January 2005 Mommies - Come on in! :)

[alisong]

Responding to Amanda's questions and adding a few of my own...

Are you doing a blanket in the crib? We're still using sleep sacks, so no blankets. I will need to find some long sleeve shirts for when it's colder.

Are you doing 3 solids a day? Depends on who's looking after Felix. ;) If it's the nanny, he eats three solid meals a day (generally 8:30/9, 1, and 3), if it's me he's lucky to get two.

Has anyone introduced yogurt yet? I think I read you were supposed to wait until 9 months or so?

Have you started on finger foods? What kinds? None yet, but I might give him some cheerios soon. We'll see.

My questions:
Dental health - now that many of our kiddos have teeth, what are we supposed to be doing to take care of them? Brushing with one of those finger brushes? Not feeding right before bed?

Diaper changes - does anyone have recommendations for how to keep a squirmy baby on the changing table?

[twinnyme]

Well, I just wrote a very long answer but then lost it (having trouble with home internet today for some reason....) so here I try again.

First, we went to the ped. today and Becca is 14 lb. 15 oz. - she has gained 1 lb. 1 oz. since July 26th. The ped. is pleased with the gain (as am I; we thought her tummy and thighs looked bigger!), even though she is still only in the 10th percentile - but she has maintainted that percentile now for two weigh-ins, so that is looking good.

Are you doing a blanket in the crib? - Sort of. We use a lovey (one of those small blanket/dolls) and she uses it to go to sleep. No real-size blanket, though, and I'm concerned about using one. I probably will use one this winter, as she gets closer to one years old. Even after a couple of months' use of the lovey, one night she began screaming after I'd put her to bed. I checked on her because it sounded different (much more terrified) from her usual small cries to go to sleep and found the lovey wrapped around her head. Very scary. Luckily, she did a good job of summoning me, but still scary.

Are you doing 3 solids a day? Not yet. We're up to 2 solids a day - which means usually 2 or 2+ jars of food. Maybe once or twice in the last month has she had 3 solids in one day.

Has anyone introduced yogurt yet? We plan to after today's appointment. The ped. asked how many oz. she was drinking and I told him about 22 a day in addition to the solids but that for a few weeks she was eating 28-32 oz. plus 2 solids (though not full jars at the time). He's comfortable with an average of 24 oz. a day along with solids, so he's pretty much fine with what she's doing. However, he also suggested we start on yogurt because apparently 1 oz. of yogurt = 1 oz. of milk. Since she's on hypoallergenic formula, he suggested soy (baby) yogurt. I'm going to look for it when we do grocery shopping tomorrow).

Have you started on finger foods? What kinds? – Not yet. I’m still a bit concerned about choking. But I really want to because Becca definitely seems to want more independence when eating solids, and her fine motor skills seem to be very good, so I’d really like to have her start this, maybe with Cheerios or the Puffs things. I think that Jen has started Gabe on finger foods, right, Jen? So maybe she can share some tips?

I also have a question, for Lizzie Beth or anyone else who has used the Hyland Teething Tablets: I bought them last night and since I’ve been trying for hours to get Becca to take her afternoon nap I finally decided to try to give her some. I dissolved them in water on a teaspoon (using a measuring spoon) but then she had a lot of trouble (of course) drinking from the spoon. Anyway, how do you give them? The directions say you can put them right under their tongue, and they DO seem to dissolve quickly, but I’m just not sure about that…. Have you done it that way? TIA. (Anyway, about 1/2 hour after I gave them to her she went to sleep. She's still STTN great even though her teething must be accelerating but I really wanted her to take a nap today since she went to bed at 5:20 last night!)

We are watching our friends' baby girl tonight - she'll be one years old next month. They're having a dinner & movie date night. DH probably won't be home until after they drop her off, so wish me luck! (Another reason I wanted Becca to take her nap!)

ETA: B/c of the problems with my internet, I think I cross posted with Ali, Lara, and Jen.... Jen - WHEN did you start the finger foods? Did Gabe already have teeth? Becca still doesn't have any.

diaper changes - does anyone have recommendations for how to keep a squirmy baby on the changing table?

No answers, but I'd love some tips. Not only do I have a squirmy baby but also a screaming-bloody-murder baby on the changing table. Whenever I lay her down there, she starts screaming like crazy. I think it's because she wants to stand all the time now. Anyway, I do try to give her a toy to play with and lately she's absolutely fascinated with a bracelet I wear so I let her play with that (though it gets a little tricky when I need that hand to do the diaper). Daycare had suggested changing her standing, but I'm not so good at that yet.

[SaphirimalMei]

Are you doing a blanket in the crib? - no, but only cuz jilly twitches it
off as soon as I put it on, even if shes dead asleep when i cover her up
Are you doing 3 solids a day? no, i can't find anything she'll eat
consistently yet as she hates banana, peas, yogurt, apple sauce, etc
Has anyone introduced yogurt yet? yes, and jilly thinks it belongs on
the 7th circle of hell.
Have you started on finger foods? What kinds? Not yet. I was waiting
for her to be able to sit up consistently before trying em and now that she
can, not only can I not find the gerber puffs in the store, but we're out of
cheerios :p

teething tablets:
they dissolve very quickly. usually I'll just put them in a bottle but if she's already eaten, i'll put one at a time under her tongue and look closely to watch them dissolve. sometimes i'll stick my finger in her mouth and rub the tablet around a bit. try one! they're kinda sweet :) p.s. dont cut becca's pretty pretty hair!

Dental health - still no fangs here :(

Diaper changes - i dont even change her on the table anymore...she's too strong! I change her on the floor and put my legs on either side of her & cross my ankles together so she cant get away :p this leaves an oval of baby changing area...this works marvellously :D

[marchfamily]

Hylands - Yep, we use them. I just put them in her mouth. Once in a while one makes it back out via her fingers.

Diaper changes - E must be strange. Generally, she sits really still and LOVES to be changed. Once in a while she'll try to turn over on the table.

Teeth - None here....and we've been thinking one was coming for quite some time now.


I think we're underfeeding our baby....she usually gets approx 24-30 ounces of BM and two solids per day (each solids is approx 1-1.5 ounces of fruit/veggie with a little cereal). I'd think she was underfed until you get a look at her chunk-o-legs!

[Jenzen01]

More from finger-food land ...

We started Gabe at six months. He choked on the Cheerios at first, but it didn't take long until he got the hang of it. Even with teeth, he doesn't chew. Babies will gum everything you give them for quite some time. Those front teeth don't do much in the way of chewing (oh, Gabe tried to give me a kiss on the cheek yesterday and he ended up biting me with the tops and bottoms. Ouch! I've got to teach him how to kiss nicely.)

I read that the choking part is scarier for parents than it is for babies. They have a really sensitive gag reflex, so stuff comes back up pretty easily. If Gabe starts gagging, I just let him work it out himself.

He has gotten really, really good with finger foods. Al said he's batting about .600 these days. At first, most of it ended up on the floor. He doesn't use a full pincer grasp yet ... he sweeps a lot of in using a modified fist grasp. I see him use a pincer every once in a while.

I really like finger-food land because it keeps him so entertained. Plus, for some meals, I don't even use jar food. He'll eat breakfast right along with us.

Oh, I forgot to mention that Gabe had egg yolk once. Last weekend, we were making fried eggs, so we just made him the yolk. He did pretty well with it.

As for changing him ... he's terrible. I can barely keep him on his back long enough to get a diaper on. I sing to him, which makes him stop for a little while.

ttfn,
Jen

[twinnyme]

(oh, Gabe tried to give me a kiss on the cheek yesterday and he ended up biting me with the tops and bottoms. Ouch! I've got to teach him how to kiss nicely.)

I was "teaching" Becca yesterday how to do kisses. I kissed her cheek, then brought her lips to my cheek to "kiss" and she let out a HUGE burp. Pretty hysterical, actually. :)

I think we're going to try finger foods soon, so she gets used to them. The baby we watched last night (11 months) has also been eating Cheerios since 6 months, too. Poor kid - I fed her one at a time because I was worried she'd choke. When her parents got home, they thought that was funny and said "oh, we should have mentioned she could eat them well" (or something like that). And LOTS of them ended up on the floor. But, hey, if it'll keep Becca occupied and help her increase her independence, well, I'm all for it!

The one time Becca did almost choke (when I fed her too-thick rice cereal) I did notice that she had an excellent gag reflex. I guess it's a survival instinct for them.

Btw, my pediatrician (and I'm sure they're all different) said that rice cereal, oatmeal, etc. is fine to drop. So we're going to, and go with the yogurt for now (hopefully, she'll like it better than Jilly seems to!).

P.S. The babies were so cute together. It's funny how fighting over toys (on both sides) starts so young - as does teaching about sharing! Every time Becca looked at Janelle she'd laugh hysterically and then Janelle would get this very puzzled look on her face.... They also kept trying to touch (i.e., hit, because they don't know how to control it) each other. Luckily, Dave got home within 45 minutes of her arrival (about 1/2 hour after her parents left; they came early, around 5, in order to catch dinner and a movie), because it sure is hard to chase after a crawler and then check every once in a while to make sure Becca hadn't fallen over from sitting! I really thought Becca was going to crawl last night in imitation of Janelle (she was trying to follow her) but alas, she didn't. Though as I type this, she's moving around more than usual on the floor....

Have a good weekend, everyone!

[Lizzie Beth]

Good grief, what a day! We took Susie to my sister-in-law's mother's wedding. (She was a widow and married a widower - the ceremony was so sweet, first time I've really teared up at a wedding) It was a full mass, though, followed by a four-hour meal at a nice restaurant. But keeping squirmy Susie in one place was quite a trick!

http://images.snapfish.com/34477%3B4723232%7Ffp58%3Dot%3E2329%3D%3A33%3D6%3A% 3A%3DXROQDF%3E2323%3A49486%3A47ot1lsi
The happy couple

http://images.snapfish.com/34477%3B4723232%7Ffp47%3Dot%3E2329%3D%3A33%3D6%3A% 3A%3DXROQDF%3E2323%3A49486%3A67ot1lsi
Susie and her Pop

http://images.snapfish.com/34477%3B4723232%7Ffp46%3Dot%3E2329%3D%3A33%3D6%3A% 3A%3DXROQDF%3E2323%3A49486%3A8%3Aot1lsi
Susie yukking it up with the groom

http://images.snapfish.com/34477%3B4723232%7Ffp64%3Dot%3E2329%3D%3A33%3D6%3A% 3A%3DXROQDF%3E2323%3A4948955%3Aot1lsi
Susie kicking back at the reception with a veggie puff

[Lizzie Beth]

Geez. Once I get rolling with the pictures, I just can't stop...

Anyway, Twinny, like March and Saphimiral I just give the Hyland's straight. I think they probably work best that way, since they're meant to numb those swollen gums, they probably work better undiluted. I put them under her tongue, then I get some of the pasty stuff on my fingers and rub them on the affected gums. Susie apparently knows what they're for, since now when she's hurting and sees I'm giving her some, she opens her mouth up wide!!

As you can see in that last pic, we're giving Susie the Gerber Veggie Puffs. I tried them a few months ago, but Susie just wasn't ready for them. I tried them again last week and now she's CRAZY for them. It was a great distraction for her at the wedding reception today to munch on them. I think now that she has some little teeth, it's fun to do some crunching!

She's working hard on getting those puffs in her mouth, but not so successful with the pincer grip yet. She gets one in her fist, shoves her fist in her mouth, and sucks it out of her hand. Not unlike feeding a manta ray.

Diaper changes - we've got a wiggle-worm too. She does sort of a corkscrew-type movement with her body, changing her right now is like trying to put a diaper on a cat. Very tough!

Twinny - weighing in on the haircut issue: I wouldn't seriously cut it, but maybe trim her around her face a little so that it's not so much in her way? She seriously has this Shirley Temple thing going on, especially in that current pic of her with the panda - don't let her lose it!! She is too cute!

Jen I LOVE that pic of Gabe and his Granddad. It reminds me so much of the old Reagan "It's Morning in America" campaign commercial back in the 80's - it looks that professional.

Silver- Gabe is looking SO suave and sophisticated with his bear!! I need to get cracking on another comparison shot too, only we didn't do it with the bear. We've been doing it with our fat cat. Even though Susie is pretty big, she STILL doesn't outweigh him yet! :rolleyes:

Lara - Love the pics of your gang at the fair, still SO JEALOUS of all that gorgeous red hair!!

Alisong - if I've said it before, I'll say it again, I LOVE your avatar pic of Felix. So adorable! Makes me want a boy of my own!! I've read Stiff, too - pretty good, but certainly creepy! Soon after I read it I had to take the interns to the Medical Examiner's office, where we saw an autopsy. Since the book piqued my interest, I asked a few questions of the doc giving us the grand tour.. At first she seemed pleased, then a little creeped out by my interest in her work. I guess she's used to being a conversation stopper at parties..

[lokahi]

Thanks for sharing all the cute pics :)

Andrew's sitting up!!!

Are you doing a blanket in the crib?
No blanket since Andrew moves a lot.

Have you started on finger foods? What kinds?
We're SO bad! Andrew tried some mashed potato and liked it ;) He also tried some spaghetti noodles. I cut them very small.

Dental health/teething tablet
Never tried the teething tablet. Is it suppose to clean the teeth?
Andrew has his two bottom teeth.

Diaper changes
Andrew's a wiggle-worm too! I give him something to hold (rattle) while I change him.

[Lizzie Beth]

Wow, Lohaki, what great concentration Andrew has on that firetruck!! Busy guy! ;)

Today I've been gathering together all of Susannah's tiny-baby stuff for storage, hopefully for #2 someday. I got 2 of these:

http://images.lowes.com/product/071691/071691175919.jpg?wid=158&cvt=jpeg
Rubbermaid 35 gallon storage bins

And of course once I actually started packing the boxes with the bouncy chair, boppy, baby gym, breastpump, swing, infant carseat and bases, etc. I find I need to buy at least one more!! But I have had the presence of mind to list the contents of each box so I don't have to sort through the bins when I need something again.. Now if only DH will be able to locate the bins...he plans to put them FAR away in the attic... :rolleyes:

[Jenzen01]

Ah, storage bins ... I've got a couple full of clothes already. I have to purge the toybox now because we just received a bunch of hand-me-downs and there are already too many baby things in our living room. Plus, Gabe is getting really bored with most of his toys. It's time to rotate things.

Gabe has another tooth coming in, and he's really clingy/cranky. It's the top tooth next to his front tooth. This will be tooth No. 5.

Gabe turned 8 months old yesterday. Wow. Can't believe it's been that long.

lizzie beth - cute, cute pictures. susie looks like such a happy baby. and yeah for the gerber puffs! those things are such a big hit at our house, although i haven't tried the veggie version yet.

lokahi - your baby doesn't look like a baby anymore! he's such a big boy. i really get a kick out of this exploration phase ... well for the most part, anyway. at least when gabe's exploring something other than the stuff he shouldn't be into. :)

Oh, did I tell you all that Gabe climbed up the stairs. Scary. I was right behind, but he made it up to the sixth or seventh step before he wanted to come down. He thinks he can go head first to get down, which scares the cr*p out of me. I think now is the appropriate time to get some gates. :)

ttfn,
Jen

[AusAshMommy]

Ok so now I have a few minutes of downtime because my job reports aren't working...DANG!!!

Anyhew, our weekend was semi-quiet, semi in that Austin & Aiden were going at each other all weekend and Mike & I spent the whole weekend pulling them apart. Aiden is 5 and Austin is 2.5 thus the age gap is cause for issue when the two of them are playing...Aiden will start stuff w/Austin and Austin will ask for him to stop, and Aiden who should know better, doesn't stop. Ends with Austin crying and us yelling @ Aiden. The tables turn as well and Aiden gets angry w/Austin because Austin doesn't stop. Fun huh?

Friday we didn't do much, I had to pay the bills so we just stayed home, went through my paycheck in like 5 mins paying bills...so we didn't go anywhere. Saturday Jimmy worked and it was too hot to go anywhere so we stayed home. We did wander out to the grocery store Sat evening. Came home ate dinner and put the kids to bed.

Sunday was basically a repeat of Saturday minus the grocery shopping...

Ashley is still teething, she's been cranky clingy like Jen's Gabe has been...I dunno eventually all of those teeth will come in. She did sleep real well so that was wonderful. Still doing the rolling/scooting/pulling thing, not really up on all fours yet. She isn't trying to climb anything, but we did master the art of sitting over the weekend. Though she'd rather be going instead of sitting...we get her seated and off she goes. It's too cute, LOL!! Though she does love to hold our hands and stand up, she's been doing that all weekend. Yesterday, I tried getting her to hold onto the couch and see if that works and sure enough she was ok w/holding onto the couch. So I think we're going to continue to work w/that.

Otherwise, life is quiet! Still nothing on that interview from last week, not holding my breath that I'll hear anything...

TTFN ya'll!

[twinnyme]

Hi everyone!

Happy 8th month, Gabe! I still have a very clingy one here, too, Jen - she cries if I leave the room for even a second.... it's going to drive me batty, I think. But the exploration stage is pretty neat, though it certainly comes with its share of bumps and bruises, huh? Becca just constantly wants to walk/stand/lean these days. She's exploring the perimeter of her exersaucer now, from the outside!! I think it's just a matter of time to cruising. AND, scary as it is, she's let go of my fingers a time or two now and I've let her. I feel like a constant "spotter" these days!

So far, I've only put away clothes (and we're only in 3-6 months clothes still, so I've only put away 0-3)... nothing else yet, though I have contemplated some stuff. She really hasn't played with her gymini in months; it's folded up next to the sofa. And though she used to take most of her naps in the bouncy seat, she never does anymore, so it may be time to put that away. But I'm keeping the swing out - the other day she took a nap in it; I just couldn't get her down anywhere else, though she hadn't been in it in weeks. The last couple of days we've gone out and she's been asleep when we drove into the driveway and (stupid me) I've woken her both times (can I say how much I hate the "big-girl" car seat????) by taking her out. So today when we got home from the supermarket - her first time in a cart!! - and she was asleep I stayed in the car with the a/c on and read a book. She slept for 45 minutes. But I wasn't waking her again. I'll figure out her nap schedule eventually; it's still stabilizing. All of these times have been different times!

Wow, stairs! And I just brought up the gates from the garage to maybe set up tonight... But maybe I have some time? Becca hasn't attempted stairs yet! :eek: :eek:

Re: Hyland's tablets. Perhaps if Becca had teethed earlier, she would have taken to them better, but she's not letting me in her mouth for ANYthing these days. I've shoved them in twice now, but I can't do it to her again... so I'm dissolving them in her bottles for the time being and also giving her some Children's Tylenol (she likes that - yum, grape flavor - a little better). Lokahi - their purpose is to help ease the pain of teething; they're not cleaning tablets. Btw, I love the photo of Andrew!

Lizzie Beth - I love the photos of Susie at the wedding; sounds like it was a great event. And I particularly appreciate your opinion about Becca's hair, since you've met her in person! :) Yesterday, I found some more hair accessories at Sears (after looking in 4-5 "boutique" chilren's type stores and finding NOTHING), though, so I think I'm going to hold off on cutting a little longer... I just can't do it yet! Here's a photo of Becca in the shopping cart today with her new hairband (and one of her in a new Brady/Patriots jersey - that two of Dave's friends yesterday gave him at his fantasy football league draft - ah, those sentimental guys!):

deleted photos 8-29

ETA: Lara - I think we cross-posted. Sounds like you had a good weekend, despite bill paying :rolleyes: and the Aiden-Austin tuffs (sp?).

[AusAshMommy]

Melissa ~ As always Becca is a DOLL!!! So wish Ashley had enough hair to put up like that!!! :D Soon enough I keep telling myself!

Sorry she's been so clingy as of late...sleeping/napping...would it help to watch her during the day on one of your days off and see what times she goes to sleep? Maybe that'll help w/the nap schedule? We had to do that w/Austin when he was younger and it helped us figure it out!

Anyhew, no time to post! TTFN!

[Lizzie Beth]

Well, add Susie to the list of the CRANKY.

She and Daddy had a doozy of a day today from what I hear. When I got home from work, he was changing her and she was purple with rage. She was up intermittently all night because she keeps flipping herself onto her belly in her sleep, and waking up in a rage. I pick her up and hold her, but she's so angry she kicks into the air like a MULE while I'm holding her. Not that putting her down makes her any happier whatsoever. :rolleyes:

I got her happy again in pretty short order after I got home - she's usually pretty cool with Dad, but when she's feeling yucky she apparently needs Mommy's touch. I don't know if this is teething or what - I don't feel any new teeth cropping up especially, but she's drooling a little bit. Poo system seems to be working ok. But it takes an act of Congress to get that girl to nap. Hopefully she'll resolve whatever it is VERY SOON....

[twinnyme]

Thanks, Lara - yeah, I'm going to try again to not do things on Mondays/Fridays for a while (it's better for my freelancing anyway) to see what her natural schedule is. At the beginning I did that and she always slept 2+ hours in the afternoon, but I think she's been overtired because of her naps on the run (and her teething).

Last night she woke up at 3:00 a.m. (second time this week). The first time we were able to rock/sing her back to sleep in a half-hour; this time we tried that and then finally fed her - she gulped down 6.5 oz (even though she'd had 26 oz. + two jars of solids yesterday). But I really don't want to get into that habit again - we're on almost-two months of STTN and I don't want to mess it up. But I don't want her to be uncomfortable, either. The night before I gave her Tylenol before she went to bed and she STTN. I forgot to last night but I'm going to try again tonight.

Lizzie Beth - sorry that Susie is joining the cranky crowd these days. Maybe it's just that they're all at a fast-paced developmental stage (crawling, trying to walk, etc.) and, so, they get frustrated and cranky because they WANT to do things but can't and have no control over it? At least that's what I try to tell myself - some days it works better than others. Last night, I said to DH, I think she's communicating with the dolphins with her high-pitched squeals at the moment, since she can't communicate with us!!! :rolleyes:

[AusAshMommy]

[/B]Melissa[B]~ Your welcome! We generally plan our outings around naps, with Ashley on a 2 nap a day schedule it limits what we can do sometimes...but that's alright we're homebodies anyways...

Go w/Motrin instead of tylenol...it's got the pain reducing agent and it lasts longer than tylenol...Motrin lasts 8 hrs whereas Tylenol is only 4 hrs...helped Miss Ashley sleep lastnight. Though she was up @ 1:30 am demanding a feeding, must be a growth spurt or something...who knows.

This morning she was all grins & giggle and not very interested in eating...go figure!

Well Jimmy's off today and I'm not going home for lunch (making up missed time) so by the end of the day today he should be nice & frazzled...LOL!!! Welcome to my world sweetie! :D Hopefully the kids nap for him we'll see though. This morning though we were woken up by Austin yelling @ his door "Daddy, I got poop on potty" "Daddy, I done" even louder this time "DADDY I DONE" so eventually Jimmy woke up went in there and all I hear is "Austin! Where's your clothes?! Where's your diaper" *grrr* all this @ 6:45 am! LOL!!!! When Jimmy came back to bed, all he did was grunt...LOL!!!

My little crawling monster Ashley has taken to climbing over things here lately...lastnight she went right over a toy Austin had on the floor. When I had her on the couch with me, she put her hands up on the arm and pulled her knees up under herself. She didn't get all the way up, but dang close. Then this morning she went right over Jimmy and I had to catch her before she fell on the floor...she's not up on all fours but she sure loves scooting around sort of "commando crawling" if you will...

Well work bekons...

[romansluv]

Wow, all of our babies are just growing too fast. Luv the pics, especially Becca!

QOTD: Isaac was having two solids a day. Since he gotten sick though, he wants nothing to do with them. He is much better this week but still won't eat solids. What should I do? It has definitely interrupted his STTN and he demands a bottle between 2-3am. HELP!!!

[Jenzen01]

romansluv, sorry i can't help, but i can commiserate (sp?). gabe was up SCREAMING last night at 11:30. it started out as just crying, so i went in there and put my hand on his back in hopes of comforting. that got him even more upset. he sat up and screamed bloody murder. i picked him and tried rocking. he calmed down, but as soon as i put him back in the crib, more screaming. then we tried nursing. i gave him a little, and then he screamed because he wanted more. finally, i just let him nurse to his heart's content and he finally calmed.

for what it's worth, i discussed this with a woman at work, and she said her dr. told her that at this age our little ones are absorbing so much during the day that their brains are on overload when they are trying to sleep. it's too much for them. i think all of this fussiness and sleep problems are just part of this age. i'm at least comforted to know that others are going through the same thing ... it helps make sense of it all.

that's about all i got today. well, that and my allergies are acting up. yuck.

laura, oddball question for you ... when you're done nursing do your bbs go back to pre-pregnancy size. i'm realizing that i barely have a bra that fits properly.

[twinnyme]

Luv the pics, especially Becca!

Thanks, Monica - I appreciate it. I love the pics, too, that's why I take (and post) so many. On cranky days/weeks, they (and her adorable face) are what keep me going. I updated my desktop background today, too - I love putting new photos on it for me to look at during the day.

Sorry to hear that Isaac is having a rough time with being sick and eating. For that week that Becca had stomach flu and was throwing up every day she was eating very little solids. She woke up in the middle of the night a couple of times that week to eat and we just fed her because she'd usually eaten so little during the day (15-16 oz. down from 26-30 oz., and hardly any solids). It's a PITA, and I was worried she wouldn't get back to STTN but she did after her illness passed - and now we're dealing with it again with the teething (I think it may also be a growth spurt). I've read that illnesses/teething/trips, anything out of the routine, can mess up the STTN but that once the interruption is over, the baby usually goes back to his/her regular sleeping period. My only concern is that since Becca is JUST starting to teethe now, does that mean for the next few months we're going to have a constant "interruption" of normality and will need to feed her in the middle of the night? When she was just waking up in the middle of the night and eating out of HABIT (and thus crying out of habit) I could deal with the crying, but her crying out of PAIN I cannot deal with. I'm definitely going to try the Motrin! What else has everyone done during teething in terms of middle-of-the-night feedings?

I know I have a lot of teething questions lately but I'm just trying to figure out how to deal with this, and so far it's hard!! Any advice is appreciated.

Jen - I think we cross-posted. I'm also glad to know that a bunch of us are going through - though I wish none of us were! I really do think it has a lot to do with their developmental skills, but I was readying all my "first-year" type books to find something that said that, and I couldn't. You'd think there'd be a warning about this!

I also tried:

i went in there and put my hand on his back in hopes of comforting. that got him even more upset. he sat up and screamed bloody murder. i picked him and tried rocking. he calmed down, but as soon as i put him back in the crib, more screaming. then we tried nursing. i gave him a little, and then he screamed because he wanted more. finally, i just let him nurse to his heart's content and he finally calmed.

I think a while back I posted on the sleep thread about how my pediatrician had said "now that she's shown she can STTN without eating, to not feed her again in the middle of the night if she wakes up. He didn't quite say what to do instead but we'll figure that out if it happens again.... For now, I'm hoping it doesn't!" and someone quoted me and wrote back, "Sorry, I just had to laugh at this! This is our exact problem! Noah definitely doesn't need to eat in the middle of the night, but it's the easiest way to get him back to sleep! (And sometimes the only way)." Well, I've done that twice now and I don't regret it - it's what comforted her. And if we have to sleep train again eventually we will, but I really hope this doesn't become a habit!

Sorry your allergies are acting up, Jen - I've been back on my Allegra (180 mg a day) now for about 1/2 a month - it's the bad time for me, too, now through October. Uggh.

ETA: I'm writing a lot today because my Word, email (Outlook) and printing are all down this morning.... Tech people installed Publisher on my computer on Friday while I was out, but somehow it messed up my other programs -and my date stamp, so that I think it's 12:39 when it's really 12:11 - can I leave when my computer says 4? :) Anyway, luckily, the internet works! :) But I really hope that IT can fix this SOON!

[AusAshMommy]

Jen ~ I only BF'd Austin for 3 weeks, but after him my boobs never returned to their pre-pregnancy size...and I'm afraid they are still going to stay a bit larger after I'm done BFing Ashley as well...so to answer your question I'd say no wouldn't count on it...looks like we're both going to be doing some serious bra shopping. I was a 36C when I got PG w/Austin, by the time I was done Bfing those bras never fit again...I tried but I just fell out of the tops of them...right now my nursing bras are all 36D's and they fit nicely...I have one 38D that's a tad too big...

[marchfamily]

Jen-I've heard varying results. My mom's reduced in size post kids...so that's what I'm hoping for.

For those BF - have you noticed a significant drop in demand/supply since solids were introduced? Now that E STTN from time to time and she eats solids 2-3 times a day...by boobs are all over the place.

[AusAshMommy]

Marchfamily ~ I have noticed that she's demanding less and I am therefore producing less...I'm lucky to get 11ozs during the day when I pump...and she only actually nurses 2 maybe 3 times a day depends on how late she stays up...

[Jenzen01]

reduced intake over here as well ... gabe gets two 5 oz. bottles at daycare now instead of three. i'm only pumping about 12 ounces during the day (could get more, but i'm trying to only pump what he needs).

the end is in sight. :)

as for size, i was a 34A before this. (not even A, but nearly A), so I'm hoping my new size stays for a while. i think i'm either a 36B or 36C right now. I have my only B non-nursing bra on, and i'm spilling out of it today. :eek:

[marchfamily]

E is doing 2-6 ounce bottles during the day (only one yesterday). We just started doing solids 3x a day this week. I worry that she need more BM and less solids.

She's almost getting the fruit/veggie puffs. She can get them into her fist, but can't figure out how to get them into her mouth. She usually sucks on them and then they are stuck to the palm of her hand....then she forgets its there. Pretty cute!

Still no toothers for us...

[AusAshMommy]

Jen ~ Yup! I'm just keeping up w/her need right now...and that's about it. Antoinette sais she eats two bottles a day and the afternoon one is mostly a "snack" ya know?

LOL!!! My GF who was a barely A was thrilled when her boobs stuck around a bit after she finished BFing her son!

[Lizzie Beth]

Another Motrin believer here - I gave it to Susie last night and she had a good night.

Well, that and I read DH the riot act about the automatic sprinklers. They are loud as hell and DH has them coming on at 4:30 am - they're on for about 2 hours. I don't hear them because our room is away from the water pipes, plus I sleep with a fan on, but Susie's latest wakeups were coinciding with the sprinklers coming on. I told him this last week - NO MORE 4:30 SPRINKLER - so, as I found out yesterday when Susie woke up at 5:30 - he just changed the sprinkler time to 5:30 am. WTF!!! :mad: So yesterday, I clarified ever-so-sweetly that if they come on again between the hours of 7pm-7am, I am RIPPING THEM OUT OF THE WALL..

Jen - I'm with you, girl, my allergies came on last night with a vengeance. Susie got sleep, but I was up all night w/ my stuffy nose and sore throat. I took Allegra before I went to bed, and then took some Motrin in the middle of the night - since I know now that it has an anti-inflammatory, I figured it would be better for my swollen throat, and it was! So another successful application of parenting wisdom to adult problems. Yay! ;)

Post BF'ing bra size Mine still aren't really back to normal. Reduction surgery after I'm done w/ kiddos is looking better and better all the time.. :rolleyes:

[AusAshMommy]

Lizzie ~ LOL about the sprinklers...I think I might have done the same thing!! LOL!!!

[SaphirimalMei]

I have a question about solids...

where did y'all get the figure for 3 solids per day? The ped never mentioned it, and none of my books have mentioned it. I feel like I'm giving Jilly the shaft since she's only getting one solid/day and it's usually rice cereal since that's about the only solid she'll not spit right out! LOL!

She did seem to like sweet potatoes ok, and today makes it the third day after trying SPs and no reaction, so I'm going to go for the pears and see what happens :D

**pics removed**

[marchfamily]

Reduction surgery after I'm done w/ kiddos is looking better and better all the time..

I hear ya, sista!

[marchfamily]

Cross posted with Saphirimal...

Cute Pics!!!! I love the crawling one! As for solids, we had been doing 2 a day (fruit in the morning and veggies in the evening). Not sure why we decided to do 3/day. Since we are making our own food, I feel like E's choices are quite boring.

Current faves: sweet potatoes, mangoes, bananas, applesauce (unsweetened), apricots.

[twinnyme]

Hi Marisa - great photos of Jilly! (And I think that's the outfit - the green one - that Becca also has that you commented on from the photos of Becca and Susie together.) Looks like Jilly is doing a GREAT job crawling. Becca's still not anywhere near that or any other kind of crawling motion but I'm not worried about it since she's trying to stand all the time. I read that as long as they're trying to move in some fashion, it's okay.

About 3 solids, I think my ped. DID ask last Friday if she was up to 3 solids a day yet - even though at our previous appointment he'd encouraged me NOT to give her 3 solids a day until we did another weight check to sort of see if she would "correct" (i.e. maintain on a specific percentile) herself without "bulking" her up. But because he asked it I'm thinking perhaps it is routine at this point? I don't know. I'm just doing what works, and giving her 3 solids a day at this point would not work for her because she wouldn't get in enough oz. of formula. So we give her two for now - fruit in the morning (around 9-ish) and veggie in the afternoon (4-ish), both at daycare. She usually does eat 2+ jars a day.

Hope you're feeling well, and that morning sickness hasn't hit too much!

Re: bra size, no problem at all there, since I was 34B to begin with and didn't BF. :D

ETA: Btw, thanks for all the recommendations for Children's Motrin. I bought it last night but didn't use it because she didn't seem to be in pain - luckily, she STTN, 6:15 p.m. to 5:45 a.m. Apparently, my sister always used it, too, rather than Tylenol, with her son. It's ready to go now if we need it again!

[Jenzen01]

good morning.

3 solids a day - my thought was that it's training to get them used to eating three times a day like we do. i'm trying to get gabe's feeding to conicide with when we eat, but it doesn't always work. i like when he can be at the table with us and participate in the meal. i do believe in snacks, so i let him have some type of snack in between his solid "meals." again, i'm not sure that three meals are necessary ... just a good way to transition to grown-up schedules.

i'm very excited this morning because gabe made his first sign! i've been holding my fist up in the air every time i say "more" at the dinner table before i get him more food. this morning, he was eating graham crackers. when he was done, i said, "more?" and he held his fist up. he did it three times, so i know he knew what he was doing. very cool. still not sure if he realizes that he gets more food when he does it, but he's connected what i say to the sign.

gabe was happy last night and this morning. lots of giggling.

ttfn,
jen

p.s. very cute pics, marisa. :)

[marchfamily]

Is anyone's baby not making attempts to move? E has not expressed any interest in crawling (except a bit of backwards scooting) and doesn't want to stand either. Everytime we put her on her stomach, she just rolls over.

[alisong]

Wow, I'm without internet access for one day (in the lab), and I'm sooo behind! Let me see...

Solids - We do 2-3 times per day, but I think he eats about twice as much for our nanny as for me. :rolleyes: I haven't noticed he drinks less milk, but it's difficult to tell when it's straight from the tap! This is an example of the enormous amount Felix eats when I'm away: yesterday morning I fed him at 8:30, and was home at 3:30 to feed him. Between those times he not only ate two solids meals but consumed 18 ounces of milk!

Diaper changes - Thanks for all your changing tips! The two current favorite distraction items are a wet rag or the tube of diaper cream. This is one area where cloth dipes are more of a pain - because they have to be folded, you can't really put them on while the baby is standing or on his tummy. I've been thinking of getting a patemm pad (http://www.patemm.com/index.html) and changing him on the floor.

Jen - Wow, congrats on the first sign! Which signs are you teaching first? Which program are you using? We have a book/DVD combo, but I haven't begun to impliment it yet. Sorry Gabe's been having a tough time lately - I think sometimes it's just their little brains developing that throws things off.

Amanda - I was just going to check if mango was okay to feed them - glad to see it is!

Marisa - Adorable photos of Jilly! I wouldn't worry about not feeding her enough - some kids just aren't interested in solids yet. And judging by those cute little fat rolls, she's not lacking!

Lizzie Beth - I'm with you on the spriklers!

Melissa - Since Felix began STTN, we've been hard-asses about middle of the night feedings. In fact, we don't even pick him up at night, we'll just stand by his crib, put his paci back in, and stroke his forehead. That always does the trick, although it sometimes takes a while!

Lara - I know it would be best if we could stick to a nap schedule, but I just can't! We're good with the morning nap, but he often just catches an afternoon nap on the run. Oh well, he does better the three days a week he's with our nanny. ;) Felix is doing the commando crawling too - sometimes he looks more like an elephant seal. :p

Here's a photo of our wriggly baby!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v499/nostriliza/Felix/fe0716d7.jpg

I know there was more, but I hear someone stirring.

[asilversun]

Argh, I waited too long to post again and now I'm overwhelmed by the personal responses! You'd think I'd learn my lesson. :rolleyes:

Solids - Eli still gets two meals a day... cereal and fruit or cereal and a vegetable. I'm thinking of introducing a noontime meal in the hopes that he'll stay fuller longer and sleep a bit better (for naps and nighttime). It's amazing, isn't it, how every source tells you something different? My pediatrician's office can't even get their story straight and we get different information depending on who we ask. It's very frustrating!

Diaper Changes - They're getting harder and harder! I usually just hand him a toy and hope for the best. I keep trying to convince myself that he'll understand if I say "Eli, no, please stay on your back." I'm sure he doesn't though and usually he just ends up royally pissed.

Boobs - Mine were a 34B and I don't know what they are now but they're big! I've also got some stretch marks so after this is all over, they should look somewhat battle-worn. At least it's for a good cause, right?

Jen -that's so exciting about the sign! We've been working on some signs with Eli, but I'm trying to keep my expectations low. I don't think we'll see anything back from him for a while. But I'd be thrilled to be wrong. :)

Ali - I have a Patemm Pad and I love it. I got the small size because the large seemed like such overkill when Eli was bigger. (I originally bought the large, but exchanged it.) I'd get the large now, for sure. Here's a picture I took of Eli a while back with ours:
http://jarsky.com/photos/images/eli/pictures/IMG_0904.jpg

And, as always, I love all the pictures!

[lorbo]

just returned from a short vacation and let me say...my DH says it was not the greatest time, being that we heard crying from both kids quite often. i had a great night of sleep the night before we left and then it all went downhill. DD was screaming bloody murder 2-3 times a night, falling out of bed, waking James up and he was up at the crack of down-can i say? i cannot stand raspberries as the sun is just coming up-much less 2 straight hours of raspberries as i begged James to go back to sleep!! it didn't work! we went to an amusement park upstate and it was nice-somebody was cranky and hopefully will be better next year when she's 3 1/2. James did all right. he got to go on a few rides. i've decided i'm taking my mom as hostage(my sister stole her for her niagara trip), so that i have a buddy to go on rides with...being that DH is afraid of rollercoasters.

solids...i'm not good at giving James 3 meals a day, much less 2 meals a day. most of his diet remains BM. i tried to feed him some applesauce tonight and he wouldn't stop screaming...until he got his BM, then he ate the applesauce. the handout i got at his 6 month appt said 3 meals a day, but his doc said to do what i thought, being that DD was gaining weight and growing-so it would follow with James.

diaper changes-i think i'm unique in this, James loves to have his diaper changed-he smiles when it's a poopy diaper change. DD was much more active and trying to get away at this age.

boobs-ah, i think some young guys were staring at my large large ones while away-it was a ride operator and i was embarrassed! :eek: after DD weaned, the size went down a bit, but i think with major weight loss, they'd go back to normal size which is a full C, smaller D. there are times when i don't think that they're that large...then i catch myself in the mirror and wonder what the heck was i thinking???

James now has 4 teeth-the last three cutting thru in less than a week and one of his side incisors is just waiting to come thru. i'm amazed, being that his corrected age is 5 months and his sister's teeth took their time in coming thru, not all in 2-3 weeks.

i'll post some digitals in a bit from vacay. James is crying once again!

[SaphirimalMei]

Thanks for the responses all on the 3 meals/day thing and for the compliments on the jilly pics :). Since Jilly was sick on her 6 mo well baby she didnt get shots or a proper checkup (only a followup on if she was gettting better. I rescheduled for 9/2 so we'll have a cranky babe for labor day weekend :p I'll bring up the solids thing with the ped at that time.

But, in the meantime, she's definitely not hurtin for weight and her rolls do attest to that fact. Seeing as how her leg and wrist dimples are appearing again, I'm sure it means she's bound to grow atleast another 1/2 inch soon. I can't believe how tall she is. I keep measuring her and she's almost 28" now which puts her in the 90-95% category for length. She must get it from DH (who's 6' 3") as I'm only of average height at 5'7".

Jen - hooray for signs! I've been signing to jilly since around 4 months. The only one she's gotten so far is "milk" and boy howdy when she does that sign, I'd better make with the milk or I have a cranky girl on my hands!!! :D We're also starting "more", "diaper" and "all done". I also made up one of my own for "make a bottle" a kind of swirling motion with my finger.

Melissa - yep! that's the outfit allright. She also has a pink one that is similar and both are size 6 mo. Those are almost the only 3-6 mo outfits she's fitting in right now and they'll continue to fit awhile longer since a) they're stretchy, and b) they're 2 piece outfits which allows for J's extra length. And, nope! No m/s here! <knock on wood> May it please pass me by again!!!

Amanda - Ellie's foods don't seem blah to me at all! Mango rocks! When you make the foods do you have to "pasturize" them in some fashion by cooking/simmering/boiling them? I am very interesting in making jilly's food cuz I'm sure it'll save us in the long run by storing and freezing it all properly. Any tips?

Karen - I keep trying to convince myself that he'll understand if I say "Eli, no, please stay on your back." I'm sure he doesn't though and usually he just ends up royally pissed. Ah this sounds so familiar! J is driving me nuts with her wiggliness. In fact, I'm seriously considering changing her middle name to "Wigglebutt".

Ali - I wouldn't worry about not feeding her enough - some kids just aren't interested in solids yet True. Her interest didnt really come until recently, so we're running a bit behind. We'll get there :D

Lori - Holy cow! 4 teeth!!! J still has none but she's working hard on them...read: cranking it up. Sorry your vacay wasnt as peaceful as you'd hoped.

[lorbo]

will delete in a few days*

[twinnyme]

Great photos, Lori, (and everyone else, too!) - glad you had a good trip, even if the sleep situation didn't work out so well. I feel you; when we went to that wedding a few weeks ago, sleep was VERY tough. It was the first time that DH, Becca, and I were all in a hotel room together. Mostly we were worried about how DH's snoring would affect her :rolleyes: but that didn't seem to bother her (after all, she does take many Saturday morning naps with him), it was mostly that she just wanted to be up and at it because the rest of the weekend was so active. She usually sleeps 6-7 to 5-6 and there she slept 10-6 one night and 8:30-6 the next. And cried/whined for a while before going to sleep. In the future, if we can get good deals, we plan to stay in hotel suites (like Marriott Residence Inn) from now on. As for rollercoasters, I'll go on them with you if your DH doesn't - I LOVE LOVE LOVE rollercoasters!! :) I grew up in NYC and my sisters and I used to go on the Cyclone at Coney Island about 10 times in a row sometimes....

Re: sleep, Ali, that's GREAT that you can be hard-asses about middle of the night feedings! I WISH now that Becca took a pacifier, because that would help. But she never has and I don't think she ever will (which at 2 years old or so, when I don't have to wean her of it, I'll be glad of, I guess) but right now, it sure would help if she took it at night.... We try the patting her tummy thing and stroking her forehead but it just doesn't work. Luckily, it doesn't happen very often anymore. How long does it usually take for Felix to get back to sleep?

Jen - that's great that Gabe made the "more" sign. I think it's also great that you all eat together; we still haven't quite managed that between our schedules and her schedule. I think it's so important, though. And maybe I should do some signing with Becca, because I think she gets so frustrated now when she can't communicate!!

Marisa - glad to hear that m/s hasn't hit you! And Becca's wearing that outfit again today - I guess I had it on my mind.... It's still a little big for her but the one-piece sunsuits aren't coverage enough for her at daycare, where they have a/c (it's never too cool in there, but I just like to cover her up as much as possible), and given that she's long, too, even though it's a bigger size, it fits okay.

Karen - Re: different advice from everyone, I also find that VERY frustrating. Then there's SO much info out there (on the Internet, in books, etc.) that I try not to read TOO much anymore, because I just get even more frustrated. But while we're talking about differing opinions, how about water for babies?

I think we had this discussion a few weeks ago a bit.... Anyway, we're working on Becca holding her bottle and she's doing MUCH better; she can now hold it herself for about 10 minutes at a time. But it occurs to me that perhaps instead of encouraging her to hold her bottle at this point, we may as well transition to the sippy cup. I'd tried one a few weeks ago with her, with water in it, and she took a few sips, but I seem to have lost that cup and it seems to have been my only one. So I'm going to buy another today.... Her daycare provider - whom I like and trust very much at this point (I usually talk with her for 10-15 minutes each morning) and who has a pre-teen daughter of her own - says that they give the babies sippy cups of water when they're in their highchairs, because they like the cold feel of the tip; it makes their mouths feel good and so then they're automatically encouraged to continue to drink. They give her the sippy cup to play with while feeding her solids, and then the bottles are at separate times. Would you go along with this plan? I just did some quick internet research and the info I found seems to suggest that after 6 months it's okay - and perhaps even encouraged - for a baby to drink water, especially a bottle-fed baby as Becca is. Thoughts?

[Jenzen01]

hey melissa,

i think water is fine. i started giving gabe a sippy cup at five months - just to play with - and then gave it to him with water when he was about six months. he's really bad at it, however. i only try every once in a while, and i've given the daycare permission to give him water in a sippy cup every once in a while ... especially if he's refusing bottles. i want him to learn soon, because i'd like to start cutting feedings in the 10th month.

gabe slept through the night!

and, no such luck on the signing this morning. maybe it was a fluke.

my dad just emailed me and said that my 2-year-old nephew fell head-over-heels down their stairs. i guess he was pretty scraped up and he cried a lot but seems better today. scary.

[marchfamily]

RE: Sippy cups and water - we have been giving E a sippy cup with water since 6 months. She is getting the hang of it. This morning she grabbed both handles and chewed on the tip. We alse give her little sips of water from an open cup. She loves it!!!

[twinnyme]

Thanks, Jen and Amanda! I really wanted to jump into it last weekend, but couldn't find the cup. This weekend is it. I think she'll really enjoy the independence of it - I hope, anyway! :) Boy, she's growing so much - trying to stand, using a sippy cup, eating solids - it's happening all so fast now!!

[marchfamily]

Jen-Hope your nephew is okay. What a scare!

***
Girls weekend starts tomorrow morning. Taking E with us. Should be fun! My sister, plus 3 friends, plus me and E....watch out!

[AusAshMommy]

Ok for some reason my emails just stopped...odd...

Anyhew, 3 meals a day have been our thing for awhile...though one meal doesn't have cereal w/it, just breakfast & dinner do. Two veggies and 1 1/2 fruits...

Crawling...um yeah nothing there, though she is beginning to walk w/assistance! She started that tonight! Oy! So not ready for her to walk yet! LOL!!!

No more teeth though...:-(

Sippy Cups...we held off on those until after Austin's 1st B-day though Ashley has been known to pick his up off of the floor and drink right out of them. I don't really like her doing this as he usually has juice or milk...not something she should be having yet. But she did get one of her own last weekend of Pear Juice per the Gastroenterologists' suggestion...she seemed to like it and got the hang of it pretty well...

Anyhew, it's late and I have work I have to do (brought it home w/me! TTFN)

[twinnyme]

Lara - thanks again for the input into the sippy cup. It's probably amazing what a younger sibling does BECAUSE of seeing an older sibling do it, huh?

Amanda - have a great girls' weekend! I think in Susannah's blog, Lizzie Beth just had one, too, when she went on her trip, and there are some cute photos! Have a wonderful, relaxing time!

ETA: Have a great weekend, everyone! DH and I have a date night tonight (Macaroni Grill, yummmm), then we have a 1st birthday party on Sunday (which is also a pool party), so we have a busy weekend. DH is also going to a concert tomorrow night: System of a Down (not my kind of music at all).

[Jenzen01]

Quick post of Gabe's 8-month shots. I love how these turned out! Will delete later.

Oh, and the sixth tooth is through.

[AusAshMommy]

Melissa ~ Your welcome! She just did it on her own one day...turned around for a second and the next thing I know she's drained one of austin's sippy cups 1/4 full of Apple juice! We couldn't believe what we were seeing, LOL!!!

Jen ~ Look @ that handsome Man! Loving the pics!!!

*******
Well ya'll Ginger escaped again! OY! Somehow a vacuum effect in the house caused the front door to get opened, again, and Ginger took off again. I found Mercedes & Sammy right outside the door and brought them in, but Ginge is no where to be seen...ah well...serves her right! She'll come home when she's good and ready...oy!

[twinnyme]

BEAUTIFUL b&w photos, Jen - I love them! The sucking-the-thumb one especially....

Sorry about Ginger, Lara! I don't know much about cats but I'm sure she will come home....

We are having a WONDERFUL day plus..... Becca has been in an absolutely wonderful, giggly mood. It's GREAT. I set up some new play stations for her today - a wooden salad bowl (big) with lots of plastic kitchen utensils in it and other small items - then showed her how to take everything out and put it back in. (Found this idea in a book called "Baby Play.") Also played "catch" (i.e. roll the ball) with a big soft ball with her. And we've been practicing walking like crazy - her eyes caught the staircase today, uh oh. Anyway, it is so wonderful to have her so happy. No teeth, though, so now I'm not sure if she WAS teething earlier this week or just not feeling well. :confused:

Anyway, we've also been homebodies today - and she slept 6:10 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., then a nap from 8:25 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. and now she's gone back to sleep at 12 p.m. So I'm checking out her schedule....

[lokahi]

Aloha! Hope everyone's having a great weekend :) I just had lunch with WC/LJ friends at Longhi's. And now resting, and then b-day dinner for a friend.

*sigh* Andrew's growing up SO fast!!! Look what he did this morning!
[delete pic]

[AusAshMommy]

Hey Ya'll just wanted to drop off some pics my Dad took yesterday @ our BBQ:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d609b3127cce9388b244b4cf00000016108CbNW7lsyaY

My Dad & Austin

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d609b3127cce9388b08db40700000016108CbNW7lsyaY

Me, Ashley, & Jimmy (DH)

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d609b3127cce9388b17bf46900000016108CbNW7lsyaY

Ashley, Trevor (my Bro), & My Mom

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d609b3127cce9388b15a757800000016108CbNW7lsyaY

With my Bro (I LOVE This pic!)

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d609b3127cce9388b712f40300000016108CbNW7lsyaY

Our little family!! :D

That's all for now
*deleting in 48 hrs*

Enjoy ya'll!!

[twinnyme]

Lara - Great photos! I especially like the family one - somehow, we always forget to request those from people. We only have a few!

I'm dropping off photos, too. We went to that pool party/1st birthday yesterday, and Becca LOVED the pool - once she got used to the cold water; she cried a little at the beginning.

* deleted photo 9-14-05 *

I also held her for a while in the water and she splashed/kicked up a storm!

So, we had a nice date night on Friday but for some reason Becca wouldn't go to bed or eat well for her babysitters (she did fine with them last time). Last Wed. and Thursday she ate 9 oz. for her bedtime bottles both nights, and also on Sat., but on Friday she'd only eat 4 oz. (they tried for an hour) and went to bed at 8:40 - much later than her usual time. So we've been working our way backwards, and are pretty much at 7:30 again.... In a way, it may actually work better. She's done that for two nights and has woken at 6:30 consistently. (Before, NO MATTER what time we put her to bed, she ALWAYS woke between 5 and 6). This way, I can get up the time I used to - about 5:30 - and do some work/editing before she gets up. Then, I can feel like I've got a jump on the day and I can play with her with a clear mind - instead of continually hoping she goes down for a nap so I can work. AND I'll have more free time at night to relax with TV, reading, DH, before I go to bed (which last night was around 8:30!). Or maybe we'll never go on a date night again - she was doing so well. She's still STTN, though, so I guess I'm grateful for that!

Amanda - hope you had a nice weekend with the girls and E!

Lokahi - it's nice you met up with some CC/LJ friends!

Hope everyone else had a nice weekend!

[marchfamily]

I'm loving all the kiddie pictures!!

Becca looks so cute in the little raft! She's all set to be an aqua baby!

Lara - Ashley and Austin are such a pair! Cute family photos! You can tell everyone loves them!

Andrew is standing??? Great picture!

Jen - Great shots! Gabe is such a dreamboat!! I adore the one of him sucking his thumb! I wish you lived closer so we could meet up!

****

Today's my birthday. E and my husband came up to work. We went to a little Italian deli for lunch. E was laughing hysterically. I even got to BF her before returning. Tonight - put E to bed, steak fajitas, margaritas, and hopefully some hubby lovin'!

[lokahi]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, marchfamily!
Enjoy your day :)

[Jenzen01]

hey all,

cute photos, everyone.

ausashmommy - great family photo. we always forget to take those, too. i only have a handful of family shots.

twinnyme - becky is such a doll. she always looks older to me because of all that hair. but it's so cute! and yeah for the new schedule. gabe's been getting up at 5 pretty consistently. well, this morning it was 4:30, but he ate and went back to sleep till 6:30. i wish he would just sleep!

not much else is new. we looked at new vehicles this weekend. dh wants to get a honda cr-v, but there are never any good offers on them because they're in demand. that, and they really hold value, so the used ones are still expensive. dh really doesn't fit in my corolla that well.

marchfamily - i forgot where you live? hey, but if you're ever in wisconsin, you have to swing by. and, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! have fun tonight. :D

Jen

[twinnyme]

Happy birthday, Amanda - hope you're having a great night!

I finished Becca's Halloween outfit today:

Thanks to Jodi AKA BostonTeacher , who PM'd me today to say she'd seen a "Boo" sleeper at a local Kohl's, we went out this afternoon to check it out (after Becca's long nap for the day). I liked it but wasn't 100% sure. Then we went to AC Moore on the way home to get the iron-on letters. Here's a photo, one without and one with the subject herself! We call her "Becca Boo" all the time. Now I just need to find an orange headband or hat!

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d608b3127cce93b599eacc1b00000015109AZOHLhy1bo

* deleted photo 9-14 *

ETA: Does anyone need Similac Advance? I have some leftover from before Becca switched to Alimentum, and I found it this weekend. Some had expired but I have 3 concentrate cans (expiration Dec. 05) and 2 ready-to-feed jugs (expires sometime next year, Feb. I think). If so, either claim it here, or PM me, and give me your address. I probably can't get it into the mail until this weekend, but if you want it, let me know.

[AusAshMommy]

Hey Everyone ~ Thanks for the compliments! I had to make sure we got one of the 4 of us, we don't have any period...so we definitely needed one!

I had to bail on work early today to take Ash to the drs, she's got pink eye...which means my whole house will probably get it, WONDERFUL!!! She's weighing in at 15lbs and 7.5 ozs today!! YAY!! Doing really good, I am pleased!

Well it's time for Austin's bath, TTFN ladies!!

[twinnyme]

Lizzie - I hope that Hurricane Katrina didn't affect your family too much!

[marchfamily]

Jen-I'm in Chicago. My sister is in Milwaukee. If you ever make it down my way, we'll have to get together.

E is totally laughing these days. Her new favorite - when I pretend to cry (very fake boo-hoo). She thinks its the funniest! We're back to night wakings. She was up at 2am again (she's been doing this for the last week) and then up at 4:30am. Argh. But, I do see her gums breaking a bit - it looks like she'll get both of her bottom teeth soon. Hopefully REAL soon!

[lorbo]

James has yet another tooth! i guess it's better that they all come in at once and he'll eventually have relief. DH was comparing my kids, being that DD is just less than 2 years older than James. we took a vacation in sept of 03 and she was crawling and pulling up on stuff-James isn't anywhere near that-give me more anxiety! he's quite a stinker, refusing to roll anymore-except when he's in bed wide awake and i'm trying to sleep and boob just won't cut it. i move him to the far end of the bed and he'll roll his little butt over to me and kick me for some attention. we're in the throws of separation anxiety and his anxiety is BAD. when he's put in his step and play piano and you're a step away, his eyes are panicked, his hands up in the air and he's screaming bloody murder-oh until this phase is over!!!

my wonderful DH tells me at work tonight that my monster in law wants us to come for lunch on sat...and i told him i really don't want to! i used the excuse that i'm trying to get DD's room ready for her. if i do go, he's been told that i'm just making an appearance-eat and run so to speak and i won't be at all talkative-i won't be giving opinions on anything and if somebody says something to me, i'll just say...i've heard people don't give a sh.. what i have to say, so i'm not saying anything anymore, as well as people don't respect my decisions, so i've changed how i am around people(certain people) and i can only hope his PITA sister realizes that i know about her moronic email to her brother. he's telling me to be nice. i said if his mother should ever have the audacity to say that i'm a troublemaker, he's got to open his mouth and say that she's the trouble maker. ugh, can't stand them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[marchfamily]

The new thing in our house - E is attached to me, and only me. DH came home last night and E went hysterical. Everytime he made eye contact with her, she started crying. I felt so bad for him. She did that the day we got back from our trip too. I dread the day when she doesn't want me.

[Jenzen01]

marchfamily - we have the same thing going on in our household. gabe definitely prefers me over dh. he'll play nicely with dh, but the second he sees me, he starts whining and wants to come up. it's been a little better lately. when he was teething, it was at its worst.

not much new this morning. i just baked homemade apple-crumb coffeecake for a work benefit. there are some advantages to getting up so early. :) now my hair smells like cinnamon. :)

gabe has been hilarious lately. lots of smiles and silly faces. i got him to stand up by himself for just a few seconds. he usually doesn't have the patience to balance because he wants to get down and get going. i do a lot of "finger walking" with him.

that's all from here.

oh, i found out the daycare calls him "oinker." i'm not offended by this because it really is true. he just LOVES food. yesterday, he had spaghetti and meat sauce. i stopped in at noon, and he was in all his glory. swinging his feet in the highchair, laughing and opening his mouth for more. he kept yelling "ha!" they finally just had to cut him off because he's been a bottomless pit.

ttfn,
jen

[AusAshMommy]

Hey Everyone ~ Reading the stories of everyone's babes makes me giggle...they are truely something @ this stage!

Anyhew, Ashley's pink eye is on the mend, she's been using the antibiotic oinment for just about two days now and she's back @ daycare today. My DH however, now has it! LOL!!! He was sent home from work this morning because of it. Thankfully the doc gave us several refills on the script so we can use it on everyone else in the house as needed. So Jimmy & Ashley will be sharing the prescription...wonderful! Oy, lets just hope that Austin and I are able to avoid it!

Not much else going down...got my transcripts released finally, so I'm starting grad school NEXT WEEK!!! OMG!!! :D

TTFN LAdies, month end looms!

[twinnyme]

Things are good here. The office move is complete, and it’s actually better than I expected. We have a nice light-filled (natural light via windows) area, and the woman I’m sitting next to now is also part-time. So she won’t be here all the times that I am (and vice versa), and even when we are here together, I like her a lot. She actually lives in the same town I do (the next one over from where we work) and has three older kids (1st, 2nd, and 5th grades), so this may help us connect a little more, which would be nice. Before, we sat far away from each other. We have some large potted plants defining our area, which I like for privacy and am campaigning to keep but I’m not sure it’ll happen because some people don’t like the aesthetics of it. If not, maybe I can get a more contained plant to provide some privacy. We are just beyond the printer/copier/fax/etc. so there’ll be a lot of traffic. We’ll see, though.

As for Becca news, all is good with her. Nothing too exciting; she’s still trying to “talk” up a storm (ETA: I meant "walk up a storm") – and she pulled up the other day for the first time. (She’d fallen down from standing at her Learning Table (Fisher-Price) onto her boppy, in a sitting position, and before I knew it, she’d pulled up using the table. So amazing! I had a challenging time feeding her solids this past weekend, but she ate two full jars at daycare yesterday – so like someone else has said, she seems to do better eating with the nanny than with me.

My editing life has been up and down again. Those two contracts I’d gotten a few weeks ago? Well, I found out a week and a half ago that there was only an 80% and a 90% chance that both books would be going forward to revision. Well, yesterday, I found out that one is now DEFINITE and the other one probably won’t happen – but that the editor may have another project for me, to replace it. Either way is good. So I’ve once again had a very up-and-down couple of weeks, but things are settling out positively again, it seems. But I just tried to keep it off my mind and think about how I got to spend more time with Becca instead – and I did; I just enjoyed my time with her for the most part – too much, I think, because now it’ll be hard to get back to work!

No time for SO's - but it sounds like everyone's doing well.

[marchfamily]

We've got our first tooth - hip, hip, hooray!

[twinnyme]

Yay, E! Maybe that's why she wanted only you, Amanda?

The new thing in our house? Becca last night laid her head down on my shoulder and just lay there for a while, and she did the same thing this morning. (Last night, I was walking her around outside showing her the trees/plants blowing in the wind - we had strong winds yesterday - she LOVED it.) It is SO sweet and I feel like she's hugging me. Already she wants to be so mobile that that rarely happens anymore. Of course, me being who I am, I'm thinking, "oh, god, I hope she's not feeling sick"! :D

[Jenzen01]

Must share my embarassing moment for the day ...

I was making a PopTart in the break room this morning, and I felt my milk let down. Let me paint the picture: I'm wearing a sundress, no breast pads and a lace bra. My milk was coming out so fast, it was dripping down my stomach and onto my toes. Yuck. I made a mad dash to the bathroom, shoved some Kleenexes in my bra and stood under the hand dryer to get my dress dry. So much for not wearing pads ...

[AusAshMommy]

Jen ~ Sorry had to giggle at that...been there done that...sorry!

Marchfamily ~ YAY!!!!

Melissa ~ AWWWWWWWW!!! Ashley does that from time to time too! I love it! She's able to put her arms at my shoulers and give me a hug (Thanks Antoinette!) and she's able to give wide open mouth kisses on our cheeks! Soo cute!!

Our big news from lastnight is that Austin pooped on the potty!!!! I caught him mid-poop and he finished on the potty!! YAY!!!!

[lokahi]

twinnyme
Becca's Halloween outfit is so cute!

lorbo & marchfamily
Woo-hoo! on the 1st tooth!

AusAshMommy
Sending get well wishes!!! Hope you guys feel better soon :)
Big Hi-5 to Austin! How long did he take to potty train?
We're still working with Elton.

- - - - - - - - - -
Andrew learned how to open/close the cabinet door :P
I found his Halloween costume.
http://www.oldnavy.com/Asset_Archive/ONWeb/Assets/Product/326/326402/main/on326402-00p01v01.jpg

[AusAshMommy]

Lokahi ~ He's not 100% potty trained, that was a pure stroke of luck lastnight! We're still very much in the thick of potty training. We're not really going to work on it until January when we get closer to his 3rd B-Day...right now we're still introducing the idea of potty training...

LOVE the costume!! Soo cute!!!

[lorbo]

to the other Jan 03 mom, i can't say how much i love that Brookie is 98% PT-i love only having to deal with one in diapers. she's had a few accidents at night-i'm thinking that i'm not going to get this from James. my sister said tonight that he's a baby-he looks like a baby and acts like a baby-something that Brooke didn't do-at 7 1/2 months she was crawling and in to everything (like cat poop-ewww) James is only content to sit in my arms and when other people hold him, i must be in his line of view or he's not happy.

James fell off the bed last night-i put him down for a nap and was trying to finish up his sister's room with my mom-she's wallpapering and i'm painting the woodwork and will paint the bottom part of her wall in the next couple of days. James woke up and cried a little and i peeked in on him and he had moved around in his sleep-but he was surrounded by pillows and was still mostly in the middle of the bed. DH came home and in to the room to complain that i was messing up his paint job, etc and Brooke walked down the hallway, saying Jimmy's crying daddy-she said it twice-he hushed her and shut the door-well, he never looked in to check on him...i thought i should check in on him and opened the door and didn't see him on the bed, then i see him squished on the floor between the cradle and the bed, crying and i started shrieking-and it's my fault! the husband says i shouldn't have put him on the bed and my comeback was that he should've checked on him.
then today, i was getting dressed and had just warned my daughter to get off the bed and stop jumping before she smacked her head on the cradle-well...it happened like two minutes after that...she had the biggest blue egg swell up immediately-it's already a black eye. i started shrieking again, while running for the ice and the phone...to talk to my sister who's an rn and my husband. all i could think was what if there's a fracture, she hit just below her eye, now my sister thinks i need to talk to the dr tomorrow.

on top of all of this...we're still dealing with all the insurance stuff from James' birth. the insurance company has messed everything up, one of the involved hospitals has sent us to collections-for something we should not owe for...i've contacted the state representative and i am disputing the copay-which is 1500-it would seem that they're paying two admission fees for me and one for James. i am stressed beyond belief and want to cry a lot. not looking for advice, just venting because it makes me feel better.

James looks like he's working on more teeth still-he's got puffy spots on the top gum for what may be 4-5 more teeth-none on the bottom. poor kid!

[AusAshMommy]

Lorbo ~ We're not even that close right now...Austin still doesn't tell us when he needs to go or when he's gone...we have to figure it out for ourselves, though he knows what to do and when he's got to go...he just refuses to do it himself!

Sorry about James falling off the bed and Brookie falling into the cradle...Ashley took a spill off of our bed and like James bounced back nicely. As for Brooke...I'm of the opinion that if Austin does something I tell him not to do and he gets hurt then oh well...he'll learn from it. He was jumping on our bed yesterday and then fell into the window...but I had told him not to jump on the bed. I hugged him and kissed his booboo's and told him, "I told ya so"

[marchfamily]

Quick note to share our news....

E is going to be a big sister! I'm pregnant! Based on my chart, I'm due May 12th.

[AusAshMommy]

MArchfamily ~ To Echo my congrats from the Bfing thread!!! YAY!!! Hopefully the m/s is less this time around than last time!

Speaking of being PG...where's Marisa...she's sort of disappeared...

[Jenzen01]

Oh, marchfamily! You've got me crying. Biggest congrats coming your way ...

[SaphirimalMei]

Hello y'all! I have not totally fallen off the face of the earth. I have been very sick. Some sort of regular cold bug, but it has really knocked me on my ass. I am off work today as the daycare is closed (took a long labor day weekend). I rescheduled Jilly's 6 month visit (cuz she was sick at the beginning of August then her ped was OOT for 3 weeks!) for today, so poor baby's going to get some shots.

Jilly notes:
Still no crawling forward yet. Still no dang fangs! Where the heck are the fangs?
Anyways...we're making up for lost time on the solids front. She's now tried:
rice cereal, bananas, applesauce, sweet potatoes, carrots, and pears. The
only new food she's been super enthusiastic about is pears. I introduced the
sippy cup. She's wild about it. Not that she'll really drink from it, mind
you, but she has the general idea...Puts it up to her mouth, sucks a bit, then
smashes it down on the floor/table/exersaucer and rejoices in the noise for
awhile. She has really loved smashing things together lately :) I'll report
back with the updates from Jilly's ped appt.

CONGRATS TO AMANDA!!!! That's wonderful news! :D

[twinnyme]

Amanda - CONGRATULATIONS!! That's great news!

Marisa - sorry you've been so sick. Seems like you might be feeling better....

So glad we're not dealing with potty-training yet. But it sounds like the successes are starting to happen for Austin now, which is great!

Vent away, Lori - sorry things have been so stressful. I hope the insurance mess gets straightened out. I remember a letter you posted a while back.... did they (whoever you wrote it to; I can't remember) ever respond to that?

Lokahi - great costume for Andrew! There's so many to choose from - that monkey would also be a good candidate for Becca; she LOVES bananas and we sometimes call her "little monkey" (that nickname preceded her loving the bananas!)

Normal Friday here. Hoped to go to storytime at the library but Becca started her nap at 10:15 (storytime's at 11) - the good news? She slept until 12:15. For some reason, it seems like she's only taking one nap at daycare now. :eek: :eek: Maybe it's not surprising since she sleeps 11-12 hours a night!

We're heading to IL's for the weekend, so have a nice holiday, everyone!

[marchfamily]

Thanks everyone! The shock is still settling over the household! I've got an ultrasound appointment at the end of the month. I'll feel better after I can see the baby!

[lokahi]

lorbo
That's great Brookie is 98% PT! From your experience, would you recommend using Pull-ups or training pants [Gerber]? Also, did you make a potty routine or just had Brookie go on her own?
We introduced Elton to a potty but he didn't seem to like it. He used the big toilet several times on his own, usually in the morning and bath time. Then all of a sudden he refuse to go. When I change him, I ask if he needs to go but he doesn't want to. Do I need to be more firm and just make him go? Or would it just be best if he just goes on his own?

twinnyme
Andrew had a monkey nursery so I was happy to find the monkey costume at Old Navy. There's a promo if you use your Gap Card on-line. I also had a GC reward certificate.


marchfamily
That's exciting! Wishing you a happy & healthy pregnancy!

- - - - - - - - - -
Andrew had a fever and threw up his formula 3x yesterday. I'm surprised he held down the oatmeal and squash. I gave him baby Tylenol; cold bath and Pedialyte. He seems better today.

Wishing you a safe & fun Labor Day weekend :)

[Lizzie Beth]

CONGRATULATIONS, AMANDA!!!!!! You and Marisa are very brave girls. I need more time to forget! ;)

I ordered Susie's costume today:

http://images.buycostumes.com/mgen/merchandiser/19830.jpg?is=225,225,0xffffff

I picked some costumes and let DH pick among them.. Of course he picked the girliest costume he could find. He's very big on his little girl looking like a little girl..

Lorbo- <<<HUGS, girl>>> Sounds like it's been a trying week.. As for me, I feel like smacking DH anytime something upsetting happens and he lays blame in like, 2.2 seconds. A stupid case in point: One time I had the refrigerator door open and unbeknownst to me, the cat thought it would be interesting to jam her paw in the crack of hinge side of the door while it was open. And then of course, I shut it, causing said cat to howl like she was on fire. And it took me a few seconds to realize what had happen. DH tore into me for shutting the refrigerator door without checking.. Scuse me, babe, but WTF?? :confused: It's not like checking the refrigerator door for errant cat paws is something HE ever does. :rolleyes:


Twinny- thanks for asking, everybody at home is ok. We're about four hours inland, so it was a lot of rain and wind, some tree branches, that sort of thing. Hurricanes aren't really our natural disaster - tornadoes are. But we do have lots of friends in Louisiana - we were planning on flying into New Orleans the middle of next month for a wedding in Baton Rouge. So far we're still planning on going, but we're trying to figure out if any of our logistics should change. All the friends we've heard about so far are ok - nobody actually lives in N.O... We do have a friend who's stuck in Iraq while all this is going on - his dad is driving up to Baton Rouge to cook for people up there - he's an awesome cook... My friend's National Guard group is supposed to be coming home soon - and a lot of those guys ARE from New Orleans... They've been over there for about a year already. Their replacements have already been arriving; I hope Bush sends the guys from New Orleans home first - they have a right to come home ASAP and take care of their families in this situation. Plus their heads aren't in the game right now, and in Iraq, that's pretty dangerous. <End Lizzie's political ranting>

[lorbo]

thanks guys! Brooke actually had a dr's appt today, because i was so worried about a fracture around her eye and we talked about stuff. i said i felt like people would be judging me because of how bruised her eye is and he said people would understand that kids are kids. he also asked me about the other stressors in my life and completely knew where i was coming from with the health insurance. i hope that when i have to go back with DD at the end of the month for her 2 1/2 year appt, that everything is near resolved-i can dream, can't i?

lokahi-i've heard from other moms-my mom, my sister and other acquaintances, that boys take longer to PT. i would just keep encouraging Elton to sit on the potty and there are videos and books that talk about potty training-i bought one book and use Brooke's name instead of the title characters. my nephew took forever and still had problems up until a year or so ago-didn't want to go and held it in until it was coming out-i vowed if that happens with James, DH and James will be doing their laundry together.

James has yet another tooth that broke thru today-that makes 6 teeth in less than a month. i should go, he's crying again!

[Lizzie Beth]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v107/trollprincess/3283e552.jpg

Saw it. Thought it was funny. I live in "Debilitating Blizzards" and "Will get Nuked first"..

[lorbo]

i'm in the will get nuked first-that's a nice thought! :D

[twinnyme]

Also in the "will get nuked first/debilitating blizzards" zone - no surprise there! But I have to say that I am glad that I do not live in a hurricane state, either. What horrible sights and things to deal with these poor people have gone through.

Hope everyone had a nice Labor Day! We did, very relaxing. We spontaneously decided to go to the IL's and actually sleep over (first time with Becca; we used to do it all the time by ourselves, but since they are only 30 minutes away, it doesn't really make sense with her). She slept well there (8 to 6 both nights), though we got her off schedule somewhat and now we're paying for it. Ugh. After 2 straight months of STTN, she has now woken at 2-3 a.m. the last three nights, and we HAVE fed her. She's eaten 7 oz. each time. I don't know what's going on, but it's frustrating, and DH is the one who fed her the first couple of nights, so w're having conflict about it again. Arrgh!

On the fun side, Becca waved hello this morning for the first time! A little girl, Taylor (about 5 y.o.), always plays with her in the morning at daycare. This morning, we walked in with Taylor, her mom, and her sister. Taylor's mom waved at Becca, and Becca lifted her arm, hesitated, and then waved back. So cute! :-)

[AusAshMommy]

Melissa ~ AWWW @ Becca Waving!!!

*********
Well HUGE news in our house, Austin's peed on the potty twice in the last couple of days!!! Once on Sunday evening and then again lastnight!! WIHOO!! We may just be on our way out of diapers!!!

[Jenzen01]

hey, congrats ausashmommy on the potty training!

and, melissa, that is so cute that becca waved. i still can't get gabe to do that.

on a cute note, however, he did is first real round of babbling last night. at the dinner table he started saying, "blah, blah, blah" and it has been nonstop ever since. we were laughing at him, so he kept it up. this morning, it was one of the first things out of his mouth.

so neat to hear his voice.

ttfn,
jen

[Jenzen01]

Some happy news to post:

Gabe is going to be a big brother!

I just took a test over lunch hour, and it came back positive. I am shaking.

Man, I knew something wasn't right ... :) :) :)

[marchfamily]

Jen - OMG!!! Congratulations! I'm SOOOO happy for you!

[AusAshMommy]

Jen ~ OMG!!!! What is in the water here these days?? LOL!!! If AF hadn't started yesterday I may be in trouble...thankfully she did!

That's soo awesome, what sort of age gap will there be???

**********
Let's see, what else other than potty training is there going on in my life??? Ashley is getting around more efficiently these days, she's really mastered the art of "commando crawling" and loves to "walk" with help, sort of finger tip walking if you will! She also loves to look at ya and go "Da Da Da Da..." she could go on all day! If you look at her and say "MaMa" she quickly responds w/"Da Da Da Da" too funny!!!

My supply has been megerly low lately, as in yesterday I barely eeked out 7ozs at work then another 2ozs before bed. This morning I only pumped a mere 4 ozs...drinking water like a feen and eating oatmeal raisin cookies like they are going out of style. I finally purchased some fenugreek in hopes it works...we shall see though...

Jimmy has re-applied to Millwork, more money there in commissions due to more special orders coming in. So that's going to mean more longer hours and closings...WONDERFUL! Though I was thinking about getting a Mother's helper for the nights he closes or is working late. Just to help out w/the kids. A girl, preferably, either from the church across the street or from the high school. We shall see though!

Well y a'll joyce is back, so I'm off, TTFN!

[twinnyme]

WOW!!! So that's three of you now, huh? Marisa, Amanda, and Jen???? Two May-to-be mommies, and one April-to-be. Congratulations all around!! So exciting. I think you're all extremely brave, as I cannot even imagine it right now! Take it easy, everyone!

Though I was thinking about getting a Mother's helper for the nights he closes or is working late. Just to help out w/the kids. A girl, preferably, either from the church across the street or from the high school.

Lara - I've been thinking this, too - maybe a couple of hours on Mondays/Fridays so I can get more editing done, and we can have our weekends back a bit. I could probably get away with less money. But I probably won't even think about it for a few more months, once we see how the editing (which IS picking up) goes.

[marchfamily]

QOTD - How much is babysitting in your area? In the city it runs $15/hour, burbs $12. We paid $10/hour for a babysitter on Saturday (we had put E to bed and she didn't get up the entire time).

[lokahi]

lorbo
I thought so. SIL said it took my nephew (just turned 4 this month) forever to potty train. We will continue to encourage Elton to use the toilet.

Lizzie Beth
Where's Hawaii on the map? I guess we are on our own. There's the volcano, hurricane and tsumani.

AusAshMommy
That's great! Hopefully we will get there with Elton.

Jenzen01
Congratulations! Wishing you a happy & healthy pregnancy!

* * * * * * * * * *
Andrew's top teeth are cutting at the gum!

The preschool director called and need a sub for the 21 and 23 of this month. It will be nice "break" from the boys and extra $.

[twinnyme]

I can't really answer the QOTD because we haven't researched it yet. All our babysitters outside of daycare have been relatives or the "co-op couple" we share babysitting with (which is free!). I'd guess $10 an hour, if a high school kid (i.e. mothers' helper for a couple of hours) maybe less ($8) - though of course a mothers' helper is more likely to watch the kid during the day, when the kid is more active, and NOT asleep, so maybe we should offer more.

GREAT news! Just got off the phone with my former colleague at the editing company. She has been promoted to Acquisitions Editor for both my former field (student success) and a new field (education) and she wants me to work on another book in the education field. Boy, I cannot even begin to tell you how having her in my corner is going to help things!! I've maintained a great relationship with her and the fact that she keeps thinking of me and bringing me projects is a fabulous sign. My main worry had been that she would leave and I wouldn't have a contact anymore. I don't think there's a chance of that now - at least, not for a long time! And she said that the freelance editors the education people use have really made a good name for themselves over the years, and if things work out, they could keep me REALLY busy for a long time. So maybe eventually I could just work from home!!! In the meantime, it's going to be a challenge maintaining the part-time office job, do the freelancing, and balance everything with time with Becca.

AND although I learned today that I "failed" my latest proofreading test for a company I'd applied to (that makes three now), I asked for feedback on my test and was encouraged to reapply in three months, after brushing up on certain areas (which they outlined for me). So that was positive as well - and I may not even need that three months from me, but it's good to have the option.

Sorry to blab on about this when everyone has so much more exciting news (new babies, yay!) but it makes me feel much relieved! :)

[SaphirimalMei]

Hooray Jen!!! That is so exciting!!! Too bad we're not all in the same thread again!

Melissa - What a relief about the new project! It'll be a tough balancing act for awhile, but I hope it'll transpire into something you can do exclusively so you can let go of the other P/T job.

QOTD: Cost us dinner and a six pack :p We've only had friends watch jilly so far and we've made dinner for them, so it's ready when they come over. I havent investigated "outside help". We aren't familiar with many people in our neighborhood, and I'd feel wierd about a total stranger watching my baby in our home.

[Jenzen01]

Thanks, everyone.

DH and I have A LOT to talk about tonight. :) He said I have to take another test tomorrow to make sure.

Babysitting - People still pay $5 an hour around here. I just asked someone about it, and I was shocked because that's pretty much what I made back in high school. So far, we've only had relatives watch Gabe.

[romansluv]

WOW JEN!!! Congratulations!!!

[Lizzie Beth]

CONGRATULATIONS, JEN!!!

That is wonderful news!! Preggos all over the place - we practically have our Spring preggo thread all right here!! I love all the excitement and anticipation of the dr. visits, the due dates, the sonograms, the "will we find out the sex" debate, all that stuff. All y'all have to keep us updated so we can live vicariously (yet with no morning sickness, yay!!! :D )

Anyone else????? Step right up, ladies, you're in great company!

Lorbo - LOL, sorry, looks like they forgot all about you... But maybe that's because it's tough writing "volcanoes, hurricanes and tsunamis" all on those teensy islands.. ;) Hmmmm.. Guess they could write on all that ocean and point. :rolleyes:

Lara- So funny! Susie is all about the da-da-da. Makes me think of that song...was it The Police? "A-do-do-do. A-da-da-da. Is all I have to say to you." Did the writer of that song have an eight month old at the time? 5 bucks says yes.

[alisong]

Wow, Jen and Amanda, huge congratulations to you both!! You're both still breastfeeding, right? How's that going while being pregnant?

QOTD: Babysitting - Shockingly, the 16 year old girl across the street (lifeguard, extremely responsible) only charges $4/hour. We give her more than that. ;) She says she likes to have a quiet place to do her homework.

We've had a rather rough time of it lately - first my cat got in a fight and ended up with an infected ear, then DH broke his wrist! As he's self-employed, the next couple of months are going to be really tough. :( He's also unable to change diapers, do dishes, bathe himself, or do anything other than whine. :rolleyes:

[asilversun]

Congratulations Jen and Amanda! I'm looking forward to living vicariously, too. I hope we'll see ultrasounds and belly shots soon! ;) We haven't started trying at all yet, but I'm starting to think about it a lot, which surprises me... I couldn't have imagined I'd be ready so soon!

I'm afraid I have nothing to say about babysitters because (and I'm ashamed to admit this) Eli's never met one. He never took a bottle and he nurses at bedtime - and often after bedtime - so it's never felt feasible to me or DH. Thankfully we're not going stir crazy, but I do look forward to the day! (I don't, however, look forward to paying $15 an hour! Ouch!)

In Eli news, he's crawling commando style with a vengeance. I wouldn't be surprised if he never makes it to crawling on his knees because he seems pretty content to zoom around the house on his tummy. We still haven't seen any teeth, but he's been awfully cranky lately and chewing on his hand more than normal, so we could be on our way. Since I'm still nursing I'm really in no hurry for him to get teeth (his "playful" biting hurts enough with just gums!), but it sure would be nice to have a reason for and an end to this crankiness/sleeplessness!

[AusAshMommy]

QOTD ~ Quickly, from what I've heard around here babysitters make about $8-$9/hr if they are HS age...outside of that I don't know...we've never really looked into it...

[lorbo]

congrats to all the new mommies-to-be-again!! H+H 9 months!

James is now waving-god love him. he's got 6 teeth, but is drooling up a storm, so his mom mom asks him if he's getting more teeth-i suspect soon, but i don't know. he's able to move around the room, but not crawling yet-his daddy says he's got cankles and his aunt says he's too fat to crawl and when he starts to get leaner, then he'll crawl. yet, his mom mom also said he's gonna skip crawling and go right to walking. he still wants to be held ALL THE TIME! should post some pics...maybe i'll see if i have any that are suitable!

[AusAshMommy]

Hey All ~ Hope everyone had an awesome weekend! We did, Austin used the potty twice over the weekend, albeit w/some protest, he did it! YAY!!!

Anyhew, dropping off some pics quickly then I MUST work:

**Pics Deleted for Security Purposes**

[Jenzen01]

Good morning, mommies!

Well, Gabe is super clingy these days. He cried for the first time when I left him at daycare today. It broke my heart.

And, he said his first words: "deer" and "da" for daddy. We have three mounted bucks in our living room, and when I bring Gabe down the stairs in the morning, he likes to stop and look at them. Now, he says "deer" and it is so cute! For whatever reason, he thinks the deer are funny.

That's about it from here. Not feeling too stellar this morning.

Jen

[twinnyme]

Hi everyone,

Sorry you had to deal with Gabe crying when you dropped him off, Jen. I dread that day! She's done a little whimpering a couple of times, but not all-out crying yet. But that's great about his first words!!! I can't wait for that.

Great photos, Lara! So cute. It's definitely football season now, huh? DH and Becca watched some together yesterday afternoon.

We attended Becca's newest cousin's baptism yesterday and had a nice day. I think I found a new type of bow/clip that manages Becca's hair better - though MIL still yesterday said, "you're going to NY this weekend, right?" implying that after that *we* can cut Becca's hair (because a while ago I said I wanted my mother to see her hair once more before we cut it). :rolleyes: But actually I do think I'm willing after this weekend to at least trim the back - but not the front. I don't want her to have bangs, and we're in that "in-between" stage - who would've thought an 8-month-old (on WEDNESDAY!!!) would have an "in-between" stage with her hair! :rolleyes:

Dropping off some photos! (ETA 9-23 to delete photos)

Getting much better at holding her bottle, yay!

I love the library!

New hair bow

ETA: Becca STTN again last night, after a full week of waking up once per night to eat. We think her schedule has shifted to 8 to 6, which is 10 hours versus her 12-hours-a night STTN schedule previously. But maybe that means she'll take better naps during the day!

[Jenzen01]

Melissa, I just adore Becca's hair. So darling ...

Well, Gabe is a babbling machine. Lots of "da" sounds. He starts babbling as soon as he wakes up.

And, I hope I'm not jinxing myself, but he's been STTN pretty regularly. He wakes up at 4 sometimes, but I usually won't get him until at least 5. Yesterday, he didn't get up until 6!

That's about it from here ...

Jen

[twinnyme]

Melissa, I just adore Becca's hair. So darling ...

Maybe you'll have a girl this time around with lots of hair to play with!!! :)

Any wishes among our moms-to-be on the sex of the second child? I know that's a loaded question sometimes, so feel free not to answer. I'm just curious.

Not too much else going on here....

[marchfamily]

Any wishes among our moms-to-be on the sex of the second child?

I would eventually like to have both boys and girls. But, for the sake of a small house and we already have one girl - I'm going to say girl this time around. I'd like to use the clothes and toys we already have!

****

I just love Becca's hair! E is still pretty much bald!

[SaphirimalMei]

Checking in for the first time in awhile...Here's some updates on our Jilly Bean:

Houston...we have forward progress!!
Yep! We've got a srawler here. She's not quick yet, but she's definitely
going forward now. I am so nervous about this and yet excited for her!

Constant Chatter:
She's regularly saying "Da!", "Ga!", "Ka!" etc. It's so cute! Sometimes she'll
talk very loudly and other times she says it so soft I hardly catch it. So I
repeat it back to her. I almost feel like we're having a real conversation :)

Sad milestone reached:
Last week she reached the milestone of daddy-forgetting-that-she's-mobile
-leaving-her-on-the-couch-then-leaving-the-room-only-to-have-her-launch
-herself-off-the-couch-not-two-seconds-later. No injuries, but she sure was
pissed! Gee, thanks daddy!

Baby senses the value of flirting to get what she wants:
I think this is innate. She didnt learn it from me :p Jilly does flirt. I swear.
We were at the mall on Sunday and she was flirting right and left. Everyone
seemed to fall under her spell of cuteness. I don't know what it was, but she
had the charm on full-blast that day :D

BBL for SO's!

[AusAshMommy]

Melissa ~ Thanks for the compliments! Becca's hair is gorgeous, so wish Ashley had that kind of hair, with time she will! Go Becca STTN and holding her bottle by herself, what a big girl! And hello! Standing next to the book bin?!?! When did that happen???

Jen ~ Sorry about Gabe's screaming when you dropped him off, I'm sure he was fine w/in minutes of ya walking away! Austin always was...I was told he stopped crying before I even hit the door! LOL!!

Marisa ~ Sounds like Jilly's getting to be such a big girl!! YEAH!! So cute w/flirting...works like a charm everytime ;-)

Marchfamily ~ How ya feeling these days??? Hope your feeling better this time around than w/E!

***********
HUGE potty news! Austin's been in underwear all week w/no accidents. Only using his pull-ups at night and for nap. And, he even wakes up from nap dry! We've been using a calendar and little gold star stickers for him to put on th calendar everytime he goes on the potty and he LOVES putting the stickers on the calendar. So HUGE success there. He also used the potty 4 times yesterday, so thrilled about that!

Anyhew, Ashley is trying her darndest to pull herself up to stand, has luck every now and then but for the most part she slips and falls and doesn't try again. We do stand her up next to the furniture and she'll hold on for a few mins before tumbling over. She actually cruised Antoinette's couch a bit yesterday evening...so we're getting there. She also gets very MAD when she doesn't get to "walk" with us holding her hands...she LOVES it! Perhaps she'll walk before she actually crawls!

Well that's it from our little corner of the world!

[twinnyme]

And hello! Standing next to the book bin?!?! When did that happen??? ... We do stand her up next to the furniture and she'll hold on for a few mins before tumbling over. She actually cruised Antoinette's couch a bit yesterday evening...so we're getting there. She also gets very MAD when she doesn't get to "walk" with us holding her hands...she LOVES it! Perhaps she'll walk before she actually crawls!

Lara - It hasn't quite happened yet.... We're doing the same thing, propping her up and she can then hang on. But if she falls, be ready for the whining and crying until you pick her up again! :rolleyes: I think she has only pulled herself up once so far (and that's because she was already sitting on a boppy and, so, was higher up.) And she is JUST like Ashley - crying her eyes out until you "finger-walk" her - she just wants to be up and mobile, I guess. She's not really cruising yet and I'm also convinced she's going to walk before crawling (or not crawl at all) but then every once in a while I'll see a tiny sign of her trying to crawl... She does love her Fisher-Price learning table, though. Can stand holding onto that for I'd say 15-30 minutes just playing. I often put her there in the morning as I finish up getting ready for work.

Question: Is anyone thinking of getting (or already have) any sort of walker for DC? I have heard that they are dangerous and not a good way to help a child learn to walk so I've resisted, but sometimes I get awfully tired of finger-walking Becca everywhere.... A slightly older boy in our neighborhood has one and I see him and his mother out every day with him walking with it.... Thoughts?

That's great about the stickers working for potty training Austin! I was just reading another thread ("Mommy Tricks" I think) where someone gives their DC stickers on their hands to play with to help distract the baby during diaper changes. Guess it never changes, huh?? But that's wonderful that it's succeeding!

the milestone of daddy-forgetting-that-she's-mobile
-leaving-her-on-the-couch-then-leaving-the-room-only-to-have-her-launch
-herself-off-the-couch-not-two-seconds-later.

Glad Jilly was okay, Marisa. I get worried about this myself; sometimes we leave her on a big comfy chair that has a matching ottoman but I push the ottoman in because it keeps her from getting off, but I know eventually she will and then I won't be able to do that anymore. I just have to watch for the signs BEFORE she actually does it....

Amanda - good point about having a second girl in a small house. We also have a small house so when we have another one, it might be best to have a girl, too. But since I think we're going to stop at two, I'd really like a boy as well. But we've only been in our house for 1.5 years and we want to hold onto it (for equity's sake) for at least 5 years before selling and buying a (hopefully) slightly bigger one, with a real yard, and since we probably need to start sooner rather than later (since I'm 34 now; just our preference for me not to be too much older before we have our second) I'm not sure what will happen if we have a boy. But I'll just be thankful if we're lucky enough to have a second healthy baby! :)

Well, back to work. Today's my half-day in the office, and then I go home to await the Comcast guy and my BIL. Comcast guy is coming to put a second modem downstairs so that we can get the computer out of Becca's room -