July 2008 Mommies | Growing Quickly! [Archive]

july2008mommies

10-30-2008, 04:53 PM

July 2008 Mommies

Bloomwood
Me: 35
DH: 36
Your new arrival's name: Serena
New arrival's birthdate: July 9, 2008
New arrival's birth stats: 22.25 inches, 8lbs, 5oz
Any other children: DD1 May 9, 2006

Daisy
Me: 29
DH: 34
Your new arrival's name: Jensen
New arrival's birthdate: July 27, 2008
New arrival's birth stats: 19 inches, 6 lbs, 14 oz
Any other children: Nope, just two furballs.

ez2luv
Me: Tammi, 29
DH: Trevor, 29
Your new arrival's names:
Katelyn & Sophia
On July 25, 08
Katelyn Elizabeth: 5lb,7oz @ 11:57am
Sophia Danielle: 6lbs,5oz @ 11:59am
Any other children: DD, Isabelle 09/18/04

jeanine
Me: Jeanine, 30
DH:Ken, 38
Your new arrival's name: Benjamin Chase
New arrival's birthdate: July 8th
New Arrival's Birth Stats: 6lbs, 3oz - 19 inches
Any other children: nope

JLR
Me: 31
Dh: 36
Your New Arrival's Name: Adam Cruz
New Arrival's Birthdate: July 2nd, 2008 12:40 P.M. @ 39 wks./6 days by sched. c-section
New Arrival's Birth Stats: 5 lbs., 14.4 ozs. & 19" long.
Any other children: n/a

lcarlson90
Me: 29
DH: 30
Your arrival's name: Gavin Patrick
New Arrival's Birthdate: July 30the 2008
New arrival's birth stats: 22 inches, 9lbs 7 oz
Any other children: DS#1 February 24, 2005

Lvella43
Me: 38
DH: 36
Your new arrival's name: Dylan Marion
New arrival's birthdate: June 29
New Arrival's Birth Stats: 7lbs 11oz, 19.5"
Any other children: Jack Oct 26, 2005

Monster Mama
Me: 28
DH:42
New Arrivals Name: Brooklyn Grace
New Arrivals birthdate: 7-22-08
Birth weight: 9lbs .5oz
Birth Length 21.5 in
Birth Time 10:03am

MrsR
Me: Jessica, 34
DH: Matt, 35
Your new arrival's name: John David "Jack"
New arrival's birthdate: July 24, 2008
New Arrival's Birth Stats: 22in, 9lbs, 2.9 oz
Any other children: two furbabies, Bella and Sophie

MSH
Me: 27
DH: 26
Your new arrival's name: Ronan
New arrival's birthdate: July 17th 2008
New Arrival's Birth Stats: 20in, 7lbs, 7 oz
Any other children: DS Sept 25 2006

steviem
Me: 35
DH: 37
Your new arrival's name: Avery Claire
New arrival's birthdate: July 23, 2008
New Arrival's Birth Stats: 9lbs 9oz, 21.5"
Any other children: Owen Paul (DS) June 28, 2006

Sue
Me: Sue, 36 in January
DH: John, 39
Your new arrival's name: Ryan Matthew
New arrival's birthdate: July 24th
New Arrival's Birth Stats: 7lbs, 6oz - 20 inches (3 1/2 weeks early )
Any other children: nope

TOMama
Me: 36
DH: 37
Your new arrival's name: Landon Nikko
New arrival's birthdate: July 17, 2008
New Arrival's Birth Stats: 7 lbs 6 oz, 21 1/4 in
Any other children: DS1, May 20, 2006

july2008mommies

10-30-2008, 04:54 PM

Babies By Birthdate

June
29 - Lvella43: Dylan

July

2 - JLR: Adam Cruz
8 - jeanine:Benjamin Chase
9 - Bloomwood: Serena
17 - MSH: Ronan, TOMama: Landon Nikko
23 - steviem: Avery Claire
24 - Sue: Ryan Matthew
27 - Daisy: Jensen
30 - lcarlson90 Gavin

july2008mommies

10-30-2008, 04:56 PM

Lvella43 - Dylan at 4 months
http://media5.dropshots.com/photos/94885/20081024/121541.jpg

MSH - Ronan
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3048/2986099193_8bdc54eb87.jpg

Daisy - Jensen
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3242/3000604286_8bd6b8fac9_m.jpg

JLR - Adam
http://i537.photobucket.com/albums/ff334/jlrenheos/100_5055.jpg

Steviem - Avery
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o247/sjanisse/KI2_0944.jpg

Sue -Ryan
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/misssue23/Ryan/10292008011.jpg

july2008mommies

10-30-2008, 04:56 PM

Helpful Links ~ Coming Right Up!

Helpful Links:

Weekly Pregnancy Updates:
American Baby (http://www.americanbaby.com)* Baby Center (http://www.babycenter.com)* BabyZone (http://www.babyzone.com)* iVillage (http://www.ivillage.com)* StorkNet (http://www.storknet.com)* Very Best Baby (http://www.verybestbaby.com)

Tickers:
Baby's First Site (http://www.babysfirstsite.com) * Baby Gaga (http://www.baby-gaga.com)* La Femme Bonita (http://www.lafemmebonita.com) * Lilypie (http://www.Lilypie.com)* SnugglePie (http://www.snugglepie.com)* Ticker Central (http://www.tickercentral.com)* Ticker Factory (http://www.tickerfactory.com)

Miscellaneous Informative Sites:
American Pregnancy Association (http://www.americanpregnancy.org/) * Baby Names (http://www.babynames.com)* Baby Net (http://www.babynet.com)* Safe Fetus (http://www.safefetus.com)(for a list of safe drugs during pregnancy) * Consumer Reports (http://www.consumerreports.com)Report on Car Seat Safety

Maternity Shopping Sites:
A Pea In The Pod (http://www.apeainthepod.com)* Baby Style (http://www.babystyle.com)* Belly Basics (http://www.bellybasics.com)* Bella Materna (http://www.BellaMaterna.com) * Gap Maternity (http://www.gap.com) * JC Penney (http://www.jcpenney.com)* Lane Bryant (http://www.lanebryant.com) * Mimi Maternity (http://www.mimimaternity.com)* Mom's The Word (http://www.momsthewordmaternity.com)* Motherhood Maternity (http://www.motherhood.com)* Old Navy (http://www.oldnavy.com)* Target (http://www.target.com)

Baby Registries:
Babies 'R Us (http://www.toysrus.com/shop/index.jsp?categoryId=2255957)* Baby Center (http://www.babycenter.com)* Baby Depot (http://www.babydepot.com)* BabyStyle (http://www.babystyle.com)* Buy Buy Baby (http://www.buybuybaby.com)* Sears (http://www.sears.com)* Target (http://www.target.com)* USA Baby (http://www.usababy.com)* WalMart (http://www.walmart.com)

Baby Shopping Sites:
Baby Age (http://www.babyage.com) * Baby Ant (http://www.babyant.com)* Baby Bazaar (http://www.babybazaar.com)* Baby Box (http://www.babybox.com) * Baby Center's Store (http://www.babycenter.com) * Baby Depot (http://www.babydepot.com)* Baby Dilly (http://www.babydilly.com) * Baby's Dream (http://www.babysdream.com) * Babies 'R Us (http://www.babiesrus.com)* BabyStyle (http://www.babystyle.com)* Baby Universe (http://www.babyuniverse.com)* Baby Bedding (http://www.babybedding.com)* Dimples and Dandelions (http://www.dimplesanddandelions.com)* Dreamtime Baby (http://www.dreamtimebaby.com)* Elegant Baby (http://www.elegantbaby.com)* Fisher Price (http://www.fisher-price.com) * Gap (http://www.gap.com)* Graco (http://www.gracobaby.com)* Gymboree (http://www.gymboree.com)* In The Treetop (http://www.inthetreetop.com)* Land of Nod (http://www.landofnod.com)* Little Showoffs (http://www.littleshowoffs.com)* Net Kidswear (http://www.netkidswear.com)* Nursery Depot (http://www.nurserydepot.com)* Old Navy (http://www.oldnavy.com) * One of a Kind Kid (http://www.oneofakindkid.com) * One Step Ahead (http://www.onestepahead.com)* Pokkadots (http://www.pokkadots.com)* Signature Baby (http://www.signaturebaby.com) * Target (http://www.target.com)* The Baby Marketplace (http://www.thebabymarketplace.com)* The Children's Place (http://www.thechildrensplace.com) * Tutti Bella (http://www.tuttibella.com)* Wendy Bellissimo (http://www.wendybellissimo.com)*

Delivery/Birthing Options (OB, Midwives, Doulas, birthcenters, etc.):
American Association of Birth Centers (http://www.birthcenters.org)* American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists * American College of Nurse-Midwives (http://www.acog.org)* Childbirth Connection (http://www.childbirthconnection.org)* Lamaze (http://www.lamaze.org)* Bradley Birth (http://www.bradleybirth.com) * Birthing From Within (http://www.birthingfromwithin.com)* Birthworks (http://www.birthworks.org)* HypBirth (http://www.hypbirth.com)* HypnoBirthing (http://www.hypnobirthing.com)* Association of Labor Assistants & Childbirth Educators (http://www.alace.org) * International Childbirth Education Association (http://www.icea.org)* Waterbirth International (http://waterbirth.org)* DONA International (http://www.dona.org)

Breastfeeding:
Ameda (http://www.ameda.com)* Breastfeeding (http://www.breastfeeding.com)* Boppy (http://www.boppy.com)* KellyMom (http://www.kellymom.com)* La Leche League (http://www.llli.org/nb.html)* Maternal Concepts (http://www.maternalconcepts.com)* Medela (http://www.medela.com)* Mothering (http://www.mothering.com)* ProMoM (http://www.promom.org)* Whisper Wear (http://www.babybungalow.com/whiswearbrea1.html)

Formula Feeding:
Bright Beginnings (http://www.brightbeginnings.com)* Enfamil (http://www.enfamil.com)* Similac (http://www.welcomeaddition.com)* Nestle Good Start (http://www.verybestbaby.com/goodstart/)*

Diapering Info: (some have coupons & contests)
Cloth Diapering (http://www.diaperpin.com) * Huggies (http://www.huggiesbabynetwork.com/)* Luvs (http://www.luvs.com)* Pampers (http://www.pampers.com)

Slings:
Ergo (http://www.ergobabycarrier.com)* The Hip Hugger (http://www.hiphugger.com) * About Babies Inc (http://aboutbabiesinc.com/). * Maya Wrap (http://www.mayawrap.com)* New Native Baby (http://www.newnativebaby.com)* Prenatal Cradle (http://www.prenatalcradle.com)* Baby Wearer (http://www.thebabywearer.com) * 360Bebe (http://www.360bebe.com)*

Cord Blood/Stem Cell Info:
Securacell (http://www.securacell.com) * Viacord (http://www.viacord.com)* Cord Blood (http://www.cordblood.com)* Cryobank (http://www.cryobank.com)* Lifebank USA (http://www.lifebankusa.com) * CorCell (http://www.corcell.com/)* Cryo-Cell (http://www.cryo-cell.com)

Invitations/Announcements:
2Peas1Pod (http://2peas1pod.com)* 5StarBaby (http://www.5starbaby.com)* BabyGrams (http://www.babygrams.com)* Baby J Cards (http://babyjcards.com) * Bella Baby (http://www.bellababy.com)* Celebration Cottage (http://www.celebrationcottage.com)* inababycarriage (http://www.inababycarriage.com)* InvitationBox (http://www.invitationbox.com)* MetroBaby Cards (http://www.metrobabycards.com)* My Gatsby (http://www.mygatsby.com)* Naptime Cards (http://www.naptimecards.com)* PurpleStork (http://www.PurpleStork.com)* Simply To Impess (http://www.simplytoimpress.com) * Stork Grams (http://www.storkgrams.com)* Tiny Prints (http://www.tinyprints.com)

Fun Stuff:
Jewel Kids (http://www.jewelkids.com) * Lifetime Mothers (http://www.lifetimemothers.com)* ExpectNet (http://www.expectnet.com) (have friends and family compete in a baby pool!)

MSH

10-30-2008, 05:13 PM

Hi everyone!

An update on Ronan. He is the most amazing baby, seriously we couldn't have asked for more. He is smiley all day long unless he is wet or hungry. He STTN 9-8, naps from 9:30-11am and 1pm-3pm and a short 1 hour nap around dinner 6-7pm'ish. He is really good at going down too, we just put him in the crib and he goes to sleep. He can roll from belly to back when he wants to but hasn't yet rolled from back to belly, however he is getting close. He loves to watch his brother play around him, loves tummytime and sitting in the Bumbo at the dinner table.

Currently we are fighting off pink eye! I don't think it is actually pink eye as his eyes aren't red but there is some discharge.

Here is the little guy
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3048/2986099193_8bdc54eb87.jpg

Daisy

10-31-2008, 10:29 AM

Thanks for the new thread!

MSH - that is the cutest picture!! I am patiently waiting for my DH to upload some photos so I can post one...we finally got one of Jensen smiling.

Anyone doing anything fun tonight/today? We have psudo plans depending on whether this rain stops. I'd like to go to a pumpkin patch and a family friendly haunted house, but we'll see. We don't get trick or treaters. :(

So my nanny, whom I've known has always wanted more hours, took another job, so she is only going to be coming to my house one morning a week for 4.5 hours. I understand, but I'm still disappointed. I'm happy to keep her at least once a week though. If the new family doesn't work out, I'll get her back more at least. I'd look for another nanny, but I just don't think we'll get as lucky.

Re sleeping - Jensen has been wide awake every evening this week - for like 4-5 hours before going to sleep for the night. During this time he can be fussy (especially if you try to put him down), but he sleeps good once he finally goes to sleep. He's not acting like he's overtired either, he's just awake. I think he's just going through a growth spurt or something, I have read about this happening. Hopefully this 'schedule' will change once again next week. Last week he went to sleep at 8:30 every night like clockwork, it was great.

ez2luv

10-31-2008, 11:44 AM

Not sure if I *officially* joined the last thread...

ez2luv
Me: Tammi, 29
DH: Trevor, 29
Your new arrival's names:
Katelyn & Sophia
On July 25, 08
Katelyn Elizabeth: 5lb,7oz @ 11:57am
Sophia Danielle: 6lbs,5oz @ 11:59am
Any other children: DD, Isabelle 09/18/04

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MrsR

11-01-2008, 12:03 PM

It looks like even though I posted my stats in the last thread, I never got added -- guess that is what I get for being a bad poster:o:o. . .

Anyway, here they are again:

MrsR
Me: Jessica, 34
DH: Matt, 35
Your new arrival's name: John David "Jack"
New arrival's birthdate: July 24, 2008
New Arrival's Birth Stats: 22in, 9lbs, 2.9 oz
Any other children: two furbabies, Bella and Sophie

I am still in Florida visiting my mom and DH is flying in as we speak so that we can drive back tomorrow -- it has been so nice having my mom to help out so I will miss that but it will be nice to be back home so that we can get back into our routine (if that makes sense).

I will post pictures later but Jack was a pea pod for halloween

JLRenheos

11-02-2008, 06:17 PM

Hi all.

Been a busy wknd. My mom & 1 of my sisters came into town and stayed w/us Saturday. Family came over to my house for awhile & visited Saturday evening. My Mom babysat ds for several hrs. for us on Saturday evening. We had a function to go to.
We finally got the exersaucer from the shed & mom/I cleaned it up...still in the cleaning process. Can't wait to put him in it, even though he's kinda young.
Still NO dryer, so took a TON clothes to the laundry. The rest of the evening was spent hanging out w/my family over at my Grandfather's.

Our friend is babysitting our DS tomorrow, since my ILs aren't back from Florida yet. This shall be interesting. He has a daughter that's a little over 6 mos.
Well, one good thing, is that his house is baby friendly & has everything you would need, since their dc is only 9 1/2 wks. older than ours!

Lvella43

11-03-2008, 08:10 AM

Dylan just had his 4 month appointment and it shocks me how much bigger he is than Jack.

Stats:

Weight: 15 pounds, 13 oz - 66%
Length: 25 1/4 inches - 60%
Head Size: 41 cm - 17% (little noggin)

Jack (DS1) didn't weigh 15 pounds until he was 6 months old and it was 15 lbs, 3oz so still smaller than Dylan is now at 4 months. crazy.

Daisy

11-03-2008, 01:16 PM

Finally got some photos of Jensen uploaded - this one is my current fav:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3242/3000604286_8bd6b8fac9_m.jpg

Lvella43

11-03-2008, 04:52 PM

http://media5.dropshots.com/photos/94885/20081101/135359.jpg (http://www.dropshots.com/Lvella43#date/2008-11-01/13:53:59)

JLRenheos

11-04-2008, 06:53 AM

Been wondering when the July '09 mommies-to-be thread is going to pop up?! ;)...anytime...

Eta - the thread just popped up this afternoon!

JLRenheos

11-04-2008, 02:03 PM

MSH He is such THe cutie pie!! Sounds like he's an all around great baby! That's awesome that he's rolled over - yay! Yeah, Dh & I had pink eye over our vacation. It sucked! Swollen eyes, soreness/redness & discharge. Ick!! We didn't know what it was at first. I think we must've had it & passed it back/forth for almost 2-3 wks. Ack! I feel your pain.

Daisy stinks that your nanny can't come more than just the 1 day per wk.. I'm with ya on the growth spurts. Hopefully your lil' guy is back on schedule! J is Soo cute!!! I like his shirt!

ez2luv Welcome! Congrats on the birth of your twin baby girls! So cute!! I have 10 yr. old Identical twin 1/2 sisters! You must be one busy Mama in your household!

MrsR glad you had a great time visiting w/your Mom in Fla.! Hopefully, your drive went well w/the little man. I betcha he was cute in his peapod suit!

lvella D looks So tall in the jumper. How does he like it?!
Glad his 4 mo. wbv went well. Did he get his vacs too? We see the Ped. next Tuesday for DS 4 mo. vax. Luv his cute little pic. on the 1st page! That's amazing that your DS1 didn't weigh that until he was 6mos. wow.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They built a Carter's store here in town. They just opened last week. Not good on the wallet, but I love it! Went there last night & picked up a lot of things! They have some of THE cutest stuff!
My Mom also bought DS several 6 mos. 2 pc. Carter's outfits & summer clothes for next year! We Love Grandma! Thanks!
It's amazing how fast they grow out of things. DS is currently in 6 mos. clothing now. Some of the pieces he can grow into, while some of them fit fine!
3 weeks ago he weighed in at a whopping 15 lbs.. :eek: He's wearing sz. 3 diapes, however they're a little big on him. We see the Ped. next Tuesday for DS 4 mo. Wbv/vax..

We had the time change here. It has definitely affected DS. He's getting up earlier:( and he's going to bed earlier. I'm hoping this won't last much longer. The early wakings are making me batty.
ALL last week, DS has been waking up at least 1X during the night(around the same time;3-5 A.M. range)! I could ring his neck. not really I know it was our 1st week back from vacay, but oy! He did it again Monday a.m.. I think he's waking up hungry and/or the time change has messed with him. I'm exhausted.

QOTD What's your plans for Thanksgiving?
We'll be traveling this year to my MOm's in Indiana.

lcarlson how was your 30th birthday?!;)

Lvella43

11-05-2008, 11:29 AM

Vitamin D Supplementing BF moms - has your pediatrician recommended a vitamin D supplement?

TOMama

11-05-2008, 10:01 PM

Vitamin D Supp - Our Ped recommended Poly-Vi-Sol.

I tweaked my back and can't sit for too long. Feeling old... I'll be back later!

MrsR

11-06-2008, 06:56 AM

Vitamin D Supplementing BF moms - has your pediatrician recommended a vitamin D supplement?

We have been giving Jack Tri-vi-sol at the recommendation of our ped since Jack was 1 month old.

JLRenheos

11-08-2008, 01:13 PM

DS & I met dh at the grocery store the other day. I took him during his naptime. I should've known better. DS needs his beauty sleep. Lol! Anyhow, he started screaming in the store & ALL eyes were on us. What are you gonna do, you know?! So, we just kept on trekking along & grocery shopped, but at fast speeds. He eventually stopped screaming & fell asleep & woke up in time to leave.
This worker came out from the Bakery section & kneeled down & was touching our DS hands:mad: She didn't even ask! Who knows where her hands have been & *if* they were clean. This makes me batty, since DS hands are constantly in his mouth!

Within the last week or so, DS has become really vocal. By that, I mean he's starting to cryout/scream a lot louder. He lets you know it too!

Vitamin D supplenting Ds isn't taking any vitamins. We see the ped. this coming week, so I'll ask about it then.

I'll be back sometime to drop off a pic. or two ....

Happy Weekend! ;)

Lvella43

11-08-2008, 05:08 PM

JLR I can't believe that she touched his hands; man that makes me so mad!! If you can believe this, I had two women at Costco yesterday try to FEED him!!!!! WTH? He's four months old he doesn't eat food! Man I would have paid good money to see the look on my face.

Vitamin D IMHO, after doing some research its a waste of money for our family. We're outside a lot so I'm not worried about it. I also read that there were only 20 or so cases of the deficiency. To me is sounds like a way for The Man to get $$ from BF moms.

JLRenheos

11-09-2008, 11:55 AM

One of my baby monitors isn't working.:confused: The lights work on it, but not the sound. I have No clue what happened. Going to BRU to exchange it for the same brand. I don't have the box, so I'm hoping they'll take it back for another, since it was on my registry. I must look for my gift reciept.

Help! Question about Chicken Pox & Mono

1) My Mom & 1 of my younger sisters(11yrs.) came into town to stay w/us last weekend(Sat./Sun.). DS & I spent the majority of our time hanging out w/them. My other 2 sisters(twins-10 yrs.) stayed home. My mom/family live out of state.
Well, looks like one of the twins came down w/Chicken Pox & started breaking out 2 days ago. We're supposed to go visit for Thanksgiving, but now I don't think so.:( They've all been around each other. DS wasn't in direct contact w/one of girls, but was around 1 of my sisters with whom she lives with.
So, what is the likelyhood that my DS has been exposed to chickenpox? We're supposed to see our Ped on Tuesday for his 4 mo. vax.. Is there a 2 week incubation period, if he does end up w/it? Ack!

2) I worked yesterday. I had a 14 yr. old patient tell me that she had Mono after the fact! That's contaigus(sp?)!! Anyway, I had my lab coat on, & gloves, mask-(but not covering my face at that time) but still. I wiped everything down, sprayed myself w/Lysol. Should I worry? I normally wouldn't be all that concerned, except now I have a young child.
I know my son needs to build up his immunity system, but wow, what a crazy week, esp; when you have strangers touching your child too!

MrsSpencer

11-09-2008, 04:54 PM

jlr- it's 14 to 21 days..ds was exposed and didn't get it..hope it's the same for you!

TOMama

11-09-2008, 05:55 PM

If anyone is interested in the recommended Vitamin D supplement, here's an interesting article (http://www.parenting.com/article/Toddler/Health/The-Lowdown-on-Vitamin-D) that I read in Parenting magazine.

Lvella - Dylan has such beautiful eyes, what a little heartbreaker! I think Landon is going to break the scale at his 4 month wbv too. He's at least 15 lbs now and is still eating every 3 hours or so. No wonder why I'm always hungry and snacking all the time! :rolleyes:

Daisy - What a cutie! Love the monkey onsie. We have a ton of monkey clothes from DS1, and I just love them. Fits my boys to a tee!

JLR - Oh, that sucks!!! I would think that his chances would be slim since it's 2nd hand exposure, but I understand your concern. Hopefully your ped can ease your mind!

L. Update - He's a happy fellow, very smiley & laughs and chatters a lot. Lately he's been getting distracted while feeding and it can take a while for him to settle down and just eat! Aside from not sleeping thru the night (at least according to my def. of sleeping thru the night!), he's super easy. He's rolling from back to side, and is almost rolling over. Probably won't happen until we get his neck straightened out though (literally!). I hope to get him on the P/T schedule in the next week or 2.

We're in SD for a few days to celebrate my b-day. We've been doing mostly kid friendly activities, but I was able to partake in a yummy margarita. Made my day!

JLRenheos

11-11-2008, 12:12 PM

DS had his 4 mo. WBV today! He's 18 weeks/6 days!

He also had his vax today too. He did very well. I gave him some Tylenol about 45 min. prior to his appt.!

He now weighs- 16 lbs. 6 ozs (75%)
His length is- 25 1/4 inches (50%)
Head Circumference is- 16 3/4 (50%)

My Dad/SM have dogs & so does my brother. Anyhow, DS has 2 patchwork like rashes or some skin thing on his upper thighs. They came about the same time & has been there awhile. His Ped. thinks it's ringworm and/or it could be eczema, So, he said to go get some cream OTC(I can't remember right off hand) and apply it daily 3Xs for 3-4 wks..

After his Ped appt., we headed on over to Lowe's. He slept the entire time!

......Starship,...... we *officially* have a Dryer (only after not having one for more than 2 mos.!) I bought one today!
It's being delivered tomorrow!!! Yay! :D :D

Tomorrow, I'm taking DS to Target to have his 4 mos. picture taken! I'm hoping he's happy, 'cause I have THE cutest outfit picked out for him.

Daisy

11-11-2008, 12:58 PM

Hey Ladies,

Not much to report. J is a good little baby and, I think, is going through some massive growth spurts right now. It took him 3 months to fit into his 0-3 month clothes, but he'll probably be in his 3-6 month stuff any day now. I left him with DH on Sunday for 7 hours (the longest to date) and DH only changed him once :rolleyes:, but other than that, no mishaps. My girlfriend and I hit this great outlet mall nearby and I probably got half my Christmas shopping done already! Every single store was a success.

What else, I checked out the child care facilities at my athletic club and I'm pleased with them. I may put J in there for an hour this week while I work out. Tomorrow though we're going to try their Babyrobics class. My club is pretty nice and big and they offer a ton of classes. We'll probably try out Kindermusik after the new year when he hits the 6 month mark.

My SIL and neice visited over the weekend. We had dinner with them right after they got off the plane. Neice, of course, was filthy and continued to bounce around J (too closely and loudly, IMO) and put her nasty hands (dirt under nails and all) all over J and his pacifier. Why the heck SIL didn't say anything is beyond me. So when DH and J had brunch with them on Sunday, I made him take some purell and use it on her before she touched him. WTF if wrong with people? To add, my poor neice (who is 5.5) is way chubby and her poor shirt was too tight and short on her. :rolleyes: My SIL was a chubby kid too, so you'd think she'd watch out for my neice better (and not feed her coke, chips, pizza, anything chocolate...).

Vitamin D - We'll see if my ped says anything at his 4 month WBV. I know several adults that take supplements though (it is overcast a LOT here).

ToMama - thanks, the monkey stuff at gymbo fits J really well too. Happy Birthday! Did you get yourself anything special?

JLR - yay, new dryer! It's about time, you poor thing! I have zero idea about the chicken pox stuff, yikes.

Thanksgiving/QOTD - we spend it at my parents every year. They live 2 hours east of us (over a mountain pass, so hopefully the weather will be good). Several of my aunts/uncles live in the same town and my mom always hosts. DH's family doesn't celebrate any holiday (religious or otherwise), never has and probably never will - fine with me, we just get to spend the holidays with my family!

Bloomwood

11-11-2008, 01:32 PM

Ugh. Just got DD1 down for her nap and DD2 is waking. I'll make this quick.

So tired. S is still up 2x/night. It is killing me. We're working on cutting the first waking but haven't been consistent enough yet. I think we'll go full-board this weekend. I am exhausted. S woke up at 4:50 and didn't want to go back to sleep until 6:45 when guess who woke up. It is really unusual for her, so I can't complain too much except I also have a cold and could really use the extra sleep.

Other than that, she is doing great. Also a really easy baby - only really cries when she is protesting sleep and then, lemme tell you, she's got some lungs. We have her 4 mo WBV tomorrow; I'm so excited to see how big she is. I put her in a 6-9 mo shirt from Children's Place today and it is pretty much too small for her. Yowza.

Thanksgiving - at my parents' house. We do that every year as DH's parents don't care much. We host everyone here for xmas.

Okay, gotta get the angel up now. So much for my nap.

Bloomwood

11-11-2008, 04:27 PM

oh and my postpartum hair loss has started. Blech.

JLRenheos

11-12-2008, 07:13 AM

bloomwood sorry about the hair. Hopefully, it doesn't last to long. The vacuum is constantly out in our household. :( Hope you're feeling better. Have a good wbv today! I had DS in a 9 mo. outfit yesterday.:eek: It was just a tad long in the arms/legs..

Daisy Ah man, don't even get me started on Christmas shopping. That's great that your dh took care of him, so that you could enjoy an evening out alone shopping!
Babyrobics & Kindermusich - have fun in those classes w/the little guy!
That's awesome that you always to get to spend any holiday w/your family!!

Our dryer came at 8 am today! It's nothing fancy, but it did come w/a drying rack & has a chrome insert/steel drum. eta - I went back through my old posts & hadn't realized that we were w/o a dryer since 8/31, until today! 2 1/2 mos.! OMg!
I'm thinking of taking swim lessons w/my DS this winter at our local rec. cntr.. They don't start them until they are at least 6 mos..

Holy mOly, sorry the images are Huge. oy.
http://i537.photobucket.com/albums/ff334/jlrenheos/100_5056.jpg

http://i537.photobucket.com/albums/ff334/jlrenheos/100_5055.jpg

TOMama

11-12-2008, 10:58 PM

Now THAT is a cute lion!!!

oh and my postpartum hair loss has started. Blech.

Yeah, me too. Totally gross, hair everywhere and it doesn't help that L. is always pulling on my hair. Poor guy is losing his hair too...but he looks cute bald-- me, not so much!

I'm off to bed!

TOMama

11-13-2008, 08:14 PM

Anyone's kiddos having separation anxiety? Holy crap, Landon drove me absolutely crazy today... cried everytime I left his sight. Wouldn't even nap unless I held him. AAARRRGH! Tonight is not starting off well either, I've already been in there twice to tend to him and it's only been 1 hour. I remember this happening with DS1 at the 4 month mark, and it didn't get better until he was 1 year old! (sigh) WWYD??? CIO?

It doesn't help that he's up at 4 AM every morning too. Last night I had 2 hours of solid sleep. I am going crazy!

Daisy

11-14-2008, 08:59 AM

ToMama - seriously? Great...I am leaving Jensen with my parents for a long weekend in another week. I did leave him with DH for the day last Sunday and that went fine.

Hair Loss - yeah, I am noticing that I am losing more than normal. Lovely.

JLR - very cute pics! I forgot about swim lessons, I need to look into these after the new year as well.

Not much new with us...we tried babyrobics the other day and it was great, we'll go again. Jensen has been sleeping really well lately (well this week anyway, it seems to change every week or so). We've been getting up once around 4AM, he eats again at around 6-7AM (when the alarm goes off) and gets up for the day around 9-9:30. However, despite all of our efforts to put him to bed early, he goes down at about 10pm. I don't know what to do but to keep trying... He naps well during the day, so who knows.

Today the three of us are getting our holiday/family photos taken. Jensen is wearing these pants (http://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=7143&pid=603851), the onesie is a white henley style with matching trim. DH is wearing a button down of a similar blue with dark jeans and I think I'm going to wear a dark brown sweater. Can I just say that I'm so ready for my clothes to fit like they used to? My girls aren't even that much larger than before, but it makes a lot of my shirts un-wearable.

Tonight my girlfriend is throwing me a early bday party at her house. I got to pick the menu, so I chose my fav foods - caprese salad, fish tacos, ice cream cake and lots of wine. :D Have a great weekend everyone!

lcarlson90

11-14-2008, 05:53 PM

I am such a bad July Mommy...I haven't even posted in the new thread. Before I even talk about what is going on in my world I need to do some replies..

Lvella - First off, thanks for creating this new thread. It seems like DS#2 is going to be a lot bigger than DS #1 as well. Do you think that Dylan looks like Jack when he was a baby?

MSH - I love your pic of Ronan. I can't believe he is so happy on his tummy. If I tried to take a picture of G while he was on his tummy he would be screaming.

Daisy - Sorry that your nanny took another job and now you only get her one morning a week. Is it working out for her with the other family? I love the pic of Jensen. I love the Gymbo monkey line, Gavin has 3 outfits from that line. I am so jealous that you are almost done with your Christmas shopping, I haven't even started. I can't believe J is still in 0-3 month clothes, he is such a little guy. I put a pair of 6 -12 month Gap jeans on G last week and they fit him. :eek: Happy Birthday, I hope you have a great time at your party. The menu sounds great.

MrsR - That is nice that you were able to spend some time with your Mom, isn't it nice when you have someone to help you out for a little bit.

JLR - That's awesome that they built a Carters store near you. I love there stuff but we don't have a store nearby. My birthday party was a lot of fun, thanks for asking. Sorry about A screaming at the grocery store. It always sucks when that happens because you feel like everyone is watching you and you did something wrong. DS has some patches too, it's definitely excema. DS#1 had it too so I know all about it. We usually use Aquaphor and that works pretty good. That is great that you got a dryer, I bet you are so excited. A is such a cute little lion.

ToMama - Sorry about your back, I hope you are feeling better. I hope you had a great time in SD celebrating your birthday. DS gets distracted pretty easily when he is eating too. I usually have to go upstairs in his room and sit in the rocking chair and feed him. Sorry you are having such a rough patch with Landon's sleeping. Hopefully it gets better soon.

Bloom - Sorry to hear that S is still waking so much at night. If it makes you feel better G wakes at least once every night, sometimes twice. I feel your pain. It always seems like I can never get both kids to sleep in on the same day. It's like I am always up with one of them.

JLRenheos

11-14-2008, 07:18 PM

DS has been Mr. Crankypants pretty much the entire week.

He didn't nap hardly at All or eat very well the entire day today, while at the sitters. I know he's teething, so I'm assuming that's playing a big part. Also, he's been tugging at that one ear(same one as the last time)again.
Nothing seems to be keeping him content...just fussing. Last night, he decided to yell out @ 12:30 a.m. for a feeding. meh.
Today was a long dreadful day.

Bloomwood

11-15-2008, 01:55 PM

JLR - I so feel your pain. DD1 was up sick all night Thursday and last night DD2 decided it was her turn to be cranky hungry girl. One tired momma here! A is so cute in the lion outfit.

Daisy - hope you had a fun birthday!! How'd the photos go?

TOMoma - thankfully no separation anxiety here. DD1 never had it either. crossing my fingers.

Serena's 4 month stats:
weight: 14lbs 12oz (95%)
height: 26 inches (97%)
head circ: 41.5 cm (75%)

she's a chunky pin head!

JLRenheos

11-16-2008, 06:20 AM

TOMama how is your PT going?...and your toe? Hope it's healing nicely for you. How's the little man doing with his sleep/separation anxiety? I don't know, maybe he's going through a growth spurt and/or just teething.

Daisy Happy early Birthday! Hope you had a nice celebration w/your friends! Food sounds lovely! I've never had fish tacos. What kind of fish? It sounds good!
I'm sure J has gotten used to 'his' sched.. Maybe it'll take a few weeks for him to get used to going to bed early if you decided to change his bedtime. I hope your Holiday photos turned out well! I can't see the link. Not viewable. Speaking of, I just found a $25 GC to Gap, now just deciding on what to get the lil' man!

lcarlson How's work going, now that your back?! You probably don't have any time. That Aquaphor is just so exp; but I've heard it's nice to have! I'm sure I have a free sample of it somewhere around the house! I heart my new dryer, thanks! I hope G is doing well! ;)

bloomwood I hope your DDs are feeling better. It's certainly that time of year for colds/getting sick! Glad your WBV went well!

QOTD #1 Christmas toy ideas for a 6 mos.? Any other ideas? We probably won't do to much this year, as our DC is so little anyway. I might pick up a few things, such as feeding stuff(plastic covered bibs!), since we'll be in that new stage soon, a few sleepers, and a toy or new book!...oh and a new Christmas ornament(1st!). My mom is getting him diapes/wipes for Christmas!! yay!

QOTD #2 Are any of you getting the flu shot? I haven't & don't know if I will. I probably should.

QOTD #3 Have any of you given thought about starting rice cereal/solids in the next few months? I don't know where to start. How often & how much. I guess I can start this maybe around Christmastime if I want, but may start in the New Year!

US
nothing new. no chicken pox as of yet..... Still not rolling over yet. DS has no interest, as he doesn't like tummytime. He does like to sit up w/my help though. I try & practice the tri-pod sitting w/him & he likes that!
He's got a blad spot on the back of his little noggin, oh and it's a little flat. :o:rolleyes:He drools a ton & no sight of a tooth yet...seems to have been very fussy as of lately.
I had his 4 mo. pics. taken on Thurs.(I know, I'm running a little late on those, since he'll be 5 mos. next week! :o) They got 2 wonderful shots of him! I've already made his next pic. appt, since I know they'll be busy due to the Holidays.
Just hanging out w/the boy & family today!

steviem

11-16-2008, 01:28 PM

Hi ladies,

These fires in SoCal are terrible. I feel so sad for the families who have lost their homes. Tomama and Lcarlson, I hope you guys are okay. We are not close to the fires but we have tons and tons of ash covering our house/yards/patios/cars and the air quality pretty much sucks!

Daisy: Happy early birthday! Hope your family pictures went well.

Bloom: Hope your DD1 is feeling better and that both girls sleep well to give mama a much needed break!

JLR: Cutest lion cub ever! And congrats on the new dryer.

Christmas Presents/Toys: Honestly, we have so much stuff left from DS when he was a baby, that I don't think Miss Avery will be getting many toys. Maybe a soft/cuddly doll and that's about it. Poor girl.

Flu Shot: I don't get the flu vax.

Solids: I know the recommended age for solids is 6 months, but, I tend to start my kids earlier (around 4.5 months). I had a lot of fun introducing solids to DS and I am excited to start with DD in about a month. I made homemade baby food for DS and plan to do so again for DD. It was super easy, healty and very inexpensive. For anyone interested, check out www.wholesomebabyfood.com. It is a great website that gives information on when to introduce what foods and recipes on how to make everything. Again, super, super easy to make your own food.

I finally got around to downloading our pro-pics from when Avery was 3 wks old. Sorry (in advance) to bombard you with so many..... these are just a few of my favorites:

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o247/sjanisse/KI2_0929.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o247/sjanisse/KI2_0944.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o247/sjanisse/KI2_0958.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o247/sjanisse/KFP_5622.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o247/sjanisse/KI2_1078.jpg

JLRenheos

11-16-2008, 01:51 PM

steviem those pro pics. are gorgeous, esp; the one where you're are looking down at her - so sweet! :) Ack! Lookee at her little piggies! ;)Thanks for sharing! Thanks for sharing the link about the food. I'll have to check that out!

JLRenheos

11-16-2008, 02:33 PM

I bought these today from the Gap w/my GC!

I bought something similar to this in white, but in the form of a Tuxedo shirt!-
http://http://www.gap.com/Asset_Archive/GPWeb/Assets/Product/579/579495/main/gp579495-01p01v01.jpg

I also bought this tweed overall in gray with dark blue pinstripe to go with the top!- http://http://www.gap.com/Asset_Archive/GPWeb/Assets/Product/603/603835/main/gp603835-00p01v01.jpg

I'm hoping it's not to entirely too long on DS. I'm thinking this will be great to wear for his next mos. pics. & to wear on Christmas & other occasions!

why aren't the pics. showing??

Lvella43

11-16-2008, 06:03 PM

steivem MORE PICS!!! Those turned out amazing!!!!!

JLR Cute lion!

shoot, i have to run bbl

lcarlson90

11-17-2008, 09:06 AM

JLR - Sorry A was so cranky over the weekend. Has he had a fever at all. Most of the time if it's an ear infection, they will have a fever along with it. Coming back to work has been so much harder than I expected. I really miss spending the days cuddling with my little man. The Aquaphor isn't cheap but it lasts a long time. We bought the large tub and I think we have had it for 2 years. It's not something you use every day, it's more for when they get really dry patches. G is drooling up a storm too. I seem to remember D drooling for months before I ever saw a tooth come in.

Bloom - Sorry that DD#1 was sick. I have to imagine that it's really difficult to take care of a baby and a sick toddler. Luckily DS#1 has not been sick yet but I am sure it's only a matter of weeks.

Stevie - Isn't it terrible how many people lost their home in the fire. I really feel for them, especially since we came close to losing our home last year when we had those horrible fires in Santa Clarita. It seems like this year the fires have been really bad. We were lucky that the winds were in our favor on Saturday, as the Sylmar fire could have easily moved towards our city. Thanks for the link on home-made baby food. I will definitely check it out. OMG...I love Miss Avery's pics. I especially love the pink one...it's so beautiful.

BBL to finally post an update on Me and G...

QOTD #1 - Chrsitmas presents for 6 month old? We are only going to buy a couple of things for the baby. I did buy this "What's Inside, Toy Box" from One Step Ahead.

http://content.onestepahead.com/assets/images/product/detail/14528.jpg

QOTD#2 - Are any of you getting the flu shot? Me, DH and DS#1 all got the flu shot in the beginning of October. We get one every year. We all still get sick, but we never get the really bad flu that some people get.

QOTD #3 - Starting Rice Cereal/Solids. The ped. mentioned that we would talk about it at G's 4 month WBV. I am not in any rush to start. I think I started DS#1 with cereal at about 6 months.

Daisy

11-17-2008, 10:55 AM

Hey Ladies,

Hope everyone had a nice weekend. DH and I were bad parents and totally screwed up J's sleep schedule over the weekend. Friday we were out way too late (2am! :eek:) and Saturday we went to a late football game. J slept until 11am Saturday and Sunday and took 2 hour naps (usually his naps are 45 minutes). He was clearly all partied out. :p I hope to get back on the sleep schedule today...so far so good this morning.

Professional pics went really well on Friday. J is a natural - we were in and out of there in 1/2 an hour!

Toys/Christmas - I am wondering this too because he is still so little and already has lots of toys. Not to mention that my GF has given me tons of stuff already. He also doesn't need any clothes either, he has way too many. I do think he needs a thing that he can push or scoot on and some sort of exersauser. Ugh, I need a bigger house!

Flu shot - DH and I never get one.

Solids - I'll discuss this at J's 4 month WBV in another 2 weeks. Don't shun me though...I have already given him some rice cereal a couple of times...he doesn't mind it and he digested it fine. I totally plan to make baby food too.

steviem - fab pics! I love the little feet, so cute. Thanks for the link too, I'm looking forward to making food - I already bought a baby cookbook and a food processor. I just need those little cubes to put the food in.

JLR - the items probably sold out on Gap, maybe that is why they aren't showing? That's what happened to my link from before. We had a great time at my early bday party - I have 4 more days in my twenty's, so I'm going to enjoy them while they last!

lcarlson - seriously I know, J is just a little guy. The ped says he's progressing he's just fine though given the size of DH and I. I'm real curious to see what he weighs at his next appt.

Bloom - ugh, I hope you have been able to get some sleep. Also, we were on the wait list for French Laundry for this Thursday and they called to give us a res! Of course we planned our entire trip down there around the Friday res we already have, so we didn't take it...but it appears that all hope isn't lost with the wait list at least.

TOMama

11-17-2008, 09:38 PM

Toys/Christmas - Poor kid has 2nd child syndrome. We don't need anymore toys or clothes and the only thing he needs is a couple pairs of PJs. I'll probably buy some music for him that both boys can enjoy.

Flu Shot - The whole family got one this year, including both sets of grandparents. I haven't had the flu in 15+ years, but w/DS1 in school and us always being in kid friendly places, I thought it would be best to be proactive.

Solids - I probably won't start until 6 months. Although, L looks at me longingly when he watches me eat. I hope he's my good eater because DS1 drives me crazy with his lack of eating.

lcarlson & stevie - Good to hear that you weren't affected by the fires. We weren't close either, but depending on the winds, we could see smoke from Montecito & Sylmar. Is it me, or are these fires happening more frequently? I don't remember them happening EVERY year. I usually love fall, but lately...not so much.

steviem - Those are beautiful photos! I never got my act together and called your photog....kicking myself. Maybe for his 1 year pic. I'm so not on the ball these days!

Oh boy, crying baby... BBL

july2008mommies

11-19-2008, 06:53 AM

Updated to here

JLRenheos

11-19-2008, 04:27 PM

I'm watching my 19 mo. old tomorrow for several hrs.. Picking up pics. tomorrow that we had taken last week! Dh is working on cleaning/organizing our garage(a work in progress), so that we can get both of our cars in for this Fall/Winter, like we usually do!

MIL is having angioplasty(sp?) tomorrow. *If* they can put the stints in then that'll be it, if not, then she'll have to have Major surgery. Fingers crossed she doesn't. She's going in early tomorrow. She just had triple bypass done in mid-Feb.. DH's parents are 1 of our main sitters. My brother will keep our DS for Monday.

lcarlson that's a cute toy you posted! I hope the transition to work is going a bit better for you. It's hard enough working 2 full days w/1 child in tow.

Daisy enjoy these last 2-3 days in your 20's! Once you hit the Big 30, it seems to fly by & go downhill from there j/k! Lol!.....
Wow! 11 a.m.!...you party animals you! :p

DS
I've been enjoying listening, watching & making my DS laugh! It's Super cute & I love it now that he's been laughing! He gets tickled over the silliest things:p

lcarlson90

11-19-2008, 10:05 PM

Hi ladies...

I just realized that my last few posts have been replies but I haven't really done any updates on Gavin.

G is doing great. He is turning out to be a pretty good sleeper. He usually goes down between 7:30 pm and 8:00 pm and then he wakes once for a bottle around 3:30 am and then back to sleep until 7:00 am. DH and I take turns each night giving him the 3:30 am bottle so I get a full night of sleep every other night. He has been in daycare for three weeks now. He goes to the same in-home daycare that DS#1 went to. I really like the girl who watches him and I totally trust her so that makes things a little less stressful. We had G's Baptism a few weeks ago and it went really well. He did great during the ceremony and the party afterwards was really nice. I will try to post some pics when I get them uploaded. I finally got around to weighing my chunky monkey and he is 16 pounds 2 ounces. :eek: He doesn't have his 4 month WBV until Dec. 12th so I decided to weigh him at home.

I think I mentioned that I was going on a diet to lose this baby weight. I have been dieting for 2 weeks and I have lost 6 pounds, so I am excited about that. I made a pretty drastic change and dyed my hair red a few weeks ago. I am a natural blonde and I have never dyed my hair any other color so it's pretty drastic for me. Everyone loves it including DH so I am pretty happy about that.

DH and I went to the One Republic concert on Saturday night and that was a lot of fun. I thoroughly enjoyed the three martinis I had that night too. Tomorrow night DH and I are going to see Wicked so I am excited about that since it seems like everyone in SoCal has seen it but us.

I can't wait until next week since I only have to work two days. I will get to spend some extra time snuggling with my boys. We are hoping to have a low key Thanksgiving. Just breakfast with the in-laws and and early dinner at my Aunt's house.

We finally received all of the prints that we ordered from the photographer. They are beautiful. I can't wait to get frames and put them all up. Hopefully I can scan some soon to post.

I hope everyone has a great rest of their week!

Bloomwood

11-20-2008, 03:48 PM

steviem - thanks for sharing those photos; they are precious. I agree with JLR, the one of you looking down is beautiful.

daisy - Jensen is a regular partier! I love it. Thanks for the reassurance on FL. I can't wait to hear about your visit. I'm guessing I'm just going to have to go for a midweek res some time. It's only an hour away so DH could work 1/2 day and then we could go up on a Thursday night, right??

JLR - I hope the surgery went well - and not just because they're your sitters ;) Aren't the laughs the best. S has been sick this week so I haven't gotten as many belly laughs :(

lcarlson - what a chunkster!! Is there anything better? He sounds like a great baby and I'm jealous of the sleeping. Can't wait to see pics.

flu shot - DD1 got it. I might if I find a convenient way. I was supposed to get one at our local rec center last week but DD1 had a terrible meltdown and I couldn't stay. In her defense, I'd just hurt her toe opening a door and she was in pain. That was a great mom moment. not.

solids - I'm waiting until 6 months because it is so time consuming with DD1 to factor in. I made food last time and will this time too. I agree with steviem on that website. And, the book Super Baby Food is also good but I had to ignore some of the random parenting advice she gave.

rolling - S finally rolled onto her belly and now her sleep has gotten tons better (when I'm not poking her to make sure there's no SIDS!). She is taking consistent longer naps. Okay, it's only been 3 days, but I'll take it!

Guess that longer nap is over...gotta go.

JLRenheos

11-22-2008, 06:52 AM

Craptacular!!

By 9:30 a.m., my son has already had 2 blowouts/outfit changes. meh. Oh, Dh, where are You!
~Lucky Me

The pics. that I had taken @ Target turned out well!

Bloomwood

11-22-2008, 11:17 AM

Craptacular!!

By 9:30 a.m., my son has already had 2 blowouts/outfit changes. meh. Oh, Dh, where are You!
~Lucky Me

The pics. that I had taken @ Target turned out well!

Having one of those days, huh?? Hope it gets better SOON!

TOMama

11-22-2008, 03:53 PM

Heh, heh, we're having a craptacular day too-- he's been storing them up for me! Even had to change his socks twice!

Just a quick post because I hear the little man screaming, time to feed him again...

L. had his 4 month WBV today, here's his stats:

15 lbs, 6 oz
25 inches long
17 inches head circ.

Big baby, I think he's between 50-75% in everything. Also had 3 shots plus Rotateq from the "rough" nurse, poor guy. I know I shouldn't compare, but he's huge compared to DS1 who was 10% at this point--he's now 50% for height and not on the chart for weight :cool:. Pretty soon L. will be able to beat him up just by sitting on him.

Gotta run, hope everyone's having a good weekend!

Daisy

11-24-2008, 09:41 AM

Hi Ladies,

How was everyone's weekend? Ours was good, got back from Napa last night - we had a fabulous time - ate and drank well. :D My parents watched Jensen and stayed at our house (they were going to take him to their house, two hours away, over a snowy mountain pass), but I was so worried about the whole thing (mainly him being out of his element and not sleeping), that they stayed here and he apparently slept really well. :) DH and I missed him terribly though. I think he wore them out too, ha ha. I called twice a day while we were gone and my mom was telling me about the naps they were trying to get in when he napped.

Oh yeah, my AF came back on my bday last Thursday! :mad: Right before my nice weekend getaway too, welcome to 30, blah. Lovely.

We got our proofs back already from the photographer and I am extremely disappointed about our family pics. I won't be ordering any or using any of them for our holiday card. :( There are cute individual ones of Jensen and him with DH.

I love reading about everyone's 4 month WBV stats, I can't wait for Jensen's appointment tomorrow to see where he's at. I know he's grown a ton since his last appointment.

JLR - omg, two blowouts in one morning? Poor baby! And poor you! Thanks for the welcome to the 30+ club. Can I just tell you that I was irritated my entire bday (which irritates me in and of itself). How did your MIL's surgery go?

Bloom - ok, as expected, FL was amazing! Highlights for me were the oysters and white sturgeon caviar (yes, I have a copy of the menu in front of me :p), the gnocci with an entire white truffle shaved on top of it (heaven!) and the kuroge beef (to die for, incredibly marbled, literally melted in your mouth, not the typical beef consistency). You must keep trying for a reservation - the food and the service was amazing. We've had chef tasting menus before and we've ate at the Herbfarm (the only analogous restaurant I've been to), but this was definitely a step above. I'll also add that this was by far the most expensive dinner DH and I have ever had as well - totally worth it though.

ToMama - agh, the rough nurse. My ped has one too and I really hope we get the good one tomorrow.

lcarlson - congrats on the weight loss! Welcome to the red hair club too! (I have natural auburn colored hair.) Wow, 16lbs! I like One Republic too, I bet that concert was good.

It's 9:40 and Jensen is still sleeping! :)

Bloomwood

11-24-2008, 01:05 PM

oooh!! Daisy!! I'm so happy for you - about FL, not AF, of course :P I'm glad to hear it lived up to the hype for you. I WILL go there. I WILL go there.

JLRenheos

11-24-2008, 08:16 PM

ToMama our boys are BIG boys indeed! They're both very similar in their stats! Hope he's doing well from his vacs. this week. EEk about his socks! Sometimes their little feet are just way to quick for us! Lol!

lcarlson ooh! I love One Republic's hit song! Woohoo! 3 martinis! I had a White Russian the other night! Yum-O ;) I hope you're enjoying your time w/the boys this week! Can't wait to see your pics. from your Prof. photog! That's great news about your weight loss & how well G's baptism went.

Bloomwood Yay for DD2 for rolling over!! Happy Dance!! My son hates being on his belly, is lazy & has zero interest in rolling over. I keep trying though & working w/him. I think his head is big(will grow into his noggin'; Ha-ha!) That's nice that she's sleeping better for you.
Hope little S is feeling better this week.

Daisy
Sounds like your getaway was Awesome(except for AF; blah!) That's way to cute how your parents needed the naps just as much as the lil' man! Lol!-did I read that right? What a bummer to hear about your prof. pics.. Can you do a re-take? Hope J's appt. goes well tomorrow for his 4 mo!

US
DS is just laughing away...just SO freaking cute! It cracks me up!
My brother watched him today. Also, in return, I've been busy watching my 1 1/2 yr. old nephew. He LOVES my DS & gives him a lot of X-O's-(sometimes I have to watch him, because his hugging is more like choking. ack.) Really, he his sweet though. My DS is entirely entertained by him! I think I'll be watching him for several hrs. tomorrow. I think on Wednesday, I may be watching our friend's 6 1/2 month old.
Still not rolling over yet.
It's pretty ridiculous that we only have about 4-5 diapers in our entire household & now I have to run out to Sam's club early tomorrow a.m.

MIL was going to have stints pun in, but they didn't have to! yay! They will be doing a CT-scan/MRI to check for a tumor and for more arteries. I'm sure they'll be running more tests. Down the road, she *may* have to have major surgery. Her veins looked great in her legs(from where her triple by-pass was), one of her kidneys look just o.k., but the other is fine. She'll just need to stay on top of her meds & eat the right foods/exercise. For now, she's good. Whew.

carseat/s
what kind of carseats do you have? What are your experiences w/them? By recs., I've been looking into the Cosco Scenera(approx $45), First Years True-Fit(approx. $179), Evenflo Triump Advanced LX(approx. $139) and of course; the Britax Marathon(approx. $279).

I've just now started doing some research & looking in the carseat thread here on CC. ILs asked what we wanted for Christmas, so I/We(umm, the 'A' man :) ) told them we want $ towards a carseat/or just the carseat itself. This is probably about the only year that we can get away with that! ha-ha! We're looking at getting the Britax Marathon for MY car & a less inexpensive brand of carseat for DHs car. We recieved a $75 GC to walmart awhile back(thank goodness I held on to this for a rainy day!). This will be nice to put forth a purchase of a new seat, esp; for Dhs car!
I'm hoping I can make it through the whole month of December & partway through of Jan., before switching him over to a convertible carseat. It's nice to NOT have to drag him in/out of the seat for now, although he's become quite the lug.

MrsR

11-25-2008, 09:08 AM

Hey ladies, things are a bit crazy here so I will only have time for a flyby post -- the nanny we hired who was supposed to start on Monday just let us know that her husband has been transferred to Kentucky so now I have to start my search all over again and I feel a bit like a chicken with my head cut off.

Jack had his 4 mo WBV yesterday and here are his stats:
he weighed 18lbs 3oz (95th percentile):eek:
he was 28-1/4in tall (off the charts again):eek:
his head was 17in (forgot to ask what percentile he was there . . .)

We were told we have to stop swaddling him and not to feed him if he wakes up in the middle of the night before 5am :eek::eek::eek:. We decided to start the "no feeding" last night but to hold off on the no swaddling until Wednesday (since DH will be off of work and so it won't matter as much if Jack does not sleep well). Last night was hard -- he woke up at 2:45 and did not go back to sleep until 3:45 -- he cried for the better part of the hour -- DH went in and tried to soothe him and it worked for a bit, but I would up having to go in and give him the paci at 3:40ish. Our ped did tell us we could give him water if he seemed like he wanted to nurse but I am against that. We will see what happens tonight. . .

QOTD - carseats -- We have the Britax Marathon for Jack when he moves into a convertible (pretty much any day now I think). We got a second one on sale for the nanny's car (about $100 off so it was palatable) -- it is just so easy to install that I wanted something pretty dummy-proof since the nanny will probably be taking the seat out a lot from her car and I wanted something that she wouldn't have to go get checked at the fire station each time she re-installed it.

MrsR

11-25-2008, 09:16 AM

and here is a slideshow of the photos we had taken of Jack last week (the link is only good for one more week)

Jack at 4 months (http://www.aliceparkphotography.com/slideshows/Royko_4M/)

lcarlson90

11-25-2008, 09:25 AM

MrsR - I loved your slideshow. Jack is so adorable. I especially loved all the pics with the doggies in them. My DS has that monkey on his playmat too and it's his favorite.

I will try to come back later to finish my replies..

JLRenheos

11-25-2008, 10:10 AM

Wow! J, IS off the charts for his growth! What size is he wearing? What a cutie he is & thanks for sharing slideshow of pics.! You've got some unbelievable ones there MrsR!! Luv one of the ones where you are standing on your L holding DS up in the air & he's looking at you! They're all great!! Your doggies are so sweet!

We'll, better tend to my nephew & put him down for his nap, while I go wake my DS up here in a bit!

Just wanted to wish Everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm going to put my DS in his 'Turkey' outfit!

Bloomwood

11-25-2008, 02:43 PM

MrsR - those are WONDERFUL. Thank you for sharing. your family - inclusive of the pups - is beautiful.

S, and therefore DH and I, slept like crap last night. She woke at at 10:45 and cried for an hour before I went in, woke again at 3 - nursed - and again at 4. At 4 I decided she must have an ear infection as it was so unlike her. DH went to sleep in the guest room and I brought her to bed with me. She was still super restless. Took her to the ped today - yep, EI. She's on abx so hopefully she'll feel better before our plane ride tomorrow afternoon. Poor little button.

Hope you all have a wonderful Turkey Day!

Bloomwood

11-25-2008, 03:32 PM

MrsR- I meant to ask, how many hours is it that the ped wants DS to sleep? 7 to 5? Trying to gauge for my own use!!

JLRenheos

11-26-2008, 04:23 AM

Happy Thanksgiving & travels everybody!

Thanksgiving Plans

Dh is working 8A-4P, so he can have part of Christmas off. Anyhow, instead of DS/I being home alone during that time, we're going to my Aunt's for our 1st Thanksgiving. Could go to the ILs to hang out early, but would rather not. When Dh gets off work, then we'll go on over to His parents for T-dinner with the whole family.
The 3 of us were supposed to travel to Indiana, but my sister came down w/the chicken pox & now her other twin just recently came down w/it too.

Today, I'm watching our friend's almost 7 mo. old little girl for several hrs. They've watched our DS when we needed them.

Daisy

11-26-2008, 09:07 AM

Jensen had his 4 month WBV yesterday. Although we didn't get the "good" nurse, he did a much better job giving Jensen his shots and it went well.

New stats:
Weight: 14.5 lbs.
Height: 25"
Head: 17cm

I'm so pleased! He was in the 5-15% for everything, now it's more 25-50%. :)

MrsR - your pictures are so nice, thanks for sharing. Are you back to work? Sorry to have to find another nanny, what a PITA. I wonder what the logic is of "no swaddling?"

Carseats - sorry, nothing to add here. Little dude is still in his carrier.

Bloom - poor Serena! How awful. Hope your plane ride is short and goes well.

JLR - yeah, we thought about re-taking the pics, I don't know if we could do it fast enough to get the proofs back, ordered and cards sent before the holiday.

Thanksgiving - we're going to my parents house, a 2 hr car ride away. I think we'll leave tomorrow though - less stuff to pack.

Ok, time to get ready for babyaerobics! Happy Thanksgiving!

MrsR

11-26-2008, 09:21 AM

Thanks so much ladies for the thumbs up on the photos - we were very pleased.

bloom -- our ped wants Jack to sleep from 8/8:30 to 5 -- so that's 8.5-9 hours. . .

Daisy -- nope, I am still on leave until January 5. . .

Lvella43

11-27-2008, 05:41 PM

MrsR Photos are spectacular!!!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!!

JLRenheos

11-28-2008, 08:13 AM

Went out shopping today- I went to bed at 1A.M. & was out & about at the stores a little after 4:30 this morning!!

I Scored some great deals!

I went to BRU & bought Especially for Baby BRAND 2-sets of scented Supreme wipes(480 ct.) for $5 per/box. I bought the last 2.
I also picked up 3 boxes(limit per person) of Especially for Baby BRAND Diapers. I bought 1 box of regular size 3 & the other sz. 4 in the Supreme! The other box, I'm going to give away for a family baby shower, so I ended up buying in in the NB size in Supreme. I have 3 cousins that are due in '09, besides my brother/SIL.

At Toys R'Us, I ended up buying DS the Fisher Price-Go Baby Go! Sit-to-Stand Giraffe. Reg. $27.99 & I got it for under $14(w/tax)! It was a complete ZOO there. I stood in line from start to finish for 1 hr. 15 min.-(incl. checkout).
I looked the reviews up online at BRU, now I don't know if he'll like it. The reviews were mixed & just o.k.. It's a little old for him. It's supposed to be for 9mos.+
I really would like to get him the Roll-A-Rounds: Listen-Up Rounds by FP. They're $7.99. - there are diff. ones!
I also like the Baby Dance! Classical Stacker that lights up & plays music by FP. It's 13.99

All at Elder-Beerman's-
*I bought a baby boy snow suit in 6-9 mos.(bunting outfit?) in light blue. Reg. $36 & I got it for $14. It was 60% off! ....and I also picked up a Carter's puppydog matching soft mittens/snow hat, Reg. $20 & got it for under $9!

*I ended up getting an alarm clock, but don't know if keeping or not. I don't have one & I depend on our t.v. alarm/DH to wake me up(besides my DS!) It has AM/FM radio, 6 diff. soothing sounds, daylight savings and has a wireless transmitter that transmits the outdoor temp from the remote 3-channel sensor to the clock. It tells the time & temp & it's the Projection Alarm Clock by The Sharper Image. Reg. $50 & I got it for $20!

*Bought FIL(what he asked for) 10X25 Digital Camera Binocular w/accessory kit by The Sharper Image Reg.$80? & got it for $20!

*My last buy, I bought a Nextar brand Satellite Navigation GPS system. I don't know anything about that brand/product.
If Dh wants me to take it back, then I will. I'm sure $ will be put to other necessary needs.
Anyhow, it's reg. $300 & I got it for $106, but I have to send in the rebate. After the rebate, it'll will have cost me $79!
It has a 3.5" touch screen display, turn-by-turn navig., plays MP3s, TTS, displays pictures from SD card, and built-in rechargeable battery. It comes w/the hardware, carry pouch, mounting cradle, dashboard mount car adapter, power adapter, USB cable, Stylus pen and 1GB card Loaded w/Maps-(U.S. Maps-All 50 states).

Anyone else go out shopping on Black Friday? What deals did you score?

Sue

11-29-2008, 09:14 AM

Mind if I join? I had an August EDD, but a July baby :)

Username: Sue
Me: Name, age: Sue, 36 in January
DH: Name, age: John, 39
Your new arrival's name: Ryan Matthew
New arrival's birthdate: July 24th
New Arrival's Birth Stats: 7lbs, 6oz - 20 inches (3 1/2 weeks early :) )
Any other children: nope

We just had our 4 month appointment Friday, he's 26" (75%) and 17lbs 3oz (90%).

Bloomwood

11-29-2008, 12:58 PM

Welcome Sue!! You had a BIG boy for 3 weeks early!!

No Black Friday shopping here. I can't even deal with shopping on weekends, let alone Black Friday hysteria. We had a nice holiday. We had a 1 hour flight and S was dxd with an ear infection the day before. Thankfully the abx kicked in and she was a perfect angel on the flight and throughout our trip - except for a horrible night of sleep. Which leads me to...

We are embarking on full-on sleep training. We are sleeping in our guest room on a separate level so I can't hear S. She is fully ready and so am I. It is hard to think/admit that I am letting my precious little girl cry but I know she doesn't need the nutrition at night. She is waking out of habit and just can't put herself back to sleep. DH and I have a night away next Saturday so I'm hoping she's STTN by then when my IL's come to watch the girls.

Sue

11-29-2008, 01:25 PM

Thanks for the welcome :) Yes, he was a big boy... GD will do that I suppose, although he is thriving as his ped likes to say!

Black Friday I just couldn't bring myself to brave the stores, I just don't have the patience, so I've been doing all my shopping online. So far I've gotten a GPS, digital picture frame and digital camera for DH - and way to much for myself :) I'm not really getting much for DS since he'll be 5 months and won't really "get it".

Sleep training I'm right there with you Bloomwood. DS had been STTN since about 3 months - 9pm-7am, then all of a sudden he started fussing once at night about a week ago, usually about 3 or 4am. I don't feed him, but he's a bear to get back to sleep - so we bring him into bed with us, then he's out in 5 minutes. Unfortunately he's still in the co-sleeper in our room and won't be moving to his crib probably for another week or so - we have to finish up doing some stuff in his room. So every time he stirs it wakes me up, I know if I let him fuss he'll put himself back to sleep, but I can't when he's right next to me. I go back to work on Monday, so I'm hoping it's not too bad or he'll start STTN again! His ped wanted to start him on solids, but I'd rather hold off till 6 months since I doubt it's hunger that is waking him up because I don't nurse him when he does wake.

Here are a couple of pictures of my little man...

coming home
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/misssue23/DSC01101.jpg

3 months
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y247/misssue23/Ryan/10292008011.jpg

Lvella43

11-29-2008, 06:59 PM

Sue Welcome!!! Ryan is so gorgeous!! My "July" baby decided to come 2.5 weeks early so I'm really a June Mommy hee hee. I will probably update the thread tomorrow or Monday.

Shopping Oh hell no...you'll never find me out shopping for the doorbusters. You would find me on the news having freaked out or something. I just don't have the patience to be in all the crowds. As a child though my mom used to dress my sister and I up to the nines for little girls (purses and all) and we'd take BART into SF and watch the unveiling of the Neiman Marcus tree and all the windows at the other stores, have a "fancy" lunch, then BART home. Good memories.

Thanksgiving I have a really messed up BIL, so our Thanksgiving started by DH picking him up at detox.....for the second time in a week and probably the 100th time this year. It sort of put a damper on the holiday. On a huge positive though, DH cooked an amazing meal and we all tried to have a really good time ignoring BIL.

Sleep Training Dylan goes to sleep for the night between 5 and 6:30 and will usually give me 4 hour stretches, then up for the day between 6:30 and 7:30. I know he can go longer than 4 hours as he has gone 6 quite a few times. Part of my deal with sleep training is that I worry about waking up DS1 with the crying. Dylan eats for 10-20 minutes and goes right back to sleep without issue so its not too bad. DS1 was STTN at this point, but if he ever woke up it was HOURS of crying to get him to sleep again...I guess that's why I'll take my 4 hour stretches of sleep with a smile.

Holiday Cards I ordered our cards today and I think they turned out pretty well. I didn't have a good family shot to use that was current, but this one is from yesterday when we cut down our tree....that pic is on the back anyway. Here it is (from inababycarriage.com)
http://media4.dropshots.com/photos/109036/20081129/204853.jpg
http://media4.dropshots.com/photos/109036/20081129/204904.jpg

TOMama

11-29-2008, 10:54 PM

Oh man Lvella, you just reminded me that I need to get going on the Christmas cards!!! Your card is beautiful, I especially like the beige/brown accents. What great pictures of your boys too.

Welcome Sue! Ryan is adorable!!

Sleep (or lack thereof) - I didn't do any Black Friday shopping, although I could have since I was already up :rolleyes:. I've come to realize that L. is just a really bad sleeper. I think it's related to his AR (he snacks due to the discomfort) so CIO isn't really an option... Plus, I'm always worried that he will wake up DS1 who can't afford to be woken up. That said, the lack of sleep is getting to me. The bags under my eyes have bags :p. He goes down around 7PM, but usually wakes up screaming every hour or so for 3-4 hours before settling down for the night...and this is WITH medication. Then on good nights he usually wakes up between 11PM-1 AM and then 5 AM. If I'm lucky, I can get him to sleep until 8AM.

Thanksgiving - We had both families over so both kids had plenty of attention. I cooked the turkey (my first!) and my mom helped me with the sides. It turned out really well and wasn't as overwhelming as I thought it might be.

MrsR - Beautiful pictures!

Okay, I need to go to bed! BBL to catch up.

JLRenheos

11-30-2008, 07:05 AM

So, I just changed DS diaper. Majority of it is all up his back & on both of his undershirts. Hardly any of it in his diaper. hmph! No wonder he was screaming:rolleyes:
For getting up early to go shopping on Black Friday, I must say that I paid for it that whole day. I was wiped out. Thank goodness dh helped out that day.

Today, dh is working & I'm in the midst(trying!)to put up all of our Christmas decorations. The house is a Zoo right now. If the tree isn't decorated that's fine, I just want to accomplish putting our artificial tree up. We'll put lights & bulbs on later, so we can all partake in the fun together!
I'd like to custom order A's stocking from potterybarn. Need to do that!

Sue Welcome! He's adorable!! Luv his bright blue eyes :) Looking forward to getting to know you.

lvella yay for dh having cooked a successful Thanksgiving dinner! Your holiday card turned out Great!! Cute Boys! I need to work on ordering ours.

TOMama sorry to hear about L's AR. That stinks. I hope it gets better for All of you. Glad to hear your 1st cooked turkey went well! It's always nice to have help w/the sides!
When I cooked my 1st turkey several yrs. ago, I got turned off. Bad experience. I was about miliseconds from throwing up from the whole process, but indeed I was able to finish it. If I have to cook another turkey one day, I will, but would rather not. Maybe I'd invest my time in a turkey breast instead. We'll see.

Daisy

11-30-2008, 08:28 PM

Hey Ladies,

I got sooo much done today! Painted one bathroom, did 3 loads of laundry, wrapped presents and ordered holiday cards...not to mention normal stuff like change linens, play with Jensen, etc.

I think he's coming down with something (gee, thanks family). He's had the sniffles today and he took a 2.5 hour nap earlier. DH is trying to get him down for the night and he's fussing (which isn't normal).

Christmas - I'm excited for the holidays, so I put my decorations and tree up last week. :)

Sue - welcome and cute pics!

Black Friday Shopping - no way! We were at my parents, who live in a very small town with no shops anyway...but I'm with Bloom, I hate shopping on the weekends, let alone on Black Friday.

Lvella43 - great holiday card! Your your boys are so cute. Now I'm second guessing my holiday cards, I wish I had better pics of us as a family.

ToMama - congrats on your first turkey, you are brave! I've never made one and I can't see myself making one any time soon.

Sleeping - we're getting 5-6 hour increments these days. He goes down for the night around 8:30/9 and wake up around 1, again with the alarm at 6:30/7 and will get up for the day around 8:30/9. When he's up, it's never for longer than 20-30 minutes and he goes right back to sleep. He will sleep for 8+ hours straight if he falls asleep in his carseat and we leave him there. :p

Can I add a category...Irritation of the Day...my IL's (but what is new). They are so determined and consumed with who Jensen looks like, it is so annoying. Because he has blue eyes, MIL thinks he looks like DH, despite no other matching features. :rolleyes: Jensen is actually the spitting image of my dad when he was a baby. Because J's eyebrows are really light, she is convinced he is blond...um, the hair on his head is light brown/auburn (just like my hair! and I have dark brown eyebrows!). I could go on and on...

TOMama

12-01-2008, 11:33 AM

I finally have some time to catch up-- DS1 is at school, my P/T is over (hurray!) and L. is napping. Yay!

JLR & Daisy - I highly recommend Alton Brown's brined turkey recipe (FoodNetwork). You soak the turkey in a salt water concoction for 6+ hrs. The brining seals in the juices, makes it really tasty (but not too salty) and it cooks really fast (2 hrs). It's pretty easy since you don't have to baste the turkey and there is little chance of it drying out or burning. I have mommy-brain so the easier the better!

Daisy - Wow, you did get a lot of stuff done. I'm jealous! ;). I hope Jensen is feeling better today. I can commiserate... Landon's on his 4th cold (darn bugs that DS1 brings home from school). We've already gone through 1 bottle of saline nose drops. Re: Irritation-- My IL's were the same way w/DS1. Funny thing is that they aren't consumed with who L. looks like-- probably because he looks like me! :p

JLR - I need to order L's stocking from PB too. Glad to hear your MIL is doing well. My dad had angioplasty 10 years ago and changing his diet & exercise has really helped him stay healthy (with a bit of nagging from my mom, of course).

MrsR - How's it going with the "no feeding" before 5AM? That's so hard to do, especially if it keeps him awake at night.

Bloom - How's the sleep training going? Is her room far from DD1's??I'm worried that I'm "spoiling" L. by nursing him so often. That said, he didn't wake until 5AM this morning and didn't get up until 8:45AM, so he is capable of making it thru the night. What to do, what to do...

lcarlson - Hmmm... I've been wanting to do something drastic with my hair too. Not color, but probably a shorter cut. Great to hear that Gavin is doing so well!

carseats - We have the Britax Boulevard and Marathon. Both are great seats, the Boulevard is just a bit more cushy with the Side Impact cushions. Would recommend both!

Christmas - We're hoping to get our Christmas tree up tonight since my mom will be here to help with the decorations. DS1 is really into Christmas & Santa this year, so it should be fun! Also need to find time to take the boys to see/take pics with Santa, plus get the Christmas card together, plus get a Santa gift for L. so that DS1 doesn't think he's on the naughty list...ack!

GTG pick up DS1 at school. Hope everyone's having a good Monday!

JLRenheos

12-01-2008, 07:50 PM

i don't know if DS was more hungrier than usual and/or gassy but he decided to wake up 2Xs last night!:mad::rolleyes: Once after 1A and then again sometime after 5A. This last time, DH brought him to me & then I just nursed him in our bed & put him back in HIS own crib for another hour of sleep. Maybe I ought to start rice cereal?
I hope he doesn't do a reapeat tonight. I thought I was going to die today at work, I was SO exhuasted. That & I've been feeling a bit under the weather, since last week.

Bloomwood

12-02-2008, 07:41 AM

Sleep Training was a success! Friday night, Saturday night and Sunday night, S went down at 7, we turned off the monitor and slept in the guest room on a separate level (her room is next to ours so we can hear her through the walls). Last night we still slept in the guest room but left the monitor on to see how she was doing. She didn't wake up at all!!! Yay! We are back to our room as of tonight. I already am feeling more well-rested.

BBL later for more.

MrsR

12-02-2008, 10:12 AM

Sue -- welcome and GREAT photos -- he is absolutely precious -- July 24 babies seem to be pretty big guys;)

lvella -- love the christmas cards -- I so need to get on that . . .

TOMama -- so sorry about L's AR

JLR -- I so need to get on the decoration thing too -- where do you guys find the time, seems like I turn around and it is 6 pm. . .

Daisy -- my ILs are the same way -- I go back and forth as to who Jack looks like -- right now he is the spitting image of my dad.

Bloom -- yay on sleep training.

Things for us on the sleeping front have gotten better -- finally on Saturday night he slept until 6:30 and Sunday night he slept to 7:30:eek:. Unfortunately since Jack is teething (his bottom two front teeth have broken through), he did not nap at all yesterday so he was up at 5 this morning, but hey, I will take it.

The past 24 hours have been an emotional rollercoaster for me. We finally hired a nanny (after the first one we made an offer to went to work for a family with more kids and the second one told us 2 weeks ago her husband was being transferred after we had hired her) and she started yesterday. I did not like her at all -- she is a lovely person, but our personalities did not mesh. Last night I had a nervous breakdown after she left -- DH and I went through all of our options and we were down to me quitting my job and staying at home (which could have worked if we made some changes to our lifestyle) or hiring nanny #2 and hope that Jack got into daycare before she had to leave for Kentucky. I was up all night completely stressed out and at the end of my rope. BUT it all worked out -- the daycare center where Jack has been on the waiting list since January (and had called me two weeks ago to tell me there wasn't room for Jack in January) called me to tell me they had an unexpected opening (a child was pulled out yesterday as one of his parents lost his job) -- sucks for that family, but the good news is Jack got in:D:D:D. I am waiting for the scheduling director to call me to figure out when Jack will start but I am thinking of putting him in starting the week of Christmas so that he will have a week and a half to get used to daycare before I have to go back to work on January 5. . .

TOMama

12-02-2008, 02:57 PM

MrsR - Wow, what great timing! I'm so glad the childcare situation worked out for you. That kind of stuff is so stressful!

Hope I don't jinx myself, but L. must've known that I was at the end of my sleep rope because he slept from 10pm-6:30am w/out waking up. Hope it wasn't a fluke!

Well, both boys are napping so I'm going to start putting up the decorations.

steviem

12-02-2008, 05:29 PM

We just got back for Avery's 4 month WBV and she is doing great :) Poor girl got shots today.... makes me so sad to see her in pain. She is a big girl but 2 lbs less than her brother was at this age :eek:

Weight 16 lbs 2 oz (DS was 18 lbs- gosh he was BIG!!!)
Height 26"
97% for both height and weight

Avery is doing well. For the last few weeks, she has been waking up at 3am. I just put her paci back in and she goes right back to sleep, then wakes again at 5:30am when I feed her and stick her in her swing. She doesn't like to go back to sleep after the 5:30am feeding and she makes way too much noise in our room so I stick her out in the living room in the swing...... is that bad? hee hee. I really need to start putting her in her crib to sleep but I am just not ready yet.... not sure what my problem is. Thankfully the bassinet is rather big so she still has room to stretch out, etc. My BM supply utterly sucks during the day so I am continuing to FF for 2-3 feedings but BF in the early morning and evening. The doc said I could hold off on solids until 6 months but I think I want to start her soon, maybe in the next 2 weeks. (We are going out of town next weekend and I don't feel like packing rice ceral, fruit, veggies, yet so I think I will wait until we return to start her on solids.)

We had a nice Thanksgiving but smaller than usual. FIL has been in the hosptial for 2 weeks. He got back from a cruise and was having major back pain. Turns out, he had 2 broken vertabrae. Upon further testing, it appears he has a form of cancer (Multiple Myeloma)... bummer. So, we just went to SIL's house for T-Day. DH's other sister was out of town. We visited my parents on Friday and went to the Santa Barbara Zoo. It was so much fun! I highly recommend this zoo to any other SoCal moms. It is small but really nice.

Bloom: Great news on the S/T!

Tomama: Fingers crossed L continues to sleep well :)

MrsR: Yippee for getting the spot in daycare- that must be a huge relief!

Sue: Welcome! Your baby boy is a cutie!

Lvella: Love the Christmas cards!

JLR: Good job on the black Friday shopping! I hate crowds so I tend to stay far away from the malls the day after Thanksgiving :)

Daisy: Glad you had a good dinner at FL. Sounds amazing!

JLRenheos

12-03-2008, 01:20 PM

TM can you update please :) DH's is now 36

Today is Dh's bday. Just kind of laying low for his bday celebration. The 3 of us may go out for dinner and/or just bring the food home. Depends on Dh & on the lil' guy. We're getting together w/his immediate family on Sunday for the Dec. bdays.

All of the Christmas decorations are up!! We're finishing off the tree by decorating it tonight w/the ornaments!

I watched our friend's little girl again for a few hrs.. She just turned 7 mos.. AND she's teething. She's a good girl, but just wants to be held right now. I held her a lot & played w/her and my Son too. It's nice to be able to trade off babysitting svcs. for free with each other. Our kids are just 10 wks. apart & they're both our first!

steviem glad her wbv went well! I'm sorry to hear about your FIL. How exciting you got to visit the SB zoo! What fun!!

TOMama hope you were able to finish putting up your decorations. That's awesome that he sttn, without waking once! YAY!

MrsR teeth, eh?! We're almost there too. I see white raised bumps, on DS gums, but haven't broken through yet. hang in there w/the teething. We'll ALL be there soon too. :o
I'm glad that you were able to get your DS in the daycare. It did payoff to have him on the waiting list! I'm glad it worked out in your favor & that you're not stressed anymore.

Daisy

12-03-2008, 02:30 PM

Hi Ladies,

I have good news to report on the sleeping front as well. Jensen has been going down at around 9 and waking up at 5:30 for a feeding before getting up for the day at around 9 (today 9:30!). And he's sleeping in his crib all night - he was in his bassinett and sometimes in between us. My next goal will be to get him down earlier. Even if I start the process at 7, he still manages to stay awake until around 9.

So I tried to join a moms group here through this moms group organization (there is like a $200 joining fee too, I haven't paid yet). I went to the orientation in September and was told to register right away and I'd be placed in a group within 3-4 weeks (w/ moms that live near). Anyway, so I emailed them in November since I hadn't heard a thing and low and behold I was placed in a group a week or so later. Well the group meets on a real inconvenient day/time for me and some of the moms live like a 1/2 hr away! I'm not driving around like that every week, so I declined the group. One of the moms emailed me (she's in the same boat) and now we're just going to meet on Friday. :p I'm still a little irritated about this organization though, wtf. I'm glad I haven't paid yet. I could have really used this group during the J's first three months.

Not much else is going on. I'm on a good work-out schedule these days since I still have a few pounds to go to get to my pre-preggo weight. I also signed up for Kindermusik, it starts in January.

We have our first holiday party on Saturday. MIL is watching J at our house. Hopefully things will go well, fingers crossed she'll behave!

MrsR - I'm so sorry to hear about your breakdown and nanny issues. What luck that you got into that daycare though! How great!

JLR - I meant to write before that you are seriously brave for shopping on black Friday! Sounds like you got some deals.

Bloom and ToMama - yay for sleeping! Ah, it's so great.

steviem - I hear you on the bassinett, we weren't ready for awhile either. I finally put him in his crib in his room in hope that I wouldn't hear him as much during the night (so I can get some sleep). Avery is big, wow!

carseats - just an FYI, I noticed that costco.com has the Britax Marathon. I have no idea what they go for, but costco is usually a deal...

Bloomwood

12-03-2008, 07:46 PM

Question for you all..how mobile are your babies? I am freaking that DD is too mobile and I can't remember how quickly/when it happened for DD1...
I put S down on her back on the floor, she immediately rolls to her belly and then uses her arms and legs to turn where she wants to look. So I will put her down and stand behind her and she'll then turn to me. Is this normal for this age and it'll still be a while before she crawls are is she going to make my life difficult soon? DD1 didn't crawl until 9 or 10 months and I had to "encourage" her with cheerios. I'm so not encouraging S!!

jeanine

12-04-2008, 06:28 AM

Whoops..I don't think I ever joined any of the infant threads...

Username: jeanine
Me: Name, age: Jeanine, 30
DH: Name, age: Ken, 38
Your new arrival's name: Benjamin Chase
New arrival's birthdate: July 8th
New Arrival's Birth Stats: 6lbs, 3oz - 19 inches
Any other children: nope

It's been a while since I've been on here. Everyone sounds like they're doing great.

It seems like I have the little peanut of the group. Ben was only 11 lbs at his 4 month WBV. His weight is driving me crazy, but he's meeting all his milestones and is a very happy and content little guy, so the ped isn't concerned. I've started supplementing a little more with formula though...I really wish I had a better supply.

We're having issues with sleeping. We put him in his crib about 1.5 months ago, and he was doing great..now he is waking up every 2-3 hours and up for the day at 5am. Needless to say, I am exhausted and really don't know how to change this pattern. I've tried giving him more to eat during the day in case it was hunger...that didn't help. He still needs the nutrition, so I don't need him sleeping through the night, but it is getting a little ridiculous. Half the time I fall asleep in the glider with him in my arms after nursing him. I am so glad I didn't go back to work yet.

As for work, my boss extended my leave so I could have 6 months instead of 3 and I go back after the holidays. I thought I would feel better about it than I did 3 months ago, but everytime I think of leaving him, I get really sad. I think when I go back I'll have to switch to FF too, which breaks my heart. I just don't respond well to the pump...so he'll have a lot of adjustments to make.

Does anyone else have mommy brain? I totally mixed up the date of my friends wedding and missed it. It was the Saturday before Thanksgiving and I thought it was the Sat after. I can't believe I did that. I feel terrible about missing her wedding, and have no excuse except that I'm a moron!

As for other news...we had a great Thanksgiving. I host for about 20 people and even with Ben, it was pretty smooth. Much better than last year when I was sick with m/s. Last year my family deducted that I was pregant on Thanksgiving because I wasn't drinking...can't believe it has been a year!

We took Ben to see Santa. He did great...He kept pulling Santa's beard (it was a real one), so we kept hearing "ouch". Santa was a good sport.

Finally some SOs.

Bloomwood - I am jealous of the sleep training. Congrats! As for mobility, Ben won't roll onto his tummy, but he will use his legs to rotate around to get what he wants. It sounds like Serena will be an early crawler...yikes!

Daisy - Yea for progress with sleeping! It's great that you are on a good workout schedule. I was doing great, and have since fallen off track. I still have 15 lbs to lose which is driving me crazy.

JLR - Hope your DH had a great b-day! You are brave for hitting those black friday sales.

steviem - Sorry to hear about your FIL. It sounds like Avery is doing great! I don't think I ever commented on her newborn pics when you posted them...they were lovely!

MrsR - Sorry you had such an emotional rollercoaster, but I'm so glad it worked out for you in the end. Are you ready to go back to work? I loved the pics you posted. He is a cutie!

ToMama - I second Alton Brown's turkey recipe. I use it every year when I cook for our crew of 20. Everyone loves it. Did you get your tree up? Ours is in the house and DH got the lights on it, but I still have to decorate it. Yea for L sleeping through the night. I hope it wasn't a fluke!

Lvella - Great card! I have to get on that.

Sue - Welcome! He is a cutie!

lcarlson - I was lurking in the WOH thread and saw your post. Has it gotten any easier? I have a feeling I will be posting in that thread a lot when I go back in a few weeks.

steviem

12-04-2008, 09:32 AM

Real quick post...........

Bloom: My friend's DD has been crawling since she was 5 months old (she is now 7 months old.) I couldn't believe it when my friend told me but then I saw it with my own eyes!!! She is baby #2 and I am convinced that she is trying to keep up with her older sibling.

Avery hasn't rolled over yet but she can scoot and spin around while on her back.... I think that's more that DS did when he was her age.

I agree with you... I am in no rush to have her crawling around. Life gets so much harder when they move!! ;)

july2008mommies

12-05-2008, 05:18 PM

Updated to here!

Sue

12-07-2008, 04:49 AM

Will be back later to update on Ryan's first week of day care, but just wanted to pop in and say... Guess what showed up this morning?? AF - just lovely, I am so excited.

JLRenheos

12-07-2008, 08:34 AM

Hey everyone!

We went to our 1st Christmas party(w/friends) last night. ILs came over to watch the boy at our house. They brought us over another huge box of Pamper Diapers!! We had dinner for them. We didn't get home til 1 A. We had a lot of fun. I made Buckeye Bars-yummy! I had a cosmo & some wine. The guys played beer pong & some of the others played Guitar Hero. I played foosball. DS was a good boy! They put him to bed at 9p like I asked & he went right to sleep shortly after!
The gift exchange was pretty fun this year. A total of 30 people. Each couple had to bring 1 nice $12 gift/1-gag. There were some funny gag gifts!!

Today, we're going over to the ILs to celebrate the Dec. Birthdays. I'm sure we'll probably play Wii w/everyone too!

I had a footed sleeper on DS this morning. DH was the lucky one, 'cause DS crapped all over in his sleeper OH BOY!:p:eek:........and he had to change him. Needless to say, we had to give him a bath!

I think I need to invest in Shout!! Lol!

JLRenheos

12-07-2008, 09:02 AM

Sue that stinks. just in time for the holidays. umph.

Lvella43

12-07-2008, 09:58 AM

Sue That is such a bummer. I'm dreading that day! As soon as I'm done BF i'm going on that pill that makes AF only show 4 times a year. I hate her ;-)

Here is a little holiday funny for you guys!
http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/jaWapja2nfb7CN0zzTIk

Sue

12-07-2008, 10:42 AM

Tell me about it.... so much for not getting AF while breastfeeding :rolleyes:

So this was the first week of day care and being back to work. DS did OK, for the first couple of days he wasn't napping very well and eating like a little piggie - one day I gave them 4 5oz bottles! But by the end of the week he was napping better and eating 4oz per bottle. But wouldn't you know it, yesterday morning he woke up to a runny nose. I guess this is the first "illness". He's been sleeping all day today, so I know he must not be feeling well.

Being back at work is a bit weird, I need to get myself into the work routine again. I'm pumping 3x at work, so when I get home I have to prepare his bottles for the next and divide up what I pumped that day. It's definitely time consuming but I'm going to bring freezer bags with me this week and try to do some of the work when I'm done pumping each session.

We're decorating for Christmas this week and will try to get pictures of DS and the dogs for our Christmas cards. I also have to try and get his pictures taken, I hope I'll be able to get him an appointment - nothing like waiting till the last minute :)

Lvella43 that is so cute. DH did one with DS and one of the dogs, it was hysterical.

JLRenheos

12-07-2008, 08:16 PM

dealing w/another plugged milk duct this lovely evening. sigh....... SO.not.fun

Well ladies, off to take a hot shower, to see if that helps

MrsR

12-08-2008, 10:41 AM

dealing w/another plugged milk duct this lovely evening. sigh....... SO.not.fun

Well ladies, off to take a hot shower, to see if that helps

JLR -- I have been taking lecithin since DS was about 4 weeks to stave off the plugged ducts -- its a PITA to remember sometimes, but getting plugged ducts are worse IMO. . .

TOMama

12-08-2008, 09:58 PM

JLR - Ugh, you poor thing! I second lecithin. I was prone to plugged ducts w/DS1 (probably from pumping) and it seemed to help a bit. Also, to get the plug out I would wet a small diaper & nuke it for a few seconds and use it as a warm compress. I think that plugged ducts are more painful than childbirth!

Lvella43

12-09-2008, 07:59 AM

OMG, I am so excited! Last night Dylan went to bed at 6:30pm (ate last at 5:30pm), woke up at 9:30 to eat...barely, then 2:30am, then not again until 6:45am. This is our best night EVER!! Yippee!! I feel fairly refreshed today, I was up two other times with Jack/DS1, but still was a good night.

JLRenheos

12-09-2008, 10:38 AM

I was at Target today, having this months pictures taken!! We were able to get some good ones right off the bat!
I wanted to pick up some Lecithin today, however, I needed to get DS home for his nap!-->he was cranky & mama's milk was calling! I looked kind of fast in the vitamin section at Target, but didn't see it. Am I missing something? Maybe I should go to the Health Food/Vitamin Store, instead.

DS isn't feeling good today. He has a cold, plus he's teething up a storm!:o Poor lil' guy.

TOMama Painful, INDEED!

lvella that's AwesomE!! mabye he'll do it again tonight!!

Daisy

12-09-2008, 12:44 PM

Just want to vent about my super annoying morning:

DH gets up and leaves before Jensen and I get up for the day (usually). This morning was pretty normal for DH, but I get up to find that (a) the blinds are still closed (we have a lot of big windows and it's his job to open them), (b) ALL of the bottles are dirty and sitting on the counter dirty (gee, thanks DH), (c) DH left dirty clothes on the floor in the closet right by the dirty clothes bin (WTF, I'm not your maid!), (d) DH left a huge mess in the kitchen from making himself breakfast and (e) he didn't take the mail out. However, I'm sure he had plenty of time to read his stupid sports blog this morning... You know what I did, I put his dirty clothes back in his drawer, ha ha! Those aren't getting washed today!

THEN, my nanny calls with a deathly sounding cold, so she's not coming today - there goes my work out at the gym, not to mention all the laundry I saved for her I now have to do. PLUS, I'm irritated at my firm (to make a long story short, I feel unappreciated). And, Jensen woke up early today, so I had hardly any time for myself this morning (I usually do) and my clients won't stop bothering me!!

So, yes, some of these items by themselves aren't that annoying, but put them all together in one morning and they are super irritating. :mad:

JLRenheos

12-09-2008, 08:49 PM

I ordered my photo greeting cards today! I'll pick them up tomorrow!!

sorry you were having a bad day this morning Daisy....men, you luv'em & you dislike'em!

Lvella43

12-10-2008, 04:16 PM

Daisy That is so sucky! I hope things improved for you!

Daisy

12-10-2008, 10:00 PM

Thanks! I actually didn't leave the house yesterday and spent the afternoon wrapping presents (which I really enjoy), so my day got better. I've been having trouble sleeping at night lately, I think b/c I'm so bothered by my work. Hopefully I'll get over it soon, I'm exhausted. Mentally, I think I need to work, so I'm just going to ride this wave as long as it lasts/makes sense. I doubt I will ever find such a great work-from-home part-time set up again.

Anyway, I had a very successful Costco run today. They had the diapers and formula I use (score!) and tons of other neat stuff for Jensen - although I just bought some books, my parents are buying all the toys I want for him for Christmas.

Anyone have any idea what a 9 year old boy likes? My adopt a family has a 9 year old boy and he just asked for playstation 2 games :rolleyes:, given that he is a size 12, I only got one game and wanted to buy him something more active, if you know what I mean.

Jensen has been sleeping really well since last week and, as of a couple of days ago, he is suddenly putting himself to sleep around 8! He is getting up around 8:30am though, so long for my days when he would sleep until 9:30!

Lvella43 - yay for sleep! Hope it is holding up for you. Jensen still gets up once or twice to eat during the night too, it really depends on when he goes to bed.

JLR - yikes, I bet that hurts!

Sue - how is being back at work, are you in the routine? Good for you for pumping 3x/day! Wow!

JLRenheos

12-11-2008, 11:32 AM

DS went to bed a little after 9p last night. He woke up crying & coughing really bad at around 12:30A. I nursed & held him trying to get him back asleep & in his crib. Well, no such luck as he was not about ready to lie flat on his back. I think it's because of his freakin' cold. You can just hear it rattle in his chest. Plus, he's been shaking his head & pulling at his ears again. Uugh. Felt SO bad for him. Anyhow, I ended up putting him in his swing for the remainder of the night on medium speed. I'm sure my batteries are about caput! I was able to catch some Zzzzz... & so was DS. Whew! I thought I was going to have to give him a bath w/the Vapor stuff in the middle of the A.M..
So, today, I've been putting him in his crib for his naps w/him propt up on his boppy pillow. It's seems to be working!!

Thankgoodness I'm working just a 1/2 day tomorrow. I have my office work party tomorrow eve. & my bro/SIL are sitting. I warned them about my sick/teething baby.:o My house is a ZOO & my laundry is out of control!!

DH picked up our photo Christmas greeting cards that I ordered online & they turned out Great!!!

Lvella43

12-11-2008, 02:03 PM

Dylan is sitting up!!!
http://media5.dropshots.com/photos/94885/20081211/163124.jpg

TOMama

12-11-2008, 03:34 PM

That's awesome Lvella! L. is still pretty slumpy and is making good use of the bumbo. We have the same cube thing, what a great toy.

JLR - Poor baby, hope the little guy is feeling better soon. That's great that you got your christmas cards back so soon. I just ordered ours (better late than never, right?) and we won't be getting them for another week. Oh, and just in case you didn't pick it up already, you can find Lecithin at GNC or any of those vitamin stores.

jeanine - Great to hear from you again! Our tree is up but only 1/2 decorated since the rest of the decorations are in the garage and requires some height & muscles for me to get to. I'm actually okay with putting up less decorations... less to take down! I also have mommy brain. If I don't write it down, whoosh, it's gone! :p

Daisy - Glad your day got better. Your DH and mine must somehow be related :D

L update - Still sleeping relatively well (usually goes at least one 5-6 hour stretch). He also is rolling from back to belly, but not the other way around. Kinda funny since they're supposed to do belly to back first. He's much more active than DS1 was and his legs and arms are always busy. He knows how to turn on his ocean aquarium thing with his legs... Such a funny little guy. I just wish he would nap better without being carried, in a stroller or in a swing. I don't know what I'll do when he outgrows the swing!

Well, I better go and wrap some presents while I can. Hope everyone's having a good day!

JLRenheos

12-12-2008, 09:12 PM

...just got home a little bit ago. We had my office Christmas party. It turned out nice as always. My bro/SIL babysat. A wasn't so good after the 1st hour. They tried just about everything to help calm/soothe him. Part of it, is because he has a horrible cold. He's usually o.k..
He called me, while I was at the party & told me to come home. :(
For the moment, we're borrowing their humidifier & it's in his room running. He's in his swing right now, sleeping. The swing is not moving. We put new batteries in, so we're ready to go!
He sneezed out blood yesterday & he has a runny nose. He's been tugging at his ear & shaking his head back/forth, so I'm wondering if he has an EI-(maybe due to him teething and/or this cold he's fighting).
I've got bags underneath my eyes. I have been dragging these last few days dealing w/a sick baby. These early morning wakings are just killing me.

I have a family bday party to attend tomorrow. It looks like I'll be going & Dh will stay home w/DS.

Well, off to go pump!

SOs later ;)

Lvella43

12-12-2008, 11:24 PM

JLF Man that sounds so rough on everyone!! Poor DS I hope he is feeling better soon! Can you take him to get his ears checked out? I wish you all some good sleep!

JLRenheos

12-14-2008, 04:58 AM

Daisy that's awesome that your parents are buying everything for J that you want! I have no clue what the 'rents are getting our son. The only req. I had was $ towards a carseat--a Britax.
As much as you prob. wouldn't want to get a 'video game', that's what's in right now. The Wii, DS....all those sorta things. What about getting a family board game? You can't go wrong there. Mabye a football, basketball or something that they could use for the Sprintime/Summer. My 6 yr. old nephew is into Star Wars & my 10 yr. old bro. is into the PS games & video games & movies too!

What a cute photo of D sitting up lvella!! Yay, on his milestone!:) I have that same block too, as someone else pointed out!

TOMama thanks! I haven't picked up lecithin yet. We have a nutra health food super store nearby that I need to visit.
I ordered my greeting cards from walmart & had them the next day by 10A. I ordered them the night before late Acutally, they turned out great! I love the 'whimsical' style that I picked out. It looks more modern to me. I only ordered 50 and almost all of them are sent out, with the exception of some(I need correct addresses/more stamps!).
I feel ya' on the swing thing, 'cause DS toes are peering out too & is outgrowing the swing too fast! It's been a lifesaver though..... That's awesome that he's rolling!!! I can't believe he knows how to work the Ocean Aquarium thing already!

Update-
He still hasn't rolled- (should I be concerned?) & he's not sitting up on his own yet, although he tries to lean forward all the time. No interest yet, in the rolling part--maybe 'cause his head is too big & needs to 'grow' into it! :p. I've been working w/him on sitting & doing the tripod. He only last about 6 sec.. He's soo fascinated w/his fingers & thumb right now and has been for awhile. He stares/observes his hand & motions it in front of his face. He loves his e-saucer. His legs are strong & is constantly wanting to stand.
I had a dream this week, that he barely crawled & just took off walking & then immediately running! Yipes!

Still, a sick household here. I think I'm coming down w/DS cold & my DH already has it. :o It was a rough evening lastnight & early this a.m.. He's been sleeping in his swing. Humidifier is helping, but DS still sounds pretty crappy.
I'm going to attempt to start our Christmas shopping & let DH stay home w/DS today. I'm a zombie today, so we'll see how far I get & how long I'll be out.

eta- I ordered A's stocking from PBK lastnight!!! :D I had wanted to get the snowman, but waited to long to do so. They were on back order & they couldn't promise that it'd be here by Christmas. I thought about getting the one that said 'Name 1st Christmas' w/the Reindeer-(it's a little smaller of a stocking & wanted something a little bigger), but got the classice Red Velvet Stocking w/his name embroidered on it instead. I should have it by the 22nd of Dec.or earlier!!!

question
has anyone already started rice cereal and/or is getting ready to start their DC on solids yet by Christmastime or at the New Year?
I bought a box of organic Rice cereal waiting for us to try! I'm thinking of giving him some in the next 2 wks. or less.

Sue

12-14-2008, 06:37 AM

DS has had a runny nose for the past week or so, but it's getting better, man he does not like having his nose wiped!!

We went yesterday to have Christmas pictures taken... of course he had just woken up from his nap so he wasn't super smiley. We got some really cute pictures and got our photo cards. Nothing like waiting till the last minute!

Milestones DS still hasn't rolled over yet either. He will get onto his side, but won't go any further than that. He'll be moving into his crib this weekend probably and I'm thinking it will happen then. He is moving all over the co-sleeper and wakes himself up with his head pushed against the side. If he's sitting in the corner of the couch he'll lean forward and sit up but still is a bit wobbly. He'll sit if his hips are braced, but still hasn't gotten to the point where he'll put his arm out for balance if he tilts to one side. But he loves to stand and if you're holding onto him, you can feel him push up with his legs - this kid wants to be mobile - and he'll stand holding onto your fingers.

JLR I ordered his stocking from PBK too. We wound up getting the Baby's First Christmas one, because I too waited too long and the one I wanted sold out. I got my DH the Red Velvet stocking also.

Solids We'll be starting DS on solids when he's 6 months, so the end of January. His ped wanted to start at his 4 month appointment, but I didn't see the point. He's EBF and gaining well and there aren't really any problems with his sleeping so I didn't see the need to start so early.

Work I think we've gotten into our routine with me being back at work for 2 weeks. DS has settled into day care, is napping well and not eating like a pig anymore :) It's so nice to see him and him not be crying, that just broke my heart. I think it definitely helps that there are only 2 babies in the room, so they both get plenty of attention. Now if I can just figure out when I can work out...

jeanine

12-14-2008, 07:12 AM

Do any of your babies have separation anxiety yet?

Last night was my company's holiday party. DH and I decided to go, and my parents watched DS. When we got home he was sleeping, but my dad said he started crying 5 minutes after we left, and didn't stop (except when he was eating). He said DS kept looking around for us, and when he couldn't find us the crying started. DS knows my mom because he sees her a few times a week, but even that didn't help.

We have DH's holiday party on Friday night, and my parents are going to watch him again (with my little sis who is home from college), but I feel really guilty leaving him even for a few hours knowing that he gets so upset when one of us isn't around.

And now I'm really starting to freak out about going back to work in a few weeks. I was already having big time doubts about going back, but knowing that he cries when I leave is making it so much more difficult. I was hoping that I would be the only one with separation anxiety and that he would be fine.

undesigned

12-14-2008, 09:08 AM

Just found out about this forum, wish I knew about it during the pregnancy and the first few months!

Username: undesigned
Me: Name, age: 32
DH: Name, age: 31
Your new arrival's name: Lana Grace
New arrival's birthdate: 7/27/08
New Arrival's Birth Stats: It's been so long ago. . . 6lbs, 12 oz, 19 3/4"
Any other children: no

JLRenheos

12-14-2008, 09:42 AM

jeanine I hope your transition to work goes smoothly for you. It's hard, but it gets better & will take some time. Hang in there. Are you nursing? Sometimes they just want their momma because it's soothing to them to help get them to sleep, if BF'ing.

qotd - separation anxiety?
I believe my DS does not have separation anxiety, however, he's been fussier than usual due to this stage we're in--->teething. Even *I* can't even calm him down sometimes.
Even though I'm home more often than I work, he's around a lot of both of our families & friends. It helps & it's good for him. He loves kids and has been around my nephews & niece!
My ILs watches DS once per/wk & my SM watches once per week as well, for the 2 days per/wk that I work. He likes to be held & I'm sure he'll go to anyone that'll hold him too ;)
MY grandmother has watched him, friends of ours-(who have a a girl that's 10wks. older than DS) & my brother/sil has all babysat him. My mom, who lives out of state has also watched him, even though DS doesn't 'know' my Mom like the others, however, my voice sounds like hers, so maybe that's calming to him/recognizeable.

Daisy

12-14-2008, 11:34 AM

Hi Ladies -

Separation Anxiety - sorry to hear about that jeanine. :( That would be rough. I know Jensen doesn't have it. We have left him a few times while we have gone out, not to mention the long weekend in Napa we took last month with out him.

Milestones - Jensen started rolling over a long time ago, but hasn't done anything "new." He scoots around well while he is on his back and tummy and we "practice" standing and walking. He is good at putting pressure on his feet and can stand with us for a minute or two before collapsing. We have this jumper thing that you hang from a door frame - he's not jumping (it's a tad big for him), but he'll hang out in it and move around at least. My dad is getting him an exersaucer for Christmas, good timing. What else, he grabs for stuff and puts things in his mouth really well. :)

Solids - we have put rice cereal in his bottle before, haven't done it in awhile though. I actually made a bowl of rice cereal yesterday to see how he did and he wasn't that interested and half of each bite went down his face. We'll try again in another week or so. He seems interested in when we eat, so I thought I would try.

JLR and Sue - I got Jensen a PBK stocking too with his name on it! I got him that snowman one. It turned out really cute.

JLR - yeah, it started snowing here (this place shuts down in the snow, NO ONE can drive in it :rolleyes:), so instead of running around getting the adopt a family boy another video game, I just bought him a gift card. :p We also did end up buying him a football and basketball. I am determined to remain a video game free household when junior gets older. Also, I had to dictate what big items my parents are getting Jensen b/c knowing them they would go crazy and we just do not have the space for all that stuff!

Lvella43 - Very cute pic, yay for sitting up!

ToMama - seriously, sometimes DH just has no clue. That's neat that he started rolling tummy to back first - cool tid bit for his baby book.

JLRenheos

12-16-2008, 08:27 AM

Hi all :)

DS, I think is finally starting to feel better, however DH has it & feels miserable(at least he can handle it). Still has that cough though. He's been getting up ALL last week at least 1-2Xs per night. Besides DS cold in conjunction w/teething, I am also wondering if he's going through some kind of growth spurt again. We already have the box of Organic rice cereal waiting for DS. I'm wondering if I should just go ahead & start DS on it in the next 1-2 wks. OR sooner, rather than in the New Year?-he's pretty close to the 6 mos. age mark. I can't wait till he sttn again. D@mn cold! Last night he got up once. I BF'd him & put him back in his crib and then we both slept in till 8:30a!! Woot!
DS Christmas stocking will be here by the 18th! Yay! ...and I get to pick up his pics. from Target either today or tomorrow!

undesigned Welcome! I must've missed your post. Looking forward to chat more here w/our July mommies! Your DD name is pretty ;)

What are your plans for the Christmas Holiday with the family/ies ?

-Mom/SD & family-
My mom/SD & 3 sisters are coming into town this weekend. Yup, 11 of us at MY house this weekend. I've started a tradition of hosting Christmas at my house w/everyone. We usually do it a wk. before, 'cause my Mom/family is coming into town for her side of the family party-(which is being held on Saturday late afternoon & there's 60+ people just on my Mom's side-Yipes!). It's going to be fun & of course, we'll be there too.
There's going to be 6 adults & 5 kiddos running around in our sm. house. It's going to be a complete madhouse on Saturday evening & on Sunday!:eek: My mom will make her yummy ham & my bro./SIL will bring something and we'll provide the rest.
I have SO much to do & not enough time to prepare for this week/end.-(food prep/ menu planning, chrismas gifts, wrapping, cleaning house etc; etc.)
Let's just say that I'm very stressed right now & feeling overwhelmed.....

-Dad/SM & family-
Bro/SIL are hosting it at their house this year. It's more child friendly & we won't have to tote a PNP, since we can use their crib. We'll be celebrating w/everyone on Christmas evening around 6p. There will be 13 of us! We play a ton of money games! My dad has a pop machine at his business, so at the end of the year, they take that money & put it into games that we can play. Since we're older, they almost always give us cash anyway, along w/other sm. fun gifts. So.much.fun.
I cannot wait to get my pics. of DS that was taken at 16 days old. We had over 400 pro. pics. taken at my house & my SM is putting together an album for us!!

-ILs-
We're going over on Christmas around 1p. We'll hang out for a good 5 hrs. before going over to my Bro/SILs house.
My DH's 2 brothers & family will all be there. It'll be nice for DS to spend his
'1st' Christmas w/that side of the family & his cousins.

-DH & I-
We'll just kind of lounge around Christmas morning & give our DS his gifts. Dh/I aren't really exchanging anything big between us. We'll do stocking stuffers & some sm. things & I'll have a gift for my DS to give to his daddy. ;)
Usually on Christmas eve. we've always gotten together at the same bar-(I know, don't laugh!) w/our group of friends & hang out, have drinks & play pool and darts. Santa Claus usually comes by to say to all of us too;):p. I don't know if it'll work, since we have lil' ones this year.

sorry for the long post

MrsR

12-16-2008, 08:34 AM

I am posting from my blackberry so sorry if things get scr*wwy - I just dropped DS off at daycare for his first trial day - it was so hard not to cry, but I didn't want DS to start crying. I am on my way to the hair salon to get my hair done so I won't be thinking about DS all morning. Fingers crossed he does ok (and I make it until 1 without freaking out)

JLRenheos

12-17-2008, 08:53 AM

I swear, ds is like clockwork. He's been waking everynight for the last week between 12a-1a. Uugh, I think it's because he's in the throws of teething. I'm sure his cold isn't helping either D@mn teething!! He's been sttn since 7-8wks. & now this?! I know, I've been a bit spoiled w/his sleeping before all this started. Life as we know it.....

Daisy

12-18-2008, 10:59 PM

So this week has really sucked for us. FIL passed away yesterday morning at around 4am. He has been battling stage 4 melanoma and metastatic brain tumors for about 18 months (about 17 months longer than the first 3 doctors gave him, I might add). Aside from the brain tumors that were under control for the time being, the cancer hadn't spread at all in his body until about 3 or 4 weeks ago. He has been working, driving, you wouldn't have known he was sick. Then it just suddenly spread like wildfire in his body a couple of weeks ago and then suddenly he woke up Sunday and couldn't move. There were also a couple new brain tumors and he was already scheduled to have the big one removed on Tuesday. Monday they discovered that all of the tumors were bleeding and that there really wasn't anything they could do at that point. He was never in any pain and he went very peacefully and very quickly. Both SILs got into town on Monday evening and DH was able to spend a lot of time with him alone on Monday afternoon before they arrived.

Everyone is doing well for the time being, busy making arrangements. And everyone is at peace knowing they did everything they could (DH really managed his care - researching treatment/drugs/trials, meeting w/ various doctors all the time, talking w/ others in similar situations, etc.). Still very sad, he just went to his holiday party last Friday and babysat Jensen the weekend before. MIL and FIL were together for about 40 years. I'm sad that Jensen will never know him or remember him.

So, I've been a single mom since Sunday and my work has been completely nuts with a financing we finally closed today - I reached my breaking point yesterday afternoon. There was just too much to deal with - family, death, job, baby, regular household things. I felt like I was neglecting Jensen. Plus, it dumped 7+ inches :eek: on us today, so basically everyone in this area is housebound and DH was finally home today and I kinda got a break (and showered before noon). Yesterday, DH got home before Jensen went to bed (he had been staying at the hospital late each night) and Jensen was so excited that he was around he didn't go to sleep until late...needless to say, I am so freaking exhausted. The service is going to be on Monday. I must say, it feels a little better typing all this out.

jeanine

12-19-2008, 05:46 AM

I'm so sorry Daisy. Your family is in my prayers. It's sad that Jensen will never know him. Spending 5 months with your little guy probably meant the world to your FIL. It sucks that you had to deal with work stress on top of everything else.

Bloomwood

12-19-2008, 07:38 AM

Daisy, I'm really sorry for your FIL's passing and for all the stress you are under. I agree with Jeanine that meeting Jensen probably meant so much to him. And, from your DH's involvement in his care, it sounds like he will make sure to nurture his own son as well. I hope you get some rest soon.

Lvella43

12-19-2008, 07:54 AM

Daily That is devistating news, my thoughts are with you and the family.

steviem

12-19-2008, 10:08 AM

Daisy: Big hugs to you and your family. I am so sorry for your loss.

lcarlson90

12-19-2008, 10:26 AM

Daisy - I am so sorry for your family's loss. I agree that it was great that your FIL was able to meet Jensen and spend time with him. I hope that in the midst of all this stress you will be able to have a wonderful holiday with your family.

TOMama

12-19-2008, 02:38 PM

Daisy - Big hugs!!!! I'm so sorry to hear about your FIL. My thoughts are with you and your family.

undesigned

12-19-2008, 04:47 PM

Daisy: So sorry to hear about your FIL's passing. My thoughts are with you and your family during this very difficult time. Hang in there.

Daisy

12-20-2008, 09:04 AM

Hi Ladies,
Thank you for letting me ramble on and for keeping us in your thoughts, I really do appreciate it. Jensen spoiled us last night and went to bed early and got up at 8:30 this morning - we were able to get a ton of uninterrupted sleep, so needed. DH is doing pretty well and because of all the snow we have, he has been mostly home since Thursday. He's also had periods of irritability, but not too bad. MIL and SILs came over the other night too to get some baby time and they seemed to be keeping things together as well. SILs boyfriend and other SILs family are coming this weekend and everyone is staying through the holiday (with MIL). If we don't make it home to my parents for the holiday (the weather is that bad here), then I'll host Christmas dinner here (my IL's are Jewish, but older SIL married a Catholic, so everyone celebrates Christmas to some extent). The service won't be very religious either since FIL wasn't very religious, but DH is reading some Hebrew prayer and there some other religious/Israelie things that they are doing. They also set up a memorial fund towards melanoma research.

I do think it meant a lot to DH and FIL that Jensen was able to spend time with FIL. Most stage 4 melanoma patients only live for 4-6 weeks after being diagnosed, so you can tell what kind of shape FIL was in and what kind of fighter he was. FIL had a simple mole removed about 7 years ago - no one expected it to turn into this years later, melanoma is just that bad.

We always knew we wanted to have kids, but it was just a matter of when (we've been married for 6 years), but this gave us the reality check to get going and reprioritize our lives. DH was also able to spend a lot of time with FIL earlier this year when he took 5 months off from working (that and play lots of golf of course).

I think all the arrangements have been made - which is good because we're supposed to get hit with a bad storm this afternoon and they are urging everyone to stay in - more snow and 75mph winds or something. I sure hope we don't lose power.

Lvella43

12-21-2008, 11:23 AM

I just had to post Dylan's "junk in his trunk" hee hee hee:
http://media3.dropshots.com/photos/109036/20081211/173409.jpg

Lvella43

12-22-2008, 01:25 PM

Dylan's first tooth came thru today!! Crazy stuff!

MrsR

12-22-2008, 01:52 PM

Dylan's first tooth came thru today!! Crazy stuff!

I hear you -- Jack's bottom two teeth came through the week of Thanksgiving?!?!?!

Daisy -- I am so sorry for your loss.

GTG pick up the little guy from his first full day of daycare . . .

Bloomwood

12-22-2008, 02:16 PM

Dylan's first tooth came thru today!! Crazy stuff!

wow! When did Jack's first tooth come thru? DD1's didn't come through until she was 7 months so I'm wondering if DD2 will follow suit.

TOMama

12-22-2008, 10:05 PM

Wow, teeth already? I'm in denial that our little babies are growing up! L. has been chewing, biting & drooling like a mad man, but no teeth yet. I'm thinking in the next couple of months... should make bfing interesting since he like to chomp...

Lvella - Cute bun shot :)

MrsR - How did his first day go?

Daisy - How are you doing? Hope you're hanging in there and that you aren't being impacted by the storm.

So L. is finally sleeping through the night!!! Last feed is around 9Pm and he usually wakes up around 7AM. He has a ton of energy during the day-- rolling, hands & legs moving constantly, hardly naps-- so I think he's exhausted come night time. The lack of napping is killing me though. Between both boys, I never have any down time until after 9PM.

Just got back from the mall-- I'm exhausted. I always try to avoid the last minute madness, but it never fails that we end up doing some panic shopping. Oh, but I did score some pretty nice Kate Spade sunglasses (whole store is 30% off :)) So glad that Christmas is just a few days away.

JLRenheos

12-23-2008, 02:33 PM

First off, just wanted to say I'm So sorry for your family's loss Daisy. What a horrible disease. So glad to hear that J, was able to spend the last few weeks w/your FIL. Hugs to your family.

lvella such a fun shot! Too funny!! Wow, ouch for the both of you, about his 1st tooth being in.

MrsR Hope both of your days went well. It takes time for everyone to adjust & being on some kind of regimen.

ToMama Congrats on L, Sttn!! Yay!! Happy Dance!:)

1 Christmas down, 2 more to go!--not incl. just the 3 of us.
I'm exhausted after spending a looong wknd. w/my family.
I've been soo busy w/everything & completely stressed out. We had our big family party on Sat. night 60-70 ppl. My mom/family stayed the night Sat./Sun. & on Sunday, we had our Christmas gathering here at My house. We had 11 people total & it was total madness. Everything went well.
DS is no longer sick. Yay!~ I'm trying to find time to last min. Christmas shop. I hate dragging the baby out. It makes it all the more difficult.
We're having my Dh's parents & maybe his 1 bil over for the 24th for appetizers. More entertaining. I'll try & post some pics. of DS later....
Merry Christmas everyone!

Daisy

12-23-2008, 04:19 PM

Hi Ladies,
Thank you for all your kind wishes. FIL's service was yesterday and it went really well. They did a graveside service (and the weather cooperated!) and a reception at a nearby restaurant in a private room. DH and older SIL both spoke and they did well. DH read the Kadish (sp?) well too. I am totally exhausted today, so much so that I almost started crying earlier because of it. We got zero sleep last night since DH was wired from everything that has been going on. He went back to work today and my nanny didn't show because of all the snow and ice here. I got a 1/2 hr nap earlier when J was sleeping, so that helps a little.

We have maybe 8-10 inches of snow on the ground here, which is totally nuts for us, we never get snow and when we do it's a 1/2 inch that doesn't stick. DH said that half the roads downtown are closed because they are too steep and covered with ice. We are hoping to get over the pass tomorrow to spend the holiday at my parents - forecast is looking ok, hopefully they don't close the pass for avalanche control or anything. I will be seriously upset if we don't get to my parents for Christmas. I went 5 days last week without leaving the house once because of this weather!

JLR - holy crap, that is a big party!
lvella - cute butt pick! I need to get one of J like that.
ToMama - yay sleeping! I'm jealous, I need some!

Hope everyone has a nice holiday, stay safe!

JLRenheos

12-23-2008, 04:52 PM

Daisy I hope you have your house stocked up on food, just in case. I sure hope you get to go to your parents for Christmas.

I forgot to mention, but we started Adam on Organic Rice Cereal last Friday the 19th of Dec.!! :D:) So, we started 2 wks. early.
He did NOT like it the first time as suspected. The faces he made were freaking hilarious!! We took pics.! I really don't think he loves it, but I'm sure it's just the texture. I'm sure it'll take time for him to get used to it. He's only had it 4Xs. I'm giving him 3-4 Tbsp. mixed w/BM. That's the latest development.
Still hasn't rolled over yet, from either side.

We took him to see 'Santa' last week too & to look at Christmas lights!!

Lvella43

12-23-2008, 05:47 PM

Bloomwood Jack's first tooth came in at 7.5 months so this seems really early. His second tooth is well on its way also! All things considered he's in a really good mood and still super smiley and such.

BabyCenter Store Am I super late to the game realizing that they are closing the BabyCenter store? I used it a lot and I guess I'm sad to see it go. I think they will be having a big end of year sale though.

steviem

12-23-2008, 07:57 PM

Daisy: I'm glad to hear the service for FIL went well and that the weather cooperated.

JLR: Your parties sound fun! Glad to hear A is feeling better.

Tomama: Yippee for L sleeping through the night!!

Lvella: Awesome picture :)

Teeth: No teeth yet but Avery has her hand/fist in her mouth constantly so I am sure they are on their way. DS got his first teeth (bottom two) just a few days after he turned 5 months old. Avery is 5 months today so only time will tell.

Solids: I started Avery on solids a week ago. She did not like rice cereal at first, and still isn't too fond of it, but she likes it better when I add fruit. So far, we've tried, bananas, pears and sweet potatoes. Right now, I'm just feeding her rice cereal plus a fruit for breakfast. I'll start with a veggie for dinner next week.

Rolling over: She rolled over twice, that I am aware of, and I missed it both times:( I put her down on her tummy and when I looked at her, she was on her back. I am determined to catch her in the act.

Holiday plans: Our plans are pretty mellow this year but I am excited about starting some new traditions. We had an early celebration with one of DH's sisters this past weekend since her family will be out of town for Christmas. We will spend Christmas Eve with just our little family and I am actually looking forward to it. I am making a nice dinner and we will go to an early Mass, then watch some Christmas movie with the kids. Hopefully DS will go to sleep early so we can set-up the presents that Santa will bring him (we need to put together some toys, etc.) On Christmas Day, I will make homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast (my new tradition), then DH's other sister will come over with her daughter and I will cook an early dinner. DH's dad is still not well so he is staying put and we will visit him on Friday, then up to my parent's house on Saturday. I really love this time of year and it is so much more fun with kids!

On another note, it seems like we keep getting bad news :( I mentioned before that FIL has had major health problems (broken back, bad infection, and possible cancer diagnosis.) He STILL has not been to an oncologist... don't get me started on that! It is very likely he has a form of blood cancer called Multiple Myeloma. The docs at the hospital said the results of his bone biopsy appear "suspicous" but he has to see the oncologist for the official diagnosis.

Then today, my future SIL called me (she his marrying my BIL in May). She went to the ER on Saturday for severe heartburn. They did a CT scan to see if she had kidney stones and instead, they found a spot on her liver and on her hip bone :( She is going back for an MRI on 12/31.

Then tonight, I found out that my friend was diagnosed with breast cancer. So today was not a good day :(

On a more positive note, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday! Enjoy your families :)

JLRenheos

12-24-2008, 10:12 AM

steviem I hope that 2009, brings all of your loved ones & friends a Happy, Healthy & Prosperous New Year.

I rcv'd some pro. pics. & a photo book of some of the pics. that were taken of DS/I when he was 16 days old. My SM worked on it for me, along w/my SS & her friend-(that's the pro. photog.)
The photo book is absolutely beautiful! I'm in tears just reminiscing & thinking back to that very day. It's amazing how much babies grow & how often they change looks.

Merry Christmas!!!

JLRenheos

12-26-2008, 09:35 PM

I can't believe my baby is going to be 6 mos. old next week:eek:. Wow.

As far as sleeping, ds has been waking again the last several nights. It's been a rough few days to say the least.... I'm starting to look like a racoon.:o

DS made out like a bandit as far as his 1st Christmas went! He now has enough money saved up, for us to buy him a Britax Marathon convertible carseat!! I'm going to try & hold off til the end of Jan., maybe., until they go on $ale. January is when he'll get weighed again for his 6mos. appt. too. We'll know for sure, when he reaches that 21lb. weight range on his snugride.

DS rcv'd a lot of money, Fisher-Price Crawl-Along-Drum-Roll, Fisher-Price Press & Go Animal-Parade Train, a Wee-Sing(The Best of) along CDs/book, Veggie tales CD, 2 outfits, Diapers & Wipes--Oh yeah!!!, Lullaby Gloworm, this little F-P cow-thing(it's round) that moos & vibrates, pack of long-sleeved bodysuits, pack of short-sleeved bodysuits, 2-baby's 1st ornaments, & a homemade extra warm blanket(for going out & about!) made by his uncle.

We bought him a Wee-Sing along CD/Book, F-P Classical Stacker, his 1st stocking from PBK, F-P Sit-To-Stand Giraffe-(a little old for him yet), Dh bought him an outfit, a toy(plays music etc; lights up and talks/sings), another teething ring, Lots of Links, wrist rattles, desitin, Playtex Ventaire bottle. Some of the items were his stocking stuffers.
We were going to order his Christmas ornament, however, we'll order it well into the New Year, since they won't get any in stock, until May:eek:

Everything was nice, however, I'm glad it's over.
WOW! Time to Decompress........... We're ALL exhausted.

Lvella43

12-29-2008, 01:28 PM

I hope you all had a nice holiday!!!

Lvella43

12-29-2008, 07:19 PM

I can't believe that Dylan is 6 months old today!!! I tried to get his pics taken at our usual spot, but he was in a very rare foul mood. I think he is getting more teeth and was just an unhappy guy today. We're going to try again tomorrow.

We started food with him; went right to sweet potatoes. The first day went pretty well, but the second day was a 180 and here is the proof:

http://media8.dropshots.com/photos/94885/20081228/143240.jpg

Daisy

12-30-2008, 09:23 AM

Hi Ladies,

Hope everyone had a nice holiday. I can't believe some of your babies are 6 months old already, Jensen just turned 5 months last weekend.

We made it to my parents house (thankfully) for the holiday. It took us 4 hours though (instead of the usual 2) because of all the compact snow and ice and holiday traffic. It was fun having his first Christmas and opening and playing with all his presents. Jensen got an exersaucer, which he loves, a radio flyer, lots of smaller toys and books, clothes and one of those things he can scoot on, push, ride on and rock on. It was nice being at my parents and having a break from DH's family and the stress from FIL's passing - we drank lots of wine and put 2 puzzles together!

So I have to share a MIL story. We're at MIL's last weekend and I'm sitting with Jensen opening presents from SIL. MIL asks if she can hold him (usually she just grabs him) and I say not quite yet since we're opening presents. She is sitting near me. She then asks DH to get J from me and give him to her so she can hold him. Um yeah, we don't work that way. DH says no and to ask me herself. BTW, I can hear the whole thing and they are aware of it. She tells him that she did and I said no. DH tells her to ask me again. So MIL turns to me and says, "I want Jensen, give him to me." WTF, how rude! DH was totally caught off guard with her rudeness. She drives me freaking crazy...

Lvella43 - cute pic, that is the look J gives me too when I give him solids.

JLR - sounds like you had a nice holiday. BTW, The Right Start (therightstart.com) has the marathon on sale right now for $249. J isn't quite ready for another car seat, but I've been looking anyway. Also, yeah, we were totally stocked up on food (and diapers thanks to Costco) before we were hit with the snow storm, we lucked out.

steveim - hope you had a nice holiday. I'm so sorry to hear about all your bad news. Did your cinnamon rolls turn out? I've been thinking about making some myself ever since you mentioned them!

My nanny didn't show up again today. :mad: She is good, but I'm going to have to find another one at this rate.

Sue

12-30-2008, 11:04 AM

Hi everyone! I hope everyone had a great holiday!!

Solids We'll be starting solids when DS is 6 months, so another 3 weeks or so... I already bought a box of cereal.

I stopped by day care on lunch today and DS rolled over from back to tummy for the first time!!! And he did it 3 times! He's been super wiggly lately and kicking his legs a lot.

JLRenheos

12-30-2008, 04:40 PM

Waving Hello to everyone! ;)

New Year Eve Plans
Going out to dinner w/2 other couples @ a nice Chinese restuarant. 1 of the couples are also bringing their 2 boys. We don't have a sitter. After dinner, we'll all be going our seperate ways.
After dinner, the 3 of us are going over to our friend's house(they have a DD that's 10wks. older than our DS) to hang out w/the 3 of them. We may not stay til Mid, but it'll be nice to hang out w/friends.

haven't bought the Marathon yet, but the money is in the acct. for us to do so! Not that it's a big deal, but now just deciding on fabric/designs. I think we'll just stick to the travelingtikes website, as they're on $ale for $209! Thanks for the heads up though! I'll have to check it out(the website you mentioned) later tonight!

SOs later...

JLRenheos

01-01-2009, 03:03 PM

DS is sick again w/some sort of nasty cold. Uugh. Tylenol seems to be helping. It just started last night. This next week is going to be h3ll. He was in the swing last night & I'm sure he'll be in it for the remainder. sigh... He hasn't been wanting to nurse, either. My poor baby. Thank goodness his wbv is in a few wks..

Happy New Year

JLRenheos

01-02-2009, 11:30 AM

Hey all

Took ds to see our Ped. today. He's miserable. They did take a throat culture test to check for strep & a nose culture to check for RSV in the office. They both came back Neg., so that's good. It's just a virus that he'll have to suffer through. He had a little wax build up in his one ear, so they took it out. They took his temp(in the ear) & it was 100.4
I think his temp, might've even spiked last night because he was on FIRE. You could just feel the heat permeate off of him. I just stripped him down to his onesie to allow him to cool off. He's been in his swing.
I'm a zombie & it's been so hard to get anything done with him feeling this way.

Anyhow, he's currently weighs 18lbs 4 ozs.

undesigned

01-04-2009, 03:21 PM

Happy New Year!

JLRenheos: Hope your DS is feeling better. DD is getting over her first cold, a sick baby is exhausting!

I'm also getting over a cold, but I'm also dealing with some stubborn plugged ducts. I'm an EP'er so I don't know if that makes them more common, or maybe my weakened immune system brought them on. I'm a little scared that I'm going to get mastitis. I was planning on weaning from the pump when DD turns 6 months at the end of this month, and I'm a little worried about getting more plugged ducts during the process. I don't produce much milk to begin with so it surprises me that I have them.

Solids: We're starting solids at 6 months. We'll start with rice cereal - does anyone have a brand to recommend? Any thoughts about organic rice cereal?

Lvella43: The pic of your DH is so cute. Is he sitting in a Bumbo? DD is probably not going to be sitting up by the time we start solids so we haven't purchased a high chair yet. I'm thinking we should maybe get a Bumbo so it makes feeding her easier.

DD still hasn't rolled over yet but is trying. During her 4 month WBV, she was 17 lbs, 3oz - 97th percentile! Her ped said that she might not turn over as fast because she's so big!

I'm not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow, the holidays went by so fast.

JLRenheos

01-04-2009, 03:52 PM

It's been a rough Mommy day, especially today. It's been like this all week. :( It's been pretty F'ing miserable, needless to say,...

Bloomwood

01-04-2009, 05:20 PM

hugs JLR. I hope A is at least starting to feel better.

S has a major cold - could be the flu. She is miserable. just miserable. She won't take a bottle from me - and I'm in the process of weaning - so it's either boob from me or bottle from daddy. I don't mind putting off weaning for her to soothe on me as I can just imagine how crummy she feels - I'm coming down with it too.

She is rolling a ton every which way and doing pretty well at sitting up too.

steviem

01-05-2009, 11:13 AM

Happy New Year!

JLR: Hope your little guy feels better soon and that you are able to get some rest :)

Lvella: Love that pic! So cute!

Bloom: Hope S feels better soon.

All is well here. I am happy the holidays are over and am on a mission to get organized. I want to de-clutter EVERYTHING so I have been trying to tackle a closet each day. We are working on the garage this weekend... ugh... so much to do.

Avery is doing really well. I thought she had an ear infection but now I think she is just teething. She has no fever or cold symptoms, but she is fussy and tugs on her ear. She wants to be held A LOT these days, which makes it hard to get anything else done.

We started her on solids a few weeks ago. She does a pretty good job, especially in the mornings. I've just started adding "dinner" to the routine. I stocked up on fresh veggies/squash and fruit yesterday so that I can start to make the babyfood. For now, I've just been giving her Earth's Best rice ceral, fruits and veggies.

She has rolled over a few times but that's it. She also likes to sit up, but it only lasts for a few seconds before she falls forward. It's funny to compare her to DS. DS was way more advanced on his gross motor skills by this point, but Avery is way more advanced on fine motor skills.... she has excellent coordination with her hands- it's crazy!

So, we are going to Hawaii in May for BIL's wedding. I am totally stressing over this trip.... this will be the first time we've traveled with the kids, other than overnight trips where we've just had to drive somewhere. For those moms who have traveled with their kidlets, I have a few questions:

Strollers: I plan to bring DS's umbrella stroller and pick up another cheap-o umbrella stroller. I am afraid to bring my Bumbleride double stroller. Do you think this is a good idea? Also, do I have to check the strollers, or do I simply "wheel" them up to the gate?

Carseats: We will be renting a car in Hawaii, so, do I just rent carseats through them, or, do I have to bring my own carseats. If I have to bring my own, do they get checked with other baggage, or do I bring them to the gate?

Seats on the plane: We are bringing my mom with me to help out with the kids since DH and I are both in the bridal party. Anyway, I am thinking we will only book 4 seats (me, DH, my mom, and DS) but let Avery sit on our laps. Good idea or should we suck it up and pay for another seat for her?

Sorry for all the questions. I know there is a thread on travel tips somewhere else but I thought I'd check with my fellow July mamas first!

Hope you are all well.

TOMama

01-05-2009, 11:25 AM

Hi Everyone, Happy New Year!

Hope all the sick babies & mommies are feeling better soon.

We're also sick-- Well the boys are on the tail end of it and I started getting sick on NYE and am on my way to getting laryngitis. Yuck. The holidays were pretty crazy, so I'm glad to be getting back into a routine.

JLR - Big hug! Hope A is feeling better and that you get a break from mommy duties.

undesigned - Hope those plugged ducts are resolved pronto! I EP'd with DS1 and had them all.the.time. I'm not sure if it was the pump or because I had "thick" milk... it continued even when I was barely producing any milk at all. For me, weaning very slowly helped prevent mastitis.

Daisy - Gosh, your MIL is a bit much... That behavior would drive me crazy too!

Lvella - That's a precious picture! You're so good at taking pictures, I need to get on the ball. Oh no, I didn't realize that the babycenter store was closing... I liked shopping there.

steviem - Hope you had a wonderful holiday. Sorry to hear about all the bad news.

L. Update - He started rolling over belly2back on NY's so now he just rolls around all over the place. When he's tired though, he gets stuck on his belly and screams like crazy. He's also been shaking his head back & forth on command. He thinks it's funny, especially when DS1 gets in his face and yells "shaky shaky". Although he still has his moments, DS1 is finally starting to "like" his brother.

Ack, Landon's up from his nap already. Have a great week!

MSH

01-05-2009, 11:28 AM

Strollers: I plan to bring DS's umbrella stroller and pick up another cheap-o umbrella stroller. I am afraid to bring my Bumbleride double stroller. Do you think this is a good idea? Also, do I have to check the strollers, or do I simply "wheel" them up to the gate?

Carseats: We will be renting a car in Hawaii, so, do I just rent carseats through them, or, do I have to bring my own carseats. If I have to bring my own, do they get checked with other baggage, or do I bring them to the gate?

Seats on the plane: We are bringing my mom with me to help out with the kids since DH and I are both in the bridal party. Anyway, I am thinking we will only book 4 seats (me, DH, my mom, and DS) but let Avery sit on our laps. Good idea or should we suck it up and pay for another seat for her?

I would not bring a stroller you expect to be in good condition after the flight. i would get a cheep umbrella stroller and maybe some of those links to hook two together if you need a double. We brought our Graco with us and the front wheel was broken off upon arrival and the airline would not replace it, if we put it through them it would take over a month we were told. I would much rather not have a stroller for a weeks vacation than a month of regular life :) As far as checking the stroller it depends on your airport. When we left Toronto we were allowed to check it at the gate and we got it again in Frankfurt and it was checked at the gate again. The next airport did not allow gate check-ins so we didn't get our stroller till the final destination. On our way home they had us check it with our luggage and we received the damaged stroller at our final destination.

Flying with babies, if you can affort it buy an extra seat, otherwise your baby may not be secured at all. When we flew with SAS we were given a second seatbelt with looped on to an adults seatbelt but were told in a crash it was not expected to save the babys life but "at least the baby would be with us", another airline just had us hold onto the baby and in case of crash he would essentially be flung through the plane. If you get an extra seat you can secure your carseat in the seat or you can use a product such as this http://www.securebaby.com/sbckfs1.html#

Daisy

01-05-2009, 01:24 PM

JLR, ToMama, Bloom - yucko, I hope you guys are feeling better!

steveim - fun! We are going to Maui next month and I cannot wait, I need some sun and to put my feet in the sand. When we traveled to NY when J was 9 weeks, we didn't get him a seat (it was fine, just put him in the bijorn) and we gate checked our only stroller (we put in a nice big bag with the car seat that clips to it) and it worked out fine. We don't plan on doing anything different on this next flight either, but we are planning to rent a car seat with the rental car instead of bringing ours. The less gear we have to lug, the better, I figure. Is the double stroller really bulky? If so, it may be easier to take two small umbrella strollers. Although I was told you can rent anything in Hawaii, including all kinds of baby gear, but I haven't looked into this. That is great that you are bringing your mom. Why buy another seat when you can pass Avery around between 3 adults?

J. Update - not really much to update, he's still cute and wiggiley as always. He's been getting solids once a day for the last 2 weeks and he seems to like the oatmeal better than the rice. Next week I'll try something else, like bananas or sweet potatoes. He's taking in 7 oz of formula at just about every feeding, I'm curious to see what he weighs at the end of the month at his WBV, I bet he is 16+ lbs.

Bloomwood

01-06-2009, 10:30 AM

I just ordered S's next car seat (britax marathon) through albee baby and got a great deal on a discontinued print - http://www.albeebaby.com/britax-marathon-convertible-car-seat-in-ashley-floral.html

steviem

01-06-2009, 12:45 PM

Thanks for the travel tips ladies :) Much appreciated!

Bloomwood

01-06-2009, 04:57 PM

TOMama - I keep meaning to post to you - I got a Toyota Siena for Christmas; keys were under the tree. :D I love it. Love it - it just took a bit to make the mental leap to accept I could be a minivan driver. I had to turn off the sonar though. Our driveway and road is super narrow so it was always going off. Love the rear view camera however.

jeanine

01-06-2009, 06:04 PM

Hope all the sick babies feel better soon.

Yesterday was supposed to be my first day back to work. Instead I went in and told them I wasn't coming back. My boss was disappointed but completely understanding, and left the door open for me to come back whenever I am ready. It was a hard decision, but I am happy with it.

We started Ben on rice cereal last week. He loves it and gets mad when he is done. He'll look in the bowl and has this shocked look on his face when he sees there isn't anything in it. I'll probably try sweet potatoes next. He also finally rolled over back to belly yesterday!

Lvella43

01-07-2009, 06:20 PM

I apologize for being so MIA lately!! I have been keeping up with reading,but just can't find the time to post a proper update.

Happy New Year to everyone and I hope all the sick babies are feeling better soon!!

JLRenheos

01-07-2009, 08:16 PM

bloomwood I too, just ordered the Britax Marathon, but from travelingtikes. They're on $ale for $209 & cheaper(marathons)! They were out of their 'Greystone' pattern, so they offered me their 'Onyx' pattern-($40 more)for the $ale price as the greystone :) Score!!
Hope you & S are feeling better. Yay, on your new Christmas present!!:D

steviem hope your lil' one doesn't have an ear infection.
W.o.w! You're brave for on de-cluttering your house & esp; your Garage! have fun making her foods! I hope you have a great trip to Hawaii, come May ;) Aloha...
As far as traveling-
On strollers I brought my full-sized one w/us to Fla.. I checked it at the Gate. They put a special tag on it. No biggie. I'd be afraid of them ruining an expensive stroller. Do you have a cover for it/carrier?
carseat/s What airline are you traveling with? It's best to check w/the airline's carseat regulations. I did & it was helpful. Check out the travel thread found here on the CC. We just held DS, since he was only 16wks. then. ILs drove down, so they brought 1 of our infant carriers down for us.
seats on plane If your Mom is flying with you, then I'd say (IMO) just fly w/DS on your laps. Do you have any layovers? Hopefully, it's not a booked flight. It's such a looong flight. I had a direct flight there & it still took 10 hrs., when I flew 3 yrs. ago.

TOMama Hope your feeling well. Hope the boys are feeling better too. It's rough, when a kid is sick.
That's too cute about the 'shaky, shaky'...Lol! yay on L rolling over! What a milestone!

Daisy o.k., so you're going to Hawaii too, huh?! Wanna pack me in your luggage? ;) Maui sounds Great! I hope you have a great time too!
A is liking the Oatmeal better too, but still ate it. Rice cereal is some nasty stuff ewwww...

jeanine yay, on the rolling over milestone! Sounds like your boss was as understanding as he was going to be. I'm glad it worked out in your favor. You probably feel better about your situation. That's nice that he's going to leave the door open for you.

undesigned We started out w/Earth's Best Organic Rice cereal. Hope you're feeling better & that the plugged ducts are gone too!-those are SO painful. My DS hasn't rolled either, don't feel so bad. You do have a big DD! DS was just weighed last Fri., and he weighed a little over 18#s.

Sue I'm so glad you got to see your DC roll over!!! Good luck w/starting on rice cereal & solids here in a few weeks! Our babies are getting big, to quick to fast!

JLRenheos

01-07-2009, 08:35 PM

update/s on A-
he's feeling much better & has his ol' self back!! Such a huge difference. Yay for the both of us!;) I'm not so miserable either. Today was the first day that I could tell that he was feeling better. He's still congested in his chest though.

He's been sitting up now. Sometimes w/help(boppy or me) & sometimes w/none. Today at the ILs, they said he sat up on his own for 30 min.! We started foods, almost 3 weeks ago! He's on Oatmeal now & he's liking it. I think next, we *may* try Barley & then to Stage 1 foods. He's a pretty vocal child & makes a lot of sounds. No teeth as of yet, but I think they're on the tip of the iceberg & ready to pop thru anytime...
I ordered the B. Marathon for my car thru travelingtikes & should recieve it sometime next week!

question
Should I be concerned that he hasn't rolled over yet? I just wonder, if because he's a big/heavy baby?! He weighs 18#s + Any insight?? He does not like to be on his belly. He'd rather sit up and also try & stand on his feet/legs.

Daisy

01-12-2009, 10:41 AM

Hi Ladies,

Hope everyone had a nice weekend. J started having the sniffles yesterday - this is our first experience with them, so any advice is greatly appreciated. He seemed to have slept well last night and is eating ok, but he is breathing like a horse. I've tried saline spray and the bulb sucker thing (which he doesn't care for). We also elevated one end of his crib, which hopefully helped.

We were on a serious spending spree over the weekend. Although we don't quite need them yet we got two new carseats, the Marathon and Boulevard, both in onyx. The boulevard is gigantic! We ordered the marathon from travelingtykes also (thanks JLR!). I also finally got rid of my car too (I had a G35 coupe that I will miss dearly) and got a sedan. I got a lexus IS and yes, the boulevard will be very tight back there when it is rear facing, but hopefully it'll only be that way for a couple of months - he's still in the infant carrier and he'll hopefully go forward facing on his birthday. And, today we're getting recessed lighting installed in our living room (9 can lights in all and an additional switch). I'm really excited to have this done, but it's also a PITA having the guy here all day working - I don't really want to leave the house. It did give me a reason to put away all things primary colors though :p.

JLR - totally, come with us! I have no idea about the rolling over bit, maybe you should ask your ped? Although, I do think babies do things at their own pace and concentrate on different things and A is probably doing just that.

jeanine - wow, good for you! That is also so great that the door in left open to go back, what a good scenario.

Bloom - how cool that the keys were under the tree! (Makes me think of all those commercials :))

I hope I'm not missing anyone, happy Monday.

MrsR

01-12-2009, 10:58 AM

Hey ladies, sorry I have been MIA -- things have been pretty crazy here.

I started back to work part time on Monday last week so it has been a bit of an adjustment to say the least -- I leave at 4 on M-Th and 1 on Friday but I am going to start looking for a new job I think. . . long story but I just don't think things are going to work out for me here now that I have a kid and have to put something (or rather someone) before my job -- the partners here really just don't understand.

Jack has been pretty congested since he started daycare -- I guess it is sort of like kennel cough with dogs:rolleyes:

JLR -- my ped told me that when you have a bigger baby it will take longer for some of the physical stuff to develop since there is more baby to move (if that makes sense). Jack weighs over 20lbs and he just rolled over from his back to his tummy over the weekend and he *hates* to be on his tummy. Like A, he would rather be sitting up or standing . . .

jeanine -- I am sooo jealous

We moved DS to his marathon over Christmas as he had reached the top of his infant seat:eek::eek::eek:. We started him on rice cereal on January 2 -- seems to be going pretty well -- I think I am going to give him sweet potatoes over the weekend.

Sorry but I have to go run and pump:(

lcarlson90

01-12-2009, 11:29 AM

No time for replies...maybe tonight... but I just wanted to let Daisy know that our ped also recommended that we put the shower on and take DS into the steam for about 10 minutes before bed to help with congestion. It really seemed to help DS a lot. He was sick from Thanksgiving until the weekend after Christmas. He is finally better.

Daisy

01-14-2009, 10:27 AM

Hey Ladies,

J had his 6 month WBV yesterday (albeit a couple weeks early) and he is now 16 lbs. and 26.5 inches long. He was in a happy mood until he got his shots and puked up a ton of formula mixed with snot, it was awful. Anyway his sniffles are slowly starting to go away - thanks lcarlson90 for the rec!

MrsR - sorry it's not working out at your firm. :( Hope the Atlanta market is better than mine - we have firms closing (one larger one in particular) and merging, so it is not a good time to switch jobs here. Good luck!

JLRenheos

01-14-2009, 07:15 PM

I rcv'd our Britax Marathon yesterday, so that was exciting! It took about 10 days for it to arrive & I odered it thru travelingtikes. I think I'm going to order another one for DH's car, maybe diff. color. Looking forward to installing it & having it inspected.
We tried Barley on A a few times last week & he didn't like it. He loves his Oatmeal instead!
I finally see some teeth! They haven't fully erupted yet. Right now, they're just ittybitty stubbs. He still hasn't rolled over, but is getting better & better at sitting up on his own unassisted. Yay!!

We have ds 6mos. wbv scheduled for next week.

Daisy the onyx pattern is really nice! You won't be disappointed. You DID go on a major shopping spree! How fun!! Have fun w/your new car!
Hope your recessed lighting installation went smoothly. We had recessed lighting installed the Summer before, ALL on dimmer switches & we LOVE them!! We also have the kind of recessed lighting where we can adjust the head of the bulb.
You have a lil' man in weight. Poor J for getting sick. Hope he's feeling better soon.

MrsR wishing you luck finding a new job. It certainly is an adjustment that first week going back to work - I hope it went o.k.. Hope J, is feeling better too, w/the sniffles. I picked up Sweet Potatoes too! We'll prob. intro. to him next week, mabye.

TOMama

01-15-2009, 01:32 PM

Good gawd, I've been having a hard time getting on the computer these days. L. is a horrible napper (just like his big bro was)... he won't nap lying down and is seriously exhausted until I hold him to nap. I'm lucky if I get him to nap in the swing these days. Even then, he only naps for 30 min. max. Makes me crazy. Thank goodness he sleeps at night without a fuss. Down at 8PM and up at 6AM, which I can stretch to 7AM.

I'm trying to get him to nap by 9AM, 12PM & 4/5PM....

This leads me to the QOTD-- What is your sleep/nap schedule like?
Gotta run, both kids are screaming and DS1 needs to be put down for his nap.

Daisy

01-15-2009, 02:23 PM

ToMama / QOTD - J gets up for the day at around 8:25AM and goes down for his first nap between 9:30-10, then he naps for about 1 hour, about every 2.5 hours thereafter with a longer stretch of wakefulness at night before he goes down for the night. He goes down for the night around 8PM, give or take a half hour. I'll also add that he has been consistently STTN for just over a month now (about when he hit 4 months), it is fabulous. Before that I would get teasers, like 3 nights of STTN, 2 nights of waking up around 3AM, etc.

ToMama - :( No ideas really, have you tried the bijorn? For J, when he won't go to sleep, it's like he knows that there is something fun going on in the living room without him.

undesigned

01-15-2009, 05:30 PM

QOTD: DD sleeps around 9/10 and gets up around 5 to eat, and usually goes back down for a couple hours and gets up around 9/10, although the last several days she's been up every 4 hours or so to eat, not sure if it's a growth spurt or maybe it means we need to start solids soon! Her napping is very inconsistent, doesn't really have a schedule.

I'm waffling right now about whether I should stop EP'ing at 6 months or to just cut down. I have to say I'm just plain exhausted from pumping but another part of me feels guilty about stopping.

JLR: I bought an onyx Marathon from travelingtikes too! We're going to have to buy a new stroller soon. DD still hasn't turned over yet either, she keeps trying and is very, very close.

MrsR: Sorry to hear about the job situation. I know how much law firm life sucks, it really isn't family friendly.

JLRenheos

01-15-2009, 07:37 PM

I just ordered another Marathon tonight through traveling tikes for Dh's car. I had thought about going w/the First Yrs. True fit, but went ahead & bit the bullet on the Britax. I bought the Greystone & I'm hoping they'll offer me their Onyx, like they did w/the other one, since they're no longer stocking that one!

I'm taking DS for his 6 mos. pics. tomorrow.

Can I say that it's d@mn near freezing!!!! It's supposed to be -30 tomorrow & right now is -20! The heat is Cranked!

TOMama DS still is napping in his swing too. sorry it's been hard on you as of lately.

QOTD nap schedule-
He wakes up as early as 6:30 or as late as 9:30A, so it varies from day to day. On the days that I work, I wake him up for the day around 6:30/:45A.
DS goes down for a nap between 10-11A for about 2-2 1/2 hrs. and then again, between 3-4P, for another 2 hrs. or just about. He only naps in his swing.

undesigned I too, have also thought about EP'ing or coming up w/a plan. My SIL is preg. w/#2 and is due at the very end of March, so she'll need the pump within the month of having her baby. I don't know what to do. I guess I could always manually pump, what a Pita that would be! We went in together & bought the electric pump (used) from my cousin.
Are you needing a full sz. stroller or just a light weight one? I have the Mac. Volo & I love it. I had only wished, I had the next upgrade from that now, simply for the recline feature and the extra padding in the back.

JLRenheos

01-16-2009, 10:40 AM

I thought I'd share a few pro. pics that we had done of A @ 16d old at home. These are pics. of a photo book that my SM made for me! I have an LJ for those that would like to see more. Click to enlarge.

This was taken in his nursery serving as the backdrop-he is 16d old here!
http://i537.photobucket.com/albums/ff334/jlrenheos/Adam/th_100_5830.jpg (http://i537.photobucket.com/albums/ff334/jlrenheos/Adam/100_5830.jpg)

close-ups-he is 9d old here!
http://i537.photobucket.com/albums/ff334/jlrenheos/Adam/th_100_5838.jpg (http://i537.photobucket.com/albums/ff334/jlrenheos/Adam/100_5838.jpg)

NOT for front page

steviem

01-16-2009, 02:26 PM

Hi ladies :)

Hope you are all well. Things are going well for us. Avery will be 6 months on the 23rd- this is going by WAY too quickly for me! I love the baby stage and don't want it to end.

I am anxious to see what she weighs now... at her 4 month WBV she was just over 16lbs... I have a feeling she will be at least 18 lbs now, especially since she is eating solids! That girl loves to eat... just like her mama! ;) As of now, I feed her rice cereal or oatmeal for breakfast, with a fruit mixed in (usually pears or apples- she hates bananas!). Then at dinner, I feed her the rice cereal again, with a veggie. I made my first batch of food and she likes most of it: butternut squash, sweet potatoe, peas. Peas are her least favorite.

She has only rolled over twice that I know of. We give her plenty of floor time (on her back and tummy) but I guess she doesn't feel the need to roll! She is getting better about sitting up, but she usually topples over after a few seconds. DS was rolling over and sitting up by this age.... it's funny how different they are already. (DS also had 2 bottom teeth already and although it seems like Avery is teething, I don't see nor can I feel any teeth breaking through.)

One new thing that I have noticed is she gets really pissy when I put her down now! Ugh! She used to be totally fine in he swing/exersaucer/floor, but now, she wants to be held constantly! It makes it hard to do anything.

JLR: Great find on the Britax! Sorry about the freezing weather! It's been HOT and windy her in SoCal and I hate it! I was starting to enjoy the cool winter weather and then BAM... it's hot again! (I guess the grass is always greener, right? ;))

MrsR: I hope things are going well and that you are settling in with the new routine (work, etc.). I agree with Daisy in that things are scary right now with the economy, etc., that looking for a new job may be tough but you DEFINITELY need to work for a company/organization that supports you and your family. Good luck!

Tomama: Sorry about napping issue. Naptime is my favorite part of each day!! Unfortunately, I am not usually successful at getting them both down at the same time.

Nap schedule: Normally, Avery wakes up at 5am, eats then goes back to sleep until 7am when she gets up for the day. She will take her first nap (a quick one), anywhere from 10-11:30am but it's usually only 30 mins or so. She then takes about an hour nap from 1-2pm and then her "big" nap is from 3:30-5pm. She goes down for the night at 7:30pm.

Lvella43

01-20-2009, 11:05 AM

I haven't been here in a while but I'm doing my best to read thru.

Dylan Not really rolling over, has done it once or twice, but I'm now thinking it was by accident. He is so not into eating food! He'll eat rice cereal once in a while, but if I mix in even the smallest amount of food he will spit it out. This is the opposite of DS1 who loved new foods so its a whole new road for us. I'm just taking it slow and trying not to push him too much. Sleep - ugh well....until about 2 or 3 nights ago I was still letting him eat every 3 hours around the clock. I have just now started to soothe him by rocking him at night and putting him to bed again without nursing him. Its so hard because I'm sooooo tired and in all honesty its just easier to nurse him! DS1 is suuuupppeer sick so that is extra draining and DH decided it was the perfect time to leave for a weekend and will do so again in two weeks.

Ok, I'm off to put Dylan down for a nap then to come back for proper SOs.

:)

JLRenheos

01-20-2009, 01:45 PM

We took DS for his 6 mos. WBV this a.m.. We won't go again, until mid-April

Height: 27.5 in (80%)
Weight: 18lbs. 12ozs. (75%)
Head Cir: 17.5 (80%)

He also got another round of vacs. He screamed for a little bit & then went to sleep in his carrier & I made a shopping trip out to Target in the baby section. Nursing is going o.k. so far, due to the fact that ds has his 2 bottom frt. teeth in. They've erupted & they're not completely all the way in yet]! He bit my finger the other day, when I allowed him to suck on my finger - ouch!

We were kinda irrated, because our Ped. fell Ill (so they say...) so we could've canceled, but we decided to stay & see the NP in the office. I had just wished they called us(before arriving in their office to tell us), because dh made a special trip out to be there specifically to
see our Dr.. I didn't want to cancel the appt. [I]again. I had to cancel the last time, due to DS being sick. We were already there, so I didn't want to have to plan for his shots & resched. Plus, I don't know if DH could've been there for the next appt.. We're not against seeing our lovely NP, just preferred to see our Ped..

DS has had rice cereal, oatmeal(loves it!!!) and barley. We gave him barley again last night for the 3rd time & he ate it this time 'round-didn't like it initially! We decided to give him his first taste of Vegetable last night. We gave him Sweet Potatoes & he didn't like them at.all. He was making the funniest yucky faces and spitting it out/blowing raspberries.
We'll try it again tonight!
I'm looking forward to storytime at the library this Friday w/DS! We got the last spot for the Winter Session!!

Bloomwood

01-20-2009, 01:45 PM

hi ladies. Just wanted to pop in briefly. It has been chaos here. We moved into a furnished rental last weekend while we undertake remodeling our kitchen/family room and master bath/closet. We just got the internet up a couple of days ago. Still not settled - stuff everywhere.

S is doing soo soo well. When she finally recovered from RSV (:rolleyes:) and had a few days to get used to sleeping in the new house we let her CIO. It took 2 nights (one long one) and she's done. Sleeping 12.5 hours. Heaven.

I started her on solids last week. she LOVED the rice cereal. She's had bananas, butternut squash and zucchini. Today I also put a frozen peach in her mesh feeder because she is teething something fierce. Also a big hit. I can't wait until these little teeth pop through.

She is rolling, rolling, sitting up and yesterday I caught her up on all fours. I'm sure it's at least another month before she's crawling, but close!

Today I moved her to her convertible. It's a bit early, I think, but we're giving our infant carrier to a friend that is pretty close, so I wanted time to wash it. She's super comfy in the marathon, but I'm just not sure how I'm going to handle dropping off/picking up DD1 when I don't have the infant carrier. Probably use my pouch sling or maclaren volo.

I am also winding down the BFing. I'm not nearly as sad as I thought I'd be but I have been dragging it out a lot. I probably just have a few more sessions left. (DH better enjoy the bigger size for the next few weeks as they'll probably never be big again!! lol)

I'll try to start reading along and doing SOs once I feel more settled here and can find my groove again!

OH! QOTD: How's everyone doing with the baby weight loss?
Now that I'm done BFing, I joined a gym and am committed to going M/W/F mornings after preschool drop off. We have a wedding in MX in 2 weeks, so I have major motivation, but we'll see. I need to drop about 9 lbs to be in my ideal zone, but I'll settle for 5!!

Daisy

01-20-2009, 03:15 PM

Busy thread today!

Solids - J has had rice cereal, oatmeal, peas and carrots. He loves carrots, peas not so much. I found out the hard way that carrots stain the crap out of things, took me three washes to get it out of his shirt and bib! I think we are going to do oatmeal with bananas next.

JLR/Undersigned/Bloom - well, I stopped BFing at 3 months and my life has been way better, I just hated it. I have nothing to add, just good for you for doing it for so long. I have a friend that works in the office 3 days/week and is on the total elimination diet b/c her DD is allergic to everything and she is exclusively BFing/EPing her DD, she is just amazing. I don't know how she is doing it.

JLR - yes, we love the new lighting! Ours also moves around and points at different things. 3 of our cans are for reading and 6 others are smaller mostly pointed at things (fireplace, artwork, etc.). Cute pics too!

Steveim - I'm with you, where did my baby go, he's so big already.

Bloom - hey stranger, sounds like a big remodel! You'll have to post before and after pics when you're back in.

QOTD - I also just have about 5 pounds to go before I'm at my true PP weight. We're going to Maui in a couple of weeks and my goal is to lose the rest before we go.

Not much new with us. We started a Kindermusik class a couple of weeks ago, there are about 5-6 people in the class. J is enjoying it so far. A friend of mine and I have lunch after, which adds to the fun for me. :) The class goes through March, so I think J will really enjoy it more the more we go and the more he begins to remember things. DH is in NYC all week, so I'm a single mom, blah.

Oh yeah, I went into my office yesterday to have lunch with a coworker and briefly saw my boss. I think the economy has hit my firm pretty hard...anyway, my boss hardly had much to say, which I think is because he wants to maintain the status quo and not have me work more (fine with me!) b/c he would need to pay me more (I think the firm is pretty strapped). So, looks like my set up will continue for a bit longer, yay!

undesigned

01-20-2009, 09:12 PM

Hello everyone. One more week until DD turns 6 months. She's starting to sit up, though she'll usually fall back or forward after a little while. We started her on rice cereal tonight. She wasn't really having it and ended up spitting up whatever she took down. We'll try again tomorrow.

DH and I have been interviewing and touring daycare centers - we'll need to enroll DD this coming July when she's 11 mos and DH has to go back to work. There's a center across the street from my work, it would be so convenient, I could see DD at lunch and I wouldn't have to stress out about picking her up by 6 but I'm not very impressed with it. The center I prefer is a bit out of the way and would probably add 30 minutes each way to my commute, plus it has a waiting list. Not sure what we're going to do.

JLR: The pics look great! If you're doing well nursing, I wouldn't recommend starting to EP - it's much more work. Lately I've been having a harder time incorporating pumping sessions at home now that DD is getting to be more playful and interactive. I'd like to get away with getting one stroller, so probably a light weight one? Is the Maclaren Volo upgrade a Quest or a Triumph?

steviem: DD is getting more demanding the older she gets too, always wants to be held. She used to be happy sitting in her bouncy seat for long periods of time, but she's always trying to squirm out now.

Daisy: What kind of law do you practice? I'm an in-house attorney - I've never loved my job but I guess I should be grateful I have one in this economy.

Bloom: So CIO worked for you? It's been such a challenge to put DD to sleep, been thinking about letting her CIO but I'm such a wuss!

QOTD: I still have about 10 lbs to go, and I really need to tone - so out of shape. After I wean from the pump, I'm going to try and start working out during my lunch breaks.

TOMama

01-21-2009, 12:21 AM

In the last week L. appears to be having an allergic reaction to something I'm eating. Won't gross you out with all the details, but his poops have been pretty slimy green and he's been doing some arching & high pitched screaming at night. I ate a bunch of peanuts last week (duh) and that seemed to be the start of it. He's also been breaking out in a rash on his face, but it seems to come and go.

His sleep has also been pretty bad. Before he was a bad napper, but would sleep thru the night. Lately he's a bad napper and waking at night too. I just got him down to bed and it's midnite. Between the 2 kids, I'm just exhausted!

We have his WBV on Friday so hopefully she can shed some light. DS1 didn't have food allergies, so I'm at a loss. I guess I need to be better with what I eat (sigh). I just bought a bunch of food for him, but maybe I'll just hold off until his system settles down. Poor kid can't wait to eat... just watches us and drools.

QOTD - I'm actually under my pre-preg weight, but my stomach muscles are shot so it doesn't look like it. That tranverse breech business seriously did a number on my stomach muscles & skin and I don't think it'll ever fully recover. :( Ideally I'd like to drop 5 more pounds & take a yoga class, but I'm not sure when I can fit that in.

I need to go to bed. Will catch up later!

MrsR

01-21-2009, 06:52 AM

Hey ladies, sorry I have been MIA -- this whole work thing has got me really bummed -- I know the economy sucks something fierce right now (and especially since I am a finance attorney), but unfortunately, I don't have much of a choice and I am going to have to look for another job:(. Anyway, DS started sweet potatoes this past Friday -- he was not crazy about them until we mixed them in with his rice cereal -- that is pretty much the only way he will eat them -- I wonder if this will change or we will have to mix in all solids with his cereal . . . he has been rolling over from his back to his tummy but has seemed to have forgotten how to roll over from his tummy to his back.

QOTD - sleep schedule -- we are in sleep hell -- on the weekends/days J is not at daycare he wakes up around 7:45 and I put him down for a nap at 10 which lasts about 1-1.5 hrs, then I put down around 2:30 after nursing him and he sleeps for 2 hours or so, then we put him down for the night around 7:45. The sleep hell part is that he wakes up anywhere from 3:30-5 (with 5 being the exception, not the rule) -- my ped told me not to feed him before 5 but my rule is the earlier of 5 or when he has been screaming for an hour -- I am exhausted since I am back at work and most nights he has been waking at 3:30 so I go to feed him around 4:30 -- I have been noticing that DS has not been eating all that great when he gets up at 7:45 so I may start feeding him less and less at the 4:30ish feeding to see if that will make him eat better at 7:45 -- I will ask ped on Friday at J's 6mo WBV.

QOTD -- weight loss -- I am about 5lbs lighter than I was when I got PG but still 5 lbs heavier than I was when I started infertility treatments -- so ideally I'd like to loose 5-10 more lbs but as with TOMama -- my stomach muscles are totally shot and I still have my lovely red stretch marks . . .

JLR -- love the pics -- I went back and looked at our first photo shoot with J when he was 5 days old -- it is so hard to believe he was once that tiny. . . sounds like your DS is doing great growth wise -- I am going to be interested to see how J is progressing at our WBV on Friday -- I hear you on the marathons -- we got one from my aunt and uncle (in onyx) and moved J into it over Christmas -- I bit the bullet and bought another one from Albeebaby over the holidays to have for DH/babysitters car (in greystone).

undesigned -- I totally hear you -- I am currently pumping once at work and the pumping at 7:00 feeding (so DH can give J a bottle) and then BF the 4:30 am and 7:45 am feedings during the week and then nursing all 4 of those feedings on the weekend with J getting frozen BM for the 2 bottles. By my calculations, my freezer stash is going to be at a point where I need to add in formula on the 31st of this month so I need to decide if I am going to keep BF or completely wean to formula -- I thought I'd be ready to wean off the boob at 3 mos but I keep pushing back my goal -- now I think I am going to try to keep BF until DS is 9 mos old (or until he STTN since I find putting him on the boob at 4:30 is much easier than worming up a bottle in the middle of the night).

Bloom -- sounds like S is doing sooo well -- I am jealous that she is liking solids so much -- I am keeping my fingers crossed that J is not going to be a picky eater -- I thought the sweet potatoes would be a big hit so I am kind of sad that they weren't.

Lvella -- I am sorry you are having such a hard time with Dylan's sleeping -- I will keep my fingers crossed that it gets better for you ASAP.

steviem -- I think Jack has taken a page from Avery's book -- he wants to be held *all* *the* *time* when he is home -- maybe it is because he misses me when he is at daycare (more likely it is because he knows he can get away with it at home;)). . .

Daisy -- I am soooo jealous that you are going to Maui -- DH and I went for our honeymoon and I loved it so much!!!!

TOMama -- sorry about the allergic reaction -- I have been pretty grossed out by DS's poops now that we have switched to solids so I can only imagine how horrible this is for you . . .

JLRenheos

01-22-2009, 07:39 PM

feeling kind of bummed out this evening...dealing w/babysitting issues not wanting to get into now & now we're going to have to find someone else for my Thursday workdays. I want to work PT & I need my sanity. I also don't have a choice. I need to work, to bring in some sort of income.
My bro. said that he'd watch him, until... 1.) he finds a job 2.) until we find a perm. sitter(we may now have to start paying, which we can't really afford) 3.) OR up until their 2nd child is born (due 3-30). He already has a 1 1/2 yr. old. So yeah,...he'd have his hands busy w/3 kids under 1 1/2 yrs. old, so, that's probably not feasable once the new baby arrives.

On a lighter note, my Mom is coming in tomorrow morning for the wknd.! I'm excited to spend some time w/her.
I'm taking Adam to our local library for storytime every Friday morning for Winter session! It's our 1st time.
Finally, our 2nd Marathon should arrive here next Monday/Tuesday sometime!

undesigned

01-23-2009, 07:11 AM

DD turned over yesterday! From her back to her belly. I wasn't home to see it but DH said she did it 3x. I was a bit nervous that it was taking her so long. Hopefully she'll show me how she does it this weekend. :)

Lvella43

01-24-2009, 07:59 AM

undesigned Yippee for turning over!!! I hope you get to see it this weekend! Now you get the joy of worry about her falling off the changing table. :D

JLR I hope you are enjoying your time with your mom this weekend! So sorry about the babysitting issues; hopefully something will work out soon so you don't have to stress about it.

MrsR How frustrating that things aren't working out at your current company; its just one more added stress that you don't need. Dylan hasn't been keen on ANY food at all, but we still try every day. Its sooo different than DS1 because he ate (and still eats) just about everything! So sorry about the sleep issues, I can't imagine how hard it is to be so tired and then have to go to an office to work. I have so much respect for you ladies that go out of the home to work.

QOTD - SleepWe are all over the map and I was trying to sort of sleep train, but now Dylan is sick so I'm going to wait until he's better. I *need* a good night's sleep like nobodys business!!

QOTD - weight Such a sore subject...I still have 10 pounds to go, but its my own fault. I'm just so darn tired I can't bring myself to workout. DH even got me a treadmill for my bday, but I just can't bring myself to do it regularly yet. Once the kids are asleep (or at all sleep periods) I have to work so at the end of the day all I want to do is crash. I NEED to get my butt in gear!

TOMama How is your foot? So sorry to hear about the allergy; do you really think its the peanuts?

Daisy Glad you guys are liking Kindermusik! Soooo envious of Maui, have a wonderful trip!

Bloomwood As crazy as it is, you guys were so smart to move out while the rennovations were going on!!! I hope it goes smoothly and quickly!

Dylan is up now so I have to go so I'm sending a HUGE SO to those I missed!!!!

Have a great weekend!

TOMama

01-26-2009, 03:09 PM

The last week has been nutty-- been to the ped 4 out of the last 5 days! Last week DS1 came down with a nasty cough and she thought it could be a mild case of croup. Then he developed a fever that has been going on since then. Took him in and he has RSV with a double ear infection. L. has the same cough and I need to take him in again on Thurs. to make sure it doesn't spread to his lungs/ears. Between the two, I was up every hour last night!

L. had his 6 month WBV on Friday. His weight is lower than I thought it would be (16 lbs, 12 oz) but it's probably because he's super active and I'm sure the allergic reaction (pooping 5 times/day) didn't help either. He's 50% in everything else.

I've found a temporary solution to our naptime problems, I've been wearing L. on my back in the Beco carrier. In fact he's taking a nap right now and I'm free to get some quiet stuff done.

Oh man, little guy is having a coughing attack. Will BBL!

JLRenheos

01-27-2009, 09:16 AM

TOMama OMG, Poor DS1! I hope he's feeling better. I hope L doesn't catch RSV. You're prob. exhausted & not able to get anything done! Glad you found a sol'n to L's naptime! Sounds like his 6mo. wbv went fine. I'm sure he'll catch up in weight.

lvella thanks, I had a nice visit w/my Mom! As always, she spoiled my DS. ;) knock on wood, I *think* the sitting issue may work out, but we still need to find an alternative just in case. I don't want to curse myself & speak too soon.

undesigned that's fantastic news!!! Hope you get to catch her in action!

JLRenheos

01-27-2009, 10:52 AM

Last Friday was our very 1st story time at the library. I think DS enjoyed being around other kiddos. Just another reason for me to get out of the house too. ;) Looking forward to it again, this Friday.

My mom was here over the wknd.. My mom is crazy-- she bought him 6 bags of clothes (18-24mos./2T). At least she's thinking ahead! We're not complaining! ;) I don't think this kid needs any clothes except for more white onesies & socks, eventually. She also brought in a laundry basket full of toys, plus an early bday present/s for him. I'll post a pic. of it later. I had lunch out w/my Mom, went shopping & hung out w/family all day Saturday. DS has been SO worn out. He's been sttn 12+ hrs. We must've ran him ragged.
DS still hasn't rolled over either way, however, he's doing well w/his other milestones. He loves sitting up & does quite well at it! We tried squash last night for the 1st time & he seemed to like it o.k.. I'm thinking next wk. we'll try a green veggie. He's kind of been reaching out/lifting his arms up & out, for me now. He's been chatting/babbling up a storm. Our 2nd Marathon finally arrived last evening!

eta - Daisy I ordered our 2nd marathon on 1/15 & it arrived on the 1/26. They told me it was going to be a week out. Probably due to MLK day & for the carseat being popular in the fabric style that I chose.

http://http://www.fisher-price.com/img/product_shots/C6327_c_1.jpg

Daisy

01-27-2009, 11:02 AM

Hi Ladies,

Just popping in to say hi. It was snowing this morning here, but it has stopped and it doesn't look like it's sticking - thank goodness. Not much new with us, I made J homemade pureed carrots over the weekend. They turned out pretty well. Four carrots made a lot of food! We also tried sweet potatoes last weekend and they were a hit. What else, J's naps have been getting long and longer. They used to be about 1 hr max and now they're 2-2.5 hours each time - it is great, I can really get a lot done when he's sleeping (esp work related stuff). I also finally moved him into his 3-6 month clothes. Some of it is a little big still, but not too bad. It is amazing to me that some brands run so big (PBK Threads and Gymbo).

Last weekend we spent the entire Saturday at the boat show - J was great (it was a long time to be out and about) and Sunday my nanny came and DH and I went skiing, it was nice (esp since I came home to all my laundry being done!).

ToMama - omg, you poor thing. I really hope things start to get better. How nice that he'll nap in the carrier!

JLR - hope your babysitting problems work out okay. Also, I still have not received my marathon from travelingtikes - I ordered only a few days after you too, so strange. I need to track it.

Lvella43 - hey stranger. I hear you, I can't imagine having two little ones and then trying to get in a work out, I would be so tired.

MrsR - how is your work situation going? Any leads?

undersigned - I do corporate, securities and finance work. Since I'm working from home part time, I mainly work on one of our larger clients (we have a great relationship, so it has really worked to my advantage with me being able to work from home). Not to mention the fact that my client company is in the bay area, so everything takes place over the phone and email anyway. What kind of company do you work for? My client is a green plastic recycling company...and they're public, so I'm in 10-K craziness right now. :) Were you able to decide on a daycare?

TOMama

01-27-2009, 04:51 PM

Just a quick post because I'm coming down with the same bug & want to take a nap since DS1 is sleeping & my mom is holding L.

Woke up this morning to a wheezing baby. Took him in and he has an ear infection (literally popped up overnight) as well as RSV and needs to do breathing treatments for his wheezing. Between both boys, there's a lot of drugs happening at our house.

Forgot to mention that L's first tooth popped out in the midst of all this craziness. He's actually still pretty happy and has discovered the joys of blowing raspberries.

I keep saying it, but I WILL be back to catch up!!!

Sue

01-27-2009, 05:02 PM

Hey there everyone! Sorry I've been MIA lately, but it's been crazy around here, nothing unusual - just life :)

DS has had a nasty cold for the past 5 days, he's been pretty miserable, so much that he hasn't been very hungry - he never turns down a meal! I'm having to pump more at home these past few days so my supply doesn't tank. He's also been real clingy with me and will reach for me if DH is holding him.

Today was his 6 month WBV. He is 28" (90th percentile) and 18lbs 13oz (75th percentile). I'm sure he would have broken 19lbs. if his appetite was normal.

We had started cereal, but got sidetracked with his cold, of course it happens right when he was getting the hang of swallowing :) This week we'll start him on some veggies and fruits, I need to pick up a small food processor to make his food.

JLRenheos

01-28-2009, 09:15 AM

fly by...

We have NO heat!:o:eek::mad: We have all electric heat & our heat pump/blower is out. Boo! They won't be out til tomorrow late afternoon/early evening to fix it. ACK!!
It's been snowing here for 2 1/2 days straight! We have sheets of ice galore & probably somewhere close to 5-10inch. of snow in some areas. I must've had several inches of ice just frozen on my car.

So, A & I went to stay the night at my ILs last night.:o We're staying again. I want my bed back. I get along quite fine w/them. The good thing about it, is that they have a crib in 1 of their spare rooms, so it worked out great! Dh worked till 12mid., so he came home & froze his arse off by himself. I think tonight Dh will be staying w/all of us.

I made it out(ILs have a snow blower & made a path), so I'm home right now to pick up some extra things for the lil' man and for myself, just in case I'm working tomorrow.

I hope I make it back o.k.. I can't even get up my driveway.

this weather just sucks sucks sucks!!!

Daisy

01-28-2009, 09:12 PM

JLR - yikes, that is awful! I hope you can get it fixed fast. Also, I finally got my marathon today. I called and emailed them asking them for the tracking number and then it coincidentially showed up today.

Sue and ToMama - hope your babies feel better soon. :(

J is going to have his two bottom front teeth pop through any day now. I can see them and he is drooling like a maniac.

undesigned

01-29-2009, 09:11 AM

DD had her 6 month WBV yesterday. She weighs 19 lbs, 15.5 oz (97th) and is 26" long (60th). She's quite the rolly polly.

We're continuing with the rice cereal - she usually won't eat any without having some milk first. The ped said we should work our way up to 6-8 tbs/day and right now she's maybe getting 2-3. For those of you who've been feeding solids for awhile, how much milk are your babies drinking? I know her intake should go down but not sure by how much.

JLR: Hope you get your heat back soon! Glad DS enjoyed storytime at the library. I should see if our local library has something like that.

Daisy: I'm an in-house attorney for a public university. We'll dealing with major state budget cuts so it's been kinda rough lately. That's great that you can work from home part-time. We're on the waiting list for the daycare center we like, hopefully it opens up by the time DH goes back to work, otherwise I don't know what we're going to do. I can't believe how expensive it is - I'll be working to pay for daycare.

TOMama/Sue: Hope your DSs feel better soon!

Lvella43: DD won't lay still when we change her now. She's constantly trying to turn! DH and I need to start doing some major babyproofing pronto. I keep telling myself to start some sleep training with DD, but I keep putting it off.

Bloom: Hope you're getting settled into your new place. We're going to have to move in several months before DH starts his job and I'm dreading it.

MrsR

01-30-2009, 07:38 AM

DS had his 6 month WBV last Friday. He is 29.25 inches long (off the charts), he is 20lbs 12oz (95th percentile) and his head circumference is 17.75 inches (75th percentile). I am glad his head is finally catching up to the rest of him:rolleyes:

Unfortunately DS started running a temp on Monday so he and I have been home since then and this is my first day back in the office. No time for SOs but I will be back later.

JLRenheos

01-30-2009, 10:21 AM

Our heat is back up & running Again!!!

Came back home today. I've spent almost 3 days w/my ILs. :eek: SO glad to be back in My home/bed! We came home today, just in time for story time @ our library. Ds wasn't having it. He was a bit cranky & tired.

Since last night, DS has picked up this horrible cough & I'm feeling under the weather. Sigh.... can't get a break. He just got over from a cold. I'm vegging out all day today.

Meh. I have to work tomorrow & drag the boy out again.

JLRenheos

02-02-2009, 07:04 PM

I can't believe how fast these 7 mos. have flown by!

Waving :hello: to everyone!

DS is on Sick day 5 & I'm feeling pretty miserable myself. I'm right there w/him. Teething, snotty/runny nose, congestion and fever doesn't make for a nice combo for ds. He's barely eating; if anything at all.
I think I got *maybe* all of 2 hrs. of sleep last night & was up at least a 1/2 doz. times. It was absolutely horrible. He wouldn't sleep anywhere but on my chest. By the time I nodded off, dh woke me up to get ready for work(DS was on my chest & I was in the most uncomy position sleeping upright)....isn't this the way it always works?!?. Needless to say, I was exhausted at work today.

...off to bed early

TOMama

02-04-2009, 09:43 PM

Hi Ladies, hope you're all having a good week!

After a week of being completely down & out with a horrible sinus infection, I'm finally starting to feel like myself today. It's a good thing because I was close to losing it stuck at home with two sick, whiny (understandably so) & sleepless kids. Still have the sinus infection, but the intense pressure & headache is starting to subside. We've been having summer (global warming) weather here and it's so weird to be sick, yet wearing short sleeves & putting sunscreen on.

Solids - So am I the only one who hasn't started solids? Poor thing really wants to eat too! He's on antibiotics & has horrible diaper rash and also rash on his face. :( I'm holding off until we're done with the meds cuz if he was allergic to something, I wouldn't be able to tell.

I'm going to attempt & catch up. Sorry if I miss anyone!

JLR - Wow, 7 months already??!! Hope you and A are feeling better. It's so hard when you're both sick... And even harder when you have to wake up and go to work after getting no sleep! We're in the same boat, slowly starting to recover, but sleep has gone to hell in a handbasket. I'm worried that L has gotten used to being carried to sleep for the past 2 weeks... Glad to hear that your heat is up and running again!

MrsR - Hope your little guy is feeling better too. Is his sleep getting better? That's so hard not to feed him when you know it'll make him stop crying. I'm sorry about the work situation, fingers crossed that you are able to find a firm that can work with your schedule.

undesigned - With DS1, he drank the same amount of milk/day until close to a year when he was eating mainly solids.

Sue - Hope your son is feeling better too! Gosh, I hate the colds that go around this time of year!

Daisy - That's great that J is such a good napper! I'm jealous ;)

Bloom - Wow, you've got a lot going on! How exciting it will be when the reno is complete though. My DH will feel the same way when I stop BFing-- the girls will never be this big again! :p

Well, that's the end of my free time. L is screaming his head off and evidently isn't going to cry himself to sleep.

JLRenheos

02-05-2009, 08:57 AM

Sounds like ALL of us July mommas are sick, incl. our little ones. Uugh.

We spent our evening at our Peds. office & at Urgent care.

All I have to say is that yesterday, DS was absolutely horrendus.
I was crying right there w/him. I wanted to pull out my hair. He's had Motrin & Tylenol & none of it was working. He's been miserable for 1 wk. now...and you know, misery loves company. I'm not feeling 100% either.

He has ear infections in Both ears. We started his RX late last night.

He's tested neg. for RSV. We had 2 chest xrays taken on him to check for Pneumonia, which he doesn't have(found out this morning). Whew. He's really congested. This is his 3rd cold in 7 wks. time and each of them has lasted up to 9 days. So yeah, ds hasn't really had a REAL chance to recover from all of these stupid viruses. It's been a long week(dealing w/no heat, sick baby, dh falling on black ice, dh's high b.p./meds & Now, sitting issues AGAIN sigh......)
I called off work this a.m., but am going in this afternoon for a bit.

A is screaming his head off...

SOs later

steviem

02-05-2009, 09:27 AM

I hope all of the babies and mammas are feeling better :( This time of year is just sucky when it comes to colds, etc. Thankfully, my kiddos have not gotten sick, but I am sure since I have just jinxed myself now that I said it....:rolleyes:

Avery had her 6 month WBV yesterday. Her stats are:
Weight: 18 lbs 11 oz (85%)
Height: 28" (97%)

She is a 1/2" taller than her brother was when he was 6 months, but, he weighed 1.5 lbs more than her. He was a big boy!

Nothing too exciting going on here. We are still giving Avery solids for breakfast and dinner, and formula the rest of the day. The only time I BF her now is when she wakes up at 5am. (I have major guilt over this, but it's just the way things have turned out. My body just stopped producing milk so I supplemented, and of course, the more I supplemented, the less I produced :rolleyes:)

She is now rolling over quite a bit but still isn't sitting up on her own. She is in big-time "grab mode" now.... my face, my hair, etc. It hurts!!

In other news, DH and I have decided to leave the kids at home for our mini-vacay to Hawaii. My mom was going to go to help out, since, we are goint for BIL's wedding and both DH and I are in the bridal party. However, after going to Disneyland a few weeks ago, my mom saw how much crap was needed just for a 1-day trip. So, she suggested that we leave the kiddos with her (at our house) and she will watch the kids. DH and I thought about it and decided to go for it. Since they will not be going with us, we decided to cut our trip short so that we can take another family vacation in the summer (probably to San Diego to go to the zoo and Sea World.) Anyway, I am relieved that they aren't coming, but I am also nervous. I am most concerned about DS.... he is REALLY attached to his dad and we have never left him for more than 2 nights. This time we will be gone for 4 nights. I think Avery will be just fine since she is so easy going.

Anyway, sorry for the long post today......hope you all have a great day!

JLRenheos

02-06-2009, 03:19 PM

fyi for those that are needing to buy a convertible carseat & are looking at the Britax Marathons, Traveling Tikes has them on sale.

They have some of their most popular fabrics(cowmooflage sp?) marked down from $249-279 to $229 and lower.

I bought mine(Onyx) right after the New Year, for $209. A few wks. later, I bought the same one again & I paid $219.99 My DS has completely outgrown his Graco Snugride carrier.

Daisy has your ds teeth came in yet?

undesigned I'm only giving my DS 2 Tbsp. of rice cereal(or oatmeal/barley). That's what I started out with. When my ds is with sitters, he just doesn't down the milk like he should. He may intake anywhere between 15-25 ozs. & he is 7mos.. Glad to know the wbv went fine.

sue I hope your little one is feeling better these days.

MrsR Wow! You do have one big boy! What size clothes is he generally wearing now? Sorry to hear he's been running a fever.

TOMama ditto on everything you said about how our kids have been sick. I can't even imagine, 'cause I only have 1. I knew I lost it, when I started to cry right along with my ds this past Wednesday. That's awesome about the weather!

steviem that's great news that the 2 kids will be staying w/your Mom, while you're in Hawaii! I'm sure everything will go fine!

lacarlson how are you doing?

Anyone heard from Amie???!

Daisy

02-06-2009, 05:34 PM

Hey Ladies,

Teeth / JLR - yep, J's two bottom front teeth appeared last week. They are sharp little suckers. Aside from drooling and sucking on everything, they don't seem to bug him at all. I've heard that teething can be a nightmare, so fingers crossed that this will continue for all his teeth!

Feeding - so I've been giving Jensen a veg in the morning and a fruit in the evening. He eats, maybe, half the jar (or a 1/3). Should he be eating more? Should I be giving him solids more often? When he eats solids, he then usually takes 5 oz of formula. When no solids, typically 7 oz.

We are leaving for Maui tomorrow and I'm still doing laundry! I kinda started packing earlier, but now I'm at a lull. I can't decide what to take for myself. I haven't had my summer clothes on in awhile - since '07! I think I'm going to have to start trying things on in order to decide. Most of Jensen's stuff is packed. All of his stuff takes up almost one full sized suitcase, it's amazing - diapers, clothes, swim stuff, food, blanket, etc. I made a killing at gymbo last week though - got tons of summer clothes for super cheap.

Plus, I'm super exhausted. DH is really sick, J has the sniffles and I've had a massive amount of work this week, blah. I really hope the weather is good there (the forecast looks like lots of rain :(), I need to put my feet in the sand and have a drink. Have a good weekend everyone!

steviem

02-06-2009, 09:55 PM

Daisy: Hope you have a wonderful, relaxing time in Maui! About feeding solids...... My ped just told me to feed Avery solids 2-3 times per day. The back of the box of the rice cereal says 2-3 Tbs per feeding. I am feeding Avery twice per day; Usually 3 Tbs of rice ceral, mixed with a 1/2 to 3/4 of the smaller "Stage 1" jar food (or 2 Tbs of homemade food).

They "say" BM or formula should continue to be their main source of nutrition at this point, so I normally feed her a bottle first, then the solids about an hour later.

:)

Daisy

02-06-2009, 10:49 PM

steviem - thanks for your quick response! Ok, maybe I will start offering him more on a regular basis. Sometimes he starts screwing off when he is eating (like blowing bubbles) and since I don't want a mess, I will end the meal - but when he does this it's usually after he's had a bit, so I figure that this is his way of telling me that he's done. Today he ate over half the jar (the smaller jar) at the second feeding, so perhaps he can do that at both solid feeding times.

Homemade baby food - so far I have made carrots and bananas and both have been a hit. Next time I make carrots though I will be more careful to get it smoother, but J is getting used to the consistency and is eating it. I think it'd like to make sweet potatoes next. That web site you posted awhile ago about homemade baby food has been really useful too.

At first I was giving J a bottle and then offer solids an hour later like you mentioned. However, I felt like he was eating all the time and I was always getting something ready (or I would forget about the solids altogether). Now I offer the solids first and then a bottle to top him off.

I am finally packed. DH got pissy because I decided that we need to take 3 bags instead of 2 (1 garmet, 1 large and 1 small suitcase). Hello, this is not a business trip where we can put everything in the overhead! I'm not even taking "extras." My extras are a blow up thing for J to sit in the water and a pop up baby tent thing for the beach - both are super flat. And I'm only bringing 2 days worth of diapers, we'll need to buy more. He isn't taking his clubs either. And we're not taking any baby gear, we're renting everything from this place: http://akamaimothers.com/home.php. Ok, enough rambling, I'm going to bed. Have a great weekend everyone!

Bloomwood

02-07-2009, 07:36 AM

I am finally packed. DH got pissy because I decided that we need to take 3 bags instead of 2 (1 garmet, 1 large and 1 small suitcase). Hello, this is not a business trip where we can put everything in the overhead! I'm not even taking "extras." My extras are a blow up thing for J to sit in the water and a pop up baby tent thing for the beach - both are super flat. And I'm only bringing 2 days worth of diapers, we'll need to buy more. He isn't taking his clubs either. And we're not taking any baby gear, we're renting everything from this place: http://akamaimothers.com/home.php. Ok, enough rambling, I'm going to bed. Have a great weekend everyone!

Men. DH wants me to use just a carry on for 5 days in Mexico. And, I'm in the wedding. :rolleyes:We'll see.

Lvella43

02-07-2009, 06:10 PM

I am wondering if anyone else is using baby carriers and if so which ones are you /did you use.

Have a great weekend!

Lisa

Dylan 6 Months
http://media8.dropshots.com/photos/94885/20090128/205028.jpg
http://media7.dropshots.com/photos/94885/20090128/205033.jpg

lcarlson90

02-07-2009, 10:45 PM

Hi Girls...I am embarrassed at how long it has been since I have posted. I read along almost every day but I never post because I feel guilty that I don't have time to do regular replies.

Things have been overwhelming for me to say the least. Working full-time and taking care of two kids has been really difficult for me. DH has been away on business trips a lot lately and it's really taking its toll on me. My almost 4 year old is really giving me a lot of grief and the baby has decided he wants to be held all the time. I feel like I am on the brink of meltdown all the time.

Gavin had his 6 month WBV on Monday and he weighs 17 pounds, 13 ounces and he is 28 inches long. I think it's funny that there are quite a few babies in our group who are bigger than Gavin because I think he had the highest birth weight. He started rice cereal about a week ago and he seems to like it. I made sweet potatoes, yams and carrots today. I gave him a taste of the sweet potato and he gave me the face so I decided that I would try again tomorrow. Thanks Steviem for the web-site for home-made baby food, it has been really helpful.

Gavin started daycare in the beginning of November and thankfully he has only had 1 cold (that lasted for a month) and he also had diarrhea for a week. He is healthy right now and I am hoping it stays that way. DS#1 had the stomach bug the week before Christmas and that really sucked.

Tomorrow morning we are going to look at the Joovy ultralight stroller. We didn't buy a double because DS #1 is almost 4 and he doesn't usually want to ride in a stroller. We are hoping that he will like this stroller because he can sit or stand on it.

I hope everyone is doing well. It's really late and I am falling asleep, but I will try and do shout-outs tomorrow.

JLRenheos

02-08-2009, 06:18 PM

Hi lcarlson ;) I'm sure it is difficult balancing 2 kids & working FT & I'm sure it's even harder when your dh is traveling. While I don't have 2 kiddos to take care of, I sometimes feel like I'm all alone, 'cause my Dh avgs. 75-80+ hrs./7 days week. There is No breaks when you have a kid period!

lvella Omg! What a handsome lil' fellow! ;) Luv his cheery little smile!

Baby Carriers umm, not using any. I have the snugli, but he kills my back when I have him in it(almost a 19lb'er). Plus, I don't know what the max weight is for it.

Daisy hope your flight went well! Have a fantastic trip in Maui!! A woman can never pack enough!

JLRenheos

02-08-2009, 06:48 PM

We started sweet peas yesterday & it was a success! We'll do gr. beans & then *maybe* his 1st fruit by this coming wknd.! We started giving him the Vitamin D drops(poly vi sol without Iron) a few wks. ago - that stuff is NASTY!
I think DS & I are finally on the cusp of feeling better! Yay!! This whole wknd. was absolutely beautiful out! I took ds out of the house for the 1st time last night(since we've both been sick;10 days) & then today at a park. I put him in a swing for the 1st time & I also took him down a slide -- he loved it! I think it was good to catch a little bit of fresh air & to get OUT of the house!
Today, I met up w/a gf and we went shopping w/our babies.

Has anyone thought about Weaning?! Anyone have any insight?
When is a good time to start? I really need to start looking into that.

I'd like to start weaning him around 10 1/2- 11 mos. if possible & then using up my freezer stash to hopefully get me through til his 1st Birthday. As of right now, I barely have over 200ozs.. I'm thinking, I'll need more for storage just in case ;) Also, I'd like to start cutting back his night time feeding & just offer him a bottle of BM instead.
I'm thinking about just giving him a bottle at night of BM(maybe in about 2-3 wks.), so he doesn't associate sleeping w/being BF. I nurse DS to sleep. I'd still have to pump, before bed though.
FYI, on the days that I work-(2 days) I pump in the a.m. before work, and at lunch time. Everynight, I pump usually around 10pm. or later. When I'm home, I just nurse on demand whenever he's hungry.

Reason why I'm mentioning this, is 'cause my SIL is due at the very end of March/Beg. of April w/her 2nd & she will need the double elec. Bpump that I'm currently using. She only has 6 wks. of Maternity Leave & works FT. She'll need to start pumping Soon after the baby is born, so she can build up her stash. We split the costs of the Bpump(I didn't expect her to get preg. right away). Good thing, I have a nice BM stash for now...
I do have a friend that has an extra single elec. Bpump that I can use, once my SIL needs the double pump. Whew...

I won't be concerned till DS reaches 9mos.+, BUT he still hasn't rolled over either way. He's doing well with all of his other milestones(fine/gross), though.

sorry for the long post

undesigned

02-08-2009, 09:09 PM

DD has a cold, she caught it from DH and I think I'm coming down with it too. The last several nights have been pretty rough, poor thing has a hard time sleeping with her nose all congested. :(

We had been feeding DD oatmeal for 2-3 days after several days of rice cereal. Her face got really red, and we suspected that she might be allergic to the solids, the grape juice we started feeding her or the Aquafor we applied on her face. So we stopped using Aquafor and we've eliminated all solids for a few days. We'll start reintroducing rice cereal tomorrow and see what happens. I don't know if we're being paranoid, but at DD's last WBV, the ped made a comment about DD's face being red and asked whether it could be an allergy - when we just thought she was dry from the cold, winter weather.

Solids: I ordered the Super Baby Foods book, hopefully we can start using it soon. We had been feeding DD 2tbs of oatmeal 3x/day with 4oz of milk. I'm not sure if it was too much because she started spitting up a lot and getting really gassy. Ped said she should be getting 6-8tbs/day which seems like a lot to me.

lcarlson: Hope things get less stressful for you soon. I can't imagine how hard it must be juggling two kids and a full-time job.

Lvella: Adorable photos of Dylan! We have an Ergo carrier. DH actually uses it more than me, but it's pretty comfy. The only thing is that the baby can't face outward (like with a Baby Bjorn). I was also interested in the Becos - they have such pretty designs and I heard that they fit shorter people better.

Daisy: Hope you have/had a great trip!

JLR: I've been EP'ing and will be weaning over the next several weeks. It's probably a little different than nursing, but I'm planning to drop a pump session every 3-4 days and lengthen the time between pumps.

Hope everyone has a good week!

TOMama

02-09-2009, 04:00 PM

Just a quick post cuz both kids are up...

Lvella - I love my Beco Butterfly. I wear L. on my back and he loves it back there. He can look out, but feels so secure that he usually falls asleep. I can also carry him on my front, but now that he's so big it hurts my neck/shoulders after a while. A few of my friends have the Ergo and they seem to really like it. It is a bit wider/bulkier, but one of my friends who is tiny says the Ergo is comfortable for her.

Hope everyone's having a good day!

lcarlson90

02-12-2009, 10:56 AM

QOTD - Did your baby like baby food at first? We started G on rice cereal about two weeks ago. He seems to like the rice cereal just fine. Last Sunday I gave G yams (home-made) and he hated them. I kind of expected that so I tried again on Monday and Tuesday and he refused to eat any of it. So yesterday I gave him apples (earths best jar) and he hated that. I thought for sure he would like fruit. Did anyone else experience this or did your babies like baby food from the start?

MrsR

02-12-2009, 11:00 AM

lcarlson -- DS liked rice cereal and oatmeal at first. He has never liked any other baby food we have given him at the start -- it usually took about a week before he "warmed up" to it. I am going to try to make some baby food this weekend -- I went and got the Beaba Babycook from WS, so we shall see. . . .

MSH

02-12-2009, 11:03 AM

QOTD Nope, in fact he would spit everything back out, we tried bananas, apples, sweet potatoes and carots. Then all of a sudden yesterday he decided he liked apples ... we started solids close to a month ago and yesterday was the first time he actually ate any :)

MrsR

02-12-2009, 11:16 AM

oh, and here are recent pictures of DS showing off his sitting skillz (sorry the photos are so large):
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b235/jroyko/Sitting2.jpg
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b235/jroyko/Sitting1.jpg

Sue

02-12-2009, 11:29 AM

QOTD Once he got used to swallowing he did great. DS is an eater, even if he doesn't like something - by the look on his face - he still eats it :) He's been eating solids for just about a month now, but consistently for the last 2 weeks or so. He's had brown rice cereal, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, bananas and carrots so far. The first try of sweet potatoes he didn't enjoy, but when we gave it to him again about a week later, he didn't seem to mind the taste anymore. He also seems to like his food thicker than what is recommended, his cereal is pretty thick and sometimes I add a little cereal/oatmeal to his purees too. I hope to pick up a food processor this weekend and start making his food. We feed him about an hour after his dinner nursing session and he's been eating 1 container of the fruits/veggies and then 2-3 tablespoons of cereal. Then he'll nurse again about an hour later.

jeanine

02-12-2009, 11:49 AM

QOTD - Ben loves food. I started him on rice cereal about a week before he turned 6 months, and since then he's had oatmeal, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, squash, bananas, and pears. I just tried avocados this morning and he did not like them at all. I'll try again tomorrow.

Besides the avocados, the only thing he hates is squash (I've tried a bunch and he just can't warm up to the taste). It took him one try to get used to sweet potatoes and pears, and two times for carrots. He loved the peas and bananas from the start. He had a sensitivity to bananas which kind of sucks cause he liked them so much.

Right now he's eating one stage 1 jar of fruit in the late morning. At dinner I give him 3 tbs of cereal (usually oatmeal, sometimes rice) and one jar of veggies.

He's also still nursing about every two hours.

Not too much else going on..we joined a gymboree class and a local playgroup. The babies at the gymboree class were all about 9 months old ( I wish there were some babies closer to his age, but oh well). He loved it though...completely fascinated by them crawling around and clapping their hands.

undesigned

02-14-2009, 10:40 AM

QOTD: We're feeding DD oatmeal and she'll only tolerate eating it if she's not ravenous or tired. If she's not in the mood, she'll fuss when we try to put on her bib and will stick her thumb in her mouth to stop us from feeding her. We usually have to give her a little milk first. Has anyone else experienced this? I think that we're going to move on to something new - maybe sweet potatoes, avocados or bananas? Also, trying to figure out if feeding her organic is worth the extra cost. We also finally bought a high chair, got the Fisher Price Healthy Care Rainforest one but need to wait another week for it to be delivered.

DD is vocalizing a lot now - started saying "dada" several days ago. Actually it sounds like "dardardardar." Made DH's day.

Teething: DD's been drooling like crazy so I checked yesterday and I saw two bottom teeth starting to come out! What do you do to try and ease the pain?

MrsR: DS is so cute! How do you like the Babycook?

TOMama

02-14-2009, 04:27 PM

Daisy - Hope you're having a wonderful time in Maui!

Lvella - Cute pics of Dylan. Love his hair!

lcarlson - Have you tried a different brand of sweet potatoes? I remember DS1 preferred Gerbers Organics over Earths Best at first. I think it may have been a texture thing. Once he was used to eating, he wasn't as picky. Just a thought!

MrsR - Cute pics, What a good sitter he is! L. just started sitting, but we need to work on his posture ;) Have you tried your Babycook yet? What do you think? I was *thinking* about getting one to make things really convenient, but we have appliance overload, so trying to be practical...

L. Update - The little guy now has his two bottom teeth and is sitting. Now that he's recovered from RSV he's been finally sleeping better (thank gawd!) He's still rolling all over the place and uses that as his mode of transportation. DS1 didn't crawl until 10 mos. so curious when he'll start crawling. Started him on sweet potatoes and he loves it. I gave him rice cereal initially and he ate it, but not with much gusto. Will give it to him again once I can mix in some fruit.

We're in SD for the President's day weekend. Happy Valentines Day!!!

Daisy

02-15-2009, 02:11 PM

Hi Ladies,

I just caught up with all the posts. We got home from Maui last night - so I've spent the day so far doing laundry (and haven't showered yet, I also am starting to get a cold). J was fabulous on the plane rides. His sleep schedule was screwed the first couple of days there, but then fell into place just fine (slept in the stroller at the pool, etc.). We rented all baby gear (stroller, car seat and an exersaucer) and while it was nice to not lug gear around, we probably won't do it again since carrying a baby around an airport, to the car rental, etc. plus luggage, was a bit much. J loved all the swimming we did and the ocean. He would hang out in the pool for up to an hour or more a couple times a day, it was great. We stayed at the Grand Wailea for the first time and we totally love the pool (plus we got upgraded 2 room levels!). We'll totally stay there again next year when we go, J will really love their pool next year when he is older.

Plus, a girl I went to HS with was also randomly in Maui last week with her 8 month old and we hung out one day and the boys had a play date, it was fun to catch up with her and meet her little boy.

Funny story - we went out to dinner one night and of course I didn't bring a change of clothes for J (why would I just to dinner?), well of course J blows out his diaper while sitting on my lap (without me noticing, so I had poo all over my navy dress). Then I hand him to DH who discovers the blow out after it gets all over his khaki shorts. So we changed J (and cleaned our clothes the best we could) and took J's clothes off - so we had that baby in the stroller with just a diaper on. :rolleyes: And, since J was in such a happy mood and the stores were still open, we did a little shopping after (with dirty clothes on and everything)! :p Yeah, we also moved him into size 3 diapers.

Bloom - a carry on for 5 days in Cabo? That is nuts! There is no way. I can only do a carry on for 2-3 days max. It's funny, my DH got pissy with me for 3 suitcases, then he overpacked and didn't end up wearing half of the stuff he brought (who takes 2 pairs of jeans to Hawaii???).

QOTD - J is a pretty good eater and now that we're back, I'm going to try to give him three meals of solids a day. He typically will eat half a small jar at a meal, then I will give him 5 oz of milk. We tried squash this morning and he really liked it. Sometimes he will give me the face (new food or not), but then he'll warm up to it and eat it. He's had carrots, peas, squash, sweet potatoes, peaches, bananas and pears. I try to give him more veg than fruit b/c I want him to get hooked on veg first before the sweeter stuff. I haven't given him rice cereal in a really long time and only give him oatmeal with bananas sometimes.

MrsR - I bought the WS baby cookbook and I think it will be good when J starts to eat more real food / real meals. Right now I really like that web site steveim posted for the pureed stuff.

Carrier - I was using a bijorn, but J is kinda big/heavy now when I wear it and I haven't put him in it for awhile. Sorry, I am of no help.

Undersigned - have you tried orajel? We have them in the q-tip looking applicators.

Cute pics everyone. Once we upload some photos, I will try to post one from our trip. Sorry if I am missing replies, I need to get into the shower while J naps!

steviem

02-17-2009, 03:23 PM

Hi ladies,

Just dropping off some pics of my little lady. Hope you are all well and enjoyed a nice Valentine's Day!

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o247/sjanisse/January2009024.jpg

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o247/sjanisse/January2009030.jpg

Lvella43

02-18-2009, 08:05 AM

All the pics are soooo CUTE!!

JLRenheos

02-18-2009, 08:17 AM

I cannot believe that in just a few wks., I'll have an 8 mos. old!

I took A, for his monthly pics. yesterday. He was super happy & smiley!
We just started A on 2 meals/per day now! We introduced his 1st fruit to him over the wknd.. So, we're feeding him a 1/2 container of fruit w/2 Tbsp of Oatmeal w/bm & an 1-2 ozs. of ebm. We feed him again @ dinnertime-about 2 Tbsp. of RC, oatmeal Or barley & a whole container of a veg.. He loves food! Happy to report that he's outgrown his swing & he's now napping in his crib! I do miss his longer naps though. He still hasn't roller over from B to belly Or belly to B. Not a concern yet, but will soon, if he doesn't follow suit soon... Otherwise, he's doing well in all of his other fine/gross motor skills.
DH's mom/dad are on vacay in Fla.. His mom was admitted in the hosp. for chest pains(she had triple-bypass 1 yr. ago). She's o.k.. now, only after having a ton of tests/waiting. The DRS. concluded that she has pneumonia. So, they were supposed to be back last wknd. and they're not back yet. She was just released the other day. We're thinking that they'll be home by this wknd.-(they drove) Due to all of this, we had to find other sitting arrangements. My 79 yr. gma, watched him. Also, my SM decided to back out from watching our son on Thurs.., so my bro. has been watching him as of lately. I don't know what the hell we're going to do, when my bro. has his 2nd child @ the end of March! needless to say, it's been crazy...plus, I'm watching my nephew on Tuesdays for my bro. in return.

Valentine's day was fine. No biggie. I attended a baby shower. Dh worked. He did get me 1 single rose & a sweet card from A & from hiself. The next day he ended up getting me carryout from The Cheesecake F.
My mom is coming in this wknd. & I'm looking forward to that & maybe a night out w/dh, since we'll have a sitter! I have to work Saturday & I also have another family baby shower to attend.

SOs later...

Daisy

02-18-2009, 09:07 AM

Hi Ladies,

Just dropping by to post a pic of Jensen by the pool last week. You can see his two front teeth as well. :)

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9dc39b3127ccec63008492eb800000040O00BcN2bVw2cMQ e3nwk/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/

Steveim - cute pics!

LCarlson - I'm really sorry to hear that you've been having a hard time. Is there an end in sight for your DH's traveling? Any other way you can get a break or cut out some work?

Sue

02-18-2009, 04:20 PM

What cute pictures! I need to upload ours off the camera...

We bought our convertible car seats, we got 2 Marathons - had to take advantage of the sale! I got one from babycatalog.com, it was $229 then I had a code for an additional 10% off. We decided to buy another for DH's car since it was a good price, but by the time we decided they weren't on sale there anymore, so I ordered from travelingtikes.com. I got a different patter because it was cheaper - $209 - but they called to say that they had sold out of it. So they offered the same pattern as the other one I bought and matched the sale price. I'm trying to hold off till it gets a little warmer to install it, but I don't think we have much time left that he'll fit in his infant seat. He's already uncomfortable in it.

He's been a drooling machine lately, gnawing on everything, I just wish the teeth would break through already! His latest thing is pulling himself up... This kid has no interest in crawling, he hates being on his tummy, he wants to walk! DS does try to crawl, he'll lean forward, but hasn't figured out he needs to lean on his arms, so he just topples over... onto his tummy :)

Lvella43

02-19-2009, 05:03 PM

Ok, this group has THE CUTEST KIDS!!!!

lcarlson90

02-20-2009, 01:26 PM

Ladies please forgive me that I hardly ever do replies. I am reading along every day I promise.

Lvella - I love the pics of Dylan, especially the second one where he has a surprised look. The only baby carrier I have is the BabyHawk. I like it but I find it difficult to tie it myself. I tried the Ergo on a few weeks ago and I really liked it so I might buy one soon.

JLR - I am glad to hear that you and DS are feeling better. This time of year is hard because there are so many different viruses out there. I remember the first winter when DS#1 was in daycare he was sick almost every day. I am sorry that I can't really give you any insight on weaning since I only BF for the first two months.

undesigned - Sorry that your DD has a cold. I hope she gets well soon. Have you figured out what caused your DD's rash? I doubt it's the Aquaphor since that is usually used to get rid of rashes. I wouldn't worry too much about her face being red. Both my kids are fair skinned and they always seem to have more red in their cheeks. I can't believe your DD is already saying Dada, that is pretty impressive.

MrsR - You will have to update us on how you like the Bebecook. I made Gavin's baby food but I just use our blender. It's a $450 blender though so it has a lot of different texture options. I love the pics of Jack, he is too cute.

MSH - Thanks for your reply. It makes me feel better knowing that my DS isn't the only one who didn't love baby food in the beginning.

jeanine - Wow it sounds like you have a good eater. That is great that you are doing Gymboree. I did it with my first DS and he loved it.

ToMama - I have been feeding him home-made baby food except for the Earth's Best apples. I wonder if he would like the food better if it was not home-made. I hope you had a nice time in SD.

Daisy - I am glad that you had a great time in Maui. That is too funny about your DS having a blow-out at dinner. It's a good thing you were in Maui where the weather is warm so that J could chill in his diaper. I am trying to convince DH to go on vacation to Maui w/ the kids and he refuses, he says that it won't be a vacation. The pic of Jensen at the pool is adorable.

Stevie - Avery is beautiful. She looks like such a little lady, I think it's the hair.

Sue - That is great that you were able to get 2 Marathons on sale. I have a Britax Roundabout and DH has an Evenflo Triumph and I like the Britax so much better. Wow, I can't believe your DS is pulling up already.

MrsR

02-22-2009, 04:59 PM

Hey ladies, I will BBL with SOs but just wanted to reply to the people who have asked me about my Babycook -- I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it. I have nothing to compare it to, but I think it is super easy to use and clean up is a breeze . . .

TOMama

02-24-2009, 08:41 PM

Why, oh why, am I looking at the Birthday threads???

Bloomwood

02-24-2009, 08:44 PM

hahaha. me too. I'm trying really hard not to go all out esp. since they are may/july.

TOMama

02-24-2009, 11:03 PM

Too funny, DS1 is May also-- there is no way I could handle 2 big shindigs that close together. I'm thinking of doing something small for him (Disneyland, aquarium), but guilt is starting to creep in... okay, must go to sleep!

lcarlson90

02-25-2009, 08:13 AM

While I was on bedrest I started collecting pics from the First Birthday thread. I was pretty set on doing a circus theme but now I am thinking maybe I should do something more babyish. DS #1 turned 4 yesterday. We took him to Disneyland and we are doing a Chuck E Cheese party for 25 kids :eek: on Saturday.

TOMama

02-26-2009, 10:04 AM

I'm thinking about doing a carnival/circus theme too but I'm trying to psyche myself out of it-- so much work. Wow, CEC with 25 kids... I'm sure he'll have a blast. How did he like Disneyland? Any tips? We're going for the 1st time with kids and are staying for 3 nights in March.

Daisy

02-26-2009, 01:10 PM

Wow, I'm so not ready to think about kid birthday parties! My GF has an 11 year old and it seems like the parties she goes to are really out of hand (like limos, slumber parties in suites at water parks), what happened to slumber parties at home or skating parties?
lcarlson - how did the Chuck E Cheese party go?

Anyway, I just discovered that Babystyle filed for chapter 11 - our local store is closing. I was also in Right Start last week and discovered that they also filed for chapter 11. I am so bummed, this is by far my favorite store. :( They're hoping that they won't close, but who really knows, everything was 30% off. The PB Threads in our mall also closed too - I made a killing in there last week! Everything was 50% off the lowest marked price. I spent $130 and got J two winter coats, two pairs of pants, 4 pairs of socks, a silver frame, a photo album and 3 shirts. He has a good start for this fall/winter. I have been a serious shopaholic lately, I also got J a bunch of stuff from Gymbo last week and got like $75 worth of gymbucks. I really like their new skate line and caved. :o

I also have 3 friends due with their second baby this September - good thing I wasn't drinking that water!

ETA - we were at a friends house last weekend and they gave us their swing. It is this small, portable one that folds up (and still has different speeds, music and a couple of toys hanging from it, I think it's FP). It is so great, I take it everywhere for J now. Had I known they made swings so small, I would have bought one myself a long time ago! Seems like everyone's babies love their swings and slept in them a lot at first. If only...

steviem

02-26-2009, 02:59 PM

Lcarlson: Good God woman! 25 kids at Chuck E Cheese? You are very, very brave. How did it go? ;)

Birthdays: Yep, already started to think about that too. I went all out for DS's first bday and I don't want to skimp for Avery, but, I just don't feel like going nuts this year. Plus, DS's birthday (he'll be 3) is only 4 wks before Avery's. I dunno..... I may just go way low-key for DS this year- like have family over for a late afternoon bbq or something. For Avery, I am thinking of either doing a "candyland" theme or maybe a "strawberry" theme. I love the idea of doing a candy theme- a "buffet" of candy in pretty jars with scoops for people to take as the favor and centerpieces made of those big, fun, swirly lollypops, and lots of brigth colors, but then I wonder if parents will get mad since candy is a no-no for a lot of families? Decisions, decsions....

Daisy: My SIL told me about Babystyle last week. I guess their online store is gone already :( Bummer about Right Start.... I had no idea. And yeah for your new swing! Both of my kids LOVE(D) the swing. I have a full size one, but we were also given the small/portable one that you have. It is great when traveling.

JLRenheos

02-27-2009, 10:40 AM

Birthday it's been discussed a little bit. It'll prob. be a big bday(30+ guests), since we have a big family with a small house.
We'll prob. have to rent out a clubhouse and or do a pizza party & then go to an outdoor splash water park(where we can rent part of the shelter)!

Here's a cake - Rainbow Cake that I'm thinking of making for his 1st bday - Not sure yet, but a thought for now, since I don't have a theme in mind as of yet! http://www.omnomicon.com/rainbowcake

lcarlson hope your ds #1 had a great bday @ Disneyland! I hope everything goes well at C.E.C!!

Daisy glad you had a Great trip to Maui! What a funny story about J & the poo accident!!
That sucks that all of your fav. stores are going out of business. Good deal on shopping excursions!
I have a travel swing, besides my full sz. one. My cousin lent it to me & we took it with us to Fla. last October when we vacationed. It was great, 'cause we used at the poolside w/him.

MrsR Glad you're enjoying the Bebecook! What's it look like?

undesigned Is your little one saying any new words, like 'Mama?';)

Bloomwood has the kitch. reno. going? Can you believe our lil' ones are going to be 8 mos. in just severla days?! Yikes!

lvella did you find a baby carrier that you liked? awwwe, what a cutie!! Is he crawling yet and/or on all fours?! It's amazing how fast they're growing!

TOMama glad to hear your little one no longer has RSV & is feeling MUCH better. Caring for a sick child/ren is h3ll!

Sue wow, pulling themselves up already!?@! Good find on the marathons! I like ours & glad I went with the Marathon!

steviem Love A's bright big blue eyes! soo cute!

JLRenheos

03-02-2009, 06:13 PM

A still hasn't rolled over yet. He's on the verge though(from is belly to back). He's been So grabby with everything & quite the Mr. chatterbox! He's a big growing boy & Loves food! Just this last week, we started some Stage #2 foods and he's getting 2 meals/day. Our Winter session at the library for storytime ended last Friday, however, I signed us up for Spring session(another 6 weeks!) starting next Friday!! I really look forward to those days & meeting other Moms and having my son interact w/others. Just another reason to get OUT of the house. ;)
Dh leaves for Vegas w/5 other guys this weekend, so A and I are going to make a trip to my Mom's for the long weekend. We'll certainly miss him! I figure I could get some help while Dh will be away for 4 1/2 days, instead of being home all by myself & having NO break either. I'm excited, knowing that my dh will bring me home a new Cirque Du Soleil purse(I get a new one every yr.) though!

I'll have to come back & drop off a pic. sometime ...

Daisy

03-03-2009, 12:32 PM

Hey Ladies,

How is everyone doing? J is getting over his second cold - he and DH keep passing it back and forth. :rolleyes: Hopefully this is the last rotation. We were out and about all weekend too and J never complained despite coughing up snot, poor guy.

So I drove by our Right Start store the other day and it's completely empty. :( I am so disappointed, it is by far the best store here.

Not much new here...we're looking for a Saturday night sitter. I basically want one to come every Saturday night, give or take a couple. Even if I don't have set plans, I will make them. :) DH found two that we'll meet this weekend. Seems like there are a lot of available nannies out there right now.

Teeth - I bought J those teeth wipes (the name of them escapes me), has anyone used these? My dentist this morning said it was good for me to get him used to having something like that in his mouth (without biting). She suggested bringing him to my next appt (this fall) for him to observe and then the appt after that as well (plus a ride in the dentist chair) - all to get him used to the dentist, to see that it's not scary, etc. Any RO's have any tips?

Feeding - is there any rhyme or reason as to when I give J stage 2 or 3 foods (he just turned 7 months)? He's had some stage 2, but mostly stage 1. I bought some of those baby safe feeders, but I don't think he's ready for those yet. I haven't tried, but I can just tell he's not quite ready to feed himself. I also read in Parenting last night that salmon is good for babies under a year (seems odd to me for some reason), but I don't think I have any qualms about offering him fish.

JLRenheos - that rainbow cake looks really cool! I was always thinking I would get J an ice cream cake for his bday since it'll be hot out. Now I need a reason to make that cake!

Steveim - I like the candy buffet idea as well, but I could see how some parents may freak though.

Bloomwood

03-04-2009, 03:28 PM

Hey guys, I am way behind. No surprise there.

S is doing so well. She has the army crawl down and knows her legs should do something, but hasn't quite figured out what yet. She'll sometimes get into the plank position. Her sleep is generally good, but she's woken up randomly the last 2 nights and needed to eat to go back down. Maybe it's a growth spurt. She is just a total chill baby that I just want to eat up sometimes! It pains me how much I love my girls.

Feeding - There really isn't much difference between consistency of stage 1 and stage 2 from what I've seen. I have started giving S some tee tiny dices of steamed pear mixed with yogurt and pureed pears to get her used to more consistency. I have some frozen mango and peaches that I am going to try as well and then I'll start doing it with veggies. I am determined to not have another picky eater!! I also am trying to give her our food pureed up. Well, I've only done it once - it was vegetable soup with chicken broth. I made it so I knew most everything was organic. Tonight I am making a pot roast, so I'm going to give her that tomorrow. She has also had poached/steamed chicken breast.

Daisy - don't be afraid of the feeder. He'll likely love it and it is good for letting him work on motor skills. I put the frozen mango and peaches in it to help with her teething. (she doesn't have any teeth yet) Such a good idea on the Saturday sitter. I've never done that formally, but we are out pretty often.

JLR - I love that cake. I've never seen it before. Sounds like A is doing awesome - and so are you.

steviem - given you are a wedding planner, I am sure you have some amazing party ideas. I love the candyland theme. I don't let our DD have much candy, but birthdays are a special treat. (she had her first apple juice box last weekend and thought she'd discovered gold she was so excited about it - she didn't want to throw the box away!). Anyway, I think as long as it isn't kid-level the parents should be fine as they can monitor it.

Birthdays - We are leaving for HI right after S's 1st birthday so I am going to do a luau party. It'll be pretty small - mostly our friends and one of two families that have kids DD1's age so she'll have a playmate. I am also planning DD1's birthday and have something like 24 kids to invite between preschool and playgroup. Yikes.

JLRenheos

03-07-2009, 07:54 AM

as promised! NOT for front page

http://i537.photobucket.com/albums/ff334/jlrenheos/3cb5be42.jpg

http://i537.photobucket.com/albums/ff334/jlrenheos/4671d046.jpg

I wanted to post this during the Holidays, but these were our Christmas greeting cards we sent out! I ordered them throught walmart. Clicky to enlarge!

http://i537.photobucket.com/albums/ff334/jlrenheos/th_100_5506.jpg (http://i537.photobucket.com/albums/ff334/jlrenheos/100_5506.jpg)

JLRenheos

03-07-2009, 08:02 AM

hoping this works! Dh is picking this one up for me, while he's in Vegas! I LOVE http://www.cirquedusoleil.com

Green Loop Handle Bag
http://ecommerce.pbb.com/SHOP/cirque/IMAGES/510452.jpg
http://ecommerce.pbb.com/SHOP/CIRQUE/IMAGES/510452_2.JPG
http://ecommerce.pbb.com/SHOP/CIRQUE/IMAGES/510452_3.JPG

I have this one already & LOVE it!- has a lot of storage!
Red Nylon Hobo w/pockets
http://ecommerce.pbb.com/SHOP/CIRQUE/IMAGES/508952_3.JPG

Here's the other one I was looking at. I'm thinking I'll pick this one up, come October during our vacay.

Silver Parchesi Tote Bag-
http://ecommerce.pbb.com/SHOP/CIRQUE/IMAGES/510451_3.JPG
http://ecommerce.pbb.com/SHOP/CIRQUE/IMAGES/510451_2.JPG
http://ecommerce.pbb.com/SHOP/CIRQUE/IMAGES/510451_0.JPG

Lvella43

03-08-2009, 06:16 PM

I've been MIA trying to stay away from the computer since work has been slow (work keeps me chained to the computer usually). I've been reading along though and I love love love to see how all the babies are getting so big!!

Here is a quick picture of Dylan after DH put him in the jumper....DH needs mental help LOL

http://media6.dropshots.com/photos/94885/20090304/151944.jpg

I also thought I'd write out the foods that Dylan has tried now that he will actually eat!

Rice cereal
Oatmeal cereal
Yogert
Gerber Puffs
Apple
Jicama
Mango
Grapes
Kiwi
Zucchini
Sweet Potatoes
Carrots
Applesauce
Banana
Avocado
Bagel

I think that's a pretty complete list for right now.

Bloomwood

03-08-2009, 08:04 PM

lvella - are you doing finger foods for some of those? I'm thinking of trying some soon with S. Thanks. btw, that pic is cute!!

Lvella43

03-09-2009, 08:30 AM

Bloomwood Finger foods are the puffs, and the bagel. almost everything else is thru the mesh feeder. He is doing really well with the puffs and bagel though so I'm thinking of branching out soon.

jeanine

03-11-2009, 08:54 AM

Hi everyone! Hope everyone is doing well. All the babies are so cute. I can't believe how big they are all getting!

Things are good around here. Ben is getting pretty active - it seems like everyday he is accomplishing something new. Over the past few weeks Ben has started clapping, waving bye-bye, pulling up, and scooting backwards. He still can't move forward yet, but I guess he'll be doing that soon enough (I'm in no rush for him to be moving all over the place). He also finally put himself in a sitting position. My little brother is home for spring break and he got to see Ben do that for the first time. He was pretty excited that he saw a first.

As for sleep, it is slowly getting better. We've had a few nights of STTN, but most times he's up at least once around 1am and then around 4 or 5am. I'm kind of lazy and will bring him into bed with me if it's close to 5am so I get a couple more hours of sleep.

Naps still suck for us. He won't sleep in his swing anymore, so I've been trying to transition to the crib but it isn't going great. He cries as soon as he goes in and won't stop. Today was the first time he actually went to sleep in the crib but it took me sitting on the floor with my hand in the crib for about 45 minutes before he fell asleep. No crying though so I guess I'll try this for a while. Any tips?

Solids are going pretty well. As for finger foods, he's had gerber puffs and cheerios. I gave him some small pieces of chicken the other night, and he did great with them. I'm not really sure what to try next?

Here's a recent pic when when he wrestled the spoon out of my hand to feed himself...

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj70/Neen78/IMG_0455.jpg

Bloomwood

03-11-2009, 12:09 PM

S turned 8 months on Monday and celebrated by learning to sit herself up!

Lvella43

03-12-2009, 07:10 PM

JLR I must have missed and update or something, but how is nap time going out of the swing?

JLRenheos

03-12-2009, 08:18 PM

lvella he boycotted taking his naps in his swing at around 7 mos.. I think he just decided that one day, he didn't like the swing anymore. He naps in his crib, however, I have his 'white noise' sound on from his swing(nature sounds w/birds chirping). It took him awhile to transition from the swing to crib for naps, but now he does fine! I do miss his super long naps though!

ETA - jeanine have you tried 'white noise' or giving him a paci. to help w/the transition? It took us a little while till ds was used to napping in his crib. I think he also had his fair share of CIO & for a long periods too. Also, he has a fav. blanket & it has his scent on it. I believe it helps soothe him. He LOVES that thing & I'm afraid to wash it. The big thing for us, is having the 'white noise' on - his nature sounds from his swing that he got used to. Also, what about a box fan to mute out regular noises from the house. You wouldn't have to have it blowing on him. Just do whatever works for you & your sanity!!

Dh has had the last 2 days off & his last day off is tomorrow. The 3 of us went out to breakfast yesterday. Today, Dh watched our son while I was at work all day. He says he was Exhausted by the end of the day....hee hee. :p He said that going to work was easier. He was still in his pjs when I got home, ds was in his pjs & dh didn't lift a finger in the house!:rolleyes:
Tomorrow, starts our new Spring session at the library(storytime!) for 6 more wks.. So excited, 'cause dh gets to attend this time for the 1st time w/us! Lastly, my Mom will be in town this week!

As of last weekend, my Son, we think has started to say, 'mama' and 'dada'. ;) It's more like mamamama, " " " My Mom/younger sister thought he also said mama!
He used to whine/hum instead, but now I think he's suddenly found his voice & it's(sounds)starting to make sense?! He's super cute when he does it!!!

TOMama

03-13-2009, 03:12 PM

So we went to Disneyland for a mini vaca this week and boy was it disasterous! Both kids ended up sick and we probably slept may 2 hours for two nights in a row. We had to cut the trip short so we could get them to the doctor... just the basic ear infection & virus, but I've never had to deal with high fever & vomiting before... NO fun!!! Poor housekeeping must've been so glad when we checked-out :p

JLR - Don't you just love the babbling? L. babbles a lot more than DS1 did at this age and sometimes it sounds like he's actually talking. I think he will start talking sooner than his big bro. Too funny about your DH! Agreed, going to work is much easier! :)

Sleep- Good idea on the white noise, I'm going to try it. I'm also working on transitioning L. to his crib for naps. The little guy will cry for 45 min+ and still not go to sleep. :rolleyes: Today he only has slept for 15 minutes (in the car) and it's already 3PM. He's still a happy camper & apparently doesn't need a lot of sleep, but I guess I should try again and hope he doesn't wake up DS1... I hate sleep issues!

will bbl to catch up!

Bloomwood

03-13-2009, 03:19 PM

oh no! Tomama!! We did that with our DC trip. We didn't cut it short, but one day, wham! DD1 just vomited on the sofa in the room. DH had to find a coin-op laundry to wash all the stuff and housekeeping had to come change the sofa cushions!! Whoops. I hope you get some rest.

TOMama

03-13-2009, 03:41 PM

Aargh, I gave in and now L. is napping on my back. I'll do anything to not wake up my grumpy (Oops, I mean precious) toddler!

Here's his latest pic--
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3635/3352585926_650c65c0b5.jpg?v=1236983952

JLRenheos

03-13-2009, 06:59 PM

TOMama so cute...I just wanna eat him up! Stinks that your vaca was shortened due to having sick kiddos. Hope they feel better Soon!
My bro. watches my Son, so whenever he needs to get anything done or if DS is cranky he also wears him in the backpack carrier that he has. It works everytime!

Went to visit my cousin's new baby today! Bloomwood, she named her little baby, Serena. ;)

DS decided to be very vocal today at the library. Quite the funny little Mr.:p I got to exchange info. w/one of the other Mom's in the group, so hopefully we can plan a playdate w/our kiddos.

Daisy

03-17-2009, 08:32 AM

Hi Ladies,

ToMama and Jeanine - very cute pics!

Not a ton new with us. Jensen has been sitting and standing for the last couple of weeks - it's like he just decided to start doing it one day, it's amazing. He's been eating the stage 2 dinners (the mixed food ones) and seems to like everything I give him. He's also been super chatty lately and says mama a lot. :) Next we'll work on dada. We have another month of kindermusik, but I think we're going to try a gymboree class next week as well. I like the idea of signing up monthly, especially with summer approaching and I need the activities.

We found a Saturday night sitter and I'm really happy with her so far (my nanny doesn't do nights). She is basically going to show up every Saturday night so we can go out. I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but I've also been putting Jensen in my gym's care facility while I work out. They are great. The place separates kids by age, etc. I went in there to pick him up one day and he was the only baby in the room and was sitting on a lady, playing a little piano while she was singing, he was having the best time and it was so nice to see - especially since I just leave him in there one hour at a time a couple days a week.

We are headed to Portland in a couple of days for the NCAA tourney - whoo. DH is really excited of course.

DH and I have been trying to figure out where to go on a vacation next - probably this September or over New Years. I would like to go somewhere out of the country that I haven't been to before, but I'm just having a hard time picking a place since J will either be 14 or 16 months (and I need stroller friendly and hopefully changing tables in bathrooms, but I know that is asking a lot in some places). Any ideas or tips are welcome!

ToMama - sorry to hear that your trip turned into a nightmare. :(

JLR - don't you just love all the chatter? I love hearing J say mamamama.

Bloom - how is your reno coming along? We are going to get new flooring - I'm super excited about it, but not the 2 or so days I'll have to endure living through it.

Jeanine - J has the same bib! Sorry to hear that sleeping is still giving you trouble, hopefully it'll get better soon.

MSH

03-17-2009, 08:42 AM

Not much going on here. Ro is super mobile and has been cruising for a while. His brother walked at 10 months and I doubt if Ro will be much different. He is an eating machine, took him a while to get going but now there is no stopping him. He still will not take a bottle but is doing OK with a sippy cup.

I am super excited though, I had sent in a picture to Mothering magazine of Ro and DH and it was published in the march/april issue!

Bloomwood

03-17-2009, 10:29 AM

JLR - your cousin has good taste :p

Daisy - nice on the new floors! Reno is going okay. They are moving quickly but the architect and I found some things yesterday that need to be fixed - like forgetting to put in a heat register in the bathroom and allowing for the medicine cabinet. Annoying. Today they are painting, appliances delivered Friday and cabinets next Monday. Yay! As for places to go...we took DD1 to Sweden when she was 16 months. It is an amazingly friendly and pro-kids place. Not sure you'd want to go over New Year's though! We're taking the fam to Hawaii in July and Italy next year. I'm really no help as I have really only hit Western Europe. Some friends of our just took their 16 month old to Dubai. Ack.

Tomoma - cute cute cute!!! I mean, he is a REALLY cute little boy.

Jeanine - so is Ben! Wow. we've got cuties in here! I just tried (soaked and halved) Cheerios this morning. She was meh on them. You could also do realy soft veggies

Sleeping is so-so here. She is a great night time sleeper. She'll go through the night and even if she wakes up for some reason (teething last night) she'll fuss a bit and then go back to sleep. Naps on the other hand. Well, I am beside myself. DD1 is an awesome sleeper and was STTN plus a 2-hour am nap and a 3-hour pm nap. DD2 is just a bear. She'll cry and cry and play until we finally give up. And, by give up, I mean, like 1.5 hours later, so she has plenty of chance to CIO or whatever. The biggest issue is she only poops in bed (most of the time). I've tried getting her used to just sleeping anyway. I don't know what to do but the kid is not getting enough daytime sleep. The other issue is her room at this house we are renting is super bright not like her black-out shade room at home. But, then DD1's room was even brighter at this age and she was fine. Seriously, I'm at a loss.

Daisy

03-17-2009, 03:13 PM

Bloom - yeah, those are important details! Glad to hear that it's moving along though and quickly. We had a water leak ages ago in our kitchen and I finally decided on ripping out the hardwoods and installing 13 x 20 inch tile, staggered (hopefully that makes sense - like how you would install subway tile) and we're going to have it heated (we have heated floors in our master bath and love them). And we're going to put new carpet throughout - this time a taupe color and it will have these small squares in it if that makes any sense. Right now our carpet is a light cream/sand color - don't ask me what we were thinking, it's such a stupidly light color to have in a house - it shows EVERYTHING.

I'm glad to hear that about Sweden, I've heard similar things about Denmark. I really want to go to Sydney with friends for New Years, but DH is cheaping out on the tickets (as we can only fly delta :rolleyes:) - I am still working on him though. We were thinking of a nordic cruise, but are now convinced that isn't a good idea with a little one. So I think it would be easier to just pick a place. We love Italy and have gone the last few years and are tempted to go back again, but I feel like I should see a place I haven't been to before. Ah, decisions. :)

MSH

03-17-2009, 08:06 PM

I'm glad to hear that about Sweden, I've heard similar things about Denmark. I really want to go to Sydney with friends for New Years, but DH is cheaping out on the tickets (as we can only fly delta :rolleyes:) - I am still working on him though. We were thinking of a nordic cruise, but are now convinced that isn't a good idea with a little one. So I think it would be easier to just pick a place. We love Italy and have gone the last few years and are tempted to go back again, but I feel like I should see a place I haven't been to before. Ah, decisions. :)

Yup, very true the nordic countries are very family friendly and most places do have changing tables etc. in bathrooms. Strollers are not widely used there, you will find most people have prams. Growing up in Europe (I'm Danish) I've been to quite a few countries there and wouldn't think twice about taking the kids to any of them. The one thing I did find is sightseeing is best done with a carrier rather than a stroller especially if you are touring older parts of the countries.

Daisy

03-18-2009, 09:44 AM

MSH - I didn't know you were Danish! Thanks to my grandparents, I am too, but I obviously have never been there - my last name is a very common name over there. Ok, what kind of carrier would you recommend for a 14-16 month old? I scrapped the bijorn months ago when J hit the 15 lbs mark since it just became too heavy. FWIW, in Europe we have only traveled to Spain, France, Italy, Croatia and Greece. What kind of weather could I expect in Denmark in September? TIA!

Lvella43

03-18-2009, 11:58 AM

Daisy I love love love the Ergo. I used it for lots of travel with DS#1 until he was 2 years old! Now that DS#2 is big enough I use it with him too. Worth every penny in my book.

steviem

03-18-2009, 03:35 PM

Adorable kiddos ladies! :)

MSH: Very cool about the photo inclusion in the magazine :)

JLR: Glad you are enjoying storytime with your little guy. When DS was a baby, I used to take him to storytime at our libraray but then he became mobile and my life became a nightmare!! Just teasing.... but seriously, once he started walking, he didn't want to sit still to hear stories anymore, so enjoy it while it lasts!

Bloom: Glad to hear your rennovations are moving along :)

Daisy: Funny you mentioned Sydney, cuz I was going to suggest Australia. I traveled there quite a bit, before having kiddos. To me, it seemed very family friendly and I wouldn't hesitate for a minute to take my kids there. The flight is long, but other than that, I think it's a great option. And Sydney is by far one of my favorite cities in the world. If you go there for New Year's, don't forget that it will be warm/hot. Our winter is their summer.

Nothing too exciting going on here. I am trying to get orangized for Avery's first birthday already. DS's birthday (he will be 3), is only 4 weeks before Avery's...... gah!!!!!!

She absolutely loves to sit up and gets mad if you lay her down :rolleyes: She hasn't gotten into the crawling position yet, but, I have a feeling it will be here before I know it. She contines to eat like a champ..... I've introduced some new foods lately and she loves them (yogurt, cottage cheese, avocado).

Most nights she goes down at 7:30pm and sleeps until 5:30am. However, there have been a few nights lately where she wakes up at 3:00am and won't go back to sleep. When this happens, I just put her in her swing and she goes back to sleep, although I feel guilty that she is in her swing for several hours on end..... but, the kids share a room and I can't have her waking up DS. Oh, the joys of having a tiny home :rolleyes:

Hope you are all well :)

Lvella43

03-18-2009, 05:00 PM

HELP! I am going to be away from Dylan all day tomorrow (6:30am - 11:30pm). How much EBM do I need to have ready? I'm soooo lost!!

I'm a bit nervous since Dylan hasn't taken a bottle since he was just a few weeks old. I hope he will do ok because I won't be around. At least I know he is eating solids so he won't starve. Right? I'm on the cusp of panic I think.

JLRenheos

03-18-2009, 06:31 PM

question about foods

Ds gets 2solid meals per/day - grains mixed w/BM with a stage 2 jar of food. One in the a.m. & at dinnertime.
What new foods can I start offering him? Especially finger foods. I have found out, that he does NOT like sweet potatoes.
I've noticed that some of you guys have given your little ones cottage cheese, yogurt etc; etc..
Are any of you also giving your DC 3 meals a day yet? I'm not in any hurry to do so, but was just wondering.

LVella sorry I'm of no help regarding the amt. of BM that you should provide. Do you feed him a solid before he goes down for bedtime? I'm sure that would help. I was giving my sitters well over 25-something + ozs. for feedings for when I was at work-(7:30ish a.m.-6p), however, ds only consumes between 15-20ozs.. He just doesn't eat well w/the sitters. I'm sure though if your ds is hungry enough, he will eat.

steviem have fun planning your DCs bdays!! I wish my son would take nice long naps in his swing still. How did she like the new foods?

bloomwood I hope the reno contines to go smoothly for you & that your back in your sweet abode SOON! Thanks for reminding me, I SO need to get a blackout shade for my DS room! Has the teething picked back up again? -maybe it's putting a kink into her napping.

MSH that's fantastic about the March/April issue! OMg, I can't believe your DS is already cruising! EEk! Do you have everything bproofed?

TOMama how's your little ones feeling? They up to par?

Daisy have a safe trip to Portland & have a fun time watching NCAA. I love to watch the games, esp; when you have money invested(work polls & making picks w/friends).
That's great about the Sat. sitter - I wish we had someone like that.
Hope you're enjoying your Kindermusik classes!

Waving Hello to MrsR & jeanine