October & November 2007 Babies - Rolling and Teething and Solids, Oh My!

[Jenn (and Bill)]

Anyone else not have teeth? I mean, she's 7.5 months old...shouldn't they be here?

[SQ2]

No teeth here yet either! I keep hoping that her unusual fussiness lately has to do with teething but I guess not yet.

[Ericka_Jarett]

Girls turned 7 months today, and no teeth yet. Been teething since about 3 months old. Their brother didn't get any until he was 8 months, so thinking they will follow close to that.

[emmjay]

No teeth, but she is only 6 months old. I think my son was 8-9 months when he got his first ones.

[cat_loverpq]

FWIW, I didn't get any teeth until I was 9 months old, so it's not unusual. I'm actually surprised DS got his first two as early as he did (6 months).

[Lila55]

No teeth either, DS is 6 months and 1 week.

DS is so happy! He squeals and laughs all the time! He can sit up unassisted for 10-15 minutes. He now can roll both ways. He is not STTN. He gets up between 2-3 times a night. Hopefully he will follow the other babies in the thread and start STTN. He has been on solids for almost a month. So far he likes pears and carrots.

Question: How long are you planning to bf? Like Emmjay, I had a 6 month goal. I reached my goal and have continued to bf. I pump when I work. I would really like to stop pumping in the next couple of months but I am torn if I should also try to wean in the next couple of months.

[Jenn (and Bill)]

Lila, I can't help! I had to give up after 8 weeks. Congrats on making it this far!

I'm glad there are others without teeth. I guess I'm just anxious because I feel like she's been teething for months and there's still nothing. But she's perfect, so I should just chill out and enjoy it!

Do you guys know when we should introduce water, juice and sippy cups? Our ped has been pretty good so I'll probably wait for her suggestion but I was just curious. I guess I should catch up on my reading so I know all of this stuff, but you girls are so helpful, it allows me to be lazy.

She's not making any progress in crawling but she gets pretty frustrated on her tummy lately. If she's on the bed, she just rolls back and forth until she wears us both out. On the floor, she just wants to be moving. I did help her a little bit by moving her legs and then she'd pull forward with her arms. Again, I don't know why I'm in a hurry!

I hope everyone has a fabulous holiday weekend! And maybe more cute pics will follow? I'm hoping to get a little pool this weekend so I can get her in her swimming suit for some photos. We'll see if it's warm enough here!

[emmjay]

Jenn - we've given DD water in bottles before, mainly because she gets constipated so I like to make sure she's hydrated. She's also had sippy cups but isn't very proficient with them. For DS, we found that the Take-N-Toss straw cups were the easiest for him to learn, and we started those around 9 months. They are just kind of annoying because the straw is a separate piece so we ended up losing them, but I couldn't get him to drink from any other kind. We still haven't done juice yet with DS so I'm not sure when you can do that.

[Megande]

Teeth- Reed still doesn't have any and he is pushing 8 months old. DS1 didn't get his first tooth until he was 8 months, though, so I haven't been expecting them.

BFing- I plan on breastfeeding until 18 months, unless Reed self-weans before then. That is how long I nursed with DS1. It is just such an awesome tool for calming them down, not to mention the nutritional and immunity benefits. I also like the kid spacing aspect (still no AF!) and the calories burned! I am going to be working in the fall when Reed will be 10 months. He will be in child care for about 5 hours a day and I am not going to pump or give him EBM while he is there. He can just catch up on his nursings when I get home.

Water- You are supposed to introduce water when you introduce solids, because it helps with kidney function, IIRC. They usually don't get much in the beginning because they can't figure them out. I found that it helped to remove the valve in those spill proof kind. You can introduce juice at 6 months, but I didn't let DS1 have juice until about a year and a half, and will probably do that again.

[Jenn (and Bill)]

Megan,
when you say solids, do you mean actual solids or the purees? Why did you wait so long for juice? I'm just curious since I don't have a clue about the pros and cons.

I did purchase two sippy cups today while I was out. Not that I plan on using them immediately but it will prevent a special trip to the stores, when the ped says to go with water or juice or something. I also bought a little swimming pool that actually fit in our car and some little swimmer diapers. I'm so excited about this! And we bought a bunch of safety stuff to get started!

So that's my afternoon update. Going to a friend's house for dinner tonight. They offered to come here but I decided it would be less stressful to have someone else cook and clean for a change. But it means we'll have to pack a lot of stuff. We'll see how it goes!

[Megande]

Jenn- I mean the purees. It isn't that big of a deal, but here is what Dr. Sears says, for example:
"Breastfeeding babies do not need extra water, though formula-fed babies often do. Your breast milk contains enough water for your baby, even in hot, dry climates. Formula contains higher concentrations of salts and minerals than breast milk does, so that extra water is often necessary for the kidneys to excrete the extra salt. Also, because of less efficient metabolism, formula-fed infants lose more water. "

And from Kellymom, a BF site:
Once baby starts solids, you might want to give him a few sips of expressed milk or water with his solids - some babies need this to prevent constipation.

I didn't offer juice because I had a hard time getting my first son to drink cow's milk, and he naturally preferred juice to milk. In general, I would prefer to give fruit instead, because juice has a lot of sugar but lacks the fiber of actual fruit.

But here are some real sources:

The AAP's stance on juice:
http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics%3b107/5/1210
Babies younger than 6 months should not be given any juice, children aged 6 months to 6 years should get no more than 4-6 ounces per day, and children older than 7 should have no more than 8-12 ounces of juice daily.

Dental caries have also been associated with juice consumption.39 Prolonged exposure of the teeth to the sugars in juice is a major contributing factor to dental caries

[merjmo]

juice has zero nutritional value. If you have to give it (to help with constipation, and choose apple or pear) dilute it with equal (or more) amounts of water.

[spps]

Hope everyone is having a nice weekend!

We have the sickies here. DS has coxsackie and DH has a bad cold / allergies, So that left me and DD to care for everyone today. Tomorrow I have to work so so DH is on his own with the kids.

DD has figured out how to scoot and pull up. She sits on her tush and kinda bounces her way across the room. We figure she is going to skip the crawling and go straight to walking.

Teeth - DD has two, which came in around 7 months
BF'ing - I BF DS till he was ~ 19 months and I plan on doing the same this time around. I also found when I stopped pumping at work, and continued BF when I was home (and I was only working mon-wed) that I had major spotting which I am hoping to avoid this go-around.

[honeygirl]

I hope everyone is having a great weekend. We've been taking it easy and not going too far from home. I had my parents in town for the last 2 weeks, and so our schedule was all crazy. It's nice to get DD back to normal.

teeth - She got her 2nd tooth this week

breastfeeding - We're at 7 months and going strong. I am planning to BF until 12mo if she'll let me. My mom says that I looked at her at 7mo and giggled as if to say "this is silly", and then refused to BF anymore. I'm not sure if that's what really happened, but it was her impression.

[Peever]

Hope everyone is having a nice, long, relaxing weekend!

Sippy- I've given DD a sippy with water just to pacify her while I was eating dinner. Surprisingly she liked it and drank a little. I don't remember when I gave DS juice, but it was well after a year and it was watered down for a long time.

Teeth- DD still just has the one tooth, which is weird. It's been about 6 weeks. DS didn't get teeth until about 8.5 months, but he got his first 6 in 6 weeks.

Bfing- I'm doing everything possible to continue to bf DD. It's a weekly battle for us since I'm still on a full blown e-diet and DD doesn't really tolerate solids and I'm having low supply issues. With DD's food intolerances I'm sure I'll have to nurse her until 18-24 months if I can keep my supply up and she's still interested.

We had our consultation with the ped GI. Of course he's concerned about her growth and thinks I should put her on formula. I said no, at least for now providing I can keep my supply up. Her growth is on the slow side and she's dropping in percentiles, but she's definitely not lacking. People laugh at me when I tell them there's growth concerns with my chubby cheeked baby with the double chin. There's a lot of small people on both sides so I doubt she's destined to be big. She's still in about the 25th percentile for height and 40th for weight. I'll have to look through the WBV stats on the front page and see how much your kids are growing in height these days. We had problems with DS growth from 6-9ish months, but he was better by the time he was a year old. He's still in about the 30th percentile for height so he's not that big either.

So I have to have weekly height and weight rechecks for a while to make sure she keeps gaining. I'm going to meet with her ped again, but she wasn't concerned about her growth yet either.

[emmjay]

Nora was (finally) christened today - she wore the christening outfit my maternal grandmother made for my brother 30 years ago, and my brother and his wife are her godparents. DH's parents and aunt and uncle came to town for it, so we've been having a nice weekend. Here's a picture of the newest member of the Catholic flock:

http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m261/mollyj6/DSC01057-1.jpg

Hope everyone's having a nice Memorial Day weekend!

[honeygirl]

What a beautiful dress (and baby) Emmjay!

Had to come and add this cute photo of my DD:

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y11/anneg/family/IMG_6697.jpg

[loving624]

honeygirl and emmjay - what beautiful pics of your beauties! Love the dress emmjay.

teeth - still no teeth here, at 7 months old.

bf - i stopped at 6 months

juice - we do 4oz of gerber pear juice every day to help with constipation. Fruit alone doesn't do it, it's the only thing that works. The dr was the one who suggested it as well and it's been great.

Hope everyone is having a great long weekend!

[jenji]

teeth - none yet and we'll be 8 months on 6/6
juice - haven't given him any yet. I go back and forth on offering him extra to drink (water or juice) but he does just fine with BFing and his poos are fine and he pees same as always, so I don't think he need it.
sippy - I've offered it to him more recently just to see if he likes the idea. we have a nuby soft topped one and also a couple straw cups. he doesn't drink out of either, but he thinks they're fun toys. he will drink out of a regular cup if you help him, so we may just skip the sippys altogether.
solids - he's now eating 3-4oz. of solids 3 times/day. sometimes a little less. I try to always nurse him 1 hour before giving solids and he'll have a couple other nursing sessions, but he's doing well. his fav's are Avacado, Pears and Sweet Potatoes, we've tried lots of other purees I've made for him and just a few days ago I introduced puffs & cheerios. he doesn't have a great pincer grasp so they're more to keep him busy than for any nutritional value, but he did get a few in his mouth.
BFing - still going well. he's not nearly as interested in it as a couple months ago and I definitely can't get him to nurse anymore unless he's really hungry or upset, but he does still nurse 6-8 times/day. it's the only liquids he gets. I plan on going until he weans himself. I definitely plan on going to 12 months and then whatever past that we can do is great. I'd like him to be getting BM until he's 2, whether nursing or in a cup, but we're just taking one day at a time. I got my first mastitis a couple weeks ago when he got sick and only nursed for 3 days, then went to only nursing 3-4 times/day for a couple days. That was a bear! so thankful it's over. I will definitely remember to express if we go through anything similar again
crawling - he still doesn't have much interest in it, but he did figure out this weekend how to get on hands and knees. he's still more a fan of rolling and scooting to get anywhere, but I have a feeling it's coming.

Anyone thinking about another baby yet? everyone's been asking us when the next one's coming and first off, I JUST had my first PP AF after DS's recent nursing strike and secondly I can't even imagine having another one yet. DH has decided one is enough and we're done, but it's still up for debate. I just am so far from ready to even think about it and was wondering if I'm alone or if others feel the same

[wendalah]

Anyone thinking about another baby yet?

Yes, it's heavy on my mind lately. DH and I keep waffling back and forth on it. We sort of have an informal agreement we'll seriously discuss it in November, when A. turns 1.

I know I've posted before about how I want another one really badly. But have been thinking it over--and A. is such a good, easy baby--and I'm terrified I'll get a holy terror for my second one.

[Ericka_Jarett]

Another Baby - Nope, we are DONE!!! When Easton was 6 months and right before I found out I was pregnant, we were discussing waiting about 2 yrs before we had another baby. Much to our surprise just 3 days later, tested and it was positive. Just 4 weeks after that found out it was twins. We knew right then that we were done for sure. I have been pregnant 3 times in 3 years and had 4 beautiful children.

[Megande]

Another baby- We do want a third, but not until #2 is at least 2.5 years old. I honestly don't know how people survive having 2 under 2. The period from about 15 months until 2 was definitely our hardest time yet. Two has been a breeze! I'm starting to work in the fall. My husband just has a temporary position at the school I will be working at, but if they find him something permanent, it would be a perfect situation for having another. I can get a semester off with 3/4 pay. We would aim to have a summer baby so that DH and I would both be home all summer, I would be off for the fall, and wouldn't have to start work again until mid-January when the baby was 7 months or so. We will see how it all shakes out.

[Thea]

I know, long time no posting....just a quick post to drop off a 6 month old picture...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27050896@N07/2528294786/?rotated=1&cb=1211900103578

[honeygirl]

Anyone thinking about another baby yet? everyone's been asking us when the next one's coming and first off, I JUST had my first PP AF after DS's recent nursing strike and secondly I can't even imagine having another one yet. DH has decided one is enough and we're done, but it's still up for debate. I just am so far from ready to even think about it and was wondering if I'm alone or if others feel the same

My DH has decided one is enough too. I haven't gotten my first AF yet so it's not an issue. I'm still not ready to share my body or my daughter with another baby but think I might someday. I think about it here and there wondering if this is the last time I'll be going through these baby stages.

Sorry you had mastitis by the way, that's the worst!

[wendalah]

A big part of the reason I want another baby is, I really want to give my little one a sibling. It upsets me to think she will not have a sister or brother.

But I kind of want to do it NOW and get it over with, while all the "newborn pain" is still fresh in my mind. The last thing I want is to be 40 years old, with a preschooler who can eat, poop, and sleep independently, and have to go through all the newborn insanity again.

[CarrieCP]

Teeth - Two on the bottom arrived around 5 months.

Juice - Not planning on offering any for quite a while

Sippy - He thinks it's a fun toy, but hasn't figured it out yet. I usually put water in it so I don't have to worry about making a mess. Judging by his facial expressions, water tastes just horrible!

Solids - Finally going well! It probably took him 6 weeks to actually start eating something. He actually likes veggies better than fruit. We're still just doing one small solid meal per day.

BFing - Planning to keep at it until at least his first birthday. We'll go longer if he's willing and if it doesn't interfere with my fertility.

Crawling - Yes, blazingly fast. He also pulls up to standing all the time, and yesterday he figured out how to climb stairs. He's also sort of cruising a little bit. It is stressing me out!

Next baby - Yeah, we're already talking about & planning for #2! I hope to be PG by this time next year. I actually really loved the newborn phase, and I miss having a tiny, cuddly little baby. Now DS is practically a toddler and doesn't have time for all the hugs & kisses I want to give him! Not that I'm trying to replace him! :) We just think it would be nice for him to have a sibling who is 2 or 2 1/2 years younger.

[VMB]

Bfing so far so good (knock on wood). If I can keep up pumpimg at work, I'd like to go to 12months with that. It seems when I'm nursing, she gets enough and is happy. But when I'm pumping and she gets a bottle, she can really suck it down! I enjoy breastfeeding, but have to admit that I'm not going to be super sad when she weans. I'm ready to have my body back to just me and have it easier for others to babysit (OK, for me to get away!)

teeth nothing yet. Lots of drool, but no teeth.

juice we haven't had to yet. Even DS only gets juice 2x a week and it's maybe 2-3oz (once at class we take together and then he gets "Asher wine" i.e. grape juice for shabbat). I hope DD follows....

sippy we're still using the Nuby soft top with handles. She enjoys it and drinks a decent bit of water. But I just realized that I only gave it to her 2-3 times this past weekend! :o

crawling not yet. But this past weekend she got on her tummy a couple of times and it looked like she was trying to get on her hands and knees. She may be crawling before I know it! I am so NOT ready!

solids twice a day so far. I'm going to add a thrid feeding in the next week or two. We added carrots last week - they were a big hit.

another baby if you had asked me a month or two ago, I would have said "NO WAY!!!". But when we were putting away Nissa's 0-6 month clothing last week, neither DH nor I were ready to give the clothes away yet. We're not settled either way I guess. I'd like to have just a tiny bit bigger age difference between #2 and # 3(if it happens) so we're not quite worried yet.

jenji I'm so sorry about the mastitis. I hope you feel better. I've been on the verge of having it several times with Nissa and it just plain hurts!!!


honeygirl what a cutie you have there - and a great sitter!

emmjay a beautiful dress and adorable baby!

wendalah if you're going back and forth - go for it! 2 has been pretty hard for me. But now I see the two of them together and I wouldn't change it for the world! They're 2 little buddies who clearly adore each other.

[jenji]

honeygirl & VMB - thanks for the condolences on the mastitis. I knew they wouldn't be fun - especially after having plugged ducts a couple times, but I didn't really realize the "flulike symptoms" really REALLY meant you felt like you had the flu. DH was out of town and I had to go to my parents' for the evening & night because I just couldn't take care of myself and DS unless I just laid him in bed with me. SO thankful that's gone!!

[emmjay]

jenji - glad you are feeling better!

Having another - we are done! Like VMB, I have had a hard time adjusting to two. Mostly because of their closeness in age, but also because DS was so easy and DD was a bit more challenging - first it was colic/reflux and even now she is a total mama's girl so I rarely get a break. Her temperament is a million times better now, though. But I always wanted two and we aren't even discussing another.

Actually DD is 6 months now and that is how old DS was when I got pregnant with her, so I can definitely relate to having the baby bug around this time. We wanted two for the same reasons wendalah posted, to have siblings and to get all of the newborn crap over and done with in a short timeframe. I'm not big on the newborn age! But even with DD being more difficult as a smaller infant I'm glad we had them close together and I'm definitely happy to have my two kids! Now I just need to convince DH to get a vasectomy...

For those who are still BFing - have you gotten your period back yet? I read jenji's post and realized that I still haven't. Not that I'm complaining! I'm pretty surprised b/c I only BF for half of her total nutrition, so I would think it would be back by now.

[Megande]

Bfing and AF- I'm at almost 8 months PP and still haven't started ovulating again. With DS1, I got my first PP period a week before his first birthday. I'm hoping I'm as lucky this time around.

[Jenn (and Bill)]

Baby Bug: Definitely. DH and I finally got around to having sex again and I couldn't help but wonder if we'd be creating a new life this time. I know that's crazy but it made it more special. I'm already 35 so I can't wait too much longer if we're going to have another. And yes, it's mainly the wanting a sibling theory. I think our life is pretty perfect right about now but if we're going to buy a house, we might as well fill up those bedrooms!

[Ericka_Jarett]

We went to Sesame Place this weekend with all the kids. A twins group was having a get together so we went to a picnic with them and then stayed at a hotel for the night. The girls slept apart for the 1st time and we made up a make-shift place for Easton to sleep. he didn't wake up when they cried in the middle of the night to eat so that was good to know. Since they will be in the same room shortly.

Father's Day weekend my cousin planned a mini family reunion, so we will be heading to my Aunt and Uncles for the weekend. It will also be my dad's 5th anniversary since he passed that weekend. So will be nice to see my Uncle (my dad's brother) that day.

[VMB]

AF not yet. But I'm pretty sure I'm ovulating anyway. I have dips in my supply and period-like cramps (although so much milder than pre-DS!) about the same time every 26-30days (usual length of my cycle). With DS my 1st AF came when he was about 1 year old, then another 2months later and then somewhere in there I got pregnant, while still nursing. I really don't miss AF. I hope she stays away as long as possible! After a lifetime of miserable periods, I am enjoying being period-free for almost 3 years! :D

[cat_loverpq]

Sorry to be MIA for awhile. Last week DS came down with pneumonia :( so we've been busy taking care of him, giving him breathing treatments, etc. (fun times trying to keep that mask on a 6 month old for 10 minutes!) He's getting better though, and really isn't coughing too much anymore, so I think it's about gone.

AF ~ Not yet, thank goodness!

Having another ~ Probably won't start trying for another year or so. I'd really like to enjoy DS for awhile longer before splitting my attention with another child.

crawling ~ DS really wants to move around when he's on his tummy, but hasn't figured out how to get on his knees yet.

juice ~ I don't plan to offer any before his 1st birthday.

sippy ~ DS is already trying to drink out of a regular cup, so we may skip these.

[honeygirl]

cat_lover - Sorry to hear about your DS's pneumonia, that's horrible!

Question: Teeth Cleaning, how often are you doing it? Any recommendations on toothpaste? I have one of those finger brushes that I intend on using now that DD has 2 teeth, but I'm not sure about paste.

[Ericka_Jarett]

They sell a children's tooth cleanser, we got in a package with the finger toothbrush. I haven't used it on the girls yet, since we still have no teeth. I used it with Easton, but he now has a real toothbrush, we still use the tooth cleanser though

[VMB]

honeygirl we never used any paste or cleanser on DS. We just now(at 2.5) started using "training" toothpaste. Our ped said kids don't really need it. It's added sugar. She said to just make sure to give him a good brushing. I haven't really done anything for DD since she has zero teeth.

[Peever]

AF- Not yet. DD still nurses a good 3x a night so I'm not expecting anything for a while. The longer the better for me!

Having another- That's a big hell no for me. I know we're almost guaranteed to have a baby that has digestive problems if we have another and I just can't go through this again. I'm super glad DS was 3.5 when DD was born because she requires a lot of attention and I don't know what I would have done if DS wasn't so self-sufficient.

Teeth- DD's first tooth is still coming in so I haven't started brushing it yet, especially since I noticed her second tooth just starting to cut through this morning. I have a finger tooth brush for her. I probably won't do toothpaste for a while yet. We still use toddler toothpaste for DS. I brush them twice a day.

cat- Sorry about the pneumonia. Poor little guy!

jenji- Sorry about the mastitis. That really kicks your butt, huh? I felt miserable. I'm glad you're feeling better.

[FSUSammy]

Teeth cleaning - I try to do it every night before bed but its hard. Since he has 4 teeth I worry more but its hard to remember. I use the toothpaste Gerber sells with the finger brush. He LOVES it.

Juice - At our 6 mo appt our pedi said we could start apple juice and that it would help with his teething pain. But to give him no more than 4oz a day and to dilute it with equal parts of water. He never gets even close to a total of 2oz of juice per day though. I only do it on the days I'm home though, if I remember to.

Nothing new here. Just the normal PT appointments weekly to find out that the torticollis is getting better but he is still delayed developmentally because of it. Which sucks!

[daisysue62]

I need to catch up!

Sippy~ Haven't introduced it yet but will do so soon with water or expressed milk. Won't expect him to figure it out for awhile though ;)

Juice~ I won't introduce juice until he's using a sippy cup well, and will dilute it with water when I do give it to him. I prefer my kids to drink water or milk, juice is not an everyday beverage in our household.

Crawling~ Ethan is super close to crawling, just hasn't figured out the forward movement. He sure moves around the floor a lot though! He can go from sitting to rocking on all fours, to his stomach to reach for a toy, and back to sitting up again. He can also move a little bit backwards. My guess is that he's crawling forwards in the next few weeks or whenever he realizes he has to move his arms and knees forwards!

Having another Baby~ Dh has his appointment to discuss getting his vasectomy so no, we're not having any more! We're happy with our family of four :)

Breastfeeding~ I'm still breastfeeding and don't plan to wean until well after a year. I'd like to make it to 18 months but it will depend on his interest level. I weaned my DD at 16 months and it was a great time for her.

AF~ My first postpartum AF arrived the day before Mother's Day, so about 6.5 months PP. Last time it came back at 4 months PP, skipped a month (scary!), and was back for good at 6 months. I'm really surprised it took so long to come back this time since DS is a much better sleeper and only wakes once at night to nurse while my DD was up many more times a night.

Teeth~ No teeth yet and I'm not worried. DD got her first tooth at 8 months and I know from my baby book that I was over 12 months before I got my first tooth! They'll come when they come.

Teeth Cleaning~ Not doing this yet since DS has no teeth! When they do come in I'll get him a toothbrush but won't use toddler toothpaste for awhile.

We're cruising along here, can't believe how fast the time has gone by! Ethan is almost crawling and it's making him frustrated that he's not able to get to where he wants to go. Most of the time he winds up going backwards which makes him mad since he's trying to go forwards! He can pull up with a little help but likes to stand leaning on our upholstered ottoman and the couch.

We're having a hard time figuring out our nap schedule since both kids share a room. I was putting my DD down for her afternoon nap in her bed and laying Ethan down on our bed for his. Then he got too mobile so I started laying him down on the floor in our room, but now he can sit up and is close to crawling so that obviously isn't going to work. Yesterday I put him down in his crib for a nap and had my DD lay down on the couch and watch a movie for "quiet time" which was ok but she really needed a nap. I'm not sure it would work to have them fall asleep for a nap together since my DD usually putters around in the room before falling asleep. They fall asleep together at night usually without too much issue but naps are different. Anyone else in a similar situation?

[loving624]

Question - those of you who said you dilute juice with water, do you do that even with the Gerber baby juice? Our nurse told us we don't have to do that so we don't.

I am perfectly happy giving DS juice, esp since it helps him to go to the bathroom. Since fruit doesn't do it for him and juice does, I would so much rather give that to him than a suppository. He is getting closer, like the dr said, to the point where he doesn't need it every day to go to the bathroom.

sippy - Ds took a whole feeding yesterday from a Nuby sippy and did really well.

AF - still not normal. We bf until 6 months and she came at 4 months, then 6, and not another one yet. It's odd to be so irregular but that's fine.

Another baby - not yet. I don't want 2 under 2, that's too much for us. We would be great with 2 1/2 years apart. We are to the point though that if we did get pregnant right now, it may not be what we wanted ideally, but we would be okay with it, we just aren't planning for it for another year or so.

[FSUSammy]

loving - Yup we dilute the Gerber Apple juice. That's what our pedi told us to do.

sippy - We started this a few months ago. My favorite is the Nuby sippy cup but DS doesn't take it much. I have to ask daycare if they'd like to give him some juice or water from it with his lunch to give him more practice but I keep forgetting to.

Another baby - I'm thinking we'll start when DS is around 1.5 so around this time next year. Yikes!

AF - I think this is my 5th postpartum cycle and knock on wood but my cycles have been super regular. This is wonderful news for me since I had PCOS pre-baby. I'm hoping it stays this way.

We have a new CUTE talent that DS is doing. Well first thing is when you say no-no he shakes his head no several times. Then last night he learned that when you say Yay he can clap because Yay is a good thing. So he's been clapping non-stop since then. It's the cutest thing ever. I went to see him at daycare earlier to do stretches with him and his caregivers told me he's been clapping all morning. I love that kid!

[Ericka_Jarett]

I use to have to give Easton Gerber apple prune juice to go to the bathroom. I always diluted it, didn't need him to explode his diapers just go normally. It always worked. I use it with the girls when they need it as well. He use to hate apple juice, just started getting into it recently and he is almost 21 months old. The girls are not crazy about juice, but will drink water.

[FSUSammy]

I didn't know they had apple prune juice! Hmmm I might have to pick some of that up. DS LOVES LOVES LOVES him some prunes so I'm sure he'd love the juice. Ok one could only hope he would. I really want him to freaking learn how to use his sippy cup already.

[Jenn (and Bill)]

Sammy, that sounds adorable. I keep trying to get Natalie to clap and try to clap her hands for her to show her how but she refuses to straighten out her fingers....so I keep trying.

We haven't done water or juice yet. Maybe we'll do a little water this weekend to see how the sippy cup is working.

We leave two weeks from Friday to go on "vacation." We're driving to St. Louis for BIL's wedding. That's a long drive but it's cheaper than flying so we're going to try it. I'm looking forward to most of it, except for all the mother drama I will have to deal with. I'm really excited for Natalie to get to visit with her cousins she hasn't seen since Christmas. They're going to love how big she's gotten and how stinking cute she is!

[loving624]

Thanks for that advice girls! Ericka - believe it or not, DS has never (knock on wood) exploded a diaper, and that is even with 4oz of juice every day since he was 5 months. We have enough trouble going to the bathroom daily, I don't even worry about explosions! But I will definitely consider starting to dilute it. We do the pear juice and DS is good with it. He does love prunes too, we may try apple prune juice one of these days.

[Ericka_Jarett]

loving - that's good. We diluted it to also make the little bottle of juice last longer. Since it was prune juice in it, we found that it diluted a little made it not quite so thick to drink, DS just liked it more, we tried straight once and he wouldn't touch it

[loving624]

Good point on lasting longer. We can't go through a whole big bottle of it, so we buy the smaller bottles like you are talking about. And that would definitely make them last longer and make the apple prune thinner. I think we will try that. Thanks for the tip!

[Jenn (and Bill)]

So QOTD: how much is your DC eating? Here's our routine:

Breakfast: cereal and 2.5 oz of fruit
Bottle
Lunch: cereal and 2.5 oz of orange vegetable
Bottle
Bottle
Dinner: Green Vegetable (up to 2.5 oz because we're still introducing new ones) and 2.5 oz of fruit.

That's pretty much it. But sometimes, when she's really hungry, she wants a bottle with a meal. So just now, I gave her what I thought was a good amount of cereal and then the whole container of fruit but she wanted more so I ended up giving her about 4-5 ounces of a bottle. She would have drank more if there'd been more in the bottle. Should I be feeding her more cereal so she doesn't need the bottle? is it OK to need the bottle with some meals? I just don't know these things.

Other than that, she's super cute. Despite her 357th cold (I exaggerate!). She does have a terrible cough though so I think she may make a trip to the ped tomorrow. It just breaks my heart.

DH finally gave me my mother's day present and it's a photo book that you can make through Iphoto. All sorts of pictures of her and narrated by her. It's pretty great. The very next day was our kiddie kandids photo shoot and even though she wasn't feeling 100%, she did great. We got some good shots of her in her Cardinal outfit and I got a little collage thing for Dad for Father's Day and in two weeks, we get a baseball in a little glove with her picture on it. I was so excited about our big surprise that I already gave him the picture and he seemed to really like it. Personally, I think it's awesome!

In other news, we might be making an offer on a house this week and I've been up part of the night plotting and planning furniture and colors and stuff like that. So what are your thoughts on toddler furniture? I can't figure out if we should have one room be the nursery for her and hopefully her sibling and then she'd move up to a bigger room with toddler furniture or if she should have the same room and the furniture should change. And I know I'm stupid, but when do they move to a twin bed? Like 2 years?

[FSUSammy]

Here is our schedule:

7am - 6oz formula
8am - 4 Tablespoons of cereal mixed with 2oz of formula, and 3oz of fruit
11am - 6oz formula
1pm - 1/2 oz of pureed chicken mixed with 3oz of veggies, and 3oz of fruit
4pm - 6oz formula
7pm - 6oz formula
7:30pm - 1/2 oz of pureed chicken mixed with 3oz of veggies, and 3oz of fruit

Toddler room/furniture - As of right now we don't have another room that Mikey could move up to so he'll stay in his current room. His crib transforms into a daybed of sorts so as of now he'll use that. If we stay in this house long term we may look into building an extension so that we can have another room for #2. But with the market the way it is it might be better for us to just sell this house and buy a bigger home.

[merjmo]

Jenn: BM or formula is supposed to be their primary nutrition for most of the first year, so you might want to give her more formula, kind of like what FSU does. We just started solids about 3 weeks ago so she only gets a few bites once a day (and sometimes twice, if we feel like it). This page (http://www.mother-2-mother.com/samplemenus.htm) has a good list of quantity ideas; just substitute formula for BM.

loving: do FF babies have to poop every day? DD goes sometimes up to a week w/o pooping and it's still considered normal (of course it's not "pretty" when it happens, LOL).

question: did any of you find good, relatively inexpensive light-blocking shades/drapes anywhere? I bought some from JC Penny and they were not at all light-blocking, and dirty! I know Country Curtains has some and I think Vermont Country Store, but I don't love the tab-top drapes. I'd definitely prefer a Roman shade to a roller blind if possible, and while PBK has nice onces, they're expensive!

[loving624]

jenn- we do cereal for breakfast, a jar of fruit for lunch, and a jar of both fruit and vege for dinner. He takes 22-24oz of formula a day.

merjmo - I don't have any idea what a "typical" ff baby is supposed to do, and DS is just now a ff baby, I bf until 6 months. What I do know is that DS gets constipated and the poops are hard and very solid, I can tell he is straining, if he does not get the juice every day, or at least every other day. His would NOT be normal if it took him a week to go. The dr and I both attribute it to the fact that he was a month early, his little tummy has always had issues with gas, etc.

Toddler room - we will probably move DS to a toddler bed around 18 months - 2 years, we have a convertible crib, but we will use it for the next baby. DS will go right next door and we will keep the room we are using for a nursery for the new baby.

Speaking of cribs - I know they say you need to lower your crib at 6 months, has anyone lowered theirs all of the way down? DS isn't yet interested in pulling up, but I know they say at 6 months you should start to think about it...just wondering what everyone else was doing.

[Ericka_Jarett]

Our crib is still raised, I never moved DS until he was able to stand up. It has 4 levels to adjust to

[wendalah]

Food: I just posted a question about this in the infants section. DD is gobbling up the solids...loving everything she tries. I'm a little concerned because her formula intake has dropped quite a bit. She was taking in about 30 oz a day on average and now is down to about 23 or 24. However, she is eating a good amount. She has 3T of cereal plus three containers of pureed veggies and fruit baby food a day. No digestion issues (so far--except she's pooping a lot, and in some interesting colors, LOL). We give her a bottle first, let her have a couple ounces, then feed the cereal or veggies/fruit. Then let her top it off with the bottle. It takes her a while to finish the bottle--I keep it by her while she is playing, and she'll grab it and take a few sips until she is done.

ETA: My kid is FF and she poops every day. Always has, with very few exceptions. Now, with the fruit and veggies, she poops a few times a day.

[Jenn (and Bill)]

merjmo, I think Sammy and I are pretty close actually. I only listed three bottles but she often gets part or all of one with solids, which was my original question.

At any rate, I'm following our peds orders on solids and it seems to be working for us. And she's still getting 18-24 ounces of formula, not including the stuff we mix her cereal with. I just worried that the cereal and fruit should be enough in the morning and it's not.

thanks for the room situation. i guess i'll wait till i buy the house to panic too much?

[honeygirl]

Food: DD breastfeeds every 2-4hours (during the day) and we feed her 1/2 to 1 jar (stage 1) of baby food in the evening. I usually add about 2tlbs of cereal to the meal mixed with BM. I don't feed her solids every day though, maybe 4-5x a week?

I think DD has her first cold. :( DH has been sick this week and we tried to keep him away from her, but she has a runny nose, is warm and a little cranky so I'm thinking she got it. She's been sleeping more but otherwise is mostly the same. Any advice for helping little ones with colds?

[Peever]

Jenn- DD is still EBF so I'm not of much help. I'm actually wondering how much she's supposed to consume since solids haven't really agreed with her yet. I guessing around 40 ozs? It's hard to tell how much she's getting while nursing.

As far as the room/furniture goes, it depends on the child. My son is not very adaptable so we kept him in the same room. DD has our old bedroom and we moved downstairs. Most kids transition from a crib to a bed around 2. We did a toddler bed first. I thought it would be a waste, but I'm kind of glad we did. It was nice having him low to the ground when he was that little and I didn't have to worry about him falling off. We got him a new bedroom set when he was 3.5.

merjmo- DD's shade is not light blocking so I have one of those generic white black out shades underneath and that works really well. DS has a black out shade that I got at PBK. I can post pics on LJ if you want.

loving- Our crib is still on the highest setting. I'll probably move it all the way to the lowest setting as soon as she starts to pull up or sit up on her own.

honey- Sorry about the cold!

[CarrieCP]

Food - DS doesn't have much of an appetite for solids yet. If he eats half a 2.4 oz. jar plus a tablespoon or two of cereal in a day, that's a really good day. He BFs on demand, but now that he's mobile, he's too busy exploring to sit still and eat! I'm amazed that he is still gaining weight.

Crib - We dropped it down to the lowest level a few weeks ago, and just in time. He's usually standing up in the crib whenever I go in to get him.

Any tips and tricks for keeping the baby's hands out of the way during messy diaper changes? Lately DS has been sticking his hands in the poo. I always give him a toy to play with, but now that goes in the poop too. :eek: Diaper changes have become a two-person job! I need some brilliant ideas on how to deal with this.

[merjmo]

loving: what kind of cereal are you using? I've heard rice is very binding, but oatmeal is a bit better. Or even maybe you could dump the cereal altogether to see if it helps with the poops? I haven't given DD any cereal yet (well, she's tasted oatmeal but she's not interested in the consistency) and she's just getting fruits/veggies.

honeygirl: so sorry about the cold! If she seems congested I've heard you can nurse in the bathroom with a hot shower going. And if it seems to bother her at all to nurse you can offer more often; when DD was sick (March) I was offering to BF her every hour during the day. Most of the time she wouldn't do it for very long, but I felt like it was helping to keep her hydrated.

Peever: yes, I'd be interested in pictures! I was wondering if those block-out drapes put behind a regular shade would be good enough.

wendalah: 23-24oz is probably good but I would suggest leaving it there for a while as it's such good nutrition.

crib setting: ours is still high, and will be for a while. DD has no interest in pulling up yet!

[wendalah]

Gosh, I feel like my kid is such a piggie--is she eating TOO much?

[merjmo]

Gosh, I feel like my kid is such a piggie--is she eating TOO much?

Not really - in terms of quantity it's probably fine, but she's replaced some of her formula intake with other solid food, which tends to be lower in calories and some of the fats. But if her formula intake can stay at this level for a while it's probably good...like your ped said, watching for her cues on solids is great. If she's indicating interest, let her eat!

[Lila55]

fsusammy How do you make pureed chicken?

carrie That sounds like a mess! Sorry I do not have a good suggestion.

honeygirl Sorry about the cold. My DS had a cold a few months ago. He did not eat for 14 hours! After the nursing strike was over, he was fine.

Food DS is bf. He eats 8Xs a day. He bf 5xs and get about 15 oz ebf while I work. He eats 2-3 Tbsp cereal mixed with bm and a little bit of fruit for lunch and 1 Tbsp of a new fruit or vegetable for dinner. He loved carrots and ate the entire container.

Crib We have not lowered it yet. He is not pulling up yet but thanks for the reminder.

[honeygirl]

Thanks for the cold advice ladies. We went and bought a humidifier since it's already pretty dry here (AZ) and also some nose drops. She doesn't seem worse, still has the runny nose. I've been offering her the breast all day and she's eating more so hopefully is staying hydrated. She keeps trying to be her normal happy self but we can tell that she's not feeling good. :(

crib - We just started putting the top up today. We don't have a drop side, just a flip top. She hasn't pulled herself up but since she's doing push-ups (too cute) I figure it's only a matter of time. We won't drop the mattress for a while probably, it only has 2 positions.

diaper changes - Ick, sorry about the poo hands carrie! DD sometimes puts her hands towards her diapers (but hasn't gotten into poo yet) and I just hand her a toy. Besides that I'm not sure what else to do! I do try to have everything ready (wipes, new diaper) so that it's a quick change when she has poo.

[gardenmommy]

Feeding:
Here is our schedule:

7ish - 8 oz formula
10ish - 5-6 oz formula and cereal with 4 oz of fruits
1ish - 8 oz formula
4ish - 5-6 oz formula and cereal with 4 oz of fruits
7ish - 8 oz formula

He's a little piggy for sure, but he's MY little piggy and I love him to pieces.

Toddler room/furniture: We moved DD to a big girl bed at 2, and it was just the right time for us. We skipped a toddler bed altogehter and went straight t a twin sized bed. When we move in a few months we will be getting her all new furniture and will probably get her a queen sized bed so she can grow into it.

Crib: We haven't lowered ours yet, but I think we need to asap because he's really trying to get out!

Diaper changes: They are a nightmare for us. He loves to try to roll or crawl off the changing table AT ALL TIMES, and the floor isn't much better. Poo on the hands? Been there, done that. Do I have a solution...nope:rolleyes:

Things are good with is. We broke out the baby play table this weekend and it was a huge hit. He's trying to pull up to it and loves all the buttons and flippers and lights.

[FSUSammy]

Crib - We haven't lowered ours yet either. DS can't sit up on his own and he's not even attempting to crawl. As soon as I catch him pulling himself up then we'll lower it.

[VMB]

Feeding
6am-ish - nurse
7-7:30am oatmeal with BM and 2-3oz of fruit
9-10am-ish - nurse
11:30 or so - 1jar of fruit/veggies (stage 1)
12:30-1 - nurse
3-3:30 nurse
4pm-ish jar of fruit/veggies
6-6:30 nurse
3-4am up to nurse

wendalah I think Audrey is still in a good range for formula. My ped had said 20-30oz a day. I do believe that formula/BM are the most important source of vitamins/nutrients/calories for babies this age, but I think you guys are at a great balance. I added the mid-day solid feeding for DD just last week because when her brother was eating lunch, she would go nuts. She has not slowed down nursing one bit. I would guess she gets about 20-25oz a day. If Audrey is hungry, feed her! :)

honeygirl I hope your DD feels better soon! Will she take water at all?

Carrie ugh- sorry about the poo-ey diaper changes! DD (and DS still) does the same thing. I either try to distract her with a toy or try to get the diaper away from underneath her (if it's not too gooey...I know - TMI!). Most times it works, but I surely have plenty of times when poo is everywhere! I feel you pain.

crib DD is still in the PNP, so we just took down the bassinet a while ago since our little piggy has way exceeded the 15lbs limit already!

toddler furniture well, DS is still in his crib at 2.5 years and does not seem to want to get out. Physically, he could get out if he wanted to, but he just doesn't. Since Dd is still so little, we just haven't forced the issue. When he is ready to get out, we'll go straight to a twin bed. He' still in the same room since he is not that adaptable like Peever's DS. We got him a new dresser and moved the "nursery dresser" into DD's room. It worked out great because his room is the furthest away from ours and since DD was such a crier in the beginning, at least he slept through from some of it.

other than that, DD is on all fours and rocking like crazy! She started doing it Thursday out of nowhere, and now there is no stopping her. The girl can do a better plank than me! :) She is also scooching backward which DS never did. DH just left for Asia for 2 weeks and I told him she might just be crawling by the time he gets home!

Hope everyone is having a good Monday!

[cat_loverpq]

food ~ DS's schedule is like this:

7am - BF
8am - 2-3T cereal and 1/2 jar fruit
9am - 5oz bottle
11am - 2-3T cereal and 1/2 jar veggie
12pm - 5oz bottle
2pm - 1/2 jar veggie and 1/2 jar fruit
3pm - 5oz bottle
6pm - 3T cereal, 1/3 jar veggie and 1/3 jar fruit
7pm - BF before bed

For cereal we rotate between rice and oatmeal. He's also up 2-3 times at night to nurse. B/c he's on the small side of the scale our ped wants him eating as much as possible, so we kind of rushed into this schedule, but it's been working really well and DS still takes all of his bottles that he used to take at daycare so I'm not worried.

crib ~ We haven't lowered ours yet either. When DS starts to pull up we will.

Sammy ~ My RE said that a lot of PCOS women have a sort of honeymoon phase with AF after having a baby and are pretty regular for awhile. But she said usually your cycle will revert back to the way it was, unfortunately. :( That could take as long as a year or two though, so enjoy it while you can! I'm hoping that once AF returns here she will stay regular long enough for us to try for #2 (at least another year from now) so we don't have to do IUI again!

[loving624]

merjmo - DS is already on the oatmeal, we tried that pretty quickly due to the constipation. And we have discussed eliminating it all together, we just haven't made that leap yet. I do wish that the fruit alone would help instead of having to do the juice, but since it doesn't, I am great with the juice.

We are officially moved on to stage 2 foods. Yay! DS loveeeesss prunes, so I think he will love the prunes and apples. There are so many new stage 2 foods to try instead of the boring 5 stage 1 fruits and veges.

[Ericka_Jarett]

Update finally on us - Julianna is rocking on all 4's now. She also army crawls and gets pretty far that way. Katelyn likes to do the crab scoot on her back, she gets super far that way as well.

Foods - sometimes I do 1 solid a day other times 2 times a day. I just make a big bowl of cereal and add fruit to it, sometimes they eat at the same times other times it's apart. So one gets the bowl of cereal and 1/2 of a container of stage 2 food and then they other gets either the rest of the cereal or her own bowl of cereal and the other part of the fruit. We have been on stage 2 since the start. With 2 babies to feed a small stage 1 was not going to be enough, plus they are pricey, so we get the 2 packs of fruits and veggies and that lasts us longer. They have had green beans, peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, pears, peaches, bananas, apple/banana/pear, banana w/mixed berries and a few other things I can't recall. We have a bunch of stage 2 meals leftover from my son so they will use those soon. They seem to prefer rice over oatmeal, which is opposite of my son, who loved the oatmeal but hated rice. They both get sips of water in their sippy cups and are always after Easton's crackers or cookies.

We are going to a mini family reunion in 2 weeks, we decided instead of keeping family awake or risk the kids not sleeping with all the noise, we would stay at a B&B instead of my Aunt's house with the other 25-30 people.

[FSUSammy]

cat - I hope your RE is wrong for both of us. If its a honeymoon phase I hope we both have it forever because I really don't want to have to go back on metformin. That was some nasty stuff!

[honeygirl]

Is anyone's DC doing push ups? Full ones? She pushes up straight with only her toes and her palms on the floor. It's crazy! I don't know how her little body does it! She's also rocking (just the last couple of days) which is fun to see. No crawling forwards yet though, just back words. ;)

I think the humidifier helped as DD looks better today. Tonight is the first time I'm leaving her with DH for more than an hr, so hopefully it goes well. I'm teaching a 3hr class.

[FSUSammy]

Pushups - Nope none here. DS is lazy.

[daisysue62]

Feeding Schedule~ DS nurses every 3-4 hours except at night (last night he went 12 hours!!!) and eats solids once a day at dinner. He's been eating probably 3-4 Tbsp of solid foods and gobbles them up and almost always nurses afterwards since I don't want him to replace a meal with solids quite yet. I'm planning on adding solids at breakfast for two solid meals a day here pretty soon.

Lowing Crib~ We lowered the crib about a week and a half ago which was just in time since I caught DS standing in his crib just this week! When I lowered it I put it at the very bottom so I don't have to worry about it.

Toddler Furniture~ We moved DD into her toddler bed right before she turned 2 so that DS could use it. Honestly she was very ready to move into her toddler bed and the transition was super easy. Our plan is to keep DD in the toddler bed until DS outgrows the crib (probably around 2 or earlier if he figures out how to climb out before then!) and then move DS into the toddler bed and DD into a twin bed. The only reason we bought a toddler bed instead of a twin bed for DD is because the kids are sharing a fairly small room and we wanted to keep as much floor space as possible.

Push ups~ Not happening here, but I have seen DS get into the plank position! He looks like he's getting ready to bear crawl and it's pretty hilarious!

Ethan is still not crawling but oh so close. I think all that needs to happen is for him to realize that he can move forwards when he's on all fours and not just sit back up. He can get from his tummy to sitting upright so he inchworms around the room and turns in circles a lot. For a non-crawling baby he can sure move around a lot and get from one end of the room to the other....just not very fast!

[VMB]

Is anyone's DC doing push ups? Full ones? She pushes up straight with only her toes and her palms on the floor. It's crazy! I don't know how her little body does it!

cat yup - DD is doing the same thing!! I call it the "plank" from working out. I don't know how she does it! She also started kicking out her knees yesterday, like a horse kicking its hind legs. It's fun to watch! DS of course, has to imitate everything she does...

[Megande]

If your kid isn't crawling yet, here is what you have to look forward to:
http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k16/drmegande/oatmealreed.jpg

[gardenmommy]

Megan~ Oh my gosh, too cute!

[honeygirl]

megan - Nice! He looks pleased. ;)

vmb - I haven't tried to give her any water, we've just been breastfeeding. Are we supposed to give water?

push-ups - Yes, the "plank" that's what she's doing! Impressive since I don't know if I can do them. ;)

[Jenn (and Bill)]

well, it sounds like natalie is kind of in the middle of what everyone else is doing so that's cool. we do seem to be doing more solids than most but i'm doing what the doc says, so i think we're ok.

she's been fussy today. she cried at daycare and spit up more than normal (she's actually gotten MUCH better about that!) so Bill took her to the doc and she says she's fine, of course. Do teething babies spit up? I'm wondering if that's what this is. Her cough and runny nose seem better!

[FSUSammy]

Megan - That is such a great picture!

Jenn - When Mikey's teeth were coming in I didn't notice him spitting up more than usual. Every baby is different though. His first tooth he had no signs until the tooth actually came through. The second he was miserable for a week. The last two since they came at the same time he ended up with an ear infection and a very BAD cold. But for every one he didn't care to drink from his bottle. He rather eat his solids.

[VMB]

honeygirl re. water. I don't think you have to give it. It's just OK to give after 6months and our ped recommends it with solids, to keep things moving. I introduced water and a sippy at the same time for both kids so that they would associate the 2 together. With summer heat coming I always worry about the kids being dehydrated,so I wanted to make sure Nissa was OK with water. You do want to be sure NOT to give too much of it though. It could dilute too much of the babie's electrolytes (I think...something like that).

Jenn she may be spitting up more because she's more on the move - sitting, trying to crawl...our ped said it's pretty normal to spit up more at this age. Throwing up is not normal, but spitting up is.

Megande what a great shot!!! I love the blonde hair and blue eyes....and the innocent look! :)


And just to show exactly how hungry DD is:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3130/2547262900_16a05452d7_m.jpg

The most shocking thing about that picture is that her big brother is actually sharing his food!

[wendalah]

Dumb question: When can babies start having crackers? Do they need teeth?
My daughter is obsessed with crackers ever since I let her taste an Ak-Mak a few days ago. (I let her hold it, smell it, and suck on it a bit.)

Plus--check it out! "I can feed MYSELF, thank you." (Please excuse my knee with the gross stained PJs in the corner.) She is really good with her hands--probably her best motor skill right now.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3084/2516969506_d82d4d13bf.jpg?v=0

[loving624]

wendy - isn't it great when they can hold their own bottles? Yay Audrey!

Crackers - not sure about, but at the 6 month visit, dr said he can start having the teething biscuits...

VMB - love that picture of your 2 kiddoes!

Megande - that picture is ADORABLE. I love the look on his face!!

[gardenmommy]

Wen~ So cute!

I'm not really sure on the crackers but I gave Thatcher one of those baby puffs the other day because he was chomping at everything and he had a really hard time with it and pretty much gagged.

Then again he very handily ate half of a chipboard coaster from the restaurant we ate lunch at on Saturday while I was in the restroom. ;)

[FSUSammy]

Wen ~ what a cute photo. I love when they hold the bottles up themselves.

crackers ~ We started on the zwieback toasts and biter biscuits but not on actual crackers yet.

Big news on our end Mikey is FINALLY a sitter! This morning when I took him down to daycare he sat all straight and up in his stroller but I didn't think anything of it. So when I went to visit him at daycare for lunch I had him sitting and he sat their with his back up straight with a toy in his hands. He stayed like that for maybe 15-20 seconds. Which isn't quite where his therapist wants him to be but ya know what I'll take what I can. I'm just so happy he's finally reached this milestone.

[merjmo]

Megan and Vanda: such cute pictures!!!

Wendalah: teething biscuits can be started around 6 months, I think, but wheat is usually avoided until 8-9 months? I saw someone on another board say wheat should be avoided until after age 1 in *all* babies, but I think generally people with risk of allergies are the ones who wait.

[Megande]

Wendalah- Babies don't need teeth to eat most things. They do need a good chewing reflex, though. You can always just give her a cracker and watch her carefully. You will be able to tell pretty quick if she can handle it or not. But then, I'm super-laid-back-second-time-mom, so yesterday Reed (who has no teeth) had cheese toast and broccoli pieces for lunch, and today he grabbed one of my french fries and ate half of it before I caught him. So take what I say with a grain of salt ;).

[Jenn (and Bill)]

Sammy, that's great!!!

Wendalah, adorable picture. Natalie can hold hers but she can't hold it up high enough to be at the right angle. I look forward to that though!

[FSUSammy]

Anyone else experience their DC fighting them to eat? For the past 3 days Mikey does not want anything with the spoon. He claps his mouth shut, shakes his head no, and turns his head away too. He absolutely does not want anything off a spoon. Even his favorite are a no-go. He will however take stuff like puffs and zwieback toast and even biter biscuits, but nothing on a spoon. I'm not sure if he's getting more teeth or what. I sure hope so because I want this to be a quick phase and he'll go back to eating like he used to. I'm actually considering trying stuff like pancakes to see if he'll eat that. I don't know maybe he is ready for more finger foods?

[jenji]

we got our first tooth today!!! I'm SOOO excited. the last 3 days have been pretty miserable. NOTHING makes him happy and it's been a constant (losing) battle to get him to sleep. last night he slept 8 hours and woke up with a tooth! Woohoo!


Sammy - yeah, we've dealt with that some lately. after several tries I'll offer him something he can feed himself (puffs, cooked carrots or slices of sweet potato, etc) if he's still not into it, we'll wait 30 minutes or so and try again, if no luck, I just nurse him so he gets something.

honeygirl - we've not done water yet either, we're just nursing. I actually cut out one of DS's solid meals (breakfast) and replaced it with nursing again, just so he gets more liquids.

[VMB]

Sammy congrats on a sitter!!!! And maybe he is ready for more finger foods. Might just be a thing of "I want to feed myself". My older DS never went through this, but I know a lot of other kids that did. It's an issue of control.....they want to have over their food.

crackers I've always wondered about that. DS had zero teeth until 9-10months, then he got 2 bottom ones and then nothing until he was 13-14months. So we stayed away from bread,wheat etc until then. I am doubtfull if I will be able to keep DD away from them....We don't have any serious food allergies on the family, I guess I'm just paranoid. I will for sure be waiting until 9 months and then see how it goes...

[VMB]

jenji we must have cross-posted - Congrats on Evan's tooth!!!!

[FSUSammy]

jenji - Congrats on tooth #1. Sucks that they hurt them soooo much.

So I ended up calling the pedi today because I was concerned that something might be wrong with DS. He didn't want his cereal this morning and when it came time for lunch he LOVES sweet potatoes but even that he refused to take. I gave him some prunes because he LOVES prunes for some messed up reason and he'd eat some of that so I'd switch between that and sneak in some sweet potatoes and forget it he would not have it. He also took some puffs but it was a mission to get him to eat anything for lunch. So I called the pedi and the nurse said its a behavioral problem (GREAT!) and to try giving him just formula for a few days and then reintroduce the solids again. So that's what we are gonna try.

[Jenn (and Bill)]

Sammy, we went through a mini phase of this. She would just cry. I still don't know what it was but my best guess was that she was too hungry to eat by the spoonful and wanted her meal from a bottle? It didn't last long. If that's what he's doing, I hope it doesn't last long either!

[FSUSammy]

So last night we didn't give DS dinner at all, just his formula and he did fine. No desire to have his solids or anything. This morning when I got to daycare I told the ladies absolutely no solids. Then they made me feel guilty about not even cereal. I broke down and told them that if he got hungry again (crying and all) before 10 to go ahead and try giving him some ceral. Go figure at 9:30 he got hungry and they gave him cereal. And what did he do? He fought tooth and nail while they fed him. Kept clenching his jaw shut and turning his head. So they got a taste of what I've been going through at home! I'm going to continue no solids until Saturday and then I may by some fruits and veggies to try finger foods on Sunday to see if that is what he wanted, that's if he doesn't eat his cereal on Sunday morning. For some reason he HATES HATES HATES the spoon. Wish I knew why.

Oh and I got a great picture of him sitting at daycare this morning. So thought I'd share.

http://tinyurl.com/5d66y5

[Jenn (and Bill)]

Sammy, he's precious! And you may have had to go the extra mile btu he looks like a great sitter now!

[jjsanner]

Sammy and Jenn, Caleb does the same thing lately. My guess is that, 1) he see's all of us (big brother included) eating regular food and wants some of that (too bad he doesn't have the teeth yet for it!) and 2) he wants to feed himself. I have started cutting regular food up into very small pieces and letting him feed himself, and he is so much happier!

[FSUSammy]

So the saga continues.....yesterday at daycare he had a major blowout in his crib. He ruined his outfit and his sheet! Lovely. Well when I picked him up they told me that he had diarrhea because he had 3 very loose poopy diapers back to back. So they didn't give him his last bottle because obviously formula is the worst thing to give them when their tummies are upset. Got home, gave him pedialyte and not even an hour later he had another blowout. He then was supppppper fussy all night. Reminded me so much of how fussy he gets when he has teeth coming in so I'm wondering if the spoon aversion, loose stools, and plain ole crankiness is because he has teeth coming in. Of course he won't let me check so I can't verify. The only thing he wants in his mouth is his thumb and god forbid if I try to take that out to get his bottle in his mouth!

Fun times!

[Jenn (and Bill)]

Yikes, Sammy! I hope that doesn't last long!

[mrschica]

I'd like to update my information please, thanks.

mrschica
Me: Brenda, 26
DH: Hector, 30
It's a girl!: Bianca
Birthdate: 11/24/07
Time of birth: 3:30 A.M.
Weight at birth: 7lbs 7oz
Length at birth: 20.9 inches

I don't post, but I do lurk and it's good to see everyone's babies doing so great! :)

[daisysue62]

FSUSammy~ Sounds like it could possibly be teething related. Definitely try some finger foods too since that might help.

Megande~ Cute messy baby pic! I got one I can share but mine involves a little toddler help :)

Ethan is crawling! Not very fast or far but I'm sure it won't take long for him to get some speed. He's also pulling up and standing next to furniture but not really cruising yet. He'll take steps if we hold his hands and "walk" with him though.

Here's a fun picture for you all to enjoy. My toddler decided to dump half a box of baby rice cereal all over Ethan, his toys, the carpet, the DVD player, and a few other choice locations. Such fun to clean up!

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

[FSUSammy]

Daisy - What a great picture! LOL

So it looks like everything we have been going through IS teething related. He has another lower tooth coming in so this one will be #5. It hasn't cut through yet though but I see it. I wish it would hurry because he's been hurting for almost an entire week now. He's now on just formula and rice cereal but hasn't pooped since Saturday, and that was more diarrhea. I'm hoping he'll poop today and its normal so that we can start baby food again.

[jenji]

Sammy - sorry about everything DS is going through with his teeth right now. that sounds like it's just miserable all over.

Daisy - cute cute pictures. I can't believe ethan's crawling. he's just a day older than Evan. So exciting.


DS was super-crabby last night at dinner and we ended up leaving our friends early because he was just a mess. he woke up at least 4 times last night before I finally put him in bed with us... this morning - tooth #2 has arrived!
hopefully we'll get a little break before the next ones

[FSUSammy]

jenji - Yay on tooth #2! I wish DS would cut his that fast. We are going on a freaking week of this torture.

Ok so I just got back from visiting DS at daycare and he managed to poop and it was normal! That's GREAT news. So I want to start introducing fruits and veggies but I want to start off with constipating ones. I know we should stay away from pears, peaches, prunes, and peas. And I know that bananas and apples are binding but are there any good binding veggies?

[loving624]

Sammy - I don't know if these are "proven", and mind you my DS gets constipated very easily, but for him carrots are the most binding, followed by sweet potatoes. Peas, squash, and green beans do not bind him up. Carrots are definitely the top of the list when it comes to binding, for us at least

teeth - my mom saw DS today and swears his bottom gums are so swollen that she says "anyday". She has been saying that for a while though, so I'll believe it when I see it. He hasn't gotten any crankier or anything so I don't think it will be within the week. We leave for vacation a week from today, so I am fine with them waiting!

[Ericka_Jarett]

Julianna has a TOOTH!!!!!

Was at my friend's baby shower yesterday and was on the ground playing with the kids. Julianna finally let me open her mouth to check for teeth, was 2 days since I last looked. There was a little tooth peeking out on the left side bottom. I was so excited. She got it at 7months 2 weeks, where Easton was 8 months 1week. Katelyn is not showing any teeth yet, but is teething for sure.

We are heading to my Aunt and Uncle's this weekend for a family reunion, my mom will be shocked to see Julianna's little tooth, she hasn't seen the kids in several weeks. They are both crawling as well, more of the belly scoot still but definitely are getting into and around everywhere. Julianna found that she can do her rocking and then flop herself over the gate to come to the kitchen. It's so cute. They don't have much desire to sit up though.

[Jenn (and Bill)]

All these teeth are making me a little jealous. And the crawling. Well, I can handle waiting for the crawling. Natalie makes me laugh. We'll have some times when we're on the floor playing that she'll get herself in the crawl position and get frustrated. And other times, she won't even try, she just likes to practice her rolling over. She's also started to try pulling up a little so we're keeping an eye on that.

We head to St. Louis on Friday and I'm kind of freaking out. I have no idea what to take for her and I'm worried about overpacking since there won't be a lot of room in the car. We have a bouncy chair there from Xmas that I guess we can feed her in but would much prefer a high chair or bumbo. Guess we can always buy stuff there...

[Ericka_Jarett]

Jenn - when we travel (by plane) I usually take just enough formula for the flights and then I buy diapers, small pack of wipes and more formula once we get there. I take disposable washcloths that have baby wash in them already and disposable bibs and baby spoons (I usually wash the spoons and reuse them, but if lost or forgotten at the place I don't worry about it.

[daisysue62]

Lots of teeth coming in! No teeth here yet, though I'm sure they'll pop through soon.

[gardenmommy]

Just reading along....

Thatcher has tooth #3 now, I'm sure #4 is on the way since he has been super crabby and crying a lot. Other than that I'm really waiting for the warm weather to kick in os I can forgo the footed sleepers at night since the are all really to small and I can't find anymore!

Other than that the army crawl is in full effect here, nothing more coordinated, but man is he fast already! I think I need to get some babylegs to protect his sweet chubby legs!

daisy~ Toddlers are so inventive aren't they? Ethan has so much hair!

sammy~ Glad your pooping issues seem to have passed. Apples are NOT binding for us, but sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans and squash are.

jenji~ Yeah for #2!

loving~ Have a great vacation!

erica~ Yeah for Julianna's tooth...I wonder if Katelyn is far behind?

Jenn~ i used t really overpack when I traveled, and then learned to have fun with improvising...baths in the kitchen sink and using grandpas lap as a highchair can make great photos ops!;)

[FSUSammy]

Erica - Yay on Juliann'a tooth!

Jenn - Mikey is the same, he rather practice rolling all over the place but could care less about crawling. I'm the queen of overpacking so I'm of NO help.

So last night we did rice cereal for dinner with some bananas and so far DS is doing well. Today at daycare I sent him with more rice cereal and bananas for breakfast and apples for lunch. If he does well today then tonight I'll start up a veggie, just not sure which one I want to try out. I'm soooooo afraid of his explosions! He is still tilting VERY VERY bad and its totally because of this tooth which is taking its sweet time to come in. What sucks is we have PT tomorrow and his therapist is going to be sooooo disappointed that he's tilting even worse than he was last week. He's been GREAT for about a month and now this. I know its teething related but its so frustrating.

[VMB]

Ericka Congrats on the tooth to Julianna! How exciting!!!

jenji 2 teeth already?? Congrats! Wasn't Evan just born??? My goodness time flies!

Daisy After I saw your picutre last night, I went and made sure our oatmeal was high enough so that Asher could not get to it! Ethan is such a cutie - great hair!!!

Jenn trust me - wait for crawling! I am soo not ready for Nissa to crawl! It's so nice to be able to just plop them down and find them in the same place a minute later! I can't help with the overpacking - 2 kids later and I still overpack for both of them (I might forget my underwear or half the clothes I need, but the kids aren't missing a thing! :))

Nissa is slowly figuring out the idea of forward motion, so I think it's really only a matter of time before she's crawling around - yikes! She's drooling a ton, but doesn't have any teeth yet. If she had her way, I would feed her anything that her brother eats. We've upped some feedings to stage 2 since she's so hugnry. But she's still a power nurser!

I just had to share this pic...it always amazes me how much the kids love each other, and how gentle Asher is with his little sister....

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3189/2567763196_e16f03972b.jpg

[Ericka_Jarett]

Food - the girls have been on stage 2 since they started solids, the small stage 1 jars are too $$$$ and with needing enough for 2 to eat them. Never had any problems with the stage 2, they are just as thin as stage 1 so no worries on my part. They have eaten every fruit and every veggie (sort of bad, didn't space out the newness of veggies or fruits with the girls like I did with Easton, but no issues have been seen) getting ready to start the dinners on them soon. They love Rice over oatmeal which is opposite of their brother who loved the oatmeal and would only eat rice if I mixed it with other things. Gave them teether biter biscuits the other night, they went to town on them, so need to get a few more soon. They try to get Easton's crackers and cookies all the time. I tried them with the sippy cup, they make a mess but I know will definitely offer it to them more, since it took Easton til he was almost 17 months before he would take the sippy full time.

I'll post a picture shortly, my laptop is out of commission right now so have to wait to get it back from the repair.

[wendalah]

Hi, I have a quick question--Audrey is not sitting unassisted yet and I'm concerned...she's 6.5 months old now, and it seems so many babies are sitting at this point. Should I be worried, or is this okay for her age?

She sits fine with a little propping--and she loves when we stand her on her feet. But makes like a plank when we try to seat her unassisted.

It's weird--she's always been really good with finer-motion things like picking up toys, holding her bottle, anything with her hands. But large-muscle things like rolling over, sitting, etc. she seems to take her time on.

[Ericka_Jarett]

wendalah - my girls don't care to sit up, they love to roll around, scoot around the floor and jump in the jumperoo. We keep trying and I know they will get it shortly.

[VMB]

wendalah Nissa didn't really start sitting on her own until she was 7 months old...and then it happened toally out of the blue...one day she could only sit propped up/with help and the next day she sat unassisted for 10minutes and never looked back....I think you're still OK. Asher was probably 8 months before he wanted to sit up on his own.

[FSUSammy]

wendalah - Mikey sat up unassisted for the first time last week. He was 7.5 months old. It's perfectly fine. He's still very very wobbly though but I wouldn't worry about it just yet. He seriously couldn't do it one day and the next day when he woke up that's all he wanted to do.

[Megande]

Wendy- I was looking for something on the AAP website the other day and found this list (http://www.aap.org/publiced/BK0_DevMile_7Mos.htm) of what is expected by 7 months. It says only to be concerned if you child isn't sitting with help by 6 months.

[wendalah]

Thank you all!

Megan--that list was really interesting. The thing I was puzzling over was the item about not showing any affection to caretakers. How do babies show affection at this young age, exactly? I have a very happy baby who laughs a lot and shows she is pleased to see me. But I wouldn't call her cuddly or kissy at this point.

[honeygirl]

Megan--that list was really interesting. The thing I was puzzling over was the item about not showing any affection to caretakers. How do babies show affection at this young age, exactly? I have a very happy baby who laughs a lot and shows she is pleased to see me. But I wouldn't call her cuddly or kissy at this point.

I think being pleased to see you is showing affection. My DD also hugs me around the neck and snuggles her face into my shoulder sometimes. No kisses yet.

Life is good here. I'm taking DD to a sample Gymboree class tomorrow. I'm looking into classes at either Gymboree or Little Gym. Any recommendations?

[loving624]

wendalah - ITA about hugs and definitely, bigger smiles for Mom and Dad than anyone else. My DS gives me kisses as well.

honeygirl - we tried a Gymboree class when DS was 4 months old and I tend to think we tried it too young. But we didn't like it at all. We did have to drive to get there, it was one town over, so that definitely affected my decision with gas prices. But the silly songs seemed a bit much for $50 a month I think it was. Now the older classes looked really really good, I got to watch some of those. And I admit I gripe about the times, the class we went to was at 10am, and most things seem to happen around that time, which won't work for us until DS drops his first nap. However, I have also heard good things too so I think that was just my local Gymbo and our experience. I'm anxious to hear if you like yours.....

I know for sure I am going to overpack for this vacation but MAN it is hard!!! I've started getting things ready, we leave on Monday. Ack!!

[Ericka_Jarett]

I have to pack tomorrow for our weekend away at the family reunion.

[gardenmommy]

Honeygirl~ I've taken my DD to Gymboree since she was about 1 1/2 which I think was a good time for us to start. She loves it and has made her much more confident about her physical abilities (she was a fraidy cat!) I always wondered what they did with younger kids who had a harder time following direction, but then again there were a lot of kids we met who had gone since hey were tiny and they were really capable in terms of monkey bars, climbing, jumping etc.

Let me know how it goes and what you guys do.

[honeygirl]

gardenmommy and loving thanks for the gymbo feedback.

Our gymboree class was interesting and she seemed to enjoy it. There was only one other child there probably b/c this is the center's first week.

They sang songs (lots), played with balls and scarves and blew bubbles. Had the kids "climb" on different foam mat things like a wedge, tunnel, etc. Overall I liked it although I could have done without the creepy "gymbo the clown". The instructors had these big clowns (larger than our kids) and they interacted with the clowns some of what we were doing with the kids. So we massaged/tickled the babies while they massaged the clowns. Freaky.

We're trying a Little Gym class on friday so that I can decide which I like better.

[gardenmommy]

Honeygirl~ OMG, you totally had me laughing. Gymbo the clown just gets weirder as the kids get older, in the level 5 class the teacher actually chases the kids around at the end of class so Gymbo can give each kid a kiss. My DD used to run for her life at that part. I always think we are raising a whole new generation of kids who will hate clowns.:D

[FSUSammy]

Man I wish I had time to take Mikey to a gymboree or My Gym class but with work and all I just don't have time to do that. I wish I could though. He is still teething but it seems like the pain has subsided and his tummy is back to normal, but he's still tilting REALLY bad. We went to PT yesterday and the therapist didn't like what she saw and he'd cry in pain when she'd try to stretch his neck. She wants to put him in something called a TOT collar. It's bascially a neck brace that will tilt him the other way so that when he tilts he ends up mid-line. I'm soooooo apprehensive about this because I just know there will be strangers that will look at him like he's different. I already talked to daycare and they said it shouldn't be a problem to have him wear it there. They'll need to take it off everytime he sleeps and put it on as soon as he wakes up. They will also have to watch him carefully to make sure no other kids yank on it because if they do that they can choke him. But if this will help him at the times he regresses (like he's doing now) then we need to do it.

[loving624]

honeygirl - I am glad you enjoyed the class. ITA about that clown! Glad to know it was a good one, I had said we need to try it out again when DS gets a little older, maybe closer to 1. Let me know how the Little Gym class goes, we have one of those in our area as well. Have you called the local library for storytimes as well? We have a great one that we go to for kids under 2.

Sammy - I am glad they are working so hard with Mikey to get him fixed up and that the brace will help. I can understand being nervous about it. Have you tried the binding veges?

Question for the crawlers out there - how does it start? I mean, is it true that most babies fall forward from sitting up to down on all 4's and then learn to rock, and then one day just crawl? DS can stay on all 4's if I put him up there, but that's about it.....

[Megande]

Crawlers question- My first son army crawled, so he started out from his belly and used his arms to propel him. He eventually figured out it was easier to crawl normally. Reed starts from a sitting position, interestingly. It started because he would reach farther and farther out and end up on one knee. Then he figured out that he could move his legs and get closer to whatever it was that he wanted. And then it was all over and he was on the go ALL DAY LONG!

[loving624]

Ohmygosh your kids are so cute Megande. Thanks for sharing that, it was a good visual. I think DS is a long ways from that, but we will keep working on it! Thanks again for sharing!

[Jenn (and Bill)]

Megan, it's hard to believe Reed is only a week older than natalie. That laugh is great and what a crawler. Adorable children!

Well, I think I'm mostly packed to leave tomorrow. DH has a list of stuff to pack in the morning. Food, bowls, spoons, formula, bottles, toys, etc. The good news is we can buy stuff there because we are totally going to forget something!

[Jenn (and Bill)]

So Natalie had a checkup today. It was supposed to be six weeks after her seven month visit but it turned in to more like four because of our vacation. Anyway, she's the same height and weight as she was four weeks ago. Doctor isn't concerned and I know that growth slows down after six months but should I be worried.

Also, they took a urine sample and didn't get much but enough to determine that there's some blood in her urine. Not a lot but has anyone else been through that? I guess now she gets to go back in another four weeks for a height/weight check and they'll redo the urine test. Some people always have blood in her urine and she may just be one of them.

But she's my baby, so naturally, I'm concerned. Thoughts?

[VMB]

oh my gosh Megande - how cute are those videos??!!! Reed has the same look Nissa has when your older DS was reading - just wanting to grab the book and gum it! :)

Jenn I've never heard of taking urine sample from a baby....were they concerened about her lack of growth? I would say that if the Dr. is not worried, I wouldn't be. My doctor tends to be fretful if something is wrong with a young baby, so I take my cues from her.

I took Nissa in for the 2nd round of her 6month shots - she got 2 and handled them SOOO much better than all 5 at once for her 4month WBV. She didn't even cry when she got them - that totaly shocked me.
Her stats: 17lbs 9oz at 7.5months. Adding a 3rd solids meal resulted in a 1lb 4oz gain in 1 month! She's still 50%, so at least she's not jumping drastically up or down.


Hope everyone has a great weekend!

[FSUSammy]

Jenn - I agree with Vanda if your doc isn't worried I wouldn't be worried. How did they manage to get a urine sample from her?

Vanda - What a big girl for not even crying!

So we went to the pedi today to meet with her regarding Mikey's torticollis. I'm not sure if I posted it here or not but on Wednesday when we went to PT he was tilting pretty bad still and she wants to put him in something called a TOT collar. But that requires a prescription of course. So we saw the doc and she had no probs with that but she recommended that we go to a specialist specifically a craniofacial plastic surgeon that deals with this. I couldn't get an appointment until July 16th though, guess he's a busy guy. But in the meantime we'll get Mikey his TOT collar and he'll be fitted for it at PT next Wednesday. I'm very nervous on how people will look at him starting Thursday when he goes to daycare. I just hope no one thinks badly of my little man. And if they do then they are low lives!

[spps]

Just a quick post - the computer just ate my long one :mad:

Jenn - If the ped isn't concerned I wouldn't be too concerned. What prompted them to do the test in the first place? Have a great trip!

Sammy - I wouldn't worry too much about what ppl will think. I see kids with helmets for plagio walking around and if anything they are adorable.

DD had her 8 month checkup last week:
Weight: 18 lbs
Height: 26 3/4 in

Things here have been pretty busy lately. We were away at my in-laws Sun-Tues and we were supposed to go home Tuesday night. However, there was a major thunderstorm that brought down lots of trees and wires, including a tree that hit some wires and then fell onto a house around the corner from us, so there was no power and the police wouldn't let us onto my block. We ended up at the in-laws till Wednesday night. When we got inside, I had the kids on our bed to get them into pajamas when out of the blue DD starts smiling and talking away. She was clearly happy to be home!

Have a nice weekend everyone!

[Peever]

I'm way behind. DD is 8.5 months old now. She still loves clapping and clicking her tongue. She's starting to crawl. It's more of an army crawl though. She got from laying down to sitting once this week, but hasn't done it again. She's pulling up a little and finally got tooth #2. Still off solids and we go back to see the ped GI next week.

Sammy- Good luck with the collar. It sucks getting into specialists, huh? I'm sure you might get some stares here and there since people are ignorant, but it's just temporary and it's what's best for him so screw them! There are a lot of kids with helmets for plagio so that's not much different.

VMB- I can't believe she didn't cry! DD gave the nurse the dirtiest look ever after her last shot.

Jenn- I'd be worried if DD didn't gain in height or weight in a month. It would be different if it was just one or the other, but both would worry me. How much formula is she getting in a day? How often is she eating? I've never heard of them doing a urine check before.

crabby baby gotta go

[honeygirl]

Sammy - I'm sorry to hear that the torticollis isn't resolving yet. I'm sure that he will look adorable in his brace, and what a blessed boy to have such a pro-active mommy!


We had our Little Gym class today and I liked it much better than Gymboree. I wanted to like Gymbo better so that I could get more discounts on their clothing (DD wears 95% gymbo sadly) but darn it they weren't as good. Little Gym had more fun activities and no clowns. One of the activities was putting the kids on a big parachute and moving them around in a circle. They also had bubbles, bells, balls and strengthening exercises. DD even did a forward roll (with assistance)! I'm pretty sure I'll sign her up for the summer session and see how it goes.

[gardenmommy]

One of the activities was putting the kids on a big parachute and moving them around in a circle. They also had bubbles, bells, balls and strengthening exercises. DD even did a forward roll (with assistance)! I'm pretty sure I'll sign her up for the summer session and see how it goes.

See the funny thing is that they usually do all of that at Gymbo, the parachute, the bells, the bubbles. Maybe your Gymbo is just a dud since they just opened?

[Megande]

I now have been pregnant or nursing for 1342 days. That is a long, long time to share your body with someone else. And I plan to keep nursing for at least 300 more....

[cat_loverpq]

Wow, megande, that's awesome! Kudos!!

[Ericka_Jarett]

Julianna is like her brother, I didn't have time to post as my laptop was in for repairs. Julianna had cut her 1st tooth last Sunday and by Thursday her 2nd one was cut too.

Katelyn has none just yet, still teething like nuts though.

We just got in from our family reunion this weekend, it was fun. We had about 35 people attend and my twins were having a blast with the other twins in our family (they are 17 yrs old now, boy and girl) I wanted to steal both of them, let their mom and dad get them on the way to the airport, but didn't work :) We were going to the watering hole yesterday and Allison rode with us, her dad was on the porch and waved bye to us, he thought we were leaving to come home. I said we will be back we are just going with everyone else and beside we have your daughter, he laughed and waved us to go, said you can take her. Told my cousin Darcy (the mother) later, she said he (her dad) would miss her too much.

Took advantage of my guy cousins offering to carry the girls to the van or to play with them. Was a nice break at times for me.

[merjmo]

question for y'all...what time does your child go to bed at night? and what time is their wakeup (either natural or when you wake them for the day)?

[FSUSammy]

Ericka - Yay on 2 teeth. Julianna wasted no time!

Bedtime/Waketime - Mikey goes to bed between 8:30 and 9 every night. He wakes up every day at 6 but doesn't get his first bottle until 7.

[gardenmommy]

Bedtime/Waketime~ Bedtime is usually right around 7:30 give or take and lately he has been waking up around 5-5:30, taking a bottle and going back to sleep until about 8.

Not much new with us...tooth #4 is slowly making it's way in, and crawling is getting more and more coordinated. His new favorite thing to do is crawl over to the electrical outlets and try to touch them!:eek: Time to buy more outlet covers I guess. His cutest new trait is flirting. I swear he just has a way of smiling back at you, and sort of tilting his head a certain way and he's trying to charm the pants off you. I love having a baby boy.

[cat_loverpq]

DS goes to bed around 7:30, give or take, and is usually up for the day between 7-8:00am.

[wendalah]

I have an early-to-bed and early-to-rise baby. She is ready for bed anywhere between 6-7 p.m. (usually somewhere around 6:30, 6:45) and she gets up anywhere in the 5-6 a.m. range. Some days I get lucky and she goes to 6:15 :)

I'd die and go to heaven if she did 7-7...her pediatrician said she'll probably get there eventually.

[honeygirl]

DD goes town around 8pm give or take and gets up around 5-6am for a feeding then back down till 7:30-8:00am.

[Lila55]

DS goes to sleep around 8 pm and is up between 6:30 to 7:30 am. He has never STTN and on a good night he is up only 2xs. Yawn.

[Peever]

DD is still kind of random. She usually goes to bed around 6:30. She's often up between 5-6, but if she wakes up too early then her naps are too early and it's a struggle to get her to take a 3rd nap or keep her up until it's a respectable bedtime. It's a lousy cycle. She's still up 1-3 times a night.

[spps]

DD goes to bed around 7:30, sleeps until 5ish, eats then goes back down till 8:30, or DS makes enough noise to wake her up :mad:

[SQ2]

DD goes to sleep around 6:30pm, wakes twice to eat during the night, and then up for the day at 6:30am. Am I the only one with an 8 month old that is still not STTN? I'm so torn about it because I know I could make her CIO and get her to sleep through, but on the other hand I know she nurses for comfort and I'd feel awful taking that away from her. Hopefully someday I'll get a straight 8 hours of sleep. I forget what that's like anymore. :rolleyes:

[wendalah]

My kiddo still wakes once a night for a feeding, usually around 2-3 a.m. We are pretty sure she isn't really hungry...she's WOLFING down solids (anything we give her, she eats it) and taking plenty of formula during the day. Plus, we are reducing the amount in her "overnight" bottle every week (and this week, I'm actually diluting the formula with extra water). The feeding seems to be a habit thing, but I'm hoping we can "fade" her off this meal.

Last night I actually gave her a bottle of water when she woke up and fussed, and it really did the trick. She can hold her own bottle, so she took it and drank a bit and fell back asleep. I know you shouldn't put your baby to bed with a formula or juice bottle, but there's no issues with giving a bottle of plain water, are there? (I only give her a small amount, 3 oz.)

[Megande]

Reed usually goes to bed at around 7, wakes up once to eat between 1 and 4, and gets up for the day around 7:15. Actually, I don't know when he wakes up, because I started keeping his door closed so that I can only hear him if he is really ticked off. He very well might wake up earlier than that and just hang out in his crib. Its all fine with me as long as I don't have to get out of bed before 7 am ;).

SQ2- I can't decide whether I want to do CIO to eliminate our nightwaking or not. We are moving in a month, and then I am going to be putting him in daycare, which I know will be a huge change for him.

On that note: I am going to be going to work in August, so both my kids will be starting daycare. I'm super lucky in my job so I will only be away from them 25 hours a week or so, but Reed has separation anxiety so badly that he only makes it 5 minutes in the nursery at church before they call me to come get him. I'm just worried about how well he will do. He will be 10 months old when he starts. Anyone want to give me a working moms pep talk? I'm very excited because I will have my dream job, and I definitely feel like a better mom when I get a break from being the full time entertainment committee, but it is still a little scary. Especially since I had to find a daycare from 500 miles away.

[VMB]

bedtime/waketime Nissa goes to bed between 6-6:30 (or at least that's when I start nursing) and is up by 6am with at least one wake-up between 3-4am. She really can't stand to be up any later at night, no matter how long or how late her afternoon nap went.
SQ2 I actually did have DD CIO one of the night feedings - that was when she was up at 10:30-11, then 1-3 and then 4-5. After talking to our ped and after realizing that DD was really only "snacking" at that 1st wake-up, we decided to have her CIO for that one feeding. What actually happened is that she went to waking up once a night (most nights, anyway) at 3-4am. So we were spared another CIO. For now, I'm not really considering CIO for that last wake-up. She does occasionally STTN, but my toddler gets up on those nights, especially when Daddy is gone. I was just exhausted and that's why we did it. It's not for everyone. Plus DD never really cried too hard, it took about 7-10mins of whining and she was done. I think she was ready to drop that feeding herself.
ETA: wanted to add that my DD has been average size and gaining well, so I was comfortable dropping one of the feedings. She's still usually starving by 3-4am though. She devours all solids we give her 3x times a day, so I wasn't worried about depriving her of food.

Megande I'm sure there will be at least a couple of weeks of transition for Reed. As much as I hate to see my kids crying when I leave, I also know that it's good for both them and me to be away from each other from time to time. And like you said, you're working 25hours and it's your dream job. Personally, when either kid gets clingy, I try to just tell them when I'll be home, what we'll do when I get home (like play and color, read a specific book - more for my toddler), give them a kiss and walk out of the door without much prolonging. I've also been very lucky and it's worked with both kids. Keeping my fingers crossed for you! And Congrats on your job!!

[merjmo]

SQ2, nope, you're not the only one! But my DD is really small so I think I'll be feeding her in the night as long as she wants...hopefully that'll drop off around a year!

Wendalah: there is no issue with putting them to bed with water in a bottle. The milk/formula thing is because it sits in their teeth and they start to decay, but plain water won't do that.

I guess I didn't answer my own question - Viv goes to bed between 7 and 8 (she's always IN bed by 7:30 but sometimes it takes her a while to fall asleep) and gets up anywhere between 6:30 and 8. It's kind of a crapshoot, and where she had been getting up to eat between 4 and 6, now sometimes she's up at 3 and won't calm down with just the pacifier. I knew there was a sleep regression around 9 months, but at only 8 months I wasn't sure. For the most part we're getting enough sleep, and thankfully her naps are starting to get longer. SHOCKINGLY! :)

Megande: I'll bet that the people at the DC where Reed will go have had some experience with separation anxiety in babies. :) If you're doing something you want (dream job) then it's going to make for a happy mom, and that makes for happier kids (IMO). You worked hard for a long time to get where you are and you deserve to use it if you want. The kids will benefit from interacting with others, too. And to me, 25 hours a week sounds IDEAL!!!

food story: two nights ago I was eating dinner with DD and she was fussy, until I would give her food. Finally she was done with hers and I had food left to finish (salmon, mashed potatoes, and grilled zucchini/eggplant). She was looking at my plate and grumping, so I told her all she could have of mine was eggplant (butter/milk i