March Moms 2007 - sippy cups and walking shoes!

[March2007Mommies]

March 2007 Mommies
32 Babies are here, including Two sets of Twins!


Team Blue (It's a boy!): 8
Mochi, Shimmerstar, dollface, kindermom, ladybug0525, marriedagoalie, whitlockan, happy1nuv

Team Pink (It's a girl!): 16
Brink x2, goldengbridge, ieducate, Nanner, Tandis x2, Betsyboop, Danalou, Buffy, mmm0708, peewee9196, Kanga, MommyInPA

Team Green (It's a surprise!): 8
Janey (Girl), lady1297 (Boy), Sherb (Girl), Orion (Boy), MrsKinnison (Boy), sneak (Boy), littlemia (girl), Miaclear (boy), Deelcie (girl)

~~~~~

If you are new here, congratulations! We hope you will consider joining us. We look forward to sharing this amazing journey together! Please posts all updates in RED.

Please list your stats in RED in your first post.

CC Name:
Me: Name, age
DH: Name, age
Married: Date
DC: Name
Birthdate: Date
Siblings: (Other kids & their birthdates)
Photo Albums: (Links to your online photo albums)


Good places to make photo albums: Flickr (http://www.flickr.com), Photobucket (http://photobucket.com/), Picasa Web Albums (https://www.google.com/accounts/ServiceLogin?hl=en_US&continue=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2F&passive=true&service=lh2), Phanfare (http://www.phanfare.com/), Smugmug (http://www.smugmug.com/).


The threadmistresses are Miaclear. Feel free to PM her if you have any questions/comments regarding the thread.


Our previous threads are here...
* March 2007 Mommies: First Trimester Fun!! (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21814)
* March 2007 Mamas - Trimester Two! (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24356)
* March 2007 Mamas: Third Trimester! (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27247)
* March 2007 Mamas: Babies Incoming! (http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29957)

[March2007Mommies]

Mama Roster


Betsyboop
Me: Betsy, 28
DH: Dave, 31
Married: 10/18/03
DC: Amelia Claire
Birthdate: 3/4/07
Siblings:
Photo Albums:


Brink - TWINS!
Me: Tina - 36
DH: Dan - 37
Married: 6/26/04
DC: Katherine (Katie) Louise & Kristi Anne
Birthdate: 1/31/07
Siblings: Aimee Jean 9/25/05
Photo Albums:


Buffy
Me: Erin, 31
DH: Mitch, 32
Married: 10/06/01
DC: Morgan Alexis
Birthdate: 3/8/07
Siblings: Addison Elizabeth 1/23/03, Riley Grace 4/25/05
Photo Albums:


danalou
Me: Dana, 29
DH: Matt, 32
Married: 8/21/04
DC: Mackenzie Danielle
Birthdate: 3/12/07
Siblings:
Photo Albums:


deelcie
Me: Diana, 36
DH: Roberto, 45
Married: 10/12/02
DC: Reikke Meiling
Birthdate: 3/17/07
Siblings: Deacon Archer, 6/16/04


dollface
Me: Stacy, 35
DH: Damon, 38
Married: 6/15/02
DC: Davin Oliver
Birthdate: 3/7/07
Siblings: n/a
Photo Albums:


GAmommy
Me: Robin, 24
DH: Brian, 26
Married: 7/23/06
DC: Laci Rebecca
Birthdate:
Siblings: Christopher 5/18/04
Photo Albums:


goldengbridge
Me: Jen
DH: Miguel
Married: 9/6/03
DC: Ashlyn Michelle
Birthdate: 2/23/07
Siblings: Andrew 8/28/04, ^Jacob^ born sleeping on 4/3/06 at 18w 4d.
Photo Albums:


happy1nuv
Me: Rosa, 31
DH: Jeff, 32
Married: 9/21/02
DC: Joseph Charles
Birthdate: 3/23/07
Siblings: Dominic (nic) 5/18/05
Photo Albums:


ieducate
Me: Karen, 34
DH: Andrew, 35
Married: 8/1/04
DC: Julia Rose
Birthdate: 1/13/07
Siblings:
Photo Albums:


Janey
Me: Janey, 33
DH: B, 41
Married: 9/24/05
DC: K
Birthdate: 2/27/07
Siblings:
Photo Albums:


Kanga
Me: Liz
DH: Chad
Married: 12/11/04
DC: Camdyn Natalie
Birthdate: 03/11/07
Siblings: Daytona Bailey, 10/25/05 and 3 kitties
Photo Albums:


kindermom
Me: Noel, 32
DH: Sean, 35
Married: 5/04
DC: Henry
Birthdate: 3/9/07
Any other children: Madelyn, 8/05.
Photo Albums:


lady1297
Me: Rita, 28
DH: Joe, 29
Married: 12/27/02
DC: John Albert
Birthdate: 2/12/07
Siblings: Edward, a labrador retriever, Sophie, and two cats, Gizmo and Callie
Photo Albums:


ladybug0525
Me: Judie, 30
DH: Jason, 32
Married: 5/25/02
DC: Cooper Joseph
Birthdate: 3/14/07
Siblings: Jack
Photo Albums:


littlemia
Me: 30
DH: 30
Married: 4/26/03
DC: Claire Nicole
Birthdate: 3/21/07
Siblings: No, just Mia, our fiesty mini dachshund
Photo Albums:


MarriedaGoalie
Me: Tosha, 22
DH: Rob, 26
Married: 5/20/05
DC: Carter Thomas
Birthdate: 3/24/07
Siblings: Quentin, 9 (Stepson)
Photo Albums:


Miaclear
Me: Amy, 30
DH: Dirk, 31
Married: 9/18/04
DC: Aaron Fredric
Birthdate: 3/20/07
Siblings: Just fur babies. Luca our cat and Jackson our dog.


mmm0708
Me: Melissa, 27
DH: Neil, 30
Married: 3/3/04
DC: Caitlin Abigail
Birthdate: 3/23/07
Siblings: Dillon Hunter
Photo Albums:


Mochi
Me: Michelle, 34
DH: H, 35
Married: 7/01
DC: Niko
Birthdate: 2/25/07
Siblings: DS, "K" 2 years old
Photo Albums:


MrsKinnison
Me: Hillary, 32
DH: Chris, 35
Married: 11/27/04
DC: Ollie Christopher
Birthdate: 3/13/07
Siblings: 2 dogs, Maggie & Simon and 2 cats, Benjamin & Moses
Photo Albums:


MommyinPA
Me: Kristina, 31
DH: Chris, 34
Married: 6/24/01
DC: Kaia Michaela
Birthdate: 1/29/07
Siblings: SD DeAnna 1/94, Christopher 11/01, Cade 8/05
Photo Albums: Register at carepages.com (http://www.carepages.com/); then enter kaiabear at Visit A Carepage (http://www.carepages.com/ServeCarePage?).


Nanner
Me: Dana, 36
DH: Scott, 34
Married: 3/27/04
DC: Hannah Jeanne
Birthdate: 3/2/07
Siblings: Sam, 6/23/05
Photo Albums:


Orion
Me: Jess, 28
DH: Justin, 28
DC: Dalton Alistair
Birthdate: 3/13/07
Siblings: Sophie Madeline, 12/11/05
Photo Albums:


Pewee9196
Me: Elizabeth, 33
DH: David 31
Married: 3/9/01
DC: Isabella Carmyn
ADD: 3/24/07
Siblings: furbaby Seamus
Photo Albums:


Sherb
Me: Aimee, 27
DH: R, 32
Married: 9/18/04
DC: Madeline Ruby
Birthdate: 3/5/07
Siblings: Sherbert, a very cute dog & Blossom, a very crazy cat
Photo Albums:


Shimmerstar
Me: Rachel, 27
DH: Neil, 28
Married: 6/15/02
DC: Noah Harrison
ADD: 2/14/07
Siblings:
Photo Albums:


Sneak
me: 26
DH: 33
married: 4/4/04
DC: Tarrren Anders
Birthdate: 3/15/2007
Siblings: Jenalyn, 03/12/05
Photo Albums:


Tandis - TWINS!
Me: 30
DH: 32
Married: 4/26/03
DC: Veronica Judith & Audrey Diann
Birthdate: 3/5/07
Siblings:
Photo Albums:


whitlockan
Me: Amber, 24
Father: Jerry, 26
Married: 5/8/04
DC: Zachary Aiden
Birthdate: 3/24/07
Siblings: Shadow 9 years; Jester 1 year 5 months
Photo Albums:


Always in our hearts: Cherry, StacieLady, Tipsy

[March2007Mommies]

Babies By Birthdate


January
13 - ieducate - Julia Rose
29 - MommyInPA - Kaia Nicole
31 - Brink - Katherine (Katie) Louise & Kristi Anne


February
12 - Lady1297 - John Albert
14 - Shimmerstar - Noah Harrison
23 - Goldengbridge - Ashlynn Michelle
25 - Mochi - Niko
27 - Janey - K


March
2 - Nanner - Hannah Jeanne
4 - Sherb - Madeline Ruby
4 - Betsyboop - Amelia Claire
5 - Tandis - Veronica Judith & Audrey Diann
7 - Dollface - Davin Oliver
8 - buffy - Morgan Alexis
9 - Kindermom - Henry
11 - danalou - Mackenzie Danielle
11 - kanga - Camdyn Natalie
13 - orion - Dalton Alistair
13 - MrsKinnison - Ollie Christopher
14 - ladybug0525 - Cooper Joseph
15 - sneak - Tarren Anders
17 - deelcie - Reikke Meiling Fuentes
20 - miaclear - Aaron Fredric
21 - littlemia - Claire Nicole
23 - mmm0708 - Caitlin Abigail
23 - happy1nuv - Joseph Charles
24 - whitlockan - Zachary Aiden
24 - PeeWee - Isabella Carmyn
24 - MarriedAGollie - Carter Thomas

[March2007Mommies]

Open for posting!!!

[MarriedaGoalie]

Yay!! Am I the first offiicial post in the new thread?!

I have been sort of MIA since I have been so busy party planning and out of town on a work trip. We had Carter's 1 year WBV on Tuesday morning and he was....

Weight: 23 lbs, 4 oz (50%)
Height: 30 1/4 inches (50%)

We discussed letting him have whole milk and being able to turn his car seat around. I haven't really done either yet, but we now have the option. I am actually thinking about not turning him around ... I know it is much safer rear-facing.

We had his first 1st birthday party last Saturday in our hometown in Kansas and it turned out wonderful. He had a blast eating cake. He got bored with opening presents really quick, but he had fun. He got tons of books, which was what I was hoping for!

http://images33.fotki.com/v1115/photos/1/1116680/6047857/IMG_1980-vi.jpg

http://images35.fotki.com/v1154/photos/1/1116680/6047857/IMG_1982-vi.jpg

http://images34.fotki.com/v1082/photos/1/1116680/6047857/IMG_1983-vi.jpg

http://images34.fotki.com/v1143/photos/1/1116680/6047857/IMG_1985-vi.jpg

http://images31.fotki.com/v1085/photos/1/1116680/6047857/IMG_1987-vi.jpg

http://images31.fotki.com/v1084/photos/1/1116680/6047857/IMG_1988-vi.jpg

[MarriedaGoalie]

http://images32.fotki.com/v1088/photos/1/1116680/6047857/IMG_1989-vi.jpg

http://images34.fotki.com/v1143/photos/1/1116680/6047857/IMG_1999-vi.jpg

http://images36.fotki.com/v1155/photos/1/1116680/6047857/IMG_2026-vi.jpg

http://images36.fotki.com/v1160/photos/1/1116680/6047857/IMG_2042-vi.jpg

http://images31.fotki.com/v1084/photos/1/1116680/6047857/IMG_2045-vi.jpg

http://images31.fotki.com/v1100/photos/1/1116680/6047857/IMG_2046-vi.jpg

[MarriedaGoalie]

He thinks the sign for "more" is the sign for money now. haha

http://images32.fotki.com/v1092/photos/1/1116680/6047857/IMG_2052-vi.jpg

[shimmerstar]

Mag, cool decorations! I love the kiss picture, it is so sweet.

We have a molar that has broken through. Teething was never a problem for him but has been hell this time. He also caught hand foot and mouth at school again and is finally on the mend. He actually slept through the night twice this week, which is a big improvement.

His favorite things at the moment are propel water, his push car, books, and animals. Sometimes I want to hide all of his books! I'm all for reading, but not the same book for an hour. :p

[miaclear]

shimmer.... we too read and read and read. Our problem though is that he wants to read the first three pages of every book. And no more.

MAG.... looks like a great party!

Teeth....We got tooth #9 and #10! He was slightly fussy and clingy earlier in the week but I wasn't sure if it was his vax shots, the grandparents leaving, or the introduction of sugar into his diet (birthday cake). Maybe a little of everything but I'm sure the teeth had something to do with it.

[danalou]

MAG - It looks like the party was a bit hit with everyone involved as you can tell you put a great amount of time into the details. All of the cakes look taste and really cute!! I think it is too funny how he signals for more!!

Miaclear - I hope the teeth didn't cause too many issues as I can't believe he is on to #11!!

[betsyboop]

Wow, I can't believe we're in the toddler section now:(

MAG- Your party looked great!

Miaclear- 10 teeth, wow!

[Tandis]

MAG - Love the cakes, and that kiss picture is too cute! Glad the party was a success!

Teeth - V has 11 teeth - three of those being molars - with #12 on it's way (also a molar). A has eight teeth, but with the way her gums are swollen, I think she's starting on her molars as well. :rolleyes: Teething is no fun.

[MarriedaGoalie]

I took the night off from class on Carter's actual birthday. We went to eat at Shiki (our favorite Japanese hibachi restaurant) and he had a blast. Here is a picture from his actual birthday.

http://images33.fotki.com/v1136/photos/1/1116680/6073760/Picture021-vi.jpg

On Sunday, March 30th, we had his birthday party at our house here in Oklahoma. We had quite the turnout and he got tons of books and some clothes. It was perfect! Here are a few pictures from his birthday party at our house....

http://images33.fotki.com/v1120/photos/1/1116680/6072329/Picture034-vi.jpg

http://images19.fotki.com/v285/photos/1/1116680/6072329/Picture035-vi.jpg

http://images34.fotki.com/v1148/photos/1/1116680/6072329/Picture036-vi.jpg

http://images35.fotki.com/v1127/photos/1/1116680/6072329/Picture050-vi.jpg

http://images34.fotki.com/v1145/photos/1/1116680/6072329/Picture051-vi.jpg

[danalou]

MAG - I have to say Carter is too cute when it comes to eating birthday cake!! He has those looks that he flashes that just make you want to laugh!! It looks like you had another successful party and that is great. I hope you enjoyed your night off with the boys as everyone needs a break!!

DD's 1st Steps - copied from LJ

That is correct last night when we got home from daycare Mackenzie actually took her first attempt at walking on her own.

After settling in from daycare and work I was getting dinner ready in the kitchen and I had given Mackenzie her Nuby straw cup with milk to see how she would do with it in a setting different than the highchair. She did really well with it and was even sitting in her chair drinking it for another first. She has been standing on her own for a couple weeks now so at first it didn't surprise me to see her keep standing up from the seated position all with her Nuby still in both hands. Then I brought her cup in the kitchen and as she was standing again with the cup I let go of her and she was a bit shaky and then once she balanced herself she took about three steps. She did this two other times and all of them happened before DH got home from work. I guess at least I got to see the first attempt versus daycare!! I think this is just the beginning as once she masters the whole balance thing I think we will have a little monster on our hands. You should see her and the walker as she is from one end of the house to the other in a blink of the eye!!

I can't believe my little girl is growing up so fast as once she starts walking all the time it will be official she will be a toddler and not my little baby!!

[miaclear]

Errr....I can't win with this nap thing sometimes. I wouldn't mind if he gave up his morning nap but sometimes it just seems like he NEEDS the morning nap. Goes down easily enough and sleeps for two hours. And then again in the afternoon. Right now he's just screaming and screaming though. If I knew he'd be fine for the afternoon I'd go get him. But we have Gymboree at 12:15 and I don't want him falling asleep in the middle of it. Man do I hate it when he screams like this though. I actually thought maybe he had a poopy diaper so I went in there and of course he didn't. I settled him back down and of course when I went to lay him back down he was REALLY mad. Lesson learned :rolleyes:

QOTD: how many naps are your babes taking now?

[betsyboop]

Millie has been taking 1 nap per day since about a week before her birthday. It's about 1.5, maybe 2 hours long and normally starts at about 11:30am. So, she's up for 3.5 hours before the nap and then 6.5-7 hours after the nap before bed time.

[Janey]

We're still on 2 naps. She'll nap between 9:30 - 11:30 AM, and then from 3:00 - 5:00 or thereabouts. Then she's up until 9:30 PM when we all brush our teeth & go to bed together.

I have been blessed with an easy sleeping baby. I say, "Is it time for night-night?" And if she is tired, she will look at me, wave, and nod her head. So I say, "Okay!" And I lay her down, pull the blanket up to her chest and say, "Here is your blankie!" and then I give her her favorite teddy bear and I say, "And here is your bear!" She hugs her bear and is so glad to see him. I say, "Okay! See you in a little while (or "in the morning" if it's bedtime)! Mama loves you!" And I leave. Rarely do I hear a peep until it's time to wake up.

[shimmerstar]

Noah has been on one nap since about 10 months I think. I'm having a hard time remembering all his milestones! He loves his nap and never gives us a hard time about it. He sleeps for 2.5 hours almost every day. We do something similar to Janey. If it's nap I just lay him down, and if it's bed we do our routine. When he lays down he will turn on his crib aquarium and just go to sleep. I was always adamant about putting him down awake, and I guess it's paying off now. Until he cuts his next tooth, that is.

I took him to see my friend's newborn today and he couldn't have cared less. He just wanted to see the dogs. Then I was holding the baby, who was fussing, and trying to keep Noah from grabbing the heater, and I thought "I will never be ready for two kids". :eek:

[littlemia]

MAG- Looks like you parties turned out great! Love all of the decorations.

Naps- We are at one 2 hour nap on a good day. Every once and a while she does not nap at all.

Shimmer- Newborns are probably boring to him because they don't do much. Dogs are fun! Claire LOVES them. I don't know if I'll ever be ready for two kids either. Maybe in a year I'll change my mind.

[danalou]

Naps - I am pretty sure DD still takes two naps at daycare as she gets up earlier than she would on the weekend. We struggle with naps on the weekends as lately it has only been one nap, but you can tell she needs a second one. The child just fits them on the weekends like she is going to miss something!!

[Tandis]

Naps - They alternate between one and two a day. Audrey still really needs to take one in the morning, and another in the afternoon, but some days she just combines for a two hour nap around noon. Veronica usually goes with only one nap, also some time around noon but she can go anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours. But that's at their grandparents house - where it's quiet, and dark, and there is an air purifier in the room to drown out all noise :rolleyes: On the weekends, we can never make it quiet and dark in their room, so they take crappy naps.

[MarriedaGoalie]

So... here's my story.... changed Carter's diaper this morning and he is COVERED in little red bumps (almost like little pimples). I really hope it isn't the chickenpox, but I bet it is. My neighbor and I are doing a test... I am just going to give him a little Benadryl to see if it helps clear it up. If it is just a rash, it probably will help. If not, it is probably the chicken pox. She is a pharmacist and has given me the dosage amounts for the Benadryl. The bad news... my husband and 10-year-old step son have NOT had the chicken pox. Looks like I am on my own with this one! *Sigh!*

[whitlockan]

mag if you confirm its chicken box you need to get at least your hubby out of the house until he recovers. It is ecspecially dangerous for adults. You need to at least get your husband an updated vaccination. My hubby thought he had never had them either and our ped informed use to get him a shot.....at least have him call his doc and run it by them. Crossing my fingers its not! Great Party btw.

naps I really dont know how to count this. He gets up 5:30-6:00 am, by 6:25 he is in the truck and naps for 10 min and now only takes one 1-1/2 hour nap at school. He sleeps on the way home (4:45-5:00is) for another 10 min and then is down by 7:15-7:30ish. We are only waking 1 time a night for a few min and puts himself back to sleep...yaya...but it didnt happen without continued sleep training that I am totally against.

These top 2 eye teeth are the WORST. He will not eat anything but the stupid arrow cookie things....he does nurse though. At school he manages to eat but today he will not eat and keeps screaming the entire time. The left one is all bloody on the gum and the right one is most of the way through. When will it end. Perhaps this is why he has stopped talking these past few days, he really says nothing just screams. Motrin does not help!!

12 month blood work came back, no food allergies just apparently sensativities but anemic :(. They like to see minimum 32 he is 30.9......he gets to take crushed up flinstones with iron, thankfully he is taking those otherwise she was going to prescribe the nasty icky Iron drops. He has to take htem everyday until his 15 month then will get another blood test to see what were at. Is this run in the family by any chance. I find it odd my mom was as a child and so was I.

Gotta go screaming child.....

[goldengbridge]

MAG- Does Carter have a fever? It could be roseola too if he has a fever. Just a thought.

[whitlockan]

also just thought of this, our ped told us to watch for a fever and rash 1-2 weeks after recieving hisMMR that is a possible reaction. I assume carter just recently had this? Just something else to think about right

[miaclear]

Yeah...our Ped told us there was a 5-10% chance that DS would get either the pox or mumps from the vax. So if he just had the shot that could be the reasoning. Regarding your hubby MAG, I've never had the pox either but I was checked when I got pregnant and am immune. He may be too.

[betsyboop]

MAG- I hope Carter is doing ok! Definitely keep your DH away from him just in case though. I never had chicken pox as a kid and I'm not sure if anyone remembers, but Dave got shingles when I was in the first trimester of pregnancy and we found out that I was not immune to chicken pox at that point. So you just never know.

Did some babies get the MMR at their 12 month visit?? Just curious since I think Millie's first dose is at her 15 month. She definitely didn't get it yet though.

[MarriedaGoalie]

Yeah, Carter just had his shots last Tuesday (March 25th), so it has been about 11 days ago. I ended up taking him to the Urgent Care center and they said it wasn't the chicken pox. The doctor there told me it was folliculitis... which is an infection of the hair follicles. I'm not sure where that came from, but that is what they said it was.... I am still going to keep an eye on him, though. It just seems like there is way too much going on right now for it to be that.... Hmm.

[danalou]

MAG - I hope Carter is feeling better as that would have been a real mess with Chicken Pox in your household!!

[ieducate]

Mag, I hope that Carter feels better soon. Have you seen any change in the bumps or are they the same? Also, did they give you any meds for him at the Urgent Care?

[MarriedaGoalie]

We have been giving him an antibiotic to make it go away, but we did forget to give it to him a couple of times, so the spots are still there but they are fading away a little bit. Hopefully we will remember to give him his meds more regularly and then they will go away completely. Thanks for asking, girls!

[littlemia]

Hope Carter gets better soon, MAG.

danalou- Belated congrats to Mackenzie on walking.

QOTD- What kind of music do you listen to with your dc? The only kids' music I have is a 5 CD Classic Disney set, so we mostly listen to my music which I guess is rock/alternative. She loves it. She just learned to move her feet when dancing and she totally rocks out.

[Janey]

We listen to a wide variety of music just as a matter of course. Jazz, classical, rock, rockabilly, alternative, world ... whatever we're in the mood for. She seems to like it all. My favorite kids CDs are by Elizabeth Mitchell (http://youaremyflower.org/home.html).

[miaclear]

QOTD: Great topic. Here's the three CDs we listen to the most.

Parachute Express, Feel the Music
http://www.parachuteexpress.com/music/cds/feel.gif

Parachute Express, Sunny Side Up
http://www.parachuteexpress.com/music/cds/sunny.gif

Frances Englund, Fascinating Creatures
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61EVBV9H1QL._SL500_AA240_.jpg

[shimmerstar]

I am not into baby music at all, so we always listen to what I like. He gets lots of baby music at school, and I grew up on rock and roll, so I would like to steer him in the same direction. :)

[betsyboop]

Millie loves all music though she seems mostly into classic rock oddly enough. Led Leppelin was the first thing she ever danced to, but she'll pretty much dance to anything these days- the ring tone on my cell phone, a jingle on the radio, Dave practicing scales on his guitar, etc. Seriously anything. She swivels her hips, bobs her head, moves her feet around, shimmies her shoulders- she really gets into it. She'll dance standing up, sitting down, or even on her back on the changing table. I can't wait to sign her up for ballet someday:D

I'm not sure if I answered the question:o We don't do "kid music" at all. She listens to whatever we're listening to- rock/alternative, classic rock, R&B, rap, metal, etc. She actually really likes my dad's smooth jazz as well.

Mia- What kind of music is that that you posted? I've never heard of either of them.

[danalou]

Music - Typically we put on the 80's music channel and DD really seems to like the hair bands!! We sometimes put on the Sirius Kids channel, but DH and I get bored of the music quickly!!

[ieducate]

Music: JR will listen to anything also. She mostly enjoys Oy Baby music though...as that is what we mostly have on in the car. There are two cds (match the videos) of Jewish music and she just loves it. She also listens to the Disney collection (5 cds) of your average, everyday children songs, and is just as happy listening to my variety of songs or dh's. She just LOVES music. We have a music class we go to every once a week and she just loves instruments and the sound of music. She loves her baby piano and loves to sing into the microphone. I think I have the next American Idol here. :)

[miaclear]

BetsyBoop....Parachute Express is very kid like music. It's the music they play at Gymboree. Clapping hands, stretching, happy songs, some sleepy time songs. I like it though. We listen to it when we play in his nursery. The other one is very folksy guitar music. If you didn't listen to the lyrics you might not realize it's kids music.

[Tandis]

Music - The girls listen to whatever I have on the radio. Personally, I absolutely hate kids music and I'm really hoping they won't be too into that if I don't give them the opportunity to listen to it ;)

But I have caught them rockin' out to the Grateful Dead, and they enjoy Polka when we're dancing around the living room :D

[MarriedaGoalie]

Carter finally took a couple of steps! They were very wabbly steps, but he did it!! I am so happy for him! :)

[danalou]

MAG - That is great news!!

[betsyboop]

Congrats, Carter!

Ok, is Millie officially the only baby in this group that isn't walking yet? She is just completely not interested in it at all, so I don't even think it's right around the corner. She will walk holding on to one of my or Dave's hands or holding on to her walker thing, but absolutely will not stand or attempt to walk without holding on to something. I joined a play group for 14-18 month olds that started this week and she's the only one there that isn't walking, so I'm hoping that some peer pressure will kick in:p It's just weird because Dave and I were both early walkers, so it's surprising that she's so late. Oh well. We're starting to get nervous that she'll take her first steps while we're in China- what a let down that'll be!

[Tandis]

MAG - That's fantastic! Way to go Carter!

Betsy - Neither of my girls are walking yet, so don't feel left out :) V is just starting to get the confidence to stand on her own, but she thinks it's funny to fall into my arms rather than take any steps. A won't stand without holding on to something, and has no interest in trying to walk.

[danalou]

Betsy - Believe me it will happen when you least expect it and surprise you!! I really think with the change of weather happening and being outside that is part of the reason DD started walking. I just don't think she liked crawling on the cement as I know it isn't exactly comfortable!!

[Janey]

K isn't walking either. She'll cruise around the furniture, climb my legs when she wants up, etc ... but she won't stand on her own, and no walking. She didn't crawl until after 11 months so I am not expecting miracles in the walking department. :p

[MarriedaGoalie]

Oh, Carter's not walking. He just took a couple of steps. He is one lazy child and prefers to crawl! :)

[shimmerstar]

Let's all post an update. I would love to see all of your kiddos!

Name:
Age:
Stats:
Favorite foods:
Favorite toys/games:
New tricks:
What's driving you crazy right now?
Recent picture:

[shimmerstar]

Name: Noah
Age: 14 months
Stats: about 31.75 in, 26 lbs!
Favorite foods: green beans, cheese, there's not much he won't eat
Favorite toys/games: Putting things into containers and shaking them out, playing outside, reading books, looking at and talking about dogs
New tricks: bringing us stuff (today we were both sick and we were having him pass stuff for us) :p, "singing" and doing the hand motions to itsy bitsy spider, giving hugs and kisses, taking things out of drawers and scattering them all over the house, "helping" by throwing stuff in the trash
What's driving you crazy right now? Teeth. We have been working on the same upper molars/eye teeth/whatever they are for about a month.
Recent picture:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2255/2420114726_a2606a6968.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2385/2428626523_86335ec7da.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3093/2428623673_1e5d0a84f2.jpg?v=0

He is totally a toddler now and not a baby anymore. Mostly I'm okay with that. He is funny and sweet and BUSY!

[miaclear]

Fun Shimmerstar!

Name: Aaron

Age: 13 months today

Stats: 21lbs 10 oz at his 12 month well baby. I always forget the others.

Favorite foods: What WON'T he eat. He's not even a teenager and he's eating me out of house and home. I'd say pasta, chicken and cheese tops his list of favs.

Favorite toys/games: his stick puppets, loves to walk around and put it in your face to make you scream. Also loves his books. Reads them (sits and turns pages) forever.

New tricks: Not really a trick but we have a new cuddle time ritual in the morning that I just love. After breakfast we grab a blanket and cuddle on the couch and watch Sesame Street. I just melt when he lays his head on me and sucks his thumb.

What's driving you crazy right now? The transition from one nap to two. 97% of the time he needs two but then every once in awhile he goes through a few days where he refuses the morning one. I keep thinking it's going to happen...then it doesn't

Recent picture: My little green guy.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3252/2429471362_fee458935d.jpg?v=0


Adding my own...

Are you thinking about adding to the family anytime soon? We'll start trying the end of this summer.

[shimmerstar]

I love that onesie! I wanted to get Noah a "save the humans" shirt, but they didn't come small enough.

We will start trying next summer. I need him to be quite a bit older before I have another one.

[goldengbridge]

Name: Ashlyn
Age:14 months (in 3 days)
Stats:at her one year WBV she was 22lbs and 33 inches
Favorite foods:Anything! She loves fruits and veggies!
Favorite toys/games: She loves her princess ride on toy, legos, her brother's trains, and little people!
New tricks:She just starting saying "cheese" when you try to take her picture. So cute!
What's driving you crazy right now? She's starting to fight diaper changes with everything in her! She arches her back and kicks like crazy!
Recent picture:

Thoughts on adding to the family: I'm not quite sure whether or not we'll have a 3rd or not. We may be relocating to NC for DH's job so we have to get that straightened out first. If we did have another child, I'd like to wait until Ashlyn turns 2. So we'll see;)

[betsyboop]

Does Ashlyn have her ears pierced?? So cute!!

Name: Amelia, aka Millie, Millie-pede, Millie-meter, Mill, Millster, etc
Age: 13.5 months
Stats: 19.5lb, 28in.
Favorite foods: cheese, veggie booty, bread, nutri-grain blueberry waffles, canned no salt added corn (I was eating it as a snack the other day- it's a weird guilty pleasure of mine:o ), raisins, boca burgers
Favorite toys/games: puzzles, "reading" books, bead maze, dolls, picking Dave's guitar strings, playing outside
New tricks: she hugs her dolls and rocks them, just today started letting go briefly when cruising between 2 different pieces of furniture, will go "Mmmmm- ah!" when you ask her for a kiss, this isn't that new, but she LOVES pointing
What's driving you crazy right now? She likes to unravel the toilet paper when I'm in the shower:rolleyes:
Recent picture:

Hugging her 2 dolls (you can see her pants are filthy from playing outside earlier)
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g56/bugs1234_2006/DSC_2374.jpg?t=1208742370

Playing with the toilet paper
http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g56/bugs1234_2006/DSC_2368.jpg?t=1208742436

Are you thinking about adding to the family anytime soon? We'll probably start trying for #2 soon. I'd like to have it in Feb or March or after June of next year. I just don't want to have a brand new baby for my sister's wedding in June, 2009.

[Tandis]

Love the pictures - our babies are so big! Shimmer -that picture of Noah in the grass is adorable!

Name:Veronica
Age: 13 1/2 months
Stats: 27'10, 32 1/2"
Favorite foods: Everything! Though she's not a big fan of strawberries
Favorite toys/games: pots/pans, her dog book, Laugh & Learn House, the dog kennel
New tricks: She's starting crinkling her nose and smiling with *all* her teeth - she looks like such a big girl when she does it! Flipping light switches
What's driving you crazy right now? Super clingy, and she screams whenever her sister gets near her

Name: Audrey
Age: 13 1/2 months
Stats: 28 lbs, 32 1/2"
Favorite foods: Everything, except peas and baby food lasagna & spaghetti (real stuff is fine)
Favorite toys/games: Laugh & Learn Home, Laugh & Learn Toolbox, books, pots/pans, the dog kennel
New tricks: Has figured out how to climb up onto her rocking chair and rock herself - has also figured out how to climb up onto your leg to play "horsey" Flipping light switches
What's driving you crazy right now? Biting her sister!

Recent pictures: They're all on my LJ - I'll be happy to friend you so you can see them!

Are you thinking about adding to the family anytime soon? Heck no! We have two and we're done.

[goldengbridge]

Does Ashlyn have her ears pierced?? So cute!!

Yes, she does! We got them pierced when she was 8 months. Everyone told me that the younger they are the better it is. She honestly was so great when they did it, and has hardly even touched them in the 6 months since she got them!

[kindermom]

Name:Henry

Age: 13 1/2 months

Stats: 22.0 #, 33"

Favorite foods: He is quite picky. But he loves eggs, pirate's booty, and baby goldfish. Those three things will be gobbled every time.

Favorite toys/games: putting lids on things, putting toys inside containers, the leftover container cupboard, he still love peek-a-boo, and kissing. We are finally starting to read.

New tricks:I am not sure about this one. He loves playing with the cat. He will dangle strings for her, pet her, etc.

What's driving you crazy right now? He is uber clingy and a mama's boy.

[kindermom]

Just wanted to share that I am donating about 100 ounces, the remaining milk in my freezer stash, of breast milk today. I went through milk share and am giving it to a local mother who just adopted a 3 week old who was born to a drug abusing mother.

[miaclear]

Good for you kindermom....that's so cool! I have just a itty bitty bit left, maybe 3 bags of 2 or 3 oz. I haven't really thought about them lately. I should use them in his oatmeal before it goes bad.

[littlemia]

Name: Claire

Age: 13 months today

Stats: 17lbs 7.5oz, not sure how tall we got measurements of 2in. difference on appoinments one week apart and I can't find my measuring tape

Favorite foods: Um, breastmilk. She also seems to like black beans, meat, rice cakes, and potato chips but just the plain low salt ones

Favorite toys/games: She LOVES playing telephone, she has these conversations that go Hey, pause, hey, pause, ohhhh, pause, giggle. It's so funny. She has lots of play phones and if she doesn't have one she pretends something else is a phone. I looked back the other day in the car and saw her with her shoe by her ear talking into it. She also rides on her little push car (she can do it herself now) and carries her baby doll and little people around.

New tricks: Spinning and making herself dizzy, doing the maniac dance from Flashdance (running in place really fast).

What's driving you crazy right now? Tearing the house apart, throwing fits when she doesn't get her way, taking barrettes and hair ties out of her hair, dumping out the dog's bowls

Recent picture: I'll post some on LJ soon

Adding to the family?: Not for at least another year

[danalou]

Name: Mackenzie (Kenzie)
Age: 13.5 months
Stats: 22lbs 10 oz & 30" long (12 month visit)
Favorite foods: any kind of fruit and carbs (Cheerois, Mum Mums, Puffs, etc...)
Favorite toys/games: books, peek-a-boo, walker toys & Little People
New tricks: She has learned how to turn the TV on/off, she likes to shut the bedroom doors and play peek-a-boo with you from inside the room, she likes to play with clean or dirty clothes in the basket and most importantly she likes to play with mulch, stones, grass, leaves or dirty when she is outside
What's driving you crazy right now? It would have to be her changing the TV channels from the front of the TV and also her new found attitude when it comes to diapers or getting dressed
Recent picture: at her 12 month session
http://blog.charmingsnapshots.com/images/45489-41430/IMG_9212.jpg

[whitlockan]

Name: Zachary aka: Zach, Z, Z man, little man, Mr. Z

Age: 13 months (in 2 days)

Stats: 23 and some odd oz (its at home and something is funky with LJ)
either 29 1/2 or 30 in

Favorite foods: Oranges (after dinner he can stuff 2 large oranges in his belly), grapefruit, bananas, ham and cheese. These are all foods if he sees them or hears you say them he freaks out and acts as if hes going to die of starvation if he doesnt get them also when you have these out and your eating he never stops signing more...its halarious even when his checks are plum full the more sign is still going fast!

Favorite toys/games: loves loves his ball pit *as always*; he has FINALLY figured out how to ride his ride on bull dozer - he know rams into EVERYTHING. LOVES the phone - we gave him an old cell phone (no battery) and he just walks around with it flipped open, up to his ear and just talks away. Its halrious, its really funny that he knows when hes done he flips it shut....wow its scary a 1 yo already knows how to use a cell phone. BOOKS - oh man we have these all over our house and he just loves to read, but he gives it to you to read, then sits in your lap, you start to read and he gets up and gets another book.

New tricks: not so new but finally mastered running backwards, sleeping on a cot at school **getting that much closer to converting to a daybed with a rail for his crib - if all the kids are still alseep he knows to stay on his cot and read a book**Cleaning with the vaccume attachments while I vaccume, stirring his "food" in the pot when I stir the food on the stove. When he wakes up from a nap now, since he has to pick up his cot at school he hands you his blanket to put up and pacifier.

What's driving you crazy right now? Only wants mommy or nursing hte moment he sees me that we have been apart (pick ups and morning - I dont mind but give me a second to get you home or in the door before trying to rip my shirt off), not sitting through a book or even the first page without getting up to get a new book, we cant even eat an orange/grapefruit or banana = not sharing with mommy and daddy. Playing in the water bowls and attempting to eat dog food(only been in his mouth 1 time thank goodness), oh and letting shadow lick his food then eating it or sharing his food with the dogs - gives them all his food then comes over and wants more snack, and repeat. Banging the cabinet doors yelling (cant get them all the way opened) when hes hungry and your not going fast enough

Recent picture: will post to LJ

Adding to the family?: One and done....so no not planning on it

[MrsKinnison]

Wow, sorry it has been a really long time!

Name: Ollie
Age: 13months
Stats:19lbs 13ozs and 30.75 inches
Favorite foods: mac&cheese, yogurt, kiwi, grapes, blueberries, raisins, pork chops
Favorite toys/games: Loves when dada cruises him around on the snow fox, loves his cars and trains, laugh n learn vac, and the drum sticks from rock band.
New tricks: He says "Done!" when he's finished eating, is ready to get out of the tub, and when he's done nursing (with a big grin and it melts my heart every time!). He's also becoming a bit of a parrot and repeats lots of words. He's already cursed twice :eek:
What's driving you crazy right now? Throwing his food off his tray and feeding the dogs all the time
Recent picture:
On his birthday
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2328/2437958094_a97c440be9.jpg?v=0
2 Cool Dudes
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2006/2437957924_0f92b7f3cf.jpg?v=0
On his snow fox
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3132/2437958018_64b559db83.jpg?v=0
Chillin' with Simon
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3261/2437958174_879b52c6a3.jpg?v=0
Thoughts on adding to the family: We are one & done!

Lets see if I can do a quick recap...
His birthday party was a huge success & he LOVES cake! We had 26 adults and 12 kids. He had his one year WBV at 13mos and he is in the 75% for height and 10% for weight even though the kid can and often does eat all day long :p We got the okay to start milk if we want, but we don't have too. So far we haven't started (he has lots of cheese and yogurt) and he nurses 3 times a day. He is still very much a two nap kid.

[ieducate]

Name:Julia
Age:15 months
Stats:18lbs, 10oz and 28 inches, less than 5th percentile for both. (adjusted)
Favorite foods:bread, puffs, cheese, cheerios
Favorite toys/games:Learning Home, blocks, Learning Table
New tricks:taking a few steps while holding on to wagon.
What's driving you crazy right now? the fact that she won't eat much at lunch and dinner...she is not gaining enough weight and has suddenly lost interest in vegetables, which she used to love. :(
Recent picture:
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n311/ieducate/DSC_0023.jpg


Question: This has nothing to do with babies or toddlers, but I have a problem with a pan. I have a baking pan that I use to cook lots of various items. I try to wash it immediately after use every time, however my darling dh did not wash it the last time it was used. I noticed it the next day in the sink. Okay, so too late to wash...there is now grease on parts of the pan that WILL NOT come off. It is sticky and gross. I have tried Goo Gone, I have tried baking soda and boiling water, I have tried vinegar, I have tried dawn detergent. Nothing seems to work and this is the THIRD pan I have bought because of this exact thing. Once the grease is on there I can't use it to cook with...it's just too disgusting to me. If anyone has any remedies that fix this, please let me know. I looked it up on the Internet but the advice was not that helpful. Thanks for any help on this. I really don't want to go buy another pan. FYI: this is a toaster tray, not a big pan and it is stainless steel. Thanks.

[kindermom]

How did you apply the vinegar. I put white vinegar (full strength) in a pan and boil it for about 10 minutes. Then use a light plastic scrubby and it is all gone. I have yet to have that not work .

[ieducate]

Thanks for the idea Kindermom. I tried it, but it only worked a little bit. I did however find the solution of all solutions. Yesterday I bought Kaboom (a cleaner) at the store. I figured it was last effort to get this pan clean. And low and behold...it worked. Yay. I finally have a clean pan...and what's more...my old pan that we had stopped using because of the same problem came clean too. I am thrilled about it.

On a Julia note...she is teething in a big way. In fact, she has one tooth coming in on the bottom and it hasn't quite cut through yet...it has caused her to bleed a few times. Not badly, but enough to make her upset and not sleep well. :( I can't seem to count how many teeth she now has total, but I think we are up to 12-13. I am going to try and count when I am brave enough to stick my fingers in there.

[Janey]

Name: Kathryn

Age: 14 months

Stats: 18 lbs. 13 oz. at a year. 28" long.

Favorite foods: Pizza (we get Papa Murphy's about 2x/month), oranges, grapes, potatoes, pears, smoked turkey, graham crackers.

Favorite toys/games: Books, books, books. We read 10+/day. "Where's Kathryn" - we will put a cloth napkin or on her head and say, "Where is Kathryn? I don't see her! Where is she??" and she'll pull it off with a big grin and we'll say, "THERE she is!" Repeat 20x. This is also great when she's gone off somewhere and I can't find her, I'll say, "Where is Kathryn? I don't see her! Where is mama's baby??" in the 'game' voice and she'll come find me with a big grin. She LOVES dogs (we have cats) and when she sees them on our walks she goes crazy. I bought a stuffed dog at Ikea that we named Buddy that she loves.

New tricks: "Where is " is a good 'show-off' trick for the family.

[B]What's driving you crazy right now? The throwing food thing is driving me INSANE. I don't know what to do about it. She looks right at me when she tosses her food off her tray, like she is testing me. She tosses meat down, and then the cat comes to eat it up, and then she tosses her (heavy!) sippy of juice over the side and almost hits the cat and I see red. Nothing is helping.

Recent picture: I wish I had taken these after I weeded, but owell. ;)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3087/2441210407_522c93f0b8.jpg?v=0
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2092/2442047454_ce3d702607.jpg?v=0


Adding to the family?: We're thinking of trying either in Nov/December ... and if that doesn't work, we'll wait a few months and try again in Feb/Mar.

[miaclear]

Teething....we got tooth #13 the other day, a lower canine. Aaron is being a big fuss bucket at times so I think there are more in there. I'm going to try to investigate later today. I'm so thankful that for the most part teething hasn't been too much of an issue. For Aaron it's just happened all so fast. I'm glad it's almost over with!

This is an interesting website showing the development of the teeth.
http://www.childrensuniversity.manchester.ac.uk/interactives/science/teethandeating/teethandeating_e.swf

[miaclear]

I got a good look in Aaron's mouth during a crying fit in his high chair. I can see tooth #14 and 15 and 16 are about to pop through!!!

[kindermom]

Helpful hint for looking at teeth..I recently realized that laying Henry on my lap with his head towards my knees and tickling him let's me look clearly into his mouth.

[MrsKinnison]

Wow ~ 12, 13, 14 teeth??? Ollie has 6. 4 on top and two on the bottom.

Whit ~ I think it was you that posted about being anemic? Do they measure iron in different units? The reason I ask is that Ollies was 11.5 and they said that was completely normal.

[kindermom]

Mrs. K - Henry measured 10.5 and was just under normal according to our ped. She said 11 is the cut off.

[danalou]

Janey - I can't believe how much hair she has these days!! Just a question about the ponytails - what kind of bands are you using??

I missed this and wanted to post it later versus never!!

Adding to the family?: We are going to start trying in June with the hopes for a Spring 2009 baby!! Our plan is to stop at 2 kids as we really don't want to have Mackenzie be an only child and I have that baby bug again.

[whitlockan]

MrsK I have no idea if there are different units but she described it EXACTLY to me as this: '"If you were to put it on a scale, 32 being the minimum number he is a 30.9." There is another mom in his class we were talking and her daughter was a 29 so I have no idea if there are other forms of measurement but she apparently was using the same scale as well and we do not have the same ped or group.

[Orion]

Wow...it's been so long since I've been on the computer. Life is just so crazy at the moment with me being back to work. I'll try to catch up the best I can here!

Name: Dalton - AKA Mr. D or Booba (I used to call him my booby baby and it got shortened to booba!)

Age: Thirteen months

Stats: At the last check up he was almost 23 lbs

What's Driving you Crazy Right Now: Since we've moved from coast to coast, both kids have been sick. We are going on week five of being sick. My daughter has strep, an ear infection and pneumonia and Dalton just has a nasty virus that won't go away. We actually took him to the doctor last night because we couldn't break his fever of 103. I just want both kids to be well again. The doctors are saying that they could be sick for a bit yet because the kids need to build up their immunity to the different germs here on the East Coast.

New Tricks: Running and trying to jump. He sees his sister jump and he thinks he can do it too. It's too funny to see this little man run and try to jump.

Adding to the Family: This one made me laugh...I'm due October 18! I still can't believe that I will have three under three...crazy!

Pictures: Ugggghhhhh...my digital camera broke on the trip across the country and I just haven't had time to replace it yet so no pictures.

[Tandis]

Wow, I can't believe it's been so long since anyone has posted here!

Janey - K is just adorable - love the hair in pigtails! Her favoriate "game" made me laugh because that's my girls favorite game as well.

Orion - Oh you poor thing - being pregnant with two sick kids! Hope their immune system catches up quickly!

ieducate - That's too cute that Julia is sitting in a shoe box.

MrsK - Love that picture of Ollie on the Snow Fox. He looks like he's at least five. Well, that and he's going to take it out by himself!

*****************

Miss V took four unaided steps last night! On Sunday she started walking holding on with only one hand, but then last night I got her to try it without any support! I'm thinking I might have a bonafide walker by the end of the week!

[kindermom]

I am about to post in my LJ but...
- Henry is now sleeping in is crib! Finally. It was a rough 4 nights. Now we are working on sleeping through the night. He is still waking up several times a night and crying for 2-5 minutes at a clip. But we are down to nursing once between 10 and 12 and not again until between 5 and 6 when he naturally wakes for the day.

- Last night Henry busted out the sign for "eat more"! I guess he likes enchiladas! So now he signs the following consistently...eat, more, milk, all done, bye, up

- Henry is totally enthralled with putting tops on things. He will sit for 30 minutes in front of the tupperware cupboard playing.

- Henry is dying to ride his sister's trike. He can get on it but his feet do not really touch the floor yet.

- Also cute is that we have a little walker/wagon from Ikea. He and Madelyn take turns sitting in it and pushing the other through the house. And this is why we have little furniture on the main level!

[shimmerstar]

I'm glad to see some action in this thread!

Noah is almost 15 months! He is running instead of walking now, but stumbling over his own feet a lot. He has picked up the signs for please and thank you, and says about 20 words. His sleep is not very good- waking at least once a night and I think he had a night terror last night. So I guess I'm getting my comeuppance for having him sttn as a baby.

His favorite thing is taking things out of drawers and scattering them around the house. I couldn't find my hair brush for two days.

I tried cloth diapers this weekend. First they leaked like crazy because I didn't know to prep them, but then they worked really well. I have a bumgenius and a haute heiney. I have some gdiapers on the way. I'm just in an experimenting mood.

I am a little worried because Noah's not fat, but seems to be outgrowing his size 5 diapers. He's not even technically at the minimum weight on the package, but he keeps pooping up the back. I know they make 6s, but what am I supposed to do when he outgrows those?

Hope everyone gets a good mother's day present! I am going to see Wicked!

[miaclear]

Shimmer....outgrowing size 5s! Wow! How big is he?

Teeth....Not sure if I mentioned it here or not but Aaron has 14 teeth now and about to pop #15 and #16! The canines are the worst by far :(

[betsyboop]

I'm glad to see some posts here!

Not too much new here. Millie has perfected her kiss recently. She puckers her lips and kisses you right on the lips while saying "mmmm-ah!" She also has her first word that sounds just like it's supposed to (rather than some baby-ish version of the word)- "baby" She takes every opportunity to use it:)

Tandis- Congrats on the walking! Do you think Audrey will be walking soon too?

Shimmer- 20 words?! Wow!

I feel like the only one here not teaching my baby signs. Seems like a cool idea, but I can see myself starting to teach it and then forgetting what each sign means later:p

[kindermom]

Betsy - I am not a fan of baby videos but the Signing Time DVDs are AWESOME!!!

I love teaching signs because right now their language is still developing and ASL gives them an outlet for talking to you. For example Henry told me the other day he wanted to eat and specifically he wanted to eat crackers. That was so much easier than letting him whine until I figured out what he wanted.

Rest assured you will do the sign SO MUCH that you will never forget it.

Oh, and they are cool party tricks too.

[MarriedaGoalie]

Name: Carter Thomas

Age: 13 1/2 months

Stats: approx 24 lbs, 31"

Favorite foods: Well, up until recently, he loved EVERYTHING. Wouldn't turn down any kind of food. Recently he has started being a bit more choosey. He is typically pretty good about eating anything, though. He loves his pork chops last night!

Favorite toys/games: The child loves books. He is perfectly content with a book for a short amount of time. He also loves to pretend like he is playing XBox or the Wii with my older son and my husband. He actually has figured out the buttons on the XBox controller already. In fact, the other day, he somehow turned on the XBox, loaded a file and started a race all on his own. Haha

New tricks: I'm not sure if it is a trick, but he has recently learned how to throw a tantrum. Man, that is fun to deal with! haha

What's driving you crazy right now? He is quite the mamma's boy. While I do love it, it has been difficult this past couple of weeks with school and trying to study for finals.

Expanding the Family...: We are probably going to start talking in the Spring of 2010 or 2011. Carter will be like 3 or 4, but that is okay. I have to finish my Bachelor's degree in Accounting. I should be done with that in the Summer of 2009. Then I need to go ahead and start on my Master's degree because I need 16 hours beyond my Bachelor's degree in order to be eligible to sit for the CPA exam. Ideally, I would like to wait until after I take the CPA exam, but I don't know if I can wait that long!

He also got tooth #7 FINALLY the other day! Woo hoo!!

Recent Pictures:

http://images34.fotki.com/v1144/photos/1/1116680/6187648/IMG_2217-vi.jpg

http://images35.fotki.com/v1170/photos/1/1116680/6187648/IMG_2221-vi.jpg

http://images34.fotki.com/v1147/photos/1/1116680/6187648/IMG_2243-vi.jpg

http://images33.fotki.com/v1137/photos/1/1116680/6187648/IMG_2254-vi.jpg

http://images34.fotki.com/v1143/photos/1/1116680/6187648/IMG_2267-vi.jpg

http://images36.fotki.com/v1178/photos/1/1116680/6187648/IMG_2268-vi.jpg

[shimmerstar]

Mia- He is about 26.5 lbs and maybe 32.5 in tall. He was in the 50-75th %tile last time I checked. Maybe it's the way he sleeps.

Betsey- We hardly sign with Noah at all but they do at school and he will just bust out new signs once in awhile. His words are so random- he's got bush, bug, flower, and all these outside words. Mostly our conversations consist of "duck!" "duck!" "DUCK!". :D

Mag- Carter is SO cute!

[MrsKinnison]

Wow, outgrowing size 5 diapers?? Ollie is still in size 3! He really is such a skinny minny!

We don't sign either, and I sometimes feel like the only mom in the world that doesn't and sort of guilty about it. On the other hand, Ollie does have about 20 words and does a really good job of communicating what he wants. He also loves the word baby ~ I don't know what it is, but babies love pointing out other babies :) He blows kiss now and gives you a big "mmm-ah" when he does it.

We still only have 6 teeth, but I have a feeling another one is on the way.

I love seeing all the pics of our babes and how big they have all gotten! Is it just me, or do we not have the cutest babies in the whole wide world?

[danalou]

Betsy - Don't feel alone as I don't know any signs either. They sounds interesting like you said, but I would forget what they were and just get confused. That is too cute that Millie gives baby kisses as they are the best!!

Kindermom - Where can you get the Signing Time DVD's as I should check one out and make a decision.

Shimmer - I really don't have much to offer on the whole diaper size other than to see if you could start potty training to help avoid the issue.

Tandis - That is great to hear about the walking as I am sure having two learning is going to be twice the laughs!!

MAG - I love the pictures of Carter as he has really changed in the past month!! I can't believe how much he looks like a little man these days as where did our babies go??

[miaclear]

Signing...we have Baby Signing Times the first video. Aaron loves it. And I know all the signs :) Quizing my husband on them was super funny when I asked him how to do cracker. He banged both his elbows together...haha. Anyhow...if you watch the videos it's really easy to get the signs down. Aaron doesn't sign anything, but we don't really do them much outside the video. But he LOVES to watch it on tv :D

[Janey]

We also have the BST videos. They are great. K knows about 10 signs. Eat/food/hungry, water, juice, banana, cat, dog, change-my-diaper, more, all done.

she is starting to make animal sounds. she says 'woof woof' and 'moooo.' Love it.

[MarriedaGoalie]

We are working more and more on signing lately. My mom bought Carter the baby Einstein signs video and it is really helping me learn some stuff so that I can communicate with him. Right now he only knows how to sign please, more and all gone. We are working on drink, milk, thank you and kiss right now. He seems to do very well with them and also has a huge vocabulary of words already. Yay for smart kids! :)

[littlemia]

Hope everyone had a Happy Mother's Day!

Signing- I had intended to follow the no tv before two recommendation but I have that up and let Claire watch Baby Signing Time. She's starting to pick up on the signs. We had a kind of rough day today and I looked at her and said "Mommy's sad" and she signed back "hurt."

Miaclear- I can't believe Aaron has 16 teeth. Stupid question but does he have any teeth left to get before his 2nd year molars?

MrsK- It's great to see pics of Ollie. He's such a big boy. 20 words! That's quite impressive.

Janey- aww, K's hair has gotten so long. The pigtails are really cute. I haven't attempted them because Claire's ponytail looks messy enough.

Shimmer- Wow, Noah's language has really taken off!

MAG- Carter looks like a big boy in some of those pictures and like a baby in others. What a cutie.

[miaclear]

littlemia....#16 is still giving us issues...hasn't popped all the way through yet. errr. After this I believe he only has that last set of molars. I really hope they don't come early. I'd like for him to have a teething break.

[littlemia]

littlemia....#16 is still giving us issues...hasn't popped all the way through yet. errr. After this I believe he only has that last set of molars. I really hope they don't come early. I'd like for him to have a teething break.

Let's hope #16 comes through soon and the two year molars don't show up until 2 years or so. He's such a trooper. I know it's got to be hard getting so many teeth in such a little time.

[Tandis]

Sigh - I miss our little thread.

Okay ladies, to get us talking again, tell me two things:

1. What is your bedtime routine like? Somehow, without warning, we've let our girls fall into some bad habits - of course, vacation in a hotel room where we let them share our bed as soon as they started crying didn't help - but sleep has been *horrible* for the last two weeks. So I'm open to ideas and I'd love to hear what everyone else does. :)

2. How much does your child eat? My girls are off the charts big - have been for months now - and I'm worried that maybe I feed them too much. It doesn't seem like it, and I'm not forcing food upon them, but I'm curious as to how much other children eat. Especially since my girls are kind of out growing 2T clothing. Yeah, I tired of buying a new wardrobe every couple months, so I really need for them to slow down! ;)

[kindermom]

1. What is your bedtime routine like?
We got Henry out of our bedroom a few weeks ago.
Bath nights: 7:00 to 7:30 bath
Nonbath nights: 7:30 start routine
- Brush teeth and wash face (he walks in to the bathroom himself)
- Wipe down with wipes on nonbath nights
- Get lotion on and diaper changed
- Clean jammies on
- Read 2 stories in the rocker
- Turn on CD player
- Turn off lights
- Nurse for 5 - 10 minutes
- Sing our prayer song (I see the moon)
- Give him a kiss as I walk him to the crib
- If he is awake when I put him in, I turn on the rain forest soother. Otherwise, he puts his head on his big stuffed dog, I cover him with his blankie, and say night night.

He is still waking between 1 and 2 to nurse. And he is normally up by 6:00 for the day.

2. How much does your child eat?
2T? Wow! My almost 3 year old (granted a really small girl) is barely in 2T!

Henry's eating is a real problem for us. He is borderline anemic. He refuses most beverages except nursing. And he is hideously picky. If we are lucky, here is a sample meal...
Sn: Nurse
B: 1 pancake, 1/3 banana
Sn: 10 small cheese crackers
L: 1/4 c. pasta with sauce and cheese
Sn: 2 strawberries
Sn: Nurse
D: 1/4 c. rice, about 10 peas, 5 small pieces of chicken
Sn: Nurse

[shimmerstar]

Yay, someone finally posted again!

Bedtime:
Dinner
Bath/teeth
diaper/jammies/lotion
rock and read two stories
kisses and lights out
rock and drink milk from sippy
in crib and mom leaves

Ugh. He used to be the best sleeper but keeps getting ear infections that totally derail him. Now he is used to us holding him whenever he wants, so he gets up usually twice a night to have a drink and a cuddle. Since he falls asleep after 2 minutes of this I know he's not really thirsty. Now that school's out I'm going to have to really try to break those habits. I don't know which one to get rid of first- the cuddling or the milk. We are in for some long nights.

Food:
1/2 c milk first thing
breakfast at school-usually a starch and a fruit, sometimes eggs
lunch at school- starches, fruit, veggies, milk
snack at school- crackers, cookie, water
sometimes he gets another snack like cheese or crackers when we get home
dinner- sometimes a gerber meal, usually 1-2 starches, protein, yogurt, veggies, and fruit
milk before bed

I have been worrying about feeding him too much too, because he's not fat, but he never did slow down like they say toddlers do. He has gained four pounds since he was 12 months old. He's 15 now. He's consistent on the charts, so maybe I shouldn't worry, but he is just getting SO big.

[danalou]

Bedtime:
Starts around 7:15-7:30 depends on if it is bath night or not
1.) Give DD a bowl of oatmeal for a bedtime snack and extra milk (as she doesn't drink much from a sippy)
2.) Bathtime for about 15 minutes
3.) Change clothes and brush her hair
4.) Brush her teeth (need to be better about this one as we forget)
5.) Turn on the cd player in her room
6.) Give DD her pacifier (which stays in her crib and is only used at naps and bedtime) and her blanket to cuddle with
7.) Read a couple of books which varies from night to night based on mood
8.) Give whomever isn't putting her to sleep a big huge and kiss
9.) Turn out the lights and cuddle for a brief minute (not much of a cuddler these days)
10.) Put her into her crib and she normally falls asleep within 10 minutes and sleeps until 7am when we wake her up

Food:
Breakfast - Oatmeal with 3 fruit cubes mixed in + Sippy of Milk
AM Snack - Either a yogurt, fruit or veggie puree and finger snacks + Sippy of Milk
Lunch - Protein option (Chicken Nuggets, Turkey Sausage, Grilled Cheese or Veggie Corn Dogs), fruit or veggie puree and finger snacks + Sippy of Milk
PM Snack - Either a yogurt, fruit or veggie puree and finger snacks + Sippy of Milk
Dinner - Protein option, fruit or veggie puree and finger snacks + Sippy of Milk
Bedtime Snack - Oatmeal with Banana + Sippy of Milk

**DD is getting better about solids, but we still worry that she will start gagging on the soft mushy items. Last night I gave her some of the diced apples and she did really well with them. I am wondering what you gals give for a protein type item as I am looking to add more to our routine?

[danalou]

Tandis - I can only imagine that having two makes the bedtime routine that much more difficult. I am sure that once you get the girls back into a normal routine they should get better and better each attempt!!

Kindermom - I have the same issue with DD not taking much liquids during the day and I have just started giving her some in hidden items like the oatmeal twice a day. All in all she takes about 9-10 ounces of milk a day with the oatmeal and sippy!!

Shimmer - How much does DS weigh as I know your worries, but it sounds like he is just a hunger boy!

[whitlockan]

okay bad poster in both here and LJ let me try to make comeback.

Bedtime routine **begins at 6:00pm**
1) dinner
2) bath time
3) aquaphor rub down/night time diaper/ pjs
4) nurse
5) brush teeth
6) show him pacifier and he walks to his crib
7) do our kisses; and he waves bye walking down the hall to dad **he thinks night time is the equivlant of bye**
8) I love yous and in the crib by 7:15
8) 7:25-7:30 - OUT!! **sometimes he sits and jabbers other times its just minutes and hes out

food
2T HOLY SMOKES!!! We are still baggy in 18 months and length for pants are just now getting short at 12 months
**I will use today's schedule since its fresh in my mind**
4:30 am - nurse and then back down
BREAKFAST
6:00 am - nursed; 3/4 of a mini bagel; 4 mini pancakes
SNACK
10:00 am
1/2 sippy or 1 whole (4 oz - 8 oz bm approx)
1/2 cup of oatmeal w/applesauce mixed in
20 cherrios or cereal bar
LUNCH
12:00 am
1/2 sippy (4 oz bm approx)
**small ziploc container full of**
cheese or 1/2 one of meat
1 full of mixed steamed veggies(carrotts/cauliflower/broccli for today)
a full 1st years bowl/container of watermelon **He will eat all of this**
SNACK
4:00 pm
yobaby
typically if there is any left over fruit this is when he gets it/maybe some cherrios today
DINNER
6:00/6:15 pm - nurse and a veggie and a protien typically - does not eat much at home

**I was reading the nutrition guidelines and couldnt believe how many grains they needed - we have the fruits/veggies/protien servings down so we are working on uping the grains**

[whitlockan]

Shimmer I worry about this all the time but we have the opposite concern - we have lost weight 2lbs **granted he did have a sinus infection and then hand mouth and foot and did not eat for like 4 days only nursed**. We are at 22.25 lbs as of last week. He was around 24. This bothers me because if he drops to much shes going to pressure the whole milk issue on me; she said if he started losing weight she really would like to see us stop nursing. I just feel like hes so skinny now, I'd like to see some meat on him.

[shimmerstar]

Danalou, he is 27 lbs. He is between 50-75 for weight, and he's pretty lean except for his tummy. :)

Whit- Isn't it funny how you worry no matter what? Noah had HFM twice now. It's terrible! I hope he gets his weight back up soon.

[MrsKinnison]

Yay, we're back. I was really missing everyone!

Bedtime Routine ~ He gets a bath at least every other night, but with the warm weather it has been more since he is outside so much and gets so dirty. He is a boy through and through.

~ Bath or Shower
~ Lotion, diaper, jammies
~ Nurse
~ Brush Teeth
~ Book with paci & Milo (stuffed monkey that he loves. DH actually forgot it at the store when tonight and had to go back for it. Luckily we can practically see out store from our house)
~ Lights out and bed.

He typically wakes between 5-6am to nurse then goes back to sleep until 7-7:30

As far as eating it looks something like this...
6am nurse
7:30 nurse (more on the weekends. he loves to lay in bed an nurse)
9:00 Breakfast: Drinkable yobaby and mini waffle, mini bagle, or french toast sticks. Every so often we get egg & cheeses on english muffins from Dunkin D's on our way into work.
12:30 Lunch: This week has been honey turkey deli meat, slice of cheese, crackers & fruit.
Sometimes he'll have a snack before afternoon nap, but he always has one after. Some days he'll snack all day long. If we are at work ee just fishes in his bag to find what he wants and/or tells me "nak, nak" If we are home he will pull one of us over to the fridge or cabinet to get what he wants. Snacks are cereal bars, fruit, graham crackers, crackers, usually atleast two of the above. If we are home for afternoon nap, he sometimes likes to nurse, but very very rarely if we are at work.
6:30ish sometimes later Dinner: I always try to do protein, grain, and veg but he is really picky with meats. He would very happily have mac n cheese every day if I let him. I make it with the barrilla plus pasta so it has extra protein. Tonight I made chicken quesidilla's and he loved those.
Dessert: Not every night, but some nights. He loves fruit, bananna pudding, Earths Best cookies.

Whit ~ I think Ollie may have just hit 20lbs. We haven't started milk yet at all, and our pedi's exact words were "you can if you want, but you don't have to" He was happy that he was nursing at least 3 times a day, and he gets lots of milk and cheese. Totally up to us if and when we want to.

Drinking ~ Ollie loves water, but I also just discovered Wateroos and he loves those too. They are in the natural foods section and come like juice boxes. They have no sugar, artificial sweetners or juice in them. It's a very light flavor, not that funky taste I think flavored water usually has, kind of like the poland spring sparkling water, just without the sparkle. There is nothing in it but water and natural flavoring.

Protein ~ we struggle with this too as Ollie is really picky about meat. He pretty much will always eat pork chops, turkey kielbasa, chicken & apple sausages, but everything else is a crap shoot. Some days he likes it, other days not. Which brings me too....

Anyones babe like something one day and not another? Ollie ate roast beef every day for lunch one week, when I bought it again 2 weeks later he wouldn't eat it and I tried every day. Same with chicken, sometimes he'll eat it and other times not even prepared the exact same way. Some day's he'll eat the veggie chicken pattie, then the next day not.

[littlemia]

I'll add my info although it will be totally unhelpful to you, Tandis.

Bedtime: Diaper change -- pajamas -- brush teeth -- bedtime story (sometimes- she's not that into stories) -- bottle of EBM. I lay with her until she falls asleep and then I get up and pump and do whatever.

Food: Ha, ha. Still not much eating here. The most I think she's ever eaten at one time is a 1/4 cup of spaghetti. Ms. K- we definitely have the problem of liking foods sometimes and not others. Claire takes it to an extreme and will rarely eat the same foods two days in a row and I'm running out of food ideas as she pretty much only eats protein, rice, and the occasional vegetable.

Lotion- I noticed a lot of you put lotion in your nighttime routine. Do your kids have dry skin? I've never put lotion on Claire before.

[MrsKinnison]

littlemia ~ Ollie will not do leftovers at all! It can be his favorite dinner, but he will never eat any leftovers the next day.

lotion ~ We have always done lotion morning and night. He's never had dry skin, I've just always done it.

[Tandis]

Shimmer - I think I have the female versions of your son :p My girls are both 27 pounds, but on the female chart they're off the scale. Maybe they were really supposed to be boys ;)

Littlemia - My girls only get lotion after their bath - or if someone feels really dry.

MrsK - V loved cantaloupe for the longest time, and now she makes a face every time she tastes it. The same goes for honeydew. They always let me when they're getting tired of a particular veggie after having it too many nights in a row - after a couple bites, they'll open their mouth and let it fall out. Always attractive, and the dogs love it. :rolleyes:

***************************

Thanks for all the bedtime routines ladies! V went down with only minimal fuss last night, while A end up sleeping with us again after having a little bit of a tummy upset (after spending the whole night in her crib the previous night! Yay!). We're still trying to figure out a new routine, but at least I have some ideas now on what we can do, and the order we can do it in.

As for their eating, I don't really think they're eating more than everyone else, so I don't know why they're so big?! Here is what they eat:

9 am - half a piece of toast plus one egg or half a frozen waffle or oatmeal and a sippy of milk. Lately they've been on a banana kick so it's about a 1/3 - 1/2 of one of those as well.

Noon - If they're not napping, they always takes bites of my lunch as their snack.

1 pm - 3 oz. Gerber Stage 3 (or Mac & Cheese or veggie hot dog) plus a veggie and some fruit - usually about 5-7 oz of food - plus a sippy of either water or pear juice/water (depending upon what my mother feels like giving them)

Anytime after that until 4:30 (when I pick them up), they might eat a couple crackers, yogurt melts, puffs, cheerios or cheese as a snack.

6 pm - Snack of whatever I can find (cheese crumbles, crackers, peas, corn, blueberries, mixed fruit, etc.), plus they take bites of whatever we're having for dinner

7:30 - 3-4 oz of baby food with peas, green beans, carrots or corn mixed in; 2 oz of additional veggie, and then either part of a banana, yogurt, or some other fruit.

8 pm - 8 oz of milk, and sometimes a little water.

So, what do you think? Are my kids eating too much?

[kindermom]

Tandis - That does not sound like much at all.

Littlemia - We do lotion with Henry when his eczema flairs up. Both my kids have sensitive skin. That said, I still forget lotion at least 25% of the time.

[littlemia]

MrsK- doesn't the no leftovers drive you crazy. Claire eats whatever we eat most nights and it would be nice to just put a little away for lunch the next day but no dice. One of the things I do is to buy a pound of ground turkey or beef and freeze it in little (probably one ounce) segments. It only takes a few minutes to cook.

[miaclear]

Bedtime:

7:00- playtime in the nursery with mom and dad
7:25- two stories (mom reads one, dad reads the other)
7:30- bathtime (mom gets washing duty, dad gets cleaning bathtub duty)
7:45- diaper & PJs are mom's duty, sleepsack & hairbrush are dad's duties and then I nurse for a few minutes.

I have successfully weened DS from all feedings but the night time. I plan to do that this weekend.

Food. I feel like Aaron would eat a horse if I let him. Given he wakes at 8, takes two naps and we start bedtime at 7:00 I feel like he eats all day long.

8:00- oatmeal, whole banana
12:00- pasta pickups or lunchmeat, a stage II fruit, a stage II veggie
3:30- Mum Mums (usually he'll eat 4 crackers), more fruit
5:30- cup of pasta and sauce, 1/4 cup of chicken, 1/2 cup of veggie

Teeth update....#16 finally came through! We're all much happier :)

[danalou]

MrsK - We have that same problem of DD liking one a food one day and then not eating much of it the next. She doesn't completely refuse it, but she doesn't inhale it like the day before. I just keep offering it as I know she does like it and when she is hungry she will eat it.

Tandis - It doesn't sound like the girls are eating too much to me either. They might just be bigger as they didn't start walking quite as early as the other babies -> just a thought!!

Almond butter - I was wondering if anyone gives they kids Almond butter as I was told to hold off on the peanut butter until DD turns 3!!

[miaclear]

danalou....I thought the whole thing about avoiding PB was about avoiding nuts in general since they are highly allergenic. My Ped though told us that once he's 1 it's ok to try every food, including nuts (since there's no history of food allergies in our family).

[kindermom]

I am holding off on any nuts until 2, when our ped gives the ok for peanuts. We also have no allergies in our family. Of note, I am sure DS has had peanut butter already as he has an older sister who leave her sandwiches within his reach.

[littlemia]

Danalou- If you don't want to do nuts yet, how about giving her Sunbutter? It's really similar in taste and texture to peanut butter but I don't think sunflower allergies are nearly as common.

[MrsKinnison]

We use Sunbutter too :)

[MarriedaGoalie]

Well, we just spent the morning in two different ER rooms. Carter started weezing yesterday afternoon after a day out at the air show here in town. We didn't really think much of it until this morning when my husband got up with him and he was having a very difficult time breathing. We took him the minor emergency room. They gave him a breathing treatment and he didn't have much improvement. The doctor on duty didn't really want to fool around with him because he knew they could "head south" so quickly. He referred us to the Children's Hospital. When we got there, they did two more breathing treatments on him and then took some x-rays of his lungs. They said he had a viral respiratory infection. They gave us an inhaler to give him some breathing treatments over the next couple of days at home. When we got home from the ER, we went to get him out of his car seat and he had just thrown up all over himself. He threw up about 10 minutes ago in the bathroom, also. I feel so bad because I know he does not feel well and there really isn't anything I can do about it.

Has anyone else had this happen with their little ones?

[shimmerstar]

Oh no, MAG, how scary! I hope he is feeling better soon. That hasn't happened to us but I can imagine how scary it was. Once Noah had a cold for a month and when we switched docs they told us he had bronchiolitis and was wheezing. We never even suspected!

How are all of your kids with travelling?

We spent 20 hours in the car this weekend. The trip up was hard but Noah slept more for the trip home. He loved his aquadoodle and played with it for a long time. But I never want to travel with him again! At home we can put him in the crib and he'll usually go to sleep. In the hotel he screamed for 2-3 hours before falling asleep. And no, we weren't doing CIO, this was with us holding him. His naps were totally wonky and he is exhausted today. We had the room dark, a sheet from home, his crib aquarium and everything. It was just too different and totally disrupted him. We have to go to Missouri for christmas, so I'm already worrying about that.

[miaclear]

MAG....scary. I hope he's feeling better soon.

Traveling.... We've traveled with Aaron a little bit. We just got back from a trip to Chicago with him. Two hour plane ride was alright. Fortunately I was able to BF him when he got really cranky. We were on the move so much that naps weren't a problem when we were actually somewhere he could take them. At night he slept pretty good. At the begining of the trip he woke up in the middle of the night and didn't like being in the pack n play so I brought him into bed with us which is something we never do. But now that we're home he went right back on schedule no problem.

[ieducate]

Hey Mag, I really hope Carter feels better soon. Keep us posted. I know how hard it is to see them hurting or sick and not be able to do anything about it.

This was posted on my LJ, but since some of you don't head over there I thought I would post it here too.

Well today started out great...JR slept almost 12 hours, waking up a few times in between but putting herself back to sleep. Then we went to my father's for a brunch and it was great. Then my younger sister, dh, Julia and I went to a park near their house. Julia was having a good time, until I put her on this whale riding thing and after a few minutes of rocking back and forth, front to back, she slipped through the front of it and fell...I didn't have a good enough hold on her and banged the front of her face on the bar in the front of the ride. :( She screamed and cried for a few minutes and then was fine. The rest of the day was fine...we came home and she slept for 2 hours. When she woke up her right eye was all swollen and her nose had a huge bruise on it. :( She was really fussy and dh and I were concerned. Soooo, we took her to the ER to make sure there was nothing seriously wrong. We were delighted to be worried for nothing. She checked out just fine, but will have some bruising for a while. :( I feel awful about it and now I can't sleep. :( I should have been holding on to her tighter. Dh blames me too. :( I know that kids will have accidents, but the fact that this one could have been avoided makes me sick to my stomach. I am just happy she is okay.

Nothing else new here...JR is still not walking, but she does cruise a lot more than she used to, and her PT says she will be walking in no time. I am keeping my fingers crossed for that.

I bought my dh a Wii for his birthday last week and I am addicted. I want more games now too. I really like it. I am really into the bowling, but like the baseball and tennis too. I really dislike the golf...as I can't seem to swing just a little bit. :(

[danalou]

MAG & Ieducate - I can't even imagine having to take DD to the ER and I give you both a lot of credit for being able to brave your trips!! I hope both Carter and Julia are doing better as having a sick child is never any fun.

Traveling - We have made 3 trips so far to PA and each one is an experience in itself!! The drive is about 6-1/2 hours without stopping long when we get gas. We are going out for the 4th again and I am sort of dreading the trip. I am thinking we might plan on going out at bedtime as my hope is that she will sleep most of the trip. Otherwise DD does really well at the inlaws place when it comes to naps and bedtime. We keep her in a pack and play and bring her blanket, teddy bear and pacifiers + we play her typical bedtime music!! Let's keep our fingers crossed that this trip goes just as well.

[shimmerstar]

Aww, poor JR. Don't blame yourself- things happen. I was standing right next to Noah and he managed to jump off the toilet and land head first. Dh was mad I think, but he has not only dropped ds but also let him slip and bust his lip in the bathtub.

We sound like negligent parents, but these things are all happening when we are right there!

We love our Wii too. My favorite games are guitar hero, karaoke, and wii fit. That's our new one and it's cool. :)

mia- I'm glad Aaron got back on schedule quickly. Noah won't sleep with us either- he thinks it's super fun time and crawls around laughing.

dana- it's good that she doesn't give you trouble for naps during travelling. I hope your next trip is easy. I brought a huge tub of toys and just kept handing them to him. We tried leaving early in the am thinking he would sleep, but he just woke up that much earlier and screamed. M&Ms are good too, but be sure to clean out your car- we had ants the next day!

[miaclear]

QOTD: Does your child use a spoon and/or fork yet? Aaron expressed interest in learning a few months back but suddenly decided it was easier for me to feed him or to use his fingers. One book I have says they should have mastered it by now but in my playgroup not one child has. Then I read another book that said it was more around 18 months.

[shimmerstar]

Spoon- Noah knows how to do it but has trouble with the scooping part. I don't like to let him do it. We end up having a fight over the spoon because every other bite he decides it's more fun to fling. Things like mashed potatoes are good because they're really sticky. He can use a fork sometimes, but last night he tried to stab me in the face with it! :eek:

I also don't give him a regular cup because he thinks it's so fun and ends up drenching himself. I will probably have a 7 year old that can't drink out of a cup.

I have to add that when I was driving him home today he was fussing, so I was asking him what animals say. He busted out four sounds- dog, sheep, goat, and lion. I didn't even know that he knew them!

[danalou]

Does your child use a spoon and/or fork yet? DD loves to play with both of them, but she is far from mastering them. I give her a sort of spork to use with nuggets and sausage and she will use it for a couple bits and then the fingers are quicker!! As for a cup DD thinks it is fun to pour on herself and blow bubbles into. We just keep trying with all three as I know one day she will master it!!

[danalou]

QOTD - How many plan to go and see the SATC movie?? I really want to go and see it this weekend, but I don't have solid plans yet. I wish I had a great group of hardcore friends, but with age that seems to be harder to form!! I should see if my sister would be interested in going as it would be a good sisterly bonding event!!

[miaclear]

QOTD SATC: I plan on seeing it but not tomorrow....probably in a few weeks. I think I'll make it a me night and see it after DH comes home from work.

NEW QOTD: Who's still baby wearing? I've haven't worn DS in a long time but wanted to try it again this summer while we're traveling. The only carriers we have won't work. The hotsling never fit me properly and our other carrier (Jeep Carrier) is only to be worn on the front and DS didn't ever fit snug to me and I always got a back ache. I'm trying to figure out what kind of carrier to buy. I'm open to buying more than one. I need one for going through the airport (am thinking the Mei Hip) and one for when we're in the State Parks and doing a little bit of hiking (nothing big). I'm thinking probably a regular mei tie as I don't think I could learn to wrap in the next few weeks.

[kindermom]

Spoon and Fork - We are just starting to give Henry utensils. But considering he hates soft foods, I foresee him using his fingers for quite some time to come. We have started giving him cups though. And yes, he ends up drenched.

SATC - Not interested. I hated the show. I think it is because SJP irritates me for some reason.

Babywearing - I had Henry in my Ergo this weekend. On my back even. I also put him in my Moby wrap a fair amount. My pouch is cool for quick carries. Though. Even my almost 3 year old likes to be carried in the pouch.

New words - We do not have sounds yet. But Henry has busted out with saying Thank You now. He also greets us with Hi Mommy and Hi Daddy. He also learned the sign for dog.

Funny tricks
He likes to chase the cat (kitten really) with a squirt bottle and with golf clubs. THe golf clubs are so he can hit balls for the cat to chase. The squirt bottle we use to train the cat. Both things he is not particularly successful with.

He is also a natural athlete. Not only is he a climbing fool, he loves to kick small balls (like tennis size) as well as large ones, can through a ball across the room, and can accurately hit a small ball with a golf club.

[betsyboop]

Spoon/Fork- We haven't even attempted this yet. I honestly never even thought of trying until reading this. Hmmm.

SATC- I'll see it, but not this weekend. Still recovering from jet lag.

Babywearing- Not in a looong time. She was never really into it, so I didn't push it. We do have one of those Kelty backpack things though- we'll probably use it for the first time on our trip to Maine next month.

New words- All of a sudden we're realizing that she's been saying a lot of words that we just weren't picking up on- oops:o My favorite is "bootybootybooty" which is what she says whenever she sees the bag of Pirate's Booty.

Going back a bit, I'm surprised at how long some of your bedtime routines are! Ours takes probably 5 min:o We change her diaper, put her in her pj's, read a book, give her hugs and kisses and then zip her into her sleep sack in the crib. Then we turn off the lights and shut the door.

[shimmerstar]

QOTD- We will probably rent the movie but not go see it. We are conserving money right now and while I liked the show, I didn't like Big.

Babywearing- Noah is 27 lbs and it hurts me to wear him. I LOVED my mei tai more than any other baby item, and I used it until he was about 14 months. My back just can't take it. I would highly recommend it, and supposedly you can wear it on the front, back, or hip. Luckily he is a good walker and usually doesn't try to run away. He also likes riding in the shopping cart.

New tricks- my boy is sassy. When dad asks him "who's that?" and points to me, Noah says "a girl". :rolleyes: Thanks, love you too!

[danalou]

Babywearing - I haven't worn DD since the end of last summer as I only had a Bjorn and it was just too much for my back. I wanted to get a wrap and DH really didn't want one as he feels they are very unsafe!! We do have a Kelty backpack carrier that we have put DD into a couple times this year and she seems to really like it. We are hoping that will continue as we want to try and get some hikes in this summer!!

SATC - I love that series and would love to see the movie. It sounds like I might go and see it with a few coworkers, but it won't be this weekend!!

[kindermom]

Danalou - Wraps are incredible. I can put DS in it in a front carry and bend forward at the waist and there is no worry that he will fall out. It is crazy how stable they are in there.

[betsyboop]

I didn't think this day would ever come, but Millie finally took her first steps on Friday!! She was sucking her thumb and holding her baby with her other hand and you could see her trying to decided what to do when she got to the end of the coffee table. She ended up letting go and taking 2 steps to the couch. She's since done it a few more times, so I know it wasn't just a fluke. Yay!

Is she the last one in this thread to walk??

[miaclear]

Yea Millie!!!!!

[danalou]

Kindermom - What kind of wrap do you use?

Airline Traveling - (copied from LJ) What do you girls think the best time of day is for flying with our little tykes? We are taking our first flight with DD this fall and the airline just changed our times. I have to decide if I want to adjust the trip back to our original schedule which is as follows -

Leaves DTW @ 9am
Arrives MHT @ 10:45am + 3 hour drive to SIL's house

Leaves MHT @ noon (which seems good with the 3 hour drive to the airport)
Arrives DTW @ 2pm

They changed it to leave DTW @ 1:30pm and then leave MHT @ 9am. The DTW flight is prime naptime and then the MHT flight means we would have to leave SIL's house at 4am!!

Betsy - Congrats to Millie as that is exciting news!!

[kindermom]

Dana - I use a Moby. Seriously I can not gush over this carrier more than enough. With DS being 23ish pounds and having a bad back, the wrap has not bothered me at all, even with carries of a few hours. And as long as I wear a thin tee or a tank top, I do not think it is that warm in our hot summers. I think though my favorite part is the fact that it is the only carrier I feel DS is completely secure in.

[danalou]

Kindermom - I will have to look into the Moby if and when #2 comes along as I am sure adding and extra little one to the mix will take some new found help!!

[littlemia]

Fork/spoon/cup- Claire hasn't mastered any of them but a lot of that is probably my fault because I forget to give her them to practice. I need to remember because she's definitely interested. Sometimes her utensils get strewn throughout the house and she does a lot of play eating when she finds them. When she was about 10 months maybe DH gave her a shot glass full of water and she drank it just fine but that's the only time she's successfully drank from an open cup by herself. Again, I forget to give it to her but I think this is something we're going to have to practice outside because the last few times she just throws the cup down (we switched to small paper cups).

Babywearing- I never got into babywearing like I thought I would. I have a pouch that I use in the hip carry but I never feel like I get it to fit all that well. I also have a Moby that I've used for about 5 minutes when Claire was little until she almost flipped herself out of it onto the concrete porch. What position do you use your Moby in, Kindermom? I might try it again. I want to get a mei tai or a structured carrier like an Ergo but they're expensive so I want to try to make sure that they'll work for us. I think I might be too uncoordinated for a mei tai. I've never been that good at tying knots.

QOTD- So we've talked about what foods our kids like but what foods won't your kids eat? Claire's doesn't eat any fruit or soft bread. There's a lot of other stuff she doesn't eat but those are the most notable.

[betsyboop]

QOTD- Millie won't eat any fruit or veggie unless it's pureed and spoon fed to her. She mostly won't eat meat, rice, or potato either.

[shimmerstar]

QOTD- Noah will eat anything one day and hate it the next. I'm frustrated because he is barely eating anything right now. He's not thin (as the doc put it, "he's built like a rock"), but he used to snarf down everything. One thing I've found is that he loves store bought green beans from the little plastic containers, but won't touch frozen ones. It's hard to keep on top of him, since all his old standbys are passe and he won't eat them.


15 month (almost 16) appt stats:

height 33 in (95 %tile)
weight 26 lbs (75 %tile)
head 25 %tile, which I'm happy about because it's back up from 10th!

Here is his father's day present. I got a 5 photo frame from Target to put them in. It was HARD because he wanted nothing to do with the letters and was throwing them down the stairs at one point. :)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3113/2551527330_101e4e80b7_m.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3074/2550703249_72cc42c669_m.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3080/2551519274_3d80b80d26_m.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3156/2550701187_b6716c7440_m.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3128/2551529902_c20549c3f0_m.jpg

[miaclear]

QOTD....Aaron eats just about anything but I usually have the hardest time with regular veggies. If they are pureed he'll eat them, if they're not but covered in some sort of sauce he'll eat them. If not he usually throws them overboard. Could be worse.

Shimmer....what a CUTE idea! I love his "A" picture. I might have to steal it! ;)

[kindermom]

Shimmer - Where did you get your letters? I really want to steal your idea. It is totally awesome!

Littlemia - I will have Sean take a picture of me with Henry in both ways. I think the key to the Moby is to get it tight initially and to make sure that the criss cross portions are overlapped.

QOTD - Gah. Henry is totally finicky. He will not eat most vegetables and will only eat bananas, watermelon, and blueberries for fruit. He will eat bread, pasta, and loves rice. But if it is creamy (except ranch), forget it. It has to be bite sized and chewy/crunchy.

[shimmerstar]

Thanks. I got the letters at Hobby Lobby and spray painted them white. I think most craft stores have something like it.

[danalou]

QOTD - It sounds like being a picky eater is part of this age!! DD is right along with everyone else as she will eat something one day and then not the next. Pretty good options are chicken nuggets, turkey sausage, mac & cheese, tomato pasta, eggs & yogurt!! I still give her the purees as I can't get her to eat much fresh fruit or veggies.

Shimmer - I really love the idea and might take a stab at it myself!!

[happy1nuv]

I have been mia forever, but I'm finally back and trying to catch up...

nuts: We've been eating nuts here for months... I think i started around 9 mos with almonds. Tree nuts (almonds, walnuts, etc.) are NOT the same as peanuts... and while they are allergenic, they are not in the same class with peanuts (which i think are actually legumes?).

Spoon/fork: We haven't attempted forks, but the only way joe will eat MOSt things off a spoon is if he does it himself. So, I use 2 spoons... i keep the bowl, and scoop, and just put the filled spoons on his tray or plate and we just exchange spoons. He does great, til he's done eating and then its play central.

Joe's food throwing is OUT OF CONTROL! It's not even throwing so much, he's just messy! The floor is a MESS when he's done, and I have no clues how to fix it...we were putting newspapers down all the time, but thats getting old (and we're running out of newspaper) ...
(when he's done, he does throw and we take it away at the first sign of that, but even so... the floor is a MESS before then...)

Joe's an eating machine..
Favorites: dates, bananas, brown rice pasta in marinara sauce, healthy choc cupcakes, smoothies, blueberries, whatever his brother is eating
Least faves: frozen peas (used to LOVE these), green beans
(tandis - babies are great at eating to hunger....they're a lot better than us at it. As long as they're not filling up on crap food, i think they're fine! And, once they get mobile, i bet they slim down BIG time...
(side note and an interesting food fact i learned -- products with high fructose corn syrup in them mask the "full" feeling you get... so if you eat a lot of those kinds of foods, it will interfere with your natural ability to tell when you get full and you'll keep eating... )

babywearing: i still wear joe all the time...mostly in the mei tei. I didnt even think i could still wear him in the wrap (we LIVED in that thing when he was smaller though, and i thought it was very secure...will have to look up instructions on alternate carries with it and dust it off!) ... LOVE the mei tei, and its really not that difficult to tie him on, although i still like to have either a couch or a person behind me when doing a back carry... (if you sew at all, there are some great instructions on the web, and they're really easy to make)

:)

[happy1nuv]

I forgot...
Music: We bought the new Snacktime cd by the BareNaked Ladies (I love them, so was happy to hear they did a chi