March and April 2005 mommies

[T&M'sMommy]

If you can't beat them, you might as well join them: If I have made some mistakes or am missing information please let me know. If you want me to add you, please list your stats! Thanks!

T&M'SMOMMY
Name: Sarah(23)
dh: Seth(26)
Married: August 4th, 2001
ds Tyler-09/18/02
dd Megan-04/16/05

BOOEYJ2
Name: Julie (27...i'll be 28 in August)
DH: Mark (33)
Married:
Children: Paige (PJ) - 3/16/05

SUNMOONSTARS75
Name: Sara, 29
DH: Andy, 32
Married:
Children: Audra Elizabeth - 3/8/05
Amelia Grace - 3/8/05

BTB:
Me: 26
DH: 28
Married: 6/29/02
DD: Evelyn Christine, 4/13/05

POOKIE
Me: 27
DH: 27
Married: 5/25/02
DS: Ryan 3/15/05

BRADY
Me-30
DH-34
Married- 6/21/03
DS Connor 3/5/05

KATZMEOW671
Me:
Dh:
Married:
Gracie Melinda: 3-3-05

LCARLSON90
Me: Lori (26)
DH: Jonathan (27)
Married: 9-7-02
DS: Dylan Christian, 2-24-05

CHYLYNN
Me: Chylynn (27)
DH: Dave (30)
Married: 9-22-01
DD: Rebecca Ainsley, 04-02-05

KATIE
Me: Katie (30)
DH: Kurt (32)
Married: 10-5-02
DS: Evan, 3-8-05

AMYE
Me: Amy (33)
DH: Josh (33)
Married:
DS: James Thomas, 4-18-05

GIRLYGIRL
Me: Ally (28)
DH: Mark (28)
Married: 9.27.03
DS: Patrick, 3.23.05

TWAINNY
me: anne (28)
dh: tim (27)
married: 6-22-03
ds: eli 3-18-05

LILMARTY
Me: Lacy (29)
DH: Allen (31)
Married: 9.6.03
DS: Nolan Edward 3.8.05

SUNNI76
Me: Sara, 28
DH: Tim, 32
Married: 7/20/02
DD: Macy, born 3/22/05

CGMOM313
Me: Amy (35) Yikes I feel so old.
DH: Patrick (37)
Married: 10/23/99
DD: Catherine Grace 3/13/05

KARILYNNE_97
Me: Kari (26)
DH: Josh (29)
Married: 5-25-03
DD: Kassidy 3-22-05

MAGDESILVER
Name: Mag (28)
dh: Dan (28)
Married: July 21, 2001
dd Allison-4/25/05, 7lbs. 14.6 oz., 20"

CMTORIE
Me ~ Torie...28
DH ~ Mike...35
DD ~ Brooklyn 22 months
DS ~ Jake 3 months
SD ~ (step daughter) Kirstin...14 y/o

KOALAGURL
Me: J, 30
Baby: K, 3/16/05

AMANDAFL
Me: Amanda 34
DH: Joe 33
Married: 9-22-01
DD: Leah 9-25-02
Laura 3-18-05

WAS MEL *23*
Me: Melanie 26
DH: Luc 26
DS: Jacob 10/25/02
DD: Jolyève 03/29/05

[Mellow_Water1]

Ok, I have been a shameless lurker in the March thread since Day 1 because that's when my nephew was born. :) I've noticed that not many members of the March/April group have made it over here. I've been keeping up with the WC thread, but LOL, someone needs to recruit the rest of the mamas over here! Just because I like it here better of course :rolleyes: :p

Ok, back to lurking. :p

[T&M'sMommy]

Thanks for the heads up. I think I mentioned it to them, but can't remember. I'll have to check.

[BooeyJ2]

I'm here! I'm here! :)


Name: Julie (27...i'll be 28 in August)
DH: Mark (33)
Children: Paige (PJ) - 3/16/05

[sunmoonstars75]

Me too!

Name: Sara, 29
DH: Andy, 32
Children: Audra Elizabeth - 3/8/05
Amelia Grace - 3/8/05

I hope everyone finds their way here too, I don't know how much longer my eyes can handle the new boards, I am having too hard of a time reading the small print - damn getting older!!

[BTB]

Checkin' in!

Me: 26
DH: 28
Married: 6/29/02
DD: Evelyn Christine, 4/13/05

[Pookie]

I'm so happy to find this group since WC wouldn't let me log in anymore. :confused:
Me: 27
DH: 27
Married: 5/25/02
DS: Ryan 3/15/05

[Brady]

I'm here (used to be Capecod03)

Me-30
DH-34
Married- 6/21/03
DS Connor 3/5/05

[katzmeow671]

Betsey and Gracie signing in here! Glad to see everyone!!

Gracie Melinda: 3-3-05
7lbs, 8 oz (up to 16 lbs, 4oz already!)
20 1/2 inches long

One very proud big sister - Kayla Rose: 12-21-97

[lcarlson90]

Im here too!

Me: Lori (26)
DH: Jonathan (27)
Married: 9-7-02
DS: Dylan Christian, 2-24-05

I am so glad we started a new group.

[Chylynn]

I'm here too...

Me: Chylynn (27)
DH: Dave (30)
Married: 9-22-01
DD: Rebecca Ainsley, 04-02-05

[Katie]

Count me in too! I was ksm on WC. Glad to be here!

Me: Katie (30)
DH: Kurt (32)
Married: 10-5-02
DS: Evan, 3-8-05

I'm happy to see everyone here! Next week Evan will be 4 months - where has the time gone? And I'm starting back to work. :( It's a new job and seems like it will be good and I'll get to work evenings too so DH can watch Evan.

I've started the search for childcare and I'm having the worst time. Either they are too expensive (I only need 2 part-time days) or not appropriate or will only take part-timers 3 days/week. I only have until next Weds to find someone because then I will be on vacation for the rest of the week and then I'll start on July 11th. Yikes! Needless to say I am slightly stressed about this and just sad that I have to have daycare. Oh well, at least it's part-time, right?

In exciting news: Evan rolled over from his tummy to his back last week! Very exciting. And he's days away from his back to tummy. He currently makes it as far as his side. And the little chunker is up to 17 pounds! I actually have to move to size 3 diapers soon. Size 3! Good lord, this breastmilk is powerful stuff!

Hope all you mommas are doing well!
~Katie

ETA: Just wanted to add that a year ago yesterday was the day I found out I was pregnant. It was a bit of a surprise to us, but such a great one too! We were talking about how we just can't imagine our lives without him.

[Brady]

So good to see everyone!

Katie- Today was my one year "anniversary" also of finding out we were pregnant! I was saying the same thing, that I can't imagine my life without him now.
Good Luck on your daycare search. It sucks, believe me- I know!

Connor hasn't rolled from tummy to back (he hates being on his belly), but he's rolled from back to belly a few times now...otherwise he spends the majority of his time just hanging on his side, and just pushing himself all over the floor/crib. He's also discovered his hands, he now takes them OUT of his mouth every once in a while to just stare at them. He's holding toys now too... I know I keep saying it, but I love this age! lol.

I'm excited for this weekend. We are headed to the Cape, I'll be down there until next Thursday. Connor will be turning 4 months on Monday! I have a feeling I am going to have to be dragged kicking and screaming back to work after that!!

Anyone else have big plans for the weekend?

[lcarlson90]

QOTD: When are you planning to start solid feeding? My DS is 4 months old and the dr. said we could start him on rice cereal, but I am hesitant to start. It seems like everything I have read says that you should wait until 6 months old.

[T&M'sMommy]

I will not be posting pics of any kids in this post. Hope no one minds. My kids are in my avatar and that's it.

[sunmoonstars75]

I totally understand not posting kids' pics in a public forum. I post some occasionally in LJ, and that's it. Not that if someone wanted to work to see them, they couldn't, but they aren't out there for anyone and everyone.

My girls are getting to be piggers! DH said Audra ate almost all day today, and she had a bottle and two very long boob sessions just with me. I was tempted to put up a tent up for her, she was camped out so long! And Amelia hasn't been too much of a slouch either. I haven't been able to keep up with them, but now they are eating so much, I've started taking Fenugreek along with eating oatmeal, lots and lots of oatmeal. They sleep through the night, which I love, but are terrible nappers, which sucks for the hubby, as he watches them during the day and then goes to work when I get home from my FT job.

I have more to say, but I am beat and have to get to work EARLY tomorrow if I want to leave early. Have a good night ladies :)

[LilMarty]

Joining...

Me: Lacy (29)
DH: Allen (31)
Married: 9.6.03
DS: Nolan Edward 3.8.05

[sunni76]

I'll join too! I was futuremrsking over on WC.

Me: Sara, 28
DH: Tim, 32
Married: 7/20/02
DD: Macy, born 3/22/05

I think that's all the info we need, I can't remember what else to put! I'm glad I found this thread! Off to see what else CC has to offer...

[Koala_Gurl]

Hi all! (jlm999 from WC).

DD has been sleeping on her tummy now for about 2 weeks, she is a good "roller" from back to tummy, and occasionally goes from tummy to back (but she is loving being on her tummy).

QOTD - Lori, I assume the Dr. will say the same thing (since we go to the same place), but I think I will wait until closer to 6 months. I will ask Dr. what to look for in terms of when to start. She is definitely interested in watching us eat & drink. But the BF'ing is going so well, I don't think I NEED to add solids. She is sleeping through the night most times, so that isn't an issue (well, at least sleeping 6 hours at a stretch at night). I have her 4 month check up Friday, so I'll find out more then. :)

[Pookie]

QOFTD We have our appt. on Friday. Ryan seems to do well with formula. I'm in favor of holding off the solids until 5/6 months if he doesn't seem to need them.
We just got back from the lake with my IL's. It was Ryan's first car trip and he did pretty well. My IL's friends also have a grandbaby, so they kind of eyed each other. Too sweet. :) It's funny how a year changes so much. Last year, we were having IF issues and the other baby was on the way, but I had this feeling this year we'd both be there with babies. :D
Ryan rolled from tummy to back last week. He still insists on sleeping on his back, which I'm not happy about due to his flat spot. He can get half way from his back to tummy, too.

[lcarlson90]

I hope everyone had a great July 4th. I had a pretty rough day. :( I was pretty depressed because I have to go back to work tomorrow and Dylan has to start daycare. I don't really like his daycare but we didn't have a lot of options.

I had a horrible experience today at my sister's BBQ. I put my DS down for a nap in her bedroom on a blanket on the floor. I asked my DH to go check on the baby and he came out all upset and DS was screaming. My baby had scooted up like 2 feet and got his head underneath my sister's dresser. When DH walked in all he could see was my son's shoulders and he was screaming bloody murder. I ran to my baby and held him so tight and I was crying. I just didn't need this the day before I have to leave my baby in the hands of a daycare. :(

On a happier note, at least I only have to work 3 days this week. I have every other Friday off.

[katzmeow671]

Lori, I tried to reply earlier but CC was down. I'm so sorry about yesterday! I can only imagine the emotions! I've been thinking about you all day and hoping everything went well with your first day back to work and Dylan's first day of daycare. I think I'll PM ya. (((((((((hugs))))))))

Betz

[sunni76]

Hi, still getting used to these boards. Are there e-mail updates at all? this is the only thread I'm signed up for so far, but I don't seem to get notification when someone posts.
Lori--hope your first day at work went ok. It gets easier as time goes on! I've only been back a short while too, but it's getting better. I had a melt down the day before I went back though!

Macy rolled over this weekend! From her back to front. She still hates being on her tummy, so of course she started screaming as soon as she did it and realized where she was!

[Brady]

Sunni- in your post, scroll down and you'll see a drop down for "notification type" and you can chose to be emailed when there is a reply.

Hi Everyone!

My son is apparently bucking the trend, seems the majority are rolling belly to back. He has yet to roll over belly to back, but rolls all over the place going back to belly! This weekend was the first time he did it and then pulled his arm out and put his head all the way up. So exciting!! :p
Sunni- That is what Connor used to do, he would freak out because he was on his belly when he first rolled.. now he is so cute because he can pick his head up and then gives a big grin like he is so proud of himself. I have a great picture, but with the whole posting picture thing going on, I'm afraid I don't feel comfortable posting them now. That sucks.

Re: solids. We have his 4 month appt. on Monday.. I'll see what the Dr. says, but we might try the rice cereal. We'll see.

Lori - so sorry to hear of your scary experience with Dylan! THinking of you.. let us know how the first week back goes. I sympathize!

Gotta run, took a long weekend.. just got back today, so need to catch up on email etc. here.

[girlygirl]

Edited to delete personal info.

[twainny]

me: anne (28)
dh: tim (27)
married: 6-22-03
ds: eli 3-18-05

Gosh, everyone has changed the nn from the WC, now I will have to remember everyones new nns!!

DS will be 4 months a little over a week from now. He has been SO much fun. Like everyone else, he is rolling over, he has done both ways. He really wants to sit up. Whenever he starts crying, my DH says, sit him up, and DS stops crying and just looks around.

About a week ago, DS came down with a fever. We too him to the doc., his temp was 103, they had us take him to the ER! Poor little guy had to get a little IV... it was sooo sad to see. We were in the ER for about 6 hours. It was horrible, we were soooo tired and when we left, they didn't even do anything for us. It was sooo frustrating! But DS is better now, so I guess it was worth it.

QOTD- how much is your DC eating? DS gets 3 4 to 5 oz bottles at daycare (he is there from 7:30-4) I BF him at 6am and at night (twice).

[Chylynn]

QOTD -My DD is eating 27 oz of formula a day, with 1 teaspoon of rice cereal in her bottles at night.

I have a quick questions for the April Mommies (and March Mommies if you remember when it happened with your DC), my DD seems to be teething already. Is that possible at this age? She is only 3 months and 6 days old. Should I give her baby orajel to help ease her gum discomfort? I rubbed her gums with my finger (after washing my hands, of course) and she just smiled and cooed at me. Is this happening to anyone else?

[Brady]

Hi Everyone..
Twainny - I'm still laughing at something you posted right before the WC went all whacky... you had said your husband asked you if you loved your son more than you loved him. You said you didn't answer. I just had to tell you that I was LOLing at that (yeah, I know.. 3 weeks later), but I think I would of had the same reaction!

Anywho.

As for how much is my DS eating. He's taking about 28-30oz a day. We give him 5 6oz bottles a day, sometimes he drinks them all.. sometimes not! I applaud you Anne for sticking with the breastfeeding in the AM and PM, I wish I could have kept up with that when he started daycare! Has your supply still been good? I'm assuming yes, if you are able to do it! ;)

Chylynn - My son has been drooling like there is no tomorrow for the past few weeks and has his hands in his mouth all day long.. so of course I hear all day and night- "Oh, he must be teething!" (he's 4 months).. but I don't know. He's not crying like he's in pain or anything, so honestly I have no idea if he is. Sorry, that doesn't help! I know a while back one of the March Mommas had posted something she read about teething *starting* around 3 months, but it could take 2 months beyond that before you actually physically see a tooth. Hopefully she can repost what she found!

Have a great weekend all!

[Koala_Gurl]

QOTD - Not sure! During the day, DD feeds every 1 1/2 - 2 hours if we are home (she'll go longer if we are out running errands). At night...she sleeps pretty well from 9 - 5, feeds, then goes back down for a few more hours.

Chylynn - DD has been "teething" for a month or so now. By teething, I mean drooling, chewing on every and anything. I see two little white spots on her lower gums, but no teeth have broken throught yet. I think this process can last for a few months.

[Koala_Gurl]

... Hopefully she can repost what she found!...

I think that was me! :) What I remember reading is that the signs of teething can start several months before a tooth is ever seen. DD has been drooling, biting for at least a month now, but no tooth yet (and while she loves having my finger in her mouth, she doesn't seem to be in any major pain.)

[Chylynn]

Brady -My DD spits her pacifier out to shove her hands in to suck on them and she has become a major drooler over the past 3 weeks. I had no idea where all that drool is coming from- aaakk!!!

Koala_Gurl -Wow, I had no idea this can go on for a while before no teeth come in. I feel so bad for Rebecca because she is constantly eating her fists and getting fustrated. Maybe I will try a teething ring that you put in the freezer to cool off.

[lcarlson90]

Back to work - It wasn't as bad as I thought that it would be. I only had to work 3 days this week so that was nice. My mom watched DS 1 day and he went to daycare for 2 days. Thanks for everyone's words of encouragement.

Daycare - I am not happy with the daycare situation. On his first day my DH told them that he eats every 4 hours. They have a sheet that tells them that he ate at 8:30 am (DH fed him) and they try to feed him at 11:30 am and he only drank 1 oz. They were like, "he was interested in the bottle." I was thinking, "no sh*t, he wasn't hungry." I think he was crying and they just figured he must be hungry so they shove a bottle in his mouth. We also told them that he needs a nap at 10:00 or 10:30 and they didn't put him down until noon and then he only slept for 20 minutes. I was fine the first day because I figured they are just learning his cues, etc. but the same thing happened the second time he went.

This morning when I went to get my DS out of bed he was awake and he had rolled onto his tummy and he was facing the opposite direction in the crib. :) I know it's easy for him to roll over, but I can't figure out how he turned himself the complete opposite direction.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

[katzmeow671]

RE: Teething
Our DD has been enjoying finger sandwiches throughout the day also for several weeks now. We've tried teethers but she doesn't care a thing about them. However, she does love to gnaw on a wet washcloth now and then. We asked the doc about all the drooling and he said their salivary glands are maturing and that's where its all coming from.. has nothing to do with teeth. However, it is true that the teething process can start weeks before teeth actually pop up.

So, my child is officially the same size as a Thanksgiving turkey. She had her four month check up (four months already????) yesterday and she's 17 pounds even and 25 1/2 inches long. Another half inch and she'll be moving over to a big girl carseat! Its just unbelievable! The doctor told us to cut back two ounces on her total formula intake. I doubt she'll notice that much. He said if we wanted to start rice cereal we could but right now it would be more "fun with a spoon" than actual nutritional benefit. We'll probably wait until August. That way her big sister will be home to enjoy those first sloppy feedings. As far as other foods go he said to wait and do yellow vegetables after her 6 month birthday. We had to endure four shots yesterday and thankfully next check up, its only two. DH didn't go with me to the appointment because the shots at the 2 month check up almost killed him. Its a good thing he wasn't there because the look on her face would have broken his heart. She did the hold your breath, turn red, then scream cry. She cried like that for about two minutes and then settled into a whimper. I was in the middle of feeding her a bottle when the nurse came in so when the shots were over with I gave her the rest of the bottle and she took a few sips and then started crying again. It was sooo sad. I know its for her own good but its so painful to watch her go through it. She whimpered off and on in the car and finally fell asleep. When we got home last night I gave DH specific instructions NOT to bounce her on his legs last night so that her poor little legs could rest. So what did she do? She sat in her bouncy chair banging her legs up and down. LOL! So, I guess she's fine but I'm giving her Tylenol today anyway. I didn't think to give her any before the appointment but we gave her some at 5 and of course by the time the next dose rolled around she was sleeping so she didn't get any at all through the middle of the night and woke up very warm.

I'm excited to say she's such a great sleeper!! Last night I put on her jammies, read her a story, gave her the last bottle and then laid her in the crib for just a second so I could go put my dinner in the oven. Came back and she was on her tummy, sound asleep. Not five minutes later! Kayla was NOT like that at all. I'd have to rock and rock and sing and walk the floors with her. So all of you that have high maintenance babies, I can totally sympathize with you!!

Its so fun to see all the WC mamas over here and even some new mamas too! I love hearing all about what the babies are doing and comparing them to Gracie. Can you believe the next big accomplishment for our March babies will be sitting up on their own?? wow!

[Pookie]

We've been very busy this week. I went back to school on Tuesday. Luckily, DH was able to get Tue, Wed, and Thur's off this month. My sis watched DS today. Then my mom will do the rest of the Mon and Fri, with MIL coming into town to watch him 1 Monday. Not sure what will happen when the fall semester starts and if I start working again, but I'm very thankful that's the situation for now.
Ryan has been having some STTN set backs. At 10 weeks, he started sleeping 8:30 -8:00. I felt so lucky, so it looks like he has to pick the week I start back to school to go back to his newborn sleeping routine. He still goes down at 8:30, but gets up at 1 and stays up. If you try to put him back in his crib, he screams. This has been going on for 2 nights now. I think I've had a total of 5 hours of sleep in the last 2 days. I'm so ready for this to be over.
This afternoon we have the 4 months WBV. Ryan's still a little guy. 25% for everything; height (23 1/2), weight (12lb 12oz), and head circumference. We only got 2 of this shots since they were out of the pneomonia. I'm really sad he has to go back for that. The ped said to keep him in his crib tonight, but I'm not sure if I can really let him cry, but on the other hand, there is no way I'll make it through my class not sleeping or DH will be able to function at work. :confused:

[AmyE]

I confess...I've been lurking in the April thread since...ok...my first trimester. Feeling so guilty that I'm such a dedicated lurker - I followed the move to the new threads even! - that I will finally join. It's been such fun to follow!

Me: Amy (33)
DH: Josh (33)
DS: James Thomas, 4-18-05
7 lbs, 12 ounces then, almost 14 lbs now.

[T&M'sMommy]

Welcome to everyone that has joined. Things are ok. We're moving in about 3 weeks and I am nowhere near ready. But I'm also too lazy to pack(I confess) Megan is doing awesome. She is giving us huge smiles and grins. She is also drooling and nawing on her fists like crazy. Tyler is doing great too. Off to enjoy the beautiful weather we're having!

[saathei]

Finally got the registration thing to work. Yay!

Saathei
Name: Elizabeth (22)
dh: Orion(24)
Married: August 29th, 2003
dd Thalia-4/24/05, 4lbs 6 oz, 17"
dd Michaya-04/24/05, 4lbs 9 oz. 18"

Thalia's now 10 lbs and Michaya is 9 lbs 12 oz. We're all doing great, with the exception of Thalia's ear infection. We visited both sets of grandparents in Colorado last week - it was a blast!

[LilMarty]

I agree, it is great seeing what all of the other babies are doing too. DS has been drooling up a storm also...he loves to chew on his hands. And he has this new thing where he is always sticking out his tongue! It is so funny cause he pushes it out really far.

DS was 4 months yesterday and goes for 4mth check up on Monday. I am anxious to see how much he weighs and see what the doc says about starting solids. Nolan gets between 30-35 oz a day and we put a little rice cereal in his last bottle. We had to go to developmental followup clinic last week (since he was a premmie) and he weighed 14.7 then... so he should definietly be 15lbs on Monday.

I have been back to work for 3 weeks now but just part time until Labor Day. I just found a day care yesterday cause DH or MIL has been watching him for now. I am really happy with what I found and will probably start sending him part time the beginning of August.

Sleeping has been going pretty well... he goes down between 8-10pm and wakes up around 6am. We are happy with it. Hopefully it will stay that way!

[magdesilver]

Glad to have found our new group!
magdesilver
Name: Mag (28)
dh: Dan (28)
Married: July 21, 2001
dd Allison-4/25/05, 7lbs. 14.6 oz., 20"

Things here are going alright. I was down in South Florida last week visiting relatives and got to go to a WC get together and met Chylynn and her cutie Rebecca, it was fun!
Allison is doing alright, we are having some sleep issues with naps but we are working on them. We are moving out of our house on Tuesday and then into temporary housing for 2 weeks until our new house (that we've built) is ready. We close on the 29th and I can't wait! I'm mostly excited about Allison starting to take naps in her crib. She currently sleeps in our bedroom in the cosleeper which is fine at night but during the day it's hard because she's a light sleeper and I can't get much done for fear of waking her up.
Hope everyone is doing great! These boards are so much easier than the new WC ones, those are horrible and I barely go over there anymore because of it.

[twainny]

DS has been rolling over for at least a month now, but he is finally really good at it and rolls over ALL THE FREAKING TIME.. aka AT NIGHT, and wakes up on his stomach and cries. When he rolls over during the day he is fine, but at night he cries. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep for the past week or so. He has also learned that his big toe tastes REALLY good!!!

I read that you shouldn't put the teething rings in the freezer, just the fridge, I guess the ring could somehow freeze to the babies lips.

[karilynne_97]

Finally joining!

Me: Kari (26)
DH: Josh (29)
Married: 5-25-03
DD: Kassidy 3-22-05
14 lbs 15oz.

I've been lurking, but haven't had time to join until now. I'm back at work (boo!) and daycare is going well. Kassidy's with my cousin, who is a SAHM with a DD 10 & DS 6. DD has been STTN until 2 weeks ago. We think she's teething, with a combination of her starting daycare then having to take antibotics. My cousins DS was diagonised with Viral Menigitis, but they originally thought it was Bacterial Menigitis, which meant that all who had come in contact with him needed to be on medication. SOOO, we think it took a toll on her little tummy. Since last Tuesday she's been waking up at 3-3:30am. We will feed her and put her back to sleep. This morning was horrible. She cried and cried, and didn't fall back asleep until 5:15am; we had to get up for the day at 6am. :rolleyes:

Anyways, we think she's waking up now because her teeth are hurting her. She's been chewing on anything she can get her hands on and drooling like crazy! Soaks right through bibs :D .

Look forward to talking with you all!

[katzmeow671]

Hi Kari So excited to see another March Mama over here! :) We've had trouble with Gracie SSTN for the past couple of nights too. I'm almost positive its teeth. She too is gnawing on everything she can get her hands on and loves to suck on a wet washcloth. I got her some teething gel last night and I think we'll try it this evening. Have you used anything yet?

[karilynne_97]

We've tried those teething tablets which really help to calm her down, and I've found, really seem to help with the constipation she's been having since being on straight formula (was BF until 3mos). She also likes to chew on teething rings, but we leave them room temp; she likes the different textures they have on them. I think I'll try a wet wash cloth too!

[katzmeow671]

How do the teething tablets work? Do they just melt in their mouth or something?? Obviously they can't chew!

[karilynne_97]

Yep, they melt, fast! And they're tiny. The directions say to put 2-4 tablets under the tongue, but we just hold it on our finger and let her suck on our finger.

[katzmeow671]

That's great! I'll have to pick some up on my way home tonight and try them. Thanks for the info!

[Brady]

Hi everyone..

Had Connor's 4 month appt. last night. He's weighing in at 15lbs and was 25 1/4 inches. I think he's going to be tall and skinny! ;) His Ped. said we could start him on rice cereal, see how he takes to it... I think we'll give it a whirl this weekend. But, otherwise everything checked out well.

He's taken to rolling over from back to belly in his crib, he gives me a heart attack everytime I go in there and find him on his belly though... His new thing has been sleeping on his side (which I can deal with!), but last night he was crying around 2am, my husband went in and found him on his belly.. so once he was rolled back onto his back/side, he went right back to sleep. So, it gave me a little peace that if he's uncomfortable, he'll let us know. So, Twainny , I feel your pain!

I had the weirdest dream last night that I woke up to find him with four teeth, two on the top and two on the bottom! I have a feeling it was all this talk about teething in this thread yesterday that led to that!

[Katie]

Hello!

We just had our first camping experience! Evan did great. This year we chose to stay in a hotel at night, since it gets really cold at night where we camp. We used our Pack n' Play for the first time - he hung out there most of the time and was also passed around from family member to family member. It's strange to think that when we camp next year I'll be chasing after a walking, talking 16 month old!

Well, Evan was rolling over from tummy to back, but has decided he's not interested in it now. He will roll onto his side from his back, but no further. Not worried about this, I figure he'll take his time. He just learned how to grab his toes yesterday (so cute!).

I can't believe my little baby is already 4 months old! Where has the time gone? He has his Dr.'s appt. next week and I'm curious to see how much he weighs now. I was thinking about starting solids at 4 months, but now I'm thinking I'll probably wait until he's closer to 6 months old.

Lisa I've had a dream too about Evan having teeth! Although as a BFing mom I'm happy for him to take his time to teethe!

Here are a couple pics of us camping - I'll just keep them up for a couple of days though.

[Brady]

Oh my goodness Katie.. I love that he has his little camping shirt on! Too cute! Glad you had a good experience. We actually also did the pack and play experiment on our trip to the Cape last week. Connor was there for 9 days, and actually slept great in the bassinett portion of the P+P. Thank goodness for that... I was thinking the same thing, how on next year's trip he'll be running all over the place!

BTW, any one else dealing with bad cradle crap (as I like to call it?) ;) My DH is convinced I am giving our son a complex due to all the hats I put on his to cover it up! lol. My friend actually had bought a kit to get rid of it and gave me it as she claims it worked after one treatment for her daughter, I'm going to try it tonight!

[Koala_Gurl]

Brady - RE: Cradle cap...we had a minor bout of it a bit ago, and I just brushed DD's hair frequently, and gave a good rub with the washcloth in the bath. It helped clear it up (but again, it wasn't that bad.)

RE: solids...I am going to ask the ped tomorrow (our 4 month appt got pushed back to tomorrow). But I think I want to wait until closer to 6 months (if only for the convenience!) :)

[twainny]

Brady- I love your pictures. How did you do that 4th of july border? Also Eli slept really good last night on his stomach, he only woke up once, I flipped him over and he slept the rest of the night, though he was on his stomach when I work up, at least he was comfortable! It is funny, cause I never checked on him when he was a newborn to make sure he was breathing, but now I do!! I guess after a couple more days of sleeping on his stomach I will be more comforable with it and not worry.

cradle cap- Eli has it a little bit. I just scrub it with the washcloth, though it doesn't all go away, it does help. DH's grandma said to put a little bit of baby oil on it and then comb it out. It doens't bother me enough to do that, but I might someday.

[lcarlson90]

cradle crap - My DS has it, but it's slowly getting better. We actually put olive oil on his head and let it sit overnight and the next morning I brushed a lot of it off. It helped, but it didn't get all of it.

[Brady]

Brady- I love your pictures. How did you do that 4th of july border?

Thanks. I'd like to take credit for it, but it was just a border I chose from Shutterfly's fourth of july section! (they have some really cute things there!) ;)

Oh, and p.s. that cradle crap kit did nothing for Connor. He either has it really bad, or that is just a hoax to make $$ and my friend got lucky! I tried it two nights in a row, it's still there. Back to the hats!

[Koala_Gurl]

Well, DD did pretty good on her shots! She didn't really notice them until the needle was coming out on shot #2 (out of 4). Her eyes just became saucers, and a split second later came the sobs / screams. But after all was done, she was OK, a bit crankier today.

Stats were: Length- 24 1/2" (just over 50%), Weight 15 lbs 12 oz (90%). Head - forgot but it was about 50%).

Solids - I told the Dr. I am in no rush, and he agreed that all was going OK, so we will try to introduce the rice cereal just before 6 months. (Unless something changes between now and then). :)

[sunmoonstars75]

Cradle Crap - my mom said to use just a dab of Head and Shoulders mixed in w/their regular shampoo. The girls never really had it, so I don't know if I really recommend it or not, but thought I would throw it out there. And a infant massage workshop I went to suggested canola (or another edible) oil for the massage, which included the scalp. The edible is supposed to help in case they get some on their hands and eat it, plus the skin supposedly absorbs it easier.

Shots - we have them on Friday, and not looking forward to it. At least this time, the girls are nursing w/o the shield, so I can comfort them a little afterwards with that. I am looking forward to seeing how much they weigh. DH & I think in the 12's, but my mom thinks in the 14's - we'll see who is right!

They are both rolling from their belly to their backs, but only from their back to 1/2 to 3/4 of the way to their belly before rolling back in to starting position. And are they talking up a storm! They are my kids, after all ;) And we are finally out of our 0-3 months stuff, looking forward to a whole new wardrobe. They aren't really napping for their dad at all during the day, but somehow the magic of mom (or her boobs ;) ) puts them out right when I get home.

I can't believe there is a March 06 mommas thread already! Seems like just yesterday I POAS and here I have two four month olds! Time sure has been flying!!

[cgmom313]

Hello Everyone - I was a longtime lurker on WC after I was married and then in my friends journal who was getting married and then stopped until I became pregnant/miscarried and pregnant again. I didn't start posting again because of being busy with my job, pregnant, marriage, etc. I am sure ya'll know the excuses However I have found great info to some of my questions of being a new mom from the family message boards of the March Mamas, I thought it was time to join. So here are my stats.

Me: Amy (35) Yikes I feel so old.
DH: Patrick (37)
Married: 10/23/99
DD: Catherine Grace 3/13/05

Catherine just had her 4 month check up yesterday. She is quite a big girl. 19 lbs and 25inches long. She had her shots which was no fun for me. She was fine, just a little fussy. Catherine has very sensitive skin so we are also dealing with excemza (sp?) and cradle cap. The dr said to use cortizone cream twice a day and head and shoulders on the cradle cap so we shall see.

I just got back to work so I am dealing with that also so I look to learn from all of you ladies.

[twainny]

Welcome Amy!!! Glad you are joining!!

Not much is going on here. It has been sooo hot. I was wondering what your babies sleep in? I never know what to put Eli in. Usually just a onesie when we don't have the air on, but now with the air on I don't think that is enough, but long sleeves seem so warm. (DH sleeps in just boxers and I sleep in light weight PJs and we use just a sheet, just to give you an idea what we use) We give him a blanket, but as you could guess, it doesn't stay on him very long, it is more for snuggling.

[Chylynn]

QOTD: My DD sleeps in footed pajamas and has been since she was 3 weeks old. She won't let us swaddle her and when we did, she would stay awake trying to get out of it. I never felt comfy putting her to bed in a onsie outfit because of the air conditioning and her feet would get cold. I tryed socks on her feet, but she would kick them off too. Stubborn little bugger!

Mag -It was great meeting you and Alison. I can't wait to meet up again in November. Hope everything is going okay with your move.

[katzmeow671]

cgmom313 - Welcome! And you're not old! I'm 34 and I'm not old so you're not either! :p I just wanted to share with you that my oldest DD has excema too and its not fun! You may eventually have to go to a dermatologist but hopefully the cortizone will help you. We only bathe Kayla every other day and use Aveeno bath products and then she puts on Aveeno lotion and that seems to help a lot! Aveeno wasn't so prominent when Kayla was a baby and we lived on Eucerin but I think the Aveeno works better IMHO. Hope that helps a bit!

twaiiny Have you tried a sleep sack for Eli? They make lightweight cotton ones although they are hard to find! We usually put Gracie in a long sleeve sleep and play with footies and she seems fine but when we're too lazy to change her into jammies (and that does happen! :o ), we put her in a sleep sack.

[Brady]

Welcome Amy! Wow on your growing little girl! How much did she weigh at birth? So, two votes for Head and Shoulders on the cradle cap.. I'll have to try it out, heck at this point we've tried everything. The best was when I put just baby oil on it and tried to comb it out (someone had recommended trying it), my little 4 month old looked like Danny Zucko in Grease for about 2 days! lol. I would put water on his head to wash the oil out and the water literally just rolled off of it, it was hilarious.

Re:pajamas We do not have AC in his room, just a fan.. so his onesies have turned into his pajamas. On really hot nights, we've done just a diaper. Before I go to bed if I feel it's cooled down, I'll shut his fan off so he doesn't get too cold. So far, no problems. I did see some cute summer jammies at Baby Gap, like little t-shirts with pants, if you don't feel comfortable with him in the long sleeves..

[LilMarty]

PJs We put DS in a onesie, little pants and socks... sometimes I put him in the cotton sleepsack too.

Took DS to his 4month check up on Monday and he was 15 lbs 2oz and was 24 1/2 in long. He had 3 shots at the appointment and ended up with a slight fever in the evening. The poor guy seemed so sad all evening, would just sit in his chair with a glazed over look. Luckily he woke up the next day fine.

DS will start daycare on the 25th. It will be a tough adjustment (for me!) but I know it will great place. I was so happy when I went for the tour, I thought I would cry! It just seemed perfect. He will just go 3 days a week until Sept and then full time.

[cgmom313]

QOTD - PJ's - We just have a onesie on DD. Since she is such a big girl, and we live in hot humid FL. Even though we have ac, and her feet and hands never seem cold. We used to put her in footed PJS but she always seemed so hot.

Katzmeow671- Thanks for the recommendations. My DR said Aveeno or Dove "sensitiveskin" so I think I will try the Aveeno. The dr said that could be why she has been fussy at night. I may ask you questions regarding it since you have experience with your daughter.

Brady - My DD was 8lbs and 9 ounces at birth and she was 2 1/2 weeks early. However it was destin for a big baby. My mom had big babies and my MIL had big babies it was in the genes. Believe me, she never misses a meal.... :)

[AmyE]

On the PJs issue - we normally put JT in a sleepsack, with just a diaper underneath if it's hot or in a onesie with socks if I think it's a little cool. I found the cotton sleepsacks at babies r us, so you might want to check online. Putting on his "pajamas" is part of his going to be routine now.

Just 12 weeks old and he's now in day 4 of daycare - I'm pretty sure he's handling it much better than I am! He smiles and laughs at the two ladies who take care of him when he sees them now, and I'm the one who always walks away worried. I nurse him at lunch and pick him up by 4, which makes me feel better though. Guess it's good that he's having such a grand time. The stimulation must be good for him, and he's STTN three times this week, which is of course good for me!

[twainny]

cradle cap- well, last night was bath night and we happen to have a bottle of head and shoulders. IT WORKS!!! Just be careful not to get it in DC eyes. I just put a tiny bit on my palm and rub it around on his head and the rubbed the washcolth around too. Seems to have worked for us.

PJs- I guess I will stick with the onesie. He doesn't seem to be cold, if anything warm.

rash- Eli seems to have a rash over his body. At first I thought it was eczema(sp?). But I now think that it is from our detergent. It is only on his torso and he wears onesie outfits (or rompers) 90% of the time. I think I will get a bottle of All Baby (is that the brand that has a baby line?) And see if that works. Unfortunatly, I just did a HUGE load of laundry last night, so DS will have to suffer through another couple weeks of Tide clothes.

I take DS to the doctor on Monday. I can't wait to find out how long he is....

[Brady]

Twainny - Great to hear about the Head and Shoulders! I'll give it a whirl, heck at this point, I've tried everything!

My QOTD - how has everyone done with losing the pregnancy weight? I'm still struggling with the last 10. Of course, I'm also not really working all that hard at it, so I really can't complain. We walk a ton for exercise, but my eating habits are less than stellar... I just need to get my act together! It's strange because a couple pairs of my pre-pg. pants fit me, but not one pair of my shorts from last year do. I refuse to buy new ones. So, yeah.. it's been about 90° the past few weeks and I'm wearing capris. ;) I can just def. notice an expansion, so to speak, of my hips and butt.. I have a feeling I just need to accept it and break down and buy new stuff!

[Chylynn]

QOTD:- I have lost all of my pregnancy weight, but I am still trying to lose weight. I am able to get exercise in with no problem, and I am working on eating healthier! My sister is getting married in a year and I am her MOH, so my goal is to be smaller by then!

[cgmom313]

QOTD - Pregnancy weight - I am back to my pre pregnancy weight however I just feel so flabby in the tummy area. I have no time to work out or even think of going to the gym. This was my first week full time back to work and I am just dead tired. Need to figure out how to exercise!!! I have trouble getting into some of my summer shorts, so I broke down and brought a few pair from Target, and hopefully next summer can fit back into my other shorts. My eating habits right now stink... I was eating so good when I was pregant, now I am stuffing anything I can find into my mouth. Need to change that.

Brady - I hated buying new stuff, but it is nice to have a few things that are comfortable and I am not squeezing into, that made me feel like a big Burrito. It made me feel much better. Just buy a few things to help you through the transition. It made me feel like a new person.

[T&M'sMommy]

I lost my pregnancy weight and another 15lbs I think within 3 weeks after dd was born. But I'd still like to lose around another 40lbs.

[Katie]

QOTD I lost all my pregnancy weight right away and over the past two months I've actually slowly taken off another 10 (below my pre pregnancy weight). So all my pants are actually too big, but my shorts now are just fitting me fine. Strange. I wish I would lose more in my hips, thighs, but
it seems to be my stomach that is smaller - certainly not complaining though!

I think we may have found a solution to keeping him out of daycare. I asked my 21 year old cousin this week if she could watch him for 4 hours one afternoon a week while I worked - it went great, paid her $10/hour and she's willing to do it through the summer! Maybe into fall depending on her school schedule. And MIL may be willing to watch him another day for about 5-6 hours while I work. The rest of my work hours will be evening so DH can watch him then. Praying that this works!

Can I just say how FUN 4 months is! I am loving watching Evan become more and more aware everyday. He just soaks up his whole environment. A couple of weeks ago he began noticing our cat. It is the cutest thing - yesterday we were lying on the floor together and our cat walked by. Evan tracked him across the room and smiled at him. So sweet!

He laughs and giggles all the time! In general he is just a content little boy and it is such a joy to be with him. I get overwhelmed at the thought of how much I am in love with him.

Hope all of you have a great weekend and WELCOME to the new moms!

[Brady]

QOTD I lost all my pregnancy weight right away and over the past two months I've actually slowly taken off another 10 (below my pre pregnancy weight). So all my pants are actually too big, but my shorts now are just fitting me fine. Strange. I wish I would lose more in my hips, thighs, but
it seems to be my stomach that is smaller - certainly not complaining though!


Katie.. if you weren't so nice, I would have to hate you. :p (and really, I set myself up by asking the question, huh? lol.
So glad you have found a solution to daycare!

I've actually been sitting here most of the morning wallowing in how much I hate my job, and just how much I hate working in general. I actually feel like it's getting HARDER not "easier" to do the daycare thing. Like Katie said, he's sooo much fun now and so alert, developing a little personality, etc. I hate being gone from him 8 hours a day, and then trying to cram in all our "fun" time over a weekend. There is only so much you can do between 5-8pm every weeknight. Right now I am carrying the insurance and will be until October 1. Let me tell you, if I wasn't.. I might be walking in my boss' office and quitting right now. It's killing me. October cannot come soon enough. If anything I may just quit then and focus on just finding something part-time, I don't think we could swing me being a SAHM... but I really can't do this full-time working thing anymore.

Okay, end of my Friday vent! Have a great weekend all!

[Katie]

Lisa - You crack me up!

I'm so sorry that you dislike your job so much. I can only imagine how much harder that makes it to have Connor in daycare. :( So you're thinking of quitting Oct. 1 and getting a part-time job? I really hope that you can do that!

I tell ya, there are days (OK, many days) when I wish I lived somewhere other than CA so I could stay at home with my baby. The cost of housing/living here is ridiculous, but my hubby is so tied to staying in CA that here we are. My dad lives in New Hampshire and is constantly bugging us to move out there. Somedays it is tempting ...

[Brady]

Katie... I hear you. I'll probably eventually see you in NH then, as that's where we are going to probably end up! MA is bad (well, not as bad as CA...but what is??)! Whereabouts in NH is your Dad?

[Koala_Gurl]

Hi all!

Sleep Clothes - We are in So Cal, so DD sleeps in a onsie (we have the A/C on at night, but set the thermostat at 77...so it doesn't get super cold.)

Preggo weight - Well, seeing as how I gained just over 70 lbs, I haven't totally lost it all yet. I definitely lost what I would consider the "baby" weight...the rest is just weight I happened to put on while pregnant. :)

[Pookie]

QOFTD Ryan sleeps in a sleeper. He has a fan in his room, so I don't worry about him becoming overheated.
pg weight I'm back down to my pre-pg weight, but I still need to lose more. I feel like I'm trying so hard with no success.
STTN Ryan started sleeping 12 hours at 10 weeks. Of course he picks the week I go back to school to start getting up at night again. He was waking up at 1 and staying up all night. The last few nights have been good, so I'm really hoping it was just an adjustment thing.

Ryan turned 4 months today and what does Mommy do? Lock him in the car at the gas station. It was horrible. We live in AZ, so luckily this happened after it cooled off a bit. I was freaking out. The station attendant called the fire dep. (They're right up the street.) They got there right before my parents did. (DH is out of town, working.) He was fine, but I was sooo scared. I'll definitely never do that again.

[AmyE]

QOTD: Funny you should mention it, but as of today I am within one pound of my pre-preg weight. Of course I celebrated with pizza and a HUGE ice cream cone, so I'm probably back up another one. Sigh. (But it was totally worth it, given the hot and sticky weather in DC!)

DS got up again twice last night - he seems to be back on an every-four-hour schedule, even though he slept 6-9 hours before he started daycare. Maybe just a phase. I hope.

Does anyone know when a baby's eye color is "set"? JT is 13 weeks and still has lovely gray eyes like his daddy, but mine are brown and I know they could still be shifting. Just wondering.

[twainny]

baby weight well, at my 6 week check up I was within 6 pounds of my pre-preggo wieght.. now... hmmm probably 26 lbs. Since I stated back at work I just don't exercise as much :( We went on walks 2 or 3 times a day. But not anymore. Just way too hot! My lovely DH just got a bowflex machine from a friend, so I might use that. If DS sleeps more!! :)

DS is 4 months old today! HAPPY B-DAY! We go get shots today :( He will probably scream his little head off :( But you gotta do what you gotta do. I bet he is about 16 lbs. He seems to have packed on the pounds in the last 5 days!!

[Katie]

OK - vent here! So MIL had offerred to watch baby one day a week. So my DH asks her about it yesterday and it turns out that she now can't "commit" to it since she has things to do on Weds. but would be happy to do it every once in a while. Uh, no that's not what we meant! So now I have to scramble to find someone to watch my son on Weds. We were really hoping to only pay one day of childcare and have a family member watch him on the other day. Otherwise I have no idea how we will swing 2 days of care. It's so expensive here. I am so frustrated. I was stressing so much about finding childcare, thought we had worked it out and now I feel like I'm back at square one. We're only asking for 6 hours once a week. Sigh ... :(

Lisa - My dad lives in Amherst. About an hour north of Boston I believe.

Pookie - My greatest fear is locking Evan in the car! How scary that must have been for you.

[Brady]

Oh Pookie , how scary!! I am so glad the fire dept. was able to get there so quickly. I would have been a mess!! I drive an older (okay, really old) car, and just always leave the door unlocked in the back, yes it's so old it does not have automatic door locks, but seriously it saves my sanity because I know it's always open.

Amy- I've read that eye color isn't really truly set until after a year. I think more so with colors like your son's... I would say if they are bright blue at this point, they most likely will stay that way.. it's more the grays and muted colors, that will keep changing. My son's are the same, my DH has nice hazel eyes, I have brown, for a while my son's were sort of in-between and I kept hoping(!), but they really seem to be getting darker...

Katie- I'm so sorry about your daycare dilemma. Ugh to your MIL. I mean really, one day a week? Sorry, I am just angry on your behalf! I hope she changes her mind, and soon. Keep us posted. Amherst is right around the corner, if you ever go out to visit your Dad- let me know!

Twainny- happy 4 months to Eli! I love this age!!

L.

[cgmom313]

Oh my gosh Pookie you must have been so scared. I think about that happening all the time. 2 of my close girlfriends have done it so now I think I will do it, and I live in Florida, so would have the same fear you did. Don't beat yourself up, it happens.

Katie - Sorry about the MIL thing. Right now my MIL watches my DD, however it is all week. My MIL is so laid back she never tells me how she really feels and if this is ok. She just kind of agreed to do it. Oh I could go on forever about it. We are hoping it will work out to at least the end of the year and then we probably will have to put her in some type of day care, but I am hoping to go to 3 days a week at work. However that just stinks that she backed out. Good Luck. I think that is the hardest part of being of Mother. Figuring out Child Care!!!

[Pookie]

Katie I'm sorry to hear that about your MIL. I hope she can come to her senses soon.

Eye Color My opthamologist said eye color can change until about 3 years, but I have a friend who's eyes changed at year 5. I have brown eyes and DH has blue. Ryan's are still blue, but the color does change depending on what he's wearing.

[lcarlson90]

Pookie: I am so sorry to hear about your scare with locking your baby in the car. You must have been so frightened. It's been 100 degrees here and I am terrified that I would lock my DS in the car in this heat.

Katie: I am sorry about the daycare problems with your MIL. I hope you will find a solution that works well for your family.

Koala Gurl: I remember reading that you are taking your daughter to gymboree. How do you like it? I was thinking of taking Dylan, but I had heard that they don't really get that much out of it until they are at least 1 years old. I was also curious to know who you saw at Valencia Pediatrics for your daughter's check up?

Daycare update: After only 2 weeks in daycare, I have pulled my son out. I was not happy with the daycare center. It was always dark in the room and it seemed like the babies were not being stimulated. They also refused to keep to a schedule with my DS. I worked hard for 4 months to get my DS on a eating/sleeping schedule and they wanted to do their own thing. My mom picked him up from daycare the first week and she was so unhappy that he was there that she cried the entire way home. She has now volunteered to watch him everyday until I find a better daycare.

[Koala_Gurl]

Koala Gurl: I remember reading that you are taking your daughter to gymboree. How do you like it? I was thinking of taking Dylan, but I had heard that they don't really get that much out of it until they are at least 1 years old. I was also curious to know who you saw at Valencia Pediatrics for your daughter's check up?

Yeah, we are going to Gymboree (I think it is more for the parents to get out of the house, but K LOVES looking at the other babies in the class!) I am thinking of checking out the crawlers class though. In the baby class, they are all on their backs for most of the class, and only a little bit of tummy time. DD would rather be on her tummy, so she just sits on her tummy and watches the instructor instead of me (I guess she sees enough of me during the day.)

I saw Dr. Brian. He is really good with babies (personality wise). E.g. he coos at them, talks in 'baby' talk when doing the exam. I also went to Dr. Vicki and Dr. Stern. I liked Dr. Stern, and Dr. Vicki seems like a great doctor, but no real "bedside manner." She was pretty clinical. I don't doubt her expertise, but when others seem to be more personable, I'd prefer that dr. Who have you been to?

[lcarlson90]

Koala Gurl: Thanks for the info on Gymboree. I think that I might try it out.
We have seen Dr. Al, Dr. Brockett and Dr. Brian. I didn't really care for Dr. Brockett because she wasn't very friendly with my baby. Dr. Al was really cute with D. He was talking baby talk and making funny faces. We have our next appt. with Dr. Stern so I am glad to hear that you liked her.

[karilynne_97]

Hi All,

Kassidy just had her 4 month appt yesterday. She's 15 lbs 2 oz and 26 in long!!! :eek: She's a big girl, but by no means fat, she long and lean. DH and I are average height, but come from short families (I'm the tallest woman at 5'4 in my fam) so we're not expecting her to be tall, just a fast grower. Dr said she should slow down over the year.

Shots were awful, for mommy and baby! DH had to hold her down, I just couldn't do it!

The Dr said it's time to stop swaddling to sleep (I think DD's been trying to tell me this by kicking out of her swaddle) and to stop rocking her to sleep. My problem: the only reason we're still swaddling her to sleep is because she still has the startle reflex and wakes herself up. Any suggestions on weaning off swaddling?

I'm sad about the not rocking her to sleep, but DH and I TOTALLY agree with this. Per my parents, I needed to be rocked to sleep from birth to age 6 (I was a spoiled 1st born); I really don't want to get into this habbit with DD. Her current bedtime routine is: bath, massage, bottle, rock to sleep. Dr suggested bottle before bath, but she gets so worked up from her bath (loves to splash) that I feel the bottle helps calm her down. Dr suggested feeding her in her crib; just remember to have her head a little lifted by either putting a pillow under her head or by putting blankets under one side of the mattress. Any suggestions on putting baby to bed while "drowsy" so they can learn to go to sleep by themselves? We've tried this before, and DD just wakes up then starts screaming. No fun!

[Koala_Gurl]

karilynne_97 - We put DD down when she is drowsy, usually after I nurse. Sometimes she rolls over and goes right to sleep. Other times, she will cry for 10 minutes. I usually let her go 15 minutes crying, and 90% of the time, she will go to sleep within that time frame. If not, I go to her, and sooth her for a bit before trying again (it seems that usually when this happens, she is still hungry and will eat more.)

[Katie]

Evan had his 4 month appt. today. Poor sweetie is sleeping off his shots/Tylenol right now. He is out. (Which is kind of nice for momma! The kid barely naps.) So ... my little one - or should I say - not so little is:
18 pounds, 4 ounces and 26 3/4 inches in length! 95% for both! We've got a little chubber on our hands. I suppose this now means that we have to switch him out of the infant Graco snugride since the max is 26"? Guess we have to buy a new carseat. Wow! We got 19 weeks use of that! :rolleyes:

I think my son was mad at me yesterday when I went to work. I was gone for 5 1/2 hours - the longest I've been away from him thus far. My aunt is watching him until I find childcare (more drama with that story!). So when I was gone he barely ate 4 ounces of EBM and would not look at me or smile at me for the first hour when I got home. I was so sad. Working sucks!

I think it's just dawning on my MIL that we are angry with her (re: daycare). I've been screening my phone calls this week b/c I don't want to talk to her right now. She's left two messages already this morning. I'll let my DH settle it with her. I just need some time to calm down. To add insult to injury, a friend of mine who is pregnant just told me that her mom is quitting her job so she can be a grandma. So the search for childcare continues ...

[karilynne_97]

Kassidy is 26 in but we're not switching yet. We just took out the head support thingy. :rolleyes:

[T&M'sMommy]

Actually here's some info about car seats. If you go to www.todaysparent.com and go to the forums, there is a forum called "health and safety for baby". TAM C is a car seat technician. I believe she has said that it is not actually neccessary to move the baby to a new seat if they are overlength. Its Canadian, which is probably different than American standards, but she seems very knowledgeable on carseats.

[T&M'sMommy]

As for getting baby to sleep on their own. I don't think its neccessary yet. 4 months is a little young for a baby to be able to soothe him/her self to sleep. My dd is 3 months and falls asleep in her swing. But we have a routine going. She gets a bottle at 8:00, then goes into her swing and falls right asleep. I then pick her up and put her in her bassinet while still sleeping. She sleeps normally until 5:00am. I'm busy with my 2 year old and packing to move next week, otherwise we'd still be cuddling/rocking to sleep. I am totally one for following a baby's cues and didn't even start CIO until probably about 7 months.

[CMTorie]

Hi...I'm new here...but I was also on WC. I had originally started out in the mom's to be forum...but since it was my second child and since a bunch of my old 'friends' had quit posting or had their posts deleted, I actually quit logging on to WC...now WC doesn't even recognize me to allow me on! :rolleyes:

Anyhow...this is me
Me ~ Torie...28
DH ~ Mike...35
DD ~ Brooklyn 22 months
DS ~ Jake 3 months
SD ~ (step daughter) Kirstin...14 y/o

As for getting the child to sleep...I agree that 3-4 months is too early. Of couse I still don't CIO with my DD and she is almost 2. The way I practice with both of kids is the same. We sit and rock in the glider as I nurse them (my DD gets a bottle of rice milk as she weaned at about 14 months). Then...they go to sleep in my arms. It takes Jake about 5-10 minutes to fall completely asleep (if he didn't fall asleep while nursing, LOL) then I put him in his hammock. Then...it's time for Brooklyn...after her bottle she usually squirms around for about 20-30 minutes before she goes out (because she is older she knows that by going to sleep she is 'missing out' on something so she fights it). I hold her for another 10-30 minutes given what I'm watching...or what I have left to do...then I put her in her crib. Jake goes to bed around 10:45 (our family is full of night owls...dh doesn't even get home from work until 10:15 pm)...and DD is down around 11-11:30. Dh and I go to bed between 12-1. Then...both of them get up somewhere around 5-7 (if I'm lucky not at the same time though) and Jake gets nursed back to sleep in my bed with me...then Brooklyn sometimes wants a bottle but she comes back to sleep with us in our bed too. Then...everyone starts getting up around 9-10

[Koala_Gurl]

...4 months is a little young for a baby to be able to soothe him/her self to sleep...

I thought so too, but it definitely works for us. I had in my mind that I wouldn't try CIO until about 6 months, but DD is pretty good at self soothing, and is good about putting herself to sleep. (Granted, I don't let her cry more than 15 minutes or so.) But, most of the time, she is out before then.

[lcarlson90]

I will let my DS cry for about 5 minutes and then I will check on him and soothe him etc. and try again in another 5 minutes if he is still crying. He usually only cries for a few minutes and then he falls right to sleep.

[Brady]

Hi Everyone..

Katie- Wow on Evan's stats!! Connor seems like a little peanut now! ;) Sorry to hear about more daycare woes, fill us in when you have time. In Evan's case, I would probably switch him out of the snugride, only because he is so close to the weight req. too.

Karilynne - I wish I had some advice. I'm clueless in terms of swaddling as my son hated it from day one, so we never did it. I do sort of agree with you re: bottle after bath, my son is the same way.. he gets all worked up in the bath, so we do the bottle after and he calms down and usually we put him down anywhere from immediately to an hour after his bottle.

I'm not saying this to brag, because believe me the first 3 months my son did not sleep at ALL at night,and I know this is subject to change at a moment's notice... but it was the strangest thing with him. When he was around 3.5 months, he just stopped taking a pacifier.. that is what we had always given him to fall asleep, but he suddenly just wanted nothing to do with it. Spit it out, and has not taken it again since then. So, I was paranoid that this would lead to long screaming fests at night. The strangest part is that when he stopped taking the pacifiers, was when he truly started sleeping through the night. Our night goes something like this- we get home from daycare around 4:45, I feed him if it time.. we'll play, etc. around 7ish I give him a bath, we sometimes read some books, he takes his last bottle and I can usually just carry him into his crib between 8-9 and he'll flip himself onto his belly and go to sleep. Some nights he'll roll around and play, but he has never cried when he's put down, naps are another story... but, he then gets up around 6:30am. Does Kassidy take a pacifier or would she for soothing?

In other news, Connor finally starting rolling over belly to back! So, he can go both ways now. He's also scooting himself all over the place, you know- using his face instead of his hands. :p the worst is when he is on his blanket in the living room, and starts doing his "crawling" thing onto the rug, and ends up with cat fur all over his face. lol.

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

[Koala_Gurl]

...and ends up with cat fur all over his face. lol.

Ahhh, I can't tell you how many dog hairs DD must have in her belly by now! LOL! We have 2 golden retrievers, and even if I recently vacuum, there is always hair everywhere. Oh well!

[AmyE]

Sleeping: JT is just past three months, but we've been luckly with putting him in his crib "drowsy." Our ped recommended we let him cry for 5-10 minutes at the 2 month appt, since he was getting too used to sleeping in someone's arms. I only lasted 4 minutes the first couple of nights before I HAD to go in a soothe him, but after day 2, he seemed to figure it out. He often falls into a semi-sleep while nursing, and I wake him up (or try to) before putting him in the crib. Now he'll just look at me a bit, roll over onto his side and suck his hands until he falls asleep. If he gets fussy, we pop in the pacifier and he just conks out. He goes to bed at 9ish, and has been getting up at 3am for the last two weeks. Used to sleep until 6, but then we put him in daycare.....

Daycare: My condolences to those having childcare issues. Tough issue all around, especially if the arrangements you made so carefully don't work out (MIL, bad daycare place, etc) I really hated the idea of going back to work, and was pretty worried about daycare in general. However, JT has huge, whole-baby-body smiles for both the ladies who work with infants. When I've checked in unexpectedly I've found him sound asleep, playing happily with new toys, or doing supervised tummy time. Better than I expected, I admit. I don't quite understand why it interferred with what used to be a beautiful sleep schedule, or even if that's related. He seems to be happy, and that's the important part.

[Katie]

A bit of a vent here. My dear son has decided to try a new behavior and it's driving me crazy! Whenever my DH or I now leave his eyesight we get hysterical screams out of him. He's always liked us being around and if we leave the room for a moment he has generally been content to play in his play gym with little to no problem. This changed last week. I literally cannot walk 5 feet away from him - still in eyesight - without any tears. And if I leave the room to say, get a drink from the kitchen, the hysterics come out. Taking a shower yesterday was a joke. He screamed the entire time. Once I come back into the room or sit next to him on the floor he stops.

It's as if he has learned the power of his voice and knows that crying will bring mom or dad. I want him to know that he can do this and will have his needs met, but I can't always rush to him the second he starts to cry. I think it's also because he has become more aware of us/his surroundings, so when we leave the room he thinks we are gone forever. It is very exhausting. I couldn't leave the house yesterday because I was constantly tending to him. I wonder how long this new behavior will last? He has always been such an easy baby. And if you are sitting right next to him or holding him, he is. I feel as if I'm going to have to start wearing my Baby Bjorn again - in the house.

Not really looking for advice, just wondering if anyone else is/has gone through this and how you handled it, how long did it last?

[Koala_Gurl]

Katie - I think this is a pretty normal stage...it means they are developing "object permanence," meaning that before, when something was out of sight, it was forgotten about. Around this age (4 - 6 mo, I think?) they start realizing that when things disappear, they are gone.

We haven't gotten there (yet), but try playing Peek-a-boo type games?? Make disappearing a game (work slowly?)

[cgmom313]

Katie - My DD is 4 1/2 months old and she has just starting doing this. Not quite yet to the extent you posted but I have noticed it. I agree with Koala Girl, that they start remembering objects/things. Over the last week, if I am in the room playing on the floor with her and I get up to answer the phone she starts crying or She is playing on the floor and I am just sitting next to her reading the paper or the mail she is fine but the moment I get up she starts to fuss. I guess it is something we have to try to work through with them.

So to answer your question you are not alone.

I

[karilynne_97]

[QUOTE=Brady]Does Kassidy take a pacifier or would she for soothing?
[QUOTE]

She LOVES her pacifier! Which is another issue: she'll wake up in the middle of the night crying for it. As soon as we put it back in her mouth she's out again. Just another reason, I guess, to wean her from the swaddle. She's started holding onto the paci and pulling it out of her mouth; hopefully soon she'll learn how to put it back in! :p

[Pookie]

Kari Ryan does the same thing with his binky. I'm okay if it's just once a night, but sometimes it can be an all-night thing.
Katie Ryan does the same thing if I leave the room or let someone else hold him. I've heard it's just the normal 4 month separation anxiety. I've heard they got throught this stage a few more times, too. Not sure if that helps, but you're not alone.

[Brady]

Hi All..

It's so quiet over here! ;) Well this weekend Connor joined right into the stranger anxiety phase... We went over to my mother's house and when my brother picked him up (he sees him only once a month or so), Connor just sort of looked at him and then the lower lip came out and on came the waterworks! lol. Poor thing. He was fine after I took him for a bit, I guess he just needed to get used to him again. I felt badly for my brother! He hasn't really done the crying when you leave the room thing yet...

I can't believe he is going to be 5 months old on Friday! He's still just as cute and happy as can be and I just really feel so unbelievably blessed.

I'm having a really hard time lately with this whole working mom bit. I'm really hating my job and it's truly killing me every morning to drop him off. This morning I was up around 3:30 and literally just staring at my ceiling for 3 hours trying to figure out if there is ANY way possible that I can stay home with him. Or, I think I might be okay if I only worked 2-3 days a week... I just can't do this 5 days a week. It's making me physically sick lately. Ugh.

On that note, I have to get back to this stupidjob. :mad:

Hope everyone is doing well!!

[twainny]

Just wondering when everyone is thinking of beginning solids? I am thinking of starting DS on solids over Labor Day weekend (he will be 5 months, 1 week at that point). Just wondering what others are doing/are thinking of doing. I think I will just give him a little rice cereal at night to begin with.

[cgmom313]

I am right there with you Brady, I can not believe my DD will be 5 months old on the 13th. She is doing something new everyday. This weekend, she started blowing rasberries. She just laughs and laughs each time she does it, makes my heart melt.

Brady - I as well am having a hard time with the whole Working Mom thing. I am trying to see if I can cut my hours back and see if I can swing working 4 days a work starting in January. Few minor things to consider. See if my work will allow me and $$. We shall see.

This past weekend we went to my niece's 2 yr birthday and it was weird to think at her 1 year birthday I was 5 weeks pg. Even my Dh mentioned it to me. He looked over as I was holding her and said this time last year you were just a little peanut. Amazing. My SIL did a finding Nemo theme for her and it was really cute. My SIL however is about 8 1/2 months pg so I tried to help her out as much as I could. I want a 2nd child, but not sure when and if we are going to do it. I just see the 2 year and the work my SIL does with her, I have no idea how she is going to do it with a newborn and a toddler.

Anyone on this thread have 2 kids close in age? If so how is it going. It took my a while to conceive this first one and if I want a 2nd would need to decide when to try, as well as my age. I am not getting any younger. :p

Solids - twainny - There will be so many opinons on this. I think every book, ped, parents does it different. My DD will be 5 mths old on the 13th and we just started spoon feeding her cereal this past week. She is doing great and really eats it. My ped at her 4mth wbv said I could start her anytime. My ped said since she is holding her head up strong and if she has an interest when we are eating to go ahead and try it. My DD at the dinner table just stares and is interested in what we eat so we decided to try it. My ped said once you try cereal for a week or so you can begin to introduce fruits. Start with one at time for a whole week to ensure there are no allergieres. I know some people dont start until 6 -8 months.

Have a great day ladies.

[Koala_Gurl]

Solids - Probably waiting until 6 months...more than anything, since BFing is so easy...and the lazy part of me wants to enjoy the easy part as long as possible! ;)

New Question - Anyone doing Gymboree?? I have DD in the babies class, and I was talking to a friend of mine about the stuff she did in her babies class, and I was pretty blown away to see how different they were. Our class pretty much does not get up from the circle on the floor. (Her class was doing things on the big ball, etc.)

[twainny]

AmyE - did you see on the local threads that the MD/VA/DC people are having a get together on the 28th of this month... we are still deciding on a place. Check out that thread if you are interested.....

[Brady]

CGmom- My friend has two daughters. They are 15 months apart. I know early on it was SO hard for her... middle of the night feedings with the newborn, and the 15 month old not sleeping, etc. I think she felt really stressed too that she wasn't giving the amount of time to her older daughter that she wanted to.. things like that. She's been saying it's getting a little easier with her little one getting a bit older (she was also born in March), but it's still a juggling act. The first time I visited, my reaction was pretty much this- :eek: lol. Needless to say, I went home and told my husband I would like to have at least 3 years between kids. ;)

Solids- We've done some rice cereal and oatmeal here and there, mostly for my own amusement rather than my son's nutrional needs. He just likes to play with spoon for the most part. He's def. interested though, and I'm excited to start on "real" food, and will at 6 months. We're not very consistent with the cereal though at this point.

Gymboree- It's funny because I actually just drove by a place near my house and saw a big sign out front that Gymboree had opened. So, I don't have anything to say on it right now, but I'm going to check it out and get a schedule...

ETA- Twainny- I just noticed your sig. When are you moving(?) to Alaska?!

[twainny]

Brady- Nope... we just got back from Alaska yesterday. We went on a cruise up there, it was awesome!! Though not very relaxing with DS :( He was up at 2am....Thanks for noticing, I need to change that...

[Katie]

Lisa I'm so sorry that you are having a hard time with working. I can only imagine how difficult that must be! I really hope you are able to work something out - and sooner than later!

Solids I'm thinking of waiting to start until 6 months, but I may cave in earlier. His ped. OK'd it to start, but I told him I wanted to wait until 6 months. He said that was OK, but not to go longer than that because he might not be interested if you wait too long. I thought that was interesting. He did say that if Evan seems like he's still hungry after I feed him it may be time, but for now he seems content after a feeding. Although with his general fussiness these days it's hard to tell... And Evan is so interested in whatever we eat. He actually reaches out for food or cups, it's so cute. He was chewing on my Starbucks lid the other day!

I've been reading a book called Super Baby Food recommended by a friend and it's getting me excited to start feeding him. I plan on making his food, so it should be fun.

Gymboree I just picked up a flyer on this at Gymboree the other day, but I don't really know what they do. Can anyone tell me what exactly happens in a class, how old do children have to be, cost, etc?

*********

As far as Evan goes, I'm not sure what's happening with him. I guess it's just a stage. But he has days where he is super fussy. Nothing can calm him down. If you walk away he screams bloody murder. If you pick him up he might continue to cry/fuss. He won't eat when he's like this, but I don't think it's hunger. And I don't think it's teething either. So strange. It's times like this when I really wish he could tell me what's going on rather than trying to guess and being unable to console him. It's as if he's developed colic, but at 4-5 months old! But then he has good parts of the day (mornings are best) and today he's doing great, so it baffles me...

We are driving up to my mom's tomorrow - a 9 hour drive! We'll see how Evan does. He usually sleeps when we drive. Our plan is to leave in the afternoon and I'll sit in back with him to keep him entertained and hope that he doesn't fall asleep until later, so he sleeps when he normally would sleep at home. We shall see how that goes! We won't arrive until midnight, so I'm hoping he'll stay asleep or fall back quickly once we get there.

[Koala_Gurl]

Gymboree - I think it is more for the moms to get out of the house! LOL!

We are enrolled in the baby class (the gymboree website is pretty good: http://www.playandmusic.com/b2c/customer/home.jsp) THe age is 0 - 6 months (we had a 5 week old start the class). I took K around 3 1/2 months (more because I was too lazy.)

In particular, this class is very mellow and geared to the 2 month old in general. They do tummy time (with a mirror on the floor), baby massages, some silly songs & interaction with the baby. A friend of mine who took the class in AZ did a lot more than we do, that is why I asked if others were doing it as well.

It is only a 1/2 hour, but it is nice to get out of the house, and talk to other moms (and we occastionally go out for lunch or ice cream after.) :)

[lcarlson90]

Solids - We started DS on rice cereal in the mornings when he was 5 months (about 10 days ago). I don't think that he really likes it. There was 1 day that he actually ate it and I got excited but it was just a fluke because he hasn't really been interested since then. My mom keeps telling me to try fruit but I wanted wait until 6 months for that.

Gymboree - I am planning to take DS but I was thinking I might wait 3 weeks until he is 6 months old because they have another class that starts at 6 months. I have Friday's off and it would be nice to go then but I am not sure what their schedule is.

[Pookie]

Solids We put a little bit of rice cereal in DS's bedtime bottle, against our ped's thoughts. We'll probably start actually feeding him around 5/ 5 1/2 months. Our ped leans more towards the 6 months and veggies first thoughts.
Koala Where in AZ is your friend? I've thought about starting Gymboree, but we do 2 playgroups, too.

I had PIH (pg induced hypertension) while pg. It usually goes away by 6 month PP. Ryan is 4 1/2 months and I had a endo appt today. My bp was really high. (I've had a really stressful week.) Now my endo wants to start me on bp medicine again.This stresses me out to think about all of this again. He said future pg would probably go the same way. ( I spent time in the hospital on bedrest.) I know I'm very lucky to have a healthy baby, but I just wanted to be over all of this already. :mad:

[cgmom313]

Gymboree - I stopped by the place to check it out and get prices, but my summer has been so busy, I may also wait until next month when she is 6 mths old and I also will have Fridays off so I can spend the day with and maybe meet some other Mommies. I heard it is really fun when they get to 6 months or so.

Pookie - Sorry about the high blood pressure. :( I hope it slowly goes away for you.

Ok I have a question. Do any of you give you babies a bottle with just water in it? My mother is visiting me this week. Well not really me but her Grandaughter. I love her but she sometimes just drives me crazy. She is so "old school" mentally. She keeps harping on me that I have not given my baby a bottle with water in it. I asked my ped at her 4 mth wbv and she said it is not necessary because she gets all her water from formula, and my ped said sometimes if you give them water to early they may start refusing the formula. I told my Mom this and I get the normal answer from her, well we did things different "Back in my day" UGH!!! She is only here until Monday.

Ok one more vent and then I am done. Right now my MIL watches my DD since I have been back to work. The agreement is until the end of the year and then in January we will put her in Daycare. We have found a great place and in a way I am excited because she will be 10 months old and really need true playtime/structure/teaching, something I dont think my MIL can do. (MIL has a replace hip and cant really get on the floor) Well my mom keeps going on and on at how terrible it will be to put her in a daycare. She makes me feel worse than I already do. I work full time and have a great job and can balance work/family life. I am looking to cut my hours back as well in January. Her comments are really getting to me, finally this morning I said "Are you trying to make me feel bad about putting her in Day Care" She said Oh no honey I would never do that. :rolleyes: Maybe she will stop now. Ok sorry, I just needed to get that off my chest, she makes me so mad sometimes.

Sorry for such a long post, ok I feel better. :)

[Brady]

Amy- The ol' "back in my day" spiel, eh? lol. (sorry!). My MIL was/is famous for those... i feel for you. But to answer your question, No- no bottles of water here. Like you said, he's getting the water in formula and certainly doesn't seem overly thirsty- so why would you? I think after so many months, it is recommended.. but don't quote me, as I don't have the specifics on it. I honestly feel for you too with the mother/daycare thing... I had a VERY hard time even thinking about putting my son in daycare, I cried through a LOT of my pregnancy even thinking about it- and my mother was no help, she would call me up and say "I can't stand the thought of your baby in daycare, I almost started crying today.. yada yada". Okay, Mom- NOT Helping!! :mad: But, I will say that I think the age your DD will be when she starts will be wonderful for her, now that I have gone through daycare, I do see the benefits for the older kids, etc. and I am much more at peace with it, as I do know he is fine... I just still wish I could spend more time with him/cut my hours back more. I'm just babbling, sorry I'm not really helping! But, I sympathize.

I can hear someone cooing over a baby in the hall.. must go investigate!

[Koala_Gurl]

lcarlson - Since I actually have the Gymboree schedule sitting right next to me...there is a "Gym Crawlers" class at 1:30 on Friday. :) (This is the 6 - 12 month play class...there is also a "Music" class on Saturdays at 9am).

Pookie - My friend is in the Scottsdale area (north part)...how about you?

cgmom313 - If you want more ammo...I think giving water before a certain point (6 months maybe??) can really throw a baby's electolite balance out of whack (I read this somewhere.)

Day Care - I am a day care baby myself, and I happen to think it was the greatest thing! I learned to be independent, social, etc. :)

[twainny]

I guess I am in the minority here. I don't mind working. I could see myself doing part time, but I couldn't see myself being a stay at home mom.

I think daycare is good for kids. My neighbor is a SAHM and I think her kids are slow socially and mentally. (now I know MOST SAHM around here still take their kids to pre-k, but this lady doesn't) I also think that it is actually good for kids to get colds. It might be a PITA for the parents, but good for the kids immune system.

water- we haven't given DS anything but EBM. But I did read in the baby super food book that you should give them water after meals, it helps with digestion. And you should try to give them a cup (or sippy cup) so they get use to the idea of a cup.

Pookie- take it easy. I hope you BP goes down!!

[katzmeow671]

So much to catch up on here!! Today is Gracie's FIVE month birthday! I can't believe it! How did she get to be five months old already?? She's been here almost half a year??? Can't be possible!

Daycare Its going ok. Our favorite teacher had to quit because she hurt her back so I'm not thrilled about that but hopefully they will hire someone just as sweet.

Gymboree I went to the website today to find out where and when the classes were around here and would you believe there isn't a class within a 25 mile radius of our town?? I live in a major metropolitan city with several Gymborees and none of them have classes??

Solid food Now that Kayla is home from CA (YAY!) we're going to start giving Gracie rice cereal and see how that goes. Our doc wants us to wait until 6 months before we start the other food though.

Water We have the ok to give water in a bottle and have done it a couple of times but not on a regular basis. Gracie was sooo hungry all the time and the doc thought it would help level her out to substitute water if she woke up in the middle of the night. Also its so darn hot here they recommend the water to combat dehydration if you're going to be outside and such.

Are any of the March babies trying to sit up yet? Gracie can do it for a couple of minutes on her own but I stay right behind her for when she topples over. Its so cute! I can't wait until she can sit independently and really play with toys. She's so fun to watch in her Exersaucer too!

[Koala_Gurl]

Betz - That first pic so SOOO cute! Gracie is such a cutie!! I just wanna scoop her up and hug her!

Sitting - DD will sit for a few seconds unsupported. She is up on all fours, trying to crawl (she doesn't quite crawl, but she can move from point A to point B.) She also pushes herself to a one-butt-cheek sit.

Oh, and raspberries galore! (Between that and growling, I am not sure what her favorite noise is to make!) :)

[Amandafl]

I would love to join the chat!

Amandafl

Me: Amanda 34
DH: Joe 33
Married: 9-22-01
DD: Leah 9-25-02
Laura 3-18-05

[AmyE]

Twainny - thanks for cluing me in. I had no idea that there were local threads! I'll check it out now.

Daycare: DS loves his daycare place. If you have a good one, I don't think you should feel guilty. And like twainny, I also like being back at work, especially since it's only 9-4. I don't think I'm cut out to be a SAHM, although my husband would DEARLY love to be a SAHD!

Solids: Not started yet. We'll have the 4 month visit in a couple of weeks, and see what the doc says. I think I'll be fine until he's six months, unless for some reason I can't pump enough milk to hold him through daycare AND feed him at home. We'll see.

Water: Nope, haven't done that either. Definitely old school. On this sorta thing, I would follow the ped advice. My MIL is also old school, but only because she hasn't been around babies much. She put him down for a nap on his tummy once, but not again after hearing about the SIDS connection. I'm lucky that she is very understanding and hasn't intruded on my role as mom. "Course, she also lives on the opposite coast, so I know she's trying to make the visits as easy as possible. Works out for both of us.

[Brady]

That picture of Gracie in the exersaucer makes me laugh because she just looks so BIG! Connor looks like a little peanut in his (and he's only 2 days younger), lol. I'll have to come back and post a pic.

Sitting- Just today he did it for a whopping 10 SECONDS on his own! ;) I was actually just talking to my mother and saying how a "March baby friend" was already sitting up and she told me, well- girls do things quicker than boys. LOL. Chalk that one up to another "old school"! (or, I think in my mother's case she just compares me and my brother and assumes everyone is the same).

----
Today at work one of the women had her granddaughter in. She was born in April... but she seemed so TINY! Seriously, I think I am already mourning the fact that my little boy is already 5 months old! :rolleyes: I love watching him grow and seeing the changes in him everyday, but I already miss the "baby", you know?? I guess I can see why people just keep having babies... ;)

[twainny]

welcome Amanda !!!

Katz- Hey... welcome back... I was wondering what happened to you!! Gracie is tooo cute!!! How do you do your pics. along the edges? I am assuming in Photoshop?

Eli is sitting up too!! He is such a BIG BOY!!! Growing up sooo fast. He is so trying to crawl. He can lunge(?) forward, but that is about it. He does go in a complete circle on his belly, it is super cute :)

It is sooo funny that people say Eli is soooo big for a 4 month old (almost 5 months :( ) But he is at 50% for weight... but 75% for height. I don't think he is overly "big" maybe people just aren't use to seeing "babies" I dunno. But it sometimes bugs me.

[katzmeow671]

twainny Not a clue how to use Photoshop although I hear its lots of fun!! Shutterfly (www.shutterfly.com) lets you do the borders and the captions. I know what you mean about the "big baby" comments. Gracie is large for her age but I don't think she's overly chubby by any means. In fact she's really leveled out in the last month or so.

Welcome Amanda!

[cgmom313]

Welcome Amanda - Where are you in FL? I live in FL? Our DD are only 5 days apart.

All - thanks so much for listening to my vent. I agree I don't think I can be a SAHM, and feel very confident of the childcare situation. As well as cutting my hours at work. I knew you would all just listen and give great advise. Only have until monday to continue to hear the old "back in my day" spiel. Funny I heard her again this morning, I showed her the shopping cart cover I have and the first thing out of her mouth. Well.... Back in... and I stopped her and said this is not back in the day. :rolleyes:

Sitting Up - Not quite, can do it maybe for 10sec. My DH calls her rollypolly.

Katzmeow- My DD has that same exersaucer and she loves it. I think we both have big girls cause your Grace looks about the size of Catherine. My DD weighed 19lbs at her 4mth wbv. Too cute :)

Brady - I am right there with you can not even believe she is going to be 5 mths old. Time just flies by.

Have a great day ladies.

[twainny]

DH wanted me to ask if anyone's baby does what DS has been doing lately. He will flip over to his tummy, and then do a "skydriver" move, lifts his hands and legs off the ground (like he is in a free fall!). It is the funniest thing. Anyone else's baby do this??

[Brady]

Twainny- We call it "swimming"! But yes, my son does it all the time, he lifts and then flails so it looks likes he is trying to swim across the rug. It's so cute.

Speaking of "so cute" :rolleyes:
This morning I almost had a heart attack. I had got up around 6 and went in to check on Connor, he seemed to be stirring in the corner of his crib (you know since god forbid he sleeps in the CENTER of the crib), but I just let him be. I heard him cry out about 15 minutes later.. go in, and he had his leg WEDGED through one of the crib slats and his head banging against the side!! He had kicked/moved so much that he tore his bumper off and got himself
into that position!! YIKES. He was fine, I think he bumped his head.. but all was well after about 5 seconds of some bouncing around his room. He just cannot sit/lay still for 2 seconds. Scary. I don't know what else I can do short of supergluing the bumper onto the crib... or supergluing the baby on his back in the center of the crib! ;)

This leads me to my question-

Crib bumber- Yes or No?
We started out without one, and when he started rolling we put it on. Of course if he's just going to kick it off, some good it does- eh?

[twainny]

that happened to DS too, when he started moving. We didn't have the bumpers either... I have added them. I told a co-worker and she said that when they start moving you are suppose to REMOVE them... I just don't get it either.

[Brady]

I don't get it either.. so you remove the bumper and then they hit their heads/get their legs wedged in the slats.
Can't win!!

[katzmeow671]

Our ped said the same thing... remove the bumpers when the baby starts to roll. Go figure!

[twainny]

Katz do you know why??

[katzmeow671]

Don't know... I'm guessing so that something like what happened with Lisa's (Brady)baby doesn't happen. With Kayla (my oldest DD) we had bumpers on the crib until she was old enough to pull up and use them for leverage. With Gracie we just never bothered with them because I knew they would only be there for a short time.

[Koala_Gurl]

Bumpers - We have 'em on, and have since the beginning. I can't imagine NOT having them, since DD likes to roll all around the crib.

She is now using the bumper as something to suck on while pacifing herself in the crib. (And I even found her "spooning" the bumper.) Time for a "lovey?" :confused:

[Amandafl]

Twainny,Katzmeow,CGmom thanks for the great welcome! I'm glad I came across this group.
CGmom, I am in the Panhandle of Florida.

Solid Food - Tried rice a week ago, and it was not met with much enthusiasm. I think I will wait a little while because she still has that reflex very strongly, where they push everything out with their tongue.

Bumpers- Our bumpers are on. With my first daughter, who is almost three now, I left them on until she could pull up, we didn't want her to have anything to boost herself out of her crib.

Water- Haven't ever given my kids water in the bottle. My mom always tells me that they can get "choked" up on water, not sure if she knows but she did raise my sister and me.

Gymboree- We don't have one in our area, so I have gone to another music class with my first child for almost two years, and I will probably take our second when is about 10 months. http://www.musictogether.com/

[Brady]

Koala - I also found my son spooning the bumper last night! Too funny.

I actually just did some research because the whole crib bumper thing has been on my mind.. I found this article on about.com, if anyone is interested. I'm still not sure what we'll do- remove or leave on.

Crib Bumper Pads
From Heather Corley,


Are They Safe?
Crib bumper pads are a very common baby product, and parents often use bumper pads thinking they are increasing the safety of their child's crib. However, many health agencies and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) awareness groups are now recommending that parents skip the crib bumper, saying the need for crib bumpers has passed and that using these products may actually put children at greater risk for suffocation or death.

Why Do We Use Crib Bumper Pads?
Crib bumper pads became popular in older-style cribs where the slats were far enough apart that a baby's head could become trapped between the slats, posing a suffocation risk. Today, all cribs sold in the United States and Canada are required to have slats close enough together that it's nearly impossible for an infant's head to fit through.

Crib bedding
So why do we still use the crib bumper pads? For some parents, the reason may be as simple as liking the way the bumper pad looks. The matched crib bedding sets in stores are often cute and the package deal makes for a nice coordinated nursery. Other parents are worried about their child's arms and legs sticking through the crib sides, and some worry that the baby will hit his or her head on the crib sides and cause injury. According to Health Canada, it is nearly impossible for an infant to hit his or her head hard enough on the crib to cause bruising or injury. Health Canada also reports that serious injury is not likely when a child puts his or her arms and legs through the crib slats. The baby will either remove their arm or leg from the slats if possible, or make enough noise to alert a parent for help.

Which Groups Have Recommended Against Bumper Pads?
Some major children's safety organizations have recently suggested that parents and child care providers should remove crib bumper pads from baby cribs. The groups include: American Academy of Pediatrics, Health Canada, National Center for Health and Safety in Child Care, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the First Candle/National SIDS Alliance. Some state and regional Back to Sleep campaigns now recommend removing bumper pads, as well.

Why Do These Groups Recommend Against Crib Bumper Pads?
One reason child safety organizations recommend against crib bumpers is that they pose a risk of suffocation. Just like a pillow or thick blanket, crib bumper pads can restrict a baby's breathing if the bumper is up next to the baby's nose or mouth. Suffocation risk is greatest when babies are very young and unable to move themselves away from potential hazards.
Rebreathing of air is another concern with crib bumper pads. The bumper reduces the flow of fresh air around baby during sleep. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that some infants, when they are overheated or lack sufficient oxygen during sleep, are unable to arouse themselves enough to prevent hypoxia and death. The AAP states that re-breathing of air may in fact be a contributing factor to SIDS.

Solutions
Since many infant safety organizations now recommend that nothing be inside the crib at all, the safest route for parents and babies would be to remove crib bumper pads altogether. For day care centers, the push for increased sleep safety may soon result in states mandating that child care providers no longer use crib bumper pads. For parents who are still concerned about their child sticking arms and legs through the crib slats, and feel that they must use a bumper pad, there are new mesh crib bumpers on the market today that allow more air to flow through the crib.

[Brady]

I wanted to also add- Amanda , welcome and the music together class sounds like so much fun! What is it like exactly? I was just checking out their website, and couldn't really figure out what goes on...

Of course, I then noticed that they do not have any Saturday classes. So, it might be a moot point anyways... :mad:

[T&M'sMommy]

Sorry I've been busy unpacking from my move. Will be able to catch up soon :-)

[twainny]

bye

[twainny]

Yooo HOOO it worked!

[katzmeow671]

Oh Anne!!! He's adorable!!!!!!!!! :D

[Pookie]

Amanda Welcome
Twainny He's too cute. I especially like the second pic.
Bumpers We still have ours on. Now I'm thinking about taking it off. Ryan does sleep with a lovey, so he does have something to cuddle. We also have a mirror toy on the side of the crib for when he wakes up. He also plays with it when putting himself to sleep for his naps.
Koala Ryan's lovey is a little stuffed bear. He's had it for the last month or so. (about 3 months)

[Amandafl]

Brady- Hi! The music class is fun, very interactive. Our teacher uses all kinds of instruments, balls, scarves, basically anything to get the kids moving with the music. My daughter has been going since she was just shy of a year old until now, at 3. I hope the classes will still be going when my youngest gets a little older.

Pookie_ Hi to you too.

[was mel *23*]

Me: Melanie 26
DH: Luc 26
DS: Jacob born October 25th, 2002
DD: Jolyève born March 29th, 2005
I'm from Canada and I am currently on my one year maternity leave (I know we are spoiled) Jolyève is still BF really well and we just started a little bit of cereal this week. She is sleeping usually from around 8:00p.m until around 6:00am. ( no complaints). She has no interest what so ever on rolling over either from tummy-back or from back-tummy. She H-A-T-E-S tummy time so I just gave up on that entirely. We just started puttin her in her "exersaucer" and she LOVES that! So she is hanging in there or on the Gymni most of the time. I'm really glad to have finally found this thread. It's so nice to have a place to sorta compare notes. I don't like to compare but I certainly like to have a reference! :-)

[Amandafl]

Hi Mel,
Looks like our two are very close in ages. Mine are 9/25/02 and 3/18/05. I agree, it's nice to have somewhere to look to see how your child is progressing.

[T&M'sMommy]

Hey Mel, nice to see you over here. I also have a fall 2002 mommies thread around if you want to do a search for it. I can't believe in another month, I'll have a 3 year old. SCARY!! Next year, he'll start school...

[Brady]

Hi Everyone..

I had to share some new pics... (I had actually just taken a picture like Twainny of him "surfing").
Twainny- Eli is too cute!!


Hope everyone had a good weekend!

[twainny]

Brady- he is too cute! I love the golf pictures... (do you really have holes in your yard?)

So, I took out the bumpers in the crib... :( We were up like 5 times each night getting DS's foot/leg out of the slats. I am getting the breathable bumper (actually sending DH to get it tonight).

Welcome Mel!

[Katie]

Wow! I go away for a few days and it gets busy in here! We traveled up to Oregon to visit my mom. It’s about a 9 hour drive for us. We left in the late afternoon on Weds and drove all the way up there. Evan is a great traveler. He slept part of the way and played with his toys the rest of the time. We had a great time up there, we actually got to go explore some lava caves – it was freezing in there, but we bundled our baby and he did good. He did start to lose it at the end, we walked about 2 miles in the cave and it was cold! We kept joking it was his first time spelunking.

He has begun to sit up for about a minute at a time. You can prop him up and he will balance himself fairly well. If he sits with his arms on the outside of his legs he can sometimes catch himself, but more often than not he just topples over! It’s funny to watch. A few weeks ago he began grabbing his toes and on Saturday he learned how to bring them to his mouth. So all day yesterday he was sucking on his toes, it’s so cute! I’ll post a picture.

He is also becoming much more mobile. He will often roll over or he will arch his back (lying on his back) and scoot upwards. So if I walk out of the room and return he might be a couple feet away from where I left him. Today he was crying while I was making lunch and I just thought it was because I wasn’t with him, well, I walked in there and he had rolled onto his belly and scooted himself head first into the corner. I felt so bad! I know it’s going to be a lot more work once our babies really become mobile!

Today he is 5 months old. As Betsey said, I can’t believe he’s been with us for almost half of a year. The past 2 months have really seemed to have flown by. I definitely miss the “baby” stage. He’s so big for his age that I actually find myself a little jealous of babies his age that are smaller – he went through that stage so quickly. I definitely find myself thinking about having another one, although not for another 2 ½ - 3 years.

Lisa – adorable pictures of Connor – I love the one of him golfing!

Betsey and Twainny - I missed your pictures of your little ones, but I bet they are adorable.

Here is a picture of us in the cave this weekend and here's Evan and his toes!

[Pookie]

Lisa Adorable pic. How did you get Connor to "golf? My FIL would love that.
Katie I hear you about them growing up too fast and I have a smaller baby. I want a newborn again. Just trying to remember the sleepless nights. However DH and I have agreed to talk about TTC next Fall depending on school, finances, and my health issues. (We're aiming for about 3 years apart.)
Sitting Up Ryan can sit by himself for about 2 seconds if he's holding a toy. He just rather by lying on his back watching t.v. :rolleyes:

[Brady]

Yes, I am embarrassed to say, those are "real" holes in the backyard. Actually it's only one. :o My father has this little set of golf clubs, so he's been "teaching" Connor when we go down to visit. Connor just tries to eat the clubs.

Katie - Great pictures. I love his little head just peeking out of the Bjorn. I love, love, love my Bjorn. The lava caves sound like so much fun.

Connor just started eating his feet too, needless to say, it makes us for sure get those baths in every night! :p

[karilynne_97]

March Momma's:

How many of you have started solids? We've just upped Kassidy's formula intake from 4 oz to 5 oz per feeding. She's extremly interested in watching us eat, and has even opened her mouth while watching us bring the fork to our mouths (too cute). And, she's sitting up by herself. Do you think it's time? I should probably call my Dr, but thought I'd check with you all first to see what you're doing.

[cgmom313]

It has been awhile since I have been in here, but have been entertaining my Mom :rolleyes: while she is visting. She left yesterday. My stress level is back to normal! (See past posts for venting!)

Glad to see everyone is doing so well. Welcome Mel!

AmandaFL - I live in NE Fl so we are on opposite sides.

Brady - He is so cute. That surfing shot makes me laugh every time.

Katie - That picture of him eating his toes are so cute. I am also right there with you. My DD will be 5 mths on Saturday and she is also a big girl. 99% and over in all categories. I find myself a little mad when people ask her how old and I tell them and they always so OH MY what a chunky girl. First she is not chunky, just a healthy baby. My DH and I are both tall people, so of course she is going to be long baby. I often find myself jealous if I look at a baby in a stroller and ask how old and they tell me oh she is 7 mths old and and it looks like my 5mth old could squash that baby. Please dont get me wrong I love my DD and she is cute as could be, but sometimes people do not think. I should know that from my pg days and everybody's stories. :D I also think about having another one quite often, and say having them close in age would be great and then I wake up to a fussy baby and I forget about that thought.

karilynne - My DD will be 5 mths on Sat and she is eating both cereral and fruit. My DD takes about 7oz a feeding. (Large baby see above post!) Anyway my ped said it is ok to start anytime after 4mths or so. So we started cereral a few weeks ago and she took it like a champ, and then we added fruit this past week and she loves it. So she gets cereral late morning with a little fruit. She was doing all the same things you mention. Interested in eating, staring at food, opened her mouth. I would check with your DR, but I say she is ready.

Not much else going on, just happy to have my vistors leave and at least have some order in the house. Also waiting on my SIL to have her baby. She is being induced on Wed if she doesn't go before then. It's her second but happy that my DD and her new DS will be close in age.

[Brady]

Karilynne- Did you have your 4 month well-baby yet? I guess another key is if they've doubled their birth weight. Sounds like your DD has all the signs to be ready though. When we went to his 4 month, the Ped. gave us some sheets on what/how to feed him, and said we could try at any time. We tried a couple weeks ago for the first time. He seems to like it, we started with rice cereal and then switched to oatmeal. I'm still not very consistent with it. Sometimes we skip a couple of days, but mostly he'll have one little bowl of the oatmeal, sometimes two on the weekends.

Cgmom- Glad your stress level is back to normal!! ;)

[neenbean]

So happy to have found this thread! Despite being a SAHM, I barely have time to email, but I loved checking in with the old thread, I finally got a clue (Thanks Lisa!) and found my fellow March Mommies! My username was "neen" back then. I missed you all so much.


Me: (30)
DH: (30)
Married: 11-15-03
DD: 3-19-05


Our little girl is growing so fast! She is at least 25" and 15lbs and almost in 6/9 clothes! She loves standing up and talking to anybody who will respond. Not into Tummy Time, but we still try to do it a little bit every day. She started rolling at one month :eek: and now does it on purpose. She prefers standing to tummy, so that is fine with me.

We haven't started cereal yet, but plan to do so soon. She stares at us as we eat and tries to grab our food and cups. We gave her a tiny bit of banana a few weeks ago and she loved it. I breastfed exclusively for a month, then began supplementing with 2-8 ounces of formula daily (usually only when we are out). Still breastfeeding, but also, I do give her water in a bottle on occasion- she loves it!

We just got her Exersaucer last week and loves it! It scared her at first, but she is enjoying biting every toy on it- she chews on anything you let her have, teething started just before her 4 month wbv.

QUESTION: Anyone decided on a car seat to use after the infant carrier? We wanted to buy the Evenflo Titan 5, but BRU doesn't have them online anymore and we aren't so thrilled with any other options... I'd love to hear anyone else's opinions.


edited because I didn't subscribe. ooops.

[Koala_Gurl]

Carseat - I just put DD into the Marathon (Britax). She seems to like it (and I LOVE how much easier it is to get her in and out of. I was getting tired of carrying the baby bucket, so I would leave it in the car. It is much harder to get the baby in & out when the infant seat is already in the car.

[lcarlson90]

Carseat - We moved DS into his convertible car seat at 5 months. I have a Britax Roundabout for my car and my DH has an Evenflo Triumph for his car.

Solids - We started at 5 months with rice cereal once each day. He doesn't like it and most of the time he just spits it out. We were planning on waiting until 6 months to try fruits and vegetables. I am kind of concerned because I tried bananas once last week and my DS acted like I had put poison in his mouth. I thought fruit was supposed to be like candy for babies. :confused:

Question - Does anyone else have babies that are high-strung? My DS is always kicking and jumping when he is on my lap. When I hold him he is constantly looking back and forth. When we go out he doesn't fall asleep in my arms he just wants to be active. Is this a sign that he is going to be into everything?

[Koala_Gurl]

Lori - DD is getting a bit antsy in my arms too (only when she is winding down does she sit comfortably in my arms). I think it might be because she has found out how to move, and she loves playing on the floor. She wants to explore and not be held as much.

I even now have to go upstairs into her room to nurse. She is too distracted with the dogs, TV on, lights, etc. I have to dim the lights & can't turn the TV on until she really gets going on the eating. But she has also gotten quite good at nursing, and can finish in like 5 minutes or so.

I have gotten a bit more freedom with this newfound love to explore. I can leave DD on the floor and she will happily entertain herself for about an hour. (Lets me get stuff done in the same room!) :)

[karilynne_97]

Thanks for the help ladies! I think she's ready, so I've left a message for our Dr to talk it over.

[Brady]

Lori- How do you (or your husband) like the Evenflo Truimph? That is the one we have, all I hear about though are the Britax's... We are going to install our probably in the next couple of weeks.

You should give the oatmeal a try with Dylan. Connor wasn't too keen on the rice cereal, but seems to enjoy the oatmeal.

My son is the same way, there is no more snuggling or napping in our arms anymore, that's for sure! I miss it! :rolleyes:

[T&M'sMommy]

My dd is almost 4 months old and I tried some pablum on her the other day. She's taking 7-8oz bottles every 4 hours, so I figured I'd give it a shot. Didn't spit it out, but didn't seem to interested either.

[lcarlson90]

Brady - I like the fabric of the Triumph because it doesn't make my DS sweat like the Britax fabric does. It's also a little wider and roomier than the Britax. The only complaint I have is that it's a little more difficult to get Dylan in and out of the Triumph then the Britax. Thanks for the tip on the oatmeal. I will ask my dr. about that at Dylan's 6 month wb visit this month.

[twainny]

neen- our babies have about the same stats... but my DS isn't even close to moving up to 6/9 month clothes... actually I had him in 0/3 month clothes this week! Isn't that weird? I actually feel like he is getting so much more use out of his 3/6 month clothes, which is weird, cause he wore 0/3 until 3 months!! I guess cause there aren't any feet on them they will fit longer (he grew too long for all the footie sleep and plays!)

We are thinking of starting rice cereal this week. I really wanted to wait until 6 months, but DS isn't sleeping through the night anymore. And he is interested in food. DH says to wait, since BFing is "so easy" (read: he doesn't have to do anything) I told him I want to get more sleep and that we should start. I think I will this weekend.

What do you do, start with like a tablespoon of rice cereal at night? When do you add more feedings? (am or noon?) I know that after a week you can add fruits and veggies, but I think I will hold off on that for awhile. If the cereal does the trick (getting him to sleep) I will be very happy!

I haven't moved DS to a big boy carseat yet. I am actually dreading it. It is so easy to just take him and the seat out of the car (and put him in). And he hasn't reached the limits yet. But we did buy an Eddie Bauer car seat. All I remember is that it is blue!

[twainny]

I thought I would post a picture of DH and DS. This is from our recent trip to Alaska. (Katz, I bet you dig the hat Eli is wearing!)



edited to remove picture

[katzmeow671]

ACK!!! Where on earth did you find a BABY sized hat like that! Gracie MUST have one!!! We're about to order her cheerleading outfit...

http://www.packersproshop.com/p/3004176006_20_13_5.jpg

And I have the feeling she's going to have to have these...
http://www.packersproshop.com/p/3002176004_11_13_5.jpg

DH is a huge fan of overalls on kids and he's going to freak when he sees these!

[Koala_Gurl]

twainny - cute pic!!

[twainny]

Katz- I don't know. It is from my SIL. I will ask her though. It is acutally for a bigger kid (like 18 month) but it sort of fit him! Will work for this winter!

Koala- she is adorable!!! She looks soooo tiny in the BIG carseat!!! She is totally posing for the camera! :)

[katzmeow671]

Oh my goodness! She looks so tiny in her big girl car seat!!! :)

[Brady]

Oh my gosh.. I love how little K. looks in her carseat!! Too cute!

Anne, what a great pic of your husband and Eli! I still haven't moved to fruit or veggies yet, waiting until six months for that.. but re:rice cereal, I think the very first feeding I did one T cereal to 3T formula (or BM, of course).. we kept it watery at first, then when he seemed to really be eating it- swallowing it, to be precise.. :rolleyes: , I started making it a little thicker, I just sort of eyeball it till it's the consistency he likes, he lets me know when he doesn't want anymore that's for sure!

Amanda, your pic did not show up....

Speaking of cereal, and since we are picture sharing, this was a cute one from this weekend. He likes to hold the spoon himself.. lol

[Koala_Gurl]

Oh my goodness! She looks so tiny in her big girl car seat!!! :)

I know huh!?!? I can't believe only a few months ago, she looked so small in the infant seat! :) Now she looks a bit cramped in there.

[Koala_Gurl]

Funny story...I was typing my reply above, and looked over at K (she was playing on the floor.) The dogs were both huddled around her (we have 2 goldens) and licking her all over. I guess she just had a little spit up. Ewww...the dogs love it! (And K was just loving all the kisses.) I wish I was faster with the camera! :)

[lcarlson90]

What is it with animals?? My cat likes to lick Dylan's burp cloth or my clothes after he spits up on them. When I am feeding him his rice cereal I have to fight the cat off of the bowl. LOL

[Koala_Gurl]

Well, at least we are set when we try solids and they go flying across the room. No food sits on our floor for more than a second. :)

[neenbean]

lcarlson, thanks for sharing your input on the Triumph. we are also considering that.

twainny, my DD is too short for her 3-6 clothes, but 6-9 stuff is way too wide. thank goodness capris are cool because that is how everything fits! tee hee. however anything from osh gosh in 0-3 still fits her. eli is so cute in that picture!!!

koalagurl- your little girl is adorable thanks for sharing!

love the outfits betz!

brady, little man is looking so grown up eating and holding his spoon!



No pets here, but I am sure if we still have our cat he would be loving the spitup! He acted more like a dog than a cat most days. DD has been sucking on her toes for a few weeks now and it totally freaks everyone out. I think it is funny. Our doc asked us to wait on cereal until 6 mo. but DH and I really want to start soon. She is so into us eating and we know she is capable after eating a bit of banana last month.... We will probably start after our move (across town) later this month. This is her nearly 2 months ago on the day of her christening. I just love the shades my sister gave her!
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d900b3127cce92a68435ff6300000026118AZtWLFy0ZuD

[twainny]

we gave Eli some rice cereal last night. HE LOVED IT!!!! He would get fuzzy cause I wasn't fast enough with the next spoonful. AND, the best news is, that he slept through the night!! 8pm-6:15am (okay, I had to get him unstuck at about midnight, foot was through the slat).

We will continue with the rice cereal for a couple weeks before we move to fruits and veggies.

I didn't know how to make the cereal. It was pretty much just like milk with cereal in it (super watery) Anyone know what the consistency should be?

Cute picts Neen! Love the glasses too! :)

[karilynne_97]

I got a hold of Kassidy's Dr last night and she gave us the go ahead to start cereal; no veggies or fruit till 6 mos. Where do you all feed your babies? We have the highchair my sister and I used when we were babies (MIL sanded and restained it for us :D ), so should I put her in there, or maybe her bouncer? I dunno!

twainny-
That's awesome that Eli STTN! I'm hoping that Kassidy will go back to STTN with the extra calories in her system. We shall see! :rolleyes:

[Katie]

What cute babies we have! I love to see the pictures of everyone.

Twainny Congrats on starting rice cereal. Sounds like Eli really enjoyed it. As far as the consistency goes, I think it should be real watery, like milk, in the beginning.

I never thought about how my cat might like the rice cereal! He is still afraid/annoyed by Evan, so this might endear him to our son! It was funny being up at my mom's who has a couple cats and they just walked right up to him, sniffed him, no problem at all. Made me realize my cat is a weirdo.

Speaking of rice cereal we are going to start Evan on it on Saturday. Originally I was going to wait until 6 months, but the child is so interested in everything we eat, I figure why not? It was cute this weekend when we were out to dinner with my family and I was holding Evan and put a spoon up to his mouth and he actually opened his mouth as if he wanted to eat. Of course I didn't let him (babies don't need dessert! ;) ), but it got us thinking of starting solids sooner than later. My DH is so excited he went out and bought cereal last night. Our plan is to keep him on just that until 6 months and then introduce fruits/vegetables. I have to say that I enjoy how easy it is to just BF right now.

[twainny]

Karilynne - I wanted to feed him the the highchair, but I didn't know how dirty it was (it is second hand and we had my brother and his kids over a while ago, so it was a MESS) so DH just held Eli. Which was good, cause Eli was SOOO excited that his arms were going ALL over the place. DH kept them down so I could get the spoon to his mouth!

I am keeping my fingers crossed that he will continue to sleep through the night. :o

[katzmeow671]

The bouncy chair works really well for feedings until baby is old enough to sit up on their own better. Plus it lets you put off buying a high chair for another month or so! LOL!

[Brady]

The only "problem" with the bouncy chair is well, if your child likes to truly BOUNCE in it (as mine does), it can make for one messy feeding! lol. the first time we fed him, my husband was feeding him and I was holding the bouncy chair steady... ;) We've also done it with him sitting on DH's lap, the highchair still just seems so overwhelming for him. We've been trying to get him used to the highchair by having him sit in it while we eat dinner. Sort of a way, to get him to the table with us.. and a way to force my husband and I to actually sit at the table like a family to eat, rather than spread out on couches in the living room!

Anyways.. have fun with it!!

[cgmom313]

Ok I am so behind. The last 2 days I have been in 8 hour meetings at work and fighting a cold. Yuck. I will try to catch up the best I can.

Welcome Neen

Carseat - We have just replaced the infant seat with the convertible car seat. She has yet to ride in it, but we have the Truimph seat. We shall see how she likes it this weekend.

Twainny - Love the green bay hat. What a happy looking boy you
have.

Betz - Very Cute Outfits.. Someday I think... My little Cheerleader :)

Koala Girl - Another happy little girl. She looks so small in that car seat. Isn't funny how just a few months ago they looked so small in the infant seat.

Brady - Cute pics. My DD holds the spoon and ceral goes flying around. My DH and I just laugh and then she starts to laugh.

Neen - She looks like s superstar in those glasses

Feeding Stuff - My DD has been on cereral for a few weeks. My ped said it was ok to add a little fruit if I wanted. We did and she takes it like a champ. We do just cereal rice/oatmeal mid morning, and we do rice mixed with a little fruit in the evenings. We started out runny but now since she is on it for a while it is a little thicker. We started feeding her in the Bouncy Chair and like Brady said my DD was bouncy and food was going everywhere and didn't think it was good to eat and bounce for her stomach. So we did go out and buy a highchair and from recommendations from the ladies I bought the Deluxe FP Healthy High Chair (the aquairum (sp?) one and she loves it. I can put her in there to play and look around while I am in the kitchen and then I feed her in it. However she makes a funny face now when I put her in it and I dont start feeding her right away she has her mouth open like "Mommy I am ready to eat" Too funny :D

Ok I think I am caught up. I am so glad tomorrows Friday!

[ce_Kathleen]

Hello Ladies!

I am PG and due in March 2006 and I have a question for all of you!

With DS born in August (turns 1 next week :eek: ) I didn't have to worry about winter maternity clothes, I just wore my baggiest sweaters and didn't button my coat all the way. BUT, with this one due in March, how did you gals make it through the winter??? Did you buy maternity winter coats or borrow or what? I just remember how HUGE I was with DS near the end of my pregnancy and living in PA its pretty likely that it will be cold and snowy possibly up until the baby is born.

Any input you can give us 2006 march mommies I am sure will help!

[Brady]

With DS born in August (turns 1 next week :eek: ) I didn't have to worry about winter maternity clothes, I just wore my baggiest sweaters and didn't button my coat all the way. BUT, with this one due in March, how did you gals make it through the winter??? Did you buy maternity winter coats or borrow or what? I just remember how HUGE I was with DS near the end of my pregnancy and living in PA its pretty likely that it will be cold and snowy possibly up until the baby is born.


Congrats to you (and all the March '06 Mommies!)!

I live in Mass. I bought (who am I kidding, my mother bought it for me :p ) a nice warm maternity coat, and I am so glad I had one. I got a nice warm one from the Gap. I started wearing it in December, laughing at how loose it seemed, and well.. as you can well imagine it was fitting quite snugly by the time I delivered in March! So, I wore it for a good 3+ months. It was well worth it. What I'll say though is buy it on Ebay, if you find a nice one you really like it the store, check out Ebay after and odds are they have it a lot cheaper on there. I discovered my same coat about $40 less on there shortly after I started wearing it. But, if you live in the Northeast, I would def. say make the investment!! Heck, I should go put my coat up on Ebay myself... ;)

[Pookie]

Kathleen I live in AZ, so I don't know how much help I'm going to be for you. I didn't buy a coat for 2 reasons; 1.) coats are only worn here for a month or two and 2.) By the time I started wearing maternity clothes (8/ 8 1/2) months I was already on bedrest and wasn't going very many places anyways. I did wear many of my baggier sweaters. I think I have 1 maternity sweater that I didn't end up wearing.

[karilynne_97]

ce_Kathleen-

I can't really help: we live in sunny CA! But, I did buy a lot of sweaters!

So, we gave Kassidy cereal for the first time last night! For the most part she did good! Took awhile for her to get the hang of it. But, she opened her mouth for more about 5 times! After that, she was done. She was too busy playing with the plastic spoon I gave her to pay attention to what was going on! But, she was sure cute! We ended up using her highchair and she did really well with it.

But now, I think we've opened Pandora's box. We're going out to dinner tonight and I'm trying to figure out how we're going to give her her cereal tonight! LOL!

[ce_Kathleen]

Brady Thanks for the tip on buying a winter coat for the northeast. So you think it was worth the $$ then. I started looking online but no one has winter coats yet. I will checkout ebay or hey if you seriously want to get rid of yours I would be interested! :D

[Koala_Gurl]

Again, I am in Calif, so this may not help a bunch, but I bought one rain coat (we had lots of rain) in a bigger size at Costco (for like $20) for my last few months.

[cgmom313]

ce_Kathleen - First, Congrats. I can not believe there is a March 06 thread. Sigh... it was only yesterday I was puking up my breakfast, and now I am cleaning up a 5mth old spit up. :D Well I live in North Florida and it does get chilly here, so I bought a coat a few sizes bigger at Ross. But I would suggest as Brady said I think you would need one in the NE

Today was my DD 5 month b-day. I just can not believe it. What a nice day we had. This is probably the first weekend in about 6 weeks we either didn't have something to do or visitors at my house. My DH let me sleep this morning until 8am. :) DD gets up about 6am so that was great. I am still getting over the last of my cold. We went to the new Town Center Mall. Walked around. DD loves her stoller now that I have her face forward. We went to the Cheescake factory and got a couple pieces of cheescake to go. Yummy!!! And now I have quiet in the house. My DD in bed, and my DH was tired and went to bed as well. So it is just me. Peace and Quiet! I love having guests visit, but it sure is nice to have your house back in some kind of order.

Well I think I might go do some ebay shopping. :D

[Pookie]

Ryan is 5 months old today. I can't believe how fast it is going. When DH gets back from his trip on Tuesday, I think we're going to set up the highchair. That way Ryan can get use to sitting in it when we eat. (I can't believe we're actually going to have to start eating at the tabl :eek: ) Even though he gets a little bit of rice cereal in his bedtime bottle, we'll start solids in a couple of weeks, too. (Our ped likes her patients to wait until 6 months.) It's so hard to wait when he's staring at our food and reaching out for it.

[Katie]

Hi ladies! I have a question for all of you. So Evan just turned 5 months old. He just started rolling around constantly last weekend and is now able to sit unsupported for a minute or so at a time. Just in the past 2 weeks he has grown quite a bit developmentally I think. He was really fussy in the two weeks prior to that which I have heard can happen before big developmental growth. He's taken to waking up in the middle of the night - was up from 2-5 am on Saturday and for a short time last night. He usually takes 1 or 2 half hour naps a day, but has taken hour and a half naps the past couple of days (probably due to night time waking).

So that's just some background on what's going on with him. Since last week his pooping pattern has changed. The boy who used to go 2 -3 times a day is now going every 2-3 days. He had a BM on Weds, then on Friday afternoon he had one. He had a very small amount yesterday (Sunday) but really nothing since Friday. I know some babies only go every few days, but is it normal to change patterns so quickly? Has anyone else experienced a pattern chage like this? I can't tell if he's constipated, his tummy isn't hard, but he has been grunting and pushing a lot today. I'm going to call the advice nurse tomorrow if he hasn't gone by then. Thanks for any of your thoughts!

[Koala_Gurl]

Katie - Sounds like the same stuff is going on here! DD has just started waking again between 2 and 4 some nights for another feeding, but has also been progressing really quickly over the past few weeks.

She also used to be a routine morning pooper, but has now gone to the afternoon or not at all (and when she goes, the quantity is less.) Poop is waste, so perhaps right now they are taking in more nutrients?

Is your DS breastfed or formula fed? (DD is still BF'd). Not sure if that makes a difference??

[Chylynn]

Katie -My DD just went through this. She used to have a BM every day, then it changed to every other day a few months ago and now it is every three days. I called our pediatricians office and they told me that it was normal for babies to readjust their BM. My DD is formula fed if that helps. :)

[Brady]

Hi all..

I was actually just going to post about newfound "Fussiness". I actually was attributing it to teething, perhaps? But, reading this I forgot about the 6 month growth spurt and this could be in anticipation of it?

Not bragging here, but my son never cries. If he's crying, something is really wrong. The past probably 4-5 days he is getting so fussy around 6pm, you put him down he cries, pick him up, he cries, put him in the seat-crying. You get the picture. But, he is chomping on anything he can get his hands on...so I was thinking maybe it was the start of the teething process. I can't feel anything poking out yet, but I am thinking it will be soon. I just feel badly, and wish there was something I could do for him! Other than that like 6pm hour, he is fine. He has also been making that grunting noise though others have mentioned, he usually only does it in his car seat though, and usually it's the warning noise of "okay, I have had quite enough in here, don't make me start screaming- I mean it!". :p

Anyone else's DC hating the car seat? Up to about 4 months, Connor was fine back there, would play with some toys, nap, etc. Now he has implemented a 10 minute-ish rule before the screaming begins. We had quite the ride home in traffic from Cape Cod a couple of weeks ago... :o It got to a point where I had my husband pull over so I could check on him (there is only so much your arm can take of waving a toy from the front seat into the back), but as soon as he saw me coming around, he was laughing and talking away.. as soon as he got back IN the seat, well.. it was a repeat of the first half of the trip. We are going to install the convertible seat this week and see if that makes a difference... fingers crossed.

L.

[Koala_Gurl]

Brady - DD was getting a bit fussy in her infant seat, and is much happier in her "big girl" seat. I think she was getting cramped in there.

Oops, just reread and saw that you are going to try the convertible seat...anyway, that helped us! :)

[Brady]

Thanks Koala..
Okay, I guess I will have to move him on over. Here is my worry though- what do you do now when you go food shopping, etc.? Do you put her in the Bjorn or what have you? I'm just worried where he is really not sitting up yet of losing that convenience of just plunking him in the carriage still in his seat.

[neenbean]

winter coat, i wore my hubby's ski jacket a lot and my own regular wool coat open with a long scarf drapped...

pookie, ITA!
I can't believe we're actually going to have to start eating at the table DH and I are in the process of moving and plan to start this when the chaos settles... DD is so ready to begin solids, so hopefully this will work out.

katie, i have to agree with the others... DD has gone some days with nothing, but typically has 3-5 dirty diapers daily. our dr. recommended sugar water if it lasted more than 3 days. HTH. :)

brady, DD is the same way about the grunting that leads to whimpers, then crying if we don't tend to her needs (diaper, hungry, uncomfortable). we feel so lucky that she isn't much of a crier... however since "teething" began, she is way more fussy and chokes on her drool daily. no teeth yet, but doc said it will take up to 3 months... oh what fun! the 6PM crying might just be exhaustion, like he needed a nap earlier in the day. DD has had similar fits, so we start her bedtime routine (tubby time, etc) a lot earlier and it seems to help.
DD has started taking a paci again after 2 months without one. not sure how i feel about it as she still only calms when i BF her. ugh.

[Koala_Gurl]

Thanks Koala..
Okay, I guess I will have to move him on over. Here is my worry though- what do you do now when you go food shopping, etc.? Do you put her in the Bjorn or what have you? I'm just worried where he is really not sitting up yet of losing that convenience of just plunking him in the carriage still in his seat.

Now the hard part! LOL!! I drive a suburban, so I can have the infant seat in there still too, and sometimes I'll use that when I am doing a quick trip (when I know she won't get too fussy.) Otherwise, I just put her in a stroller when I go to the grocery store, and just get what I can fit in the basket (I try to do the "big item" shopping when DH is home & can watch DD). I have used the Bjorn carrier, but sometimes that seems more difficult than putting her in the stroller (and it is still hard to get big items into the cart.) I found I was taking her out of the infant seat anyway, and that is MUCH harder than taking her out of the convertible seat.

In restaurants, we bring a table chair with us (she can sit up in it and loves being "at the table.")

http://mii.babyuniverse.com/product_images/pic/288/l288-83559.jpg

It's not as easy anymore, but we're getting used to figuring out what to do with her now that I rarely use the infant seat.

[Brady]

I hear you though, we are taking him out of the infant seat more than leaving him in (more just for food shopping type trips, like I said). I literally have the convertible seat in our backseat, I've just been too afraid to actually REMOVE the infant seat to get the convertible set up. :rolleyes: I suppose I could actually just leave the carrier in our trunk or something for emergencies.

Where did you get that great seat?? My son would love that at restaraunts!

[Koala_Gurl]

I got mine from www.babyuniverse.com

They also have them at www.babyage.com, babycenter, and a bunch of other online retailers. I have seen them in a Right Start store as well (not sure where you are or if you have a Right Start nearby.

I think REALLY soon, DD just may be able to sit up in a grocery cart...

[Brady]

Thanks Koala! I found it on babyuniverse. This would be the perfect type of chair to have at Grandma's too (they have two houses, so easy to bring between the two).

Neen- - I missed your reply originally! So good to see you back!! Where are you guys moving to, still staying in the same state? Good luck with the move. Glad to hear I am not alone with the grunting and fussiness at this stage. Sorry she has taken back to the paci. Connor also stopped with one at 3 months, a few weeks ago he was fussing on the changing table so I hesitantly grabbed a paci and gave it to him- he put it in the side of his mouth and just started chewing on it, lol.. sort of like- what is this thing?? :rolleyes: Hopefully it's just a stage for Catherine.

Morning all!

[katzmeow671]

Ok Lisa....how can you be posting here but not be at work? That is so not right!! :p Don't you know I just sent you an urgent email? So I'll post it here... Gracie woke up this AM with blisters all over the palm of one of her hands. Her feet and mouth are ok, there is no fever, no loss of appetite.. the triage nurse says maybe its a bug bite gone bad. My pediatrician doesn't open for another two hours....

freakin out...just a tad.

[Brady]

Just replied to you Betz.. on my way to NH. Blech.

Hang in there... have you looked on the web to see what it might be? I am sure it is nothing serious.. please update us as soon as you get back from the Dr's!

[neenbean]

Betz, I hope everything turns out OK!!!

Brady, yep, just a few miles from our current place. Better layout, cheaper rent and can be baby proofed more easily. C. is loving the paci, but doesn't seem to *need* it at all times.

Koala Gurl, love that booster seat!!! Thanks for sharing. It looks easy to transport and I *know* DD would love it!




Our latest dilemna is weaning DD from co-sleeping. DH and I swore we would *never* co-sleep. However, BFing was a PITA at 2 am, sitting up in the LR with a crying baby. We allowed her to sleep with us and we all got a better nights' sleep. Five months later we are regretting that decision. With our move later this month, we are hoping to transition her to the crib and I will BF in her room only. Ugh. Any suggestions?

[girlygirl]

NeenBean - We said the same thing about co-sleeping, and 5 months later we are facing the same dilemma. This weekend we plan to move the crib into our room right next to our bed and slowly move the crib out into his own room. Who knows if it'll work, but it's worth a try because everything else we've tried up until this point has not worked. I'd love to hear more suggestions, though!

[Katie]

Thanks for the responses about Evan's behavior - yesterday he finally pooped. And boy did he! I was so excited. You know you're a mom when you get excited about that. So I guess he'll be an every other day sort of guy, for now...

Shopping cart Re: this I have had the convertible carseat in my car since day one, so when I go shopping I either sling/Bjorn him or if I know I'm doing a lot of shopping I'll just remove the infant carseat from DH's car and put Evan in it in the store. I think he will be able to sit up soon, so I'm thinking about getting those shopping cart covers.

Koala Girl I love that Booster seat, I'll have to check that out. Thanks for posting those links.

Betz I hope Gracie's OK, that's so upsetting when something like that happens. Let us know what the Dr. said.

Co-sleeping I like girly girl's idea of moving the crib into the room and then slowly moving it further away. I haven't done much co-sleeping with DS but from the beginning I began to put him in his crib for his naps so that he would be used to it. Just a thought if you haven't done this already.

[katzmeow671]

Finally back from the doctor! This is NOT what I had planned for today (its my day off). Anyway, the best the doc can guess :rolleyes: , its a fever blister type of thing. She could have gotten it when Don had a fever blister and she put her hand in his mouth or if he kissed her hand during an outbreak... your guess is as good as mine and as good as the doc's. He said just to keep it clean and watch it to make sure it doesn't spread. It takes about 3 weeks to heal. Of course now I get to try to explain to the daycare that its not contagious and that she's ok to be there. I'm just thankful she's ok and it doesn't seem to be something painful. She's still shoving her fist in her mouth and banging her hand on her exersaucer so I guess its painless. He said it could come and go the rest of her life. Poor baby!!

[cgmom313]

Hi ladies - trying to play catch up. We have been having computer problems at work and have had very limited internet access for 2 days. Ugh!!!

I was just coming to post about my DD waking up again in the middle of the night. It is good to here that others are having that issue and not just me! It was like she turned 5mths old and decided I need to wake up. She had been STTN since she was 2mths old 9p till about 6-7a. Never had a problem and now all of sudden bam since Sunday she gets up anywhere between 2-4 am. We have not changed the routine at all. I am thinking it is teething with reading everything. I try so hard not to give her a little bottle so she does not come custom to it, but that seems to be the only thing to get her to go back to sleep. And I have to go to work so it is hard to try diffenent things at night to see if they will work. DH gets up and helps but sometimes just bugs me he asks "Why is she crying now?" Ummm First time Mother - I have no idea. I just chalk it up to Men :rolleyes:

Koala Girl - Love that seat. Going to have to look into that. Would be good to use at my SIL's and other friends houses.

Brady - We just moved my DD to the convertible car seat and that has seem to help the Car Seat Crankies!!! Good Luck!

Katz - Keep us updated on Gracie.. We are thinking of you...

Question to those moms' working? I am having trouble with the whole work/life balance. While I have a great job and a great boss it just at time seems so overwhelming. I don't mind working but it is hard because before DD was born, if I needed to I could stay after and finish work. I am salary so I dont have set hours which is good, but need to be flexible because I work with folks on the west coast. So 2 days last week I did not get home until 7p and one day this week it is 8p. So when I get home I still have to think about dinner, doing bottles, packing lunches for the next day, etc. While wanting to spend all that time with DD. Sorry I am just babbling. If anyone has any words of wisdom.

Ok so 2 questions, sorry... Havent been on in 2 days. How are you incorporating quality time with DH including Ummm ya know ;) the physical stuff as well? It kinda of goes with my question above balancing. We are just too tired at the end of the day and on the weekends we just want to hang out with DD since we work all week. I guess we need a date night. It not that I dont want it I guess I actually miss the closeness.

Have a good day ladies.

[Brady]

[
Question to those moms' working? I am having trouble with the whole work/life balance. While I have a great job and a great boss it just at time seems so overwhelming. I don't mind working but it is hard because before DD was born, if I needed to I could stay after and finish work. I am salary so I dont have set hours which is good, but need to be flexible because I work with folks on the west coast. So 2 days last week I did not get home until 7p and one day this week it is 8p. So when I get home I still have to think about dinner, doing bottles, packing lunches for the next day, etc. While wanting to spend all that time with DD. Sorry I am just babbling. If anyone has any words of wisdom.


I had to get in on this discussion as I literally just spent an hour on the drive back from NH on the phone with a friend discussing just that. I am completely overwhelmed at work, I had my hours cut from 8-5 to 8:30-4, and while an hour and a half really does not seem like much- I have been completely swamped and working late, coming in early, etc. and I HATE it. I hate dropping Connor off early or sitting in work past 4pm thinking of him waiting for me (even though I know he really still has no concept of time). What makes it worse is that my husband has not been getting home till around 7... which makes it that I have to leave work by 5 to get him, even if I have a pile of crap still to do. So, I end up sitting at home stressing and thinking about all the work I have to get to and I am def. the type of person that likes to leave my work at work. Can you tell this has been on my mind quite a bit lately??!! :o This has been so hard for me the past few weeks. I actually am thinking of quitting in the Fall. The stress of it is really getting to me. I just need to figure out what I will do from there... So, I'm sorry I don't have advice, just lots of sympathy. It's very hard, that much I will say.

My son has just rolled himself practically under his crib :rolleyes: , so I better run.. I'll try to check back.

Betz- So glad to hear it is "nothing"!!

[Koala_Gurl]

Work stuff - I have no idea if this is even feasible...but thought I would throw it out there anyway...

Is there any way to ask your boss if you can hand off a few things (even if temporarily), while you are getting back into the swing of things?? I ended up not going back, but before I decided that, I was going to go back part time and was going to give some duties to a coworker to help lighten my load.

[katzmeow671]

I only went back to work four days a week after maternity leave thinking that would help the work/ life balance... so far, that's a no go! Life is just as crazy as it always was. I'll certainly let you know if I have any bright ideas. A friend of mine has a cleaning lady who comes to her house every two weeks. Great idea if one of my entire paychecks wasn't going towards stinkin daycare!!

And intimacy.... yeah, I'll let you know when I figure that one out too!

Meanwhile, I can certainly empathize with you!!

[Katie]

Work Funny that you should mention that. I've started back to work, it's only part-time, but I still feel a bit overwhelmed. I too am the type of person to "leave" my work at work, but I'm in a new position where I'm the head of the counseling center and there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done. I try to make myself available at home for crisis calls, but it's hard because when I'm at home I want to give my full attention to my son, not worrying about work. I have times where I wouldn't mind staying late, but it's not feasible, at least at this point b/c my son is exclusively BF, so I have to feed him after a certain amount of time. I think it will help me out when he's on solids and not so dependent on me.

It's also exhausting b/c I feel like I have 2 jobs now - one being a mommy and one working. I don't really have any advice, only that I feel everyone's pain!

And as far as intimacy goes - ha! My DH actually brought this up a week ago b/c he feels like we haven't been as intimate w/ each other, both emotionally and physically. Physically - not as interested these days, plus it still kind of hurts and who wants to do something that doesn't feel good? In the past week since we talked about it we have tried to be better, as far as emotional intimacy goes, and it's nice. I realize that so much of my energy is focused on my son, almost at the point of excluding my DH. I really am trying to work on this.

We just realized that we haven't had a date since May, so we are having one this Saturday night and I couldn't be more excited. I don't want to go that long again, we were trying to have a date at least once a month.

[neenbean]

Thanks for the suggestion girlygirl. Unfortunately, having her crib in our room isn't possible due to space, but we have had in her the cradle In our BR) off and on at night since she was born and that doesn't work all that well. She needs to nurse to fall asleep, but will sleep in her crib if moved from our bed to the crib in complete REM sleep... My problem is getting over this hump, to avoid co-sleeping all night. I will try to nurse in her new room, in a chair, then put her directly in her crib- doesn't work for naps now, but I am hoping I can do *something* to make it work at night.... CIO seems so cruel, but DH and I may be ready for it. She is 5 months tomorrow.


Despite being a SAHM, balancing a clean home, alone time with DH and a happy baby are still hard... I feel for you all that are working as well. Though I don't have a paying job, I volunteer with MOMS Club and that seems to take a lot of time (all rewarding and enjoyable), but still I add that to the mix and I can't remeber the last time I vacuumed... Of course, we are moving this week and next, so I really don't get any housework per se done, except last night's dishes and the laundry. Any free moment is spent playing with DD or packing boxes, or unpacking as we have signed our lease... Sorry, I am just rambling... I am bummed to hear I am not the only one with less time/energy for intimacy.

Betz, that stinks she already has fever blisters! I got my first when I was 10 (my clarinet didn't get cleaned properly by its previous owner!) ick! I hope she doesn't have another breakout for at least 20 years! As she gets older, an amino acid called L-Lysine works amazingly!!! It is an over the counter vitamin. Don should try it now. Taken daily, it keeps mine away. Your doc might know what age is appropriate to begin taking the suppliment. Mine suggested it as a teen and I could not be more thankful! They sell it at GNC and other vitamin sellers. Good luck to little Gracie.

[cgmom313]

First Katz - Glad to hear Gracie is ok. I mean it stinks about the fever blisters, but glad it is nothing serious. I was going to chime in and say exactly what Neenbeen said. I started getting fever blisters on my lips after a real bad sunburn when I was a teenager, and would get them quite frequently. However my doctor also advised to take an amino acid. I did grow out of them. Haven't had one probably for 15 or so years.

Ok Ladies I Feel so much better after I read all of your posts. It makes me feel like I am not alone. The past week or so have been the worst, and I feel so overwelmed I just cry. I appreciate you guys for chiming in with your stories it just helps me know that it is just not me. This is a changing time in our lives and we have to adjust. Also appreciate you ladies chiming in on personal things like intimancy. I think my DH thinks he is the only deprived person. :rolleyes: I am trying to work on a plan to help make things a bit easier. Making to do lists (both home and work), prioritize, and not stress if the vacuum doesn't get ran or if we eat frozen pizza for dinner. Also going to "try" to plan out menus for the week, so I can do one big grocery shopping. Also must plan a date night with DH and actually put makeup on and do my hair on the weekend instead of laying around in my spit up t-shirt. (Oh how romantic!) Well see how it goes!

Neenbeen - Thanks for chiming in, because I know it is just as hard adjusting to being a SAHM and if work or stay home we all have the same issues to support each other on. When I was home on Maternity I was going completely nuts.

Koala - Thanks for the suggesting of lighting my load at work. I did do that in the beginning and it seemed to help. But I have been back to work full time now for almost 8 weeks so I feel it is time I pull my weight so to speak. I am so lucky that I have a great boss which does take some of the burden off.

Well I was typing this while I was eating my lunch!!! Chicken Nachos from Qdoba Grill... Yummy!!! One way to cheer me up. However not helpful to take off the pg weight! :eek:

[AmyE]

Just wanted to chime in - same work and intimacy issues here. My DH has been a real champ, but I know he's feeling a bit abandoned. We're working on it. We decided that Sunday night is "us" dinner night. Basically we haved a snack at about 5pm, put DS through his bedtime routine at the regular 8pm schedule, and then DH and I have a late dinner on our deck. Candles, wine, and everything. We talk about our weeks, laugh at all the things we thought we'd get done (as it turns out, he's having the same work balance issues I am!), and just have some couple time. Sure, we don't eat until 9pm and stay up past 10, but it has made a big difference in us just reconnecting. I really look forward to our Sunday dinners. (Poor baby ended up in bed at 7:30 last week, actually. LOL. But he WAS tired. Really.)

Fussiness- DS is 4 months today, but the lovely women at the daycare center think he'll be teething early. He's been a bit fussier than usual on some days, and he's drooling and chewing up a storm. As a first time mom, I thought this was just age appropriate stuff, but they're convinced his teeth will make an appearance in the next two month, adn that he's starting to feel it. Poor baby! EVERYTHING he can reach has to go into his mouth, and boy is he fierce about chewing! Sigh. I was hoping he'd have my genes - I didn't teeth until 9 months!

Finally, anyone else noticed a serious case of mommy hormones? I expected pregnancy hormones, but DH is convinced they've mutated. Evidence:
1. I will happily moo like a cow or squeal like a pig in public because DS thinks it's hilarious. (Although his favorite is currently bzzzz like a mosquito.)
2. DH accused me of just wanting to show off the baby when I carted him across a restaurant full of other kids to "change his diaper." (weeeelll, yes, but honestly he was also wet. really)
3. DS is still getting up once or twice a night, and I've actually turned down DH's offer to assist just 'cause I felt like BF when it's quiet and DS is sleepy.
4. Putting his little clothes away makes me teary. "ooooh...but he was so CUTE in that outfit...back when he was tiny....."
5. Finally, we're actually considering the timing of a sibling for DS and I LOVE the thought of having another teeny baby around. How I can reconcile that with the work balance/intimacy issues cited above...I have no idea!

[Koala_Gurl]

...Finally, anyone else noticed a serious case of mommy hormones? I expected pregnancy hormones, but DH is convinced they've mutated. Evidence:
1. I will happily moo like a cow or squeal like a pig in public because DS thinks it's hilarious. (Although his favorite is currently bzzzz like a mosquito.)
2. DH accused me of just wanting to show off the baby when I carted him across a restaurant full of other kids to "change his diaper." (weeeelll, yes, but honestly he was also wet. really)
3. DS is still getting up once or twice a night, and I've actually turned down DH's offer to assist just 'cause I felt like BF when it's quiet and DS is sleepy.
4. Putting his little clothes away makes me teary. "ooooh...but he was so CUTE in that outfit...back when he was tiny....."
5. Finally, we're actually considering the timing of a sibling for DS and I LOVE the thought of having another teeny baby around. How I can reconcile that with the work balance/intimacy issues cited above...I have no idea!
OH YES!!! I am already wanting #2...but convinced DH I am happy waiting until 2006 at a minimum. :)

I love that quiet time in the middle of the night also. Just so sweet, sitting there BFing. (It is sweet now, but back in the beginning when it was every two hours...I wouldn't call it sweet!) ;)

[Brady]

4. Putting his little clothes away makes me teary. "ooooh...but he was so CUTE in that outfit...back when he was tiny....."


Amy- I literally cried real tears when I packed away his 0-3 clothes. This past weekend I had to buy another bin for his 3-6 month things and I was getting so sad in the store just thinking about packing that stuff away! (he's not quite there yet though, so I still have some time!) ;)

I've even saved one of all his diapers! NO, not dirty ones... but just one size newborn, a size 1, etc. LOL. Talk about a sap. I look at the newborn sized diapers and can't even believe he fit in them!

L.

[Katie]

I've even saved one of all his diapers! NO, not dirty ones... but just one size newborn, a size 1, etc.

OK, so I'm not the only one! :) I pulled out his newborn size the other day and marveled at how tiny it is. Was my big boy ever that small? It's hard to remember that! If I'm this sad at 5 months old, imagine how I'll be when my baby is 5 years or 15 years old!

I too am packing up the 3-6 clothes. As of Monday he is in 6-9 sleepers. I keep telling him to stop growing, or at least slow down, but he's got his own agenda!

Just have to say I am so looking forward to our date tomorrow night. I am full of anticipation of an uninterrupted dinner!

[BooeyJ2]

OK, so I'm not the only one! :) I pulled out his newborn size the other day and marveled at how tiny it is. Was my big boy ever that small? It's hard to remember that! If I'm this sad at 5 months old, imagine how I'll be when my baby is 5 years or 15 years old!

I too am packing up the 3-6 clothes. As of Monday he is in 6-9 sleepers. I keep telling him to stop growing, or at least slow down, but he's got his own agenda!

Just have to say I am so looking forward to our date tomorrow night. I am full of anticipation of an uninterrupted dinner!



I did the same thing too! :)

[Brady]

So, I had put my son down for a little nap... I soon heard a lot of talking and went in to investigate. I could see his mobile swaying from the doorway, and found him "playing" with it. Luckily the camera was in his room and I caught a few good shots. His other things is trying to peek over the bumper (yes, the new "breathable" bumper I had to go and buy last week.. ;) )

He's now currently rolling around on the carpet, taking time to blow a few raspberries here and there... lol. :rolleyes:

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. (I hate Sundays as they mean it's almost Monday... blah)

Lisa

ETA- Booey- That is the cutest picture of your daughter as your avatar. Love it!

[cgmom313]

Hello Ladies!! Hope you all had a nice weekend!
For once ours was nice and quiet. On Sunday we skipped church (I know I am bad) but just layed around the house enjoyed our DD and did nothing. I mean I did not do my hair or makeup and layed around in shorts and a tank.

AmyE - I have to say I loved your idea of "us" dinner night. I liked it so much we tried it on Saturday and it was great. Just what we needed. We put DD in bed at 8:30pm. We actually ordered pizza, opened up a bottle of wine and we actually put in a Movie. It was so nice. What a great idea. I would say to the other ladies try to implement the idea. THANKS so Much!!!

I am right there with the teery eyed putting away the small clothes. I sit there and rekindle I cant believe she was so little. I know I cried for a good 3 minutes when I put her coming home from the hospital outfit away. My DH thinks I am nuts :rolleyes:

Timing of another sibiling - Oh lord.. I think the same thing as your AmyE. I am struggling so much with life/work balance, how can I even possible think of another one. If we want to have one it would have to be within 3years because of my age. We actually talked about this last night and would like to wait till she is at least 2 so we shall see.

Brady - Those pics are so cute. I love those big eyes! Can you believe that they can reach the mobile already?

Booey - Also love the new Avatar. Soo cute....

Well hope everyone has a good Monday. I really need to post some pics of my DD. Must get on that. Also, my SIL is at the hospital today being induced. This is #2 for them. Her DD is 2 so I will see how much work it is for her to have them so close in age.

[Koala_Gurl]

Good morning (still AM here!) ladies! I hope everyone had a good weekend. We did! We went to visit the ILs. DH gave them specific instructions...NO PLANNED ACTIVITIES AND NO VISITORS! (Whenever we go, every second is planned and multiple visitors come by...then ILs complain to DH that they don't get "quality" time with DD....duh!!) So it was actually a very nice weekend hanging out with ILs (and DD just loved being with them.) :)

That is her latest trick, her feet are constantly in her mouth! :)

Her other latest trick...turning on the Fisher Price Aquarium in her crib. I put her down for a nap, and right about when she wakes up, I hear a few bangs and then the aquarium over the monitor. Funny girl. I go in her room and she is just hanging out watching it (she kicks it on with her feet.)

[Katie]

Lisa - Connor is adorable! I love the one peeking out over the bumper!

Koala - That's a great picture of your DD going for her toes! Evan does the same think all the time. Glad you had a nice weekend with your IL's!

So we had "date night" all planned for Saturday. My MIL came over to watch Evan. Right as we were getting our entrees DH's cell phone rings - he goes outside to call home. I checked my cell phone and it was a message from work - crisis going on, could I come in (on a Saturday night? :mad: ). Kurt comes back to the table and I say, "A crisis at work, right?" "No, Evan has been screaming for the past hour and a half." So we wolf down our dinners (so much for enjoying an uninterrupted dinner) call home again, he's still screaming bloody murder. We skip dessert :( (I think that was the biggest injustice!) and rush home. We had told her to put him in his crib and just let him cry for a couple of minutes and then go and comfort him if he didn't stop. Well he fell asleep almost immediately, but was still whimpering/sobbing in his sleep when we got home. It was the most heartbreaking sound.

And date night was a total bust. We have no idea why he was screaming. My thought is that he was tired and wanted the boob to go to sleep, but it was out trying to have a nice dinner and this was clearly unacceptable!

Then I was calling work at 11pm trying to sort that crisis out. Yikes! I'm hoping this hasn't scared off MIL from babysitting again because we really want to try another date. And maybe not bring our cell phones...

Sunday was a lovely day though - like cg we did absolutely nothing. I like those kinds of days!

[lcarlson90]

Brady - Those pictures are so cute. I laughed when I saw your post because we have the same mobile and we had to lower our crib mattress last night because Dylan was pulling on the animals and trying to put them in his mouth.

Jen - I am glad that you had a great weekend. Your DD is adorable.

cgmom - I am glad that you had a nice romantic dinner this weekend. My DH and I had a candlelight dinner last night and it was so nice.

[AmyE]

These pics are just TOO CUTE! The toe sucking and peeping pics are just so funny! DS is still refusing to smile for the camera, alas. We did manage to get a good one for his passport - of course, it wasnt' digital so I can't sent it around. Ah well.

cgmom: glad you had a nice dinner with your DH! Amazing what an hour or two of couple time will do, no? I like being able to have an adult conversation without having to worry about babysitters (or getting into real clothes, for that matter!) We had another "just us" dinner on Sunday and were wondering if we could still get away with it when the kids are teenagers....

[Brady]

(It's so funny how all the CA gals tend to come on at the same time everyday! ;) )

Lori- How was it lowering the crib? A PITA or pretty easy? I was just saying we need to do that. Sometimes I just see his hand grasping the top of the crib... eeks.

Katie- So sorry to hear about date night gone bad! Poor Evan. He probably never screams like that for you, right? That's always the way... Hoping the next one is much better!

Cgmom- Sounds like your night was a success! I'm sitting here trying to think of what we even did Sat. night, if I can't remember- it sounds like my DH and I should be planning a date night also! ( If I recall, I *think* we watched "Three Games to Glory..", it's a DVD of the Patriots superbowl run, lol.. so romantic, eh?!)


Koala- The foot thing is SO funny. I always think- what is the fascination with their feet?!

And speaking of umm, fascinations... are any of the Mom's of boys, finding they are quite enamored of their "parts" during bath time and diaper changes?? :rolleyes: Connor grabs everything lately, so needless to say, he LOVES his new toy he recently discovered during bathtime... lol.

[cgmom313]

[QUOTE=Brady And speaking of umm, fascinations... are any of the Mom's of boys, finding they are quite enamored of their "parts" during bath time and diaper changes?? :rolleyes: Connor grabs everything lately, so needless to say, he LOVES his new toy he recently discovered during bathtime... lol.[/QUOTE]


Oh My God... I just about spit my soda all over my computer. That is hysterical. Since I have a DD I can not speak to that, but you have fun with that. :D

[lcarlson90]

And speaking of umm, fascinations... are any of the Mom's of boys, finding they are quite enamored of their "parts" during bath time and diaper changes?? Connor grabs everything lately, so needless to say, he LOVES his new toy he recently discovered during bathtime... lol.

My DS grabs himself whenever I am trying to change his diaper. He thinks it's so funny, but it scares me because he isn't gentle with it at all.

Brady - My DH lowered the crib, but it seemed pretty easy to do.

Since everyone is sharing I thought I would post a picture of my DS.

Eating his cereal

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d622b3127cce930de69ee93900000016108AcNWzdqzYs3

Riding his cousin's Hummer

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d622b3127cce930de3bea98300000016108AcNWzdqzYs3

[BooeyJ2]

brady and cgmom313 Thank you! The picture got a little distorted when I shrunk it. This is the actual picture......
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v716/Booey143598/More%20pics/bb24d6c0.jpg






Paige is officially 5 months 6 days old today and I still can't get over how quickly she's grown!


She got her first 2 teeth (bottom front) a few weeks ago and they literally popped out of nowhere. One day we say tiny bits of white and the next day these 2 little pearly whites were out!



Within the past few weeks she has mastered the art of sitting!.........
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v716/Booey143598/More%20pics/8-19-05-5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v716/Booey143598/More%20pics/8-20-05-5.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v716/Booey143598/More%20pics/8-20-05-4.jpg





I have a few more pics, so i'll continue on the next post.........

[BooeyJ2]

continued.........



Her feet are her some of her favorite "toys"....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v716/Booey143598/More%20pics/8-18-05-6.jpg




She loves to STAND in her exersaucer........
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v716/Booey143598/More%20pics/8-20-05-12.jpg




She has also discovered Macy (our pug) and loves to touch her....it's hilarious.....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v716/Booey143598/More%20pics/MacyPJ8-20-05-7.jpg





We just started solids and so far she has tried rice cereal, squash, carrots and pears.....and of course being the piggy she is....she loved them all.


I'm still pumping, so she is getting EMB and some formula (since it's hard to keep up) and now 1 jar of solids with dinner.



I can't believe how quickly our babies are growing!!! :(

[Pookie]

We had quit a day today. My Grandma passed away. She suffered a massive stroke on Friday and was in a coma since. I'm glad she's out of her suffering, especially since she was most likely going to be sent to a nursing home. Luckily, Ryan got to meet her when we went to Cali in May. I know he wouldn't remember her, but we got some great pictures of them together. Her funeral wouldn't be until next week due to her wishes of cremation.

[lcarlson90]

Pookie - I am so sorry for your loss. I am glad that she got to meet little Ryan before she passed away.

[Koala_Gurl]

Pookie - SO sorry for grandma's passing!

My grandpa from England came out to visit K in May, and passed away 4 days after returning. He had been talking about meeting his great-granddaughter for months...we think he really was hanging on to make the trip out to Calif.

[cgmom313]

Pookie - I'm so sorry for your loss. As you stated, you will have beautiful memories and a picture to share with your child as they get older. My prayers go out to your family during this time.

Booey - I love your daughters hair. My DD had a ton of hair when she was born and now she lost it all. It is coming in so light it is hard to tell she has hair now.

Well I have a new nephew. My SIL gave birth on Monday to Lucas Matthew 8lbs and 3 oz. I went to the hospital (same hospital that I gave birth in) to see them I got a little emotional thinking it was just 5 1/2 months ago and I was there. The nurse taking care of her remembered me. Lucas is so cute and little. I held him and he was so light. I am now so used to lifting my DD it was like lifting air. Anyway this is her 2nd she has a 2year daughter Lily, so it will be interesting to see how it goes.

Have a nice hump day ladies!!!

[Brady]

Pookie- My sympathies for your grandmother's passing. As others have said, I'm also so glad to hear that she met Ryan and that you have pictures of her and Ryan to share with him someday. I'm sorry for your loss.

Booey- Sitting up AND two teeth? Go Paige! Adorable pictures.

Cgbride - COngrats on your new nephew! Isn't it amazing how quickly you forget just how tiny and light they were? I was playing with a 2 month old a couple weeks ago and even he seemed SO tiny! ;)

In news here, some not so good news. My MIL was diagnosed with terminal cancer in June. Literally went to the hospital with awful headaches, and in the next few days they found brain tumors and cancer also on her lungs. They tried radiation to shrink the tumors, but it did not do much... they were going to start chemo, but the Dr. pretty much advised her against it as it would be fruitless at this stage. The Dr. originally hoped she would live at least a year, in just two months she has gone downhill so quickly. It's been a really tough time, as expected. She's only 65, my DH is her only child so Connor was her first grandchild. I mentioned the joy of pictures to Pookie, as we only have ONE picture of her with Connor when he was just a few days old and it's with a couple other people in the picture, by the time she got back from Florida, she was sick and didn't want to be in any pictures after that... :( So, I'm constantly thinking of how Connor will not have that many physical memories of her. It sucks.

Sorry to be a downer, but that's what's been going on with me...

L.

[Katie]

Pookie I'm so sorry to hear about your grandmother. It can be such a hard thing to lose someone you love.

Booey Paige is such a cutie! You can tell she's a happy baby!

cgmom I know what you mean about holding a newborn. My friend just had a baby - 10 pounds, 7 ounces, so a big baby, but when I held him I was so amazed at how light he was compared to my 19 pounder!

Lisa I'm really sorry to hear about your MIL, how devastating for your DH. Keep us updated on how she's doing.

[AmyE]

Pookie - my condolences on your loss.

Lisa- ugh. what an awful situation. As Katie said, it must be really hard on your family. My heart goes out to you.

[T&M'sMommy]

We're all right here. Just don't get on the computer much since we've downgraded to dial-up. Megan is 4 1/2 months old and weighs 17lbs 6oz. She is also 25 1/4 inches. She is rolling over from back to belly and we think she might be getting a tooth since she naws on her fingers in the lower part of her mouth!

[Pookie]

Thank you for all of your sympathies. I appreciate it. :)
Lisa How is your MIL doing? Could you maybe take some video with her in on the preface it's of Connor doing something "new"?

We leave for my Grandma's funeral on Wednesday. I'm loving Ryan's schedule, but I have this feeling it wouldn't stay so nice after the plane ride. We're coming back on Saturday, so hopefully we'll have the weekend to get back to "normal." On a side not, my other grandma is now in the hospital. She fell and hit her head. They want her to move to assisted living, but we think she'll be too stubborn. (Maybe that's where I get it from. :rolleyes: )

[Koala_Gurl]

Morning all! Sad we are at an age where our parents & grandparents are becoming susceptible to all sorts of things. :(

Oh a happier note...things are going very well out here! But, we have a little mobile girl on our hands now, so it is much harder to get on the computer! LOL! I really have to watch DD, as she is sitting up (and falling over), scooting / crawling, and her newest trick, she climbed up onto her knees on the couch. All of this is done on our thin carpet over tile floors...so I have now added a bunch of those foam sqares all over. (That and I am right behind her ready to catch her head!)

She was turning on her Aquarium in her crib all the time, then started using that to climb up (and a few faceplants on it, I took it out of her crib for a bit.) :)

Finally, DD is really starting to interact more and more with our dogs (2 golden retrievers). Her new trick is crawling over and taking their bone (nylabone...not food bone, so they don't care.)
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d604b3127cce93fe1642caeb00000016109BaMnLdu0Q
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d606b3127cce93e715a19bb300000016109BaMnLdu0Q
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d606b3127cce93e726b0db2300000016109BaMnLdu0Q

[Brady]

Ha. I love the picture of K. chewing on the bone! Too cute! :p

[Katie]

Those pictures are adorable! The one with her chewing on the bone is great!

This weekend Evan had his first taste of rice cereal. The first night it didn't go over so well! The look on his face was priceless - he tasted it and it was like, "what the hell are you feeding me?" It was hard not to laugh. That night most of what went in came right back out. The second night he kept some inside, but continued to give us these looks as if he couldn't stand the taste of the cereal. I tried some - can't blame the kid! As soon as he turns 6 months (next week!) I'll try him on oatmeal and start to introduce fruits.

[Koala_Gurl]

katie - That is just too cute!! What is Evan sitting on?

[Brady]

You gals are really cheering me up with the pictures today! Love them.
Katie- Too cute! The look on his face is priceless (I think Connor had the same exact look as well..) ;) I have also found feeding time is best done just in a dipe and before a bath! lol.

I'm so bad though, I really only did rice for like a week then went right to oatmeal, I really haven't gone back to rice..maybe once or twice in the past month, I just give him the oatmeal as he really seems to enjoy it. I figure in the next week he's going to be moving into veggies, etc. so maybe I'll do some mixed grain cereals and mix things up a bit more again.

I can't believe my little boy is going to be six months old on Monday!!
He's getting so big!


Oh, and I just have to share this picture for any sports fans. We were at a cookout on Saturday and my Aunt's friend works for the Red Sox, so they all got a ring!

Connor just wanted to eat it... :rolleyes:

[Koala_Gurl]

I haven't started solids yet, but was going to skip the rice cereal all toghether and just go with Oatmeal. :)

[Katie]

Koala - He's in a wooden high chair that's about 40 years old that my in-laws refurnished for us for Christmas last year. They bought a pad that sits in it. There aren't any safety straps, so I just ordered some that we put in ourselves. So far he sits up OK without slipping down, but we do have him in it under constant supervision.

Lisa - Connor is so cute, I love the overalls! It's so hard to believe our boys are turning six months, where has the time gone? Just think, before we know it we'll be planning their 1st birthdays!

[cgmom313]

Hi Ladies - It had been awhile since I stopped by.

Brady - So sorry to hear about your MIL. We are hear to listen to you and support you as you go through this time.
Connors pics are so cute. Those overalls just crack me up!

Koala - The pics with the dog are so cute. We do not have a dog, but my MIL brings her little dog when she watches her and my DD just smiles at this dog it is too funny.

Katie - Cute Ceral face. My DH snapped a dozens of pics when we started to feed my DD. What a great piece of furniture. I love classic pieces, and to be able to use it with your son must be really special.

Solids - Well my DD started eating Cereal at about 5mths and she just loved it. We started her on rice and she did pretty good, but I have to say she loves the Oatmeal. We have already moved her up to veggies and fruit, and she eats every last drop. (We just started about 2 weeks agot) She eats veggies at about 12 noon or so and then we give her cereral with fruit at about 6:30pm at night. She can be all crabby at about 6p or so and as soon as I put her in the highchair she starts laughing and knows she is getting cereal. Too funny!

I don't know where everyone lives, but my thoughts and prayers are with anyone who live or has family in the affected areas. I just can't watch TV anymore because the news just breaks my heart.

[katzmeow671]

Hey guys... there is so much I want to post but I just don't have the heart right now. My sister is here from New Orleans and I haven't been able to sleep for two days wondering where they are going to live. Even if their home is ok, the city isn't. I just can't even begin to fathom it.

Please pray for those who have been displaced as well as those who have lost loved ones. My sister is overwhelmed by the what if's but also by the kindness of strangers. Its heartwarming to know there is still a lot of good in this world.

[Koala_Gurl]

Wow, Betz...glad your sister is OK!!

[neenbean]

I am so sorry to hear about your loss Pookie. Thank goodness your grandfather was able to visit you all before his passing.

Lisa, I can't imagine what you and your family are going through right now, but I wish your MIL all the best. I really hope she can understand your desire for more photos and possibly a video with your lil guy... LOVE all the photos- ESPECIALLY C. grabbing for the ring!!!! That is priceless!

Betz, I was so torn up this morning watching the news and on the verge of tears thinking about those directly affected by the storm. I wish your sister comfort in knowing she has a great family supporting her! I can not even think about how she is feeling.... Gosh, it is just awful. So sorry.



Our move went well, except DH threw his back out, but he is doing quite well despite the muscles spasming all day long. All the boxes are unpacked, niw I just need to organize my closet and bedroom and we will be settled. DD has slept in her crib EVERY night- all night!!!! I am so pleased! And she has taken all of her naps in her crib! I could not be happier with the transition. We started rice cereal last night. She ate a lot and made weird faces, but got more excited as soon as we took out the camera. I had to use our 35mm because I leave the digital camera in the car... ugh.... Anyway, I will snap a pic tonight with the digi cam if I remember! I keep meaning to upload more pics of our DD, but again, camera is in the car...

Moms, I love the photos everyone is sharing!!! Your kids are adorable!

[cgmom313]

Bumping us off page 2

Katz - My thoughts are with your family. It is just devasting, but she is lucky to have family like you to offer support.

I am very happy we are coming up on a 3 day weekend. We have no real plans, but just happy to have some family time. Seeing what is happening in the other states, it just makes me appreciate what I have even more. We may have some family over for a cookout or something. We also may finally buy our new digital camera. We had one but it is several years old and is on the fritz and does not take very good pics.

Have a great day ladies.

[neenbean]

I have wanted to post since my last post, but I am feeling guilty that I have a home and electricity and food and a baby who has no needs... I can't watch the news, it is just too sad. My ILs were here for the last 24 hours. It was so great to have them visit as they are moving to AZ, just reminding how important family is, you know? We got lots of photos with DD and her Memiere and Grampy.

my thoughts are with everyone.

[katzmeow671]

Neen...PLEASE post happy things!! It will give me something to dwell on besides real life right now... I could use the smiles.

[neenbean]

You bet BETZ!!!

Camping is exhausting...
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d720b3127cce939ceb3ab45900000026138AZtWLFy0Zu

I love my tubby time. :)
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d720b3127cce939ce83c75f600000026138AZtWLFy0Zu

Mom, I got it! I can hold it myself.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d720b3127cce939ce8b9f44300000016108AZtWLFy0Zu

Cereal is GOOOOD!
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d720b3127cce939ce97bb41900000016108AZtWLFy0Zu

Love my high chair! Go SOX!!!
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d720b3127cce939ce93db45f00000026138AZtWLFy0Zu


Hope everyone is enjoying their little ones this weekend!