hopefully he will stay occupied with that while we eat.

Today I was at the doctor (I'm SO sick), and daycare called. They said Noah had pink eye and that I had to come get him. Then I took him to the doctor, even though he was just there YESTERDAY. She said he has some kind of virus, which is probably related to his cold. She gave us drops, but also gave a note saying he can go back to daycare tomorrow. So much for my afternoon of napping. :rolleyes:

While dh was out getting his eye drops, he kept standing by himself. He can go about 5-10 seconds now and doesn't fall. It's so cool. The doc says he'll probably be walking by Christmas, and I think I'm ready.

[miaclear]

teeth. Aaron got tooth #6 today! And it wasn't the one I was thinking was going to make it's appearance. We have the four bottom middle. And One top middle, and one top side! I know that other top middle one is about to come through....it just has too.

Standing. I found him standing in his crib the other day after his nap. YIKES

[MrsKinnison]

little ~ I think that will definately be under the tree this year :D

meats & yogurt ~ the ped said yogurt was fine at our 6mos visit and also told us to start meats then. I think yogurt is Ollies favorite by far. He's not feeling well and pretty much refusing any and all solids now, with the exception of yogurt. He will still eat the entire container. We do the Yo Baby yogurts.

[miaclear]

Meats....are you all doing meat purees or itty bitty chunks of meat? I have a few containers of Gerber meats but am anxious to start chunky foods....we have six teeth already!

[shimmerstar]

mia- We do chunks of meat. Our doctor said he could have anything we are eating. We haven't given him anything really spicy, and we are holding off on the allergenic foods.

He gets pureed meat at daycare but I think I would puke if I had to feed that to him. I'm kind of squeamish about that stuff- I won't feed him anymore broccoli out of a jar because it made me gag.

Here's my question: When do they stop eating purees usually? Noah likes table food okay, but he loves his fruit purees.

[betsyboop]

golden- Wow, Ashlyn is tall! She's a full 5in taller than Millie already:eek:

meat- We've given chicken and turkey so far. Both were in pureed form. She doesn't like the pure meat purees, but she does like the combos like chicken and apples, turkey with sweet potatoes, etc. I did give her a tiny bit of non-pureed turkey not too long ago, but she spit it out. She seems not to be ready for table foods just yet.

Thanksgiving- I plan on giving her little bits of everything. MIL mashes everything other than the turkey (I know, it's weird), so it'll be perfect for her.

Shimmer- Sorry to hear that you're sick. Good question on when to stop purees. I know Millie is the youngest in her Gymboree class and they are all still on purees there. I think the oldest is close to a year old now.

So, for the past 3 days, my left eye has been all bloodshot and it seems like there's a bump right where the white meets the colored part of the eye. I called my PCP and they told me to call my eye Dr. It turns out that I may have a corneal ulcer and I'm going to see the Dr this afternoon to get it checked out. I have to go look up what that is, but it doesn't sound too good!

[miaclear]

Betsyboop....I had a corneal ulcer in HS. My eye was SO RED. They gave me some gel that I put in it for a few days and I wore an eye patch. Mainly because it was so gross to look at. But it healed just fine.

[betsyboop]

Well, it turns out that I don't have a corneal ulcer since it's technically on the white of my eye, but it's the same thing. The only difference is its location. So I have eye drops that I have to use 4x per day plus a cream that I have to put in every night before bed. Plus I can't wear my contacts. Ugh. The Dr was pretty concerned about it though- he said that if left untreated, this can lead to blindness:eek:

The big issue that I have though it that I can't nurse while on the eye drops. She already barely nurses anymore as it is and I'm afraid that this time of no nursing at all is going to wean her for good. I'm pretty sad that nursing her this morning when she woke up might have been the last time I ever nurse her:(

Mia- Wow, my eye isn't THAT red- no patch necessary thank goodness. Speaking of health related issues, how is the lump in your breast doing, if you don't mind my asking?

[kindermom]

Betsy - I am sorry to hear about your eye. I am at least glad you took care of it so quickly. As far as nursing goes, can you pump and dump and then resume nursing when the drops are done? You may at least be able to resume a once a day schedule for nursing.bonding when you are done with the drops. Millie may get her nutrients other places but she may still be able to get mommy.

[Tandis]

Hi ladies! I feel like I'm so far behind because I've only been doing quick responses. The girls had me up five times last night, so I'm too tired to feel like working. Luckily, it's a super slow day so I'm just killing time :)

Thanksgiving - I haven't really decided yet, but they're not eating any table food outside of puffs and cheerios, so they might get a little taste of mashed potatoes, and then Gerber Turkey and Sweet Potatoes for dinner.

Shimmer - You might want to double check on feeding pork to Noah just yet. I know that was on the "No-no" list from my ped. the last time we were there. Sorry to hear everyone is sick.

Betsy - Wow! Sounds like it's a good thing you got it checked out. Did the Dr. say want might have caused it?

Meat - We've only done the Gerber meats in combo form.

Purees - I'm only keeping my girls on pureed foods until they get more teeth and can start eating table food. However, they also really like the fruits, so I might stick with those a little longer.

Making babyfood - Speaking of purees, I made my first attempt at making babyfood the other day and went with spinach. Unfortunately, that was a poor choice, because, while they ate it, they didn't eat much and I think it contributed to me being up five times last night. So how do I make it more appetizing? And is there anything else I should do besides steam the vegetables and then run it through the food processor until there are no lumps left?

[miaclear]

Betsy... I hope you can continue your BFing relationship. And glad that you're on the way to recovery with your eye. Thanks for asking about my lump :o. I thought I had posted an update but you know with LJ, CC, my personal website, my family website I just can never remember what I've said and where. Here's an update copied from a post over in the health section.

Update on my Lump
Hey ladies....just wanted to update. I did have my mammogram and it literally was the second worse day of my life. I went in and since this was my first they did two of my left, two of my right. The tech put me in a different room to go talk to the Dr. She came back and wanted took 4 more of my left (where the lump was). Back in the room to wait. She comes back and says the Dr wants some more....she took probably 4 or 5 more of the left again. This time she just has me wait in the room with the machine. At this point I'm thinking that they obviously are seeing something. The tech comes in and says the Dr wants me to get an ultrasound of my left breast. Sinking feeling in my stomach. A different tech does the ultrasound, she spends probably ten minutes (felt like hours) searching for whatever and measuring things. She leaves to go talk to the Dr. I lay there for the longest 10 min of my life. I'm convinced they're going to tell me something awful and was preparing already. Was I going to call my husband on his business trip, or wait till he gets home. Was I going to be able to raise a 8 month old and fight this at the same time. He was reason enough for me to fight it. By the time they came back I had tears. She turned on the light and I shielded my eyes and the tears.

She says the good news is that the tissue under the lump is completely normal. Ok....that's good...what's the bad news. She says the tissue in my upper breast is very dense and she wants to monitor it, I should come back in six months. I ask her if this could be from me breast feeding....I had told the first tech I was breast feeding solely from my left breast, I didn't tell the second because by then that thought wasn't even in my mind. Apparently the first tech didn't share this information with the Dr. She looked surprised when I told her. She asked how long I planned on continuing. I told her five more months (to make a year) unless she thinks that might be masking something and I will stop now. She said no....she's 99% positive the tissue will go back to normal after I stop nursing. I CAN NOT believe I went through an hour of hell and I might not have if the tech had shared that information with the Dr.

Anyhow...I still had the lump. My regular Dr Rx'd a stronger antibiotic to treat the lump. If it didn't clear she was going to have me go in for a biopsy. After five days on that it came to a head and one day (TMI) popped and some really gross red puss came out. A week later it's still healing some but looks 90% better. If it doesn't go away 100% in the next week or two my Dr wants to take another look. And I do plan on going back for a followup mammogram after I'm done BFing so I can put my mind at ease.

Odd Names....I would title this stupid names but well....to each their own I guess. My cousins daughter had a baby yesterday (she's 17). She named her Tiara. I guess she really wants her to be a princess. :confused:

[danalou]

Tandis - I have been making several of DD purees and she seems to respond really well to them. I have tried the easier items such as apples, sweet tators, bananas, avocados and squash. I have stayed clear of the harder foods and just use the Gerber foods. I have had really great luck steaming things and then using my food processor with extra water. I hope you have better luck in the future as I think being able to make some of DD food is very rewarding!!

Thanksgiving - I haven't even thought about the dinner yet, but it would make sense to try and give DD some turkey. I have yet to give her meat yet, and without a tooth yet I think I will try a puree version

Miaclear - I will keep my fingers crossed that lump goes away as I can only imagine how stressful that must have been in your life.

Walkers - The little tykes option is a nice inexpensive walker. I am trying to decide what to get DD as I really love the radio flyer walker, but I am not sure I want to spend that much money on it!!

http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/radioflyer_1976_2261616

[Tandis]

Thanks Danalou! I think I'm going to try it again tonight with frozen peas. I already know they like those, so hopefully they'll respond better than they did to the spinach. With the apples did you peel it first? And do you steam the fruits before you stick them in the food processor to soften them? I bought some canned fruit (packed in pear concentrate juice that I plan to get rid of before I stick them in the processor) - is there any harm in using canned veggies/fruit?

Hee, I guess maybe I should have done some actual research on this before I just jumped in ;) :D

[danalou]

Tandis - The veggies that I have done have been baked or steamed first and then added extra water. The apples I have peeled, cored and then boiled with just a bit of water. Basically I follow the same recipe as making applesauce. I get them really soft and mushy and then add them to food processor. The bananas I just put directly into the food processor with plenty of extra water. My understanding is that fruits really don't need to be cooked, but I have found it just helps them get softer if they aren't fully ripe!! Let me know if you have any questions as I would love to find a homemade food buddy!!

[miaclear]

Dana...that's the walker we got DS for Christmas. I really want to put it together and have him test drive it but we're waiting ;) I figured the extra money was worth it because he'd be able to use it for longer than some of the other walkers on the market that have toys attached to it. If nothing else it'll make a great looking toy bin :D

TEETH....OMG. SO I thought his other front tooth was in so I was feeling for it. It wasn't but the one next to it was. The one that "pairs" the one that came in yesterday. That's two teeth in 24 hours, and that other front one is so close. He's got seven now!

[MrsKinnison]

Everyone please take a little extra time to love your little ones. I lost a friend suddenlly today and she left behind 2 beautiful little girls. Cecelia will be 3 this month and Natalie is only 3 months old.

[Kanga]

Meat – I think 9mo is typically the go-ahead for pretty much everything solids – yogurt, cheese, meat, etc with the exception of nuts, eggs, honey, and cow’s milk. We tried beef and she had a reaction. It was probably the tomato paste, but we’re still holding off on beef for another couple weeks before we try again. I like the idea of turkey on TG, so that’s probably what we’ll do.

Golden – Wow, she is definitely tall! Being short my whole life, I’m a little envious now.

Shimmer – hope you feel better! There should be a rule that mom’s can’t get sick. I’m not the best one to ask for this, but I think they stop getting purees when they’re eating a good quantity of all the food groups in solids. A friend’s nearly 2yo still eats veggie purees beca

TG solids – We’ll just follow her c