# September 09 Babes & Mamas



## zenproof (Jan 18, 2009)

Not sure if one was already started - but would love for us to try and stay connected over here if possible as our DDC will be closing soon.


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

I haven't seen a thread yet. . .so let's get one going!









How's everybody doing?

We are dealing with some possible food intolerances. . .which sucks!







As if my BFing challenges in the beginning weren't bad enough, now it looks like I may have to give up lots of foods (so far I have eliminated dairy, but soy and wheat are next if he doesn't improve soon) to find out what is bothering my DS. He's generally pretty happy, so I have been reluctant to do this, but his poo's are not normal and add to that restless sleep, lots of spitting up and a pimple-like rash that comes and goes on his torso and I decided I had to do something.

As if cooking and eating weren't challenging enough with an attention hogging 3.5 month old!

On the + side, DS is a scrumptious, snuggly, smiley, joy to be with! He can now reliably chew/suck on his own fingers/fist which makes him ubber happy and he's getting pretty good at getting Sofie (or other toy) into his mouth too. We just started a KinderMusic class which is fun. The next big step will be mom getting out to a yoga class BY HERSELF (do I even remember how to be by myself?). . .


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## zenproof (Jan 18, 2009)

yay! hey girl!









ugh. im sorry to hear about the food intolerances. THAT SUCKS!!!

What is Kindermusic???


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## ~Laura~ (May 21, 2009)

I'm here!

Emme is doing awesome. She's amazing and I adore having her around me all day! She'll be 4 months old in a week and a half - yikes! Freeze time, please!

We haven't been to the doc yet, but she's 14-15 pounds and 26.25 inches. Some of her 6 month sleepers are starting to scrunch her toes. She's not rolling yet, but seriously y'all, my kids don't roll! None of them really ever did until they were bigger and doing more. She's grabbing at everything and loves her jumparoo thingy and all of the toys on it. She's been such a great baby.









Here's a recent photo:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...IMG_1187-1.jpg

I hope everyone is well!

Laura


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## RavenStar (Sep 9, 2008)

Hello there!
kismet-I understand having to change your diet and how challenging that is. I myself have multiple food intolerances. I hear you about wanting to go to yoga by yourself. I was just thinking this same thing the other day. I really miss yoga.

Zen-how's your little boy doing?
Laura- Emme is adorable! I love that photo.

We're doing well. Iva is smiling, reaching for toys and it seems she's teething already. She's been chewing a lot on toys/her hands, drooling a lot and watching us eat. We feel like we're eating in front of a friend without offering her anything! She watches the food go up to our mouth and moves her mouth too. I keep telling her that in another couple months we'll give her something.


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## ElliesMomma (Sep 21, 2006)

hi RavenStar, wow, to the food thing. Shawn isn't really interested in food yet, although he did grab my spoon right out of my hand the other day! i remember Ellie was a lot more interested in food at 4 months. i wound up starting her on foods at 5 months. (and she turned out to be a great eater.) i think i will wait with Shawn until he is able to sit on his own AND shows an interest in foods, like you described.

glad to see this thread!


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## RavenStar (Sep 9, 2008)

ElliesMomma,
I think I'll wait until Iva is sitting too. We also introduced solids to Mae at 5 months because she was doing all of those things. She made a "yuck" face and spit everything out until we finally got to bananas. She still loves bananas and eats one a day. She'll finally eat sweet potatoes at age 3. That's the first food we tried with her. Kids are funny.


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## coldandsleepy (Aug 5, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kismetbaby* 
I haven't seen a thread yet. . .so let's get one going!









How's everybody doing?

We are dealing with some possible food intolerances. . .which sucks!







As if my BFing challenges in the beginning weren't bad enough, now it looks like I may have to give up lots of foods (so far I have eliminated dairy, but soy and wheat are next if he doesn't improve soon) to find out what is bothering my DS. He's generally pretty happy, so I have been reluctant to do this, but his poo's are not normal and add to that restless sleep, lots of spitting up and a pimple-like rash that comes and goes on his torso and I decided I had to do something.

As if cooking and eating weren't challenging enough with an attention hogging 3.5 month old!

Food intolerances suck! Whenever I eat almonds, Grey gets a rash and is unhappy... I don't eat dairy (by choice) and HIGHLY prefer almond milk over soy milk, so this is a great blow to me. So I feel for you!

We're doing great, though. It seems like most of the time when he's awake, he's happy. That's a great change for the better.







He also sleeps super regularly most nights and it's gotten really easy to get him to nap too. (Though he still won't nap if I'm not wearing him. Oh well.) Overall he's pretty delightful.

I think he's meeting milestones totally normally. He grabs. He shoves everything in his mouth. He LOVES to be standing up and just the past two weeks he's been standing up if you just hold on to his hands. (He really delights in that, as opposed to being held under the armpits-- if you hold his hands, then they're quite close to his mouth and he can just lean over and chomp them!) He still can't quite roll on purpose, though he does it accidentally quite often. He adores hands... his hands, my hands, anyone's hands. He's quite verbal and basically babbles from the moment he wakes up to the moment he falls asleep. He looooooves people and has become a bit of a flirt.

His growth has slowed down a lot... he only gained about 1.2 lbs over the past month. But he's still gotten quite huge. He's a little over 19 lbs and 27 inches or so long. We're solidly in 6-9 month clothing now, though his feet (?!) are getting too big for some of his 6-9 stuff already!

It seems like he really WANTS food... he's a pretty grabby guy overall but the only thing that he always grabs for other than my glasses and my hands is my food.  There is no way I'm giving solids to a 3.5 month old so he's just going to have to hang in there for a few more months.


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *zenproof* 
yay! hey girl!









ugh. im sorry to hear about the food intolerances. THAT SUCKS!!!

What is Kindermusic???

yah, the food thing is really frustrating right now--mostly b/c i don't yet know what is bothering him. i've been off dairy for a little over a week with no change although it can take up to two weeks to get the proteins out of your system apparently. but i am dreading the possibility of having to give up wheat and soy or more







but trying to take it one day at a time

Sorry total mom brain on the music class! We are ACTUALLY doing a program called Music Together-- they have a program geared for babies. I am taking it mostly b/c there was a class offered near our house and its a nice way to get out and meet other moms. My mom is a piano teacher and over the holidays she sat with Noam at the piano and he was delighted! He couldn't get enough of banging on the keys, so I decided I needed to do something musical with him. Anyway, its fun. . .singing, dancing, musical toys for the babes to play with.

Nice to hear what's up with everybody! My guy isn't interested in rolling either. He's a chub at 17lb at 3.5 months, so I'm not sure he could roll all that over even if he wanted to!


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## 4JMJ (Feb 5, 2008)

Hi everyone,
I'm new here. DS will be 4 mos. this week, he is our 4th. We go to the dr. on the 25th, I can't wait to see how much he weighs! He hasn't rolled yet, but our boys tend to do those things on the "later" end of the spectrum. He's definitely a needy little guy and prefers mama over anyone else (probably because he LOVES to eat ALL THE TIME! LOL) Not complaining for sure, because I love spending time with him!
Glad to find this group!


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Hey all! Just started back at work on thursday of last week. Thursday was awesome, but friday I was a little sad to leave my little guy. We'll see how it goes. I had planned to SAHM, but I just couldn't hack it.

We'll see if I can handle being at work or not.


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## zenproof (Jan 18, 2009)

hey mammas - lets get some stat/updates/pics - i love seeing the little ones!!!

we are a few days shy of 4months. obans last dr. visit at around 3.5mos he was 14 1/2 pounds and almost 25inches long. he is not too interested in rolling, although he has both ways once or twice. i sware he'll walk before he crawls. he loves to stand up on our lap and we're working on him sitting unsupported. he doesn't LOVE the bumbo chair - and i think its his cloth dipes that make it awkward and uncomfortable on his belly. also his chub legs get stuck. he's constantly grabbing my hair OUCH - and its all i can do not to want to hack it all off!!

here he is...

im in lurve.


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## boobs4milk (Jun 25, 2006)

hi ladies. i was on the oct. board but lurked sept. because i knew i'd go early.

millie turned 4 mos yesterday. it's nice to see she's doing things typical for a sept baby. she was 35 wks, 6lbs 7.9 oz and 19 1/2". she's about 14 1/2 lbs and 24 1/2" now. she hates tummy time and was having some neck/head control issues but they seem better now.








s for those of you struggling with food intolerances!!!

here's millie in her saucer toy:
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...0/HPIM2420.jpg


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

What adorable babies! Here's my little guy!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4358435...7622465027557/


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Our babes are so cute!!! I love this chubby stage before they start to move on their own!









I don't have exact stats. . .we don't have our 4 month visit planned yet b/c we moved and I need to find a new Ped. But according to our home weighs and measures Noam is about 17lbs (yep he's a big'un) and 25-26 inches.

Here he is just last week: http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/w...baby/naked.jpg


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## boobs4milk (Jun 25, 2006)

awwww cute babies!


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## zenproof (Jan 18, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kismetbaby* 
17lbs

DAH DAYUM! Lol thats awesome. go boobs!


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## pastrygirl (Jul 21, 2006)

If it's OK with everyone, I'd like to still post in this group even though Caleb ended up with an August birthday.









I just realized I never posted my Christmas photo, which was inspired by the photos on the DDC! Here it is, Hanna jammies and all!

I also started a thread on the DDC forum about TEETH. Sheesh, I knew Caleb was teething, but I had no idea they'd actually show up so soon -- the day after he turned 4 months old! He's a roly poly, at around 19 pounds and 25.5 inches long. His Hanna jammies are size 80! They are a little long, but he needs that size just for his torso. He's starting to roll onto his belly and doesn't seem to mind it. Toby hated his belly! He's starting to grab and hold things, too. We just got through his second cold, and this one was a doozy. Cough, sore throat, vomiting. Ugh. I don't know if there's any sound more heartbreaking than the cry of a babe with no voice! My heart was bleeding for him... but we've both recovered.









He's becoming a happy guy who is content to play by himself for a few minutes at a time. I don't consider him high-needs anymore. Phew. He talks like crazy!! I don't remember Toby being this vocal. It's adorable!


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## diana_of_the_dunes (Dec 7, 2008)

Hi all!

Glad to hear everyone's babes are doing well. Ethan is growing like crazy, but seems to have slowed down a bit finally. Our bathroom scale puts him at about 19 lbs, and he can wear some 12 month clothes without them being too big (yikes!). We're still having going-to-sleep issues at naptime and bedtime, but he's only gotten up one time per night for the past two. Thank God. He started getting up 2 (or 3 or more) times per night when I went back to work. I think we finally figured out how much milk he needs when I'm gone, so he's not needing to reverse cycle on me anymore. Which is great, since I was TIRED!

Ethan seems like he's pretty laid-back on milestones. He grabs toys (or hands) and crams them into his mouth, and he definitely prefers sitting to laying down. He loves to sit and can sometimes balance himself for a few seconds. But if you lay him on his tummy, he just does a "superman" and doesn't try to push up or anything. Poor guy just bonks his head against the floor or his crib!!

I'll try to post a pic soon... All of mine are on Facebook, but I don't have "everybody" allowed to see them.


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## Julia24 (Jun 28, 2004)

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4048/4279556105_25967b7c48.jpg[/image]
[/URL]
Here are my girls in the jammies they got for xmas.

Charlotte is doing much better now. The 3 weeks following xmas were pretty ugly around here, but I feel like we're finally coming out of it. No more swaddling, and she's going down for naps in her bed by herself with little to no crying. Most of the time she talks herself to sleep - so sweet. She was down to only waking one timebetwen 1 and 6am for the night, and now she's back to two times, who knows? But, she goes down around 7pm, wakes twice - once around 1am and once around 5am. Then sleeps until around 7am. She's only up for a matter of 10 minutes, MAYBE! It's totally doable.

She's starting to sit (especially on the bed), is getting really good at tummy time - will stay there for 20/30 minutes sometimes! Loves the saucer and hanging out in her high chair (she sits there whenever we're in the kitchen or dining room). Is grabbing things, loves her feet, and is constanty drooling and chewing/sucking on her hands. If I didn't know any better I'd say she's teething, but I'd be SHOCKED. My kids usually got nothing until they are 1 ish.

Like the others, she practically NEVER cries anymore. It's so nice to have this happy healthy chubby baby around the house. I love it. She was nearly 14lbs at her 4 month, and has been a total piggy since then, so I have no idea how much she is now, at 5 months - but she's fitting nicely in 3/6m stuff. Nothing is too big or too small.


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

we're 4 months old here but i'm considering fudging her birthdate so we can sign up for a baby swim class. i'd take her to the pool myself but i'm not quite sure how to "do" it safely. i assume babies instinctively know what to do in water and to hold their breath and all but i don't really want to find out for myself, yk?

finally got her to drink from a bottle, had been trying almost everyday for a few months with expressed milk but it took an experiment with formula to get her to take it. it's great to have a back-up and don't have to worry about her starving if i leave her for a couple hours. and it really helped on the 8 hour road trip we took this weekend. she did great. it was for my grandmother's funeral though and it's too bad she never got to meet her. i looove this baby. she is so sweet.

been kind of down on the stay-at-home situation lately. have to think of someway to be "productive" for at least a few hours a week, i'm thinking.

have some newer pics that we took at cheesy roadside attractions this weekend but this is the latest that's already up:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/ph...6&id=504394227


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

howdy ladies. We're all good here. Rowan at 4mos just checked in at 17lbs (whoa baby!!) and 25 inches. Yeehaw! Finally he's lengthening out some of that belly chubb he's got  He is all kinds of babbly, LOVES his bouncer, deals with tummy time much better recently. He actually enjoys being on one of those long, round pillows... although I'm not sure why... maybe because he can scoot himself over it, but then all he does is face-plant into the carpet!! But it brings a giggle, which are growing more and more. Not full on laughter yet, but definitely little giggles.

He must be teething. Because it's more than just everything in the mouth... it's a cry of pain and then hands immediately in the mouth. I don't see anything white in there, even under the gums, but he responds to the chamomilla and teething tablets, so.... Other than a mild hour every few days of crying out, he's just a happy guy. Getting better with daytime naps (despite his growing curiosity and social activities... so now he won't sleep with DSS is here for the weekend), and still waking up twice during the night, but only for a few minutes.

I'll get some new picts up soon. It's great to see everyone's beautiful babies!!!


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## 4JMJ (Feb 5, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JordanKX* 
He must be teething. Because it's more than just everything in the mouth... it's a cry of pain and then hands immediately in the mouth. I don't see anything white in there, even under the gums, but he responds to the chamomilla and teething tablets, so....

We are going through the exact same thing with the teething, my heart breaks for him when he cries in pain like that! What is/are chamomilla and teething tablets? I have never heard of them but would like to try them if they work well. We have used Tylenol a couple of times but I would rather use something more natural if possible.


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## BrittneyMarie (Nov 11, 2009)

I'm new so I wasn't part of the ddc, but I'd love to join everyone here! Bella was 13 lb 6 oz at her 4 month checkup. Shes a babydoll!
http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._2238010_n.jpg


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *4JMJ* 
What is/are chamomilla and teething tablets?

The "teething tablets" are combo-homeopathic tablets they can chew up - you can get just about anywhere; toys r us, most grocery stores, definitely health food stores. Chamomilla is a homeopathic remedy that's included in the tablets, but sometimes it works better just alone. When Rowan's having a really rough time of it, I dissolve a few tablets in a spoonful of water and give to him separately from the tablets.

He also seems to be liking anything cold or frozen - including part of a washcloth (this is DP's thing, the unsanitary-ness... no matter how much laundry I do... of a frozen washcloth seems disgusting, but whatever, he likes it) or a cold pacifier. Serious Shrugs to the idea of giving up the paci at 3months now that he really seems to "need" it sometimes for pain. OK, that definitely sounded like momma cop-out.  Enyhoo... Good luck!!!


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Found a silly picture to add:

19 weeks


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## 4JMJ (Feb 5, 2008)

Thank you! I'm definitely going to look for those, hopefully it will give him some relief from the teething pain!


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## ElliesMomma (Sep 21, 2006)

just wanted to post my little guy's stats. at his 4 mo. appt. he was 25 inches (50th percentile) and 11 pounds 9.5 ounces (2nd percentile).

everybody IRL comments that he's so tiny, but he is right on average for length. just not so wide! to me he seems normal. he's got a double chin and a tummy.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *4JMJ* 
Thank you! I'm definitely going to look for those, hopefully it will give him some relief from the teething pain!

The teething tablets are all that have gotten us through some of our tougher nights. We use Hyland's brand and I can find them at the drug store or the health food store.

Avery's not quite 4 months yet, and is 14.5 pounds and 26 inches long (by my tape measure). Measuring him for his new longies, he has a 9 inch inseam.

He's already outgrown 6 mo pants in the leg (and torso length), but newborn clothes fit him in width still. I'm hoping to take a class on sewing with knits this weekend because I'm going to have to start making his clothes. All the clothing manufacturers assume that babies are roly-poly and short, and I have a long lanky bean pole. Every time I take him out though people think he's closer to 6 mos... and I've seen him side-by-side with some babies the same age as him and he's twice their size! I've also seen him next to the 9 mo neighbor, and they're about the same size. He's going to be as big (or bigger) as daddy (6'4"), I'm sure.

I do think he's ready to cut a tooth... this weekend we spent with a fever, refusing to nurse, chewing on the hands and just drool everywhere. He's a drooler anyway, but this was just free-flowing, it was amazing. He soaked 2 bibs per day.

We've managed to keep him on donated milk - I had to go buy a new freezer to store it all. I still have several week's worth in the freezer, I get a single bottle's worth every weeknight from a mom around the corner who has lipase, I have 2 moms that have contacted me to arrange pickup, and at least one who is pumping especially for me that I pick up periodically. I'm not sure what we're going to do at 6 months, but I'm pretty sure we're going to make it there. I am making some milk at this point - on Domperidone - but at most it's a few ounces a day. But it's enough to encourage me to keep him at the breast.

He is already showing interest in food, though. Anytime I'm eating he will watch intently, following the fork from plate to mouth and back, it's like ping-pong in slow-mo. This little guy has a very oral personality, and I suspect he's gonna be a foodie like his parents.


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
The teething tablets are all that have gotten us through some of our tougher nights. We use Hyland's brand and I can find them at the drug store or the health food store.

I do think he's ready to cut a tooth... this weekend we spent with a fever, refusing to nurse, chewing on the hands and just drool everywhere. He's a drooler anyway, but this was just free-flowing, it was amazing. He soaked 2 bibs per day.

We've managed to keep him on donated milk - I had to go buy a new freezer to store it all. I still have several week's worth in the freezer, I get a single bottle's worth every weeknight from a mom around the corner who has lipase, I have 2 moms that have contacted me to arrange pickup, and at least one who is pumping especially for me that I pick up periodically. I'm not sure what we're going to do at 6 months, but I'm pretty sure we're going to make it there. I am making some milk at this point - on Domperidone - but at most it's a few ounces a day. But it's enough to encourage me to keep him at the breast.

He is already showing interest in food, though. Anytime I'm eating he will watch intently, following the fork from plate to mouth and back, it's like ping-pong in slow-mo. This little guy has a very oral personality, and I suspect he's gonna be a foodie like his parents.


We love the Hyland's teething tablets too! And DS actually loves to roll them around in his mouth!







He is also already showing interest in food and watching us eat---following the fork back and forth, back and forth. I don't want to start him on foods too soon, especially since we might have intolerances, but I think soon its going to be hard to keep him away. His grab is already pretty accurate!

And we have the serious, flowing drool too! Last night he started biting on my nipples for the first time --owww! So needless to say, I decided he wasn't hungry, but needed Sofie to chew on instead. He is just so chewy, but no sign of any teeth yet.

Yay for BM!!! I'm so glad you are getting donor milk and even still getting to BF and have a little milk of your own! That's awesome Cristeen!


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## saffrongirl (Aug 24, 2009)

It is interesting how similar all the babies are -- hitting so many milestones around the same time. Nora is 4 months on the 29th and is doing the same teething thing. I don't really see anything "sprouting" yet but she's very drooly and has the red spots around her chin. She gets fussy sometimes and we also use the Hylands tablets although she still does the tongue thrust thing so I have her suck on my finger for a few seconds after I give her a tablet.

She's definitely wanting to be upright more and more - using her Bumbo chair and such. We don't have an exersaucer but I'm thinking of looking into getting one. I also need to get an Ergo or something like that because the Maya isn't really cutting it as well. Does anyone have any recommendations for a good carrier similar to the Ergo that maybe isn't as expensive?

We're still trying to work through the "bugs" with sleeping. Her naps have only been around 45 minutes or so lately - might have something to do with the teething. And it takes about 45 minutes to get her to sleep at night. She will sleep by herself for 3-4 hours at night until it's time to eat again and by that time, I've gone to bed too so I throw a nipple her way and she goes back to sleep (we co-sleep). I've found that I have less and less room though as she gets bigger and I'm sleeping like c-rap so we might need to figure out something else for sleeping.

Not sure how big she is since we haven't gone to the doc yet but she's in 3-6 month clothes.

Here's a pic: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...8/DSC03178.jpg


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## boobs4milk (Jun 25, 2006)

s cristeen! you're doing a wonderful job!


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *saffrongirl* 
Does anyone have any recommendations for a good carrier similar to the Ergo that maybe isn't as expensive?

We just bought a patapum. Granted, it was used at Kid to Kid, at $45 which is about what the ergo's would go I'd imagine, since they're about the same price. But it's Very very similar if not exact. I found it here where it's under $100.


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

saffrongirl-- I got my Ergo on craigslist for about half of what it would be new and its in perfect condition. Just a thought. I watched Ergo's on ebay for awhile, but gave up as they sell for too much there even used.


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## coldandsleepy (Aug 5, 2008)

Grey's officially cutting teeth. His first two (two!) are visible now, they're poking above the gumline. And they are SHARP.


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## angelachristin (Apr 13, 2007)

Hey y'all. Baby Zoe (we usually call her Ziggy) will be 4 months old tomorrow. I can't beleive it--the last 4 months have gone by in a FLASH. She's huge--16 pounds according to the Wii Fit baby weigher. I don't know how long she is, I need to measure. She hasn't been to the doctor or anything since her checkup a few days after we left the hospital. I might take her to my MW, who does well baby visits, at 6 months. She is trying her hardest to roll over from back to front and just can't quite do it yet. She has also become quite the thumb sucker. Still nursing up a storm of course and has never had a bottle. She is a sweet and cuddly baby.

Here is a recent picture of my sweet little girl:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...&id=1051988024

and one maybe a month ago of Ziggy and big brother:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...&id=1051988024


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

http://www.facebook.com/#/photo.php?...8&id=634508169

Here's a picture of Gavin from two weeks ago. He's doing really well, finally turned a corner with all of his fussiness, but we still struggle with occasional bad reflux. I can't figure it out...because it's only on occasion, I assume it's something I'm eating, but a food log isn't revealing it to me. I hate it when it happens, he'll scream and arch for hours, obviously in pain, wanting to nurse but arching away from me, wanting to sleep, but waking in pain... Luckily once it passes he's back happy baby.

Knock on wood, but the last several nights have been GREAT sleep! Last night he went to sleep around 9pm but was up less than an hour later. I worried we were in for a bad night, but I got him back to sleep again easily and he slept for SIX HOURS!!! He was in his bassinet next to my bed, and didn't make a PEEP for 6 hours! Then he woke up, I fed him, and he let me put him back in his bassinet again. He was still sleeping when I left for work. Sometimes he won't sleep in his bassinet, then I just have him with us in bed, which I don't mind, but if he will go in his bassinet, then I'm happy to put him there. That way I can snuggle with my hubby







If Gavin continues to sleep this well in his own bed, then my hubby's vasectomy might actually be put to work














As it stands right now, it's been a completely useless surgery, iykwim









Gavin is very LONG...officially outgrew his Peg Perego infant seat (length limit of 26 inches). But he doesn't weigh a ton, I'm guestimating that he weighs about 14.5 pounds (that's on our bathroom scale). He looks perfect to me, just the right amount of chunk, but not too roly-poly.

He found his voice...sort of! It's really cute to hear! He's trying to laugh, which is hilarious because sometimes his whole body laughs and no sound comes out, then suddenly sound bursts out of him and startles him!

Speaking of startling...he is very sound sensitive, which is hard to deal with having two older kids! I can't yell at the older boys while nursing Gavin because it scares him! (and I don't mean yell in anger, I mean like hollering to them in the other room or something)

Anyway...things are going great here









PS: Cristeen--I have milk for you, I need to count up my stash (I keep getting local requests for milk and so I don't know how much I have, but it's a lot!) and I'll email you


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

This picture is almost 3 weeks old, but it's the only one I have that shows his size. http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...n/137_3788.jpg

Quote:


Originally Posted by *boobs4milk* 







s cristeen! you're doing a wonderful job!

Thank you so much for the support, mamas!

This morning I woke up leaking and there was a wet spot on the bed. It had only been 4 hours since he'd nursed, but the spot was about 3 inches by 3 inches.







He nursed on bare breast for almost 2 full minutes before demanding more milk. And there comes a point towards the end of the feed where he starts spluttering and now I'm wondering if I'm having a let down that's causing that. He won't go back to the bare breast at that point, but he does pop off and on while sputtering and swallowing. So I'm lead to conclude that something is working (the Dom), which is fabulous, since the flow rate of the supplementer doesn't change. But, I'm only seeing it on one breast, really. The other one leaks a little bit when he's nursing the other side, but not like this.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2boyzmama* 
http://www.facebook.com/#/photo.php?...8&id=634508169

PS: Cristeen--I have milk for you, I need to count up my stash (I keep getting local requests for milk and so I don't know how much I have, but it's a lot!) and I'll email you









Wow! Look at those cheeks!

That's fabulous, thank you! My local supplies are dwindling as he's getting older, some of the moms don't seem to be as interested in feeding a 3 mo as they were to feed a NB, although I do still have a few regular donors, they can't keep up with his needs. I'll email you about the shipping.


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

It's so nice to hear about everyone's babies. Lake is right there with the teething. He has slept *horribly* the last two nights, waking every 20 or 30 minutes, and I fully expect to see some teeth pop up any day now. He's 25.5 inches according to my tape measure and a couple weeks ago weighed 14.5 pounds. He feels so heavy to me lately so I wouldn't be surprised if he's a little heavier now. His 4 mth checkup is on Monday and I'm pretty sure he'll be in the 50th percentiles across the board. He always measures "average" at his appointments which I don't mind at all. I had no idea that Lake was close to growing out of his infant seat though! I'm glad you ladies mentioned it or else I would not have realized that I need to keep an eye on it already. The weight limit is 22 lbs, 29 inches so I've got a couple months hopefully.


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## saffrongirl (Aug 24, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
This picture is almost 3 weeks old, but it's the only one I have that shows his size. http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...n/137_3788.jpg


He's SUCH a sweet boy!


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *BrittneyMarie* 
I'm new so I wasn't part of the ddc, but I'd love to join everyone here! Bella was 13 lb 6 oz at her 4 month checkup. Shes a babydoll!
http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._2238010_n.jpg

I keep coming back to this picture...she's so beautiful!!! I'm always drawn to eyes, and hers are so expressive! So big, so bright... LOVE THEM!!!!

Oh, and welcome to our Post-DDC Club!


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## kittyhead (Oct 28, 2005)




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## boobs4milk (Jun 25, 2006)

aww cute pic cristeen! wooohoooo for leaking!

amelia is sick AND teething. yesterday she barfed up an entire feeding and then barfed up slime. ugh. poor thing and i feel so helpless! she gets her next weight check and synagis shot next friday!


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

I took a sewing class today so I can make A's clothes. He's so long and skinny that I can't buy off the rack for him even now. I had to resize a pattern - scanned in a NB pattern and resized it to 75% to get the right width through the chest. Then I had to add 1.5 inches in torso length and 3 inches in sleeve length to get it to the right length for my little beanpole. But I came home with a tiny little t-shirt almost finished. I'll try to remember to post a picture when I get it done. But it'll be nice to have a shirt that actually fits him properly, instead of being a crop top, or so wide you could fit 2 of him in it.

Oh, and my local fabric store carries some really nice wool fabrics - and they were having a 25% off sale today, so now I have 4 wool fabrics to make him pants from!


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

That's so cool that you are making clothes for your LO. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

Lake has been sleeping a little better lately but I'm not. DH really likes to co-sleep and I do as well but our bed is not big enough. I always end up teetering on the edge of the bed while DH and Lake are sprawled out. I ended up sleeping on the couch last night and will continue to do so until Lake starts sleeping a little better on his own. I'd love to get a bigger bed but we can't afford it so that's out of the question.

Also, Lake has discovered quite a few tricks and enjoys doing them over and over. He's learned how to pull the bottle out of his mouth with his hands so he does that repeatedly while eating. He also loves to shriek. It's cute but very loud.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b9...D550/ry%3D400/


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *saffrongirl* 
I also need to get an Ergo or something like that because the Maya isn't really cutting it as well. Does anyone have any recommendations for a good carrier similar to the Ergo that maybe isn't as expensive?

i was bummed to give up the moby but the stretch was getting to be too much. if you could deal with a mei tai, the maya wrap mei tai has wide fabric straps that make it feel moby-style. i've seen them on sale for $50 or so. i'm loving it.


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## StrongFeather (Mar 13, 2009)

Hi Mommas!
Wow, I miss all of you!

Hmm, let's see, Sam had his 4 month Well Child Jan 4th, and then he weighed in at 15lb, 5.5 oz, and 25 inches long. After a I felt like my milk supply was dropping back in Dec., I started on a suppliment, Special Blend, by Motherlove, let me just say this stuff worked overnight for me. Sam has doubled his birth weight and no more fussy feedings pulling and moaning at my breast. So I am confident that it helps. Plus, my peace of mind is worth the $20 for the tincture ;-) (just ask my DH, haha)

Sam is rolling from tummy to back, when he wants to, and ALMOST can go from back to belly. He is starting to want to crawl, moving his legs and hands, pulling at the floor to try and move. I feel bad b/c he seems SO frustrated! I know it will probably be quite a while before he can, but I know he's starting the process of figuring it all out.

Sam can sit for a little while unassisted, just how do they figure out how to sit on their own? I have been wondering that for some time. Just one day do they pull up? He has been doing the crunches for awhile now, he's gotta have some super abs!

We are no doubt teething, and each day it's getting progressively worse. I have tried so much to help him. I wonder about giving him tylenol. do you Momma's do that? Is it safe? the teething tablets help, but I want to pick up the Camillia alone to see if that is better.

Hmm.. I'll have to search for a recent picture for you all.


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## rockdoctor (Mar 26, 2009)

I've mostly been reading MDC since the birth of DD Ahvy. I often want to write but my brain still feels unorganized and distracted. I am back at work now so I can spend a few minutes updating my DDC (probably not what they want to pay me for)!

Ahvy will be 4 mths on Feb 2. She ended up being born in Oct, but so what, I am still Sept at heart. She seems to be doing well. I don't know what she weighs now, but at her 2mth check she was 50% everything, right in the average. I am cool with average. She has always had a really strong neck. In fact she could hold her own head at 3days. Now it is consistently steady. She also can stand strong for about 30 seconds without crumbling, however she has no interest in using her arms to push up when she is on her stomach. She just pushes her butt up and digs her face into the ground; two seconds later she is screaming for help. She sits well and does crunches. She has found her loud voice. I often find myself wondering if she is complianing when she uses it, or is just taking her new vocal chords out for a test drive.

I EBFed her for the first three and a half months, but now that I am back at work I can't seem to pump enough to keep her in breastmilk all day, so we had to start supplementing with formula. I just don't understand how, before I could produce enough for her and now I can't. This was my first weekend home and I couldn't even keep her happy in milk BFing, we had to give her a bottle once. It's a little discouraging. I pump four times a day, and go home with anywhere from 6-10 oz. I have warm compresses, pictures, I breathe deeply and visualize, I just don't get it. I hope it gets better this week.

Sorry I don't have any pictures, but she's a cutie.


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *coldandsleepy* 
Grey's officially cutting teeth. His first two (two!) are visible now, they're poking above the gumline. And they are SHARP.

oh wow! I can't belive our little ones will be eating food soon. I just got the hang of breastfeeding!

Here's our fussy baby when he's not so fussy!


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rockdoctor* 
I EBFed her for the first three and a half months, but now that I am back at work I can't seem to pump enough to keep her in breastmilk all day, so we had to start supplementing with formula. I just don't understand how, before I could produce enough for her and now I can't. This was my first weekend home and I couldn't even keep her happy in milk BFing, we had to give her a bottle once. It's a little discouraging. I pump four times a day, and go home with anywhere from 6-10 oz. I have warm compresses, pictures, I breathe deeply and visualize, I just don't get it. I hope it gets better this week.

Sorry I don't have any pictures, but she's a cutie.









s: I'm so sorry. I'm at the same place-- just started working last week. I also only make 6-10 ounces, but my little one only gets 5-6 ounces a day. How long are you gone for work? Is it possible she's being over fed? Let me know if you want any tips-- slowly, I'm seeing the amount that I pump increasing.


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## 4myfinn (Dec 29, 2009)

Hi everyone! I am so enjoying looking at all the sweet pics of your little ones. I'll see if I can get one up too.

My DS turned 4 months on the 10th. At his appt on the 20th he was 17 pounds 7 ounces and 27 inches. He's a big boy!







We've been dealing with major issues: dairy (and possibly soy) allergy and SEVERE silent reflux. We just started a new medication for the reflux- Prevacid. We're already seeing some changes; I really hope this is the solution we have so desperately been searching for. I was so reluctant to turn to medication, but when you're watching your LO in constant pain it is so difficult. Dietary changes and other modifications like feeding/sleeping at an incline have helped a bit, but his back-arching was getting worse and worse, especially during feedings and at night. He's been sleeping on his left side at night, and I think that's helped.

Developmentally, he is doing well in everything that doesn't involve tummy time. The reflux makes tummy time really uncomfortable for him, so we haven't pushed it at all with him. He is getting better at it, but still hates it. He lifts his head and chest but still hasn't pushed up with his arms much. He almost accidentally rolled over once. He laughs, coos, and smiles all the time. He has started talking and screaming just to hear the sound of his voice, and that includes coughing all the time! I think he's realized that coughing gets a reaction from us and he likes that.







He is so strong and trying to stand all the time. My favorite thing that he's doing now, though, is giving kisses. He gives us wet, slobbery kisses that are oh so sweet!

I'm so glad to finally have found this September thread!


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## dosergirl (Feb 6, 2009)

hey mamas...can i say how much i miss you all and our daily talks!

Cora is doing great. At her 4month appt. last week she was 14lbs 4oz and 27.5 inches long...she is super tall and skinny, which means she is in 9 month clothes and up for length, but they fall off her waist.

we are doing great. taking a mom and baby class o get out of the house once a week, which helps during these dreary months.

we actually just tried cereal for the first time last night and it was hilarious to say the least. she had been grabbing at our food so we got the go ahead from her doc to try. she was totally into it, even though i'm pretty sure she swallowed nothing, haha. of course that is one more thing i thought i would do differently when i was pregnant, ebf for the first 6 months! but she was ready and i have to do what she wants ..it's amazing how that happens.

love hearing about you ladies.

Here are some pictures of Cora, i need to get more up.
http://www.thegirlisamom.com/pictures/coraline-mae/


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...3&id=634508169

I put up some new pictures of the boys today









Nothing really new to share...I finally counted up my frozen stash of breastmilk...I have 242 oz in my freezer, and when I left home this morning there were 16 oz in the fridge. I've pumped another 16 here at work (only two pumpings, I sometimes try to squeeze in a third, but I've been busy today). And I've already given away close to 100oz locally.

MOOOOOOOOO!!! (funny...I actually have a great dane that looks like a cow, here's a picture of her http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...9&l=a670c006ae)

So I'll be making a shipment soon...need to make room in my freezer for food!

Things are going well...I can't believe that in just over a week Gavin will be 4 months old!!! He's the youngest in this DDC I believe (maybe there was one other born after he was?)


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## rockdoctor (Mar 26, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 







s: I'm so sorry. I'm at the same place-- just started working last week. I also only make 6-10 ounces, but my little one only gets 5-6 ounces a day. How long are you gone for work? Is it possible she's being over fed? Let me know if you want any tips-- slowly, I'm seeing the amount that I pump increasing.

Thanks texmati! I could use tips I guess. I am gone from 6:30 am to 4:30pm. I thought at first she was being overfed, but then I witnessed this weekend how unsatisfied she was until given a bottle with 4 oz of milk after feeding on me on and off for the first three hours of the day. However, on Sunday she was just fine with EBF all day.
In short, she seems to be eating 12-14 oz while I am gone for the day (~10 hours). I BF her twice before I leave and she doesn't eat for two hours before I get home so she is hungry when I get back. I spend about 1.5 to 2 hours pumping at work, I can't get away with pumping more than that without really pissing off some people (I can understand that.). My freezer stash lasted one week on top of what I was pumping everyday. There just seems to be a discrepancy between what I can pump and what she wants to eat.


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

2boyzmama, I love that picture of Gavin! He's so cute!

rockdoctor, I wish I had suggestions for you. I also couldn't keep up with my son once I started work. If I pumped twice a day I'd produce enough for 10ish hours (12-16 oz milk) BUT I was so exhausted trying to do it all, that it just wasn't worth it for me anymore. He's on 1/2 formula, 1/2 milk during the day. I hope that you can get some good suggestions here but please don't feel bad that you can't keep up. Pumping is just not as effective as a nursing baby sometimes.

4myfinn, you do have a big boy!  I'm so glad that the Prevacid is helping him. My son Lake has some reflux issues and it was heartbreaking to see him in pain.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rockdoctor* 
There just seems to be a discrepancy between what I can pump and what she wants to eat.

I'm just going to throw some thoughts out there for you:
While it's not particularly easy - have you tried pumping one side while nursing the other? Have you tried any galactagogues? Have you tried different pumps (the Symphony is not great for me, the Lactina is good, but the PIS doesn't get but a couple drops)? Do you cosleep? How about dream-feeding (to encourage reverse cycling)? Do you pump while at home at all? How many times does babe get fed in a day while you're gone? How many times does babe nurse in a workday? How many times a day are you pumping and for how long?

I may not be able to produce enough BM for my little guy, but I've learned a LOT about pumping from our various donors and my IBCLC.


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## Auroara Bobcat (Nov 24, 2008)

Hey there ladies.

Gena is doing great, we just weighed her yesterday and she is a little over 16lbs. She does tummy time for about 5mins a day, she holds her head up well and rolls from tummy to back.
She loves to watch us eat and she will sit at the table with us and grab our plates, so yesterday we gave her just a tiny taste of banana and she really enjoyed it, but we will just stick with tastes for now.
Some of my own personal brag points are on the fact that she has been EBF since birth (I only breastfed my son for 2 and 1/2 months, so it's a big deal for me) and has had nothing but cloth diapers and cloth wipes touch her bum.









It's so nice to here from everyone and to know that the babes are doing well.









Here are a couple of pics of her, I have to add the one with her new hat.

__
https://flic.kr/p/4304994251

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4438061...7622852529221/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4438061...7622852529221/


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## rockdoctor (Mar 26, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
I'm just going to throw some thoughts out there for you:
While it's not particularly easy - have you tried pumping one side while nursing the other? Have you tried any galactagogues? Have you tried different pumps (the Symphony is not great for me, the Lactina is good, but the PIS doesn't get but a couple drops)? Do you cosleep? How about dream-feeding (to encourage reverse cycling)? Do you pump while at home at all? How many times does babe get fed in a day while you're gone? How many times does babe nurse in a workday? How many times a day are you pumping and for how long?

I may not be able to produce enough BM for my little guy, but I've learned a LOT about pumping from our various donors and my IBCLC.









Let me see if I can answer these questions. I just don't see how it is possible to pump and nurse her at the same time. She moves so much and is so heavy for me it takes both of my arms to nurse her even with a nursing pillow. I have never been able to use a football hold with here and I don't understand how to hold the pump on with her right there anyway. I am very small breasted so her whole body is very close to mine. I don't know what galactagogues are. Noone rents pumps in my community and I can't afford to buy another double electric pump. Mine seems to pump alright, but I am just not producing much?
On the co-sleeping topic, we do not cosleep except in the morning when she wakes up. She kicks and squirms and wakes up so easily when she sleeps with us and I do not sleep at all. She sleeps so well in her crib and I sleep better too this way. Therefore we do not reverse cycle. Besides with working ten hour days plus Bfing her I just don't think I would be very healthy or happy being up all night. I wish I could sleep and feed, but as I said before I am very small breasted and she falls off frequently and I have to lift her to put her back on when we are lying down.
I have tried to pump at home, but I get even less than at work (like 1oz out of both breasts combined)and then I have a low supply when she wants to bf. I am not exactly sure how many times a day she gets fed, but I think she gets offered a bottle every two-three hours, although she eats varying quantites each time. Usually in the morning she eats more and in the afternoon eats less. And finally, I pump four times a day (every two to three hours like the baby's schedule) for 15-30 minutes each time.


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

@2boyzmama
i love how gavin's pic is in your "pets" photo section! he he
i hate to make the comparison but it's really scary how similar alot of this baby stuff is to doggy training. yikes!
heck, i've worked at a doggy daycare and a human one and i've had to wipe poop off of the toys at both!


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rockdoctor* 
Let me see if I can answer these questions. I just don't see how it is possible to pump and nurse her at the same time. She moves so much and is so heavy for me it takes both of my arms to nurse her even with a nursing pillow. I have never been able to use a football hold with here and I don't understand how to hold the pump on with her right there anyway. I am very small breasted so her whole body is very close to mine. I don't know what galactagogues are. Noone rents pumps in my community and I can't afford to buy another double electric pump. Mine seems to pump alright, but I am just not producing much?
On the co-sleeping topic, we do not cosleep except in the morning when she wakes up. She kicks and squirms and wakes up so easily when she sleeps with us and I do not sleep at all. She sleeps so well in her crib and I sleep better too this way. Therefore we do not reverse cycle. Besides with working ten hour days plus Bfing her I just don't think I would be very healthy or happy being up all night. I wish I could sleep and feed, but as I said before I am very small breasted and she falls off frequently and I have to lift her to put her back on when we are lying down.
I have tried to pump at home, but I get even less than at work (like 1oz out of both breasts combined)and then I have a low supply when she wants to bf. I am not exactly sure how many times a day she gets fed, but I think she gets offered a bottle every two-three hours, although she eats varying quantites each time. Usually in the morning she eats more and in the afternoon eats less. And finally, I pump four times a day (every two to three hours like the baby's schedule) for 15-30 minutes each time.









s Rockdoctor! You are working so hard! Pumping and working is exhausting. Right now it feels like DS is reverse cycling, and it is so tiring.

The only way that I can pump and feed at the same time is with a sleep bra, using football hold and DH's help.

Galactagouges is a fancy way of saying things that increase supply-- like oatmeal, fenungreek, ect.

I was able to get more out of a nursing session buy fiddling with the knobs, and using the let down button until I got a second let down. (I have a PISA).

There is a really helpful pumping forum at llli.org that is helpful as well. On there, they say that your milk producing hormones peak at night, so you should pump/feed at night to keep up your supply. But it exhausting if you can't get a proper nights sleep.

Also-- I'd make sure the daycare was using *all* the breast milk (not tossing any if it's left in the bottle, ect).

Finally, formula is not hte devil, it's better than keeping your little one hungry. And a happy mama is always better than a stressed out mama. I don't pump at home if my little one is awake anymore. I decided he needed me more than he needed my milk.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rockdoctor* 
I have tried to pump at home, but I get even less than at work (like 1oz out of both breasts combined)and then I have a low supply when she wants to bf.

I'll start by saying 1 oz combined is actually a good amount from a single pumping. I know it doesn't seem that way since so many mamas can produce more, but it really is good. Do you get a let-down for the pump?

How long is she sleeping for a stretch at night? Is it more than 5 hours? Your milk production is at it's highest at night/wee hours of the morning... and if she's going more than 5 hours without feeding, it can effect your supply. So it may behoove you to make sure you pump right before bed (assuming she's already asleep) - and again first thing in the morning before you leave for work. If you do that regularly, you should signal your body to make more. If you can manage to pump after a feeding, that will also signal your body to make more, since pumping during a feeding isn't feasible for you (we use the football hold exclusively, so I can do both, but if he were in the cradle hold there's no way I could).

If you haven't tried them, I'd start with fenugreek and other herbal lactation supports - Mother Milk tea is a widely available one, or any of the herbs from Motherlove Herbals.

Also - when you pump, how much milk rises to the top of the bottle? You want a decent amount of fat... if you don't have enough fat in there, then baby will want to eat more because she's not feeling satisfied. In which case increasing your dietary fat intake will increase the fat in your milk.

And just something to remember - the breast is never empty. It may get to a point where she has to suck more for less, but it's never completely empty. If she wants to continue to suck after she's done eating, let her - it stimulates more milk production. This is one of the reasons pacifiers can effect milk supply.

Anyway - hope that helps.


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
I took a sewing class today so I can make A's clothes. He's so long and skinny that I can't buy off the rack for him even now. I had to resize a pattern - scanned in a NB pattern and resized it to 75% to get the right width through the chest. Then I had to add 1.5 inches in torso length and 3 inches in sleeve length to get it to the right length for my little beanpole. But I came home with a tiny little t-shirt almost finished. I'll try to remember to post a picture when I get it done. But it'll be nice to have a shirt that actually fits him properly, instead of being a crop top, or so wide you could fit 2 of him in it.

Let us know how this goes! I want to start making clothes too (not just knitting lil hats & things) but real pants. I used to make doll clothes... boy clothes shouldn't be too difficult, no?!?!?


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## StrongFeather (Mar 13, 2009)

Just want to chime in with a thumbs up







for the Motherlove Herbals. I have been taking the Special Blend, and it literally felt like it worked overnight!


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## boobs4milk (Jun 25, 2006)

texmati...great vid so cute!

2boyz...holy milkies! i've still got about 300 oz stored, but we use 1 bottle/day to give her vits and me a break! i stopped pumping in october because i was just exhausted!

hugs to all the mamas struggling. i take fenugreek and blessed thistle (per dr jack newman's site) and have managed to keep my supply up. i had os issues, then had a surgery and got af and it was hard feeling like i couldn't keep up. i've been on the herbals for about 7wks and am weaning off them now.


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## rockdoctor (Mar 26, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
Do you get a let-down for the pump?

How long is she sleeping for a stretch at night? Is it more than 5 hours? Your milk production is at it's highest at night/wee hours of the morning... and if she's going more than 5 hours without feeding, it can effect your supply. So it may behoove you to make sure you pump right before bed (assuming she's already asleep) - and again first thing in the morning before you leave for work. If you do that regularly, you should signal your body to make more. If you can manage to pump after a feeding, that will also signal your body to make more, since pumping during a feeding isn't feasible for you (we use the football hold exclusively, so I can do both, but if he were in the cradle hold there's no way I could).

Also - when you pump, how much milk rises to the top of the bottle? You want a decent amount of fat... if you don't have enough fat in there, then baby will want to eat more because she's not feeling satisfied. In which case increasing your dietary fat intake will increase the fat in your milk.


Thanks everyone for your suggestions! I will keep trying some things and hopefully I will get more out of pumping as time goes on.

I do get a let down for the pump. The main issue seems to be the quantity I go home with. She sleeps through the night, although occasionally will wake up once to eat. I go to bed right after she eats at night so no pumping then. I tried for a while but wasn't getting anything, and then was exhausted. I do pump in the morning before I leave for work and after she has nursed twice. Lately I have been getting about 2 oz in the am.

I am not sure how much fat should be at the top of the bottles. For a 4oz bottle I would say the fat is just under 1/4th of an inch. Is this enough? My diet tends to be high in dairy fats and meat fats so I think I eat enough fat?


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rockdoctor* 
I am not sure how much fat should be at the top of the bottles. For a 4oz bottle I would say the fat is just under 1/4th of an inch. Is this enough? My diet tends to be high in dairy fats and meat fats so I think I eat enough fat?

Yup - that's a good amount.

I know that some of the donor milk I've gotten has has almost zero fat in it, so he eats more of it. The milk we're using right now though has a good amount of fat in it, so he's starting to eat less.


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## 4JMJ (Feb 5, 2008)

Hi everyone,
Our little guy had his 4 mo checkup Mon. 14 lbs, 6 oz, 25 in long. The doc was impressed that he had gained 4 lbs in 2 mos, she said that was good for an EBF baby. I was surprised it wasn't more because he eats all.the.time!! He has been kind of "off" since then, I think it may have to do with the vax's? Lots more poopy dipes, tummy off (extra gassy and lots of spitting up), and VERY cranky and tired. I'm thinking maybe the rotavirus vax. Anyone else have this happen? Plus he is teething so bad too. I feel just awful for him.
When he is more "himself", he enjoys using his new-found voice! He will just go on and on in his high-pitched squeal, we love it! He isn't rolling yet, but it seems my boys like to take their sweet time with those gross-motor milestones! He really doesn't like being on the floor and he HATES tummy time! So he is in the mei-tai for the most part! He will tolerate the excer-saucer for about 5 mins a stretch.
We see the cardiologist next week to follow up on some heart issues he had in utero. He has been doing really well, so if he looks good to them next week it will probably be a while til he has to see them again.
He wakes up in the night still to eat, usually 2 or 3 times. It is manageable though because he is in bed with me so he usually just snacks and we both doze off again. I do miss my full night's sleep though! I have a feeling it will be a long while before I see that again! I don't mind though, I'm in love with this guy and so thankful he's here!







(didn't post here when I was pregnant, but he almost died from his heart condition @ 26 weeks)


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

I just have to share this, that Rowan found himself in the mirror today and it was just hysterical. We have lots of mirror time, but it's often him smiling at the other mommy, not much him finding himself in there. but tonight he did.

and the weirdest thing happened.... he started talking to "it", in a voice I've never heard before. He babbles and coos and ah-goos to me all the time. but when he started talking to the "other" Rowan, it was like... baby talk. little sounds and strange giggles. how funny!

anyone else had happy mirror time?

(guess sub question would be... are you having any time with other babies? We've not introduced him to other babies yet)


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## pastrygirl (Jul 21, 2006)

Caleb loves his "mirror self," too. It's adorable to watch!!

Anyone else still struggling with sleep? Things are getting worse here, not better. He's waking at least 6 times a night, though I don't have to nurse him each of those times. Some nights it's every half hour or hour for a chunk of time. I'm exhausted and only getting worse.







I don't know why he's so restless! We're still swaddling, but he can roll now even in a full swaddle. I tried a sleep positioner, but he rolls right over it or sometimes the side that detaches attaches to his swaddle instead. I've tried not swaddling and had disastrous results.

I've tried the swing but it doesn't make a huge difference. If he wakes at 4am or later, I put him in the swing and he'll sleep til 8am, but if I put him in it earlier, he still wakes a bunch of times. I can't co-sleep because it hurts my back too much -- I was becoming immobile in the mornings because my back would lock up.

What else can I do? He only naps for 30-45 minutes and I have a 3.5-year-old, so I can't sleep when he sleeps. I need sleeeeep...!


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

We haven't tried the mirror baby yet...hmm...maybe I will tonight! He has been around other babies within a few months of him, and it's hilarious to see them! At a LLL meeting we lined up 4 babies from 2 months old to 6 months old on the floor, and watched them as they rolled around, grabbed each other's hair, chewed on another baby's foot, etc. It was cute









4JMJ I'm so glad your little one is doing well now!!! What was his heart issue? There's a CHD tribe over in Special Needs Parenting if you want to talk to other heart mamas. My middle son has a genetic syndrome and cardiac defects are very common (in fact it's called VeloCARDIOfacial Syndrome) but he amazingly does not have any defects.









Those of you having supply issues, I'm sending you milk dust!! I am incredibly lucky (and THANKFUL!) to have an abundant supply, even if it means that I put up with plugged ducts, mastitis, reflux, and foremilk/hindmilk imbalance issues. I think I'd rather deal with those problems then constantly worry about not being able to pump enough. I have to work, so I'm thankful to have enough milk. And I like being able to provide my extra milk to other babies who need it, it makes me feel good









I'm not much help when it comes to sleep issues. One of my friends is dealing with sleep issues with her 6 month old, and every suggestion I've had she's tried already (this is her third baby with sleep issues). Gavin sleeps pretty well, waking at least once a night, usually twice. We have bad nights once in a while where he'll have a bad episode of reflux and be up and down all night, those nights suck (as does the next day at work for me!) but it's only on occassion so I can deal with it (so far!) Now if someone could talk to my almost 3 year old about HIS sleeping, that'd be nice


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Mirror baby-- yep, my LO just discovered him this past week and smiles and smiles at this "other" baby. Its cute!

Real other babies-- we go out to mom/baby groups a few times a week (LLL, mom and baby yoga and a mom-baby support/chat group). Noam likes the other babies a lot. . .he doesn't smile at them as much as he does to himself in the mirror, but he loves to watch them. Since he's my first and we live far from family and I SAH with him, I think its important to get him around other babies/kids. I realized the other day that he's never been around animals though







we need to get a pet or spend time around some. It seems sad that he has never smiled into the eyes of a kitty or doggy.

Sleep-- seems a lot of us are either still have sleep issues or are experiencing new sleep issues around the 4 month mark. It suck, but I have been assured that they all sleep eventually. . .my LOs "routine" has gone to hell. He now wants to wake-up early







and his naps are screwy.

pastrygirl, have you considered any food intolerances? It may not be the cause if you don't have any other symptoms, but I have recently gone dairy-free and one of the things it seems to be helping is my LOs restless sleep. He still wakes 3+ times a night to nurse mind you, but he kicks and head-shakes less I find.

4 month ped appt next week! Can't wait to see how far off the charts he is now! (He's a big guy







.)


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

@pastry girl
we are still a good sleeper BUT there have been more foibles with the rolling all over the place stuff. maybe that's part of the issue? my kid seems to love it so much that she wants to do it ALL the time...including when she wakes up at night (and yeah, she rolls over swaddled as well.)
so that means instead of putting herself to sleep like she used to do, now some of the time she's rolling over...which means she'll start talking to herself, have some fun, then get louder and louder, until she's done with it all and start screaming/crying.


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## 4JMJ (Feb 5, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2boyzmama* 
4JMJ I'm so glad your little one is doing well now!!! What was his heart issue? There's a CHD tribe over in Special Needs Parenting if you want to talk to other heart mamas. My middle son has a genetic syndrome and cardiac defects are very common (in fact it's called VeloCARDIOfacial Syndrome) but he amazingly does not have any defects.









He was diagnosed with Super Ventricular Tachycardia (SVT) @ 26 weeks. His heart rate was 320 bpm! As a result of that he also developed fetal hydrops (retaining a bunch of excess fluid in his body). His poor little heart wasn't contracting, it was just quivering. I went to the hospital to get checked because I hadn't felt him move that day. We were immediately hospitalized and they told us the prognosis was not good at all. (They said he had a close to zero chance of survival.) We were completely devastated, I can't even put it into words (never had the slightest problem with any of my other pregnancies, no family history, etc). They started me on mega-doses of 2 different heart meds, and his heart rate went back into normal range after about a week. They discharged me after 9 days, and we had weekly dr. appts. and ultrasounds for the rest of the pregnancy. I contiuned on the meds until he was delivered at 37 1/2 weeks (they induced because the meds were making me horribly ill). After he was born we stayed in the hospital for 5 days to monitor his heart and thankfully he was doing great! We still see a cardiologist for monitoring, his next appt. is next week. Dr. said if he does well, then it will be a while before we have to go back. Oh and he has not had to be on any meds! They can't give us any reason why this all happened (no heart defects, with the exception of a bi-cuspid valve, which they say is totally unrelated.) So I thank God every day for our miracl baby!








Sorry that was kind of a ramble, you asked me a simple question and I gave you his life story!


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *4JMJ* 
He was diagnosed with Super Ventricular Tachycardia (SVT) @ 26 weeks. His heart rate was 320 bpm! As a result of that he also developed fetal hydrops (retaining a bunch of excess fluid in his body). His poor little heart wasn't contracting, it was just quivering. I went to the hospital to get checked because I hadn't felt him move that day. We were immediately hospitalized and they told us the prognosis was not good at all. (They said he had a close to zero chance of survival.) We were completely devastated, I can't even put it into words (never had the slightest problem with any of my other pregnancies, no family history, etc). They started me on mega-doses of 2 different heart meds, and his heart rate went back into normal range after about a week. They discharged me after 9 days, and we had weekly dr. appts. and ultrasounds for the rest of the pregnancy. I contiuned on the meds until he was delivered at 37 1/2 weeks (they induced because the meds were making me horribly ill). After he was born we stayed in the hospital for 5 days to monitor his heart and thankfully he was doing great! We still see a cardiologist for monitoring, his next appt. is next week. Dr. said if he does well, then it will be a while before we have to go back. Oh and he has not had to be on any meds! They can't give us any reason why this all happened (no heart defects, with the exception of a bi-cuspid valve, which they say is totally unrelated.) So I thank God every day for our miracl baby!








Sorry that was kind of a ramble, you asked me a simple question and I gave you his life story!









No, thank you for sharing!!! Wow, what a miracle!!! And how great that your mommy instincts alerted you and you went in to get checked...wow!


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## pastrygirl (Jul 21, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kismetbaby* 
pastrygirl, have you considered any food intolerances?

I had thought about that back when he was really having trouble with spitting-up and only sleeping for two minutes at a time. But he didn't have any other signs of food intolerance (normal diapers, etc.), and Prevacid started doing its magic for his reflux. Last night, I tried the swaddling method from this video that was posted on another thread here: 




He only woke up twice to nurse, and didn't even wake up a bazillion times after I first put him to bed! He also took a longer nap this morning swaddled like that -- almost an hour!







No thumping or trying to roll, or anything. I think it keeps him nice and tight and bundled so he still feels held.









4JMJ -- wow, what a story! It really is a miracle!


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Gavin slept all night last night!! YAY! So when I woke up, I was really full and pumped a BUNCH of milk (14oz!!) Right after I was done pumping, Gavin woke up (of course!) so I nursed him on both sides, trying to give him at least a little! THEN Connor woke up and wanted to nurse, after nursing for a few minutes, he pulled off, signed "mommy milk all gone", and asked for a cup of milk.

As I was pouring Connor's cup of milk, Ian (almost 5 years old) said "Mommy, will you ever have more milk?" I laughed, and said "yes, Ian, my body will make more in a little bit." He thought about it, then said "is it like pee, after I pee I can't pee anymore, but later I can?" And I said "Yes, exactly, it's just like that." He thought for a minute, then said "so if you wait to pump a long time, then you'll REALLY pump a lot, just like when I pee a whole lot!"










Yep, that's right! He's got it figured out


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## StrongFeather (Mar 13, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *4JMJ* 
He was diagnosed with Super Ventricular Tachycardia (SVT) @ 26 weeks. His heart rate was 320 bpm! As a result of that he also developed fetal hydrops (retaining a bunch of excess fluid in his body). His poor little heart wasn't contracting, it was just quivering. I went to the hospital to get checked because I hadn't felt him move that day. We were immediately hospitalized and they told us the prognosis was not good at all. (They said he had a close to zero chance of survival.) We were completely devastated, I can't even put it into words (never had the slightest problem with any of my other pregnancies, no family history, etc). They started me on mega-doses of 2 different heart meds, and his heart rate went back into normal range after about a week. They discharged me after 9 days, and we had weekly dr. appts. and ultrasounds for the rest of the pregnancy. I contiuned on the meds until he was delivered at 37 1/2 weeks (they induced because the meds were making me horribly ill). After he was born we stayed in the hospital for 5 days to monitor his heart and thankfully he was doing great! We still see a cardiologist for monitoring, his next appt. is next week. Dr. said if he does well, then it will be a while before we have to go back. Oh and he has not had to be on any meds! They can't give us any reason why this all happened (no heart defects, with the exception of a bi-cuspid valve, which they say is totally unrelated.) So I thank God every day for our miracl baby!








Sorry that was kind of a ramble, you asked me a simple question and I gave you his life story!









Wow! Amazing! So happy to hear you LO is doing great now!


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

I'm wondering how many of us are dealing with teeth already? My little guy is cutting one right now. I thought at first it was just more of the same drooling and chewing on everything, but no - there really is a tooth emerging (top left).


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## pastrygirl (Jul 21, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
I'm wondering how many of us are dealing with teeth already? My little guy is cutting one right now. I thought at first it was just more of the same drooling and chewing on everything, but no - there really is a tooth emerging (top left).

Caleb already has his two bottom teeth, and the ones next to those are starting to pop through. CRAZY.


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JordanKX* 
I just have to share this, that Rowan found himself in the mirror today and it was just hysterical.

Awww... this is so cute! DS is just now getting interested in the baby in the mirror. The other day at the doctor's (big mirror), he was looking at himself like "yup, I look _good_!".

How are you mama's doing recovery wise? I'm afraid I'm stuck on the couch for another weekend-- this c-section pain just won't go away!


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

Hi all. Amazing how much our babies are growing! Viv is about 16 lbs an 26.5 inches long. She growing so well.

I finally posted my birth story on that forum.









Will try to stop in longer soon - nak.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Tex-

What does your dr say? You shouldn't be feeling pain...


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## octobermoon (Nov 22, 2007)




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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2boyzmama* 
Tex-

What does your dr say? You shouldn't be feeling pain...

*sigh*, the last time I called (I think I was about 4 months ppd), the nurse said that it was normal- and that she also had pain.

TBH, I'm dreading going back to that office, or even calling them. This pain happened around the time of my first AF, so I'm thinking maybe it was related to that?

I don't know whether to take it easy or power through, yk?


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

I don't know, Tex, it just doesn't seem right that you'd still be feeling pain. Hopefully another c/s mom can chime in. Maybe try posting in the VBAC forum? All those moms have had prior c/s.

I took Gavin for his 4 month well baby today. He's doing great! He was 14lbs14oz (50%), 26.5in (90%), and 43cm head (85%). Developmentally he's hitting all his milestones just fine. The dr expressed concern about his weight, because he started above the 95% and has dropped to the 50% already, but I'm so NOT concerned. However, he does spit up a lot, and still has "colicky" episodes that I assume are reflux-related, so I suppose it's prudent to watch his weight a bit more closely. We go back in a month for just a weight check.

*Question for you mamas of reflux babes*...Gavin only has occassional episodes of obvious pain, with the back arching, screaming, trouble eating, etc. It happens maybe twice a week and lasts anywhere from 1-3 hours each time. Then just...goes away. I can't seem to tie it to anything I eat (although if I eat too much dairy, I can trigger an episode, but there have been several times when it didn't appear related to dairy). I asked the dr if there is anything I can do for acute attacks like that, and *he said that Maalox or Mylanta is okay*. I've never heard of this, and haven't had time to research it yet. Has anyone else been told that it's okay? Has anyone tried it? I'm not to the point of wanting to medicate him daily, I don't think it's that bad. But if I can give him something for acute attacks like that, then I'm considering it. Thoughts?

Gavin gave me 8 straight hours of sleep last week! Of course since that night he's back to waking twice a night on average. But that one night was HEAVENLY!! And it was perfect timing, too, because we have a little cold going through our house, and I really needed a bit of sleep! Of course Connor didn't sleep through the night that night, but I still got more sleep than usual! (I don't sleep much...sigh...)

How's weightloss going for you gals? Frustratingly I've been having trouble getting consistent workouts in lately. I was doing good in December, then got mastitis. Then the holidays. Then I was doing good again, and I got sick. SIGH. I'm keeping at it, but it seems like it's one thing after another! I'm being careful to take care of myself, eating well, hydrating, resting when I can, etc. I have about 7 pounds on me still that I REALLY want to get rid of, plus I'm just out of shape! And I don't like it. I'm willing to put the work in, my body just isn't cooperating yet.


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

I'm feeling very out of shape. I'm not too concerned with the weight. I'm back to my pre-preggo weight, although that means I'm still a bit heavy. But it's just the changes in my body, now gravity pulls and extra skin instead of what I was before. Not too happy about the boobs. Are there boob-lift exercises? haha
I walk every day with Rowan in the ergo. When it gets warmer and I feel the need to switch to a stroller, the jogger is there. Right now I like having him on me too much...but of course that means we go a bit slower and look at everything and sing little songs and, well, hang out more than true exercise!


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## pastrygirl (Jul 21, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2boyzmama* 
I don't know, Tex, it just doesn't seem right that you'd still be feeling pain. Hopefully another c/s mom can chime in. Maybe try posting in the VBAC forum? All those moms have had prior c/s.

I had a c-section with Toby, and my pain didn't last long, definitely not months. I would get checked out, it doesn't sound normal. My c-section recovery was easier than my VBAC recovery. What exactly hurts? Is it the incision itself, or certain movements, etc.?


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

Tex, I agree that you probably shouldn't be having pain still. It's a little disconcerting that they just dismissed you as well.

2boyzmama, that seems weird to give Gavin maalox or mylanta but I don't really know. Lake had some issues with gas and my mom recommended Gripe Water to me. I don't know the name of the kind I have right now but it's completely organic. Gripe Water also helps with reflux and teething. Whenever Lake is crying and we can't figure out why, we give him a little bit of this and it helps. It's our little magic bullet.









Jordan, I feel exactly the way you do. I've actually lost too much weight (DH doesn't think I look scary skinny yet but I'm on the edge I think). I would like to say goodbye to the saggy boobs and stretched belly skin but I just don't have the energy to exercise. Does exercise help with those problems?


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

We had our 4 month well-baby check today and my little man is officially a big man!







(And I don't know how this happened as DH and I are both small/normal size people.) He weighed in at 19lbs 2oz! And was 26 inches in length with a head circumference of 17.5 inches. All of which are in the 80%-95%. Whew! That's a lot of mama milk! I've actually had days of feeling weird about how big he was--like I was creating a "Haagendas baby" as I heard one mom put it not too nicely--but I've decided to embrace it. He's chubby, but not grossly so, IMO and he's happy and healthy. Sure he's heavy to carry around







, but I should be proud to have made such a big, lovely boy!









We went to a new Ped. due to a move, and she seemed to think he was healthy as can be too. She supported the EBF didn't balk at the co-sleeping, and she didn't even give us grief over not vaccinating (we are delaying), although of course she urged us to consider getting into the regular vax schedule ASAP. Whatever.

Besides that, Noam is going through some 4 month fussiness/sleep weirdness. But is still generally super happy. Talks a lot, wants to stand all the time, chews everything, has gotten really good at grabbing (including my hair/nose/clothes), laughs (the cutest thing ever!). . .its all pretty awesome!

I'd love to have a little more "me" time--he still doesn't sleep well alone, so I wind up napping with him. . .which sounds good, but when you have things to get done around the house or for yourself its kinda frustrating. I am back to my pre-pg weight, but feeling very out of shape. I think I *look* about the same as I did pre-pg, but my body feels different. I am trying to take walks with Noam and also go to a mom-baby yoga class once a week.

I have gotten really into CDing. . .it has replaced other "addictions" of my pre-mom life.







Instead of shopping for myself, I shop for baby stuff! Internet shopping is both a blessing and a curse!


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## StrongFeather (Mar 13, 2009)

Wow, Kismetbaby! Go Momma Milk, good job









I have a question for you Mommas. and in keeping with our TMI's (haha we have SO many). I have a question for you.

So, when DTD it still hurts. I am ashamed to admit we haven't as much as either DH or I would like, (co-sleeping is getting in the way a bit), so when we actually do get a chance the fact that it's hurting me is REALLY getting to be a show stopper. DH get's frustrated and says it "shouldn't hurt" he thinks I am not into it, etc. I try and tell him that things are dry, and that we need to "practice a bit".. but more often than not it's killed his/our mood.

My question for you is SHOULD it hurt? I didn't tear at all during birth, just a few skid marks. Though I had a little bit of a hard time healing from them... my MW actually took a stick of silver nitrate to one of the areas, and then I waited a week or two to let it heal good. But still in pain.

We've tried the lots of lube, though maybe i need better quality? I have only been able to plan to have the "couple glasses of wine" to loosen up a few times, as we are trying our little escapades mid afternoon while Sam naps.

What to do? I have needs and I KNOW my husband does too! Should I have a doc look at it?


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

StrongFeather - if I can ask, where does it hurt? I mean, I had a teeny tear. And I still hurt sometimes in that spot. Pretty much we've learned angles to not stretch that spot too much. Still weird that it should hurt after nearly 5 months - I'm thinking scar tissue must have less stretchy give, you know? But then sometimes used to be internal achyness from dryness, but since I don't have milk anymore, that's pretty much reset itself and I'm back to 'normal'.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *StrongFeather* 
What to do? I have needs and I KNOW my husband does too! Should I have a doc look at it?

Unless you suspect a tear or infection, there's not much a doctor can do for you.

Pain is not uncommon, so he can take his "it shouldn't" and stick it - it's not the slightest bit helpful. Relaxation is good, so is foreplay. *Lots* of foreplay. You can also try massage - if you did perineal massage during pregnancy, something similar can help soften and loosen up the tissues now. If you can pinpoint where the pain is originating, then concentrate the massage in that area. Chances are you may have a bit of scar tissue built up which isn't stretching as it should be.

I still have minor pain during DTD, but I did have a very small tear. And that same spot is still sore now. My DH is really good about taking direction though, when I tell him to shift his angle or change his rhythm, or even that I'm not "ready" yet, and need more foreplay, he's really good about it.


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## boobs4milk (Jun 25, 2006)

you dtd??? wow







we don't even sleep together.







s for you and texmati! pain anywhere right now is not fun!

we are in the 4 mo sleep hell stage. i didn't think it could be any worse but the screaming right before she goes to sleep is definitely wearing on me!


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Hopefully things will slowly return to normal for you strongfeather. . .healing can take longer than we expect!

Things are still a bit uncomfortable for me too. . .and I didn't tear. And co-sleeping makes things tricky. But I think for me its mostly mental. . .

The biggest issue is I have zero libido. I guess its probably the BFing (and hormone shift from that), but I am just. not. into. it. Sigh. And I know this is hard on DH and it makes me feel sad too--I miss our closeness and I miss wanting him. But I could just care less right now.
Anyone else? Any thoughts on helping to get the groove back? I hope to BF for awhile, so I need to come up with some solutions for this or DH will go totally crazy! Will my libido return even if I BF for the next year or two?


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kismetbaby* 
Hopefully things will slowly return to normal for you strongfeather. . .healing can take longer than we expect!

Things are still a bit uncomfortable for me too. . .and I didn't tear. And co-sleeping makes things tricky. But I think for me its mostly mental. . .

The biggest issue is I have zero libido. I guess its probably the BFing (and hormone shift from that), but I am just. not. into. it. Sigh. And I know this is hard on DH and it makes me feel sad too--I miss our closeness and I miss wanting him. But I could just care less right now.
Anyone else? Any thoughts on helping to get the groove back? I hope to BF for awhile, so I need to come up with some solutions for this or DH will go totally crazy! Will my libido return even if I BF for the next year or two?

Me. I'm completely. not. interested. At all. Hubby even made some purchases to try to entice me with some new toys...nope.

I do feel bad about it, but I'm also not going to force myself. DTD should be mutual, not a "duty", IMO.

That said, I do recognize his needs, so we compromise with shower fun. It's quicker, it avoids the cosleeping issue, it doesn't require changing the sheets, and it avoids the issue of me worrying about pain (no penetration). If you have the right shower head setting...'nuff said









Pain can be very real! I had pain and often bled everytime after Ian was born and until Connor's birth. I had an episiotomy and it didn't heal well, so after I delivered Connor, the dr repaired the first tear too. Even then it was a few months before there was no pain.

Just think back to before your first time, there are lots of ways to be intimate that don't involve penetration...


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

It's been so long since I've visited this thread! I was expecting a bunch of "me too" replies, but all of your replies have kind of worried me-- I guess I just kind of assumed the pain was normal. It's not debilitating, but it does hurt.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2boyzmama* 
I don't know, Tex, it just doesn't seem right that you'd still be feeling pain. Hopefully another c/s mom can chime in. Maybe try posting in the VBAC forum? All those moms have had prior c/s.

This is a good idea. I'm not sure I'm ready to consider a vbac, (I haven't really accepted that I had a c-section, TBH). But I should get on top of this pain if it's not normal. I still have trouble picking up DS some times, and that just sucks!!!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *pastrygirl* 
I had a c-section with Toby, and my pain didn't last long, definitely not months. I would get checked out, it doesn't sound normal. My c-section recovery was easier than my VBAC recovery. What exactly hurts? Is it the incision itself, or certain movements, etc.?

It is pain in my incision, sometimes twinges on my left side only. But most of time it's just a soreness or throbbing. It hurts especially to pick DS from certain hights-- the bed is ok, but if he's in the hammock, god help me! lol!

I

Quote:


Originally Posted by *newmomroxi* 
Tex, I agree that you probably shouldn't be having pain still. It's a little disconcerting that they just dismissed you as well.


Quote:


Originally Posted by *boobs4milk* 
you dtd??? wow







we don't even sleep together.







s for you and texmati! pain anywhere right now is not fun!









s! thanks! I'm not really sure who to see. Truth be told, I'm terrified to go back to that midwife. I"m kind of scared to go to any doctor. I kept delaying my 6 week ppd visit, but only went because DH really wanted to talk to her. He wanted closure for his failed vag birth, I guess.









The OB who did the surgery never talked to DH or I aside from the 'your baby will die lecture' before the c-section.

I didn't start seeing an OB until I was married, for bc. The one I did see, she was ok, but her office was horrible. Is it ok to go to another doc besides the one who did the surgery?


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 
I didn't start seeing an OB until I was married, for bc. The one I did see, she was ok, but her office was horrible. Is it ok to go to another doc besides the one who did the surgery?

Absolutely!

Ask your female friends for a recommendation of who they use/like.


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## pastrygirl (Jul 21, 2006)

strongfeather -- after my c-section, it HURT to dtd for a year! I didn't even try vag birth at all, only dilated to 3cm. I was shocked to have pain. This time around, it's better, but we use NFP and have NO usable days, so I don't know if it would still hurt. (I hate NFP sometimes!!!! I'm switching to a new NFP method today.) It wasn't bad the couple of times we were able to do anything. One secret -- coconut oil!! It's fantastic stuff. Used on him not me.


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## luv2sew (Oct 13, 2008)

So good to hear from all of you. I haven't really been on MDC since I posted Forrest's birth story. I have really been enjoying focusing all of my time and energy on Forrest since he was born and haven't done much else.

He actually came 2 weeks early on Aug 29th, so he just turned 5 months old. At his 4 mo. appt he was 15 lbs 1 oz (49%tile) 26.75 inches (94 %tile). On the top of my list of things to do is to figure out what carseat to get next, since he will probably reach the height limit on his carseat in the next few weeks.

Forrest is interested in chewing a lot, and he's drooling a lot more, but no sign of teeth yet. He can sit up by himself for about 30 seconds at a time. He did a lot of crunches at 4 months, but that has slowed down now. If I put him on his tummy and hold my hands behind his feet, he can push himself forward on his belly.

He was sleeping so good from about 2 months old, longer and longer stretches at night, peaking at about 7 hours. Then at 4 mos old he started waking up more and more, like every hour or so at night. I got the No Cry Sleep solution book and we've been working on establishing some routines, and now he's at least sleeping 2 hour chunks, and every once in a while 3, at night now. If I could get back to at least one 4 hour stretch at night, I would be in heaven. I cosleep in the baby's room in a full size guest bed most nights, with DH in our bedroom since he has to go to work. We used to have the crib side carred in our room until the sleep issues started and it was keeping DH up. I can't wait until we can get back to the point where we can all be together again.

I love CDing. The NB covers I made myself when I was pregnant didn't end up fitting Forrest very well, so I've been using proraps and prefolds so far (not much time for sewing right now). I made a few flats and actually prefer the versatility in folding those, so I'm going to switch over to flats exclusively when he grows out of his current prefolds.

I am interested in making clothes for Forrest, since he's so long and lean (he's wearing 9 and 12 month clothes now). I made my first pair of simple knit pants yesterday, from the sleeves of my mom's old pajamas. They fit just fine and are so soft! There are so many more cute tutorials for girls clothes than boy's though.

I have been laying low and not going out much since Forrest was born. DH got swine flu when Forrest was about 6 weeks old. For 2.5 weeks I did not let DH touch Forrest or me, or come closer that 3 feet (wouldn't you know our wedding anniversary fell during those 2.5 weeks-"fun"). That was a long 2.5 weeks to be on my own, but neither of us got sick, so it was worth it. But I am still weary of getting sick, so we are homebodies right now.

I can't wait until it starts warming up. Whenever its 35 or warmer I bundle us up and go for a walk. I just ordered the weather shield for our stroller so I can attempt walks on the even colder days. I love our Bob stroller. It was worth every penny for us. I can push it across snow and slush with ease, and DH will be able to jog with Forrest pretty soon. We are looking at bike trailers for the spring. I'm crossing my fingers a used one will come up for sale when someone does some spring cleaning.

Forrest is so much fun. When we look in the mirror, he looks at me and smiles more than he looks at himself. He loves to look at this scrappy quilt I made that's hanging on the back of the couch. He makes all sorts of shrieks, squeals, whines, humming, and spitting noises all the time. He loves being sung to. He is very attached to his mom already.

He wants to nurse all the time now. He pretty much eats every 2 hours round the clock. I wake up in the middle of the night absolutely starving. I am down a few pounds below prepreg weight(ive lost 45 lbs), and I really have nothing left to lose anymore. I am getting scarey skinny. And, like most of you, I feel totally out of shape and have no muscle anymore (except mommy biceps). I am wondering if we can make it to 6 mos before I start him on solids, since he seems so hungry.

I'd love to share more, but this is getting long and Forrest is getting bored. Gotta go!


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## ~Laura~ (May 21, 2009)

Hi everyone! Happy February!! How are those babies doing? I don't see any recent pictures!

Here are some of Emme - post yours, too!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...r/IMG_1796.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...r/IMG_2260.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...r/IMG_2037.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...r/IMG_2235.jpg

We are doing great here. This has been my easiest baby by far, but I tend to think that's because we have such a routine with three big kids in school. She's asleep around 8 every night, and while she wakes a few times a night, I don't really notice because of co-sleeping. Most mornings I can't recall her waking more than once, though I know she does. She sleep til around 7:30 or 8, but will sleep til past 9 with me on the weekends. She had a cold a few weeks ago and that was the first time I got out of bed for her in the middle of the night (so she could be upright and breathe better). She's still nursing about every 2 hours during the day. I think that's partly for comfort, though. She doesn't use her paci unless she's falling asleep.

We still have never been to the ped, but I do have plans for a delayed shot schedule, so we'll go soon. She's 26.75 inches by my measurement and in 12 months sleepers. My longest baby for sure!

She still has never rolled. It's so awesome leaving her in one place knowing she'll stay! I still wear her all the time and I'm sure that's partly why she's such a calm baby. I have been taking *great* care to make sure she doesn't get overstimulated. I definitely learned after a couple of kids that this was something to work on! She's great at using her hands and loves people and laughing.

She's a binky lover for sleep, but in the past few days she's started to fall asleep without it. It's shocks me each time! Not only that, but she's just over 4 months old and just had the FIRST time she slept in her carseat at the grocery store. Since then she's fallen asleep in her carseat several times - more times than her entire life combined! This is so amazing - for 4 months she screamed and cried and now she's falling asleep in there! What a relief!

I hope all you girls and babies are doing well!

Laura and Emme (9/27)


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Wow!!! what beautiful photos!!! did you take them yourself?

I'm also so startled at teh difference between the first 3 months and now. It's like DS spent 3 months wishing he was back in the womb, but now has decided that planet earth isn't so bad after all.


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## zenproof (Jan 18, 2009)

*laura* that second photo is BEEEEEEEEEEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!

*strongfeather.* i still hurt. i had a few small tears and got stitches but hardly felt them during recovery. my pain doesn't come from there - its more internal. like a dryness (and we use lots of lube and it still hurts)..achey feeling. it sucks.

i have no sex drive AT ALL either kismet.

i am trying to do it once a week though. taking one for the team and all. lol.


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## bright_eyes (Dec 7, 2007)

*StrongFeather* Pain here as well when we dtd. I had a vaginal birth with no tearing (just skid marks). I haven't had af return so I am not ovulating and my cervix is long. I am starting to wonder if that is part of the problem with the pain- there isn't much room inside me. Also, I have no libido so we totally skip the foreplay as I am usually just not interested, so that definitely doesn't help things out.

Anyway, Brayden is 4 1/2 months and so happy and cute but boy is it hard to get things done with him! He is not a fan of being in a baby carrier for very long stretches, despite the fact that I wore him constantly for the first 3 months. He doesn't seem to like being confined- he is such a mover! He can roll both ways now and turn himself around on his belly. But he also doesn't like being on the floor for very long, so I can't just put him down and expect to get much done either! And he is not a very good napper- he loves to cat nap right up until I go to bed! I am looking forward to when he is able to nap longer!


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## bright_eyes (Dec 7, 2007)

Forgot to add- Brayden has a bad diaper rash and we are cloth diapering. It is only above his penis, not on his bum at all. I can't seem to get rid of it. Those that are cloth diapering, what do you find works when your lo's get a rash? I've been using diaper cream even though the diapers say not to. I wonder if that is only making the problem worse as perhaps the diapers are no longer absorbent enough? Does stripping diapers take diaper cream out?

Also, since he's learned to roll, he's getting huge patches of dry skin on his arms that look a little like eczema. I am wondering if it is just the carpet irritating his skin as it doesn't seem to be on the parts that don't touch the carpet. Even if I stick him down on a blanket, he manages to move around off of it and onto the carpet. I vaguely remember the same thing happening with ds1 when he as a baby. Has this happened to anyone your babies?


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

bright eyes - stripping the diapers should get some of the cream out. My rec for the diaper rash is as much air time as you can manage, wiping only with water dampened washcloths and then a very light coating of olive oil to make a moisture barrier to protect that sensitive skin. (ds got bleeding diaper rashes from sposies when he was little, the above seemed to clear it up)

If you are up for making you own diaper rash ointment, it isn't too difficult. olive oil, coconut oil, safflower oil, sweet almond oil. cold infuse with chamomile, callendula, lavender, and rosemary. strain out herb, gently warm oil in double boiler and add beeswax (when the mix cools it will thicken). best rash ointment ever and works great for dry hands/legs, chapped lips, etc.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bright_eyes* 
Forgot to add- Brayden has a bad diaper rash and we are cloth diapering. It is only above his penis, not on his bum at all. I can't seem to get rid of it. Those that are cloth diapering, what do you find works when your lo's get a rash? I've been using diaper cream even though the diapers say not to. I wonder if that is only making the problem worse as perhaps the diapers are no longer absorbent enough? Does stripping diapers take diaper cream out?

Be careful of the creams - they can ruin your dipes. I'd definitely try stripping.

For me, the most important thing is to figure out the cause of the rash. Above the penis, it's most likely from moisture just sitting (but also possibly heat). In which case I would give him nekkie-butt time after every change to dry out, and find a powder you could use (we use Nature's Best Organics, which is talc and cornstarch free), and try to change him more often. I've noticed since DS has become more active his pee is pooling up around his navel more, rather than down in his crotch.


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## octobermoon (Nov 22, 2007)

hi all,
whooooo....well i think we have a high needs baby which is why i rarely can post or get on here. we're on vacation right now so i have some time finally! i do lurk here and there though. anybody else have a HNs LO? man i love him but i have been pretty wiped out, this vacation is much needed.

anyway Amiel is doing great although he just got over his first cold







hated that. he's EBF too so go figure.

hope all you mamas are well.


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## tessa_s212 (Nov 11, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *~Laura~* 
Hi everyone! Happy February!! How are those babies doing? I don't see any recent pictures!

Here are some of Emme - post yours, too!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...r/IMG_1796.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...r/IMG_2260.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...r/IMG_2037.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...r/IMG_2235.jpg
)

GREAT pics! What camera do you have?


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *octobermoon* 
hi all,
Amiel is doing great although he just got over his first cold







hated that.

sorry to hear about Amiel! Rowan has had two rough colds and now has RSV. Sickly snotty wheezy baby is So scary!! But everyone likes to remind me that (hopefully) having colds when they're younger will make them stronger in the long run. Shrug. Okay. Glad to hear he's feeling better!!

Because we had to go to the pediatrician, Rowan got weighed in. 5months - 19lbs. What a little chunk!!! He's a 6-9mos clothing and 12mo sleepers. So I guess he's growing length wise too.


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## StrongFeather (Mar 13, 2009)

Laura~ OMG your little one has the most beautiful eyes!


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

SO...is anyone wanting another baby yet???

I'm absolutely, certifiably INSANE, but I've found myself wanting another baby already!!!

Crazy, nuts, insane, batty, kooky, haywire, loony, demented, disturbed, deranged, psychotic...

Hormones at work, I guess!

A few things...hubby had a vasectomy, so it ain't happenin'. PLUS, as you all may well remember, I HATE being pregnant, it sucks so much for me! Then there's the fact that I work and hubby stays home, but he doesn't especially like staying home, and he's pretty depressed about it all, so I end up doing most of the "stay home" duties like cooking, cleaning, dr appts, etc PLUS working all day. And we only have a 3 bedroom house, which will be cramped already when Gavin moves out of our bedroom. And we have a history of genetic birth defects, so another biological child is scary.

AND, Gavin's first three months were really hard, he's our first "colicky"/high needs baby, and it sucked!

SO...plenty of reasons to not have another baby. But I can't help it! Gavin is so cute, so interactive, so easy now. I already feel bad about his first three months, like I didn't spend enough time enjoying him because I spent so much time trying to make him more comfortable so he'd just. stop. crying. He's starting to really interact with his brothers now, and it's so GREAT to see my three boys together, playing with each other. I want to give them another sibling!!

Yep, I'm crazy.

We have talked about adopting, for several reasons. First because it's just something I've always wanted to do. Second because of our history of birth defects, we feel a lot of personal/ethical hesitation to "risk" another biological baby (hence the snippy snip hubby got). Third because I really want a girl!

There's a good chance that when hubby finishes school (whenever that will be...sigh...) that I can switch to part time work, and then we'll be in a better position to adopt. So I'm hanging on to that for now.


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

Hi everyone!
2boyzmama, I can TOTALLY understand what you mean about wanting another baby. I'm not yearning for a baby *right this minute* but I do miss my newborn boy! I definitely want another baby, we're just not ready yet. Lake was definitely "above-average" needs (I wouldn't say high needs b/c he wasn't too bad but definitely not easygoing). He wanted to be walked around ALL THE TIME. He only let you sit while holding him, when he was asleep. He was so cuddly though. Now, he still wants to be moving but he does not want to cuddle as much.







He's still so cute and sweet and loveable but he would much rather blow spitbubbles and kick his legs than let Mommy rock him for a bit.


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Hi!

Fairly high needs babe here too octobermoon! I know there are much higher needs babes (cuz I've been around a few), but my guy is definitely not the super mellow type. I really think that he is very smart (I know, I'm his mom of course I think that!) and that he just gets bored and frustrated easily. He is not content to just lay someplace when there are things to see and things to do! He knows when we are doing something interesting and he wants to be in the middle of it! I don't think he was ever put down the first 8 weeks of his life (b/c he would scream when put down!). . .and he still prefers to be held/walked around. But he does love his exersaucer now so I get a little time with that to have my arms to myself.

Despite that fact that I have forgotten what its like to have time to myself, I also have found myself wanting another baby some days! How crazy is that! Right after he was born I would see a pregnant lady and think "thank god I'm no longer pregnant", now I see one and think "awwww, wasn't that a special time!" ????? Ummm, actually I was so uncomfortable!!! But the mom-brain somehow has me convinced I want to do it again!







But anyway, DH and I agreed to wait till at least Noam's first b-day to even talk about trying to get pregnant again.

Noam has a pretty bad cold himself. . .very sneezy, snotty, coughy. he isn't a happy camper today







better run . . .


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

Quote:

Right after he was born I would see a pregnant lady and think "thank god I'm no longer pregnant", now I see one and think "awwww, wasn't that a special time!" ????? Ummm, actually I was so uncomfortable!!! But the mom-brain somehow has me convinced I want to do it again!
LOL, this is me too!


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## darcytrue (Jan 23, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *~Laura~* 
Here's a recent photo:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...IMG_1187-1.jpg

I hope everyone is well!

Laura

awww..she's so beautiful.

Things are going great with us. I think DD is officially in teething mode.







ugh. I feel sooooo sorry for her. I wish I knew what to do. I'd love to hear what others are doing that is working well for them. I don't like to see any child of mine endure any type of pain. DD is 11 lbs 12 oz as of her 4 month appt last week. She isn't sitting up unassisted yet but trying. She is rolling over both ways now which is good.


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

Pictures of Viv from last week:
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/d...rizmom/vt1.jpg
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/d...rizmom/vt2.jpg
http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/d...rizmom/vt3.jpg

I'm of two minds about wanting another baby...just like some of you.


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2boyzmama* 
SO...is anyone wanting another baby yet???



yes,Yes,YES!!! I know I'm crazy, but from the day we came back from the hospital, I wanted another one. maybe not right now, but soon. Very soon!

I was telling my mom that it was a like a really fun ride at six flags. You get off the ride with your date, and by the time you hit teh stairs, you're asking, "Wanna get back in line?"


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *darcytrue* 
awww..she's so beautiful.

Things are going great with us. I think DD is officially in teething mode.







ugh. I feel sooooo sorry for her. I wish I knew what to do. I'd love to hear what others are doing that is working well for them. I don't like to see any child of mine endure any type of pain. DD is 11 lbs 12 oz as of her 4 month appt last week. She isn't sitting up unassisted yet but trying. She is rolling over both ways now which is good.









I'd love to hear suggestions as well! I just bought a few more teethers, including one that vibrates when you bite it. hopefully something will help poor ds.


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

i got the vibrating one too! not b/c she is teething necessarily though but b/c i wanted to see her freak out when it vibrated.
turns out she doesn;t stick it in her mouth...she splays herself on top of it and vibrates away.


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## octobermoon (Nov 22, 2007)

some days i want another baby and other days not so much.


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## coldandsleepy (Aug 5, 2008)

Re: teething... it sucks! There are no two ways about it. I think it's harder when it happens to younger babies. We are fortunately through our first two teeth finally. It was a long couple of weeks there though.

What my son really, really liked and what seemed to soothe him was pieces of cucumber. I cut a thick slab of cucumber (too thick to bite through if you're a baby with just little tooth nubbies!) and core the middle and chuck the seeds. Then he can hold onto the resulting cucumber donut and chew on it.

Obviously something you want to keep your eye on your baby during, but if nothing else is working (it didn't for us... not Hyland's, not a cool rag, not a teething ring, nothing) you might give it a try!


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## octobermoon (Nov 22, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kismetbaby* 

Fairly high needs babe here too octobermoon! I know there are much higher needs babes (cuz I've been around a few), but my guy is definitely not the super mellow type. I really think that he is very smart (I know, I'm his mom of course I think that!) and that he just gets bored and frustrated easily. He is not content to just lay someplace when there are things to see and things to do! He knows when we are doing something interesting and he wants to be in the middle of it! I don't think he was ever put down the first 8 weeks of his life (b/c he would scream when put down!). . .and he still prefers to be held/walked around. But he does love his exersaucer now so I get a little time with that to have my arms to myself.

Despite that fact that I have forgotten what its like to have time to myself, I also have found myself wanting another baby some days! How crazy is that! Right after he was born I would see a pregnant lady and think "thank god I'm no longer pregnant", now I see one and think "awwww, wasn't that a special time!" ????? Ummm, actually I was so uncomfortable!!! But the mom-brain somehow has me convinced I want to do it again!







But anyway, DH and I agreed to wait till at least Noam's first b-day to even talk about trying to get pregnant again.

Noam has a pretty bad cold himself. . .very sneezy, snotty, coughy. he isn't a happy camper today







better run . . .

doesn't having a cold suck? so sad for them and very stressful for mama. luckily ours only lasted about a week. hope Noam's is better already.

as far as high needs, it's weird because Amiel started off a very easy baby IMO it seems that he has become high needs around his fourth month. i was researching on here and found that the fourth month can be super tough for many babies and moms, so i guess it could be that still since he just turned five mos. however i keep going over the Dr. Sears 12 features of a HNs baby and he pretty much has been gradually building a stronger and stronger case for himself. the only one he doesn't have is number 12 which is stranger anxiety but we have only left him once for about 1.5 hours so this test in still inconclusive. anyway, i would love to have a thread for high needs b/c it is SO HARD. Amiel doesn't full on cry all the time but he complains and fusses if he is set down for even 10 minutes, he has to be entertained constantly and it must be new things like going out to museums and being flown around like an airplane all day! i'm serious, he is happy until we are sitting or at one place for too long. he barely naps during the day either and is a light sleeper at night, etc....all the classic Dr. Sear's symptoms. i feel ill equipped to handle him by myself day in and day out. i hate that i can't fulfill all his needs. we all have been much happier on vacation so far with two people taking care of him. maybe once he can sit up by himself he'll be happier. i also prolly should eliminate some things from my diet but it's so hard to do that. i haven't been eating very well at all since becoming a mama. i notice diary and tomatoes bother him and he'll spit up. i suspect wheat may also irritate him as it does me. anyway...i'm rambling, i miss coming on here, i need the support but i really haven't enough time. ugh..
but i wouldn't trade him for the WORLD.

sorry my posts don't make much sense.


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Now I have the cold! Wah. Weird that Noam gave me the cold instead of the other way around. Oh well. He seems better already after two days of misery, so hopefully mine will be short-lived also.

Octobermoon--don't worry, your posts do make sense! I can totally keep up with the mom-brain thing!







And I get ya. . .I feel like Noam gets bored so easily too. He loves being out in the stroller, but only if we keep moving. He doesn't want to look at one thing for too long. He is also a light sleeper, generally he naps maybe a total of 3-4 hours a day and most of this is only if I nap/lay with him. He does sleep for 10 hours at night (not without night feedings of course), but again only if I'm sleeping with him. He almost never just sleeps alone. And I get maybe 15min chunks during the day with the exersaucer, the play mat or the swing. Yes, its very draining! Very tough, but wouldn't change him for the world! He is happy when DH and I are just laying in bed with him talking to him, playing with him. He wants full attention and he knows it if we are distracted by a computer or a book. I'm sure this is true of a lot of our babes though, now that they are really waking up to the world.

Anyway, just wanted to send some hugs. I know how hard it can be. I feel so attached and in love with my little one, but at the same time feel pretty cut-off from my old life and my support systems since its hard to even find time to make phone calls.

For what its worth, I've been told that high needs babes are easy teenagers!









P.S. about the food intolerances. . .if you suspect them, I would go with your mommy instinct. I know how hard it can be (we have given up dairy and may need to eliminate more), but it could really be worth it. Your LO may become less high needs if you eliminate the foods that bother him. Just commit to one month and see what happens!


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## MyZoeJane (Aug 13, 2004)

It's been such a joy to read this thread! I'm really feeling for those of you who are facing some difficulties, but for the most part I am so happy to hear that everyone's babes are doing well. It's really an eye opener, too, to see how INCREDIBLY different our experiences and feelings are! Sometimes it's just too easy to get "lost" in the bubble of my own world and to forget that there are other mamas out there thinking the things I think, tackling the issues I am, as well as facing struggles I couldn't even imagine...

Anyhow, I think Ezra is officially the fattest baby of the DDC so far, a title which I am sure you're all envious over.... NOT! Jeez, my aching back...







Thank you Ergo! I'd be lost without you....

At his 4 month well-baby visit (two days early) he was 20 pounds, 5 ounces and 28 1/2 inches long. He follows a curve, though it's his OWN curve... one that rests a good 1/4 inch above the 100th percentile on the doctor's chart.







:

He nurses like a champ and seems more than ready for solids, but I am trying to hold out a few more weeks to give his little system a chance to "ripen." He will be 5 months old in a couple of days, and I can only assume he is well over 22 pounds now. I had to buy a new car seat for him, as he's outgrown his infant seat, which is a bummer in this Chicago climate right now, but I sure don't miss lugging him around in it! Seriously, I think I am paying my chiropractor's mortgage.

Aside from being fat... (I say that with great love!), he is a VERY happy baby. Oh SO mellow and content. He sleeps well, though he's done some reverse cycling and is eating a few times during the night again. It's no big deal for me to roll over and pop a boob in his mouth, though, so I'm not fretting. At the dinner table, it is painfully obvious that he wants to get his hands onto some food other than BM, so I've given him a few tastes of banana in his mesh feeding bag, which sends him over the moon with joy. I will try some other things with a spoon in a few weeks.

He is super strong, and LOVES to jump and bounce. He also pushes himself up onto all fours and can sit for several seconds unassisted. Though he's yet to roll over completely by himself. (Hey, if you had several tires around your middle, you'd have trouble, too!) No doubt that, like my daughter, he will slim down once he starts walking, though. If I can figure it out, I will share a video file I had my husband make for me to post on my Facebook page. He jumps with such wild abandon I actually was afraid of brain damage there for awhile! He talks and laughs a ton and loves his 6 year old sister *almost* as much as she loves him, which fills my heart with a feeling I don't even know how to describe.

As for wanting another... I vascillate between yes and no, though "no" is the only answer you'd hear from my husband! We put 6 years between our kids because it took me a long time to want another one after the birth experience I had with our first, but since Ezra's experience was so damned incredible, I sort of long to go back there again...

Well, I've rambled enough. I will psot a picture when I get to a computer that has some, but I am using our daughter's, which does not.

Again, so glad to hear updates from you all.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

I totally get the baby craving. I'm having it. In part though I think mine is fueled by the desire to try BF again - to correct the mistakes I made this time around, and hopefully to do it soon enough that this one could benefit from it. I know that at this point I can never repair the damage done with this baby, but there's a part of me that really wants to prove that my body really can do it - with the right support. I've had to accept the fact that I will never make more than dribbles at this point for A, as difficult as that is. And that it looks like we're not going to be able to keep him on BM past 6 months - although we've been lucky enough to keep him on it this long.

A is up to about 15 pounds, so he's doubled his lowest, but not his birth weight yet. I'm thinking about canceling his 5 month appt, since I just got the bill for his 3 month. The doctor kept me waiting a full 2 hours, spent 10 minutes with us and I got billed $120 (which his insurance doesn't cover, so it's out of pocket).


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## octobermoon (Nov 22, 2007)

thanks kismet, maybe i am a totally unrealistic mama. i mean i knew it'd be hard but dag, i even cringe at admitting this because i love my baby immensely and i don't want to rush him to grow up or fail to cherish these times of him being a baby. i guess when i imagined being a mom i was naive or something! lol... i need a personal assistant!


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## 4JMJ (Feb 5, 2008)

It's so nice to read everyone's posts! I go back and forth with the baby craving. We have 4, and with the whole heart issue with James I think I am mental to even consider it! Though the dr. did say that the chance of this happening with a future pregnancy was very slim (like a one percent increase). My husband says we are DONE! We'll see, he has said that after each of our other ones, haha. He had a fantastic check up with the cardiologist a couple weeks ago! We go back in August and if he checks out well then we don't need to go back for a couple of years!







He is truly our miracle baby!
I definitely consider him a high needs little guy (I think Dr. Sears must have had him in mind when he wrote his criteria, haha!) He rarely likes to be put down (whether on the floor or in his entertainer), I'm lucky if I can get 5-10 minutes before he starts getting upset! He is really not much of a napper either. He does pretty well at night though, of course he loves the free access to his "nummies"! He weighed 14 lbs 6 oz at his 4 month check up, 25 inches long. He has rolled over once from back to front and once from front to back. Since he hates floor time, he hasn't repeated it! He has also recently found his thumb, which is hilarious! You can hear him sucking on it across the house, it's like he's going to suck it right off his hand!
He has had a cold since Friday (his first one), and this has definitely been a generally unhappy time for us! I feel so bad for him, and his ability to nap is even worse now because he is so uncomfortable. Someday we will catch up on all this missed sleep.......


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## darcytrue (Jan 23, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kismetbaby* 
For what its worth, I've been told that high needs babes are easy teenagers!









gosh I hope so! My 7 yr old DD was a high needs baby and still is a high needs kid most days. I hope it gets easier once she's a teenager. I don't see it happening but I do hope so.


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

My little girl is doing well. My first was high needs, so this little girl is easy to me. She does her fair share of fussing, but I am used to a LO who needed constant movement, and this little girl is happy to just be held and will even let me put her down for 10 minutes.









She's teething right now, but I don't think any teeth are actually close to cutting through. I have been putting off updating here because I keep thinking I don't have time to type everything I want to type, but I figure better to type half of it than none.







I am homeschooling my 5.5 yo, so that is keeping me very busy.

Nursing is going well, but unswaddling is not going as well as I wish it would. Well, she is fussing now, so I guess my 10 minutes is up.


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

Looks like a teething ring bought me a few more minutes to say NO WAY am I craving another baby. LOL! But we went through too much to get this LO. 3 miscarriages, fertility treatments and a very long pregnancy of being terrified half of the time. I actually can't imagine ever wanting another one. However, I was just thinking about how I miss holding my tiny baby in my arms. She is getting so big. She was 12 lb, 11 oz at her 4 month visit. Smaller than my older one at that age, but still getting so big. I am loving all the giggles now, though and the way she lights up when she sees her big sister.

I was wondering if any of the other moms who have had losses worry more about this baby. Thank God she has not had a cold yet. I don't know if you are ever ready to deal with that, but I can say I'm not righ tnow.


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## StrongFeather (Mar 13, 2009)

wow! I miss all of you so much









I am also of the camp thatI keep putting off writing, b/c I am not sure I'll get in all I want to write. I'll hopefully be able to have more time tomorrow.


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## Julia24 (Jun 28, 2004)

just wanted to drop a note to say hi! More later!!!


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Cristeen.... ah, I have the same "issues" with BF. Now that I know so much more (WAY after the fact) wishing I could re-write the wrongs. But... I know my lil man is a healthy lil man regardless of my limited supply in the beginning, and his now survival on formula. No one tells you these things! Who knew that we'd come up against such issues in the beginning and our natural sides just wouldn't... compensate. It's done a wonder for the 'soap-boxes' I had while pregnant, the things I just Wouldn't do. Hah!

Another baby, I dunno about that one. I'm nearing 34. He's my first, my everything. I loved being pregnant. He's been an awesome baby. I'm able to WAH so I'm totally devoted to him. I'm selfishly scared of what #2 would be. But, I know how important having a sibling could be for HIM. Where do you find that line? Is it silly that I look at it that rationally right now? I'm not feeling any urge in my body to create more... just for his psyche. Weird. 34 aint so old... I've a few years to ponder on it. 

Ooh... he's sitting up!!! Not just for a few seconds. Real, in fact sitting up. After 10 minutes, I've stopped counting. He can't roll over (on purpose), but he can sit up and play with a toy, and not just pancaked sitting either. Good strong back sitting. WOW!!


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Hi girls!

I think we're growth spurting here...he's fussy during the day for my husband, and I'm only pumping 7-8 oz a day more than he drinks (I was getting twice that).

Still no "real" rolling, he does it accidentally, especially if on the soft surface of the bed. He doesn't get put down much, we have hard wood floors, two big dogs (one great dane that has no clue how big she is), and of course the two older boys...so the ground isn't exactly safe! LOL!

Sleep is hit or miss. He has STTN a few times, up to 8 hours even, but it's very sporadic. He'll usually sleep for 3-4 hours, then every 2 hours after that. Sometimes he sleeps well in his bed next to mine, sometimes he decides he has to be in bed with me. I haven't found any pattern to figure out why he's like this...

Reflux seems to be easing! It was right about this age that it eased for Ian, too, although it continued much longer with Connor.

Oops, got to go!


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## coldandsleepy (Aug 5, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MyZoeJane* 
Anyhow, I think Ezra is officially the fattest baby of the DDC so far, a title which I am sure you're all envious over.... NOT! Jeez, my aching back...







Thank you Ergo! I'd be lost without you....

At his 4 month well-baby visit (two days early) he was 20 pounds, 5 ounces and 28 1/2 inches long. He follows a curve, though it's his OWN curve... one that rests a good 1/4 inch above the 100th percentile on the doctor's chart.







:

He nurses like a champ and seems more than ready for solids, but I am trying to hold out a few more weeks to give his little system a chance to "ripen." He will be 5 months old in a couple of days, and I can only assume he is well over 22 pounds now. I had to buy a new car seat for him, as he's outgrown his infant seat, which is a bummer in this Chicago climate right now, but I sure don't miss lugging him around in it! Seriously, I think I am paying my chiropractor's mortgage.

Bwahaha. I feel for you, I do. Grey was 20lbs 13oz and about 28 inches at his 4 month checkup. He's really huge, too.

We're lucky to have a carseat that goes up to 30 lbs already... but... he's only got about 2-4 inches to go and he's going to be too tall for it. Agh!

I definitely want another baby eventually. At the same time, I'm terrified of getting pregnant again really quickly. (My grandmother, who exclusively breastfed, had her first three sons in less than three years. Oy.) We're thinking of starting TTC around the time that our son's a year old, but I guess we'll wait and see.


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## RavenStar (Sep 9, 2008)

hi there,
Iva is teething now too. She has started yelling lately....not fully crying...just letting me know she's not happy. I can see two little bumps.
She's really interested in watching us eat and moves her mouth. She'll be 6 mos. old on March 8th. Amazing. Time keeps flowing on.
She giggles at her sister the most. I love to hear her laugh.


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## octobermoon (Nov 22, 2007)

haven't read through all the replies and don't know if this has been covered...forgive me if it has but i was wondering when you'll start or if anyone has started solids. our LO is 5 mos and dying to eat. he's been watching us for a couple of months already and chews as he watches! i was going to wait till 9 mos and then i changed my mind to 6 mos. IDK part of me hates to lose some of the breastfeeding relationship and would like to wait and then there is DH who insists on giving him tastes of things i don't want him too already!


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *octobermoon* 
haven't read through all the replies and don't know if this has been covered...forgive me if it has but i was wondering when you'll start or if anyone has started solids. our LO is 5 mos and dying to eat. he's been watching us for a couple of months already and chews as he watches! i was going to wait till 9 mos and then i changed my mind to 6 mos. IDK part of me hates to lose some of the breastfeeding relationship and would like to wait and then there is DH who insists on giving him tastes of things i don't want him too already!

I think a few of us mama's have. Not me though--my LO is one of the youngest of our DDC. Like you I wanted to wait as long as possible, now I plan to wait till 6m. DS shows extreme interest in us eating though and DH is dying to start giving him tastes of things. We have given him water off of a spoon and he swallows well (and finds this completely entertaining!), but he doesn't sit up yet and I am loath the disturb the "virgin gut" of EBM.

We will definitely be avoiding dairy and soy till he is past 12 months as he's already shown some sensitivity (although the verdict is still out on whether early solids have anything to do with food allergies, but I'd rather be on the safe side). And we are vegetarian. . .and I don't think grain should be a first food. . .so I plan to start with banana, sweet potato, applesauce and a green veg (one at a time of course) and go from there.

I have a feeling he's going to be an eater though! (following after mama's heart







) I get the sense that he will be so much happier when he can 1) eat 2) move around and 3) tell us what he wants! I get the distinct sense that right now he has realized all that he is missing and is spending all day thinking "come on let me at it, what's wrong with you people?"


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Just wanted to let you mamas know that I have finally posted my birth story here on MDC. I know that none of us have the time anymore (reading birth stories is an anxious pregnant ladies game







and its a long one!), but just in case anyone was interested, here it is:
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...8#post15091198

I was blessed to have the most awesome, empowering, complication-free, HB. The one of my dreams actually--well, except for all the pain of back labor. My BFing journey turned out to be the hard one. . .and all that time I was pregnant I worried about labor and assumed BFing would be "naturally easy". Go figure. But that's another story. . .


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## coldandsleepy (Aug 5, 2008)

We let Grey kind of play with a couple of foods. He'll chew on and suck on basically anything we let him have, but he doesn't seem to swallow yet.

I wouldn't even necessarily let him play with foods like we have been except that he grabs my food constantly. Constantly. In terms of interest, he is 100% there with food.









At this point I'm not at all interested in, say, buying him jars of food and feeding him pureed stuff or anything! He is definitely still getting enough nutrition from BFing.

My sister kind of got peer pressured into feeding her son (who is three weeks older) solids earlier and she is trying to do the same thing to me. She told me that if I don't start him on solids by 6 months, he'll more or less starve to death. To my credit, I didn't laugh out loud.


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## StrongFeather (Mar 13, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *coldandsleepy* 
She told me that if I don't start him on solids by 6 months, he'll more or less starve to death. To my credit, I didn't laugh out loud.









Bawwhhhaaaahhhahhaaaaa!


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

No solids here either. Although I let him suck on a baby carrot the other day (while I held onto it). Since he doesn't have any teeth yet, all he could do was slime it. He is fascinated by food, but he can't even sit up yet, so there's no way I'm comfortable giving him solids yet.


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## sugarpop (Feb 12, 2009)

I am still working on getting caught up with all you mamas, only read up to page four...tomorrow I will read the rest, but while I have 2 hands, I will give my update









So lets see, today Sophia was 5 months. I am still amazed at how much I love her. I am not an overly emotional or sappy person, I mentioned this when I was pregnant. And while preg I was concerned that I might not bond or feel an overwhelming love and connection with my child. But no worries! I am not broken, my mommie emotions are intact







I go out in public and people must think I am nuts, I am constantly kissing and talking to her as well as listening, saying things like "oh really! Tell me more, that is a great story."

It is interesting reading everyones update. My family is always commenting on how large Sophia is, how smart Sophia is, and how she shouldn't be doing the things she is. I know she is amazing, but after reading others postings...she seems to be inline with the pack. And that is ok with me!

She is 17lbs (92%) and 26in(89%). I say she is proportionately huge. lol
She rolls and scoots backwards, she is trying so hard to crawl. Teething is no fun and I want to scream...for her. I finally gave in and resorted to tylenol and baby oragel. I tried and still use the homeopathic as well as ice and it just doesn't seem to be enough. I swear she is working a molar through, I can feel a bump there but can't see anything. Nights are terrible right now. I am exhausted. We cosleep, and really I can't see sleeping better with her in another room. She wakes up with gas pains during the night as well as to feed several times a night. She goes to bed at 9 and up about 7...I am hurting for some sleep right now! Last night was rough...we were up for two hours in the middle of the night and now I am feeling delerious...on that note, I am off to bed...post/read and tell more later.

Your babes are all so adorable!


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

re: foods.... Rowan is 100% formula at this point (sigh), so we're a little different. And the ped recommended solids (veggies, not rice... why, I don't know) at 4months. I broke down and gave him some mashed bananas at about 4.5 months. He was intrigued. It didn't affect his poo, so I said OK. But OK has remained, a few spoonfuls of bananas every few days. I bought some Earth's Best jars but he's generally not interested. I try every few days, peas and carrots and sweet peas... all of which, really, he'd just rather suck on the spoon than really attempt to eat. I know he's more working on texture than going for nourishment. So, until he really NEEDS food, I'm not pressuring anything. We've waited atleast two poos between each new item, just to make sure nothing changes. So far, so good. But again, with most things, it's only two or three spoon-fulls. Except those fresh mashed bananas, which are pretty consistent now at 1/4 banana every morning with a little formula pressed in. It's not liquid, but close.

He's really working hand to mouth. This is nothing new, but seems like in the past week, it's more defined and he can really get things in there on the first try. So we've been experimenting with new items - like the sippy cup, a big chunk of dried papaya (which I've been using as a teether for a while... but now I give it TO HIM, instead of just putting it in his mouth). And he's getting it. Slowly. This, to me, is a bigger indicator than anything about where he is with ability to eat. If he can pick it up and put it in his mouth, then he's ready. Not that I'd give him a spoon with bananas on it and expect that.. but, you get me.

Btw, I DID give him a spoon to play with the other day, and he promptly tried to shove it down his throat. Might not have hurt him but it scared him pretty badly. So, no more playing with the spoon.


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## angelachristin (Apr 13, 2007)

Hey everyone! I can't believe how quickly time has flown and how big our babies are! Zoe is 5 months old today. How in the world is that even possible? The last time I weighed her, about 2 weeks ago, she was 17 pounds. Not sure on her length. We don't do WBV. She has her first cold, my DH was away on business (he finally got a job! woo hoo!) and brought home a cold. First my 3-year-old got it, he had a fever of 102 for one day and then got better, now he's just got some sniffles...then yesterday Zoe had a bit of a temperature, only to about 99.7 at the highest, and I had a bad sore throat. Today her temperature is down and my sore throat is gone but I'm really congested. I hope she doesn't get congested, it's so hard when they get like that and have trouble nursing.

Other than that...she has rolled over a couple of times but can't do it regularly yet. She can sit unsupported but only for a second or two. I tried putting her in the exersaucer for a few minutes and she loved it! I really don't like them using it til they are a bit bigger so I won't put her in there for a few more months yet really but she was so cute in there. She is teething like crazy, drooling and chomping, and nighttime sleep has gone out the window! And now she is crying so I have to go!


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## Masel (Apr 14, 2008)

I had planned to wait on solids as well. DD1 was FF and allergic to milk so we waited on solids until she was 8 months old. That was so convenient! Last night we were at a restaurant. DD2 was on my lap and just as the waitress put my food on the table baby swung around mouth wide open and tried to take a bit of my food. She looked so excited!


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## angelachristin (Apr 13, 2007)

oh yeah, I meant to say I am totally waiting on solids too. My 3-year-old didn't even have solids till after he was a year old (I offered around 6 months) but he didn't want them. I will wait to offer until at least 6 months with Zoe, possibly even longer. I don't really do spoonfeeding or think it's necessary, I like to go with baby-led solids.


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## diana_of_the_dunes (Dec 7, 2008)

I've been keeping up with reading about all you mamas, but haven't yet had a chance to post another update. Ever since I started back to work, life has been a bit crazy, but it got crazier a few weeks ago. Last week DH messed up his back and has to go to physical therapy. And this week DH got a nasty sinus cold, and now Ethan has it too







Somehow I don't have it yet, which is good, since I've been doing EVERYTHING for about 2 weeks. I don't know how we'd function if I was sick too.

Ethan weighed 19 lbs 3 oz at his 4 month ped appointment 2 weeks ago. He's 28" long and wearing 12 month clothes. Yikes! How did so many of us end up with such big babies?! He can sit unassisted for about 30 seconds sometimes, can stand for several minutes with me holding his hands for balance, and refuses to roll over.







He still has a hard time going down for naps, but it's improved. Now I just pop him in the Beco, and he is usually sleeping within 10 minutes. Sometimes he'll still fuss a little, but it's not the all-out screaming anymore. Thank God.

I've also been having supply issues since I went back to work. I've tried nursing every hour to try to boost my supply, but Ethan just gets angry. And I just can't pump more than twice while I'm working. Fenugreek helped a bit, but not enough. We're supplementing with formula, which sucks, but it's better than crabby, starving baby. If I could just take a week off, i"m sure I could sort things out, but there's just no way. Oh well.

Gotta run, my mom just got here...


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Ok, I FINALLY got the pictures loaded.

Here's my little guy in the t-shirt I made him:
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...een/Ashirt.jpg

And here's one of him in his new longies:
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...oLongies-1.jpg


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
Ok, I FINALLY got the pictures loaded.

Here's my little guy in the t-shirt I made him:
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...een/Ashirt.jpg

And here's one of him in his new longies:
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...oLongies-1.jpg

What a cutie!


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

No solids here yet. She's interested but she's perfectly satisfied with breastmilk. My older dd was nursing constantly and every 30 min to 2 hours all night long for a few weeks before we caved and started solids at 4.5 months. She was also better at sitting (not completely on her own) and was obsessed with food and it did actually help her sleep. However, I still wish we could have waited. This LO is content, still sleeping and can only sit on her own for a few seconds... not that we practice much. She does like to play with a spoon, but I can't rest when she is doing it because of the gagging potential, so I washed up some bowls for her to play with during meals. She likes sitting in the high chair.

She is mostly stroller napping these days. I like it because when her big sister wakes her up before it's been 30 minutes, I can walk her back down. As long as hse gets 30 minutes or so about 4 times per day, she's a happy baby.


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## boobs4milk (Jun 25, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mkksmom* 
Looks like a teething ring bought me a few more minutes to say NO WAY am I craving another baby. LOL! But we went through too much to get this LO. 3 miscarriages, fertility treatments and a very long pregnancy of being terrified half of the time. I actually can't imagine ever wanting another one. However, I was just thinking about how I miss holding my tiny baby in my arms. She is getting so big. She was 12 lb, 11 oz at her 4 month visit. Smaller than my older one at that age, but still getting so big. I am loving all the giggles now, though and the way she lights up when she sees her big sister.

I was wondering if any of the other moms who have had losses worry more about this baby. Thank God she has not had a cold yet. I don't know if you are ever ready to deal with that, but I can say I'm not righ tnow.

i had a tubal because i have really rough pg's. i do worry about this baby a lot more than i did my others!!! i've been a nervous wreck for a year!!!

eta: no solids for us until at least 6 months, adjusted which would be end of april.


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## diana_of_the_dunes (Dec 7, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
Ok, I FINALLY got the pictures loaded.

Here's my little guy in the t-shirt I made him:
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...een/Ashirt.jpg

And here's one of him in his new longies:
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...oLongies-1.jpg

What an adorable little guy!!! Love the clothes... Good work!


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## octobermoon (Nov 22, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
Ok, I FINALLY got the pictures loaded.

Here's my little guy in the t-shirt I made him:
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...een/Ashirt.jpg

And here's one of him in his new longies:
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...oLongies-1.jpg

oh cristeen he's adorable!


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## darcytrue (Jan 23, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mkksmom* 
I was wondering if any of the other moms who have had losses worry more about this baby. Thank God she has not had a cold yet. I don't know if you are ever ready to deal with that, but I can say I'm not righ tnow.

My DD has had two colds already and this last one has hung on longer than the last.







It's going on 3 weeks now that she has had the runny nose but she isn't fussy anymore and it's just runny is all. So I don't think she's in as much discomfort, thank goodness!

DD started daycare last week (which won't help the cold issue). :*( I'm sad but at the same time it's what I had to do since I work, go to school part-time and homeschool my older children. She's at a great place so I don't worry. I just feel guilty and of course miss her every minute.


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## darcytrue (Jan 23, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *boobs4milk* 
i had a tubal because i have really rough pg's. i do worry about this baby a lot more than i did my others!!! i've been a nervous wreck for a year!!!

eta: no solids for us until at least 6 months, adjusted which would be end of april.

I didn't realize someone else in the group had a tubal. How is it going for you? Do you notice heavier periods? I do. And they last longer. ugh.


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## ElliesMomma (Sep 21, 2006)

hi everyone, nice to read all the posts.

Shawn is 5 and a half months, still EBF! sorta interested in food, but not really. he's still skinny, barely 13 pounds! but getting taller. i measured 26 and a half inches yesterday.

he's sleeping veryvery well overnight. he's in bed with me. goes down around 6 - 7 pm and stirs maybe a bit when i join him around 11 or midnight. maybe nurses for 5 minutes. maybe nurses a bit here and there overnight but nothing serious. up around 6 am. short naps generally during the day, unless i lay down with him, in which case he can sleep for two hours.

now if i could only get my 3.5 year old daughter to sleep through the night! she is just off the charts active, and it extends to overnights. funny how i have treated both kids the same with cosleeping, nursing on demand and no sleep training... and they have come out so differently (so far) in sleep habits.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Ugh, we're in teething H3!L now!! I don't remember it being this bad for my other two!!

I remember that Ian had a high fever (104.4!) and then the next day popped a tooth. Same thing happened a week later (anyone who says that teething doesn't cause fevers never met my kid!) But that was it, some drooling, chewing maybe. He was also 10 months old before his first tooth.

Honestly, I don't remember Connor teething (how horrible is that?) because we were so distracted with his serious health issues. He was 10 months old also. Teething late like that means that they had more coordination to put things in their mouths themselves, hold a teether, chew on a sippy cup, etc.

Poor Gavin!! This is day 3 of fussy baby, wanting to chew, wanting to nurse but pulling away, not sleeping longer than 10 minutes, wanting to be latched on all night long, etc. No signs of illness, no fever, no rash, no runny nose. We finally broke down and gave him a bit of motrin and teething tablets, which allowed him to sleep better, but not great.

Makes me a sad mama to not be able to help him!


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2boyzmama* 
Poor Gavin!! This is day 3 of fussy baby, wanting to chew, wanting to nurse but pulling away, not sleeping longer than 10 minutes, wanting to be latched on all night long, etc. No signs of illness, no fever, no rash, no runny nose. We finally broke down and gave him a bit of motrin and teething tablets, which allowed him to sleep better, but not great.











This isn't going to make you feel any better, but my guy has been going through periods like that... enough that we're almost at the bottom of our bottle of teething tablets. And no tooth yet. He'll be like that for a few days, and then he'll be fine for a week, and then he'll be like that again for a few more days.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Well...this is a first!

Gavin is struggling with either growth spurt, teething, or he's about to do something developmentally...or maybe all three...anyway, he's not sleeping, he's fussy constantly, etc.

Last night he was latched onto me the entire night (I did get him in his own bed from 3am to 4am, but that was it!) This morning when I got up for work, I sat down at the computer to nurse Connor on my left side and pump on my right side. After 20 minutes wanna know how much milk I had pumped?

Not. A. Drop.

Seriously.

Me, the mama with wonder-boobs who has been known to pump 12oz in one sitting, who pumps on average 18-22oz during my work day, who has 300+oz in my freezer (cristeen, your shipment is coming, I promise, I just have to find time to get to FedEx which is at the airport, which of course is in the opposite direction of my work!)...I literally did not get a single drop!

It's okay, I've since pumped again and got 8.5 oz. And I know that Connor got some milk when he was nursing because I heard him swallowing and I felt a let down.

So I think Gavin literally drained me dry!! That has never happened to me before! I always get at least an ounce, even if Connor and Gavin BOTH just nursed from the same side!

Geez!!!


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## boobs4milk (Jun 25, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *darcytrue* 
I didn't realize someone else in the group had a tubal. How is it going for you? Do you notice heavier periods? I do. And they last longer. ugh.









not really but i have endo, so i'm used to bad af. i'm also 36 so i could be going perimenopausal at any time. my g'ma went at about 35 and my aunt, too. my mom had a hysterectomy @ 34 so who knows when she would have gone. my af are wonky, but i think it's because millie was nursing every 2 hrs at night then had a stretch where she only nursed 2-3 times/night and i could calm her with patting. now she's hooked up all night long. she sleeps on my chest so i just let her lounge there and nurse but af was 10 days late last time!


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## StrongFeather (Mar 13, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
Ok, I FINALLY got the pictures loaded.

Here's my little guy in the t-shirt I made him:
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...een/Ashirt.jpg

And here's one of him in his new longies:
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...oLongies-1.jpg

OMG, what cuite! AND love the longies


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## StrongFeather (Mar 13, 2009)

I *think* I have a minute while Sam is napping, but who knows, haha.

Let's see we have our 6 month Well-Child on Monday, so I'll know for sure then, but by my scale Sam is about 18lbs, no idea on length... he's just over 6months old at this point being one for the older babies in our DDC. I think it's safe to say "he's caught up" haha.

He, by no means sleeps throught he night. But he has steadily gotten much better at not having me up every hour, 2 hours, etc. The longest stretch I consistantly I have gotten is 4 hours. But, what can I do? He's only a baby once, maybe he'll sleep great as a toddler. I can only hope.

We were asked to refrain from solids until 6 months, and since we use his "adjusted" birthday, that bought me 3-4 extra weeks of EBF. I know he's ready though, as is my husband. But I honestly have just started reading up on solids, and we don't even have a baby spoon or dish, or even a high chair for that matter! (so how ready is the husband I wonder, haha)

The only other "event" that is going on here is it seems I have developed Postpartum thyroiditis, and I am working with my Doctor to try and get my body and thyroid back on track before there is significant damage done ot my thyroid. Right now we are skipping hormone therapy, and working with some natural remedies, and I am hopeful it will just resolve itself. We will retest in 5 weeks. I admit I am pretty upset about the whole ordeal, and the hormonal imbalance does NOT help me deal in a level manner. It's been really frustrating to say the least.

ok Sam is calling for me!


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## sugarpop (Feb 12, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
Ok, I FINALLY got the pictures loaded.

Here's my little guy in the t-shirt I made him:
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...een/Ashirt.jpg

And here's one of him in his new longies:
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/i...oLongies-1.jpg


So cute!

I LOVE the t shirt, you made that? I have to learn how to use the sewing machine in my basement!

Sophia is doing so much these days. Rolling all over the place, I have to watch her, she rolls into the middle of the floor then sucks on it (YUCK!). She is putting everything in her mouth and I do mean everything. The dog sits beside her and she rolls from her back to her side to try and eat the dog!

Her and I have a game that we play, besides peek a boo. I tease her and say "i'm going to eat you" then I attack her neck and she laughs. Well as fun and disgustingly drooly as it is she then will lean over and with her mouth open place it on my face pull away and laugh. I can get confused with this game though, because if at any point she leans over and sucks on my face...well that means feed me and she isn't laughing.

I love her facial expressions. Especially the expression right before she latches on when she is grunting with excitement, mouth open and ATTACK! It is so funny and I can't help but laugh at her. It isn't like she is starving, she is my little milk monster, eating when ever she wants, which is all the time.

She sits up pretty well these days. I didn't even realize she could until I took her to the Dr. for a well visit and the Dr. sat her up and let her go...I was surprised! She loves her jumperoo activity center thing. She also loves to be held.

We have started experimenting with foods. She mostly spits them out, which is fine by me. But she is always reaching for food, so I know she is interested.

Teething is painfully slow and painful for all of us, but mostly her. I feel like by now she should have a whole mouth of teeth! It has been going on since superbowl sunday and still no signs of anything poking through. We resorted to Tylenol and have already gone through a bottle. We tried the homeopathic first, but it wasn't cutting the pain.

She is amazing and everyday I am falling more in love with the little girl!
couple weeks ago now...but some pictures of our pumpkin
http://www.flickr.com/photos/4788279...7623508461460/


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

SO...is anyone's baby not really rolling?

I know Gavin is the youngest in this group, but he's not rolling yet, and I'm starting to wonder...

Caveats...we have all hard wood floors, and we have two big dogs plus two other little boys. So first of all, the floors are often dirty, and secondly, it's not often "safe" for him to be down. So the truth is, he's hardly ever put down. He does get put on the bed (if I'm changing clothes, or folding laundry, or whatever) and I make sure to put him on his tummy then. He has rolled on the bed, but that surface is of course much more conducive to rolling, and he only goes from tummy to back. Once he gets to his back, he just stays there.

He can roll from side to side easily enough.

When he's on his tummy, sometimes he pushes up well, sometimes he lays his arms out flat to either side, buries his face into the bed, and is just...stuck. Like he can't figure out how to move! But other times he gets his arms under him and pushes up just fine. I don't get it.

He spends time every day in his saucer, and supports himself very well in there. He can turn himself around, he can reach intentionally for toys, etc.

SO...it seems that he has decent control, but shouldn't he be rolling more? Is it just because he isn't being given the opportunity to really? Should we be focussing more on giving him that opportunity, or is it not a big deal?

I'm so lost here...Ian of course was our only child (at the time) and he hit every milestone ridiculously early (the kid is reading already, he's just a different breed). Connor was delayed with every milestone ebcause of his genetic disorder. So now I have no idea what's normal!


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

Viv isn't rolling yet either. We're living with my parents for now and Dad in't very good about watching where he is stepping. The floor is also cold and drafty, so not much floor time here either. She does get some tummy time on the bed or when it is just the two of us here (not very often). She pushes up really well but has no interest in rolling... she's great at grabbing for stuff she wants tho.









If I put her in a sitting position with no support, she can hold it with a straight back for a bit, and she loves sitting in her booster at the table when we are eating dinner.


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## diana_of_the_dunes (Dec 7, 2008)

Ethan is semi-rolling. He can go from back to belly, but not the other way. And he spends plenty of time on his belly, since he's a tummy sleeper. He only recently figured out how to get his arms underneath himself and will now prop himself up on his forearms and look around. Before he'd put his arms at his sides and bury his face in the bed. Maybe getting "stuck" is a milestone in itself, LOL.

We just went to the ped today because of chest congestion... And the poor little guy has bronchiolitis (I probably do too).







He has to have breathing treatments every 4-6 hours for 3 days, then twice a day for the rest of the 7 day period. And he has an ear infection. So much for bf'ed babies not getting sick!!


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## coldandsleepy (Aug 5, 2008)

Grey CAN roll, he just mostly doesn't. If I tempt him with something he really wants, he rolls. (He'll almost always do it for a bare boob, and lately he'll do it if you put a clean prefold near him. He LOVES fabric.) But if there's no treat in sight, he absolutely won't do it. Sometimes I wonder if I've got a baby or just a little baby-shaped puppy.

Cracks me up. I have no idea why it is how it is, but it's funny anyway.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Avery's rolling a lot. In fact the other day I laid him on the edge of the queen bed, up against the wall and walked away and nearly had a heart attack when I came back after peeing - he was at the opposite edge of the bed. And the rolling in his sleep thing is annoying - he doesn't roll straight, but winds up perpendicular to me so he can push off the wall with his feet and butt his head into my side.









And Nana IM'd me the other day and said she was looking for some retail therapy and wanted to buy her grandson something, so I sent her after a couple things I'd been wanting (play gym and floor mirror).

And DH wants to get the little guy his own bed now that spring has arrived. But right now we're debating the merits of a toddler bed vs a twin bed considering how tall he already is. I don't think DH quite gets that regardless he's still gonna be with mama for a while... he's not STTN and shows no indication that that'll start anytime soon. And letting him start screaming in the middle of the night because I'm not right there with his num-nums is not a good way for anyone to get sleep.


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

Cristeen - if you are looking for a way to put your dh off on the bed buying... most toddler beds aren't recommended for children under 18 months. Twin beds, I would imagine, are recommended foreven older kids- even if you put side rails on both sides.

If you do decide to go with a toddler bed, I know that my kids could sleep in them up until about 6 years od (we switched to twins before then, but they used the toddler bed at my parents when we visited).


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Dmitrizmom* 
If you do decide to go with a toddler bed, I know that my kids could sleep in them up until about 6 years od (we switched to twins before then, but they used the toddler bed at my parents when we visited).

My main concern with this is that he's already huge... comparing to babies of his own age he's a lot bigger (longer). Daddy was 6 foot by age 12, and it looks like this guy's on the same track.

As for the bed - we're thinking more of mattress on the floor for now, just trying to decide what size.


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## 4JMJ (Feb 5, 2008)

James isn't really rolling yet either. I think he has done tummy to back twice and back to tummy once. And that has been spread out over the last month. He doesn't generally like to be put down, so he doesn't get much floor time at all. And he really dislikes tummy time, so he doesn't prop up on his arms at all. FWIW, I asked the ped about the not rolling over at his 4 mo. checkup. She said she doesn't like using that as a milestone, because some babies just don't get to it til later on. She said it depends a lot on personality. So I wouldn't worry about it, they'll all get there when they are ready!


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Rowan rolls, for sure. But not really on purpose. Just one minute he's on his back, and then he's on his tummy. Most of the time is when he's upset, not wanting to go to sleep, or reaching for a blanket (he also loves fabric).

Speaking of fabric, my mom brought one of those cloth books; scratchy noises, has little rattle's in it, generally fun. He's playing and scrunching and trying to eat it. And then he's crying - I look over and it's perfectly placed on his head, with his arms stretched out to the sides like he has no idea how to get it off. Regressing a few months here  He's done it like 5 times!! He loves this lil book, but darned if it gets stuck on his face  babies are hysterical


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2boyzmama* 
(cristeen, your shipment is coming, I promise, I just have to find time to get to FedEx which is at the airport, which of course is in the opposite direction of my work!)

We may actually want to wait another week or so... I just picked up 500 oz yesterday, picked up about 600 a week ago, and am scheduled to pick up another who knows how much "freezer full" this week. The freezer is fast approaching capacity. And here I was worried about making it to 6 months. _And_ I still have 2 fresh donors, one who I get milk from 4 nights a week and one who I'll be picking up from twice a week, so it looks like we're in good shape.


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## kittyhead (Oct 28, 2005)

hi, i havent been posting much but i was in septemberDDC (my guy was born on the 30th) and i have been reading here.







just popped in to share that my just barely five month old had his first solid food the other day... when he snatched a chubby fistful of rice and gravy from my dinner plate and shoved it in his mouth! i pried out most of the rice, but he did get some gravy for sure. at least it was homemade







. i was going to wait until he was six months at least! i think we will still hold off, even though he is clearly interested in food.


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

i wouldn't worry about the rolling. babies seem to pick their favorite milestones or something.
mine as a really early roller. front to back at 2 months and the other way a month later.
on the other hand two of my friends' babes just skipped the rolling and are sitting up on their own. one of them is 3 weeks younger than mine who isn't sitting like a pro at all.


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## ~Laura~ (May 21, 2009)

Hi ladies! I had to pop over and check in on the babies! I wish they would quit growing!

Emme has her first pedi appointment today, so no stats from me yet. She's doing amazing, though recently napping seems to be off the agenda! She's really "woken up" over the last couple of weeks. She's just much more awake and involved. (Not that she wasn't before, but it seems like she's in overdrive right now.)

No purposeful rolling here. In fact, on Saturday was the first time I saw her roll at all (it was stomach to back). Samantha - she gets little floor time as well. Between me, dad, and her big siblings, someone is always holding her! I'm definitely not worried about it - I LOVE that she's still stationary!

She's loving sitting now and pulls herself to sit up in her baby bathtub. So I let her sit more than tummy time, which probably isn't good.









Here are some recent pictures!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...titled-1-4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...r/IMG_2861.jpg

It's great to read all of the babies are doing well. We can't always do exactly what we want (I FF my first after BF challenges - I totally understand!), but all of these babies sure do have more love than they can handle, which is what's most important!

Laura


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

Hi everyone! Cristeen those pictures are adorable. And the shirt looks great! Good job! Sugarpop, your DD is so cute! My DS has been teething for months now and still no teeth. I've stopped looking for them. I hope the process goes a little quicker for you.

DS is 5 months now and growing like a weed! He just started rolling over about a week ago, although I've only actually seen him do it once. I wasn't really worried about rolling over b/c DS is doing everything else like a pro! He has really good hand-eye coordination and everything goes directly into his mouth! He can sit up for a few seconds at a time and is starting to kick his legs and get into crawling position.

I am seriously concerned about what to do once he starts crawling b/c we have hardwood floors and 2 medium-sized dogs that always track in mud. I swept 2x and mopped on Saturday and had to do the whole process over again on Sunday. I give up now though b/c the floors are already muddy again! I'm at a loss.

DS is still squealing and jabbering away. He's really started to laugh a lot and it is so precious! DH was clapping and singing to him yesterday and DS just laughed and laughed. I love this kid! He is so amazing.

But yeah, growing like a weed. At his 4mth WBV he was 15 lbs, 26 in. He seemed really heavy a month later and when I weighed him he was 18.76 lbs!!! We just bought him so new clothes after that visit and he's already starting to outgrow them.







Luckily, we got 6-9 mth sizes but some of them are already tight.... stupid inconsistent sizing.









DS is also sleeping through the night! We had a REALLY rough patch the whole month of January. If he slept for 2 hours straight, it was a good night. One night, I decided to count how many times he got up. Btwn 10 and 3, he woke up 6 times!! I stopped keeping track after that b/c it depressed me. Then one day, he slept for 5 hour blocks and a week later, he just slept all night. He now goes 10 hrs straight, eats, then sleeps another 2 hrs. I am so thankful b/c it was exhausting and I was reaching the end of my rope. He still has off nights every few days but I don't waking up every 3-4 hours. It's the constant waking that drives me crazy.

Anyway, I'll stop there. I never have any time now (like everyone else) so there's so much to say once I do get a chance to post. It's so good to hear about you ladies and your LO and to see all the cuties!

Here's some pics of Lake a couple weeks ago.

My Grandma made all the matching stuff for him.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a0...D550/ry%3D400/

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a0...D550/ry%3D400/


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Hi girls!!!

Such cute pictures! I need to download my camera...have a bunch on there. There are some snow pictures on my blog www.blockboys.blogspot.com

Gavin had a weight check today. At his 4 month well baby he weighed 14lbs 14oz, which put him on the 50th%. Which is fine, right? Except that he was 10lbs at birth, so he had "dropped" from the 95+% to 50% in only 4 months. The dr was concerned because he has reflux, so he wanted to bring him in at 5 months just for a weight check to make sure he wasn't dropping any more.

Check was today, he weighed 15lbs 14oz, exactly a pound, which puts him smack dab on the 50th% still. So that's good!

I'm so not worried, I birth giant babies, but my kids are not giant kids (Ian is 43 pounds and will be 5 soon; Connor is actually well BELOW the growth charts, although he's a special case because of all his health issues). Gavin has just the right amount of baby rolls, a little chunk to his thighs and fullness of his cheeks. He's bright, happy, eats well, poops/pees, sleeps (sometimes!







) etc. So I did this extra weight check primarily to make the dr happy, honestly!

They didn't check his length, but he was 26.5in at 4 months.

**********************

Sleep is an issue!!! He won't sleep in his own bed, and when he's in our bed he wants to be latched on most of the night. UGH!!! I know, I know, developmentally normal, he's probably growth spurting/teething/developing all at the same time. He had a few days of near inconsolable fussiness that drove my husband insane (hubby is SAHD), but that passed thankfully. We did break out the teething tablets and even a dose of motrin or two (bye bye virgin gut







He kept his the longest of any of my babies!) Still no tooth in sight...

Otherwise...we're looking forward to SPRING! The winter was off to a really slow start here (Ohio) but then February saw several snowstorms. It was fun while it lasted, now it's dirty and ugly outside, half the snow melted, the trees really need some color, and I'm craving sunshine! 18 days till Spring, right?


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## ~Laura~ (May 21, 2009)

emme's official 5 months stats:

16 pounds 4 ounces
28 inches long

She's doing perfectly, but has a swollen lymph node and needs to see a ped surgeon.









Laura


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *~Laura~* 
Hi ladies! I had to pop over and check in on the babies! I wish they would quit growing!

Emme has her first pedi appointment today, so no stats from me yet. She's doing amazing, though recently napping seems to be off the agenda! She's really "woken up" over the last couple of weeks. She's just much more awake and involved. (Not that she wasn't before, but it seems like she's in overdrive right now.)

No purposeful rolling here. In fact, on Saturday was the first time I saw her roll at all (it was stomach to back). Samantha - she gets little floor time as well. Between me, dad, and her big siblings, someone is always holding her! I'm definitely not worried about it - I LOVE that she's still stationary!

She's loving sitting now and pulls herself to sit up in her baby bathtub. So I let her sit more than tummy time, which probably isn't good.









Here are some recent pictures!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...titled-1-4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...r/IMG_2861.jpg

It's great to read all of the babies are doing well. We can't always do exactly what we want (I FF my first after BF challenges - I totally understand!), but all of these babies sure do have more love than they can handle, which is what's most important!

Laura

what gorgeous photos! Laura, did you take those yourself? do you use a special camera?


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

Loving all the beautiful photos!


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## ~Laura~ (May 21, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 
what gorgeous photos! Laura, did you take those yourself? do you use a special camera?

Thanks! I did take them. I have a Canon 5D Mark II and the first one was taken with a 35mm 1.2L lens. I think the second one I took with the 24-70 2.8L.

Laura


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *~Laura~* 
emme's official 5 months stats:

16 pounds 4 ounces
28 inches long

She's doing perfectly, but has a swollen lymph node and needs to see a ped surgeon.









Laura

Laura, does she have to see a ped surgeon because of the lymph node? My LO has some swollen lymph nodes too. They seem to be OK, shrinking in size, they move around and were about pea size. What did the ped say about lymph nodes? My ped said not to worry, but I worry anyhow... even though what I read says he's right.


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## ~Laura~ (May 21, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mkksmom* 
Laura, does she have to see a ped surgeon because of the lymph node? My LO has some swollen lymph nodes too. They seem to be OK, shrinking in size, they move around and were about pea size. What did the ped say about lymph nodes? My ped said not to worry, but I worry anyhow... even though what I read says he's right.

She just has one swollen one and it was there when she was born. It's probably soy bean size rather than pea size. Actually, probably in between those sizes. The ped said she just wants to get it checked to be certain it's nothing (because it most often is!). *If* there is a problem, I would want to know now. The surgeon won't biopsy if he thinks it's nothing.

I'm sure yours is nothing to worry about as well. I just would love a little peace of mind!









Laura


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *~Laura~* 
She just has one swollen one and it was there when she was born. It's probably soy bean size rather than pea size. Actually, probably in between those sizes. The ped said she just wants to get it checked to be certain it's nothing (because it most often is!). *If* there is a problem, I would want to know now. The surgeon won't biopsy if he thinks it's nothing.

I'm sure yours is nothing to worry about as well. I just would love a little peace of mind!









Laura

I'm curious what the surgeon says. We deal with lymph node issues here, too. Ian has several marble-sized ones in his neck, visible to the naked eye. He's had them for as long as I can remember, not sure if they were there at birth though... Anyway, he's off gluten and although that solved a bunch of other issues (digestive and behavioral) it hasn't shrunk the lymph nodes. I assume they're allergy based, but I don't know.

Connor has several pea-sized ones in his neck and in his groin that no one seems to worry about. BUT he also has a LARGE one under his jaw (was as big as his own fist a few weeks ago) and that one is being watched carefully. He was diagnosed with Lymphadenitis and a course of antibiotics shrunk it, but it's back again. In fact I'm supposed to call his Infectious Disease dr (who manages his Primary Immune Deficiency) today to give him an update.

Gavin has a few tiny ones in the back of his head.

I have lumpy kids


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2boyzmama* 
SO...is anyone's baby not really rolling?

DS can roll -- (see pic/vid!) but doesn't for the most part. He does roll to his side in the middle of the night looking for mama, but not all the way over. He does seem slow compared to the group here.


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## Julia24 (Jun 28, 2004)

Hi ladies~!

Well, Charlotte is 6 months old now! Can you believe it's been half a year ALREADY? I'm just stumped sometimes at how quickly it's all passing me by.

She had her check up and was 16lbs10oz, 27.5inches and 44.5cm for her head. This puts her WAY up top with her biggest sister. 95% for height, off the chard for head, and 60% for weight. Perfectly plump









She is SO squirmy and rolly - like totally content to just plop her in the living room with toys scattered about and she'll roll around and play with them all, chewing reaching rolling - she's just moments away from mobile at this point. I really need to take her to get her photos done before she won't sit still for them







She's sitting too - but I still put the boppy behind her, she's not reliable in any sense of the word.

Oh - totally packed up the bouncey seat AND the bumbo chair. She's never been great at sitting in it, and the other day I put her in it (on the floor) and went to check my email - Grace came barreling in and told me that Charlotte flipped OUT of it. And she did - but she didn't care, she was happy to have gotten the toy she had her eye on!

Her diaper is IMPOSSIBLE to change!!!

She doesn't STTN yet. I can't BELIEVE i'm saying that, at 6 months old. Maddie slept 12 hours at 7 weeks, Grace did it at 10 weeks! But, we're down to mostly only 1x now. Around 2/3 in the morning. We give her just 2ounces (how mean are we?) but that seems to do the trick for her and she goes right back to sleep.

Oh - and I'm pretty sure she's got a mean case of double jointedness. She rolls right over that under shoulder and leaves her arm pinned behind her in the strangest fashion. I actually think that's what's waking her up - that arm must be falling asleep! Just a little check in and a little sucking and she's right back to sleep.

FINALLY getting the hang of food too. I've let her try it a couple times in the past, but she always tongued it out and then cried after a few bites - but THIS time, she leans and sucks at the spoon - she doesn't QUITE have it figured out, but she definitely likes it now









Sorry so long -there's so much to tell when you don't get to check in very often.

All the babies are adorable ladies!!!! Love the pictures.


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *~Laura~* 
Thanks! I did take them. I have a Canon 5D Mark II and the first one was taken with a 35mm 1.2L lens. I think the second one I took with the 24-70 2.8L.

Laura

Cool! They really do look like magazine photos!

2boys, Laura, I'm so sorry about the swollen lymph nodes. Even if it does turn out to be nothing, it's still scary to have to take your baby to the surgeon







s.

Julie24-- 6 months! I can't believe it. I'm sure that most of us aren't STTN, DS still wakes up 3-5 times normally. So exciting about food! I thought I would be sad to start (starting the process of weaning), but I am so excited to see him experience something new.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 
Julie24-- 6 months! I can't believe it. I'm sure that most of us aren't STTN, DS still wakes up 3-5 times normally.

I was thrilled that he only woke up once last night.


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## boobs4milk (Jun 25, 2006)

s emme and all of 2boys boys!!!

millie is showing definite signs of wanting food. the most obvious (and cutest) is when she grabs my fork and 'helps' me eat. when it goes in my mouth and not hers...scream fest lol

my 4 yr old rarely sttn, so i'm not holding my breath!

great pics!!!


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

Oh sleep is a sore subject for me these days. My LO was such a great sleeper, giving me 6-8 hours straight most nights. A bad night was 4 hours and then 3 and another 3. Now, she going 1-3 hours. Once this week, we got a 5 hour stretch of sleep. We stopped swaddling amid this sleep interruption because she rolled on to her tummy while swaddled one particularly bad night. It's up and down. I am praying for a good night tonight! I got so spoiled before. I'm homeschooling my older dd for K this year, and I need energy to actually make it fun for her.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

http://blockboys.blogspot.com/2010/0...-pictures.html

Here's some pictures of all three of my boys









SO...sleep has been MUCH better the last two night with Gavin! He slept nearly 7 hours one night, then 7.5 hours the next!!! I feel like a new woman!!!

What'd I do? Well, I've been wanting to move his bedtime up earlier. He's been staying up until 10:30, which is hard for me because then I don't have any time to get things done. I'm used to putting the kids to bed between 8-9 and then having 2 hours to clean, cook, pack my lunch, lay out my clothes, or just do...nothing. That isn't happening, or hasn't been anyway. So I tried a new "routine". I put the two big boys to bed at 8pm, then focus SOLELY on Gavin for a while. Lots of playing, tickling, practicing sitting up, trying to get him to roll over, raspberries on his belly, etc etc etc. By 9pm, he's pretty tuckered out, so I can nurse him then and have him asleep soon after.

THEN, I'm laying him down on his tummy again. And he's sleeping. And I'm one happy mama!

I think that his reflux is worse than I realized. If he's on his back, he wakes constantly (sign of reflux!), and then wants to be in our bed and nursing most of the night (frequent nursing, another sign of reflux). But if I put him down on his tummy (and his bed is slightly elevated, too) he so far has slept soundly. Last night he slept from 9:30pm-4:45am.

Let's please please please hope this is a trend!!!

AND...Connor's pulmonologist started him on a new medication (singulair) and since he started taking that, HE is sleeping through the night as well!!! Unfortunately he's now waking at 6am, but at least he's sleeping all night in his bed!


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mkksmom* 
Oh sleep is a sore subject for me these days. My LO was such a great sleeper, giving me 6-8 hours straight most nights. A bad night was 4 hours and then 3 and another 3. Now, she going 1-3 hours

this is where we are the past, oh, 10 days or so. What happened? He's been sleeping great for SO long. And then suddenly, it's up up up. One thing.. .he's rolling over. I think sometimes he wakes up face down and gets scared. Other times it seems he's rolling over purposely to sleep on his tummy. I'm still putting him down on his side, as always.

he's also eating like bonkers. LOVING food. acorn squash and bananas seem to be the big recent kicker. I can just begin peeling a banana and he starts jumping. You'd think it would decrease his bottles, but not so much. He drank 8oz TWICE yesterday and once today. Maybe the "food" is stretching his stomach so he can take more?


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## diana_of_the_dunes (Dec 7, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 
DS can roll -- (see pic/vid!) but doesn't for the most part. He does roll to his side in the middle of the night looking for mama, but not all the way over. He does seem slow compared to the group here.

Don't feel bad - we're not rolling much either. Just this week he's started grabbing at EVERYTHING... We had a mini-meltdown yesterday at Applebees when we wouldn't let Ethan grab our napkins (he sucks on them and they shred) or the edges of our plates. I thought he might be hungry, so I tried nursing him, but that just upset him more









I'm convinced he's not starving, and I think my supply issues are mostly resolved, but he's been sleeping like crap since I went back to work. We've gotten a few nights of only waking once, but it seems like our average is 3 or 4 times. Bleh, I'm tired!







I seriously wonder some days how people have more than one child!


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## Julia24 (Jun 28, 2004)

I'm convinced people don't have more kids until they've forgotten two things: 1) how much it sucks to be 9 months pregnant and 2) how much work a newborn is









I don't forsee that EVER happening for me again, thankyouverymuch! We are DONE!


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Texmati--No rolling here! So I wouldn't worry. DS hasn't even done it once! Albeit, we are one of the youngest, but still he is 5 months now. Shows not an ounce of interest, although the fact that he is a whopping 20lbs might have something to do with it! LOL, he's got too much mass to move. But anyway, he's a stander. . .I mean this kid wants to stand ALL THE TIME. I think he'll skip rolling and crawling and just learn to walk! (and that's basically what I did so it wouldn't be to big of a surprise.) He's now decided standing isn't enough and wants to be jumping constantly, so I ordered him a jumper. Maybe that will be the magic place for awhile. We have had to retire the swing--he's just too big, it won't even rock anymore. He is starting to sit. . .very tippy still, but likes to try and he's much better at tummy-time.

And he's totally interested in food. .. I let him have some water out of my water bottle once and now every time he sees the bottle he goes crazy. So I've ordered him some sippy cups (yes, I do all my shopping online). And we have a highchair already, he sits in it when we eat and thrown toys around. I'll wait till 6 months for the solids, but he seems so ready. . .

Ahhh, he's so fun now! Really, its just awesome. He is so interested in everything. He loves being out and about in the world. Except for sleep which he only does well at home. He has found his own routine and is taking one longer (2 hoursish) nap in the morning and one shorter one in the afternoon (30 min to 1 hourish). I have found that no matter what we do he gets about 3 hours of sleep during the day, which doesn't seem like a lot to me, but its very consistent and he's happy. Of course he still wakes at night. .its totally variable, but the usual I'd say is 3 times. He's in bed (with us) for about 11-12 hours, and has been going to bed earlier and earlier. . .these days its usually 7:30pm.

I have switched over to CDing and LOVE it!!! Also do a fair amount of EC. On a good day I "catch" about 50% of his pees and poos .. .I enjoy doing it. he has responded very well, he clearly knows that's what you do on the potty. I think its going to really pay off later on!

The only negative issues we have been dealing with are the food intolerances. . .DS spits up something crazy. So I don't know if its food intolerance or "normal" reflux or what. Also he has gotten eczema lately, which I just feel horribly about. And I am getting conflicting advice about whether that might be food related or environmental or what. Sigh. I am dairy-free and have given up eggs and nuts too so I am reluctant to give up more food groups, but of course I want him to be as healthy as possible. Argh, Mama guilt!

Nice to keep up with all you mamas! I can't believe how big my LO is getting! Here he is this week at 5 months:http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/w...by/5months.jpg


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## sugarpop (Feb 12, 2009)

It finally happened! We had a BAD month! I mean bad!! Wondering if I might just have an only child. Everyone said "it will get better" but I wondered if it would, I mean what if this was just who she was, a miserably unhappy girl. Not that I thought she was miserable but that she felt miserable. And then it happened, yesterday the bottom left tooth broke through. Today has been good. I have high hopes that sleep will improve and things will get better...I am hanging on to this hope for now...I need sleep.

She sleeps 3 hours at a time, maybe. And kicks the rest of the time. I am exhausted.

So how many teeth do we have out there? Do they get easier? Promise? Everyone says the first is the hardest but I am scared...


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

I don't even remember if my older dd's first tooth was the worst... well, I know it wasn't the absolute worst. That was the eye teeth, but that wasn't until 18 months.

We had one goodish (5.5 hours straight) night of sleep followed by a bad night last night. Wondering what tonight will bring.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Well, the two nights of good sleep (7 hours!) haven't happened again...we're back to him wanting to be touching me and/or latched on all night. It's a bit rough since I work! And Ian and Connor are fighting off coughs, so they've both been up at least once at night the past several nights. Sigh. I will sleep again some day, right??

At least the weather is getting warmer, the sun rising earlier again...my daffodils and lillies are poking through already!!

So Gavin is starting to notice food finally! Twice recently he's intercepted my fork, and once he grabbed my water bottle to chew on. I let him lick a piece of soft carrot, that brought on a funny face! He hasn't actually ingested anything yet, I'm going to hold off a little longer on that. I'm nervous because the older boys have intolerances (Ian-gluten, Connor-dairy and soy).

Gavin is creeping! It's hilarious, he straightens his legs out so his butt is sticking up, then he flattens out like an inch worm! And he doesn't lift his head up, he just buries his face into the ground while he does it! So funny!

His hair is seriously long, probably 3 inches! It's still really thin, though. I really don't want to cut it, but we're getting more girl comments







I might trim it soon







Gah! I can't believe I said that!!

My cousin is probably in early labor right now, and I have to shamefully admit to a twinge of...longing? I hate being pregnant, and labor is no treat, but I want that empowered feeling again! And although Gavin's birth was okay, it wasn't *perfect* (if there is such a thing) and I want another shot at it. Crazy, I know







She's a natural non-interventionist birther, so I guess I'll just live vicariously through her since I'm done. Happy birthing, Heather!


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

We've had 4-5 hour stretches of sleep again lately. I think I was under-dressing her since we stopped swaddling her arms. I gave my LO some breastmilk on a spoon the other day and she acted like it was the most awful thing in the world. It was frozen and thawed, and it was the first time I ever used frozen milk for her, so I thought maybe that was the problem. Nope. I expressed some onto a spoon and she made the face and shuddered and let it roll out of her mouth. LOL! I tried some BM in a sippy cup, and she let it roll out as well. I'm now wondering if she will take a bottle any more. It's been months since we tried. I had such good intentions to keep her taking bottles so dh could feed her, but pumping is just too much work. So now I'm wondering how she will react once we start fruits and veggies.


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

we've started solids!

i got all excited and made her some purees just because it was kind of fun. in reality i was more of the "just give her some suitable table food" mentality. turns out after all that puree-ing...so is she. she pretty much eats a couple bites from a spoon (and HAS to do it "herself") and then insists on chunks. so we'll see how it goes.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/p...6&id=504394227

it;s only been a few days but i already miss the EBF poops!
(and we finally figured out sitting!!!)


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

6 months. yay!
20lbs, 26 inches. My goodness he's a chunk 

6 months


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## octobermoon (Nov 22, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JordanKX* 
6 months. yay!
20lbs, 26 inches. My goodness he's a chunk 

6 months

haha he IS a cute little chunk, his pics made me smile!!!

happy 6mos!


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JordanKX* 
6 months. yay!
20lbs, 26 inches. My goodness he's a chunk 

6 months

Love the chubby cheeks! What a cutie.


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

I've got a video of Viv to share... http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...50134082565188


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## darcytrue (Jan 23, 2009)

My DD is 5 1/2 months old and just got her first tooth. It started coming in a couple weeks ago and is about completely in. She isn't crawling but is starting to sit unassisted for longer periods of time but I'd rather keep her a baby a while longer. She can wait as long as she wants on those things.

My neice has a son 6 month old and he is already crawling and pulling himself to a standing position!! He is only 2 weeks older than my DD. Amazing how different two children can be.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Dmitrizmom* 
I've got a video of Viv to share... http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...50134082565188











look how well she sits!! I have to keep reminding myself that Gavin is the youngest of this bunch...


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## sugarpop (Feb 12, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *darcytrue* 
My DD is 5 1/2 months old and just got her first tooth. It started coming in a couple weeks ago and is about completely in. She isn't crawling but is starting to sit unassisted for longer periods of time but I'd rather keep her a baby a while longer. She can wait as long as she wants on those things.

My neice has a son 6 month old and he is already crawling and pulling himself to a standing position!! He is only 2 weeks older than my DD. Amazing how different two children can be.

Oh you did find this discussion!! good to see you here


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## sugarpop (Feb 12, 2009)

Sophia just popped her second tooth! Does this mean the other two are quick to follow or does she have a little time to enjoy pain free??

She is so active, getting up on all four, doing planks or push ups which is too cute. She isn't crawling but likes to stand while holding on to my hands. She sits but doesn't really like too because she can't really play like that.

She still "sleeps" with us, but neither of us are getting much sleep. My husband thinks she sleeps through the night LOL!! She wakes every 2 hours most nights and wakes up in the middle of the night with gas and crying still. I have starteed taking naps with her. I am exhausted. She is wonderful and so miserable, I feel for her and wish I could make it better...ok she needs me now

just wanted to check in


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## Omsmom (Dec 11, 2006)

DD is nearly 6 months (on 19th), haven't had any well baby visits yet so don't know her stats - she wears 9-12 mo sized clothes so I know she is growing









She can get on fours and sit unassisted but isn't crawling and hasn't cut a tooth yet. She may be getting one soon b'cos she is chewing on everything! But who knows, DS was teething for 6months before he got his first tooth at 10mo.

She is very interested in food and I've been thinking of starting solids soon... I gave some mashed bananas last weekend but she wasn't interested so we'll wait until she gets some teeth and try again with some 'real' food.

Nightimes are so much easier with her, she sleeps 3-4 hour stretches most nights and is absolutely no hassle at naptimes too, takes 1-long and 2-short naps. She cosleeps most of the night except the first stretch when she is on twin mattress in our room. She isn't too active, I think she'd be quite content to be carried in the sling all the time. She LOVES to watch her brother, he is her main source of stimulation









Oh, we sort of started ec'ing and its going quite well so far. Most days we don't have a wet diaper all day


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

We've recently been having sleep troubles, AGAIN. Rowan goes down perfectly at 7:45 after his bath. But for the past 4 nights, he's back up in an hour.
Rolling over on his tummy, back on his back, back on his tummy. Can't seem to get comfortable. For most of the night. Still only up 2 times to eat. But this twisting and turning is continuous.
The past few nights I've just pulled him over to me (we have the crib side-carred) where he sleeps on his side on my arm. And he seems to be OK with that for a few hours. I don't know what is waking him up when he's by himself. Secretly I adore the snuggly sleep... but I would like to find out what's up with him, yk?

The world is all about peek-a-boo suddenly. Behind a wall, under the blanket! giggles and laughs (not full baby laughs, but he's close). And he LOVES to look at pictures of me and daddy. He hasn't recognized the grandparent pictures yet. But put up a picture of daddy and he just looses it in giggles!


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## ElliesMomma (Sep 21, 2006)

just back from 6 mo. WBV. he's a "string bean" says the ped. 27 inches, and 13 lbs., 3 oz. 75th for height, off the charts low for weight. EBF and we've barely started solids. ped wants my to spoon feed him 2-3 x a day and try to fatten him up. my DH was very thin when he was younger, and Shawn is almost exact same weight his sister was at 6 mo.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ElliesMomma* 
just back from 6 mo. WBV. he's a "string bean" says the ped. 27 inches, and 13 lbs., 3 oz. 75th for height, off the charts low for weight. EBF and we've barely started solids. ped wants my to spoon feed him 2-3 x a day and try to fatten him up. my DH was very thin when he was younger, and Shawn is almost exact same weight his sister was at 6 mo.

Giving him more solids won't help weight, breastmilk has much higher fat and calories. If there is a family trend towards being tall and thin, count your lucky stars that you're not likely to compound the obesity epidemic and keep letting baby lead the way with feeding.

Is he happy, alert, interactive? Eating, sleeping, pooping, peeing? Rolling, sitting supported, bringing things to his mouth, talking? If you can say yes to all (or almost all) of those, then he's fine. Just skinny. If there is anything abnormal about his sleep/awake times, his stools, his behavior, then his low weight might be a concern.


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## ElliesMomma (Sep 21, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2boyzmama* 
Giving him more solids won't help weight, breastmilk has much higher fat and calories. If there is a family trend towards being tall and thin, count your lucky stars that you're not likely to compound the obesity epidemic and keep letting baby lead the way with feeding.

Is he happy, alert, interactive? Eating, sleeping, pooping, peeing? Rolling, sitting supported, bringing things to his mouth, talking? If you can say yes to all (or almost all) of those, then he's fine. Just skinny. If there is anything abnormal about his sleep/awake times, his stools, his behavior, then his low weight might be a concern.

thanks for the reality check. yes to all the questions -- he can sit unsupported even.

also if his growth was off, how would he have gained so much in height? and, he was only 6 pounds even at birth. so he has more than doubled his weight in the first 6 months... isn't that the "criteria"?

i'm not crazy about spoon feeding "baby food."


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

So good to hear all the updates! And the pics are so cute, although I couldn't see your pic, tzs.

No teeth here, or crawling. Lake's doing great though. He's STTN still, I guess one of the few on here. He wakes up occasionally a couple times a week but it's usually after a really long stretch (6+ hours). He is rolling all the time and does NOT keep still. He's so much fun though and still such a cutie! He is giggling and laughing and DH and I get a kick out of making him laugh.


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## ElliesMomma (Sep 21, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ElliesMomma* 
thanks for the reality check. yes to all the questions -- he can sit unsupported even.

also if his growth was off, how would he have gained so much in height? and, he was only 6 pounds even at birth. so he has more than doubled his weight in the first 6 months... isn't that the "criteria"?

i'm not crazy about spoon feeding "baby food."

ps: one more thing... i don't know if anybody recalls this, but poor Shawn has been "under the microscope" for his weight since before he was even born. i'm 41 and my OB practice (even though i used the midwife and wound up having a great unmedicated natural birth in a hospital) treated me as high risk due to my age, and i was subjected to repeated ultrasounds... and one of their determinations was that the baby was borderline low weight. they were very concerned about this, i had to keep going in for "weight checks" (based on fetal ultrasounds), which turned out to be fairly on target, as he was born at 6 pounds even... albiet about a week and a half early, and he came on his own.

so now that he's here, and he is absolutely thriving, everyone says how beautiful and perfect he looks, everyone has always commented on how he is "so alert" and his demeanor is very peaceful, i babywear him in the moby wrap and go everywhere, as i am keeping up with my 3.5 year old daughter, lol. everything is good, he is a great sleeper. i only wish my daughter slept as well as he does! seriously. he has a cute sense of humor and laughs, he's motivated to try to crawl, getting into position for it. he's totally healthy.

and still the doctors, picking on his weight!!

man, i wish *i* had a problem putting on weight! i've only lost 20 pounds of the pregnancy weight so far.

but my little guy appears to be a lot like his sister, ie, can't sit still for long. *has* to be standing all the time. if i lay him down, he shreeks so loud, i have to quickly respond by standing him back up. he makes my arms tired from keeping his balance while standing him all.the.time.

he was also very active in utero, i felt him moving at 14 weeks and he never stopped.

i'm going to guess and say he has a high metabolism. would that explain growing tall but not wide???

i have the book baby led weaning from the library. am going to start reading it tonight.

i like this ped. but i don't like the pressure to "force feed" and "fatten" him. maybe he's destined to be very athletic and lean. my husband is. and our daughter is almost 4 and still only 30 pounds... and has *non-stop* energy.

sorry to rant. it's very frustrating to realize that i am once again dealing with issues from doctors, related to his "low weight."


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

Elliesmomma - in the words of my doc "growth is growth." Is he staying on his growth curves? For there to be a 95th percentile, there also has to be a 5th percventile, iykwim.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

So... we started solids last night. We tried some avocado. While he's been fascinated by us eating for weeks, he wasn't that interested in the avo.

I also got my snap press last week, so I was able to make my first diaper! And convert some dipes to snaps.

Other than that, we're dealing with Coxsackie - he seems to be past the point of needing pain killers every few hours, at least. I'm finally starting to feel rested and alive again, and DH and I have made a schedule to try to keep the kitchen clean (the last 6 months have been a joke).

Oh, and when I took him to the doc last week, at 5.5 mos, he was 17.5 lbs exactly. And I just measured him, and I get 29 inches long.


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## KikaKika (Jul 7, 2007)

Happy 6th month to September 2009 babies!!!








My little girl is doing great - sleeps from 7 or 8 PM until 7 or 8 AM (I breastfeed her while she sleeps, and if I need to change her diaper, most of the times I can do it without waking her), and I'm so grateful for that!









She is 22lbs (@ 5 1/2 months), and I have to measure her length







but over 28".

I'm babywearing her a lot, and she loooves it, and we are **** EBF.
Two bottom teeth are almost here, she is drooling a lot and there are never enough bibs around.








She can sit, but she still supports herself with one hand here and there, and she rolls, but no real crawling yet.









I adore her!!!

Kisses for the cute adorable babies!


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Hi all!

Gavin's doing well







He's become a very laid-back baby, happy to watch his brothers playing. We had great weather here recently and I was able to put Gavin in his saucer outside. He sure loves watching the activities!

He's noticing food more, I'm thinking within a month he'll be eating. Hubby just got the high chair out, we're going to put him in it with toys during meal time and see.

A friend of mine is pregnant! She was one of my doulas, and has already asked me to attend her birth in November, I'm looking forward to that! I went with her to her first prenatal appt. Can't believe that was me a year ago!

I'm now officially a LLL leader! I started the accreditation process before I got pregnant, but it took a long time to get paired up with a leader accreditor. Now I'm done! Just in time, too, because I'm presenting at the Ohio Conference in April. Anyone going to the conference?? I'm presenting in session 2, "Working and Breastfeeding".

I am on the verge of a big promotion at work! I had a meeting with my management to make sure they were okay with how much work I've been missing lately due to issues with Connor and turns out they're more than okay with it, they had been planning on talking to me about this promotion! Woohoo!

I had been training for a marathon with Team In Training, but I had to push my race back. I was going to run the CIncinnati race in May, but between the winter weather, Connor's issues, and a few bouts of mastitis, it was too much for me. So I pushed my race back to September's Air Force Marathon instead. I'm still trying to fundraise, Team in Training is part of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. It's a great group!! I have a few pounds left to lose, hopefully getting more consistent with my training will take care of those pounds


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

2boyzmama - I am so wishing I had the drive to run! Right now my goal is to get a 20 minute walk in three times a week... and I'm not making it most of the time. Congrats on getting certified as a LLL Leader!









We have our first illness here this week.







Viv is so congested that she's having a hard time nursing and she's coughing on the mucus that is going down the back of her throat. Poor baby looks and sounds so miserable. We've been finding that the best way to help her sleep is to hold her upright. Hoping that she's doing better by tomorrow.

As to pumping... I'm teaching two nights a week at a technical college and pump during my break and on the way home. I get between 8 and 12 oz each night, but Viv wants nothing to do with the bottle and would rather wait for me (I'm usually gone about 7 hours!). Also, because she's not nursing well right now, I'm having leaking issues - soaked my side of the bed last night and had to pump before church this morning (4 oz from one side in less than 5 minutes







). Hoping that she starts taking the bottle for dh while I'm gone or I'm going to quickly fill the deep freeze... Considering donating to a local mom who needs milk to supplement.

We've been on spring break all week. I'll be glad to have the older two back in school so that Viv can get her nap schedule back on track.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend.


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

Took Viv to the doctor today for her cough and congestion. We did a weight (18 lb 6 oz) and length (27.5 inches). She's got a steroid to help with the congestion and it should help clear it up fairly fast.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Dmitrizmom* 
Took Viv to the doctor today for her cough and congestion. We did a weight (18 lb 6 oz) and length (27.5 inches). She's got a steroid to help with the congestion and it should help clear it up fairly fast.

Poor thing! Hope she's better fast!!


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

2boys! congratulations on becoming an lll leader! Where do you find time to attend meetings-- they are only during the day in our area.

Dimitriz mom, I hope your lo feels better. And pumping while driving! you wouldn't be up to giving a how to, would you?


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Dmitrizmom - hope she's feeling better soon!
2boyz - I'm with Tex... how on earth did you find time? Especially with 3 boys?!

We're doing better, his rash is almost cleared up now. And he's started babbling. I know it's unintentional on his part, but his favorite sounds seem to be ma and da, so a typical babble session sounds like mamamamama-dadadada. He's figured out pretty quickly that he can get our attention with that.









DH picked him up a new toy the other day... he's fascinated with my whisks, so he stopped by the kitchen store and picked up one of those whisks with the multicolor loops. He's seriously attached to it already. Hope it lasts, since this thing cost more than Sophie. Everybody thinks it's hilarious, but I have every intention of my little guy learning to cook from an early age, I think it's an important skill, so I figure if he's playing with kitchen tools already that's only a good thing, right?









And my little guy is 6 mos old today. Not sure how that happened. Sometimes he still seems so small, and then other times I look at the pics from the early days and I'm shocked at how little he really was (and isn't anymore). I put him down in his bassinet this morning so I could get a clean diaper... he hasn't used it in months. I was shocked to see that he barely fits in it anymore. His head was almost touching one end and his feet were brushing the other.


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 
2boys! congratulations on becoming an lll leader! Where do you find time to attend meetings-- they are only during the day in our area.

Dimitriz mom, I hope your lo feels better. And pumping while driving! you wouldn't be up to giving a how to, would you?

pumping while driving - one side at a time... have the pump set up before starting to drive. flip on the pump, free the breast, attach pump flange (you might have to adjust the flange to get proper alignment). One hand on the wheel and one to hold the flange. I do sometimes have to use a knee to steer. I usually use a bottle big enough to hold the milk from both sides so I don't have to swap out bottles and I don't mess with lidding the bottle or putting the breast away until I am stopped and parked. My drive is almost entirely on rural highways with fairly low traffic and it is at night which limits the visibility of what I'm doing. FTR, I currently have a manual transmission which increases the difficulty. When I had my van with an automatic tranny, it was sooo much easier.


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Just a quick update to say that after 4 days of misery, my guy has popped his first tooth! He's growing up *sniff*

and I don't think I can keep him from solids for much longer. . .this guy is crazy-frustrated that we aren't sharing when we eat!! Still hasn't ever rolled though. . .


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Dmitrizmom* 
pumping while driving - one side at a time... have the pump set up before starting to drive. flip on the pump, free the breast, attach pump flange (you might have to adjust the flange to get proper alignment). One hand on the wheel and one to hold the flange. I do sometimes have to use a knee to steer. I usually use a bottle big enough to hold the milk from both sides so I don't have to swap out bottles and I don't mess with lidding the bottle or putting the breast away until I am stopped and parked. My drive is almost entirely on rural highways with fairly low traffic and it is at night which limits the visibility of what I'm doing. FTR, I currently have a manual transmission which increases the difficulty. When I had my van with an automatic tranny, it was sooo much easier.










honestly, that helps! i never would have thought to start the pump beforehand-- it's always difficult to start once everything is placed. I drive during rush hour-- but maybe I could wear a robe?


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
2boyz - I'm with Tex... how on earth did you find time? Especially with 3 boys?!


There is a night meeting about 30 minutes away that I get to whenever possible. It means a long late night though, it's 9:30 or later before we're home, then get the boys in jammies and to bed, it's after 10pm. THEN I can feed the baby, pack my lunch, set out my work clothes, etc. So it's hard to manage sometimes, but it's only once a month.

And I was really adamant that I wanted to be a leader, there aren't enough leaders who work, yet there's a lot of working moms who need help. I've dealt with many issues related to working (plugs, mastitis, working overtime, separation from baby for a business trip, finding a place to pump, finding time to pump, I even filed a complaint against an old boss because of harassment) so it was important to me to become a leader.

The group in my town is a day group right now, and I will sometimes take off work to go to those meetings. Now that I'm a leader, I plan to work with the day leaders to get a night group started. It'll take a few months to get it set up though.

In Gavin news...

He can now sit independently







and is *really* interested in food







We got the highchair out, but we need to buy some straps for it, so he can't sit in it yet. That means I get an extension on offering him solids







I believe in following baby's lead rather than determining a set date (6 months, 9 months, one year, whatever) and he is showing all the signs. So I guess I have to do it, but I'm surprised at how sad it's making me! At the same time, I can't wait to see his face the first time he gets a taste of something.

My husband is driving me crazy, I guess I'm going to have to find a way to give him, ahem, some attention on a more regular basis. I asked him why the heck he's so focussed on that this time, I know that we went a long time after Connor was born. But he's really having issues with this dry spell (which isn't even fully "dry", we HAVE had our moments). I found this article today, thought it was interesting http://edition.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/...ex.html?hpt=C1 Maybe my pheromones are not "wafting into his nostrils" like it describes







As if working full time, having three kids under 5, handling the difficulties of one of those kids being special needs, and still doing all the "regular" household stuff isn't enough...I need to attend to my husband. Ugh! It's an age-old complaint from millions of women I suppose. We're no different.

It's rainy here today, bummer. Better than snow and ice I guess. Can we just fast forward to warm summer weather? But without my kids getting any older please


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 
honestly, that helps! i never would have thought to start the pump beforehand-- it's always difficult to start once everything is placed. I drive during rush hour-- but maybe I could wear a robe?

If you wear a button down shirt with a tank underneath, it helps to keep things covered up. I've gotten really good at using my thumb to pull the tank down over the top of the breast and the upper part of the flange. The button down shirt covers the sides pretty nicely.









When I pumped while driving for dd1, I was driving during daylight hours on a busy stretch of interstate. About the only other drivers that could see what I was doing were the truckers. I had a few of them toot their horns at me and give me a thumbs up.


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

thanks dimtriz mom! it might take me a little bit to try it-- I need to get a car adaptor for one thing, but it could be an easy way to give me some 'found' time in my day!

2boyz! you are inspiring! I think i'm going to try and figure out a way to go to a meeting as well. -- Here wohms don't seem to be viewed very highly. How do you feel the organization accepts you as a working mom? A few things that I've read on the website make me feel as though being a working mom would be frowned upon at a meeting.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 
2boyz! you are inspiring! I think i'm going to try and figure out a way to go to a meeting as well. -- Here wohms don't seem to be viewed very highly. How do you feel the organization accepts you as a working mom? A few things that I've read on the website make me feel as though being a working mom would be frowned upon at a meeting.

See? I don't like that ANY woman reads LLL's webpage and thinks that! But yet I've heard it many times.

My personal experience is that there's a lot of variance between groups. And probably some of that variance is because of the "regulars" that attend the group, as well as the personal beliefs and style of the leaders. So if an area has very few working moms that are attending meetings, then naturally the discussions will center around SAHMing. But if there are several WOHMs attending, then the discussions may sway that way eventually.

A leader is supposed to present LLL philosophy, but is also supposed to be equipped to answer the questions. So if a mom is asking how to pump because she wants to have a crazy night of partying with her girlfriends once a week, the leader might gently explain why that could be detrimental to her breastfeeding relationship. But if a mom is asking how to pump because she is a WOHM, the leader should switch gears and answer the questions. In answering the question the leader might ask if you've considered other options, including working from home, working part time, or not working at all, but if you say that it isn't an option, then you should never feel pressured or judged!

If you find that your group is more SAHM centered, find ways to ask questions anyway!! If they are discussing babywearing, for example, you might pipe in and say "hey, my husband is home with baby while I'm at work, do any of you have a recommendation for a 'manly' baby carrier?" You're still adhering to LLL philosophy of meeting baby's needs, but it's your husband instead of you (or it's grandma, or it's a babysitter). But the point is, baby is still being cared for in a loving attached way.

If they're discussing sleeping issues, you might say something like "I love cosleeping, but baby is nursing all.night.long. and I have to get up for work, does anyone have any suggestions on how to gently get baby to nurse less often at night?" and the leaders should point the discussion towards ways to deal with all night nurse-a-thons. If the suggestions include things like take a nap when baby does, then ask again "that isn't an option for me since I'm a working mom, what other suggestions do you have?" It might take a bit for them to get out of the SAHM mindset, and if the leaders and other group members have never WOH, then you might find their suggestions don't apply. That's another reason why I really wanted to become a leader! You can read about things in a book all day, but until you've had to be up all night with a teething 5 month old and a 3 year old who suddenly is afraid of the wind, then still go to work the next day, you just don't understand it. I hope to give the "been there done that" perspective to other WOHMs.

SO...all that to say that while LLL is certainly designed with the SAHM in mind, the overall goal of the organization is to get more women breastfeeding for longer, and to parent through breastfeeding. Millions of women in this country work, and LLL supports them too.


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## diana_of_the_dunes (Dec 7, 2008)

I'm loving reading all the 6 month updates...!









Ethan is going to be 6 months in 4 days. I know it's a cliche, but I can't believe how fast it's going!! He weighs a bit over 20 lbs, and no idea on height. We're in 12 month clothes, with a few 18 month pants thrown in because of his big cloth booty.

In the past 5 days, Ethan has started rolling over (both ways!!), grabbing and sucking on his feet, babbling, and... I don't remember. There was something else, but I'm tired right now and can't think of it.







He can sit unassisted when he's on my lap, but anywhere else and he tries to grab things and unbalances... He's also gone to bed without being rocked/patted/carried/nursed three times this week. It's only been at night, but it's a start.

Last week I had my first overnight separation from Ethan. I had to work a mandatory double shift at work, since someone from thirds called off. DH and I were both a little worried, but it went pretty well. It's definitely not an experience I want to repeat any time soon, though, even if I could use a solid 8 hour stretch of sleep.

Ethan still gets up anywhere from 1-4 times at night. It doesn't seem related to food consumption, so we think maybe he just misses me since I'm gone at work. Or it could be a habit at this point. I'm trying to decide what to do, since the lack of sleep is definitely affecting me at work... Any thoughts?

Good to hear from y'all, and congrats 2boyz!


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *diana_of_the_dunes* 
He's also gone to bed without being rocked/patted/carried/nursed three times this week. It's only been at night, but it's a start.


WOW!!!!! so it can happen!


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## diana_of_the_dunes (Dec 7, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tzs* 
WOW!!!!! so it can happen!

I KNOW!! Nobody is more surprised than me! He has to be carried until he's quite tired, but we've laid him down awake... and he went to sleep! All by himself1 well, with someone hovering anxiously over the co-sleeper.. No crying, no fussing, no whining!


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2boyzmama* 
My personal experience is that there's a lot of variance between groups. And probably some of that variance is because of the "regulars" that attend the group, as well as the personal beliefs and style of the leaders. So if an area has very few working moms that are attending meetings, then naturally the discussions will center around SAHMing. But if there are several WOHMs attending, then the discussions may sway that way eventually.

I'm going to totally agree with this. I attend 2 different LLL groups. One is Wed mornings, and that's a large group of mostly SAHMs with a few WOHMs/WAHMs. Then I also attend a Sat morning group, and that's a small group of almost entirely WOHMs (I think I'm the only SAHM). Neither group is exclusive, and both SAH and WOH moms are welcome and their concerns addressed. Here, the meetings center very much about individual concerns, rather than "group" concerns. ANybody who has a question/problem is welcome to voice it and it is addressed by the group. I started attending the Wed meetings the month I found out I was pregnant, and the Sat meetings when we first started having BF problems.


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 
thanks dimtriz mom! it might take me a little bit to try it-- I need to get a car adaptor for one thing, but it could be an easy way to give me some 'found' time in my day!

2boyz! you are inspiring! I think i'm going to try and figure out a way to go to a meeting as well. -- Here wohms don't seem to be viewed very highly. How do you feel the organization accepts you as a working mom? A few things that I've read on the website make me feel as though being a working mom would be frowned upon at a meeting.

In regards to LLL, funnily enough, I am a SAHM, but the meeting closest to me is actually geared at working mom's. . .so there's lots of talk of pumping, etc. I felt like the odd one out the first time I went, but have since felt very accepted and welcomed. Hopefully this would work in the reverse too. I have been to two other LLL groups--one of them was really casual and I loved it (but then we moved out of the area), and the other I just didn't love the "vibe" there. So I think it really depends on the group.

One thing I have really been learning since becoming a mom, is how to be supportive of other mom's even when they make very different choices than me. I think it would be a good thing for any LLL meeting to have a WOH mom attend and to deal with those issues a bit. Obviously, BFing is for working mom's too. . .and they just might be the ones who need the extra support!









But 2boys, now that you are a leader you could consider having a group that is aimed at working mom's like the group near me!


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## octobermoon (Nov 22, 2007)

ewww got my period







6mos pp

who still hasn't got theirs?


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

Octobermoon - that would be me. I'm praying that I make it as long as I did with dd1 (she was 14 months!). Sorry to hear that AF has found you so soon.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *octobermoon* 
ewww got my period







6mos pp

who still hasn't got theirs?

I've had one... around 3 mos. But haven't had another since. I don't know if it's because I was relactating at the time, or if my PCOS is back in full force, but...


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## zenproof (Jan 18, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *diana_of_the_dunes* 
Ethan still gets up anywhere from 1-4 times at night. It doesn't seem related to food consumption, so we think maybe he just misses me since I'm gone at work. Or it could be a habit at this point. I'm trying to decide what to do, since the lack of sleep is definitely affecting me at work... Any thoughts?

Good to hear from y'all, and congrats 2boyz!

i know its not popular around here - but we sleep trained. and yes. he cried. and still does. for all of 5 mins at a time. its been infinately better in the sleep dept. for everyone. he gets approx 12hrs a night. and i get to sleep for 3-4hrs at a time. yahoo.

pm me if you have any questions


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *octobermoon* 
ewww got my period







6mos pp

who still hasn't got theirs?

No sign of AF here yet. Hoping it will stay away a bit longer, although I think 6 months is the average.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

This Saturday Gavin will be 6 months old







Wow, time flies!

We did try some solids this last weekend, but it didn't go well. It wasn't bad, he just didn't eat anything! I was cooking squash for dinner, so I thought I'd give him some pieces. So I sat him in his high chair and put some pieces of really soft squash on his tray. He touched them, he squished them, he finger painted with them, but he didn't put them in his mouth. I finally put some on my finger and put it near his mouth, he licked it then made a horrible face! So I changed tactics and gave him an over-ripe banana (I was about to put it in the freezer for banana bread, but gave it to him instead) He wouldn't even touch the banana!

So I guess I'm off the hook! We'll try again whenever I cook something baby friendly.

Sleep is still off and on. Sometimes it's easy to get him to sleep in his own bed and I'll have some time to myself, but other times he has to be in bed with me, which of course means that I get nothing done in the evenings. Then overnight sometimes he wakes up every 3 hours or so, which is fine for the most part, but then sometimes he won't let go of me all night long. And that is so NOT fine!

Last night for example...I got him to sleep in his own bed at 10pm. He slept soundly until 3am, which was GREAT!!! But then he latched on to me and would. not. let. go! At 4am I switched sides. At 5:20am I switched back again. At 6am I hit snooze on my alarm and managed to unlatch him and roll over to sleep for 9 minutes without a baby attached to me. Then I got up to get ready for work. Ugh! But at least I got those 5 hours earlier in the night, that felt so good!

My husband is back at school now (he took the last term off so he could be home while Gavin was so young and also because it was winter time and Connor usually gets really sick over the winter), and we have a nanny during the day. Yesterday was her first day. She called me 6 times! Some of it was basic questions (where's the gluten-free spaghetti for Ian, what kind of cup does Connor drink out of?) but around noon or 1pm she started getting frazzled because Gavin wouldn't sleep or take his bottle and was crying. I talked her through putting the Baby Bjorn on (she is scared of the sling!) and as soon as she got him in there, he went right to sleep then she was able to lay him down. I hope she feels comfortable with him soon, because next week is Spring break for the older boys which means she'll have all three of them all day long (Ian is in half-day school in the afternoons, and Connor is in half-day school/therapy in the mornings).

What else?


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## Masel (Apr 14, 2008)

I've not gotten AF yet. While I have a history of PCOS I was regular for 2 years before DD was conceived. I've had some random cramping and wondered if that was it but I've seen nothing. I thought about charting but my sleep is so disrupted. Plus with the sidecarred crib where the heck do I put the thermometer?


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

AAARRRGGGHHH!!! I'm going INSANE!!!

This is day 2 of fussy baby that nothing will console. If I try to hold him he tries to squirm out of my hands. He doesn't want to roll around on the bed, he doesn't want to be rocked in his stroller. I gave him my iPod which stopped the crying for all of 10 minutes, but now he's back to screaming. And sleep? What's that? He's nursing more, refusing the bottle (which I'm not complaining about, but is a bit odd), but when he eats it's 2 meals worth because he's eating less often.

Is this teeth?


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Cristeen--I'm betting teeth! Noam was super-duper fussy for about four days and I was tearing my hair out over what to do and then suddenly he popped his firth tooth. The second (bottom) one followed about three days later. His mood improved dramatically once they broke the surface.

Noam will be 6 months on Thursday! OMG! I can't believe how big he is and how much he can do compared to that not-so-tiny newborn of mine. He sits pretty well now (although still doesn't roll), he is really good with his hands--can always get stuff to his mouth, can pass a toy from one hand to the other, can put a cloth over his face and then pull it off again (a fav game)--and he so clearly indicates what he wants.







He puts his arms up to be picked up when he is in the exersaucer and wants to get out.

We started solids this past week b/c he was so ready. . .and so far he loves it! He doesn't actually ingest all that much, but he loves to taste and he wants to use the spoon himself already and can actually get food into his mouth if I load the spoon first. So far he's had banana, sweet potato and a little rice cereal. He also had a blast sucking on a piece of lettuce last night while we ate dinner. LOL. It was cute--hope he keeps liking his greens!

Not sure we'll even do a 6 months well-baby check. We are delaying vax, so I'm not sure what the point is besides to get weighed. He's so clearly healthy and happy and developing. Sleep is ok. . .he co-sleeps, so he does nurse a fair bit at night (but he is so busy and distracted these days that his nursing has slowed way down during the day) esp. the early morning hours. But I'd rather have a babe latched on than have to be out of bed at 5am! He stays in bed 11-12 hours at night

He's fussin now. better run!


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

cristeen, I'm so sorry, it sounds like he's being a handful. my money's on teeth as well.

I just want to shamelessly gloat-- I got 5 hours of consecutive sleep last night (for the first time in 6 months, i think). I sat bolt upright in bed last night at 3:30am, completely refreshed, feeling like a million bucks. (And then I went to go poke ds, cause I was worried about SIDS :rollseyes). Oh, please let this be a trend!


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

2boyz, we just had our 6 month well baby, and the ped (who we like) was talking about rice cereal, and stage 1 and stage 2 food. DH and I have decided that we'd like to hold off on processed food, now that we've gotten this far without it. DH kept looking so confused when she mention cereal-- I *know* he was thinking about rice krispies and cinnamon toast crunch.







!


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Thank you ladies - I just needed a little commiseration. I totally think it's teeth. I gave him 3 teething tablets and an ice cold carrot to suck on and it calmed him down... and now he's sleeping.

kismet - it's interesting how differently they advance... A isn't sitting, but he's rolling like mad... I have to be really careful about leaving him on the bed and walking out of the room. He can get stuff to his mouth - although not always IN it. And while he's fascinated by food he's still not interested enough to eat any - just suck on it. Oh, and he's started this new thing where he's trying to stand in his stroller... I'm terrified he's going to do a header out of it - if he gets much taller he will. We're going to have to quit using the stroller as a "safe" place to put him when we have to pee.


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

cristeen--I know its funny how different they all are! At this point I think Noam will learn to walk before he rolls! LOL As for teething, I had a couple people tell me to buy some brandy and rub that on his gums. I decided to skip that and the Tylenol, but I found a great homoepathic remedy--not the Hylands tablets, we can't do those with our dairy sensitivity--but a liquid. Really helped us.

texmati--I know what you mean about the cereal. . .even the organic brown rice stuff I bought has way too many ingredients on the list. Shouldn't it just be brown rice? I used it a couple times, b/c its easy (hey, sometimes that counts!) and I mixed it with BM, but I would really rather just give him "real" food. Just let him try some of what we eat.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kismetbaby* 
cristeen--I know its funny how different they all are! At this point I think Noam will learn to walk before he rolls! LOL As for teething, I had a couple people tell me to buy some brandy and rub that on his gums. I decided to skip that and the Tylenol, but I found a great homoepathic remedy--not the Hylands tablets, we can't do those with our dairy sensitivity--but a liquid. Really helped us.

texmati--I know what you mean about the cereal. . .even the organic brown rice stuff I bought has way too many ingredients on the list. Shouldn't it just be brown rice? I used it a couple times, b/c its easy (hey, sometimes that counts!) and I mixed it with BM, but I would really rather just give him "real" food. Just let him try some of what we eat.

It's funny you mention the difference in development...Ian rolled a few times, sat early, crawled early, then learned to walk and was off and running. Connor was my log-roller, he would roll and roll to get somewhere, then pivot on his tummy to change his direction. It was hilarious! He sat, crawled, and walked a bit delayed. Gavin? He has rolled a few times from tummy to back, and he rolls side to side when he's on his back, but just isn't interested in rolling. He is good at sitting now, and is getting good at scooting backwards. So I'm curious what he's going to do! He doesn't appear as interested in mobility as Ian was, but is ahead of where Connor was. So fascinating to watch the differences!!!

Food is just fun sensory exploration right now. I'm going to try Baby Led and not use a spoon...we'll see what/when he starts eating. I spoon-fed Ian rice cereal starting at 6 months and he went crazy for food! (I stopped the rice cereal pretty quick when I read the ingredient label...you're right, it shouldn't be two paragraphs long!) Connor had so many feeding issues, we had him in feeding therapy...it was a nightmare. So I'm interested to see what Gavin will do. No rush...when he puts something in his mouth, I'll just go with it!

No cycles here yet, 6 months pp on Saturday. My cycles came back around 6 months with Ian and Connor, so I'm expecting it soon (BOOO!!) Although my pumping output is greater this time than the other two times, so maybe that will hold my cycles off. I can hope, right?

Speaking of pumping...I've cut back to 2-3 pumpings a day, twice at work and usually once in the morning before work. But if Gavin has an all-night-nurse-a-thon then I skip the morning pumping (first of all I doubt I'd get much, and secondly it means I can sleep for 20 more minutes!) On my 2 pumping days I usually get just enough for him, sometimes a few ounces extra. On my 3 pumping days I'll get 4-8 ounces extra. So I'm still staying well ahead of him, but nothing like the 12-15 ounces a day extra I was getting for a while. I just hate pumping so much! That's one reason why I almost wish he was interested in solids a bit more, it would decrease my pumping requirement a bit.


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## laxcat (Feb 5, 2009)

Oh no do the Hylands teething tablets have some form of dairy in them? I have been so good with everything else I think I might have messed up on this one!! Could explain lots of unexpected spit up! Please advise!! Are there any tabs without dairy?


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *laxcat* 
Oh no do the Hylands teething tablets have some form of dairy in them? I have been so good with everything else I think I might have messed up on this one!! Could explain lots of unexpected spit up! Please advise!! Are there any tabs without dairy?

Yes, they have lactose in them. I couldn't use them with my second son because he was very sensitive to dairy, even tiny amounts of lactose. Most babies who are sensitive to dairy can handle lactose, it's the protein they have problems with (casein, whey) but some are sensitive to even lactose.

If you think you're dairy-free and still seeing a lot of reflux symptoms, there might be another sensitivity. My middle son was very reactive to soy, also, and soy is in EVERYTHING. It was really hard to cut dairy and soy from my diet!

Here's a list of ingredients that could include dairy: http://www.kellymom.com/store/freeha...en-dairy01.pdf


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

Hi everyone! I got AF back the beginning of this month, almost made it to six months. It lasted a week and then I got another bit of spotting this weekend. Fun. I'm hoping that things will regulate pretty soon.

Lake turned 6 mths last Wednesday. He's just under 18 lbs and 27.5 in long. He's in the 75%ile for head circ and 80%ile for height but still in the 50%ile for weight. He's growing so well. He's not really doing anything new but just more of the same stuff. He rolls over, babbles, screams (really loudly), reaches, scoots backwards, puts everything in his mouth. He's becoming a real handful.

He was a bit high needs as a newborn and now it's getting worse. He's still a lot of fun and very happy but he's not the most patient baby. He knows what he wants, and if he doesn't get it in 2 seconds, he screams. "No" has become my new favorite word, haha. I'm hoping that he'll mellow a bit once he's able to explore on his own but I'm thinking the next few years are going to be a whirlwind.

We're definitely blessed in some areas, though. He still sleeps well at night (not so much during the day) and LOVES vegetables. We started solids last month and he really enjoys veggies. He's not too crazy about peaches or apples though. We haven't done any cereals so I don't know if he'd like that or not. He's also very cuddly in the morning and overall is a happy baby.

I have a question though. How do you cut your LO nails? When Lake was younger I could clip his nails with no problem. Now, he doesn't keep still long enough and DH has to hold him while I try to get it done. It's hard though b/c he screams and cries and uses his whole body to get out. He does not like to keep still. His nails grow so quickly and he likes to scrape arms and faces while he eats. (Weird, I know, but I think he likes the feeling against his nails.) Anyway, I'm wary of doing it while he sleeps b/c he WILL wake up, but I can't think of any alternatives.


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## 4JMJ (Feb 5, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *newmomroxi* 
I have a question though. How do you cut your LO nails?

We use an emery board to file his nails down. We have done this when he is both awake and asleep. If he's asleep, it usually doesn't wake him up. When he's awake he's pretty cooperative with it, I think it kind of fascinates him!


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

I've tried the emery board and his nails were just too soft for it... I grab his hand and go for it (w/adult clippers). I try to pick times when he's mellow and hopefully distracted, and if I can only get 1 nail done, then that's all I do. I usually have to hold his hand pretty firmly, but if he starts fighting me, arching his back or screaming I come back to it later.

A learned that cats have claws last night...







The worst part is that this was our mellow cat who lets us hold him upside down if we want - we figured of the two he would be the more tolerant. Usually he'll just walk away if he doesn't like the situation, but last night he batted A in the face instead, leaving twin scratches along his jaw. So now he's banished from the office and of course doesn't get it - but I'm not having him on the bed if he's not willing to be explored. (He was on the bed, A rolled over to him and was being very gentle - he just reached out to feel his fur. I was right there the whole time, but just couldn't move fast enough once he reacted.) Ugh.

So, my question today is - how many hours/day does your LO sleep? We're getting 10 if mommy's lucky, and it's just not enough for me. The last several nights he's gotten 7 at night and only taken 1 long nap. Mommy's back to being exhausted - right when I'd started having more energy and thinking I could get things done.


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## rockdoctor (Mar 26, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
So, my question today is - how many hours/day does your LO sleep? We're getting 10 if mommy's lucky, and it's just not enough for me. The last several nights he's gotten 7 at night and only taken 1 long nap. Mommy's back to being exhausted - right when I'd started having more energy and thinking I could get things done.

I am interested in this question too. Here's why. Ahvy used to only wake up once in the night, generally around 1 or 2am, to eat and then I would put her back to bed until 6:30-7:00 am when I would get up to go to work. Lately (last 2-3 weeks), she has been squirming out of her swaddle so we had to stop swaddling her and now she sleeps for 2 hours at a time before waking up. This has culminated to about 3 wakings a night. If I count these wakings she is getting about 7-8 hours a night if I don't its a total of 10 hours at night. (I, of course, get about 4 hours, ugh.) She sleeps for 3-3.5 hours duiring the day.

Does anyone know how to get back the long stretches of sleep after you have to abandon the swaddle? She is waking herself up by rolling onto her stomach and then cannot get back over on her own. I know she will outgrow this developmental stage, but in the meantime, any advice?


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

We've been having sleep issues here too - but I think it's teething waking him up. Rowan goes down at 7:30/8pm, wakes up twice - normally about 2:30 and 5am - and then is up at 7am. On normal nights, he doesn't fully awaken, just wants to eat. So those nights he gets probably 11hours of sleep. But recently, he squirms and writhes around, waking up for an hour (at least) where we have to get him out of bed, walk around, eventually fall asleep on the sofa and then try to transplant him back in the bed. These nights are anywhere between 7-9hrs of sleep, and then his morning nap is much longer, 1.5/2hrs.

Normal naps seem to be 2-45min naps, 10:30 and 3:30/4pm. Doesn't seem like a lot of napping!! But pretty consistent on the times.


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

I think Viv sleeps for a total of 10-12 hours a day.

Re: cutting nails. I have either dh or my mom hold her and I use adult nail clippers to get it done.

Today I could feel the first tooth coming thru on the bottom! Mom said that she thought she saw a second tooth as well.

And... Viv won't take a bottle or a sippy with my milk in it while I'm at work. I'm gone for almost 7 hours.







So she is not happy and very hungry by the time I get home. My freezer stash is growing and I would prefer that she be consuming it. She does nurse voraciously once I am home tho.


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

I file nails as well.

My little girl is waking a lot more too. She used to go for 6-8 hours straight, get up and nurse and 20 min later be back down for another 3 or 4 hours. Now, we are lucky to get a 3 hour stretch and she's up every hour some nights after a 3 hour stretch. It's exhausting. We are in bed for 10 to 12 hours each night and she usually is back down within 20 minutes. Last night dh tried taking the first 5 hours and I was supposed to sleep in my older dd's bed (she's been on a mattress on my floor lately). However, I could not fall asleep in her room. It took me an hour before I gave up. Then I couldn't sleep in my room and then LO finally woke up to nurse, so I took her. So much for that plan. LOL! Hopefully tonight is better. Please oh please!!!


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Gavin's sleep is so variable! Sometimes he sleeps for 4-5 hours in his own bed (up to 7 or 8 hours a couple times even) but then other times he refuses to be in his bed and/or he's up every 1-2 hours. And sometimes when he wakes up he's up for only 15 minutes, sometimes he nurses for over an hour, sometimes he refuses to let go and uses me as a pacifier the rest of the night.

It's the inconsistency that bothers me!


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## diana_of_the_dunes (Dec 7, 2008)

nak

ethan's sleep is consistent, but he wakes up 3 or 4 times per night. it started when i went back to work. up until then, he would sleep from about 7:30 til 3:30, get up and eat, then go back to sleep til 7 am. when I went back to work we were still trying to figure out how much to feed him, so whenever he got up at night, i'd assume he was starving. it got to the point where he'd scream if i didn't give him a boob, even after i knew he was eating plenty during the day. oops. now that dh can put ethan to bed by just laying him down, patting his booty, and giving a paci, I thought I'd try the same thing at night. i started offering a pacifier at his first night waking three days ago. after fussing for a minute, he'll take it and then go back to sleep for an hour or two. this is what i did when he was 2 months old, and it got him to sleep longer stretches. i'm hoping it will work again. i could really use the sleep...


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *laxcat* 
Oh no do the Hylands teething tablets have some form of dairy in them? I have been so good with everything else I think I might have messed up on this one!! Could explain lots of unexpected spit up! Please advise!! Are there any tabs without dairy?

I haven't found any tablets, but I did find some liquid capsules (you break open the top and squirt it in their mouth) that don't seem to have any dairy. We've really liked them (LO likes to drink them and I like their effect). They are: Boiron, "Camilia" teething relief. I found them at Day One and at a natural foods store.

HTH


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## sugarpop (Feb 12, 2009)

Sophia has been a busy girl! Lets see we are 6 months and a couple weeks. She has two teeth, got those beginning of last month. And then yesterday she started to crawl and sat up by herself. I put her down to get a few things done and walked back in to the room and she was sitting up!

Busy week!!

We are trying foods, but she only wants what I have and off of my plate. I don't know how to handle this. Tonight I had sweet potato, peas & corn and pork chop. I gave her some sweet potato...but she just spit it out. She wants to drink from a cup, but doesn't swallow, just chokes on it. She wants to be more advanced than she is and gets frustrated. I don't want to make her do things she isn't ready for but she doesn't want her food pureed. How do I give her what she wants and not worry about her choking?

Sophia is amazing. I know everyone says that about their child and I think all children are. I mean seriously, think about what our babies have done in 6 months, how much they have learned and how they have adapted to a whole new world. It really is amazing.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sugarpop* 
She wants to be more advanced than she is and gets frustrated. I don't want to make her do things she isn't ready for but she doesn't want her food pureed. How do I give her what she wants and not worry about her choking?

I suggest looking into Baby-led weaning. But basically give her larger pieces that you don't have to worry about her choking on. My guy's the same way - he wants what I'm eating, but just gums it a bit and then spits it out (we don't have any teeth here). But this morning he got a crescent of butternut I roasted for him last night, and a dry apple ring (homemade). Neither one did he really eat, but he played with them, mouthed them a bit, smeared them all over himself and his tray. Right now it's all about experimentation - learning new textures and flavors.

And today's news - we CRAWLED!! We were at g'ma's house for lunch and the whole family was there and the aunties were playing with him and he was trying to catch a toy one of them was coaxing him with... and it was just one "step", but he did it!! The whole room erupted in cheers. I can't believe how fast he's growing!


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## StrongFeather (Mar 13, 2009)

I only have a minute! Things have been hectic around here, but I think I need help wqith the whole "food thing" It's been a over a month since we started, and Sam is just not that into it! He has managed bites, he does way better eating for Daddy than me. I think he hates the fact that it's pureed. So far we tried, banana, avacado, organic brown rice cereal, and sweet potato.

I need help! I was using the Super Baby Food Book, but I have found it's not really lining up for our timeline, We started on March 2nd. We started with his adjust age being 6 months.

any adice? Baby Led weaning info I could look into?

thanks Mommas, gotta run!


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Gavin was 6 months on Saturday! Wow.

He had his 6 month well baby this morning. His stats:

Weight: 17-9, 50%
Height: 27in, 75%
Head: 44.8cm, 70%

I'm going to plot those numbers myself, because we did a weight check at 5 months and he was 16lbs exactly and I was told that he was 50% then...how did he gain a pound and a half and still be "only" 50%? I thought a pound a month was "average" between 4-6 months old...? Either way I'm not concerned...

Developmentally he's perfectly "average", not ahead, not behind. He can sit unsupported for short periods, he can roll front to back (but not back to front), he eats his toes, he babbles a LOT (more than Ian did I think [Connor didn't babble at all because of his hearing loss]), he scoots backwards.

The dr started talking vaccines, I let him talk. But then he surprised me by listing flu as one of the vaccines at 6 months ?? It's APRIL, are they still giving out the flu vaccine? Really? Anyway, I declined them all, and he didn't have any issue with it.

Then we were talking food, I told him that he's still breastfed, that I offered him some chunks of squash once and he didn't eat it yet. So the dr said "well, since he's breastfed, I'd recommend a multi-vitamin." I expected him to say 'for the iron' but he said "for the Vit D." Again...it's APRIL! I have never supplemented my kids during the Spring/Summer/Fall as long as we're getting outside. So that surprised me too. I'm not going to do it.

Then we were talking sleep...I told him that his sleep is very variable, he joked with Gavin that he needs to give mommy a break. Then he said "I have some tips to suggest regarding the all-night-nurse-a-thons if you're interested" which part of me wanted to hear what he had to say out of curiousity, but I said "no, we're doing fine, I'm not looking to implement any changes yet. We'll see how I'm feeling in a few months though!" But I am still curious what he tells parents looking for advice. At least he's not concerned with the cosleeping.

This is why I like this ped...he says all the mainstream stuff, but doesn't take issue with my "alternative" ways. He's fine with not circing (and has never tried to retract), he's fine with not vaxing, he's fine with delayed solids, he's fine with extended breastfeeding, he's fine with cosleeping...

So anyway...wow...6 months!!!

Anybody ready for another baby yet


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## octobermoon (Nov 22, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *StrongFeather* 
I only have a minute! Things have been hectic around here, but I think I need help wqith the whole "food thing" It's been a over a month since we started, and Sam is just not that into it! He has managed bites, he does way better eating for Daddy than me. I think he hates the fact that it's pureed. So far we tried, banana, avacado, organic brown rice cereal, and sweet potato.

I need help! I was using the Super Baby Food Book, but I have found it's not really lining up for our timeline, We started on March 2nd. We started with his adjust age being 6 months.

any adice? Baby Led weaning info I could look into?

thanks Mommas, gotta run!

Amiel isn't that interested in food either -well i should clarify he's not in _eating_ playing with it is another story. we tried the purees at first, fresh banana, applesauce and avocado, he gagged on the last one, poor guy. so then i was thinking maybe the purees were boring so i went ahead and got the book Baby-led Weaning and read most of it. some of it makes sense to me and other parts not so much. we've bee trying that but i have to say as a nervous first time mom he choked on some food and it freaked me out. the book covers this issue and says it's no big deal that they will choke but that it's not the same as us choking, it says their choke reflex is activated way before the food is in the airway and all this other stuff. again i'm nervous now since he hasn't choked on purees and they state they are more likely to do so. might visit purees again and take it slow and just figure it out as i go along.

haven't read many previous posts but i think some of you are doing BLW, how's that going? what foods do you do? i haven't done may foods AT ALL just a few. i'd really like to chat about this too.


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

We tried solids here this weekend. I was kind of excited, we took photos, and DS was so excited to take his first bite. (He's been eyeing our food for months now)

He took one bite, and just started crying. It was awful. He did get some water for the first time, which he enjoyed.

Just a question for all you mama's out there, how do you kiddos do with other people? DS is doing better, but I feel under so much pressure to get him acclimated with other people. After this weekend (horrible) we've decided that we are't going to any family gatherings for a while.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

They do choke sooner than we do. I've seen A choke a couple times, and both times the piece of food was still on his tongue, and visible to me as he was gagging. I was easily able to reach 2 fingers into his mouth and pull it out. You don't want to give them tiny little pieces though that they truly can choke on - that can slip down and lodge in their airways. That would require the Heimlich to free, and you don't want to go there. Things like peas, blueberries, corn, small chunks of (round) hot dog, etc. Those are all choking hazards at this stage.

I'm not really interested in doing purees - I'm of the opinion that if he wants it badly enough he can figure out how to get it into his mouth. And if he can't, then he's not really ready for it. So I'm sticking with things that he can pick up in his fist and maneuver into his mouth (or not). For the most part it just winds up smeared everywhere - but he does get enough into his mouth to taste it, and that's the point.


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

Keagan is nearly 7 months old now, and he's really not ready for solids yet. He's still all about nursing- constantly, and absolutely is the worst sleeper of my three. His sleep cycles are still about 20-30 minutes and when they are over he's awake. Since we cosleep, I can sometimes doze through the wakings as he can relatch himself, but usually that's not what he likes.









I've oddly resigned myself to being sleep deprived for a couple more years, and have made peace with that reality.









He is finally beginning to make the shift to being able to entertain himself for a few minutes without being held which is great! Once he's able to sit without support and crawl, I can tell he'll be much happier.

Here are a couple pictures, and fwiw, the jumperoo, while not exactly AP, is an absolute blessing with this little guy!

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._3644729_n.jpg

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs506...._6230762_n.jpg


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 
Just a question for all you mama's out there, how do you kiddos do with other people? DS is doing better, but I feel under so much pressure to get him acclimated with other people. After this weekend (horrible) we've decided that we are't going to any family gatherings for a while.

Not sure this is going to be any help for you, but our guy _loves_ people. He is the most social little guy - way more social than either DH or I... not sure where he gets it from. We've actually had to work on increasing our social activities to give him an outlet for it - stepping outside of our own comfort zones to do so.

So my suggestion would be to follow his lead - if he's telling you that he doesn't like the large groups of people, limit get-togethers to no more than 3 people. It makes it more difficult with large families, definitely, but it's worth it to prevent the melt-downs, IMO.

confustication - I've been considering something like the jumperoo for our guy... I need something to contain him now that he's mobile for those trips to the bathroom or basement. So don't feel bad - we do what we need to do.


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

That's exactly what I use it for, and when I'm cooking- it actually lives in my kitchen- lol. I scored it secondhand for $20 and it is just about the best $20 I've spent lately. Heh. 15 minutes to prep dinner is SO worth it!

Ideally, I'd love to work towards less plastic etc, but there's currently far more than I feel is acceptable in my home... and it all works well for our needs.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Well after 2 abrupt meetings between head and floor today as he crawled over the pillows and crashed onto the hardwood (both times while I was in the bathroom)... I took a trip to BRU and we now have a pack and play. I had no intention of getting one, but after today I didn't feel like I had much of a choice, I needed somewhere safe I could put him while I pee. But DH is now pushing me to get a crib, although he's not really articulating why.









Anyway - it's been a tough day, it's late and I need sleep.


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## mom2tig99Nroo03 (Apr 24, 2003)

havent read anything yet, but wanted to pop in and say "hi" to the gals who helped keep me sane while i was still preggers (though sanity is sorely lacking now). i ahve not read anythn yet, but wanted to subscribe now that i've found you. will update on us shortly.


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## sugarpop (Feb 12, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2boyzmama* 

Anybody ready for another baby yet
















Funniest thing I have heard all day...maybe all month!!!! Another baby...I would need to be institutionalized! (oh geez...looking for nearest piece of wood to knock on!)


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## sugarpop (Feb 12, 2009)

wait DH just had a funny thing to say...I just have to share with someone.

Sophia thinks she doesn't have to sleep tonight. So DH and DD are in the living room and DD starts to cry, I say I am coming, she needs to eat for the 5th time this hour...ah well no biggee. So any how, DH say, "order in"...ok so it was funnier in person maybe but it really made me laugh. She was staring me down giving me the eye...like hey lady...I need food!


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## mom2tig99Nroo03 (Apr 24, 2003)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...48995256_1.jpg

my reason for sheer exhaustion, lol


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Hi all!!

SO...I am making a tentative step to being just a bit more hippy...I made my first cloth diaper last night







It was fun to make it, although I'm not sure yet if I'm going to switch to cloths, part-time cloth, or what.

Hubby is...neutral? I asked about cloths before, but since hubby has been the SAHD and the one that does all the laundry, it was really his decision. (I can decide about birth because it's my vagina, I can decide about breastfeeding because it's my breasts, you know? But since it's HIM that does the laundry, he has final say on diapers) But I just really wanted to try a few to see what I thought.

I had a friend who makes them, and I kept looking at her pictures and they were so stinkin' cute! So finally I went to her house and made one.

I used two of my old receiving blankets...I have somehow racked up quite the stash of receiving blankets after having three kids! This is a great way to use them! I was very pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to make it! All she had that I didn't have was a snap thingy and elastic band. I can buy elastic really cheap, and can either use diaper pins, or just borrow her snap thingy. Otherwise, she is going to email me her pattern and I can make my own now









We'll see if I actually do or not


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Yay!! 2boyz (3boyz)! I haven't made any diapers myself, but I love the ones we use. A combo of Everything under the sun, basically what I've picked up here and there at random 2nd hand stores and online sales. So I'm no guru for any "brand"... so making your own sounds Awesome!!!


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Hi mamas! We hit 6 months here too, although we skipped the well-baby check. But by my measurements he's about 22lbs and 28 inches--still a big boy, but actually levelling off in his growth, thank goodness!







He is just the light of my life. . .can't get over it. He has two bottom teeth, he babbles like crazy (his current favorite is to say aba aba aba), he can sit on his own for a few minutes at a time, he is really good with his hands. But the little stinker still hasn't rolled over!!! He's getting better about tummy time though and although he doesn't get anywhere he now pivots on his belly, so he can go in a complete circle. While on his back he can scoot upwards too, so at night I have to constantly pull hiim back down to be at nipple level.

He was showing such signs of interest in food that we started some solids even before he hit 6 months. But turns out he just wanted to feel like a part of action, but doesn't actually want to swallow anything! So he still always wants something when we eat and I'll give him a thick slice of apple or sweet potato, etc. But he's happy just to feel it, taste it a bit, and throw it around. When I tried purees and rice cereal he just wasn't into it. And he wants to use the spoon himself. . .so I think BLW is the way we're headed. He also won't drink out of his sippy cup (not that he needs to anyway), but he always loves it when we let him drink from a real cup. This kid is going to skip all the stuff made for babies I think!

He's such a happier babe now that he popped those bottom teeth! It was cranky city there for a while! Oh anf on that note, for anyone in any teething hell. . .ice chips were great! He adored getting fed ice chips and it reallysoothed his mouth.

As for me, I've been experiencing a very debilitating case of sciatica. Anyone else ever have this postpartum? It's bad. . .I can't bend at the waist at all. So as you can imagine taking care of my LO has been a challenge lately.

Here's my cutie lately: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...9&l=22c5d0d9e6


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

Wow, 2 boyz, that's pretty cool that you made a cloth diaper! I always say I want to do stuff like that but I don't really have the motivation, haha. Lake was 18#5oz at his 6 mth WBV and thet considered that in the 50th%ile as well. *Shrugs*

I love seeing the pictures! The babies look so big!!

Lake has his two bottom teeth now also. The first one popped through about 3 weeks ago and the other followed a week later. They're really showing now, it's so cute! He seems slightly happier but he still tries to do more than he's actually able to. It frustrates him. Anyway, I hope everyone is still doing well!


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## coldandsleepy (Aug 5, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kismetbaby* 
He was showing such signs of interest in food that we started some solids even before he hit 6 months. But turns out he just wanted to feel like a part of action, but doesn't actually want to swallow anything! So he still always wants something when we eat and I'll give him a thick slice of apple or sweet potato, etc. But he's happy just to feel it, taste it a bit, and throw it around.

Heh... that describes Grey to a T! He loves to grab my food, and he will put it in his mouth, but most things come RIGHT back out. There are a very very few things he's interested in swallowing, though he likes gnawing on a lot of stuff.

Speaking of gnawing... he's up to FIVE teeth that have broken through the gums. He's got his bottom front teeth, one of his upper front teeth, and the tooth to the right of the two front teeth on top and on bottom. There's a sixth tooth (the other top front tooth) that's visible/touchable but hasn't broken through yet. Oy. What does my six month old need almost six teeth for?









I feel like he's been teething forever. (And considering that he got the first two at 3.5 months, he kinda has.) Hoping we'll get a rest after the sixth tooth comes in...


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Rowan is In Sane with food. I've actually started to worry recently. I mean, the kiddo never has had a "stop eating" reflex with boob/bottle. So I'm not sure why I thought it'd be different with solids. But my goodness he can eat! And because he doesn't stop babbling, he gurgles and yells... more more more... all through the "meal".

We went to Mexican the other night with my parents and TWO families stopped and said "I've never seen anything like that... how old is he?" I know I know! He had all the squash & applesauce I'd brought, yelling all along, then hit his sippy cup with gusto; then kept demanding more, so I got a plate of avocado and he ate probably 4 slices of avocado, again, consistently reaching at me for more, faster, more. And then again with his water sippy cup. He just gulps and gulps and gulps. It's crazy! Where does it go?

He doesn't want the spoon. He wants the FOOD 

Definitely is partly social. I have to time all MY eatings with his now, because if I start munching on something, he goes berserk. I mean, tears begging. But he Will stop begging so much if we stop eating at the same time. "All Gone", big hands in the air, no more food on the table. He gets the picture. So, as long as I only put out what food I want him to eat (and for myself too), he just begs for it to come at him as Fast as possible 

ah, what else... still scooting and rocking, no evidence that crawling is on it's way. but he is starting to pull himself into a sitting position from the one side of his crib (crib is side-carred). He thinks this is the most fun.... sitting up, falling over for whatever reason, and then pulling himself back up to sitting. I didn't realize that was a "step"?? He doesn't do it anywhere else in the house.

No teeth here. No whiteness. no nuttin. Just a baby who loves to suck on ice. Any day now....


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kismetbaby* 
As for me, I've been experiencing a very debilitating case of sciatica. Anyone else ever have this postpartum? It's bad. . .I can't bend at the waist at all. So as you can imagine taking care of my LO has been a challenge lately.

I had this really badly during my first pregnancy. Get to a chiropractor, my dear.

A's tried half a dozen foods so far, but the only one he seems to like so far is tangerines. He doesn't really eat them, since he doesn't have teeth yet, but he's practicing getting them into his mouth and he sucks all the juice out of them (what doesn't wind up smeared all over his torso). I'm contemplating starting with a sippy cup - he keeps trying to drink from his bottle while sitting, and it really doesn't work (obviously). But he's sitting more and more.

He doesn't care for the pack & play, but it'll give me about 10 minutes to get something done before he starts freaking out. Which I guess I'll just have to be happy about. I'm looking forward to warmer weather - it was beautiful last week, but turned cold again today. I want to be able to get out with him - he loves going out even when it's cold, but mommy doesn't.









Anyway - he's asleep and I'm trying to get some knitting done.


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kismetbaby* 

As for me, I've been experiencing a very debilitating case of sciatica. Anyone else ever have this postpartum? It's bad. . .I can't bend at the waist at all. So as you can imagine taking care of my LO has been a challenge lately.

could you have injured a disk in your back? this can happen at any time. i herniated one in my 20's from _sneezing_. it was horrible. can't bend, hard to walk, impossible to put pants on etc...
a chiro can be really bad for this so make sure it's not the case before heading out for an adjustment. mine healed with time, stretches, and traction but it comes and goes over the years.


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## octobermoon (Nov 22, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kismetbaby* 

As for me, I've been experiencing a very debilitating case of sciatica. Anyone else ever have this postpartum? It's bad. . .I can't bend at the waist at all. So as you can imagine taking care of my LO has been a challenge lately.

kis sorry for your sciatica! i haven't had it pp, thank goodness but i have had it too many times, i tried chiro, an orthopedic surgeon, took muscle relaxers, lyrica and used lidocaine patches, i'm through with all of that, acupuncture worked miracles for me. (prolly sound like a commercial! lol) hope you find what works for you!


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## diana_of_the_dunes (Dec 7, 2008)

We have our 6 month (almost 7, really) WBV next Monday, so I'll post new stats and an update later. But until then... Here's a recent pic of Ethan: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cm49P41qLL...0/102_2493.JPG


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Diana, what an adorable photo!

recent picture right before his first taste of avacado.


__
https://flic.kr/p/4510535261


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Thanks mamas for your input about the sciatica. Its been truly awful, as you said tzs hard to walk, can't sit down, putting pants on, doing laundry, picking toys up off the floor--forget about it! My PCP did check for disk issues and cleared me of that. Not sure if this is truly a postpartum problem, but either way its terrible! I have seen chiros in the past with a lot of success, but this time I have been in so much pain that the thought of a) getting onto the table and b) getting cracked, just isn't appealing.

I did get some deep tissue work however, which has improved things by about 50%. . .so now, I need to find something for the longer term recovery (and keeping this from returning). So I'll look into finding an acupuncturist or maybe a good chiro. . .I met a naturopath last night so I am thinking of going that route.

Anyway, thanks!







I was just feeling so lonely and scared. . .its hard to be at home with an active 6m old and not even be able to walk properly!


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kismetbaby* 
Anyway, thanks!







I was just feeling so lonely and scared. . .its hard to be at home with an active 6m old and not even be able to walk properly!

You can always drop me an email. We can come give you a hand anytime you need it.

ANd heck, now that the boys are both sitting, maybe they'd take a little more interest in each other. A might even be able to teach N how to roll over.


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
You can always drop me an email. We can come give you a hand anytime you need it.

ANd heck, now that the boys are both sitting, maybe they'd take a little more interest in each other. A might even be able to teach N how to roll over.









Thanks Cristeen. We should get the boys together again soon! Noam loves being around other people/babies and is doing a lot better in the car these days. He did actually roll over once this weekend, from tummy to back, but I think it was a total accident







b/c he looked really surprised and hasn't done it again. So yes, he could use some lessons!


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## octobermoon (Nov 22, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kismetbaby* 
Thanks mamas for your input about the sciatica. Its been truly awful, as you said tzs hard to walk, can't sit down, putting pants on, doing laundry, picking toys up off the floor--forget about it! My PCP did check for disk issues and cleared me of that. Not sure if this is truly a postpartum problem, but either way its terrible! I have seen chiros in the past with a lot of success, but this time I have been in so much pain that the thought of a) getting onto the table and b) getting cracked, just isn't appealing.

I did get some deep tissue work however, which has improved things by about 50%. . .so now, I need to find something for the longer term recovery (and keeping this from returning). So I'll look into finding an acupuncturist or maybe a good chiro. . .I met a naturopath last night so I am thinking of going that route.

Anyway, thanks!







I was just feeling so lonely and scared. . .its hard to be at home with an active 6m old and not even be able to walk properly!


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Well, as it turns out, all the sleeping problems we've been having lately seem to be teething! Finally!! He's breaking both top teeth, and it feels like another one or two on the bottom all at once! The two top ones are visible under his gums already, but the bottom ones I'm just feeling when he lets me. But yesterday was tough - I couldn't figure out why he wouldn't nap, or why he wouldn't let me put him down without screaming. Finally at 10:30 I finally thought to try teething tablets and when I had my fingers in his mouth I was like - WHOA! That's new! Pulled out the Motrin and he slept 6 hours straight.









He took 2 long naps today, each after a dose of painkiller, and he's asleep for the night already (I thought with the long naps he'd be up until midnight).

During one nap today I was able to be productive (I slept during the other one), and finally got around to making him the taggie blankie I've been wanting to. I have 2 more cut out ready to go, now that I've made the first one. I also have 2 piles of stuff from cleaning out the nursery on Friday sitting on the dining room table. I have 2 pregnant friends, so I'm gathering stuff for them - one boy and one girl. The first shower is next weekend, so I need to get some projects finished this week.

And, DH approved hiring a mother's helper for 4 hours/week. I know our neighbors are hurting right now, since he hasn't been able to find work in over 6 mos (he's been unemployed since before A was born). And he loves playing with A - they were over for dinner on Saturday so I asked if he was interested, and he is! So I'm going to get some time to just work on stuff without having to worry about A during the week!

OK, I need to get to bed - hope everyone had a great weekend!


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kismetbaby* 
Thanks mamas for your input about the sciatica. Its been truly awful, as you said tzs hard to walk, can't sit down, putting pants on, doing laundry, picking toys up off the floor--forget about it! My PCP did check for disk issues and cleared me of that. Not sure if this is truly a postpartum problem, but either way its terrible! I have seen chiros in the past with a lot of success, but this time I have been in so much pain that the thought of a) getting onto the table and b) getting cracked, just isn't appealing.

I did get some deep tissue work however, which has improved things by about 50%. . .so now, I need to find something for the longer term recovery (and keeping this from returning). So I'll look into finding an acupuncturist or maybe a good chiro. . .I met a naturopath last night so I am thinking of going that route.

Anyway, thanks!







I was just feeling so lonely and scared. . .its hard to be at home with an active 6m old and not even be able to walk properly!

ugh...i remember those days. i remember this time i had gone for margaritas and had to sit kind of semi-reclined in the booth of the restaurant like a stiff plank. the tequila helped though!

sometimes you just have to hang. traction does help and feel good. put a towel over a door so that there is towel hanging down on both sides, grab on, and hang. i'd probably break the door at the weight i am now but...

also cobra stretches. have you tried those? sometimes it's hard though to even get into the stretch, but once you're there it feels good. lie on your stomach and push up with your arms so your back is curved.

and a glass of wine.

sorry you're going through it, it does go away but until then....


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

A few pics of Viv from last week (photos 39-46):
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...a&id=682750187

kismetbaby - sciatica is horrid. I'm sorry to hear that you are dealing with it with a new baby. If you are interested, there are some chiropractors that use activator methods (uses an instrument to adjust) - http://www.activator.com/DoctorSearch.asp

cristeen - great news about getting to have a mother's helper!







And awesome that you can help out a neighbor. Glad that the teeth are coming in and that you're getting some relief with the motrin and teething tablets.


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## mom2tig99Nroo03 (Apr 24, 2003)

how many toothless wonders do we still have in the group?


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## diana_of_the_dunes (Dec 7, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mom2tig99Nroo03* 
how many toothless wonders do we still have in the group?

Me!!


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## Famatigia (Jun 14, 2005)

Me! My Jolly is nearing 8 months (27th) and she doesn't have any teeth OR signs of teething. I am ABSOLUTELY fine with this!!


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mom2tig99Nroo03* 
how many toothless wonders do we still have in the group?

DS is still toothless.

How are solids going for everyone? Solids have been a disaster around here-- very little of the sweet potato/avacado/apple got into my DS, but he puked and puked and puked for hours after each try. (Apple wasn't so bad). We've decided to give it a break for now.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mom2tig99Nroo03* 
how many toothless wonders do we still have in the group?

We're still toothless for the moment, but those puppies are going to be in any minute now.

But last night he fell asleep on the couch with daddy around 8... slept until about 7 this morning with only 2 wakings for num-nums (one of which was when we moved him from the couch to the bed). And no pain killers until 7 am either.

So why do I feel so exhausted?


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## BrittneyMarie (Nov 11, 2009)

Bella is still toothless too.

and she's standing and walking while holding onto the couch! has been for a week or 2


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

No teeth here. Ian and Connor got their first teeth at 10 months, so I expect Gavin will too. I rather like my late-teethers!


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

No teeth here. She'll be 7 months on Friday, and is not sleeping like she used to. I can't believe I eve got 8 hours straight with her. She's been going 3 hours on a good night. I think she is just so excited that she can army crawl and get into things. I really need to start vacuuming daily too because she is obsessed with picking up any tiny thing she can find on the floor.

Solids are going OK. We do just a little bit twice a day. I am a nervous mama when it comes to choking, so we do purees and little bits of banana and such. She gets maybe a teaspoon twice a day. She started quickly opening and closing her hands to show me she wants more, so if she really wants more (usually with mashed bananas), I will give her more, maybe up to an ounce. Her favorite treat is water from my water bottle. She gets really mad at the sippy cup when I try to put mama milk in there, but loves water. Figures because I don't want to give her more than an ounce of water maybe a couple of times a week, but I would love for her to be willing to drink BM from a sippy. Oh well, it does come in handy when people ask me to go to things I don't want to go to. "Oh, I can't because the baby won't take a bottle."


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

Oh, and my little girl has decided that she is too big to nurse in a cradle position during the day. She will only nurse in the football hold.


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## coldandsleepy (Aug 5, 2008)

We're up to six teeth here (three on top and three on bottom) and I have to admit that I'm envying you people with your toothless wonders.







We're going through a very "bitey" phase right now.


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

Yeah, I dread when she has teeth, TBH. She likes to clamp down from time to time, and it hurts enough already.


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## angelachristin (Apr 13, 2007)

Hi everyone! I have been MIA lately, but I am back. Zoe will be 7 months tomorrow. Her 1st tooth broke through today, one of the bottom fronts, and it's little partner should be through any minute now. She's been great about it, had only 2 days that were somewhat fussy. I don't give Tylenol or Motrin for teething, just use the Boiron Camilia liquid and it works great. No solids yet here, but I'm planning on starting some egg yolks in the next week or so, followed by avocado if the egg yolks go well. Let's see...she can sit unsupported forever, or until she wants something just far enough out of reach that she falls over trying to get it! She can roll both ways and is doing a squiggly belly crawl that only goes in one direction--backward, which irritates her to no end--how she hates going AWAY from what she's trying to crawl toward. Poor pumpkin! She took her 1st bath in the big tub with her big brother last night.

I don't do WBV but I weighed her today with the Wii Fit and she's 18.5 pounds. Not sure at all on her inches--I need to do that, but she's pretty darn long! She is a darling sweet pea and loves being in her Beco while I play outside with Big Brother.

Here is a picture of my 2 little ones on Easter:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...&id=1051988024


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## 4JMJ (Feb 5, 2008)

J is 7 months old today!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mom2tig99Nroo03* 
how many toothless wonders do we still have in the group?

Still toothless here!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 

How are solids going for everyone? Solids have been a disaster around here-- very little of the sweet potato/avacado/apple got into my DS, but he puked and puked and puked for hours after each try. (Apple wasn't so bad). We've decided to give it a break for now.

Solids are going pretty well here. His favorites so far are sweet potatoes, bananas and vanilla yogurt. He's also had pears, oatmeal, squash and avocado (he definitely didn't like avocado!) He still prefers the boob over any other food though!


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

Hi ladies!

Quote:

how many toothless wonders do we still have in the group?
Not me. Lake's got 4 teeth (2 top, 2 bottom) and it seems like he's working on more. He whimpers in his sleep a lot







and has started waking at least once per night. I was hoping after the first two popped through that he would get a break but it doesn't look like that's going to happen right now.

Quote:

We're going through a very "bitey" phase right now.
Us too!

Cristeen, that is great that you will be getting a mother's helper and helping your neighbor as well.










BrittneyMarie, that is amazing that Bella is cruising! Lake has just started worming around. I cannot imagine what I would do if he were cruising already. We are just now thinking about child-proofing. It's not going to be fun.

As far as solids go, Lake is an eating machine! He loves pretty much everything we give him. He'll eat purees although he's started grabbing and fighting for the spoon. We were really cautious when we started, yk, followed the rule of introducing slowly. Now though, we just give him anything that he can hold by himself and not choke on. We will wait on meat, strawberries, and honey. He's had tiny amounts of dairy and wheat. He's doing well, no reactions at all, poops are normal. We tried a sippy cup but he just bites on it and bangs it around so we will wait before trying that again.

Lately, we have had to literally hold Lake down to feed him his bottle. Sometimes, he'll drink it fine and not fight. There are times where he'll be sucking away and trying to play at the same time. Other times he'll start drinking then just spit the nipple out and try to get up. He's obviously hungry and while I'm preparing it, he tries to grab it. Once it's ready though it's like he doesn't want it anymore. What's the deal? I thought maybe it's b/c his teeth hurt but his behavior is just so sporadic. I cannot figure it out.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Gavin is liking food now! The first few times I gave him food (BLW style) he squished it but didn't eat it. I put a piece of squash on his lower lip and he made the worst face!!

Recently his intake of expressed milk during the day has gone WAY up while I'm at work, and I wasn't keeping up with pumping (or just barely, sometimes I'd pump a few extra ounces, but he has drank 19 oz while I'm at work a few times, and I only pump 2-3 times, averaging 6-8oz a session). So I decided to give the solids a try again.

I did put some on a spoon just so he got the idea that it's supposed to go in his mouth. He took the spoon eagerly, and now when I give him food on his tray, he picks it up and puts it in his mouth on his own. So no more spoon, we're back to BLW and the giant sticky mess that it is







He had a lot of fun with a banana last night!

Movement is still mostly backwards scooting, but he appears to be figuring out pivoting on his belly. He's getting better about not getting "stuck" places now that he can pivot. I've found him under the couch, the coffee table, the rocking chair, etc!

Sleep is better recently! He's going to bed a bit earlier and staying asleep longer. I switched him back to his own bed and on his tummy, and that's making the difference. I do let him sleep in bed with me when he wakes up, as long as it's early-morning (after 4am or so). If he wakes before that, I sit up to feed him and put him back in his own bed. He really sleeps better that way. I think his reflux was bothering him in our bed. (plus the distraction of the all-you-can-eat-mama-milk-buffet inches away!)

Now that he's eating more, he's getting bathed more. Last night in the bath I noticed just how LONG his hair is!! It goes down his back quite a ways! It's still really thin, but is definitely long. My husband is still all over me to cut it, but I won't do it


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...9&id=634508169

Here's a link to several pictures of the boys







Scroll through them all, there's two of his loooong hair!


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Well, this week has been tough for us. He finally stopped vomiting, but we're still dealing with diarrhea. And to top that off, we've just about run out of BM. One of my big donors is out of the country until who knows when - she didn't warn me she was leaving so I didn't empty her freezer first. The other one emailed me to say that she's been traveling so she doesn't have any to spare either (I was really counting on her - she makes enough for twins). I have 2 pickups scheduled for next week (2 hours away), but that's only going to be maybe a week or 2 worth. So yesterday we started with formula again. Which sucks because he was already feeling sick, and this hasn't helped any. And whereas before with the formula he was fine with it, now he's making faces and trying to spit it out. At one point yesterday we were just lying on the bed crying together, him because he was hungry and didn't want formula and me because I didn't have any other options. And he already has a rash across his face - I was hoping that 6 months of gut maturation would have made a difference with his apparent intolerance, but I guess not. So I don't know what to do about that... the only formula options are soy, dairy and corn syrup based, and I have some serious issues with both soy and corn (both ethically and health-wise). For now we're on dairy based organic formula mixed with BM - I have enough in the freezer to mix it about 3 parts formula: 1 part BM for the next week.

And of course all of this has brought up the depression issues I was dealing with when we ran into BF problems to begin with. None of which is helped by the fact that I'm on the tail end of AF.

But, DH says a new bakery opened up a couple blocks away, and it's a beautiful day. So I'm going to pop him into the MT and we're going to go for a walk to check it out. Hopefully a little photo-therapy and a little exercise will help.

And I don't want anyone taking any of this personally... I just don't have anywhere else to vent where someone is liable to understand my feelings.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Cristeen!!









A little Vit D and some sort of baked treat will help


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

Cristeen - sent you a pm.


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## aleatha5 (Dec 27, 2008)

Cristeen,









Vincent still doesn't have any teeth and he is 8 1/2 months. He's also not really crawling, he does get creative to get places, but not very far.

So happy I found this thread, I've been missing you ladies and hearing about all the babes from Sept.


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

ugh...sorry cristeen.
isn't there some homemade formula people make? maybe with goats milk???? i might be dreaming and i know you know waaaaaay more on this than i do though.

yesterday i drove off with the baby side car door open. wide open. when a man stoppped me i still didn;t get it. i thought he was talking about the passenger door being slightly ajar. nope. back door was was wide open and ready to ram into some parked cars.


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## octobermoon (Nov 22, 2007)

cristeen


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

cristeen! I'm so sorry! I hope the bakery helped.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *aleatha5* 
Cristeen,









Vincent still doesn't have any teeth and he is 8 1/2 months. He's also not really crawling, he does get creative to get places, but not very far.

So happy I found this thread, I've been missing you ladies and hearing about all the babes from Sept.









Well HI DDC buddy!!

****

We are on our way to Cleveland right now for the Ohio LLL conference!

I stayed home from work today so I could finish packing up the van (we're all staying in the hotel for the weekend) and Gavin stayed glued to my hip or on the floor at my feet the whole day. He was so stinkin' cute!! He just kept jabbering away, eating his hands, laughing at me, etc. I really like this stage, he's so interactive and inquisitive and so CUTE! (Hm, I may have said that already







) In fact right now he's in his carseat behind me talking to...someone or something!

We pretty much have given up on cosleeping. He just sleeps so much better if he's on his tummy, and he has to be in his own bed to do that. I really think it's a reflux thing. When I do bring him to my bed, he has a lot of trouble, is very restless, spits up all over the sheets (he never does that in his own bed), and nurses constantly. So I nurse him to sleep, then put him in his own bed (next to mine), and he sleeps for several hours that way. We're all much happier with this arrangement.

And it's a good thing that he's sleeping better now, because suddenly my other two aren't. Ian has been coming to my bed at night every night for the past several weeks. I don't know why. Connor has never consistently slept through the night, and lately it seems worse. His dr wants to do a sleep study on him, and I think I agree. His pulmonologist put him on a new med and for the first week on the new med he slept through the night, but then he stopped again. So now we're all suspicious that this is more than just behavioral, he may have some central apnea or something.

So I'm still pretty tuckered out! I was scheduled to run a half-marathon next weekend, but between Gavin's irregular sleep, a few bouts of mastitis, Connor's management, work, hubby's school...it jsut didn't happen







My running has been sporadic, and an old hip injury is really bothering me. So I pushed my training out a bit and am running a different race in September instead. Let's hope that I'm able to get it all together between now and then!


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Ladies - thank you for all the love and support, both here and in PMs.

We're doing better each day. He still doesn't care for the formula, but the rash seems to have disappeared. He really is only eating enough to get by right now. Not so little that I'm concerned, but little enough that it's a noticeable difference. I'm going to have to step up the solids, though. His poops are still nasty and somewhere between diarrhea and regular - and wow, they stink. But, they were doing that as soon as he got sick, well before I introduced the formula.

He took 3 naps yesterday, one of which was 3 hours







, so either he's still sick or he's having a growth spurt.

We did hear from one of his first donors - she'd tapered off pumping because she thought we were covered. When she found out we're having supply problems, she emailed me to say she's ramping up pumping for us again.

To answer some of the questions asked, both here and in private -

Yes, I can make goat's milk formula for him. I have several gallons of goat's milk "fresh" from the farm in the freezer for this purpose. My main problem with the homemade formula is the CLO in it - it makes him burp and the smell of that makes me retch. So I've been hesitant to go back to it.
I'm more than happy to accept BM donations, but the real problem is shipping. The only person in the DDC local to me (AFAIK) is kismet, and I've already cleared out her freezer. Shipping BM costs about $100-150, so to make it worthwhile, you have to have a significant amount to ship - at least 200 oz. Keep in mind he eats 30 oz/day, so 200 oz is only a week's worth of milk. I'm more than happy to discuss this more in PMs.
The bakery was lovely - too lovely. I ate more than I should have. But the walk was excellent (a mile round trip with 20 lbs strapped to my back). But today I'm paying for it, I could barely get out of bed this morning.
Ok, he's awake and needing me. Much love.


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## diana_of_the_dunes (Dec 7, 2008)

Cristeen! Hopefully you can find something that will work for you. I know there was something on the Weston Price website about culturing formula. Maybe that would help with his digestion? We give DS yogurt... Maybe that would help you, since it has cultures as well? Just thinking out loud...

Ethan had his 6 month WBV this past Monday. He's finally slowed down on weight gain and is 20 lbs 10.75 oz (80th percentile). He's still 97th+ percentile for height at 28.75" long.

We've started solids, but slowly. He eats yogurt and not much else. We tried avocado, which he didn't like at all. Banana also wasn't a big hit. Or applesauce. He actually gagged on the fruits/veggies, so I'm guessing he just isn't ready for them yet. He LOVES the yogurt, though.

Nighttime sleep is pretty awful, and I'm DRAGGING at work. It's got to be teeth, and my bf's mom said she can feel swollen gums. They just feel like bumpy baby gums to me, but I dunno what I'm looking for. They are a little white, though, so I know something's going on.

Ethan is sitting longer unassisted, though we're not yet to the point where I can just plop him down by himself. He can scoot a little on his belly, and will pivot all over. He's gotten up on his knees twice - in the middle of the night. He seems to practice most of his skills then initially, for some reason..









But other than me being tired, life with a baby is great. I'm constantly amazed at how much I love this little guy, and how much fun we can have just making noises at each other. My favorite new skill is that he'll put his arms out an lean towards whoever he wants to be held by. And it's usually me he wants


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## mommy92109 (Apr 9, 2010)

Hi Mommas! I'm new to this forum and MDC, and I definitely wish I had found it sooner!

My little (or not so little) guy just turned seven months. At his 6 month WBV he was almost 23 lbs and 27 1/2 inches...pretty much off the charts. He has been a big boy right from the start when he was born a month early weighing 7 lbs. 5 oz.! He was sick for his first month and then gained weight like you wouldn't believe! He is now sitting up unassisted, but he still needs some repositioning after he topples! He has two teeth, which popped through before I even knew anything was going on in there! However, he did start waking up at night every two hours again once the teeth came through, after having started to more consistently get 3 or 4 hour stretches







This week he has been waking every hour and a half, like clockwork. We cosleep, and I'm wondering if it has something to do with the fact that he doesn't have room to roll over without bumping into me, so it wakes him up?

We just started solids with BLW this past week. We tried sweet potatoes, but his cheeks turned red afterward. I'm not sure if it was coincidence or a reaction to the sweet potatoes. We haven't tried them again since. We have also tried banana, and he is just starting to get the hang of holding on to them because they are so slippery!

I'm looking forward to reading about your babies' journeys through this incredible time development!


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mommy92109* 
This week he has been waking every hour and a half, like clockwork. We cosleep, and I'm wondering if it has something to do with the fact that he doesn't have room to roll over without bumping into me, so it wakes him up?

My little guy started doing this a few weeks ago, and he has plenty of room to roll over (he gets half a queen, I get what's left). I think it's probably developmental.

ETA - Oh, and welcome!


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

Keagan is seven months old now, he can sit for short times without support, and is just about to start pulling up- but not there yet. Yikes! He is intrigued by food, but not enough to give it a go himself. None of my kids have shown a great deal of interest in food before they were a year or so old anyway.

We're dealing with major life/financial stress that's had a HUGE impact on my bm supply, but we're working through it. In the meantime, Mr. Chompers has been angry at the low supply as well as the early teething (no teeth yet, but swollen gums) so he's 'chewing' instead of nursing much of the time. Ouch!

He's a wonderful little guy- and SO full of energy and life. Super high-needs in a way neither of my other kids were, so that's been a learning experience.







I'm pretty sure he's going to be impossible to night wean, and may still be cosleeping when he goes to college. Oddly though, and maybe because of how intense he is, I have a very different bond with him than I do with my older kids. It's not more or less, it's simply different. I feel guilty about that in some ways- like somehow it's a betrayal of the older kids, but there's no way to 'fix' it, and I'm not sure I should want to. Eh- Mama guilt, it's always there.









So, on happier notes, who's planning to take their little one swimming this summer as the weather warms up?


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

Wow, I haven't been over here in ages and it's been soooo nice to read and "catch up" with all of you and your littles









Camry is 7.5mos now, and as of last week, 19lbs 26in. That puts her in the 75%ile for weight and after having 2 kids always in the 10%ile and one FTT, I'm walking on sunshine about that! She's a roly poly, that's for sure.

My first baby to enjoy baby food- she hollers for more if I don't get it in her mouth fast enough- and is showing intense interest in what everyone is eating. I know it won't be long before the kids start sharing their food with her.

2 teeth and man, have they been a PITA. We have every teething toy in production, I'm sure of it. Her toothbrush is a big fave, as is her Taggies blanket- she chews the heck out of the tags.

After another serious bout of mastitis that almost ended in hospitilization (again- I was hosp. before while nursing DS), I'm currently weaning her to a bottle :cry My OB (who pumps for her toddler at work and is a HUGE EBF advocate), our family Dr and a good friend who is an LC all recommended that I stop nursing (the 104deg fever that wouldn't go down w/meds was the clincher). It's been waaay harder on me than her. She's very happy with the bottle and the formula and never refuses it- she grunts her happy food noise and grabs the bottle- and her body seems to be adjusting well. I know that it's the best choice for our family- as the full-time parent, I can't be having febrile seizures when DH is working at night while I'm home alone with the kids. And he can't take a week off of work every time I get mastitis, which is how long it takes me to be able to drive, carry the baby around, etc. I know she'll be fine (heck, my first DD was exclusively FF and is the healthiest of my kids, and is on the genius spectrum to boot) but it's soooo hard to accept. And man, FF is such a PITA! Making bottles, carrying bottles around, and she hates anything less that really really warm- the bottle warmer I bought for the car doesn't work well and she gets really pissed about lukewarm or cold milk! I cannot for the life of me figure out why some people think FF is easier.

She sits unassisted for a long time, but shows no interest in getting on all 4s, let alone crawling. Still has to be swaddled to sleep, but she goes down like clockwork at 7PM every night. Before the teeth and horrible cold we're battling now, she was sleeping from 7-2 pretty consistently. We're down to 1 feeding per night (usually at 4AM- bah) but lately we're up every freaking hour or more because her nose is so snotty.

My oldest is such a baby-pro. She puts Cam down for naps, changes poopy diapers, carts her around the house, etc. It's sooo nice to have help- 4 kids is crazy









Can't imagine our lives without her and can't imagine missing one second of her days/nights. She's so happy and feisty and inquisitive. We're all in


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## rockdoctor (Mar 26, 2009)

We had our 6mth WBV last week. Ahvy is 14lbs 10oz, 26in long. One of the smallest is our group, although like 2boyzmama is also one of the very youngest of our group. She still doesn't roll over on purpose, but she sits unassisted, pulls up, can squirm her way short distances. She has her two bottom teeth, but she got those around 5 mths. We think her top teeth might be coming in because her sleep has gone from crappy to crappier. I just am not sure what I am supposed to do. In November and December she sleep all night with no waking, January and February she started waking once a night again for two hours, March started waking twice a night, an hour apiece and April has turned to three night wakings. What the hell is going on?
We started some foods around 5 months, but she got a bad case of eczema all over her body, so she is back to BF with FF supplement.
Other than these things, she is the sweetest baby and super smart. I am totally unprepared for crawling. My house feels like a death trap.
Oh and I almost forgot, I broke my leg so I can barely even care for her myself anymore. And my nanny is quitting to go back to college. I am really sad to lose her because she is so good with Ahvy. I have a happier baby bc of her. No I have to start my search all over again. I know this post sounds like things are really bad, but they aren't. In fact if the night waking would only improve, things would be just about perfect.


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Nice to hear from some mamas that haven't written in awhile! And welcome to a new Sept mama too!









Just a quick post to say that Noam finally started rolling over! Phew. . .he was 6 months and still not showing any interest and I was almost getting worried. But a week ago today DH was tickling his feet while the were both laying on the bed and Noam squirmed around from the tickling and rolled himself over. And it just clicked! He did it about 2 dozen more times as DH and I cheered him on (and video taped it). I don't know how other babes do it, but it seemed like since he waited so long to do it, once he did that was it, he had it down. Now he never practices any belly time though, b/c he always just flips right over (he still only rolls from front to back). Do other babes do this? How do you practice tummy time?

He has also decided that sitting it *all that* and wants to be sitting as much as possible. He used to be content to lay on his back and play with toys, now he wants to be sitting. So maybe the tummy-time skills have been replaced (for now) with sitting.

Anyway, big cheers for late rollers!

And otherwise, he is the most ridiculously happy baby!!! It's such a lovely age/stage. . .he is learning to play peekaboo and just grins at me all day long! Seriously, it's outrageous how awesome this is!

I hear ya'll about the mama-guilt though. Whether its about BFing, sleeping, working/not working. . .its always something. Sigh. But all of us are loving our LOs with all we've got-so that's enough, right?


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

night wakings are a serious issue here too. I know it's teething, I know he's in pain. I know it's normal to test his vocal chords and see just.how.loud he can scream in the middle of the night because of the pain.
but...
yeesh.

i've become a tad resentful towards DP b/c i've always been the one to get up at night, and never really minded because DS never actually woke up - he just cried out a bit, ate, went back to sleep. so DP just sleeps through it. now that we're on 3-5 wakings a night, sometimes an hour at a time with screaming and writhing and nothing seems to comfort him until the tylenol kicks in.... the sleeping man in the bed is getting more annoying. he'll get up when i ask, but still, the resentment is there. yuck.

enyhoo... solids are going great. Rowan loves everything it seems. Not crawling, but sometimes it seems he is Right on the verge! I mean...SO close! But nope, not yet. Which is fine by me. He only gets to be an immobile baby for so long, yk? And babbling has taken on a whole new life, now that he's discovered his consonants. It's all, bla bwa bra vra va va ba ba, raspberry spit  so fun!!


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

Good morning all! Viv hit 7 months yesterday. I can't believe how fast it is going.

Viv started scootching last week. She's so funny about it - she'll be sitting and get one leg bent behind her, then lean forward and she can't get the other leg behind her to get up on all fours.







She's gotten really good at rolling over in the last week too.

Her third tooth isn't in yet, but I'm betting on sometime this week.

Sleeping for us (knocking on wood) is still pretty consistent.. we wake up 2-3 times a night, mostly 20 minutes or less. Every couple nights tho, she will wake up and want to have a marathon nursing session of over an hour.


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JordanKX* 
i've become a tad resentful towards DP b/c i've always been the one to get up at night, and never really minded because DS never actually woke up - he just cried out a bit, ate, went back to sleep. so DP just sleeps through it. now that we're on 3-5 wakings a night, sometimes an hour at a time with screaming and writhing and nothing seems to comfort him until the tylenol kicks in.... the sleeping man in the bed is getting more annoying. he'll get up when i ask, but still, the resentment is there. yuck.


yes!!!! it's so much worse lately because unlike when she was a tiny babe, it's not always ME she needs. she doesn;t need the boob every 2 hours, when she wakes up at night she often just needs to be reswaddled, she eats solids when she wakes up in the morning...so why does it _always_ have to be me??? i just want to sleep in once, yk? i've asked him to get up with her and he'll do but it's only been twice and he doesn't let me sleep. it's even worse b/c he "works" from home so it's not like he's off to a job and needs rest more than me. ugh! i have to remember those really tired mornings that it's not dd i'm pissed as h*ll at, it's dh. but it's not like _that_ makes me feel any better.
sorry, i've needed to rant about that for a while.

but the babe has been a dream! she is so "on" most of the time.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

I just wanted to pop on and thank you ladies so much for the support this last week. You have really helped me keep my sanity and get over this hump. Just as a quick update - little boy seems to be tolerating the formula much better - no rash any more. The poopies are still hit and miss - but I don't know if that's the formula or his tummy still getting over being sick. I'll be picking up more milk this week, but we will be staying with the formula/BM mix for a while, since I don't forsee getting sufficient BM to switch back any time soon.

His top two teeth are starting to peek out, and it feels like he may be getting all 4 lower teeth in at once!







It's hard to tell, but there's definitely something going on down there.

And today he decided that it was the day to try to climb out of his stroller. Mommy felt AWFUL, because he was less than 2 feet away from me, but my back was turned, and all of a sudden I hear this awful THUD.







Anyone have any idea when they learn to lead with their butts instead of their heads?

Jordan/tzs - I completely get this. And now that we're totally on formula and I'm only nursing a couple times/day, DH could do night duty EASILY! (well, as easy as night duty ever is) But he doesn't. He's done it once in 7 mos, and yeah, there's a fair bit of resentment. Particularly when he gets up grumpy in the morning because he couldn't sleep well... um, I haven't slept well in over 7 months!! (last few months of pg were hard on the sleep too.) Luckily, he's stopped complaining about the days when I nap with the baby and nothing gets done around the house.


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Cristeen--so sorry I missed your posts earlier, we were out of town last week. I feel bad I missed the chance to support you (if only with internet hugs) since you were so kind while I was downed by sciatica. Anyway, hope things are continuing to get better. I've stopped pumping altogether. . .I feel like my supply has really dropped off, or should I say normalized since I was on the oversupply side of things. I think Noam is still getting enough, but I don't feel like I have to pump to relieve engorgement everyday now. And when I do pump its just enough to add to some solids for him. So sorry I don't have more freezer stash for you.









We should meet up again though. Although 7 months seems to be such a fun time for our babes, its also a hard time for mamas. . .the lack of sleep and self-time really catches up to you IMO. I know I need to take better care of myself now that my sciatica is at a tolerable pain level.

Oh, and I know how you feel about the mobility/head bumping. Noam fell off the futon yesterday







I *thought* he only rolled from front to back, but he was on his back (and yes near the edge, but I didn't think he could go anywhere!) and I turned around, then heard this little thump and he was on the floor. Its only a foot off the ground, but I felt so bad! I guess I can't take my eyes off him anymore. . .or as one parent told me, let the suicide watch begin! Yeesh. We need to do some serious baby-proofing. . .and need to figure out some way of getting him some safe floor space. We have these hard, cold tile floors. . .there is no where for him to scoot about (thus the futon incident).

He's cranky yesterday and today. . .I think maybe more teeth? (He's got he bottom two already.) He still doesn't eat much, although I keep trying solids. He gags very easily. Gotta run. . .


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

I've learned (of course this is baby #3) that I need to be assertive about my need for sleep or it doesn't register for my husband. He isn't the one waking all night with him, so he isn't really getting it. I counted one night, and pointed out that I was waking about 20-30 times/night on a good night, which helped him understand why I was tired. He's pretty good, but I do admit that there are times that I want to *scream* when he says he 'needs a few minutes to wake up' before he can help out.









Overall though, he's really great about it- I took a nap yesterday afternoon (ALL AFTERNOON!) and he managed both boys as well as keeping them quiet. The house was a mess, but it was so worth it! I really do have to make it clear though that it's not a matter of when he offers, it's all about my simply stating that I expect him to manage as I need to take care of my own health and well-being. Keagan is still nursing exclusively, though I do manage to express enough to keep bottles around for when I am working or otherwise unavailable. Solids aren't really on the radar yet.

I'm contemplating taking a job that will involve shift work- 12 hour shifts (a return to working in healthcare, I'm not thrilled, but I really need more income than I have now.) I'm concerned about how that's going to work out with a baby who nurses all night, but we'll take that as it comes I guess. The upside is that if I do take the job, we'll also move into a new place that is right across the street from the hospital, so escaping for a 15 min nursing session shouldn't be impossible. My final interview is today, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed- it could be a huge change, but one we really need as I'm tired of ends not quite meeting and the toll that's taking on me emotionally.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Boy do I hear you ladies with dh resentment issues!!! In our situation, it's been a little weird from day 1 with our first. I am the working parent, he is the stay at home parent. Yet I still do all night duty. ALL night duty. It wasn't a problem with Ian, I was just able to handle it. Ian slept pretty well, got up twice a night on average, but I was okay with it. Connor was an entire different story...the overwhelming stress associated with his health issues, combined with the lack of sleep was just too much for me. I had a few mini-break-downs in the middle of the night. I would lay there in bed, holding my baby, and hating my husband. HATING him. I used to hate night time, I would pray for the stupid sun to come up. It was horrible.

This time isn't quite as bad. Although...I have cracked down a bit. I make hubby handle Ian and Connor at night most of the time. Last night, for example, Ian showed up next to me and asked to snuggle. I let him on the bed. An hour later Gavin woke up, so I woke up hubby and told him to take Ian back to bed. Hubby grumbled about it, but I said "nope, I handle Gavin, you handle Ian and Connor." It's been hard on him!! He is not used to getting broken sleep! And, his sleep is just being interrupted for 1-2 minutes at a time, not the 30+ minutes that mine has been for the last 5+ years!!!

We spent the weekend at a LLL conference, and stayed in a hotel. It was a good conference, but the hotel stay was...interesting! Gavin did great, there were absolutely no issues with him at all. He even enjoyed the pool! Ian and Connor, on the other hand...yikes I don't want to stay in a hotel with them again for a long while!!! Sleep was in very short supply, and their excitement level was really high so they were a little crazy. And I wanted to strangle my husband (and his short-fuse-patience) a few times







But we made it, and I enjoyed myself.

Gavin is doing well. He has tried a few foods BLW style, and done well with them. He has yet to eat enough to change his diaper output, so I'm thinking he's getting barely tastes of the foods (bananas, sweet potatoes, and squash is what we've tried so far) But he seems to enjoy sitting in his high chair and finger-painting with his mushy food!

I had a freezer incident last weekend and lost most of my frozen milk







It was pretty devastating. And Gavin has recently upped his intake while I'm at work a bunch, so now I'm nervous. I talked with the nanny and told her that she needs to try to hold him off a bit, he was drinking a ridiculous amount of milk!! If his intake stays high, then we might start offering more solids. I am still pumping well, but not quite what he's eating. Ugh.

Gavin is still not really a roller. He can do tummy to back, but I don't really think it's very intentional! He has never done back to tummy. He is really good at sitting, though, and does some pretty decent baby pushups







And he recently learned how to pivot when he's on his tummy, so now his movement is a bit more purposeful. He doesn't get stuck under as much furniture anymore!


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2boyzmama* 
And I wanted to strangle my husband (and his short-fuse-patience) a few times









Yeah - what is up with the short fuse? My DH has this totally short fuse whenever he feels like the baby's fussiness isn't justified. P!sses me off to no end! The other night I had to kick him out of the room. I mean really, the little guy is teething and has had diarrhea for a week - I think that's enough to justify most levels of fussiness. And really, if anyone was going to be on a short fuse, it should be the person who hasn't had a decent night's sleep in months!


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

I'm pretty lucky in the DH department. He's more than willing to get up, *if* I wake him up. Sometimes I can wake him up, have him take the baby, without him remembering that he did it the next morning. But he has to wake up at 5:30 for work so I don't like to ask him much...

Last night was the first night I literally cried because of exhaustion. I can't get back to sleep quickly, and DS wakes so very often. I don't know what we've done wrong.


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

First off texmati, you haven't done things wrong.







s

While I read all the posts, I kept nodding and identifying so much! DS used to sleep well but now he wakes up once or twice a night. His nose is stuffy and he's probably still teething. It was so much easier when he was younger b/c all I had to do was feed him and he'd be OUT. Now, he wakes b/c he's uncomfortable and frankly there's so little I can do to make him feel better.









Quote:

I used to hate night time, I would pray for the stupid sun to come up. It was horrible.
2boyz that was me. I used to *DREAD* nighttime. It's gotten so much better though. DH actually gets up more often than I do now.

Cristeen, I know how you feel about the falling. Lake was playing on the ottoman and I knew that he was more roly so I stood at the edge of it to make sure he wouldn't fall. I looked up for maybe 2 seconds and he fell right in front of me! His head landed on my feet so you can imagine how ashamed I felt. I was RIGHT THERE and STILL I let him fall.









Confustication, good luck with your interview. I hope you get the job!!


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Well on the subject of DHs and the middle of the night wakings... well, last night DH redeemed himself a bit. Little man woke at 4 and wouldn't go back to sleep and wouldn't stop screaming. I tried EVERYTHING I could to get him to be quiet at least so he wouldn't wake DH. After about 40 minutes of screaming, DH finally came into the room. And why is it that I've been trying everything for 40 minutes to no avail, and all DH has to do is walk in the room and pick him up and it stops? What's up with that?!?

So, DH came in and helped long enough to get him calmed down, changed and gave me a chance to calm down too. Then he went back to bed.

I really don't know if I was keying him up or what. I did NOT want to be up at 4 am this morning - of all times to be up. Today's my first son's 3rd birthday, and he died at 4:10 am, so I *really* didn't want to be awake right then. But I guess the universe had other plans for me.


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## diana_of_the_dunes (Dec 7, 2008)

Seems like 7 months is the burn-out point for a lot of us, huh? I was also having a hard time with DS's night-wakings. I'd nurse him, but gradually his night-wakings increased to the point where I felt like a zombie. At 3 months old, DS was only waking once, so I knew he was capable of sleeping longer stretches. So... I tried Dr. Sears' advice for babies that use mamas as a pacifier: let someone else care for the baby when he wakes at night. Because if I try to just rock or soothe him, DS is like, "I know you have boobs in there, and I WANT THEM!!" For the 2 nights that DH was off work, he took Ethan for his first waking and soothed him back to sleep. My mom spent the next 4 nights here and did the same. We're now back to DH for the next 2 nights. I still nurse him any other time he gets up, but we're trying to phase out the first one so I can get about 3 hrs of sleep in a row.

It's been going pretty well. There have been some tears, but since he's being held and comforted during them, it's not CIO. There were 2 nights where we backed off, since DS wasn't settling down within 10 minutes or so. But mostly, it's been a success. If he doesn't see/hear/smell me, he goes back to sleep quickly and without a fuss. One night he slept 7 hours straight!

If nothing else, it's given me a bit of a break, and I'm no longer in zombie-land... By just trying to avoid nursing at the first waking (2.5 hrs after he goes to sleep), we've somehow cut the wakings from 4-6 to just 2 or 3. At the same time, we're tried to stretch out his daytime feedings to 3 hrs instead of 2 or 2.5, so he eats a large amount a little less frequently. It's definitely not a quick fix, but if you have a partner that's willing to help out, it might be worth a shot.


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
I really don't know if I was keying him up or what. I did NOT want to be up at 4 am this morning - of all times to be up. Today's my first son's 3rd birthday, and he died at 4:10 am, so I *really* didn't want to be awake right then. But I guess the universe had other plans for me.

Oh cristeen, I'm so very sorry! Sending hugs to you today.


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

i stick the paci in for the night wakings i know are not due to hunger. ya know, the ones an hour, 2 hours after going to sleep. just b/c yeah, i know she can go longer, she used to sleep until 7am straight, nurse then sleep again (sigh...) and usually i do a couple of those early on and then she'll sleep until early am when i nurse her back to sleep.
unfortunately now i feel like i've started a paci habit and now i'm stuck going in to replace the paci. hopefully it's just teething. and we're starting swaddle weaning again. i had to, it sucks, but she's rolling over not just sometimes but _all the time_ fully triple swadled and she so cannot sleep on her stomach like that for very long. it's not fair to her and can't be comfortable.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Cristeen, a







for your first baby

and a







to you and your







A.

Maybe your first son was reaching out to you, sending his love to you and his baby brother.


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

(((Hugs))) Cristeen.

I am utterly exhausted lately too. LO has been waking up usually every 2 hours. 2 nights ago, it was every hour. I have so much trouble sleeping with her next to me, but I've been bringing her in anyhow. I tried setting up the cosleeper, but she doesn't like it, even if I hang in there and nurse her and sneak away, leaving my arm right next to her. I can't believe that getting a 3 hour stretch is a good night, when her getting up every 3 hours used to define a bad night.

She is so close to cutting one of her bottom teeth. I gave in and gave her motrin last night and she ended up sleeping an hour and then being up and wired for 2 hours. Then my dh had the nerve to start snoring while I was up with the baby. He will get up, if I ask him to, but by the time I wake him up, I'm awake enough that I won't go back to sleep until he gets the baby back down anyhow. Once we tried having me sleep in ODD's room for 5 hours or so. I pumped and had a bottle ready, but I couldn't fall asleep in there. *sigh*

I'm thanking Pampers right now because they changed their diapers again and they seem more "chemically" which has pushed me over the edge, back to cloth. I CD'd my ODD but started shortly after a year. I still have many of the diapers, and luckily, my size mediums still have good elastic. I have a few others, but they don't seem to fit. She's long and thinner than my ODD was. My dh is not happy because I am so exhausted as it is, and not keeping up with housework, and especially laundry. However, I'm ignoring him and just using the 4 that fit. If I can find a way to keep up, I'll order a few more.


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

mkksmom, i hear ya on the pampers- i had bought some for outings and nights, because pfs weren't working for either. they are SO chemicall-y and nasty that it pushed me to order 10 fuzzi bunz (i got seconds and they were much cheaper!) i just cannot stomach putting those chemicals on dd's skin.

hope your laundry manages to get under control- you can do it and the cloth is definately worth the extra work


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

ya know, we were never able to do the regular pampers, only swaddlers, they seemed to already be chemically and dd got a rash right away (and we do luvs so it's not like we are super natural people.) too bad cause i've got coupons for free packs.


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Hugs Cristeen.

I still use sposies at night and when we travel, but I use Earth's Best chlorine free dipes. . .they're great! I hate, hate, hate any of the huggies or pampares or the like. They smell so awful and perfumed to me. So I tried all the "eco" dipes out there and really like Earths Best. They fit well and never leak and don't seem chemically. I order them off Amazon, with the free shipping! Not super cheap, but I prefer them for when we don't use the CD.


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

Hey FF moms or those feeding exclusively w/bottles- how much is your Sept. 09 baby drinking per 24hrs? Camry is down to one nursing session per day and is FF the rest of the time and I'm







at how much formula she's drinking! It's only 12:30 PM here and Piggy has downed a little over 16oz already today! She's got 3 feedings left today before bedtime, maybe 2 if she eats solids today.

How much are your littles drinking?


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Well Kayleezoo...I can tell you that Gavin has been drinking over 20 oz between 8am and 5pm recently, PLUS nursing at least twice in the evenings and 2-4 times overnight. I've decided I'm going to offer a bit more solids and see if that slows him down, because my goodness!


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

Yeah, I'm thinking that by the end of the 24hrs that I'm counting, she's gonna be up there! She eats between 5-6oz every 3 hours or so during the day (but only once per night), so I'm estimating between 30 and 36oz, we'll see how much it actually is, though. I think she's upping her daytime caloric consumption since I started limiting her to one feeding per night- and she now happily goes at least 7 hours at night w/out eating- so that might be why I'm seeing lots more oz being downed during the day.


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Rowan was at 36oz before we started solids. And he's a chunk. I mean, SERIOUS CHUNK. 24lbs. But, it's what he wanted and I just never felt the need to restrict him. Now that he gets solids, he getting about 16-20oz a day. 3 meals of "food" has replaced 3 bottles, he has two bottles during the night. He also drinks two sippy cups of water during the day. The boy likes to swallow stuff. I don't think he cares what it is - food, formula, water...

And he hasn't "lost" any weight. I still think he's gaining, respective to his height. Maybe that's just cause he's not crawling yet  I don't mean to sound like I am worried about his weight. I leave that to his grandmothers. They've recently started saying that he's not crawling cause of his belly. I want to just smack them. I mean... diet for a 7 month old? Even if I were to consider such a thing, what would that possibly entail? No formula at all? Yeah, not doing that. la dee dah. i digress.

3 'meals' and 16-20oz of formula is what we're doing here.


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

JordanKX, I'm so glad to hear that you're feeding him what his body is telling him to eat. I cannot imagine withholding food from an infant







It's not like they're sittin' around watching TV, thinking, "Gee, I'm bored. Let's go in the kitchen for some junk to stuff in my mouth"







Gimme a break. Yeah, Camry will get as much food (formula, solids, etc) as she wants. I trust her body.

And I'm sure he'll crawl when he's ready! Or, he'll be like my first DD and go straight from sitting to walking. At 9 mos.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JordanKX* 
And he's a chunk. I mean, SERIOUS CHUNK. 24lbs.

Eek...he's as big as my 3 year old!!









Granted, my 3 year old is tiny, but wow!


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

They some in all sizes don't they! I know a 12 month old who is only 16lbs, while my guy is about 22lbs. . .so also a chunk JordanKX. But funnily enough he has seemed a lot slimmer to me lately, I think its b/c he has gotten taller and also now that he is using his core muscles more his belly has really flattened out--but his thighs still have some serious rolls! (Course he is BF so I don't know who much he eats in ounces, and is only just starting to get into solids at all.) I also would never restrict a babies eating!

He is also just now sitting well and rolling. . .doesn't seem close to crawling. But I expect him to surprise me and just start dong it one day soon. He has yet to ever get his belly off the ground though







I think the big babes can be slower to become mobile. That's ok with me though, I am so not ready for a crawler yet!


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## coldandsleepy (Aug 5, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JordanKX* 
Rowan was at 36oz before we started solids. And he's a chunk. I mean, SERIOUS CHUNK. 24lbs. But, it's what he wanted and I just never felt the need to restrict him.

Grey's also about 24 lbs. He's tall, too (28.5" at 6 months, but a smidge taller now) but ultimately, he's still a biiiiiig guy. He likes solids a lot now, but still only wants to eat a couple of bites a day. Basically just enough to make his diapers exciting.







He's EBFed aside from his bites of solids here and there so no idea how much milk he's taking in.

Every baby's different. My sister has a son who was born 3 weeks before Grey, and he's a scant 15 lbs at almost 8 months. And that kid can EAT. He BFs every 2 or 3 hours all day long and then eats solids on top of that.

We try to keep food waste to a minimum (so he gets a piece of sweet potato at a time, not a whole bowl, or whatever) but beyond that? I definitely don't see the point in restricting food for babies this age.


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## mommy92109 (Apr 9, 2010)

Glad to hear there are other big boys out there! My guy is 28" and 23 lbs! He is EBF and we just started BLW, so just a few bites of solids here and there. He is also sitting and rolling well, but few signs of crawling yet! I don't know how much he takes in total, but he has about 13-15 oz. between 7:30 am and 4:30 pm, then he nurses all night long...all...night...long...


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

Lake is an average sized baby for weight but on the tall end. He's 27.5 in long and 20 pounds. Before we introduced solids, he ate 36 oz per day!! We didn't limit him but we weren't pushing that on him either. It's what he wanted. Now with solids he eats 30-32 oz. Solids are more like snacks and bites here and there, no full meals yet.

He's still got a huge belly but he gets around just fine! He's crawled one or two steps but likes to army crawl more. I won't be suprised if he goes right to walking in a couple months, although I wouldn't mind if he waited longer than that.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Amounts - Between yesterday and this morning he drank 30 oz of formula/BM mix and about 8 oz of straight BM.

I usually mix up a quart (32 oz) a day and he drinks that plus a little bit.


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## KikaKika (Jul 7, 2007)

I recently found this:

http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkcalc.html

What if baby is eating solid foods?

Sometime between six months and a year (as solids are introduced and slowly increased) baby's milk intake may begin to decrease, but breastmilk should provide the majority of baby's nutrition through the first year. Because of the great variability in the amount of solids that babies take during the second six months, the amount of milk will vary, too. One study found average breastmilk intake to be 30 oz per day (875 ml/day; 93% of total intake) at 7 months and 19 oz (550 ml/day; 50% of total energy intake) at 11-16 months.

Several studies have measured breastmilk intake for babies between 12 and 24 months and found typical amounts to be 14-19 oz per day (400-550 mL per day). Studies looking at breastmilk intake between 24 and 36 months have found typical amounts to be 10-12 oz per day (300-360 mL per day).


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## diana_of_the_dunes (Dec 7, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
Amounts - Between yesterday and this morning he drank 30 oz of formula/BM mix and about 8 oz of straight BM.

I usually mix up a quart (32 oz) a day and he drinks that plus a little bit.

See, that's where I run into problems... Ethan is half breastfed, half formula fed. I pump while I'm at work, then mix it with formula. He gets about 15 oz (3 5 oz bottles) during the 9 hours I'm gone for work. While I'm home I breastfeed, with a 2 oz formula supplement right before I leave. And I'm still not convinced he's eating enough during the day, since he nurses SO MUCH at night.

All the calculations for BM say average is about 25 oz. But the formula calculations by weight say we should be giving him 50 oz (2.5 oz times 20 lbs). I know my supply is slowly tanking, so I'm just not sure how much to give him. I swear if I made him a 12 oz bottle, he'd drink the whole thing. We were giving him bigger bottles about a month ago, but he'd spit up after them, so we backed off to 4 oz. Now he'll take 5, and he doesn't complain when the bottle is empty, so I don't know if we should give him more... ???


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

I'm no expert, but have you looked into paced bottle feeding-- basically letting the baby control how much food he's getting.

I remember reading somewhere that a bf babies bottle should never be more than 4 ounces. It makes sense to me for DS, since I can't pump anywhere near that it one sitting.

I also nurse DS extremely frequently though-- experience has tought me to try that first!


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *diana_of_the_dunes* 
I swear if I made him a 12 oz bottle, he'd drink the whole thing.

Rowan is this way. There are times when he screeches when you take the bottle away. Clearly it was not enough and he wants another one. So... 8oz it is. And then an hour later he'll drink an entire sippy cup of water. This boy drinks so much water, I have no idea how he fits it in his belly! Most of the time, he's happy with a 4oz bottle, but there are those times...
He can also eat more avocado than I think is natural for a 7mo baby. So maybe he's stretched his stomach? That happens in adults, I don't know why it couldn't happen in babies?!?!


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

Diana, 50 oz/ day sounds like too much! Lake is about 20 lbs and his pedi said 30 oz /day was fine for him. He gets 5 or 6 oz per bottle (depending on how long ago the last feeding was) and is fine with that. Occasionally he'll drink 5 oz and cry for more. At those times he'll drink another 1 or 2 oz. He's had 8 oz before but never consistently ate that much. I chalk that up to growth spurts.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *diana_of_the_dunes* 
All the calculations for BM say average is about 25 oz. But the formula calculations by weight say we should be giving him 50 oz (2.5 oz times 20 lbs).

I agree - the formula calculations by weight are way off. In part because there's essentially a cap on how much the babe should be eating, and that's usually between 30 and 40 oz. I will say when he was getting all BM he was eating less than he is now with the formula/BM mix, but the difference is not that extreme (until today, but I think he's spurting).

As for him nursing so much at night, he's probably reverse cycling, and I wouldn't discourage it, since that can really help keep your supply going.

I can tell you that on a normal day, up until about 2 weeks ago, A was taking no more than 4 oz at a sitting. Then for about 2 weeks it was no more than 3 oz (he got sick and barely ate for 2 days, I had to force-feed him, so I'm assuming his tummy shrank). And then today he just drank almost 6 oz in a sitting - and has been doing that since bedtime last night. And I know my guy is not a free-feeder, he is actually really good about self-regulating most of the time. ANd when he's not, it comes back up in short order. So my point is that there's plenty of things that can impact eating patterns... just in the last 3 weeks I've seen at least 3 distinct ones, but I have an explanation for all of them.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Happy 7 months to Gavin!!!

He's the baby of this group, there were two others born later than him, but I don't think those mamas are active in this group anymore?? I might be wrong.

7 months...wow. He's a very laid-back baby now. Content to be held and watch things, and sometimes just sit on the floor, in his high chair, or in his saucer and watch all the activities around him. He's really interested in toys, and always wants one in his hand. He's good at pivoting when he's on his tummy, but he's still not a roller! He scootches backwards, but there's no forward movement yet.

He's in between Ian and Connor developmentally. Ian was an avid crawler and pulling up by this age, Connor was delayed in everything. Gavin, as far as I can tell, is just...average! Kind of nice actually









Gavin is loving food, but not really eating it. He wants food on his tray, and he does pick it up and put it in his mouth, but he hasn't eaten enough at one sitting to change his diaper output at all, so evidently most of it is just being finger painted!!

Life, in general, is good in the Block household


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

We're getting mobile here! Viv has figured out how to get her knees underneath her and is rocking pretty well. That third tooth is in too. I am so not ready for her to be at this stage already.


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## coldandsleepy (Aug 5, 2008)

Grey had been stuck at the same point with crawling for about two months... he'd get into a great crawling position, rock, do planks, etcetera, sometimes moving backwards but never getting significantly forward. He pivots, rolls, does all sorts of cool baby tricks but no crawling.

He's been pulling himself up to standing for months now and has started some very tentative cruising, so we just though, hey, maybe he'll skip crawling entirely.

Then yesterday he started to army crawl.

Despite having months to prepare for this... I'm not ready.


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

wow! I can't belive some of us are crawling already. DS just started rolling back to front and then front to back.

He's such a good sitter, though.

Anyone had any pregnancy scares yet? I'm in the middle of one. Not fun.


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 
Anyone had any pregnancy scares yet? I'm in the middle of one. Not fun.

not here... that would require having sex.


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

Quote:

not here... that would require having sex
here, here


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

No way on the pregnancy scares!!!

E is army crawling very quickly and goes from one thing to another. I can't believe I actually pulled out the superyard thingie, my MIL got from her neighbor. We intended to use it to block off the entertainment center, but the LO gets into so many things my older dd never did. So we blocked off a big area and I can sit on the couch or floor with her and she will just play on the floor.

She still topples over sitting up, but can sit for longer than before. But I am still putting a pillow directly behind her because the straight back falls seem to be the worst.

She won't take bottles anymore. I planned to be so much better at that this time around and to have dh help at night, and I never followed through. His back is hurting and he ended up scheduling another physical therapy appointment, so he's really not in much shape to help out anyhow.


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

I know we just covered this, but are you still waiting for teeth to come in? DS is my only child, so I am completely naive at the teething thing, but just this week he's stopped smiling/babbling like normal and makes this boxer face where his lips are all puffy... I'm assuming from his tongue on his gums. Most likely cause he's in pain. More pain? His sleep is already so distraught at night, again assuming from teething.
He'll be 8 months in a few days and there is zero sign of teeth popping through. poor thing... I'm so scared he's gonna get like 4 all at once.

does the teething pain go away after they get these first teeth?


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## Masel (Apr 14, 2008)

How babies react to teeth can vary. My babe got her first teeth at three months. Lots of sound and fury and an ear infection. Starting a month ago I suspected she was teething because of drool but her humor was fine. Suddenly two weeks ago I could see all 4 upper incisors. Now she's getting one of the laterals on the bottom. We've given her a little mortrin at bed time some days but she's taken this vast eruption of teeth like a trooper. DD1 did not like getting teeth at all! So much drama. She didn't seem to be out of teething pain until the second molars came in.

I fear I'm stunting my baby's crawling. I injured my knee two weeks ago so we've been living on the sofa. My house is too messy right now to let her go on the floor. I can't exactly chase her. At least she's getting more face time with me and we've been working on signing.

I have knee surgery tomorrow. (Gulp, Tomorrow!) I won't know until I wake up from the surgery if it was the easy thing of cleaning up the meniscus and I'll be on my feet in a couple days or if they have to do a repair and I'm off my feet for another 6 weeks with 6 weeks of PT. After talking to the ped, surgeon's office and the anesteologist I think I have a good plan for breastfeeding around all the drugs. It seems like there are a lot of otherwise good breastfeeding stories that end with mom having surgery. I've got some pumped milk in the freezer so we should be okay. She's had some bottle of EBM along the way so I know she'll take them eventually.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 

Anyone had any pregnancy scares yet? I'm in the middle of one. Not fun.

Uh, no









Quote:


Originally Posted by *Dmitrizmom* 
not here... that would require having sex.










Quote:


Originally Posted by *KayleeZoo* 
here, here


















that:

I need to have my husband read this, so he realizes that he's not alone in this department!!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mkksmom* 
No way on the pregnancy scares!!!

His back is hurting and he ended up scheduling another physical therapy appointment, so he's really not in much shape to help out anyhow.

My hubby is down with a back issue right now too. And it's frankly really annoying!! Our agreement at night is that I take care of Gavin, but he's supposed to be in charge or Ian and Connor. All he has to do is take them back to bed if they come into our room, but that does require carrying them usually. Well last night of course they were both up (and I was feeding Gavin at the time) and hubby is saying "I can't carry them, my back..". I wanted to snap that I somehow made it through 9 months of pregnancy!!!

Grr!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JordanKX* 
I know we just covered this, but are you still waiting for teeth to come in? DS is my only child, so I am completely naive at the teething thing, but just this week he's stopped smiling/babbling like normal and makes this boxer face where his lips are all puffy... I'm assuming from his tongue on his gums. Most likely cause he's in pain. More pain? His sleep is already so distraught at night, again assuming from teething.
He'll be 8 months in a few days and there is zero sign of teeth popping through. poor thing... I'm so scared he's gonna get like 4 all at once.

does the teething pain go away after they get these first teeth?

My first two were late teethers, got their first at 10 months. Gavin has no sign of teeth yet, I'm hoping he'll wait a few more months!! In my experience, the first 4 are the hardest, then they seem to be easier until the molars start cutting. Connor is cutting some molars right now, and they're really bothering him, poor guy!


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 
wow! I can't belive some of us are crawling already. DS just started rolling back to front and then front to back.

A actually stood yesterday. Pulled himself up into a full stand. Talk about freaking out mama!

As for the pg scare... I've tested a couple times, but no real "scare" there. I'm probably the only one here who'd be thrilled if I were, but after TTC for so long to get A, we decided to let Mother Nature do as she will. We'll see about next month - we DTD the other night and then the next day I was having EWCM.


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
As for the pg scare... I've tested a couple times, but no real "scare" there. I'm probably the only one here who'd be thrilled if I were, but after TTC for so long to get A, we decided to let Mother Nature do as she will. We'll see about next month - we DTD the other night and then the next day I was having EWCM.









i had the baby fever for quite a while thre, but DH and I thought it would be best for DS if we waited.

Now I'm kind of terrified.

Good luck, though! Maybe we'll be in the same DDC again!


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

yep, is 7-8 months burnout time? i've been so annoyed with the hubby lately that i have to make a real point to remember that i'm annoyed at him and not the babe. why it has to be me to hang out with her 24/7, go to her everytime she cries, entertain her all night, change every diaper, wake up every am with her, pack her bag when we travel, clean the highchair...blah blah blah...i don;t know. dh works from home and the "work" is minimal and mostly involves netflix watching so there's no reason i'm the one on call ALL.THE.TIME. plus, his office is upstairs and the "smoking den" so it's not like i can even dump her on him up there. i'm thinking that maybe i should take up smoking, maybe in the basement, so that i can get a break every once in a while. seriously, all i want is an hour to myself. when i tell him he either says something falsely supportive like "of course, you should get a break everyday," (and then it never happens) or something downright annoying like "if you;re so tired why aren't you in bed?" (uh, b/c it's 9 pm and my only time alone!) ugh! yesterday i asked him to watch her for a little so i could go to the post office (my idea of a break) and it never happened. he said he would go instead (he hasn;t yet.)

sorry about the vent. i've been meaning to come up with a list of "demands" instead of just complaining every so often. anybody have a schedule that works? i mean, the babe nurses maybe 5 times a day and once at night/early am so it doesn;t have to be all me anymore, yk? and i keep thinking how he wants more kids and how that is never gonna happen if this continues.

i also have an offer to go back to work part time with the babe in the "baby room" at the same school just yards away. it really would be ideal ands i think ada would actually enjoy being around other babes for a few hours a day (she's really independant and social) but i am in such a rut. i was supposed to call to see if we qualified for childcare assistance and start months ago but i just put it off and put it off. it's like i hate being a sahm but i was never that into working. i dunno....

ada is wonderful though (which makes me feel even worse that i complain about being around her sometimes...because really, she is a dream.) we're on all fours but not really consistantly crawling. it's like she somehow gets slowly across the room but i never see it. i've been meaning to so some basic babyproofing for weeks (get the blind ties up, plug the plugs, etc...). maybe today should be the day?

recent pics
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...d=400612952616


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tzs* 
i've been meaning to so some basic babyproofing for weeks (get the blind ties up, plug the plugs, etc...). maybe today should be the day?

I need to make this my goal for today as well - we don't even have the cabinets blocked. Ok, admitting that was scary. I'm definitely baby proofing the cabinets today - I have the plastic thingys 

have you gone so far as to change your furniture around? we have coffee tables and end tables with scary corners. And part of me is ok with removing them from the house for a bit - my mother in the back of my head is ranting... 'babies need to learn about corners'. I tend to ignore most of the parenting advice my mother offers, but...


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 
wow! I can't belive some of us are crawling already. DS just started rolling back to front and then front to back.

He's such a good sitter, though.

Anyone had any pregnancy scares yet? I'm in the middle of one. Not fun.

Preg scares. Yeah, I'm there. In the past week I was feeling "off". Queasy a few times, smells and tastes being weird. And DH and I did have one less than careful moment lately. . .so I was nervous, still am a little. But I haven't had my period back yet, and N is basically still EBF so the possibility seems remote. I did take a pg test, just to ease my mind. But then again it could be too early. . .when I was pg with N I took a test that was neg only days before getting the + one.

Well, its too soon, but we'd get excited anyway if I was. But I am thinking I'm not. . .I almost wish my cycle would return though so the suspense would be lifted. Of course, I should just be more careful with the bc. . .but you know the moments of intimacy are so few and far between, I hate to interupt them









As for the crawling. . .we are so not there yet! Which is ok by me. . I am in no way baby-proofed. N just started rolling and now that he can escape it with a roll, he won't stay on his tummy at all! Don't know how he's going to learn to crawl. He's never gotten on hands and knees, but he does have a funny scooting things he does on his back where he pushes off with his feet and kinda inches upwards. He doesn't pull up yet either. . .but I figure he's so big, its gonna take him awhile. He's also just pretty content to play with toys or his hands where he is. . .it hasn't dawned on him that even better things can be accessed by moving! Once that realization hits him, I'm done for! lol


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JordanKX* 
I know we just covered this, but are you still waiting for teeth to come in? DS is my only child, so I am completely naive at the teething thing, but just this week he's stopped smiling/babbling like normal and makes this boxer face where his lips are all puffy... I'm assuming from his tongue on his gums. Most likely cause he's in pain. More pain? His sleep is already so distraught at night, again assuming from teething.
He'll be 8 months in a few days and there is zero sign of teeth popping through. poor thing... I'm so scared he's gonna get like 4 all at once.

does the teething pain go away after they get these first teeth?

Definitely sounds like teething. N made all sorts of weird faces the week he was teething the worst, I wasn't sure what was going on and then overnight there was a tooth (after a week of fussy, fussy baby) and then within two days another tooth. He has been super happy since they poked through, but in the past couple days he is making weird faces/mouth movements again (we call it the old man with dentures faces) and he stopped saying "babababa" which he has been doing for a couple weeks. So I think he may be getting the top teeth now. But he doesn't seem as miserable as with the first two.

N really likes to suck on ice chips. Also you can give them frozen fruit in those mesh feeder things.


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

ok, babyproofing goal is delayed until tomorrow but we did manage the post-office today.
i'm just doing the blind ties and electrical socket thingees. the "old-me" always thought to not do the socket plugs and just teach them but i dunno, now that i see her enthralled by all electrical cords the "new-me" is going to get some safety devices. and then my mom-to-9 friend reminded me about the cabinets and said that was the one thing she did. oh...and i think i might secure the bookcases.
am i missing anything, ladies?
i don;t want to go overboard. i'm leaving edges etc... and i've been instructed to teach babies to back down stairs as soon as they can crawl (although how to do that, i have yet to find out. plus, our home came with a built in baby/dog-gate.)


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## StrongFeather (Mar 13, 2009)

The other night I finally sat down and typed up a little blurb how Sam and I are doing, and then thinking I was going to spell check it, well, my precious little moment of any update dispappeared like that. I was more than sad about it. I have been waiting weeks to write to you Mommas!

Sam hasn't been to the Pedi since the first week in March. I did the ever popular step on the scale and then step off, pick up the baby step back on, method and he came out at 21-22lbs. I am guessing that he is 28-29 inches tall. Sam is THIS close to crawling. He can effectively roll from one end of the room to another, pivot turn, roll again. He is a man on the move, he sees some place he wants to be and he can get there. Crawling backwards makes him mad, but it's all he's been able to do lately.

Some days Sam likes food, and will grace me by opening his mouth for a bite once in a awhile, and yes the poops have changed.. maybe a little consitpated. Just itty bitty poops the past couple days. What do do about that? I think I am going to try more self feeding methods. i am still kind of lost inthe whole how to feed my chikd thing. Nothing I have read really seems to help me.

Well, it's my turn to go help Sam to bed. What happened, he used to go to sleep with one try, and the past week he has fought me for almost every single naptime, and bedtime for the past week! I am really starting to wonder if I am doing something wrong. Is there a 9 month sleep thingy??

ok i am not spell checking


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

Quote:

I am really starting to wonder if I am doing something wrong. Is there a 9 month sleep thingy??
IME, 8-9mos is when my babies start to figure out that going to sleep means missing out on play/stimulation/fun







They protest because they are figuring out cause and effect- it's way more boring to go to sleep than play and interact with mama! I don't give in to protesting crying- if I know baby is sleepy, then they get to fuss a bit and go to sleep (distressed crying is different, but "Hey, I wanna play some more even though I'm tired!" complaining gets ignored around here) and pretty soon, they start asking to be put down when they're sleepy. For my older girls, that started around 11-12mos. For DS it took waayy longer, but he was sleep deprived for so long (my fault







) that it took him longer to figure out that sleeping was a good thing.


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## Masel (Apr 14, 2008)

I was going to mention. No pregnancy scares but because of the knee surgery I've been asked several times if there is any chance I could be pregnant. I overshared with the first nice lady who asked (10 years no BC, adoption, miracle baby etc.) and now I just laugh and say I have a 7 month old.


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

Arggh, I had to share with those who can truly understand and appreciate-

2 nights in a row! She slept 2 nights in a row! 8.5 hours Tuesday without waking once- put the binky back in and back to sleep for another 1.5 hours, 9.5 hours last night, put the binky back in and back to sleep for another 2.5 hours!!!! I hardly know how to act, but I'm







that's for sure


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *KayleeZoo* 
Arggh, I had to share with those who can truly understand and appreciate-

2 nights in a row! She slept 2 nights in a row! 8.5 hours Tuesday without waking once- put the binky back in and back to sleep for another 1.5 hours, 9.5 hours last night, put the binky back in and back to sleep for another 2.5 hours!!!! I hardly know how to act, but I'm







that's for sure

I'm jealous!!! We're in a pattern now of 2 wakes for food and one big one around 4-5 where he will not go back to sleep. He cries, he writhes, he squirms, he's very unhappy. This is where the tylenol comes in. I hate it - but it seems to be the only thing that helps. So, suffering through 20 minutes before it kicks in. Poor guy. At least we're getting used to the "schedule" and aren't surprised when it happens.
Sorry. Didn't mean to rain on your parade.

LUCKY YOU!! YAY!!!!! Congrats


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

JORDANKX, big big hugs to you and little guy







When we were struggling with teeth and a nasty cold last week, I was right there with ya and the Tylenol and wakeful, grouchy times. Hope he's on the upswing and sleeping/feeling better soon!!!


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## dosergirl (Feb 6, 2009)

I'm bad at logging into Mothering at all these days,with my blog and real life, time escapes me.

So..Coraline will be a whopping 8 months old on the 16th of May, which is fast approaching. She has her first tooth, lower front and more are coming in as well. She can crawl where ever she wants to go, she is fast and hillarious although she is still in the army crawl and not off her belly. doesn't stop her from getting into anything. She really wants to walk.
she says Bah Bah Bah all the time, dances to music (she has been doing that forever) and has learned this month to throw a temper tantrum when she does not get what she wants.

Teething has been pretty ok for us, I can't complain, no sleepless nights or anything of the sort, just a little sour baby on a few occasions. I feel like she will be walking and talking any day now. time has gone by so fast. Oh and she is super tall and still fairly skinny. Her 6 month well baby had her at 29.5 inches and 17 lbs. of course she has grown since then but that put her in the 99.8 percentile for height. buying clothes for a tall skinny baby is pretty hard.

i think that is about all, or all i can think of really quick with this minute i am giving myself for an update while dh cooks dinner and makes muffins.

dinner!
haha


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

to all you ladies, Nothing new going on here.

Just the mention of Tylenol though, wanted to be sure you ladies are aware that Tylenol and Motrin have both been recalled. So make sure to check your bottles against the recall list.


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## diana_of_the_dunes (Dec 7, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
I agree - the formula calculations by weight are way off. In part because there's essentially a cap on how much the babe should be eating, and that's usually between 30 and 40 oz. I will say when he was getting all BM he was eating less than he is now with the formula/BM mix, but the difference is not that extreme (until today, but I think he's spurting).

As for him nursing so much at night, he's probably reverse cycling, and I wouldn't discourage it, since that can really help keep your supply going.

I can tell you that on a normal day, up until about 2 weeks ago, A was taking no more than 4 oz at a sitting. Then for about 2 weeks it was no more than 3 oz (he got sick and barely ate for 2 days, I had to force-feed him, so I'm assuming his tummy shrank). And then today he just drank almost 6 oz in a sitting - and has been doing that since bedtime last night. And I know my guy is not a free-feeder, he is actually really good about self-regulating most of the time. ANd when he's not, it comes back up in short order. So my point is that there's plenty of things that can impact eating patterns... just in the last 3 weeks I've seen at least 3 distinct ones, but I have an explanation for all of them.

Ugh, sorry it took me so long to get back on here. Life has been crazy, and I have NO time. We got our chicks this week, so I've been busy playing with them, plus my usual chores of keeping the house in decent condition and giving Ethan lots of love...









I've never let Ethan just eat as much as he wants. Even 5 oz seems like a lot, considering that a baby's tummy is the size of their fist. I do know htat after about 4.5 oz, if you take the bottle away, he doesn't complain. He'd just happily take another one if you presented it. But he's always LOVED to suck, and I think that's part of it. We're still using preemie nipples so that it takes longer for him to eat and he can have his sucking needs taken care of without stuffing himself.

This week I stopped the 2 oz supplements before I leave for work and in the middle of the night that we tried as an experiment. He doesn't seem to miss it, and his sleep patterns haven't changed. He most likely has reverse-cycled a bit, which stinks for me, but is good for him and my supply. I'm almost to the point where I might be willing to give up BFing if it meant I could get some sleep. But there's no guarantee it would make a difference. Plus, I just don't want to give him formula if I'm _able_ to nurse. It seems kind of silly to buy something I'm perfectly capable of producing, kwim?

Also, the experiment where my mom or DH took the baby when he got up for his first nighttime feeding? Total failure once I was home by myself. If someone else is holding him, he'll sleep. If I'm there... Forget it. Oh well. It was a nice thought.









I'm amazed that some of these babies are crawling. And standing. And _crusing_!! Ethan can't even get his Buddah-belly off the ground!


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY EVERYONE!!!!  Yay!!!

8 months.. that's just craziness! New things going on...
- the worm. not a crawl. not army crawl. it's the worm - plop on the belly and then up on all fours. and he's FAST!!
- I don't know if I'd call Rowan's "tantrums", but they're definitely meltdowns. Meltdown when dinner is over. Meltdown when I put him down or walk out of the room.
- Serious mommy-itis. He's always been a somewhat independent kiddo, loves his saucer/bouncer, being on the floor. He will still bounce, but anything else, he'd really rather me hold him. He wants to be on the floor surrounded by his toys, but in my lap. but on the floor. but in my lap. up, down, up down. And, much to DP's ick.... he wants momma. Not daddy. :-(
- tilting the head to the side? So adorable. One of those times when I compare a baby to a dog, but seriously, that's what he looks like... what'choo lookin at? love it.
- blah blah ba ma ba vra ra ma ma... and then smacks his lips like an old man (no teeth here!)
- he eats Everything! Staying away from scary allergy-potentials like berries, tomatoes, shellfish, etc... he eats pretty much what we eat. veggie chunks, pasta with sauce, ground chicken and pork. He'll eat puree's but really would rather chunks of food that he can gum to death. BUT no pincher grasp. He can barely pick up food on his own and what he does doesn't make it to his mouth. He loves the spoon, so.... what'ya do.

Good times!  8 months...wow.


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## HarperCait (Jan 14, 2008)

So, I haven't posted in a while, but here's my news. I don't know where else to post this, but I'm feelung the need for some moral support!!
(hope you guys are all well!!)

So basically they botched my episiotomy: they sewed me up far too tightly, and then somehow my stitches went under my skin and the skin healed over top, and the stitches never dissolved.

I can't have sex at all because it's like I have a series of spikes under my skin inside the vag, and the opening is uncomfortably small anyway. There is also now a large buildup of scar tissue, like a hard lump, along the inside.

I was checked at 6 weeks and brought it up and told that everything seemed fine. There may have been a language barrier issue (I'm in quebec and speak to my doc in french-my second language- only). But I insisted on going back a few weeks ago, 6 months post partum, and the doctor realized I was right and has now scheduled me for surgery to correct the problems.

I will have to have the episiotomy redone, scar tissue and 'foreign materials' removed, as well as another epidural and another 6 weeks of healing. I am starting to feel really scared about the surgery as it approaches.









Has anyone gone through something similar??


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Oh gosh, HarperCait! It's so good to hear from you-- I was about to turn the computer off when I saw your name. I'm sorry to hear that they screwed up your episiotomy







: I hope the surgery fixes it. Once it's fixed I'm sure it will be so much better than now.







s!


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

big news here is that I'm most likely quitting my job on monday. I've never been so conflicted-- but then I don' t think I've had to make a huge decision like this before. I'm hoping that my SAHMing for a bit will translate into a happier baby, husband and me, but I'm not so sure (see thread in personal growth).

The long and short of it is that I hate my job, I don't have a whole lot to loose, I guess.


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

Oh HarperCait, that just sucks







I'm so sorry that you're dealing with all of that. Hopefully the surgery won't be too bad and you'll be in much better shape when it's over and you're healed properly ((hugs))


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

HarperCait - I will be thinking of you and hope that the surgery can set things right. Stinks that they didn't listen to you in the first place! :/

Texmati - hoping that the change will make things better for you and your family.

In our news, tooth 4 has erupted.







Viv is much happier since it got thru.


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

HarperCait- That really stinks. I can tell you that with this LO I had an episiotomy and it healed much more quickly than the tearing with my older dd, so hopefully you'll have the same experience. You'd think if it were done right, it can't possibly be as bad as the first time around. (((Hugs)))

Texmati- Good luck SAHMing and don't be discouraged if it takes some time to adjust. It did for me, but that was 6 years ago now and I don't want to go back.

My little Bunny is crazy this week. She's not sleeping, was up every hour last night, so I slept in 30-40 min stretches. Then she woke int he early hours of the morning and wouldn't go back down. But she has started doing a million things this week. Pulled up to standing, said momma, clapping and raising her arms for "so big" and Wed. she was dancing like this dancing monkey on a loud musical toy my parents got my older dd as a baby. My older dd did the same thing... learned to dance by imitating the monkey. They love that thing. Then today she was pulling on her hair (she's obsessed with hair-- my hair is her lovey, but her own hair will do sometimes) and I was saying "hair. that's hair" and she said hair. I was like no way. The water was running at the time (was washing dishes) and so then dh came home and she was tugging on my hair so I said hair and she repeated it, and dh heard it too. She looked at me and smiled the proud look she gives when she is showing off her new skills. So all that fun makes the lack of sleep worth it... sorta. What a whirlwind of a week though.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

HarperCait -









mkksmom - talking?!?! Oh my!

Well, it seems we've gone from no teeth to 4 teeth in about a week and a half. He cut his top 2 together a few days ago, and one bottom one cut today, with it's neighbor not far behind it. I'm at my wit's end at this point with the no sleeping. Yesterday he only slept when I put him in the car for a ride, and today he got 45 min total - was up for 14 hrs.

And he woke up while I was typing that - this does not bode well for getting sleep tonight. <sigh>


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
I'm at my wit's end at this point with the no sleeping. Yesterday he only slept when I put him in the car for a ride, and today he got 45 min total - was up for 14 hrs.

uh, yeah. Today is day 3 of NO NAP. Yesterday Rowan finally slept a bit when I put him in the car and drove around. But the minute, I mean The Instant we got home, he was awake again. You just look at him going... seriously, aren't you tired??? Yeesh. Today, nada. And it's nearly 5pm. What is going on?? (cause he's not super happy either... he totally gets 'cranky', ya know?).


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

I hear ya'll on the no naps.. DS had gone from sleeping at 7 to sleeping at 10 or 11.

In other news... I *think* I might be preggers-- faint faint faint line on a dollar tree test. I'm still of two minds about quitting my job-- a huge financial hit for us, but we could manage for a year or so. On the other hand, even after a week of not working, I feel so refreshed that I"m getting excited about going back. Oh how I wish I could go part time! I *have* to make a decision by monday though.


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

Harper, so sorry about your epi stitches. Ugh, how frustrating that they didn't listen to you in the first place. I hope your surgery goes smoothly and that you heal properly.









Texmati, congratulations on your next LO! I don't really know all the details about work but I'll say this. I could not wait for my maternity leave and loved every minute of my 3 mths at home. I dreaded going back to work but once I got back I thought, 'oh it wasn't as bad as I thought. must have been the hormones'. Well, I'm back to hating my job and it's not b/c of hormones. I think that if you really hate your job and nothing has changed there, then you should go forward with being a SAHM. You're happy now and it's *because* you're *not* at work anymore. Anyway, my two cents.

Things here are going good. Lake is such a social baby. He lets pretty much anyone hold him. And he's a big flirt! He's crawling now and starting to mimic words. DH told the dogs to "come on" and Lake repeated it! He has said dada for months now and finally said mama last week. This might be TMI but this morning he said "dada did poopoo". I told DH but he didn't believe me. It's true though! I cannot believe how big he's getting. Time is flying by.


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *newmomroxi* 
This might be TMI but this morning he said "dada did poopoo". I.

wow!!!! that's amazing! (not about the poopoo, about the talking already!







)


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 
I hear ya'll on the no naps.. DS had gone from sleeping at 7 to sleeping at 10 or 11.

In other news... I *think* I might be preggers-- faint faint faint line on a dollar tree test. I'm still of two minds about quitting my job-- a huge financial hit for us, but we could manage for a year or so. On the other hand, even after a week of not working, I feel so refreshed that I"m getting excited about going back. Oh how I wish I could go part time! I *have* to make a decision by monday though.


Did you retest yet? Was the line gray or pinkish? Maybe congrats.







If you want a test to see if you can handle quitting financially, then you could take a month and have your checks deposited right into savings. Then stay out of stores. No shopping just to get out of the house. And see how things go. That's we did for the last few months I was working... 6 years ago.

I couldn't believe the talking either. She has said hair again each day and doesn't say momma and dada very much now. Know what I miss though? She has been so busy that she isn't giggling as much as before. Tons of smiles and breathy type giggles, but no belly laughs like before. Can't wait until she gets back to laughing. She doesn't give me more than one or two 3-4 hour stretches of sleep at night (2 long stretches is a rare treat), but thankfully she is still napping during the day. I have to walk her in the stroller or wear her, but she will sleep. I wish I could nap too. Next year I will. I have been homeschooling my older dd for kindergarten, but I am putting her back in public school for first grade. I dread it, but I think it's best. I do look forward to having some one-on-one time with the little one too.


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *newmomroxi* 
Texmati, congratulations on your next LO! I don't really know all the details about work but I'll say this. I could not wait for my maternity leave and loved every minute of my 3 mths at home. I dreaded going back to work but once I got back I thought, 'oh it wasn't as bad as I thought. must have been the hormones'. Well, I'm back to hating my job and it's not b/c of hormones. I think that if you really hate your job and nothing has changed there, then you should go forward with being a SAHM. You're happy now and it's *because* you're *not* at work anymore. Anyway, my two cents.
\\


This is exactly what happened to me. I'd been back about a month and a half before I was like ooooh this sucks.

Now DS is even more clingy it hurts to leave him home. Plus work is heating up, so I can;t just sleep through it the way I was previously. I also feel like I"m going nowhere in my career, and other aspects of my life, and I just want some time to relax and focus on me and my family. What scares me is that this is not sustainable forever financially, and I know I'll want to go back to work in the next year or so. (or two, if I"m pregnant!)

Enough ranting!

I can't belive there are some LO's that are talking already! DS has started rolling reliably-- although he doesn't really roll *to* anything. no teeth yet.

I've taken 3 tests, and they all show a light fainter than faint, but def present line. i'm considering making a dr's appointment for a blood test.

Meanwhile-- I just pumped and got almost nothing for fresh milk tomorrow, and my freezer stash is dwindling. Crossing my fingers that it will be better pumping tomorrow.


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Texmati--congrats! (maybe) a faint line on a dollar tree test was my first clue about my LO. So in my experience they are accurate! Any line usually means positive. Sounds like maybe the job quitting was timely. Make sure you find some good support--other moms and friends. I found a place to go to parent groups and baby classes etc and it really saved me. . .it was a great way to meet other moms and not feel too isolated. I love being a SAHM, but it can be lonely and even boring at times (not boring like nothing to do of course, but boring like no adult conversation).

And your not getting much milk pumping could also be a sign of pg. Good luck!


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## sugarpop (Feb 12, 2009)

Texmati--Congrats. Are you hopeful? shocked?
I am a SAHM and some days I love it...I bet I would love everyday more if I had to experience leaving Sophia to go to work. Money can be tight - is tight, who am I kidding. Unfortunately I decided to run up 30k in student loans to be a stay at home mom...but if I ever pay that off it will get easier. We have made some sacrifices, but I have no regrets. DH has a car, I don't, but I walk probably 12miles a week, so I am in great shape and have NO baby weight, actually in better shape than when I got pg! If you can swing it and think you would enjoy it...I say go for it!

I can't believe some LOs are talking! Sophia is no where near talking. However, she does growl like a monster. We went to visit her Great Grandma in her retirement home, and Sophia growled at EVERYONE! And then this week she started snorting. Not just a little either, I mean full on pig snorts! It is so funny. She scrunches up her face almost touches her top lip to her nose and snorts. I will try to get some video on you tube for you all...everyone needs to enjoy my little piggie!

She has three teeth and is starting on the forth! She crawls and pulls her self up. She is a bit of a dare devil and is trying to let go of me and stand on her own. She loves food, or loves to mush it up and spit it back out. She eats way better at Grandma's than at my home. Maybe b/c at grandma's someone is always eating. Big family, all different schedules, someone is always coming and going, eating and sharing. She hates purees so I just don't really bother. I hope I am watching out for the right foods to avoid. It is hard when she refuses to eat "her" food and wants mine!

OH and DH and I had our first outing without Sophia! It was so nice, we were gone for 2 hours, had a bite to eat and bought a couple books (about attachment parenting). I am still working on getting DH on board with my ideas. The co sleeping bothers him at times and he wants to know "when" she will sleep in her crib and when in her room. My thoughts...well I have never heard of a teenager that still sleeps with their parents lol. I told him if he wanted to get up 6 times a night then we could put her in a crib in our room. Three times to get her and three times to lay her back down. Otherwise, so long as she was nursing throughout the night...she was sleeping with me!

Ok I am rambling...pictures and video soon!

ETA:


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Just made the decision to stay at work. I will revisit in three months. Part of what is driving this is just that I feel we'd be able to afford more help when I'm huge and pregnant. That and a lot of other factors... i wish I could say I was 100% on this decsion, but I'm not.

About the pregnancy-- I feel guilty. For my DS. He's kind of needy, and I can tell that the change is going to be tough on him, especially if my milk supply dwindles. He still doesn't eat solids, and he doesn't have any teeth. But he loves milks!

Congrats on your first outing alone sugarpop! we tried that this weekend as well (total disaster!) We were called back after an hour, DS sobbing. I guess he's just not ready to be left totally yet.


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## StrongFeather (Mar 13, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *HarperCait* 
So, I haven't posted in a while, but here's my news. I don't know where else to post this, but I'm feelung the need for some moral support!!
(hope you guys are all well!!)

So basically they botched my episiotomy: they sewed me up far too tightly, and then somehow my stitches went under my skin and the skin healed over top, and the stitches never dissolved.

I can't have sex at all because it's like I have a series of spikes under my skin inside the vag, and the opening is uncomfortably small anyway. There is also now a large buildup of scar tissue, like a hard lump, along the inside.

I was checked at 6 weeks and brought it up and told that everything seemed fine. There may have been a language barrier issue (I'm in quebec and speak to my doc in french-my second language- only). But I insisted on going back a few weeks ago, 6 months post partum, and the doctor realized I was right and has now scheduled me for surgery to correct the problems.

I will have to have the episiotomy redone, scar tissue and 'foreign materials' removed, as well as another epidural and another 6 weeks of healing. I am starting to feel really scared about the surgery as it approaches.









Has anyone gone through something similar??

My Goodness! I am so sorry this happened to you! I wish you lots of healthy healing vibes







I had some pain "down there" pretty bad that we didn't DTD for awhile, but nothing touches that. I hope it all goes well for you.
keep us posted.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

HarperCait...something sorta similar happened to me after my first. My episiotomy somehow re-opened about a week and a half post partum. I told my OB (who was family practice and was seeing Ian for jaundice) and she said "give it time, we'll check it at your 6 week appt". At my 6 week appt, she looked and said "oh wow, that didn't heal well at all!" She still thought that more time was all it needed.

Fast forward to a year, my next pap. New dr (old one had moved). Sex still hurt each time, I bled each time. The new dr said that it definitely had not healed correctly, and I had two choices. A revision, like you're describing (either an epidural or local, re-cut the episiotomy, and re-stitch it) OR she said I could wait until I had another baby, it would almost certain re-tear, and they'd fix it then. I chose the latter. I did indeed tear again along my old scar line, and they re-stitched it and it was fine the second time.

Now, I didn't have to deal with "foreign material" like you are, so that complicates things obviously. I hope the surgery goes well and you heal great this time!!!

******

Gavin is doing well. He is eating more solids now and really enjoying them!! He had some trouble pooping yesterday after eating some home-made squash, so I'm going to watch him carefully and cut back the solids a bit. He wasn't constipated, he just had to work some.

Sleep is so variable, it's driving me nuts!!! Last night was a horrible night, he would fall asleep nursing, but I couldn't get him out of my arms for HOURS. Every time I tried to lay him down, he woke up immediately. I tried to enlist my husband's help, but then Connor woke up and we had to deal with two kids awake and crying. Finally at 3am I got Gavin down, of course Connor woke up at 4am. It was a LONG night. Yet last week, he slept basically through the night twice in a row...so what gives??? Ugh!!! Usually I can handle long nights pretty well, I've been doing it for over 5 years now, but for some reason last night really got to me. I found myself laying there hating my husband.

Anyway...no teeth yet, which I expected since Ian and Connor cut their first at 10 months.

He's a pro sitter, no issues with falling over, but still no real purposeful movement. He can get up on all fours, but doesn't go anywhere or do anything. He prefers to sit rather than be on his tummy. I did notice yesterday that he was sort of scooting while sitting. I left him on the floor with some toys, and I came back to see him facing a different direction and several feet away playing with a different toy. But he was still sitting up, he hadn't gotten to his tummy. I think he rocks in a sitting position and scoots that way.

I did finally cut his hair, it was inches long, touching his shoulder blades when wet. So I cut it. Basically I just trimmed along the edges and he now has a "bowl cut". It's pretty cute!


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2boyzmama* 
I did finally cut his hair, it was inches long, touching his shoulder blades when wet. So I cut it. Basically I just trimmed along the edges and he now has a "bowl cut". It's pretty cute!

Hair? WOW. Rowan has no hair. Well, a few new whisps of hair to at least prove that his follicles work  But no, no hair. It's the one thing that keeps him very "baby" looking, so I'm not complaining.

Finally after pains and icks and arghs, I think there are signs of teef coming in. The corner of the bottom right has poked through the skin and I can see the bottom left just under the skin. Oh fingers crossed that this will alleviate some of the 'unhappy baby' that's been going on recently.

Suddenly naps are... off. Rowan used to be a clock about naps, the past week he isn't taking a morning nap. He'll sleep for the time the car is moving, if I drive around about the time of his normal nap, but it's not deep and he'll wake the minute the car stops. So he takes One nap, about an hour, earlier in the afternoon.
Seems awfully early to be down to one nap?!?!


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## StrongFeather (Mar 13, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JordanKX* 
Hair? WOW. Rowan has no hair. Well, a few new whisps of hair to at least prove that his follicles work  But no, no hair. It's the one thing that keeps him very "baby" looking, so I'm not complaining.

Finally after pains and icks and arghs, I think there are signs of teef coming in. The corner of the bottom right has poked through the skin and I can see the bottom left just under the skin. Oh fingers crossed that this will alleviate some of the 'unhappy baby' that's been going on recently.

Suddenly naps are... off. Rowan used to be a clock about naps, the past week he isn't taking a morning nap. He'll sleep for the time the car is moving, if I drive around about the time of his normal nap, but it's not deep and he'll wake the minute the car stops. So he takes One nap, about an hour, earlier in the afternoon.
Seems awfully early to be down to one nap?!?!

it's probably the teeth. Sam abandoned naps the week before and during cutting them. Don't worry they come back! at least they did until the NEXT tooth...


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JordanKX* 
Suddenly naps are... off. Rowan used to be a clock about naps, the past week he isn't taking a morning nap. He'll sleep for the time the car is moving, if I drive around about the time of his normal nap, but it's not deep and he'll wake the minute the car stops. So he takes One nap, about an hour, earlier in the afternoon.
Seems awfully early to be down to one nap?!?!

Definitely the teeth. It hurts to be in a horizontal position, so they don't like sleeping while teething. Today I had him down twice, started to sneak away and both times I got less than a foot before he announced quite plainly that he was awake and staying that way (he flipped and got up on his knees).







Since I was looking forward to my own nap both times, I was not pleased. And bedtime was tough... from the moment we took him in the bedroom to change his dipe he screamed and screamed and screamed until I got him on the boob. I wound up having to finish diapering him while DH was holding him, and putting a different dipe on him (not his usual night-time dipe) just because it was quicker. And then I got him to sleep on the boob, transferred him and he woke up screaming 5 times before he finally stayed asleep more than 2 minutes. And all this is after a dose of Motrin. It's been a tough evening.

Not a lot going on here, he's cutting tooth #4, he's crawling like mad. And he actually crawled down off the couch correctly today (feet-first). Of course, he also crawled off head first at least once, but I'll take what I can get.









He's such a fan of baby signing time that i've ordered the entire set of signing time DVDs. I'm learning it with him (I've taken college level ASL before - years ago, so some of it is review), and who knows, it may present an employment opportunity at some point.

And solids - today at lunch he had some refried beans (he demanded them off my plate last night and seemed to like them even though they had cumin and chili powder in them), plantain, beet, cheese. He spat out the beet, but he actually swallowed small bits of the others, which I think may be the first time he's actually swallowed his food. Oh, and he loves nori. He went through almost an entire sheet of it today. It looks really strange in his diaper, but he enjoys it and it keeps him from demanding my lunch, so...

As for nursing... we're down to about once a day (bedtime), although he nursed twice today. He is still asking for it, but I'm starting to realize that while we improved his latch after he was clipped, we never fully corrected it, which would explain why I was never able to really relactate. We made it almost to 7 mos on pure BM, and since then we've been on mixed in a 3:1 ratio. Starting tomorrow though we're going to straight formula - I just heard from my last remaining (big) donor that she's decided to stop pumping, and she had given away her freezer stash to someone else. So I have to make what I have left in the freezer (not much) last. So my plan is to give him BM once a day from here on out, for as long as I can make it last. I do get fresh 4x/week, so I'll only be using the freezer stash the remaining 3x/week, so hopefully I can make it last a while. I'm debating whether I want to go back to making his formula... I just feel guilty using the storebought, but I also know how much work making it is, and if I'm honest it's too much work at this stage. But that doesn't help with the feelings of guilt.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Some pictures!!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...5&id=634508169 I have no idea what face Gavin is making in this picture, but it's appropriate, it looks like he's growling like a tiger







This is probably the best picture of all three kids together that I've taken so far!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...5&id=634508169 I have a picture of Connor in the tiger's paw when he was a few months old, so it's neat to have both pictures!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...5&id=634508169 This one is funny, it shows the size difference (or lack of difference!) between my 7 month old and my 3 year old!! Gavin is 19-20 pounds (ish, bathroom scale!) and Connor is 25 pounds









http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...5&id=634508169 Remember, I just recently cut his hair, it was awfully long before!

God I hope he's teething, because this is ridiculous!!! He goes to sleep easily, and stays asleep for 2-3 hours at first, but then around 12-1am he wakes up and for the life of me I can't get him back down! He'll fall asleep nursing in my arms, but I can't get him out of my arms. I also can't lay down, because if I side-lie nurse with him, first of all *I* don't sleep well, but also he doesn't ever STOP nursing, then he overeats, refluxes (since he's flat instead of in his inclined bed), fusses, etc. This lasts for hours! Usually I can get him finally back in his bed around 4am or so, but of course I get up sometime around 6am to go to work. And, to top it off, Ian and Connor have been waking up at night again.

Needless to say, I'm a tired mama.

I'm pretty used to functioning with little sleep, none of my kids have been good sleepers, and I just deal with it. But it's catching up to me right now. I go in cycles with my tolerance of no sleep. Work is a little stressful right now (big projects with time crunches!) plus I'm always dealing with issues with Connor (school issues, therapy and dr appts, the "norm" but it's just constant!!), and my husband is struggling with trying to finish up his degree and having trouble doing it because of just life.

We have a full summer of activities coming up, and it's looming in front of me stressing me out. I don't easily stress out, but I feel myself on the verge right now.

But I know myself, I'll have a mini-melt-down in the shower sometime soon (why always the shower?? Who knows







) then I'll gather myself up and be okay again.









Still little movement here, although his butt scooting (from forceful rocking) is getting more precise. He does get on his hands and knees, but doesn't seem to connect that he can move from that position. For a while he was pushing backwards and pivoting on his tummy, but he prefers the butt scoot method right now.

I have to say I'm okay with the lack of mobility







I always heard other parents say that about subsequent kids, and now I understand it! It is nice to put him down with a toy or two and walk away knowing that he'll still be there! I was excited for Ian to get mobile (since he was my first), and Connor was in physical therapy to learn how to crawl/walk so we deliberately worked on that with him (because of hypotonia). Gavin? He can take his time. I'm cool


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
As for nursing... we're down to about once a day (bedtime), although he nursed twice today. He is still asking for it, but I'm starting to realize that while we improved his latch after he was clipped, we never fully corrected it, which would explain why I was never able to really relactate. We made it almost to 7 mos on pure BM, and since then we've been on mixed in a 3:1 ratio. Starting tomorrow though we're going to straight formula - I just heard from my last remaining (big) donor that she's decided to stop pumping, and she had given away her freezer stash to someone else. So I have to make what I have left in the freezer (not much) last. So my plan is to give him BM once a day from here on out, for as long as I can make it last. I do get fresh 4x/week, so I'll only be using the freezer stash the remaining 3x/week, so hopefully I can make it last a while. I'm debating whether I want to go back to making his formula... I just feel guilty using the storebought, but I also know how much work making it is, and if I'm honest it's too much work at this stage. But that doesn't help with the feelings of guilt.









cristeen







s! Out of all the women I know IRL and MDC, I think that you are on of the most dedicated when it comes to feeding and nursing your son. You have absolutely nothing to feel guilty about! Being a mom is a total package, and I can tell from your posts you are doing a wonderful job for your son-- in terms of feeding him (solids and milk), and everything else!

I'm so sorry to hear about your last big donor. I've noticed my supply dropping, and I am doing similar calculations as you. (Should I push solids vs adding more formula, should I ration out what's left of our freezer stash, ect.) Not fun.


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2boyzmama* 
Some pictures!!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...5&id=634508169 I have no idea what face Gavin is making in this picture, but it's appropriate, it looks like he's growling like a tiger







This is probably the best picture of all three kids together that I've taken so far!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...5&id=634508169 I have a picture of Connor in the tiger's paw when he was a few months old, so it's neat to have both pictures!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...5&id=634508169 This one is funny, it shows the size difference (or lack of difference!) between my 7 month old and my 3 year old!! Gavin is 19-20 pounds (ish, bathroom scale!) and Connor is 25 pounds









http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...5&id=634508169 Remember, I just recently cut his hair, it was awfully long before!

2boyz... I think your links are all the same. fyi.
But hey that's okay... Gavin sure is a cutie


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

Cristeen, you deserve a big pat on the back. Sometimes freeing up extra time to be a more relaxed mama is more important to a baby than anything else. At least that's what I told myself when I decided I really hate washing diapers and can't keep up with laundry and housecleaning as it is. I ordered some nature babycare diapers because I felt bad, but I seriously have no energy these days, and we are having a town-wide yardsale in 2 weeks or so and I have no energy to prepare. LO is just not sleeping well these days. I did get 5 hours out of her one night this week, but I made the mistake of winding down for an hour and not sleeping.

I just ordered a Maya Tie to try and see if it's more comfy around the arms and shoulders than my Ergo, so maybe that will help me got more done. I am seriously addicted to carriers this time around. With my first I had a very crappy Nojo sling, which I never used an a bjorn. Then I got the Ergo and was all set. But I loved how the moby distributed her weight and I love the back carry inthe Ergo minus the feeling of the straps around my chest. Hopefully this will help.

I have a tough choice to make and so nervous about creating BFing problems. I have a mercury filling with some decay under it. It's deep and I would have to have a root canal most likely if I wait to have it out. I found a holistic dentist who will take all of the precautions to make sure I am exposed to very little mercury. He says none really, but I don't believe that. He found another tooth right next to that one with decay under a filling that needs to be taken care of as well. I have one more mercury filling on that side that is just fine. He says I might as well have it removed now while he has me numb. I have read that you should only mess with them if you have to while BFing and that you need to pump and dump for 2 days after. LO doesn't take bottles very well. It's going to break my heart to have to cut her off suddenly. She won't understand why. Part of me wants to just take my chances, but I don't like root canals so I could lose the tooth. I'm so afraid of creating a nursing strike. I know even with pumping, my supply will drop.
Some even say to pump for 3 days. I had to have a wisdom tooth pulled with my older dd, and pumped and dumped for 1 day and it was tough. She was just 8 weeks old and took bottles at the time. Just like this LO, I got lazy with keeping up with bottles/pumping and they both started refusing them. I wish I had my dh's healthy teeth. He drinks soda, eats candy, and brushes once a day.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JordanKX* 
2boyz... I think your links are all the same. fyi.
But hey that's okay... Gavin sure is a cutie 

Hmm...it's 4 pictures in an album of 5, before when I posted a link to the album, it only let people see one picture. So I thought I had to post the link to each picture.

Guess not! Can you scroll through the album? If not, which pic do you see?

Oh well...friend me and you can see them all


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## ~Caitlyn~ (Mar 19, 2009)

Hi Mamas!!!

I havent posted here in too long... but, I have been reading (I have the thread emailed to me) and I've been here in spirit









Little update:
Emma was 7 months old on the 8th - one of the babies of the group. We've started solids a little.. we skipped cereal for the most part, and we will share bananas, avacado, etc with her. When she goes to her grandparents house to visit, we send some "Happy Baby" baby food. I think the Sears family is behind the brand... its frozen and fresh. We've learned that people (Grandparents, family...) LOVE to feed babies. If we send stuff then at least she eats something we send... She's also occasionally eating these "teethers" biscuit things, she likes them and they are extremely messy.

She's getting pretty mobile, she crawls over to the toy box and pulls herself up.. she loves standing, way more then crawling.

I was one of the first out of my friends to have a baby, and now a few others have joined me in mama-land. I thought I would be so happy to see my friends as Moms... but, its actually hard... because they all are so mainstream.

Last night we had to sit and listen to my friend, who's baby is 7 weeks old, tell me she is reading Babywise, and letting him CIO. She pre-empted the conversation with asking me "Does Emma sleep through the night?" I told her maybe sometimes... Idk because we co-sleep, and she nurses at night but neither of us really wake up. She told me that it was really hard, and her and her DH would just look at each other when he cried, and remind each other not to go get him. I told her there was no way I could do that to Emma. She also rolled her eyes at me when I suggested that it was odd that all 4 new moms in the room (under 30) had c/s. *sigh*

So, what do I do? I woke up early this morning still fired up about it. I started an email attempting to explain the dangers of CIO... but I found that I couldn't find as much hard evidence as I thought there would be out there. Maybe I should let it go? I get pretty good sleep... we are all happy with our family bed situation. Maybe when the CIO method fails for them, she'll ask me then? Its almost to upsetting I think maybe I should distance myself from these kind of parents... Ugh. I might be taking this all too far.

Anyway, I guess the main question is: How to you handle different parenting styles?

PS - If anyone here lives in AZ - I need some AP/natural-minded friends


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

Caitlyn - I feel your pain wrt your friends & parenting issues. I have far too many friends who see nothing wrong with elective c/s, inductions for convenience, cio, circ, etc... the list goes on and on.







Some of them, I talk to about parenting. Some, I keep my mouth shut. It all depends on if they are open at all to AP/natural family living. And sometimes, I rant to my likeminded friends about the health implications of those choices and lack of truly informed consent. It frustrates the bejeebers out of me that some people spend more time researching their next computer or car than their choices for birthing and parenting. (sigh)


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mkksmom* 

I just ordered a Maya Tie to try and see if it's more comfy around the arms and shoulders than my Ergo, so maybe that will help me got more done. I am seriously addicted to carriers this time around. With my first I had a very crappy Nojo sling, which I never used an a bjorn. Then I got the Ergo and was all set. But I loved how the moby distributed her weight and I love the back carry inthe Ergo minus the feeling of the straps around my chest. Hopefully this will help.


i LOVE the maya tie! i got it for the same reason too. the way the moby wrapped was so comfortable around the shoulders and for my crappy back but when it would stretch it killed on the lower back. and i didn;t think i could deal with the woven wrap so the maya tie was the perfect solution.

hope you love it too!


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *~Caitlyn~* 
Hi Mamas!!!

Last night we had to sit and listen to my friend, who's baby is 7 weeks old, tell me she is reading Babywise, and letting him CIO. She pre-empted the conversation with asking me "Does Emma sleep through the night?" I told her maybe sometimes... Idk because we co-sleep, and she nurses at night but neither of us really wake up. She told me that it was really hard, and her and her DH would just look at each other when he cried, and remind each other not to go get him. I told her there was no way I could do that to Emma. She also rolled her eyes at me when I suggested that it was odd that all 4 new moms in the room (under 30) had c/s. *sigh*

So, what do I do? I woke up early this morning still fired up about it. I started an email attempting to explain the dangers of CIO... but I found that I couldn't find as much hard evidence as I thought there would be out there. Maybe I should let it go? I get pretty good sleep... we are all happy with our family bed situation. Maybe when the CIO method fails for them, she'll ask me then? Its almost to upsetting I think maybe I should distance myself from these kind of parents... Ugh. I might be taking this all too far.










the problem is....it seems like CIO usually "works." or so it does for all my friends who did it. they all "wish they had done it sooner" and i just chalk it up to different life situations. but my understanding is that even the CIO people would never recommend it on a babe that young (i think they start at 4 months) and that enzo guy is pretty much a kook even in the CIO world. didn't the AAP and all the official groups pretty much denounce babywise?

i usually keep my mouth shut for the regular difference stuff but i think in the case of CIO for a 7 week old i would check my facts and i'd just straight up tell them that the AAP does not recommend it or whatever the case may be. they may genuinely not know and then if they decide to do it later...well, good luck to them, yk?


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tzs* 
the problem is....it seems like CIO usually "works." or so it does for all my friends who did it. they all "wish they had done it sooner" and i just chalk it up to different life situations. but my understanding is that even the CIO people would never recommend it on a babe that young (i think they start at 4 months) and that enzo guy is pretty much a kook even in the CIO world. didn't the AAP and all the official groups pretty much denounce babywise?

i usually keep my mouth shut for the regular difference stuff but i think in the case of CIO for a 7 week old i would check my facts and i'd just straight up tell them that the AAP does not recommend it or whatever the case may be. they may genuinely not know and then if they decide to do it later...well, good luck to them, yk?


I've received so much advice, and the parents that I know are all over the map with regards to parenting styles.

Some SAHM but CIO, babywear but spank, ect. Best is to stick with-- we are doing what we feel is best for our family, and try to remember that they are doing what they think is best for theirs.

DS is not an easy baby, and I'm sure, that many people think we are doing things wrong.







what can you do, you know?


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

That maya tie looks awesome! I splurged and got a woven wrap (GM Bali breeze). It's very rough and kind of short, but so much more comfortable than the moby now that DS is older.

I'll use it for a bit, and then maybe upgrade. It should be cool for summer at least.


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## sugarpop (Feb 12, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *~Caitlyn~* 
Hi Mamas!!!

Last night we had to sit and listen to my friend, who's baby is 7 weeks old, tell me she is reading Babywise, and letting him CIO. She pre-empted the conversation with asking me "Does Emma sleep through the night?" I told her maybe sometimes... Idk because we co-sleep, and she nurses at night but neither of us really wake up. She told me that it was really hard, and her and her DH would just look at each other when he cried, and remind each other not to go get him. I told her there was no way I could do that to Emma. She also rolled her eyes at me when I suggested that it was odd that all 4 new moms in the room (under 30) had c/s. *sigh*

So, what do I do? I woke up early this morning still fired up about it. I started an email attempting to explain the dangers of CIO... but I found that I couldn't find as much hard evidence as I thought there would be out there. Maybe I should let it go? I get pretty good sleep... we are all happy with our family bed situation. Maybe when the CIO method fails for them, she'll ask me then? Its almost to upsetting I think maybe I should distance myself from these kind of parents... Ugh. I might be taking this all too far.

Anyway, I guess the main question is: How to you handle different parenting styles?


I read babywise...it came highly recommended by parents, I didn't really know them as parents just as friends. As I read it, without knowing better, the thought of a baby sleeping through the night was so exciting but the method was so nauseating! DH never thought "CIO" was right but at the same time his idea was that some crying was ok. He thought no child ever went to bed without crying, that is just how it is. Luckily have some instincts that don't agree and my mom is very AP!

My mom tried to give me ammo to use with DH to explain why I didn't agree with him, without telling him he was crazy, or that I was going to ignore him. I think they helped and were logical and not hurtful to his "instincts", just made him stop and question his thought process.

SO here is what I asked him

What does a LO learn if they cry and I don't answer? (I let him think this through on his own..then I explained what I thought was being learned)

That when LO needs something they are ignored. That they are not important. That we are not dependable.

Then I asked him if he ever cried himself to sleep. And asked how he felt in the morning. (This didn't work with DH b/c he apparently doesnt cry







)

Puffy eyes, sad when you awake, sad when you sleep, not good restful sleep and not comforting.

OK that is my advice to pass on to your friend and I would pass it on if I were you. But that is just me good luck and let me know what you end up dooing!


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## StrongFeather (Mar 13, 2009)

Tex~ I forgot to say CONGRATS on your LO so exciting!

and Sugarpop~ i love how you explained how CIO makes babies feel.. great!


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## ~Caitlyn~ (Mar 19, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sugarpop* 
I read babywise...it came highly recommended by parents, I didn't really know them as parents just as friends. As I read it, without knowing better, the thought of a baby sleeping through the night was so exciting but the method was so nauseating! DH never thought "CIO" was right but at the same time his idea was that some crying was ok. He thought no child ever went to bed without crying, that is just how it is. Luckily have some instincts that don't agree and my mom is very AP!

My mom tried to give me ammo to use with DH to explain why I didn't agree with him, without telling him he was crazy, or that I was going to ignore him. I think they helped and were logical and not hurtful to his "instincts", just made him stop and question his thought process.

SO here is what I asked him

What does a LO learn if they cry and I don't answer? (I let him think this through on his own..then I explained what I thought was being learned)

That when LO needs something they are ignored. That they are not important. That we are not dependable.

Then I asked him if he ever cried himself to sleep. And asked how he felt in the morning. (This didn't work with DH b/c he apparently doesnt cry







)

Puffy eyes, sad when you awake, sad when you sleep, not good restful sleep and not comforting.

OK that is my advice to pass on to your friend and I would pass it on if I were you. But that is just me good luck and let me know what you end up dooing!

This is good advice. I sent her an email with the link to a website which mentions the possible risks and the AAP's take (not positive) on Babywise. She took it well I guess, she told me that she was SURE she wasn't starving him... and said that she would check with her pediatrician (who is also mine... ) so I'm curious to see what kind of response she gets. I didn't bother to respond about the emotional starving she might be doing because I was exhausted by the whole thing. When it comes up in person I am going to ask her the questions that sugarpop mentioned...

On another note, our family friend that watches DD told me today that I should stop giving Emma Hylands Homeopathic Teething Tablets and stick to Tylenol... because the hylands is dangerous and not FDA approved. *sigh* I think along with finding more AP friends, I'm going to need a more AP care provider...

On a good note - I just found a Maya Tie Wrap on CL for $25!


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *~Caitlyn~* 

On a good note - I just found a Maya Tie Wrap on CL for $25!









I'm so jealous! those maya tie's look awesome!

StrongFeather! Thanks for the congrats. We are getting more excited by the day, and we have an ultrasound coming up next week, where we'd be able to figure out more about the due date.


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 

StrongFeather! Thanks for the congrats. We are getting more excited by the day, and we have an ultrasound coming up next week, where we'd be able to figure out more about the due date.

Texmati--that's so exciting! The two u/s I had are some of the most special memories of my pg. Do you have any intuition about due date? (Out of curiosity, did you have a normal cycle again before finding out you were pg?) I wonder what DDC you'll be in this time!
Anyway, keep us posted! I think that the next time around I'll actually enjoy being pg more. . .I'll be more relaxed about things. I do miss it sometimes. There is nothing like feeling your child move.


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *~Caitlyn~* 

On another note, our family friend that watches DD told me today that I should stop giving Emma Hylands Homeopathic Teething Tablets and stick to Tylenol... because the hylands is dangerous and not FDA approved. *sigh* I think along with finding more AP friends, I'm going to need a more AP care provider...

On a good note - I just found a Maya Tie Wrap on CL for $25!









for your friend recommending tylenol...http://www.mcneilproductrecall.com/p...new_recall.inc it can be dangerous and there are recalls every year on tylenol. to my knowledge teething tablets have never been recalled.

very cool about the mtw on cl!


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *~Caitlyn~* 
On another note, our family friend that watches DD told me today that I should stop giving Emma Hylands Homeopathic Teething Tablets and stick to Tylenol... because the hylands is dangerous and not FDA approved. *sigh* I think along with finding more AP friends, I'm going to need a more AP care provider...

In addition to what the pp pointed out about recalls... I'd point out that Tylenol is not approved for use on infants under 2 yrs without a doctor's supervision.

Although for us, Hylands have never helped, so we do use Tylenol and Motrin, but if it works for your LO, then why on earth would you give them anything stronger?!?

I wanted to thank you ladies for all the support during my moments getting down on myself. I know that I'm doing the best that I can with what I have, but sometimes I just need reassurance that I'm not utterly failing him as a mother, ya know? Thank you so much for providing that.

We did have a couple tough days once we switched to straight formula - 2 days of no poops and rock-hard tummy. I tried him on Neocate, but he refuses to eat it (no skin off my nose there, since it's first ingredient is corn syrup solids). I talked to his ped about the no poos and she said that it's completely normal when switching to formula, and she wouldn't worry unless it doesn't get any better after a week on formula. Thankfully it didn't take that long. He pood once yesterday and had a dirty night-time dipe this morning. It's definitely a different consistency, but it's coming out at least, so he's no longer uncomfortable. So I'm hoping this means that his reactions to this formula are past and we don't have to try switching any more.

Solids - he's eating just about anything I give him now. He doesn't seem to like cherries, but loves peaches and liked apricots this morning. We're going to give avocado another try - he didn't care for it last time he tried it (first food). He eats a lot of nori - probably about a sheet a day. Some of it actually makes it into his stomach, as evidenced by his dipes, but a lot of it winds up smeared everywhere... but that's okay, it keeps him from eating paper. We haven't tried any meats yet, but he loves refried beans cooked in chicken stock and pork fat.

Teeth - I noticed yesterday that he seems to be cutting #5. I had no idea they'd all come in so quickly! He had 4 come in within 2 weeks just a few weeks back, and now more. I figured they'd be more spread out.

Crawling - like mad. Getting into everything and anything. He is still bummed that his friend is gone... he loved chasing the kitty, in fact I think that's why he learned to walk and cruise - to catch the kitty. I was looking forward to watching him chase him once he was walking.

But we're going to start looking for another one in a few weeks - hopefully an adolescent/adult that has experience with small children. The other kitty is deteriorating pretty quickly without her brother, so we need to do something.

Oh, and I finally scheduled a date for my father to come down and meet his grandson. We'll see how that goes.

I guess it's been busier around our house lately than I thought.

Oh, and I was starting to wonder if I was expecting again, but AF showed up this morning, so I guess that's a big fat no. Not sure whether to be happy or sad about that.


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Cristeen--we should get together soon! Reading about your having to switch to all formula makes me want to just nurse your LO myself (hope that sounds sweet and not creepy or presumptuous to you, it comes from the heart







). . .wish I still had enough supply to pump extra for you.

As for us. . .we were traveling for two weeks overseas and N did great. The jet-lag was rough--really rough--for all of us, but otherwise he loved it all. He loved the strangers, new places, airplanes, buses, endless family. . .all of it. Everyone we saw always commented on how happy and friendly he is. It is remarkable, especially since DH and I are such introverts.

He definitely made some leaps in the last two weeks (as he seems to do every two weeks). He isn't crawling yet, in fact he has never gotten his belly off the floor, but he still got seriously mobile recently. Rolling, scooting, pulling up. . .he is soooo ready to move! He fell out of bed for the first time, so we are madly baby-proofing and trying to find a solution for sleeping that works for all of us (N and I vote for more co-sleeping, DH is not so into it anymore).

He cut his top teeth while we were gone (that sucked!), so now he's sporting the cute four-toothed squirrel look. The teeth really start to change their look yk. . .and I am always sorta sad about loosing my little baby. Along those lines, he is slowly but surely getting more into food (which also makes me sad--sometimes I want him to be EBF forever). He still has some issues with textures and gag reflex, but is liking bread a lot these days as well as Puffs and teething biscuits. I didn't really want to have him eating so much wheat or pre-bought baby food. . .but I guess you do what works. I need to keep trying him on veg---so far he hasn't been into it. He loves pear and banana though.

He babbles up a storm now. He "says" dada, gaga, baba, sometimes a k sounds and a th sounds, does raspberries--pretty much everything but mama! Oh well. I have started some sign with him and he watches me really intently, but so far he doesn't sign or speak anything that seems "intentional". He definitely makes his needs known, but just hasn't mimicked any of our language. I figure he may learn to speak and to crawl/walk the way he learned roll--late, but then all at once.

Can't believe he's almost 8 months old. Where has the time gone?


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kismetbaby* 
Cristeen--we should get together soon! Reading about your having to switch to all formula makes me want to just nurse your LO myself (hope that sounds sweet and not creepy or presumptuous to you, it comes from the heart







). . .wish I still had enough supply to pump extra for you.

Doesn't sound creepy at all - my sister and I were both cross-nursed, so it's normal for me. And really, A's had milk from over 20 women, so at this point, it's all fair game, ya know?









We should totally get together. Hopefully the weather will improve some soon... maybe you could come out here and we could go to Fairyland. They're a little young for a lot of it, but they have all sorts of animals to look at, and it's just a couple blocks from my house... makes a nice short jaunt.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Hi girls!!

I love that some of us have stayed active in this thread









So Gavin got some play time with his "due date buddy" the other night, crap what's her user name on here? I can't remember, since I know her IRL, LOL! Anyway, the two boys were due on the same day, and we live an hour apart and see each other once a month at Dar A Luz meetings. So Gavin and little R got to play together at the meeting. This is the first time they've really interacted much, and it was so funny! Both have older siblings, so they didn't mind the mauling that ensued







R is almost two weeks older than Gavin, and he's army-crawling, and Gavin was watching him with great interest! Gavin still only moves backwards, and sort of does a butt-scoot, but other than that isn't real mobile.

My two big boys are heading to their Grandma's tonight to go CAMPING!!! Ian has gone before, but this will be Connor's first trip away from me. I'm a little nervous about how he'll do, especially with the language barrier (he communicates almost exclusively in sign, and my mom knows basic sign, but not as much as him), but I'm also very excited at the prospect of only having the baby for 4 days!!! Unfortunately my mom lives 6 hours away, so I have to drive a ways tonight (my sister is meeting me half way, though, so I only have to drive 6 hours round trip instead of 12). Here's hoping that Gavin does well in the car. It could be a long night if he cries much!

Let's see what else?? Oh, whatever sleep problems Gavin had last week are much better this week. No idea what was wrong, because I didn't change a thing. I can handle 1-2 wake ups a night just fine, even 3 is okay, as long as they're short. The last 2-3 nights have been much better, and I've felt like a new woman!

Still no teeth here!

I thought I was getting AF the other day. I remember feeling what I thought was ovulation pain almost 2 weeks ago, then I had the slightest hint of pink after using the bathroom, so I waited for AF to start, but it hasn't! This is the longest I've gone post partum without cycling again, so I'm expecting it literally any day. Of course I'll be happy if it stays away for as long as it wants...a few years would be great with me


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

Viv's 5th tooth still hasn't broken thru - it has been sitting right below the surface for more than a week. Poor baby.

She figured out how to crawl last week and is really moving this week. She's also trying to pull herself up.









We have two recognizable words: mama and dada.














She says plenty more, but nothing that we can make out.









She's also figured out that she can nurse in positions other than lying down.







Her favorite is to wait for me to be laying in bed, latch on to the top breast until let-down, then pull off and watch the fountain.


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

Keagan's first tooth broke through about 2 days ago. he's still not interested in solids, though I do offer if he seems interested (we do BLW) so far, not much success. He's very attached to nursing (far more than his older siblings were.

I'm truly enjoying him in a very relaxed manner- he's largely meeting milestones (rocking/preparing to crawl at 8 months is great for us, though he doesn't sit up well without support.)

I recently returned to working 12 hour overnights three nights a week, and he's managed the night with his dad just fine. I nurse him before I go, he has bottles at night and we nurse again when I get home. So far so good.


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## coldandsleepy (Aug 5, 2008)

Grey is getting teeth #8 and #9, both on top to either side of the three he has up there now. He's also getting over a double ear infection, and I had another plugged duct. It's been a rough couple of days.







But we're starting to get back to normal now.


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

Tooth 5 is thru as of this noon. sixth is working thru


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

This has been a crazy week for Rowan.
Finally he has Teeth! Both bottoms popped through. They're taking forever to show anything more than just the crown, but man, at least they're out. He still makes a "boxer" face - his tongue over his, well, now Teeth... I'm guessing he's checking them out 

Movement has taken off. He's crawling. He's pulling up on Everything. He's cruising around. Today I propped him up (he WILL NOT SIT any more) on the ottoman, went into the kitchen for like 2 seconds, came out and he was standing propped on the chair across the room. He's Fast.
AND he's figured out that flat surfaces "up there" have things on them that he can drop on the ground. He's discovered (and emptied) bookshelves, dvd stands, any cabinets I stupidly left open. This was two days ago. The whole day was spent exploring and demolishing.
I let him do it - it was the first time he'd tried! I wasn't going to squash his new skill, you know. 
Oddly enough, he hasn't done it again. So I haven't even had to try to stop him.

And he started taking baths in the big bath without any 'infant' bath. He loves the pool, and gracious knows, he's enjoying all the others movements. The bath was a big hit. I keep it only a few inches deep so he can get on his tummy and still be way clear of the water on his face. He pulls and scoots from one end to the other. Too fun.

BUT the other new thing is, he is having serious mommy-detachment-issues. One minute he's crawling up a storm. He next minute he has to be in my lap, won't let me put him down. His favorite thing is to be on the floor immersed in toys, but on my lap playing with them. A new separation anxiety or something?? Anyone else having this?
I'm a SAHM so I have the time to be with him. But still... it's a strange duality going on with him.

Enyhoo... we're off to a whole new world. Where is my little baby? (don't get me wrong, I'm excited about the changes. But I'm definitely getting the first twinges of... babyhood is coming to a close







)


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

ok...this is a SERIOUS news flash...

my little baby, the one who has fought sleep since day one, the one who i still swaddle at 8 months....my little baby was taken out of her car seat sleepy, carried all the way into the house and upstairs, past a bazillion things to look at including the dog who is always _fascinating_, put into her crib unswaddled, not nursed, and fell asleep for a [email protected]@!

i just put her into her crib! she is still asleep!!! she did not cry. she did not have to have my come in 10 times to replace the nuk. she just fell asleep. i said it could not be done and we have achieved the unthinkable!


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...f&id=634508169


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2boyzmama* 
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...f&id=634508169





























































































such a little man!!!


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## diana_of_the_dunes (Dec 7, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tzs* 
ok...this is a SERIOUS news flash...

my little baby, the one who has fought sleep since day one, the one who i still swaddle at 8 months....my little baby was taken out of her car seat sleepy, carried all the way into the house and upstairs, past a bazillion things to look at including the dog who is always _fascinating_, put into her crib unswaddled, not nursed, and fell asleep for a [email protected]@!

i just put her into her crib! she is still asleep!!! she did not cry. she did not have to have my come in 10 times to replace the nuk. she just fell asleep. i said it could not be done and we have achieved the unthinkable!









Yay!!









I think some of it is an age thing. Ethan has (overall) been getting easier to put to sleep. We have bad nights, but last night I only played his Glo-Worm for about 30 seconds after he wound down without help in his bassinet, and he was OUT. Most nights I have to carry him around, or nurse him, or actively _try_ to put him to sleep. Naps are improving too, and he'll usually sleep at least 90 minutes and sometimes as long as 2.5 hrs!

Tonight kind of sucked at bedtime, but he's having some serious teething pain


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tzs* 
ok...this is a SERIOUS news flash...

my little baby, the one who has fought sleep since day one, the one who i still swaddle at 8 months....my little baby was taken out of her car seat sleepy, carried all the way into the house and upstairs, past a bazillion things to look at including the dog who is always _fascinating_, put into her crib unswaddled, not nursed, and fell asleep for a [email protected]@!

i just put her into her crib! she is still asleep!!! she did not cry. she did not have to have my come in 10 times to replace the nuk. she just fell asleep. i said it could not be done and we have achieved the unthinkable!

Wow! that's amazing!


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

My LO goes to sleep just great. I decided to try to put her in the crib completely awake and try not to pick her up one night last week, and I kissed her through the bars and put my arms around her and patted her bum, and she cried a little and went to sleep. It made me sad and I wondered if it was the right thing to do even though I was right there patting her and talking to her. The next night, she fussed about 30 seconds, rolled away from me and went to sleep. Now it's a mix, but never takes her more than 2 or 3 minutes of me patting her back/bum or stroking her hair to fall asleep. And yet, she still wakes up every 2 or 3 hours. I guess he never read the sleep books. I just don't know what to do to help her sleep better. One night a few weeks ago, she slept 5 hours straight and was so happy the next day. Oh well. I think she might do better if I moved her into her own room, but I can't do it. I like having her right there with me. I bring her in with me around 6 am every morning, and she sleeps until 10 or 11 (well nurses every 2 hours but goes right to sleep usually). When she is in with me, she also roots for her paci ever 30 minutes some mornings. She'd probably sleep better without that too, so maybe I'll try the Pantley thing to slowly get her used to sleeping without it in a few weeks. I just thought that teaching her she can fall asleep in her crib would help. Maybe I'll have to see if she is ready for me to gradually help less and less. Ugh! I love all of the daytime fun at this age, but nights are rough.

My dentist appt. where I have the fillings replaced in in a week, and I have been stock-piling the milk and hoping and praying it doesn't mess up nursing for us or cause a nursing strike. I know it is going to break her heart that I can't nurse her. I think the plan is for us to go out as much as possible those days so she is distracted. I'm so nervous about it, but I really can't let it go for another year or more either. Stupid dentist-- I wish I had trusted my gut on the silver fillings and insisted on the white ones... too tired to remember the name right now.

She is still army crawling, but added pulling up and cruising (just a step or 2 at a time so far). She seems like a climber. My mom came over to help with her this afternoon because we're haing a yard sale next week, and she said she pushed a laundry basket over to the couch and climbed on it and then onto the couch. DH and I were out buying a folding table so I missed it.

Still no teeth. I'm glad because she chomps down on me so hard with her gums sometimes. I am so glad there are no teeth in there to bite me right now.


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mkksmom* 
I bring her in with me around 6 am every morning, and she sleeps until 10 or 11 (well nurses every 2 hours but goes right to sleep usually).

i used to be able to nurse her back to sleep until 10 or 11 also but now i'm lucky if she sleeps until 8 (7 is "unlucky"....i SAH so we don't need to be anywhere.) this seems to be the case now no matter what the bedtime (we had a couple days in a row of late nights and it didn't result in a later wake-up.) it's like i can;t "trick" her anymore by treating the am waking as a nightwaking like i used to. maybe it's the daylight but i tried blacking out the windows more. bummer.

what time do you usually put to bed?


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mkksmom* 
I think she might do better if I moved her into her own room, but I can't do it. I like having her right there with me. I bring her in with me around 6 am every morning, and she sleeps until 10 or 11 (well nurses every 2 hours but goes right to sleep usually). When she is in with me, she also roots for her paci ever 30 minutes some mornings. She'd probably sleep better without that too, so maybe I'll try the Pantley thing to slowly get her used to sleeping without it in a few weeks. I just thought that teaching her she can fall asleep in her crib would help. Maybe I'll have to see if she is ready for me to gradually help less and less. Ugh! I love all of the daytime fun at this age, but nights are rough.

I just moved Rowan into his own room (little sniffles).
It is so strange, the things I thought I'd be SO determined about, and then, not so much in reality. We side-carred the crib, which we didn't use until he was about 5 months. And it was great, although I still pulled him in to bed with me. But I noticed more and more that he slept better on his own, and once he was mobile, having the rail between me and the crib was a total pain in the butt. I would have to get out of bed to pick him up, then crawl over DP to get back into bed... then he'd just end up in bed with me. Utterly pointless. So I moved him 3 feet away. And a week later I moved him into his own room.
And it's awesome. It really is. he still gets up 3 times in the night. But I jump up at the sound of the monitor, we get all snuggly in the rocker and he's right back to sleep. And for whatever reason, DP gets up now too. He never did when he was right there, but he'll go across the house. Ok.
It's been two weeks and still every morning at his 5/6 wake up, I bring him into bed where we snuggle for another hour or two. So we're still waking up together.

I honestly have to think a lot of his wakings were because we were too loud. Not that we were doing anything (!!!)  But just moving around, snoring, getting up to pee, whatever. Now his music plays all nite and it's his own little zone.

I only cried for the first two nites.


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

My boys are actually old enough to play together pretty well now (or, at least Keagan is old enough to not be too squishy...) His older brother has taken to trying to help him up, or patting him on the back when he's playing on the floor. He also LOVES picking up toys Keagan drops. I'm seeing the beginning of interactive play, and it's making these first months of two under two SO worth it.

Also, the boys are at very similar points in terms of language development- so it's fascinating to watch that progress.

(really, he was being very gentle and harmless, though it looks as though it's an all-out wrestling match in the pictures. I need to get video next time.)

http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs286...._4482676_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._2260153_n.jpg


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Jordan. . .we are really wondering what to do about night-sleeping ourselves. I also wonder if we wake him up, I love co-sleeping and will/would be so sad to let that go, but it is possible that we'll all sleep better in our own beds. I don't know. My DH and I go round and round about it--he'd rather move LO to his own bed, I'd rather co-sleep. But we still haven't done anything. We're thinking of buying a toddler mattress and putting it on the floor next to our bed. I'm not ready to have him in his own room, but it would be a way to see if he sleeps better with his own space. And it solves the mobile baby on a bed issue (I am worried about his falling off our bed). I just worry that this will mean I spend most of the night on the floor on a toddler bed--not exactly good sleep for me! But last night it seemed like he kicked me in the stomach the whole night. . .so that wasn't good sleep either.

I'd love to just get a King mattress and put it on the floor and have one big happy family bed until we are done having LOs in our bed. . .but DH is very reluctant. So I am going to try the toddler mattress for DHs sake and if that doesn't work after a couple weeks of trying, then I'll push for the King bed.

Maybe I'm so attached to the idea of snuggling my LO all night that I can't see the benefit of the other side. I already get so sad thinking how big he's getting. . .his top teeth are coming in and it changes his face/smile. . .not a tiny babe anymore









confustication--your boys are so cute!!!! the thought of 2 under 2 kinda makes me shudder, but seeing your pics makes it look fun. It is neat that they can be playmates like that. . .it doesn't happen the same way with more spacing btw sibs. hmmmm. . .my DH is already hinting at getting pg again, so I may wind up in the 2 under 2 club myself.


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

We LOVE our king size bed. Our older son sleeps nearby in his own crib- he decided he lived his own space early on, our littlest still cosleeps though, and I love it. I have a bunch of pillows on the floor 'just in case' but hehasn't fallen off or made me nervous yet. Usually when he wakes up he makes a mad dash to nurse, so that keeps him pretty safe.









My oldest is almost 7 years older than DS1, and about 8 years older than DS 2. In some ways I loved the huge spacing, but even though the first months with our two under two has been madness, it's so nice to watch them really take an interest in each other that it makes up for the insanity- mostly.


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

i moved ada to her own room i think around 5 months...or whenever she was waking only once or sttn. it just seemed like the time to do it and we all got better sleep. it's funny because while i never planned to co-sleep, i was always of the opinion that a baby didn;t really need a room of their own and nurseries were just silly. but man.....the sleep i got after i moved her was aMAZing! and she sleeps better too. i notice it when i try to get her to nap with me and it just doesn;t work until i bring her to her room or when we travel and she's in the room with us. it;s always when we're in the same room that she'll start waking again every 2 hours.

i'm with you all though, it was sad to move her out. she took to it really well and i was the lonely one.


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## sugarpop (Feb 12, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kismetbaby* 
Jordan. . .we are really wondering what to do about night-sleeping ourselves. I also wonder if we wake him up, I love co-sleeping and will/would be so sad to let that go, but it is possible that we'll all sleep better in our own beds. I don't know. My DH and I go round and round about it--he'd rather move LO to his own bed, I'd rather co-sleep. But we still haven't done anything. We're thinking of buying a toddler mattress and putting it on the floor next to our bed. I'm not ready to have him in his own room, but it would be a way to see if he sleeps better with his own space. And it solves the mobile baby on a bed issue (I am worried about his falling off our bed). I just worry that this will mean I spend most of the night on the floor on a toddler bed--not exactly good sleep for me! But last night it seemed like he kicked me in the stomach the whole night. . .so that wasn't good sleep either.

I'd love to just get a King mattress and put it on the floor and have one big happy family bed until we are done having LOs in our bed. . .but DH is very reluctant. So I am going to try the toddler mattress for DHs sake and if that doesn't work after a couple weeks of trying, then I'll push for the King bed.

Maybe I'm so attached to the idea of snuggling my LO all night that I can't see the benefit of the other side. I already get so sad thinking how big he's getting. . .his top teeth are coming in and it changes his face/smile. . .not a tiny babe anymore










I could have written this post exactly! I am right there with you. The thought of putting Sophia in her own rooms scares me and makes me sad. I suggested a pullout under ours, and DH is going along, I just have to go buy one! She won't lie down in the crib and for naps I use a pallet of blankets on the floor. The queen bed isn't quite big enough, at least not when she is kicking. I think I jump to her side a bit quickly since I wake so easily. Sometimes she is just tossing a bit and I end up waking her to eat when she doesn't want too. I know this stage will pass, sometimes I think that is good and other times I know I will miss the stage we are in now.


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

It IS sad, the sleeping separation. It was something I was so emphatic on, cosleeping... Forever. Any "hint" of crib-life just seemed odd. But again, once reality sunk in (for us) and how things weren't "working as planned". I dunno. It's been a different kind of closeness. Now the mornings are super special time.

I agree that the baby changes are (gulp) sad. Exciting and wonderful, but a little sad. The lil baby is gone. There are teeth. There's so much independence and exploring.
Three weeks ago I was still balking, laughing out loud, at the idea of another child - especially another child so quickly. But now I'm starting to reconsider. I'm 34 so I'd always thought that if I were going to have two, I'd want them close together. Hell, I could have three I suppose. But that's going a bit too far.
But... once I had Rowan, I just immediately thought, nope. This is my one, he's it. He'll be an only child and I'll socialize him like crazy and we have neighbors and it won't be sad. I really thought I'd made up my mind until just recently. Now... I just don't know.


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Jordan--I'm 34 too!







So I don't feel like I can wait too long to have another. . .next time I'll already be in the "advanced maternal age" category, not that I really care about those labels. I fully expect the next pg and birth to be even easier than the first! (Hey, I have to hold onto that belief even if it isn't true.) We definitely want a second child and possibly a third, although I know what you mean. . .I look at my LO and think "I couldn't possibly be as crazy about any other child". But I know that the minute the second is born your heart just grows! I'm the oldest of four and I love my sibs, I want that for my kids too. I keep telling DH that I need to make it to my LOs first bday before I can think about getting pg again! Besides I haven't even goten my cycles back yet, my guy is seriously attached to his nursies









Glad I'm not alone with the sleeping conundrums. Sometimes its hard to match your expectations to the actual situation and the compromise with my needs and my Dhs needs and my LOs needs. Currently I'm researching organic toddler mattresses. . .anyone have one they love??? I just don't want to spend too much $. . .it seems crazy to spend $500 on a baby mattress, but I really want to avoid all the chemicals--I'm trying to stay in the $200 range. A part of me still thinks we should just make the bigger investment and buy an organic King mattress for all of us.


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kismetbaby* 
Jordan--I'm 34 too!







So I don't feel like I can wait too long to have another. . .next time I'll already be in the "advanced maternal age" category, not that I really care about those labels. I fully expect the next pg and birth to be even easier than the first! (Hey, I have to hold onto that belief even if it isn't true.)

Kismet - yeah, the "over 35" has it's issues, but I'm not too concerned personally. I had nothing with Rowan, nor nothing in my lifestyle or personal health that should raise a red flag with being "over 35". I am the same - oldest of 5, and want that sibling relationship for Rowan as well.

I'm So scared tho!! My pregnancy was awesome awesome awesome. No nausea, no reflux, no 'system' issues, tons of energy. And delivery wasn't so bad (although there are things I'd do differently the 2nd go around now knowing). I'm terrified that #2 would bring a whole world of difference.
And totally stupidly, I'm scared of girls  I was so happy when I found out Rowan was a boy. Lil girls... I just know nothing about. My god, these fears just seem so selfish and stupid to write down. But, hey, honesty.

Ladies with more than 1... were your pregnancies AT ALL the same? I just hear every one is different... that one tells you nothing about the next.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

My pregnancies of course had different little details, but for the most part, followed a very similar pattern. Which for me, was a very uncomfortable pattern! I pretty much hate pregnancy, and I felt awfully guilty about that my whole first pregnancy, kind of like "I'm a woman, this is wonderful and beautiful, I HAVE TO like it!" I think I actually get PRE-partum depression (pregnancy depression? What's the word for it?)

A few minor details: My morning sickness got a little bit easier with each pregnancy, that or I got smarter about managing it.

My back/hip/joint pains got worse with each pregnancy, partly because I had never fully recovered from the pregnancy before it (you never do, and I'm a gym rat, so I tried hard!) and partly because I had toddlers to chase around!

The exhaustion is...different...it didn't steam roll me like it did in my first pregnancy, but maybe again that's because I had toddlers to chase around, so I didn't have a choice to indulge in it, you know?

The post partum period is so hard with subsequent kids! You know how everyone says "sleep when the baby sleeps" or "stay in bed with your newborn for the first week [or two weeks, or however long]"? Well, you can't when you have other kids! You push out a baby, then you deliver the placenta while cooking dinner!


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

uh...i'm glad someone brought this up. i'm scared sh*tless of having another.
i;'m also scared of morning sickness b/c i didn't have the first time and it would be so much harder with another kid to chase around. i had a short bout of some food poisoning and it was killer to be sick and take care of the baby and although my husband "helped" his definition is way different than my expectations.
seriously, sometimes i feel like a single mother around here except with another adult to clean up after. i'm so reluctant to have another even though that is the supposed "plan."


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

with each of my pregnancies, the morning sickness lasted longer.








With ds, I gained weight, with both of the girls I lost weight. Each labor was different.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...9&id=634508169

Me and my three sons!


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## sugarpop (Feb 12, 2009)

DH and I thought we would have 4 children. I am the oldest of five, 1 boy, 4 girls, us girls are SO close, I can't imagine being an only child. So that being said, I am 31 and realize I have to plan this to make sure it works. I want them 2 to 2.5 years apart.

DH was kind enough to start a count down to my next pregnancy...I almost lost a husband that day (lol). He never mentioned the countdown again, it terrified me. Just within the last week I looked at some early videos of Sophia, and now I miss those days...OH God what am I saying...I must need to reread earlier posts and remind myself of the horror! Anyhow, I am able to think about another child now, but I worry as silly as it sounds, how can I love another as much as I do Sophia? Will I be robbing her of love? She will get less of me, is that fair? I will have another child...so I will conquer those fears. I am also looking forward, as incredibly bizarre as this is, at another shot at a natural birth. I want to know what it is to push a baby out. To not labor for 60+ hours and to not be drugged for days after. I want my water birth. Although I hear I have to have a hospital birth and can't using the birth center...I wonder if I will brave a home birth...ugh so many thoughts and now I am rambling.

I love my little girl more than I could have imagined I was capable of loving another being. One look from her and my day changes! I love being her Mama


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## diana_of_the_dunes (Dec 7, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tzs* 
uh...i'm glad someone brought this up. i'm scared sh*tless of having another.

Me too. Exactly. I HATED being pregnant. It messed up my job (changed to desk work), my schedule (went from 2nds to day shift), my ability to be active and do things for myself... I just don't know about doing it all again. I was so stressed out that my midwife actually offered to write me a note for a week off work to chill out (if I'd had more sick time to take, I'd totally have done it, but I was saving it for my FMLA). Some of it was due to an awful boss putting me in charge of things I knew nothing about, but I'm still scared to do it again. If I could just go push out a baby, I'd be up for that, but the pregnancy part... Ugh.

And I'm so tired now that imagining chasing a toddler in the morning, then going to work, and then nursing all night... Ugh again.

I feel so whiny, but even DH says now he's not sure about another.


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sugarpop* 
. I want my water birth. Although I hear I have to have a hospital birth and can't using the birth center...I wonder if I will brave a home birth...ugh so many thoughts and now I am rambling.


i know there seem to always be options to avoid the hospital but it is possible to have a water birth in the hospital.
i requested one of two rooms with a birthing tub when i went in although i never used it having opted/screamed for the drugs instead. oops.


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

I'm so glad we're talking about adding another child! A few months ago when Lake was definitely not that newborn baby, I wanted another so badly!! Now that he's getting into everything and screaming when he can't touch/do something, I feel completely differently. I do want another child but I just don't know if it's going to happen anymore. DH and I think that for us, it might actually be better to have them really close together. That way we get the babyhood stage over and done with and then can relax (so to speak) and watch our children grow up together. On the other hand though, I'm torn b/c I don't actually feel ready to be pregnant again. (I wouldn't mind getting another shot at natural labor though!) Not to mention that I don't know if we could handle another kid like Lake! And my fledgling career would be basically dead, which I wouldn't mind except for the fact that we're not financially ready for me to not work. Ugh, it's such a hard decision. I guess we will revisit it in a few months.


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kismetbaby* 
Currently I'm researching organic toddler mattresses. . .anyone have one they love??? I just don't want to spend too much $. . .it seems crazy to spend $500 on a baby mattress, but I really want to avoid all the chemicals--I'm trying to stay in the $200 range. A part of me still thinks we should just make the bigger investment and buy an organic King mattress for all of us.

I'm looking at mattresses too. I want to buy a full size to put in LO's room on the floor. I can't figure out what I want to do. The rubber/latex issue and I don't want wool (I'm allergic to everything). I really just want one without all of the chemicals that they use to make it flame resistant. I won't spend a ton of money. I just can't, so I am stuck. I think this weekend we are going to put our mattress on the floor and maybe move the crib into the nursery.







Bums me out. But I want to secure the drop side first. I plan on going to lowes and just looking for some type of bracket that I can make it so it can't move. My crib hasn't been recalled, but I still want to know it's secure if I put her in the other room.

As for another baby-- not doing it if I have any say in the matter. Dh and I are done. I hate being pregnant... lost 3 babies already and would have to go through fertility treatment again probably. I could get pregnant, but then I'd miscarry because of my insulin issues. DH hasn't made the appointment yet, but the plan is for him to have the vasectomy. Right now, it's not much of an issue since I have zero energy.

My LO is all over the place these days, pulling up and getting into things. We just had a yard sale and there is really only 1 room where it's safe for her to be "on the loose" and I can't really get anything done. It's fun though.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

On the bed thing - 2 weekends ago we pulled the futon mattress off the frame and put it on the floor. Amazingly, all of a sudden, he stopped crying when he woke up from naps. Now he wakes up, doesn't see us, and will come crawling out to find us.

My DH was horribly opposed to the mattress on the floor thing because he's so tall and he was concerned about being able to get up and down. But he's said he was shocked about how much easier it is than he thought it would be.

I have gotten a quote on a "natural" futon (not organic, but no flame retardants) custom made to fit into the nook in our nursery. It's an odd size, bigger than a crib, smaller than a twin. And it was only $150. I haven't ordered it yet, but we're getting there. I'd like to sleep in the bed with my DH again someday. And now that the little guy is crawling, I can contemplate it... just as soon as he starts sleeping more than 2 hours at a stretch.









As for the latex issue - I do have a latex allergy, and went ahead and got a natural latex topper for the futon because it was killing my hips. I haven't had a single problem with it. I put a mattress pad over it and then the sheets and no problems at all (and it's uncovered latex). So I don't know if that means that my problem is just with synthetic latex, or if it's just well enough protected to not cause any problems.


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

Wow, can't believe we're talking about the possibilities of "next" babies! Last year at this time, we were all pg and hot and most of us were miserable, IIRC









We're very done with 4 kids. DH is going to get a vasectomy next year when he has some time off. The thought of being pg again makes me shudder. So does the idea of chasing after 5 kids









We're enjoying summer vacation- it's already been 104 degrees here, so trying to find indoor activities. Having the big girls home is soooo nice, even though 10yo DD has gym workout M-F, 10-1.

Camry is FINALLY sleeping. Last night was down at 7PM, asleep by 8, woke up at 6:45 without a peep in between. In her crib in the room she shares w/oldest DD. I think we've definately turned a corner in the sleep department and she's sooo much happier, alert and energetic. I forgot just how sluggish a chronically tired baby is









Started running again this week. I'm down to my target weight, but my body needs some work. I'm getting tired of people telling me that since I'm a size 2-4, I don't need to exercise. I know I'm not overweight, but I want my strong body back. Having trouble w/my hips, but pushing through the pain. It'll get better.

This pic was taken a few weeks ago of the whole crew: http://www1.snapfish.com/snapfish/sl...NAME=snapfish/

Can't believe my little princess is so big already! This is the first time that I haven't had baby lust by 9mos PP. And it feels GOOD to be glad to be done


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

kayleezoo....that's amazing. i'm 20 pounds away from my "fat" weight. ugh.


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Ha. . .I'm so mixed. I totally get the baby lust already, but then again N started crawling (army style, but still he gets places now!) this weekend and a whole new world of craziness has opened before us. Yikes. He, of course, is already obsessed with power cords and the book shelves. Oh boy. So the thought of dealing with this plus a tiny baby sounds crazy. . .and I figure he'll be in the "must be watched every second so he doesn't hurt himself" stage for the next year. Maybe after that I'll be ready for a second.

He's really having a developmental moment with the crawling. . .now he cries when I go into another room (or whenever he can't see me) and he's suddenly fighting bedtime. I hope both of these are passing and due to the crawling. . .whew. Its been a tough few days around here.

I hear you Kayleezoo---I soooo need to get back into some sort of shape. I'm actually about 5 lbs less now than when I got pg (BFing is just sucking the life/fat right out of me!), and while I ain't complaining about he weight loss, I'd rather be fitter. Not even for vanities sake, but b/c all this baby-lugging is really taking a toll on me and I need to repair my core strength and my stamina. But every time I think I'll have the time to start a routine, I don't. When he naps I always have to choose btw shower, clean-up, cook, maybe rest for a moment. . .somehow exercise never gets in there.


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kismetbaby* 
... all this baby-lugging is really taking a toll on me and I need to repair my core strength and my stamina. But every time I think I'll have the time to start a routine, I don't. When he naps I always have to choose btw shower, clean-up, cook, maybe rest for a moment. . .somehow exercise never gets in there.

Same here. I switch carriers all of the time (I do like the maya tie by the way, but it makes my lower back sore, so I need to work on how I am wearing it, I think), but I think if I worked out, the baby lugging would get easier. But as you said, I mean to exercise, but I just don't take the time to do it. I'm either vegging in a zombie state from sleep-deprivation or cleaning up (which is a losing battle).


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Hi ladies









No more (biological) babies for us, hubby got his vasectomy last August (yep, when I was hugely pregnant and VERY aware of how much it sucked to be hugely pregnant!) We are still keeping the option open of adopting one more, me moreso than hubby (he just thinks we can't afford it). We'll see...we're not even 30 yet, we have time.

SO...I have a conundrum for you ladies!! And I'm starting to worry about this! I am a bridesmaid in my sister in law's wedding in a week and a half. I got fitted for the dress in January and got one size smaller than what I fit into then (after all, Gavin was only 3 months old). I pulled the dress out last week and found it too tight!!! It *barely* zips around my ribcage, and I do mean barely (hubby had to really work to get it zipped). What do I do???? I can make sure to nurse and pump a LOT right before putting it on, but it was my ribcage more than my boobs causing the problem. I can't make my ribcage shrink an inch in a week and a half!!

I did consider taking the dress to a store and trying on several different undergarments (Spanx type garments, or even a corset type thing) do you think that will work? I'm going to try it this weekend. There are seamstresses around here, do you think that the dress could be taken out just a bit? Eek!!

I remember my ribcage expanding significantly during Ian's pregnancy (went up two band sizes in my bra!) but it shrunk again afterwards. Apparently it hasn't shrunk this time. I know I'm still carrying about 5 pounds on me that I haven't lost yet, but it appears to be lower than my ribcage. The good news is that I can get the dress on, I just don't look as good as I'd like! THe dress is NOT a nursing-friendly dress, so I do plan on changing out of it at the reception, so at least I don't have to wear it for long.


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

I'm in a similar position - wedding is on the 19th. Bought the dress in February and when I picked it up end of April it was snug (like no sitting down snug - my problem is always the butt and hips) I've been working out for the last 3 weeks and the weight is not budging.







I'm heading to the mall today to get some Spanx and hoping that they will be enough to tuck the flab in.

As to letting the dress out - it depends on the fabric and the seam allowance - they might be able to gain you 1/2 an inch if it has the typical seam allowance of 5/8 inch.


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

Spanx can do amazing things- when it's 'squish' that is the problem. It doesn't help when the bone structure is a bit bigger.

As for more kids. We're fairly set on being done. I've decided not to take permanent measures, as I want to be very very sure we are done- I was sure last summer, but slightly less sure after I ws done being pregnant. We'll see. Three kids is a lot- particularly when you throw special needs into the picture.


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

2 boysmama! I'm sure you'll look great in the dress. I'm with pp...lycra can do amazing things.

As for more kids... all of ya'll are talk and no action! I'm slowly warming up to the idea of another-- I keep telling myself if people can do it with twins, I can do this as well. It helps that my supply has rebounded a bit and DS is eating solids more and more.









I feel so hearted by you guys who just know you are DONE! I'm hoping the decision will be clear cut for me as well when I get to that stage.

Today I"m going to visit a coworker and her week old baby. I'm so excited to see a baby in that squishy old man state!

Anyone elses lo still toothless?


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

wow! texmati, he's aDORable!!!


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## diana_of_the_dunes (Dec 7, 2008)

texmati - Ethan just started to pop his first tooth today. I can just BARELY see it poking out. DH didn't see it, but my best friend did, so I know I'm not hallucinating. I can see the other bottom one as well, but it hasn't broke the skin yet. Top ones..? Hard to tell what's going on up there, cause he never lets me look.

We're starting to feed Ethan more and more solid foods. The other day he had some melon, which he really liked. But I was scared every time he gummed off a bit. How do you know what size they might choke on? What's too big? I bought some Kashi "cheerios", but I don't want to give them to him if they're a choking hazard...


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 
I feel so hearted by you guys who just know you are DONE! I'm hoping the decision will be clear cut for me as well when I get to that stage.

I wonder about this sometimes. I've always known I wanted 2, but right now there's a part of me that questions whether that's supposed to be 2 _living_. I know that sound macabre, but I honestly wonder sometimes...


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

Texmati, I will tell you that two close together was SO hard, but it's fabulous now.

I took the boys to the park yesterday and it was AMAZING watching them play.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._2070922_n.jpg


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

I contemplated having an only child. I wasn't even ready to think about another one until my older dd was 2. And even then, we were TTC mostly to give her a sibling. She was a pretty intense baby, and I don't do well without sleep. It ended up taking a couple of years to get pregnant, and by then, I had lost 3 babies and was so ready to have another one *for me* and not just so ODD would have a sibling. I worried they might not be playmates, but they are playing together more and more, and it just makes me so happy. But I figure, I'll be lucky to survive raising 2 girls-- college, weddings. I don't plan to pay 100% of those (I paid for my college and and my wedding and it was character building), but still. But also, I'd have to do at least some type of fertility treatments because I can't just try and see if it works because not working= miscarriage, and I can't put myself and my family through that again. But also, LO's birth was kind of traumatic, and if I had another, I'd have 2 little ones close in age and that might set my older dd off on her own more. If I wait, I'd be in the advanced age category. Besides that, when we were trying we said just one more. We have our one more and we feel done. Now I won't completely close off the idea of adoption, but that can wait.


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *diana_of_the_dunes* 

We're starting to feed Ethan more and more solid foods. The other day he had some melon, which he really liked. But I was scared every time he gummed off a bit. How do you know what size they might choke on? What's too big? I bought some Kashi "cheerios", but I don't want to give them to him if they're a choking hazard...

Now that DS has four teeth I worry about him getting a chunk off when I give him pieces of food BLW style. But I am trying not to be *too* terribly fretful when it comes to this. They say not to give babies whole grapes right? So in my mind that is probably the size that would be a choking hazard. . .seems to me that anything smaller than this is okay. Also depends on how fast the food might soften/melt/break down I think.

Puffs are pretty great. . .I know they are sort of baby junk food, but they did teach my DS how to self-feed. They are easy to pick-up and they melt in their mouth they won't choke. And they are organic and only sweetened with apple juice. With fruit and veg though I have started cutting them into little pieces instead of giving him big chunks, unless its super soft, like a really ripe peach.

I think you have to go with your gut on this.







Some babes are better at chewing than others.


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *confustication* 
Texmati, I will tell you that two close together was SO hard, but it's fabulous now.

I took the boys to the park yesterday and it was AMAZING watching them play.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._2070922_n.jpg


aww... thanks for this confusticaiton. those kiddos are just too cute!!!


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tzs* 
wow! texmati, he's aDORable!!!


awww thanks!!! just fyi, that's my husband feeding him-- not me! My arms aren't that hairy!


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kismetbaby* 
Now that DS has four teeth I worry about him getting a chunk off when I give him pieces of food BLW style. But I am trying not to be *too* terribly fretful when it comes to this. They say not to give babies whole grapes right? So in my mind that is probably the size that would be a choking hazard. . .seems to me that anything smaller than this is okay. Also depends on how fast the food might soften/melt/break down I think.

Puffs are pretty great. . .I know they are sort of baby junk food, but they did teach my DS how to self-feed. They are easy to pick-up and they melt in their mouth they won't choke. And they are organic and only sweetened with apple juice. With fruit and veg though I have started cutting them into little pieces instead of giving him big chunks, unless its super soft, like a really ripe peach.

I think you have to go with your gut on this.







Some babes are better at chewing than others.

what kind of puffs are you using Kismet? DH isn't really into the self feeding, and he does most of the solid's (to cover what I can't pump at work). Now my son doesn't reach for food that much


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 
what kind of puffs are you using Kismet? DH isn't really into the self feeding, and he does most of the solid's (to cover what I can't pump at work). Now my son doesn't reach for food that much









They are actually called Organic Puffs. By Happy Baby. They have a few flavors. . .DS likes the banana ones best. They come in a tall plastic container.I think it can be hard to get over the fact that self-feeding will just be messy! I know my DH has a harder time with the mess than I do. . .I let ds throw food on the floor (we have a splash mat), cover his head/face with it. dh isn't thrilled about it, but I think its part of learning to eat.

But the Puffs are super dad friendly!







Not messy at all. There are also Baby Mum Mums, basically a little rice cracker. They can be a little messier than the Puffs, but should be good for DH. . .is it the mess he dislikes? Or does he just not know what self-feeding foods to give him? Can you leave stuff out for DH to feed him? I know with my DH he just doesn't see it if it isn't right there on the table, he won't rustle in the cabinets or the fridge (even for himself)







, so I have gotten used to just putting stuff out where its obvious and takes no "work" to find.


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

the joy of beans... http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...6&id=682750187


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

My DH doesn't like the mess, that's for sure. He prefers spoon feeding (we dont do purees though). I cant argue that its less messy, but I still prefer he learns how to feed himself, so we do a mixture.


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kismetbaby* 
Now that DS has four teeth I worry about him getting a chunk off when I give him pieces of food BLW style. But I am trying not to be *too* terribly fretful when it comes to this. They say not to give babies whole grapes right? So in my mind that is probably the size that would be a choking hazard. . .seems to me that anything smaller than this is okay. Also depends on how fast the food might soften/melt/break down I think.

Puffs are pretty great. . .I know they are sort of baby junk food, but they did teach my DS how to self-feed. They are easy to pick-up and they melt in their mouth they won't choke. And they are organic and only sweetened with apple juice. With fruit and veg though I have started cutting them into little pieces instead of giving him big chunks, unless its super soft, like a really ripe peach.

I think you have to go with your gut on this.







Some babes are better at chewing than others.

my babe takes huge bites of melon. i have to admit, it was scary at first. now i can trust her to spit out what she can;t handle. grapes are particularly bad whole because they are so smooth and they can just kind of slide and shoot back instead of being broken up. but you're right. you kind of just have to play it by ear with most things. sometimes, we do chunks, sometimes we do small cut up pieces....whatever.
we "practiced" self-feeding in the beginning on cheerios. maybe it was that hole in the middle that made me feel better about it. i dunno. but at least they've got some vitamins and iron and ada's got a wicked pincer grip that i attribute to those early cheerio days. (now they're always there as an appetizer/side dish/dessert course)


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

p.s. i also did the cheerios to avoid the mess. lazy mommy!


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a0...D550/ry%3D400/

Here's one of Lake from last week. We were heading to the pool and he fell asleep! He loves the pool though. He splashes and sticks his face in and crawls around. It's so cute!

Lake has spent the past 2 mths learning how to crawl and pull up. Now that he's a pro at it, he's started talking again. (He is quite chatty which is so funny since DH and I are on the quiet side.) It's like he's having a conversation. He looks at us while talking and pauses for a response! I still cannot believe how much he's growing!!

He is also a good eater. We pretty much give him whatever we're eating, in bite size portions. He is notorious for taking huge bites!! Plus, he likes to talk with food in his mouth so we are cautious about sizes. He hasn't had any issues with chewing and swallowing though. He also ate the puffs a lot. They are especially nice b/c of how small they are and that they melt so quickly.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Okay, I'm realizing how much of a "baby" Gavin is compared to most of his peers on here!!









~He has no teeth (normal for our genetics, Ian and Connor cut their first at 10 months)

~He is not crawling (he does a butt scoot sort of, and he can push backwards on his tummy, but no purposeful forward movement)

~He is not really eating much (some single ingredient food bites here and there, some home made single ingredient purees once in a while)

~He hasn't even seen a straw let alone try to drink from one

~No sippy cup yet

~He's not saying any recognizable words (but he does make a lot of noise!)

It's so funny...Ian, our first of course, was early in every milestone, and like excited first-time parents, we were practicing and encouraging every one of them. Connor's first 12-18 months was all about just keeping him ALIVE, we started him in physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy around his first birthday, but didn't really focus on them much until closer to 18 months. So he was delayed in everything.

Now Gavin? I'm so just...laid back...not caring much. Plus the poor kid is almost never down on the floor because with two older brothers and two big dogs, it isn't safe NOR CLEAN down there!









And food? It's just so nice not to have to stress about anything, so I'm being really lazy about that! Ian loved to eat, and it was exciting to give him new foods and textures. Connor had *horrible* feeding problems and almost needed a feeding tube. Gavin? He likes to eat well enough, but he also doesn't seem to notice if a day goes by and he got no solids that day. He'll feed himself, or he'll take a spoon, no big deal, he just rolls with it.

Gavin is so intrigued by his brothers and all the activity around him that he's perfectly content to just...be! He has no need to be mobile, no huge desire to push himself I guess.


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

9 months.

NINE MONTHS!!!!!

Oh my goodness!  The pictures of Rowan 3 months ago were lil baby boy, and now.... with teeth and growing hair and different facial expressions.... he's so much starting to look like a little boy! Being my first time experiencing this, it's so strange!  I LOVE it!! I do I do! I revel in every developmental step he takes and say a big congratulations baby. But I also have a lil momma tear.

He is everywhere  Speedy crawler across the house - our endless shag carpet really helps that. He pulls up on everything, knocks things over, opens cabinets and drawers, and is starting to try to climb.

Re-organizing the house this weekend, I separated out his toys. Baby toys and rattles that he showed no interest in, even when I put them right up to his face. No, he wants the building blocks, the rings, the giraffe that you put the balls into. He wants the toys that DO things, that he gets to DO things with. Of course he still will play with the plastic Puffs container (my inner craft person is definitely coming out in making house-bowling & musical instruments with the Puffs containers) and pieces of cardboard.

WBV says he's 22lbs, which is surprising cause he's been 25lbs on our home scale for two months. Perhaps there's something up with our home scale? He's definitely grown in length. So while, yeah definitely still a chunk, he's starting to proportion out... not so much belly and cheeks  Pretty much all 12month clothes and size 4 shoes.

And me... I'm doing okay. Grad school is still happening, chugga chugga. But financials are starting to get a little icky and I'm terrified that I might have to return to work. I've made it this far!!! I really don't want to go back to work, with baby, with grad school, with teaching night classes... ya know?! I do love our days together.

Enyhooo.... happy 9 months!


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2boyzmama* 
Okay, I'm realizing how much of a "baby" Gavin is compared to most of his peers on here!!









~He has no teeth (normal for our genetics, Ian and Connor cut their first at 10 months)

~He is not crawling (he does a butt scoot sort of, and he can push backwards on his tummy, but no purposeful forward movement)

~He is not really eating much (some single ingredient food bites here and there, some home made single ingredient purees once in a while)

~He hasn't even seen a straw let alone try to drink from one

~No sippy cup yet

~He's not saying any recognizable words (but he does make a lot of noise!)

If it makes you feel better, DS is at the same stage. We are pushing solids more as my supply tanks, but other than that, no crawling, talking, ect. I can't believe we'll be hitting 9 months this month!


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2boyzmama* 
Okay, I'm realizing how much of a "baby" Gavin is compared to most of his peers on here!!









~He has no teeth (normal for our genetics, Ian and Connor cut their first at 10 months)

~He is not crawling (he does a butt scoot sort of, and he can push backwards on his tummy, but no purposeful forward movement)

~He is not really eating much (some single ingredient food bites here and there, some home made single ingredient purees once in a while)

~He hasn't even seen a straw let alone try to drink from one

~No sippy cup yet

~He's not saying any recognizable words (but he does make a lot of noise!)

It's so funny...Ian, our first of course, was early in every milestone, and like excited first-time parents, we were practicing and encouraging every one of them. Connor's first 12-18 months was all about just keeping him ALIVE, we started him in physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy around his first birthday, but didn't really focus on them much until closer to 18 months. So he was delayed in everything.

Now Gavin? I'm so just...laid back...not caring much. Plus the poor kid is almost never down on the floor because with two older brothers and two big dogs, it isn't safe NOR CLEAN down there!









And food? It's just so nice not to have to stress about anything, so I'm being really lazy about that! Ian loved to eat, and it was exciting to give him new foods and textures. Connor had *horrible* feeding problems and almost needed a feeding tube. Gavin? He likes to eat well enough, but he also doesn't seem to notice if a day goes by and he got no solids that day. He'll feed himself, or he'll take a spoon, no big deal, he just rolls with it.

Gavin is so intrigued by his brothers and all the activity around him that he's perfectly content to just...be! He has no need to be mobile, no huge desire to push himself I guess.

We're at pretty much the same point here. He's actually *just* working on crawling now, but doesn't sit well for long without support.

Also, he's the youngest of three, so it is SO MUCH more laid back than could otherwise be expected. He also has two older siblings who happily fetch his toys for him when they are out of reach- not much motivation to move around!

His social skills are pretty advanced though... so maybe it will all even out in the end.


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## Julia24 (Jun 28, 2004)

Hello ladies!!!!







Long time no talk







Sounds like all the babies are doing so well!









Here's a recent photo of all three girls - I have a cute one of Charlotte today, but my phone is dead so I can't upload it









http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4007/...62b1602c13.jpg

Charlotte just cut her first two teeth this week (at nearly 10 months - which is normal for my kids) Maddie found it! Charlotte grabbed Maddie's hand and stuck it in her mouth and Maddie screamed - "Owww! She's got teeth in there!" It was a pretty fun moment.

ETA: We're still wearing mostly 6/9 and some 12m stuff. And yesterday, I bought her some new 'shoes'...I wanted something to protect her feet when she INSISTS on being down in public (which she does that back arching thing), I've been buying the little target soft soles, but they were too HOT and her feet were sweating, so I bit the bullet and bought real robeez sandals for her- So cute. But I had to buy my 10 month old 0/6 month size







The 6/12 were just gigantic on her! Apparently she did NOT inherit my clown feet. Meanwhile, Maddie is wearing adult flip flops at 8 years old. Poor munckin!

She eats like a mad person, honestly, I can't believe she's not bigger. We clock her at something around 19 pounds, maybe? I've been a slacker with the 9 month appt - kind of skipped it....

She's all OVER this place though. Crawling, standing, cruising...even using walls to pull up on now. Opening cabinets, playing with the fridge magnets, she LOVES soda cans and electronics. She's starting to do all the fun little party tricks. Says "mmmmmm" when she wants a bite of something you're eating or feeding her. (which is mainly tiny bites of any 'whole' foods we're eating, or purees - I've never been big on this, but she DEMANDS it!) Says Uh-oh all the time, but not really in context yet. And now yesterday she started clapping. She's just a whirlwind.

It's interesting bc she's a third too, so I'm totally laid back - but this kid is on a mission! Grace was already walking by this age, and I don't think she's close, but I would be surprised if she weren't a 'walker' by her 1st birthday.

She's such a diva though. Totally screams whenever things don't go her way - but to die for sweet and cute. Her smile can melt you.

Okay, that's our update. I'm going to go read a few pages of posts now, bc I don't know that I've checked in AGES!


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## Sharon RN (Sep 6, 2006)

It's so amazing that we have hit the 9 month mark!

I don't post a lot, but I do enjoy reading your updates. What a totally attractive set of kids we made! Here's a picture of my "Little Man" Noah:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...e&id=547436358

He turned 9 months on the 6th. He's been crawling for 2 months. He can stand occasionally for a few seconds, but I'm choosing to ignore that until I really need to deal with it.







He started eating solids a few weeks ago, but refuses baby food. He'll only eat what we're eating- chili, pad thai, BBQ... LOL He's very particular.

He's very vocal but I don't think he's really saying any words yet. I think he's started used the sign for "more," but it's debatable.

Oh, and I have the baby lust *bad.* Don't tell my dh, he's been wanting another baby for a while. I'm afraid of having 2 so young. Eeeekkkk! I'm having surgery next month, so we'll re-evaluated after that.

Love catching up on everybody's babies!


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

We did make some cute kids around here! Nice to see some new pictures









My guy is going through a PHASE. Ugh. Not sleeping, scooting around the house like mad trying to eat all the electrical cords, screaming when I walk out of sight, refusing solid foods, wanting to nurse all the time. Sheesh. Good thing he's so darn cute!


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

Aw, love reading the updates from some of the mommies that don't post so often! And man, the babies are SOOOO cute! Sharon, Noah has got some beautiful hair!!

Quote:

Good thing he's so darn cute!
LOL, I say this all the time too! I hope the phase is a short-lasting one, kismet. Lake had a mini-breakdown last Sunday and it was b/c he was teething and tired. He seems to misbehave the most when he's exhausted.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Im hoping its short-lived, too. This is the 3rd morning in a row with a 5 am wakeup. Hes refusing naps and just generally fussy. We do have 2 more teeth coming in, though. I hope they cut soon. I dont do well with so little sleep.

Hes eating anything he can lay his hands on. Id been trying him with apricots from our csa box but he didnt like them. Then we went and got 24 lbs of upick apricots and he's Changed his mind. He's figured out how to crawl over to where i left the box, pull himself up and reach in and snake one. Last night he fingerpainted himself the coffee table and the floor with extremely ripe apricot.









Ive got some really cute pics of him covered in apricots or broccoli - his current faves. Ill need to upload them some time soon.


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## Guinevere (Apr 17, 2004)

Hi there, mamas! Anyone remember me? Or maybe my oh-so-many kidney stones while pg? Oh what a thing to be remembered for, lol, but I do remember posting about it a fair bit.







It's SO fun to read about all our little rug rats and what they're all up to these days!









As Mr. Duncan is number 6 in our line-up and his next oldest sib is a special needs dynamo, I am about as laid-back regarding his overall development as it gets, lol. He had a bit of an earlier start than most of our DDC (induced at 35w due to my developing pre-e/HELLP syndrome), but happily it doesn't seem to have fazed him much at all.

And he'll be turning 10 mos. next week! Wow, the time is just flying -- I am enjoying him SO much!







Duncan has such a sweet, friendly, happy disposition and is so smiley and curious and enthusiastic about everything. I wish I could stop time and keep him just like this for a while longer; I'm really going to miss these baby days when he's moved on to another phase.









9 mos. has been a big month for him, though. He cut his first two teeth (bottom front), started true reciprocal crawling just last week, and is now pulling to a stand on anything and everything (but can't figure out how to get back down and wails at you until you rescue him, hee hee.) He's still exclusively bfing and so far hasn't a clue about solids -- he has a floppy airway which has resulted in an overactive gag reflex, so he can't seem to swallow well at all yet. I'm not all that concerned, as most of my other kiddos started solids late (around 15 mos.) and they're all fine.

Oh, and he weighs 21 lbs.! I understand that's not huge for some, but it sure is for OUR family! None, not a single one of my other children hit 20 lbs. by a year, let alone at 7 mos., so he just looks like a baby bruiser to me. He's got rolls of baby chub -- I've never seen that on any of my kids before, lol! I'm completely bemused that DH and I have created this gargantuan (for us) baby. Apart from his Goliath status, he looks 100% exactly like his two older brothers, right down to his little crooked smirk and twinkling eyes when you catch him chewing on something he shouldn't be.

He loves to babble and trill and blow raspberries and yell "Mamamamama" and "Dadadada" at everyone. His whole face lights up when I make the sign for "Milk" and he immediately divebombs me and tries to latch on whether I'm ready or not, which makes for some interesting wet spots on my t-shirts.









His older sibs think he's the best thing since sliced bread and tote him around everywhere with them (which I have to police, as I have discovered him on their top bunkbeds and b/c he's easily over half as big as my 5 yo, so she can't really carry him around, as much as she likes to try.) Sophie thinks he's great fun to steal toys from, to knock over, and to bite on the toes or arms, sigh. And then she'll pat him on the head gently as he screams and say, "Sorry, Duncan, sorry." Rinse and repeat. I can't leave them alone together for a second.









He hasn't been to a doctor since we were released from the NICU almost 10 mos. ago. However, he hasn't been sick in all that time, we were going to delay vaxxing anyway, and everyone else's medical appts. always seemed to take precedence. Oops.







Maybe for his 1st bday?

Speaking of Mr. Baby, he's just woken up next to me from his morning nap (he's been getting up at 5:30 am since he began teething/learning to crawl and it's getting REALLY old!) and is trying hard to eat the laptop, so I guess computer time is over for now. I'll post a pic of him later if I can get back on...

It was great catching up with everyone! Such beautiful babies!









Guin


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Guinevere* 
Duncan started true reciprocal crawling just last week, and is now pulling to a stand on anything and everything (but can't figure out how to get back down and wails at you until you rescue him, hee hee.)

This is what I'm used to seeing in babies. But not Rowan!! Like two days after he started pulling up on everything, I was watching him... he looked down at the floor, back at his hands, down at the floor, back at his hands... and then PLOP. Right on the butt. And then looked around to room to find me - I was hiding in the kitchen watching him around the corner. He spotted me, Big Smile. Yep! You learned how to land, buddy! 
And that was it. He lands perfect on his butt each time!

No cruising For Real yet. He'll take steps when he's losing his balance, but not because he actually wants to move and go somewhere. And if you hold him up by his arms, he doesn't lift his feet.
Which is PERFECTLY fine with me!!! The crawling monster is enough to handle  I've no problem with putting the walking off til Much Much later! 

Happy father's day to all the dad's out there! Hope you're having a good weekend!


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

Scary- on the 16th I posted that Keagan was just really working on crawlking- well, it's now the 20th and he's moved from that to... crawling really well, pulling to stand and cruising along furniture. He also mastered sitting well without support- seemingly overnight.

Less than a week?! Really?! How does that happen?

(Ok, he's my youngest, and I'm not sure I want him to run so quickly out of the 'baby' stage)


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

I remember you Guinevere! So glad you took the time to update.

My LO is cutting her first tooth, so my time has been limited. She does seem happier today than she has in a week or 2. I moved her crib to her room and am trying not to be so sad about it. She only spends half of the night there anyhow. And if it doesn't help her sleep better, then we can always bring it back in my room. My mattress is on the floor now, and I've been able to bring her in without so much worry.

We are moving quite slowly with food. She would only eat purees for a while. Can't get her to eat oat bran even because of the texture. She could use the fiber. She eats prunes every single day and I don't do Cheerios or rice cereal, a little oatmeal once in a while. But she is constipated a lot. I give her black beans pureed in prune juice or pear juice and I have been giving her a sippy or straw cup with some juice a few times per week. I'm not a fan of juice, but it's better than meds for constipation, I guess. She never did poop much, but I think her poops should be more peanut butter than solid. I tried backing off of solids and even just a little bit affects her poop, and she wants food. She finally started eating bits of sweet potato this week, so I am glad she is broadening her horizons tp include something other than purees, but she really prefers I when put it in her mouth for her.

My older dd will be 6 in just a week *sniff* and she has been very helpful lately-- feeding the baby her purees the past 2 days so I can at least get long enough to do the dishes. My body was hurting from wearing the LO so much while trying to keep up. I just can't seem to get caught up in the house when I'm this tired. Of course the one good night she had (where she had two 3-hour stretches of sleep-- can't believe that used to be a bad night and now it's good), I couldn't sleep. This too shall pass. I can't wait to sleep again and to have my boobs go back to a more normal size (to end some of my back problems), yet I don't want to rush this baby phase because she is so happy and sweet and so much fun. And my last baby, most likely.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Hi ladies!!

I did manage to fit into the bridesmaid's dress I told you gals about two-ish weeks ago!!! I got some spanx from a friend, but after just watching my eating a bit more closely, and getting several good runs in, the dress fit without the spanx even







I even managed to nurse at the reception (with the help of my husband and a blouse that I wore over my top half since I had to take the dress off my top half to access my baby-feeders!) It was a blast!

We had a mini-vacation in the few days before the wedding, stayed at a cottage on Lake Michigan (it is my husband's grandparents' cottage, so free!) Then the wedding itself was so much fun! All three of my boys were great, my older two tore up the dance floor, it was hilarious!!! Gavin thoroughly enjoyed himself, being passed around from person to person.

Gavin is thinking about pulling up to standing I think. He has done it a few times grabbing my hands, it's only a matter of time before he realizes he can do it on objects too.

He's also working on getting from a sitting position to a crawling position. So far he gets one leg stuck, or he face plants







but he's close! I think once he does that successfully, he'll be off and crawling!

He is really interested in food suddenly, in fact was sitting on my lap during the reception dinner and got his first taste of meat, because he stole a handful of pork and shoved it in his mouth before I could stop him! he also ate some wild rice and some carrots.


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

*sniff* these babies of ours are really growing up! I can remember last June when we were all huge and hot and whiny







and now here all these little weenies are, crawling, cruising







, eating and exploring.

Camry is *finally* crawling, not just scooting or doing other unorthodox movements







And she's a HUGE eater- she loves purees, chunks of whatever we are eating, and all sorts of nasty things she finds on the floor









I'm happy to say that I'm not depressed anymore- the sleep deprivation is over and I've returned to my happy, balanced self. She consistently sleeps 12 hours per night without waking, and if she does wake briefly, she puts herself back to sleep within minutes. The last 2 nights she laughed and reached her arms towards her crib when I went upstairs to put her to bed- I love when they make the connection that bed is a good place to be.

10yo DD is Cam's favorite person besides mommy- she reaches for Kaylee when she's sad, or bored, or wants to snuggle. I can't describe the warmth that it brings to my heart- they love each other so deeply. Being an only child, it's so amazing to watch the sibling relationships my kids are building. Having 1 child was so easy for my mom, but it's so worth the extra work having 4 to see these things.

Have to get 10yo to practice, hugs to all of the little Sept (and earlier and later!) babies


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## Famatigia (Jun 14, 2005)

Aww, I love our babies stage right now!

Since my last update, Jocelyn has cut two teeth! They are the bottom front ones. They're about halfway up now and look SO cute when she smiles!

She has also started to be able to get around quite well! She can not crawl yet, but maneuvers herself around quite well. She can get into a sitting position from laying and she can get on her hands and knees and do some crazy business. LOL! She will be on her butt, then she will get onto her hands and knees and move one step forward with her hands, slide her butt, then sit back down. She gets around, but is SO CLOSE to crawling, just wont take that knee step. Anyways.

Food, my girl is picky. She has never liked baby food. She gags and throws up, but she will eat anything we are eating.. almost. Her new favorite food is cantalope.

I love her, she is so sweet.


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

OK ladies with babies who actually sleep, tell me your secrets. My LO slept a 3-hour and a 4-hour stretch of sleep last night, and that was an AMAZING night. Looks like moving the crib to her room helped. She used to sleep 6-8 hours straight, and now doesn't, so any tips? I put her in when she is starting to drift off, but awake enough to protest. I rub her back off and on until she settles and goes to sleep. But seh wants me to put the paci in (gets mad if I try to take her hand and show her how to put it in), she thinks she MUST nurse to settle down, even if her tummy is full, but doesn't mind if it's just a few minutes and then I substitute the paci, bit needs to connect for those few minutes. I have white noise, we have a routine, she sometimes sleeps with no paci, sometimes needs it to settle. But I need to get at least 5 or so hours a few times per week in order to be patient. My poor older dd has had to deal with a cranky momma for months now.

Oh and the sibling love is amazing to me too. I was sooo worried that my LO oand ODD wouldn't be close, but they are already playing together. Amazing.


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

Sleep? 4 hours would be AMAZING here. Keagan starts the night in a pack and play beside my bed, then when he wakes to nurse he comes to bed with me. The shift to the pack and play is recent, but it has helped settle the early part of the night for him.


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

I put Camry down at the same time every night- she's asleep between 6 and 7PM- with the same ritual: dinner, bath, jammies, rocking with a bottle for just a few minutes (her tummy is full, the bottle is just part of the routine), the put her binky in her mouth, lie her down in her crib with her blanky and music turned on. I was going back in every time she woke up to settle her back down, but it turns into a habit where she is waking up, wanting to play/spend time with us, so I had to stop going in at all. Within 3 days, she was going back to sleep on her own each time she woke. I do the same for naps, minus the bottle, and she is always put down wide awake. She is literally sleeping 12 hours per night with no feeds at all, no interference from anybody, etc. The trick will be transitioning oldest DD back into the room she shares w/the baby- we know Cam can sleep through the night with no problems, but she is in there alone now, not sure what she'll do when sissy is in there with her.

I did the same w/my other 3 kids and they are all great sleepers now- no waking up in the middle of the night coming into our room, etc. They can all go back to sleep on their own, and are always well-rested (once we figured out that our kids need a LOT of sleep- 10 hours per night for my older 3) I know a lot of people here won't let their kids protest/cry at all, so my method won't work for everyone. But it has produced 4 great sleepers and super happy kids for our family, so we're sticking with it. The book Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child changed our lives. Literally.


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

That sort of approach worked well with my older two (never really CIO, but I didn't run right in if they stirred a bit either- there really is a whole range there, it's not as stark as some people seem to believe... ) Keagan is a whole different kind of kid. He really doesn't seem to need a lot of sleep, and putting him to bed before I go ensures that he will be up at 2am for at least 2 hours of playtime. He *is* reaching a point where I can put him down for a 'nap' (after a bedtime routine) at about 8pm, and have 2 hours of his sleep time before he wakes to eat and for about 45 minutes of playtime before we can go to bed together. I suspect that one of these days that wake time will disappear, but for now he still needs it.

And on a super-positive note- as he's become mobile, my high needs baby has morphed into a much more laid back little guy! It's great to be able to leave him happily playing while I go wash the dishes or do something else!


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## sugarpop (Feb 12, 2009)

Okay you ladies have me in tears! What am I doing wrong...why won't my LO sleep? seriously, this isn't a pity party...maybe induced by exhaustion, but not a pity party.

She wakes every 2 hours at least to nurse. If I am not by her side she wakes within 30 minutes. I don't want to CIO, I jump at the slightest peep (afraid she will awake to much and stay awake), I am so miserable today and depressed. It isn't getting better. She eats every 2 hours during the day but not for long intervals...she won't eat foods...she crys all the time. UGH I am feeling worse and worse every word I type...maybe I need sleep...maybe I need a miracle

12 hours uninterupted sleep? that sounds better than a vacation to the mountains or the beach or whereever you might dre3am!


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

Sophia, really at this age, a baby doesn't need to nurse every 2 hours at night. Physiologically, she really doesn't need to eat more than once, maybe twice. But it's a habit she's formed. So is waking up so often. It's a very rare child that learns to fall asleep unassisted and stay asleep for long periods of time, and to soothe themselves back to sleep once awake. Learning to sleep is exactly that- a learned behavior. By giving a baby any sort of attention when they wake up, they learn to continue waking up. I didn't believe it when I had my first, and it took months of researching sleep related topics before I learned that sleep isn't some mysterious thing that sort of just "happens" one day. And I seriously deprived my DS of sleep by nursing him all night long, jumping up every time he woke up- he was miserable by 18mos old. It took teaching him how to fall asleep, stay asleep and soothe himself back to sleep before he turned into a happy, well-rested toddler. Sleep is like good nutrition, it's a need and teaching a baby to sleep is just as important as teaching them about safety, nutrition, etc. I can't recommend the book I mentioned in my previous post enough. The author is a well-known expert on sleep and as different as all of my kids are, I was able to help them become great sleepers by using the same techniques in this book.

And really, my 4 kids are all SO different. I wouldn't have believed that they could be so different from one another. But even with the differences in temperment, they all learned to sleep with the same method.

At first, I had my "I will not let my baby cry!" blinders on. And then I quickly realized that my baby was going to protest things and cry at times in her life; when I wouldn't let her pull the cat's tail, when I wouldn't let her stick toys in the light sockets, when I made her ride in the carseat instead of holding her in the moving vehicle, etc. And I was depriving her of her need, of her RIGHT to get enough rest. Yes, my kids cried in their beds. They protested having to go to sleep. And each and every one of them are happy- really happy, well-adjusted kids. I didn't damage any of them by letting them learn to fall asleep and cry some in the process. And I taught them very valuable skills. Adults who can't sleep well rely on medication- I didn't want my kids to develop and keep unhealthy sleep habits forever. Now, at 9mos, Camry reaches for her crib when it's time to go to bed. And my other 3 did the same as infants once they had learned how to sleep well. When you get hung up on just one aspect- the baby crying- you miss the whole point, which is teaching healthy sleep habits.

((hugs)) I know how you're feeling. I was clinically depressed after each of my kids were born. Sleep deprivation triggers my depression, and it's not until they're sleeping well that I start to get better. I hope you (and your LO!) start getting the sleep you need soon.


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

I totally agree that babies/kids/adults need to get sleep and need to *learn* sleep. And too I am in the hell of sleep deprivation b/c baby waking constantly to nurse. But I also do not believe that any *one* thing (method, idea, whatever) will work for all (and I mean that on either side of the parenting spectrum). And my LO gets himself so worked up after only a minute of crying (like when we are driving and I can't get him out of the car seat). I just don't think that he can learn to sleep that way. Clearly though he has learned only to sleep by nursing. . .and that will have to change at some point. I keep hoping to find some solution other than CIO (which I won't do) and nurse all night till he's 3 yo. I have decided that I need to get his day sleep under control first and then the night sleep will get better. I think I am missing his sleep cues and letting him get overtired which then means he won't fall asleep easily or rest well.

A couple other books to add to the sleep library (that are non-CIO) are The No-Cry Sleep Solution and Sleepless in America.

I definitely feel depression creeping in when I'm not sleeping enough though. . .like this past week. Its rough. I gave him to my dh and took a bath last night b/c I was so overtired and overwhelmed and all I could think about in the bath was getting a full nights sleep. Its really like this fantasy now. Sigh.


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

it's so true that all babes are different. ada has actually been a pretty good sleeper (knock on wood) but there have been times that she's gone from sttn to waking, gone from taking a nuk to fall right back asleep to having a full-blown baby tantrum if i don;t nurse her down, gone from putting herself to sleep to me having to put her back down several times, etc...

during one of these "hard" times i thought i would let her work it out for 5-10 minutes. when she was a newborn it took me a while to learn that she needed to release cry when going down for naps. bad move. i don;t think CIO would ever work for us even if i wanted to do it. in those 5 or so minutes she had gotten herself so worked up i had to nurse her back down and then some. whew!

so KALEEZOO, how long do you let them work it out? i know there has to be tons of grey area when it comes to letting them settle vs doing CIO but i don;t know where the line is drawn.


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tzs* 
i know there has to be tons of grey area when it comes to letting them settle vs doing CIO but i don;t know where the line is drawn.

I'm not sure about this line either. Rowan is _getting better_ at self-soothing. In the middle of the night, if I jump at him, he'll officially wake up. If I let him cry (or find his own paci, or realize he doesn't want to be awake) he'll often go back to sleep. Same thing, on the rare occasion, going down. Every now and again he'll fuss a bit. But not more than 5-7 minutes. This, to me, doesn't seem like CIO. I don't let it go more than that... if he's still crying, he needs something from me. But I don't jump at him at every sound any more.


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *KayleeZoo* 
Sophia, really at this age, a baby doesn't need to nurse every 2 hours at night. Physiologically, she really doesn't need to eat more than once, maybe twice. But it's a habit she's formed. So is waking up so often.

this.
i know this is a very pro-cosleeping place but i do believe in certain cases it leads to convenience nursing and less sleep. at least for us, the farther away we slept the better it was for all of us. when she went to her own crib she started sttn and when i moved her to her own room *I* started sttn instead of waking up at all our old times.
my SIL has 5 kids and has co-slept with all of them with the intent of transitioning them out around 6 months or so when they can sttn. well, with the last one she got "lazy" and at 10 months her LO was waking as often as my newborn and when my babe was 6 or 8 weeks and sleeping for 3 or 4 hour stretches i was getting more sleep than she was. unfortunately, she was in that horrible pattern of being so tired because of the wakings but too tired to do anything about it since she knew the transition would mean a few tough nights.
i really do feel for you. i saw your other post and maybe something will work. maybe sidecar-ing, maybe another matress in the room, i really like the dogbed suggestion


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## diana_of_the_dunes (Dec 7, 2008)

I've been struggling too with the difference between CIO and "settling" or "fussing". Ethan gets up 2-5 times a night (thankfully the 5 wakes/night are rare, but average seems to be 3). I found out my babysitters just lay him down, and he "fusses" for about 3-5 minutes, then goes to sleep. I've tried it at home for naps with mixed results. Twice he's gone to sleep after a little bit of crying (less than 5 minutes). Twice he's worked himself up to major unhappiness. Most of the time he cries for a minute then starts playing with toys in his crib or talking to himself. At that point, I'm never sure if I should go get him or let him be. I've let him go for a while, but he never seems to be tired anymore at that point, so we just play or I hold him until he starts yawning again.

At night... He used to scream if I didn't give him a boob. Scream. It was awful. Now I pick him up the first time he wakes and walk with him for a minute until he settles down. I lay him back down, and most of the time he goes to sleep. Once in a while he'll really freak out, and we start over. I have a glow-worm that plays music, and I found that to be a life-saver to distract him when he starts to cry. Once he's really wound up it doesn't work, but if I catch him at the right time, it really helps him mellow. Plus I think he's started to associate it with sleep, which is good.

The other two usual wakings are after I've gone to bed, and I've been too lazy to try to put him back to sleep without nursing.

I was hoping that by not nursing at the first waking he'd just go back to sleep. But I pretty much always have to pick him up for a minute. Otherwise he escalates to screams. I can let him fuss or cry for a minute or two and not feel like I'm neglecting him. Screaming... Not so much. Plus, at that point he's not able to settle himself down. Any advice?


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

That's the issue we are having. If I don't nurse her, she screams. She is up there screaming right now because DH is trying to put her to bed to show her another way to fall asleep. She'll get quiet a minute and then start to freak out again. That's how it is if I ignore her too. But if I let her nurse, she will nurse a while and I can stop her and put in the paci and put her down and she may cry a bit, but I rub her back and shhh and she can fall asleep in the crib. It sounds like she may be winding down now. She's not happy, but she is settling. Maybe letting dh take over bedtime a few nights will help. I don't know. It makes me so sad to hear her so worked up even though he is right there soothing her. She just wants the mama. There she goes again screaming. I'm much better at this when they are older. I think my next plan is to let her nurse less and less and try putting her down sooner and sooner.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

I'm having a similar problem as everyone else right now. There have been a few nights lately where I've apparently (bottle) fed him in my sleep because I wake up for the next feed and the bottle is nearly empty. He's crying, so I give him what's left in the bottle, but then it runs dry, so I jump out of bed to go refill the bottle, and he's screaming and screaming - and by the time I get back with the bottle, he's crawled out of bed and halfway to the kitchen.









And then we have tonight. I got him to sleep. I snuck away. 5 minutes later he was screaming - not fussing, full blown screaming. 45 minutes later he was still screaming - arching his back, flailing his arms screaming. I'd hand him to daddy, he'd put him on his shoulder. Magic shoulder - screaming stopped, he was looking around. He'd hold him for a few minutes and hand him back to me, and he'd immediately start screaming again. I left the house after 45 minutes of that. By the time I got back (10 min?), he was out.

And naps the past couple days - morning nap he's fine if I lay down with him, he'll sleep about 2 hours (so will I, but I actually need to get stuff done). If I don't lay down with him, he's _up_ after 30 minutes - won't go back down. Afternoon nap - if I can get him to take it, and I want it to be more than 30 minutes, I have to be wearing him. I can't wait for my new carrier to arrive - I'm hoping I can get him on my back alone with this one. But I've been wearing him on my front. For a 2 hour nap. At 20+ lbs. By the end of the nap my back and neck are killing me (and we're both sweaty). And he wakes up in a bad mood when I'm wearing him on my front (too hot, I think).

I'm just glad the last couple nights he's back down to 3 night wakings.

It's interesting though that you say they don't need to eat at night at this age... last night he woke up 3 times and he drained the bottle every time (5 oz). Usually he only drinks 2-3 oz during a night feeding. Which makes me think growth spurt, but...


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Cristeen... how do you give him bottles? I think we've started a monster by giving Rowan bottles to lay down with. This started FOREVER ago when he'd hold the bottle while going to sleep in the boppy. Now, I think it's bad (or I worry that it will become a "bad" habit). Granted, the minute he's asleep I de-bottle him. He doesn't "sleep" with it. But there's something in his soothing that's related to the bottle - we use the inserts, so the bottom of the bottle is the squishy plasticky part and he plays with it, makes noise with it.
I've tried giving him a bottle in the chair or even just sitting up in bed and THEN putting him down, and he wakes up. Even with a paci. It's not that he wants the liquid, he just wants that plasticky bottle to play with (I think).

Rowan gets up twice in the night. I've started giving him just 2oz, which suffices. Again, I don't think he's really wanting to feed. But he needs a few drops, something more than just a pacifier.

I've switched bottles tonight for the first time. We'll see if it'll work. And if so, I'll try again in a few days, to start picking him up and feeding him and then laying him down. I'd really like to get out of the habit of just giving it to him while he's laying down.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

We use the Born Free bottles, and only just the last few days has he started holding onto it sometimes - but only when he's awake. He depends on me to hold it for him.

To put him down - usually I lay him on the bed on his back or side (I aim for side, but he doesn't always stay there), and I lay down facing him so our faces are maybe a foot apart and I can look into his eyes and feed him that way. Unless he's dog-tired, he requires some coercion to sleep, so I'll stroke his forehead, cover his eyes with my hand or his arm, etc. But he won't go to sleep without the bottle in his mouth. I can tell when he switches from eating suck to comfort suck, but if I put a paci in his mouth then (even one made by the same company), he'll wake up and freak out. I have to wait until he's truly out to remove the bottle. I do worry about his teeth, but I'm not sure what else I can do (and I do try to have his night-time bottle be BM, but lately he's been eating 2 or even 3 bottles at bedtime - tonight it was 2.3).

The last few days though, he won't go to sleep like that. He won't even eat like that. The last few days (week maybe?) he's been requiring to be surrounded by us to eat. Either held tightly against my side with my arm wrapped around him, his head on my arm/shoulder. Or he'll eat cradled in daddy's legs when he sits cross-legged on the floor. And several times over the last week he's actually fallen asleep before bedtime that way. I don't know if it's having his head propped up from a horizontal position, or the being held that he requires, but something's changed.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

We have just started the process of transitioning Gavin out of our room, and helping him learn to sleep better.

My hubby started it with daytime naps. He holds Gavin until he's rubbing his eyes, jerking to stay awake, etc. Then he lays him down in his bed with a minute or so of back rubbing, and walks out. Gavin does "protest" but doesn't ever scream (if he does scream, then hubby will go in and try to comfort him in his bed, if that doesn't work after a minute or so, then he picks him up). There is definitely a difference between "protesting" and "screaming", and every mother will know that difference for her baby.

So now he can put himself to sleep for naps, and it takes about 5 minutes.

Gavin has been sleeping in a port a crib next to our bed, but the last two nights I put him down in the crib in the other room. My hope is to start getting him used to that crib, and soon I'm going to introduce a lovey of some sort, probably a musical toy (we have a glo-worm, but it doesn't play for long enough. My other boys each had a Baby Tad that would play music for 6 minutes, I think I might buy another of those)

What I have noticed recently is that Gavin has been awake several times in the morning when I have to get up for work (he'll be in bed with me nursing) so I have to hand him over to hubby so I can get up. Gavin initially cries at this, he doesn't want to stop nursing, but I have to get up. By the time I get out of the shower, Gavin and hubby are sound asleep together. So Gavin is now able to snuggle up to daddy and go back to sleep.

So now he can put himself to sleep pretty quickly at nap time, and he can sleep next to his daddy without nursing on mommy. Progress!

This is a long process...I don't want to just decide that I'm done with night time feedings and toss him in a crib and assume he'll figure it out in a week. I know that this will take a few months of slow transitioning. Ian was sleeping pretty well (maybe one wake up) by his first birthday (although then we moved internationally and I had to re-do this a few months later because of the time change and the stress of moving, etc) By 15 months Ian was sleeping consistently on his own all night long. Connor was harder, but has all the medical stuff to complicate things. It was around a year that I started working on his sleep, but we had so many "hiccups" in the process, that he's now over 3 and still having waking issues (but remember, he has lots of health issues!) I hope to have Gavin sleeping pretty well by around a year.


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

Something that helps me get the whole thing figured out in my own mind is that, at this age, "screaming" really is protesting. Camry will full-out scream when you take a handful of dog hair away from her (yuck yuck yuck YUCK!), she'll full-out scream when I won't take her out of the carseat sometimes, etc. A newborn screaming is NOT the same thing as a 9mo screaming. She's learned by now that different behaviors get different responses from us; if she's fussing in the pack n play while I'm dealing with something hot on the stove for example, and nobody comes for 3 seconds, she'll cry piteously- big sissy immediately appears and hauls her out. She's grinning before Kaylee can even lift her all the way out, stinker







when just a minute prior, she was crying like someone was pulling her toes off.

Same thing in bed- they learn SO quickly that if they scream or "cry for real" and someone picks them up, nurses them, gives them any attention at all, that it's cool. So they keep doing it. Same thing with eating at night- Cam will absolutely drain a 6oz bottle if I were to go in there and pick her up and cuddle/feed her. Heck, if I wake up in the middle of the night and someone is standing there with something I love to eat, I'll eat







doesn't mean that I am hungry, though, or that I need that food. Waking to eat has also been proven to be a habit in infants our babies' age. Even during a growth spurt, a baby who isn't eating at all at night will adjust and eat more during the day- same as a baby who only nurses at night will reverse-cycle. They don't need to eat at night to grow at this age









If you put a time limit on fussing on babies this age- they learn to cry to that particular time. I learned this with baby #2. I would check the clock and run to her after 5 minutes of heartfelt crying. She would really start cranking up the crying at minute 4, and when I walked in at 5, she would immediately turn the tears off and grin at me. When I didn't go in at 5, she did cry louder, but only for about 3-4 minutes and then she laid down and went to sleep. So I don't put a time limit on it. BUT it's very important not to miss sleep cues- if you let a baby get overtired, they can't self-soothe very well and then you have to let them cry to get enough sleep where they start establishing good sleep patterns. Dr. Weissbluth, author of HSHHC, says "Perfect timing produces no crying"- if you get a baby down when they're drowsy but awake but not overtired, they can absolutely learn to go to sleep on their own without crying.

In the beginning, I make sure they're fed, warm, dry, have a binky/blanket, music. etc and then put them down when they're drowsy. I do not let myself be swayed by protest crying- I know that I am meeting their needs and especially their need for sleep, so going to them is interfering with their need to actually fall asleep on their own. Same for when they wake up in the middle of the night. I made the mistake w/DS of nursing him and replacing the binky every time he woke, because he would wail like a fire engine if I didn't. The result? He was waking up every 45 minutes for the first 18 mos. That was neglectful parenting on my part, because he was sleep deprived. I still feel guilty about that









Camry went from waking up every hour, all night long, to sleeping 12 hours straight in less than 2 weeks. When I started the same routine with my others, the exact same thing happened (even with my very high strung, very spirited oldest dd and with 18mo ds who had been nursed all night long prior) They are such little sponges at this age- and they learn FAST. It doesn't take long for them to figure out, hey, nobody is going to come play/hold/stimulate me at night. Might as well just go to sleep.

It's always hard to listen to your baby cry. But I think that being somewhat of a parenting veteran has helped me to learn that kids cry- sometimes they cry more than others, but I can't let them crying sway my decisions when I know that what I'm doing is best. If I gave in every time they cried for something, I would have miserable, snotty nosed, tired, ice-cream three meals a day kids







As a new mother, I remember how strange and downright mean it seemed to let my baby cry and not go to her, but when I realized that sometimes, meeting a child's needs is more important than mollifying them at the moment. That concept carries over to sooo many areas- just because I don't get my toddler out of his/her carseat while we're driving doesn't mean that I'm ignoring him/her- I'm meeting the need for safety, and they do eventually learn that going in the car means riding in the seat and it's all good.

In the end, people are going to do what they think is best. All I know is that my baby is sleeping all night long and that she self-soothes herself to sleep. My 3 older kids are great sleepers- all falling asleep on their own and staying asleep all night long. All 4 are super happy, well-adjusted kids (and I'm with them ALL the time, so I would know if they weren't







) so I figure what I'm doing is working. Nobody is sleep deprived, nobody is miserable, and my baby smiles and reaches for her bed when it's time to sleep. I count that as success


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 

not fussing, full blown screaming. 45 minutes later he was still screaming - arching his back, flailing his arms screaming.

ugh...thank you. mine does this horrible back arch screaming when she doesn't get what she wants recently and i thought maybe i was the only one. and getting daddy instead of me at night does it to her too.


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## sugarpop (Feb 12, 2009)

Okay so now I have realized there is a difference between Sophia and some of the other babes. She doesn't fuss...skips that all together and heads straight for the full on panick cry (scream). Well maybe there is a moment of fuss as she is waking up her vocal cords or warming up...but there is no time to comfort her while she fusses. She throws her self around, screams and cries. I have some work to do it sounds. And part of my problem is I am too tired and too lazy because I am too tired. Time to suck it up and teach this girl to sleep. No CIO just going to work on other ways to soothe that don't include my boob. In the long run I will get more sleep in the short run I may have to listen to a bit of her "protest"...as long as she is in arms and it doesn't last more than 5 minutes I can make this attempt. Today is the first day of a better nights sleep.


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

is it possible that she's teething? you could try some motrin or tylenol one night and if it helps then you would have your answer (and sleep!)
or ear infection???
it seems weird that she's full on screaming right away if she's right next to you.


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mkksmom* 
That's the issue we are having. If I don't nurse her, she screams. She is up there screaming right now because DH is trying to put her to bed to show her another way to fall asleep. She'll get quiet a minute and then start to freak out again. That's how it is if I ignore her too. But if I let her nurse, she will nurse a while and I can stop her and put in the paci and put her down and she may cry a bit, but I rub her back and shhh and she can fall asleep in the crib. It sounds like she may be winding down now. She's not happy, but she is settling. Maybe letting dh take over bedtime a few nights will help. I don't know. It makes me so sad to hear her so worked up even though he is right there soothing her. She just wants the mama. There she goes again screaming. I'm much better at this when they are older. I think my next plan is to let her nurse less and less and try putting her down sooner and sooner.


So I posted this last night and then DH came down and said he wasn't sure how much more he could do. I said a lot of times when I get frustrated and she just isn't settling, I'll run tot he bathroom and go back and she decides that she's glad to have me back and settles down. That's what she did. He came out and said she was asleep but on her tummy. He also forgot to turn on the monitor, which makes a clicking sound. I waited a few minutes and went to turn it on and she was doing that sad breathing in her sleep.







So I rolled her on to her side a bit and rubbed her back and she seemed to calm down and stayed asleep... until 4 AM! She got up, nursed for 10 minutes and went right back down. Then didn't get up again until 7:45. It took a while, but she went back down again in bed with me at that point, and slept until 11 am. She didn't go down until midnight, so she needed to sleep in. So she woke 2 times!!! Awesome! I think we are going to have to try dh putting her down again. I will say that moving her to her own room for the first part of the night has definitely helped. As much as I did not want to do it, it's been a week now, and it has worked out well. Oh, and my crib was finally recalled, so we are getting the repair kit, which will make me feel even better. I just keep checking it to make sure it's still secure.

Sugarpop-- my older dd was the same way... not when she was in with me, but if I put her down in her crib and she wasn't *sound* asleep, she'd SCREAM that panicked urgent cry. When she was 14 months old, I gradually started to night wean her... took maybe even a month or 2. That helped some. When she was 2 years, 3 months, we moved her from the crib to a twin bed, and that helped a lot. I stopped rocking her to sleep and just laid in bed with her. Gradually, I weaned her off of that, and by the time she was 3, she was going to sleep on her own. When she is stressed-- holidays, major life changes, she tends to not sleep as well. I have to say, though. Her bday is in 2 days and she has still slept really well. So yeah, she definitely learned to sleep well, and she was much more difficult than this LO. She was always more intense, and she is fabulous, considerate, sweet, but she talks all. day. long. and explains things over and over to make sure you completely understand exactly what she is saying. She's just one of those kids with a brain that doesn't shut down easily. She taught herself to read while trying to get to sleep when she was 3. She just doesn't stop. But I love her to pieces.


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## diana_of_the_dunes (Dec 7, 2008)

Hmmm... When Ethan works himself up to screaming, he doesn't stop when I pick him up or comfort him. It takes at least 3-5 minutes until he starts to chill, and even then he's prone to bouts of crying.

He doesn't do it terribly often, but it doesn't seem like "faking" to me...


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

My oldest didn't stop right away either. It would take forever to get her calmed down.

Personally, I don't consider it faking at all. I consider it communicating. My LO would stop crying as soon as she saw I was going to tend to her from the start. She's just mellow.


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

Two steps forward, one step back....

For all our progress, Keagan didn't sleep well last night, and today he is *screaming* when he's put down even for a moment. He napped in the carrier for about 20 minutes this am, and is napping on his dad's shoulder as I type.

As for sleep training- it can be such a divisive issue even between coparents within a family- it's hard to discuss openly and not fear judgment in a format like this.

In our family, we try not to allow screaming/crying, but a single mutter isn't something we worry about. I do know that once they are screaming/crying at this age, there's no hope of their self-soothing, so leaving them without a response from me at that point isn't acceptable. That's my experience with my kids... I'm sure it's different for all of us.

I don't think my kids are trying to manipulate me, but I do think that they are old enough to be learning that they have power in their own world, and one way they can experience that power is by crying- I see that as a step towards communication- tears are no longer simple reaction to discomfort of some sort, but also a way to voice frustration, and I want them to learn early that I will be there when they want to communicate.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *confustication* 
I don't think my kids are trying to manipulate me, but I do think that they are old enough to be learning that they have power in their own world, and one way they can experience that power is by crying- I see that as a step towards communication- tears are no longer simple reaction to discomfort of some sort, but also a way to voice frustration, and I want them to learn early that I will be there when they want to communicate.

That's very well said.

I've been working on this - trying to tend to myself a bit. If I'm cooking my breakfast or using the bathroom and he gets upset that he's alone in the LR, I can't just drop everything and run to get him. He's learning that I _will_ be back, but it may take a minute or two. He's not thrilled about it, but he's learning to be a little calmer when it happens.

Last night was interesting though. After having this conversation on here, I happened to be in the bathroom when he woke at 11:30, and DH was already in bed. He had drank something like 11 oz between 8 and 9, so I knew he couldn't be hungry. I heard him fuss a little bit, but it took a couple minutes for me to finish up in the bathroom, and by the time I got out of there he was asleep again - no crying at all. He was up 2 more times, but if I can get rid of even one awakening for now, that's an improvement.


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

Quote:

I don't think my kids are trying to manipulate me, but I do think that they are old enough to be learning that they have power in their own world, and one way they can experience that power is by crying- I see that as a step towards communication- tears are no longer simple reaction to discomfort of some sort, but also a way to voice frustration, and I want them to learn early that I will be there when they want to communicate.








Open communication lines can be formed in many ways. My 10yo was allowed to cry on occasion as an infant/toddler, and she communicates more/better with me than any of her peers do with their moms. But again, it's really a BTDT kind of thing. Not something I would have known or understood when my kids were little, and certainly not with my first baby. It was all so mysterious back then


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *KayleeZoo* 







Open communication lines can be formed in many ways. My 10yo was allowed to cry on occasion as an infant/toddler, and she communicates more/better with me than any of her peers do with their moms. But again, it's really a BTDT kind of thing. Not something I would have known or understood when my kids were little, and certainly not with my first baby. It was all so mysterious back then









We evolve so much as parents- especially when we have more than one child. I wasn't trying to suggest at all that by doing things differently someone was going to adversely impact future communication. I do let my kids whine/fuss etc- lol with three it's just not an option to respond instantly to every little whimper. I really do believe there is very much a middle ground between leaving your child screaming hysterically for hours and never letting them shed a tear. I strive for the point in there that fits our family and that particular child.


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

Quote:

We evolve so much as parents- especially when we have more than one child. I wasn't trying to suggest at all that by doing things differently someone was going to adversely impact future communication. I do let my kids whine/fuss etc- lol with three it's just not an option to respond instantly to every little whimper. I really do believe there is very much a middle ground between leaving your child screaming hysterically for hours and never letting them shed a tear. I strive for the point in there that fits our family and that particular child.
I couldn't agree more. I was hoping to show some of the new moms, especially, that you don't have to cling to ideas that you form before becoming a parent- not giving yourself the freedom to evolve and change your mind/methods as necessary. Sometimes we get so hung up on things like, "I won't feed my baby anything but breastmilk", or "I won't ever let my baby cry by himself to learn how to self-soothe", or "I won't ever take a knife away and say NO when my toddler is sticking it in an electrical socket- I'll calmly explain to him why it's dangerous" (at 13mos old







) I think we do ourselves and especially our children a disservice when we get so caught up in the mantras we get attached to when we get pregnant that we can't re-evaluate along the way, kwim? That's just not something that's easy to understand when you're experiencing parenthood for the first (or sometimes even the 2nd) time.


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

I couldn't agree more! I know that I was particularly obnoxious with my first- I was SO sure all the research I'd done had taught me THE right way to do everything, and I really did kind of shove that down other parents' throats... It took me a long time to come to terms with the reality that my ideals were great, but kids need a parent who will adapt to their needs more than they need to be 'perfectly' molded by the 'perfect' parent.

(Oh, and I TOTALLY thought I would be one of those parents who never said 'no' and just explained everything calmly and rationally. HA!)


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Morning Routine & Time question...

I stay at home, so there's no time we HAVE to get up. Rowan's always been a relatively late sleeper, 7:30, 8ish. He's been in his crib in the other room for two months now. When he wakes up around 4, I bring him into the bed with us. Just cause.
So we wake up together.

So... still, SOME nights, he wakes up at 4, comes to bed with me, sleeps late.

Recently, for whatever reason, he's been sleeping til 6, 6:30. (this is since 11pm/Midnight wake). And I'm ALL for it! YAY!
BUT.. he's AWAKE.
So, I'm awake. We get up. Start our morning routine. Have breakfast around 8am. And at 8:30, he goes back down for another hour.

STILL has his morning nap around 10:30 - EVEN when he's just gotten up at 9:30 (well, maybe it gets pushed to 11, but rarely).

I'm not really complaining. Again, I love the nights he sleeps a good 7 hrs in a stretch. And imo, if he's slept that 11hrs, with only one wake around Midnight... it's understandable that he'd be up at 6.
But why can't that become the routine?

*
What are your morning wake times?* (I suppose, relative to his going down at 7:30-8pm, of course)


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

btw, I really appreciate you experienced mom's with the advice that we will change our mantras. It's amazing what you THINK you'll do, and what you end up doing. And I'm only 9months into this experience for the first time. I absolutely feel like I know Nothing (meaning, I've changed almost Everything about me - or it was changed for me - or it didn't work out like I'd thought). And I'm 100% OKAY with that. Because Rowan's a happy healthy baby. Everything is a learning process. And every time I do something I'd originally thought "i'd never do", I have a twinge of guilt. But, in the end, it's the right thing to do because it's right for US. I know that's all that matters. I do. Sometimes the guilt is still there. But I do know that, somewhere.
So... Thanks! Your sharing that you've done the same things, had the same "issues" and changed your minds a thousand times, makes me feel better


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JordanKX* 
Morning Routine & Time question...

I stay at home, so there's no time we HAVE to get up. Rowan's always been a relatively late sleeper, 7:30, 8ish. He's been in his crib in the other room for two months now. When he wakes up around 4, I bring him into the bed with us. Just cause.
So we wake up together.

So... still, SOME nights, he wakes up at 4, comes to bed with me, sleeps late.

Recently, for whatever reason, he's been sleeping til 6, 6:30. (this is since 11pm/Midnight wake). And I'm ALL for it! YAY!
BUT.. he's AWAKE.
So, I'm awake. We get up. Start our morning routine. Have breakfast around 8am. And at 8:30, he goes back down for another hour.

STILL has his morning nap around 10:30 - EVEN when he's just gotten up at 9:30 (well, maybe it gets pushed to 11, but rarely).

I'm not really complaining. Again, I love the nights he sleeps a good 7 hrs in a stretch. And imo, if he's slept that 11hrs, with only one wake around Midnight... it's understandable that he'd be up at 6.
But why can't that become the routine?

*
What are your morning wake times?* (I suppose, relative to his going down at 7:30-8pm, of course)

hey, who knows...maybe it will become his routine?
usually ada wakes up once around 5 and i nurse her back down and we wake up for the day now anywhere from 7:30 to 8:30 with a bedtime between 8 and 9 (later bedtime never having anything to do with later waking btw.) it used to be waking at 9ish all.the.time. so this earlier stuff and especially the 7:30 wakings are not something i'm all that happy about since i SAH and have no need to get up early. i'm slowly coming to grips with the idea that i will never get to sleep in ever again. boo.


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

I'll answer the morning wake for both boys- as they are very different...

Both are up very early- Keagan is up at about 4/4:30 and will tolerate nursing for about an hour before he wants to be OUT OF BED.

Aiden (23 mos) is up at about 5:30/6 but will happily play in his crib until whenever (if he's left with his dad, that means he may not get up until almost 7:30 which is WAY too late- imo.)

Keagan will go back down for a nap at about 8am, and sleep for 45 mins

Aiden is ready for a nap at about 9:30/10 and will sleep for about an hour and a half- at which point we wake him. Left to his own devices he would sleep about 4 hours at this time.

Keagan is up again by 9am, and will stay that way until about 1pm. We then get another 45 minutes- or MAYBE an hour.

Aiden is ready for an afternoon nap at 2/2:30, and will nap until about 4/4:30.

Both have dinner, and Keagan will sometimes nap from about 7pm to an hour before bed, then is up to play for an hour before nursing to sleep. Aiden is ready for bed before 7pm, and is down for the night at that point.

You will note that their sleep schedules do not really overlap much. I keep looking for a magic wand, but nothing has changed that no matter how hard we try.


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

I think the sleep conversation you ladies had earlier is helpful just to see the different methods to use in the sleep arsenal. Lake used to STTN but lately he has been getting up once or twice a night. That started once he started crawling and was too busy to eat properly during the day. I realize that he probably doesn't need to wake up at all, especially since he STTN from 4 months old to 7 months old, but don't have the drive to do much. DH and I take turns getting up so we get enough sleep every other night. Our issue though is the bedtime and routine to get him to bed for the night.

His bedtime varies so much: anywhere from 8:30 to 10 PM. I would really like him to be asleep by 8:30 but it is such a FIGHT some nights to get him to bed. We have started to take him on car rides, which is something we NEVER had to do with him before. I've tried starting quiet time at about 8 but he refuses to sit still and read a book. Ugh, it's frustrating.

As far as waking times go, Lake is like clockwork. He'll get up at 4 for a bottle then sleep till 6:30 or he'll be up for the day at 5:30. His morning nap is starts between 9:30 and 10 then the rest of the day is not guaranteed. We still go with the flow!

Lately, he has been incredibly fussy. But he doesn't cry, he screams. It is in protest or from frustration and it is constant. If you're holding him and he wants to go down, or if you're eating something he wants, he screams. We don't know what to do. Ignore him, say no? Any suggestions would be so helpful!


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## sugarpop (Feb 12, 2009)

Sophia is going through this frustration stage as well. I feel bad for her, she clearly wants to communicate and...well...screaming gets our attention. I figure as her language develops hopefully this issue will resolve itself, but in the meantime the guessing game is painful!

On a postive note, I think my weekend of determination is paying off. We decided to put a new more rigid plan/schedule into place. I still watch her cues...but she seems to disguise these so I am not as aware of her being tired. So here is our schedule and how we do it.

Dinner between 5:30 and 6:30, sometimes she eats sometimes she doesn't. She likes milk and really doesn't care to eat the food, she does like to play with it though.
We alternate bath/walk in the evening, although with the hot weather we will probably go with baths every night, this we do around 7:15 and she plays for 20 to 30 minutes. Then diaper and pjs. (I do this part the bath, diaper and PJS)
Then DH takes over and does 15 minutes of book time, (I go clean up from dinner, pack DH lunch, mop, whatever but quietly and not in the quiet room they are in with dimmed lights.
By 8:30 I take over with nursing. If she finishes eating and is still awake then I hold her and sing over and over and over "twinkle twinkle little star", until she passes out and i lay her down, on a pad on the floor beside her very nice, rather expensive crib and organic pricey mattress!

SO how do you get your little one to sleep in the crib? As I bend over the edge of the crib to lay her down she wakes every time!


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

i can't even remember how to get them to sleep in the crib. i remember it being a real struggle, i remember being forced into co-sleeping for 2 months, and i remember working really hard to get her into the crib....i just can't remember what i did!

i know none of the tricks worked for us. waiting until asleep, warmed blankets, boob-scented rags, snuggling her in with pillows....nothing. i think it was just sheer persistence.

do you think it might be easier to get her into the crib after an easy night waking when she's really sleepy? sometimes i use these times to "experiment" on ada and get her used to changes. like, there's no way she's going down for a nap without her swaddle but i can usually put her back down at night without it.

btw...we had our first "incident" today. tooth through the lip when she took a harder fall on her tush. i knew it was coming eventually and she took it way better than i did. thank g-d i had frozen some popsicles.


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

As far as learning to sleep in a crib, it's habit - just like learning to sleep anywhere. After DD#1, who had to be asleep before laying her down (and she would promptly wake up as soon as her body touched the mattress), I started putting my babies in their cribs for naps as newborns. Camry is wide awake every time she goes down- for naps and at night- and falls asleep within a couple minutes- sometimes she fusses, sometimes she talks and lately she stands up and blows raspberries







BUT a big part of bed sleeping is learning how to fall asleep while they're in their bed.

And it really comes down to the question are you willing to let them learn to sleep in a crib/bed? If you're not comfortable listening to protest crying, I don't know how you'll establish the habit (unless you want to put yourself and the baby through weeks or months of confusion- taking them out, holding, putting them back in, during which time they really don't "learn" how to sleep, but rather that they will keep getting picked up out of bed at regular intervals). Any baby can learn how to sleep in a bed, but it's definately a *learned* behavior and you get there by repetition and complete consistency.

Even with a horrible cold and cough right now (plus very swollen gums- those top teeth are buggers!), she's sleeping all night long in her crib in another room- the last cold she had kept us both up *all night long*, but now that she's accustomed to sleeping, and falling back asleep by herself, she doesn't get fully awake like she did before and scream when her nose is stuffed up, etc. That's been an unexpected plus to getting her to sleep all night long, especially since she needs more rest when she's sick.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

I just had to share with you ladies. I have a mouse, apparently.

I left the CSA box in the foyer with the non-refrigerated fruits/veggies because I was being lazy. And yesterday my little mouse crawled over to the boxes, and started rummaging around in them. Pulled out a tomato (which he had never tried before) and started eating it like an apple. It was the most adorable thing!! He didn't get very far - it was a rather firm tomato, luckily. But daddy brought him into the kitchen for me to see. He was holding onto his prize as if to say "mine!!" I'm not even sure how he managed to get his hands around it, it was a big tomato.

So far he loves pretty much all food. He's not interested in applesauce, and he spat out cherries, but salmon, figs, blueberries, cauliflower, even saurekraut were a big hit.

Oh, and to answer the sleep question - his official bedtime is 8, but he's been going to bed closer to 7 lately. He was getting up around 5, but I seem to have managed to get that moved to 6. Because when he's up, he's up. We've ordered blackout shades for the bedroom though, in hopes that he'll get some more sleep. He's pretty much constantly cranky from not enough.

We can see 2 more top teeth cutting right now, and I think the two bottom ones are starting to press up also. On top of what I'm guessing is chicken pox. So it's just been a fun week or so in our house.


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

tzs, so sorry that ada had an incident! I'm glad she pulled through ok!

cristeen, your "mouse" sounds sooo cute!

kayleezoo, I think DH and I have been lucky so far with Lake. Although he's an active kid, he has a pretty laidback attitude about where he sleeps. We tried cosleeping for a while. It was great for nursing every 2 hours. Once Lake stopped eating so often at night and then kicking and rolling.... well, he had to go in his crib. I needed sleep so I just put him in there one night and that was that! He sleeps so much better and so do we.

Lake had his 9 mth appointment today. Here are his 'stats':
Height: 29.5 in (90%ile)
Weight: 19 lbs 10.5 oz (just under 50%ile)
Head Circ: 46.5 cm (just over 75%)

His pedi didn't seem concerned about his weight thankfully. We've noticed that he doesn't seem into drinking his bottle anymore. He would much rather play or eat solids so it's been difficult getting him to drink even 6 oz at a time. I'm not sure how to get him to eat more but I don't want him to drop %iles in weight. She said he's doing great and gave some advice on the screaming. She told me that whenever he screams we should respond in a whisper. We'll give it a shot!


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## sugarpop (Feb 12, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
I just had to share with you ladies. I have a mouse, apparently.

I left the CSA box in the foyer with the non-refrigerated fruits/veggies because I was being lazy. And yesterday my little mouse crawled over to the boxes, and started rummaging around in them. Pulled out a tomato (which he had never tried before) and started eating it like an apple. It was the most adorable thing!! He didn't get very far - it was a rather firm tomato, luckily. But daddy brought him into the kitchen for me to see. He was holding onto his prize as if to say "mine!!" I'm not even sure how he managed to get his hands around it, it was a big tomato.


Wow I must be tired...I was picturing a mouse actually pulling a tomato out of a box! It took me twice reading this to realize you meant you LO! Thanks for the imagery...even if my mouse turned into a rat and then finally a babe!

UGH teeth...so awful, we are working on number 6, 5 finally came through. I hope your little one is less bothered.

SO foods, for those that have introduced foods, what are you holding back on? Fish? meat (b/c vegatarian or just b/c), any fruits or veggies? eggs? I am just curious what 9 month olds are eating at this point.

DD had her first Kalamata olive yesterday and liked it. Loves strawberries and tried lemon and seemed interested in that too.


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## ladymeag (Aug 11, 2005)

Is it too late to join you all? I have a Sept 09 baby!


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## sugarpop (Feb 12, 2009)

Never too late to join...it is great to have another mama, the more the merrier (can't spell)


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

As far as food goes, I haven't given her eggs yet, but haven't held anything else back. We do Earth's Best baby foods, and she likes everything but the green bean casserole (but likes whole green beans cut into pieces just fine) and we give her tastes of most everything we eat. She's definately 1/2 Vietnamese- had her first pork fried rice the other night and kept yelling for more


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

we do all foods except the cows milk and honey deal-io. i think i was holding off on the "biggies" of the allergens for a while (peanut butter, eggs, and cheese mainly) and then just said to he*l with it. we don't have any history of allergies, holding off seemed kinda hooey anyway, and then recently i heard the "experts" changed their mind again anyway.

ada loves sauerkraut too. babies are so weird. pickles, yum. i've been meaning to give her olives but keep forgetting, thanks for the reminder! the one time i had the opportunity it was sitting in a bloody mary and i wasn't sure if it was kosher so i didn't steal it for her. she loves spicy stuff though. right now she's eating roasted habaneros stuffed with beans and rice. well, actually, right now she's whining. all done.


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

Quote:

we do all foods except the cows milk and honey deal-io. i think i was holding off on the "biggies" of the allergens for a while (peanut butter, eggs, and cheese mainly) and then just said to he*l with it.
ditto. We tried holding off for a while but Lake was very vocal about wanting to try it all!

Hi ladymeag! Tell us about yourself!


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

I held off on egg whites until last week. He hasn't had strawberries yet. And I'm avoiding honey and nuts. I don't think there's really anything else. We waited on meats until about 8 mos - his first taste was salmon. But now he's had lamb, beef and pork also.

Oh, we are avoiding grains. And the only starches he's had are corn (well actually the cob - we eat the corn and then give him the cob to chew on, it's a great teething toy) and sweet potatoes. He likes beans (I think he's had 3 or 4 kinds), and he likes things on the spicy side too (haven't given him anything really spicy just cause mommy doesn't eat it). Can't say I'm surprised with that last one though... I craved spicy throughout my pregnancy.


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

We haven't had a lot of grains, just because I'm not big on breads. He's had pieces of tortillas. DP gave him a potato chip and I punched (at DP, not Rowan!). i DO realize that everything right now is about taste and texture, but WHY just give him crap that you're eating. enyhoo...

he had strawberries. Eggs have been a go, full eggs, for a while. Normally I'm all ground turkey, but I just gave him some beef. And I made indian food, chickpeas and peas and Cheese (and it was spicy) and he ate it, loved it, and all came out well on the other end.

Do your LO's drink water (or something else) with "meals"? Cause Rowan's started this thing where if he's getting a puree, which he doesn't like but... he'll chew on the sippy cup. Almost like he's annoyed that he doesn't have something to munch.
But there are other times when he just reaches for the sippy cup all throughout the 'meal', and sometimes he'll drink 2-3 oz of water with a meal.
Is that weird?


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

ooh... and I have an update.

Last night Rowan STTN! OMG!
I know most of you don't do bottles, but last week we switched to non-insert bottles, because I was thinking he was drinking SO much while "asleep" because he likes to feel and play with the insert, not so much the drinking need.
And everything has changed. He only drinks maybe 1-2oz going down. And then another 1-2 oz ONE time during the night. ONE wake!!!
And last night, not a single wake. Went down at 7:30 and was up at 6. Happy, smiley, and ready to play (LOVE it!).

Like his other mornings where he wakes so early, he had breakfast (a scrambled egg and a bit of fruit) and then went down again at 8:30. And another nap at 9:45 -- for an HOUR.

That makes now almost a full week of him taking three naps. Almost like he needs to sleep another hour in the morning.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Hi ladies! Gavin slept from 11pm-5:30am last night, which is great! In his own bed, in another room. Stupidly I didn't go to bed until almost midnight, and my alarm went off at 6am, so I'm still going to be tired today, but it's a whole lot better than him waking several times.

My two big boys have been at my mom's house for a week and a half a whole state away, and I miss them!!!! THey're having a blast, really enjoying this grandma time, but still I can't wait to get up there to pick them up







Two more days...two more days!

Gavin appears to have skipped a clothes size. It's been so hot lately (and we don't have a/c) that I've just had him in a diaper or a diaper and t-shirt or onesie, so I hadn't noticed that his 6-9 month clothes were getting small. But lo and behold they were all small! I went looking through the attic and brought down what I thought was the 9-12 month box, but it turned out to be the 12-18 month box, which fits him perfectly!! Well, the shirts/shorts/onesies anyway. Probably not the jeans, but it's not jeans season anyway. What's funny about this, is Connor (my 3.5 year old) is only in a size 2T, so it was just this winter that we put away the 18 month sizes, and now my almost 9 month old is getting into them









Gavin is a real chunk, especially since he STILL is not crawling! I think he weighs about 20 pounds, no clue on how long he is (well baby next week, we'll find out then) He is perfectly content to be on his butt. He uses his heels to pivot around, and he can scoot forwards and backwards in small increments to move around the room. He goes from his butt to a tri-pod like stance by leaning forward onto his arms, but he doesn't do anything after that, just reaches forward. If he can't reach what he wants, then he scoots/rocks some then tries the tripod again. Stubbornly won't crawl.

Food is definitely an interest now, but this mama is still being somewhat strict. Almost everything is single-ingredient foods still, and for sure I'm avoiding dairy, soy, and gluten because of his brothers' issues with those foods. He also doesn't eat very often...sometimes a day or two will go by without him eating any food, and we're both okay with that. Sometimes he gets it in his head that he HAS to eat something during my mealtime, and I'll usually find something he can have then. So I'd say we're definitely in the "playing around with it" stage. He did have beans for the first time recently and LOVED them, it was pretty funny! I only gave him maybe a tablespoon total. He also has had tomatoes, and likes those. In fact, he's tried almost all fruits and vegetables, and the only one he didn't like (go figure) was avocado. He hasn't done any berries yet. I did bribe him with some Kix cereal on a long car ride recently (I know, bad mommy...sugar in the cereal PLUS we were in the car...I just couldn't deal with the screaming anymore! He liked them (no surprise there, who doesn't like Kix?) I guess of all cereals to have, that one's one of the least bad for him.

Well anyway...I'm done pumping...gotta get to work!


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

oh yeah right! we try to avoid soy as well. forgot about that one. a little bit as soy sauce or miso....ok. but no tofu or anything like that. the whole soy thing kinda creeps me out.

we drink from a cup with meals mainly as practice but i was kinda wondering if i should be doing more throughout the day when it's hot. i know they say they get all they need from BM but i'm only nursing in the am and down for naps and bed so that makes up like 3 times during the sunny hours. she's got to be thirsty, no? water bottle while we're out and about???


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

ack! I can't hear any more about STTN. Lalala... I can't hear you!

Just kidding mamas, I don't begrude you the sleep, I just whish it were me. DH and I are considering taking a more hard line in terms of sleeping. Right now we are totally child centered, but I'm worried about late pregnancy, birth, and then recovery with a newborn. I can imagine my self with an 18 month old and a 3 month old, but I'm worried about the recover period.

So... I"m looking for any tricks to get the babe sleeping longer, and on his own. Right now he's either nursing or being rocked by DH (repeatedly because the transfer's don't go well).

Solids are going much better! He still doesn't have teeth, but he's eating more of the traditional indian food (minus spices). I'm still strict about what he has though-- (no dairy, no added sugar, very little salt, no processed foods), and I surprised myself by physically restraining an aunt of mine this weekend when she tried to put some sweets in his mouth.


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## sugarpop (Feb 12, 2009)

Sophia went through a couple weeks of sleeping for 1-2 hours at a time...during the night. I thought that was my new reality. But since this weekend, we have had several nights that included 4 hour stretches of sleep. Amazing what a difference that makes.

Texmati~the only way I can lay sophia down and walk away is if I nurse her or rock and then lay beside her and slowly roll away. Takes about an hour from nurse to roll...but I hope it gets easier in time. My new plan is to lay with her when she is almost asleep and pat her back to see what happens. This is the week of experimentation...I will let everyone know my findings! lol


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## ladymeag (Aug 11, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *newmomroxi* 
Hi ladymeag! Tell us about yourself!










Hi!

Oh, man, where to start? I'm 27, will be 28 in August. My husband is a 32-year-old computer nerd. So, Niall is my 9 month old son - 09/19/09. I planned on a VBAC (my birthdaughter, 7, was born by emergency c-section after 40 hours of labor) but wound up with complications and had a repeat c-section. My birthdaughter was placed in an open adoption with friends who had been waiting for a baby for about ten years - my ex-husband and I called when they were discussing finally giving up! They live in Seattle.

We're a vaccinating, non-circumcising, babywearing, co-sleeping, cloth-diapering family. We do ASL with Signing Time and knowledge we already have (I'm hard of hearing.) I have PCOS and apparently a team of doctors that know nothing about breastfeeding and wound up with a milk supply that dried up at six weeks. So we do formula (I cried about this for weeks, seriously.) Niall is all about the solid food these days - he loves pretty much anything I put in front of him. He's crawling, pulling up on furniture (and I count as furniture, as far as he is concerned) and walking supported. He's stood up a couple of times in the middle of the room on his own (and plopped back down within five seconds.) He knows ten to fifteen signs (we're having trouble keeping count!), five words (hi, babycakes, Mama, Addy - what he calls Daddy- and Emma, his favorite cat) No teeth yet, though.

We have two dogs (chow-chow/Melanios shepherd mixes), four cats (a Siamese/tabby mix, a ragdoll, a tabby and a torbie/Siamese mix) and five finches. All are rescues. Both of us were married before, so we're combining two split households worth of pets and we both wound up with the pets.

We're "from" Seattle but had to move to the San Francisco Bay Area for my husband's job which laid him off shortly after - quite frankly, we hate it here! He lived in Sacramento as a little kid and moved to the Bay Area as a teenager and never wanted to come back here. We hope to move home soon but it'll probably be several years. In the meantime, we live in Redwood City and my husband works at Stanford. I don't really know anyone here, so I'm trying my best to find friends - it's been hard. We both come from broken or dysfunctional homes; so while we have living family members, we don't really have family. My husband's father's widow (not dh's mom or step-mom) is the only grandparent our son really has.

I'm a SAHM now. I enjoy it but it is out of necessity - we couldn't afford daycare on what I make in a year! We're planning on homeschooling, so I'll probably be a SAHM for a while. We may or may not have one more but that'll be it for us, if we do. We're low-TV (obviously, we watch Signing Time DVDs but we don't do kid's TV other than that and adult TV time is about 3 hours a week - we watch True Blood, Doctor Who and Stargate Universe, it used to be 4 hours but Lost is over.







).

I feel like all I am now is a climbing post, food supplier and educator. I know there's a real adult in here somewhere but for now, it's all focused on Niall.

My yoga baby, helping me improve my WiiFit score (gotta lose this weight, I've got a lot of it! I'm carrying the weight from my bd 7 years ago and Niall):

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4021/...fd14c35a78.jpg


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Welcome ladymeag! What a cute LO!

Ahhh, N finally went back to his normal sleep routine last night (dear god, I hope it sticks around!), which means 4 night wakings, but that was such blessed relief after a week of his waking every hour at night. And he's actually down for a morning nap now too, which he had been refusing to take all last week. I couldn't believe that he could sleep so poorly at night and then only have one hour and a half nap all day!!! It was crazy!

But he's definitely getting tooth #5 and I feel like there is just so much going on with him right now. I can see those wheels turning. . .we had the TV on and a woman on TV was wearing a hat and he was looking back and forth from her head to my head. So I explained to him about the hat and why I wasn't wearing one.







But its things like that--he's just sort of wired all the time by all this mobility and awareness. Hopefully, we are back to normal though. Funny to be so happy about 4 night wakings, but I'll take what I can get. .. and anyway, I half-sleep through them myself.

As for food, N has just in the last couple weeks started to show some real interest, that said though he still doesn't take more then 5 bites of anything. He's still very much a BM baby. He does love, love water though. .. I bought him a Klean Kanteen sippy and he drinks probably 5-10oz a day. He always drinks when he's eating solids (he gestures for the sippy very clearly) and if we're out and about and its hot he'll always take water too. He isn't hurting for calories so I don't mind. . .I like establishing water drinking habits. The only foods we are still really avoiding are any dairy, nuts, and honey of course. I haven't given him whole eggs yet, but I have given him some things with eggs cooked into them--he seemed fine with that. I'll probably go for nuts next, I don't suspect he'll have problems there. I was being much more careful about it, but it turns out that he prefers to eat out of my bowl. I don't even attempt purees anymore, he just won't eat them. The only food he eats with gusto is fruit, the kid is crazy about peaches and nectarines and oranges and melon! Bananas however, he hates. I offer him food twice a day usually. . .or whenever I am eating and he's awake.


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ladymeag* 
Hi!

We're "from" Seattle but had to move to the San Francisco Bay Area for my husband's job which laid him off shortly after - quite frankly, we hate it here! He lived in Sacramento as a little kid and moved to the Bay Area as a teenager and never wanted to come back here. We hope to move home soon but it'll probably be several years. In the meantime, we live in Redwood City and my husband works at Stanford. I don't really know anyone here, so I'm trying my best to find friends - it's been hard.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4021/...fd14c35a78.jpg

wow! amazing story!!! i used to live in fremont and HATED it. i thought the bay area was the ugliest most horrible place on earth. UNTIL i moved to berkeley and then SF. i miss it so much now. ahhhhhh....the fun years.

TEXMATI: i've been meaning to get ada some into some indian food (full spice...bring it on!!!) but would have to make it myself. do you have some simple recipes, links, or how-to's that either don't require dairy or could take a dairy substitute? (i can do coffee rich for milky stuff or tofutti sour cream for yogurt although i try to avoid them.) plus...i've been fiending myself for a while. we were just in nyc and there's a good kosher indian place there but we never made it into manhattan. big letdown.


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## ladymeag (Aug 11, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tzs* 
wow! amazing story!!! i used to live in fremont and HATED it. i thought the bay area was the ugliest most horrible place on earth. UNTIL i moved to berkeley and then SF. i miss it so much now. ahhhhhh....the fun years.

TEXMATI: i've been meaning to get ada some into some indian food (full spice...bring it on!!!) but would have to make it myself. do you have some simple recipes, links, or how-to's that either don't require dairy or could take a dairy substitute? (i can do coffee rich for milky stuff or tofutti sour cream for yogurt although i try to avoid them.) plus...i've been fiending myself for a while. we were just in nyc and there's a good kosher indian place there but we never made it into manhattan. big letdown.

Seattle has an amazing kosher Indian place (Pabla Indian Cuisine in Renton/Issaquah)... mmmm, I'd forgotten how much I miss that place!

I've lived a lot of other places. We had reservations about moving out of the Seattle area, we're so happy there. However, his employer promised that this was going to be amazing, etc and then dumped him shortly after we got here (and they paid for our move!) It really is home for us. I think that this area would be better for me if I had never found "home."


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ladymeag* 
I've lived a lot of other places. We had reservations about moving out of the Seattle area, we're so happy there. However, his employer promised that this was going to be amazing, etc and then dumped him shortly after we got here (and they paid for our move!) It really is home for us. I think that this area would be better for me if I had never found "home."









I can absolutely relate to this, though my 'home' is a couple hours north. We're currently in the middle of a move 'home' after trying to make it work elsewhere for several years. When you find the place that clicks, you feel incomplete until you can be there again.


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

Jordan, yay for STTN! As for the water, Lake doesn't drink much. He doesn't like the sippy so he might drink an oz. H prefers a regular cup but most of it dribbles down his chin.

Quote:

ack! I can't hear any more about STTN. Lalala... I can't hear you!
Lol, texmati. It'll happen!

ladymeag, Niall is such a cutie!! That sucks that you don't enjoy where you live now. I totally understand how hard it is to find friends. I'm not originally from this area so I've been trying to meet people with similar interests. It's gotten even harder since my DS has been born. Luckily, my DH is from here so we hang out with his family and friends a lot. I doubt we'll be moving away any time soon, if ever!

So, I'm starting to wonder if we can start transitioning away from the bottle. Lake loves food and manages it really well.. no choking, everything gets processed. He's still primarily on formula but it's such a struggle to get him to drink it sometimes. What do you ladies think? What signs should I be looking for to know that he's ready?


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *newmomroxi* 

So, I'm starting to wonder if we can start transitioning away from the bottle. Lake loves food and manages it really well.. no choking, everything gets processed. He's still primarily on formula but it's such a struggle to get him to drink it sometimes. What do you ladies think? What signs should I be looking for to know that he's ready?

my pediatrician said he could be weaned at a year; I told him he's at about -15-18oz right now, which he agreed is right on target. 9 months is too young to totally wean, but anywhere from 15-24day is good. I'm also giving him a lot of food, and a bit of everything each day - protein, fruits, etc. So we had to cover a few days of 'food' discussion to make sure that by reducing his formula intake at this point, I wasn't shortening him some how. And I have pedi approval... and Rowan is in heaven! He LOVES to eat.

So... that's at least my perspective on things.

Literally on the bottles, I"m starting to give sippies of formula for naps. So hopefully he'll only get 'bottles' at nite. Or at least that's the plan.


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

Welcome ladymeag!

I am so happy to say that after dh started putting LO to bed, she started having 4 hour stretches and now is up to 5-5.5 hours. That's pretty much all I need to be able to function and be happy, so I'm a happy mama. If she gives me 4-5 hours, I don't mind if she is up every 2 hours after that. I think this weekend, dh might take the first wake-up as well. We'll see.

As for food, we have a TON of allergies in our families-- both families, so we avoid most of the top 8-- not because I think it will help to avoid the allergies but because I want her to be able to communicate better if she has an issue. I did introduce yogurt, though. I needed something with fat to try to keep her full at night. She has constipation issues-- my older dd did too until we gave her shredded wheat. So she eats a lot of prunes, pears, black beans. We cut out meats and now I am cutting the puffed rice, which was mostly for entertainment/learning to feed herself. But she is now too good at getting it into her mouth. I give her water, and watered down juice once in a while to help. I am not a fan of juice at all really-- my 6 year old doesn't get it daily and when she does, it is 1/4 juice and the rest water. At parties for school, etc., she gets straight juice and thinks it is such a treat.


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## ladymeag (Aug 11, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *newmomroxi* 
ladymeag, Niall is such a cutie!! That sucks that you don't enjoy where you live now. I totally understand how hard it is to find friends. I'm not originally from this area so I've been trying to meet people with similar interests. It's gotten even harder since my DS has been born. Luckily, my DH is from here so we hang out with his family and friends a lot. I doubt we'll be moving away any time soon, if ever!

Thanks! We certainly think he's cute but... well, we might be biased. I've lived a lot of places, I can certainly think of places I'd enjoy less than here. I guess I'm just homesick. I joined an AP parenting group yesterday, so we'll see how that goes on finding other like-minded and kid-friendly folks!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *newmomroxi* 
So, I'm starting to wonder if we can start transitioning away from the bottle. Lake loves food and manages it really well.. no choking, everything gets processed. He's still primarily on formula but it's such a struggle to get him to drink it sometimes. What do you ladies think? What signs should I be looking for to know that he's ready?

We're moving away from the bottle, kinda. Niall loves the sippy cup with water. He still gets his milk in a bottle, though. Our pediatrician suggested cutting back on the amount of formula, since he's so interested in solid foods and was drinking between 36 and 42 US fluid ounces per day of formula. He suggested cutting back to around 24 ounces per day and supplementing with water for the "drinking from the bottle feel." It seems to be making him more interested in the sippy cup, though! (We'll still give him more formula than that, if he's not interested in the water but wants a bottle. I guess I just don't figure that the same numbers of everything works for everyone. I should also note that Niall is 97th percentile for weight and only recently dropped from the 95th percentile for height - so we have no issue maintaining weight or growth. He eats a lot of solids, so we may be further along in the formula-weening process than others.)

He started really getting into the sippy cup when he wanted to take the bottle away from me and do it himself, even when he wasn't really good at lifting it far enough to get the milk. The sippy cup seemed to be easier for that than the bottle. (He had no issue lifting it, he could shake it for ever, he just wasn't understanding why the milk wasn't coming up by itself I guess.)


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Welcome, ladymeag. If you're on the Peninsula, then you may be close to Kismet. It's a bit of a drive, but we have an MDC playgroup in the E. Bay usually on Wed mornings if you'd care to join us.

As for the formula - don't know what to tell you ladies about that. Right now I'm following his cues. And he's still drinking the full amount, even though he insists on eating whenever I do throughout the day. I do have to hold him firmly in a cradle hold at least once a day when he's cranky, cranky, cranky to get him to eat, but that's not terribly uncommon at an age when everything is just _fascinating_. We are still pretty much only on single foods, but he's eating more and more of them each day. Today I grabbed a quick snack and just ate my fig without thinking about it... instant meltdown that I hadn't shared. I had to go get another one out of the fridge and let him eat it - and he ate the entire thing.

As for drinking water - he still won't. He's fascinated by his sippies, but he's far more interested in chewing on the bottoms of his SS sippies than actually drinking out of them. We have sippie cups and straw cups, and while he'll drink a bit out of the straw cup, I have to hold it for him because it's not a spill-free cup.

He did just yesterday start holding his own bottle though. Not for every feeding, but he showed yesterday that he knows how and can. He was super fussy and had a filthy bottom, so I popped the bottle in to calm him down while I changed him, which required him to hold it, of course. And now that he's figured it out, he's trying to do it more.


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## ladymeag (Aug 11, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
Welcome, ladymeag. If you're on the Peninsula, then you may be close to Kismet. It's a bit of a drive, but we have an MDC playgroup in the E. Bay usually on Wed mornings if you'd care to join us.

Where in the East Bay? I'm usually up for a drive every couple of weeks!









I am on the Peninsula. It's funny to me how people here chop up and area and won't go places... I guess I'm just used to more hours driving/bussing to where I need or want to be! (And can I just say that public transportation here stinks? I'm used to so much more!)

The food sharing thing can be so crazy. I'm working on losing baby weight and I don't want to anger ds by not giving him what I'm eating but sometimes he can't have it!


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

Viv has had the worst couple nights of sleep... or at least caused me to have them. She has decided that rolling around in the bed is a fabulous idea, get herself turned around and tries to migrate to the bottom of the bed. I'm is a constant state of awareness, worried that she's going to fall off, and not sleeping. Last night I gave up and slept on a mattress on the floor. FTR, neither of the older two did this nightly migration. We are going to work on getting her into the crib for at least part of the night.

She nurses a lot at night, especially on the nights when I've been at work from 3:30 to 11.

Viv's a crawling speedster. She's started cruising the furniture too, but knows she can go faster if she just crawls there.







She wants nothing to do with purees, so we've been doing table foods.


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

Keagan's been able to hold his bottle for a while now (survival, if you are child number three- it's that or wait lol) but he hates cups. I'm not sure how we are going to transition him to a cup. He has a two year old brother who is much the same way- he will tolerate a ss sippy but prefers bottles if he can find them. In fact, the two year old stole his younger brother's bottle while DH was in the bathroom and sucked down 8oz ebm in about 1 minute. Eh- at least it's good for him. Seriously though, I fail at the bottle to cup transition with my kids. We do breast to bottle and go back and forth great, but to shift from there to a cup is a herculean effort.

Keagan sttn for the first time a couple nights ago, but last night he would not sleep at all. Two steps forward, one step back. DH stayed up with him so I got to sleep.

He is also very purposefully talking now! I am so excited, he's the only one of my kids to say 'mama' first- and with meaning/comprehension as opposed to just babbling. Now whenever he sees me he yells out, "Mama!" He'll also cry for me when he wants me instead of his dad.


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

We stink at bottles but are OK with cups. This LO was a lot harder with the straw, but that's finally how we convinced her cups are OK. We got the take n toss straw cups and if you gently squeeze them, the liquid comes out. We did this a little each day until she figured out how to suck on them. The take n toss sippies are the only ones she and her big sister liked at first. I do mostly straw cups because you don't have to wean from them and they are supposed to be better for language development... but mostly because it's one less thing to wean from. After she gets a bit better, we'll switch to the minchkin/dora straw cups which are more spill proof and I like that the straw can be closed off. Great for play dates so they are not sharing drinks. And great to travel with.

My LO is all dada, and only says mama when she is crying for me, and that is actually "meh-meh." We do "Clap your hands till daddy comes home... so big!" and she's clapped her hands and raised them for so big for a while now. Well the other day, she added "dada" when she raised her arms. I know I'm biased, but it was the cutest thing in the world. I love this age... except when she won't let me put her down and my house starts to fall apart because my body starts to get so sore from wearing her half of the day. But all in all, I love this age.


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Oh wow... you guys have talking LOs! Not here... at least, I don't think so. His grandparents like to say... "ooh he said mama". But really it's mamamamamama, just like babababravra. I don't _think_ it really counts. He sure is a babbler though.
And SOoooo loud when he eats. He moans and grunts and blahblahblah all during food. Very funny when we take him out. He's always been this way - moans when he's drinking a bottle too.

I haven't tried the straw cups yet - sounds like maybe he could do it. Rowan's been holding his own bottle since like he became exclusively formula (sad), and sippies are a no brainer. He crawls around with one in his hand, sits and tilts his head back, can hold it with one hand. He's not TOO terrible with regular cups either. He spills on himself, sure. But he knows how to handle the cup, at least.

The STTN was an anomaly the other evening, but has remained only one wake up since we switched bottles! YAY!! And has remained at now waking at 6/6:30, with another nap around 8. I'm good with that schedule. Makes these nights when I'm up past 11pm a little silly, but I guess I've gotta learn to follow his groove.

I'm envious of you guys in the Bay. I might have to touch base when I'm visiting family in San Mateo (we get down there every few months). It'd be great to say hello!


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

Thanks for the input ladies! I was going with the "milk primarily, solids are for play/snacking" adage but I see that I can add more solids. Even though getting him to drink 15 oz during the day was a good day, he'd make up for it overnight and consume about 35 oz in a 24-hr period. I wish I could have kept BF at times like this but I couldn't keep up with him. Anyway, I'll start giving him more solids b/c right now it's still mainly snacks of everything. Hopefully, that will help him gain weight, or at least maintain it. I asked my pedi about it and she just nodded.







I really like her but sometimes I wish she would be more vocal about stuff.

Quote:

so we avoid most of the top 8-- not because I think it will help to avoid the allergies but because I want her to be able to communicate better if she has an issue.
I think this a such a good idea. The timing issue swings back and forth so much, it's so hard to know which is right.

Cristeen, Lake also has meltdowns if we don't share with him. It makes it hard to eat junk food around him b/c he will want some. The in-laws have been guilty of giving Lake strawberry wafer cookies and fudge-sicles. We had to lay down the law after that.

Jennifer, it sounds like Lake and Viv have a lot in common! He loves rolling and migrating while he sleeps. I've woken up with his feet in my neck and his head in DH's belly.

Aw, the babes are talking! Lake goes in spurts I guess. He babbles a lot for days, then he gets quiet. He says dada, mama, baba, and now dog maybe. He said it a couple times yesterday and then stopped when we started paying attention.


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## ladymeag (Aug 11, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *newmomroxi* 
Jennifer, it sounds like Lake and Viv have a lot in common! He loves rolling and migrating while he sleeps. I've woken up with his feet in my neck and his head in DH's belly.

Aw, the babes are talking! Lake goes in spurts I guess. He babbles a lot for days, then he gets quiet. He says dada, mama, baba, and now dog maybe. He said it a couple times yesterday and then stopped when we started paying attention.

Niall does this thing where he sits up in his sleep, completely asleep and then crawls a few "steps" and goes back to sleep. It's so funny. He's sitting up, completely asleep - heavy breathing and all.

He also stops doing something when he notices we've seen him do it. We figure he just wants to wait to show us until he's mastered it. I hope he can keep that skill - I'm still bad at not speaking before I think!


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

N was 9m yesterday! (He's one of the young one's around here.) And he celebrated with a couple of milestones. . .he now "ooo ooo's" for monkey and "roars" for lion.







So cute! I knew he had been making those sounds, but now he does it when we look at his animal book and he sees the appropriate animal picture, so I know its intentional. But that is his first intentional "talking" that I know of. He doesn't say mama and he says abba (we are going abba not dada for my DH), but not sure if its really directed at DH or just one of his sounds.

We got the Baby Signing Time DVD (thanks for the referral Cristeen!) and he loves, loves it, so I am hoping we'll start seeing some signs. But so far he doesn't clap or wave yet, so I don't know. . .

The other thing he did yesterday was make his first movement in the real crawl position. May have been a fluke, since he hasn't done it again, but I think that he is about to transition from army crawling to real crawling. He's also desperately trying to figure out the pulling up and couch surfing, but can't quite do it by himself yet.

Cristeen--I didn't know that the MDC mamas has a regular thing in the E Bay, you'll have to let me know when and where sometime. We might be able to make it.


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## coldandsleepy (Aug 5, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ladymeag* 
Niall does this thing where he sits up in his sleep, completely asleep and then crawls a few "steps" and goes back to sleep. It's so funny. He's sitting up, completely asleep - heavy breathing and all.

Ha. Grey does that too. He will just take off crawling in whatever direction he's pointed in. He's crawled off the mattress in his sleep a couple of times... we moved it off the bed frame at JUST the right time, I think.

He makes a really vast variety of sounds but I don't think any of them are words yet. My husband thinks he says "mama" and knows what he's saying, but I'm not sure. But earlier today when I was trying to wipe his face, he looked right at me and said, "no, mama, no!"


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Sorry, kismet - thought I'd told you. It's in FYT under Alameda County Mommas. We meet most Wednesdays, lately it's been in Castro Valley. You can subscribe to the thread and it'll email you when we update where the next one will be.

My poor little guy is cutting 4 teeth at once right now, so life has been pretty horrible for him, poor thing. We went out to do U-pick today (peaches, nectarines, apricots), and he slept an hour on my back. He sleeps a whole lot better upright (on me, in the car seat) than laying down - whoops, I hear him. Gotta run.


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## laxcat (Feb 5, 2009)

I know I don't post much, but wanted to share that my baby boy Connor (9/20/09) decided to crawl for the first time yesterday and also walk 5 unassisted steps! He had been cruising on the furniture for approx. 3-4 weeks prior and I figured he wasn't ever going to crawl because he had no interest. He had one of the worst nights of sleep the night before and now I know why! I caught him all day yesterday practicing standing unassisted so in the evening I got about 5 feet away from him in the living room and called him over to me from where he was holding the table. He didn't even hesitate just let go and walked on over like he'd been doing it for days. I am not ready for walking !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Otherwise he is not a great sleeper (I get jealous reading some of the posts on here!), up about 3 times a night on average. Not so bad if he nurses and goes right back down, but when he is restless and it takes an hour to get him back down, ughh!! I work 4 days a week out of home, 10 hour days and 4:30 AM comes fast when you've been up all night with the baby! He has slept in his own room in his crib since 3 months old due to 5 dogs in the bedroom who kept waking him up. I usually bring him into bed with me if it as after 4 AM most mornings, but now he is soooo mobile trying to get down and now he pesters the dogs.

Solids has been fairly slow going since 6 months. Did purees and whatever we were eating, but now he won't eat purees and only wants real food. Still seems content to get most of his nourishment from milk. I pump at work and a few weeks ago cut down from 3 times during the 10 hours to 2 times. I have been supply fortunate!!

Gotta go he is up from a great nap!


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

The Walker...

Do you any of you have these?

I've said for months, remembering my brothers 20yrs ago, how much they loved walkers. Apparently they don't make any more?
Well, we found something at Goodwill, a walker of sorts. It doesn't circle, just does forward/back, you have to Really try to go sideways (no falling over on yourself - very stable).

Rowan is in heaven. We have a small kitchen which has been his only space until recently. I've been cleaning out the garage. It took some time, but he realized there was a driveway... and it was Outside.
LUCKILY we live on a no-exit street, so limited traffic. After many attempts to roll/walk down the driveway, I let him. And we went for a walk. Like 5 houses down, ON THE ROAD, Rowan in his walker.
His lil feet all Fred Flintstone, going like mad.

I do not want to encourage walking! Don't get me wrong! He's my first, and potentially only child... I want to hold on to every moment as long as possible.
But this was just too fun. He was SO happy to be FREE and out in the sunshine and moving his own legs. I couldn't not let it happen.

Are your guys moving around on their legs yet?
Cause just the past days in the Walker has taught him he can move more. So now he's cruising around the ottomans and chairs. And when you hold him with your hands, he walks underneath. Not stable at all, but he's trying.

Ack... I'm not ready for this!! 

top pict on my blog. I need to get a video of the real movement and upload it.


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

JordanKX, we had a walker for DD#1 and she LOVED that thing!! Would crawl over to it and hold her arms up for someone to lift her in







I'm going to see if Camry likes the one that a friend is selling. I think like all other baby gear, there are some babies who have tons of fun and others who hate specific things (swings, bouncers, walkers, etc) If it amuses baby, I'm fine with it. Especially if it allows me to start dinner, help one of my other kids, etc.


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

I'm in trouble now.. Viv figured out how to climb steps yesterday.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Gavin is now 9 months!! (as of the 3rd...I think he's the youngest of this group?) And to celebrate he's doing...not much of anything









He is just not interested in much mobility. He butt scoots, he pivots on his butt, and he leans from sitting to all 4s and back again, but that's it. Still not a big roller, definitely not a crawler, not pulling up, not standing, not cruising...nothing! It's kind of odd to me...Ian was very mobile very early (that child hit every milestone early...except sleeping







) and Connor was delayed in everything but was also really sick. So to have a big healthy baby who is content to just...be...is weird to me! There are times when I have to squash back worry that something is wrong, but I don't think that's the case, I think that he just is so entertained by watching the bustle of activity courtesy of his brothers and pets that he doesn't *need* to be mobile.

He has made big progress in eating. He is definitely wanting food more and more, and really enjoys different tastes and textures now. His latest food addition is berries, and he just can't get enough of them! He's no longer content to exclusively breastfeed for an entire day, if dinner comes around and he hasn't eaten any "real" food that day, he'll tell you!

His sleep is still somewhat volatile, sometimes sleeping for 6 hours (what I consider STTN...midnight to 6am ish) and sometimes waking 1-2 times. I'm okay with 1-2 times. He's pretty much transitioned out of my bed entirely, except for the 5am wake up, then I bring him to bed with me since I get up at 6am for work. That way I can steal another hour of half-sleep while he nurses and cuddles.

He is not talking at all, lots of babbling, screeching (oh the joy!), and he meows when he sees the cat (really darn cute!). He also is signing "night night" and "milk".

We've had several trips for various family functions recently, and I think all the driving and new faces has taken a bit of a toll on him. This last trip he was awfully clingy. Not a bad thing, but I'm glad that we're done with travelling for a little while. He (and his brothers...and mommy and daddy!) need a few weeks of relative peace I think!

Still no teeth here, Ian and Connor cut theirs at 10 months, so we'll see if Gavin follows suit.

He really needs another hair cut, his mullet is growing out again, and his hair is about an inch over his ears again, definitely my baby with the most/fastest growing hair!


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Gavin's hair amazes me! Did Ian and Connor also have so much hair?

Unfortunately, Rowan has genes of no hair. Both DP and I were pretty much bald until we were close to Two. I'm OK with that - keeps him looking young!

Still, he has hair almost an inch over his ears and long in the back (granted, we're talking just a few hairs... ). NOTHING, and I mean, NOTHING, on the top of his head. He never sleeps on his head  So strange that nothing is growing. Makes for funny bath pictures tho!


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## bright_eyes (Dec 7, 2007)

Anyone else finding 9 months tough? Ds1 never had temper tantrums ever. Ds2 has started having them already! It seems like he is constantly crying or fussing over something, or full out screaming because he is mad. He freaks out if you take something away that he can't have. Freaks out if he wants to go outside and we are not going out (like if I pass by the door without doing out). Freaks out over I don't even know what half the time! I keep thinking maybe he is teething or maybe it's a cold but I'm starting to think he just has a bit of a temper! Because he will be fine one moment, freaking out the next, and then fine again.

Anyone else dealing with anything similar? I find it so challenging because i hate to hear my baby cry and yet I can't seem to keep him happy all the time anymore.


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

yep...baby tantrums started here about a month ago. they are annoying but i don;t put them in the same category as "crying." i just kind of try to vocalize what she is trying to say like, "i know you want to open the door," "i know you want to pull the dogs tail," "i know you want to swallow that knife." ugh.
i'd never been a fan of baby signing (i used to teach 2 year olds and it was so frustrating to have a lunch table of kids that knew how to talk, that could potentially start learning to say "please" or vocalize their needs but would just sign for "more" "more" "more" food. it's just me.) but i've been starting to think i should be teaching her some signs to avoid the frustration.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bright_eyes* 
Anyone else finding 9 months tough? Ds1 never had temper tantrums ever. Ds2 has started having them already! It seems like he is constantly crying or fussing over something, or full out screaming because he is mad. He freaks out if you take something away that he can't have. Freaks out if he wants to go outside and we are not going out (like if I pass by the door without doing out). Freaks out over I don't even know what half the time! I keep thinking maybe he is teething or maybe it's a cold but I'm starting to think he just has a bit of a temper! Because he will be fine one moment, freaking out the next, and then fine again.

Anyone else dealing with anything similar? I find it so challenging because i hate to hear my baby cry and yet I can't seem to keep him happy all the time anymore.

My oldest was "intense" early on. You might want to look up the term "spirited child". There's a book called "Raising Your Spirited Child" and when I got my hands on that book when Ian was 2, it was eye opening to me! I wish I had the tools that book taught me long before he was 2!


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## sugarpop (Feb 12, 2009)

okay so I know we are fine...or I think Sophia is...but I need a reassuring story or two. Sophia still shows not much interest in food. Occasionally she takes a couple spoonfuls of puree...but it takes a bit of convincing. She plays with my food.
Tell me this doesn't mean I need to be concerned? She will eat someday right? I don't need to take her to a specialist do I?


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

sugarpop - Viv wants nothing to do with the purees. She loves to have "real" food. My older two didn't do much (if anything) for solids until they were almost a year old. DS (9yo) is currently trying to eat me out of house and home... and he isn't picky.


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

sugarpop, camry is my first baby who actually enjoys and asks for purees- the others acted like i was trying to poison them when offered baby foods. she'll probably just go right into chunks of real food. as long as she's not avoiding putting things (toys, etc) into her mouth or gagging every single time she does put something in there, i wouldn't worry one little bit.

oh, the 9 month temper







camry has figured out that all she has to do is hold her breath, scrunch her eyes up and let out one big wail. her brother and sisters come running, ready to make it all better. mama doesn't fall for it, but she has them suckered. we had to put covers in all the outlets today because she was trying to stick her fingers in them and was hysterical when i wouldn't let her.

oh, and i have to share with people who will appreciate- she slept from 7:15 last night till 8:45 this morning without a single peep in between!!! i checked on her at 7AM and she was on her tummy, holding her blanky, snoring







she looks like such a "big" baby now- no more little floppy newborn. i'm rejoycing and crying, both, over that.


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

i KNOW, kaylee zoo. i usually sneak out the door and don't go back in for fear of waking but over vacation ada was in the pack and play and when i put her down i watched her roll around and wiggle and stick her tush in the air all tp put herself to sleep and finally settle on her tummy with the blanket over her head (it's her thing, i guess) and her chubby legs sticking out with the tush in the air just like a big kid. ugh...it was a total moment.

i just checked that "spirited child" book out of the libary. it was a little embarrassing as she had been screamy talking the whole time we were there.


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

today is the 11 year anniversary of the baby we lost. i look at my kids now and am so filled with gratitude for each and every one of them, but that hole in my heart is still there. sigh.


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *KayleeZoo* 
today is the 11 year anniversary of the baby we lost. i look at my kids now and am so filled with gratitude for each and every one of them, but that hole in my heart is still there. sigh.









s

I'm sorry for your loss.


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## sugarpop (Feb 12, 2009)

KayleeZoo







I just wanted you to know I am thinking about you and your angel.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *KayleeZoo* 
today is the 11 year anniversary of the baby we lost. i look at my kids now and am so filled with gratitude for each and every one of them, but that hole in my heart is still there. sigh.


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

KayleeZoo -


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

kayleezoo







s

I'll chime in on the 9 mo tantrums. They actually started about a month ago and have quickly escalated. It's so hard to be patient with the ear-piercing screams. I want this phase to be over already but I am going to attempt to teach Lake to sign. I need to feel like I'm doing SOMETHING about it.

I actually checked in because I wanted to just say something. I think I have PPD and just the act of typing this is making me cry. Overall, I thought I was happy but just tired and a little overwhelmed. Well, yesterday DH got frustrated with me and spilled his guts. He said that I have been miserable for so long, complaining about everything from the dog hair in the house to the tree in our front yard. He said a lot of stuff that I can't even remember but it made me realize that I'm not happy. I haven't looked forward to anything in a long time. I've been crying (for hours at a time, sometimes) way too much, like 2 or 3x a week. I'm irritable about everything.... I've been faking it for a while b/c I thought that was just what I needed to do. But it's obviously not getting better. Anyway, I haven't called my doctor yet b/c I've been busy at work and I don't even know when I'll get to see him since I don't have a working car. Anyway, I haven't told anyone IRL but I needed to get it out and you ladies are so wonderful and supportive, I know I won't be judged harshly or looked down upon. I need to stop crying so I'll just end there but I'll come back soon.


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

newmomroxi









I'm so sorry you're battling PPD- and I truly believe that's what's going on. I had it w/DD1 (very severe) and what you described was me to a "T". Definately make it a priority to see your Dr- can you ask a friend for a ride, etc? I know that you must be really busy, with work and your LO when you're home, but try and get outside to absorb as much natural Vit D as you can- it truly DOES make a difference for PPD. I hope your DH is being supportive (even though he is frusterated- which is totally understandable) and understands that this is something that is out of your control.

Thanks for the hugs, everyone. Took the 3 big kids to the zoo, aquarium and botanical gardens today while Camry had some special "grandma time". Tried not to think about that day, 11 years ago, too much. One thing about having all 4 kids home and with me 24/7, they can certainly keep my mind/body occupied


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

newmomroxi - I don't suppose you had a HB and have your placenta in the freezer, do you? I contacted a placentophage a few months ago and she said that while it's not AS good since it's been frozen, it is still possible to encapsulate it to help combat PPD. Something to consider if possible.

But







to you - it is absolutely not your fault, there is no blame to lay. I absolutely agree with KZ though - get outside as much as possible, get exercise also. Even if that means strapping the baby to your back and going for a walk after work. Both exercise and sun help tremendously with all kinds of depression.


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

Newmomroxi - if you can't do the walks, or even if you can, a vitamin D supplement might help.





















This is a body chemistry imbalance - I agree with Cristeen - there is no blame to lay. I have several friends who have taken meds for PPD and it has made all the difference in the world for them. Talk to your doc and see what your options are.


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## Pandme (Jan 31, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sugarpop* 
okay so I know we are fine...or I think Sophia is...but I need a reassuring story or two. Sophia still shows not much interest in food. Occasionally she takes a couple spoonfuls of puree...but it takes a bit of convincing. She plays with my food.
Tell me this doesn't mean I need to be concerned? She will eat someday right? I don't need to take her to a specialist do I?

I am in the same boat. My daughter (born 9/25) won't eat either. She'll play with food, but I have to poke a few bites it and she fights me tooth and nail. She never acts like she hates the taste of it, just the process of me putting it in there. She even sticks her tongue out and tastes the food that invariably gets all over her face.

Thing is, she always has her fingers in her mouth and she will put a toy in her mouth when teething but she is not big on putting toys/objects in her mouth other than that. My son was the same way (though he ate purees circa 8 months). She gags when you put teething tablets in her mouth which is why I don't do it anymore. So should I be worried here?

Additionally, like my son she has no interest in mobility which coupled with the solids is just starting to bug. She acts like a normal baby, babbling, reaching, lunging (sits very well, has since 5.5 months), etc. She does roll but mostly just to get off her tummy. SHe loves to stand but won't pull up/cruise.

I don't think anything's wrong with her and I swore I wouldn't worry after my son but I honestly can't believe I had two like this. Is it something I'm doing wrong? Plus my son was at least eating something at this age. I believe circa 9.5 months he actually started inchworming around. So she's shaping up to be later than him (though she did roll earlier).


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Pandme* 
I am in the same boat. My daughter (born 9/25) won't eat either. She'll play with food, but I have to poke a few bites it and she fights me tooth and nail. She never acts like she hates the taste of it, just the process of me putting it in there. She even sticks her tongue out and tastes the food that invariably gets all over her face.

Thing is, she always has her fingers in her mouth and she will put a toy in her mouth when teething but she is not big on putting toys/objects in her mouth other than that. My son was the same way (though he ate purees circa 8 months). She gags when you put teething tablets in her mouth which is why I don't do it anymore. So should I be worried here?

Additionally, like my son she has no interest in mobility which coupled with the solids is just starting to bug. She acts like a normal baby, babbling, reaching, lunging (sits very well, has since 5.5 months), etc. She does roll but mostly just to get off her tummy. SHe loves to stand but won't pull up/cruise.

I don't think anything's wrong with her and I swore I wouldn't worry after my son but I honestly can't believe I had two like this. Is it something I'm doing wrong? Plus my son was at least eating something at this age. I believe circa 9.5 months he actually started inchworming around. So she's shaping up to be later than him (though she did roll earlier).

Gavin is doing well with foods now, but is just like your daughter with mobility. A great sitter, reaches, babbles, etc, but no real movement. Does roll, but like you said only to get off his tummy. When on his tummy, he pushes backwards only, nothing forward. He pivots around in a circle when he's on his butt, and leans forward from sitting to near-crawling position, but then goes back to sitting. No crawling, no pulling up, no cruising.

I am just starting to worry/wonder/pay attention *just a bit*. I think he just has very little incentive to move, but regardless, I'm starting to watch it.


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## Pandme (Jan 31, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2boyzmama* 
Gavin is doing well with foods now, but is just like your daughter with mobility. A great sitter, reaches, babbles, etc, but no real movement. Does roll, but like you said only to get off his tummy. When on his tummy, he pushes backwards only, nothing forward. He pivots around in a circle when he's on his butt, and leans forward from sitting to near-crawling position, but then goes back to sitting. No crawling, no pulling up, no cruising.

I am just starting to worry/wonder/pay attention *just a bit*. I think he just has very little incentive to move, but regardless, I'm starting to watch it.

Yeah, I don't think you need to worry. My son didn't start really getting a move on until 10.5 months, when he suddenly learned how to do everything in like 2 weeks. He only started inchworming around somewhere in the 9 month range. If he's pivoting, going backward you are doing pretty good.

I should mention I did call EI with my son because I was really worried. He didn't even roll until 8.5 months and that was only tummy to back. THe other way? Not till a day before 10 months. They came out and pronounced him fine. I swear all he did was sit and lunge and they said he was an advanced sitter. Who knew there were even levels. Anyway they said they don't start to get concerned until 12 months.

It's a source of frustration to me because this is the second go round and I honestly thought it might be different this time especially since she rolled both ways on time. But no. And add the solids indifference and it just is starting to bother me even though I know there is no point to EI, at least with the mobility thing. Having had my son, I see she acts like a normal baby and I can't MAKE her want to do something she doesn't want to do. Is she physically capable. Yes, I believe so.

My son is a whirling dervish at 3.5 years. I mean, it's hard to believe I ever worried and I swore I wouldn't do so again, but here I am. And really. My "mommy gut" says she's normal. Doesn't help the frustration though.


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Hugs to Kaleezoo for your loss. And hugs to Newmomroxi. . .definitely seek out some help for your PPD! I know it seems hard to make the effort to get to an appt or to find the help, but I think you will be really glad you did. You might consider going to see a wholistic practitioner of some sort in addition to seeing your pcp.

We had our 9m well baby check this morning. I didn't even want to go, b/c we aren't vaxing and they never tell us anything I don't already know. (In the menatime I have found a holistic Ped practice that I am going to switch to.) But DH wanted to go. So of course I had to ignore all their advice (CIO, start cow milk at a year, you really should vax, blah, blah), but it is fun to find out the "stats". So Noam is 22.2 lbs (72%), 30 inches tall (97%) and 95% in head cir. His weight gain has actually slowed WAY down (he was 20lbs at 5m!), but he is still such a big, tall boy. . .I have no idea how that happened! Dh and I are both very small to average people. But I am happy that he is healthy and thriving and I still attribute it all to BM!









He is getting teeth 5 and 6 currently--his incisors. And yes, he has also been showing some strong opinions. He gets really pissed when I won't give him a drink/taste of something I have and he spent about 5 solid minutes last night yelling (it wasn't crying, but it was loud complaining!) b/c he wanted to chew on the night light and I wouldn't let him. And when he sees something he wants (like an open door or an electrical cord) he guns for it and won't be distracted. Sigh. . .the appearance of will.

Just this week he has started pulling up on everything, and learned to open cabinets. Ack. So the possibilities for him getting into trouble are just endless. Luckily we have a small house so he can hardly be out of sight from me, which is good, b/c yesterday I found him trying to grab a spider. Yikes. I promptly screamed and killed the spider which may not have been the response I should have modeled for him, but it was instinctive. He also started clapping finally and looks soooo pleased with himself when he does it and we smile and clap back and say "Yay!".


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Wow! Noam is 97% for height!?! What on earth does that make A??







:


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
Wow! Noam is 97% for height!?! What on earth does that make A??







:

Godzilla?









Its all based on averages right. . .so I don't place a lot of anything in those % besides curiosity. Your LO has reason to be tall though (tall daddy), my guy. . .I don't know. I assume at some point soon he'll stop growing any taller for awhile.

The main thing that concerned me today, was that we have to buy a new car seat now!







He is officially too tall for the infant bucket seat. Anyone have a strong recommendation for a convertible seat? I am thinking Britax, but don't know which model to get.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kismetbaby* 
Godzilla?









Its all based on averages right. . .so I don't place a lot of anything in those % besides curiosity. Your LO has reason to be tall though (tall daddy), my guy. . .I don't know. I assume at some point soon he'll stop growing any taller for awhile.

The main thing that concerned me today, was that we have to buy a new car seat now!







He is officially too tall for the infant bucket seat. Anyone have a strong recommendation for a convertible seat? I am thinking Britax, but don't know which model to get.

I just measured him, since i was curious. 39.5 inches









as for the convertible, we have a true fit and have been happy w it. It has one of the tallest shells on the market. It does take up a lot of space in the car, though.


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Dang that is a tall babe!!! No wonder no pants fit him!

I think we need to go to BrU and try some seats in our car. I want to see if I can find one that would allow the bucket seat to fit also. . .for our future second babe.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kismetbaby* 
Dang that is a tall babe!!! No wonder no pants fit him!

I think we need to go to BrU and try some seats in our car. I want to see if I can find one that would allow the bucket seat to fit also. . .for our future second babe.

I know there's a store here that does carseats and they have floor models for every seat they carry, let you try them out and someone on staff who can help w the install. You might want to look around for the smaller stores, see if there's one closer to you that does that.


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

we got the britax marathon for viv.







we love it.

we got it here


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

There are clearance Britax seats available all over the web right now- they are releasing their new convertibles mid-August. The RF weight is increased from 35 to 40lbs, and the new technology lowers the center of gravity- very impressive. They also added integrated steel bars that help to form a stronger attachment to the vehicle seat than the older plastic-only shells, and they have a new material called Safe Cell (I think) inside the seat base that compresses during a collision, lowering the center of gravity even more (allowing less forward head excursion, which can help prevent head injuries) and absorbing crash forces. The price on the new seats is the same as the old price points, too, which is fantastic. You can preorder from www.babycatalog.com and get 20% off the new seats.

The True Fit is a great convertible and will last most taller/bigger kids a long time, and so will the Sunshine Kids Radian (but that one can be a hard one to install rear facing).

If you're concerned with whether a seat will be compatible w/your vehicle, head over to www.car-seat.org and post in the general carseat section. There are GREAT techs over there and people keep a very extensive database about compatibility.

Just as an FYI to everyone- keep those babies rear facing!! The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration and the AAP are all recommending RF till at LEAST 2, and optimally to age 4 (it's fine for their legs to bend up against the back seat- they won't break!) to protect the spinal column until those bones ossify (between 4 and 6 years of age). The old advice of RF till age 1 is completely outdated and dangerous, so make sure that if you have a chunky or tall baby that you choose a convertible car seat with high top harness height (The Learning Curve True Fit and Sunshine Kids Radian are the tallest on the market right now, I believe) AND a high weight limit (the Radian XTSL goes to 45lbs RF!)


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Thanks mamas for the car seat info! I'll be doing my research this weekend.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
I just measured him, since i was curious. 39.5 inches









as for the convertible, we have a true fit and have been happy w it. It has one of the tallest shells on the market. It does take up a lot of space in the car, though.

WHAT??? Are you sure? Connor, age 3, is only 35in (I believe, maybe 34.5in) and Ian, age 5, is 44in. Ian is no shrimp (60% I believe).


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

My 6 year old is 43 inches. Wow!

My Lo is developing a temper too. When she gets mad, she lays on her back and plants her feet and pushes herself backward along the floor. Our biggest battle is the high chair right now. She hates it until I give her some food. Then as soon as she gets bored, she tries to stand up. I hope she doesn't figure out how to climb out.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2boyzmama* 
WHAT??? Are you sure? Connor, age 3, is only 35in (I believe, maybe 34.5in) and Ian, age 5, is 44in. Ian is no shrimp (60% I believe).

No. Apparently mommy shouldnt be allowed to do math without more sleep.









When DH is holding him, chin on top of his head, his feet are halfway down dh's thighs. He can already reach stuff on the dining room table, and i have to be careful not to close his head in the fridge (freezer bottom). Laying in bed with him at night, he can kick me in the knees with his head pillowed on my arm.

There's a reason I have to have his pants made special. On top of being that tall, he's so skinny that he still wears NB tees.


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## schoolmom07 (Mar 26, 2009)

Hi all! It has been a while since I was last here. I hope many will remember me! My, how I have missed you ladies. It has been so lonely without the Internet to reminice and celebrate accomplishments of my babe with all of yours. So, I need to catch up. Just wanted to let you all know, I'M BACK! wAHAHAHA!


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *schoolmom07* 
Hi all! It has been a while since I was last here. I hope many will remember me! My, how I have missed you ladies. It has been so lonely without the Internet to reminice and celebrate accomplishments of my babe with all of yours. So, I need to catch up. Just wanted to let you all know, I'M BACK! wAHAHAHA!









yep, sure do remember you, and your dd was the one with laryngomalacia, right? how's she doing? any issues with solids? connor had trouble initially with solids because of his malacia.


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

Wow, cristeen, your babe is a big boy! A friend of ours has a baby the same size as your A and it is funny to see him being BF. His legs hang over so much his mom can barely hold him!

schoolmom, I remember you too! Welcome back!

The carseat info is soooo helpful. I've been wondering about that ever since Lake's WBV but I've been waiting until I have a car again just to make sure it will fit. Now, I'm really glad I waited.

Thanks so much for your support and suggestions, ladies! You are all so awesome! I called my OB (I don't have a pcp) and left a message on the nurses line. I got a call back and they talked with me right there over the phone since I had no way to get there. Of course I cried, but the nurse was so sweet and understanding. My OB called in a script for me and the nurse told me a lot of the same things that you guys mentioned. She also told me not to be so hard on myself and to try to get some time alone. Easier said than done. I think I will get a vit D supplement though. I usually eat my lunch outside but I think I'm not getting enough vit D since I have such dark skin. Even though I don't feel much better, I'm just so relieved to not be holding it all in anymore. I don't think DH realized how bad it was. I've been hiding a lot of the crying from him so when he heard how often I've been crying and for how long, he was really stunned. He's been great, staying cheerful even with my moods, and trying to cheer me up. Hopefully, he will be more patient with me though. I'm trying and I don't think he realized that. Anyway, thanks again, ladies. I really appreciate your hugs and support, I probably wouldn't have called my OB if it hadn't been for you guys.


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

newmomroxi - I'm glad you made the call and were able to get a scrip.







I'll be keeping you in my thoughts and hoping that the meds get you to a better place.


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

We need to do the car seat shuffle here but I;ve been on a medical leave from work for about a month, so there just isn't the money to do it for a few more weeks. Keagan will get his older brother's seat, but older brother (two today!) will probably need to move to a ff seat- he is huge- I'd love to rf him longer, but I don't think it is possible.







He is off the chart tall- and a lot of it is torso length. He is at or above all the seats I've tried him in in terms of harness slot height, as well as weighing 38lbs...

Back to the nine month old... he got to meet his aunt for the first time and see his uncle again. They live several hours away, so it was a nice family get together, but he was off his routine (why does my extended family not get that dinner at 8:30 pm does not work for the kids?!) so it's been a loooooong week. His language has surpassed his older brother's, as he now says two word sentence fragments ('out mama' 'hug beh ' sister's name is Annabelle- 'beh' is as close as he can manage and a couple others. He calls very purposefully for me now when he wakes up, and asks to nurse verbally 'noosh'.)

He is cruising well along furniture, and has turned into a speed demon crawler. He stacks blocks, manipulates rings onto the stacker, and can manage the big peg puzzles, though getting the right shape in the right hole is hit or miss. He is totally done with pureed food, but loves to eat whatever I am having- and I really haven't done the one food at a time approach with him. He devoured corn on the cob with all four teeth a couple days ago.









Now maybe we can work on sleep, as that seems not to happen for him.


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Hey Schoolmom!! Good to see you back!

Confustication -- we are so similar here with development, but I need to bring out the puzzles. He steals his step-brothers puzzles, and clanks the pieces together, but doesn't 'get it' yet that the pieces go somewhere (he likes the sounds). The rings, almost. He knows the ringed pieces do something with the stand, but can't Quite Figure Out how.  It's the one toy that frustrates him. And the cheepo plastic one seems to be better than the wood one. Again with the wood, he just wants to clank together for the sound.

The balls in the giraffe thingy that laughs at you when you get the ball in the right hole? he has mastered. In the top, yes. In the arms, yes. And today he realized that if the ball doesn't come out the bottom, if he grabs the giraffe and tilts it, the ball will pop out. This was an awesome connection - what used to be a 2 minute toy lasted probably 20 minutes tonight.

*Questions on sleeping*
Normally he goes down 7:30/8. Last week I took him to the lake and messed up every kind of schedule. He didn't nap and didn't go to sleep until 9:30. When, the next day, he wanted to go to sleep at 6-6:30 (I put it off as long as I could), I understood. He was more tired, maybe.
But the past 3 nights have all been... 6pm... he gets creepy. I still put it off. Tonight was the latest, where he's just nearly in tears, wanting a bath at 6:30, bath, books, bed... probably a lil before 7pm.

AND last night he slept from 6:30pm until 5am without a wake. Slept until 8am after that 5am bottle.

What's up? Is sleeping a growth-spurt? I forget.

I'm a grad student. I have tons of work to do at night, so it's not that I'm opposed to his schedule changing to 6:30. But it's Early! Crazy early! I really like 7:30 better!


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

Thanks, Jennifer. I am feeling better so far. I took the scrip on Saturday morning and got a horrible migraine that evening, the worst of my whole life! I also had a bit of a crying fest and since DH does not like prescription meds unless it's that or death, he asked me not to take them anymore. I bought a vit D supplement as well and have been taking that instead. I've also taken a break from household chores and spent more time outside these last few days. It's probably too soon but I don't feel so overwhelmed right now. I'm hoping that this lasts.

Lake is a hoot! He has this disgusting habit of banging on the toilet and trying to undo the screws. He also plays in the trash occassionally. We try to keep the bathroom door closed but sometimes he'll see it open and make a mad dash. I run ahead of him and essentially slam the door in his face. So yesterday, DH was in the bathroom brushing his teeth and Lake went in to play. I heard him banging on the toilet lid so I call out while walking in that direction, "Lake, what are you getting into?!" He immediately drops down, quickly crawls to the door and shuts it in my face! I could not believe it! I laughed so hard.


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *newmomroxi* 

Lake is a hoot! He has this disgusting habit of banging on the toilet and trying to undo the screws. He also plays in the trash occassionally. We try to keep the bathroom door closed but sometimes he'll see it open and make a mad dash. I run ahead of him and essentially slam the door in his face. So yesterday, DH was in the bathroom brushing his teeth and Lake went in to play. I heard him banging on the toilet lid so I call out while walking in that direction, "Lake, what are you getting into?!" He immediately drops down, quickly crawls to the door and shuts it in my face! I could not believe it! I laughed so hard.

Awesome!!! And that it Almost seemed on purpose! Haha!!

Rowan plays with the door-stopper and sometimes inadvertently shuts the door. And then won't move his bum so I can open it. It's a tug of war, me trying to pry a foot in the door against his body just going to town on the door-stopper 

Both a girlfriend and my MIL swear that his shaking his head side-to-side is NO. I know he does it while dancing and just to be cute. But they've offered him food/bottle/toys and he'll do it, so they think it's an actual communication of... "nope, thanks for offering". What do you think? He doesn't sign, but I haven't been consistent. He will crawl to his high chair when he's hungry and crawl to the bath when I ask, "do you want to take a Bath????" So maybe. But just seems like more of a natural movement at this point.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Yikes, how did this thread get all the way on the 4th page?? We're a chatty bunch, it rarely goes quiet long enough to bump it to the 2nd page, let alone the 4th! We must be busy









So I think it's my turn to recognize that I need some help. Gavin is 9.5 months old and I still feel like I'm struggling a lot. On the outside it looks like I'm keeping it all together, I still accomplish a lot every day, but inside I'm barely holding on.

I'm tired, all the time. Yes, even though I'm enjoying my running, I'm active and busy with the boys, I'm up early for work, I look happy and rested...I'm faking it all. I'm freaking exhausted.

My weight has stagnated, or rather is yo-yo-ing with the same 5-7 pounds lossed then re-gained. Ugh. I am really hard on myself when it comes to self-image, and this isn't helping.

I have NO sex drive, like NONE. My poor husband. Right now he's wondering why the heck he got a vasectomy if we aren't "using" it. I want to, I will try to psych myself up all day long, even passing some private texts back and forth, then evening comes and either the kids thwart it, or I just can't bring myself to follow through. The best we've done so far is shower time together.

I'm still not cycling, which is the longest I've ever gone. I even don't pump often anymore, sometimes only once a day; and Gavin has slept through the night on occasion, but still no period. I feel my body trying to ovulate, every 3 weeks or so I feel ovulation, then I'll get some pink streaks on the toilet paper, but nothing else. And I'm only feeling it on my left side, not my right. I am tandeming, and both boys nurse a lot, but I tandemed before and still cycled around 6 months.

All of this is pointing to my hormones being all kinds of screwed up. I don't *think* it's post partum depression, I think I'm just out of whack. I am happy, I'm not too overly moody or sad or anything, I'm just struggling a lot more to act and feel normal. I don't know, maybe that is depression.

I've been trying to pay attention to my diet, doing better about staying hydrated, and recently I've been trying to get a nap in on the weekends to see if that helps. I've been focussing on getting the boys back on a schedule (being out of school and travelling so much this summer has ruined their schedule). I've been pretty consistent about getting out running (although not as consistent as I want to be). So I feel like I'm doing everything that has usually helped me whenever I get in funks like this...but it's not helping yet. It's keeping me from downspiraling more, but that's about it.

Anyone else feeling like this?


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

2boyzmama.....i'd like to say i'm like that....except i AM like that but without all the extra stuff you do.
i've got way more that 5 pounds, don't work out at all, only have one kid, only work a few hours a week (that is up from none, i thought maybe it would motivate me), and sex...no way.....
it's not that i wouldn't want to get some on but i want sleep much much more so when it comes down to it, every minute of nooky is a minute less of sleep. sex is just not going to win in that battle. now if my husband would just realize that getting up in the morning with the baby and letting me sleep in would do the job.....


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2boyzmama* 
Yikes, how did this thread get all the way on the 4th page?? We're a chatty bunch, it rarely goes quiet long enough to bump it to the 2nd page, let alone the 4th! We must be busy









So I think it's my turn to recognize that I need some help. Gavin is 9.5 months old and I still feel like I'm struggling a lot. On the outside it looks like I'm keeping it all together, I still accomplish a lot every day, but inside I'm barely holding on.

I'm tired, all the time. Yes, even though I'm enjoying my running, I'm active and busy with the boys, I'm up early for work, I look happy and rested...I'm faking it all. I'm freaking exhausted.

My weight has stagnated, or rather is yo-yo-ing with the same 5-7 pounds lossed then re-gained. Ugh. I am really hard on myself when it comes to self-image, and this isn't helping.

I have NO sex drive, like NONE. My poor husband. Right now he's wondering why the heck he got a vasectomy if we aren't "using" it. I want to, I will try to psych myself up all day long, even passing some private texts back and forth, then evening comes and either the kids thwart it, or I just can't bring myself to follow through. The best we've done so far is shower time together.

I'm still not cycling, which is the longest I've ever gone. I even don't pump often anymore, sometimes only once a day; and Gavin has slept through the night on occasion, but still no period. I feel my body trying to ovulate, every 3 weeks or so I feel ovulation, then I'll get some pink streaks on the toilet paper, but nothing else. And I'm only feeling it on my left side, not my right. I am tandeming, and both boys nurse a lot, but I tandemed before and still cycled around 6 months.

All of this is pointing to my hormones being all kinds of screwed up. I don't *think* it's post partum depression, I think I'm just out of whack. I am happy, I'm not too overly moody or sad or anything, I'm just struggling a lot more to act and feel normal. I don't know, maybe that is depression.

I've been trying to pay attention to my diet, doing better about staying hydrated, and recently I've been trying to get a nap in on the weekends to see if that helps. I've been focussing on getting the boys back on a schedule (being out of school and travelling so much this summer has ruined their schedule). I've been pretty consistent about getting out running (although not as consistent as I want to be). So I feel like I'm doing everything that has usually helped me whenever I get in funks like this...but it's not helping yet. It's keeping me from downspiraling more, but that's about it.

Anyone else feeling like this?









s! 2boys, I'm sorry that you are in a bit of a funk-- DS is right there at 9.5, and I feel some of the baby adrenaline I had for most of this year is wearing off. He's napping less, eating more, and we are going on the 10th straight month of not a night of uninterrupted sleep. -- No wonder you are exhausted!!! You do so much, between working, your excersise routine, 3 kidlets, tandem nursing, pumping, night wakings, lll leader, no wonder you are exhausted.

Would you consider cutting back on anything-- getting a break somehow? If not-- maybe just stick it out 'till end of summer. I feel like there are so many more obligations during the summer, and everyone's schedule is out of wack. and I really belive the heat makes you even more exhausted. Hope something works for you mama!


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 







s! 2boys, I'm sorry that you are in a bit of a funk-- DS is right there at 9.5, and I feel some of the baby adrenaline I had for most of this year is wearing off. He's napping less, eating more, and we are going on the 10th straight month of not a night of uninterrupted sleep. -- No wonder you are exhausted!!! You do so much, between working, your excersise routine, 3 kidlets, tandem nursing, pumping, night wakings, lll leader, no wonder you are exhausted.

Would you consider cutting back on anything-- getting a break somehow? If not-- maybe just stick it out 'till end of summer. I feel like there are so many more obligations during the summer, and everyone's schedule is out of wack. and I really belive the heat makes you even more exhausted. Hope something works for you mama!

See...usually staying busy is what helps me get back in control. I do much better when I have something to do all waking hours. It keeps my mind engaged, you know? And there's no one single thing that is the scale tipper, it's not like I could say "I just need to take a few months off LLL" because that is hardly a blip on my radar (I take a few calls, have one meeting a month that I go to, another that I do the newsletter for, it's really not a big time commitment, and I enjoy having the girlfriends). I can't quit exercising, I think it might be a big thing that is keeping me from falling into a true depression, so even though I feel exhausted, I keep trying to fit those workouts in. In the past that is what has helped me feel less exhausted. I keep thinking that if I could just get all three boys sleeping consistently, then it would really help, and right when I get one or two sleeping well, something happens to the third (right now Ian has been fighting a fever, Gavin finally cut his first tooth, and Connor just got a new hearing aid that he's adjusting to).

So yeah...it seems like I can't really "fix" anything, and I probably do just need to ride it out a while longer. When the school year starts again, hopefully everything will settle down in a few weeks. But likely it will get worse first, as everyone adjusts to the new schedule.

I keep saying "I'm going to wait until *this* happens (school starts, the tooth is through, Ian is healthy, the weather gets cooler, blah blah) and if I still don't feel myself, then I'll call the dr" but then I find yet another excuse to wait another month...then another month again...you see the pattern?

Heck, the last 5 years of my life seems like it's been like that!!









Anyway...I really am doing okay, I jsut hate this feeling of constantly playing catch-up, being in a funk. I'll get through it, I always do. In all seriousness, if my cycle still hasn't returned when I go for my yearly in October, then I'll ask to get my hormones and thyroid checked.

In Gavin news...he did finally cut his first tooth! At 9.5 months, he's the earliest of my teethers! And what's odd is his mood and sleep have actually been worse in the days since it broke through! Weird.

He is still not crawling, but he's figured out a new form of crawling. He goes from his butt, leans forward to hands and feet, then pivots his butt to one side, and sits again. In that fashion he moves about a foot. It kind of looks like a kick-boxing move, but on the ground instead of in the air! It is the funniest thing! He hates hates hates his tummy, so if he falls onto his tummy he lays there and cries. Maybe it's because he sleeps on his tummy? I don't know. But I think he just won't be a crawler!


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

2boys. . .oh, I feel you! And I only have one LO! I can't imagine how you do it with three boys, special needs, WOH, running, LLL. . .. sheez, you are supermama in my book.

I am tired all the time, I haven't cycled again yet either as my LO still BFs a lot and never goes more than 4 hours even at night, I know I don't eat as well as I should, I get caught up in other commitments, its so hard to keep up with the housecleaning and cooking and laundry, not to mention doing anything for myself. And no libido yet to speak of either, and I know this is bugging DH. And I am a SAHM to one. . .so again 2boys I don't know how you do it.

I had a rough weekend of feeling exhausted and very very irritated at DH for not helping more (for example when DS decided that 6am was the new wake-up this weekend,I was the one to get up early). So we wound up having a "discussion" and he said he thinks I am "killing myself" trying to give 100% to our LO. Its hard b/c we see this from such different perspectives. I feel like I MUST give 100% to Noam and I wish that DH and other in my life would take up the slack. But I think DH feels like I am never available for him. Ugh. I think he is right actually, I am so caught up in providing for my DS that I just want DH to be self sufficient. . .but I forget that we both need each other too. Sometimes though I feel like all he wants is intimacy and all I want is some help around the house.

I need to balance this all better. I don't think I have any serious depression, but it has been rough. Its hard to feel distant from DH and feel like I am parenting alone much of the time. I am rambling now. . .I haven't sorted it all out in my head yet. DH and I don't see eye to eye on parenting as much as I thought we would and that has been emotionally hard for me. We need to find a way to work on this. And I probably need to find a way to have some "me" time so I don't feel stressed to much and can give a little energy to DH.

Okay. . .in baby news, Noam is standing, standing, standing! All he wants to do these days is pull up and stand. The couch, the bed, the bathtub, the kitchen chairs. He figured out how to open cabinets and drawers (uh oh) too. So he's just a whirlwind of destruction these days. Sleep is on and off. He just cut his incisors (teeth 5 & 6) all the way through. He is mimicking both sounds and gestures now, so I feel like language and signs are imminent. I can't wait!


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

to everybody who is feeling overwhelmed. Wish I had some sage advice for you, but last night I just laid in bed at 2:30 (our 4th waking since 8) and let him scream (he'd been screaming for a good 30 minutes by the time I stopped trying to console him) while I kicked and punched the mattress in frustration.

And then of course DH's commentary this morning that he heard DS last night... no shit! He was screaming for an hour. He heard him, but couldn't be bothered to get up, come out to the bedroom and offer any help or a hug or anything.









I am so sleep deprived that it's pathetic. I can't say I'm DTD deprived though. Twice in the last two days. And yesterday I passed out afterwards - didn't even hear DS wake up. Thankfully DH went and got him, not that I slept more than another 5 minutes with the screaming.

Realized this afternoon that he has another tooth coming through - so that was the screaming the last few days. That would be tooth #7. And I think he's in a growth spurt too, because he's been draining his bottles today (5 oz each) instead of only eating half like he normally does.

As far as developmentally... he's pulling up and standing everywhere and anywhere. He's figured out how to turn off the cable box, and thinks it's great fun to frustrate daddy. Mommy finally had to pull out a sewing ruler and tape it to the front of the entertainment center so he couldn't reach it.







He's saying mama and dada, although not reliably, and he says them for everything - he does seem to recognize that mama is me, but he still uses the word for anything else he wants.

He recognizes the signs for eat and milk, but doesn't use them himself. He'll eat anything and everything he can get his hands on. There's nothing that he doesn't seem to like at this point, although oranges and watermelon have both given him diarrhea in recent days. Oh, and he's figured out how to climb onto the couch. He's been able to get off for a while now (he goes face-first, but has learned how to put his hands down to catch himself), but just in the last few days has figured out how to get up. So the things I used to stick on the back of the couch to be safe from him - I need to find a new place for them. He has figured out drawers and doors, but only seems interested in some of them (the ones in the living room) - he's not interested in them in the kitchen or the bathroom. He has managed to open the drawers in my sewing room though. Luckily the worst he can do is strew velcro or fabric everywhere, which doesn't really bother me.

Well, I'm going to stop wasting my few minutes of time with both boys asleep online and go do something just for me.


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 

And then of course DH's commentary this morning that he heard DS last night... no shit! He was screaming for an hour. He heard him, but couldn't be bothered to get up, come out to the bedroom and offer any help or a hug or anything.









i wish i could say i wasn't glad to hear that others among us have to deal with this kind of stuff. sometimes i think i'm the only one and that i'm enabling some kind of borderline abusive behavior. especially in comparison to my friends' dhs and others on this forum. i also wonder how i'm ever going to get to that point of having more kids if i can't get the help i need with this one. it's almost like if i have more kids then i'm solidifying and accepting my role as the trod-upon wife and mother.

and speaking of such things....can i rant just a little? am i the only one to get posts blocked and deleted here? sometimes i get what i'm being blocked for and maybe i spoke too flippantly once or twice but sometimes it just makes me feel like a load of crap. like, i think some mods have me pegged for a formula-pushing, CIO advocate or something when really i give dd a bottle of formula every so often because she wouldn't take ebm from a bottle, and my babe has never cried longer than it takes for me to walk a couple feet across the hall. just being pegged like that even though i know it's not me....just that someone else would think it makes me feel crappier than crap. it's really strange how one person's impression should make me feel like that...like screaming out that i'm doing the best i can here! i just want to feel like i'm in a place where moms support other moms but sometimes i feel like i'm back in high school being kicked out of the cool kids table or something and that i don't belong here. does that make sense? but i've been to those other sites and i for sure as h*ll don't belong there either...that's for sure. yuck.
i guess that feels a little bit better.









also in recent wbv news, my girl's lead test came back high. not SCARY high but scary for a mom high. went in today for a real blood draw which had me to the point of tears all morning thinking of a needle in her arm. but she done good. we'll see how it comes out. in any case we're going to have to do some major modifications of the house and the way we do business. most likely it'll at least mean that i'll have to start mopping and wiping down all surfaces of this old 3 story house a few times a week. nice huh? like i'm doing such a great job of basic upkeep as it is. man....


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

I get what you're saying on not feeling supported sometimes... I feel like I have to constantly defend FF - and for the most part I just keep my mouth shut about it. In the DDC and in my private circles, it's well known why we FF, but I finally felt like I had to put it in my sig just to justify myself. Then I got a warning a few days ago for saying something that made someone think I was supporting CIO - which I absolutely do not. But yet sometimes you've just got to let the baby cry (like at 2 am when it's a matter of his personal safety to let him cry while I take my frustrations out on the mattress).

I also wonder about having another. It's really difficult now with how little support I have and as much as I have to fight to get it. Yet I refuse to take measures to prevent - after 3 years of ART, I swore I wouldn't do that until we've decided 100% that our family is complete. Like tonight DH came home and instead of coming and relieving me to make dinner like he said he was going to he came out b!tching and moaning about his pants being soaked. Took me about 3 minutes to get out of him that what he meant was that the cat peed on them (I thought he meant the laundry that I brought up and hadn't been folded yet). It quickly went from b!tching and moaning to full on passive-aggressive anger - ignoring (and stepping over) a screaming baby that just wanted daddy, blaming me, breaking things, and ultimately moving the litter box and cat food into the nursery, which means the baby cannot be allowed in there anymore. Great use for a nursery.







And while he was having his temper tantrum, I wound up putting the baby down for the night, so the little guy didn't get any daddy time tonight at all, and won't until tomorrow night at the soonest.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tzs* 
also in recent wbv news, my girl's lead test came back high. not SCARY high but scary for a mom high. went in today for a real blood draw which had me to the point of tears all morning thinking of a needle in her arm. but she done good. we'll see how it comes out. in any case we're going to have to do some major modifications of the house and the way we do business. most likely it'll at least mean that i'll have to start mopping and wiping down all surfaces of this old 3 story house a few times a week. nice huh? like i'm doing such a great job of basic upkeep as it is. man....

What made you get that tested? I've seen a few moms who've tested it, and I kinda wonder if I should get my guy's done, too. We're in a 1911 Victorian, so chances are good that it's here somewhere, and I'm definitely not the world's best housekeeper.

In related thoughts - a wife of one of DH's colleagues is a teacher and during the summer puts their LO in daycare for 8 hrs/wk so she can have some personal time. So now my DH is encouraging me to do the same. He really doesn't seem to understand that I'd much rather take that money (which would be a lot of money - childcare is expensive here) and pay a housekeeper to come in every other week, and just keep the mother's helper a few times a month. At least that way I'm only a few rooms away when he starts having a melt-down... am I crazy for feeling that way?


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Chiming in...
Cristeen... I'd So much rather the house-keeping than daycare!  I understand where your DH is coming from, but... I consistently think about the state of my walls or dusting, more than "I need a break from DS".

DP is now working a night job, and I teach night-classes. So we've had to rely on grandparents. Which is Awesome! We're lucky to have grandparents here... albeit not steady and if this pattern continues, I'll have to find another source of babysitting. But for now, the grandparents are going for it.

It's been my first real experience with consistent, not me, Rowan care. 2nights a week, with my mom, or DP's dad. Grandpa was a weird one... I _think_ it'll be okay after a few runs. So what if the diaper was backwards or he kept him up an hour longer than normal. He was getting good Grandpa time.

On the partner thing... I'm having a hard time with it. We DTD about once a month - because I"m still working out my FAM, cause I can't take bc (blood clots). Not that I really want to anyway. I feel active (I am interested in taking care of myself, albeit nothing like it used to be), but together.... we just never see each other any more.

I hate that I'm getting used to him being gone. So it's just me and DS 24/7. I never feel like I deserve a break, never want one. It's our life together and I love it during the week. But something about the days when DP is off... I expect him to be... or I want him to be... and it arghs me when I don't get a 20 minute break. What is that?

I understand that DP has his own projects he's been wanting to accomplish so when the weekend comes, that's his priority. But...

it's resentment. It's not good. I should cherish the moments we get with DP (since Rowan virtually never sees his dad during the week), not plague him with, are you going to do this, are you going to do that... and if not... fine, we just take off for the day (which we do a lot).
It honestly seems like it's just easier when it's the two of us. It's gotta be sad for DP. I"m working on it.


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## KayleeZoo (Apr 8, 2003)

First, big big







to all of you who are struggling with one thing or another. And a big







to the DH's who aren't doing all that they should







It took me a long time (it wasn't until I had this baby) to figure out that my DH didn't understand that SAHM doesn't mean "single parent". He figured that since he was working close to 80 hours per week, he was doing his part. And I was staying home with the kids- that was my part. He's a smart guy, but I had to tell him, "Look, I can manage 4 kids by myself most of the time, but there are times when you have to step in and help" and then I had to tell him specifically when I needed him to do something and what I needed him to do. Saying, "I need more help with the older kids when I'm dealing with the baby" wasn't enough- I had to say, "I need you to come in here and make DS some dinner so that he'll stop torturing his sisters because he's hungry" Maybe I don't know if it's every husband, but mine was more than willing to help when I spelled it out for him (and after a teeny weeny bit of raging on my part about how, every now and then, I cannot manage to meet all of the needs of all 4 of the kids by myself







)

We're absolutely in bliss over here, I have to say. Everyone adores Camry- the big kids are having so much fun with her now. She crawls around after them, watches what they're doing with piercing intensity and mimics them. She's standing, but no cruising. Learned how to go up the stairs yesterday UGH!! So DH has to install the baby gate at the bottom today. Now we'll have big kids climbing over the gate incessantly- it takes too long to open and they'd rather climb









She's happy and smiley and strong willed, just like the rest of my kids. She's wayyy shy w/strangers and won't let anyone hold her besides us and grandma and grandpa. I've been cleaning, decluttering and organizing a ton now that she sleeps 11-12 hours per night and I can function like a normal human again. Our house is full and crazy with our kids and all of their friends (they congregate here in the summer, but it's so fun to have kids in and out all day long) so it's a wreck normally, but I'm making lots of re-organizing progress in general.

I'm dreading the big kids going to school next month. We have a great schedule now, Cam has 2 regular naps and they're during times when we will be dropping off/picking up at either preschool or elem. school. So that's all going to need to be tweaked. And I know she'll miss the big kids- she adores them all, but especially my 10yo who begged to start sleeping in her room again now that we've got Cam situated with her sleep, so now they're officially sharing a room, just like Kaylee wanted









Gotta go fix breakfast for DS- we're all up extra early this morning


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
.

What made you get that tested? I've seen a few moms who've tested it, and I kinda wonder if I should get my guy's done, too. We're in a 1911 Victorian, so chances are good that it's here somewhere, and I'm definitely not the world's best housekeeper.


i had heard it's part of the 1 year WBV. in fact i think i heard about it b/c some moms here were saying they were going to opt out of it as unnecessary blood prick or something.
but since we live in a 1914 house with old paint i actually asked about it at our 9 month wbv.
but really it could be coming from anywhere so i don't know where to start. the windows, the soil around the house being trekked in, paint on the walls, toys???
even if her blood draw comes back lower that the heel prick it's likely still going to be higher than acceptable. there are so many "projects" around here that have been started and not finished already. we have a downstairs bathroom that was ripped out and not replaced. an entry floor that had ugly linoleum ripped up and then not refinished, a back room without a ceiling or walls plus all the stuff that just needs to be done. ugh. maybe this will light a fire under us.


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
In related thoughts - a wife of one of DH's colleagues is a teacher and during the summer puts their LO in daycare for 8 hrs/wk so she can have some personal time. So now my DH is encouraging me to do the same. He really doesn't seem to understand that I'd much rather take that money (which would be a lot of money - childcare is expensive here) and pay a housekeeper to come in every other week, and just keep the mother's helper a few times a month. At least that way I'm only a few rooms away when he starts having a melt-down... am I crazy for feeling that way?

My DH also suggested something like this when we had our discussion about me feeling overwhelmed and not feeling like he helped or supported me enough in parenting. Somehow his way of fixing it is to tell me I should hire a nanny a coupe days a week???? Argh. That frustrates the hell out of me. I don't want to leave DS, I want DH to pitch in more. But I guess he isn't willing to if his solution is childcare. And like you I'd much rather pay someone to help me clean! What I am wanting is a group effort. . .me and DH being a team when it comes to parenting. Don't get me wrong he's a good Dad, but. . . I would love it if he would just step in and help instead of me having to say, "okay, now I need half and hour to do xyz, so you need to be with N."

It does make me feel concerned about having the next child. No way I can have two little ones without a lot more support from DH and/or some other sort of help with the house, chores, etc.

Jordan--I feel so much the same way. . .during the week I feel fine, I am pretty happy to be with DS 24/7. But on the weekends, I want DH to participate, to give me a break and when he spends most of the time on his own thing it makes me feel SUPER irritated and unappreciated.


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## ladymeag (Aug 11, 2005)

I'm sorry all of you ladies are having problems with feeling stressed because your husbands/partners won't help. FWIW, mine does help and we still don't feel like we get any time together - it's all baby time. If he's got the baby, I'm making dinner, cleaning the house, taking care of the two dogs/four cats - or it's the other way, I've got the baby and he's doing those things. Practically every night the last two weeks I've gone to bed saying "Well, there were things I wanted to talk to you about but it'll have to wait." I swear we communicate more in messenger while my husband is at work and my son is napping (he pins me on the couch - won't sleep on his own, won't sleep in the bed for naps.) We DTD once a month, if we're lucky and the stars align. I think this frustrates me more than my husband, though.

Cristeen: Oh, man, am I sick of explaining to people the medical reasons for my formula feeding. I get really tired of the "you just didn't try hard enough" attitude - I did as much as I could and more than I got support through medical professionals for. I'm tired of being made to feel like I'm some kind of huge personal failure over this. Don't even get me started on VBAC-failure and bullying doctors.









Kismet: Remind me to talk to you about care-swapping so we can get some things done! My husband had to take a day off from work so I could go in and see the doctor last Friday. It was a big, huge deal just so I could get a yearly well-woman visit in (since my OB didn't bother with the 6-week check







, yes I've found a new doctor.)

Sorry I haven't been popping in too frequently - I'm having an issue with FF and the MDC boards. It gives me a big ol' error message. Using the boards in IE and Safari is so frustrating for me (slow load) that I don't bother.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ladymeag* 
Sorry I haven't been popping in too frequently - I'm having an issue with FF and the MDC boards. It gives me a big ol' error message.

my FF did this last week. I had to go in and clear MDC's cookie and it cleared right up.

As for talking, if we waited for the baby to be asleep, we probably wouldn't get much either. But when DH comes home, he goes and lies down for a bit, and DS and I go in there. DS crawls all over him while we talk. If i have something more to discuss, he'll bring DS into the kitchen while i'm making dinner so we can talk.


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

DH and I tend to talk after DS has gone to bed. . .but this often backfires as I am too tired by then to have either an intelligent conversation or a rational one (i.e. not start crying or complaining). I think this is why DH is pushing for us to have a date night with a real babysitter. Which terrifies me, even though I know DS would be fine for an hour or two while we went to dinner.

ladymeag--yes! let's talk about care-sharing! I know what a bummer it can be to try and work any appt around DHs schedule. I'd be happy to swap one morning a week or every other week--or just whenever we need it.


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

false alarm!!!!

our venous lead test came back under 5. whew!!!!!
kind of a major wake-up call though and hoping that it lights a fire to get stuff done around the house. (wishful thinking...)


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tzs* 
false alarm!!!!

our venous lead test came back under 5. whew!!!!!
kind of a major wake-up call though and hoping that it lights a fire to get stuff done around the house. (wishful thinking...)

YAY!!!!!

I've been debating the lead test...our ped ordered it at Gavin's 9 month appt, but I haven't done it. I didn't do it for our other two, and Connor was in the same house we're in now. The ped said that the pipes and water supply in our area can lead to increased lead (our house was built in the late 60s and completely remodeled in the early 2000s including floors and windows, so I'm not concerned with our house).

I don't know...Connor needs to go for his yearly blood work (for his syndrome, his geneticist orders yearly labs) so I might get Gavin's drawn then. Come to think of it though...Gavin doesn't drink ANY water, he's breastfed. Does lead pass through breastmilk? Hmm...I'd have to look I guess, because I do drink the water, and of course we cook with it and wash our clothes and dishes in it. Would that be enough to worry for a 9 month old? Off to research


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

i dunno about the washing the dishes stuff. that was going to be next on my list of things to look into.

i still have mixed feelings about the lead thing. first of all, i'm glad i did the test. they can get lead from all sorts of places, other houses, the soil. and the initial test is just a heel prick.

on the other hand, now i know that the heel prick is sooooo inaccurate. i mean, if the first test came back low that would be great. but high numbers can just mean there were still contaminants on the skin. i had no idea the numbers could drop so radically with a venous draw. but still, even if it was just contaminants causing the high numbers then ya know.....if she has lead on her skin then she's exposed and it can easily get into her system through mouthing, eating, etc... at least i'm going to be more careful about washing her hands which is something i just wasn't doing. i was just thinking about germs and building a healthy immunity....lead wasn't even on my radar.


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

2boysmama--the thread about lead that tzs started had a link that had info and if I remember correctly it did suggest that lead passed through BM. It suggested that if a BF babe had a high lead level the mom would too. .. but I don't remember if they knew for sure that lead passed through BM or if it was more of a casual relationship (mom and babe in same environment). Sorry I can't remember it better--sleep deprivation and all!

I'm a little concerned about ours at he 12m visit. .. just b/c we are in an older house and the pipes seem suspicious to me.

On another note--what is up with not wanting to fall asleep at night???? Noam has gotten into a new habit, we do our whole bedtime routine and I know he's tired, but instead of falling asleep nursing, he nurses for a bit and then pops off and decides it's time to play again. Even though he's tired, he's happy to go play, not fussy--so I can't decide whether its worth the fight to go to sleep or I should just let him play till he's willing to fall asleep. On Sat night I opted for play and he stayed awake till 10pm!!! Jeez. We don't have a crib, so if he doesn't want to fall asleep there isn't a lot I can do to contain him or "make" him sleep. But I don't think he should be up till 10pm either. So last night DH wore him in the Ergo when he pulled this trick and he did fall asleep that way. Maybe this is a good bedtime routine to have. . .but do you think this is a phase? Or will he just never fall asleep at the breast again? (He does fall asleep nursing during the day just fine oddly.)


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Kismet - about a month ago A stopped peacefully falling asleep. Now unless he is dropping from exhaustion, i have to restrain him to get him to sleep. Sometimes thats a swaddle, sometimes i have to pin him in the crook of my arm up against my body. This weekend it meant putting him in the carseat for a long drive after hed been awake for almost 10 hrs. Im hoping its a phase.

Can anyone tell me about biting? He's in a phase where he'll just walk up to me and bite my arm/leg/whatever he can reach. Its extremely painful, and i havent had any luck breaking him of the habit.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Gavin is finally getting mobile with a hilarious lean/scoot/pivot. What this means, though, is that he is loving the evening time after his brothers are in bed so he can get down on the floor, unhindered, and practice his new skill. He hasn't been to sleep before 10pm in days.

It's not that big a deal because even if I want to go to bed, hubby usually is still up. And Gavin doesn't usually need to be entertained, he just wants to be down on the floor, exploring. Eventually he falls over, bonks his head, or something like that and then mama milk puts him right to sleep. But yeah...it's been pretty late.


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

Biting... when my LO bites, she's usually nursing and I stop her and say no biting and sit her down on the floor. But she has been getting close to biting my leg, and so I am always on guard when her mouth is anywhere near me. I use distraction and sometimes I give her something else to bite. I remember from my older dd that it was usually when she was teething, so lots of opportunities to chew on things helped some, but for us, it was more of a wait-it-out and try-to-anticipate-it in the mean time kind of thing.

My LO is on a mission to swallow as many little things she can find as possible, and I cannot take my eyes off of her or a second. I actually started using the cosleeper as a pack-n-play in the past 2 days. Luckily, she loves it. My older dd hated it, so I never even thought to try it until my little Bunny swallowed "something" when dh was "watching" her (on the computer in the room with her). The next day, we found a piece of paper in her diaper, and the day after that it was a thin 1-inch piece of the vinyl roll-up shade. So yeah, I am now getting 10 minutes to use the bathroom/collect my thoughts with her in the pack-n-play. Wonder how long that will last. Wouldn't it be awesome if she learned to fall asleep for her naps in there since she likes playing in there. My mom keeps telling me that I did that at her age and I know she believes in responding to a crying baby. A mom can dream.....

On a funnier note, Bunny is now picking up things like the remote or a book and holding it to her ear saying "Hi!" and "Huh-do!"







I love this age especially this time around... just the little things like how proud she is when she can drink from her sippy cup by herself and watching her shove food into her mouth really make me smile this time around... which is good because she's my last baby. I am so convinced that I'm done. I don't do well with so little sleep and being on high-alert for her finding little treasures on the carpet. We call her the carpet inspector.







I am remembering why I didn't even consider another baby until my older dd was 2 and I'm so glad she is 6 and not 3 or 4 right now like i planned.


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## mom2tig99Nroo03 (Apr 24, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Guinevere* 
Hi there, mamas! Anyone remember me? Or maybe my oh-so-many kidney stones while pg? Oh what a thing to be remembered for, lol, but I do remember posting about it a fair bit.







It's SO fun to read about all our little rug rats and what they're all up to these days!










i remember you not for kidney stones, but for the wealth of info you shared with a certain terrified mama. i'm glad your guy is doing so well.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *newmomroxi* 
I actually checked in because I wanted to just say something. I think I have PPD and just the act of typing this is making me cry.











Quote:


Originally Posted by *newmomroxi* 
Thanks so much for your support and suggestions, ladies! You are all so awesome! I called my OB (I don't have a pcp) and left a message on the nurses line. I got a call back and they talked with me right there over the phone since I had no way to get there. Of course I cried, but the nurse was so sweet and understanding. My OB called in a script for me .

so they'll call in a rx without even talking a doc? hmm.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2boyzmama* 
So I think it's my turn to recognize that I need some help. Gavin is 9.5 months old and I still feel like I'm struggling a lot. On the outside it looks like I'm keeping it all together, I still accomplish a lot every day, but inside I'm barely holding on.

I'm tired, all the time.









just saying ditto works for me here too.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tzs* 
2boyzmama.....i'd like to say i'm like that....except i AM like that but without all the extra stuff you do.
i've got way more that 5 pounds, don't work out at all, only have one kid, only work a few hours a week (that is up from none, i thought maybe it would motivate me), and sex...no way.....
it's not that i wouldn't want to get some on but i want sleep much much more so when it comes down to it, every minute of nooky is a minute less of sleep. sex is just not going to win in that battle. now if my husband would just realize that getting up in the morning with the baby and letting me sleep in would do the job.....

and here, and if pumping 5+ hours a day counts as a job that is mine.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2boyzmama* 

I keep saying "I'm going to wait until *this* happens (school starts, the tooth is through, Ian is healthy, the weather gets cooler, blah blah) and if I still don't feel myself, then I'll call the dr" but then I find yet another excuse to wait another month...then another month again...you see the pattern?

Heck, the last 5 years of my life seems like it's been like that!!









ditto. my last eye exam/new pair of glasses was a fwe years ago. i haven't been able to get to the dentist since oldest ds was an only child, dd is 7, so yeah it has been awhile.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mkksmom* 
We call her the carpet inspector.







I am remembering why I didn't even consider another baby until my older dd was 2 and I'm so glad she is 6 and not 3 or 4 right now like i planned.

hehe, ds has so many nicknames it isn't even funny- one of his is hoover- as in the vacuum because he seems so great at finding things on the floor.


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## mom2tig99Nroo03 (Apr 24, 2003)

newmomroxi, how are thigns going with just using the vit d etc now? no way to go outside to walk in this heat. even staying in the ac here at the inlaws i get so dang hot.

*something* has to give here. one year ago today i was in my own personal h3!! and i seem to still keep getting dragged back in. the baby is mostly healthy, has nopt been on his apnea/brady monitor since the beginning of june, but i'm exhausted *all* the tiime now. dh helps where he can, and is only working 40 hrs a week now, BUT he's tired a lot too now- more than when he was working 2 jobs. this past year and few months has been extemely hard on our whole family.

ds is roughly 17 pounds, 8 oz, (we have a digital scale here and i JUST weighed him) no clue on height/length because his appt is actually next month when he is 13 months old. he's not saying too much still;
puh" (puppy) mama dada baba, he says "off, off (arf arf) to make noises for his stuffed dog toy. makes gorilla noises for grandpa, etc.
still not walking, but i'm fine with that. he likes to crawl down to the floor facefirst too, does cruise the furniture etc and he is still velcrobaby. he has major seperaation anxietey anytime i leave the room.


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## sosurreal09 (Nov 20, 2009)

hey ladies!
DD was bor 9/30/09!
shes a high maintenance babe all the way lol she has reflux and a ton of food intolerances and may possibly have colitis but shes thriving beautifully. just started walking and crawls everywhere! we Bfing and thats still her main diet but she has 3 "meals" a day too. nowhere near STTN!


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sosurreal09* 
hey ladies!
DD was bor 9/30/09!
shes a high maintenance babe all the way lol she has reflux and a ton of food intolerances and may possibly have colitis but shes thriving beautifully. just started walking and crawls everywhere! we Bfing and thats still her main diet but she has 3 "meals" a day too. nowhere near STTN!

WALKING?!?!?! WOW.
Rowan isn't there yet. He can make the foot gap between the sofa and the ottoman, standing solo for that split second. But he hasn't tackled a step on his own yet. I'm not sure I'm ready for walking - he's SO FAST as a crawler, walking is going to be a whole 'nother world.! I know it'll be sooner than I'm ready for.


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

Hi all!

Viv is still cruising - wants to walk, but needs to hold on to something still. She's a speed crawler tho - she crawls faster than dh walks.









We've been doing more solid/table foods. She wants to have whatever we are having and, mostly, that's what she gets. Yesterday we had french toast and she had a small piece (plain) and loved it. I'd say that 99% of her nutrition still comes from bm tho.

Viv has also hit the stage of crying every time I'm out of sight or when other people want to hold her... she gets a death grip on my shirt and stays put.

I'm stumbling along... probably not staying with the teaching job (having issues with being told to engage in grade inflation) and looking for a different position. Dh started a job the first part of July that is supposed to be full time, but he's not had more than 30 hour in any week (course it doesn't help that he hurt himself a week after he started). I've started taking my vit. D, B complex, vit. C and omega-3's again. Hoping that it will help with the mood swings. Also going to the gym 5 days a week: swimming, cardio on the elliptical and treadmill, and lifting weights. Haven't lost much of anything







, but feel so much better when I've made my workout.


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

We're doing well here. Keagan isn't walking yet, but he cruises and stands pretty well. I suspect it will come along soon enough- I'm kind of hoping for him to learn sooner rather than later because he is frustrated by not being able to walk- though I enjoy the relative ease of a slightly less mobile baby.









We are doing ok- but just ok- I am on a medical leave from work, so finances are tight yet again (I think the past year has been the worst ever for me) but we've kept expenses low enough that we are getting by. On the positive side, it means more time with the kids, and with our two year old being involved with speech/ot/pt that's really helpful. Always look for the silver lining.. right?

I'm gearing up to start planning for Keagan's first birthday celebration- which will be low key, but I am certainly excited!


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## sugarpop (Feb 12, 2009)

We are thinking about the first birthday celebration as well, probably small and just close family. We are having an early party this month when we visit out of state family, I am dreading the birthday cake, as I am sure they plan to give DD her own...YUCK! I hope she give the cake as much acknowledgment as she does food.

Sophia still struggles with food. I am not really all that concerned...more like I would like something for her to do while I am eating! The inlaws and my mom seem way more concerned than I...she is capable of eating when she wants.

Tonight for the first time ever she ate an entire jar (small) of sweet potato. Usually if she eats any it is less than a third of a jar. Yesterday, she enjoyed some beets. And the day before some salmon bits. But as still 90% or more BM.

She wont say "mama" or "dada", she does say "bird" "pig" "kitty" "Dog" "tay" (our Dog's name). My mom has animals and apparently they are way more exciting than us Lol! She crawls everywhere and loves outdoors. She likes pools and lake and the ocean too. I had to tell DH if he dunked her again (happened once) I would be furious. He thinks it is an okay way to teach to swim...stupid that is what I think absolutely stupid...oh I am getting mad all over again...ok moving on! She stands on her own, has taken a single step several times every four or five days she gives it a shot. Oh and she bites...all the time!

How do I deal with it? I tap and I mean tap, not pop, no pain involved, just lightly tap her top lip and say no bite. I feel like if I draw her attention to her mouth and say no then she will know what I am talking about. Sometimes the tap doesn't make her release my flesh but the loud shreak of pain usually does the trick...oh little girl is back from her walk...more later


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## Lula's Mom (Oct 29, 2003)

I _just_ found this thread! I've never seen it in the last 10 months.









Wel, I guess I'd better reintroduce myself! I remember a lot of y'all. I'm Kristi, my September baby is Cormac. He turned 10 months on July 17th. He makes a lot of noise- gawd, he's loud!- but not many words. He says mehmeh for Mommy, and he will sometimes call for our dog Hardy ("huhhh-deee!") He babbles all the time but I don't recognize anything else as words. DH speaks Spanish only to him and my friend pointed out that his speech might be delayed as he tries to sort out 2 languages. I'm not worried but I do look forward to having better communication with him. I thought we would sign but... I don't think I'd be very good at it.

He has been cruising forever- 2 months? and tonight he started walking! He was so freaking proud of himself. He was just squeaking with excitement, and of course we were going nuts and making a big deal. He can only go 4 or 5 steps before he falls down, but he was game to try again and again. Babies are so awesome.









He is just a crazy destructive tornado, but he's so funny that we just have to laugh. He LOVES to take things out and then put them back. He will stay focused on putting a ball in and out of a box for several minutes at a time; it cracks me up. He loves to bang the pots and pans, and empty the Tupperware drawer. The older kids like to get him to shout "AHHHHHHHH!" They will start, and he picks it up at just the same pitch... it's funny, but really loud, especially in the car!

Sleep is bad here too. Sometimes he is up to nurse every 1/2 hour! He just got tooth #4. These things are taking forfreakingever to come in. Each one just hovers there for a week or two! He is so miserable that I have even resorted to Tylenol sometimes so he will sleep better. And I do NOT give drugs. But in desperation I tried it, and it made a huge difference that night. Then I felt bad for letting him suffer before.

As if on cue, he is crying now, so I must go to him. Good to see you, mamas!


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## sosurreal09 (Nov 20, 2009)

Aniela talks well for her age. so far we've got mama dada daddy dog doggie baby duck bye bye and hi.

we never did purees ever...she just eats table foods. shes obsessed with veggies so far (hope it keeps up lol) she doesnt like sweets therefore not a huge fruit fan but thats ok she will eat some.

last night she was going on 5hrs straight and my breasts were getting engorged so i "fed her through her sleep" and went to bed myself but the she was up 2hrs later looking for more. i hate pumping! i was hoping it would have made it so she wouldn't wake for the early morning feed but didnt happen oh well. she woke up screaming at 3:30am and idk why she was sleeping right next to me but i had to bounce her a bit and sing some lullabyes. she loves my voice even though i can not sing for the life of me lol

its hard b/c we dont know any natural mamas and dont know anyone where we live really so its always just me and DD and the dog. well and DP when he's not working..
she loves kids though. our curch has a playgroup but its canceled during summer


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Welcome new mamas! and welcome back familiar mamas. sosurreal--you should go check out finding your tribe (http://www.mothering.com/discussions...isplay.php?f=7) at the very top look for "tribal areas", once you have found your area you can post and see if their are any other natural mamas near you. You might be surprised! Its always hard to be alone so much of the time.

I'm jealous of all you mamas with talking LOs. Not that I am worried about my guy or anything, but I am looking forward to seeing his speak develop and to be able to communicate better. We are also a two language house though, so he may take a while. He has however finally started to sign







He now signs "book" and "dog". Although book looks a lot like clapping and dog can stand in for any animal.

He's been very crabby this week. I have no idea why. And sleep has been bad. Hard enough that he wakes a lot at night, but now he just refuses to fall asleep. I know I've already complained about his but geez. . .its frustrating. Its kinda sad to me that nursing is no longer the magic sleep bullet. But on the other hand I could use this as an opportunity to teach him other ways of falling asleep--if he'd ever sleep that is--and if I wasn't too exhausted to think straight.


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## dosergirl (Feb 6, 2009)

Can i just say that i hate this thread business and miss our ddc. haha. of course i love mothering still but i loved the whole ddc! I miss being able to chat more easily, mdc should think of setting up months in ages and stages.

anyway, biting. cora is back to biting again as well. we went through this when her first teeth were coming in and now top teeth are coming in and it's worse. she bit my nipple the other day and made me bleed. she will crawl right up to you and bite your arm or leg and it hurts! I yell no and then she gets ignored for a bit which makes her cry and makes me feel bad but i don't know how else to relate to her that it is bad and she is hurting mama.


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## dosergirl (Feb 6, 2009)

oh and also, dh decided that we were ready for #2 talks, I thought it would be another few years before this came up. DH is younger then I am and I don't want to be having babies well into my 30's, just not for me and I turn 31 this year so, not even sure where I stand on this issue.
I got the IUD when DD was a few months old thinking I would have it in for years and now I have an appt to have it taken out in august. Not sure that means we will actually try for another yet but we have the option. I'm totally torn between yes and no on this. I don't want to take attention away from DD, how will i love another this much goes through my head all the time, money, space, will there every be answers? probably not. DD was a surprise and we worked out a great many of those issues (money space etc) before she came along, so i know it would all find a way of working out a second time.


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## KikaKika (Jul 7, 2007)

Yay!! Two nights ago, first tooth appeared!








Baby M is 10 months now, still BF (that's her main food, but we are experimenting with new textures and doing Baby Led Feeding), and I have to report, she's 100th percentile for height and 98th for weight!








It's so cool to have a Dr ask us, how we do things, with real interest!
Standing, not walking yet, and crawling when she wants to.
Most of the times, she is just happy to sit and play with various things.

Hugs to all my September 09 mamas and babies! I read this thread regularly, but I do not post often.


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *dosergirl* 
I don't want to take attention away from DD, how will i love another this much goes through my head all the time, money, space, will there every be answers? probably not. DD was a surprise and we worked out a great many of those issues (money space etc) before she came along, so i know it would all find a way of working out a second time.

YEAH that! That yes, it will work itself out (of course!) - how many here are parents of more than one. And the love, certainly... we are capable of so much love.

But, the ATTENTION. That's my thing. I read so many blogs where they have newborn #2, and they're conflicted. Having to be with #2 so much, #1 is now spending more time with Dad than ever - night-times become more on Dad, etc. And they're sad - the moms! Of course it works itself out in the long-run and is awesome... but...

DS was unexpected as well. And the greatest thing in the world - that I get to stay at home with him is just amazing. I can't imagine anything taking away my 24/7 attention from him. I know, KNOW, in my heart of hearts, that it would work. I say that... but it's still hard to believe.


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *KikaKika* 
Yay!! Two nights ago, first tooth appeared!









yay!

Rowan still only has his bottom two. That combined with No Hair, he still looks so much like a babe, despite his few words and getting closer to walking every day. It plays with the mind sometimes.

He seems to be teething on the top, but nothing is poking through.

And I think I can officially say he's STTN. It's been a month - once a week, he wakes up at some point. And yes, there is the occasional bad night where he's up 2-3 times. But as the norm, it's 7:30 to 6:30/7. It's so strange to not be getting up every night, multiple times! I'm respectful that it's potentially a phase. But I'm enjoying it while I've got it!!


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

This whole lack of sleep thing must change.

2:15 a.m. this is the fourth waking tonight.


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## sosurreal09 (Nov 20, 2009)

jordan you are so lucky!

Aniela was up 4x last night so dont feel alone in this confustication! i feel you're pain.

i cant wait to have another baby! DD loves kids and i think she would be very happy with a sibling.

shes 10 m/o today!!


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

so i've heard of this stage where babes spend all their time taking things apart and putting them back in order.......
does this start soon?????
right now we are at the taking everything apart and crawling all over the place stage. she's like a path of destruction, flinging things left and right.
i have this image in my head of a baby playing quietly and deliberately with a ring stacker or something. she used to sit forever just fiddling with the texture on the upholstery fabric. ugh, where did it go?


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

Thank goodness for the espresso machine my DH gave me....







K was up until almost 5am, I took him to bed with me and he was up again at 6:30. He's never been a good sleeper, so when he hits a regression or something else to throw him off it goes from bad to really bad. Oddly, it doesn't stress me as much as it would have with my first- maybe because I know that he will someday sleep... or at least be told to read a book and let ME sleep. 

K is finally steady enough in the tub that he and his 2 yo brother get to share baths together- SO much fun. He's also huge, and we've been getting a lot of 'are they twins?' comments.

Also for those of you with baby itch or those who will be having closely spaced siblings....

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._7946795_n.jpg


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *confustication* 

Also for those of you with baby itch or those who will be having closely spaced siblings....

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._7946795_n.jpg

This is Great!!!


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

I am celebrating the fact that they are a little easier these days. A 14 month gap is finally showing itself to be a lot of fun, but it was all about survival until very recently- the dynamic changed completely when Keagan started being pretty mobile, and now that he is standing it's just amazing to watch.

However, it also makes me sad to see that my little baby is not so little!


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## sosurreal09 (Nov 20, 2009)

wicked cute!!!


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *confustication* 
Thank goodness for the espresso machine my DH gave me....







K was up until almost 5am, I took him to bed with me and he was up again at 6:30. He's never been a good sleeper, so when he hits a regression or something else to throw him off it goes from bad to really bad. Oddly, it doesn't stress me as much as it would have with my first- maybe because I know that he will someday sleep... or at least be told to read a book and let ME sleep. 

K is finally steady enough in the tub that he and his 2 yo brother get to share baths together- SO much fun. He's also huge, and we've been getting a lot of 'are they twins?' comments.

Also for those of you with baby itch or those who will be having closely spaced siblings....

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._7946795_n.jpg

double cute!!! thanks for posting that pic today!!! I got to hold a baby today (2 months old!) and I realized that I"m starting to feel good about this pregnancy. I'm so glad that you are enjoying it!


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

I was really nervous about how it would work out with two very closely spaces babies, and when I googled, there wasn't much that was reassuring. The reality is that- while it was a ton of work, as long as DH and I worked together, it wasn't really as hard as I feared.

I think there was some impact on my relationship with my older son- he really became a daddy's boy, and it's just now that he'll look to me as he used to, but I think that's a sadness more from my desire to be supermom than anything else. He and his father have an amazing relationship, and it's given me a better understanding of why some men feel shut out of the close relationships between moms and babies.


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *confustication* 
I was really nervous about how it would work out with two very closely spaces babies, and when I googled, there wasn't much that was reassuring. The reality is that- while it was a ton of work, as long as DH and I worked together, it wasn't really as hard as I feared.

I think there was some impact on my relationship with my older son- he really became a daddy's boy, and it's just now that he'll look to me as he used to, but I think that's a sadness more from my desire to be supermom than anything else. He and his father have an amazing relationship, and it's given me a better understanding of why some men feel shut out of the close relationships between moms and babies.

I'm so glad to hear this! I can already see my DH and DS becoming very close-- he has him alone two hours or so each day, and on top of that this pregnancy has knocked me out. With the nursies going away... I do feel sort of replaced. If you don't mind my asking, did you end up nursing through pregnancy and beyond? I am desperately trying to keep my supply up for a few more weeks, but I can see ds loosing interest. Most info regarding tandem nursing/nursing through pregnancy I can find is focused on an older older nursing-- like a 3 year old and a newborn.


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

He did continue to nurse, but pretty much self weaned before he was 2- which was harder on me than it was on him. I actually kept a decent(ish) supply throughout pregnancy, but he was so jealous that he didn't want to nurse if he'd seen his little brother nursing, and would go engage Dad who gave him solid food snacks when he was hungry. it was totally appropriate, but sooner than I would have liked. He will still very occasionally nurse- maybe 5x/week?


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## sugarpop (Feb 12, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *confustication* 
This whole lack of sleep thing must change.

2:15 a.m. this is the fourth waking tonight.









Oh I am feeling you here! We were up every hour last night...I slept awful and so did she. So today I cut out all caffeine. I am hoping for a miracle. Now I just hope this headache doesn't keep me awake lol

So a question to you mamas with babes that sleep or heck those that don't too...

How do you define a waking? Do you mean your babe wakes up, you feed them and comfort them and try to get them back to sleep? or do you just mean they wakes, search for food, find food go to sleep?


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sugarpop* 
Oh I am feeling you here! We were up every hour last night...I slept awful and so did she. So today I cut out all caffeine. I am hoping for a miracle. Now I just hope this headache doesn't keep me awake lol

So a question to you mamas with babes that sleep or heck those that don't too...

How do you define a waking? Do you mean your babe wakes up, you feed them and comfort them and try to get them back to sleep? or do you just mean they wakes, search for food, find food go to sleep?

I think last night was just a crummy night- it's been very hot here, and while we do have AC- it's still not 'cool' in the house, just not intolerable- in order for us to keep it cool would be a huge electric bill- because of the heat though, K doesn't sleep well during the day, and that throws off his nights as well.

For me, I count a waking as anything more than the wake/root/snooze. A true 'waking' means I have to get up with him or he will be frantic because he can't tolerate just lying in bed, he crawls all over us, starts screaming (not crying, just testing out his voice,) and is generally wide awake and alert. When he gets like that, there is nothing for me to do other than get up with him and let him have some time to play on the floor. When he starts rubbing his eyes again, I can pick him up, hold him tight, and he will usually fall asleep if I walk just right thrugh the house in the dark, pray to an assembly of deities from every religion, breathe quietly enough, shush just right, and don't move the wrong muscle at the wrong moment- lest we start all over again.


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## sosurreal09 (Nov 20, 2009)

for me its either! idk about this whole co sleeping! she wakes up every time i move and flips out. what the heck am i suppose to do? she was up 5x last night then at 5am was screaming hysterically until 6am b/c i rolled over (not even on her or anything) and i couldnt get her to calm down for the life of me and her eyes were shut. weird...


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## Lula's Mom (Oct 29, 2003)

I count eating and then going back to sleep as waking.

Cormac just got 4 teeth over about a month's time, so sleep was horrible. Now that he seems to be over the worst of that pain, we're trying something new. I've noticed that he sleeps best in the beginning of the night, on his little floor bed, before we'd come in and bring him in bed with us. So clearly being right next to me, touching me all night, causes him to wake more. Like 5-7 times in 7 hours. But I didn't want to leave him across the room on his floor bed, even if he sleeps better there, because it's so hard to leave my bed to go nurse him even just a couple of times! I do not know how people can live with a kid in a crib down the hall. I HATE getting up!

OK, so our older ds has been sleeping in his own small bed next to ours for a couple of years. For 3 nights now, when we come in, we switch the baby and older ds. Older ds goes on the floor, and Cormac goes in the bed next to ours. (I like to start the baby on the floor bed so there's no danger of him falling.) It's actually been working! He's definitely waking less! He's right there next to me, but the small bed is a couple of inches lower, so he doesn't feel my movements and wake up as much. When he does want to nurse, I can just lift him up in our bed, and lay him back down when he's finished. It's like having a cosleeper or crib sidecarred.

So he's up half as much as he was before- although, older ds has gotten freaked out by waking up in a different bed, and woken us up at 5 am twice!







But I think that will get better... it has to. I'm so tired all the time.


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## zenproof (Jan 18, 2009)

deleted.


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## sosurreal09 (Nov 20, 2009)

i can not let DD cry for 2 seconds! lol i just can't do it. ooo found this great video http://www.whatmakesyoutick.org/ its about CIO very informative. i know i was left to CIO and i have depression and anxiety and had detachment disorder as a kid but i was also severely abused...

anyways. DD ate at 12 last night then didnt wake or eat until 7 am! miracle haha

Lula's mom im a little confused the baby is sleeping in the toddler bed or on the floor?


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

It's been a hard one for me not co-sleeping, but in the end, Rowan is better for it. When he was next to me, he'd barely budge and I was awake; every cry and I was right there. He was never given a chance to figure things out himself and my waking as well would make him wake even more.
So now when he goes down and through the night, I give him 5 minutes. I can normally tell within the first 3 if it's something that's going to continue, or if it's just a whimper where he needs to find his animal and squeeze it, and drift back off. I still wake up when I hear him change positions on the monitor, so I'm still 1/2 waking up, but at least I'm not waking HIM.

For naps, I don't really go a full 5 minutes because I always figure it's maybe my fault - maybe I put him down too early or maybe I misread something. I'll go in and get him, try again in 1/2 hr or something.

This rarely happens.. the kid is like a clock.


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

mom2tig, I'm doing much better, thanks for asking.







I've done a lot of little things differently and it has helped tremendously. I do the vit D, I started yoga again (though I don't do it very often), and I've stopped trying to keep the house clean. Lol, that sounds bad but it was really making me crazy to sweep up after 2 big-ish hairy dogs all the time. So I just stopped. When DH asked me to do the floors one day I told him that I wasn't doing it anymore. I told him that spending an hour sweeping and mopping instead of resting like I wanted to was hard. And that it frustrated me to NO END to see piles of dog hair and mud clumps the very next day. It felt pointless and meaningless and I just can't afford to think that way anymore. So now he does it.

Jennifer, how are things going for you now? I hope you and DH can find better jobs. Good for you for exercising so much, by the way!

Here's my little update on Lake. He's got 8 teeth now and we pretty much stop looking for new ones that pop through. He's a drool monster and chews on everything still! He also bites but is getting much better with that. I calmly tell him no and put him down. Once he fusses, I pick him back up and tell him to give kisses while giving him a kiss. He's pretty obvious about when he's getting ready to bite, so I've started to say "give kisses" and he'll slobber all over us instead of biting.

DH thinks that he's learning names, although they are very shortened versions. He also loves our oldest dog Natty and has said her name while petting her. Besides that though, he screeches and pounds on things to let us know what he wants. He's been cruising a ton, even using the walls to get around. Yesterday, he took about 5 steps to DH. DH would move back and Lake would walk over again! It was so amazing! I made a guess that he'd be walking by the middle of this month but now I think it might be sooner!

ETA: confustication, your boys are so cute! I would like to have another soon but DH is not sure if he wants more and I'm not really ready either.


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *newmomroxi* 
mom2tig, I'm doing much better, thanks for asking.







I've done a lot of little things differently and it has helped tremendously. I do the vit D, I started yoga again (though I don't do it very often), and I've stopped trying to keep the house clean. Lol, that sounds bad but it was really making me crazy to sweep up after 2 big-ish hairy dogs all the time. So I just stopped. When DH asked me to do the floors one day I told him that I wasn't doing it anymore. I told him that spending an hour sweeping and mopping instead of resting like I wanted to was hard. And that it frustrated me to NO END to see piles of dog hair and mud clumps the very next day. It felt pointless and meaningless and I just can't afford to think that way anymore. So now he does it.

I'm glad that things are getting better for you.
















Quote:

Jennifer, how are things going for you now? I hope you and DH can find better jobs. Good for you for exercising so much, by the way!
I got a new job yesterday!







I will be doing the old one until the first week of September (finishing up the quarter), and starting the new teaching gig August 26. My interview was yesterday morning at 10, didn't get home until 11ish. They told me that they would be making a decision by the end of this week/first of next week. I got a call at 12:30 offering me the teaching position I had applied for (a 3 hour appointment) and also offered a secondary class (6.4 hour appointment). The shorter class is at the campus a block from the house. The other is the next town over (15 minute drive).









Add to this, I am talking with a local business owner about leasing some space in his building to see patients/clients.







Praying/hoping that this works out.









Mom will be helping with Viv, the bigger kids will be back in school on 8/23. Things are looking up for me. Hoping that Dh can pull himself up and find a better job - I'm seriously thinking about sending out resumes for him (and he's ok with that!). He's got 39 hours this week and is not thrilled.

OH... and I will be running/jogging my first 5K on September 11! My goal is to finish. Secondary goal is to finish in less than an hour.


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

Wow, that is great! I'm so happy things are going so well for you.







You must have really impressed your new employers if they called you right away! Congratulations, it sounds like your new position will fit into your life nicely. I'll be praying for you about leasing the space and taking on some patients/clients. Good luck on your 5K! You are a brave one, haha!


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## Lula's Mom (Oct 29, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sosurreal09* 

Lula's mom im a little confused the baby is sleeping in the toddler bed or on the floor?

Both. I was trying to say, he starts the night on his floor mattress, because it is safer for him to be down there when I'm still awake downstairs. His big brother is in the toddler bed next to mine.

I used to bring the baby in bed with me when I'd come in to sleep. But being with me wakes him more often. So now, I move the big brother to the floor mattress, and the baby next to me in the toddler bed. So he's right next to me but doesn't wake as much from my movements.

I could NEVERRRRR do CIO. I tried it with my dd, my first child. I was a new mom, and my sister told me that was the way to go. It was horrible- my little girl screamed for me for an hour, even with her dad going in periodically to try and calm her. I thought she was going to throw up.

Eventually I called a friend- who is now my husband, actually- and told him how hard this was and that it was tearing me and her up. He said that if it felt like that, I should not do it for one more minute. It felt so good to have someone say "Just listen to your instincts." I went in and got her right then. I can't believe I did that, it is the mistake I regret the most in all of the many mistakes I'm sure I've made.







At least I learned not to do it again.


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

So... now that we're approaching the one year mark.....

Anyone else not exactly back to prebaby shape?









I gained weight while breastfeeding, and have just lost a lot of tone overall in the past few years. For the first time in my life I 'feel' too heavy, and I don't like it- at all! I've never been slim when healthy (I was when I was very ill, however) but am used to being very much in good condition. Now I really feel out of shape- even when I go for a short hike!

I do get a fair amount of exercise, and I eat (mostly) well, but with the combination of back to back babies and less exercise and a lot of stress, something had to give, and it's been my health and weight.


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Dmitrizmom* 
I'm glad that things are getting better for you.
















I got a new job yesterday!







I


I"m so very exited for you!!!

In other news, DS has finally got a tooth, has started crawling, pulling up and even cruising! He can wave bye bye if you wait for it (he seems to work on a 30 second delay) and clap his hands.

he seems to be a month or so behind on his milestones, but we'll deal.

shamelessly sharing pics of my cutie


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

Oh my goodness- the cute!

I love his hair, and the wave- aww


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 
In other news, DS has finally got a tooth, has started crawling, pulling up and even cruising! He can wave bye bye if you wait for it (he seems to work on a 30 second delay) and clap his hands.

he seems to be a month or so behind on his milestones, but we'll deal.

shamelessly sharing pics of my cutie

Holy CUTE! What a handsome little boy! FTR, Viv is on the delay with waving bye bye too.


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

oh...if that's a delay for waving and clapping then we're really behind!

but what's up with that as a milestone anyway? i mean, i get that clapping is "crossing the midline" or whatever but how is she going to just start clapping if we never do it with her. i mean, i don't sit around the house clapping so do they just start doing it?
same with waving. i just recently realized that she's also probably never seen waving before. do people make a point of doing this with their kids? i usually don;t wave in everyday life....hmmmmm.....time to get to work.
oh and pattycake....i never do that....do i have to start?








waving and clapping boot camp this week!


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

definitely in the camp of not waving here. He's just starting to reach his arm out, like he's Trying to wave. but like tzs, I don't wave a lot. I don't think he's really witnessed this so much - we haven't pushed it.

And DS is SO stoic when we're out in public. He babbles all in the car, singing to the music, talking to his toys, etc. And when he's in a store or in an office, nada. No smiles, no talking. He's just watching the world around him. And when he's faced with another baby... he's fascinated, but does not try to interact At All.


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

anybody else's lo giving their reflection in the mirror kisses? Viv will stand up in front of the mirror and poke at her reflection then give the baby in the mirror a slobbery kiss and laugh.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

I'll echo the lack of clapping or waving. Just things we don't do a whole lot of here. He's also one that babbles like mad in private, but not in public.

He seems to be starting the 1 year molars a bit early. He's been absolutely miserable the last week or so, completely inconsolable at times. And the store shelves are all bare - no ibuprofen to be found. I actually called my bff last night to have her start looking too. But so last night we finally went with the old whisky on the gums trick, and he definitely has a lump pushing through all the way at the back.

I really wish i could night-wean, but when i track the amounts he's eating, many nights he's eating 12-16 oz between bedtime and morning, and only 16-20 oz the rest of the day.

I'm also in worse shape than before pg. And am i the only one that still has to pee multiple times in the night? It makes life really difficult when my bladder is ready to burst and i have a screaming baby crawling after me through the house. Last night he woke up dh at 4 w this trick, and he was still awake at almost 5 when i finally got the little back to sleep.


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 

I'm also in worse shape than before pg. And am i the only one that still has to pee multiple times in the night? It makes life really difficult when my bladder is ready to burst and i have a screaming baby crawling after me through the house. Last night he woke up dh at 4 w this trick, and he was still awake at almost 5 when i finally got the little back to sleep.









I here you on the peeing at night! I have to sneak away, and try to pee quitely so as not to wake the baby. If it's not one thing, it's another. DS woke at least 6 times last night- and once ever hour between 10 and 3 am (after that I dumped him on DH).

I'm so scared that one of these days I"m going to fall asleep while driving into work.

I'm pregnant though.... do you have anything you want to share, cristeen?


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## ein328 (Jan 10, 2009)

soo....I never realized the Sep 09 DDC had a thread here- EPIC FAIL on my part.

I am so excited to go back and read what everyone's been up to- things are absolutely crazy around here.

I haven't had the chance to go back and look so please forgive, but is anyone else expecting again? We conceived (SURPRISE!) on my first cycle pp-Lucy had just turned six months.

So glad to hear from everyone!


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## ein328 (Jan 10, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
I'll echo the lack of clapping or waving. Just things we don't do a whole lot of here. He's also one that babbles like mad in private, but not in public.

He seems to be starting the 1 year molars a bit early. He's been absolutely miserable the last week or so, completely inconsolable at times. And the store shelves are all bare - no ibuprofen to be found. I actually called my bff last night to have her start looking too. But so last night we finally went with the old whisky on the gums trick, and he definitely has a lump pushing through all the way at the back.

I really wish i could night-wean, but when i track the amounts he's eating, many nights he's eating 12-16 oz between bedtime and morning, and only 16-20 oz the rest of the day.

I'm also in worse shape than before pg. And am i the only one that still has to pee multiple times in the night? It makes life really difficult when my bladder is ready to burst and i have a screaming baby crawling after me through the house. Last night he woke up dh at 4 w this trick, and he was still awake at almost 5 when i finally got the little back to sleep.









We JUST nightweaned, and it went really well.

Lucy was still nursing several times per night, but my supply finally tanked (at night, at least) with this pregnancy, so she would SCREAM when she didn't get anything. Getting up and getting a bottle got really old, really fast.

Luckily she was already great with solids, and we were already having to supplement during the day, so it wasn't too rough of a transition.

...and boy, has it helped with the sleeping! I haven't gotten so much sleep since before Lucy was born. Anyway, we used Dr. Jay Gordon's method (and yes, we still bed-share).

Hope you start feeling better soon!


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## sosurreal09 (Nov 20, 2009)

DD is only on her top front teeth now which will make 4. you guys are lucky getting the teeth out of the way!
i want to night wean but we are waiting till 1.
i want to TTC in nov maybe but im scared b/c i know my milk will probably tank and i do not want DD to wean! aslo we dont drink animal's milk so what the heck would i give her as BM replacement? we drink so delicious coconut milk...

i am in ok shape...gained 96lbs with DD and lost 75lbs so far. the BFing is making the weight fly off over here. i dont have any supply issues though so i dont have to eat much to make milk. i probably have 1500-1800 cals a day...


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## rockdoctor (Mar 26, 2009)

Anyone want to share how they night wean?


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 

I'm pregnant though.... do you have anything you want to share, cristeen?

I wish!! Our timing was pretty good last month even, so i was hoping. But no. Part of the reason ds woke dh up last night was i was stuck trying to empty an overflowing moon cup at 4 am.


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
I'll echo the lack of clapping or waving. Just things we don't do a whole lot of here. He's also one that babbles like mad in private, but not in public.

He seems to be starting the 1 year molars a bit early. He's been absolutely miserable the last week or so, completely inconsolable at times. And the store shelves are all bare - no ibuprofen to be found. I actually called my bff last night to have her start looking too. But so last night we finally went with the old whisky on the gums trick, and he definitely has a lump pushing through all the way at the back.

I really wish i could night-wean, but when i track the amounts he's eating, many nights he's eating 12-16 oz between bedtime and morning, and only 16-20 oz the rest of the day.

I'm also in worse shape than before pg. And am i the only one that still has to pee multiple times in the night? It makes life really difficult when my bladder is ready to burst and i have a screaming baby crawling after me through the house. Last night he woke up dh at 4 w this trick, and he was still awake at almost 5 when i finally got the little back to sleep.










also out of shape and peeing alot!
i found out about a women's incontinence clinic here so i went and it's amazing the stuff they can do. unfortunately the main thing is to do tons of kegels and cut out the diet coke so my slacking in that department has meant that i have rescheduled my foillow-up appointment like 3 times. ugh.

so what's up with the molars? do they come in before the other teeth on the side???

also interested about night-weaning. honestly we were pretty much sttn, is that considered being night-weaned if they did it themselves? unfortunately my very strong-willed babe has decided that in case of a random early waking, sticking the nuk back in is UNACCEPTABLE! there is swatting and pushing it away, there is screaming....if i try to console her just by rocking there is back arching and more screaming. and it's the same if my hubby goes in. i always end up caving and giving her the boob. half the time she's not even really nursing. ditto with going down for naps. if seh has decided the nursing was unacceptable we go through the same procedure until i give in.

so part of me wants to nip the behavior. she has been sleeping until at least 5 am without nursing so why this now? maybe start offering a bottle if she wakes early and then switch to water in the bottle and then no bottle???

the other part of me says that even if she doesn;t need to eat she is obviously telling me she needs the boob for comfort so i should just go with it.

i dunno.....any thoughts?

the thing is that the persistence in getting what she wants is not isolated to this and although i know she is very young i also believe that we don;t give little kiddos enough credit and are actually very capable individuals in many ways....knowing how to manipulate the parents being one of them. so we want to get in the habit of meeting her needs but not so much meeting them because and in the middle of a screaming baby-tantrum but rather because she has expressed her needs in a more calm and collected way. does this make sense? or maybe we should just work on expressing ourselves more appropriately in the daytime and placate her at night???
(btw, any sort of "letting her cry," even for 5 or 10 minutes, will not work with this kid. it gets her waaaaaaay more mad and determined)


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

I posted a few videos from yesterday here


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ein328* 
We JUST nightweaned, and it went really well.

Lucy was still nursing several times per night, but my supply finally tanked (at night, at least) with this pregnancy, so she would SCREAM when she didn't get anything. Getting up and getting a bottle got really old, really fast.

Luckily she was already great with solids, and we were already having to supplement during the day, so it wasn't too rough of a transition.

...and boy, has it helped with the sleeping! I haven't gotten so much sleep since before Lucy was born. Anyway, we used Dr. Jay Gordon's method (and yes, we still bed-share).

Hope you start feeling better soon!

How far along are you, and how long did the night weaning take? I was considering it, but it just breaks my heart. I never thought i'd be night weaning already.


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## ein328 (Jan 10, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 
How far along are you, and how long did the night weaning take? I was considering it, but it just breaks my heart. I never thought i'd be night weaning already.

I'm 22 weeks right now, and we night-weaned at about week 20. I LOVE bedsharing and night-nursing, but I was DYING. I am still pumping at work and nursing in the evenings, but I just couldn't take the constant pulling/biting/DD getting frustrated.

It was never an issue until my supply REALLY tanked out. Then DD would try to nurse at night, not get anything, freak out. So we decided it was better for everyone all around if we night weaned. Honestly, it went really, really well. DD never even cried- just sat up in bed and got mad. It only took us about a week to complete the process. We used Dr. Jay Gordon's method, here:
http://drjaygordon.com/attachment/sleeppattern.html

Basically, she goes to sleep at around 7-7:30, and we go to bed around 11. If she wakes up before 11, I'll nurse her back to sleep if I need to. However, once 11 hits, "nummers" are shut off until 5:30am. At that point, she wakes up like clockwork, I nurse her while DH gets a bottle (we have to supplement at this point). Once I'm done nursing, she gets topped off, and generally goes back to sleep for a few hours. If it's a weekday, I'm off to work, and if it's the weekend, I get to cuddle her and go back to sleep. It really works well for us.

....I never thought I'd be weaning this early, either, and I'm still dedicated to nursing (especially because I'd love to tandem, if possible), but this just could not continue. I think of night-weaning as a way of preserving our breastfeeding relationship, in a way, because without more sleep (for me and my boobs!) I was ready to throw in the towel entirely.


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Hi ein328--Congrats! I am so impressed by you and Texmati, managing to nurse and be pg. This is the one (or at least main) reason that I am not TTC again yet and may not for another year. I am just too afraid to mess up my great (and very hard-won) BFing relationship with DS. Also when I look at him, I just still see my *baby* and its too hard to imagine another baby. DH wants to start TTC when DS is 1 year old, which was the time-frame I had originally given DH, but now I am pushing it back again. Of course, we'd be happy if it happened anytime. Anywho, glad to hear that you are still keeping the "Nummers" going









As for night-weaning, my DH is pushing for this (along with getting DS into his own bed), but again, he is still just a baby and I really don't want to force a change at this point. It is such a very very short time (in the grand scheme of things) that they are small and need their mamas in this way. . .personally, I want to keep providing this comfort for him. It is causing some strain btw DH and I though, b/c he doesn't see it this way. I know what you mean tzs, my DS definitely has mind and will of his own these days. I don't know if I could night-wean him without a lot of screaming (which I won't do). . .at this point he refuses to be comforted in any other way during the night. He will fall asleep in the Ergo, but once he has been asleep and needs help staying asleep the boob is the only thing he wants. And I'm ok with that.

He has been sleeping pretty good again (meaning about 3 night wakes) and is just so busy during the day now. DS and I flew to see my parents, I was worried about traveling alone with him, but it went just fine. He even slept on the plane, wonder of wonders! And he really bonded with my mom and dad and sister. . .it was great to watch. In fact, I even went o lunch twice while I was there and left him with Grandma--this is the first time he has stayed with anyone besides me or DH and he did just fine. Also, my parents were so encouraging of my parenting style (which is a lot like what they did naturally and didn't even know it was called AP). It felt really good to have that re-inforement of what I have been doing, instead of having to defend myself like I have to with ILs and others.

Noam such a people person in general, not reserved at all when we go out in public. He'll crawl right up to people, smile, try to take other kids toys. He's become a maniac crawler and now prefers to crawl "bear-style" on his hands and feet instead of knees. He just started waving and has 3 really consistent and clear signs. He is mimicking both sounds and gestures/movements really well and started calling my sister "boo" b/c she would always play peek-a-boo with him. He pulls up on everything and can stand unsupported for about 5 seconds, but doesn't try to take steps (and that's ok with me!). He's just a go-go-go guy. It's really fun, but I wish we had more space. . .our house is so small that I feel like he is getting bored and not getting the exercise he needs. I need to find more safe places where he can crawl around.

p.s.--ein, thanks so much for that article on sleep/night-weaning!!! It is so hard to find sleep stuff that is pro-bed sharing and anti-CIO. I sent it to my DH, since the article discourages night-weaning before 1 year. . .maybe we can come to a better agreement about things. Anyway, it made me feel better about the way I've been approaching things.


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

just posted a video of Viv.... Hope it shows up for everyone! http://www.facebook.com/video/?uploa...50244326335188


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

We took Keagan out for his first proper hike today, which was a lot of fun. I had planned to switch babywearers halfway through, and we tried, but he wanted nothing to do with Daddy wearing him. Apparently my big ol' bum is more comfy... *sigh*

Also, the 'easy to moderate' designation DID NOT take into account a 25lb 10 month old on my back.

He is now completely conked out and I don't expect to hear from him any time soon. A picnic and a hike and a couple hours in the car-


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## sosurreal09 (Nov 20, 2009)

25lbs! wow DD is only nearly 18lbs.
anyone else having serious car seat drama? DD is FLIPPING out about the car seat whenever we have to go anywhere. i never know what to do then 10-15mins into a ride she starts crying and i try to comfort her while im driving and it hardly works. i have pulled over but it does not seem to help the situation. she was never a big car ride kind of gal but now she gets so pissed at me!

oh btw the kisses in the mirror thing yeah she does that too i love it she also kisses her shadow lol concieted much! she has a book with pics of babies in it that she kisses every single baby as well haha wicked cute.

DD only woke 2x last night to nurse. wasn't bad at all. im trying the whole "schedule" the day thing now and its going a little better. she hates napping though and she will not take 2 naps...she had one nap at 12 after being up at 7 and she slept for 2 hours! woohoo! then she was in bed at 7:15 but this is where it sux b/c she usually will only do 11hr nights so just when i get things going we get screwed up again.


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

He's really long- lol. Both my boys are really big- neither one is very chunky, but they are both off the charts tall and are both very heavy. My daughter was (and still is) teeny- she didn't pass 20lbs until she was about 3.

We have car seat drama here if a different sort- lol. I need to find new seats, and I have to move the 2yo to ff because he's just... big! We drive so much though that there's not a ton of drama- they are used to the 'in the seat until we stop somewhere' drill.


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## mom2tig99Nroo03 (Apr 24, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *newmomroxi* 
mom2tig, I'm doing much better, thanks for asking.







I've done a lot of little things differently and it has helped tremendously. I do the vit D, I started yoga again (though I don't do it very often), and I've stopped trying to keep the house clean. Lol, that sounds bad but it was really making me crazy to sweep up after 2 big-ish hairy dogs all the time. So I just stopped. When DH asked me to do the floors one day I told him that I wasn't doing it anymore. I told him that spending an hour sweeping and mopping instead of resting like I wanted to was hard. And that it frustrated me to NO END to see piles of dog hair and mud clumps the very next day. It felt pointless and meaningless and I just can't afford to think that way anymore. So now he does it.

glad to hear you're feelign better, not cleaning is not an option here thoguh- we're living with the inlaws still







i clean up after my own kids, the one that stays here monday-saturday, and more.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Dmitrizmom* 
I got a new job yesterday!







I will be doing the old one until the first week of September (finishing up the quarter), and starting the new teaching gig August 26. My interview was yesterday morning at 10, didn't get home until 11ish. They told me that they would be making a decision by the end of this week/first of next week. I got a call at 12:30 offering me the teaching position I had applied for (a 3 hour appointment) and also offered a secondary class (6.4 hour appointment). The shorter class is at the campus a block from the house. The other is the next town over (15 minute drive).









Add to this, I am talking with a local business owner about leasing some space in his building to see patients/clients.







Praying/hoping that this works out.









Mom will be helping with Viv, the bigger kids will be back in school on 8/23. Things are looking up for me. Hoping that Dh can pull himself up and find a better job - I'm seriously thinking about sending out resumes for him (and he's ok with that!). He's got 39 hours this week and is not thrilled.

OH... and I will be running/jogging my first 5K on September 11! My goal is to finish. Secondary goal is to finish in less than an hour.









congrats and good luck in your 5k









Quote:


Originally Posted by *confustication* 
So... now that we're approaching the one year mark.....

Anyone else not exactly back to prebaby shape?








less exercise and a lot of stress, something had to give, and it's been my health and weight.

me

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 
I"m so very exited for you!!!

In other news, DS has finally got a tooth, has started crawling, pulling up and even cruising! He can wave bye bye if you wait for it (he seems to work on a 30 second delay) and clap his hands.

he seems to be a month or so behind on his milestones, but we'll deal.

shamelessly sharing pics of my cutie









:camera we're behind on the clapping, but ds is over a yr old already. he does wave though AFTER someone is gone, lol/.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Dmitrizmom* 
anybody else's lo giving their reflection in the mirror kisses? Viv will stand up in front of the mirror and poke at her reflection then give the baby in the mirror a slobbery kiss and laugh.









we LOVE the baby in the mirror

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tzs* 
also out of shape and peeing alot!
i found out about a women's incontinence clinic here so i went and it's amazing the stuff they can do. unfortunately the main thing is to do tons of kegels and cut out the diet coke so my slacking in that department has meant that i have rescheduled my foillow-up appointment like 3 times. ugh.
)

no advice on the nightweaning. i let both big kids nurse pretty much all night when they needed. with lil one it is me making sure he is drinking enough that keeps it happeneing here. he doens't use a sipy still- he doesn't even really love the bottle but wil cry when he's hungry/thirsty for it.

that is my next question. how in the world can i get him off the stupid thing? i have never had to wean a baby off a bottle and i think it is hard! i know he can't have them forever but it is so hot here i know he needs his mamamilk and he doesn't like any of the sippycups. he just chews on them, like he cant figure out to drink them.

c is still not walking, but he seem like he'l be doing it pretty soon.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Hi girls!

My household has been up and down recently, a funky virus swept through the house, our great dane had a seizure (which was a big deal with such a huge dog), our cat got sick, then our cat got hurt (he still looks pretty bad, poor kitty!), and now Connor has a double ear infection and a sinus infection. Ugh!

Gavin is doing great though! He is finally really crawling, although he's very slow. He just had another head check since his head circumference has been going up percentile lines every WBV, but this time it stayed on the same line (above 97%!) All of my kids have had big heads, so it wasn't worrying me too much, but the rapid growth was worrying the ped just a bit.

For those of you pregnant or considering it...I was able to nurse through both of my pregnancies, and surprised myself at how much milk I kept. Granted I have a huge supply to begin with (right now I"m tandeming and pumping and donating) but just know that it IS possible to nurse through a pregnancy and then tandem. I tandemed Ian and Connor for 15 months, and I've been tandeming Connor and Gavin for 10 months now, with no end in sight. In fact, Connor nurses just as much as Gavin does right now!

Knock on wood please, but we've had good sleep here the last several nights! Gavin goes to bed between 9-10pm, and like clock work he wakes at 5am. Sometimes he wakes at 3am also, but that's AWESOME! Oh please please please stick to this!!! I cracked down on Ian and Connor again, no more crawling into mommy's bed, and Connor is only allowed to nurse for 10 seconds at night. Twice this week all three of my kids slept all night! Of course, me being stupid, I didn't go to bed until close to or even after midnight, then my alarm goes off just before 6am, so I'm still tired. One of these nights I'll get the stars aligned and we'll all sleep.


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sosurreal09* 
25lbs! wow DD is only nearly 18lbs.
anyone else having serious car seat drama? DD is FLIPPING out about the car seat whenever we have to go anywhere. i never know what to do then 10-15mins into a ride she starts crying and i try to comfort her while im driving and it hardly works. i have pulled over but it does not seem to help the situation. she was never a big car ride kind of gal but now she gets so pissed at me!

Are you still using an infant seat, or are you using a convertible? I know many kids do better once switched to a convertible. Also, if you're in a convertible, maybe try sitting it a bit more upright. You'll have to check what the allowable angle is for your seat, but often if they can see out the window, they're happier.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mom2tig99Nroo03* 
that is my next question. how in the world can i get him off the stupid thing? i have never had to wean a baby off a bottle and i think it is hard! i know he can't have them forever but it is so hot here i know he needs his mamamilk and he doesn't like any of the sippycups. he just chews on them, like he cant figure out to drink them.

Have you tried a straw cup? A won't use a sippy, but he'll use a straw cup. He's not reliable enough for me to let him hold it, since he'll empty it over his head (it's not a spill-proof one), but it looks like we're going to be going straight from bottle to straw cup.


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## ein328 (Jan 10, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2boyzmama* 
For those of you pregnant or considering it...I was able to nurse through both of my pregnancies, and surprised myself at how much milk I kept. Granted I have a huge supply to begin with (right now I"m tandeming and pumping and donating) but just know that it IS possible to nurse through a pregnancy and then tandem. I tandemed Ian and Connor for 15 months, and I've been tandeming Connor and Gavin for 10 months now, with no end in sight. In fact, Connor nurses just as much as Gavin does right now!

I'm jealous that your supply stayed so solid! Before I was pregnant, I was able to easily pump enough for Lucy and to donate. Then, right away, I was just making enough for her, and then gradually it kept declining. Now I can only pump maybe 2 oz a day, and we nurse before work and at night. So now breastmilk is just "extra" for the most part because we have to supplement so much. Luckily Lucy is awesome with solids, so it wasn't as rough a transition.

Do you have any advice for how to help with supply while pregnant? I've tried oatmeal, thistle, nettle, alfalfa. I know fenugreek is out, which stinks. Nothing seems to be helping and it's so frustrating to only have this bit left, with no new supply until December.

....And I hope your sleep situation gets better- it sounds like you're headed that way!

OH, and I donated 300 oz. the week before I found out I was pregnant- go figure. At least I was in the middle of a PCS anyway, so it would have been a huge hassle to move it all, and of course it helped out another mama and baby.


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## sosurreal09 (Nov 20, 2009)

yes its convertible we never used an infant seat. she can see out the window as well. shes a very "spirited" child and she lets me know what's up lol

i would suggest the straw cup too we skipped the sippy over here. although she only gets water in the straw cup.


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
A won't use a sippy, but he'll use a straw cup. He's not reliable enough for me to let him hold it, since he'll empty it over his head (it's not a spill-proof one), but it looks like we're going to be going straight from bottle to straw cup.

I'm jealous! I'm not sure WHY I'm jealous.... but something tells me the straw cups would be easier - something longer lasting than the sippy, which Rowan is all about. We're about at the point where I can do away with bottles all together, and give him a sippy when going down. But the faster we could get on a straw-cup, the better. He just chews on the straw right now, no idea that it actually Does anything.
Of course DSS is almost 4 and doesn't really get the straw thing either (but then, I'm not his momma and haven't pushed this)


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

Ok, I need emotional support... the time has come to *gasp* trim Keagan's hair.

I don't wannnnnnnnnnaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

He has this amazing totally out of control curly mop, and while it does need a trim, I'm irrationally attached to it.









Hopefully when he wakes up from his nap (he has been sleeping for about 2 hours! That never happens!) I will do a little trimming.

I already trimmed his brother's hair, and that was quite a battle... the longest 2 minute haircut ever, he was not a happy camper.


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## sosurreal09 (Nov 20, 2009)

uh oh lol (((hugs)))

so a lot of people bottle feed? DD has had maybe 3 bottles her whole life lol


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

Viv wants absolutely nothing to do with a bottle and never has. We've fixed more than a few for her and she's drank less than an ounce out of them total.







She is figuring out her soft spout sippy, but much prefers straws.


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

We use bottles here, and have had to since I generally WOH. We use EBM, but I will probably stop pumping sooner or later as he is a solid food kind of kid. He's never wanted anything to do with baby food, but real food- yum!

Also, because it was traumatic (for me, not a tear from him though!)

Before:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...&id=1593128659

After:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...&id=1593128659

After and clean!:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...&id=1593128659


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## KikaKika (Jul 7, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JordanKX* 
yay!

Rowan still only has his bottom two. That combined with No Hair, he still looks so much like a babe, despite his few words and getting closer to walking every day. It plays with the mind sometimes.

He seems to be teething on the top, but nothing is poking through.

Same here - second bottom tooth showed up







, hair just started growing, and she still has her rolls, but she is getting taller and I noticed that rolls are slowly disappearing (Nooooooo!!!







)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *confustication* 

Also for those of you with baby itch or those who will be having closely spaced siblings....

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._7946795_n.jpg

Oh, this photo is precious!!! So cute! I really love the idea of another baby soon, but I need to get back in shape!









Quote:


Originally Posted by *Lula's Mom* 

I could NEVERRRRR do CIO. It felt so good to have someone say "Just listen to your instincts." I went in and got her right then. I can't believe I did that, it is the mistake I regret the most in all of the many mistakes I'm sure I've made.







At least I learned not to do it again.

I agree - CIO is terrible, and I luckily, never had to do it, but I'm getting this packaged as an advice from local mom (???).

I looooove all the photos posted! It's amazing how much Sept Babies have grown!









There are so many other posts I want to comment on, you ladies are typing fast!

Ein328 and texmati - congratulations on new pregnancies!! I'll be following your comments, maybe it will help me decide


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sosurreal09* 
so a lot of people bottle feed? DD has had maybe 3 bottles her whole life lol

I believe we have a handful of WOH moms, and there are a few of us that had/have supply issues so either supplement(ed) or FF. My guy's been on bottles since 2 wks old when we realized i was having supply issues.


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## ladymeag (Aug 11, 2005)

Anyone else getting the top-of-the-lungs screeching? He's done the pterodactyl phase already, this is something new. It's replaced screaming and crying, for the most part. It's ear-splitting and nerve-wracking and I can't seem to do anything to stop it.

Niall got his first two teeth a few weeks ago and seems to be working more but isn't in any rush.

Is anyone else planning on *not* doing haircuts? We're not planning on trimming unless he develops a terrible baby-mullet or something.


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## ladymeag (Aug 11, 2005)

Well, that's the first time that has happened to me here - double post


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
I believe we have a handful of WOH moms, and there are a few of us that had/have supply issues so either supplement(ed) or FF. My guy's been on bottles since 2 wks old when we realized i was having supply issues.

Yep, I WOH, we started bottles at 4 weeks, but are able to do expressed breastmilk thankfully.

SO question for those babies on bottles...how many a day are they taking now, and how many ounces? I'm looking forward to the end of my pumping at work, and have already cut back. I've been working with my husband (who's home with the boys) to cut back on the bottles and increase solids during my work day. Most days he gets two bottles while I'm gone, sometimes only one. He still eats every 2-3 hours, but now it's solid food one feeding, a bottle the next (and he goes down for his nap) then when he wakes up he eats food, then he might have another bottle a few hours later, or if I'm almost home then he'll have food and wait for me to come and nurse him.

I still nurse him in the morning before leaving (I also pump then) and I nurse as soon as I get home, plus at least twice more before bed and sometimes once overnight. On weekends he nurses many more times than that, and less solid food. Oh, and he takes about 4oz in his bottles.


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ladymeag* 
Anyone else getting the top-of-the-lungs screeching? He's done the pterodactyl phase already, this is something new. It's replaced screaming and crying, for the most part. It's ear-splitting and nerve-wracking and I can't seem to do anything to stop it.
.

Ditto here. Seriously ditto. In the beginning (about a week ago), I thought, well, this is mildly annoying, but I'll just ignore it. Now after a week, it's really becoming frustrating. It seems to be the only sound he can make - he doesn't cry any more, he just screeches. And the pitch is SO HIGH - it's amazing that he can make this sound. It's not a happy screech, it is not that he's enjoying testing the acoustics in different parts of our house. It's pulling up on my legs screeching as high as possible to be picked up.

Makes for difficulty ignoring it because while I want to ignore the sound, I don't ignore the baby. If he wants to be picked up, I pick him up. So.... I think I'm encouraging the sound. But what else do you do?


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## sosurreal09 (Nov 20, 2009)

DD was always a screamer over here but recently it has gotten to new heights!


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## sosurreal09 (Nov 20, 2009)

oh hey i want to show off my bbe too lol
these are a couple months old

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/...7&id=635480661

3 m/o here but too funny http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/...&ref=fbx_album

easter http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/...&ref=fbx_album

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/...28019727231706 i think shes only like 6 m/o here

i have to update FB lol


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ladymeag* 
Anyone else getting the top-of-the-lungs screeching? He's done the pterodactyl phase already, this is something new. It's replaced screaming and crying, for the most part. It's ear-splitting and nerve-wracking and I can't seem to do anything to stop it.

Niall got his first two teeth a few weeks ago and seems to be working more but isn't in any rush.

Is anyone else planning on *not* doing haircuts? We're not planning on trimming unless he develops a terrible baby-mullet or something.

Oh good, we aren't alone in the screeching phase.







I try just to let it be, he's communicating- at least that's what I try to tell myself.









As for the haircuts, I try not to rush, but K had a very substantial baby mullet going- and was getting food in it on a regular basis. So, off it came.


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## sosurreal09 (Nov 20, 2009)

aha links did not work how exactly do i do it?


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## ladymeag (Aug 11, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sosurreal09* 
aha links did not work how exactly do i do it?

If you are using IE:
Go to the picture page for the photo you want to show us. Right-click on it and go to "properties" copy the address shown there.

If you are using FireFox:
Go to the picture page for the photo you want to show ups, right click on it and chose "Copy Image Location."

Quote:


Originally Posted by *confustication* 
Oh good, we aren't alone in the screeching phase.







I try just to let it be, he's communicating- at least that's what I try to tell myself.









As for the haircuts, I try not to rush, but K had a very substantial baby mullet going- and was getting food in it on a regular basis. So, off it came.

What's frustrating is he uses words and signs some. He knows the words for (some signs, some spoken, some both): Daddy, Mommy, kitty, puppy, up, more, water, milk, please, all done, thank you, diaper, potty, hungry, nice/gentle, hi (hey, hey, hey, HIIIIIIII, hey), bye-bye, pee (as in potty), baby, go. So, if he wants to communicate, he can. Screeching doesn't tell me much - just that it's a loud, annoying noise. I hope it's just a phase!

We've got a baby faux-hawk. It's so cute







Fortunately, my husband agrees that toddlers looks super-cute with shaggy haircuts. How does shorter hair help with the food-in-hair issue? Even when it was shorter, the mess in the hair was about the same to clean out for us. Maybe it's a fine-hair thing that it's not any easier?

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JordanKX* 
Ditto here. Seriously ditto. In the beginning (about a week ago), I thought, well, this is mildly annoying, but I'll just ignore it. Now after a week, it's really becoming frustrating. It seems to be the only sound he can make - he doesn't cry any more, he just screeches. And the pitch is SO HIGH - it's amazing that he can make this sound. It's not a happy screech, it is not that he's enjoying testing the acoustics in different parts of our house. It's pulling up on my legs screeching as high as possible to be picked up.

Makes for difficulty ignoring it because while I want to ignore the sound, I don't ignore the baby. If he wants to be picked up, I pick him up. So.... I think I'm encouraging the sound. But what else do you do?

Yeah, I dunno. When he starts the shrieking, I have to guess at what he wants - which is kind of new for us. He's been pretty good (and super early) with communicating pretty clearly what he wants; maybe I've been spoiled by having him so clearly tell me what he wants.

What I've been doing is "redirecting" the noise. I say "No, we don't scream like that. If you want to make noise, how about 'ba-ba-ba-ba' or 'di-di-di-di'?" Sometimes he'll mimic the noises with me and it pulls him out of the shriek, sometimes he just shrieks louder. We've tried to be pretty consistent, though, that shrieking is Not Okay.


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mom2tig99Nroo03* 








:camera we're behind on the clapping, but ds is over a yr old already. he does wave though AFTER someone is gone, lol/.



oh wow!!! I can't believe that we already have year-olds! I'm still in denial about DS upcoming birthdays.


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ein328* 
I'm jealous that your supply stayed so solid! Before I was pregnant, I was able to easily pump enough for Lucy and to donate. Then, right away, I was just making enough for her, and then gradually it kept declining.

ein, we are at exactly the same place. I still have a 'stash' of pumped milk, so we are supplementing from that, and he's dropped his milk intake a bunch during the day when I'm gone.

I used to pump enough to donate as well. Now I'm supplementing with cows milk while on vacation (stash was to precious to risk at tsa). i'm considering switching to a toddler formula once the bm wears out.

I just feel so guilty for not being able to provide the best, yk? low supply is the pits.


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ladymeag* 

We've got a baby faux-hawk.

Need to see!!!!! i have a hairless one...


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 
I just feel so guilty for not being able to provide the best, yk? low supply is the pits.

Tex, you ARE giving him the best! You are just having to supplement with additional. But your little guy is lucky to have gotten this much mama-milk, most American babies get much much less!

I can't remember if I said this yet or not, but Gavin is finally crawling! A true cross-crawl even! He also has pulled up to standing twice now independently, once was in the bath (of course, the one place he isn't allowed to!) and once was just yesterday I walked into the living room to find him standing at the coffee table!

In bummer news, Connor has had a rough summer, which is frustrating because summer is typically his healthy months. He had strep in early May, an ear infection in late May, another ear infection in early July, a high fever virus in late July, and now a really bad double ear infection that has spread to his sinuses and one eye. The amount of gunk draining out his ears, eye, and nose is just gross







He's on a strong antibiotic, today is day 5, but it's not looking good. So it's back to the dr today. Poor kid.


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## sosurreal09 (Nov 20, 2009)

ok my pics! (i think lol)

most recent but still a couple months old http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._3157985_n.jpg

3 m/o but wicked funny http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs431...._7705988_n.jpg

easter http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._6894400_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._1405841_n.jpg

around 6 m/o http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._1961774_n.jpg

me and chunka cheeks lol http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._7882386_n.jpg
























i feel so blessed

i think shes the youngest of out little "group" here she was sept 30th still have some time before her b-day!


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## StrongFeather (Mar 13, 2009)

Goodness it's been too long, and I bet Sam is going to wake any moment for his 9:30pm feeding.. but I'll try and type fast!

Things are going well here! Sam is about to turn 1 on Aug 15th and I am in the middle of party planning hell, oh I mean, fun!

Sam is cruising up a storm, standing, of course a strong fast crawl. He is **thinking** about taking his first steps. I hope he waits until DH comes home from a business trip! I would hate to have him walk while DH is gone!

Sam's gotta be 22-23lbs. Has 6 teeth, and I think maybe another working it's way in.

My thyroid is still kind of wacked. I am now on "real" meds for it, and feeling slightly better. I hope my next blood work comes back ok!

In other news, I am thinking about TTC. I am 33 and will be 34 next March so I feel the tick tock, and still have that pesky hernia to fix! Plus DH and I want the kids to be close in age.

I have not however had AF return. Still nursing. Am I the only one without AF back? Any suggestions from you knowledgeable Mommas?

oh and some pictures!
http://www.treeswillbend.com/2010/07/so-amazing.html


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## aleatha5 (Dec 27, 2008)

Vincent turned one last Wednesday!







I can't believe it has been a whole year. It's also been way too long since I posted an update here and checked in with all you mommas







.

Vincent is crawling all over the place, and also walking short distances. He would rather walk and starts every journey walking, but sometimes he has to admit defeat and start crawling.







We just had his first birthday party and he at a cupcake. I felt pretty bad b/c it was such a sugar overload for a little boy who is still mainly BFed for his nutritional needs. I think all the sugar made him crazy for a little while. He's also starting to want things and throw little fits if he can't get what he wants. He still co-sleeps and nurses on demand. He's probably around 21 pounds. His 1 year WBC is this Thursday, so I'll know his stats then. I WOH so I am looking to start giving him something during the day, b/c I hate pumping and want to be done with it so badly.

Strongfeather, I hear you, I really want to start thinking about TTC #2 too! But, I also, still haven't had a first PPAF. Has everyone else gotten theirs? I am thinking about starting Vincent in a crib each night until he wakes for the first time so that I can maybe have a return to fertility. I'm still not quite ready to TTC, but I am starting to get there....thinking (hoping) I can start in October/November. I like the idea of having them close in age (and I'm no spring chicken


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Rowan is standing. Actually his new thing is that he's over trying to hold on - he wants to walk, he wants to stand. But he doesn't quite know how to yet, so he falls a lot. I've really tried not to encourage the walking, but he WANTS you to hold his hands so he can walk. So, only when he's reaching out for it, do I do it. I know, I know... it's just... he'll only be a non-walker for so much longer. I'm not carrying him 24/7, but why push it?

He's also discovered he can get down the step. Our house is one-level, but I've enjoyed his fear of the step, so I can go outside and be in the yard for 30 seconds and know that he won't attempt to go down the step.
Until today. He crawls, Very very very slowly, one hand and then the other, to get himself down. Our deck also has one step and he's been working on that one for a few days.

I just see SO many things changing in the next few weeks.. stairs, walking, omg, running. Suddenly my "childproofed" house just doesn't seem so safe with the idea of a running babe.

Are we really getting there So Fast?


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## KikaKika (Jul 7, 2007)

No AF here, either, but I welcome that!







) I would like additional year without AF, please.








Night nursing really helps keep AFaway, since most prolactine is being released between 01-06 AM... If you want AF to return, you can try nursing before or after that window, and for some, nursing in longer stretches (more than 4h during the day and 6h during the night) helps bring ovulation back.

Happy first B-days to all the September babies!


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Gah, it's hard to have the youngest here (Gavin won't be 1 until Oct 3rd!) who is also on the tail end of milestones (just started crawling a week ago) because it seems like he's so much farther behind compared to your babies!

Last night Gavin fell asleep nursing just after 8pm. I was excited, laid him down, and I immediately went to bed too. I've been so tired lately, and working hard to get everyone into a good sleeping schedule. Well Ian and Connor were having trouble settling down in their room, and just as I was going to talk to them about being quieter, Gavin woke up. GRR.

So I got him up expecting to be able to just nurse him back down quickly...nope...he was up, and HAPPY. He was talking and crawling and kissing and giggling...so I handed him over to hubby after a while and hubby actually took him to the store (where he apparently was laughing at everybody and everything). They came home and I again tried to nurse him down, nope. So I put him on the floor to let him crawl around. At one point I left the bedroom to get a drink, and Gavin crawled to the doorway and started peeking out, would laugh at me, then duck back in, the peek out and laugh, and duck back in again. Over and over. If it was 10pm, it would have been really cute









No PPAF here either, which is really weird for me. I like not having it, but I don't like the feeling of "it's coming any day now".


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## sosurreal09 (Nov 20, 2009)

i had AF two weeks after my PP bleeding....EBF for 9 months and got it every month. still BFing a TON and still consistently getting it. i am jealous of you ladies!


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Another youngster here







Noam won't be one till Oct 1. Seems like he's making lots of progress lately though. . .super fast crawl, lots of standing, now he's also walking along furniture and will even go from couch to chair as long as he can always be touching one with a hand, he has about 5 signs, and he has learned the power of pointing a finger LOL. He loves to point to things that he wants. . .he also started pointing out things in his books which is awesome! (He always points to the red balloon in Goodnight Moon, when I read the words "red balloon"--so I know he is understanding a lot of language even if he doesn't have any spoken words yet.)

I also haven't had a return of AF. I really had expected it by now. Its fine by me, although in another 6 months I think I will really be ready to TTC and will be a little concerned if I still haven't gotten AF. I assume its because he still does quite a bit of night nursing. And I'm not sure when that is going to change. I am not ready to impose any sort of weaning on him yet. I'll be 35 this year, so the tick-tock is certainly real for me too. DH is ready TTC *now* and sometimes I think I am (like last night when I sat next to a pg lady and watched how she felt her belly--aw, I miss that). But really, I think that DS still needs more time being the one and only--especially for the nursing relationship.

I really can't believe I am going to have a walking and talking 1 year old very soon!


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

No PPAF for me either... hoping to make it longer than I did with dd1 (14 months).









Viv won't be 1 until 9/25 and she is walking 90% of the time now.







Still nursing up a storm too.


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## ein328 (Jan 10, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Dmitrizmom* 
No PPAF for me either... hoping to make it longer than I did with dd1 (14 months).









Viv won't be 1 until 9/25 and she is walking 90% of the time now.







Still nursing up a storm too.

Wow! What a big girl!

Lucy will be 1 on Sept 2....no walking here, but she pulls up constantly and can stand unassisted, so I figure it will be any day now.

Funny thing...she's getting in more teeth right now (currently has 7), and has been a nursing fiend lately- she seems to be content with just nursing for comfort. Anyway, she actually wanted to NIP the other day- kept pulling at my shirt- and I FELT SO GOOD about it! For the past few weeks (months, even) she'd only nurse at home, on the bed, in the dark- she's just so easily distracted.

I just couldn't help but cherish those few moments of having my "baby" back....even when she thinks she's such a "big girl!"


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Gavin cut his 2nd tooth! An upper tooth, now he has his lower right and upper right, so he looks like some kind of crooked beaver, LOL!!









He is starting to do mini-tantrums. He will *scream* if someone takes something from him, or walks away from him, or doesn't pick him up, etc. But as soon as you give it back/walk back/pick him up...he stops. Immediate. Once that happened a few times, I said "I'm on to you kid, no manipulating of this mama!" Now I will acknowledge his scream "I'm sorry I took that from you, but it is not safe" and I will continue to talk to him or sit near him to comfort him, but I won't pick him up until he stops the screaming/screeching. It obviously is a tantrum-type screech, and not an "I need love/comfort/support" type of screech. Luckily he is easily distracted or redirected, so I can show him something new and interesting and he'll forget all about his little tantrum. So far at least!

I have only 6 weeks until my marathon, and my training is not going very well







When I am consistent about getting out and running, I do well, and my mileage was creeping up steadily (I was up to 6 miles two weeks ago) But then something happens...Connor got sick, Ian got sick, Gavin had a week of really bad sleep, Connor got sick again...and suddenly a week or two go by with NO miles at all. Then I start back at like 3 miles and have to re-build my base. Ugh, so frustrating! At this point, I just want to cross the finish line. I had hoped to be able to actually *run* the whole thing, but I'm realizing that might not be a realistic goal now. So finishing is my new goal. I will finish, I just hope I can still walk the next day
















And as if I didn't have enough on my plate...Connor's Geneticist called today and wants to add two new specialists to his team. He's been having a rough time with illnesses/infections this summer, which is unusual for him (summer is usually his healthiest time, but he's had 3 ear infections, a sinus infection, pink eye, and a febrile virus just since Memorial Day, plus Strep in early May), so the Geneticist wants us to see an Allergist and an Immunologist. He already see an Infectious Disease specialist who has done an immunology workup on him, but the Geneticist thinks it's worth having a new pair of eyes look at him to see if we're missing anything. Because his mild Primary Immune Deficiency shouldn't be causing this many infections. So great...more drs, more tests. Of course it's good if it reveals something (particularly if that something is fixable or at least manageable!) but I honestly get tired of the constant stream of drs







I shouldn't, I know this is best for him, I know he's a really complicated little guy, and I know that being on top of things is vital to his future. But knowing all of that doesn't help with the time off work, or the driving to and from, or the $$.

This is why I want and NEED to run. It's my outlet. But here it is 9pm again, Ian and Connor are finally quiet in their room (put them to bed an hour ago) and Gavin is still happily crawling around the living room, even though I woke him up from a short nap in the car at 7pm. And even though all the lights are out, he's been changed and fed. Last night I didn't get him to bed until 10:30, although then he did sleep until nearly 7am.


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## coldandsleepy (Aug 5, 2008)

Grey's on the youngish end in this group too-- he'll turn one on September 28th.

I have no idea when he's going to actually start walking. He's been pulling up to standing since well before he could crawl, cruising since right before he learned to crawl, and standing unassisted for longer and longer for over a month now. He thinks standing unassisted is really funny, and I think maybe he just has such a good time doing it that he doesn't even think to take a step, heh. Oh well, like I tell him constantly, he's got his whole life to walk... no reason not to take it easy now.









We have our first definite word now, and it's nothing so cute as "mama" or "dada." It's "all done." I often say this to him when I'm interrupting him doing something I don't want him to do... he goes to pull on the cables on the back of the computer, I tell him "all done" and move him away. Well, now he tells ME "all done" when I'm doing things he doesn't want. I wipe his face... "all done!" I put him in bed, he starts crawling out chanting "all done! all done!" It's kind of hilarious, kind of frustrating.

I got AF back at 5 months PP, had 3 or 4 totally normal cycles, and haven't had anything since. Hey, that's okay with me.


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## ladymeag (Aug 11, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tzs* 
Need to see!!!!! i have a hairless one...

Here's his most recent picture. http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4117/...0f1745f8cd.jpg

I really need to upload more pictures. I always forget!


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

ladymeag - what a cutiepie.... love the chubby cheeks.


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## dosergirl (Feb 6, 2009)

Coraline is going to be 1 in 5 more weeks, I can't believe it. She has started standing on her own without holding on to anything, she is thinking about walking but isn't haha.

I got AF a long time ago it seems, when DD was still eb. I still nurse overnight. I got an IUD in January and this week had it taken out. Thought I would have it for years but DH seems to be ready to talk #2! Not sure we are quite there yet but it's in the forseeable future.

Right now I am cherishing this short time while DD is still small (although she is super tall) we need a car and a house before #2, this apartment feels like it is closing in around me.


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## mom2tig99Nroo03 (Apr 24, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *cristeen* 
Are you still using an infant seat, or are you using a convertible? I know many kids do better once switched to a convertible. Also, if you're in a convertible, maybe try sitting it a bit more upright. You'll have to check what the allowable angle is for your seat, but often if they can see out the window, they're happier.

Have you tried a straw cup? A won't use a sippy, but he'll use a straw cup. He's not reliable enough for me to let him hold it, since he'll empty it over his head (it's not a spill-proof one), but it looks like we're going to be going straight from bottle to straw cup.

thnx for the suggestoin, no i havent


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## mom2tig99Nroo03 (Apr 24, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ein328* 
Do you have any advice for how to help with supply while pregnant? I've tried oatmeal, thistle, nettle, alfalfa. I know fenugreek is out, which stinks. Nothing seems to be helping and it's so frustrating to only have this bit left, with no new supply until December.

....

motherlove.com has a tincture safe for pregnancy- maybe "more milk 2 " ?

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sosurreal09* 
uh oh lol (((hugs)))

so a lot of people bottle feed? DD has had maybe 3 bottles her whole life lol

i am a diehard lactavist. but hat didnt' matter to the the nicu where my son got hooked on bottles and decided that breastfeeding wasn't for him. sucks since my other 2 nursed til over 5 yrs old and clw.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2boyzmama* 
Tex, you ARE giving him the best! You are just having to supplement with additional. But your little guy is lucky to have gotten this much mama-milk, most American babies get much much less!

In bummer news, Connor has had a rough summer, which is frustrating because summer is typically his healthy months. He had strep in early May, an ear infection in late May, another ear infection in early July, a high fever virus in late July, and now a really bad double ear infection that has spread to his sinuses and one eye. The amount of gunk draining out his ears, eye, and nose is just gross







He's on a strong antibiotic, today is day 5, but it's not looking good. So it's back to the dr today. Poor kid.

ditto to the message to tex. sorry connor has been ill

Quote:


Originally Posted by *StrongFeather* 
My thyroid is still kind of wacked. I am now on "real" meds for it, and feeling slightly better. I hope my next blood work comes back ok!

I have not however had AF return. Still nursing. Am I the only one without AF back? Any suggestions from you knowledgeable Mommas?

not sure, what feels off when your thyroid isn't working correctly?

i'm jealous about af. for all of you who havent gotten the old hag back yet.


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## sugarpop (Feb 12, 2009)

just a note to all the mama's looking for convertible car seats or looking soon...Britax is coming out with a new "improved" line of carseats. Pretty much identical to last years version but an extra 5lb capacity. So that means the last model is selling CHEAP right now. Like the top of the line Advocate...235 instead of 369. Still pricey but quite a deal! Wanted to share my find with anyone that might be looking!


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

i was wondering about the britaxs. is the big price tag really justified? i haven't done much/any research yet but i'd like a good balance between safety and cost. or does the cheapo seat do just as well?


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## octobermoon (Nov 22, 2007)

hi everyone! it's been a looooong while since i've posted on here. i have lurked though.







i wanted to just pop in for a bit and hang out. i can't believe our babies are turning one so suddenly! crazy, crazy. how time flies. seems a few of you are talking about the next baby already. we've talked here too but i don't think we are quite ready yet.

anyway Amiel is doing well. he's learning something new everyday it seems and i love watching him grow.







he's cruising a bit, stands momentarily and loves to walk behind his push toy. he gets such a proud look on his face and has to make sure we are watching. he mimics and babbles on endlessly. he says HI and BYE BYE and waves too. he just gets a kick out of saying these things to people while we're out. it really is cute. he says "kitty cat", "boo" for book and "ba" for ball and of course mama and dada. he has a few more words as well. i kinda slacked on his signing but he is capable as he was signing "please" and saying "ease" a couple of months ago. he has started climbing too. he's just into. it. all. eats it all too.









so for birthdays what is everyone doing? i want details. i need ideas.


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

Wow, such cute pictures of the babies! I am amazed at how round and "baby-looking" all the LOs are. Lake lost that look really early (like 5 mths) and I miss it.







His face has taken on the shape of DH's and his upper body is very slender. Maybe that's why I've already gotten the baby itch. And speaking of, I missed my last period and just realized it this week. I've taken 2 tests and both were BFN so I don't know what the deal is. My cycles have always been regular so my next expected one should start tomorrow. Hopefully AF will show or I get a BFP b/c I'm worried about what could be keeping AF away.

Anyway, Lake is officially walking now! It's amazing to see. He still walks like a drunken sailor sometimes, haha, but he is getting steadier everyday.

I'm also looking to get a new carseat. I attempted to do it on my own yesterday but I didn't realize how BIG they are. I'm going to drag DH to babies R us so we can test them in my car. The infant seat barely fits so I'm nervous to see what we'll end up buying.

As for birthdays, I haven't done anything serious yet since it's 6 weeks away but I've got some general ideas. I'm going to do invitations through shutterfly with Lake's birth pic and a really recent one. I'm going to make a picture book of him from different ages/milestones and have our guests sign it. We're probably going to have it in the backyard b/c our house is too tiny. I'm just going to invite immediate relatives and a few close friends who actually know Lake. It'll probably be a mid-morning party, really short. I'm going to ATTEMPT to make him a cake, which he will LOVE to eat.

The only thing I'm not sure about is gifts. Lake's youngest cousin (2 years old) just had a birthday and he was swamped with HUGE expensive gifts. I'm thinking the same may happen with Lake and I kinda don't want that. One, we don't have the space for all those big toys, and two, Lake hardly plays with toys like that. They would not be worth the money or space they take up. I would much rather he get books (which he won't read, but still) or small toys that don't require batteries and all that, or just cash (but that's probably tacky). I honestly wouldn't mind if he didn't get toys at all but my family would not let that happen! I guess that's not something I can really control though so I'll just go with the flow.


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## rockdoctor (Mar 26, 2009)

Hi everyone! I also have been popping in to see how everyone is doing but haven't had a lot of free time to update. I just finished collecting my herbs to dry for a winter storage so I have a few minutes to write before the LO wakes up.
Ahvy is doing really well, her doctor says shes perfect! She is eating more and more varieties of baby food and supplements with formula during the day when I am at work but I BF in the morning, evening and night when she wakes hungry. I am not sure if she really needs to wake up to eat at night. I am wondering about this because I am not sure if I should just let her re settle or continue going to her before 5:30am. So far I still feed her but am thinking of night weaning, just not sure how to approach it.
Anyway, she is cruising, can balance on her feet and sit down and stand back up w/o support. She can crawl downstairs, although her crawl is more of a crab crawl; it is really cute. She is pretty social, but is very deliberate in her actions and always takes her surroundings in before becoming active in it. She likes playing with blocks and she said her first word, dog, the other day. All other sounds are babbling; like she indiscriminately call everyone dada. She learned to throw yesterday and likes touching plant and flowers. When she sees othe children she squeals/screams very loudly.
In bigger news, I got a new job and we are moving to north central washington state. Anyone else live there? We don't have a place to live yet and that should be interesting because time is closing in. I suppose we will all have to adapt to living out of our suitcases for a while.
It is great to see all of you are doing well!


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

2boys - A still eats a full amt of formula/BM each day, upwards of 30 oz, plus eats a fair amt of solids, although nowhere near enough to sustain him calorically.

Rockdoc - i know there are several moms here who are of the opinion that nght-feeding isn't necessary by this age, but my guy still gets half his calories during sleep hours... Until something changes, night-weaning does not feel appropriate to me.

As to the bday question, i'm planning an open house, cheese and veggie platters and a cake. And i'm scheduling it between morning and afternoon naps. I would love to skip the cake, but it's a tradition in my family... And if the grandparents got wind of it, i'd have commercially made or trans-fat loaded cakes appearing w the expectation i would be giving him some. At least this way i can try some recipes and see if a low sugar/wheat free recipe will work out.


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## StrongFeather (Mar 13, 2009)

IN the middle of the Birthday Plan now.. Sam is one this Sunday. THIS SUNDAY!! it's not going to be anywhere as close to being pulled together as I want it to be, but I have to just let it go. It's the best I can do.

We are just doing a backyard picnic type of birthday from 1-4 since Sam dropped the 2 nap a day thing at 10 months (see this is why I am SO not better organized I tell myself). I plan on moving the nap to the afternoon in Sept.

We are having a bunch of platters (thank you MIL) and cake and ice cream. Lots of Family and close friends.

About the toy situation: I have a blog, so I quite purposely a couple months back wrote a couple posts about the types of toys we like, etc.. Some of my family and friends read my blog, so I knew they would think before buying Sam anything too flashy. A little passive of me, sure.. But I had to do it.

For the people who asked I had a "wish/dream/like this" list put together to send them. I thought about sending it in the invites, but thought it was tacky. Lots of people asked what Sam would want, so once asked I already had a suggestion list, made it a lot easier and less tacky IMO







I was really sure to have broad price range. From board books to wooden blocks.

I'll come back with a picture of my birthday Boy next week


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## mom2tig99Nroo03 (Apr 24, 2003)

rocldoctor, my lo still gets a decent amoutn of his mama milk at night, he drinks his bottle best when asleep.


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## rockdoctor (Mar 26, 2009)

Do you guys think she really needs to eat two to three hours after she's had dinner, a bottle and nursed during the night. At ten months, it just seems to me like she should be able to sleep longer without needing to eat. She might be lonely or re-adjusting, but hungry?


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Rd- my guy can drink up to 12 oz at bedtime, but is still up 3 hrs later for another 2-3 oz. You have to remember that bm is metabolized pretty darn fast.

In A news - we're walking!! I knew it was coming pretty darned soon, and today was the day.


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

Ok, all the walking babes are too much for me. K is standing, but not walking. Since my older kids didn't walk until 16-18 months, I think I'm safe, for now.


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## mom2tig99Nroo03 (Apr 24, 2003)

my olders were both walking by 10 months, ds is probably gonna be at least his adjusted age of 1 before getting there, because he's still cruising, but not letting go with one hand yet.


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## StrongFeather (Mar 13, 2009)

Just had Sam's 1st Birthday yesterday, what an emotional day! It went really well I think







I am exhausted!

Just was coming in to check here and realized that we might be moving to the "Toddlers" forum!!

(oh boy!)


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

we're not close to walking here either. not even standing. but then again, she's a little jewish kid...not exactly known for athleticism, yk


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *StrongFeather* 
Just had Sam's 1st Birthday yesterday, what an emotional day! It went really well I think







I am exhausted!

Just was coming in to check here and realized that we might be moving to the "Toddlers" forum!!

(oh boy!)

I know! I realized that as well- it doesn't seem possible!


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## dosergirl (Feb 6, 2009)

SO awesome, Coraline took her 1st two steps a few days ago, he same day as Strongfeathers DS, they are always neck in neck. I can't believe we are moving into toddlerhood, i just got used to life with babe!


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## ein328 (Jan 10, 2009)

So excited- Lucy was standing (unassisted) today, and came SOOO close to taking her first steps! I just hope she decides to walk while I'm at home (not at work!) to see them.

Anyway, couldn't help but share a few pics: http://einolan.blogspot.com/2010/08/...lll-right.html.


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## ladymeag (Aug 11, 2005)

I've got a question for all of you - how many of you have been out with your husband/partner/s.o. since the baby was born? I keep hearing about date nights - so many people I know upset that their anniversary dinner was cut short by a babysitter needing to leave or being upset that their *weekly* date was cancelled for whatever reason.

My husband and I have never been away from Niall since they pulled him out of me in the O.R. - they handed him to my husband and he's been with us every second since. We didn't allow them (no matter how annoyed they got) to take him without one of us in the hospital. The furthest he's ever been from us was when I left him on our blanket at the park with kismetbaby and I went to the car (still in shouting range, visible the whole way) to grab something for another mama.

I feel like my relationship with my husband, as a partner, is suffering. Yeah, we love each other and we still get to talk (sometimes, depending on how fussy the baby is all night) but we don't get to have any serious conversations and we certainly don't get "alone time." For living in the same house, it sure feels like a long distance relationship (good thing we're both decent at LDRs.)

Yeah, we co-sleep. No, Niall will not nap without one of us. We've tried side-carring the crib, now it just sits empty and I have to crawl into bed from the foot of the bed over the baby-safety humps. He wakes up immediately if you try leaving him on his own - and screams murder for at least 20 minutes. No, we don't have family who will help (they wouldn't even drive up when my husband had to return to work the day after we came home from the hospital post-c-section - it's a 40 minute drive, after all! So difficult!).

I dunno - half vent, half real question. Real question: Have you been on dates without baby/kids? How many, how often? If not, how do you get your "connection" fix with your partner/spouse?


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

no dates really. hoping to have one this weekend for our anniversary, but not counting on it. We talk when we drive places, always have. Right now our schedules aren't lining up very nicely.


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

We've gone out to two movies (no dinner, no conversation). We were avid movie buffs pre-babe, but it's still hard to find daycare (even with grandparents) for a few hours for us BOTH to get out together.
Our anniversary is coming up too. We _should_ plan something, but I'll admit, I hadn't even considered it before reading this thread! Wow, tells you where My priorities are, yikes!


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Nowhere close to walking here, but he is now pulling up to stand! SO fascinating to see the differences in kids...Ian was early with everything, walking at 10 months. Connor was really sick and has global developmental delays yet tried his hardest and caught up quickly. Gavin? Laid back, easy going, no rush, definitely on his own timeline!

Oh, and we're back to part time cosleeping. Not sure what I think about that...it just sort of happened, and it's okay until Connor wakes at night, then it's a problem. Shoot speaking of...Connor just woke up.


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

Keagan is so intensely high needs that our relationship has taken a backseat to his demands- for now. We are really good at the 'divide and conquer' approach, but there is very little couple time for us. Sometimes we get lucky and get to watch a 1 hour tv show together in the evening, but never without interruption (with three kids, that's a given!)

I'm beginning to reach a point where I'm emerging from he baby daze, and trying to find my footing as a person again. Back to back babies made that hard for me, but I'm just now needing/wanting to find that balance. I'm just reaching a point where it's time for the boys to have more independence. And frankly, I want my bed back someday!!! I love cosleeping with a tiny babe. I love it less when it's a big monster of a child who kicks and takes up most of the bed.

We took down the crib yesterday, and made up two twin mattresses in our room for the boys. Aiden had loved his crib, but was able to get a leg up, and Keagan hated the thing so much that it was never going to be used for him. So, we took everything out of our bedroom, put our dresser in the closet (and installed locks on the closet doors) and now have a 'family bedroom' with a bed for each boy. Our two year old is adjusting pretty well to his bed, though naps are a challenge and probably will be for a week or so. Keagan is- well- Keagan is pretty sure he owns us, and is therefor unwilling to leave our bed. He insists of touching both of us at night while he sleeps, and wakes instantly if that changes. We'll work on getting him over to his own bed as he is ready, at least it's all made up and ready for him.


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Even with grandparents, We've only been without DS a handful of times. We go out on dates plenty, though! we drive around in the parking lot until DS is asleep and then go to the nearest restaurant! We also 'hang out' in the nursery. Now that MIL is gone, we can hang out anywhere!!!

I think our relationship is taking a beating just from the stress. We are both exhausted and this is more than we've ever had to deal with; especially with no end in site thanks to baby number 2.


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## StrongFeather (Mar 13, 2009)

DH and I have only been on ONE date since Sam was born 1 year and 2 days ago. It was for our anniversary, and my sister watched him for us. We were gone a mere 2 hours, and I came home to nursing him right away. Our relationship is definitely taking a beating from the lack of "alone time" with my partner, especially because we were newly married.

No grandparents local, and even with both sets visiting recently we have yet to make it out! Tomorrow we have plans to, so I am hoping nothing is going to come up! Then again there is no chance of alone time since my MIL is sleeping in "alone time" bed, haha. One downfall of co-sleeping!


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

hey! we need to see some birthday pics once they all hit one!!! cmon, i know some of you are there already, no?


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## ein328 (Jan 10, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *StrongFeather* 
DH and I have only been on ONE date since Sam was born 1 year and 2 days ago. It was for our anniversary, and my sister watched him for us. We were gone a mere 2 hours, and I came home to nursing him right away. Our relationship is definitely taking a beating from the lack of "alone time" with my partner, especially because we were newly married.

No grandparents local, and even with both sets visiting recently we have yet to make it out! Tomorrow we have plans to, so I am hoping nothing is going to come up! Then again there is no chance of alone time since my MIL is sleeping in "alone time" bed, haha. One downfall of co-sleeping!

This is us- exactly. Now that we've night-weaned we may start going out more, but up until now, it's been once. Lucy has always slept in our bed and nursed to sleep, and I really didn't feel comfortable leaving her with anyone who couldn't nurse her back to sleep if she woke up! Plus I feel sketchy letting her sleep in our bed without either of us in it or around, with or without the baby monitor. We decided that to spend more time together, it's just easier to do "lunch dates" or catch a matinee than to go out at night.

Oh, and our "alone time" bed is in our guest room, too- which really sucks when we have visitors- so I totally get what you're saying! Don't know if you have a master bathroom, but if you do, you could always go in the bathroom and run the shower- water covers a lot of sound. Not like I personally know or anything


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

I guess I'm in the minority on this one, but DH and I have been on a lot of dates since Lake was born. We are lucky that all of DH's family lives in town. DH has three older sisters that are done having babies, so they told us we were keeping Lake from them by not letting them babysit.







MIL is the same way, so they really made it easy for us to have time alone. I guess we've been on a real date every few months. We would have dinner together and then come home early and enjoy the empty bed. Lake seems to sleep better when he's not home, so the in-laws never had issues with him spending the night.

We also drive Lake around for about 20 minutes to put him to sleep (at least 3x a week lately!) so we use that time to chat and talk, or just sit in silence. While DH makes dinner, I sit in the kitchen and we talk while Lake empties the cupboards and refrigerator of their contents! We eat dinner together at the table and talk about how our days went. We also make a point to hug and kiss in the mornings before we leave. I think more than the dates, it's just the small moments that help us stay connected.

Of course, that may all change come April..... b/c I'm pregnant! I'm really happy for #2 but I'm nervous about the logistics, how we'll get everything to work. And then there's my struggle with PPD to worry about. I'm really happy now but I worry about how I'll deal with the stress of taking care of 2 small kids. Anyway, I'll figure it out later, right now I'm just going to enjoy my last pregnancy.


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *newmomroxi* 
Of course, that may all change come April..... b/c I'm pregnant! I'm really happy for #2 but I'm nervous about the logistics, how we'll get everything to work. And then there's my struggle with PPD to worry about. I'm really happy now but I worry about how I'll deal with the stress of taking care of 2 small kids. Anyway, I'll figure it out later, right now I'm just going to enjoy my last pregnancy.


Congratulaitons!!!! Enjoy!!! I really havent started getting 'into' this pregnancy yet, but it is so much more fun enjoying than worrying.










I'm also hoping that this time will go easier than last time. Prepare for ppd, but I'm crossing my fingers that it doesnt happen!


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

I was just seeing how both of us who said that we do date are also pregnant.

Note to self-- no dates for one year after baby number 2 comes.


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 
I was just seeing how both of us who said that we do date are also pregnant.

Note to self-- no dates for one year after baby number 2 comes.











That explains it all!!

We had success last night getting Keagan to sleep in his own bed for about half the night (mind you, his 'own bed' is a twin mattress on the floor right beside our bed, but I'll take it!)

I slept in my bed and was able to roll over without having to be careful not to move too much or roll the wrong way- it was bliss! For us, co-sleeping has slowly evolved to a family bedroom- it works pretty well for now.


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

Thanks, tex!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 
I was just seeing how both of us who said that we do date are also pregnant.

Note to self-- no dates for one year after baby number 2 comes.









You are so right!


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## octobermoon (Nov 22, 2007)

oh wow preggers!







congrats ladies. i have to say even though i kinda feel like i went through hell with my birth experience compared to most of ya i have the itch too.....haha! maybe i am totally NUTS!!!

oh and we have been on at least half a dozen dates by now. not much sex but definitely eating great food. LOL our 5th year anniversary is this friday and we are going out to a new french place. so excited! it's nice to have the MIL near.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

We've been on several dates, I have a large group of friends here, and we trade off babysitting. We haven't had to pay anyone so we could have a date night. We also have done many lunch dates, the last 5 weeks hubby has been taking a compressed quarter at school from 8:30-noon, so the kids have been at a sitter in the mornings. When he gets out of school he calls me and we meet somewhere for lunch, then he goes to get the kids.

Sex is our problem! We now have our bed to ourselves, just not time! Or, frankly, desire, on my part. It's something I'm trying to work on, it did NOT take this long after the first two, even after Connor (who was immensely stressful because of all the health issues) I had a sex drive before now (although I did have to force it on myself after him, guess I'll have to force it again this time) I know hubby is suffering for it, physical touch is his love language. But mine is acts of service, and I'm feeling REALLY depleted in that department right now. Just today, I'm home from work trying to fight off a virus, and I ended up getting the boys up and off to school, vacuuming, mopping, making lunch, and my nap (which was with the baby!) was interrupted after only 20 minutes. So I just loaded the dishwasher and started on thawing stuff for dinner. SIGH.

Gavin is doing well. He has a touch of this bug that I have, he's snarfly and has crusty eyes, poor guy







He cut his third tooth! But I just noticed that his upper tooth is discolored! I called the dentist already, will take him on Friday. The tooth is barely through the gumline, but is not the same color as his lower teeth. SIGH. I did take a course of antibiotics when I was 12 weeks pregnant for a really bad sinus infection, I wonder if that did it







The tooth has not been through long enough for it to be anything he's eating or drinking (he's only had the tooth for 2 weeks tops) To my knowledge he hasn't bumped it or hit it, but who knows? He's a baby that topples over sometimes. Great.


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

No dates for us either. When I went to visit my parents last month I left Noam with them to go out o lunch with some friends, but DH didn't go on that trip. I know we'd have dates if we had my parents nearby, but I just haven't felt okay leaving him with a stranger (or even just anyone not family--okay anyone not MY family). DH is really wanting to date, but I don't know how to go about finding a babysitter I trust. The few times DH and I have discussed this I start to cry at just the thought of leaving him with someone I don't know well. So, yeah, not a lot of intimacy or just quality time for us. Its a problem that we haven't figured out how to fix.

Noam is in quite a frustrated phase. He's learning new things so fast now, new signs, and he mimics me in almost everything now. . .but he is also so frustrated all the time that I won't give him the knife or turn on the TV or stand at the light switch for 20 minutes. .. etc. I try to be patient and explain everything to him, but man he just wails if he wants something and I don't give it to him. I thought I had a while before this happened! And he's been clingy to boot. Ugh. Its been so hard to get anything done. On the positive side he understand so much of what I say now, its really cool to see this happen, even if he doesn't talk back yet (with words anyway).


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## ein328 (Jan 10, 2009)

I had no sex drive when I was pregnant with Lucy.

I had no sex drive for the first 5 months post-partum.

Then I got it back when I started ovulating again, and got pregnant my first cycle post-partum!

Now I'm back to being preggo with very little sex drive (a little better than with pregnancy #1).

POOR DH!!!!


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## octobermoon (Nov 22, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kismetbaby* 

. .but he is also so frustrated all the time that I won't give him the knife or turn on the TV or stand at the light switch for 20 minutes. .. etc. I try to be patient and explain everything to him, but man he just wails if he wants something and I don't give it to him. I thought I had a while before this happened! .

glad i'm not alone. Amiel has been doing this more and more. today was the worst of it. if he doesn't get what he wants it's tears and wailing.


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

yes, I am also in that club! Except Lake does not cry, he yells! It is frustrating for all of us!


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

ein and texmati, how are you managing being pregnant and taking care of your LOs? I am wondering how I'll manage. Lake is very.... hands-on for lack of a better word. He loves to be held and thrown around. He loves to wrestle and shove his little toes in our bellies. I am just nervous about him being too rough with me and not understanding why I can't play like I normally do.


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Those of you with trantruming pre-toddlers, you might want to check out the book "Raising Your Spirited Child". Ian was like this, intense tantrums starting before he was even a year old, and it continued to progress in intensity through his toddler years. My mom gave me that book, and it saved us. He was out of control! It also helped me understand myself and my husband better, I was able to identify our personality traits better.

Gavin is a little bit into this, nothing like Ian, but he definitely makes it known when he's not happy. Luckily he's easily distracted still, so often his unhappiness lasts only seconds. I can deal with that


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## octobermoon (Nov 22, 2007)

tell me about your babes sleep habits. when do they go to bed? how do they sleep? do they wake to nurse? what time do they wake? what time is their first nap, second? how many naps? how long are they etc.....


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## StrongFeather (Mar 13, 2009)

I haven't gone through them all yet, but here is the cake "eating" from Sam's Birthday last Sunday August 15th.

http://www.treeswillbend.com/2010/08/takes-cake.html

and my 1 year letter to him:
http://www.treeswillbend.com/2010/08/best-year.html


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

RE: baby sleep
Noam has no real pattern







I keep wishing/hoping for something consistent, but he is just all over the place. And sometimes I wonder if its something I am doing "wrong", but he's always been a sensitive sleeper--since day one. And right now he seems to be transitioning from 2 naps to 1 nap, so that has made the schedule really wacky. But here's how it looks basically:
Wake-up around 8am
Fall asleep for nap sometime around 11-12noon
(if he sleeps for 2 hours, which isn't the norm that will be the only nap, if he sleeps for 45min which is more usual than he still needs another nap, but will resist sleeping till it is really too late for a second nap.* Argh.)
*Fall asleep again around 4pm.
Bedtime--totally depends on if/when he had second nap. But generally is btw 8-9pm
Night time--he sleeps with us and wakes any number of times to nurse. Maybe 4 on average. (But when I say wakes, he doesn't fully wake-up, he just fusses around till he gets the breast and then quickly falls back to sleep.)

BTW, when are we supposed to move over to toddlers? I am so not even ready to say the word toddler, much less have one! LOL And I'm not sure what technically counts--once they are 1yo?


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## rockdoctor (Mar 26, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *octobermoon* 
tell me about your babes sleep habits. when do they go to bed? how do they sleep? do they wake to nurse? what time do they wake? what time is their first nap, second? how many naps? how long are they etc.....

DD goes to bed between 7-8 pm. She usually sleeps til 2, 3, or 4 wakes to nurse then sleeps til 6 am. First nap occurs between 9-10 am and lasts 2 to 3hours. If the first nap is 2 hours she will go down for another nap around 2-3 pm for an hour or so. Then dinner and playtime. The bedtime at 7-8pm....


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## cristeen (Jan 20, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *octobermoon* 
tell me about your babes sleep habits. when do they go to bed? how do they sleep? do they wake to nurse? what time do they wake? what time is their first nap, second? how many naps? how long are they etc.....

bed at 8. First wake at 1130 or so, and again at 2 and 5. Up between 6 and 7.

Hes dropping his second nap right now, so hes going down about noon for roughly 2 hrs.


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## sosurreal09 (Nov 20, 2009)

Aniela wakes up at 7 am takes a 2 hour nap at 11:30 and then goes to bed at 8pm she slept from 8pm-5am yesterday then just nursed and went back to sleep. it depends on her mood i guess sometimes she will be up 3 or 4x to nurse. she also has daddy seperation anxiety. its so strange at this age. if she wakes up and daddy is not in bed with us she crawls over to the door and screams until he comes and lays with us.


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## diana_of_the_dunes (Dec 7, 2008)

nak (well, bottle...)

Ethan is trying to drop a nap as well. He gets up between 6:30 and 7:30, then naps around 11 for an hour. Another nap at 3 for 2 hrs, then bed at 8. The morning nap will probably be gone in a week or so at the rate he's going...

Then at night he wakes around 2 - 3:30 to eat, and again at 6 - 6:30.

I have lots more to talk about, but E's trying to crawl down the stairs...!


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

Bed at about 10pm (dear deity I wish I could shape that to an earlier time) and only if I swaddle and pat him for half an hour after he's eaten.

Once in a blue moon I can get him into his bed at this point for a couple hours, but 80% of the time he lands in our bed at this time- waking throughout the night to eat constantly.

Up at about 4:45.

Occasionally I can get a 30 min nap in in the morning.

If the stars align *just* right, we can get another short nap in the very late afternoon- if I can get this in, I can sometimes actually get him to sleep a little earlier at night.

He is overwhelmingly sleep deprived, but nothing we have tried has helped.

I have no 'off' time to recover, so I'm trying to figure out how to make that happen. On a positive note, he has discovered that he likes snuggling to sleep with Daddy after he nurses in the middle of the night.

He is cruising well, crawling like a speed demon, and has several words/phrases. He was at his brother's physical therapy a while ago when he was 'high kneeling' on the floor and they were absolutely amazed. So much fun. He can stand when not supported only if he isn't paying attention, but as soon as he notices, he falls. He isn't quite ready to let go and walk- I think that will be a bit yet. He mastered standing, and slowed down again.


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## octobermoon (Nov 22, 2007)

we haven't had two naps in a while! i'm jealous of you people who still get those. my little guy fights sleep a lot. especially if we get off of his schedule which has been happening lately. he'll take a two hour nap *usually* around noon and then he will likely fall into bed at 7:30pm. he wakes frequently like around every two hours looking for the boob, sometimes more sometimes less. (i got a digital clock recently to really keep track) the more frequent wakings and lack of schedule have made me feel so frazzled lately. i do feel slightly encouraged today though because i found some great studies on infant sleep over at kellymom.com last night. i guess it is VERY NORMAL for babies to wake often during the first year and to actually regress in the amount of sleep at the end of the first year. WHEW! i was worried since mine used to sleep for five hours straight. i really do think our culture generally pushes that babies should STTN, self soothe, sleep in a crib etc.... early on. some of the studies also found that parents often say the baby wakes less than they actually did when studied by an outside party. IDK but interesting non the less. i guess things should start looking better around 24 months.

*strongfeather* i think the note to your son is so special and sweet. i am considering doing one too.


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## octobermoon (Nov 22, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *confustication* 
Bed at about 10pm (dear deity I wish I could shape that to an earlier time) and only if I swaddle and pat him for half an hour after he's eaten.

Once in a blue moon I can get him into his bed at this point for a couple hours, but 80% of the time he lands in our bed at this time- waking throughout the night to eat constantly.

Up at about 4:45.

Occasionally I can get a 30 min nap in in the morning.

If the stars align *just* right, we can get another short nap in the very late afternoon- if I can get this in, I can sometimes actually get him to sleep a little earlier at night.

He is overwhelmingly sleep deprived, but nothing we have tried has helped.

I have no 'off' time to recover, so I'm trying to figure out how to make that happen. On a positive note, he has discovered that he likes snuggling to sleep with Daddy after he nurses in the middle of the night.



you poor thing! hugs. i thought mine situation was tough.

oh kismet i think a toddler is defined as a baby who is walking around.
not walking here but i have been visiting the toddler forum to see what we're up for. i'm a little fearful of the fits and trying to figure out discipline. ACK! however there are some funny ladies over there. read http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1122479
if you want a laugh. i was ROLLING, laugh out loud funny!


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

The other night, we were in the bathroom and Viv took her diaper off, threw it to the side and peed on the floor.







She was so proud of herself. Seriously considering doing some EC and getting her a potty chair. Not planning of making a big deal of it, but if she is interested in not going in her diapers, I'm all for it.


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## sosurreal09 (Nov 20, 2009)

we EC pt its great!

confustication i think hes sleeping so poorly b/c hes sooooooo OT. have you tried a really long BT routine? with DD we eat dinner at 6pm then bath and massage. pjs and quiet play with calming music with dim dim lighting. then at 7:30 we go brush teeth then read our BT story, turn on the rain cd and cuddle and nurse in our bed. we have to have a big wind down or she will be up forever and then be up all night and wake up very early.

with nap i am consistent with the time. right after lunch we go nurse and cudldle after a diaper change and a song. i play the rain cd as well. things have really improved tremendously since i have really stuck to certain times. i thought it would never help but she adapted to it well, which is a miracle b/c shes not that kind of baby lol


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

I agree- he is completely overtired. Our pediatrician suggested a dose of benadryl to help knock him out to a longer sleep so we could start to 'reset' his sleep cycle, but I'm just not comfortable with that approach.

He's the only one of the three kids who is just a non-sleeper. My oldest was high needs and fought sleep, but nothing like this. My second would have slept all day if I let him. Routines don't help much, except the 'swaddle and pat' and that will only work after the sun is well down, and the house has been free of other kids for about two hours. Oddly, however, and probably because he is our last baby, I don't really mind the sleep deprivation too much- I have learned to see it as a few extra stolen hours of babyhood with him.









I can't believe they're all about to hit a year- I'm not ready!


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Dmitrizmom* 
The other night, we were in the bathroom and Viv took her diaper off, threw it to the side and peed on the floor.







She was so proud of herself. Seriously considering doing some EC and getting her a potty chair. Not planning of making a big deal of it, but if she is interested in not going in her diapers, I'm all for it.









get a potty! I don't really think that we ec, but we put DS on the potty once or twice a day. It's been great for the past few months before he was mobile because he could sit, but not get up. So he'd just sit there and do his business, look in the mirror ect.

So wonderful not to do that extra diaper change with all the wiggling and screaming.

I don't know if we'll continue now that he can get up and go.


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## JordanKX (May 31, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *octobermoon* 
tell me about your babes sleep habits. when do they go to bed? how do they sleep? do they wake to nurse? what time do they wake? what time is their first nap, second? how many naps? how long are they etc.....

Rowan goes down around 7pm. Normally a "meal" around 5:30/6, play-time, bath, books, down around 7. He hasn't really been waking up. IF he does, it'll be around 11, 11:30. just as I'm finally asleep... of course.

And wakes 6:30/7:30, depending on how the night went.

he's still at two naps. Normally he doesn't make it 3hrs of being awake. So if he's up at 6:30, he'll nap at 9:30, normally for an hour/hour and a half.

And nap again around 2, for 45minutes to an hour. The afternoon is always shorter.

I can tell he's trying to get to one nap. Sometimes he skips the afternoon nap all together... just has a bottle and rests for a bit, plays with his animals in his crib, and then gets up.
But he hasn't moved to a later morning nap- he will NOT make it til 11, no where close to Noon. No way. still just at 2-2 1/2 hrs after he wakes up. He tired.


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## mom2tig99Nroo03 (Apr 24, 2003)

no dates for me n hub, and we still get 2 naps a day. sleep starts much later, since my hub works til 11pm, but we sleep later usually







then we have an afternoon and an early evening nap


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

I think we've finally made the leap to one nap a day. And actually its working much better for us! I no longer have to fight with him to fall asleep and he never sleeps so late that it makes bedtime impossible. I miss having that time in the morning for myself, but I think that overall this is the right schedule for us. And he will sleep for 2 or 2 and a half hours, which he'd never do before.

In other news, yesterday he brought me my car keys and pointed at the front door. I guess he's figured out how to tell me what he wants even without any spoken words!


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## ein328 (Jan 10, 2009)

We had the first of Lucy's birthday parties (so complicated when both sides of the family love to celebrate!) last weekend....so here are some pics!

http://einolan.blogspot.com/2010/08/...day-party.html


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

oh ein what sweet pics! I totally forgot that we get to get DS a present, too!

*sigh* any one else have a kiddo that's slightly behind? We just went to a b'day party that had just one other baby-- an eight month old. She was crawling, scooting, sitting, nearly standing on her own and stronger and more coordinated than my son. (there was a small scuttle over a teether).

We went to get his one year pics done, and there was another child there-- walking, running, standing etc. I was floored when the mom mentioned that he was there for his first birthday pictures as well!

At the party everyone was asking questions-- does he walk, talk, understand what you say? Does he know his own name? No, no, not yet, I'm not sure.

The ped says that my son is on the 'low end of normal', which I guess I should be thankful for. But it's difficult-- I can't help but compare.


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## ein328 (Jan 10, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 
oh ein what sweet pics! I totally forgot that we get to get DS a present, too!

*sigh* any one else have a kiddo that's slightly behind? We just went to a b'day party that had just one other baby-- an eight month old. She was crawling, scooting, sitting, nearly standing on her own and stronger and more coordinated than my son. (there was a small scuttle over a teether).

We went to get his one year pics done, and there was another child there-- walking, running, standing etc. I was floored when the mom mentioned that he was there for his first birthday pictures as well!

At the party everyone was asking questions-- does he walk, talk, understand what you say? Does he know his own name? No, no, not yet, I'm not sure.

The ped says that my son is on the 'low end of normal', which I guess I should be thankful for. But it's difficult-- I can't help but compare.

Aw, thanks! We had a lot of fun. If you can't tell, Lucy is very "girly"- she picks out a lot of her own stuff now from her closet. Love my girly girl!










In terms of development, it is difficult not to compare. Lucy sat up early, but she crawled rather late, and she still doesn't crawl on all fours (she sort of drags one leg- like a crab!) She can pull herself up pretty well, but shows no interest in attempting to walk on her own. It's hard because the first question everyone seems to ask is, "Is she walking yet?" I want to yell, "No, and that's fine!" It just seems like walking is THE milestone- no one cares that she knows several signs, or that she has fed herself proficiently for months, or anything else like that. So I totally get how you feel!

Part of the problem is crazy doctors who stress moms out. One of my friends took her baby in for her 1-year appointment, and the doctor asked if she associated words with object- i.e., does she say "mama" to you and "dada" to dad, etc. She doesn't, but she babbles constantly. Anyway, he ended up sending her to a specialist to have it "checked!" I was so angry for her.


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

I agree, that it is so hard not to compare. . .I have a group of mama friends IRL with babes all around the same age and sometimes I get these huge pangs of jealousy or worry over that stuff. But at the same time, i has also given me a lot of perspective that our babes are all so different. . .but all normal and happy and beautiful LOs. One of them didn't crawl, but walked at 9m. Another already says a dozen words. And another is a little older (15m) and doesn't walk or talk yet. My DH is always reminding me that our guy is his own person and it isn't fair to compare. . .but the temptation to do so is very real, especially when people are always asking "is he walking/talking" etc.

My son is somewhere in the middle I guess. No spoken words at all. although he communicates very well with pointing and some signs and he babbles a lot. No walking yet, although again he gets around great with crawling (is a madman with the climbing actually) and pulls up and stands well.

Anyway. . .they will all most likely be at the same place by kindergarten. So enjoy your late-bloomer if you have one!


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *texmati* 
oh ein what sweet pics! I totally forgot that we get to get DS a present, too!

*sigh* any one else have a kiddo that's slightly behind? We just went to a b'day party that had just one other baby-- an eight month old. She was crawling, scooting, sitting, nearly standing on her own and stronger and more coordinated than my son. (there was a small scuttle over a teether).

We went to get his one year pics done, and there was another child there-- walking, running, standing etc. I was floored when the mom mentioned that he was there for his first birthday pictures as well!

At the party everyone was asking questions-- does he walk, talk, understand what you say? Does he know his own name? No, no, not yet, I'm not sure.

The ped says that my son is on the 'low end of normal', which I guess I should be thankful for. But it's difficult-- I can't help but compare.

My youngest is actually hitting milestones pretty early or very much 'on target' but we had a similar situation with my middle child. We monitored his development, and when he didn't catch up (most kids will) we became involved with early intervention. He's pretty much where my youngest is developmentally- though he is walking and just starting to run.

I can't say enough that if you are concerned, EI is a wonderful place to start.

I also can't be thankful enough that my boys are as close in age as they are because they are fabulous peers and watching his younger brother acquire skills does just as much for my toddler as all of his therapies combined. In fact, out OT wants us to bring little brother to some of the appointments just so they can peer.


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## diana_of_the_dunes (Dec 7, 2008)

I don't know if Ethan is technically behind or not, but he's definitely not as advanced as some babies here. He just started actual crawling about 2 weeks ago, started pulling up on everything about 1 week ago (pulled up sometimes before, but not a lot), and he doesn't say a danged thing. He babbles, but there's not much verbal communication going on. His only consistent "word" is an almost meowing sound when he sees the cat. He also says "mamamama" and "dadada", but not in connection with either of us.

He does communicate, though. If I'm holding him, he'll push away from my shoulder when he wants down, and he reaches out to who he wants to pick him up. He occasionally waves and used to shake his head "no" (but with no concept of what it meant, just mimicking us). He also pounds the table or his tray to get our attention if he runs out of food.

I'm not really jealous of babies who are running around, but I do sometimes wish Ethan was talking a bit. He does understand some of what we say, but doesn't seem to be in any kind of hurry to start talking. So far, he's been a little slow to hit milestones, but when he does, he does them well. crawling, for example. He rolled a little, then army crawled for about a week. Got up on hands and knees once or twice, but never rocked. Then one day, he just took off crawling. Same with pulling up. One or two practice runs, then he was standing all the time.

Still, it's important to keep it in perspective. If they're behind at this point, it's only by weeks or maybe a month or two. In the grand scheme of things, it's such a short amount of time. They develop so quickly at this age that I have a hard time remembering that. And it's a little difficult to see a child of the same age calling for his mama or dada, when mine doesn't say a word. I can't say that I'm worried about him, though. I can tell there's a lot going on in his little head, and I know in another few months I won't be able to get him to be quiet or stop running around!!

Also... I'm really starting to get the baby itch again. I hate, hate, HATE being pregnant, but now that my little guy is so much less baby-ish... I kinda miss it. I'm scared of being pregnant and trying to keep up with him, though. I was SO tired during my first pregnancy, and Ethan doesn't STTN yet. I also would have to switch schedules at work, and I don't even know how that would work out with our babysitter. I want our babies to be close together, though, since we're only planning on 2 kids...


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

I love reading the updates of where everyone's babes are developmentally.







I am glad that Viv is where she is, but I sometimes wish that she would slow down, just a little, so I can enjoy the baby phase for a bit longer.

This last week I've spent a lot of time holding her and being thankful for all that she is. We have friends whose 4 month old passed on Thursday.







It was the hardest visitation I have ever been to and I can't imagine how much harder it is for them.


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## diana_of_the_dunes (Dec 7, 2008)

OMG, that's so awful!! What happened??


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

I think they labeled SIDS. The sitter found her not breathing on Monday, did CPR, called 911. She was in the hospital, medicated/on a vent/chilled, until Thursday afternoon when she passed. The medical team did everything possible to bring her back.


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## diana_of_the_dunes (Dec 7, 2008)

How horrible... I can't even imagine. I must still have some serious mama hormones going on, cause I don't even know them and I'm in tears just thinking about it.


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## ein328 (Jan 10, 2009)

Random question: who has spent the night away from their LO?

I'm asking because it seems as though most of my friends who have babies roughly Lucy's age or younger have already....but I am sooooo not ready for that. Am I the only one?


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

no over nights yet. It too me until dd1 was almost 3 years old before I spent a night away from her.


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## diana_of_the_dunes (Dec 7, 2008)

Not here either. I keep thinking about it, since E's formula fed now and I trust my mom implicitly... And I could really use a full night of sleep. But I just can't do it.


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## Famatigia (Jun 14, 2005)

My sweet girl just turned one. I can't believe where the time has gone.

A week before her birthday, she started to walk. Walk! It's amazing to watch her toddle around. I miss her being a baby, but I can't wait to watch her grow. She amazes me more and more every day.

We had a great party and she had nice company and nice gifts.

Sigh..

On a side note, my beautiful six month old niece spent the night with us. (and her mama!) She is the sweetest, chunky girl. We weighed her and she was 21lbs. 6oz. Then we weighed my petite Jocelyn. She weighed 19lbs. 14oz. I can't believe my one year old weighs less than 20 pounds. She has four big, brute brothers, so this little girl is surprising to me! My niece, on the other hand, is a gorgeous tub.

Haha.

Happy Birthday to the upcoming birthday babies!


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## confustication (Mar 18, 2006)

Well, it looks to me like it's time to move this post to the *gasp* TODDLERS! section.

I know that I may not be ready to make the leap, but apparently the kids are- all this walking and babbling and growing going on! It's been a wonderful year of celebration and discovery, and I feel blessed to have been able to share it all with such a strong, smart and supportive group of women.


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

Seeing as how it is about time to move to Toddlers... I've started a thread over there for us.







http://www.mothering.com/discussions...8#post15788228


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Dmitrizmom* 
Seeing as how it is about time to move to Toddlers... I've started a thread over there for us.







http://www.mothering.com/discussions...8#post15788228


nooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not ready!!! I will not go.


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Dmitrizmom* 
I think they labeled SIDS. The sitter found her not breathing on Monday, did CPR, called 911. She was in the hospital, medicated/on a vent/chilled, until Thursday afternoon when she passed. The medical team did everything possible to bring her back.

This is heartbreaking. I'm so very sorry.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ein328* 
Random question: who has spent the night away from their LO?

I'm asking because it seems as though most of my friends who have babies roughly Lucy's age or younger have already....but I am sooooo not ready for that. Am I the only one?

No overnights yet. Although i did have to make a 4am airport run, and had my mom stay with the baby from 4-6ish. I don't know if that counts. There's nobody but my DH that I could inflict a night with DS on yet. Maybe when he get's to be easier to manage.


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## StrongFeather (Mar 13, 2009)

we co-sleep with Sam and his bedtime is roughly between 7 and 8pm. all of a sudden my sweet easy to bed (most nights anyways) Baby Boy will fight DH and I tooth and nail to stay awake. Am I alone here? What are you Mommas doing that I am not?

Previously we would throw in the towel and let him come downstairs and playa bit more until he showed signs of being tired and then try again. But just this week we feel like he's been duping us, and decided that we'll just switch off shifts of laying in bed with him..


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

eh. DS was never easy to put to sleep, and sleep fight is a regular occourance. We try for a set amount of time, and then give up and let him play.

He's not duping you-- most likely his needs are changing-- either with sleep or food or interaction. We get best results by trying to manage naps and wearing him out with activity during the day. but even then we have days like to day, where he slept till 7 for his nap, he's not going back to sleep till midnight. Aint parenting fun!


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## sugarpop (Feb 12, 2009)

I am so not happy...I mean I am but I am not. Maybe I am not a happy person...or maybe I am depressed. Anyone taking something for postpartum depression and breast feeding? Are there all natural non chemical non harmful alternatives? I don't know where to post. I haven't even discussed this with DH...I just want to laugh again! AHHHH I want to enjoy being a stay at home mom. I mean I do enjoy it, I love her, Sophia is amazing. I wouldn't change a thing about my life...except to be happy. I needed to vent. I wrote another post in life with a babe as well "I hate". I am struggling. I feel alone. I don't know how to find/pick a councelor, I hate to ask for help, I am scared...thanks ladies I know you are here and listening to me...just need support!


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

sugarpop -














There are several of us here that have been struggling with the "not happy"/depression issues. I have been taking Vitamin D and a B vitamin complex to help. I also find that I do so much better when I get at least 30 minutes of (fairly intense) physical activity. The days that I get my vitamins and exercise it is like I'm a different, happy, person. The days without, I am crabby and not much fun to be around.


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## newmomroxi (Mar 6, 2009)

s sugarpop, i know exactly what you mean. It is a hard feeling to describe. You know you should be happy but you don't actually feel that way. I'm sorry that you're dealing with this but you're not alone. Do you have a PCP/OB/midwife who you trust? Start there. And the suggestions Dmitrizmom gave are great! Those are things you do can right away. I started with those and they really helped me get out of the funk enough to recognize how badly I was feeling. Unfortunately, those weren't enough for me and so now I'm taking 50 mg zoloft as well. I'm not breastfeeding but I'm pregnant and I've read/been told that it is one of the safest to take while BFing/pregnant. I still have moody moments but I am starting to laugh and smile genuinely again. Also, you should head over to the postpartum depression board. There is a sticky there for postpartum resources. You can find local counselors or groups if you want.


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## sugarpop (Feb 12, 2009)

oh a board...thanks i am heading there now!


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

StrongFeather--Oh we've been there! e tried both letting him stay up and laying in bed with him for hours. For us, once we switched to one nap and he stopped fighting bedtime, but I think you've already done that. Maybe he needs more exercise/activity later in the day? I think they just go through phases of being too interested in the world around them to relax and sleep.

Ein328--my answer to have a spent a night away from ds is "hell no!" I may be in the minority here, but I just CANNOT imagine this. I don't want to do it, nor could I see it working. Me and my babe need to snuggle at night!







Then again DH and I haven't even had a solo date yet. . .

sugarpop--hope you get the help you need. That's hard. I just started feeling like myself again--I haven't been depressed I don't think, but it took this long to feel "normal" again. Or maybe my brain has just caught up finally with my new reality.

I guess I won't post here anymore since we're over in Toddlers. . .oh dear. I'm so glad we've keep up this way! You mamas rock!


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## 2boyzmama (Jun 4, 2007)

Ugh, I have mastitis again. Bad. It came on so fast. I had a plug I was working on, I thought it was gone, it had stopped hurting. A whole day (or even two?) went by with no pain.

Tuesday night I went to bed fine. Woke up at 3am in PAIN, like serious pain. I woke Gavin up and made him nurse, I had to use my labor breathing to tolerate it, OMG it hurt.

I got up at 6am and pumped, again with breathing and forced relaxation. Then the nausea and shakes hit. By 7am it was full body, everything hurts, fever hit, BAM full blown mastitis.

I went to the dr right away, unfortunately I'm allergic to Penicillin, which is the drug of choice, so I don't have the luxury of trying to use natural ways to get rid of mastitis, I use natural methods to get rid of plugs, but not when it progresses to body aches/fever/etc. The dr was really nice, said he can't imagine what it must feel like, and listened to my request to please not touch/palpate it. I told him I'm a LLL Leader and have had mastitis 6 times, so I know what I'm dealing with (this was just my family practice dr, usually I call the OB, but I couldn't get in to the OB fast enough). He asked me what med and what dosage I usually take and called it in.

I've spent the whole day in bed, I got up just to eat (barely anything, I can't stomach food right now) and immediately went back to bed again. Myfever is hovering around 101 most of the time.

God, it hurts


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## sugarpop (Feb 12, 2009)

2boyzmama~oh that sounds terrible! I am so sorry you are suffering. I hope you are able to take it easy, although, from the sounds of it you don't have much of a choice. I had no idea it could get like that. I hope you are better soon. Keep us posted!


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## Dmitrizmom (Nov 11, 2002)

2boyzmama - hope the mastitis clears quickly. Had it once and it sucked.


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## tzs (Aug 4, 2009)

oh sugarpop, i feel your pain.
i also had the SAH malaise. i wasn't depressed enough to be "depressed" and get in some good crying but i was depressed enough to be totally unmotivated, bummed, generally not happy. so i had the genius idea of going back to work part-time. great, i work at a pre-school, she can be there in the baby room, it will be am's only and then we'll be super-motivated and happy and....
they talked me into doing 3 days full-day as well (on a trial basis, i made sure) and it SUCKS! yeah, we're out of the house. we're not watching the view on tv all morning but now i can;t get anything done, the house is way more of a mess, i'm feeling like i'm always playing catch-up, i'm depriving ada of sleep because i prematurely took away her am nap, AND i'm not spending any good time with her. i don;t know how you WOH moms do it, especially with more than one kid.
now i don't know what to do (except knock off those full-days, for sure) dammed if you do, dammed if you don't.


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## texmati (Oct 19, 2004)

oh 2boyz! I'm sorry that you are dealing with this on top of everything else







s

sugarpop, I've been there, and its sometimes exhausting trying just to figure out if you are depressed or not. I've made myself crazy in the past that way. I'd try counseling if it's available. I got much more help with that than when asking my family dr, midwife or ob. All the dr's seemed to do was get out their prescription pad. A counselor was willing to work with me where I was and helped me out a lot.


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## kismetbaby (Feb 21, 2009)

Feel better 2boys. . .I remember how much mastitis sucked!

Hey Texmati, I just noticed your new sigi--congrats on a girl!







How exciting!


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## diana_of_the_dunes (Dec 7, 2008)

tzs - I'm starting to wonder how WOH moms do it too, and I'm one of them! A typical day for us involved DH geting home at 7 am, which is about when E wakes up. He takes care of him til 8:30, then I get up and take over, and DH goes to bed. I have E all morning, and we head off to my best friend's parents (our baby sitters) at around 12:30. I start work at 2. E stays at the babysitters til DH picks him up at 5, and then he handles all of the evening caretaking, bath, and bed. I get home around 10:30, just in time to give DH a hug, since he has to be to work at 11. It works, but it's HARD. I'm thankful that we don't have to use daycare, and E is only away from home 4 - 5 hrs per day. But DH and I don't get to see each other AT ALL. And in the morning I'm rushing around a bit trying to keep the house in order, get showered, maybe run errands, and play with E. I only have time to cook a meal on my days off, and my gardening and canning have also taken a big hit this year.

I just don't know anymore. I like my job, but I'm having a hard time with the lack of true family life. We could function on DH's salary only, but not while accomplishing the renovations our house desperately needs. And then there's all the uncertainty in the economy right now. I could get a part-time job, but then I wouldn't be anywhere near as recession-proof as I am now. If nothing else, we _are_ financially secure right now with about a snowball-in-hell's chance of getting laid off or downsized.

I'm not big on gender stereotypes, but in so many ways I just want to tell DH that making ends meet is _his_ problem, I'm going to stay home and take care of our house and baby!!


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## ein328 (Jan 10, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2boyzmama* 
Ugh, I have mastitis again. Bad. It came on so fast. I had a plug I was working on, I thought it was gone, it had stopped hurting. A whole day (or even two?) went by with no pain.

Tuesday night I went to bed fine. Woke up at 3am in PAIN, like serious pain. I woke Gavin up and made him nurse, I had to use my labor breathing to tolerate it, OMG it hurt.

I got up at 6am and pumped, again with breathing and forced relaxation. Then the nausea and shakes hit. By 7am it was full body, everything hurts, fever hit, BAM full blown mastitis.

I went to the dr right away, unfortunately I'm allergic to Penicillin, which is the drug of choice, so I don't have the luxury of trying to use natural ways to get rid of mastitis, I use natural methods to get rid of plugs, but not when it progresses to body aches/fever/etc. The dr was really nice, said he can't imagine what it must feel like, and listened to my request to please not touch/palpate it. I told him I'm a LLL Leader and have had mastitis 6 times, so I know what I'm dealing with (this was just my family practice dr, usually I call the OB, but I couldn't get in to the OB fast enough). He asked me what med and what dosage I usually take and called it in.

I've spent the whole day in bed, I got up just to eat (barely anything, I can't stomach food right now) and immediately went back to bed again. Myfever is hovering around 101 most of the time.

God, it hurts









I am so, so sorry! I hope the antibiotics do their thing quickly and you feel better ASAP! My mama had all 7 of us kids naturally, and said that mastitis was the most painful thing she ever went through


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## mom2tig99Nroo03 (Apr 24, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ein328* 
Random question: who has spent the night away from their LO?

I'm asking because it seems as though most of my friends who have babies roughly Lucy's age or younger have already....but I am sooooo not ready for that. Am I the only one?

not since we got him out of the hospital.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sugarpop* 
I am so not happy...I mean I am but I am not. Maybe I am not a happy person...or maybe I am depressed. Anyone taking something for postpartum depression and breast feeding? Are there all natural non chemical non harmful alternatives?

i'm on 50 mg of zoloft now- have been for about 3 weeks. it helps loads for me. i was crying all.the.time, but not now. i also take extra vit d, but it wasn't enough on its own.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *2boyzmama* 
Ugh, I have mastitis again. Bad. It came on so fast.









ouch! feel better soon. you can't use hepar sulfur and phytolacca?


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

My LO still has 12 more days before she is a toddler, so I'm staying here as long as I can!!

No nights away from her. The first night away from my now 6 YO was when I was in the hospital having the baby. I have let my 6 yo stay with my parents twice since then, but I can't handle the thought of not being with the baby over night. My mom would have to be up half the night anyhow, as we are up every 2 hours many nights. I get excited over 4 hours these days.

2Boyz, feel better. That sounds terrible.

I have been ina funk too. I'm coming out of it, but basically, I am looking around my house thinking it is time to get back to normal again... normal routines, cleaning, decluttering. The past 4 years have been spent dealing with infertility, miscarriages, a very nerve-wracking pregnancy, and healing from a traumatic birth and learning how to juggle more than one child. Not to mention home-schooling my older dd. We are sending her to public school this year, so I'll have some free time when the baby naps and I just need to find a sense of normalcy, ya know?


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## schoolmom07 (Mar 26, 2009)

Well, I know...I am slack! As we all know how hard mothering is anyway, I was thinking adding a second child would be so much like having the first...WHAT??? It's not? Why didn't anyone tell me??? I am struggling with what I think is probably PPD and being told that "If my faith is strong enough...or "that is just of the devil and there is no such thing..." YK? I have had enough of that for now to suit my tastes. On to another subject, baby Sarah started out with mild Laryngomalacia, severe reflux, and moved on to reflux of the right kidney. So I have had my hands full. We have no children's specialists around here for that so I had to drive on more than one occasion to a hospital that was about an hour away (one way)...My summer was crazy. However, baby is doing well as we get ready to celebrate her first birthday the 25th, her kidney is well enough they are holding off of surgery (we have already had a VCUG, Renal Bladder U/S, nuclear medicine test and one other that I can't remember right now...) and the meds! OMG! We won't see anyone at the specialist again until Christmas, dd1 started school with no issues and I am a full time student. As if life is not insane enough...we are attempting to purchase our first home. Why do I do this to myself? PPD? Do I have time for it? NO! But I have to go to the doctor--just so afraid as I have heard the stories. I already am experiencing the reactions. To top it off, I have this strange severe pain in my right breast (lower side) and am getting a sneaky suspicion that I may have mastitis. The pain is so great that I want no one to touch me but thought it may be due to baby kind of teething on me...But that doesn't make sense, does it? Thanks ladies for listening to my various rants.


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