May 2008 Mommies: Our Babies Have Bloomed!

[PGirl26]

Amanda: I tried to add you to LJ... wanted to follow along... I'm Mandabean26 over there if you want to add me :)

[Baby Lust]

I added you! :)

[Mrs.Chappy]

breakthrough day

dh took ds to see backyardigans live.. i ttok jake to the mall. he stayed happy while i did returns of baby gifts. and was yawning as i was able to clothes shop for ME at ann taylor loft. it was the first time i didnt bjorn him nd left him i n the s troller. he fussed on the ride home then fell asleep..again..a first. he woke after 10 min but still...no screaming bloody murder to get to sleep. he always wakes miserable w/ a temper. i fed him and took a walk w/ him in the carseat strollerand he again fell asleep (no screaming)..it was 30 min but again, it wasnt on me! i was so relaxed..didnt have to worry about both kids..just followed his lead. now iknow he's is capable of this. i think yhe prevacid is helping. he does have an uncomfortable perios around 4 am each morning..maybe the meds wear off by that time b/c we give him the dose at 7 or 8. hoping tomorrows is the same but it will be me and both kids.
hope ur father's days were fun.

[Baby Lust]

Mrs Chappy, Glad things are starting to get a little better! Hopefully a new pattern is developing!!

[Standrea]

THat's wonderful Mrs.Chappy! I'm so glad that you got some time to do things for YOU! I'm sure retail therapy definately helped! I'm glad that Jake did so well in his stroller and the car! Looks like you're starting to turn a corner!


I'm so sad. Tommorrow they are closing the maternity ward at the hospital I had both of my daughters at. It really was a wonderful place to have my girls, and the staff was excellent. The hospital that they are now sending women to is not so good (the building is dilapitated, and will only be able to house patients for the next 3 years), but they are building a women's tower to be open in the next 3 years. Maybe baby #3(if theres #3) will have to wait until that is open.

[E&O]

My 2 year old DD has been sick with a stomach bug since Wednesday afternoon. So I've spent the past 5 days wearing and cleaning up vomit. And she is unusually clingy and needy, so poor DS is getting no attention. My DH spent the day home with us on Thursday and my mom spent the day with us Friday, just so there would be someone to hold and interact with DS. Today her bug had turned to diarreha so it will be another day home from daycare tomorrow. But this time I'm all on my own.

Thank god that (so far) DS has not seemed to catch the bug himself.

[PGirl26]

Thanks for everyone's suggestion on Addy's runny nose and congestion. I did get her some Little Noses...she seems to be doing better....

Now we have a bigger problem. When I changed her this morning, there was a little bit of blood in her stool. Not alot, barely noticable actually. But I always look at her poop to make sure...Then this afternoon, there was more in another poopy. It was noticable, about the size of a pencil eraser. It was in her stool, but more of a mucus consistancy. She still had the seedy yellow poop... but even the smell was a little different. I got sooo upset. I was worried to death about her. I called the doctor immediately. The on-call nurse returned my call within the hour... we went throug symptoms... Her appetite hasn't changed. She is still eating well. She doesn't have a diaper rash... there is no fever. Her demeanor hasn't changed/still resting well and very attentive in between naps etc. She is not constipated, so it's not from straining.... So, she said there wasn't immediate concern. She made me an appointment for 7:45am tomorrow. She said alot of babies have anal fesures (sp?) that are very normal that can tend to pop and cause a little rectal bleeding but the doctor would need to see her just to make sure...Regardless, I am worried sick about my little one. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers!!

[MrsSpencer]

Nicholas had bleeding too, but it was from straining...hoping it's nothing serious.

MrsChappy glad things are looking up, hoping it continues!

[PGirl26]

I took Addy to the doctor this morning. I'm just not sure I like her pediatrician's office. It is an office of several doctors, and we don't have one set pediatrician. So we tend to see different doctor's each visit... but, the last two times we've had the same man... and he's just... cold? or maybe just straight to the point. Anyway, the nurse I talked to yesterday told me to bring the diaper with the bloody stool with me to the doctor... when I told him I had it, he said just throw it away I dont need to see it... he said that he thought the blood was caused by a milk allergy. He asked what kind of formula I had her on... I said Similac... and he immediately said to change it... didn't even ask what kind of Similac. He did check her out, felt of her tummy etc. But he didn't even look at her little butt. He gave me some samples of Nutramagen Lipil ... I had never heard of it... the label claims to help with colic.. So I don't know what to think really. He didn't seem too concerned with it. He said babies can develop an allergy even if they have been taking the formula for a while... and she has been on Similac Advanced since she was born. Anyone have any comments/advice? Have you guys been through this at all?

He also listened to her lungs and checked her ears.. he said everything was clear... no sign of infection so she just has a stuffy nose. He said to continue to use the little noses and suction everything out... Oh! And she weighs 8 lbs 3 oz! She gained 9 ounces in two weeks...

[MrsSpencer]

That's the formula Nicholas is on...but he had colic and has an allergy. I'd call and ask for a different doctor.

[Baby Lust]

Amanda, I agree that a second opinion may be necessary. As far as switching the formula, some hospitals push a certain brand (ours is Enfamil) and always want to recommend that brand. I'm no expert, but I'm not sure that Addy necessarliy needs a "specialty" formula (not to mention very expensive) if she wasn't having problems with the Similac until now... it sounds like the ped you saw wasn't interested in taking the time to look at Addy or listen to your concerns... :(

[MrsBeckyLP]

MrsC- Glad you had a good day! Hopefully that continues.

Andrea- That's kind of sad, especially since the other hospital sucks. I'd want to wait a while for number 3 too!

E&O- Glad DS hasn't caught the bug your DD has. I hope she's better soon. It's nice you had some help though. At this point, I can't imagine dealing with a sick 2-year-old and an infant. :eek:

PGirl- I say get a second opinion too. He was pretty quick to change her formula without much of an exam.

Us- I was gone visiting my parents for a few days last week, and then we went to the lake Friday/Saturday. It was so nice to get away and interact with people all day for four days in a row! DH admitted to me how much he missed her, and he said he missed me too. I was kind of being a bitch to him early last week (I just needed to get away!), so I didn't think he'd say that. ;)

Maddie has changed so much lately. She is smiling all the time, and she is talking to us too. She also has a favorite toy -- a soft sun that blinks red lights and plays "You are my sunshine." When I sing to her, she is all smiles. If she only knew how crappy my singing voice is! ;) I love it when I go in to get her out of her crib in the morning. That first half-hour is priceless. It's like she's so excited to see me.

I bought a solarveil ring sling to use at a country music festival next week, and I'm wearing her right now. She seems to love it. She was awake in it for a while, but then she fell asleep and has been that way for an hour and a half. She's sitting upright in it with her feet hanging out the bottom, her butt supported by the sling. She has great head control and loves to be upright, so this carry is perfect. I think the solarveil material will be perfect for the festival (we camp there for four days), since strollers aren't allowed into the festival grounds. My PS sling is a bit hot for being outside in summertime.

Only three more days until the harness comes off!!!!!!!

Here's her new swimming suit:

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k269/lp_becky/DSCF1394.jpg

And here she is zonked out on Grandma's shoulder:

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k269/lp_becky/DSCF1399.jpg

[makena32204]

MrsChappy- Glad to hear things are getting better!

E&O - I hope your DD feels better soon!

Becky- Yay for only three day!

Pgirl- I'd look for a new pedi since it sounds like you dont care for him much. You'll be spending a lot of time in their office over the next few years, so you should go to one that you like and trust.

Anyone want some Similiac checks that I have? Just PM me! I thought i'd ask here first before posting elsewhere.

As for us, we are managing. Some good days, some bad. Tristan doesnt want to go down until 10:30 pm. He'll sleep until 2ish and then usually around 5 am. Sometimes he'll go back down at 5, sometimes he wont. Of course, then there are the nights that he's up non-stop. I would love to get to a schedule and earlier bed time so that DH and I can spend some time together sans kids! Maybe in a few years.

[tashaw6]

I have been gone for weeks and I have only missed a few pages...what is up girls...this is definitely the slowest I've seen this board move ;)

Well we are doing well. DS is nearly 6 weeks!! How can time fly so quickly when it took forever for him to get here. He is a good baby. Only cries when he's hungry or has a stuck burp. He went for his 1 month check up last week and he was up to 10 lb 4 oz which was right on target. Dr gave us vitamin D drops to give him cause we are exclusively breastfeeding. Anyone else get this from their drs?

We have moved him exclusively into his bassinet next to our bed which is good for DH and me (we can snuggle again). Its strange how far I feel from DH even though we see each other each day. But this seems to have bettered things. We put the speaker of the cd player in his bassinet as he loves the static and that seems to sooth him.

We went to the library the other day as they have a reading to your little ones half hour there. Of course DS just wanted to eat and then sleep so there was not much development there. haha! We also went to this language development session at our local health point. It was so interesting. They said that babies could sign at 6 months!! Can you believe it! I was amazed.

QOTD: What are you guys doing with your babies each day for development?

I have been talking to DS when he is awake. Trying to read to him. My mother sings to him but when she leaves I will have to do that.

[MrsSpencer]

I sing all the time and move his little arms, and talk to him, even if he's asleep;)

[Kelly51703]

I've been following along but too busy to post.

Andrew had his 2 month WBV a week ago. He weighs 12 lbs and is 23". We saw the Dr. that discharged us. I almost like her better than our regular ped. She answered all of our questions first and then examined Andrew. My big concern was his constipation. I stopped giving him Mylacon drops and Karo syrup and he's been a pooping machine ever since! He also got his shots. Poor baby, I cried with him. He goes back in August for his four month check and DD gets a physical for nursery school.

[Baby Lust]

Natasha, DDs are on a Vitamin D supplement as well because they don't get much sun here. We just put it in a little bit of EBM every morning and they take it fine (thank goodness)!

[rachrich]

Becky i love the pics. Maddie has such a cute round face!

i went to photobucket to post pics and i couldn't get them even uploaded onto the site from my computer.....i haven't posted any pics of Owen yet. he is real i promise ;)

development i talk with Owen quite a bit, do tummy time about once a day, let him grab onto my fingers (he's got a helluva grasp!) and shake noisy bright colored toys close to his face. I forgot how boring newborns are...LOL. i'm still waiting for him to give me a real smile!

[Mrs.Chappy]

ok..today just sucked. was referred to a GI preson for jake...i'm so frustrated its depressing

[makena32204]

MrsChappy - Ah, I'm sorry today went so poorly. I hope the GI helps!

development- At this point, I'm just trying to keep my DD from smothering him, running him over with her shopping cart or pushing off of his belly to stand up. :rolleyes: I do talk to him as much as possible but I'm not much of a singer. We also put him on the playmat and he'll look at the mirror and toys for about 15-20 mins!! Or watch the fish in his Ocean Wonders bouncer. Oh, and we do tummy time everyday.

[Baby Lust]

Mrs Chappy, I'm so sorry!! I hope the GI is able to help!! {{{hugs}}}

[MrsSpencer]

hope the GI helps

[Mickey&B]

Mrs Chappy Big Ol' Hugs! I know exactly how you are feeling. I went through the same thing with AJ we tried everything under the sun all he did was cry no matter what we tried. I was the hardest thing I ever had to do! There were days I just layed him in his crib and layed down on the floor next to him and cried right along side him. I can't even imagine doing it with a toddler too.

Vitamin D Nope we get lot's o' sunshine ;)

[anemone]

Mrs Chappy I hope the GI gives you some answers. Big hugs to you, and hang in there.

Develpment not much at the moment. She does tummy time, I talk & sing to her, she spends time in her bouncy chair looking outside at the trees, shadows etc. That's pretty much it. I won't do much more until she starts grabbing at stuff, probably around the 3 month mark. Also, she's hardly awake anyway!!

DD is going well. She is falling into a routine, where she feeds about 10.30pm, then sleeps until 3 or 4am, so I don't have to get up again until 7.30am or so. I actually didn't feel like I needed a nap today which was the first time in a looooong time. I have started giving a bottle of EBM at that 10.30 feed, although I'm a bit wary of doing too much bottle feeding until she is really fast on the bfing (due to the problems I had with ds loving bottles over my breasts from too many bottles early on). Actually, I was crouching down in front of DS tying his shoelaces and he said "mummy, what's that?" pointing at my cleavage. I said "mummy's boobs" and he said "For DD." I said yes. He then said "yucky":rolleyes: I told DH that DS is definitely not a boob man:p

[MrsBeckyLP]

Vitamin D- Nope. I'd never heard of that!

Development- I talk to Maddie a lot, and I also sing to her. She doesn't do tummy time because of her harness, but she will soon! Her head control is fabulous though. She lies on the floor and "plays" with her Rainforest Gym, and she also has another overhead play toy she likes to look at. She grasps rings great when I put them in her hand, so I'm hoping she'll start grabbing at things on her own soon.

Maddie is 2 months old today! I can't believe it. I also can't believe that I have less than three weeks of maternity leave left. :( If I didn't get that extra two weeks, I would be going back next Monday.

[MrsSpencer]

don't know if I told you congrats Becky..but congrats on the harness coming off soon:)

[Standrea]

Mrs.C-I hope that you get some answers from the GI. We have to take Ellie to a GI because of the size of her stomach, and she has such a hard time pooping. I hope you get in soon!

Development-Honestly, not nearly as much as I should. HOWEVER, she does have her sister that plays with her constantly-almost too much. Abbie will do tummy time with Ellie, and play under the playmat with Ellie, etc. She likes sitting out in the bouncy seat or travel swing under the trees in our backyard, and really likes her Ocean Wonders swing in the living room. Someone is always talking to her, or the music is on and she's listening ot that while we clean.

[Mrs.Chappy]

one GI practice doesnt have openings til jul 23rd!!

calling another closer to me..i think they have a1-2 week wait

[Standrea]

Mrs.C-We can't get in until July 16. I think it's because it's a pediatric GI and there aren't very many out there (at least in Albany). Maybe you'll have better luck since you are in the city?

[E&O]

DS spent his very first night sleeping in his crib last night. The bassinet we were using for him was very old (I think my DH slept in it when he was a kid) and kind of small. DS was outgrowing it and would wake up at night with his head pressed against the hard wicker sides. I was sure it was causing most of his night waking and that he would sleep longer out of it.

I was right. I fed him at 8:30 last night and put him down in the crib at 9:30, and we did not hear a peep until 3:30 when he finally woke to eat. It was great! But sad, knowing my baby won't be sleeping by me anymore. Although I won't miss his noisey sleep habits. You never met a kid who snorted, grunted, moaned and groaned so much as he falss asleep!

MsBecky- Maddie sure is a happy smiley girl.

Development- DS was 7 weeks on Sunday. He is starting to smile and make a few cooing noises. DH and I spent the week "fighting" over who he was smiling at first. Otherwise, I try to hold him on my lap as much as I can to help his head control and sitting skills. We do some tummy time, maybe every other day and mostly tummy-to-tummy time when we try to get him to sleep. And he swats at things hanging over his play mat (I think he is hitting them on purpose, I can't really tell).

[smilewithme]

I was crouching down in front of DS tying his shoelaces and he said "mummy, what's that?" pointing at my cleavage. I said "mummy's boobs" and he said "For DD." I said yes. He then said "yucky":rolleyes: I told DH that DS is definitely not a boob man:p

LOL! That's great! DD is fascinated when I feed DS. She asks "What's that?" all the time and I tell her the same thing..."Mommy's boobs". She then proceeds to repeat it over and over and louder and louder. So far it's only been at home, but publicly that could get embarrassing! When DS cries, DD says "Baby hun-ry!" and yesterday made a motion with her hand like she was milking a cow. :confused: I think that is the sign for milk though, so maybe that's what she was doing and if so, smart girl!!! ;)

Development - I Talk/sing to DS. I read somewhere that babies should hear I don't even know how many words a day, it was a lot though. Tummy time. I lay him on this playmat that has the black and white abstract colors and some crunchy sounds in various flat pockets and then up above him it is like a "ceiling fan" with a mirror and the same abstracts. He REALLY likes that one. Stuff like that right now. I have that Gymboree book (one for babies, one for toddlers) that gives you ideas of how to interact with your child and help them develop at different stages. I really like them both!

Becky - Maddie is stinkin' cute!!! Great news about her hips, you must be so excited!

MrsC - I don't have any advice for you, but I sure am thinking about you. Good luck with the GI.

Us - DS is almost at the two month mark. Wow. It has flown by and he is getting so big, it's hard to believe! I take him to the doctor on Thursday and I think he's going to be a little chunker, can't wait to find out! He has the all-time sweetest smile and it melts my heart. I think DH has had an easier time bonding with him because he knows he's not going to "break" him. They are best buds already and DH is pleased as can be that he can soothe him too (although sometimes DS just needs the boob)!!! Now DH and DD are best buds too, but when she was a small, small baby he was so nervous with her! :)

We went camping this weekend and it went off without a hitch. Oh, that's not true, but the sleeping was easier than I thought it would be. We didn't get to our campsite until 1:30AM and didn't get settled to bed till 3AM. It was truly insane. I was worried DS would wake DD but she slept through EVERYTHING!!!

[Mrs.Chappy]

Thanks for the support on the GI..we got a July 3rd appt but my ped is going to call and see if they can squeeze us in sooner.

For those who are using the crib..any advice for me?? i'd like to at least try and have jake accept the crib in a happy way. He is fine if he is happy and i turn the mobile on..but he turns nasty when he gets tired and screams bloody murder in there..i've also put him down asleep there to try and nap him there but it only lasts 10 min before he is up (i think he 'stretches' and wakes for a sec and realizes where he is).....
i ask b/c i was in the park today and a nanny of DS1's friends was talking to me about Jakes routine and i was like, um, we don't have one..he is fussy yada yada..she was horrified...now i feel bad..its hard enough dealing w/ the issues that we are trying to figure out..but a little respite for me w/ him in teh crib consistentlyl at a time every day would be great!

[Standrea]

Mrs.C-You know, I think a routine would be great for all of you. You'd get some good alone time, and he would have some consistancy to his day. As for advice on how to do it, I really just don't know. Did you try white noise in his room? I know you tried a sleep positioner, maybe put him on his side?

I'm glad that you can get into the GI earlier then anticipated. Do you know what they are going to do yet?

[Mrs.Chappy]

yeah, white noise, positioner, side, you name it. i'll be persistant.

[Baby Lust]

You say that he stretches... are you swaddling him? If not, that might help... DS used to be the same way so we co-slept for 7 months. Definitely don't want that again, and it seems you don't want to either... {{{hugs}}} Hope things get better soon!!

[ironhair]

I fed him at 8:30 last night and put him down in the crib at 9:30, and we did not hear a peep until 3:30 when he finally woke to eat. It was great!

What the heck?! That's so not fair! DD is up every 2.5 hours all night long!

Becky: Maddie is adorable! I just love those first, toothless grins!

Development: I should really be doing more. Right now I'm just trying to keep DS from killing her! He loves her, but a bit too much most of the time!

[Mrs.Chappy]

thanks., we are using the miracle blanket to swaddle..it worked for a while..i've been awake since 3 am. we are at our wits end. DH is not having a fun birthday today. Jake is in his crib now...we rocked him and its been 12min since i heard him..i think i should just do this all day and see where it gets me??

[Standrea]

Ugh Mrs.C-I wish I lived closer to you. I'd totally come over and help you out so you could get some rest! Happy birthday to your DH!

[MrsSpencer]

I'm sorry mrs. c I'd help too, but wouldn't be much help ;) I'd fall asleep right with you :) new formula or not, he is still having bad days/nights every two days or so. But I'll take it over the everyday.

[Dettes]

MrsC Ugh, I really feel for you. I'm sorry I don't have any advice except hang in there. Hopefully the GI can get to the bottom of this. He is fine if he is happy and i turn the mobile on..but he turns nasty when he gets tired and screams bloody murder in there I forget exactly when Jake was born, but I think it was in April. Not sure how you feel about CIO (I know people have very strong opinions about it) or if it would even work with a colicky baby, but I Ferberized both my older two at around two months and it worked out great. Two nights of crying and it was over.

Development - I'm with Ironhair on just trying to keep DS and DD from hurting her. DS "put me in jail" (i.e. locked me in the attic) the other day while Caroline was in her bouncy seat (NOT STRAPPED IN :eek:) and I could hear DD#1 (the terror of our household) calling her. I was almost in tears with visions of them knocking her right out of her seat. Thankfully DH was home and "bailed me out." Not sure what I would have done if he wasn't here.

You never met a kid who snorted, grunted, moaned and groaned so much as he falss asleep! I hear ya! My little girl is a moaner and grunter too (doesn't help that she has the sniffles this week either). My other two were in the cradle in our room until about six months, not sure we'll last that long with this little noise maker. The problem is once we transition her, she'll be sharing a room with her big sister, who is NOT the person you want to wake up in the middle of the night.

My kids breastfeed Caroline too. Whenever they ask to hold her, as soon as I put her on their lap, they lift thier shirts up and shove Caroline's head into thier bony ribs.

US We're all doing really well. I'm LOVING being home with my babies. Now, if only I could win the lottery and stay home forever... I have to say, so far the adjustment to 3 kids has gone very smoothly. That will all change once Caroline gets a little more mobile. I forgot how much infants sleep. I'm sure in about 7-8 months, I'll have a different report. We're taking a road trip to see Thomas the Train this weekend for DS' birthday. Hard to believe that my first baby is turning four next week.:eek: Its even harder to believe that I've had three kids in those four years! Time really does fly.

[E&O]

What the heck?! That's so not fair! DD is up every 2.5 hours all night long!
ironhair- Don't be jealous, the second night in the crib was much more disasterous. I fed him at 9:00 and he was awake at 11:45, 2;45 and then around 5:00. Plus his noises as he was falling asleep and then again as he woke up were so loud. I thought they were loud when he slept next me, now they are magnified by the monitor. We slept with the windows open last night, so I think he may have been too cold in just a onsie. I tried swaddeling him but I think he's had enough of that! Tonight I will put him in a sleeper with feet and see if that helps.

But unless he is in a dead sleep he jerks himself awake as soon as we set him down, so then the noises continue until he finally settles himself down or we pick him up and start over. I forgot about this phase with DD, it gets old kind of fast.

[makena32204]

ironhair - We get up about every 3 hrs on a good night, so I feel ya!

E&O- We turned our monitor down very low b/c I could hear the grunts and groans. Now, he truly has to be crying for it to come thru. Of course, we have the Lights and Sounds monitor, so I can see the lights going off due to the grunting.

[rachrich]

My kids breastfeed Caroline too. Whenever they ask to hold her, as soon as I put her on their lap, they lift thier shirts up and shove Caroline's head into thier bony ribs
Dettes that's too funny, and reminds me of my DD. i pump a lot, and DD sees me doing it too, and she'll even say "mommy's pumping"....so the other day I set myself up to pump and she picked up one of the horns and lifted her shirt and put it on her chest. i cracked up!

we're going to Myrtle Beach (actually Cherry Grove, north of North MB) this Friday with IL's. We'll be home on the 29th. The drive down isn't going to be the greatest, but we're stopping for the night halfway down and halfway back. With a toddler and an infant, there's no way we'll make it straight down in a day! We haven't had a vacation since I was pg with Olivia in '05 because of grad school and having her, so we deserve this! And it will be nice having gramma/grampa there to entertain and take Olivia away when we need a break. Though I'm still bleeding a very tiny bit, I can't wear tampons right??? I would like to go in the ocean some, but if i can't wear tampons it's a no. DH and I are really looking forward to this. so....don't talk too much i'll have a lot to catch up on when I get back ;)
QOTD has anyone sent out birth announcements yet?? I want to get some nice ones because the ones i did for Olivia were kind of cheap. Any good places online or elsewhere to get nice ones? i'll be getting on those after vacation.

[tashaw6]

QOTD: We had pictures done at the hospital and they came out terribly. DS is beautiful in them but they cut the pic too close to the left side so I can't even put it in a frame. We wanted to use those as birth announcements but no go. We are doing pics this week-end so will use those if they are better.

For us, DS wakes up every 2-3 hrs at night to feed. When I get 3 hours I rejoice. ;)

[MrsBeckyLP]

Now, if only I could win the lottery and stay home forever...

I hear you. I can't stop thinking about going back to work, and it's killing me. I have two weeks and two days left. :( DH told me yesterday that I can't think about it, and I need to enjoy these last two and a half weeks. I know I do, and I am, but it's so hard. I just don't want to go back.

Sleep- Maddie usually gets between 5-6 hours of sleep before waking for the first time. Then she eats and usually goes back to sleep for 2-4 hours. She's up pretty consistently around 4:30 or 5 a.m., but then she will go back down (usually awake and falls asleep quietly once I leave the room) until about 7. Today she slept until 7:45!

Birth announcements- I haven't sent any out, and I don't know if I will. I feel bad about that, but I just don't see myself getting them addressed and out. I still have to write thank-yous to people who sent or brought gifts over a month ago. How horrible is that? I got my first batch out shortly after she was born, but I've totally slacked on the second batch. I feel so bad about it. My mom is coming tomorrow to go to the ped orthopedic surgeon with us, so maybe I'll get them done when we return home -- she can stay on Maddie patrol for a while.

[PGirl26]

babies. Now, if only I could win the lottery and stay home forever.

Me too! I am so so sad to go back to work in September. The thought of someone at daycare getting to spend 8-9 hours a day with my baby instead of me makes me insanely jealous. She's MY baby. I want to spend all of that time with her! I don't want her to get used to someone else for so long. I don't know what has gotten into me lately....really.. I mean, I sit here and just get jealous over the daycare workers.

Sleep: Addy has gotten on a great sleep schedule. She usually takes her last feeding around 11:30-12 pm...she will sleep until 5:30 or 6 am... anywhere from 5-6 hour stretches. Then she will feed again and sleep another 3 hours. We're usually up and moving around 8:30 am and that's when she will get on her 2 to 2.5 hour feedings for the rest of the day. I feel extremely lucky that she is sleeping so well already. I can't believe she will be seven weeks old on Friday!

[Mickey&B]

sleep ahh I got 5 hrs straight last night definetly not the norm usually it's 2-3hrs. My poor bb's were killing me when he woke up so after he nursed I had to pump just to get some relief!

announcements with AJ I used www.metrobabycards.com this time I may use www.tinyprints.com, they did a great job with my shower invites. I just have to make a date with the photographer!

[sophonisba9]

I got some awesome announcements designed from a woman on etsy.com and then I got them printed by vistaprints.com. Total cost was less than a dollar a card. I've gotten so many compliments. I know pretty much everyone knows the baby is here, but I like getting announcements and sending them. I spent a ton on DS's announcements and DD's are much nicer. Here it is.
http://emmevans.smugmug.com/photos/313281034_MVGYS-M.jpg

[MrsBeckyLP]

oooh, so pretty!

[anemone]

Here are my birth announcements/ thank you cards. I had the seller customise them to have a Thank you on the back....still have to send them out though:o

*deleted for privacy*

[anemone]

Sophonisba9 your announcements are gorgeous - I nearly picked the same design, but decided I was too lazy to organise the printing:o Beautiful pick of Catherine too!

[Standrea]

Everyone's announcements are so pretty! I love them!

My BF made my announcements. They were stamped, so I have to fill them outm, and I just haven't gotten around to that.

Last night was another weird night. Ellie wanted to be held, so we went back down to the couch. At 1:15, Abbie came down and slept with us. The 3 of us, plus the dog on the couch made for a very uncomfortable night. The weirdest part, is Ellie slept straight through until 7:45 this morning, when I had to wake her up. WHy is my 2 year old waking at the oddest hours all of a sudden?

[ironhair]

WHy is my 2 year old waking at the oddest hours all of a sudden?

We have the same problem at our house. DS had been waking so frequently and wanting to get into bed w/ us (or watch TV, or get a drink...) that we created a "bed" on the floor by our bed, now I find him there sometimes when I get up to feed DD (but he's stopped waking us up with his requests at least.

I love everyone's announcements. I never got around to doing any with DS, so I probably shouldn't do any this time around. Besides, it is too hard for me to get a picture that I like well enough to use. Everyone babies looked so cooperative and photogenic in your announcements!

We are leaving tomorrow for the weekend. We will be in the car for four hours tomorrow, I am not looking forward to that!

[IrishEyes]

Birth announcements - I want to, just haven't gotten good pictures yet. Of course, I need to get my butt in gear and get out thank you notes and invites to Carson's baptism. Those come first.

Sleep - sometimes, we're going 4 hours now between feedings (usually 8pm - midnight). It's fantastic! Then it's every 2 hours after that, it seems. We also have a noisy baby. We call him "Cavey" (short for Captain Caveman).

Daycare - it's been atrocious trying to get daycare set up, but the good news is that we found out we have a spot starting Sept. 2 in the infant room where Brody goes to school. It's expensive, but after looking at home daycares, I'm happy that he'll be only with other kids his age and it'll be easy to have one location for drop-off and pick-up. One of the home daycares we might use just for the month of August has a 2 yr old who's rambunctious and poked Carson when we visited.

Milestones - Carson smiled his first smile at my father on Father's Day. He smiled at me on Monday. I forgot how that melts you! We tried his first bottle last night, not so successful. He just chewed on the nipple.

[tashaw6]

Sleep: I have been monitoring when DS sleeps and eats etc. Well he slept for 3hrs 20mins, then ate 20 mins, slept 2 hrs, another 2 hrs and then 2hrs30min so not too bad. He feeds for 20 mins each time and goes down straight away so really not bad at all. He doesn't like to be swaddled and kicks his blanket off so I have to dress him up warmly. Andrea its funny you say that about Eli, Kade wants to sleep his last stretch of sleep on me. Its too cute, I don't mind.

Becky: I have to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I DID have a milk blister. I took a sterile needle and took care of it. MUCH better!!

[PGirl26]

Poor DD still isn't feeling well. Her nose is still a little runny. But she's just not herself. She's sleeping so much more... She ate at 11:30 last night, and didn't eat again until 6:45am this morning. Even then, I woke her up. That's such a long time for a seven week old to go without eating.. I guess I'll set my alarm clock tonight to wake up in the middle of the night because I'm paranoid. We went to the doctor on Monday and he said she didn't have any congestion in her lungs and her ears were clear... that it was just a runny nose... and there are still no other signs of sickness.. she's eating well (2.5 hours apart during the day), no fever, still peeing and pooping like normal. I guess I'm just too worried...

Birth announcements: I didn't bother with them. Everyone knew she was here lol. And my family would just throw them away after looking at them. Besides, I have yet to mail out thank you cards from my showers from March!!

Daycare: Still super depressed about this. I am having such a hard time. I cry daily thinking about putting her in daycare.

Milestones: Addy will smile at random times during the day. I've gotten several pictures of her smiling. She looks so sweet. She has a killer grasp as well. She loves to hold my finger while she is eating. She's blowing lots of bubbles as of late as well. I need to be more proactive with tummy time. She has awesome neck control, the doctor even commented about it on Monday... but I need to give her the chance to play on her tummy, learn to roll etc... but she hates it and cries every.single.time.

Life with three kids is slowing starting to get better. The girls are doing much better with Addy. And the middle one has finally calmed down and isn't acting out as much anymore. We're having some issues with their mom, and I really wish she would just get her act together... She is the source of most of our conflicts around here. But overall, it's getting much easier than before.

[Mrs.Chappy]

milstones: smile at 6 weeks but at almost 8 weeks they are coming more often

GI: we got in to see the doctor in the city tomorrow at 2:15. i'm so relieved. We jsut started zantac w/ our prevacid. I atleast want to speak w/ the doctor before i start w/ the formula. it makes me feel soo much better that we got in.

after our terrible day yesterday we all went to bed at 8:30. Jake woke at 12, 3:30 and then 7 so we all got decent sleep. granted he needs the boob to fall asleep but whatever works at this point. My ped called today to check in. she said just do whatever to keep him happy and we will worry about training him in the crib and w/o the boob later. so, today is a'good' day.


Birth announcements:i used tiny prints and sent them weeks ago (maybe when he was 3 weeks old). i've been writing thank you's like crazy w/ every free min i get which is not much.
hope everyone is doing well

[MrsSpencer]

Things are going well here, he's still having good and bad days but easier to deal with. Much better fuctioning on 3-4 hours of sleep versus 1-2 before! He's smiling a lot now, can't wait to hear him laugh! Glad to hear everyone is doing okay! funny thing happened, was changing him and before I could get the new diaper under his butt, he starts pooping again..all over the changing table! All we could do was laugh!!!

[Jessiesmama]

Beautiful announcements! I had mine done through http://www.inababycarriage.com/. They came out great. Sending them out today. I'll post them in my LJ next week (I have some friends on my FL who will get them - so I want them to arrive first).

Transitioned to the crib last night (from the swing). Jacklyn did ok. Down at 10:00pm, up at 1:30am (for 1 hour) and up at 5:45am (for 45 min. She must have had a gas bubble because she woke for the day 30 min later at 7am in pain.

Mrs. Chappy - good luck today. I'm thinking about you guys!

Jacklyn is 8 weeks today!

[MrsSpencer]

good luck MrsChappy!

[Mrs.Chappy]

thx...dreading the car ride to nyc its 40 min but w/ a screamer feels longer..

jake napped in his crib 45 min this morning... thats the longest he's bee in there.. i'll keep trying

[Standrea]

Hooray for the long nap Mrs.C! I hope it sticks for you. Good luck today, and hopefully he'll get some sleep in the car too. Keep up posted!

[smilewithme]

I took Jameson for his 2 month appointment yesterday and he is up to 12lbs 7oz! :eek: Big boy!

Announcements - I bought mine on Ebay and was very pleased. Here's the proof, minus the period after the blurb on the left though, we took that out:
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e146/smilewithme83/BA-GARFIELD-PROOF-A-2.jpg
Sorry that's so BIG.

Waiting for the dryer repair guy to show. I hate that..."anywhere between 8 - 12PM". He'll probably show up at 12:05 and I have lunch plans today! Argh. :mad:

[MrsBeckyLP]

Very cute, smilewithme!

Hope it went well today, MrsC!

Well, Maddie's harness came off yesterday!!!!!!!! Now she only wears it at night for the next eight weeks, and then we will have an x-ray done. If things are good then, she'll be seen every year until she is 18 and we won't really have much to worry about. If things aren't good then, we have to discuss options -- a plastic brace the doc basically said is an uncomfortable PITA, surgery, etc. But I'm optimistic things will be just fine in eight more weeks!

Today was her 2-month WBV and shots. She is 11 pounds, 12 ounces and 22 3/4 inches long. She's still very proportionate and is in the 65-70th percentile for everything. The shots were so hard to watch. With the first plunge of the needle, her mouth opened so wide and her face wrinkled up in a cry and turned bright red. It hurt so bad that no sound came out until the shots were done. Then she let out a wail so loud. Poor girl! But she calmed down in a few minutes, and she was fine within 10 minutes. Then we went shopping and opened a savings account for her.

QOTD: Has anyone purchased life insurance for their child yet? How about a college savings program?

We haven't done either yet, and I need to get my butt in gear. I have info about EdVest, Wisconsin's 529 college savings plan, but I have yet to do anything with it yet. And I really don't know what to do regarding life insurance for her. There's so much out there!

[MrsSpencer]

DH's great aunt is the nurse at Nicholas' dr. office. She will be giving him his shots (she gave her sons all 4 their shots, and will be a grandmother in July and will give her granddaughter her shots too). She said that I can wait out of the room and come in and be the "rescuer", that's what she has most parents do, the babies respond better to it she said. But MIL is going with me so she said she'd be in there with him, and I'd come rescue him, I get sick to my stomach just thinking about it :(

Yay Becky for being harness free for a whole day! (except at night of course:))

smilewithme he is a big boy, I'll be surprised if Nicholas is 10 pounds at his!

[smilewithme]

Becky - Yahoo about the night-only brace for now! Shots suck. Jameson was not too pleased at all about that either. Maddie's reaction sounds precious, although terrible! ;) Makes me want to pick mine up and love on him some more right now!!!

MrsS - Nice that you get to be the rescuer. And rescue you will want to do! That cry they give afterwards just wrenches my heart.

Life insurance - Check. That was one of the things DH did while he had his two weeks off after the baby was born. He was also able to up everybody else's $ amount in the family at the time so that was nice.

College savings/529 - Check. We do the Upromise thing and have a 529 set up through them. We get money automatically taken out of each of our checks and distributed to both kids now. We also have a separate savings account for each kid and DH set that up as soon as we got his SSN card in the mail.

Work is creeping back into my life. They e-mail with questions all the time. It's my fault for checking it though. Ughhhhh.... Oh, get this! My employer is giving everybody a $1,000 lump sum payment the first full pay period in July. I will still be off on maternity leave and also in a leave without pay status at the time so I think they are going to try to con their way out of paying it to me. Their line of thinking is that I have to be in a pay status to receive it and they don't want to pay it in case I don't come back. I've already started exploring my options through HR. I want that money, it's like FREE money! If it means I have to go back early, I will. But I'm hoping I just have to work one day in the pay period so it generates a check. We'll see!!!!

[Lolly]

I'm so far behind...I've been here reading along but by the time I finish catching up I have to tend to Megan again.

Mrs. C, hope you got some help today at the GI.

Becky, so glad to hear Maddie only has to wear the brace at night now!

Announcements: Mailed those out a few weeks ago. Since we send out so many (100!) I just ordered from Snapfish again like I did for DD1. They're cute enough. I made sure I did not order the exact same one as we had for DD1 but the pics used were still pretty similar. She really does look just like her big sister.

Life inurance: Added that when I added her to my insurance.

College savings: still haven't done that for DD1 yet...And we still need to open savings accounts for them. DD1 has quite a bit of money from her birthdays and Christmas, and DD2 has quite a pot going already too.

Milestones: Well, she rolled belly to back a few weeks ago but not since then. She's had amazing neck control from very early on and likes tummy time (although 10 minutes is the max on her playmat). I use the boppy for tummy time too and she likes that. She's started cooing more and I thought I even saw a little smile the other day.

Us, the last 2 days have been rough! I went to bed around 11 Weds. night and woke up at 12:30 and had to run the bathroom to vomit and then I had to go...you know too. This continued about every half hour until 7AM. I was so worried Megan would wake up, I'd be feeding her, then have take her off to run and puke. My good baby only woke up around 3:30 in between my bathroom breaks. I also lost 5 lbs according to the scale so I've now lost 7lbs in 2 weeks! Not a diet I'd suggest though. I hope my girls and DH don't get it. My MIL and FIL were sick on Mon. night and myself and SIL got sick Weds. night/Thurs morning. And we haven't seen the inlaws since Sunday.

[Mrs.Chappy]

GI said def reflux, that he is on a lot of meds but never rec whatwe should do about that. said i sshould nurse him upright and sleep him upright..any suggestions?? the carset is too slouchy so he feels the acid..same thing q/ the swing. he weighed in at 11.8 and she s aid he's prob eating t oo much..how cani not feed if he's hungry?? she left me with a lot of questions but i feel better that there's nothing 'wrong' w/ him.
i guess i nurse 8-10x a day.

she swabbed his poop and it was neg for allergies but told me to still omit dairy. she said theresno reason to switch to alimentum which made me happy.
we started zAntac a few dys ago and dh sees so much improvement. he gets prevacid and zantac 2x a day.

[Baby Lust]

Mrs C, That's great that there's nothing wrong!! Hopefully the Zantac/Prevacid combo will help very soon!

[MrsSpencer]

MrsC my mom had to put my little brother in an upright type bouncy seat for him to sllep for nine months! She couldn't bf but that was 24 years ago. glad you got SOME answers, I switched to oatmeal cereal, and he doesn't throw up much at all, and is more "regular".

[Mrs.Chappy]

thanks!

i guess i'll try rocking and putting in the bouncy..he won't fall asleep in there..its his 'happy time' place..i'll take the toy bar off and try a nap in there first. DH isgoing OOT for a week so i'm nervous to keep him in there at night..i need the sleep and don't want to try anything new. my mom is co ming Thur-sat so maybe she can help. Meanwhile, i'm noticing that he will fall asleep in the carseat if i walk him and we are getting in good naps that way which makes for a happier child (i think i walked 5 miles this morning - i'm losing weight too!).

[MrsSpencer]

ds hates to get in his, so i also walk around with him in it, and he falls asleep. how much should he be eating from a bottle at 8 weeks? i usually give him 3 oz. but have to give him more cause he's still hungry (that's after trying his paci to make sure he's hungry)?

[Mrs.Chappy]

when we do a bottle we offer 4 oz

[MrsSpencer]

Thanks MrsChappy..didn't know how often they start eating more?? I'll make 4 oz. Since we use the liners should I measure it out before I pour it in? Cause I don't think it measures right with just the liners.

[Mrs.Chappy]

yeah, measure, then pour

[Lolly]

Mrs.C, glad to hear that its just reflux. I really, really hope you can find a good solution so you can get some rest and Jake feels better too!

[Baby Lust]

Mrs C, Good luck with the new sleeping arrangements! Hopefully he will be able to sleep in the bouncer (or car seat) so you can get some rest!

Mrs S, sometimes my girls will take 3 oz in a bottle, and sometimes close to 4 (and they are still only 5-7lbs) so it is definitely possible that your little guy would take that (or more). If he is still hungry, I would try offering another ounce at a time until he is full. And yeah, don't you hate that you can't gauge oz by the drop in liners?? But yet the liners are marked! So annoying! :rolleyes:

So the girls have their first ped appt since being discharged from the NICU. I'm interested to see what the ped says about their weights. Both have slowed down a lot on gaining, and the LC is a little concerned. I have been giving a bottle or two of EBM each day to ensure they are getting enough since they fall asleep so easily when they BF, so hopefully that has been helping. And if not, I would guess the ped will suggest using a fortifier for a bit to up their calorie intake. So my fingers are crossed for good results!

Hope everyone else is doing well and getting some sleep!! :)

[MrsSpencer]

Crossing fingers that the appointment goes well Baby lust!

Thanks for the info on the drop in liners..no wonder my little guy has been still hungry :)

[Mrs.Chappy]

hmmm..tired the bouncy this morning for a nap..rocked him then put him in it..only 30 min..he's exhausted (me too!)..i/ll try the carseat (but if we aren't moving then i doubt he will stay in it for a long time)

[Mickey&B]

Mrs S
From Dr Sears
As you develop a bottle-feeding routine for you and your baby, the two of you will work out which formula is best, how much, and how often. This routine may change as your baby grows. As a general guide:

Between birth and six months of age your baby will need an average of 2 to 2.5 ounces of formula per pound per day. So, if your baby weighs ten pounds, she will need 20 to 25 ounces per day.

Newborns may take only an ounce or two at each feeding
One to two months: 3 to 4 ounces per feeding
Two to six months: 4 to 6 ounces per feeding
Six months to a year: as much as 8 ounces at a feeding
Small, more frequent feedings will work better than larger ones spaced farther apart. Your baby's tummy is about the size of his fist. Take a full bottle and place it next to your baby's fist and you'll see why tiny tummies often spit the milk back up when they're given too much at one time.

IS BABY GETTING TOO LITTLE OR TOO MUCH FORMULA?
Signs that your baby may be getting too little formula are:

slower-than-normal weight gain
diminished urine output
a loose, wrinkly appearance to baby's skin
persistent crying
Signs that your baby is being fed too much at each feeding are:

a lot of spitting up or profuse vomiting immediately after the feeding
colicky abdominal pain (baby draws his legs up onto a tense abdomen) immediately after feeding
excessive weight gain
If these signs of overfeeding occur, offer smaller-volume feedings more frequently, burp baby once or twice during the feeding, and occasionally offer a bottle of water instead of formula.



Mrs C You poor thing I hope things work themselves out soon!

I have Similac coupons if anyone is interested PM me! First come first serve!

[MrsSpencer]

thanks mickey...now I know I'm not a bad mom for giving him food a lot (he usually only eats 1-2 oz. a time, but eats frequently to prevent throwing up).

[Standrea]

Mrs. C-

Have you seen that thing that they now have by Graco? You can put your carseat in it and it moves. I think it may help you. (http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2878552&isTopSellingItem=true)

[MrsSpencer]

new pic..

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm318/NicholasHaroldsmommy/003.jpg

(sorry they're so big all the time..don't know how to downsize:))

[anemone]

MrsS he looks so grown up! Very alert - cute pic.

MrsC glad you are getting some answers and you are starting to see an improvement. Hope it continues to get easier for you.

BabyLust hope the girls have gained, and I'm sure they'll improve soon. I always thought it wasn't uncommon for a bf baby to be a little slow to gain in the first couple of months, and some weeks not to at all.

I am feeling pretty tired, after a weekend of 2-hour feedings again. I think that DD is going through her 6 week growth spurt (at 5.5 weeks), and this, coupled with DS dropping his naps has meant I am a little bit weary...I'm also dropping weight at an alarming rate, which never happened with DS, so I think I've got to up the food intake for me, as I keep getting light headed.

[E&O]

MrsC- I would have also suggested the bouncy seat for naps. For some reason during the day my DS does not sleep well in the Pack&Play so he takes most of his naps in the bouncy seat. Do your seat have a "vibrate" switch? That helps lulls my DS to sleep.

A quick update on us.... the transition to the crib continues to be a success and he is sleeping longer and longer every night, and also settling down to sleep with less tossing and turning. DS is alos filling out more and starting to look more "grown-up." We have his 2-month check up on Friday and I'm anxious to see how much weight he gained.

I'm starting to let him dictate his feeding times a little bit more.... meaning if we hit the 3 hour mark and he is still napping, I am not waking him to eat anymore. I just wait until he wakes up on his own and is hungry. Although it's never more than 4 hours between feedings. And mostly it's still the 2.5-3 hr schedule.

Can someone help me find a small, infant sized UV protector tent to use on the beach? The only ones I have been able to find are like full-size tents that could fit 2 or 3 kids. What I want is just a small, play-mat type thing with a sun shade. I've seen other people with them so I'm sure they exist.... I just can't find them anywhere online.

[MrsBeckyLP]

e&o- Try this (http://www.amazon.com/Pacific-Play-Tents-Nursery-Tent/dp/B00000IUXC/ref=pd_sim_dbs_t_1)or this (http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Play-mat-Sunshade-Canopy/dp/B000059LV7).

Or scroll down on those pages for more options. Hope that helps!

[MrsBeckyLP]

baby lust- Keep us updated on their weights/gain!

mrsC- I hope things get better for you, and soon. I really feel for you.

mrsS- He's a cutie!

Us- Things are great here! I am trying to enjoy my last two weeks of leave, and I'm trying not to think about going back to work.

Maddie gave me a seven-hour sleep stretch last night! On Saturday, we were at a graduation party, and she fell asleep in my arms there around 8:30. I was able to get her in the car seat, back to my parents' house, out of the car seat and into the crib without her waking up! Then she slept until almost 3 a.m.! I hope this becomes more consistent though, so my milk will regulate. I'm usually pretty engorged when she sleeps that long. On the nights that she only goes down for four hours, I'm not so engorged.

Saturday also was the Hawaiian luau bridal shower of a friend whose wedding I'm in at the end of July, and Maddie wore this reversible dress from Gymboree, print side out:

http://s7ondemand1.scene7.com/is/image/Gymboree/140035666_alternate?$240x305$

She was so cute!

This week/end we are going to a five-day country music festival (http://countryusaoshkosh.com/lineup.cfm). We're camping there with my parents and some family friends (I believe we have six sites with electric/running water). I have camped there every year since I was 16, so this is my 10th year. I bought Maddie a cowgirl hat from Old Navy, and I removed the blue ribbon and put on a pink one! I probably will take her into the concerts with us during the day, but not at night. My mom or her friend said they will stay back at the camper and keep an eye on Maddie, but I don't want to keep them from the concerts, so I probably won't go to the late ones most nights. I've seen them 100 times, but I would like to go to Brooks & Dunn Saturday night! I think DH might have to stay behind with her one night too ... it's only fair!

[MrsSpencer]

That's a cute dress Becky

I would love to go to a concert! Hope you have a good time, us mommies deserve it! ;)

[IrishEyes]

Mrs S - great picture!

anemone - we're going through the 6-week growth spurt here too.

Becky - that outfit is so cute! I love the sound of the concert trip.

MrsC - I hope the changes help a lot. I know sometimes DS will sleep in his crib or pnp, but sometimes I get frustrated that he'll still only sleep in my arms. Perhaps they need a transition period to a new piece of equipment!

How are we doing? As I said above, we've had a few periods of hourly eating here the past 24 hours, so I think we're on the 6 week growth spurt. As far as night, I was excited that Friday night DS slept 5 hours (8:30pm - 1:30am). Then last night, I think DS only wanted two feedings during the night (vs. the usual 3 or 4). Tomorrow is my 6 week postpartum visit, and Wednesday is DS' 1 month WBV. My home scale says he's up to 11 lbs... we'll see what the official visit says!

[Mrs.Chappy]

thanks guys..the carseat and stroller combo are becoming sure things for naps (but i have to be on the move). its an im provement either way. at home though its nuts. i bought a MOBY wrap and he is on me now. DH is out of town and last night DS slept from 9-11:15; woke at 2:45 and then at 5:45. the last stretch was the worst b/c of the reflux..he would ohly settle on my boob and therefore ate and didn't feel well lying down. i guess i'll try that last strech w/ the carseat in my room rockign him..thing is, he wakes/squeaks for the paci then needs to settle.

E&O: i'm jealous that yours gets lulled to sleep by the vibration...i always use it but he is too nosy looking around (i take the toys off),..,i think he is too worked up at that point to settle.

i am trying to push him to feed every 3 hrs like the GI suggested. its hard b/c if he is na pping now and isn't supposed to feed until 3 - an hr away, i know he will wake and be fussy and i won't be able to hold him off. Either way, i think we are headed in the right direction from last week which was a mess.

Question: how do you know if they will d rop a night time feeding..seems themidnght feeding he only eats for 15 or so min..he fusses to get on then falls asleep so i guess he's not 'really' hungry..how are you handling this?? Am i headed for along sleep stretch?? Please say yes

[Mrs.Chappy]

8 weeks

http://media3.dropshots.com/photos/141389/20080621/075924.jpg


7 weeks
http://media4.dropshots.com/photos/141389/20080614/152209.jpg

[Baby Lust]

Mrs C, Aww with a face like that, how could you possibly get frustrated with him?? LOL! I'm just kidding, but he is so darn cute!!!! I'm not sure about that feeding. Is it consistent? How does he eat at the next feeding when he skips the midnight? Is he ravenous, or is it just another feeding? I'd say as long as he is gaining well, follow his lead with the feedings. Hopefully you can get a few nights of extra sleep! :)

Appt update: Well, the appt went well today, though neither had a stellar weight gain. I think Madelyn only gained an oz (since Tuesday) and Hailey gained a little more. I didn't have their previous weights with me right now, but I think Madelyn was 7lbs 11oz (she was 7lbs 12oz today) and Hailey was 5lbs 14oz (she was 6lbs 3oz today). Overall the ped said they are doing great, but wants me to supplement with a few bottles of EBM throughout the day/night. I am fine with that, even though I despise pumping. The rest of the appt went well. Madelyn has a functioning heart murmur, which is really nothing and will correct itself soon. We go back Friday for another weight check, so hopefully there is a good gain! Oh, and the ped was so impressed that the girls are exclusively BF and that I am supplementing with EBM instead of formula! :D That made me feel really good! I almost cried! :p :rolleyes:

[Mickey&B]

Mrs C He is such a cutie! I used to tell DH when we were going through all the colic with Aidan that he was lucky he was cute ;) Hang in there I know it's hard while your in the midst of it, but I promise it will get better!!!

[Mrs.Chappy]

Thanks guys. i say that all the time Mickey..he's lucky he's cute and now that he is alert and responsive it pains me when he is fussy. Dare i say that we had a 'normal' day..he has eaten every three hrs like clockwork (his lead)..and napped a ton in the carseat and on me. Meanwhile am i doomed tonight b/c he slept so much today?? i actually got stuff done around the house!! took 8 weeks but its a start. i hope this continues.

[MrsBeckyLP]

He is a cutie, MrsC! I hope today is an indication of things to come!

[MrsBeckyLP]

I think Maddie is sick or doesn't feel well. :(

She had two really watery poops today (one this morning and one this afternoon), and she is crying a lot. For most of the evening she's been crying if we weren't walking around the house with her. Now she's even crying when we are walking her. I put her to bed at 8 p.m. after she fell asleep (like she always does after she eats at that time), and she woke up five minutes later, crying. That literally has never happened. This is the first time she woke up soon after she went down for the night. She doesn't have a fever, but her cry tells me something is wrong. I just don't know what to do. :confused:

eta: She had her shots Friday and seemed fine. But now I can't help but wonder if the oral rotavirus is partly to blame for this? Just a thought.

[Mrs.Chappy]

becky: ear infection??

[MrsBeckyLP]

mrsC- That thought ran through my mind too. I was prone to them as a child, so I'll keep an eye on that sort of thing in the future. I think she's OK today. She just had a normal poop, and she slept fine. But we've only been up for 15 minutes, so that has time to change! Maybe she was just that overtired. Hopefully. :) I'm so not used to inconsolable crying.

[MrsSpencer]

I figured out how to get him to sleep in his cradle, I took the mobile off the crib, he LOVES it and fell asleep watching it this morning. I couldn't get him to go to sleep for nothing this morning about 445-545 so I put it on and by 6 he was out and let me sleep (by myself :)) till 730! then he wanted to be cuddled till 830, which I was happy to do. ;)

[MrsSpencer]

sorry you had a bad day Becky, but glad to hear she may be feeling better.

glad to hear things are going better MrsChappy, he's adorable!
Good job exclusively bfing Babylust!

[smilewithme]

BabyLust - I am impressed with your exclusive breastfeeding both babies, good job!!!

MrsC - He's totally adorable. I really hope yesterday was an indication of more good things to come!

MrsS - Yay for getting him to sleep in his cradle and he's a cutie too!

Becky - I hope Maddie is feeling better today. Maybe she was overtired like you said. Jameson is seriously a cranky mister when he's overtired and sometimes I am totally stumped as to what it is and then take him to his room: calm, cool, quiet, very low light and rock and feed him and it's magic! Your country music festival vacation sounds like SO much fun!!!

It's so great to hear so many of us mommies figuring out the little quirks of our babies and making things work. Sometimes it seems like it takes forever but that sweet victory when it happens is worth it!

Us: I do not want to jinx anything but here goes! (Knocking on wood). Jameson has slept through the night for the last three nights!!! :eek::D:eek: (Knock on wood, once again). I've fed him and put him down at 8 or 8:30 the last three nights. He's woken at 5:30-ish to feed and most of the time then goes back to sleep for a few more hours. But in my book 5:30 is sleeping through the night!!!

I was rifling through some articles that I ripped out of magazines before DS was born and I was deciding whether to recycle or keep them. One article talked about the 3 mistakes for sleeping habits. Here's what it said in a nutshell for anyone who has an interest. And I did. It made me feel better about the night when I turned the monitor off and fell back asleep for a few hours.
1. Once baby reaches 12 pounds, he most likely does not need night feedings. Jameson is 12+ pounds although I do still feed him in the night if he happens to wake. I have noticed it is usually MUCH shorter than a daytime feeding and he just nods off to sleep very quickly.
2. Don't be a slave to the monitor. Every time he wakes you don't have to rush in there immediately. See if he'll calm himself back to sleep. Jameson had calmed himself down at some point on "the night of the silent monitor". When I woke up and noticed I couldn't hear the white noise through the monitor I freaked out. He was conked out in his bassinett just fine.
3. Crap, I can't remember #3 but it was very similar to #2. I remember thinking those are the same.

Anyhoo, I was glad to come across that and kind of reinforce what I already knew and was already practicing in some ways. Glad to say I haven't done the silent monitor again! I would hate to accidentally have it off if he really needed me and was really crying hard for a long time. So sad!

Not baby related, but I am listening to holiday music right now. :rolleyes: I have iTunes on shuffle for the entire library and it's picking up more than a few of the holiday selections. It's annoying, I'm not ready for that time of year again.

[Standrea]

Smilewithme-I started my christmas shopping last week ;). I'm getting totally excited about the holidays this year! I'm crazy, I know.

Mrs.C-Im glad things are getting better. He's so cute!
Mrs.S-your little guy is so handsome!

Babylust-You never cease to amaze me! Good job!

Us-We have been busy. The IL's were here this weekend, and hten we went to visit them and go to the beach yesterday. I have my niece and nephew for the week. Today is a down day, and tommorrow we are taking for her first trip to manhattan. I'm so excited to take her there! The wweather is supposed to be great, so I think it's going to be a good day.

Ellie was up eating every hour last night. I'm so tired today. I think she's just hititng her 6 week growth spurt now (even though she's almost 8 weeks).

Am I crazy for wanting another baby already?

[makena32204]

Am I crazy for wanting another baby already?

YES!!! But, if anyone could handle it, you could! You always amaze me.

smilewithme-Great news on the sleeping!! I dont want to jinx it either, but Tristan has been sleeping from 9-10 to 2:00ish. One night, he slept until 3:30. It's amazing!

Holidays- I love the Christmas holiday. I'm a big kid when it comes to the season. :p

MrsC-I hope things are getting better for you. DD was very similiar to your son and I couldnt imagine handling that with a toddler too.

Becky- I hope Maddie is feeling better.

Babylust- As always, your BF is phenomenal!

MrsS - Ah, what a cutie!

As for us, we're doing well. Tristan is sleeping better and Amelia loves the heck out of him. She's so much better with him than I ever could have imagined!

[Mickey&B]

Am I crazy for wanting another baby already?

Umm yes, yes you are :p

Not much time to post as Dylan was up every hour to nurse last night and has continued this same pattern today! Can you say exhausted!!! The only thing is that he really isn't nursing as much as snacking and then falling asleep :rolleyes: Hopefully it's just a growth spurt!

[MrsBeckyLP]

Yep Andrea, I'm going to have to call you nuts too! ;)

smile- JEALOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think Maddie is better today, but she's still a bit more fussy than normal. She has a hard time napping, and I think that has something to do with her recent fussiness. She does not nap in her crib (will not). She was up today from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. with only a 30-minute nap. Now it's 5:15 here, and she's been sleeping on me for three hours. I've hardly moved, because she needs the sleep. I don't want to keep up this "sleeping on Mom only" thing, but sometimes it just needs to be done. I've been trying to get her to nap elsewhere the past few days, and it isn't working so she isn't napping well.

[Mrs.Chappy]

jealous of those sleeping thru..jake was fussy today..i'm dreading another nitr w/o DH..i'ne been ip since 4 am

standrea: your nuts.. jk...i'm done after trhis guy..ready to donate my maternity clothes..i originally wanted 3..no way now. DH is 100% we are finito!

[MrsSpencer]

I want another one...but not for like three or four years!

He's been really fussy today, just screaming if he isn't eating (screams worse if you put a paci in his mouth) but throws up cause of how often he's eating..and he NEVER finishes more than two ounces at a time..most times he sucks a few times and falls asleep for like twenty minutes and is screaming again. He's been so good but starting about two weeks ago he's slowly getting worse again..I'm gonna have him tested and hopefully some meds..on a good note he's no longer struggling to poop, since I switched to oatmeal cereal. He's sleeping better at night than during the day..which is good, but I can't get anything done during the day..hmm...

[Mickey&B]

MrsC Ugg I'm sorry! How are you dealing with Ben?

Mrs S Sorry you are having to go through this!

[Mrs.Chappy]

mickey: my bro comes over every night at 5..i order in dinner.. he picks it up and bathes abd puts ben to sleep rhen leaves. my mom is coming thurs and staying till sat..i ccant wait..slow week!.

[sophonisba9]

I think Cate is at the point where she can sleep for more than 7 hours at night. She'll often wake earlier, but either fall back sleep with a binky or only nurse for 5 minutes.

She has a bit of a cold and that has been messing up her sleep for the last few days.

DS started preschool last week and I've been having a blast shopping with Cate two mornings a week. I can't believe I used to complain about running errands with DS when he was a baby. Errands are so much easier with a baby than a toddler.

[MrsSpencer]

I know..all Nicholas does is sleep! I've never seen him sleep more sounder, can't figure it out? :)

[MrsSpencer]

when we're shopping..sorry thought I typed that..only one-hand;)

[MrsBeckyLP]

MrsS- It's possible to go back and edit your post; you don't have to type a new post to add something. Just click "edit" on the bottom right of your post. :)

The neighbor and I are headed to the outlet mall today. It has all the kids' stores -- Gymboree, The Children's Place, Carter's, Oshkosh B'Gosh, Gap, Old Navy. I'm going to try to control myself! Now I'm just waiting for her to call and say she's ready; she doesn't quite have the whole "getting yourself and baby ready" thing down like I do! She called at 7:30 and said she could be ready by 11!

[PGirl26]

Hey guys... I feel like I never have anything to write, but I'm following along... hope everyone and their babies are doing well.

Things here are going good. Addy is fussy today. Everytime I try to put her down, she cries. She never acts like this. We had a long night too... SHe has been sleeping 6-7 hours at night... I feel so so blessed. But man, last night she just wouldn't sleep. She didn't cry much. She just kept waking up and kicking her feet. She would just make noises and punch me with her fist... I don't know what her deal was. She is still eating well. Breastfeeding still sucks, but we're making it. When she takes a bottle, she's usually eating 3-4 ounces now. We go back to the doctor on July 3rd. I am dreading this appointment for her shots. She's going to be so pitiful.

Standrea: I don't think you're nuts. DH & I have already talked about our next one. We plan on having two more.. (yes, we're insane..thats 5 kids total) I totally miss being pregnant... so we'll see how long we can last without having another lol

sophonisba9: Hope Cate feels better soon. Addesyn is still trying to get over her cold from a week ago. She's still kind of snotty.

Becky: Hope Maddie is feeling better today! I know the whole "sleeping on mom routine" .. it can get exhausting!

[MrsSpencer]

Thanks Becky..didn't know that :)

Have fun....it's okay to go crazy sometimes :)

[sophonisba9]

Another one- For a while I thinking a third might be a possibility, but I don't handle motherhood while pregnant well. Plus being pregnant is so hard on me. I'm thinking we shouldn't press our luck. Besides, I'm for sure due for a collicky baby from hell, after easy-peasy Cate.

[ironhair]

[QUOTE=Standrea;1737447 Am I crazy for wanting another baby already?[/QUOTE]

Not at all ;) I originally wanted another one in 2 years, but starting to think about maybe next year. We'll see, I have 2 months to make up my mind for sure...

Becky: Have fun shopping! I am so jealous!

Babylust: Amazing job breast feeding!!

MrsC & MrsS: Your little guys are adorable!

Andrea: Christmas shopping already??!!? Holy Cow! Of course, I'm not working right now, so not making any money (DH and I have very seperate money), so I can't even think about shopping of any kind for a little while longer :(

Us: Alivia slept for a 4-hour stretch last night! I know it's not much compared to some of you lucky moms, but we'll take what we can get around here! Now, if only she would go to bed before 11. I have less than two weeks before I have to go back to work, and I have no idea how I'm going to get back into that routine. I am so not looking forward to getting up at 5, and staying up for the day.

[MrsBeckyLP]

Another one- Though I called Andrea crazy (;)), we definitely plan on it, but I'm just not thinking about it now. We'll probably TTC in about a year.

[E&O]

Add me to the list of Mommas having a little bit of trouble with nap time. Although DS sleeps soundly in his crib all night, I can't get him to nap in a "bed-type" setting. He can be dead asleep laying on me, but as soon as I put him in the P&P, he stirs himself awake. Or if he does manage to stay asleep its only for 15-20 minutes and then he awake. So he mostly naps in the bouncy seat or occasionally the swing.

When he starts daycare he'll need to sleep in a P&P (although they do allow the kids to sleep in the swings), so I feel like its something I need to work on over the next few weeks.

I go back to work on July 30....it's creeping around the bend. Part of me is ready, because I'll be very honest...I'm having a hard time handeling the afternoons when DD gets home from daycare. It's 3 hours of whining and crying with a few happy, fun moments interspersed. And its totally frustrating to me. I think (and hope and pray) that things will get better once she is back on our old schedule.

I am really envious of SAH moms who have the patience to deal with two kids all day long. My best friend does it and I know a lot of you do too. I wish I was wired that way. But I am too inpatient and I get stressed really easily when I can't communicate with DD and work things out. The "terrible twos" are really taking their toll on me. Not to get all emotional here (but I am)....I really wish I could be DD's "hero mom" who was always fun and she always wants to be around, but I don't think I am. And that makes me feel bad.

Ok, done feeling sorry for myself. I've got to see if the swing has lulled DS to sleep. I don't think so...I see two little legs kicking around. :)

[IrishEyes]

E&O- I'm with you. We've had good nights with Brody, but last night he was so whiney. On top of that, Carson was in a mood. DH was home late because of work, so I had them for about 2 hr. It's not easy and I couldn't do it everyday.

Shots - Carson is 6 weeks now, and today at the pediatrician's he got 3 shots (5 vaccines). We couldn't wait until the next appointment since he may be going into daycare in a month. The shots themselves were awful, but he was fine after we started driving in the car. My little baby is now 12 lb 3 oz, 24 inches long! Obviously, he likes mommy's milk!

Another one- yes, Andrea, you are nuts. But you seem to have the two kids thing down so well, so I'm not surprised. We almost didn't have a second baby. It was something we started to consider when Brody turned 2. We won't be having another, that's for sure. Two is the most we're comfortable with, emotionally and financially. And I don't think I could do another third trimester!

Sleep - the last few nights, Carson will go 4-5 hrs between feedings. I think the whole thing that was posted about them being 12 lbs might be true for us!

[Baby Lust]

Not sure if you guys saw this but there has been a massive crib recall (http://news.bostonherald.com/news/national/general/view/2008_06_25_Federal_officials_announce_massive_crib _recall/srvc=home&position=recent), so check to see if yours is one of them!

[smilewithme]

Not sure if you guys saw this but there has been a massive crib recall (http://news.bostonherald.com/news/national/general/view/2008_06_25_Federal_officials_announce_massive_crib _recall/srvc=home&position=recent), so check to see if yours is one of them!

Yes, and ours is one of them. What a pain. Luckily we don't have DS in it yet as he's still in the bassinett for awhile. But guess what? Same crib DD slept in the whole time. :rolleyes:

Another One - Not us. DH just got a referral from his primary care doc to get his vasectomy scheduled ASAP.

My return to work date is coming soon too. It hit home when a friend of mine went back to work this Monday. I was thinking about her all day and wondering how it was going. Knowing that it'll be me in a little over two weeks is killing me.

Becky - Oooh, I wish I was going outlet shopping with you! I think I will make a point next week to hit the outlets before I go back to work. Might as well. I don't have the time when I'm at work and in our regular schedule.

I'm trying to fit lots of stuff in before I go back to work. Outlets, salon, another trip to "My Girlfriends Kitchen" for more food...way cool for busy weeknights after work! Various kid and me doctor appointments.

OH! Jameson laughed this morning! Really laughed! It was so adorable. He had finished breeastfeeding and fell asleep so I had him laying on his back in the Boppy but still on my lap so I was looking at him, if that makes sense. All of a sudden he breaks out in giggles. I looked at him and sure enough, he did it again! The second giggle fit woke him up and then it was smile fest after that. It was so adorable! Yes, he's been smiling, but the giggling? That was the first! That I'd heard at least. :D

I've been going crazy on Etsy.com buying various and random things. Too much fun!

[Dettes]

Am I crazy for wanting another baby alreadyNOT AT ALL! I always said I wanted four, but was realistic and said I'd see how three went first. As soon as Caroline was born however, DH and I looked at each other and said definitley one more. I'd like to do it sooner rather than later too, since I am already 34. We even went out and bought a new car seat even though our old one was perfectly fine, because we figured it wouldn't last for a fourth. I'm also in the I love being pregnant club though.

Errands are so much easier with a baby than a toddler.
I totally agree, actually, I think LIFE, in general, is so much easier with an infant than toddler/preschoolers. Everytime I pick up Caroline, I am suddenly Zen, she is so peaceful and sweet. Of course the peace only lasts for a moment until the other two come barreling in screaming and shooting webs, a la Spiderman

Today is DS' birthday. I can't believe that I have a four year old - crazy!!!

[smilewithme]

Oh no! I think I physically have to go into work tomorrow. I've been working a 1/2 day every pay period since I've been home which has been NO big deal. My plan was to do the same tomorrow and I even talked to my backup person and let them know I'd be logging in tomorrow and we could chat and talk about anything she needs help with, etc. I tried to log in tonight to see what awaits me tomorrow and I can't do it. I think my password at work expired and it doesn't automatically sync up to my laptop obviously and it also doesn't notify me on my laptop that my password is about to expire, I remember this from my last maternity leave.

So now, yep, I am afraid I'm going to have to go in the office in the morning to put in my 1/2 day which I do not want to do. Mainly because I'm going to go in (with the baby, of course) and it's going to feel like a social visit and it'll be hard to get down to business and I'll be on edge about Jameson crying and whatnot. It's just not very professional..although my office is VERY laidback and go crazy when the babies come in, but still. I'm going to try to work, but who knows if it'll work out. Ughhh, I don't want to do this!

[Mrs.Chappy]

smile: good luck at the office

we got a 4 1/2 hr stretch (huge for us). Jake is startingg to wake semi happy..whew.

[Dettes]

Mrs C good news. Hopefully it continues

Smile Oh no - good luck. I feel your pain - last night I went to a swearing in ceremony and reception for one of my partners who became a judge and I was dreading it because I knew I would hear "When are you coming back?" at least 50 times. I did, but I managed to dodge answering by saying "thats the $64,000 question isn't it?" - The answer is - I DON'T KNOW!!!!!! I'm loving being home too much right now and I'm not ready to commit to a date yet ... But alas, all good things must come to an end and I will have to go back eventually - I just don't want to think about it until after the summer.

[tashaw6]

I don't know what is up with Kade the past 2 days. He doesn't want to sleep during the day, screams blue murder and only is content when eating at the boob. He falls asleep there and when I try move him he wakes up and screams again so I am stuck with him on me. He seems to be fine, no temperature, is happy when he wakes up, slept really well (for us) last night...so I am at a loss. Any of you experiencing this or have any clue what is up?

[Mrs.Chappy]

tashaw: growth spurt??

Among other things, one challenge i have is getting out at a certain time..like two days in a row my 3 yr ol,d had a playdate in the morning..the first time i couldnt get out until 11 am b/c he was napping on me..then woke and needed to be fed. forget transfrring to the carseat while he's sleeping..it yields screaming and a terrible rest of the day..

today i said i'd meet someone at 10 but didn't make it until 10:30. have to travel with a well fed infant to work the nap in the car or else its a disaster. i hate having to dictate my day around it but it means a world of difference when there's a happy; well-rested baby.

should be interesting next week when DS1 starts camp and the drop of is 9:30..i don't want him being late!! so if my DS2 isn't fed or wakes from nap then its going to be crazy b/c i just can't time it and have it work perfectly

[Baby Lust]

Mrs C, We are always late too! We definitely have to have the girls fed before we go anywhere, and sometimes that can take forever! But it's well worth it to avoid a scream-fest in the store or whatever! :p

[MrsSpencer]

If you can believe it I still have yet to go ANYWHERE with him by myself..fear I guess. But DH is installing a new carseat in my car (I don't like how the other one sits in my car). So next week (since my mom and dad are going on vacation to Daytona) I'll have to fend for myself after Tuesday, and I'm determined to go somewhere, even if it's close by by myself to prove I can do it.

MrsC-Glad to hear things are slowly getting better. Luckily no matter what once I start walking to the car with him in the carseat he's out..don't know why?

[MrsBeckyLP]

MrsS- Yes, get out! Even if it's just for lunch at McDonald's or something. There's nothing to be afraid of! I feel so much more like a real person when I leave the house. We go somewhere at least four days a week -- even if it's just a quick trip to the grocery store.

Shopping yesterday was great. I spent more than I thought I would, but I got some good stuff!

We're leaving in about an hour for this country music fest. I'll be back maybe Sunday with a picture of Maddie in her cowgirl hat!

[MrsSpencer]

have fun Becky...I will get out...starting to get more excited about it :)

[tashaw6]

tashaw: growth spurt??

Really? I don't like growth spurts then. I am exhausted. He must be exhausted too. Today he had a 45 min sleep and then a 20 min one. He is yawning so much but fighting the sleep! I gave him a bottle with 2 oz of EBM and he ate it but then it all came back up so he is not hungry.

Is your baby only colicky if he cries during the night? Mine cries during the day, and I guess its not consistently...but still.

He is so cute at the moment. He is quietly rocking in his swing sucking his thumb. Not a good habit but cute none the less.. ;)

[MrsBeckyLP]

MrsS- To tell you the truth, I love going out with her. People dote on babies, and it really makes a mom feel good when people comment on how cute her baby is!

[MrsSpencer]

DH just said the other day how he likes when people says stuff about Nicholas, I do too. My mom has really changed in the last two months..I can't count on one hand the times she's gotten on my nerves (which is saying something). She just loves him, and I'm kinda jealous..where was that woman when I was little??

[Standrea]

Hey gals-I'm trying to catch up! I've had my niece and nephew for the week, as well as my little 2, so we've been trying to get out and keep ourselves busy.
Monday we went to my IL's so we could go to the beach (they live on the Sound), and Wednesday I was actually crazy enough to take all 4 of them to NYC by myself. We drove right into manhattan and parked instead of taking the train because I thought that would be TOO crazy for me to deal with the 4 of them and my stroller. I'm so glad I drove there. It was a bit hard to keep track of everyone (we met my little sister down there, so she helped), but we had a great time. I love having 2 little girls. We were in the American Girl doll store so Abbie could get a new outfit for her doll, and it made me really excited for when the girls are older (like 3 and 5) so we can go down for their birthdays for tea with their dolls. SO CUTE.

Question-
How often are your children eating? Ellie still seems to be eating every 2 hours, but I can't remember when they starting eating less often.

ETA: Babylust-thank you for the crib recall. Of course it's mine.

[Mickey&B]

Standrea Wow you are brave!!!

Eating Dylan eats every 2 hrs during the day, he can go longer stretches at night. If I remember correctly AJ didn't go every 3 hrs until after he was 6 months, but every child is different.

getting out Is a must! even if it's just for a walk! Getting out on time is a challenge with a newborn especially having to plan feedings, making sure he is fed and happy before we get into the car! Although he is so much better than his brother who screamed bloody murder regardless if he was hungry or not ahhhh... the good ol' days :rolleyes: I finally understand what parents would talk about when they would tell me all their child did was eat and sleep. Having a child who isn't colicy is a dream! I have to say that I am glad that if I had to have a colicy baby that it was my first and not my second. Mrs C I do think of you often, I hope your having a good day!

[makena32204]

Although he is so much better than his brother who screamed bloody murder regardless if he was hungry or not ahhhh... the good ol' days :rolleyes: I finally understand what parents would talk about when they would tell me all their child did was eat and sleep. Having a child who isn't colicy is a dream! I have to say that I am glad that if I had to have a colicy baby that it was my first and not my second. Mrs C I do think of you often, I hope your having a good day!

ITA!!! (except insert sister for brother :p ) I remember telling DH many times that we were never having another kid...and here we are.

Okay, so I have about 5 mins to ask everyone to pray for me. I have agreed to drive about 15 hours (overnight) with DH and the two kids to visit his parents for a week. I dont know which is worse...the drive or the inlaws...no, I do. The inlaws, hands down! :rolleyes:

off to pack..

[smilewithme]

Getting Out - Yep, agreed it's a must! I think I posted once that all I did was pack up DS and drive down to McDonald's to get myself a drink at the drive-thru and do a little drive afterwards. It did wonders for me. I hadn't showered or anything, but I was going crazy in the house. The other day DH came home and said it was SO HOT outside and I realized I hadn't been outside all day long. :rolleyes: Had to change that.

But yea, it's a chore to get out of the house with self and toddler and baby ready and happy. I always try to make sure he's clean and well-fed before our outing because it makes it so much more pleasant and well, that can take some time and throw our schedule off a few times. Luckily all my friends are moms and they totally understand. Hey, they've done it to me too!!! With DD our very first doc appt after she was born she was only a few days old and our appt. was at 8:15AM (with a 30 minute drive time to get there). Oh my! I said I would NEVER schedule an appointment that early with a baby in tow. With DS it's been easier of course, but that was a shocker the first time, I was a mess!

Eating - DS eats every 2-3 hours during the day but at night will go for many hours without. I'm clueless going back to daycare how much EBM I'm going to send with him...how many bottles and what size? I remember this with DD but of course the daycare provider will let me know...send more or that's too much!

Good luck with your overnight drive Makena!!!

[tashaw6]

Getting out: Kade has been to church, visited friends, gone to Chicago and Niagara. We also take him shopping with us (which can take longer now as everyone stops and says aww...lol). He has also gone to see my work colleagues. of course we walk him after work. We went and got portraits taken of him this last week-end and it took us forever to get there. We were late. Thankfully someone canceled so they were able to see us.

Us: I have my baby back. The growth spurt period must be over. He slept like a champ last night and has not been stuck on me every hour today! Its wonderful. Andrea Kade still eats every 2 hours or so. Today has not been the norm. He last ate at 11 and its nearly 2 now and he hasn't shown any interest in food. Its so cute (although I probably won't say this later when I can't get him to stop), he is self soothing himself with sucking his thumb. Shows no interest in the pacifier so I guess I have to be happy with this for now.

[smilewithme]

We went and got portraits taken of him this last week-end and it took us forever to get there.

I SO need to do this and I want family pics of all of us together besides DS and DD by themselves. I saw Mickey's avatar (CUTE) which reminded me I need to get it done!

[Mrs.Chappy]

us: a TERRIBLE day today.; my mom witnessed my breakdown. i just passed the baby off and took a two hr nap.i've been up since 4 am. DH jst got home from Miami. My mom keeps saying not to cry in front of him....

everyone is back..gotta run

[Mickey&B]

Mrs C Listen, you cry whenever you need to! The last thing you need right now is to repress your feelings. I can't tell you how many times I called B crying with Aidan crying in the background. It helps to get it out and if you can't do that with your partner who else is going to help you get through this! Having a child that constantly cries is the hardest thing you will ever have to endure!!!!! it takes a toll on your body and your emotions so don't let your mother make you feel like you must get a handle on them!!! good for you on taking that nap!!!!

{{{{HUGS}}}}}

[MrsSpencer]

mrsc- sorry you had a bad day..ditto everything mickey said.

[Standrea]

MrsC-I'm thinking of you. Like Mickey said, let it out, don't hold those feelings in.

[E&O]

What a day for poor DS! We had his 2 month check-up today and it was pretty rough. Of course there was getting a thermometer put up his butt, and 3 shots, but to top it off the pediatrician pretty much "initibated" him during the check-up. We were discussing his constant snorting, and how I wasn't sure if he was always congested or if it was just a noise he made, blah, blah, blah. Kind of out of the blue she pulled out a kit and took a small tube and inserted it into each nostril and down his throat to make sure there were no obstructions to his breathing. Holy heck, I never heard him scream so loud or get so red!!!!! I can ususally handle myself pretty well when my kids are in pain, getting shots, etc.... but this was even unsettling to me.

Good news is nothing was getting in the way of his breathing, we just have a kid who snorts. The ped said it may eventually be a tonsil/adenoid problem. I'm not surprised, I had those as well.

He's had a rough night, has a bit of fever from the shots and so he would just start screaming for no reason (VERY unlike him) and take quite a while to calm down. But I finally nursed him to sleep and I think he's down for a while.

His stats:
Weight: 11lb 0oz (30%)
Height: 22 in (10%)
He definitely is a little man. He gained 1 1/2 lb and grew 1 in during the past month. The percentiles really threw me off guard and concerned me, but the ped was not phased at all.

Too bad the appt went so badly, we were having a great days with tons of smiles and cooing. Hopefully he'll be more playful in the morning.

[anemone]

E&O sorry your DS had such a rough visit to the ped. Hope the fever goes soon, and that nose thing sounds awful - I would have been crying myself I think if I'd seen that!

Mrs C - hugs to you. I'm sure you'll see a big improvement soon - and cry as much as you want.

Mickey - love your new avatar!

MrsS - everything Becky said - you've got to get out of the house! The first time is a little stressful (I remember feeling like a total idiot trying to undo my stroller out of the car for the first time with DS), but you'll get your confidence back pretty quick.

Dettes OMG - 4?!? You are brave! I'm not sure with having another. I've had two really easy DC's, and feel I may be tempting fate if we go for a third. Also, my pg sucked with both - just hate feeling fat, uncomfortable, and the morning sickness was horrendous with both. We'll think about it when DD is 1 - I'm 33, so the clock is ticking for us as well...

Standrea I can't believe you drove in NYC:eek: Honestly I would have a breakdown trying to do that, especially with all the one way streets and people jaywalking. I saw the American Girl store when we were in city for a month last year - It took me a while to work out what it was because there were so many older women coming out with bags:p Your DD's will just LOVE it there for a tea party. I think my DD will want a visit when we take her to the States when she is older too.

tashaw that is too cute that he sucks his thumb, although with the size of their thumbs it's a wonder they find any pleasure in it!

We are going well here - my mum was here this week, which was a great help. DH was supposed to be going on another 'round the world trip for work, but it got cancelled. Still, with the hours he works, mum didn't really see him anyway!

DD had a 6 week checkup, and now weighs 10lbs 3 oz, so her weight gain is steady. She's also grown another 1 cm, so she is a tall girl. I've put all her nb clothes away now, and she is definitely well into the 0-3m stuff. We are settling into a routine with her sleeping. I feed her at 10.30, or DH does an EBM bottle with her at that time (so I can sleep a little more) and she doesn't wake until somewhere between 3.30-5 am. We've also dropped all DS's naps this week. It's meant that he is going down at 7pm and we don't hear a peep out of him. I've finally got my evenings back.

[Baby Lust]

Quick update before Madelyn wakes up to eat!

The girls had a weigh in today and they gained a ton!! Hailey gained 7oz since Monday, and Madelyn 5oz! That's more than 1oz per day!!! Woohoo! Of course that means more pumping and bottling, but if it helps them gain, I won't complain too much! :p I go back to work in 2 weeks so they will be getting bottles anyway, but I'm just happy it is working! :D

[MrsSpencer]

I think I may attempt it today, don't know? Had a good night with him sleeping in his cradle, he only got up twice (usually 3 times 1,3,5) he went down a liittle before 11 and didn't get up till almost three! Then just now, got me some sleep alone again, not that I mind the occasional cuddle:)

E&O I totally would've cried, I think they should have asked you before they did it!

babylust great weight gain (hey it's still your milk!)

anemone Nicholas has had a growth spurt and is out of his 0-3 month onesies and only a couple outfits fit him in that size! Although waist wise he's still in nb? go figure shaped like his daddy:)

[Mrs.Chappy]

thx.,.,. our terrible day was followed by DS sleeping from 1o to 6 (of course i was up for the day at 3 b/c my boobs were ready to go.)..i hope this is the start of something great.

enjoy your weekends.
so sad that my mom is leaving tonite...they only live 40 min away but the fact that she has been at my beck and call has been wonderful

DH and i hardly talk..this whole thing has stressed my marriage more than words. he is off to play poker tonight of all things. he was just away for a week, golfed today w/ my dad and is off w/ the guys tonight.. grANTEd when he is here he helps w/ my toddler. but still..i want a night out w/ the girls..if only i wasn't so tired.

[Standrea]

Mrs.C-I am so sorry that you have a strain in your marriage right now. I hope you get a girls night soon! And, maybe a datenight with your DH too!

Mrs.S-did you end up taking Nicholas out today?

[BeachGirl]

Hi everyone,

Wow, life with a newborn is much busier than I ever imagined. She turned one month yesterday, so I'm finally starting to get into somewhat of a routine.

I have a question for all of you - about a week ago I started noticing that the right side of her head slopes down a little and then there is what feels like a bump or a raised part of her skull underneath the flattened part. I called the doctor's office about this, and then said just to rotate her so she doesn't develop flat head, but everything I read on this says to keep them off the flattened side. However, I'm afraid if I only lay her on the left side now that she will get flattening on that side too. I'm espeically worried because I knew a baby that had to wear one of those corrective helmets for 6 months and 23 hours a day to reshape his head. Is is possible for her to have a flat spot at only 4 weeks old? Did any of you experience this with your older kids or do your newborns have flat areas on their heads? I'm a nervous wreck over this. DH thinks I'm crazy, but I really want to take her to the doctor to get it checked out. I am literally losing sleep over it. :(

[Baby Lust]

BG, I would rotate her head weekly, starting with the non-flattened side. That should help even it out right away, then keep both sides shaped nicely. If you are really concerned, take her in! But it is very normal and should correct itself without a helmet.

[MrsSpencer]

Yes..I took him out but my best friend called and I drove to pick her up and we went to walmart..but I went by myself to get her with him and we were fine!

MrsC- Ours is under a minor strain but for different reasons ;) (We still haven't...you know..and he's a little more than perturbed. I just have no desire to right now, I'm tired, and a little afraid too.) He is always out doing something else and not helping me at home with Nicholas. But he finished the fence (no longer taking out the dog yay!) and re-did the porch which it needed. So it's a double edged sword cause we need that stuff done, yet I want him to help me. He doesn't have guy friends to go out with, they are all 10-20 years older than us (men he works with) and have kids and all that jazz, so hanging out or golfing (which he hates) they don't do. He does go fishing with his dad, but takes me with him and leaves me there with his step-mom (dad's wife) to help me if I need it.