MayJune05 Moms - nearing the 6 month milestone!

[Dreshny]

Thanksgiving: Was kind of a bust this year. Dinner was called for 5:00 at my aunt's house, but earlier in the day, DH and I left Asher for 3 1/2 hours with my mom and brother while we saw Harry Potter. Apparently, he had a fabulous time and played very hard and laughed a lot, BUT he wouldn't nap, and he wouldn't drink the 5 oz of BM that I left for him. So come Thanksgiving dinner, he was exhausted and I guess hungry too, since he kept wanting to nurse, even though I fed him when we got back. He was totally cranky and miserable, and he wasn't able to be social, so DH and I gulped down dinner and left. He fell asleep in the car on the way back to my parents' house.

Friday night my parents watched him for an hour and a half so DH and I could go out to dinner. We hadn't been out together since my birthday in late September, and before that, not since early August. So it was great to have some time alone. Though when we got back Asher was screaming hysterically.

Doesn't make us very inclined to leave him. :rolleyes: I swear, before we had Asher, I could never understand parents who didn't go out together. I used to babysit a lot in college, and I always thought the overly worried moms of babies were being totally paranoid. Well, now I know...

Ugh, and get this: we never, ever saw a hospital bill for Asher's delivery. Insurance statement, yes, but never a bill, which I thought was weird. I figured it would come eventually. So yesterday, we get a notice FROM A COLLECTION AGENCY!! So now that needs to be straightened out.

Anyway, here is a new picture of Asher:

http://danielmodell.com/photos/asher/11-27-2005/image/img_5308.jpg

We just washed all of his 6-9 month clothes, and DH just had to take a picture of him this morning in a new outfit. :D

[tgr68]

Welcome to the group, Leslie!! Love your DD's name! So pretty!

tgray~I am the same way about our choices for names. Sometimes I feel like I'm being silly, especially since we have very unique names picked out, but I just have this thing about the possibility somebody else choosing "our name" after I've let the cat out of the bag.

Sasha~Glad DD did well traveling. Sorry she is still spitting up so much!

ladybug~Great pictures!!

Julie~Ugh! Sorry Colin is so miserable. Hopefully he'll get his teeth in soon.

Dreshny~What an adorable pic of Asher!!

Well, not much here. We watched Polar Express tonight. DD would go nuts in her bouncer anytime a song started! It was so cute! We also sat her on the couch for a while, and she kept trying to pull herself straight up to a sit!! Then she'd topple over onto the cushion. LOL! We are so on the verge of sitting up!

[Misty911]

Hey all, may I join?

I used to be on WC and it seems everyone has came here.

Me: Misty 28
DH: Patrick 30
Married: July 6, 2003
SD: Trisha, 10
DS: Caleb, 12/23/03
DD: Emily. 05/09/05
DS: ??, Due 04/09/06

[vegasgirl]

hi everyone, hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving. I was wondering if anyone has solution for my newest "problem". DD started rolling this past weekend, I mean really rolling, problem is she can only roll from back to front. This is becoming a real issue at night -She normally sleeps from 7 - 5 but the last few nights she is rolling on to her belly, waking up and not able to roll back and she can't figure out how to sleep on her belly so she eventually cries out. So i go in and roll her back and she goes back to sleep. Will she eventually teach herself to roll back or sleep on her belly?
Will i be getting up for weeks to flip on her back? Thoughts/suggestions?

Also, for those who have started solids and or plan to start soon -what brand of food do you use (if you use jar food) - Do you use organic? Just curious.

Thanks.

[allyray231]

Hope eveyone had a good thanksgiving. Aiden slept like a champ upstate and now we are back home and sleeping liked crap. I think he liked the quiet up there

[cynder]

Misty Good to see you again.

Second child names We have a girl's but if we have another boy we're going to have another debate.

Dreshny Cute picture of Asher. Looks like he's sitting up nicely!

Hope you all had a great holiday. We eat T-dinner late in our house so we gave some sweet potatoes and oatmeal and put DS to bed. Holiday was restful since in laws were here to help out. The only hitch is that DS's cough at night got worse and we ended up seeing the ped. He has a post bronchical infection that we are treating with a nebulizer (small little mask with the medicine steamed in. He hates it and I hate that we have to do it to him but he's sleeping better and until 6:00.

We're also giving him Zantac b/c it could be tied to acid reflux. For some reason daycare kept telling me that he was spitting up and he would spit up a lot at home. I just thought it was normal baby spit up but now after the Zantac, I foolishly realize that he did have some acid reflux. I thought peds over diagonose this so I overlooked it. D'oh! Much less spit cleaning now.

So I read Baby Super Food and I am going to try and make my own baby food. I hate buying all those jars and when I tried them, they taste so watered down. My MIL thinks I am crazy to attempt this as a WOHM but hey, it's the least I can do.

So I am going to try and cyber shop my xmas list later today. We decided that we are going to get DS a true Radio Flyer wagon and this cute Fisher Price monkey toy and call it a day. It's going to be real hard for me but we really want to save money for some home projects and DS is not going to notice how many presents he gets. Wish me luck.

[diedra1027]

I hope everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving!

We had a pretty good time at our two celebrations. At my family party, Avery slept for the first hour or so and woke up with the biggest blown out diaper I've ever seen in my life. I ended up having to dip her in a bath to get all the poo off her :eek:! To top it off, I didn't have a backup outfit with me. Luckily, she just took out her onesie and her pants and sweater escaped harm. My mom had a huge guest list (over 30 people!!), so baby was really overwhelmed and clingy.

We spent quite a bit of time with one of our nephews this weekend (DHs brothers ~4 year old son) and it was quite eye opening. On Friday, they came over for brunch at our house. E (the nephew) has so many food issues, but his parents were trying to negotiate with him to get him to eat some turkey bacon and fruit. He was putting up a good fight. Then he started to pretend to gag in order to get out of eating anything. Pretending to gag made him throw up all over my dining room table. It was just lovely. At FILs dinner on Saturday, little E literally whined his way through dinner. Over an hour straight of whining, wimpering, and crying over having to eat a few bites of food. I was ready to boot him out on the deck myself since my whining tolerance level is so low. Needless to say, DH and I had a lot of LOOOONG talks about what we would have done in these situations (and how we can avoid going down that path altogether!).

[ahavnes]

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Ours was nice, although I always spend the entire time running around seeing family whenever we go to Miami. Abbey was a peach on the plane ride...for all 6 hours! She was great for her baptism also. I got teary eyed during the ceremony. I never used to be like that. Having a kid has made me emotional. :)

We ended up getting off our flight back to SF on Friday night. I travel quite a bit and am not prone to hysterics, but I had a bad feeling about that flight from the start, before we even got on. Then, while we were still at the gate the plane shut off and went completely black. Twice. Not helping my bad feeling. I didn't say anything and the plane left the gate. When we got to the runway, the pilot came on and said we were going back to the gate b/c the back engine wasn't working right. Nice! :eek: I told DH that we were getting off asap. The flight had already been delayed 2 hours, which would have put us in SF at 1am eastern time. Not good with a kid. No biggie though, American put us on another flight the next morning and we stayed with my cousin. Abbey slept through the whole thing. :)

[tgr68]

Sounds as though everyone had a good Thanksgiving!!

Misty~Welcome! I see you are pg again. Congrats!!

Vegasgirl~We use Del Monte. I may try making my own baby food later, but right now our lives are just too crazy for me to add anything else to my plate. :(

Cynder~cute Fisher Price monkey toy We put the same thing on DD's Christmas list! It look like it would be so fun!

ahavnes~How crazy about the plane!! :eek: Glad they were able to move you to a different flight!

Not much goin on here. Just trying to get some housecleaning done, so we can get Christmas stuff pulled out!!

[KGif]

Thanksgiving
Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving! Jack ate rice cereal and sweet
potatoes. No turkey for him!

Ladybug
LOVE your family picture. that came out great! May I ask where you bought Jack's sweater??

[Natrat80]

ladybug Cute pictures! I went to the website posted on your pics and saw you got them taken in Frisco....we live in Little Elm! :) Where were the pictures taken?

[Natrat80]

I can't believe I forgot to post this....Addie can sit up by herself! We started working on it about 2 weeks ago and yesterday and today she sat up by herself for 3+ minutes. I'm such a proud momma!
Here's my big girl:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5cf06b3127cce95d0334f306800000046108AbMnLlm4ctH
and one more from Thanksgiving:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5cf09b3127cce95d335a4def900000015108AbMnLlm4ctH

[tgray99]

We ended up getting off our flight back to SF on Friday night. I travel quite a bit and am not prone to hysterics, but I had a bad feeling about that flight from the start, before we even got on. Then, while we were still at the gate the plane shut off and went completely black. Twice. Not helping my bad feeling. I didn't say anything and the plane left the gate. When we got to the runway, the pilot came on and said we were going back to the gate b/c the back engine wasn't working right. Nice! :eek: I told DH that we were getting off asap. The flight had already been delayed 2 hours, which would have put us in SF at 1am eastern time. Not good with a kid. No biggie though, American put us on another flight the next morning and we stayed with my cousin. Abbey slept through the whole thing. :)
YIKES!!!! :eek:

So scary! Mother's intuition is strong in you, young Padawan. ;)

OK, so we're getting to San Fran around 2 or so (well, our plane gets into San Jose around that time) and we're staying Saturday night at the Hilton down by Fisherman's Wharf (tell me that's a nice place to stay). We'll be in San Fran the rest of the day Saturday and I think all day Sunday (we might be heading to Carmel on Sunday night). Would you want to meet around lunchtime on Sunday? I know we'll be in the downtown/touristy areas the whole time, so you let me know when and where. :D

[Dreshny]

So I know I've posted pieces of this story on this thread before, but here is the full story:

A month ago out of the blue I got a call from an agent (one I don't have a relationship with) asking me (a) if I was Jewish, and (b) if I wanted to audition for a voiceover project.

I didn't know what I was going to do with Asher while I auditioned, but coincidentally I knew that kimthebride was going to be in town the day and time of the audition, and she agreed to watch Asher for me (thanks, Kim!) So Kim sat in a coffee shop with screaming Asher in a sling and calm Thomas in a stroller while I dashed out to the audition, thinking nothing would come of it.

Two weeks later I was told I had been chosen, and the voiceover project had turned into a video commercial project. At that point I had to scramble to find a sitter for a full day. My downstairs neighbor agreed to accompany me and Asher to the shoot, and she walked around outside with him during the session and I nursed him whenever I had a break from shooting.

You can view the result here: (click on the 4th video--I'm Roseanne)

http://congressofthejewishpeople.org/

(Yes, it's very Jewish-oriented, and I don't usually mix my ethnic identity into my work, but whatever...) And Asher makes a surprise appearance. :) The thing was mostly scripted, but obviously I'm ad-libbing a little.

[rancherswife]

oh my, as always, sooo much to catch up on! Glad to hear everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Just real quick...running out the door..tgray:thank you for helping me:) !

bbl......

[Dally]

It's been a while...I'm having trouble keeping up with threads thanks to work. But I still want to check in and see how all of the May/June babies are doing. :)

The first holiday thing is so much fun. We sat Annalie in a bumbo chair on top of the table and let her eat a sweet potato from one of those mesh feeders. She loved being part of things.

photos--Asher is adorable. :) and I love the family photos.

BFing--I'm planning to BF at least a year. It's hard, because I pump at work. I'm going to quit pumping at work at a year, but I'll BF longer if possible.

Solids--So far, Annalie likes pretty much everything I've fed her. I didn't start until she was six months, though, so we we're still just doing first fruits and veggies. Question--how much do you feed a baby that didn't start until six months? Should I feed her twice a day?

Sleeping--Does anyone's baby still wake up a million times a night? Annalie went from 1-2 nightwakings when she was four months old to 3-4 (and sometimes more!) now. I'm so tired! She's in a P&P in my room. I wonder if I should move her to her crib...

Roseanne--The commercial's great. You look amazing and not sleep-deprived (like me!). :)

I actually got to see the Harry Potter movie over the weekend. It was great! I finally realized that Annalie's early bedtime can be a good thing (and not just a sad thing for a WOHM). After I put her to bed at 7pm, my mom and I snuck out to watch the movie while DH stayed home. Annalie never woke up. :) Next time, I'll go out with DH!

[Carissa]

Hi guys just dropping by for a quick hello! Hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday!

[KGif]

Roseann
That was awesome! I watched the video before finishing your post and I honestly had no idea it was scripted. LOVED Asher's cameo :)

[Traciann]

ladybug- very cute pictures. i love the colors you picked.

Dreshny wow..how cool is that!

Natratwe have that same stacker! Mary Kate likes to take the rings off and chew on the base.

Big news around here is that Mary Kate is starting to crawl. She has been moving a couple of steps on her knees lately...but the last couple of days she has been really getting around. I can't leave her for a second. She is also is starting to pull up on things...mainly the coffee table...but she gets frustrated because she can't get up all the way.

Traci

[Jessiesmama]

Hi everyone!

Dreshny
Awesome commercial! You look terrific!

Sitting up
Jessie is on the verge of sitting alone - she's done it for a few seconds here and there - but not yet for a whole minute! Soon though!

Thanksgiving
Wen to DH's Aunts house in Marlboro, NJ - about an hour from me - Jessie was good but over stimulated and didn't take her naps - she slept in the car ont he way home then wouldn't go down until 12:20am - what a night.

Sleeping
Another odd thing is that Jessie was STTN for 3 months - she slept 10-12 hours a night! Then she hit a stage at around 4 months where she woke up several times a night and started waking earlier in the morning. We took her paci qaway a week and a half ago and she's back to STTN but now she wakes at 6:00 the latest. Ugh! I'm tired. Any advice?

She tried out her sunflower towel for the first time lasty night - here she is after her bath!
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5cf06b3127cce95d0ecfe702e00000025108EZtWzNw0Z8

And heres one from yesterday when we were out shopping!
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5cf06b3127cce95d0ecbc706c00000016108EZtWzNw0Z8

[tgr68]

Nat~Addison is so cute!! Yeah for sitting up!

Dreshny~Ditto to what everyone else said! Love Asher's cameo!

Traciann~Wow! How awesome!! :cool:

Jodie~What a cutie!! Jessie is on the verge of sitting alone Shylah is too!

Okay, off to read to Shylah and put her down for her afternoon nap.

[Dreshny]

Thanks for the compliments on the commercial. :) I wasn't sure if I should post it.

All the recent baby pictures are so cute--Shylah, Jack, Addie, and Jessie. I love seeing how they are all growing, and yet looking the same, too. It's really cool.

Dally: Asher has been waking up a lot recently, too, and for a while there, he was waking only once or STTN. Now it's 2-3 or even 4 times a night. I got the impression at my LLL meeting that a lot of BF babies do that. Maybe it's teething or a developmental stage?

Sitting: Asher can do it for several minutes sometimes, but he has to be in the right sort of mood. Otherwise, he falls right over. ;)

[rancherswife]

dreshny:very cool! you look great!

ahavnes:glad to hear the trip went well, despite the minor glich at the airport:o !

Darling pics. of all the babes!

sleep:so, we had our worst night we've had since birth, night before last! he was up 6 times, i just finally broke down at 3:45 am and started crying, asking dh what we were doing wrong????? I was at a loss! I swaddled him, un-swaddled him, fed, burped, put him in bed w/ us, NOTHING worked! So, my mom calls at 7:45 yesterday morning and I told her what the previous night was like, she told me, "I'll be there in 10 mins. to get him so you guys can get some rest!" AHHH...Dh and I slept until 11:30, it was bliss! Of course, Landon slept that whole time at my parents as well:rolleyes: . So, yesterday, dh and I decided he was just too big for the co-sleeper , BUT we weren't ready for him to go into his room yet, it's too far away...(really, it's on the other side of the house) poor planning when building the house a couple years ago!:mad: But, what can we do now? So, we decided to bring the pnp into our room but away from the bed. So, I nursed him last night at the normal time, he fell asleep like usual, put him in the pnp, no problem. Dh and I quietly crawled into bed to watch desperate housewives, and just as that was ending, he woke up. So I nursed him (he hadn't really eaten a whole lot before he fell asleep at the boob, before that) fell right back to sleep, put him back in the pnp, SCREAMED! And mind you, he's NOT a screamer. So, I pick himup, soothe him, get him back to sleep, lay him down, SCREAMS! I sit on the bed and look at dh and he says "screw it, put him in bed w/ us!'' I paused for a brief second and thought, ah, what the hell! I'm tired. So, of COURSE the kid slept like a rock all night! I so-don't want this to happen AGAIN! But I'm totally at a loss for what to do???????????????? He's always slept no prob. in his co-sleeper (well, w/ a few wakings, of course!) But never a problem like this??? I'm at a loss....

Thanks for listening

So, my NEXT problem (I'm full of them today :rolleyes: ) I uploaded the pic. that Chylynn played with and all that, BUT stupid snapfish is saying the resolution is too low to do a card with...WTF? Can I fix that?

Oh, and solids! We are still just doing cereal, BUT Landon is on a strike, WONT' eat it????

[allyray231]

Ohh Ran you poor thing--sounds like teeth-or maybe gas??

[EMsMom]

Thanksgiving - We tried to puree turkey and mashed potatoes together, but my mom's blender (which is older than me) couldn't get it fine enough and Emma gagged. So that was the end of that and I pulled out her sweet potatoes. :)

We ended up having a 2nd thanksgiving because the ILs couldn't make it Thursday, so I gave Emma some of my mashed potatoes and she made a face, but ate them.

Names - OMG I was the same way... SIL (BIL's wife) was pregnant before I was, by 5 months. I remember asking her about names and she said Emily... I was very upset, as I'd always wanted to name my first daughter Emma, which is a little too close for my taste. Fortunately, she chose a different name :) But I can understand everyone's feelings!

Meat - That stuff is FOUL!! Or should I saw FOWL... We tried turkey and it smelled like cat food. In fact, the cats were swarming!! Emma hated it, too... Thank the lord for my SIL (Brother's wife) said they never gave my niece the straight meat because it was nasty looking. So she suggested the meat mixed with something else.... Low and behond, she ate it right up!

Sippy Cup - SIL also suggested the nuby cup with a rubber mout piece and Emma took to it a lot better!

DreshNY - I take it that you are an actress? I was a trained as an actor. :) That's so wonderful about the commercial!

On another note, I'm also Jewish. Are you raising your child that way? Is DH Jewish, too? Sorry if I'm asking too many questions.

Ladybug - Fantastic photos! I want to have a family photo done, too. :)

JessiesMama - I love the pic of your little one in the towel!! Too cute!!

Black Friday - We got up bright and early and left the house at 5:30 am. We didn't get back home until after 5 pm! Emma was EXCELLENT the whole day. And we trecked all over the place, too! She was her usual happy self and people kept commenting on how good she was... No with that said, she'll probably be a terror as a toddler.

Christmas - I want a really nice stocking for Emma, but don't know where to find one...

Anyone ever see this... http://store.babycenter.com/product/furniture_bedding/nursery_accessories/lamps_nightlights/7511?stage=

I'm getting one for Emma, and my two nieces for the holidays, I think. :)

[ahavnes]

rancher'swife- Abbey hates sleeping in her PNP also. Always has. She sleeps the most soundly with us
(:rolleyes: ) or in her crib. Maybe you could try the crib with the monitor. It's really hard at first, but you get used to it. I hope it gets better!

[Natrat80]

Rancherswife Oh, I'm so sorry about your horrible night! My DD hasn't ever enjoyed sleeping in a pack n play although she did pretty well over Thanksgiving in one. DD bedroom is SOOOO far away from our bedroom and when we moved here it was so hard to put her in her crib in her room. My parents were here for a few days and stayed in the guest room next to Addie's room and that made me feel better. Is there another bedroom close to Landon's that you could sleep in until you're feeling better about the move? And your
christmas card ?? Did you resize the picture before you uploaded it to snapfish?? If so just upload the original size one and it should be fine....I've had that problem before with shutterfly. If that doesn't work I don't know what to do!! :rolleyes:
jessiesmama Jessie is so cute! How did you get that bow in her hair? DD has crazy hair right now and most days it looks like a mohawk! But it looks like that bow in Jessie's hair might work....where did you get it?

Gotta go.....fussy baby!:eek:

[Dally]

rancherswife--My DD has also had more wakeups since we moved her from her co-sleeper to a P&P next to our bed. Maybe the P&P is part of the problem? I also wonder about teething, etc.

Dreshny--I think you're right about BF'd babies waking up more. And it's hard not to reinforce that by just nursing the little ones so they go right back to sleep. I go back and forth in my mind all the time about whether to just put Annalie in bed with us or move her from her P&P next to the bed to her crib across the hall. Indecision has left her in her P&P for now...:rolleyes:

jessiesmama--I'm curious about that bow, too. Your DD is a little cutie. :)

[Coccinelle]

Welcome to the group, Leslie!! Love your DD's name! So pretty!

I think you mean me, so thanks!! :)

Thought I'd share a pic of Lily..
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y242/lilysmama/IMG_13021.jpg

[ladybug0525]

Natrat - I love that photographer he has done our maternity, Jack's 3 month and 6 month pictures. He has gotten a bit pricey but when I first used him he was really reasonable. You can see one of our maternity shots in his galleries. The park is called Central Park in Frisco which is by the Stonebriar Mall/Stars Center, right behind the Buffalos, does that make sense?

Rancherswife - I hear you about a bad night, could he be getting more teeth?? Jack has not slept good in a PNP our entire vacation in Cali.

ladybug1196 - Love your user name and your daughters name, that is our girls name!

KGIF - Janie and Jack, it was on sale but still too pricey!

deidra - I hear you on the blow out diaper, ours happened on the plane and it was BAD. DH came back from changing Jack sweating!!

[Coccinelle]

ladybug1196 - Love your user name and your daughters name, that is our girls name!

Apparently, you and I have some pretty big things in common :)

[tgray99]

Some new pics from Thanksgiving and decorating my mom's tree:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5cf09b3127cce95ee2ba6feb700000016108AZs3LFk0bNP
Eating mashed potatoes

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5cf09b3127cce95ee2cfc3f4600000016108AZs3LFk0bNP
Yummy! Those are good, Mom!

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5cf09b3127cce95ee390e7f2600000015108AZs3LFk0bNP
Hangin' out, under Grandmommy's Christmas tree

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5cf09b3127cce95ee3392fe8f00000015108AZs3LFk0bNP
These lights sure are neat!

[tgray99]

oh my, as always, sooo much to catch up on! Glad to hear everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Just real quick...running out the door..tgray:thank you for helping me:) !

bbl......
You're welcome!! Glad I could help!

Dreshy: Very cool! Loved the Asher cameo in his little "I heart NY" shirt. ;) BTW, what's Aliya? (Just curious...I have Jewish ancestors on my dad's side and I've always been very intrigued and interested in the Jewish faith.) Thanks!

[Dreshny]

EM's Mom: Yes, we're both Jewish, so Asher is too, by default. :D I take it your DH is not, since Emma is getting a Christmas stocking?

And yes, I'm an actress, though I haven't done very much since getting pregnant. I auditioned like crazy in my first trimester and most of my second with no luck, and once I started showing, I had to stop. But mostly I just temped last year. :rolleyes: And now that I'm a SAHM, it's pretty impossible for me to get to auditions. I'm thinking maybe I could bring an umbrella stroller with me just so I have a place to put Asher down, though I don't know if he'd go for it.

ladybug1196: Love the name Lily! It was one of our girl choices, too.

tgray: The picture of Aidan with the lights is frame-worthy! Really gorgeous. "Aliyah" ia a Hebrew word that literally means "going up" or "ascending." When a Jewish person "makes aliyah" it means they've moved to Israel.

DH asked me if anyone commented about the bars on our window in the picture I posted of Asher. No, we're not in jail. It's an NYC ordinance that anyone who lives with a child under age 10 has to have window guards installed so that the child can't fall out the window. They're ugly, but they save lives.

[tgray99]

tgray: The picture of Aidan with the lights is frame-worthy! Really gorgeous.
Thanks! I got the idea from a scrapbooking magazine. I turned the lights down and my flash off and then let her play with the lights. My mom was freaked that she'd electrocute herself (as it turns out, so was DH when he saw the picture.) You could probably do something similar with Asher near a candle...although you'd need someone to keep him from reaching for it while you're photographing him.

"Aliyah" ia a Hebrew word that literally means "going up" or "ascending." When a Jewish person "makes aliyah" it means they've moved to Israel.
Very interesting! Thanks! :D

[Sasha]

Back from Philly, and it looks like I have a lot to catch up on here! We had a great time and my mom loved having so much time with Sarah. Sarah was wonderful on the plane ride back, with the exception of a bumpy landing that caused her to throw up. Poor thing :(.

I took this picture of Sarah that we are going to use on our holiday cards. I don't think a professional could have gotten a better picture! ;) As you can see, Sarah is now starting to sit up on her own!
http://images.snapfish.com/34564%3A4%3B23232%7Ffp336%3Enu%3D3238%3E%3B63%3E63 8%3EWSNRCG%3D323335%3A44%3B874nu0mrj

Ok, someone please tell me how I am going to get through this day. In our house of recurring sickness, I seemed to have come down with some sort of stomach bug. Sarah has an 11am appt with the GI doctor and then I have a 3:30 job interview! I am just praying I start feeling better very soon...

[allyray231]

Dreshy that is too cool!!

Aww all the pics are great-I didn't take one picture at thankgiving-I am a horrible mother

I think Aiden is teething-he has a huge white bud on his bottom gum and attacks my sholder whenever he has a chance.

[DisneyGirl]

How to post pictures can someone please tell me how to post pictures on here. With seeing all the cute babies I want to join in the fun too.
Thanks

Dreshy:Very cool commercial. Thanks for sharing it with us.

sasha I hope you start feeling better.

[diedra1027]

Roseanne - Cool commercial! I noticed the window in the background of Asher's picture, but I didn't notice the bars :).

Sasha - What a great picture! She has an 'older' face - it's really easy to imagine what she's going to look like over the next few years. Very Adorable :D. I hope you guys start feeling better soon.

[njnewyearsbride]

had our 6-month check up yesterday
hazel is 26" and 18lbs
we got 3 vaccines and the first round of the flu shot.

oh yeah :) shes been sitting unsupported for good amounts of time for the past 2 weeks!

heres my girl - 6 months old :)
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a183/njnyb/IMG_4174.jpg

[kimthebride]

Okay, I got back from Thanksgiving in Chicago last night so he’s my week-catch-up!

10/22 QOTD: Baby #2 Names
I had our girl’s name picked out when we got pg: Isabella, and we’d likely call her Bella. If you knew my last name, you’d know it was PERFECT (right, dreshny?). Well….during baby yoga I made a very good friend who’s daughter’s name is – you guessed it! And the funny thing is that if she had a boy the name was to be Thomas!
So yes, I am already thinking of baby #2 names….for girls I still love Bella but also have had Eva/Ava in mind for a long time.
As for boys? I don’t know.

Baby Luggage
Not only is it crazy how much STUFF we need to bring on the plane…but getting it to and from the airport? Fugeddabouddit! We needed to hire a driver with an SUV to bring us to and from, and make sure the ILs picked us up in one as well. One cannot pack lightly for winters in Chicago!
Since we will be back at the IL’s in a few weeks, I went to Target while I was there and bought some things to leave there to make travel easier: diapers, wipes, lotions, FP Aquarium, mirror for the car, baby spoons, etc. save me some luggage space.

LIZNKEITH: Formula
I knew someone here taste tested! :) I will ask my Ped about Good Start at DS’s 6 month appointment.

Sitting Up
Yay for Maia, Jack, Addie, Asher, Sarah, Hazel, Cynder’s Wee One and Grace!
I am thinking Thomas will be doing it by Christmas. He’s soooo close.

Crawling!
OMG Mary Kate! Does this mean we now have KIDS instead of BABIES?!

Sasha
Ummm…isn’t it illegal to bother your employees about their sick days and caring for their children?? Sorry you’re dealing with this!

Thanksgiving
It was nice!
Thomas is such a good flier. On the way there DH was on one aisle seat with DS and I was next to him across the aisle. No one sat next to him so he sat DS in the center seat (which elicited many AWWWWWs from surrounding passengers) and we switched seats. Ends up the girl in the window seat was in nursing school, so she was great – helped me change and play with Thomas, pulled out a puke bag from the seat pocket when I needed to toss the dirty diaper, was so great entertaining him. What a delight! Made for a very nice flight. And on the way home I was surrounded by grandmas, so no problems there, either.
We did have a slightly frustrating start: I spoke with Mil and Fil separately to ensure that whoever picked us up from the airport came in an empty truck and alone so we’d all fit. Well, Fil shows up with Dh’s 5 yo nephew in a truck with some random stuff in it and only 1 working seatbelt in the back. :rolleyes: So I locked DS’s carseat in, then had to do the death grip on nephew the whole 45 minute drive home, with all our luggage CRAMMED into the back.
But after that, it was good. The ILs would pout a bit because I had Thomas take his regular naps at regular East Coast times (2 hours in the am, 1 hour mid-day then 2 hours late afternoon), whether or not they were playing with him, doing dinner, etc. I told them his sleeping schedule – so I they wanted a big chunk of time with him they should be up for his 6:30-9:30am playtime when he’s in the best of moods. But alas, why listen to me?
Anyhoo…
It was a nice time (barring the 1 1/2 hours sitting on the runway before flying home last night). I got to see one of my best friends. The food was great, everyone was so good to Thomas.
Except….they were annoyed with me that I wouldn’t let MIL give him a lollipop. Ummm…maybe this is just ME but I’d prefer his 1st food to be the cereal DH & I will be feeding him on Saturday at his 6-month ‘bday’. Not a lollipop!
Another problem is their apartment is sooo dry. Some may remember DS’s skin issues. Well…his rash came back while we were there, even though I was slathering him in his Eucerine/aloe mix 2x a day. I made sure MIL had a humidifier for next time.
It was loud and busy with a lot of people so DS did get overwhelmed a few times, but since he was good about his naps it was never a bad scene. So overall it was a nice trip!

[kimthebride]

Jumparoo
So she really liked it, chylynn? But yikes, 25 lbs! When do they hit that?? DS is already about 18 or so…
I’m ordering mine today.

QOTD 11/23: Spoiling
No, not us. DH is annoyed at me for not wanting the ILs to spoil him (toys, junkfood, candy, overriding my ‘rules’). They want to buy him soooo muuuuuuch crap for Xmas and we literally don’t have enough room here for anything (thus, we are house-hunting). He says my trying to get everyone to spend less $ at Xmas is ridiculous.
BTW: he totally spoils Thomas! Lol ;) He’s always coming home with presents from NikeTown and letting him watch sports on tv with him.

RanchersWife
Color! Sooooo CUTE!
I wanted to do naked baby in Santa hat but Dh won’t go for it. Sooo..he’ll have to wear his entire santa outfit! ;)
Sorry about the tough night. Maybe gas? I’ve eaten the wrong thing and given DS gas which has really bothered him at night. A little Mylicon-stuff helps.
I find that lack of sleep is accumulating and I am cursing more (not at DS, only in general). If DH wakes up amidst one of DS’s many many bouts of let’s-not-sleep-it’s-3am and offers recommendations, I just tell him to leave me the hell alone (or something more colorful) since I know he’s not really awake. This is totally so not me! I need better nights so I don’t lose it. Thank God he doesn’t remember what I say to him…

Solids and Sleeping
I know I know I know that the Ped’s today say there is no correlation between solids and sleeping. BUT I am truly thinking that DS is ready – so ready – and it’s affecting his sleep. In Chicago he was still up 3x a night, and doing 1-2 more feedings a day. He goes CRAZY watching me eat food, and when I give him his gas drops I can just drop them right in his mouth and he ‘eats’ it, licking his lips afterwards.
I hope that starting Saturday when we introduce cereal he starts doing better at night. I am SO DARN TIRED!

Cynder
How you liking the P3? Open/close takes getting a hang of, but I LOOOOVE mine!

Black Friday
I spent it BABY-FREE!!!! :) Over 6 hours of two free hands…ahhhhh….. MIL booked spa day for me, her and the 2 SILs so we did that, had a leisurely lunch and walked around a bit in Chicago’s 1st snowfall. It was so nice. DH stayed with Fil and hung out with the baby. Two pumped bottles were eated with no problems. Yay!

Welcome ladybug! :)
Booo - I missed the family pictures.

[kimthebride]

Sasha
Oh, I hope Sarah’s vomiting has stopped! Poor thing…

Dreshny
Lol – I always thought we’d just pop Thomas in his stroller to join us for dinner, but that is SO NOT HAPPENING at this point. Life is different now, isn’t it? :)
Our OB is still sending our hospital bills to the wrong insurance company after we changed companies A YEAR AGO. I have given them the new card info in person about 3-4x, via fax, email and phone at least a half dozen times. I can totally hear your frustration and surprise. That bill is a BIG one!

Asher is so cute! Love the jammies! (and no, I didn’t notice the bars but I laughed at the thought of you posting from prison ;) )

And that commercial is great.

Hi Misty! Welcome!

VegasGirl: Rolling & Food
DS can roll both ways, he just decided he doesn’t want to. :rolleyes: So I have been ‘swaddling’ him from armpits down at night – without his legs he can’t roll over. And that has helped.
I am doing the Earth’s Best cereals since they have a lot less ingredients than the other brands I’ve seen, and the Gerber Orgnaic fruit/veg. Same reason.

Cyber Shopping
Yesterday MIL took me to Target while I was still in Chicago and I bought the 2 nephews their gifts so I don’t have to ship them. Today I am going onto Amazon and hopefully doing the rest of my shopping! I just don’t have it in me right now to shlep around a busy mall with the stroller.

diedra
Um, ew! How did everyone handle the vomit on the table?! I know some people who vomit when they see/smell other people’s. Sorry you had to go through that.

ahavnes
Wow – those premonitions are creepy. At least you got off! And got home safely…

Jessiesmama
OMG I love that towel! She’s looking adorable!
Sorry, no advice yet on the sleep. Once I get Thomas to sleep again I’ll let you know. ;)

natrat
Lol – DS has a Mohawk, too! I finger-comb him to spread it out and make it look like real hair. ;)

tgray
I adore that picture of her with the lights!
(BTW: new hair, right? Looking good!)

njnyb
Ak! Hazel looks like a kid! Elmo’s shriiinkiiiing…

[cynder]

Kim Love the P3 though we've only taken it out once. Sam is so small that it looks like he's riding a tank. FIL and I were impressed with how easy it was to put together but the damn cupholder is not going on. Any tips? It's not that I really need it but I miss having a place to put my keys. Glad to hear the holiday went well for you all. I am flying to Chicago in Dec.

So I am traveling alone with DS for Xmas. I don't remember what drugs I was on when I made that decision but basically it was the offer of free miles from my parents that made me do it. Does anyone know if a car seat checked at the baggage counter counts as a piece of baggage? I am not planning on taking a lot since Sam has everything at both grandparents house and I am sending all my gifts online. But I do have an extra suitcase of my parents that I would like to return to them.

Also I know how to travel when DH is with me but I am getting kind of worried about doing this by myself. We have two flights and usually these flights are the kind you have to walk to and then walk up stairs. My plan is to have backpack diaper bag and check the P3 at the gate and check the car seat w/ baggage. Anyone travel sans spouse?

[vegasgirl]

kim - thanks for the swaddling tip - ellie used to love to be swaddled and we just stopped at about 4 mos. its like once you stop doing something your brain forgets how much they liked it. i will try anything - last night was horrible. she kept rolling on her stomach and would cry and cry after a few minutes. then at one point she fell asleep on her stomach - i know this is ok now that she can roll over but i was still nervous. between this and what i believe is teething - i am exhuasted!!!

anyone else who has started solids have a kid who is not all that interested in the food. My DD takes it but just a little bit at a time and doesn't seem to be all that excited and we have been doing solids for 6 weeks. i thought for sure once we started fruit she would be so excited... she was like this with her bottles at first too.. everyone else i know has kids that jump at the sight of bottles or food...

[tgr68]

rancherswife~Ugh! Sorry about the rough night!

EmsMom~I'll have to keep that in mind about the meat.

ladybug1196~Lily is so adorable!

tgray~Aidan is so cute. Love the pic with the lights!

Dreshny~"Aliyah" ia a Hebrew word that literally means "going up" or "ascending." When a Jewish person "makes aliyah" it means they've moved to Israel. Interesting. You learn something new everyday!

Sasha~What a great pic of Sarah! I, too, find that I will occasionally get lucky and snap one better than the pros! ;) Sorry everyone is feeling down. Good luck at your interview!!

Ally~You are not a horrible mom. I only got a couple of DD in her turkey onsie that I made, but none of her eating!

njnewyears~Hazel is so cute!

Kim~Glad Thanksgiving went well! they were annoyed with me that I wouldn’t let MIL give him a lollipop. Ugh! MIL is the same way. She got annoyed when myself, her sis, and FIL all told her not to give DD cake icing at the wedding reception we were all at. She completely ignored us and gave it to her anyway! :mad: Ugh! I don't want my kid to turn into a sugaraholic like DH's family is!!! Good luck with the solids. From what you said, it sounds like Thomas is ready. :cool:

DD is down for her morning nap, and I need to actually get started on some housework. DH is going to think I spend all day on the computer if I don't! LOL.

[EMsMom]

Ok... Better late than never, eh?

Me: Hope, 29 - 30 on 12/8 :rolleyes:
DH: 34
Married: 5/18/03
DD: Emma Kathryn 5/17/05 10:05 am
Baby's Stats: 8 lbs 3 oz 20 inches


----

Dresh - Cool! A fellow jew and actor... Well, I used to be an actor, anyway. What sort of acting do you do? Stage? Film/TV? I used to do musical theatre, myself. I miss it. :( I'm also a SAHM.

I lived in NYC for a brief time and LOVED it. I miss it, too. Where abouts do you live?

You are correct that DH is not Jewish. I was raised Jewish and he was raised United Methodist. Neither of us are practicing, but our families will expose Emma to each side. :)

tgr68 - I swear SIL was a goddess for suggesting the mixed meat!! I swear the plain was just horrible smelling!! I mean really, it did smell like cat food and it caused our kitties to swarm!! How can that possibly be good?!

----

I think Emma's begun to teethe. Ugh... She's been really fussy and gnawing on her fingers. I stuck my finger in her mouth to see if I can feel anything and she bit down on it. I think I need to explore some of those freezer teethers that they have. Poor kid. :(

[Jessiesmama]

Wow - this thread is active today!

Natrat80 & Dally
The bow is Velcro. I pull her hair up, twist it, position the bow in place and stick the Velcro backing right onto it. Unfortunately I have no idea where it came from - I think my mom got it for us. It came on a sleeve with like 6 bows in different colors. It's the only think that will stay in her hair right now.

Food
Has anyone skipped giving barley cereal? I gave it one day but she seemed really fussy that day. Not sure if I need to keep giving it - or can I go to veggies now?

[EMsMom]

I only gave Emma Rice, Oatmeal and then Mixed Cereal (which she is on now).

[tgray99]

How to post pictures can someone please tell me how to post pictures on here. With seeing all the cute babies I want to join in the fun too.
Thanks
Hi Disneygirl, here's how to post a picture.
Post your pictures to Shutterfly or Snapfish.
When done with that, find a photo in Snapfish (or whatever) that you want to post and right click on it.
Scroll down to properties and click on it.
Get the address of the picture (I usually highlight the whole thing and hit "Control C" to copy it.)
Then, back over here on CC, push the "picture" button on the control bar of the reply box (the 5th one on the right).
In the pop up box that appears, put your cursor in it, click and then hit "Control V" to paste the photo url in the box.
Hit enter.
You should have something that looks like [*img]http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a183/njnyb/IMG_4174.jpg[*/img] (Without the asterisks)

If this doesn't work, go to technical help, the answer should be there.

I adore that picture of her with the lights!
(BTW: new hair, right? Looking good!)
Who, me or her? I have a new haircut and Aidan is quickly growing in a head of blonde hair. Hooray for recessive genes, I got a blonde headed blue eyed baby! :D But, thanks either way!

[ahavnes]

Welcome Emma's Mom! :)

Tgray- Sunday works well for us, although Abbey is coming down with a cold. Hopefully she'll be over it by then. PM me with times that work well for you on Sunday.

Sasha- Sorry you have the stomach bug, but good luck at your interview today! Crossing fingers. :)

Jessie'smama I skipped barley. We went straigt from Oatmeal to sweet potatoes.

Baby Pics- We have the cutest babies ever! I am amazed at how well everyone's pics are coming out.

Poor Abbey is coming down with whatever bug my mom had last week. She had her first fever last night (101). I gave her some tylenol, which seemed to help.

Here's a pic of Abbey at her baptism last Sunday. She chewed on her dress the whole time. :rolleyes:

http://images.snapfish.com/34564%3B9523232%7Ffp64%3Dot%3E2324%3D356%3D%3C93%3 D3233356%3B%3A2328nu0mrj

[kimthebride]

cynder
Ah, the cupholder. Basically you need to slice the piece that goen on the handlebar first. Then you put (wrestle) the cup-part onto that. I wouldn't use it for key, though - the fall rightout!

As for flying. I have flown United & Continental as "infant on lap" and they allowed me to:
- Check 2 bags curbside (1 suitcase, 1 carseat in bag)
- Check stroller at the gate
- Carry on 2 bags (diaper bag & personal item)
It's hard doing it alone, since if you wheel baby int he stroller you still need to take him out, collapse stroller to go through the xray machine and walk through yourself. Then open the stroller, put baby back in, diaper bag back on, never mind putting your shoes and coat back on.
I'd get there early to allow lots of time. You also need to find the elevators in the terminals if everything isn't on one floor. And pee before you get on the plane - no peeing with a baby on your lap in one of those tiny bathroom! lol!

tgray
Your haircut, silly! :)

[Dally]

The baby pics are so adorable. I need to get some uploaded so I can join in the fun. :)

Jessiesmama--Thanks for the tip on the bows. I'll have to look for those.

Rancherswife--How did last night go for you?

Sasha--I hope you feel better and that your interview goes well.

Solids and sleeping--Something is making Annalie's sleep worse. Could it be solids? She had bananas the last couple of days, and she hasn't had a BM. We're at 48 hours now; that's the longest she's ever gone. Before she started solids, she was a six-a day pooper :eek: , but then she went down to 1-2 a day after a couple of weeks of solids, and now none! I'm wondering if that's what kept her up. She literally did not sleep more than 40 minutes without crying, wanting to nurse, or wanting to be held. It was both heartbreaking and awful. :(

[Carissa]

Cute pics of the babies everyone!

Dreshy Neat commercial.

tgray We have the same fall outfit I think that Aidan is wearing in the first couple pics.

Kim Yay for a day baby free I bet that was nice.

Our Thanksgiving was nice. Grace ate Sweet potatoes for the first time. It was pretty nice and relaxing except I got some kind of sickness and spent the last week just feeling kinda ill. I did get some Christmas shopping in though which was awesome cause I love to shop. I love that Grace is sitting on her own now because she is occupied with her toys more. Still need to Christmas shop for her I have some ideas of what to get her, I am such a procrastinator.

[kimthebride]

Something is making Annalie's sleep worse. Could it be solids? She had bananas the last couple of days, and she hasn't had a BM. We're at 48 hours now; that's the longest she's ever gone.
Bananas are binding...so that could be it.
My DS used to poop at every diaper change then immediately went from that to 1x every 3-4 days (no solids, just breastmilk). But when he's had a really bad night and its been about 5 days, I gently put a rectal thermometer in that's lubed with Vaseline to see if he needs help getting things moving. Usually after about a minute he'll push it all out, then be so much better.

[tgr68]

Shylah wants to say "hi".

cccccccccc nmn .nh

Hehehe! :D

ahavnes~As I was reading along, DD saw the pic of Abby (very cute, BTW!) and starting cooing and "talking" to her!! Sorry Abby is not feeling well.

[EMsMom]

ahavnes - Thanks :) Your little one is a cutie!!

FYI... You can't use snapfish to post photos... In order to post photos on here, you do have to use a service to upload your photos and then copy/paste the link here, this is called hotlinking. BUT Snapfish doesn't allow hotlinking :( So the pix won't show up. I love snapfish, too and that's where most of my pix live... So I have to upload some to shutterfly in order to post.

[tgray99]

tgray
Your haircut, silly! :)
Oh, thanks! Actually, it's not all that new, I got it the week of the evacuation for Rita. It's finally grown into something I like. I'm never getting bangs cut into my hair again. :rolleyes:

Ahavnes: Sorry Abbey isn't feeling well. Aidan and I both just got over a cold, they're really going around down here. Abbey's baptism picture is cute, she has such big eyes! I'll PM you with my cell number because I don't know if I'll have access to a computer when I'm there.

Carissa: I think you posted pictures of Grace in her outfit. I got Aidan's from Ebay for a dollar (it cost more to ship than to buy). I heart Ebay.

[tgray99]

ahavnes - Thanks :) Your little one is a cutie!!

FYI... You can't use snapfish to post photos... In order to post photos on here, you do have to use a service to upload your photos and then copy/paste the link here, this is called hotlinking. BUT Snapfish doesn't allow hotlinking :( So the pix won't show up. I love snapfish, too and that's where most of my pix live... So I have to upload some to shutterfly in order to post.
Oops, I didn't know that. I always use Shutterfly. Thanks for clearing that up!

[EMsMom]

No problem... I am an old "hand" at the message boards and found that out early on... Some commercial websites also prevent you from hotlinking, too. Which stinks because you can't share photos of cute toys, etc.

[Sasha]

Originally Posted by EMsMom
FYI... You can't use snapfish to post photos... In order to post photos on here, you do have to use a service to upload your photos and then copy/paste the link here, this is called hotlinking. BUT Snapfish doesn't allow hotlinking So the pix won't show up. I love snapfish, too and that's where most of my pix live... So I have to upload some to shutterfly in order to post.
Actually I use Snapfish and don't have any problems. The picture I just posted was from Snapfish, as are all my pics.

Starting to feel better, finally! Sarah's GI appointment went well, although they switched her from Prevacid to Nexium since she has been vomitting so much more lately. Hopefully it will do the trick! My interview is at 3:30, wish me luck. I really need to get out of my current job, it's terrible. This job would actually be working at an organization partially run by Sarah's pediatrician, so that would be interesting. At least they would always know that I was never fake calling out sick if Sarah was ill!

Dreshny - How neat, love Asher's cameo!

Alicia - Abbey looks too cute! Ugh, I hope she doesn't have what Sarah had, I will just feel terrible :(. Hope she is feeling better.

Jessie'smama -We also skipped barley and went straight to sweet potatoes.

[EMsMom]

Well smack my bum and call me shirley! They used to not allow hotlinking... Good to know!! Thanks!

[Dreshny]

Sasha: Hope the interview went well and that Sarah's new medication works. Forgot to mention that I am also from the Philly suburbs. Like near Fort Washington/Willow Grove. :)

EM's Mom: You're in Pittsburgh, correct? Did you go to Carnegie Mellon for musical theatre? I did an awesome summer program there when I was in high school. I used to do a lot of musical theatre, too, and I still sing. But most of my recent work has been film.

[EMsMom]

EM's Mom: You're in Pittsburgh, correct? Did you go to Carnegie Mellon for musical theatre? I did an awesome summer program there when I was in high school. I used to do a lot of musical theatre, too, and I still sing. But most of my recent work has been film.

Yes, I am from Pittsburgh, but I didn't go to CMU. I went to two different colleges, Shenandoah Conservatory and Marymount Manhattan College in NYC. :) Boy, I really do miss New York!!

When I did theatre, it was musical. I also did some straight plays. I only tried film once when I was an extra in a movie. It paid well, but was terribly boring! That is so awesome that you are able to be both a mom and a working actor!!

[Dreshny]

EM's Mom: Well, "working" is a relative term..;)

[ladybug0525]

Can I tell you how nice it is to be home from traveling!! Now only if I can get Jack to get back to sleeping through the night I will be a Happy Momma!

kimthebride - I hear you on all the crap you need to travel. We had to have 2 cars come pick us up from the airport to get everything to my sisters. Also I am not new I think it is confusing because there is 2 ladybugs, she has a girl named Lily (which is actually my girl name) and I have a boy named Jack. I will PM you on how to see the pictures because I think you have the same outfit for Thomas from Janie and Jack and not sure if you took pictures in it.

Sasha - Good Luck at the interview - you need some flexibility being a working MOM!!

Beautiful pictures everyone!!

[kimthebride]

Also I am not new I think it is confusing because there is 2 ladybugs, she has a girl named Lily (which is actually my girl name) and I have a boy named Jack. I will PM you on how to see the pictures because I think you have the same outfit for Thomas from Janie and Jack and not sure if you took pictures in it.
i am so tired and confused - sorry!
And definitely send me that PM - I had Thomas in a J&J outfit with the tweed & argyle. I may post a picture here temporarily, he was too cute. :)

ETA:

Pic of Thomas in his Thanksgiving finery ;)
PHOTO DELETED

[ladybug0525]

kimthebride - No I totally understand seriously and I hear you about being tired! I have Jack in the same exact outfit - too freaking precious!

[DisneyGirl]

TGRAY Thanks for the help on how to post a picture..Now can you help me make the picture a little larger..

Thanks

[DisneyGirl]

YEAH! I figured out how to get the picture bigger! :D
Tgray thanks again....now I can play along too and post pictures.

Now i just have to post the most recent picture of Nikki. I just picked any picture so I could see If i could get this to work and I did!

[tgray99]

Glad I could help!

Kim and Ladybug, those are the cutest little outfits!!! I'm wishing I had some moolah so I could go check out Janie and Jack!

[Ferris]

tgray99 I was checking out the Janie and Jack website and that sweater is on sale! I think it was 26.99! Not to bad! They had a bunch of cute girl clothes on sale too. :)

[kimthebride]

www.JanieandJack.com
They have the CUTEST girl stuff, but you're right that it's a bit much. I never buy anything there that's not on sale.
Oh, and there's always J&J stuff on eBay as well, if you're looking!

[DisneyGirl]

Clothing Oh man talking about clothing..i can not stop shopping at the gymboree...I have a problem i swear.. There girls clothing are just so cute!

[tgray99]

I'll have to point my mom in that direction for Christmas presents! :D

[jmvan74]

I can never keep up with this thread. :p I love gymboree and did not know of J&J until seeing it on the boards. Tgray, i hear you on it being a little pricey, but sometimes i can't resist. :D

[allyray231]

Some holiday pics!!!
http://images.snapfish.com/3456594%3B23232%7Ffp336%3Enu%3D3237%3E958%3E632%3E WSNRCG%3D323335%3C35256%3Bnu0mrj

http://images.snapfish.com/3456594%3B23232%7Ffp335%3Enu%3D3237%3E958%3E632%3E WSNRCG%3D323335%3C359425nu0mrj

http://images.snapfish.com/3456594%3B23232%7Ffp336%3Enu%3D3237%3E958%3E632%3E WSNRCG%3D323335%3C359426nu0mrj

[tgr68]

EmsMom~Some commercial websites also prevent you from hotlinking, too. If you are a web designer (like me) and understand HTML, there are ways you can get the pics that they don't want you to have. I did it for my Christmas list this year!! ;) Well smack my bum and call me shirley! ROTFLOL!!

Sasha~How did the interview go?

Kim~Thomas is so handsome in his Thanksgiving getup!

J&J~Dang!! And I thought Gymboree was expensive! :eek: Those clothes are sooooo cute though! DH is going to kill me now, because I already have a bad habit of window shopping at Gymboree, and now you ladies have given me another place to do that. LOL!

Ally~Aiden is a doll!

Shylah has really gotten into a daily routine this week. I had decided that morning naps would be around 10am, but she's been asking to go down around 9:30-9:45. Then she'll sleep until about 10:45 and play in her PNP until around 12:00!! Gives me lots of time to get stuff done!

I have coupons!!! You ladies have been great about the Similac coupons, so I thought I could return the favor! They all expire next June, so there's plenty of time to use them if you don't need them right away! PM me if you are interested. I have the following coupons:
1. Save $1 on any Grins & Giggles product
2. Save $1 on Gerber bowls & utensils
3. Save 50 cents on any 8 Tender Harvest 1st & 2nd stage food
4. BOGO Tender Harvest 1st food
5. Save 50 cents on any Gerber single grain cereal

[diedra1027]

Clothing Oh man talking about clothing..i can not stop shopping at the gymboree...I have a problem i swear.. There girls clothing are just so cute! You are not alone! Sometimes I'm happy that DD is taking her time in the growth department - I can easily justify buying a ton of clothes for her since she will wear everything for a 'long' time :D! I'm now at the point where I have so much for her in her current size and the next size that I'm buying things that she wont be able to wear for a year. I have a problem.

[christy1010]

It has been a long time since I posted. Between work, and the Thanksgiving holiday and everyday life it seems I just don't have that much time for myself to be on the internet. Let alone get other things done with a six month old in the house. Anyone else feel they don't get cleaning, or special projects done because we are busy spending time with the kids, husband, and work?

Thanksgiving was good. Sarah slept during Thanksgiving dinner, probably because she had four shots the day before and was passed around the house like the hot potato.

Sarah is now six month she is 24 1/2 inches. Weighs 12lbs 8oz. We have started solids, she does well with cereals, and likes squash I am going to try sweet potatoes.

She is trying really hard to sit up.

After six months, I still love being a mother and am so happy to be having the holidays with her in the home!

[tgr68]

Christy~Sarah is now six month she is 24 1/2 inches. Weighs 12lbs 8oz. We have started solids, she does well with cereals, and likes squash I am going to try sweet potatoes. So glad to hear I'm not the only one with a very petite DD!! Shylah was 11lbs 14.5oz and 24.5in at her 4-month appt. We have just outgrown our 0-3mos clothes (although some of the onsies still fit), and are in Pampers 1-2 size swaddlers. :eek:

[BridalLace]

for anyone who was around back in May, jennylou has some wonderful news. i hope she doesn't mind if i quasi-announce it here. i haven't gotten to tell her congrats personally. :D

congrats!!!

[cynder]

AAAAAHHHH! That is so awesome. Where is jennylou hanging out these days. We all have to send some good wishes her way.

[Sasha]

YAY JENNYLOU!! That is wonderful news!!

[Carissa]

Congrats to Jenny!

[rancherswife]

WOOHOO! Congrats Jennylou!!! h&h 9 mos. to you!!!:D I think of her often, I'm so thrilled to hear the news!!! That just made my day!

[DisneyGirl]

WHHOOOOOOOO! CONGRATS JENNYLOU Thats awesome news

[rancherswife]

trying not to jinx the last two good nights we've had.....only reason he woke the one time last night was because he peed through his dipe :) This morning he slept until 8:30, it was HEAVEN!!!!

Thanks for all the sympathy, it really does make me feel a little better about the sleeping situation! Kim, I too find myself cursing a WHOLE lot more w/ no sleep! ;) Your posts cracked me up!

It doesn't appear that there are more teeth coming in just yet, he got his bottom two and no other bumps to speak of???

Thanks for the help w/ the x-mas card everyone...Got them ordered!

Getting our x-mas tree tomorrow evening. I can't wait to see what Landon thinks of the lights!

tgray:the pic. of Aidan w/ the lights is ADORABLE!:)

ahavnes:Abbey looked precious for her baptism!:)

ally:Love Aiden's x-mas pics.!

Ok...off to run some errands! Amazing how much more energy a girl has when her child allows her to sleep!:confused:

[Dally]

Congratulations, JennyLou!! I'm really, really happy to hear about her news. :D

Rancherswife--I'm glad you got some sleep! I'm still hoping for some myself. I'm trying to figure out if it is teething, an ear infection, or something else that is making Annalie keep me up all night!

[Dally]

Originally posted by tgr68:
Christy~
Quote:
Sarah is now six month she is 24 1/2 inches. Weighs 12lbs 8oz. We have started solids, she does well with cereals, and likes squash I am going to try sweet potatoes.

So glad to hear I'm not the only one with a very petite DD!! Shylah was 11lbs 14.5oz and 24.5in at her 4-month appt. We have just outgrown our 0-3mos clothes (although some of the onsies still fit), and are in Pampers 1-2 size swaddlers.

My DD is very petite, too! At 6.5 months she's 25.5 inches and 13 pounds. We're in 3-6 month clothing right now. And yes, it's pretty cool how the clothing lasts a while! Although she always grows out of it in height before weight. I want to buy her some more Gymboree clothes, but I'm not sure how the next size, 6-12 mo., with fit her. Why doesn't Gymboree have 6-9 mo sizes? :confused:

[rancherswife]

Why doesn't Gymboree have 6-9 mo sizes?


Not sure, but it's annoying! We love their cowboy line!:)

[hub1176]

Haven't been around in a while (just a little busy with DD and a daycare :) )

Anyway, looks like we are back on the merry go round as I got a BFP this morning.

[diedra1027]

Anyway, looks like we are back on the merry go round as I got a BFP this morning. WHOA!! Congratulations!

And Congrats to jennylou as well. I think about her often too (she's hanging out in the late term loss, Still At It, and plus size TTC/pg threads as far as I know).

[tgray99]

I want to buy her some more Gymboree clothes, but I'm not sure how the next size, 6-12 mo., with fit her. Why doesn't Gymboree have 6-9 mo sizes? :confused:
The 6-12 fit more or less like 6-9.

rancherswife: Thanks!! :D

hub1176: Congrats! Are you excited or a little freaked out or a little of both? My brother and I are 16 months apart and DH and his sister are 15 months apart. We're both extremely close to our siblings. My brother and I were raised like twins.

I'm so happy for Jennylou!!!

[KGif]

yey Jennylou!!!

[Sasha]

Speaking of clothing sizes, do most manufacturers not make a 9-12 month size? After 6-9 mos, do you just go to the 12 mos size?

The interview went very well yesterday. According to Sarah's ped., who I spoke to this morning, I "knocked their socks off." :D The only thing that isn't great is that they can only match my current salary, and I was hoping to make a little more. But, my commute would be drastically less, it would be a much better working environment and the job would very enjoyable, so those would probably outweigh the salary issue.

Hub1176 - Wow, congratulations!

[kimthebride]

Hee hee hee.... I was at babyGap today and got Thomas' CHRISTMAS DAY OUTFIT:
http://www.gap.com/Asset_Archive/GPWeb/Assets/Product/343/343816/quick/gp343816-00qlv01.jpg
http://www.gap.com/Asset_Archive/GPWeb/Assets/Product/306/306722/quick/gp306722-06qlv01.jpg
http://www.gap.com/Asset_Archive/GPWeb/Assets/Product/333/333452/quick/gp333452-00qlv01.jpg
http://www.gap.com/Asset_Archive/GPWeb/Assets/Product/318/318608/quick/gp318608-00qlv01.jpg

CONGRATS to HUB & JENNYLOU! (though I have to assume this did not happen during The Memo...;) )

SIZE 6-12 MONTHS
What sense does this even make?? NONE! My kid right now is somewhere between 18-19 lbs and about 30 inches so he is now fitting into BabyGap 6-12 months size, yet not for too much longer BUT the next size is "toddler" size 12-18...which isn't onsie-style anymore. I can't stand how regular shirts untuck!

TGRAY
LOVE the new avatar...

SASHA
Fingers are crossed for you!

HOLIDAY SHOPPING
THANK GOD I am a SAHM, because if I had to shop at the malls in December with a kid I'd probably hurt someone. BUT....I thought I'd share some of my finds today to help out the rest of you!
I have a shopping list of 45 people long. Seriously. :rolleyes: So I get a bunch of the cousins & aunts similar gifts and keep them under $20. So I found some goodies at:
Bath & Body Works
- $10 for Three CD Pack of Holiday Music, $1 of it goes to MakeAWish Foundation
- I bought some $10 MakeAWish gift cards
Pier One
- Have special ornaments that are painted from the inside ranging from $6-15, each comes in it's own velvet box with a golden rope closure. Some are Baby's 1st Christmas, toy train, angel, manger scene, decorated heart, snowmen, etc
- $5 ornament stands
- $10 'stained glass' look candle holders that look way more expensive
I literally got so many people done today. YAY!!

HOLIDAY PARTIES
Any of you doing a holiday party at home? We usually throw one the 2nd weekend of December at our place, but this year we';re skipping it and DH is throwing me a *suprise* bday party for my 30th bday a couple weeks after Xmas (yes I know the date and who he has invited)
I'm going to miss planning my annual party! This would have been our 5th year....

[Jenyfer9]

Whoa! Congrats to Jennylou and Hub1176! H&H to you both! I can't even imagine having another little one running around... but then again, I already have two. :rolleyes: Speaking of my two, we got our Christmas pics taken today and here's the one we aren't using for our card. :) I, personally, like this one a bit better than the one we are using, but I gave dh final say because today is his 32nd bday!
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5cf11b3127cce959f46f953a400000046108AZMWjlk2bM8

[DisneyGirl]

Kimthebride Regarding baby gap sizes..I use to work there until i had my DD in May and I worked there for quit awhile. Okay sizing: Newborn goes up to 6-12 months, then infant goes up to 18-24 months, then the toddler line starts at 18 -24 month. so if you still want onsies then shop in the infant section of the store.

Most stores like, gap, old navy, gymboree ect don't carry 6-9 months, they have 3-6, 6-12.

I'm so excited to go shopping tomorrow..Freinds and family day at gap and old navy starts..yoohoo...But my DH things that neither of the kids need one more stinking outfit especially since I just went to the gymboree friends and family and cleaned house there. Oh well a girl can never have too many clothes. LOL :p

Yeah, i'm turning the BIG 30 in a few days...OH man! I hate the fact that i'm going to be 30..That to me seems so freakin old..LOL okay mabe not old but damn! I told my DH no party for me ..please ;) I can not stand that fact that i'm getting older..YUCK

HUB congrats..I was wondering when we were going to have are fist RO(repeat offender) in this group. Your kids will defianlty be close in age...But thats not a bad thing for sure.

Holiday party no, not this year. I ddin't feel like having people over this yr. With two little kids I would never have has enough time to prepare meals ect...Hopfully next year.


i'm going to scan in my kids holiday photo then i'll post it. That will be my first photo of my kids that i ever posted....

[ahavnes]

Every time I log on I see more cute baby pics! We are having ours done on December 10th. I hope they turn out ok.

Hub- Congrats! How does it feel to be preggo again?

So, so, so happy for jennylou! :)

Sasha- Tentative congrats on the new job. Fingers crossed that it works out. :)

Abbey was home sick again today. I seriously cannot remember the last time I worked a full week, between my stomach flu, Scott's grandmother, our vacation and now Abbey. She was running a fever at daycare yesterday (101.5), so I took her to the doctor. Turns out she has another ear infection! :mad: So much for BF-ing taking care of that. I had them all the time as a child, so I'm not surprised. Anywho, today was challenging to say the least. I've never seen her scream so much (or soloudly!). She seems a little better this evening though. Poor Abs.

[tgr68]

Congrats, jennylou!!! :D

Dally~I know what you mean on sizing. Her 0-3mos. just now fit her well around the waist, but are waaaay to short. Her 3-6mos. fit her well in the length, but slip right off of her waist! :eek:

Sasha~Sounds like things went great yesterday!!

Kim~Wow! 45 people! I'm about to go crazy over here with only 20! LOL. Speaking of shirts coming untucked, I saw something that was kind of like suspenders, except it went between the legs and then clipped onto a shirt to keep it tucked in. I'll have to see if I can find a pic, but something like that may work when Thomas gets up to the larger sizes!

Jenyfer~Your boys are just adorable!!

Holiday Party~None here. Our house is still in the works so to speak. :rolleyes: No carpet in the nursery, an really old beat up couch in the living room, a table that only seats 4 in the kitchen, and nothing in the dining room!! Probably once our house gets in a little better condition, I would like to start hosting holiday parties, but until then....

Alicia~Poor thing! Hope she gets over this ear infection quickly!

I still have coupons if anyone is interested!

[Chylynn]

allyray231 -Great holiday pictures!! He looks adorable!!

rancherswife -Glad you like the picture! I was hoping you would not be upset that I went ahead and did it for you. Sorry I was not around to help with resizing it, but I am glad you found someone to help!! Post the final card when it is done so we all can look at it!!

Congrats Hub! -Our first RO- best of luck with 2 under 2. I can't wait to hear all about it!!! :D

Congratulations Jennylou!! -I am so happy for you!

Sasha -Glad to hear that the interview went very well. Crossing my fingers that you get it! I agree that even though you will make the same money, that it will be worth it to take it so you have a better work environment.

kimthebride -Oh, my Gawd! I love that outfit!! I wish I also had a little boy to dress this year! Such an adorable outfit. I can't wait to see him in his special Christmas Outfit this year!

Jenyfer9 -Awsome picture of your children!

DisneyGirl -Happy early B-day! I hope you enjoy your day of shopping!

ahavnes -Sorry to hear that Abby is sick. I hope she is feeling better soon.:(

tgr68 -If you still have the Tender Harvest Coupons, I would love them! Thanks.:)

Holiday Party -Yup, we are throwing it tomorrow night! Aack, I can't wait to be done with it. It is really stressful planning it, getting the house decorated in a hurry, and cleaning the house from the top to the bottom. But, then again, we are having Christmas at our house this year, so it was going to need to get done sooner or later. We are having 30 people tomorrow night and on Christmas we are having 20 people. I seriously must be insane since it was my idea!!

Sleep Training -Has anyone else started to sleep train? I never wanted to, but this past week, Rebecca has been getting up at 3am to play and not going back to sleep until 5am. Not fun! I do not believe in CIO, but we had to do it two nights ago (she only fussed for 10 minutes, but it really broke my heart) and she is now sleeping so much better. She naps in her crib during the day with minimal fussing and puts herself back to sleep at night without needing me to sooth her. I feel like such a bad Mom doing it, but in the end, we are all sleeping so much better now. I can't believe my little girl is going to be 8 months on Friday!! Where has that gone???

[Jenyfer9]

Speaking of shirts coming untucked, I saw something that was kind of like suspenders, except it went between the legs and then clipped onto a shirt to keep it tucked in. I'll have to see if I can find a pic, but something like that may work when Thomas gets up to the larger sizes!
I know what you're talking about, and I couldn't get it to work at all for us (tried it for ds#1). I may still have mine and you are welcome to it (save yourself some $$) if you want. Let me know if you're interested...

[Coccinelle]

Congrats Hub and Jennylou!!:D

I'm a little concerned. Lily has been spitting up after pretty much every meal and it's been a lot. This has been going on about two weeks. There has been no change in her diet and she never spit up much when she was really little. I mentioned it to the ped on Tuesday but she didn't act very concerned - said that she finds the older babies tend to spit up more because they are moving around more..however Lily isn't really moving around right after she eats. Any thoughts?? :confused:

[cynder]

ladybug1196 I tend to think acid reflux is overly diaognosed these days but we were noticing the same thing. We were going through way many more burp clothes and one day my FIL had to change his shirt 3 times in an hour. I mentioned some of the sypmtoms to ped and we are Zantac but we have wheezing that we are treating too. Wheezing is less and spit up MUCH less. Don't know what to tell you but if the ped is not too concerned I would not either.

Kim That is so adorable. I am planning on getting the red striped pants and "Perfect" onesie from Baby Gap for Christmas morning. I love Baby Gap because the sizes run small for DS and I can find stuff to fit his small frame but right now the 6-12 is throwing me off. DH and I had a big debate about which size winter coat to get him.

Hub CONGRATS!

Sasha Fingers crossed on the job. Sucks that you can't get more $$ but I think piece of mind is worth something.

jenfyer ADORABLE!

ahavnes Yuck! Hope you feel better soon.

Chylynn CIO was not fun either but the 2 days of it makes life soooo much better. Shhhh....We seemed to have misplaced the memo

Bad day Man getting back into the swing of things after vacation sucks. It's like DH and DS have forgotten the good pattern we have for work days. Yesterday sucked with me running across campus, driving like mad to get DS, to then find out that our daycare is raising rates and changing hours! :mad: :mad: :mad: We like the place but we might try and get on the waiting list for our campus one to avoid the stress of worrying about picking up on time.

Then this morning DH helped change diapers and then seemed to forget that we had a baby. I had to feed the baby, shower, dress, get packed while entertaining Sam. Then I TORE up the house to find my keys, to find out that DH took them by mistake. This is the second time this has happened in a month. Men!

[wendstress]

I'm a little concerned. Lily has been spitting up after pretty much every meal and it's been a lot. This has been going on about two weeks. There has been no change in her diet and she never spit up much when she was really little. I mentioned it to the ped on Tuesday but she didn't act very concerned - said that she finds the older babies tend to spit up more because they are moving around more..however Lily isn't really moving around right after she eats. Any thoughts?? :confused:

I don't know what to tell you, but we've experienced the same thing. James never spit up as a wee-little-man. Now, I often put a bib on him after nursing for "just-in-case." I didn't mention it to the ped, since he seems otherwise happy and is obviously continuing to grow!

[tgr68]

Chylynn~Those were actually the first ones to go. :( I still have the rice cereal, bowls & utensils, and Grins & Giggles ones.

ladybug1196~Shylah used to be able to do tummy time at any point during the day, but now we can put her on her tummy until at least 2 hours after she has eaten. It has really cut down on tummy time, but she is spitting up a lot less.

Christmas Outfit~We have a red dress similar to this one from Gymboree. We got it from Walmart and only paid abuot $15 for it!! It has held up extremely well!
http://s7ondemand1.scene7.com/is/image/Gymboree/140004145?$240x305$
For Christmas morning, MIL bought us this cut sleeper with a gift on the butt that says "No Peeking!"

Shylah is out cold at the moment. She was wide awake today around 10am, but I went ahead and put her down like I've been doing. She fussed a little bit and then fell asleep after about 15 minutes!! :)

Also, this morning I was playing with her on the floor and working with her on sitting up. I was able to let go, and she stayed sitting up for a couple of seconds!! :eek: Then she would reach for a toy and topple over. LOL! One time she reached for a toy and ended up catching herself on her left arm, and she propped herself up there for probably a good 15 seconds!! Sitting up is so right around the corner. Can you tell I excited!?! :p

Well, got run. I want to get the Christmas tree up today/tonight, so I've got to go move furniture to make room for the tree!

[allyray231]

Aiden used to spit up a ton, then it got better and now it is back. I think it has something to do with him sitting up a lot (not on how own yet but I prop him up)

[Natrat80]

Sleep training Yep....here's what I just wrote in the Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child Thread:
DD is 5 months old and we started sleep training 2 weeks ago. It was really hard, but we let her CIO and life has been so much better since. Our old nap routine (before CIO) was to read stories, play lullabies, put DD in bed and she would scream the second I put her down. Nothing worked except for letting her suck on my finger (we just gave up on the pacifier) so I would spend 30+ minutes with DD sucking on my finger while she went to sleep then I would take my finger out and she'd wake up, and we'd do it all over again. After trying lots of different things one night we decided to CIO. It had been a particularly frustrating day for me (I SAH) and by the time DH got home I was going crazy. DD would not go to sleep and would not stop crying no matter what DH did so he said that he would let her cry in the crib. I didn't want to do it, but I knew it would work and I was glad DH was brave enough to try. I had to leave the house-I took the dog for a walk and called my mom on my cell and stayed gone until DD was asleep. (She cried about 30 minutes)

Fast forward 2 weeks and DD goes down on her own for every nap and for bedtime. She "talks" a bit before falling asleep but hasn't ever cried like that first night. I feel like we have our life back. DD still loves us and is so much happier because she is getting better sleep.
Christmas Outfit from Old Navy last year-she has a white shirt to wear under it and I'm looking for black shoes.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5cc20b3127cce95cab477e65500000025118AbMnLlm4ctH
HubWOW Congrats!
Christmas PartyNo Christmas party here, but we are having Christmas on the 17th here with DH's family--his mom, stepdad, DAD, sis/hub, their girls. Yeah, we're having his divorced parents over the same day....should be interesting!

Gotta go....my usually happy baby has learned to screetch when she's unhappy and she's been doing it all day today!:eek:

[ahavnes]

Sleep Training- I was just going to post about this today. I just don't know if I can do CIO. I've tried it a few times and give up after about 7 minutes. DD cries so hard she chokes. On the other hand, we have got to develop a better routine for getting her to sleep. Has anyone tried "No Cry Sleep Solution?" If so, how did it work?

[Sasha]

I need help on two issues that Sarah has right now...

1. Sarah has had a few days of "explosive poo." One time I just threw away the brand new onsie she was wearing because it was so bad. We have never had this problem before and it is happening ever day now. How long before I need to say something to her ped?

2. She is on a solids strike. Let me re-phrase that...she is on a solids strike if DH or I are the ones trying to feed her! She gladly takes her oatmeal at daycare - she was downright giddy when they put her in her highchair and she waited for them to give it to her - but when we try to give her fruits or veggies at night, she purses her lips and turns her head away. Before she got sick, she loved eating her fruits and veggies. I try giving her the same things she used to love, sweet potatoes, squash, applesauce, and you would think we were offering her poison. The kicker to this is that her GI doc switched her to a medication that we are supposed to mix in with a little solids and give to her. Umm, yeah :confused:. I will mix in some fruit into her oatmeal and she eats it. Any thoughts, suggestions?

Originally Posted by Ahavnes
I seriously cannot remember the last time I worked a full week, between my stomach flu, Scott's grandmother, our vacation and now Abbey.
Me too, Alicia! Between Sarah being sick, me being sick, and going away, I haven't worked a full week in ages. LOL, I think my boss is going to think I've been using all these days to interview if/when I give my notice! I hope Abbey is feeling better today.

Sleep Training -I don't think it's necessarily sleep training, but when Sarah was sick, we were rocking her to sleep, so we are now breaking that habit. She used to go to bed no problem but it's been a little more difficult lately. We have been letting her cry, but it's only been 5 minutes and then she falls asleep. If she were to cry much more than 5 minutes, I'd probably be back her in room rocking her...I am such a weakling, what can I say :o. But Sarah also seems to have misplaced the memo, so whatever we're doing seems to be working.

Kim - That outfit is adorable, I love that hat!

Jenyfer - Your boys are so cute!

[Carissa]

Cute Christmas outfits!

Sleep training We are doing pretty well. We let her cry some times but for the most part she'll go down without a fight. Now that I have said that watch the next several days be chaos!

[wendstress]

Drive-by-post....

I have a $5 Similac check. PM me if you're interested!

[rancherswife]

Congrats Hub! I too was wondering who our first R/O would be :) .

ahavnes:Poor Abs :( . Hope she's feeling better very soon. And, I totally hear you on the sleep training issue. Dh and I don't really dig the whole CIO thing, but we've got to divise a better plan here. Though this week has been much better, BUT he's spent quite a bit more time in OUR bed, which is NOT what I want, either???? SO, I totally hear ya, we're gonna start working on this ourselves! Let me know what you come up with:) .

kim: Love Thomas's X-mas outfit, I got Landon the tan cord hat like that.:)


holiday party:we have a group of friends that we all take turns hosting dinner at eachother's houses each month. It just so happens that we have December. I'm excited, we havent' hosted a party since before Landon was born. Besides his baptism party.

[tgray99]

Ahavnes: I can't PM you, it says you have too many and have to clear out your inbox in order for me to send you a message.

[diedra1027]

sleep training - We haven't done this yet, but I'm quickly coming to my wits end so this may be in our future. Avery goes down quickly at night around 6pm, but then gets up anywhere from 2-6 (or more!) times between then and the time I go to bed (around 10pm). Once I do come to bed, she generally sleeps in 2-4 hour blocks. She's always up for the day by 6 and there are some lovely days (like today!) where she's up at 4:30 :mad:. CIO will be very tough for us - we've tried it a little bit and she can go on for ages. Last time we did it, I gave in at 45 minutes and by then she was inconsolable and hoarse :(. Unfortunately, I don't feel like I have a lot of options - she doesn't respond to rocking in the rocking chair (too stimulating) and she can't be 'patted', shushed, or massaged back to sleep once she wakes up (it stimulates her instead). We're going to try some tips from No Cry Sleep Solution, but given Avery's temperment I'm not certain that they'll work. I don't really care about STTN, but the super frequent waking has got to stop!

Holiday party - DH want to have one. He's doing his usual routine which means he's talked to me about it, picked a date, and now is sitting back waiting for me to do the rest of the work. Not happening. I'm sure we'll get together with all of our friends at some point, but we don't have anything set right now.

[cynder]

Sleep What exactly is the "No Cry Sleep Solution"? I'm curious. Right now DS will roll around in the crib and go to asleep in a min. which if you told me 3 months, I would have never have thought he would do. Hope that gives hope to some of you that sleep gets worked out. He still loves to nap on me.

Expolsive Poo We've had a couple like that the last few weeks. It's a pain but as long as they are going and don't seem to be in discomfort maybe it's ok.

Solid StrikeCo worker is going through this. Ped told her to try and booster seat at the table as way of showing how everyone eats to get him back into it. Hope she gets through it soon.

Daycare hike So our daycare decided to hike our rates effective Feb $180/month ($1175/mo) after being in operation for only 4 months b/c they are "losing money". Their inspection is in two week so we have no guarantee that there are going to get a 5 star. One of the other parents wrote the center a 2 page letter demanding some reasoning for the hike. Everyone is pissed and DH noted that we have no way of knowning if they will do this in the future. Sorry for the vent but anyone hear of this happening? I really don't want to have to look for a new center esp. when Sam loves it here.

[Natrat80]

diedra I could have written your post a few weeks ago. I'm sorry you're having such a hard time. Like Avery, Addie would go to sleep fine around 7pm, but she'd wake up 45 minutes later. Then I'd spend 20 minutes getting her back to sleep, she'd wake up 10 minutes later. This would go on until about 9:30 or 10. Needless to say it had to stop. We tried everything else we could think of before CIO, but Addie is stimulated by rocking, shushing, patting, etc. In the end we just had to do it. We did notice that if we went in and checked on her during the CIO process it only made it longer. My recommendation if you decide to CIO--get as far away from her room as you can, turn off the monitor (I know that sounds mean!), watch a movie or take a long bath.
I bought the book Healthy Sleep Habit, Happy Child because I thought it would solve our sleep problems without CIO. After reading it and following all the sleepy cues, etc things became better but we still had problems with waking up and Addie only going to sleep by sucking on my finger. Here are a few points from the book that made me feel better about CIO.
You are harming your child when you allow unhealthy sleep patterns to evolve or persist--sleep deprivation is as unhealthy as feeding a nutrionally deficient diet.
and When your child is crying and she is not hungry (or sick), say to yourself: "My baby is crying because she loves me so much she wants my company, but she needs to sleep. I know the value of good sleep, and I love my baby so much that I am going to let her sleep.
When Dr. Weissbluth compared letting your child have poor sleeping habits to letting your child have an unhealthy diet it really clicked. I wouldn't give Addie junk food because it's not what's best for her. I should give her junk sleep either.

HTH! I'd be glad to talk to you about it more if you want....you can email me at natandkeri at yahoo dot com

[christy1010]

Happy Friday and have a great weekend to all!

Congrats to Hub and JennyLou!

Sarah has always been a great sleeper. I am a very visual person and noticed from day three what her sleep signs were rubbing of eyes and putting her head on one's shoulder and burying it. She does not like to be held to go to sleep (Occasionally she will do this), she wants to be put down. I sometimes will catch her signs before she is really ready and she will cry for no more than a minute and then she is down for the night. Good luck to all of you who are doing the sleep training!

Holiday PartyWe have never hosted one, but get to go to lots of them. Both DH and I have work realted Holiday Parties. Our church has lots of opportunities for partie. In fact we are going Caroling on Saturday, on the 10th I am taking DD to Breakfast with Santa, this Sunday we decorate the sancturary and have a Chili Cookoff. Then on the 18th we have another concert and reception. My In-laws have a Holiday Party before Christmas. Busy, busy month, but fun!

Question about sippy cupsAt Sarah's six month visit the Ped said we could introduce a sippy cup. All she seems to do is bite the spout, any suggestions on how to help her understand the concept of a sippy cup?

[Dreshny]

Hooray for jennylou! Congrats to Hub, too!

I can't believe Asher turned 6 months yesterday. We're not starting solids yet--we're waiting to see some readiness signs first, per LLL. Yes, maybe I'm nuts, but I'm just not in a hurry, you know? He has his whole life to eat solids.

diedra: I hear you on the persistant crying. Asher is the same way. He screamed for over an hour in the car on the way back to NY last weekend, and it was one of the rare times I'd chosen to sit in the front (and couldn't switch on the turnpike) because I thought he'd fall asleep. I don't have a suggestion about sleep training--on an "average" night, Asher's up twice, and I figured he'd just eventually outgrow it-- but I sympathize.

Outfit: No Christmas outfit here, but we're having pro photos taken in a couple of weeks, so I'm looking for something cute and classic.

[rancherswife]

I don't really care about STTN, but the super frequent waking has got to stop!
Amen, sista!

Yeah, so...he was up so many times last night I seriously LOST TRACK!:rolleyes: Bless is little heart!:o

I had a long talk yesterday afternoon w/ a friend of mine whose babe is 3 weeks older than Landon. They did the CIO and things are great now. I personally don't think dh nor I could actually do it??? I don't know, I also see natrat's point about our babes needing good, healthy sleep patterns though, but, I'm just at a loss? It almost makes me feel inept as a parent. kwim?

Landon is still on a solids strike, though I'm not too worried about it, as I find the more people I talk to about this, the more common it is. :)

[diedra1027]

Natalie - I'm so glad to hear that it worked out for you - with a kiddo similar in temperment to Avery. I have Healthy Sleep Habits too and I've been reviewing it. I know that if (when) we decide to do it, I'll have to go down in the basement or put headphones on or something. How long did it take for Addie to get with the program??

rancherswife - My DH has been pushing for CIO for a while now (his friend at work did it). The few times we've tried it - he's always the first one to cave and run up to get her!

Solids - Anybody else not even start yet? Avery started out on a solids strike and hasn't warmed up to it yet. I can't get any pureed food in her at all. She'll take a few small bits of soft bananas and that's about it. No cereal, no mashed potatoes, no sweet potatoes, no applesauce, no avacado, NOTHING!

[EMsMom]

EmsMom~ If you are a web designer (like me) and understand HTML, there are ways you can get the pics that they don't want you to have. I did it for my Christmas list this year!! ;) ROTFLOL!!

I'm glad that I could amuse! :D I'm, actually, a former web designer! I got into it in hopes that I could support myself while trying to persue acting... Unfortunately, neither of them panned out for me.

Clothes - OMG... I love shopping for Emma... I have a shopping problem... Definitely... I've been to J&J. I was introduced to that store by a fellow member here. They have such cute stuff, but I really can't justify buying there as my child grows like a bad weed!!

To those of you with petite children... I'm quite envious... They grow so fast. Some people, I've heard, get offended when people comment on how small their babies are... I was heartbroken when I had to pack away her 0-3 month clothes!! To me I would love having a petite one. Not that there's anything wrong my Emma... I love her to bits!!!!

HUB and JennyLou- Congrats!!!

Holiday Photos - I'm really anxious to have ours taken. I want to get our first family photo taken then, too. :)

Christmas Outfit

http://us.st7.yimg.com/store1.yimg.com/I/babyultimate_1870_23634193

Coupons - I have several checks/coupons for Enfamil and others if anyone is interested in trading for Similac!!

Christy/sippy cups - We were told about the sippy cup at our 6 month visit, too... My SIL suggested the Nuby sippy cup as the top is plastic and more like a bottle. PLUS you don't have to worry about a spill proof valve. My niece, at a little over a year, is doing well with them, and Emma is doing better with that brand than others. :)

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

Last night was the beginning of, what I think, was major teething discomfort. I had a hard time getting her to bed. Emma was fussier than she's been in a long time! I couldn't seem to calm her, either. I rocked her. I also tried a teething ring, that she kept pushing away. Finally I gave her some orajel and after a lot more rocking, she went to sleep. Poor little thing. I hate to see her so unhappy!

Did I mention what I was told about Meats from the doctor's office? I can't remember. I attribute that to what my friend refers to as "sometimers." I swear I forget everything these days!! But I digress...

They told me that the mixed meats (the ones mixed with veggies or fruits) don't provide enough iron and babies come back to their 9 month appointment with low hemaglobin. So they suggested that I mix the meat with whatever, myself. We haven't tried it yet as I want to get through the rest of the ones I'd already bought.

I just hate the smell of the meats!! I bought gerber, instead of natures goodness, this time in hopes that it might smell a little bit better and cause the cats to not swarm around when I feed her! *LOL*

[Jenyfer9]

Ok, THIS really irks me. You ladies with petite ones are SOOOO lucky. Unless the calendar has changed significantly, May babies are celebrating their first Christmas this year. YET no one makes "My First Christmas" stuff in 9-12 month clothes. Argh.

Actually, it's kinda funny reading about such little kids... my bruiser was 22 inches long when he was born, so imagining him that small again would be so strange!

[Carissa]

Explosive poo We had one bad one yesterday it went through everything and up her back needless to say she had to get in the tub to get cleaned up. YUCK!

Coupons If anyone has Good carnation let me know!

[Chylynn]

Fly by post as I am in the process of getting ready for my holiday party (I am now realizing how insane I am for throwing one!), but I wanted to do a quick post about the sleep training:

We let Rebecca cry one night at 4AM because she did not want to be held, rocked, walked around, ect. Nothing seemed to soothe her and she had just been fed and her diaper was changed. I gave her a teething tablet just in case teething was causing her discomfort and then I headed to the room. She cried for about 15 -30 minutes (I really can't remember how long...it was on Tuesday night) and I went in to check on her and she was sound asleep. I have not had any problems with her sleeping since then! She used to nap in her swing (or for a while, only on me) during the day because she refused to sleep in her crib. She would throw fits, and scream bloody murder and I always gave in too early, picked her up and rocked her, and if that did not work, I would put her in the swing. I looked at it that at least she got sleep, reagardless of where it was, you know.

Anyhow, I digress, now on Wednesday, Thursday and today, she has been sleeping like a dream! She takes her naps in her crib during the day and is sleeping 11 hours at night! She barely wakes up when I am feeding her and puts herself right back to sleep. I use the FP Ocean Aquariam and that helps soothe her.

I always said I would not let my child CIO as I thought it was terrible to just let a baby cry, but in the end, we are glad she is sleeping so much better, so I am okay with it now.

Hope this post gives some of you Mommas hope that CIO can help, but it is hard on the parents! Good Luck!!

Okay, off to go bake some more.

Oh, and by the way, Rebecca is 8 months old today!!! Where did that go???

[kimthebride]

Ok, THIS really irks me. You ladies with petite ones are SOOOO lucky. Unless the calendar has changed significantly, May babies are celebrating their first Christmas this year. YET no one makes "My First Christmas" stuff in 9-12 month clothes. Argh.
(smacking myself in the head and saying AHA!)
Maybe THAT'S why I couldn't find any cute pjs for Mr. Long & Heavy for Xmas. :rolleyes: I just thought November was too late to shop for that stuff.

By the way ladies....
HOLY CRAP CAN YOU BELIEVE IT'S *DECEMBER*!!?!?!?!?

That went by so fast. Yowzers.

Sippy Cup
I gave DS a little water in a Gerber one this morning and he seemed cool with it, so I bought another. It's the one with 2 side handles and the mouth piece is really soft. All he has to do is gum down on it for the water to come out (yes, I tried it).

Solids for the 1st time tomorrow. So excited! Earth's Best Rice Cereal here we come!!!

[EMsMom]

I tried the playtex sippy cup first with Emma... She didn't seem to like it, too much. She did a lot better with the Nuby one... I'll look for a photo... I wish it had handles, though. That gerber cup sounds pretty nifty. :)

[EMsMom]

http://store.babycenter.com/MEDIA/ProductCatalog/50252_207498_md.jpg

• Eases transition from bottle to cup
• Holds 10 ounces
• Valveless, leak-proof design made of nontoxic, break-resistant plastic
• Soft spout is gentle on your baby's gums
• Easy-to-hold, contoured shape
• Reusable plastic cup with silicone sipper spout

[tgr68]

Nat~Adorable Christmas dress!! Both Old Navy and Walmart have some adorable black shoes for less than $5.

Sleep Solution~We tried variations of CIO, but nothing worked until we put her down, let her cry, close our door, & go to bed. No monitor. No getting up to check on her. Nothing. DH had to be tough on me about checking on her. (I felt like I was abandoning her. :( ) But after crying myself to sleep for a couple of nights, DD now very easily goes to sleep on her own!!

Sasha~We went through a bought of explosive poo shortly after DD started fruits/veggies. Luckily, now that her body has adjusted to the new food, the pooing has tapered off.

Sippy Cups~I would like to wait until she's holding her own bottle for a few days before introducing a sippy cup. Since we've been talking about brands, has anyone used the Avent transition pieces that turn the bottles into sippy cups? What did you like/not like about them? I would be looking at items 1 & 4 to transition her.
http://www.avent.com/images/products/nonspillaccessories.jpg

Dreshny~Happy 6 months to Asher!!

EmsMom~Cute outfit!! So sorry that Emma had a rough time falling to sleep. Hopefully the teething discomfort will pass quickly!

Chylynn~Happy 8 months to Rebecca!!

Kim~Good luck with solids!!

Gotta go. Fussy baby.

[EMsMom]

When our doctor suggested we try the sippy cup, I said that Emma wasn't even holding her own bottle yet! To this the doctor said that she didn't want her to hold her bottle. That's how the kids get attached to them, or at least more so.

I haven't tried the avent, but the nuby was really cheap and Emma, and both of my nieces love it.

Thanks for the compliments on her Christmas outfit. I fell in love with it. I had found something else at Burlington, before I saw it, and decided I'd take it back. It was just too cute! I need to get shoes and tights now. :)

I really hope that her discomfort passes soon, too. For some reason, she seems to be fine (more or less) during the day and at night is when it starts really bothering her!

[tgr68]

When our doctor suggested we try the sippy cup, I said that Emma wasn't even holding her own bottle yet! To this the doctor said that she didn't want her to hold her bottle. That's how the kids get attached to them, or at least mo