October & November 2007 Babies - Loving our Fall Babies!

[emmjay]

We had our 2m WBV today - DD is over 13lbs! :eek: She is huge! Also she's 75% in height and 90% in head size. My son has a big head too, so I guess she takes after him in that respect. She got her DTaP shot and Rotavirus oral vaccine, and we're going back next month for the HiB and pneumococcal vaccines. I feel kind of bad for her that she's going to have shots every month for the next several months, but overall I prefer doing it that way instead of getting them all at once.

Also she was diagnosed with reflux and I got a prescription for Zantac. She is obviously not hurting in the growth department, but she's generally kind of fussy and not a good napper so I'm hoping it will help. Also I take Reglan for my milk supply and that definitely seems to help her too - I just hope I can keep BFing. My goal is the end of February (3.5 months) but I'm hoping I can go longer than that.

Speaking of which, have any of you had to go away overnight from your babies (or previous babies) while BFing? My best friend's bachelorette party is the last weekend of March and her wedding is in mid-April. I can't take DD with me for either, and I am definitely going to both b/c I'm matron of honor and she's my best friend. I don't have a pump anymore and for the bachelorette party I'm going to be out in restaurants/bars the whole time. Should I just get a manual pump and pump and dump in the bathroom? I will be gone for one night. I'm not really sure how it will work!

eyecolor - DH has light green eyes and mine are light blue. DS has blue and DD's are still blue as well. I can tell you that my niece's eyes changed from blue to hazel when she was almost 18 months old!

[FSUSammy]

Quick post....my MIL arrived today to spend the weekend with us. She hasn't seen DS since November so she's just loving every minute of being with him.

I just love all of the baby pics we have a cute group of babies.

eye color ~ Ours are still very blue here. I have brown but DH has blue/green eyes and we are hoping DS will stay blue.

[Ericka_Jarett]

eye color - we have dark blue with both girls. Easton has crystal blue eyes. I have light blue and husband has a bit darker blue eyes.

[Thea]

eyes We have some pretty blue eyes on our DS but since we are both brown eyed with only DH's sister having blue eyes in either of our families I am sure DS won't keep the blue. Anyone have any thoughts on DC's hair color changing? Maxwell has really pretty (if I do say so myself) red hair and I sure hope he keeps it!

[daisysue62]

Sorry I've been MIA for so long, having two kiddos keeps me BUSY!

eye color~ DS still has dark blue/grey eyes, not sure if they'll change color still or not.

Things are pretty crazy at our house right now, we're attempting to potty train our 2.5 year old since she keeps taking off her diapers (wet AND dirty!) and making a huge mess. So much fun to deal with. Ethan is doing really great and is very interested in his toys and loves to watch his sister play. He's a very smiley guy and in general seems like a happy go lucky baby. He could happily nurse all day and I'm having a hard time getting him to nap during the day somewhere other then on my boob. Right now he's in the bouncer and it's sort of working. He's still sleeping in the office in his cradle but we need to move him out soon since he's getting too big for it. I'm scared to move him into the crib in our DD's room but need to do it. DD is going through a phase where she turns the light on in her room and won't leave it off so we've taken out the lightbulbs in her ceiling light for the past week. Hopefully that will nip that issue in the bud since the last thing I need is to have DD wake DS up by turning the light on in the middle of the night! Ethan is up about 3 times a night to nurse still so I"m a little worried he'll wake DD up if they're in the same room. We don't use a baby monitor so I'd leave both the kids' room door and our door open which means DD would have run of the house which is also a scary thought. Right now she can't open doors yet so she's contained in her room at night.

Anyone else have kids sleeping in the same room with good advice?

My smiley guy!
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d16/daisysue62/happyfiretruck.jpg

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d16/daisysue62/goofyhat.jpg

[gardenmommy]

Daisy~First of all those outfits are super de duper cute cute cute!! Where on earth did you get them?

As far as sharing a nursery, my 2 share one, and IIRC our DD's are the same age. First off, I have a baby gate at the door of the nursery which allows the door to open in, but then DD can't get out. It's a PITA to step over it at nighttime for feedings when I'm sleepy but I'm too scared DD will get out and fall down the stairs.

And as far as night wakings, well DS did wake up DD for the first week or so, but then she slept right through them. I also don't use a monitor so DS can get pretty laud before I hear him and she still doesn't wake up.

My bigger hurdle is bedtime. I try to get DS to sleep before DD goes down, which is taking a bit longer than I'd like, so DD has been going to bed maybe 30 minutes later than usual. And then pray like hell she will be quiet when she goes to bed so as not to wake him up.

It probably won't be as bad as you expect. I thought it would be really bad, and it's been much better than I expected.

Sleepwear~ We have been doing a light cotton footed sleeper and a warm sleep sac. Our house goes down to 65 at night, and while he always feel warm, his hands are always icy cold at night.

Eyecolor~ Thatchers eyes are still blue, but mine and DH's are blue so I'm sure they will stay that way.

Haircolor~Thatchers hair was dark brown when he was born which was surprizing since we all have light hair. Most of the stuff on the top fell out or got rubbed off from kisses and what has grown back is much lighter like mine, dh's and dd's. Now I just wish the dark patch in the back would all fall out so he didn'd have two tone hair!

[PinkMartini]

curious to see how many/if any eyes have changed/turned yet?

Nope, Taylor's eyes are still super dark blue (same color as mine). DS had super dark blue eyes until about 3 months when they turned brown. Since she's almost 3 months, I'm hoping they'll stay blue :)

Eyecolor~ Thatchers eyes are still blue, but mine and DH's are blue so I'm sure they will stay that way.

(Bolding mine)

That's so funny you say that. Both DH & I have blue eyes and our DS has brown :eek: I guess it's like a 12% chance of 2 blue eyed parents having a brown eyed child! Talk about crazy odds. It'll be even crazier if Taylor turns out with brown eyes. If so, we need to start playing the lottery!

[Peever]

Do any of you have a DC that is easily distracted? The only way I can get DD to eat these days is to feed her in her room with the light off. DH took DS out tonight so I thought maybe I could sit in the living room with the lights off and catch up on some DVR shows, but no luck. The tv was too much. She usually nurses for 30-60 minutes at night so I have to sit in her dark, quiet room and stare at the wall and try not to fall asleep. ;)

Eye color- DD has brown eyes, which makes sense because DH and I both have brown eyes. Somehow DS ended up with blue.

Hair color- DD has brown hair and I'm sure that will stay. DS ended up with blonde hair and it's getting a little darker, but I'm sure he'll end up with my dirty blonde/light brown hair.

Sleepwear- Holy crap you guys have cold houses! ;) I live in the land of the frigid north so we keep the house at 70. DD sleeps in just a cotton or fleece sleeper with a heavy blanket.

Cute pics everyone!

[October2007Mommies]

Updated to here.

[julietchicago]

Eye color- DS has blue/grey eyes right now, but I noticed lately they are turning a different color blue. I'm pretty sure they will be bright blue just like DH's eyes. I have brown eyes.

Hair color- DS has dark brown hair. Not sure what it will end up like. DH had bright blonde hair as a kid and I had light brown.

Sleepwear- DS wears a sleeper w/ footies and we swaddle him w/ his arms out in a receiving blanket. Then we tuck another receiving blanket around him. We keep our heat at 72 at night because our house gets so cold. Plus we live in Illinois near the Wisconsin border so it's pretty darn cold here!

[julietchicago]

Here are a few recent pics of our little guy. He is already 15 lbs! He's smiling more and more every day & starting to squeal in delight once in awhile. He is still not sleeping through the night, but I think we are getting close. He is now sleeping in his crib, tonight will be the 4th night! Prior to the crib he would only sleep in his car seat, so this is a great accomplishment! We wanted to transition him before I return to work next month.

We are experiencing a bit of extra fussiness around bed time lately. It's like he has been fighting sleeping at bed time more and more. Has anyone else been experiencing this?

*Edited to remove pics

[daisysue62]

garden~ I'm glad to hear someone is making it work with kids the same age :) I'm going to give it a try tonight but I think I'll do a gradual transition. I'll put him down in the cradle when he finally falls asleep (currently nursing him to aid in that process!) and then will move him to the crib in DD's room after his first night waking. That was the method we used to transition DD from our bed to the cradle and from the cradle to the crib when she was a baby and it worked so here's hoping it works again! Oh, and Ethan is wearing Janie & Jack in those pictures, I have a serious clothing addiction! :)

juliettchicago~ DS definitely fusses a lot before bedtime and it can be a struggle to get him to go to sleep at a somewhat decent time. I count my lucky stars if he's asleep by 9pm but lots of times it takes me an hour or two past that point to get him to stay asleep.

[FSUSammy]

Distraction ~ YES!! DS has a hard time eating if we are in a room that has a fan. He rather stare at the fan flirting with it than eat.

Hair color ~ DS has lost a lot of his hair and it looks like the new stuff is growing in lighter.

I think we have DS's first two teeth coming in!!! He's been super fussy today and is being a horrible napper. He'll fall asleep and then wakes up screaming in pain. He's been jamming both fists in his mouth to apply pressure to hiw lower gums but of course that doesn't satisfy him. Poor thing. I've got Baby Orajel on hand and have already gotten the ok from the pedi. since the box said to consult your doc if the baby is under 4 months. I can't believe they are coming in already though!

[emmjay]

julietchicago - how did you do the carseat to crib transition? I need to do that myself for DD - any tips?

[Ericka_Jarett]

FSU - just so you know, just because he is teething, doesn't mean the teeth will come in right away. Easton started teething around 2 1/2 months but didn't get his 1st tooth until Mother's Day when he was 8 months old.

The np at the girls 2 month appt said Katelyn has teeth buds on the bottom but don't expect teeth right away, maybe by 4 months, but you never know could be later.

[julietchicago]

julietchicago - how did you do the carseat to crib transition? I need to do that myself for DD - any tips?

It wasn't as hard as I thought actually. I was super nervous about doing it because I thought for sure he was going to scream after 10 mins or so of being in his crib, but he didn't! Here's what we did (suggestion from the pediatrician):

We rolled up two towels (you can use blankets or whatever you want) and put one on each side of him from the armpit down (he likes to sleep with his hands up above his head) and then extend one of the towels around his feet like a "U". So it feels like he is secure and something is around him, rather than being in a huge space. It's worked so far. We usually take a receiving blanket and put it over him and tuck it under the towels to keep the towels snug.

Good luck!

ETA: We did try a sleep positioner and it didn't work w/ DS. He hated it!

[FSUSammy]

Ericka - Thanks for letting me know about the teeth possibly not coming in till much later. Guess I just need to keep an eye on him to see when he really needs orajel

[Jenn (and Bill)]

Eyes: DD has blue-grey eyes so I have no idea what they'll be. DH has blue and I have brown so it could go either way. I'm trying not to get attached.

Hair: New stuff is coming in pretty close to the same color brown as the original.

Other than that, things are going well. I guess I didn't realize how lucky I was that my daughter sleeps about 8 hours a night so now I won't take that for granted. She seems to be slowly outgrowing her 0-3 month clothes and I'm excited to put her in new outfits!

Today marks the anniversary of the day Natalie was conceived. It kinda feels like we haven't had sex since then but I know we have. Just not much and it's been so long I can't remember!

Also, I'm thrilled to finally have the diabetes mystery solved. I have a clean bill of health though the doctor wants me to lose weight which isn't a surprise!

[Aunt Liv]

Jenn - So glad to hear that you have a clean bill of health!

emmjay - We also had DD in the carseat for quite a while as she just slept much better when she was upright. I spent a couple of days and basically bit the bullet...she fussed and fussed and I just kept reassuring her and putting her back to sleep. We have a sleep positioner that really helps to make her feel secure...like Juliet suggested, we made her feel confined and secure and she eventually got used to it.

daisysue and garden - good luck with the crib transitions!!

eye color - Amelia has light-blue eyes right now...we'll see if they change. Maia had blueish eyes until she was about 4 months, but they were never as blue as Amelia's are. They gradually changed to a beautiful hazelnut color. I have brown eyes, and DH has gorgeous light-blue eyes.

hair color - Amelia's hair color is like mine - dirty blonde to light brown. Maia's hair is just like her dad's - dark brown with auburn highlights.

Gotta go wake Amelia up for her last feeding. Have a great night all!

[mommycal]

FSU Great pic!

Fans We have been joking about this since DS was born....he is enthralled with ceiling fans! And not just at home...if we go other places with fans he stares at them too. I wonder how he will react this summer when the fans start spinning! :)

Aunt Liv Great pic too!!

I couldn't help but giggle when I saw this because DD also loves ceiling fans. All our kids loved them a lot. we have them here @ home but she discovered them at the outback yesterday while we were having lunch. We we wondering what the heck she was staring at and sure enough we looked up and the fan was spinning.

[papergirl]

I head back to work on Wednesday. I'm feeling OK about it but wondering how long until I wish I were back at home. I've been able to get DS on a semi schedule which is nice and it seems he is now sleeping longer at night. He goes down at 10:30pm and only wakes once. This week he has his 3 month visit and I can't wait to see his weight. Early this month he outgrew his preemie clothing and is now in newborn. I'm thinking he'll finally fit 0-3 by February. He smiles at me ALL THE TIME. I just love it. And he's a talker. We don't have ceiling fans so my sons obsession is my lips (or anyones lips for that matter but usually mines since I'm with him most). He stares non-stop at them if I'm talking. As soon as I pause he starts to babble back. We can go back and forth for 10 minutes and the whole time he is smiling up a storm. I love him so damn much!

Sammy - He's a total doll. Don't you just love those big grins where their lips vanish.

Merjmo - Great photo! I'm still a bit lost on how it was taken. Is the photographer below you are just at eye level near your feet.

Jenn - Total cutie.

Daisy - Ethan looks so big. Adore the last photo with his hat. Too cute!

Juliet/Emmjay - I need tips on the car seat to crib transition as well. Oy! When you wrap the towel around his feet is it under his feet and his feet hang over it or does it touch his toes?


eyecolor - DS's eyecolor has lightened just a tad. They were a dark brown and they still are but not as dark. I hope the get a bit lighter but we'll see.

sleepwear - Yikes, you ladies have me a bit scared. It's pretty cold where we are but I don't put all that much on DS. Usually a long sleeved onsie and then I put a blanket over his feet. He can't stand to have his hands covered. He never seems cold and in fact it seems like he can gets hot easily so I hope we're doing OK.

[mlfallis]

Paper: how early was your DS born? I am asking since mine is 14 wks and I think I am going to have to move him into 9 mths sleeps this week.

[Ericka_Jarett]

ml - I know for us, the girls were 4 weeks early and weighed 5lbs 3oz and 5lbs 10oz at birth and just now are 9lbs 1oz and 10lbs 14oz. Julianna is fitting in the 0-3 much better then Katelyn is, so she wears the newborn and a few of the 0-3 sleepers. Clothes they are the same way, some 3-6 are going to have to be pulled for Julianna soon, where Katelyn just started wearing some of the 0-3 stuff. My Easton was 4 weeks early and 5lbs 6oz at birth and as of 12 months was just in 12 month clothes, he quickly outgrew them though and at 16 months he wears 18 month stuff

sleepwear - we live in chilly PA and I put the girls in a terry, cotton or fleece footed pj and just cover them with a handmade crocheted baby blanket. Our heat is set for 70 at night, but we usually have to turn it up to 72 for a while until upstairs gets warmed up (we have a heat issue in our apartment)[/b]

[Jenn (and Bill)]

Sleep attire: Pjs and the swaddle blanket. I worry that's not enough but she seems plenty warm and sometimes sweaty in the morning when I take her out of it.

DD was 12 pounds six ounces at her 3 month visit (a week and a half ago) and she still fits in most of the 0-3 month stuff but it's getting close. Carters still fits the best but others are getting small or short. Which is nice cause then I can put her in new stuff! She's been so boring lately though because when we take her to daycare (and by we, I actually mean DH since I haven't gone yet and am clearly avoiding it like the plague), she just wears more pjs. I figure it's easier for them to change her (though she does wear a onesie underneath so she doesn't get soaked from all her spitting up). Do other daycare moms get more exciting with their attire? Or are you like me?

I should just say that DH has been great lately since I've been working and he's been home. I know I complained about him in the early days and now that the shoe is on the other foot, I'm trying not to do what I resented from him. But he's been pretty great!

[Aunt Liv]

size - Amelia is slowly transitioning from newborn sizes into the 0-3 month sizes, depending on the brand. She was 3 weeks early and 4lbs 10oz at birth, so she was in preemie sizes for quite some time. Jenn, I totally agree-it's so fun to be able to move them into new outfits!

[PinkMartini]

Taylor is slowing outgrowing her 0-3 month outfits...

OMG She STTN for the first time last night. She went down from about 6pm - 10pm (we woke her up to feed her/change her before we went to bed) and then from 10:30ish - 6:30 this morning :eek: I couldn't believe it!!!!

[julietchicago]

Juliet/Emmjay - I need tips on the car seat to crib transition as well. Oy! When you wrap the towel around his feet is it under his feet and his feet hang over it or does it touch his toes?



I just put the towel by his feet so it's touching him, not w/ his feet over the towel. Hope it works for you!

[julietchicago]

Quesiton - I know we still have some time before Logan probably starts rolling over, but I was wondering if we are supposed to be doing certain things to help motivate him to roll over, or do they just do it one day? He spends time on a flat surfaces such as his play mat or play yard. I also try to do tummy time at least once a day. Usually it doesn't last for very long. So other times I just hold him up on my shoulder when i'm sitting in the recliner, and then I recline back, and it's close to regular tummy time except for i'm holding him. Anyway, is there anything else I could be doing to help him gain his strength, or do they just sort of do it on their own? (roll over, etc.)

Thanks!

[gardenmommy]

Rolling~ Well Thatcher rolled over at 2 weeks...sure it was more of a fluke than anything else. But I just started working on it with him...I put him on his back and grab a hand and start rolling him on his side towards me so he gets that feeling of moving onto his side. I also put him on his tummy and sort of slowly help him roll over. I did it with DD too and it seemed to hep her get the hang of it.

My ped tried to get DD to roll over at her 4 mo WBV so I'm trying to get Thatcher to do it by then too, but honestly I don't care if he learns to or not, I'd rather have him on his back for safety!

Clothing sizes~ Thatcher is a tank. I'm not sure exactly how much he weighs since we didn't have a 3 mo WBV but my unofficial weigh on on the family scale is 14-15 lbs. and he is well over 25 inches. He is in 3-6 months stuff and is starting to outgrow a lot of that so we need to move onto 9 month stuff very soon.

[Thea]

size Maxwell is wearing 0-3 months. He has one newborn outfit that still fits him, but barely. (I have it in the diaper bag for emergencies and needed this weekend and was surprised at how small it is!)

rollingMaxwell has rolled over by himself about 4 times starting at 4 weeks....not consistently though and I don;t think he knows how he does it. I never thought about working on it with him, but DH does on the bed in the evenings.

Tomorrow is our 2 month WBV (He will be 9 weeks tomorrow) and I am curious how much he weighs, but really dreading the shots!

Papergirl Will be thinking about you on Wed!!

[papergirl]

Melissa - DS is 13 weeks old but was born 5 weeks early. I had him at 35 weeks but he was small 3lbs 14oz. And short, about 16 inches long. It sounds like your DS is a big one.

Thea - Thanks, can't wait to read Max's weight.

Juliet - An early intervention specialist told us to model rolling over for DS. Basically lay them on their back or tummy and then roll them over with your hands. Sadly we don't do it too often.

[FSUSammy]

clothes ~ DS is transitioning into 3-6 right now. There are a few 0-3 clothes that still fit him but most are packed away in a huge bin in his room.

rolling ~ No rolling here yet. I do play with DS every once in awhile and make him roll over

[loving624]

clothes - DS is still pretty comfortably in his 0-3 month clothes. I have bought him some more 3-6 month clothes lately and they are still too big. The onesies we can get away with with jean but not a whole outfit quite yet. For jammies he's still in the 0-3 month sleepers.

rolling over - not yet. I don't really think he is showing an interest either. He'll be lying there on the floor and will move either the top of bottom half of his body halfway but that's it. I play with him and show him how to do it though.

Ericka - thanks for the recommendations on the AngelCare monitor. We went and got one and feel much better about our tummy naps.

DS will be 13 weeks tomorrow! Hard to believe!

[Mom2B-10.07]

Distraction - Ellie is starting to get distracted a bit when nursing. I stumbled upon something called a Nursing Necklace online and was thinking of getting one to try out. If you do an internet search, lots of site will come up. Has anyone ever tried one of these necklaces?

Bedtime - At 3 months our bedtimes also went downhill. She starts screaming as soon as we take her out of the tub now. I think she is starting to realize that we leave her at night time. Last night was the first bed time in 3 weeks where she hasn't had a complete meltdown.

Well, I got my first grey hairs as a parent last night. We have that Angelcare sensor monitor which detects the baby's breathing, and the alarm went off at about 5:00 am. I also have a video monitor in there, so when I rolled over I saw her moving around. The alarm had already stopped beeping by then, but I don't think it was a false alarm. I really think she may have stopped breathing and the alarm woke her. I am totally freaked out thinking about what might have happened.

[honeygirl]

mom2b - How scary! Good thing you have the monitor, hopefully it gives you some peace of mind.

rolling over - Not yet and I'm glad! Am I the only one that is sad at how quick my little DD is growing? I want her to stay tiny forever, or at least a little longer. So I won't be helping her roll just yet, I'll wait till she does it on her own. :)

clothes - She's out of newborns and some 0-3. I've been putting her in 3-6 dresses (gymbo) and they're a little big but they work. Some of her pants are too small b/c she wears cloth diapers, which make her butt bigger! ;) It is fun to put new clothes on her.

Is anyone saving baby clothes that your DC has outgrown? If so, how are you storing them? I was just reading another thread on storage and how phantom stains appear, I don't want that!


The last couple nights DD hasn't gone down easily. She starts crying when I put her in the co-sleeper. I ended up having her sleep in our bed and then transfered her part-way thru the night to the co-sleeper. I hope it's just a fluke, I loved how easily she went down before!

[Ericka_Jarett]

honeygirl - regarding storing clothes, there really is nothing you can do about clothes getting the phantom stains, they are from formula or breast milk. You can oxyclean them before storing and if they are there when you pull them out, wash them again.

I am done having kids so my clothes are getting washed to go to the multiples sale in fall. I have some things that Easton wore that the girls are/will be wearing, but they have a lot of spring/summer stuff and most of Easton's had trucks and such on them. Anything that still looked stained after washing them, I tossed and other things that are in good shape I am going to sell (making more money to buy more clothes for now) and some stuff the girls will wear still. Right now it's his newborn onesies and his sleepers.

[FSUSammy]

Storing clothes ~ I started putting DS's clothes away in a large plastic rubbermaid type bin. Just in case #2 is a boy. As much as I'd like to give the clothes away to people that need clothes I just can't bring myself to do that.

[daisysue62]

clothes~ Ethan is in 0-3 onesies but 3-6 stuff for everything else. The Carters onesies have a lot of stretch and are always the last thing we outgrow, but I think he'll be moving up to the 3-6 month ones fairly soon. I have no idea how big he is right now but he has long arms and long sleeve things get too short before he outgrows things in length!

storing clothes~ Ethan is our last baby so I'm not storing any of his clothes (or much of DD's either since her pink clothes won't exactly work for DS!). The clothes I stored from my DD I kept in plastic tubs according to size and the phantom stains did appear which is highly annoying. Not sure what to do about the ones that I couldn't oxiclean out. Since I'm not storing any I will be selling them next fall.

sleep wear~ Ethan wears a onesie, cotton pajamas, and a Halo sleep sack to bed.

rolling~ No rolling here yet and I don't mind the lack of movement! Ethan loves to be pulled into a sitting position and has pretty good head control but as soon as I put him on his belly he gets mad. So far he hasn't had as much tummy time as he probably should...need to be better at that.

We've had Ethan in the crib in DD's room for the past three nights and it seems to be going pretty well! DD had a hard time falling asleep with him in there the first night but hasn't woke up when he's cried in the middle of the night. She did wake up when I was trying to get him to go to sleep last night around 9pm but she went back in her bed when I told her too. Now I just have to figure out a daytime nap schedule that works for both of them.

Speaking of naps...anyone have any good tips for getting DS to nap somewhere other then on my boob? As soon as I put him ANYWHERE other then leaving him next to my boob he wakes up or takes a super short 20 minute nap.

[Peever]

DD hasn't even been a daycare for a month yet and she already has a cold. :( Half our home daycare has RSV so I'm hoping she avoids that. I only hvae 3 more days left at work.

She's getting so big already. She'll be 4 months old next week. She's really into playing with rattles now and grabs at her toys. She cracks me up sometimes though because she'll get tired of playing and she wants to suck her thumb, but she has a death grip on the toy and won't let go so she just gets pissed off about it.

Storing Clothes- I saved all of DS's clothes in rubbermaid tubs just in case #2 was a boy. Since she's a girl and we're done having kids, I've been selling them and donating whatever doesn't sell. I'm only keeping my most favorite outfits and important stuff like their coming home outfits, baptismal, some holiday, etc. There's nothing you can do about the stains. They just magically appear over time. It sucks because DS had severe reflux so all his newborn clothes are ruined. I just bleach/oxiclean what I can.

Clothes- DD is in all 3-6. Some of her 3-6 sleepers are getting to be too short so I think she'll be in 6 month ones before too long.

Rolling- DD started rolling over at 5 weeks. I was shocked. She hasn't gotten nearly as much tummy time since I went back to work so she's kind of forgotten how. Now she's just putting her arms straight back next to her body and tries her hardest to roll, but obviously that doesn't work very well, so I help her out and pull her arms up for her and then she rolls over. She tries to roll from her back to her tummy, but she can't make it all the way. DS didn't consistently roll over until he was over 7 months old so I'm not too concerned.

Melanie- That is scary!

Jenn- DD wears a sleeper to daycare half the time. I usually put her in gowns, sleepsacks or zippered sleepers at night because I hate dealing with snaps so she has a ton of snap sleepers that I put on her during the day, otherwise she wears an outfit. I think sleepers are probably easier for them anyway.

[gardenmommy]

Storing clothes~ I kept all of DD's and still do unless they are trashed, and now I'm keeping Thatchers too...I use a big clear storage bin, and just wash them really well before I store them and haven't had any problems with phantom stains...at least not yet!

Sometimes I wonder why I keep anything anymore. DH doesnt want any more kids, and even if we do have another it will be like 5 years from now, and by then I'll probably want to buy all new stuff :rolleyes:

Now I just have to figure out a daytime nap schedule that works for both of them.

Hey when you figure it out will you tell me? I've been trying for weeks to no avail. And Thatcher will take a morning nap in his crib but only likes to nap in the afternoon in his swing.:rolleyes:

[honeygirl]

Just a note re: clothing storage, we're not planning on having any more children, I'm just saving some of DD's special outfits for her. My mom saved some of my clothes and it is fun to have my daughter wear them. For example here she is at 6wks in one of my onzies (thats me in the photo next to her). :D

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y11/anneg/baby/november2007015.jpg

[Aunt Liv]

storing clothes - I'm putting away clean clothes in the same clear bins that I have for DD#1. I don't know if this is our last baby or not, so I'm being safe rather than sorry and keeping pretty much everything.

afternoon nap - knock on wood, we've been pretty lucky here. Maia naps from about 2-4 and I'm able to have Amelia nap at the same time most days. I'm sure this will be short-lived. :eek:

rolling - I haven't even tried to get her to do this. She rolled from tummy to back when she was a month old, but I think it was because her head was too heavy. We need to really do more tummy-time to practice this.

schedules - For those of you that have your baby on a schedule, what does it look like? I have Amelia on a bit of schedule, but I feel like she needs one more feeding during the day to get her to sleep a longer stretch at night. Here's what ours looks like:

7:30 am - wake up, eat, awake until ~ 9 (when we take older sis to school), nap
11:30 am -12 pm - wake up, eat, play, awake until ~ 1:30 (when we get back from picking up big sis from school)
3:30 pm - 4 pm - wake up, eat, play/bathtime, awake until ~ 5:30 (back down right after her bath)
7:30 - wake up, eat, play (although she's usually exhausted and just wants to go back to sleep, so she won't eat very much)
10:30 - final feeding - she's usually pretty much asleep during this one

I'm wondering if I should just wake her up every 3 hours instead of every 4 hours so she can fit one more feeding in. Any advice?

[gardenmommy]

Honeygirl~ That pic is seriously adorable!!

And what a good idea to keep a few things for your kids when they have their own. My mom did that for me and it hasn't even dawned on me to do that for my kids!

[Geranium]

Reading along and glad to hear everyone's doing well so far this year. The pictures of the babies are adorable.

C had her 2 month well baby check and everything looks great. The vacs. went well, no reactions.
Height: 23.5"
Weight: 9lbs 10oz (up 3lbs:))

2 mo pics:
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/Geranium_Bloom/IMG_2460.jpg http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o139/Geranium_Bloom/IMG_2493.jpg


We are in the middle of a crazy adoption process. In a nutshell, my brother and SIL are coming up here (MN) from TX to adopt a baby this week. They having been trying to get pg for almost six years now and were connected with the birthmom through a family friend of ours. I wrote all the details in my new LJ account and plan on posting pictures as things unfold. It is truly an amazing story but I don't want to tie up the thread with it, if anyone wants a good read, let me know and I'll friend you or PM the details.

Rolling: C rolls to her tummy from her back and is just starting to roll from her back to her tummy. It is kind of funny to watch her do the back to tummy roll because she has to work SO hard to make it happen.

Sizes: we are in 0-3 and some 3-6. C is a lightweight but is so darn long that she needs the extra length of the larger size. I put her in some overalls this past weekend that were "3m" and the top fit perfect but the bottoms only covered her legs to her knee! She is just all legs.

Storing clothes, I'm reusing lots of stored clothes. What worked was keeping them sorted by size then putting them in airtight plastic bins.

LJ: I signed up and posted some entries and photo albums. My username is geraniumbloom for anyone wanting to friend.

[Geranium]

honeygirl, such a cute pic, I love the stuff my mom saved too.

[ash313]

long overdue hello!

I had a few minutes and wanted to pop in and say "Hi!"!
I need to go back and read through and see what everyone has been up to.

Henry just turned 4 mos on Friday. He's such a happy baby! We are still working on the sleeping issues but he is now in his crib and mommy is quite pleased! And he's going down now between 7-8 instead of 11-12 so that's good too!

We are going on vacation in a few weeks and I am so excited to visit with family again and let everyone see him! He changes so quickly.

[SQ2]

honeygirl Adorable! I have a few of my old clothes for DD too.

Geranium WOW, you dd is already rolling over? Mine is 3 months and can't do that yet. I guess everyone develops differently. Cute pictures!

[mlfallis]

Cute photos.

While kyle is sick. Some how he got a throat infection, the doctor did a swab to make sure it isn't strep. He is now on amoxicillin and we have to go back to the doctor on Thursday. I can't believe he didn't even make it to 4 mths before he got sick, I feel so bad for him. Also I got a lot of "oh he is fine, he doesn't need to go' from MIL ( she is a nurse) and now I am so happy I didn't listen to her. I hope none of you have to deal with this.

[emmjay]

carseat/crib transition - I tried just putting her in the bassinet for napping yesterday, and she slept for 2 naps with no swaddle or carseat, but her naps are only around 30 mins normally so it wasn't that long. :rolleyes: Nighttime is a no-go at this point - she wants the carseat.

storing clothes - we are soooooo DONE having kids so I'm trying to get rid of as much as possible before we move next month. Luckily my nephew is 11 months younger than DS so I can send the boy stuff along to my sister. The girl stuff I'm selling to consignment, giving it to a friend who is having twins in March, or donating it. I stored DS's stuff and some things had stains that showed up later - I just used big plastic bins. I don't really keep anything - just some things MIL and my sister made.

Rolling - not even close. DS rolled front to back at 3 months, and back to front at 4 months but I don't think DD will do that. Probably because she's a little chubbo and won't be able to move herself! ;)

clothes - she is in 3-6 now, even though she's only 10 weeks. It's actually better since I can get rid of all of the 0-3 things before we move!

[loving624]

Aunt Liv - I have DS on a schedule, here's what ours is:

7am - wake up, eat, play
8:30am - nap
10:30am - wake up, eat, play
11:30-12:00pm - down for nap
1:30-2:00- wake up, eat, play
4:00 - eat
5:00pm - go to swing while I cook and we eat. DS usually catnaps some in the swing. Anywhere between 5-6 DS eats.
6:00pm - DH plays with DS for an hour
7:00pm - bedtime routine -bath, book, boob, bed
down for bed at 8:00pm

DS gets up only once/night, around 1:30-2:30am, nurses, and goes right back to sleep.

mlfallis - I'm so sorry to hear Kyle is sick!

Peever - I'm sorry your DD is sick. Just one more week left and then no more daycare!

honeygirl - what a sweet picture!

[Thea]

I realized I never posted Maxwell's growth stats so here goes:

Birth: 8lbs 2.4 oz, 20.5 inches
2 weeks: 7lbs 10 oz, 20 inches
1 month: 8 lbs 7 oz, 21 5/8 inches
2 month (9 weeks): 10 lbs 4 oz, 21 3/4 inches


So, WBV went as well as it could. I am happy with his growth....2 lbs in 1 month is really good. :) The shots were really hard...I teared up but didn't cry, Maxwell screamed his head off though! He ran a slight temperature and was generally really upset all day yesterday and through the night. This morning he is better, but not quite himself yet. I know that this was just a mild reaction, and I believe the vaccinations are good for him, but it still stinks to see him so upset. Tylenol helped some yesterday.

Peever and mlfalis aorry about your sick babies! I hope they both get better quickly!!

Cute pics noney girl and geranium!!!

Geranium Hope all goes well for your brother and SIL!! How exciting for them!!

[FSUSammy]

Peever - Sorry your DD has a cold already. I'm totally expecting DS to get his first cold as soon as he gets to daycare next week.

Honey - My mom did the same thing with saving some of my outfits, hopefully one day I'll have a little girl so that she can wear them and I can do a pic just like you did.

Geranium - OMG that hat on your DD is so freaking cute!!!!

Melissa - Aww poor Kyle I hope the antibiotics make him feel better fast.

schedule - We have a routine, not so much a schedule with times and all.

T-minus 5 days until our first day at daycare! Ahhhh! I've liked working from home but I think I'm going to live going into the office. It'll probably help me with my weight loss too because I'm a bored eater and that hasn't been good for me being at home. At least at work it takes some effort AND money to make it to the vending machine. LOL Michael has finally been able to suck his thumb. He self-soothed himself to sleep last night and it was so cute. He is also starting to like tummy time a lot more. I guess since he's less of a bobble-head he doesn't get as frustrated.

[PinkMartini]

Is anyone saving baby clothes that your DC has outgrown?

Yup, we're saving ALL of the clothes we've bought so far from DS & DD. We plan on having at least 1 more kid (maybe 2) and don't want to have to buy all new clothes wether it's a boy or a girl. I'm storing them in rubbermaid totes :)

LJ: I signed up and posted some entries and photo albums. My username is geraniumbloom for anyone wanting to friend.

I'm PinkCarmel over there. I'm going to friend you :D

[October2007Mommies]

Updated to here.

[emmjay]

Here are some recent pics of Nora (and her giant Barry Bonds head :p ):

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m261/mollyj6/Jan02.jpg
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m261/mollyj6/Jan08.jpg

[Thea]

emmjay great pics!! We have the same gym!

OK...you guys are all a little ahead of me...but has anyone had growth spurt type feeding at or around 9 weeks? I know this is not a normal time for that, but Maxwell was basically attached to me from 4 pm until 11 pm last night, plus he was awake 3 times to eat in the middle of the night. Was just wondering....

[loving624]

Thea - we didn't have that growth spurt, we did the 3 week, 6 week, and 3 m onth (12 week) ones.

rolling - DS rolled over yesterday and it scared the crap out of him! Well, we are classifying it as rolling over, we have this tiny thin pillow that we use to have him on tummy time, he loves it and hates just the floor for some reason. He rolled over yesterday 4 times and has already done it this morning. I did put him on the floor to see if he could do it just there and it's not as easy for him, I had to encourage him some, but he has the hang of it. I was so excited!

live journal - I have joined over there, I am lovingthe24th. I will admit that I have no idea how to do anything over there! What is our community name over there? That site looks great, if I can just get the hang of it....

[Peever]

My last day of work! DD and I are both a little miserable with colds. She's still pooping all.the.time for some reason and her little tushie is so red. I don't know why she's been pooping so much lately.

loving- Congrats on the rolling!

Thea- We most definitely had a growth spurt at that time.

emmjay- Very cute! My Norah has a huge head too.

[Mandos*Bella]

Love the pictures! Our little Fall pumpkins are growing so fast!

Also I got a lot of "oh he is fine, he doesn't need to go' from MIL ( she is a nurse) and now I am so happy I didn't listen to her. I hope none of you have to deal with this.


Sadly, we deal with this a lot from my grandmother who lives with us. I don't heed her advice because I know my child. Thankyouverymuch ;)

[FSUSammy]

Today is my last day working from home. I go back to the office on Monday and Michael will be going to daycare starting Monday :( He'll be in the same building as me so it'll be easy for me to go downstairs to check on him which is a good thing. I'm very lucky to have that perk at work. This week has been a big week for us. He is officially a self-soother. He has finally figured out how to put his thumb in his mouth and actually suck on it. It's too cute seeing him fall asleep sucking his thumb. And today he rolled over from belly to back. I got it on video too! I'm so glad that I got to see him do that for the first time instead of some daycare worker experiencing it before me.

[Aunt Liv]

Thea - we had a growth spurt at 8-9 weeks too!

FSU - That is a really great perk to have. How awesome that you'll get to check on him throughout the day!

Peever - Congrats on your last day of work.

honeygirl, geranium, & emmjay - great photos!

We're doing good here. Amelia is on my lap right now hanging out (she says hi!). Have a great night all!

[Jenn (and Bill)]

Just checking in....good to hear everyone is doing good. Natalie is still awesome. Getting better at tummy time but I don't think she's close to rolling over yet. Think she'll be sitting up first though she doesn't seem to try as often as she used to.

Need to buy a new bathtub for her because ours leaks and it's a pain in the butt. Anyone have a favorite? I finally got her on a good Wed/Sun bathing schedule though I might increase that soon....we'll see.

Bill goes back to work Monday so I'm officially the drop off girl next week. Wonder how that will go!

[Hope1126]

Jenn - I have the Sure Comfort Deluxe Newborn to Toddler tub and we love it. We used the sling (comes w/) up until today. DD is 12.5 pounds and she can sit in the tub now.

[Thea]

Aunt Liv and Peever Thanks!! Thta is good to now. I was wondering if my supply had dipped or something. He seems better today, so I think it must have been a growth spurt. :)

Jenn(and Bill) Good Luck on Monday as the drop off girl. We have the aquarium bath tub by Fisher Price....I like the tub just fine, but Maxwell still hates baths so maybe I am nto a good one to ask. :)

FSU I am jealous of you having a day care at work!! That would be really neat. Hope your first day in the office tomorrow goes smoothly.

[spps]

Jenn - We have the sure comfort one also and we like it!

[Jenn (and Bill)]

Thanks ladies. I was at Target and picked up the First years which I think is the same as the Sure Comfort. So I hope it works out. I just liked that it was all one piece so less chance of leaking! We had the whale one but there was a seam in it so it could be made a little smaller for storage and it leaked. I think we might waste less water with this new one too.

I also picked up a lot of daycare sleepers in the 3-6 month size. By that I mean, the cheapos that come in packages. But the extras at daycare seem to be getting used a lot since she spits up a lot!

I wish I had an idea about how long it would take me in the morning to get ready! Oh well.

Sammy, I agree, having daycare in your building is awesome!!!!! I wish the other girls in my office would have kids so we could make a case for it! But I'm the only one so far.

Speaking of which, for you first timers, are you thinking about another child? Do you have an ideal time or plan? I'm not even sure I want another one but I don't really want her to be an only child so I think maybe I better get going pretty soon! Of course, I have age against me since I'm already 35!

[Ericka_Jarett]

was going to post yesterday about tubs, but was racing around all day long.

We have the Fisher Price Aquarium tub, love it. I think it's now been replaced with the Rainforest theme. Easton still uses it at 16 months. He just sits in the big part of the tub, the girls I use the sling still.

[daisysue62]

We have the Sure Comfort Tub and LOVE it! DD used it for 6 months until she was sitting well on her own in the big tub. Right now we put DS in the baby tub in the big tub and bathe both kiddos at once. Whatever saves time!

Ethan must be going through some sort of growth spurt or something because he wants to nurse all the time and it's driving me nutso. He's waking up every hour to two hours at night again and would love to permanently attach himself to my boob. It's really ridiculous. I just got him a Bumbo off Craigslist yesterday. He loves to be pulled into a sitting position so I think he'll like it pretty well. He sits in it ok right now but I don't put him in it for very long since he's so little. Once he starts leaning I take him out. Dh was giving me grief about purchasing yet another baby item but once he saw DS in it he changed his mind and thinks it's the coolest thing ever! Men. :rolleyes:

[julietchicago]

Question - How would you categorize your baby's temperament? Would you say you have an easy baby, semi-fussy, very-fussy, etc. I guess I wonder how much an "average" baby fusses & if Logan is more fussy than most? When he's in his swing or bouncy chair he usually becomes bored & fussy after about 10 mins or so. He does smile a lot and coo's a ton, but seems to get bored & fussy easily. Since he's my first, I have nothing to compare his temperament to. He turns 11 weeks tomorrow.

Thanks!

[mlfallis]

Daisy: We just ordered one as well. I am glad he is enjoying it.

Well at 15 weeks exactly Kyle rolled over. From front to back both to his left and right. I missed the first one as I was still in bed and DH didn't think it was important enough to get me up for. :( he can roll on his back to ront only to the left and doesn't quite understand how to get his arm out from under him.

[Hope1126]

Juliet - Good question. I often wonder about this too as a first time mom. DD is 12 weeks old and she can get easily bored with an activity after 10 or 20 minutes. She lets me know by getting fussy & crying a little. Typically she stops when I pick her up unless she's tired and ready for a little nap and then she buries her head in my chest. I would say she's between easy & semi-fussy. I don't know many babies that can sit for long periods of time and be content staring into space (they are def easy!). The activites we do are swing, infant seat (she watches me eat/cook), mobile, activity mat, tummy time, holding her while walking around the house...etc. She smiles and coos a lot too. As a point of comparison my mom tells me I was a much more fussy baby than DD. I used to be fussy after eating and my DD is always very content after eating :)

[jenji]

Thea - yes! We had a random growth spurt at exactly 9 weeks. I was not expecting that one and it took me by surprise

temperment - DS is pretty happy all morning long as long as he has my at least partial attention. the afternoon is a totally different story. he gets bored SO easily and gets cranky when he's tired, but otehr than that I think he's pretty good

[daisysue62]

Temperment~ I think overall Ethan is a pretty easy going mellow baby. He definitely is more fussy in the evenings then he is during the day, but that's pretty normal for babies. He gets bored pretty quickly and often needs a new view, toy, or change of pace. He gets a lot of stimulation watching my DD and goes along to Indoor Park and all of our other outings. He smiles a lot more then my DD did as a baby which is really nice :)

[Aunt Liv]

temperament - I would say that Amelia is very laid-back and easy. I honestly think that having an older sister keeps her super entertained, so she's really only bored when it's just us and I have to get things done around the house. I think it's very normal for babies to get bored with a toy or activity after 10-15 minutes, so we change scenery pretty regularly.

mlfallis - That's awesome that Kyle rolled over! Amelia is desperately trying but her arm keeps getting in the way.

daisysue - I need to try the baby tub in the big tub and bathing both kids at once. I do one, then the other so I feel like we're bathing for HOURS! :eek:

[emmjay]

temperament - I think she is relatively happy and easy, but the reflux made her grumpy! When she's on the Zantac she's fine just hanging out in her bouncy seat or on the floor gym. It's been a big change since she's gone on medication and also started sleeping 6-7 hrs at a stretch at night.

bathing - we have the Eurobath. It is OK - luckily she likes (or at least tolerates) the bath now. I just need to bathe her more often - some days she smells like the inside of someone's belly button!

rolling - not yet, but I don't give her enough tummy time. I can't put her on the floor because her brother is going through a phase of attacking her! Today he hit her in the forehead/eyebrow/eyelid area several times with his hand like a claw so she has scratches all over her face. :rolleyes: He's only 18 months so I don't really know how to discipline him in a meaningful way. I ended up dragging out the PnP and putting him in time out for 2 minutes each time. I don't know if it's working, but I have to do something!

[jenji]

bathtub we have the First Years Newborn-Toddler tub. DS loves bathtime. the tub is simple, but it works. we usually stick it down in the big tub, though we used to have it on the counter.

Anyone else have a 16 week growth spurt? Things were going well, then we all got a nasty stomach bug a couple weeks ago and DS was eating more than usual afterwards, but I figured that was kind of to be expected. the last 3 days though everything's different. he screams for an hour or so before sleep and he wakes up about every 2 hours or more through the night when he's been sleeping 6-7 hours a night consistantly for a month. sometimes when he wakes he wants to nurse and others he just fidgets and grunts and cries, it's just totally different than everything until now

[FSUSammy]

bathing - we also have the Eurobath. I love it. It's a bit on the large side but its great!

temperament - Mikey is a completely laid back kid. Very independent!

Yesterday was Day 1 at daycare. Mikey did Fantastic! He is just now waking up for Day 2. I've been at work for an hour already and he's been sleeping since 8pm last night!!!

[Thea]

Temperment I was going to post that Maxwell is a pretty easy baby...but I guess we are going through a fussy phase. Our AuPair just arruved on Friday, and everytime I hand her the baby he is crying within 5 minutes. I think it is just an adjustment thing, and luckily I don;t go back to work for about 2 weeks.

So, does anyone else have crazy ideas when you are up nursing in the middle of the night. Last night I was thinking about all of the things I have mastered one-handed while holding the baby and I was thinking there should be some sort of "mommy competition." :)

[Megande]

Ha! The mommy competition idea is hilarious! Here is my entry: We are in the middle of potty training with Dean, my oldest. I was nursing Reed when Dean yelled "The poo-poo is coming!". We ran to the bathroom, I put Reed down (who was royally pissed about having his dinner interrupted), got Dean on the toilet, started feeding Reed again and reading Dean a Curious George book and cheering for the poo to go in the toilet. I never thought I'd be breastfeeding on the floor of my own bathroom while reading about monkeys and hoping for someone else to poop. :D:p

[loving624]

Megande - ohmygosh that is a hilarious story. I love it!!! That made my day

Sammy - I'm glad to hear Day 1 of daycare went well. I was wondering yesterday how that went for ya!

rolling - so now that DS rolled over tummy to back, does anyone know when he may start rolling back to tummy? I think that one is harder, but I just wondered when it happens. It's not for a bit is it?

temperment - DS is semi easy I'd say. We have our rough days, as everyone does, and he has had more than his share of nap troubles, but he has always been a great sleeper at night. The only thing that I'd say held DS back was he has always had trouble with gas, so that makes him more fussy than others at times.

[FSUSammy]

Hey ladies. Doing a quick drive by post. Today is a work-from-home day which is GREAT. Michael did great day 2 of daycare but he isn't napping very well over there. For the entire day at daycare he is managing about 2.5 hours of sleep which is not enough for him. What's weird is when I stop in to check on him he's perfectly content even not sleeping. Usually he gets fussy when he's tired so its interesting that he's not acting that way at daycare. Today since I'm home he slept in again till 8am and he's already down for a morning nap. He was clearly tired and was fussing so I was holding him and he fell asleep in my arms so I put him down. I hope I'm not messing up the adjusting to daycare by letting him sleep. I'm sure eventually he'll get used to sleeping at daycare.

[cat_loverpq]

Just a quick post...

rolling over ~ He will kick his legs and roll over to his side, but that's about it. DS hates tummy time and mostly just cries when we do it, so we aren't even close to the "tummy to back" rolling. :p

temperment ~ I guess I would call DS easy to semi-fussy. He's pretty content to play on his own, but he gets bored after about 15 minutes in one place so I constantly have to rotate him from bouncy seat to swing to playmat, etc. He does get more fussy in the evenings, and I've noticed he's a bit attached to mom when other people are around. He's had a babysitter a couple times the last few weeks (family members) and he definitely has his moments when I'm not the one holding him that he throws a fit. ;) It doesn't usually last long though, so that's good.

bathtub ~ We have the Eurobath too. I really like it, although it is a bit big.

DS is at daycare right now. I go back to work tomorrow :( and we are trying to gradually ease him into it. Yesterday he went there from 11-2, and this morning we took him in at 8:15. I'll probably only leave him there half a day today, and tomorrow will be his first full day. It feels really empty not having him here in the house with me, but I think things will get better when I'm at work and have something to occupy my mind so I don't dwell on missing him too much. :) It's definitely going to be hard dropping him off tomorrow though!

DS finally slept all night again last night. About 2 weeks ago he started STTN, sometimes for 12-14 hours! That lasted about a week, then we had the babysitters and I think it just threw him off schedule - he started waking up at 3 am and 6 am again. Finally last night he slept all night and woke up at 7:15, just in time to get him to daycare! :) Let's hope he stays on track from now on!

Sammy ~ I think Michael probably isn't fussy when he doesn't sleep at daycare b/c he has so much going on around him to watch and keep him entertained. I'm sure he'll start sleeping better there once he gets used to all the sights and noises. That's what I'm hoping for DS anyways!

[loving624]

got my answer, thanks!

[Mom2B-10.07]

Just wanted to post a recent pic of me and Ellie.
http://http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w192/melanierichards/IMG_2503.jpg

So for those who have babies who are STTN (10+ hours), how did you do it? Did they just start sleeping on their own, or did you have to impose a little tough love? I usually get a 7-8 hour stretch and then maybe another 3. I really want to eliminate that 3-4 am feeding though.

[daisysue62]

Megan~ I'm so glad I'm not the only one nursing a baby on the bathroom floor while potty training!

[Hope1126]

Mom2B - My DD sleeps the SAME as Ellie - 7/8 hours and then another 3. I feed her at 3 am too! I could use the same advice. :)

[emmjay]

Mom2B and Hope - my DD is doing 6-7 hours and then another 3, so I don't know what to say either! My DS was sleeping 10+ hrs at this point (without me doing anything special), so it might just be the way our babies sleep. DD goes to bed anywhere from 9 - midnight and gets up between 3 - 7, so I don't even have any kind of a set schedule. And she is still napping for only around 30 mins at a time for most naps. Yesterday she took a 4hr nap, and today she took a 2 hr one so I'm hoping she is going to start napping better - she's been having longer ones more and more consistently. Anyway, I hope someone has some great advice for STTN but I'm kind of resigning myself to the middle of the night feeding for at least a while longer.

[jenji]

sleep - Evan WAS sleeping consistantly for 7-8 hours (10-5:30), then another 2.5-3. I've been really excited about that because I didn't think breastfed babies slept that long in the first few months. the last 5 nights he's been waking every 2 hours to eat (16 week growth spurt?).
we're pretty happy with his sleeping - assuming he goes back to the 7 hours and 3 hour thing. I don't really know how to make them sleep longer because I know DS is hugry when he wakes up and there's only so much he can eat to tank up before bed.

here is Evan earlier this week (16 weeks)
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j283/jenji11/Babies/Evan%20James/Evan108018.jpg

[mlfallis]

Since you guys are talking about sleep. I though it was normal for EBF babies to get up once or twice in the middle of the night until they are 6 mths old. Ds currently goes to bed between 7-8, get up at 10, 12 and 3am to eat, then 8-8:30 he gets up for the day. I though this was normal, is it?

[Megande]

It is normal for BF babies (heck, even FF babies) to get up to eat at night until 9 months old (per Weissbluth, who I have never found to be wrong!). If they are truly hungry, I don't think there is anything you can or should do to get them to stop waking up, and I happen to be pro-CIO in general. I wouldn't feed Reed more often than every 4 hours at night, though, because I know he can go that long. It hasn't been an issue, though, because he doesn't wake up to eat more than twice per night.

[Mom2B-10.07]

OK - I'm feeling a little better that Ellie isn't the only one not STTN. From some of the posts, it seemed like there were a lot of babies who were going much longer than her. Last night was a rough one. I am trying not to feed her until at least 4 because I know she usually doesn't need to eat before then, but she got up at 2:30 and would not go back to sleep. We went in an out of her room giving her the pacifier every 10-15 minutes for 2 hours and she still never went back to sleep. She did settle down for about 15 minutes before fussing again around 4:30, so I fed her. She woke again at 6 for the paci but went right back to sleep until 8:40. We are going out of town on Saturday for 8 days, so I guess now really isn't the time to be trying to teach her to sleep. I at least want to get her to skip that 2am wake up. I guess I will hold off until we get back and try again then. For now, I think I'll just feed her if she won't go back to sleep after 2 paci put ins.

jenji - cute pic. We just borrowed one of those bouncers from a friend. I wasn't sure if Ellie was ready for it yet, but Evan looks like he's doing a great job in it and he is 1 day younger than Ellie. I think I will try it out today.

[jenji]

mlfallis - It really is normal for EBF babies to get up several times a night until they are older. I was talking to a friend last night whose baby was born in September and she's still getting up 3-4 times/night for feedings. I think that is more the norm than sleeping through the night at this point.

mom2b10.07 - I put Evan in that because he LOVES to stand and with him being 17lbs, my arms get tired. He is still not really "ready" to be left in it for long (he'll do it 5-10 minutes before he gets cranky) and I stay right there because when his neck gets tired, his head starts flopping and I don't want him to flop too much and hurt himself. All those disclaimers said... he loves it.
Sorry you guys had such a rough night. that's exactly how our Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights were. I got about 2-3 hours sleep total the entire night. Turns out Evan's having a growth spurt, but we didn't realize that till Monday when he started eating more often during the day too. maybe Ellie's doing the same thing and will get back to sleeping better in a few days. It's SO hard when you get used to getting some sleep, to go back to getting none... especially when you can't make your baby happy. I totally feel your pain!

[daisysue62]

Sleep~ Ethan was only waking 1-2 times a night to nurse but in the last week or so has reverted to waking every 1-2 hours all night after an initial 3 hour stretch from 9 to midnight. It gets pretty tiring. I don't expect much sleep anytime soon though, my DD was 14 months before she started sleeping through the night without waking to nurse. She's a fantastic sleeper now though :)

[honeygirl]

sleep - DD is 13wks and she sleeps for 7 then another 3hrs most nights. However, she does sleep 10hrs in a row about 1-2x a week.

[gardenmommy]

Sleep~ Well I was one of the mommies with a super sleeper, the operative word being WAS!

Maybe 2-3 weeks ago Thatcher was sleeping 10-12 hour stretches and would not even make a peep all night...it was heaven and very similar to what my DD did so I thought happy days were here.

Well the last 3-4 days he has woken 2-3 times a night and is desperate for some milk! I feel like he's a newborn again and I'm so exhausted.:( Last night he went down about 7:30-8 and woke at midnight, 4 and 6. I tried to let him CIO at 4 and he fussed for just a few minutes and then went back to sleep until 6. But since my 2 share a room I don't want to let him CIO too much or he will wake my DD.

So, things were super and now I feel like we're back to square 1.:rolleyes:

Here is a pic from 2 1/2 weeks ago on Thatchers 3 month birthday...
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb228/gardenmommy_photos/journal%20photos/3monthtank.jpg

And here is him "punching" his big sister...
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb228/gardenmommy_photos/journal%20photos/Thatcher-punch.jpg

[Jenn (and Bill)]

Sleep: Natalie's been pretty consistent (but she's on formula now and maybe I'm glad she is!) We put her to bed around 10 or 11, depending on when she's eaten and she gets up for breakfast in the 6-7 range. That's a little early for us but it's not totally unreasonable. We just hate it because we both want those precious moments before going to work. Yesterday, I was sick so I took her in later than normal to daycare and I think she slept another 2-3 hours after that morning feeding.

Fussy: I'd say she's semi-fussy. She certainly has phases where she's really fussy and nothing will keep her happy but most of the time she's a really happy kid. Just yesterday she started talking a LOT more and that was pretty adorable. But again, I've been staying away from her since i"m not feeling well.

So she's great....I'm actually home sick today and I had DH take her to daycare because I knew I would be miserable if I had to take care of her all day. But I hate being home without her! I also hate that I can't kiss her goodbye!

[CarrieCP]

Temperament - DS is not the most laid-back baby in the world. He likes to complain a lot, and doesn't like to do one thing for very long. He wants to be in an upright position most of the time, so he can see what's going on around him. He also LOVES to stand up and is getting really strong. He can stand and play for several minutes, as long as he has something to hold onto and lean against (and me to catch him when he loses his balance).

Sleep - Totally sucky. Here is a normal sleep pattern on a GOOD night:
7:30 p.m.- Bedtime
12:30 or 1:30 a.m.- eat
2:45 a.m. - wake up and fuss a little, but often puts self back to sleep
3:30 or 4:00 - eat
4:00 to 7:00 - Sleeps fitfully with no pattern at all - sometimes wakes up every 45 minutes!

16 week growth spurt? I wasn't expecting this one, but it seems like a bunch of us are going through it! The last couple of nights, he has wanted to eat every 90 minutes to 2 hours! It's killing me. (He may also be reverse-cycling, because he doesn't always eat very much at day care.) He is 16 weeks old today (or 17 weeks tomorrow, if you count from his due date).

It is so reassuring to know that I'm not the only one dealing with a major sleep regression!

[MarriedaGoalie]

Hey, I just wanted to drop in and let everyone know that I have a bunch of coupons for 1st and 2nd Gerber foods if anyone wants them. Carter doesn't eat those anymore, so I figured I could share them! PM me if you would like them. Most of them don't expire until the end of March or end of June.

[Aunt Liv]

16 week growth spurt - well, I guess I know what to look forward to next week. Bah!

STTN - Maia (big sis) was exclusively BF and was sleeping through the night at this point. Amelia, who is only given one bottle of BM a day (FF fed the rest of the time) is waking up around 3 and then again between 7-8. I really can't complain because we are getting consecutive hours of sleep, but I really cannot wait for Amelia to sleep 10+ hours at a stretch consistently. She's done it a couple of times, and I'm rooting for her to do it again soon. Every child is different. :cool:

Jenn - I hope you feel better soon!

gardenmommy - Your kids are adorable! I love the one of Thatcher "punching" his sister.

Have a great night all!

[julietchicago]

STTN - Not yet! Logan usually goes down between 9-10pm and then wakes up anywhere between 2-4am for a feeding, then down again until anywhere from 7-9am. I can deal with that.

Here's a new pic from this past Tuesday. I had to get a pic of him in this Tigger outfit we bought a couple years ago when we started TTC (i'm a Tigger freak!). He'll never get to officially wear it for more than a pic since it's winter and he's already close to outgrowing it - boohoo.

11 weeks
http://i113.photobucket.com/albums/n206/choomonkeyjulie/logantigger.jpg

[Mom2B-10.07]

Julie - What a cutie pie!! I love the name Logan. That's what we would have named Ellie if she had been a boy.

Garden - That pic of Thatcher punching your DD is great!

Jenn - Hope you feel better. I've been sick for 2 weeks and am just getting over it now. I had bronchitis and am on antibiotics. It sucks, but luckily Ellie hasn't seemed to catch it, which I am very thankful for.

Temperment - I'd say Ellie is semi-easy to easy. When we are at playgroups other moms always comment about how content she seems no matter where I put her, but like all babies, she definitely has her fussy times. Just ask my DH tonight. I went to a baby shower and he had to do bedtime by himself. She was fine until he went to give her a bottle and she freaked. I don't know why she does that sometimes. She gets pissed when we try to feed her (bottle or breast), even if it's been over 4 hours during the day. I think he only got 2 ounces in her before she went to bed, so I guess I will dream feed her before I head up in a few minutes.

[Hope1126]

garden, juliet, mom2b and jenji - I love your photos. Photos are so fun; I keep taking so many of Grace because she changes so often. Do you ever notice how hard it is to capture the smile though? Grace always smiles AFTER I take the picture and before I have a chance to snap another. Here's one I took today.

Update - Grace is 3 months/13 pounds. I can't believe how fast the first 3 months have gone. Well....I take that back, the first 6 weeks were long and a real adjustment but things have gotten SOOOO much easier and she's so fun now. I have only 2 weeks left before returning to work so we're doing a lot like visiting friends & relatives, lunches, going to the mall, etc. She's pretty good during outings - minus the occasional crying/fussiness.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2058/2233457467_7ea879612a.jpg?v=0

[FSUSammy]

cat - I agree I think the reason why Michael doesn't fuss at daycare is because there is so much to look at that it keeps him interested. How is your son doing in daycare?

STTN - We didn't impose anything he just started doing it one day. Some days we get up to 12 hours which is AWESOME but he usually naps like crap during the day because of that.

[jenji]

playing What do you play with your babies? now that they are getting old enough to know what's going on, what does your baby really like? I sing to Evan and we look at books and he plays on his little play mat on the floor, but he's not crazy about his swing or bouncer, if I have to put him in something, he would rather be in his high chair just watching me. He likes peek-a-boo and blowing bubbles. just looking for more ideas of stuff to do with him

[Megande]

Playing-With my first son, I was so worried about how I should be spending time with him and how I could stimulate him and whatnot. It really stressed me out. After awhile, I learned that one thing that babies are good at is letting you know when they aren't happy, and they don't need a lot more than that. They learn during everything we do, because the whole world is new to them! They are never "just sitting" because they are hearing new sounds, strengthening new muscles, etc. This time I'm a lot more relaxed and just let DS take in the world around him. We read with his big brother and look at toys and stuff, but mostly, he just checks it all out.

[Jenn (and Bill)]

Playing: my husband has created this new thing we call Baby Itunes. Basically, he plays music off of his computer and there's a visualizer thing to it (like a screen saver) that moves around with lights and colors and stuff. Natalie loves it. I haven't seen the Baby Einstein videos in a while but I bet it's a lot like that, only music we like too! She gets mesmerized by it.

We don't do much with her but I do sing songs to her regularly and Dh bounces her on his belly. She's still bored with toys, rattles, blocks, any of that.

The daycare people told DH that she was lying on her back on a gym playing with toy keys and talking to herself like crazy yesterday. That's my goal for the weekend. She does have some talkative moments but not regularly yet. She's so cute. I'm so in love.

Me: I stayed home again today. Took Natalie to daycare with every intention of heading back to work after that but felt like I was going to pass out so I didn't go. The stomach flu that's going around is really lethal. Hope no one else gets it!

[gardenmommy]

Temperment~ Well Thatcher is definately more fussy than DD was, but I still think he's pretty easy. He's pretty happy but his mod changes on a dime when he decides he's hungry or tired. He goes from 0-60 in no time flat and wants to be fed RIGHT NOW...or I notice almost without fail he cries for at least a few minutes every time he falls asleep. I think he just has pent up energy that he needs to get out. But he has the sweetest shy smile and has started laughing a ton...he's my sweet muffin.

Playing~ I could pretty much have written Megans post word for word. The one thing I have noticed is that Thatcher much prefers being upright, so I'm trying to get him sitting for longer periods and he sits on my lap looking out alot. We took DD to gymboree today and he was in the baby bjorn the whole time chomping on his fists and happy as a clam.

Teething~ Anyone else going through it? He has been drooling like crazy, eating his fists and has some unexplained fits every day so I expect the first tooth any time now. I know it's early but my DD popped hers right at 4 months so it looks like they will be similar. I just wish he would use a teething toy...neither of my kids ever did.:rolleyes:

[CarrieCP]

Playing: my husband has created this new thing we call Baby Itunes. Basically, he plays music off of his computer and there's a visualizer thing to it (like a screen saver) that moves around with lights and colors and stuff. Natalie loves it. I haven't seen the Baby Einstein videos in a while but I bet it's a lot like that, only music we like too! She gets mesmerized by it.

We do this too! It's great.

[jenji]

Jenn - so sorry you have the stomach bug. we all had it about 3 weeks ago. it was the worst I've EVER been sick. Hope it passes quickly for you

[Megande]

I can't believe my little guy will be 4 months old tomorrow!! I do a monthly update every month on what my guys are up to, which I compile into their baby books. It forces me to be organized and remember to take pictures! I thought I'd share one or two of Reed's.

The kind of things you get to do if you are the younger brother:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2220/2237773058_82482c35c8.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2398/2222393872_8015968f0e.jpg?v=0

I've got a fist chewer, too. (But his brother didn't get a tooth until 8 months, so I am not expecting one anytime soon).
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2386/2235949436_84ef2896b4.jpg?v=0

[papergirl]

I'm back at work which makes getting in here hard. I will try to keep up with things as best I can.

Things are good. I just purchased tickets to take DS to Ohio where our parents live. My mom is insistent on having a big party to show him off to her friends so I just purchased an outfit today. Lets hope I like it since I tend to be super picky about DSs clothing. My big worry is him getting sick. We've managed to keep him from catching anything thus far but with all the visitors he'll get (and people attempting to kiss him) I'm freaking out that he'll get a cold or something. My mom has been out several times to see DS but MIL has not met the little guy yet. It should be interesting. I never had any real MIL issues but since having a baby many battles have begun.

3 month BWV:
weight 11lbs 1oz
height 22inches
went from the 5th percentile to the 10th

temperment - DS is a very easy baby. He still has his moments but they have always been for a reason. There was a period where he had bad reflux and those days were not fun. Then he had constipation and that made him a pill but as things have gotten worked out those "moments" have past. Even so, his inability to fuss has made me question if he understands how to tell us he needs something.

teething - Nope, we aren't there yet which is fine by me.

playing - DS loves his gym mat. He still likes faces so we try to do 'face time' with him everyday. Basically we just sit infront of him and have him watch us make faces and let him see our lips move. This always gets him babbeling back at us and he likes to mimic our expressions. My favorite is to open my mouth big and pretend like I am laughing which then gets him laughing. We also have these flash cards with black and white images that we let him stare at. If I'm in the mood I might tell him about what is on the flash card but sometimes I just hold it in front of him. And books, we do lots of books in both English and Spanish.

sleep - Not getting a full nights sleep yet but DS is still small so I suspect it will be a few more months. I have managed to get him to one feeding which I think came about because I put him on a sleeping routine in the day time. Once I did that he began sleeping for 6 hours at night and dropped a feeding. DS has a late bedtime. I've set it up like this so that he sleeps in later. When I was home I liked sleeping in until 9:30am and now that I'm back at work it's nice to sleep in later on weekends. Here is our normal pattern:

10:00pm Eat and then to sleep
3:30am - 4:00am Wakes for a feeding (30 min) and then back down
7:00am Wakes for a feeding (30 min) and then back down
10:00am Wakes for a feeding and then up for the day



Question - Anyone having issues with people wanting to call your baby by a nickname?

This is one of our big MIL issues. DHs name is Frederic which is DSs middle name. Well MIL wants to call DS little Fred but we want DS to be called by his first name. You could just say MIL thinks its cute but I'm certain she doesn't like DSs name so I've begun to feel like she calls him little Fred out of dislike for his name. She doesn't have to like the name but it IS his name and I do expect her to use it. When she doesn't call him little Fred she calls him Pookie and that just drives me batty. Last week DS got mail from a friend of MILa and in the letter they call DS little Fred so I guess she is using this around her friends and family and they are picking up on it. We have told her to call him by his name which seems to make her mad. I have a feeling that on our trip I'll have to correct a lot of people and look like a real b!tch but this is important to me. Ugh!

[Aunt Liv]

papergirl - How Annoying of your MIL! She got her chance to name her child/ren, now she needs to respect the name that you picked out for your son.

Megande - cute photos! Isn't it crazy how quickly 4 months go by...it seems like we were pregnant FOREVER, but then all of a sudden, our babies are turning 4 months old.

teething - Amelia is constantly chomping on her fists. Maia did the same thing and didn't have a tooth until about 7 months, but my twin sister's DD had a tooth at 4 months...so we'll see what happens.

playing - Amelia is starting to have more patience with hanging out on her playmat, but her favorite thing is still when I sing to her and make her act it out (Pat-a-cake, etc.). We get HUGE smiles when we do that. She really loves to sit up and see the world and really wants to be a part of everything.

2nd child question - Has anyone noticed if their 2nd child is super sensitive? DH and I were talking about this yesterday. Amelia is very sensitive (already) and gets upset really easily, as if she's getting her feelings hurt. Just wondering if anyone else has noticed this with their 2nd kids.

Here are a few photos of my girls.

Playing Poker with Daddy:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h58/ogeraci/IMG_0084.jpg
Maia giving Amelia a kiss:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h58/ogeraci/IMG_0136_edited.jpg

[Jenn (and Bill)]

our kids are all still super cute! Love seeing the photos.

we took some good video of Natalie yesterday since she's in a very talkative phase. It's really adorable. This morning after I fed her, she was perfectly content to lie on her back with her legs up so she can reach her toes (this is a new activity) and babble as if I wasn't even there.

It's hard to remember life without her. She's just so perfect!

That said, I wish there was a way that we could make her sleep when we wanted her too. Don't get me wrong...she's great but since I've been sick, I've been needing more sleep than normal and daddy can't take care of her every minute. Though he certainly gets props for trying.

Jenji, how long did your bug last? I'm on day five and though I can keep food down, I still feel crappy!

[jenji]

Jenn - I had it bad and actually ended up in the ER because I got so dehydrated. It took me about a full week before I felt like I could function properly on my own and another week till I felt close to 100% and was eating normally again. It totally wiped me out

[Megande]

I have a couple more pictures and I can't resist sharing them :).
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2403/2238183562_8546e3385a.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2106/2238179820_0276a9811b.jpg?v=0

We have stomach crud around here, too!! I had to get up with DS1 last night twice because he threw up. Getting up twice with the big one and twice with the little one makes for a very long night! Things like this make me think we are done having kids!

2nd child- Actually, Reed is way LESS sensitive than Dean was. He puts up with a ton. Dean loves to get in his face, lay on him, etc. And he has been held by like 7 toddlers at this point in his life. They all love him and he is really tolerant.

[Ericka_Jarett]

Nicknames- FIL does this. We saw it on the gift he sent the girls after birth, I told hubby he is not going to call them Katie and Julie. Hubby agreed was getting ready to call his parents to thank them for the gift and also tell them about the nickname thing. Opened the card and said well this time its ok. :) He did it again at Christmas, don't recall if hubby said anything or not.

sensitive (can't say 2nd since Easton is #2 and the twins are #3&4) - The girls are retty mellow and just take things for the most part as they come. Easton laughs and the girls usually follow in laughing too. Only time they get bit nervou with Easton around is if they are in the bouncer. He likes the bouncers as well and thinks he will help them bounce like he does when he sits in them, thus a bit to rough. They have both been sat on at 1 time and never even fussed.

[Thea]

I love the pics!!! Aren;t the smiles and giggles so much fun???

One last week off before I go back to work and I have so much going on this week. But, my DH got me a gift certificate for a half day at the spa (massage, facial and pedicure) which I have booked for Friday. It will be my longest time away from Maxwell, I figured a good trial run for myself and the AuPair before next Monday. :) I am really looking forward to the massage...not so much the going back to work!

My little guy is such a flirt. We went to a super bowl party last night (only stayed until half time) and he was all smiles with everyone. Anyone who smiled at him, he smiled right back and giggled. He and older DS (who is in mourning today because his team lost and was cute to watch so enthralled with the game) were the hit of the party (at least I think so....but hey, I'm their mom. :)).

I HAVE to get some work down today...so I will save shout outs for another day. Glad everyone is doing well.

[Hope1126]

Thea - I laughed when I just read your post because you sounds just like me. I go back to work in one week too and I'm going to the spa on Thursday for a nice LONG massage (can't wait!). We also went to a superbowl party last night and I was impressed with how well Grace did. She doesn't take very good naps at parties, but is very comfortable in large noisy crowds which is nice. She was very content to be held and watch a little of the superbowl on my lap. Luckily DH is very good about taking her too so I could have a beer and enjoy some food.

Oh by the way, Grace won $45 in the superbowl pool (yes, she bought 2 squares). I was so excited....it went straight into her little savings account this morning :)

[mlfallis]

I feel like I can never get in here to get caught up :(

After a month sickness, Kyle has started to get his first tooth. He was only 16 weeks on Sat, I can't believe he is already getting a tooth. Add to that he is over 27" long already and I am starting to wonder where my little baby boy went to.

RO's: Any advice for teething???

[cat_loverpq]

Has anyone read this article on baby shampoo and baby lotion? Kinda scary...so what the heck are you supposed to use?

Many Babies Exposed to Chemicals
(http://health.msn.com/kids-health/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100190606&GT1=10914)

[Aunt Liv]

cat_lover - Wow! I hadn't seen that. I guess we can always use Cetaphyl. :confused: Thanks for linking up to this article!

teething - What I did with DD1 was grab a burp cloth/cloth diaper, wet it, and freeze it, then let her chomp on it. The frozen cloth numbed her gums and chewing the cloth helped to ease the teeth through.

Hope & Thea - I'm totally jealous of your spa days! Have fun...you both deserve it!

Us - Well, as predicted, the 16 week growth spurt is here in full force! Amelia is completely ravenous and has been eating every 2 hours since this morning. Hopefully, this means that she'll be sleeping really well by tomorrow or Wednesday.

[emmjay]

I use California Baby for shampoo and sunblock (for DS). Aveeno is good too - you can look at the link at the end of the article to see how bad or good any particular product is.

[Hope1126]

Just a quick drive-by to share a favorite baby website with everyone. It's "Celebrity Baby Blog" --- www.celebrity-babies.com. If you know of any fun baby websites, please share.

[merjmo]

so what the heck are you supposed to use?

Castille soap. Cheap, biodegradable, and v. safe for babies. I use it to wash bottle parts as well. (And they had it in the hospital to wash pump parts.)

[Jenn (and Bill)]

where do you find the safe stuff?

[FSUSammy]

I personally am not going to worry about what stuff is or isn't safe for DS. I mean seriously my parents used those same types of products with me and my three brothers and we are all fine. Why can't it be ok for my son? I just think once again the media is trying to scare us.

[Jenn (and Bill)]

Natalie had her four month WBV this morning and it sounds like it went well (Dad took her since he was off work today anyway).

Stats:
13 pounds, 11 ounces (50th percentile)
25 inches (75th percentile)

It's funny to think of my daughter as tall and skinny since I'm tall and not skinny and her dad isn't tall or skinny. But I guess she has time to grow out of it. Sounds like she did good with the shots. He didn't even need to feed her afterwards.

After her appointment, he drove in to the city and brought her to visit at work. My coworkers just adore her and it was so nice to have her brighten up the office. She was here for a while and everyone got to hold her and she behaved quite well. Now she's off to visit his co-workers and we're worried she'll be asleep the whole time! Ah well!

Thread seems kinda quiet lately. I know I have been too busy to post as often but I'm following along....hoping everyone is well. Did we lose people to LJ or is everyone just busy?

[Hope1126]

FSUSammy - I'm with you. I work for a medical device company that manufacturers products that contain phthalates and our products are used by millions of people across the world - literally inside their bodies! I've studied up on this subject quite a bit as a result. True, it's better to use products that don't contain phthalates and certain regions are starting to ban this 'ingredient' becuase there are other safer alternatives now available (ie, Europe) but the risk is so minimal and it's still commonly used. If it was a real threat I think the FDA would take it more seriously in the U.S. at this point. The advocacy groups stir this subject up in the media from time to time. I use Johnson's baby shampoo & will continue to do so. Keep in mind these products (among thousands of others from perfume to medical devices to plastics) have always contained phthalates too.
This is just my opinion though :)

[cat_loverpq]

Did we lose people to LJ or is everyone just busy?

I know I'm just busy. :) I've been back at work for a week now, and things are going ok. DS is doing well in daycare and has even managed to get back to a somewhat-regular napping schedule there. The last 2 nights DS has STTN (after a couple weeks of waking up a couple times at night again) and I'm pretty sure it's b/c he is getting better rest during the day. :)

He did manage to catch his first bug from daycare too. :( He's a little congested and it drains down his throat and makes him cough. Poor baby. I try to suck out his nose with the aspirator, but it makes him cough even more and he really doesn't like it. He tolerates it though. :)

We had his 3 month pictures taken last Sunday. Here's one of his big smiles:

*Edited to remove pictures.*

[Aunt Liv]

We're here...just reading along. I really hope we're not losing people to LJ...I can't figure my way around that site.

I've got both girls napping right now. So nice! Let's hope they both sleep for a long time so I can have a little alone time and get things done around the house.

ETA: catlover - cute photos of your son!

[Thea]

I'm still here too and can't figure out LJ either. (I created an account, just couldn;t figure it out!)

AuntLiv Thanks! I'll try to post about it tomorrow. :)

cat_lover Great pics!!

Jenn Took my baby by my work place today....they love him so much. Wish I could bring him to work with me when I go back on Monday.

Maxwell has his second cold of his life right now. Not so bad as the first one, but he is sleeping more so I know he is not feeling great. Took him for a short walk in the snow today(byndled him up real well first)...and he thought the snow was pretty neat. (I got a big smile from him when a snow flake landed on his nose.)

[spps]

I'm still here too. Things are just crazy busy!

[FSUSammy]

I know I've just been very busy with being back at work and all I RARELY have time to come on here. I do when I can and if anything I do read and follow along but its so hard for me to post. I'm posting now only because DS is passed out in his carseat still from our ride home from work/daycare and DH isn't home from work yet.

cat - What cute pics. Glad your son is adjusting well to daycare. Michael is napping HORRIBLY at his daycare but he's sleeping 12+ hour nights so I guess that's some consolation.

[VMB]

I'm still here, trying to read along. Just went back to work this week, which threw DD off, so she's been sleeping much worse this week than before(if that's even possible!!!).

Cute pics everyone! I have to remember to take some of DD!!

Aunt Liv I have to say I'm totally jealous of your girls napping at the same time! :p My kids *might* overlap once a day for 15mins - just enough to run the dog out to pee and maybe wash the dishes...

Hope everyone is doing well!

GOod luck to everyone going back to work!

[mlfallis]

Me here as well. Kyle has been teething on top of the end of his cold so we have been having some tough days.

Today was Kyles 4mths WBV. Get these stats

4mths
weight: 16 lbs 3 oz.
height: 28 1/4 inches :eek:

also TM his 3 mths weight is 14 not 24

[Mom2B-10.07]

I'm checking in from our trip up North. We've been here for a week now and it's been quite a whirlwind. We are trying to see everyone that we can while we are here, and during the week people haven't been coming over until 5 or 5:30. That is really not her best time. She's been pretty fussy in the evenings especially not being in her own environment. The first few days were great, as was the plane ride. I think she's had it now though. We just got up to CT today to my MIL's house. We are here until Monday. Today was the worst yet. I am really nervous for tomorrow because there are about 17 people coming over to see her. Oh well - at least it's almost over.

[loving624]

I too am checking in every so often. Just crazy these days.

Good news though - DS STTN last night. He slept from 8:00pm-7:00am. Everyone keeps telling us for a baby who is EBF that is really good. We're excited. He's taking 2 naps/day, only one hour each, but if he'll STTN, it's really good.

We also didnt swaddle him for bed tonight. He is about to roll back to tummy; he's halfway there, so the swaddle scares me now. He's doing good so far.

[emmjay]

I've been crazy too - we're moving from Denver to VA in 2 weeks and haven't done nearly enough in terms of getting packed (not easy with a 3m old and an 18m old). Plus DH keeps going out of town for his new job so that doesn't make it any easier!

naps - yesterday and today DD and DS both napped at the same time! It was heaven - I slept too!

STTN - she is still doing a 7 hr stretch followed by another few hours, and I can't get her to bed before 10-11pm. However, she is no longer in the carseat so that is some progress! She's still in the cosleeper in our room but I think once we get settled in VA I'll transition her to the crib. It is so much more convenient with her in our room since she wakes up around 5-6 but I want her in her crib soon.

[jenji]

emmjay - that's just how DS was before he got sick and stopped sleeping so well. he won't go to sleep before 10pm, and slept 7 hours so I'd get up around 5/5:30 then he'd sleep a few more hours. I hope we get back to that soon. good luck with the move!

we had our 4 month WBV yesterday.
17lbs 10.5oz (95th%)
26" long
and since I never posted his 3 month stats
16lbs, 10oz
24.5" long
he's been running a low fever on and off since Tuesday and even though they did a white cell count and it was in normal range, I still opted to wait on the Vax. We were only going to get DTaP this time anyway, so we'll jsut get it next week if he's doing better.
Everything else was good. I asked Dr about the fact that DS really isn't reaching for things at all and he said he thought it was ok for now. He studies things very intently and uses his hands together (mostly straight to the mouth) but just doesn't reach. he said some babies don't for another month or two... we'll see.

[Jenn (and Bill)]

Jenji, if it makes you feel better, Natalie is really only reaching for her toes lately but she does that A LOT! And it's pretty adorable!

cat, very cute pics. I love how different clothes can make him look different ages!

Sammy, hey as long as he's sleeping well at home. Let daycare worry about the rest!

Took me a while to feel that way. I would dress Natalie in sleepers and stuff that were really easy to change her. And then I decided that if I put her in an outfit, it was their problem, not mine. It's not like I'm putting her in anything too complicated but it did wake me up a little. Though they've actually requested a onesie under whatever she's wearing so that she'll stay dry with all the spit up so I guess they don't mind complicated changes!

Natalie's still sleeping pretty great but she's still swaddled and still in the co-sleeper. Honestly, I haven't read my book since I finished the 1-3 month chapter so I have no idea how long she should stay swaddled. Should I break that habit before I transition her to the crib or would the swaddle prove comforting in the crib?

Oh, her blocked tear duct is back. Came about Friday, of course the day after her doctor's visit. I'm not worried because we're doing what we did last time and it's getting better. I just don't understand why she had it the first week of her life and then not again until 17 weeks? Hope it stays away...

[loving624]

Jenn....I have no clue how long it's okay for them to stay swaddled, I think that as long as they are comfortable with it and aren't struggling to get out it's fine, but that's just what I think I read a while ago. But what I do know for sure, is that once they can roll over back to tummy; they shouldn't be swaddled anymore. That's why we are working on it with DS, bc he is about to roll back to tummy. I don't think he could do it while swaddled but I know it's dangerous to have them roll to their tummies in the middle of the night while swaddled so that's why we quit.

Last night with no swaddle went really well. He slept 8pm-5am. I can handle that for the first night of no swaddle!

[emmjay]

swaddle: with DS, he started rolling over from back to front when he was 4 months and we stopped swaddling just before he was 5 months. We probably should have stopped sooner but I didn't realize he was trying (and almost succeeding) to roll over while swaddled - as soon as I saw that the swaddle came off. And he was rolling over in the carseat while swaddled! :rolleyes:

[Mom2B-10.07]

loving - i'm so glad to hear about the great sleeping on the first night without the swaddle. We are planning to stop swaddling the night we come home from our trip. She keeps breaking out and will then wake up.

swaddling - I asked the ped at her 2 month about swaddling and he said you could do it for as long as they want. He didn't seem to think that it would interfere with any sort of development or anything.

[spps]

swaddle - We swaddled DD at night until she was able to pull the blanet up to her mouth. That made me nervous about her getting out of the swaddle and the blanket over her head, so no more blankets for her. It didn't impact her sleep one bit, because she was breaking out pretty often anyway.

We had DD's 4 month WBV on Friday:
Height: 24 5/8 in (50%)
Weight: 13 lb 11 oz (50%)
Head: 15 3/4 (25%)

She jumped in height and weight from the 25th to the 50th percentiles.

I went back to work last week, though I only work part-time (Mon, Tues, Wed). Monday and Tuesday were hard for me as far as leaving her even though I was confident she was in good hands. (Monday with my nanny who has been with us for 2 years, and MIL). But she really dislikes the bottle and I was worried she would not eat and hold out till I got home, but each day she seemed to be eating more, so I presume in a week or 2 she will be a pro.

[Jenn (and Bill)]

spps, how did she get the blanket up to her mouth if she was swaddled? And our DD's are almost the same size!

So Natalie is four months old today and she celebrated by rolling from front to back. And it wasn't a fluke because she did it like three times in a row. Of course, it's really more of a flop than a roll but I'll take it.

Other than that, things are good. Hope all is well with you!

[spps]

Jenn - She would wiggle her hands up on the inside to kinda push the blanket up into her mouth. We also were just using plain old receiving blankets so it wasn't super tight.

[Ericka_Jarett]

http://i110.photobucket.com/albums/n96/erickakulm/Twins/252999697_Z4Vmu-M.jpg

[FSUSammy]

Hey ladies. I have time to post today because I took a sick day. I caught some cold and now DS is sick. Early last night he completely projectile vomited all over himself, all over me, all over our couch, all over the rug by our couch...you get the point. We called the pediatrician immediately and they told us to give him pedialyte. We gave him very little last night because he was too tired and didn't want to eat a lot. He managed to keep it down thankfully. He woke up again at 5 am this morning hungry so I gave him a little bit of pedialyte and then he went back to sleep until 8. Then I gave him 4oz of pedialyte with 2 oz of formula and so far he has managed to keep it down. If he does by his next feeding I'll start reducing the pedialyte and increasing the amount of formula until he is off of the pedialyte. He now