NEW! May/June '05 Parenting Thread - OPEN FOR POSTING!

[Sherah]

Kim : Arik went through a growth spurt at right about 4 months. I think he skipped his 3 month spurt.

[Carissa]

Diapers I saw the 1/2 size of Pampers at Sam's last night for 31.88 for 204. Huggies were the same price. They only go up to 15lbs though so which ticked me off cause I am having the same problem everyone else is. I have used White Cloud and they were pretty good would use them again although they seem to run a little small.

[rancherswife]

DS got up 3x last night to eat, and 2x a night the last few. He never does this! He's a 1x a night guy.

I hear ya, girl! Landon has been doing this for about the last week. Though, some nights he only nurses for about 30 secs. before he's back asleep. It's killin' me!

[tgray99]

Howdy all, in case anyone was concerned we made it through Rita ok. Aidan slept really fitfully last night which is odd for her. She didn't get to sleep for good until after midnight which is about the time we lost power. We are staying with my mom and stepdad in NE Houston because we live about a half a mile from Galveston Bay. We spent the night on the floor of my mom's bathroom (it's actually bigger than our bedroom!) and Aidan slept in their room in her pack n play. We got power back at about 2. Aside from not getting much sleep last night, Aidan barely noticed that anything was happening. :) Very little damage to my mom's house, part of a pine tree fell and landed in our driveway, narrowly missing the house. Luckily we moved my car to a neighbor's driveway late the night before, otherwise the tree would've hit my car! :eek: Anyway, we're all well. We don't know how our townhouse looks or if it has power. Ryan's talking about going back on Monday to check things out and then Aidan, the dog and I will go back on Tuesday, our scheduled return day. My school has been cancelled until next week so I won't be missing anything.

This is something to put in her baby book...September 23, 2005, Aidan's first Hurricane! :D

[kimthebride]

Howdy all, in case anyone was concerned we made it through Rita ok.
glad to hear it!

[Dreshny]

tgray99: Glad everyone's okay!

[Traciann]

tgray i had thought about you in all this mess, because I remembered you said you lived in the area! we live in Katy, and had the power go out for a while, but that was about it. we were really fortunate. i hope your home is ok! the gas situation is just crazy! i will definatly be making a scrapbook page of this!

a bonus for me is that since DH is a teacher, school was canceled thurs until tues. He works soooooo much that is its nice to have him home :)

[allyray231]

Glad all you Rita ladies are OK!

eating battles Feeding A is stil a battle. I took him to the ped and he said all is fine with him so I don't know. I am not sure if it is his reflux or just a phase. Sometimes I can get him to eat no prob-other times it is a battle. But he doesn't cry which is strange--he just wants to eat his hands

murmur We found out that A has an innocent heart murmur. The ped said it is nothing to get worried about and that about 50% of infants have them. Anyone else's kid have one?

[kimthebride]

So THAT's What It Is...
I whined the other day about DS eating 3x a night, well last night he had me up every hour from 12:30am til 5am then let me sleep til 7am. He only ate once, but was cranky cranky cranky.
This morning you know what I saw? A tooth bud where his left-side upper canine tooth should be. So yes, I believe my 16-week old is about to sprout his 1st tooth any day now!!! Yikes!
So how do I appease him? Put infant Oragel on it? Infant Tylenol if he gets unruly?? What's the word on teething pain?

[Mrs.Chappy]

hey, checking in. DH is of on his first business trip since Ben was born. He will be gone until friday night and i am devastated..i know i can take care of the baby by myself..i do it all the time when he is at work late but its just knowing that he isn't coming home at all that makes me sad. Anyway, i cried when he left two hours ago and i think i upset the baby who was cranky (which is not like him at all). So, i will do my best to carry on..its only 6 days and i'm going to my parents house Tues thru thurs or fri. Can anyone relate? I know its not the end of the world..but its hard.

[portlandbride]

Mrs.Chappy
My husband is a pilot, so I feel your pain! :)
He is usually gone every week for 3 or 4 days, so I know what it's like to be on your own. My recommendation is to keep yourself busy. It's nice that you have family near by to hang out with.

[Mrs.Chappy]

thanks portland...its tough...you must be tougher though...i thought being the wife of an accountant during tax season was bad..i can't imagine a pilot!

[portlandbride]

It is tough, but luckily I really like my space and I've been blessed with a pretty good baby. :)
Hopefully in the not so distant future his career choice will allow me to stay home, which makes it a bit easier. Knowing we are working towards that goal helps when I'm having a bad day. My parents also live near by, so I see them fairly often, which is good for me and baby!

[Sherah]

Mrs. Chappy : That is tough. My DH is going away for a week in a couple of months and I too am dreading being the only parent for that period of time. I hope your DC will be on his best behavior! Maybe plan an outing to tire him out every day? We went to the beach for a few hours yesterday and Arik was pooped by 5:00pm. Made my day super easy and fun!

[jmvan74]

Kim; Our ped said to give tylenol when he's super fussy from teething. You can also try a cool teething ring or a frozen wash cloth. Good luck. I feel your pain.

[happy1nuv]

hmmm... i'm reading boost your child's immune system by lucy burney ... in it, she says that "the second exposure to an allergen, not the first, is the one that causes the bad reaction"

also, she suggests avoiding gluten grains during the 6-9 mon stage, which include wheat, barley, rye, and oats. oats are what threw me ... i thought they were ok right away ...

just food for thought...
:)

[cynder]

Mrs.Chappy I was alone for all of Labor Day weekend. It sucked and I was going a little bonkers. The key to keep busy each. Here's hoping your week goes by real fast.

tgray99 Glad to hear that you survived Rita. Hope your house is holding up once you get back home.

DS was a little fussy this weekend and then decided to go on a nursing strike during the day! It was devasting to see my child outright refuses something that he used to love so much. So far he seems to be okay with our morning nursing sessions but totally wigs out later when he sees my boob. He has no problem with it in a bottle. I'm trying to be cool about it and suspect that it might be aftermath of shots this week. I am traveling next week to a conference for 3 days so I am concerned that our nursing relationship might become worse. At least I made it this far and I never thought that it would last this long.

[Dreshny]

I'm 31 today. (So I guess you you change both of our ages to 31 now at the beginning of the thread.)

Eh. I'm trying not to feel sorry for myself. Generally I take the day off from work on my birthday and do fun things all day. It's not like I can take off from taking care of DS, though...

A neighbor offered to babysit tonight, but I'm very hesitant about leaving Asher at night because he cluster feeds every night for like, 4 hours, and if he's not eating, he's crying. I don't think it's fair to leave him.

Last night we went out to dinner and sat at the counter. DH was walking in and out of the restaurant with Asher while I ate, and I nursed Asher while DH ate. Whatever happened to peaceful meals? We got a slice of cake (in case we don't get any today) to go because Asher went into full-on wail mode.

I should try to get out and do something today. It's just that it's very gray outside, and thunderstorms ae predicted all afternoon and evening. Not to mention DH said he'll probably have to work late tonight. :(

Last year at this time, I had just found out I was pregnant (surprise!), and we were keeping it secret, so every time someone asked me how it felt to be 30, I kept thinking that being 30 was nothing compared to being pregnant. And thinking that next year I'd have an almost-4-month old. ;)

[KGif]

Roseann - HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

AllyRay - Jack didn't/doesn't have a heart murmer -- but I had one when I was a baby.

TGray - Glad to hear all is okay!

Mrs. Chappy - I TOTALLY feel for you on this one. Luckily my DH has not had to go away since the baby was born. It's not that I *can't* be without him -- I can do everything by myself just fine! It's that I don't *want* to be without him. The thought of it just makes me so sad.

4 month docs appt - Jack did very well at his 4 month appt. He HATED the shots of course, but he was very brave! He weighed 17 lbs 6 oz and was 26 inches long. He's my big boy! The doc said I could go ahead and start rice cereal since he is over 15 lbs AND eating bottles like they're going out of style. We started with just 2 tbs of rice cereal mixed with 2 tbs of formula at dinner time. Jack LOVES it. It was amazing to see him open his mouth for the spoon from the very first spoonfull that I gave him! how do they even know!? I guess it has to do with them wanting to put everything into their mouth at this point :) Anyway we'll continue with rice cereal for a few weeks then slowly start to introduce some veggies. I can't believe how big our babies are getting!

My husband is fully enjoying football Sundays with his boy! We have roots in Philly and DC so Jack has to show his allegiance to both football teams. Here is my little guy in his Redskins gear:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d707b3127cce941dfc927ee600000016108GasmbZm48

And his Eagles gear:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d707b3127cce941dfc9c7ee800000016108GasmbZm48

:)

[diedra1027]

Happy Monday! ;)

Anybody else dealing with a screamer???? Avery has really been 'testing' out her voice lately. It doesn't bug me (except when we are out in public :o), but DH can not handle it. Of course, he's probably re-enforcing her screaming by getting in her face and giving her attention every time she does it :rolleyes:.

[Traciann]

Dreshny Happy Birthday! Just a thought, you could always try to go out. I have found that DD sometimes does better for others than she will for me. You could always try it, and he is not doing well they could just call you back home. But if you are not comfortable thats ok too!

[ahavnes]

Abbey was an absolute peach on her first road trip this weekend. She slept most of the way in the car (@3.5 hours) and was just smiley and cute all weekend. We only had a few crabby moments, and those were when we were safely back at the hotel. ;) I even managed to pump while we were on the highway! LOL!

Screamer- Oh yes! Abbey loves making noises and seems so pleased with herself when she shrieks. I think it's cute also, except when we're in public. Usually I just hand her to DH and make him take her outside. :)

tgray- Glad you're ok!

[Natrat80]

KGif I love your son's football outfits! My husband is a HS football coach and Addie and I try to go to every game...here's her COUGAR outfit my mom made for her! Mom wrapped it up and gave it to DH the day Addie was born-he was so excited!
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d702b3127cce94617544c5a700000025108AbMnLlm4ctH
Cougar fan!
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d702b3127cce94617541449200000026108AbMnLlm4ctH
After game shot with Daddy

[tgray99]

All is well with our house. Thanks for everyone's concern! No leaks, no damage, and we were only without power for about 2 or 3 hours so we didn't lose any food. Aidan weathered her first hurricane well. Slept through it like a champ!

[tgray99]

Yay, I'm not the only one who dresses her baby in sports paraphernalia!! Here are some pics of our little 4th generation Aggie!!

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d722b3127cce93ad045864cc00000016108AZs3LFk0bNP
This was taken the night of Aidan's first televised Aggie game.
Aidan with her stuffed Reveille, A&M's mascot.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d722b3127cce93ad1ba0a59300000015108AZs3LFk0bNP
Aidan and one of her daddy's Senior Boots. Ryan was in the Corps of Cadets at A&M, he wore these boots his senior year.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d707b3127cce9439af3e3ef200000015108AZs3LFk0bNP
On our way to her first home game in her "Yell Leader" overalls. We won 66-8 over SMU. We also went to Ryan's Corps oufit reunion.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d707b3127cce9439aca17ef400000016108AZs3LFk0bNP
At her first tailgate party.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d707b3127cce9439ac9f7eca00000016108AZs3LFk0bNP
With her Aggie mommy.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d707b3127cce9439a217ff7500000015108AZs3LFk0bNP
With my dear friend, Doug, the host of the tailgate.

[allyray231]

Dreshny Happy bday!!

Screaming AH yes I have one of those!!

My little Giant
http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0RgCtAtQThZm30hqwEUjEswR8WT1!y0jjMTfFXbUzun8LrNuQl R1XxOIl19tzTHkMDSgHl3vcd8sYMuRA9qkyA2817U3RcZ8q5wK 8IF8oC!M/100_0263.JPG?dc=4675538964059317787

[kimthebride]

Ahh, yes. The sports outfits....we have many!

Will he be a Knick?
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b329/kimtomtom/DSC02179.jpg

Or a Yankee?
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b329/kimtomtom/DSC02169.jpg

But maybe he'll play for his granparents hometown...
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b329/kimtomtom/DSC02175.jpg

Future Tiger Woods?
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b329/kimtomtom/DSC02198.jpg

Future David Beckham?
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b329/kimtomtom/DSC02196.jpg

[ahavnes]

What cute babies!

Kim- Those pics are SO CUTE! And I am cracking up that he has so many sports outfits. Hilarious!

[njnewyearsbride]

we have a yankee fan here :) -- i think she has about 6 different ones :D
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a183/njnyb/IMG_3989.jpg

still waiting on a nj devils outfit and denver broncos!

[kimthebride]

Kim- Those pics are SO CUTE! And I am cracking up that he has so many sports outfits. Hilarious!
Those aren't even HALF of what he has! There was a big NYC/Chicago fight going on (ILs moved from Brooklyn to Chicago 20 years ago, but the rest of the family is here), as well as Mets vs Yankees. He also has rugby & football outfits, American and European!! Oh, and a Ferrari racing uniform...

[Sasha]

LOL, loving all the sports outfit pictures! I am ordering Sarah a little Gator outfit so she can cheer for the University of Florida :). She already has Gator stuff hanging from her walls.

Tgray - Glad you made it through Rita with no big problems!

Alicia - Glad your trip went well. We are taking Sarah on a 4+ hour trip to my dad's house in 2 weeks and I am nervous about her being happy in the car for that long!

Dreshny - Happy Birthday!

Screamer - Oh yeah...Sarah thinks she is being so cute and funny when she squeals/shrieks with delight.

[KGif]

I'm LOVING all the sports pictures!

All our babies are simply adorable. I still can't believe that this time last year we were just welcoming people to the thread asking when they got their "positive"!

Ahhhh .. I'm gonna start to cry ;)

[tgray99]

I started crying the other night. Ryan sat up in bed needing to burp but couldn't so I patted him on the back and said "Burpee the daddy." I started crying because when Aidan was so tiny I would sit her up on my leg after she nursed and patted her on the back saying, "Burpee the baby." I cried because she'll never be that small again and she'll never depend on me as much as she did then.

Ryan thought I was crazy. He hugged me and comforted me anyway telling me that my job is to raise her and I'm doing a good job.

[Sherah]

Oooo! So many great pictures!!!

Sasha : Arik has Gator gear too! Are you a grad?

Happy birthday, Dreshny ! What did you end up doing to celebrate?

Nursing Strike : Now I forget who posted about this. Arik was on a bottle strike for about a month and is finally taking them again. It was very frustrating and I'm sure the nursing strike is too. It probably does have something to do with shots, like you mentioned. If you still want to nurse, I think your DC will come around if you keep offering him a boob every day before/during his feedings. Good luck!

tgray : So happy to hear the hurricane spared you and your property and especially your food! I remember what happened in our fridge last year after Frances and that coupled with morning sickness did not make a pretty sight!

[Mrs.Chappy]

http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos1451/1/23/65/14/24/9/924146523106_0_ALB.jpg

UW fan!!Go Badgers

[wendstress]

OK Ladies... I need some help and advice.

Issue#1 - My parents visited this weekend and want to soothe DS by putting their fingers in his mouth. It can't be too sanitary, and it absolutely heeves me out washing James suck on someone elses fingers. Particularly my father, who, when he's not being a CPA is usually digging in dirt or fixing some motor or another.... WHAT TO DO???? How can I politely tell my Mom and Dad to keep their hands out of my sons mouth??????????

Issue#2 - James STILL is not STTN. He gets up once, somewhere between 1 AM and 4 AM. He'll nurse a few minutes and go right back to sleep. Pediatrician said he's definitely big enough to be able to sleep through the night.....just can't seem to make the transition. Anyone else conquer this???? Will I ever see a full nights sleep again????
_________________________________________________-

In other news.... We are just having more and more fun with our little guy. He is getting much more smiley and interactive. He's begun reaching out to grab toys, and absolutely loves being in the limelight! His newest "word" is "ahh-goof-thuu", usually said with his lips closed while blowing lots of bubbles!

We had him baptised this last weekend. He did very well. At one point the Deacon said "Amen" and James responded "Ahh!" It was pretty cute! Here's a photo of James and Me - there are a bunch more in my journal if you want to see!
http://www.pbase.com/wendym/image/49880569/medium.jpg

We started him on solids, too...can't remember if I posted that or not. Just rice cereal for now....don't plan on adding anything else until he's closer to 6 months. He's really getting the hang of it!
http://www.pbase.com/wendym/image/49651498/medium.jpg

[Dreshny]

The rain didn't actually start until around 4:00, so I took Asher down to the East Village for a change of scenery for most of the day. Granted, I spent most of my time there looking for a place to nurse (church steps, park bench, cafe, glider at Buy Buy Baby :D) or change a diaper (Barnes and Noble, park bench, cafe), but at least I got out of my neighborhood. Asher did get really fussy at one point and was screaming and jumping out of the sling, but that's par for the course, I'm afraid...

We did end up leaving Asher with our neighbor so we could go out to dinner. I don't know what's worse, honestly--eating with or without him. I worried needlessly all through dinner and was totally agitated. When we got back, he was conked out on our neighbor's shoulder. :rolleyes: He had apparently cried for about half an hour, but since we were gone for 2 hours, it was nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be.

Funny thing is, I babysat my way through college, and I used to think it was really weird when the mom was all panicky about leaving her baby. Now I'm "that mom" I guess.

[tgray99]

Love that messy face pic, Wendstress! James is such a cutie!

As far as issue number 1 goes, if my mom and stepdad do something I don't like, I gently ask them not to. For example, when my stepdad (who is one of the most loving and caregiving people I've met) holds Aidan, he doesn't put his hand on her back so if she arches her back, she'll fall. This irritates the life out of me and scares me. I ask him, "David, please put you hand on her back, she doesn't know to hang on." Or, I put his hand on her back nicely. It works, I just have to remind him because he forgets. They're your parents, I'm sure they wouldn't get angry with you, he's your child, just like you were their's. HTH!

[alienhost]

tgray I'm glad to hear you and your family are doing okay after Rita.

Dreshny Happy Belated birthday and I'm glad you had a nice time out.

Sports Pics too cute! We are Red Sox/Patriots fans here - I see there are a lot of Yankees fans here. DD has one outfit but I don't have any good pics right now. We also are Boston College football fans - need to get an outfit though.

Screamer DD loves to squeal and scream in delight. It is pretty funny.

wendstress I would just mention it to your parents that you'd prefer they didn't do that or to wash their hands beforehand. I find it easier to 'tell my parents what to do" as opposed to his parents or other people. I'm sure they will respect your wishes.

DD is five months old today, I just can't believe how the time has flown by...

[cynder]

Wait, there are Badger fans here?! Former Wisconsinite here! DH happened to dress DS with his MU onesie today.

Wendstress - I would politely but sternly say, "Please don't do that." Not sure what your relationship is like to your parents but I have on a few occasions had no qualms saying, "That is not how we do it here." As for issue #2, I am so not the person who can answer as you will see below.

Nursing strike seems to be over...not sure why it happened but glad it's over.

We did sleep training last night to fully get rid of the swaddle blanket. First part of the night went waaay easier than we expected. Then he got up around 1:50 and didn't go down for a long time. DH stayed up with him and rode it out with him till he fell asleep. This morning we peeked in and he was sleeping on his side (like daddy!) and smiled when he saw us.

Besides putting him in daycare, this was the hardest thing for both of us to do. DH was really great and supportive and kept reminding me that he was okay. I know that CIO is not for everyone but I think this is going to make a huge difference for us. We were getting to the point where we could not set him in the crib without crying or the blanket (which is too small and a huge hazard). Here's to hoping tonight goes well. I am sure I've just jinxed myself.

[Sasha]

Sherah - Yes I am :D ! Proud Gator alum here, graduated in '98 from the Journalism School with a degree in Telecommunications (Broadcast Journalism). You are a Gator? When did you graduate? This is the first year we haven't gone up to Gainesville for a game, but we're hoping to take Sarah to her first Gator game next year.

Wendstress - What a cutie! As for your issues, I would just politely ask your parents not to do that anymore. Hopefully they will respect your wishes. As for issue #2, I don't think it's a big deal that he isn't sleeping through the night yet. My DD is only a few days younger than James, and she has only slept through the night a handful of times so far. Generally she wakes up any time between 3:30am - 5:30am to eat. All babies are different, I'm sure he will STTN when he is ready.

Cynder - I hope tonight goes well!

For moms with girls - Do you have people asking you often when you are going to pierce your DD's ears? People (mostly strangers) are constantly asking me about piercing her ears or why I haven't yet. This is just me, but Sarah won't be getting her ears pierced any time soon, not until she is responsible enough to take care of them herself. I guess I am just really surprised by the number of people who think a four month old should already have her ears pierced :confused:.

[kimthebride]

wendstress
Issue#1
How do you soothe him? I have had to restate a few times to MIL exactly how to soothe him, because the way she's used to soothing babies annoys DS into a frustration. So, I calmly say "Oh, he really prefers XYZ - it calms him right down". She is getting it now, so it's much better.
Maybe say to your parents "DS really prefers XYZ, could you please not use your fingers? It upsets him".

A Better Night
Thomas was soooo inconsolable last night around 7pm, so I gave him a quick bath, a dose of Tylenol, and BF'd him til he fell asleep before 8pm. He woke up in my lap around 9:30 or so cranky, but I BFd him for a few more minutes and he slept soundly til 4am. He woke me up chatting to himself, so I fed him and he slept until almost 8am. Much better!
He also hadn't pooped in 3 days, so between the tooth and the poop buildup he had the right to be cranky! lol He finally pooped this morning when MIL was watching him while I was doing something. It was explosive, but she did all the cleaning up. Good boy. ;)

[Sherah]

Kim : I'm loving your DS's decision to poop when MIL was watching him. He's so thoughtful!

Sasha : I'm only half-Gator. I started in '98, but left in 2000 to become an owl because I missed my (now) DH and living on the coast. I love Gainesville though and I really miss Gator games! FAU's games are nowhere near as fun!

[Mrs.Chappy]

cynder: yes, i am a badger, so is my father..and if DS doesn't go to to harvard, i will force him to go to UW-MAdison (JK). My brother just graduated from U of Mich. law..traitor!! Basically, we are a badger family.

[Traciann]

Cynder- what sleep training method are you doing? We are doing Feber. I just started the other day. It is actually going really, really well. Our problem was that she was sleeping in her swing, and never in her crib. So to have her actually sleeping in her crib is a miracle at this point!

[Sasha]

Sherah - DH is a half-Gator, half-Owl too (though he'll never admit it). Apparently, he had a little bit too much fun while at UF, so he had to finish elsewhere :rolleyes:. We have never been to an FAU game, DH just considers himself a Gator, lol.

[tgray99]

For moms with girls - Do you have people asking you often when you are going to pierce your DD's ears? People (mostly strangers) are constantly asking me about piercing her ears or why I haven't yet. This is just me, but Sarah won't be getting her ears pierced any time soon, not until she is responsible enough to take care of them herself. I guess I am just really surprised by the number of people who think a four month old should already have her ears pierced :confused:.
I've had a couple of people mention it. Our opinion and what we tell people is that when she asks for it, she can have it. If she doesn't ask for it, she can get them pierced in 2nd grade (that's when I got mine pierced.) I've noticed, especially with Ryan's cousins that are in high school, that if I wait too long, she'll build the idea of intense pain up in her head. If she gets it done when she's younger, the pain won't be that big of an issue.

[DisneyGirl]

Yikes its been so long since I last posted in here.

Sorry mods that I haven't been helping much with the stats and all. Have no fear I'm back and will help out more often.

I've been away for so long because we moved out of state and it was kinda hard moving with two kids under two and to a state that we do not know a single person. At least its only 2 hrs from friend/family. I suppose it could be worse.
Then on top of being kinda bored it took the phone compnay 3 weeks to hook up my internet.

In other news. My DS will be 2 yrs old on friday so I ahve been busy planning his B-day party. My DD is 4 months old already..time flies. It was this time last yr that that i got my bpf.

DD has been drolling a lot so I have a feeling a tooth maybe on its way. My DS did not get his first tooth until he was 8 1/2 months old.

ear peircing So far nobody has asked why I haven't gotten DD ear pierced yet. Thank god! But, if one were to get there DD ear pierced where would they go? My drs office does not do this. HMM its jsut never occured to me to get her ear peirced. Not that i'm against it, it just never chrossed my mind.

team outfits holly cow i love those outfits. I just have no idea where to find team outfits for babies. I would LOVE to have a NJ Devils hockey outfit for my kids! My dh and I love hockey. I would also love a Yankees outfit.

[Aunt Liv]

teething? - I think DD is teething. Yesterday, she was holding her ear and crying, and whenever I tried to feed her, she was crying and looked in pain. I read somewhere that the sucking motion makes the teething pain worse. I feel so bad for her. I took her temp to make sure it wasn't anything else, and she didn't have a fever. I really hope this passes quickly. I hate seeing her in pain!

shrieking - ahhh...yes! Maia will hang out in her crib when she's done sleeping and "exercise" her voice. We both think it's really cute, except at 4:30 in the morning when she really gets going. ;)

sports outfits - Our little Georgia Bulldog has two outfits. She wears them every Saturday for Game Day.

[Cali_Katy]

Oh, sports outfits, the controversy. FIL keeps on buying DS Red Sox outfits because he's a die-hard Sox fan, but DH and me are both die-hard Cubs fans. I figure, since we live in the Bay Area now, he'll probably grow up rooting for the Oakland A's and spite us both.

teething -- I am 90% sure DS is cutting his first tooth. I know some say teething doesn't interfere with sleeping, but DS had three horrible nights in a row. Last night I gave him some Tylenol and he slept for eight hours in a row, the longest he's ever slept.

[ahavnes]

:eek: I am freaking out! My boss just announced that she is resigning, effective in 2 weeks. She asked if I wanted her job, but I just cannot handle it right now. I am already feeling completely overwhelmed with work and being a mom...nevermind being a wife of any kind. Still, I am going to have to fill in for her until we find someone new, which sucks b/c we are hosting a huge fundraising event in November and are doing our mass fundraising appeal in October. I feel just sick to my stomach. I was already going to post today that I feel overwhelmed, but that was nothing! I just emailed my DH and his (wonderfully sensitive) response was that I need to make sure
I get a raise. :rolleyes:

Teething- Hmmm, Aunt Liv's comment about teething and eating makes sense. Abbey often fusses at the bottle, and I know she's teething, so maybe that's it. Or it could be gas. :p

Ear Piercing- Nobody has asked me that, but I think it's largely a South Florida thing Sasha. My mom said people were always asking her that when I was growing up in Miami. ;)

[KGif]

Is anyone else's baby easily startled all of a sudden??
It's almost as if his startle reflex from birth is back .. but now he does it in direct response to outside stimuli. This JUST started this week. Previously if my parents dog barked (a sound he's be hearing since he was born) he couldn't care less. Now when their dog barks he jumps .. same thing with other random noises. It just seems as tho things are suddenly scaring the beejezus out of him that never scared him before. I wonder if this is just a part of his development???

[Sasha]

Alicia - Wow, I'm sorry you are feeling so overwhelmed right now. I can completely relate to the stress you are feeling. The foundation I work for is having some serious monetary issues and I have been sick to my stomach over the thought of possibly losing my job and the stress of starting to look for a new one. If nothing else, you should be flattered that your boss offered the position to you. And yes, I completely agree that it is a South Florida thing with the ear piercing.

Aunt Liv - You said Maia was holding her ear, could it possibly be an ear infection? She's not running a fever, so that's a good sign, but just another thought.

Teething - Sarah is a drool machine and is constantly chewing on things, so I keep waiting to see that first tooth.

Sarah slept from 8:45pm to 6:20am last night! LOL, it was DH's turn to do middle of the night and he was actually upset because he didn't need to get up until 7am, so he had to get up early to feed her. While I think it's great that she slept that long, it totally throws off her normal eating schedule. Her routine is to get her last bottle right before bed, so when I dropped her off at daycare this morning, I was completely unsure of when to tell them to give her her bottles. Not that I am totally rigid about schedules, but I guess we are going to have to redo her eating schedule if/when she starts STTN more regularly.

[cynder]

Aunt Liv I also have heard that tugging on the ears can indicate an ear infection. Maybe you can call the ped and see if they have any advice.

ahavnes That's really flattering that they considered you for this position but I can understand that it's too much to handle. Hope thing settle soon for you.

KGif Yes!! We would slam doors and walk loudly when he was born and now we tiptoe all over the place. I think it's part of development because they are so much aware of the surrounding world. DS's startle reflex is fairly strong at times.

So day 2 of sleeping training w/o the Miracle Blanket was a miracle. No crying and slept until 6:00. Traciann we are using our modified version of Ferber, I guess. Basically we had a game plan of when we would go in after x minutes of crying and consoling for X min. It was painfully the first night but he slept better at day care yesterday and went immediately to sleep for his evening nap and immediately again after his bath and bottle. I am sure I am jinxing myself...

[jrdhbunny]

Alicia- {{{HUGS}}} to you!

Teething- DS has been chewing on his hand and anything he can get in his mouth, but I can't see anything on his gums yet.

Sports outfite- We have a ton of Steelers stuff, but no good recent pics. Here's one from a loooooong time ago (a pic I created for a Father's Day mug).
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v284/heatherroal/possible_mousepad_steelers_yellow_s.jpg
I need to get him a Longhorn outfit.

shrieking- Not really anymore. His new thing is to say "oo oo oo" like a monkey, which is exactly what DH was imitating when DS picked it up. Speaking of imitating, sticking his lower lip out used to be a sign that the tears were coming, but now he's sticking it out when we do it, then smiling like crazy.

[Traciann]

Cynder You are not jinxing yourself! You are giving DS the gift of being able to put himself to sleep. My DH had to remind me of that last night as she was crying. (which keeps getting less and less each day) The crying was not so unusal, as she usually always cried for a little while before going to sleep in the swing. DD has not been taking long naps though...and then she later falls alseep eating, etc. But I figure as she gets more used to sleeping in her crib and putting herself to sleep that will increase. I was unsure if I even wanted to do the Feber method, but I read Baby 411 and this was the one she recommended the most.

earring question i have had a couple people ask me...and i kinda want to do it. i know, i know i really suprise myself here. DH says no, so I guess we will wait.

alicia-i am so sorry about your job situation!

[Sherah]

There is so much to respond to and I'm about to add another question!

First, welcome back Disney ! What a huge project, especially with 2 very young children. What are you doing for your DS's Bday party?

ahavnes : You have so much support here, as I think there are a lot of us (if not most of us) that feel overwhelmed. I hope that you don't have to carry your boss's workload for longer than you can handle. Feel free to unload your frustrations here. Maybe a replacement can be found to help with the extra work in October?

Acid Reflux : Arik has been spitting up constantly since the day he was born. We haven't been too worried because he's had great weight gain, but I'm getting tired of being covered in stinky baby puke all day. I'm pretty sure he is sensitive to dairy, though even when I haven't eaten dairy in a couple of weeks, he still spits up a lot (just not quite so much). I know a few of you have DC who've been diagnosed with acid reflux. Is this something that improves with maturity? Is it dangerous if left untreated? My doc didn't seem worried when I mentioned how much Arik spits up, but I thought you all would have some valuable info from experience. Arik doesn't appear to be in pain or negatively affected by spitting up at all. TMI (is anything really TMI anymore?): his spitup is almost always chunky and stinky and comes up after every burp. Thanks for sharing the info you all have gathered about this subject!

[kimthebride]

Disney
I know I'm slow, but does this mean you are now a NJ-ite??

Teething
DS is, and I found the Little Teethers brand pain relieving get that comes in the Q-tips worked WONDERS today. Tried to find a pic of it online to no avail. Bought it at Buy Buy Baby.

[christy1010]

[B]shrieking: Sarah has developed this new skill as well. So cute except when I am driving and she starts to sound like an emergency vehicle.

Anyone elses DC having a massive poop after three or four days of not pooping? I find I am doing more laundry because the poop exploded out of the diaper and in the car seat.

earring question: No one here has asked. DH and I agree DD must be responsible enough to care for them before she can have the ears peirced.

[Dreshny]

Sherah: I doubt it's acid reflux, or I think he'd cry when he spits up (is that true, Sasha or allyray?) My DS spits up constantly (went through 4 outfits today :rolleyes: ), and I'm pretty sure it's just because he's a constant comfort nurser.

You also mentioned you were concerned about losing too much weight from nursing all the time. For me, it's not a problem yet, but I'm now below my pre-pregnancy weight, and I was pretty thin to begin with and I can't afford to lose much more. I don't want to start solids until six months.

Shrieking: All the time. :rolleyes:

[kimthebride]

Shrieking
Sometimes, though mostly he just decides to talk REALLY REALLY LOUD to himself which totally cracks me & DH up.

Massive Poop
We loveingly refer to these as Poop Soup. I'll hear one rocket-jet explosion, and know there's 1-2 more coming shortly after. We never open the diaper before we hear 2-3 explosions, or else it gets very messy!

ahavnes
Gosh, it's a compliment yet if you can't manage it, it's totally understandable to turn it down. I can barely return a phonecall or do a load of dishes these days I am so busy and I'm a SAHM. Don't know how you do it all!

Earrings
Funny, my friend and I were talking about this yesterday (she has a girl). She said she has so much on her plate that she doesn't need one more thing to tend to that's not neccesary. Once her daughter wants it and can care for it she can have it done.
Rememer what a PITA it was to care for your ears when they got pierced?

cynder
I am knocking on wood for you. :)

Startling
Well, not as bad as the first few weeks home but when he's startled when trying to sleep the Big Lip comes out and if he's not tended to ASAP he freaks a bit. Could just be more sensitive because of the teething, though.

Ears
How do you all clean DC's ears?
At every bath I use the washcloth in his ear, but the other day I picked out a decent-sized gob of what looked like wax from his outer ear. I have the safety Q-tips, but only used them a few times. I'd never go digging into his ears like I do mine...

Anyone else losing touch with non-mommy friends or friends not living right by you??
I have so many activities and plans with fellow moms and friends right here, I am finding it hard to meet up with some 'pre-baby' friends I have.
Also, I only have 2 days a week I can hop into Manhattan (which is 5 minutes from me, literally) to do visits - but I have so many people I want to see and I can't see them all in a day. So I'm finding I am trying for weeks to arrange a simple lunch date...then a storm is forcasted so I have to cancel. :rolleyes: Anyone else losing touch?

[happy1nuv]

sherah ~ I brought the same exact question up to my ped ... she said it could be overeating (nic's a huge comfort nurser) ... or it could be a touch of reflux. He eats a lot (3-5 times) overnight and doesn't spit up at all ... he wets/gains well, and it doesn't seem to bother him, so she wasn't concerned. (personally, i think she was putting a name to it for my comfort ... she said i could try giving him mylicon drops to see if they helped, but if he wasn't in pain/uncomfy, she didn't really suggest it).

shrieking ~ yep. often. enthusiastically.

So, i joined stroller strides and we all usually hang out for a few after the class is over. yesterday, thee was a lil girl there 1 1/2 weeks older than nic ...they were TOTALLY FLITING. it was sooooo adorable ...he'd talk/she'd listen...then she'd talk and he'd listen. they laughed at each other and even held hands and played footsy... do you realize (moms of boys) that one day were going to be the dreaded mil????

alicia {{hugs}}

ear piercing ~ my sister has really bad allergies, and as a child had to go get lots of tests involving needles. she developed a very real, very bad fear of needles. she wanted pierced ears SOOOO bad from probably 4th or 5th grade on... finally worked up her courage to go get them done in high school ... when 2 friends and i went with her, to the mall, where she (and us) cried thoughout the whole ordeal. it was very traumatic for her. for that reason alone, if nic had been a girl, we would have pierced her ears before she would remember it.

[Sherah]

Dreshny : Thanks for your input. I know that Arik is a comfort nurser and it seems like he needs to eat quite often because he pukes so much. On the other hand, MIL says that DH's younger brothers were constant "kapukers" (because it is projectile) and GMIL says DH's dad was too, so maybe this is just an inherited trait. We invited alot of family over for a bbq on Grandparents' Day. People were playing hot potato with Arik, passing him to the next person before they could get puked on! :D I hear you about all the outfit changes each day! I usually just keep Arik in a diaper and bib and maybe a t-shirt because of all the spitup. So much for showing off his huge wardrobe of cutie outfits; they're always covered by a bib.

Shrieking : Arik's adorable laugh was replaced by "adorable" shrieks about a week ago. Christy : I like your comparison of your daughter to an emergency vehicle.

Solids : We still haven't started, but will as soon as I'm done getting our solids gear together (I need to retrieve a highchair from Great-Grandma's house, since Arik has gotten pretty good at sitting up by himself in the last week). Who else has babies constantly grabbing for their food and drinks? Arik had a fistful of waffles and syrup a few days ago and he now gets very excited when he sees me drinking water. I give him little sips, which is just about his favorite thing ever.

[Dreshny]

Sherah: I nearly posted yesterday that he eats, spits up, then eats some more, but I deleted it because it just sounded too gross. But I'm glad Asher's not the only one! I was worried about reflux, too, but my dad, who's a doctor, said Asher would be uncomfortable if he had relux, and besides, I was exactly the same way as a baby. I'm constatly rinsing out his outfits to try to keep them from staining. That, and covering them with bibs.

[Sherah]

Thanks for the info, happy1 . I can hardly believe these kids are old enough to flirt! I'm giggling about your DS playing footsie with another baby. Arik plays bashful around pretty girls, which includes a shy smile and hiding his face against his mommy.

Pre-Baby Friendships : I have not seen one of my best non-mommy friends since before Arik was born. For some reason, we just can't ever meet up with eachother. It is getting ridiculous.

Dreshny : I also meant to say thanks for relating on weight loss. At a Dr.'s appt 3 weeks ago, I was shocked to learn I am down to a weight I haven't been since I was 14. I'm usually at the bottom of my healthy weight limit for my height too and now I'm below that. However, I added protein shakes to my diet and am exercising to build muscle twice a week, so hopefully I'll get back up to a healthy weight soon. My mom said she was skin and bones when she nursed too, but had no problem building muscle again when she stopped. I'm just glad to hear I'm not alone with this problem.

[Sasha]

Sherah - If it was reflux, he would be uncomfortable or in pain. Before Sarah was diagnosed with it and put on Prevacid, the only position where she would be comfortable (not crying) would be straight up and down on our shoulders. Sarah never cried when she spit up (projectile vomitting is more like it), but always did after eating. Another big sign of reflux is poor weight gain. So, sounds like it is probably not reflux, but if you are concerned, you should certainly bring it up to your ped.

Happy1 - Aww, that must have been so cute!

Startle reflex - Yes, Sarah's is back too. I bought this toy for her that has a little balls in it that make a rattle sound, and the first time I shook it, it startled her so much that she burst into tears!

Ear Cleaning - With a washcloth during her bath. But apparently I'm not doing a very good job cause when we went to the ped. for her ear infection, they got out a large gob.

Friends w/o Babies - Definitely do not see a lot of my friends without babies anymore. I have one friend who lives about a mile down the street from me and I have only seen her twice since Sarah was born.

[jrdhbunny]

Ear cleaning- We just use a washcloth although DH (who is a clean ear FREAK) keeps suggesting that we use a Q-tip just on the outside. I have to remind him that when he asked the doc if he could do that- she said no.

Friends w/o babies- I actually find that I've become closer with my friends as they love James. I have one friend in particular who will never have children who has become a surrogate aunt.

Weight loss while nursing- I have the exact opposite problem- I can't seem to lose weight. I'm trying so hard to eat healthy (too hard I think as I've been having dizzy spells) and I walk 40 minutes a day, but so far the scale hasn't budged more than 10 pounds in the last few months. Very frustrating.

Happy1- Adorable! DS is a little flirt too- Sherah, he does the smile, then hide the head thing too with everyone- even me!

Solids- None yet- we're trying to wait until he's 6 months old, but not sure if he can wait that long. I'm going to buy a highchair this weekend.

Ugh- DS has regressed. He's been STTN for weeks, but the past few nights he will not go down without waking 30 minutes later. :( And last night he finally went to sleep at around 11:45 p.m., then woke up crying at 2 a.m. I think this is one of the hardest things about working; by the time I get home, DS is Mr. Cranky Pants and it seems like the rest of the evening is spent trying to get him to sleep.

[diedra1027]

Massive Poops - Lordy, yes! She had a poop two days ago that still haunts me ;). I like to rate poops by how many wipes I need clean her up. Most recent poop received an all time high - the 5 wipe rating :D.

ear cleaning - Wash cloth in the bath every night and an occasional Q-tip (I know, I know). DD inherited my super waxy ears, so I when I see the wax all over the place I gently swab it out. Sometimes, I take a tip from my sister and use the corner of a burp rag or light blanket instead of a Q-tip.

spit up - Used to be only an occasional thing (like from comfort nursing induced over eating). We're doing some supplementation due to DD's growth failure and she now spits up a ton. Since DD is so small, I tend to freak right on out every time. Those are calories that she needs on the inside not on her shirt, darn it!!

weight loss - I hit a plateau a few months ago and stopped losing. All of a sudden, I started dropping again in the last week or so. I'm also hungry all the time (like in the first few weeks of nursing). I think it might be because I started taking Fenugreek?? Of course, I also recently discovered the yummy goodness of Starbuck's Pumpkin Spice Latte so I think I'm breaking even right about now ;).

[ahavnes]

Thank you all so much for the support about my job situation. Our executive director came in yesterday and told me she really wants me to take the job and that they would tailor it to meet my needs (i.e. no meetings after 5pm, etc.) I must admit, it sounds tempting, I just don't want to bite off more than I can chew. :o

Ear Cleaning- Ok, I must be a bad mom, this never even occured to me! :rolleyes:

Massive Poo- Abbey only goes about every other day, so they are all noteworthy, haha!

Spit up- Usually not unless she totally pigs out.

Weight Loss- I'm exactly at my pre-preggo weight, but I'd still like to lose about 5 more pounds. I doubt it's going to happen while I am nursing though b/c I am always hungry. :rolleyes:

[happy1nuv]

ear cleaning ... alicia - if you're a bad mom, i must be a worse mom....ummm, we're not supposed to use q-tips in thir ears? oops! whenever i see wax buildup in his ears (a lot) i run for the qtips. never even thought to question it...

solids - we're still holding out for 6 mos, but he eyes up and down what you are eating. mom and i were out for the day an we stopped off for a sandwich for lunch. i held him while i ate ... mom said i was totally teasing him... he also loves water bottles ... but i constantly have one near me so i can always be dinking water ... dh gave nic an empty water bottle to play with, and it took him a few tries, but he tried to actually drink it. of course, give the kid anything, and it goes right into his mouth... and he stares me down with toys too.. so i dont think that alone means he actually wants solids, altho every one else incl dh, thinks he should have them.

weight loss ~ i've plateued about 8 lbs heavier than pe-pg. it's gonna suck if i don't lose them by the end of oct ... i go back to work and, last i checked, none of my work clothes fit... and, we've been talking about rethinking the whole work situation after 2 mos, so i really don't want to buy a whole new wardrobe over 8 lousy lbs...

[cynder]

Since DD is so small, I tend to freak right on out every time. Those are calories that she needs on the inside not on her shirt, darn it!!
Ha! I think the same thing everytime DS burps after nursing. That's lost breast milk, buddy!

Ear Cleaning Yeah, cleaning ears with Q tips is a no-no even for adults. DH will leave the bathroom when I clean my ears b/c I won't listen. Wax build up is not necessarily bad for the baby. I just clean the outside parts with a washcloth or q tip during his bath.

Weight I think am about 2 lbs over pre preggo wt and it's all in my flabby belly. I am losing weight every where else. You would think all my running around would make me lose - but no.

Thanks for all the knocking on wood. He did it again and fell asleep right after his bottle w/ no crying and slept until 5:00 and then played for a half hr. Yes! We are getting up earlier and get ready earlier and not rushing around so life is soooo much better. I wish we had done a few weeks earlier. Now the next thing we have to work on is taking a nap in the crib w/out freaking out.

[Aunt Liv]

poops - funny you all should bring it up...Maia poops once every few days...and it looks like today is the day b/c she's sitting on my lap right now turning beet-red and pushing...haha! I feel the rumble down under.

ear cleaning - I use the safety swabs about once a week.

weight - I have no idea how much I weigh, but I'm fitting into all my old clothes. Can't wait to go shopping and get some new clothes.

solids - Maia is doing really well w/ the solids. She liked the rice cereal ok, but we are now on to sweet potatoes and she LOVES them! I boiled a sweet potato and pureed it and I'm just scooping out about a tablespoon at a time (mixed w/ BM or formula) to feed her.

teething or ear infection? - I'm pretty sure that she's teething rather than having an infection b/c of the drooling, the constant gnawing, etc. I'll keep an eye on her to make sure it's not anything more, though. :)

hxdtfghgfesftghfgserwetghn cffgb {Maia says hello}

[Natrat80]

I haven't posted in a while...but I'm still around! ;)
Addie is growing so fast and doing well. A few weeks ago we got into a bad habit of rocking/walking/jiggling her to sleep. It took about an hour each night! AACK! The past few days we've read a story before each nap and done the bedtime routine a bit earlier and she seems to be remembering how to get to sleep on her own. Monday night I put her to bed at 6:30!! I didn't even know what to do with myself I had so much free time before I went to bed....it was great!

massive poop That's the only kind DD has-that and explosive! This morning when she woke up she has pooped and it was on the outside of her diaper-barely any was on the inside! Weird! So of course her gown and the sheet were covered in it! Poor baby!
speaking of diapers... We've switched to cloth! I thought about it for a while before she was born and then never had time to seriously look into it until now. She's had some HORRIBLE diaper rashes and I really think it was from the chemicals in the diaper/being wet/the wipes I was using. I'm also just using wet washclothes instead of wipes. No diaper rashes so far! Plus, she wears fuzzi bunz diapers--how cute is that??
ear cleaning Oops....count me in as a bad mom. I clean her ears every night with a q-tip! But I use the baby kind that can't be pushed in far at all!
solids Hoping to wait until 6 mos.
friends without babies We have some great new friends without a babe. He coaches with DH and we've gotten to hang out with them so much--they love Addie. They actually babysat for us last Saturday. I think they like being around us & Addie because they're trying to have a baby. DH and I always loved our friends with kids before we had Addie. I have noticed that my friends who aren't married are harder to keep in touch with. I feel like we really don't have much in common anymore.

[Carissa]

ear peircing Nope no one has mentioned it to me. You do however get " Oh my she looks just like the gerber baby, when are you going to enter her in a photo contest"

teething I am also waiting for Grace to get her first teeth. She hasn't slept well for the last week. UP every 3 hours. Driving me and dh crazy cause she had us spoiled with her sttn for the last 6 weeks.

ahavnes Gosh I don't know how you do it. (((HUGS)))

[tgray99]

Massive Poop: Aidan's poops haven't been too bad quantity wise but we started her on rice cereal this month and now her poops reek to high heaven. Like grownup people poop. It's nasty.

Ear Cleaning: Ryan bathes her nearly every night and he's not so hot about cleaning her ears. I usually try to hang around in there and clean them myself. I've found big globs of wax hanging around so I have to be extra vigilant. My ped told me to use a q-tip to get the outer part but use a washcloth to clean around and a little into the ear canal.

Solids: We started Aidan on rice cereal in early September because she wasn't being satisfied with the bottle anymoree. She's so good at it now, eats right off the spoon (before she was trying to suck on the spoon). We still give her a bottle but she's groovin' on this whole solid food thing. I bought some barley cereal to give her next and then we're onto veggies in early October. My baby's growing up!!!

[njnewyearsbride]

ear peircing -- no ones mentioned it to me besides my mom - but both of us CANNOT wait to get it done! my pediatrician said after 4 months.. i just have to figure out where to get it done! if my parents had not done it for me i dont think i would have pierced ears now

teething -- no teeth yet -- LOTS of drool though!

ear cleaning -- bad mom here too - i use the baby q-tips when i see a build up

weight -- 10-15lbs to go.. but i just started working out with a trainer again.. so hopefully itll melt off!

[rancherswife]

ughh...I have a few pages to get caught up still!

Bad nights: Yes, that's plural! We've been having a series of bad nights for the past couple of weeks. I'm not sure if it's the beginning of teething, no sign inside his mouth, lots of drool, but he's been drooling for a couple of months now. But...he normally used to wake for one feedign per night and fall right back to sleep at the boob. For the past couple of weeks, he's been waking, thrashing about, not wanting to really nurse, but can't get back to sleep easily. I don't know what the heck is going on????? Last night, he went down at 8:45 (normal) woke at 1:45, 2:45 and 5, ready to be up for the day, at 5, I put him in his swing (next to our bed) and he talked in his swing for the next hour while I TRIED to go back to sleep. Anyone else having sleep issues that didn't in the past???? Please tell me it's a phase! :(

ear cleaning: clean it out only when I see the build up, I haven't read past this last page, is that a bad thing????? :o

weight:I'm about 4 lbs away from my pre-preggo weight.

poops: Landon has been a blower-outer from day one. Up the back, front, sides, you name it, he's exploded through it! They come w/ force. Now that he's down to one poop a day, I really haven't noticed a change in the force, it still comes with all it's might! ;)

ok....now I'm off to catch up on all the posts....since my ds is SLEEPING (of course he is, he was up all hours of the night!) ;)

[tgray99]

Weight: I gained 50 pounds during the pregnancy and 30 of it dropped off without my doing anything. I joined Weight Watchers 3 weeks ago and I've lost a little over 3 pounds since.

[wendstress]

Weight - Back to my pre-PG weight! Woohoo! Hope to lose more as I continue to BF.... The last 5 lbs took 2 months!

Bad Nights - not yet. Still gets up once (sometimes twice), but goes back down easily!

Ear Cleaning - I need to be better about this. I never think of it, though, until he's nursing and I can see his dirty ears! Then I promptly forget and don't do anything about it!!! BAD MOMMY!

Solids - Been going great. He really likes his rice cereal and is getting the hang of it!!!! Jon accidently made way too much cereal the other day (about 1/3 to 1/2 of a cup!) and James ate it ALL!

QOTD - NAPS!!! How is your DC napping these days?? James has become an absolute bear. He refuses to sleep during the day... He fights it so bad. DH is at his wits end, since he is the one at home during the day. I hope this gets better!

Rolling Over - Is James the only baby that HAS NOT rolled over yet? He's a premie, so I'm not suprised that he's a little late.... But I don't think he'll ever roll over!!!

And THANKS for the advice on my Mom and the finger sucking issue. Problem with my mother is that she is ultra sensitive and reacts very strangely to any perceived criticism. I couldn't tell her flat out, so I made up a little white lie. (BAD WENDY, I know!) I feel bad, but it was how I could deal with it... I told her that I read this awful article in my Parents magazine that said it was better to give a baby a pacifier off of the floor than to let them suck on your finger. It was a stretch, the actual article said it was better to give him a pacifier off the floor, than to clean it off in your mouth and give it to him...
Her response was predictable, "Well you can't believe everything you read. It's just a natural response when he's crying!" I deal with bacteria on a daily basis (part of my job), so I threw in some good terminology and hopefully, although deviously, got my message acrossed. Not the best situation, but my DH was so grossed out by the entire matter that I had to do something!

[kimthebride]

Weight
I gained 45lbs and lost 30 pretty fast. Now I have about 12 to go...but I just CANNOT find a way to hit the gym! I tried to go today and DS began freaking out as I headed to the door - woke up from his nap miserable, and Tom couldn't calm him.
Soooooo frustrating.
And I want it gone ASAP because I donated most of my wardrobe a couple months ago to charity, since I decided I didn;t like it anymore. :p I am doing a shopping event the end of October, and Tom said I can shop for whatever I want once the weight's gone. Must get down 1 size in the next month so I can shop shop shop (so sick of wearing the same thing over and over and over....).

Introducing Cereal then Foods: Good Book Recommendations??
I'm thinking because of all the travel we do for Thanksgiving & Xmas it will be logistically easier for me to just introduce him to rice cereal once the Ped gives the ok, then foods after Xmas. (We travel to MA & IL for each holiday.)
What books are you all using to guide you in introducing cereals and foods? Recipes, etc?
What rice cereal are you feeding DC?

[Sherah]

Sasha : Thank you for responding about Acid Reflux. I really didn't think Arik has it, but this constant spitup is driving DH and I bonkers.

Kim : I'm really enjoying Super Baby Food (2nd Ed.) by Ruth Yaron. Her book provides tons of info inc.: everything you need to know about feeding from the first few weeks-toddlerhood, preparation and storage of homemade foods, toddler and adult recipes, fun stuff like food decorating, party ideas and arts and crafts, and other bonus ideas that aren't directly related to baby food. My only criticism so far is that she has me a little freaked out about choking hazards (and I've renewed my CPR and 1st Responder cert.s every year for the past 9 years!) and food allergies.

Naps : Arik hasn't been napping well. I think his sleep needs are changing, plus I'm trying to get him to put himself to sleep during naptimes. Why are naps so different from STTN???

[tgray99]

QOTD - NAPS!!! How is your DC napping these days?? James has become an absolute bear. He refuses to sleep during the day... He fights it so bad. DH is at his wits end, since he is the one at home during the day. I hope this gets better!
Aidan naps pretty well. Meaning that she doesn't fight it too hard. She goes down really well for her 11am nap, it's the afternoon one that she cries for about 5-10 minutes until she falls asleep.

Rolling Over - Is James the only baby that HAS NOT rolled over yet? He's a premie, so I'm not suprised that he's a little late.... But I don't think he'll ever roll over!!!
Aidan isn't rolling over either. We figure she's a tad lazy and would just rather lie there than put any effort into rolling over. I'm going to ask my ped about it at her next appointment. Glad to hear that I'm not the only one.

I'm also glad to hear that you got the situation figured out with your parents and the finger-thing.

Book for cereal: I never thought of using a book to guide me on this. I'm more or less playing it by ear. She's eaten a whole box of rice cereal, then we're doing barley cereal then we'll start on veggies and stay on one veggie per week to ensure there are no allergies. Is this wrong? I'm clueless, somebody fill me in. BTB?

[allyray231]

rolling over Aiden is never gonna roll over (maybe it is the name ;) ) He HATES tummy time and just screams and is lazy also

teething this kid is gumming stuff none stop and he gummed my sholder the other day and it hurt!!

cleaning ears I try to do it at his bath but forget-and then I see huge build up of wax and freak and clean them

[tgray99]

rolling over Aiden is never gonna roll over (maybe it is the name ;) )
Tee hee, maybe it is the name! :D

[Cali_Katy]

solids -- I'm trying to wait until six months to start with the rice cereal because DH has some food allergies and had eczema as a baby/child.

Rolling over -- DS is almost five months and he's not rolling over yet, either. He did it twice a month ago and hasn't repeated it since. He rolls from his back to either side all the time - in fact, he prefers to sleep on his side and rolls to one side as soon as I put him in the crib -- but he can't quite figure (or doesn't care about) doing the 180.

Massive poops -- He still poops several times a day, but the overnight one is always huge. More times than not, it leaks out the top of the diaper. I'm trying to figure out how to contain it....

Weight -- I gained about 25 pounds and I'd lost it all by my six-week check-up. I normally do not have a very big appetite, but I have been eating an unbelievable amount since I started nursing. Everyone who sees me comments on it because it's so uncharacteristic. I'm just always hungry!

Teething -- I spotted DS's first tooth yesterday. I'm happy to see it because he was so miserable this weekend and wouldn't (couldn't) sleep or nap. The weird thing is that it's not in the normal spot for first teeth. I'd say it's probably a canine based on how far over to the side it is.

[Traciann]

solids we started rice last week. she really only eats a few bites and then doesn't really seem to care. maybe she is still not interested? or is this how other babies were? i am not really that concerened, i guess she will get it eventually.

rolling over dd has been doing this for a while now, always back to belly. she just started rolling belly to back last week.

teethingcali katy, funny mentioned the tooth spot...DD has a bump coming up in the same spot. i thought they got their front teeth first. but a friend said it could be any one. a couple of days ago she was super fussy and i couldn't put her down, which is not like her at all. i guess that was why.

[DisneyGirl]

Rolling over Yup, Nikki has been doing this as well. I still get so nervous casue when she wakes in the AM shes always on her belly. I know theya re suppose to sleep on their backs but what can I do. My ped day not to owrry about it and that everything will be fine.

Teeth None yet.

solids Haven't tries thoses yet either. The Ped say I could start If i wanted but I'll try to wait until 6 months just like I did with DS.

Weight LOL LOL yeah right! I still have a ways to go.

ear cleaning I clean both my kids ears after their baths. Dirty ears make me crazy. My DH tell me I'm crazy.

Naps Nikki naps great. She takes a few naps throughout the days and some are for like 1 hr while here afternoon nape is about 2 hrs. My DS was a good napper & slept well at night and shes seems to be following.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, today is DS 2nd B-day! I can not believe that 2 yrs ago today I was just starting my 23 hrs of labor. Times flies! Today I'm going to take him for his picture then to buy him something for his B-day. His family/friends party is not until next Saturday. With the move and all I was kinda hard to have it tomorrow. I'm also excited about his party because my family and friends will be seeing our brand new home for the first time.
Also today is DS 2 yrs old check-up at the drs. I have to drive to where i use to live since I ahven't yet to find a ped around here. I ahve started to look into it but, I just want to make sure I get a good Ped. So, until then I will drive 2 hrs.


Have a great weekend everyone!

[KGif]

Rolling over -
jack rolled opver 3 times at his grandma's about a week ago (belly to back) and then hasn't done it since! But when i put him on his back He rolls SO far onto his side I always think he's about to go all the way. Any day now I'm sure :)

Weight Gain -
I gained FIFTY SIX pounds total. Yikes. But I had lost 42 of those lbs by my 2 week pp visit without even trying. So strange how that happens! I've gotten back to my pre-preg weight BUT I still have so many pants that don't fit me. All the fat is just distributed different now I guess. I am sure I could take care of that if I just got off my lazy butt and started walking everyday or riding my bike. Problem is that it's starting to get dark early .. once i get home from work and get Jack fed there isn't much time for outdoor activities!

Solid food -

I never thought of using a book to guide me on this. I'm more or less playing it by ear. She's eaten a whole box of rice cereal, then we're doing barley cereal then we'll start on veggies and stay on one veggie per week to ensure there are no allergies. Is this wrong? I'm clueless, somebody fill me in. BTB?

TGray -- this is EXACTLY the plan I have so I hope it's legit :) We are almost done with our box of rice cereal. Then barley then some veggie .. just not sure which veg I should start with.

Sitting up -
A little early for this I know -- but does anybody else's baby try SO hard to sit up already? If I put Jack down and he's in a semi reclined position he always strains so hard trying to sit up. We do this little game/exercise where I put him in my lap and lay him back all the way. He'll hold onto my fingers with his hands and I pull him up a bit, then he uses his own strength and pulls himself up the rest of the way to an upright sitting position. I swear he looks SO proud of himself once he does it! Then he just laughs and laughs. It's the cutest ever :)

[cynder]

Why are naps so different from STTN???
Amen, sister! I still let Sammy nap on me, mostly so that we can cuddle but I really need to cut that out b/c I get nothing done.

Sitting up DS loves it when I hold his hands and pull him up. It is guaranteed to make him smile. We got the Bumbo seat and he will tolerate about 10 minutes of it. We put it on the table while we eat and he will lean forward and watch his eat. Poor guy last night he was reaching for the wine bottle.

Food I think tgray's plan is what most ped's recommend and what we plan on doing. We are going to avoid peanuts and eggs because of DH"s past allergies.

Rolling over Won't do it for me. Since our sleep training/ blanket weaning this week, we learned that he perfers to sleep on his side. He will roll to the side and hang out but won't turn over. He can do it but just doesn't want to. He's like a weeble - will grab his feet and roll to the side. I am still amazed when I find him in different positions in the crib. And then he sees me and squeals and kicks the mattress.

QOTD We are going to be using our Snug ride until Dec probably but I want to get a stroller soon. Those of you not using a travel system, what are you using? I want to get only one light weight stroller that can last for a while since we would only use it on the weekends at mall type areas. (I am getting a jogging stroller in Nov as a part of my fitness study.) Any one have a Maclaren, Zooper, or Peg?

Have a great weekend all. We have visiting grandparents so it should be a hoot.

[ahavnes]

Rolling Over- Exactly what Kgif said. She rolled from her tummy a few weeks ago, but has not repeated it. And she is SO CLOSE to rolling from her back. She's obsessed with it too, that's all she does when you put her on her back. :)

Solids- We're discussing it at her 4-month appt. next week. I'm thinking we'll wait until 6 months also, b/c my DH had eczema too.

Stroller- We just have the Graco Metrolite, which we use with her Snugride (altho she is going to her big girl car seat this weekend, sniff sniff). I'm happy with the stroller, it's pretty light-weight and sturdy, with lots of storage underneath.

Sitting Up- Abbey isn't as interested in this as is with rolling over, but I have seen her try it a few times. Mostly when she's in the car seat.

I just now have a picture of Abs in her sports outfit. DH went to USC and is obsessed with their football team (even though he played baseball while there!). So, here's Abbey in her little Trojan outfit. She looks like a little boy (that's why I insisted on the pink socks, lol!) She has an Aggie outfit also, but it's still too big.

http://images.snapfish.com/344%3B2%3C4723232%7Ffp7%3Enu%3D3232%3E%3B3%3B%3E79 2%3E2323%3B3%3B883468ot1lsi

ETA: Please excuse DH's hat hair, but as you can see, Abbey looks just like her daddy!

[njnewyearsbride]

Rolling Over -- hazel rolls from back to tummy all the time - ive seen her do tummy to back twice... but it looks like itll happen any day now!

Solids -- we got the go ahead at our 4 month checkup so i'll be starting rice cereal this weekend :) need to research some more for my plan after that!


Stroller -- we have the zooper zydeco which we've been using since she was born..
http://www.joggingstroller.com/images/200/2389.jpg
but now that she'll be able to sit up soon the zooper will be our neighborhood stroller. we have the inglesina espresso for every day
http://inglesina.com/fileindexed/product/item/file0003016.jpg
http://inglesina.com/us/products/details.php?sectionid=27&itemid=74&pathtype=sectiontree

Sitting Up -- hazel LOVES to sit up. shell either try and do it herself or use our fingers to pull up! shes so good at it too!

[Sasha]

Rolling Over - Sarah is a rolling over freak now, lol. She first rolled over, back to tummy, a few weeks ago, did it a few times, then stopped. This week she started doing it again and is now doing it a lot. She hasn't figured out tummy to back yet, she gets stuck once she flips onto her stomach, lol.

Sitting Up - She loves to try and sit up. We call it her baby sit-ups. (This kid is going to have better abs than me pretty soon!) I will pull her to a sitting position when she does this and she loves it.

Weight Gain - I gained 21 lbs and actually now am about 5 lbs under my pre-preg weight. But I have been eating so badly lately (as I think about how yummy Wendy's sounds for lunch :o) that I'm sure the scale won't be so generous next time I get on it.

Stroller - We have a Graco travel system and she is going to be out of the Snugride any day now. This weekend, we are going to buy a carseat for DH's car.

Alicia - Abbey does look like her daddy! What a cutie! Are those jeans from Old Navy by chance? I put Sarah in her Old Navy jeans the other day and it was just too darn cute!

ETA - Has anyone bought/used an Exersaucer yet? I am torn between the Baby Einstein one and the EvenFlo one. I also really like the FP Jumperoo. Any opinions??

[happy1nuv]

the first veggies I've read of so far - that i can remember - are avacado and sweet potato. banana is another good first food...the super baby book mentions the don't give it to them first cause its sweet thing, but doesnt buy into it...saying that in some places, the first food is banana, period...and wherever that is does just fine...

I have a baby trend stroller from bru .. it was like $40 ... we switched to that almost immediately cause nic hates his carseat... its light enough to lift/open with one hand (need 2 to fold it down) and cheap enough that when its done, I can get another one without feeling bad... (esp considering we want 2 close together... didn't plan on it lasting for years)

Naps ~ Umm, yeah. issues, but thats nothing new. We have huge sleep issues here in general. I refuse to read weissbluth anymore cause he says I'm ruining nic for future sleep. Oh well...

:)
:)

[njnewyearsbride]

ETA - Has anyone bought/used an Exersaucer yet? I am torn between the Baby Einstein one and the EvenFlo one. I also really like the FP Jumperoo. Any opinions??

we have the baby einstein one -- started using it this weekend.. it took a day or two for hazel to figure out that she likes it :D but now she loves it -- we only put her in there for 10 min at a time though! we have a jumperoo as well the one that goes in the door frame ..but we havent tried it out yet.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a183/njnyb/IMG_4015.jpg
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a183/njnyb/IMG_4016.jpg

[rancherswife]

Well....last night was NO BETTER than the night before. I'm at a loss here, for what's happened to my great sleeper?????? He went down at 8:30, woke at 11:40, 2:15, 3:30, 4:00, 5:15, then slept until 7am. The best part is when dh woke at 6 am. and rolled over and said "he slept sooo good last night huh?" Ughhh...lets just say I rolled over and ignored him completly! I wanted to throw something at him! :mad:

...here's hoping tonight's better... ;)

rolling over: Landon rolled from back to tummy a few weeks ago, several times one weekend and hasn't done it much since. He still won't go tummy to back though. He's more interested in grabbing his toes and pulling them to his mouth right now! So cute!

solids: I know his ped. recommends waiting until 6 mos., so I haven't even brought it up.

stroller: We use our peg perego p3 DAILY! For our walks. I love it!

sitting up: Landon LOVES to "sit up", he can't do it himself yet, of course, but he gives it his best. I had him over at my cousins yesterday and they have a bumbo seat. He LOVED that thing, I'm ordering him one today. We also put the Jumperoo together a couple days ago and he LOVES that as well. Talk about squeels!

Well we're off to Target and BRU.....

[ahavnes]

Sasha- Yes, they are Old Navy jeans! She has tons of "big girl" looking clothes from there, I can't resist!! :)

Jumperoo and Exersaucer- Hmmm. Abbey has the Evenflo Exersaucer but I haven't put it together yet. Can she go in it w/o being able to sit up by herself? Same thing for the jumperoo. She can hold her head up really well, but she's still wobbly while sitting up.

[KGif]

Stroller -
Jack is currently in the snug ride which we use with the Snap-and-go. That has worked great for us to this point -- but we're officially pushing it with keeping him in the infant car seat! It's time for a "big boy" car seat. Rather then monitoring weight or height I've been monitoring the inches he has from the top of his head to the top of the seat (Heard of doing this from a book AND from BTB here on our thread) and he's got maybe a week left in the snugride tops.

So going forward we will use our Combi Savvy Soho Stroller which I bought on reccomendation from the Baby Bargains book :)

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00070QJFS.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

I've already used it for some walks around the neighborhood and I love it!

[Sherah]

rancherswife : Next time I think your DH gets to sleep next to Landon!

Stroller : We are using the exact same stroller systems as KGif . Somebody here had a bugaboo, right? Dreshny ? Was it you, and if so, is your son tolerating it yet? I am coveting those bugaboo frogs!

njnewyearsbride : Hazel looks like such a big girl in her exersaucer.

ahavnes : Abbey doesn't look like a boy at all.

[Carissa]

Naps Grace naps well suring the morning, afternoon naps have become the struggle.

Rolling over Grace has rolled over 3 times but that's it.

The weird thing is that it's not in the normal spot for first teeth. I'd say it's probably a canine based on how far over to the side it is.


I just noticed last night that Grace has 2 red lumps on her top gum where her canines should be. I wonder if it's more common then we think because I was also under the impression that the front 2 teeth came first.

Exersaucer We put Grace in hers. We have the baby einstein and she enjoys it.

[alienhost]

rolling over DD is five months and has only rolled from tummy to back three times (all on the same day) and maybe one other time. She is close back to tummy - I find her on her side all the time with her head arched back but I think she gets stuck on her arm.

sitting up DD likes to sit up on the couch or supported by me. I can't wait for her to sit up on her own!

stroller using the snap n go when we to out to the mall etc. Using the Peg Perego Venezia at home for walks. I like it when I just take it around the neighborhood but it is way to big, IMO to take it in the car to the mall and impossible to fold up. I think I need to get a smaller more portable one once she is out of the bucket car seat.

excersaucer I havn't gotten one yet, it just seems so pricey and bulky. I'm wondering if we can live without it or if I'll end up getting one in the end. How long can they use them for?

[Traciann]

As far as naps/sleeping goes, I read somewhere that babies who were really good sleepers tend to start waking up more around 4 months. Its because they become more aware of their surroundings and remember how they fell alseep last.

Strollers-we have a zooper swing and love it. I can use it with the bucket, but i usually don't just because I like to give her time outside of the carseat when we are out. I also have a Jeep Limited Urban which is a 3 wheel stroller...I use for walks and love it. I also have a Maclaren Volo...but that is for much later.

Exersaucers-we don't have one, and i don't plan on getting one. we have a pretty small house and just don't have room. we do have a doorway jumper, but i want to wait until she is sitting up unasisted before I use it.

[tgray99]

TGray -- this is EXACTLY the plan I have so I hope it's legit :) We are almost done with our box of rice cereal. Then barley then some veggie .. just not sure which veg I should start with.
I read in What to Expect in the First Year last night that its better to start with the orange veggies like squash or sweet potatoes or carrots. I'll probably start with one of those.

[happy1nuv]

super babyfood had a warning about carrots ... nic is sleeping/eating right now so i can't run up to get it right now, but i will when he's done. that stuck out tho, cause i had thought they were good to start with... fwiw...

[diedra1027]

Rolling - DD rolled belly to back for the first time about 3 weeks ago, but has been doing it consitantly for only the last week or so. She is doing that twisting around/arching thing when on her back (or in the swing or carseat or high chair :rolleyes: ), so she's currently working on back to belly.

Sleep - We also had a bad night last night. What is it with these babies?!?! happy1 - You know I'm right there with you on the sleep stuff :). I also had to ditch the books because they were making me insane.

Stroller - We have a Zooper Waltz. I like everything about it except one (maybe big) thing. The storage basket is good sized, but the opening to get into the basket is NOT. Many things that I *could* fit down there, like a diaper bag, I can't get through the opening.

Exersaucer - Don't have one and haven't even thought about it. Maybe a good thing to put on her Christmas list?? I definitely want to get her a jumper too.

[jrdhbunny]

Carrots- I read somewhere that carrots (if prepared at home) have a lot of nitrates and that's why they're not recommended. A lot of nitrates can apparently cause anemia.

[Dreshny]

Sherah: Yep, that's me with the Bugaboo Frog. :o It's a great stroller. My only objection is that I can't get anything into the basket underneath. That, and my DS still won't ride in it. :rolleyes:

[tgray99]

Carrots- I read somewhere that carrots (if prepared at home) have a lot of niacin (like beets) and that's why they're not recommended. A lot of niacin can cause anemia.
Hmm...good to know! That's why I love y'all!! :D

Car Seat: Ryan installed the Britax Marathon into my car today. The past week or so, Aidan has really fussed (she is NOT a fussy baby!) when we put her in her Snugride so we figured we'd put her in her "big girl" car seat. It holds kids from 5 pounds to 65 pounds so she definitely fits! My question is this: What do I do with her when I go to the grocery store? Is she big enough to put her in the kid area of the basket? (I have a seat cover) For those repeat offenders, what did you do? Help!?! Thanks

[tgray99]

I think I need to get a smaller more portable one once she is out of the bucket car seat.
I've heard that the Chicco umbrella stroller is fabulous.

Chicco Alaska C5 Lightweight Stroller $89.99 on www.babiesrus.com
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000A7PNGO.01-A2CBZLA7SSFE0Z._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

Capri Stroller - Red Tech $49.99 on www.babiesrus.com
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0001NE340.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

HTH!

[Traciann]

Oh...I saw the C5 at BRU. I liked it! Why do they always come up with what you need after you have already bought something else?

Tgray I tried to use the cart cover on a walmart cart a couple weeks back. It didn't work well at all, and I had to go back out and get the bucket. I did use it at SAMS but their carts are much deeper. I am not going to try it again until DD is sitting up unasisted...that way I don't have to hold her the whole time.

[Dreshny]

Sherah: Now that Asher is passed out (instead of fussing on my lap), I can type something coherent. Um, yeah, the Bugaboo. You know, I really didn't care too much about cribs or baby furniture or anything because we don't have a whole lot of space, and we don't have a nursery. But it was very important to me to have a top-of-the-line stroller because I love to walk everywhere (I was walking 6 miles a day while I was pregnant.) I especially liked that it was a bassinet that converted into a stroller, because I "knew" I'd be doing a lot of walking with a very young baby this summer.

Long story short, we've used the stroller maybe 10 times. DH insisted I take it out last Friday for a 70-block walk down to a restaurant where we were meeting my parents. Asher rode in it for maybe 20 blocks, and I carried him the rest of the way.

Rolling Over: I've seen him do it in both directions, but it's not something he does consistently. He seems to have lost interest now that he's discovered his toes.

Today is our 4-year anniversary. We're planning on taking Asher out to dinner with us this time, since I was so anxious about leaving him with a sitter on Monday night for my birthday. Should be a fiasco. ;)

[Sasha]

Tgray - I was wondering the same thing, except for restaurants! She can't sit in a high chair yet too well, so does she just have to sit in our laps for awhile? As for supermarkets and Target type places, I have put her in the Bjorn and that works well. Especially now that she is forward facing, she loves looking around and making eyes at all the people.

[cynder]

Tgray I have to dig up the article but "What to Expect in the First Year" is not written by experts and is out of date with current research. The New York Times had an article on how wrong some of things in there are. Judge it for yourself but I am not a big fan of the "Expecting" book - way too alarmist for me.

We use the bjorn now for shopping. DS flops around so much.

Thanks for the stroller advice. I wish we could get a Bugaboo but way too much $$$$. We might go later tonight to check things. Exciting Friday night

ETA: Here is the link to the article. You have to login into NY Times which should be free: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/15/fashion/thursdaystyles/15EXPECT.html?ex=1128225600&en=fa2409a1e89393d8&ei=5070

[happy1nuv]

the warning was only for home-made carrots...to wait til 7 mos... nitrates in soil not good. sorry so terse...nak

[Cali_Katy]

Carseat -- Wow, it seems like everyone is switching out of their infant carrier at around the same time. I would be switching out of it right now, too, but we are going on a cross-country trip in a week and I'd rather take the smaller one than lug the big convertible one. (He's still safe in the Snugride, but it's getting awfully heavy to carry and I think he'd be more comfortable in the big one.) I'll do that as soon as we get back. But that means we have to get a new stroller, too. I'm thinking the Maclaren Quest.

Also, my grocery store has certain carts with what look like little carseats on top of them. I wondered what they were for when I first had DS, because you certainly couldn't put a newborn in them, but now I can see that they're for babies who have outgrown their infant carriers but can't sit upright yet. It's a nice touch!

[Sherah]

Nat : I think you mentioned recently that you are using cloth diapers now. We use cloth too and LOVE it! Fuzzibunz didn't work for us, but their adorable name and the name "Happy Heinies" got my mom enthused about cloth products. Anyway, I hope you love using cloth as much as we do.

Dreshny : Happy Anniversary! I'd bet that Asher will take to the stroller when he gets a little older. Three weeks before giving birth, we moved into our first home. Before that, we had been planning on spending our first year with Arik in our one bedroom apartment 300 feet from the beach. Like you, I was all about the stroller since we didn't have a nursery either and I lovelovelove long beach walks. We were going to buy a Zooper though. Even though it was great that we ended up buying our own place, I was so sad that I couldn't justify a really nice stroller for long all-terrain walks. Um...that and the 2 minute walk to the beach!

[DisneyGirl]

carseat I have to order my britax one of these days. Nikki hasn't grown out of her infant carseat just yet but, i want to have the britax on hand for when she does.


I got Nikki's ears pierced today.. She only cried for like a few seconds then she was back to blabbing away. She did awesome :) :)

[kimthebride]

[The weird thing is that it's not in the normal spot for first teeth. I'd say it's probably a canine based on how far over to the side it is.
Us to! Exact same spot!

Exersaucer
We have the Evenflo Mega:
http://i.walmart.com/i/p/00/03/28/84/13/0003288413355_500X500.jpg
He looooves it, spins himself around going from toy to toy.

Stroller
Have and LOVE our Peg Perego P3 since birth. Very easy to use, practical and comfy for DS.

I have yet to meet a mom with a Bugaboo who really likes it. And I have met quite a few.Two new mom friends I have seem endlessly annoyed with theirs, and say they never would have bought it if they tried it out first.

Solids
I keep reading that cereal is 'practice' food, oatmeal having more nutritional value than rice. I just need more details...

Sitting Up
Doesn't do baby situps when flat on back,only when slightly inclined, like in his carseat or laying against me.

Carseat
Need to buy this very soon! Just need to go there with an empty truck so that MASSIVE box will fit in the back.

DRESHNY: Happy Anniversary!!!!! :D

ETA: Check out this CC thread on shopping cart covers:
http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=4507&highlight=shopping+cart
I know some come with pillows to prop up younger babes.

[tgray99]

Tgray - I was wondering the same thing, except for restaurants! She can't sit in a high chair yet too well, so does she just have to sit in our laps for awhile? As for supermarkets and Target type places, I have put her in the Bjorn and that works well. Especially now that she is forward facing, she loves looking around and making eyes at all the people.
The Bjorn is a great idea!! I'll have to dig it out of the closet.

Tgray I have to dig up the article but "What to Expect in the First Year" is not written by experts and is out of date with current research. The New York Times had an article on how wrong some of things in there are. Judge it for yourself but I am not a big fan of the "Expecting" book - way too alarmist for me.
I don't put a whole lot of stock in it, I mainly use it for milestones. Thanks for the info!

Exersaucer: Aidan loves her's. It's an older Graco model but that doesn't seem to bother her. She sort of lurches forward in it but some how manages to spin herself around.

Stroller: We have the Graco Quattro Tour. It's big and flashy but it's easy to fold (one-handed), she can sit at 4 different angles, the basket is big and it has 3 cupholders along with a clock and thermometer. I took it on the plane and was able to maneuver it, Aidan (who was in my arms) and 2 diaper bags and it was no problem. It's really not that heavy either, I picked it up 2 weeks post-c section to put it in my SUV and it didn't even bother my incision.

Carrots: Turns out, I didn't even buy carrots! :rolleyes: We'll start with sweet potatoes.

ETA: Oops, I forgot! Aidan got her 4 month shots (yeah, we're late, she'll be 5 months old in 9 days. Oh well. Anyway, she got 3 shots, a single in one leg (didn't cry on that one) and 2 in the other leg. She really cried on those 2. She was super, super fussy tonight when we tried to put her down. This child is never fussy and only cries when she's hungry so it was killing Ryan and me to see her screaming her little head off. She finally went down, albeit fitfully. For those of y'all who have been through this already, how long does the 4 month shot fussiness go on?

[jrdhbunny]

I went back and edited my post about the carrots because I typed "niacin" instead of "nitrates". :rolleyes: It's the nitrates in homemade carrot baby food that could be harmful. That's what I get for posting when I should be concentrating on work!

[kimthebride]

Breastfeeding Mamas
Are you finding that DC is now Super Nosey, pulling at your clothes/coverup when nursing? Thomas now pulls himself off at intervales to smile at me when we're home and I just whip it out. But when we're in public and I'm using the Hooter Hider - which he can still see my face with - he squirms and yanks and pulls and tries to show the world my boob. :rolleyes:

Hair Fallout
I cursed myself many a page ago when you all were talking about shedding and I said I had too little hair to shed.
Well, it's official: It. Is. EVERYWHERE. On the furniture. In my brush. In DS's fingers. On DH's clothes. I have such little hair to begin with, it's freaking me out! I'm gonna be as bald as my baby!!!
And it's annoying because my hair is light blond, so you *feel* something annoying ticking you or DS fussing with something, but don't *see* anything...so you think you're going crazy. I'm the looney you see on the street swatting at what appears to be nothing on her face or in her eye...but really, it's hair! :p

[diedra1027]

4 month shot fussies - We've lucked out and the fussies only last for a few hours for us. Usually a dose of Tylenol seems to help DD feel better.

Shopping - We always use the Bjorn. We've used the carts with the seat once, but the straps on those things look really gross (and they immediately went into DDs mouth :rolleyes: ).

Eating out/high chairs - One of our RO's (I don't think she posts here anymore) recommended getting a high chair that reclines. We took her advice and ended up getting a booster seat kind-of like the one here (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00007L11O/qid=1128172036/br=1-3/ref=br_lf_ba_3//103-7621895-7911068?v=glance&s=baby&n=547946). Right now, we keep it all the way reclined back and baby doesn't have any problems sitting in it while I work in the kitchen or during dinner. My sister mentioned that she saw a couple bring their booster into a restaurant with them. As long as the place you are going to has armless chairs, it's a fantastic plan.

Nosey Nursers - Yes! Pops on, Pops off. Looks around. Smiles and giggles at me. Pushes my shirt up. Pinches my boob. And so on :).

[rancherswife]

shots: Haven't had our 4 mo.shots yet, appt.'s in two weeks.

nosey nurser: amen! landon is just a nosey kid in general. He's constantly turning his little head every direction, trying to see what's going on. But, yeah, especially while nursing. too funny!

bjorn: unless he's asleep when we get to the store/mall, etc. he goes in the bjorn. I love that thing!

dreshny: Happy anniversary! (late)

The sleep saga: We had a MUCH better night last night. I spent all day yesterday trying to figure out what I could do to get this kid back on track. While at BRU, we bought the infant adjustable swaddler wrap. We had a newborn one but he's too long for that. I used the lavender and chamomile baby wash last night and swaddled him up in that little thing and he only woke up for his regular feeding, then slept until 8 am! I'm not saying that this all did the trick, but It's my hopes! I'm praying it wasn't just a fluke! Keep your fingers crossed for me girls!

prop sitting: Anyone elses dc like to sit up by themselves. Landon sits in a prop sit, like a little monkey. He'll sit there for a long time just looking around. He loves it!

[usafwife]

Well, I haven't checked in for a while now. I apologize. Not only does this thread move really quickly for me but I've not felt up to posting. I have had blood drawn a week ago Thursday, Monday, and Tuesday. My thyroid is extremely low. I wasn't able to go to my OB this week to discuss things so my appointment is Monday. This totally explains my symptoms and the way I've been feeling for over a month now. BTB I'll probably be sending you a PM. Some things I just don't feel comfortable posting here for everyone (i.e. lerkers) to read.

[rancherswife]

usafwife: (((hugs))) I hope you're able to get the thyroid condition under control and you're feeling back to normal very soon :)

[kimthebride]

usawife
I'm so sorry to hear you're dealing with this. Take care of yourself - we'll be thinking of you, hoping you feel better quick.

[tgray99]

Hair Fallout
I cursed myself many a page ago when you all were talking about shedding and I said I had too little hair to shed.
Well, it's official: It. Is. EVERYWHERE. On the furniture. In my brush. In DS's fingers. On DH's clothes. I have such little hair to begin with, it's freaking me out! I'm gonna be as bald as my baby!!!
And it's annoying because my hair is light blond, so you *feel* something annoying ticking you or DS fussing with something, but don't *see* anything...so you think you're going crazy. I'm the looney you see on the street swatting at what appears to be nothing on her face or in her eye...but really, it's hair! :p
I'm right there with ya, girl! My hair is blonde too and it drives me absolutely batty trying to find the strand that has been tickling my arm for the last hour. I look like a looney too! I tried cutting it and it still falls out, it's just shorter hairs all over me, the furniture, the floor, the bed, Aidan and Ryan!

USAFwife: I'm glad you were able to find out what was wrong. I hope things turn around quickly for you.

4 mo shot fussies: We're onto day 2 of the fussiness. I was at a crop all day and only had Aidan during lunch but Ryan told me that she napped for a very long time this morning (she usually only sleeps for an hour or so) was super fussy all afternoon and didn't go down until almost an hour after her bedtime. We're giving her Tylenol. She's just not happy. She sees the Ped on Tuesday. Hopefully she's better by then.

[kimthebride]

What did you ask the Ped at your 4-month appoitment?
So far I've got:
- shots
- height/weight
- when to start cereal, and whether oatmeal is better than rice
- how's his head/neck doing with the exercises they said to do
What am I missing?

(X-posted from June Mommies Thread, since there are so many of you helpful ladies over here!!)

Socks
Anyone know of a company that does knee-socks for baby boys? Thomas is so long-legged that the 6 month clothes (and some 9-month!) are too short in the leg, so they get chilly in this cooler weather.
I've got some NowaLi sock booties for the colder weather, but they're too warm for just now.

QOTD: Diaper Bags
Anyone else in love with their bag?
I have the OiOi Siwrl Print CarryAll, and it totally rocks. So organized, lightweight, I get asked about it by moms literally at least once a week. My new friend actually just ordered one, she was so impressed. I recommend this to everyone! I got mine as a gift from someone in the baby product industry, she says it's the best diaper bag she's seen in many many years.
http://www.strollandgo.com/ProductImages/small/oi-5602.jpg
For a smaller bag to carry when DS is in his Bjorn, I just ordered the OiOi Hobo. The inside is organized with pockets galore for someone on the go. Can't wait to get my hands on it!
http://shop.oioi.com.au/images/catalogue/vs13741/vs13741-gr178.jpg

[Carissa]

usawife I am sorry to hear that.

nursing Grace tugs at my shirt, pops on and off my boob, smiles at me, trys to play with my shirt and so forth. I think it's kinda cute at times.

[Ferris]

NursingMy little guy has been doing the same thing. Pulling off to smile and then going back to my breast and making a snorting noice like I haven't feed him in ages!

4 month shot fussinessMy DS was fussy for 2 days. The second day after his shots he wouldn't sleep anywhere but in my arms! And he slept a lot that day! But I couldn't get anything done!

usafwife Just wanted to let you know I am thinking about you!

[DisneyGirl]

hair falling out: When will it stop?? I swear i don't remember it lasting this long the last time. Its getting real anoyiing ahving my hair fall out and landing all over my house..AHHH

[njnewyearsbride]

hair -- its sooo gross.. clumps.. YUCK! seems like its never going to end!

4 month shot fussiness -- that day hazel was CRANKY! and whiney.. but she was much better the next day thank god!

usafwife -- glad they got to the bottom of it! feel better!

disney -- where did you get her ears pierced??? at the pediatricians?

[alienhost]

My question is this: What do I do with her when I go to the grocery store? Is she big enough to put her in the kid area of the basket? (I have a seat cover) For those repeat offenders, what did you do? Help!?! Thanks

I read on this board somewhere (or maybe WC) that you can bring your bucket seat to the grocery store and just put DC in it to shop - if they somewhat fit I guess. I suppose they might tolerate it for a little bit vs in the car for a longer ride. It might be worth a shot if you don't think your DD can sit up in the front part of the cart.

[alienhost]

Thanks for the stroller recommendations all!

hair falling out still happening here, way too many hairs all over the place. I hate the feeling of one tickling my neck. DD also has started pulling at my hair, which doesn't help. I really hope she doesn't get hair in her mouth! I'm constantly checking.

usawife I hope you feel better soon

nosey nurser yup, we have that here. This morning she spent more time popping off and talking to me than eating. She gets very distracted if she hears a noise or someone else talking. It is getting hard to NIP because she just won't "get the job done" so we can move on etc. She loves tugging at my clothes and pounding my chest with her fist and even the occasional pinch.

Car seat for 4 door sedan I've been looking at the baby bargains message board and I'm getting concerned about having a large convertible car seat for my VW Passat. I was going to go with the Britax Marathon but need to do more reaseach now. What is everyone with a sedan/non-SUV doing?

Diaper bags I can't say that I love mine, they are too practical and not stylish or f