# It's 2007, November '05 Mamas!!!



## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

Happy New Year, one and all! May this year bring peace, prosperity, and joy to everyone in the November DDC. Oh, and better sleep for me and Spughy!!


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## SoulJourney (Sep 26, 2005)

Happy New Year, mamas!!!!


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## Queen of Cups (Aug 29, 2003)

Happy New Year!

We're back from our whirlwind trip, and totally exhausted. (We actually got back on Friday night, but my parents are here, so we've been playing host since then.) Ellie got pinkeye from her cousin on our trip, and now I have it. Breastmilk is AMAZING, though! Just putting a few drops in every few hours and Ellie's is almost totally gone and mine is about 1000% better than when I woke up 3.5 hours ago. Ellie's such a trooper, she wasn't fussy at all when her eye was bad, but mine hurts like crap and I don't want to do anything but sit on the couch and feel sorry for myself.

New Years Resolutions: 1500 minutes of exercise per month (I've been doing about 1400/month, except in december I only did 1168). Lots more patience with the kids (especially Killy). Get back to a size 2 this year. (I was in a 4 before vacation, now my 6s feel better!)


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## spughy (Jun 28, 2005)

Happy New Year!!!!

It took until 11 am for a sugar craving to hit. But I am strong, I am not caving in!!! I know the sugar cravings will only last a few days and then they will go away. I just have to make it to Thursday, and I will probably be ok. Yesterday I made some whole wheat brioches with currants that I can nuke for a quick breakfast so I'm all set. (Breakfasts were my big stumbling block before - it was too easy just to hit Tim Hortons or the nice bakery close to work...)

Anyway, I hope everyone has a happy, healthy and prosperous 2007!


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## MamaFern (Dec 13, 2003)

hapPy new year!


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## Bex80 (Feb 8, 2004)

Happy New Year everyone!

Our big news: Abigail started walking last week! She is pretty wobbly and will squat and crawl away after a while, but she is getting braver and more confident and it's so neat watching her amaze herself.







:

My New Year's Resolution: Keep up with my fellow Nov. '05 mamas!!!







:


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## zjande (Nov 4, 2002)

Happy New Year!

I totally have to share a ridiculous story about my clueless (but cute when naked so it makes up for it) DP. (x-posted from FYT)
Last night we crawled into bed at 11:30, after hours of hilarious card games & beers & good fun. We laid there trying to get the baby to sleep so we could git down to bidness & we talked & talked. Midnight rolls around & there's fireworks & bizarre explosive noises going off everywhere. Suddenly, after a nearby explosion at 12:07 he says "I hope that wasn't our fence blowing down again" & he gets up to look out the window. He stands there a bit, looking outside while blasty noises are going off everywhere & then says "I think the neighbor's are doing something loud & weird in their garage." I laughed & said "Like blowing up their garage to celebrate the New Year?" He was silent for a minute & then says:

"_Ooooh, it's New Year's Eve. That explains all the noise_."

He had no idea yesterday was NYE. I'm not kidding. Somehow it had totally escaped him!!





















I have no idea how. OMG how I laughed at him.

*Bex80*, walking, what fun!!








My one new year resolution is to send thank you cards on time (or at all!), respond to emails better, send cards to family for no real reason.... just all around communicate with family & friends better. I'm so bad at all that & I hate it.


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## Bex80 (Feb 8, 2004)

Spughy---A day late (I'm starting tomorrow














but I would like to follow you on your sugar-free journey! I am not going sugar free, but I am making some huge dietary changes that while I'm sure should be gradual, are not going to be. My personality just doesn't *do* gradual. If you give me an inch, I'll take a mile.







So, I am completely cutting out fast food/restaurant food and soft drinks. I know I shouldn't have been ingesting them at all, but it seems once Abigail got started on some solids, my "good" eating habits/diet flew out the window.

Didn't mean to start blogging here, but you talking about how the cravings will pass in a few days really makes me feel better. I would have started today, but I caved and ate a bunch of mini Reese's cups (am sending the rest to work with dh tomorrow!) and then we had dinner with MIL and it all went downhill from there.

Zjande---Thanks mama!







And too funny about your dp (soon to be dh! Congrats!!







) not realizing it was NYE. A couple of times I had to remind myself. Time just seems to pass too quickly. I still consider Abigail a baby because she' so petite (almost 17 lbs now) but now that she's walking, talking a bit, learning to sign, etc...it's weird. This is totally premature, but can you believe that they will turn 2 this year?







: I know it seems like a long ways away, but before you know it it'll be Spring and then Summer and then November again.

Anyone else (besides Fern, Aubrey, and Helen) getting a touch of babylust these days? 90% of the time I am loving just eating up my babygirl, but lately I catch myself letting my gaze linger a little too long on a pregnant belly or a newborn. I'm not ready AT ALL, but the idea of being pregnant again and having another babe is delicious!!









Hope you guys had a great first day of 2007!


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## DreamsInDigital (Sep 18, 2003)

Winter started running a fever during the night and the poor little babe has been just grumpy and miserable all day. No other symptoms besides a fever. I've gotten lots of hot snuggles today though.
I'm 35 weeks pregnant today if you guys can possibly believe that. I'm on maternity leave finally, yay!
Happy 2007 everyone.


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## spiritmomma (Aug 29, 2005)

Happy New Year All!

I couldn't forget it was NYE since the party was at our place.







Peacefulmommy and Noah were there, along with many of our other friends that we call family. Fun times, wired babies, tired babies, sleeping babies and lots of delicious food. We also enjoyed passing the bottle of champagne around at the stroke of midnight.







No glasses for our low-key crowd, we just shared the bottle like a real family.









I'd say that Isa is officially walking now. I guess it's hard to say when it's official, but she is taking unassisted steps several times a day, squatting to pick things up, and returning to standing. It's all happened so quickly! But I am such a proud mama!

Love to all of you and many blessing upon your households for this new year!


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## spughy (Jun 28, 2005)

Bex, you are welcome to join me on the diet change! Misery loves company, and all that







I had to go to the IL's for dinner too, but I was good, even spurning apple pie and ice cream for an actual apple (which Rowan then kind of monopolized, but oh well.) Of course MIL decided that the main veg should be broccoli which I can't eat... oh well. Had to pass on the stuffing too, but it was that Stovetop crap anyway. MIL doesn't do "from scratch" anything. Oh and she taunted me with a piece of white chocolate too. Not nice.

But oh, how I would loooove a piece of cinnamon toast right now. Urgh. Must..resist...sugar...

DiD - I can't believe you're practically ready to pop! How exciting! I hope Winter feels better soon.

Spiritmomma - congrats on Isa walking! Now the chasing begins!


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

Spughy, I'm aspiring to sugar-freeness too. I've pretty much got the diet coke addiction gone and being honest, I am feeling better for it.
Our new year was pretty good- we went up to my mothers from the 27th, spent time just mellowing out and for New Year we went to Allendale- they have an obscure local ritual which involves parading round the village with barrels of burning tar on their head. Unfortunately, this year we had no tar because it was too dangerous because of the wind, but it was still fantastic.
Skye is amazing, talking and walking and growing more day by day. I never cease to be amazed by her spirit, though- it's fantastic, she's just so totally unsurpressable








Other than that, our illness of the week was teething. You wouldn't think that you could run a temperature of 101 degrees, vomiting and fainting over losing your top front teeth, would you? Alex did, poor mite- I've never seen him this ill, I was pretty close to taking him to hospital. Absolutely amazing.
Happy New Year, everyone!!!


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## Awaken (Oct 10, 2004)

I am so behind! Argh! Subbing in hopes I can read soon! Happy new year mommies! Did all your babies stay up till midnight?


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## MelW (Jan 13, 2005)

I'm also trying to catch up, but getting in early on the new thread. Happy new year! I worked the evening shift, but made it home before midnight and just in time for a glass of champagne and orange juice before tucking into bed with my sleeping beauty (though as usual, not sleeping for long







)

Congrats on the maternity leave, DiD. You must be exhausted







:

I hope Alex is feeling better, Helen. I don't envy you with teething kiddos at both ends of the spectrum









And happy new year to all. Good luck with the sugar-freeness.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Congrats DiD! And Happy New Year to all!!!! We had a wonderful night. Dominic actually stayed up with us to celebrate with sparkling cider.









As for my november baby Isaac... He's been walking for a couple of months... but now is figuring out how to run and climb. Caught him on top of the table the other day before I could blink an eye!














: Still no words other than Mama and Dada.. so that is what we are anxiously awaiting. Dominic was blabbering away by this age- so it's a little nerving for us. He's so beautiful and happy... and as for having baby cravings....







:







: if anyone has lurked in the family planning section under the TTC 2007 thread.. you'll know I've had a hard time fighting it. We are planning on TTC in spring or summer. I've been charting for two months now, just to get to know my cycle really well and it's also part of this method I will be trying "how to choose the sex of your baby". The hilarious part is that I haven't decided what sex I want to try for.









Here's to everyone's 2007 being a wonderful, successful, amazing year. My resolution was to go completely organic and plan out all my meals for a month in advance.


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## mrsrwbabe (Apr 12, 2006)

Hello to all, I am new but I thought I would check in here.
My name is Lu and my November 05 baby is Coco - she is 13 mos.
She is walking - since late October - and her vocabulary grows every day.
DH and I are having so much fun!
I am new to this forum - I have read bits here and there since I got my account some months ago, but thought that I would start posting in earnest recently.
So hello!


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Welcome to the thread. Hope you enjoy MDC!


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## zjande (Nov 4, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mrsrwbabe* 
Hello to all, I am new but I thought I would check in here.
My name is Lu and my November 05 baby is Coco - she is 13 mos.
She is walking - since late October - and her vocabulary grows every day.
DH and I are having so much fun!
I am new to this forum - I have read bits here and there since I got my account some months ago, but thought that I would start posting in earnest recently.
So hello!
















Hi & welcome!







What is your munchkin's birthdate? Xeowyn ("ZAY-oh-win") started walking in late Oct, too, which has been a whole new world!







: , but he's still really only saying mama & dada! I think he's decided that since mama & dada are the most fabulous things in the world, he doesn't need to trouble himself to say anything else.









I got my mdc account eons ago but barely posted at all until this DDC!









*Helen*, I laughed out loud when I read that bit about the wandering around with tar on their head tradition.







I hope your shortling feels better soon.


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## spiritmomma (Aug 29, 2005)

mrsrwbabe:







glad to have you! we're a fun crowd, get to know us!









Isa's ears seem to be 100% clear now, and her poops are getting more and more solid. I'm guessing the yogurt and probiotics are putting her gut back together after the antibiotics. My New Year's resolution? To let go of the guilt for treating her with antibiotics!!!







I swear, knowledge is great, but it can sometimes prevent me from doing what needs to be done. Just out of curiousity, if a child has a double ear infection and is all out miserable, is there anything that can knock it out BESIDES antibiotics? Could I have done it differently or should I realize I did the best thing and let it go......?

Congrats on your maternity leave, DiD. I hope you feel a little more rested from here on out.


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## mrsrwbabe (Apr 12, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DucetteMama21842* 
Welcome to the thread. Hope you enjoy MDC!

Thank you









Quote:


Originally Posted by *zjande* 
Hi & welcome!







What is your munchkin's birthdate? Xeowyn ("ZAY-oh-win") started walking in late Oct, too, which has been a whole new world!







: , but he's still really only saying mama & dada! I think he's decided that since mama & dada are the most fabulous things in the world, he doesn't need to trouble himself to say anything else.









I got my mdc account eons ago but barely posted at all until this DDC!










Zjande...DD - Coco's BD is 11/19/05, it has been great having her fully mobile, but certainly keeps you on your toes!









Quote:


Originally Posted by *spiritmomma* 
mrsrwbabe:







glad to have you! we're a fun crowd, get to know us!










Spiritmomma thank you I look forward to getting to know everyone! And hey I am in Indiana too!


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## Queen of Cups (Aug 29, 2003)

Spiritmama - if it cleared up within 24-48 hours of starting the antibiotics, then it was probably a bacterial infection so you shouldn't feel bad at all! The reason antibiotics aren't good to give for ear infections (usually) is because the vast majority of ear infections are viral - thus antibiotics do no good, just weaken the immune system while not treating the problem.

I'm struggling with a similar issue here: we all have pinkeye. I've read that this time of year (cold/flu season), pinkeye is usually viral. And, even when its bacterial most kid's bodies can fight it off on their own. Well, Ellie's came and went in two days (she still has eye goop in the morning, but no pink in her eyes and she's not rubbing them), but I've had mine for three days and its not getting significantly better. I seem to be prone to eye infections, and in college I had recurring eye infections for 6 months, till I did antibiotic eyedrops. I cannot go that long this time, espcially since I'm pretty sure the kids and I would pass it back and forth. Killy woke up with it this morning, so we'll see how his goes. Any suggestions? I've been putting breastmilk in the kids' eyes, washing the pillowcases every day, and washing hands obsessively. Breastmilk didn't help my eyes, so I'm doing homeopathic eyedrops for myself.


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## DreamsInDigital (Sep 18, 2003)

Oh the dreaded pink eye. Yuck. Hope the breastmilk works for everyone else.
Winter is not running a fever this am but he is very grumpy still. Not showing any symptoms of illness at this point but I can still tell he's not feeling well.
I've been awake since 4:30am despite being on maternity leave for the simple fact that staying in bed makes my hips and back sore. Ugh!


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## BodoGirl (Jun 29, 2005)

Hello everyone! I posted on the other post in the Toddler post. I'm glad I found everyone.

As you can imagine, being a momma to twin 'toddlers' is alot of work. Whoever told me it got easier lied









Lied in a good way though. The twins keep me busy and life is always handing us new experiences!

Look forward to catching up!

Christy


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## spughy (Jun 28, 2005)

Yay BodoGirl found us again! Welcome back!

And welcome, mrsrwbabe! Your baby is just one day older than mine. But mine started walking in September (ack ack ack... they really are more accident-prone when they start early - we had a month of constant bashes and bruises.) And she says "da" but not "mama". And very little else (except "ball" for some reason).

I feel GREAT this morning. I did a quick workout yesterday and have been sugar-free for 2 whole days now and already it's making a difference. I feel much peppier and last night I was able to struggle with Rowan getting her to sleep for over an hour and then actually get my lunch and whatnot organized for today before crashing. And I woke up 15 minutes before my alarm went off (went back to sleep of course). This morning also I was together enough to make breakfast (boiled egg & whole wheat brioche) AND coffee (decaf, but yay anyway) and I still made it to work by 8:30. Woot!


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## Bex80 (Feb 8, 2004)

Good for you Spughy!!!







So proud of you!!

I am doing better...not great but better. We rec'd a lot of restaurant GCs for Christmas and we used one last night at Chili's. I was "good" and got the lettuce wraps but then...I had dessert. However, I totally felt gross afterwards and haven't wanted more sweets since. Usually that starts my cycle of eating more and more sugar, but yesterday it didn't. Maybe I can do gradual afterall?

Welcome to the new mamas, or the rediscovered ones at that.







I feel like I am new to the group every month because I start out well and then peter out after a week or so. I read every post though, I just suck at jumping in and writing.









I need to get off of here and tidy up...I am having an MDC mama and her girls over for lunch as they are driving through my state today!


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## kaspirant (Apr 28, 2006)

oh where to begin....It has been CRAZY in our world lately. We took a week long trip to North Carolina to visit with my sister. Oy Vey!! My sister and I are about as opposite as they come. My dad wouldn't take no for an answer when I told him I wasn't coming this year. *money is tight, wedding in April, Moving soon...AHHHH i need a real vacation, one where I can stay home and really relax* So we had planned on staying with my sister...That wasn't gonna happen. My dad covered a hotel for us and we now owe him a pretty penny...but there was no way we could stay with my sister....

She is sooo very differnt from me. She yells and screams at her kids *6, 4, and 16 months* constantly. DS has heard more yelling in the week we were there than he's ever heard in his LIFE. It broke my heart sooo many times seeing these kids with such crushed spirits. I could tell countless stories of crushed spirits in these kids...but that's not the point....

Anyway the LAST day we were there, we woke up and poor J couldn't breath at all. He was gasping for breath and sounded sooo hoarse. We called our Ped and they suggested the ER. We spent 3 hours there and they ran some tests...ruled our RSV and decided it was *just a cold* sent us on our way with a prescription for a decongestant. We went back to my sister's after checking out of a hotel....and he rested. The house was too chaotic for us, our plane was leaving at 6 am the next day and we had a 2 hour drive to the airport. We had to return our rental car as well...so we had planned on leaving around 3 am and getting some rest before we went. At 11 *It would have been earlier if we hadn't had our diapers in the dryer* we decided that we coudln't stand another minute there and we decided we'd just *nap* at the gate. We got the last of the dipes and headed out. 30 minutes down the road we got a call from my sis..she was yelling and screaming that I had stolen soda that she had hidden in her dresser. I hadn't even been near her dresser. She was yelling and screaming...so after my DF hung up we decided if she needed soda that bad we'd get her some..so we turned around bought 2 12 packs and dropped them off for her. We headed out again now at 12. We stopped an hour down the road because we were both getting sleepy. I crawled in the back to check on J and he was breathing hoarsely. He began stirring and I took him out of his seat to nurse him....At this point he begins screaming...he was arching his back and writhing as if in extreme amounts of pain. His breathing was so hoarse and between feeble screams his breaths were like they took all his energy. I panicked and had DF call 911. We rode in the ambulance to the ER *again* He was put on breathing treatments for 9 hours and we got no sleep the rest of the night. Needless to say we missed our plane. Once his breathing regulated again we went to the airport to find out how we would get home...After a couple hours we found there were no more planes home that day and we went to a hotel and crashed. We all slept for 5 hours...then had dinner and back in bed by 9. That was our last day of 2006

New Year's day dawned bright and early and we got on our plane headed home at 6 am. We had a layover in PHX....it was supposed to be 2 hours...but it streched into nearly 6. Our original plane landed early...Our connecting flight was being serviced. It was a LONG day.

Back to work on the 2nd. The WHOLE week before we went I had a dreadful feeling of NOT wanting to go....I kept telling DF. He shrugged it off...He'll listen to me if I ever have that feeling again. He realizes that I do have a pretty good intuition.

Other than that...It's good to be home and this New Year has been great!

I'd love to join you girls on a sugar free life...i've tried before and I seem to always fail. I have 3 months till the wedding...

We tried last year to stick with the Sonoma Diet and we are gonna go back to it Saturday. I loved it when we did it...but it's hard to be a working mama....DF lost 40 lbs and kept it off..now it's my turn







I have 60 to go this year...hoping for 20 by the wedding at least









SOo there's my saga of a book. If you made it this far you deserve snaps.>I'll try to stay better updated..never is easy though.

PS. Yay for all the new walkers...we have a full time bi-ped now and it's a whole new exciting world!


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

I'm sorry that your new year didn't start out with the Bang you were hoping for! How scary! Hope he's doing better!


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

Oh, kaspirant







Do they know what caused the breathing difficulties? Are they regarding it as croup, or a possible first asthma attack, or ??? (ds2 is severely asthmatic so we've spent a few nights in hospital with it. Trips in the ambulance kind of make up for everything else for him, luckily.
Hugs to everyone else struggling with nasty lurgies- I'd forgotten how poorly my boys were during their toddler years. Yuck.


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

Hi Mamas. I don't have time to read all of the new posts; DH is about to leave for work and taking the laptop with him today. I just wanted to do a quick drive-by hello.

None of our mamas live in the Austin area, do you? I will be there on the 13th and 14th and we're planning to visit the Austin Children's Museum on the 14th in case anyone is nearby!!

I posted a few new pics of our recent hike (in my sig) and a cute update on the blog if anyone has a moment for diversion. I'm still trying to get some video online but it just seems like it is an epic project.


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## spiritmomma (Aug 29, 2005)

kaspirant: How scary, how horrible! What a crappy way to ring in the new year! But you are home now, and safe, and comfortable, and how's the little one???

Isa is getting SIX teeth right now... four more on top and her first set of molars on the bottom. Isn't it a bit early for molars? Maybe it just seems early to me since I am still adjusting to the fact that she is not a baby anymore







So she is a bit crabby at times (just sometimes) and is having a hard time relaxing to sleep and sometimes has a hard time nursing due to pain. She seems to be nursing less at night and during the day...







/







I don't know whether I am happy or sad about this, and don't know if it should matter since she may go back to nursing all the time tomorrow. Just starting to get the first tastes of weaning, I guess. Sometimes I feel really ready to be done with nursing and other times I cherish every moment we nurse together.
I am kind of at that place right now in my life where I feel passionately about opposite things. I am really excited to be getting gray hair and feeling like a grown up, yet spend all available money on shopping at stores designed for teenage girls...







: I don't know what kind of transition this is that I'm going through, but it's gonna be a doozy!


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## mrsrwbabe (Apr 12, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *spiritmomma* 
Isa is getting SIX teeth right now... four more on top and her first set of molars on the bottom. Isn't it a bit early for molars? Maybe it just seems early to me since I am still adjusting to the fact that she is not a baby anymore







So she is a bit crabby at times (just sometimes) and is having a hard time relaxing to sleep and sometimes has a hard time nursing due to pain. She seems to be nursing less at night and during the day...







/









Coco is also teething - I think! She got 3 of her molars about 2 months ago - VERY early - but I have heard of several other babies/tots getting their 15 month molars 6 months earlier. It happened very fast, so I hope that Isa and you get some relief soon.
She is soo pretty! I had a chance to look at some pics.


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## s_kristina (Aug 9, 2004)

We seem to be working on teeth here too. Joseph at one point had an eye tooth on the bottom, but it has gone back under the gum line. Now he has all 8 front teeth which have been there for about 6 months. He has had his 2 bottom molars for a month or so now. I think he might be working on the eye teeth there or he could be working on more molars on the top. His teething is really odd compared to Annette's! She had all her teeth including her 2 year molars by the time she was 18-20 months and had her first tooth by the time she was 4 months. I'm still debating if slower or faster teething is better.

We've invented a new sport for the baby/toddler olympics here. Greased toddler diapering







Joseph has had some funky rash on his back so I've been making sure he gets lotion after his bath. Attempting to get a diaper on him afterwards should be an Olympic event. He goes into a gator death roll trying to get away and it takes both dh and I to get him still enough to put the stupid thing on him! If he weren't headed to bed right after I'd skip the diaper until he is in a better mood to stay still for it, but I don't like waking up in a puddle.


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## barcelona (May 1, 2006)

Hi everyone! I am so behind! I have read everyone's posts, but am almost never able to write back, as most of my laptop time is when Finley is sleeping (and wakes if I start to type). He has been sick with his first real cold and his sleep has been all over the place, so I have had very very little free time at nights, etc.

spughy, Finley and I both loved watching Rowan wave bye bye and like the Queen! Finley was smiling and when it was over, did it himself. It was So fun to see her in action...makes me feel like I know her a bit better, and would love to see (and post) videos of everyones' babes. It seems like a daunting task, though, and one that will have to wait til I have a bit more free time and Finley is well again.

kaspirant, So sorry to hear about your stressful trip and your little one's breathing scare!! Am also anxious to hear how they diagnosed it. I can't imagine that would be "just a cold". (Don't you hate it when doctors phrase things like that?)

spiritmama, that is a LOT of teeth! I'm sure Isa can weather it, and I'm glad that her ear infection has passed. I know just what you mean about those conflicting, passionate emotions. I am feeling them myself, in regards to nursing, and other things...like the age thing too!







I'm not sure how I feel like expressing myself, if you know what I mean, and am trying to figure out priorities in terms of career, too...and Finley has a huge role in all of that, as I cherish him and my time with him and know that is a must.

Anyway, I digress...

Q of C, any better with the pinkeye? Yuck! I'm glad that at least Ellie's is better. Hooray for breastmilk.

zjande,







, and you must be getting so excited with the upcoming wedding. the story of your DF and the not knowing it was New Year's Eve is hilarious.

*Amy*, we were in Austin in october...too bad our trips didn't overlap. My brother lives there, as do some of my best friends. What a fun city. When will you know where you'll be moving? How exciting. Good luck to your DH as he looks for that perfect job. I love reading your blogs, and seeing the adorable pictures of Brynn.

and welcome new and revived mamas!

Question for you mamas...Finley is having a hard time sleeping, due to snot and nose-blockage and he wakes up coughing at night (though he doesn't cough during the day at all), and is not sleeping NEARLy as long as he normally does, waking up after 8 hours instead of 10-12. Is there anything I can do to help him sleep better, with not being able to breathe, etc? It's heartbreaking, b/c he wakes up crying, instead of his normal happy self, and I can see he's so frustrated and feels so badly. Any tips?? I hate seeing him suffer...









Cute Finley moment of the moment that I can think of to share: he tries to "wink" and blinks both of his eyes, and sometimes gets one. He also crinkles his nose, and puts his whole head into it--it's hilarious and so cute.







:

So much more to catch up on, but must head off for now. Will try my best to keep up!

Happy 2007!


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## spughy (Jun 28, 2005)

kaspirant - wow, what a horrible holiday! I'm so sorry. I hope you can get some rest and relaxation in now that it's over.

spiritmomma - Rowan has her first molars on the left side, but no sign of the right ones yet. I think the first molars are "supposed" to come in at about a year. I'll ask my mom, she's a former dental nurse.

Amy - I love your blog. I read it lots. And yes, Brynn is WAY advanced for a kid her age. At this rate she'll be in high school by the time she's 5. Seriously. Rowan is not a dull child but we were super-excited last night when she said "apple". It's the first real word she's said more than once, that's not "bye bye".

So yeah - we have another word! Woo! We were shocked when DH handed her a piece of apple at dinner last night (kale & apple curry - try it, it's tasty!) and she said "a-pul" very carefully. Then he called his mom and it turns out she was reading Rowan a story about apples yesterday! Why she picked that word to learn out of allllll the words she hears, who knows. Funny little kid.


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## kaspirant (Apr 28, 2006)

Thanks mamas!

To all who asked...they finally decided it *was* croup. I don't know...I don't trust doctors. We are keeping a close eye on him. As soon as we got back home he's been fine...I wonder if it had to do with a. Adjusting to the climate change b. some sort of asthmatic tendency *both DF and I had asthma as kids or c. *this may sound strange* but maybe some sort of physical manifestation of the stress and discomfort level we ALL felt all week.

spughy - Jacob is a HUGE mimic'er and I love hearing him say Apple. That is soo great. He has started saying apple a lot because he loves to gnaw on a whole apple and I let him...while I'm watching him like a hawk! It's sooo great hearing the new words!

s_kristina - LOL about the greased toddler diapering!!! I know what you mean! We always laugh about how hard it is to grasp the snappi for Jacob's diaper when we just covered him in lotion! Good luck with the rash!

barcelona - ime using a humidifier has helped a lot when Jacob is super stuffy. Also laying him so that his head is above the rest of his body *propped up on pillows or such* is also something that helps a lot. When Jacob is super stuffy we take LOTS and LOTS of warm baths .... He loves playing in there and it's a great way to *de-snot* HTH

Bex 80 - how fun! Enjoy meeting the mama! That is such a fun time. I wish I knew more MDC mama's IRL...Most of my mama friends are soooo mainstream. Makes it hard!

spiritmama - Holy Teeth~ I think we are in for that too...we've been at ony 5 since the beginning of November and haven't seen any in sight since then...Good luck to ya both!

Jacob is doing a lot better since we have been home! He transitioned back to daycare much better than I did. I had a 2 weeek Christmas break...so he's had mama the last two weeks. He has become a full-time biped in that time so he went back to daycare with a whole new attitude...he's a *big kid* now and wants to be treated like one. He tries to sit at the big kid table with the other kids and doesn't want to sit in his high chair. It's adorably heart breaking..he's really growing up!


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## MelW (Jan 13, 2005)

I was going to offer up Bex as living in Austin, but remembered that it's actually your ds's (or dh's) name? Am I right?

QofC~ I hope your pinkeye clears up soon.

kaspirant~ Whew! What a vacation. I hope that you're recovering and resting well.

I'm feeling kind of bleh about breastfeeding right now, too. Neela is doing something funny with her latch from teething and one nipple is terribly blistered. I think it would heal if she would just give it a little break, but her longest sleep last night was two hours, and otherwise she nursed every hour







:

kristina~ Good luck with your packing and moving!

BodoGirl~ It's great to hear from you! Welcome back to the thread.

Neela is so chatty now, and has too many words to count. She's always surprising us with new words. My current favourite is "Melanie"







though mostly I'm mum or mama.


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## SoulJourney (Sep 26, 2005)

Holy smokes! I don't quite have time to read EVERYTHING, but just wanted to post a quick hello!

Welcome, new mamas!

*mrsrwbabe*: Where in Indiana? We're there, too.


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## spiritmomma (Aug 29, 2005)

stayed up too late knitting.... again.... must sleep.....


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Holy smokes is right! Now I am wondering about Isaac. Dominic was super advanced verbally for his age (but physical took him a long time.) Isaac only says mama, dad, no and "aw" for eye. And then just lots of blabbery gibberish... All these moms talk about all the words their kids say. Is that typical? Is Isaac behind? I had just been chalking it up to him learning and mastering walking so his verbal development will come after.


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

Danile, Skye puts her dummy in when she's walking so she doesn't have to try and walk and talk at the same time. It sounds totally normal to me








spiritmama, come play in yarn crafts sometime








kaspirant, I can send you the geeky links if you want, but there seems to be a link between "bad" reactions to croup and asthma- you know how most things you read about croup tell you to sit with the baby in a steamy bathroom? Well, my experience is that you dose them with oral steroids (nebulisers aren't as effective on croup, as you've probably discovered by now) and head for an oxygen cannister while you wait for the steroids to work. LMK if you want to vent, I know dealing with croup on this scale- or asthma- totally challenges my ideas of what parenting _should_ be.
I am so jealous of all you mamas meeting up. I'm not flying anywhere next summer now, so unless Zjande decides to come to the UK on her honeymoon, (hee-hee, she's getting MARRIED!) I'm never going to meet any of you.
Does anyone else have a very picky eater at the moment? Skye is pretty much refusing any fruit and vegetables: which I know is all my fault for allowing her to eat crap early, but I assumed that as my boys are goats and eat absolutely everything in sight, she would be the same way. How wrong can I be?


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## Queen of Cups (Aug 29, 2003)

What is average for kiddos: a few words at one year (1-5), and at least 50 words and occasional two word combinations by 2 years, and a few thousand words by 3 years old with simple sentences of 3-4 words.

Just google "verbal milestones in children" or "speech development in infants" or similar terms and you'll get a ton of checklists, charts, and article and you'll find that only a few words at 13 months is absolutely normal!


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

Helen, Brynn is soooooooooo picky and always has been. Despite her little foray into eating with gust a few weeks ago, she's back to refusing almost everything I offer. Yesterday she ate two grape tomotoes while I cooked dinner, and maybe 5 black-eye peas at lunch. And that's it. Sigh. Hey, did you ever get the thrush cleared up, by the way?

I can't believe all of the babies with mouth-fulls of teeth!! Brynn still has just 5, but I think #6 is going to cut through the gums at any moment. I have heard of several babes this age getting molars already, but I don't think she is yet - though if she were, I'd hardly know, since she absolutely will not let me put my finger in her mouth!

I agree with the other mamas who posted about ambivalent feelings toward nursing. I am feeling the exact same way! Some days (or hours, I guess I should say), I really feel like I am ready to wean this child, but then we have these incredibly tender or funny moments that fill my heart so completely. Also, even if I really wanted to wean, Brynn isn't eating nearly enough in the solid food department to compensate!

As for the sleep issue, I'm glad to know we aren't the only ones still struggling in that department. Last night Brynn woke up every hour.







: It's partially just her habit, but I think it could also be that tooth coming in. One really interesting thing we've discovered though is that she sleeps MUCH better if I am not in the bed with her. For the past few nights I have been sleeping in the spare room and leaving Brynn in the bed with Daddy, and she has been sleeping 3 to 4 hours at a stretch, versus 1-2 hours with me. If I'm not in the bed, she is much more likely to just cuddle with Jason and go back to sleep. So we are going to try to make this transition and get her used to sleeping for longer periods of time, but with our trip coming up next week...I don't have really high aspirations right now. But it's good information to know for when we get back into our usual routine.

Someone asked about DH's job search (can't find the post again now), but the short answer is that we're not sure when we will know where we're moving. He is going to be going to these hiring conferences at the end of the month, and he's also got his resume in with FEMA and another private company, so we are *hoping* that we will know something by mid-February. It's really exciting to think about all of the cool places we *might* end up, but I just hate being in suspense! I want to be able to find out what our lives will be like wherever we go. Right now, some possible cities are: Atlanta (which I would love, because I'd be near my best friend again!), somewhere in Nebraska (yawn), Austin (that would be cool!), Toledo (no thanks), Denton TX (near Dallas, so I'm not really thrilled about that since that's where my ANNOYING mother-in-law lives)...and some others I can't remember right off the top of my head.

barcelona, I *was* in Austin (or just south of Austin, to be more precise) in October!! Wish I had known you were there, because I would have loved to have met you and Finley! Well, next time.









Oh, Mel, I laughed when you said that Neela says Melanie. For the past few days, Brynn has been calling me "Mimi" off and on. I have no idea if it's just a fun variation on Mama, or if she hears people calling me Amy and is trying to mimic. Either way, it's really funny.









Spughy, yay on the sugar purging and working out!!

Christy, good to see you again, Mama!!


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## spughy (Jun 28, 2005)

*#$*!*#$^#!

I have mastitis again.

But Rowan slept a solid 3-hour stretch in her crib last night.

But I have mastitis again. WHY WHY WHY???? The ONLY possible explanation I have is that I wore a shirt with a horizontal seam across the chest to bed last night. How can my breast possibly be that sensitive? Stupid boob. I hate it.


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

Spughy, that really bites! A friend of mine had mastistis 3 times in a period of about 3 months, and she attributed it to the fact that she was over-tired and wasn't getting enough support around the house from her hubby. I'm not suggesting this is the case with you, but maybe since you are back at work, your energy level isn't as high, or maybe your immune system isn't 100%? Just something to think about. I hope you recover soon, and kick it for good.

Well, my news of the day is that I finally took some time (like 3+ hours) to get some video online! Just pop over to our blog, and you can link from there.


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## MelW (Jan 13, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *flapjack* 
I am so jealous of all you mamas meeting up. I'm not flying anywhere next summer now, so unless Zjande decides to come to the UK on her honeymoon, (hee-hee, she's getting MARRIED!) I'm never going to meet any of you.

Summer 08, UK meetup? We're planning a trip to Europe after Matt graduates- including a mandatory stalking of Irish and English poets and a visit to my cousin in London. I want to hear you say "good maude" in person









We're still card-carrying members of the sleepless club, but Neela makes up for it with new cute baby tricks. Today she lifted her shirt, rubbed her tummy and said "tickle, tickle, tickle", then collapsed into a pile of giggles on the floor.

And a total side conversation, inspired by Amy's note of Brynn saying "hiney"- how are you all naming "private" parts? I've been saying bum, penis, and vagina. I recently had a conversation with a friend who is being more technically correct and teaching vulva.


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## SoulJourney (Sep 26, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *spiritmomma* 
stayed up too late knitting.... again.... must sleep.....









hehe me too, mama, me too.


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## StrawberryFields (Apr 6, 2005)

Hi everyone. I don't remember if I posted on the November thread at all in December; it was a really busy month for us! Ds' birthday was November 25th and we threw a big (40-ish people) "One Fish, Two Fish" party, we threw a 75 person Christmas party 2 weeks later, and hosted an open house at our home on Christmas Day.

Anyway, Andrew is running, climbing, and talking! He hasn't had any new words for a long time, I guess he's content to stick with "That?" "Hot," "Hi!" "Nigh-night" "Mum-mum" and "Dada." He started signing milk this month and now he does it all the time. He's getting his top teeth and actually fried out dh's laptop with his drool!







Dh is heartbroken, apparently he needs a new motherboard.


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## MelW (Jan 13, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *StrawberryFields* 
He's getting his top teeth and actually fried out dh's laptop with his drool!







Dh is heartbroken, apparently he needs a new motherboard.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

That is pretty humorous when you think about it.


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

My dh is cringing.
Amy, the lack of food thing is good to know. We've taken to allowing Skye to stand however she wants in her highchair and offering food on a spoon, which is going down more: but I think it's all thrush-related, because she's craving carbs. We have a visit to the homoeopath next week (how cool is this? Because of the crappy area we live in, I get to see a homoeopath for free!) so hopefully she'll be able to balance Skye out a bit, and maybe even help with the crappy nausea.
Suddenly, I know I'm pregnant







I'd forgotten this bit.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

You're pregnant?? Congrats!! THat is awesome!!


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## Gunter (May 5, 2005)

i was over in life with a babe wondering where our due date club had disappeared to??? then, i realized that we have freakin toddlers! duh.

okay, i am going to read the posts and get back to you all. dh is with dd at some free gymboree class. he just called me from the parking lot saying that he didn't want to take her in b/c everyone was pulling up in suv's and wearing leotards. haa haa.


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## Bex80 (Feb 8, 2004)

Gunter







!!!!

Spughy








I hope you are on your way to feeling better soon!!


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

Gunter








Danile, I'm due somewhere round the end of August/ start of September. suprgrl's up the duff too, and a few others







And I'd forgotten just how bad m/s was, especially when I was p/g with Isaac.


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## Bex80 (Feb 8, 2004)

Helen, I smile each time I read that phrase "Up the Duff". When we do have #3, I will be saying that to people.

I hope the m/s lets up soon.


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## Gunter (May 5, 2005)

spughy- ezra says "ball" all the time, too. usually when she sees one she points and says it. she and our dog play with balls together a lot and there is always a ball in the books we read, it seems. so funny that our babes with few words say ball of all things.

kaspirant- so sorry about your horrible trip to nc. it really is a great place to live, imho. i hate that your time here was stressful and your babe was sick. is he doing okay now?

*amy*- i read your blog! your babe is so precious; okay, you and your whole fam are precious! that hike looked like a place near me but i think that you are in oh, right?

spiritmama- ezra is getting some teeth, too...molars? not sure which ones as i can only feel them and not really see them. she has her top and bottom four teeth; she got those kinda early though.
and mel w and amy- i go back and forth about her nursing, too. sometimes i would be okay without the constant night nursing and other times i love her snuggling up for a nurse. when she fell and busted her lip yesterday at starsuck's i was soooo thankful that we are still nursing b/c it calmed her instantly. her mouth full of blood was washed away by breastmillk and it impressed the people at the coffee shop, for sure to see her quiet down so quickly. another mom there (who was bottle feeding her babe from her chair while the babe was on the floor in a carrier) told me she heard that breastfeeding calms babes after their shots (vaccines)and asked if i do it then. I just said, oh, she hasn't had to get any shots, yet. i called dh and told him to remind me of how great bfing is/this story whenever i am annoyed by my overworked tired boobies.







plus, it's easy to feed her breastmilk when she won't eat anything else or when i am at a loss for making us something else to eat, you know?

strawberry fields- glad to know that i am not the only one with laptop trouble. though, it was me who broke it and not the babe. in a moment of rage b.c our craft project was going insane, i banged on the keyboard and the computer stopped working. yeah, great. when we were going to take it to the mac store to have them fix it, i told dh that i couldn't go in and tell them what had happened. "yeah, i was upset that my baby wouldn't put paper with glue on it on some other paper and was putting it on her legs, instead and crawling around and grabbing scissors...so, logically, i just slammed my hands on the keyboard." right. he put on a halo and said, "oh, honey, you don't have to tell them a thing. you can just go next door and browse and the bookstore." precious dh. it's fixed now!

New Years' Eve this year was my dh's 30th birthday. We hand-picked an indian food buffet for 25 of our friends and had the whole restaurant to ourselves. it was yummy and fun! our friends all chipped in and gave dh nice computer speakers. it was the only gift he wanted and he was sad to not get them from me on christmas day. but, i knew they were coming from friends; he was so happy and surprised. i gave him an i-pod, which he has been lusting over for months...or years, possibly? we listen to music/movies on our computer all the time and don't have a stereo/or a tv so these are super useful.

i miss you all tremendously!!!


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## barcelona (May 1, 2006)

Helen, I hope you feel better! M/S is no fun. If I really think about it, I remember it well. Yuck. Eating little bits (of crackers, etc) all day long helped mine from getting out of control.

And spughy, UGH about the mastitis! So sorry. I really hope it's going away and that it'll go away for good.

Amy, thank you so much for posting those videos! How incredibly fun to see Brynn in action and to hear her little voice. Like with Rowan's video, it makes me feel like I know her (and y'all) a little better. By the way, Finley and Dh were also watching, and DH was like, is that our apartment? It looks just like our apartment! So yeah, the interiors of our homes are rather similar.







Can't wait to hear where you guys end up moving...I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you that it's one of the cities you're wanting.

Gunter, that is Hilarious about the Gymboree class.

Strawberry Fields, sounds like the parties were fun.
Our update is that Finley has been sick, and now I'm sick with it (a bad cold and low fever). Thankfully he seems to be feeling better, and less snotty. We tried the humidifier which seems to help (thanks to the mom who recommended that, I can't find the post). We also gave him a warm bath, even though he Hates them, and that also seemed to help. And thankfully, DH is home so I'm able to rest rest, so hopefully I can be back to myself come Monday. I feel much better today than I did yesterday, so that is good.

As for Finley, this week he has been exploding with signs and words, which is so exciting. Especially the signs, which just thrills me. It's great when I see him doing a sign that I haven't even done for a while, knowing that it is in his brain, stored, and that it came out, and more will too! Some new signs include: sun, horse, pig (almost), baby (along with his verbal rendition, which is a high voice and squinting eyes, emphasizing their delicacy, it seems), come on (as in follow me).

Happy weekend everyone (and happy knitting, spiritmama and peacefulmommy)!


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## StrawberryFields (Apr 6, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Gunter* 
strawberry fields- glad to know that i am not the only one with laptop trouble. though, it was me who broke it and not the babe. in a moment of rage b.c our craft project was going insane, i banged on the keyboard and the computer stopped working. yeah, great. when we were going to take it to the mac store to have them fix it, i told dh that i couldn't go in and tell them what had happened. "yeah, i was upset that my baby wouldn't put paper with glue on it on some other paper and was putting it on her legs, instead and crawling around and grabbing scissors...so, logically, i just slammed my hands on the keyboard." right. he put on a halo and said, "oh, honey, you don't have to tell them a thing. you can just go next door and browse and the bookstore." precious dh. it's fixed now!


OMG! Glad that it is fixed now. Poor dh's is still broken.







Although it makes a funny story. He was on the couch, uploading pictures from the digital camera to the laptop and ds was watching him. When he unplugged the camera, the open USB cable touched a spot of drool and WHAM! The computer immediately went black. We can make a claim on our homeowner's to get it fixed but we have to pay the $500 deductible...or get the new motherboard through Dell but we have to pay to have their certified tech install it. They won't let us do it ourselves. Dh works in IT so he knows his options, they all just SUCK.









Luckily my laptop was JUST fixed because my hard drive went right before dh's computer broke. We lost a few pics but when dh installed my new hard drive he copied his picture folder over to my laptop. If they had both gone at the same time it's possible we could have lost the entire folder of pictures of ds since he was born.







Thank goodness it didn't happen that way and it is a reminder to back everything up!


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

Barcelona, that is crazy that the insides of our houses look so similar! We must have the same taste!









Hi Gunter!!!!!! Yep, we're in Ohio....but probably not for much longer now. It's good to see you pop up every now and again.









I'm just on for a short post. I have felt so crappy the past few days - unbearably tired and kind of overall icky, and then have had these episodes of vertigo, which kind of freaks me out. I can't decide if I should go to the doctor or not. We're leaving on Tuesday for Texas though, so I probably won't have time to go anyway.

I had a really great experience at the mall the other day: I was sitting on a bench nursing Brynnie when a woman came up to me. I had that split-second feeling of, "Oh god, is she going to try to bitch me out for nursing in public?" but no - she said, "I just wanted to come over here and give you a high-five for nursing your baby!"







:







We had a nice short conversation about how lame people are, etc., and it just made me feel really good! So, it does make a difference.









OK gotta go to bed. I feel like crap.


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

Oh honey, I hope a good nights sleep makes you feel better.


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## spiritmomma (Aug 29, 2005)

Updates:

Isa is sleeping quite wonderfully at night again (yay!) but at the expense of nursing MUCH less... Yesterday she only nursed 3 times all day then only twice at night







I didn't realize how little she'd woken to nurse until the morning when my breasts were heavy, tight, and painful







My feelings about weaning are SO conflicted. I guess I'll just be thankful that she is still nursing _some_ of the time and not rush the remaining nursings away....







:
She is walking like crazy now. More and further each day. Still toddling and not quite running, but definitely walking now. Amazing.
She is also just in the last few weeks picked up a zillion new signs and started saying _papa, baby, ball, bye bye,_ and _yes and no_ *sigh* My baby is no longer a baby. But I'm really excited.

Peacefulmommy has officially got the knitting bug, and boy has she been contagious. I'm a knitting fool. I don't even like to stop knitting to go to the bathroom.


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## spughy (Jun 28, 2005)

Oh I wish I could knit. I've tried and it really aggravates an old repetitive-strain injury.









My immune system is officially shot all to hell. I don't know what's going on. First the mastitis, now I've got another cold again. That combined with my surgery tomorrow is going to make for a little puddle of misery by tomorrow night, I'm sure.

I"m also pretty sure that my immune system would be at least partially fixed if I nightweaned Rowan and slept more than 1,2,3 and 4 hour chunks at night. But if I did that then she'd hardly nurse at all, and, like spiritmomma, I am in no way ready for that, and neither is Rowan. So, I guess I will just try to eat as healthy as I can and get a bit of exercise here and there and just live with the colds and infections and whatnot. (Not only would nightweaning kill our nursing relationship, it'd make me almost irrelevant in her life since DH would have to take over the night-time parenting completely for a while...and I only see her for about 3 hours a day when she's awake anyway. Totally not happening.)

But it's so hard, knowing when the damage to your body outweighs the damage to your baby that will be caused by premature weaning.


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## spiritmomma (Aug 29, 2005)

spughy:





















.... that is a really hard choice to make. so sorry that your body is all wonky right now. if possible, take a few minutes a day, (even just one at a time) and hold your hands over your heart center and say a little prayer. Here's a nice one that I found and like very much:

Mother, sing me a song
That will ease my pain,
Mend broken bones,
Bring wholeness again.
Catch my babies
When they are born,
Sing my death song,
Teach me how to mourn.

Show me the Medicine
Of the healing herbs,
The value of spirit,
The way I can serve.

Mother, heal my heart
So that I can see
The gifts of yours
That can live through me.

Hope you are feeling better soon... And I also hope you and Rowan can enjoy a lengthy nursing relationship that has you BOTH feeling good.


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## kaspirant (Apr 28, 2006)

So many new posts...I can't even keep up. We are doing sooo good. The wedding is only 3 months away and I am STRESSED about too much. I will be so much happier when it's all over. We are only sending out 25 invitations...just family and close friends...but it seems like so much more than that. It's nuts!

I hope that everyone has a great Monday!


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## MelW (Jan 13, 2005)

Spughy~ I hope you're feeling better soon. Good luck with the surgery- lots of healing vibes headed your way









And healing vibes to you, too Amy.

spiritmomma~ Congrats on the terrific sleep! I'm officially jealous...


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## kaspirant (Apr 28, 2006)

Okay so I had some time to read and catch up.

Spughy...I'm sooo sorry. *hugs* and prayers that your body and needs can all be better!!!

spiritmomma - I'm so jealous...I wish I had the time/energy to knit....I'm about to start bringing projects to class with me...knitting while teaching 200 8th graders Physical Science....Hmmm maybe I will









Healthy wishes for all the sick mama's and kiddos!

Walking and Talking is going strong here...it's so amazing to watch his little personality come out strong now


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## MamaFern (Dec 13, 2003)

hi everyone..







ive been reading and keeping up but never seem to get a chance to post anything..

sleep woes, yes..teething woes, yes, nursing woes, not so much although my body wants ngaio to night ween sooo bad.








s to thiose having a rough time with whatever in life isnt so great..

things here are good but full..hopefully we are picking up our van today, or at least paying the guy..and no foster baby yet..though i did get certified in infant and baby/child CPR over the weekend.. it was fun and im glad to know it all..

daycare starts back up tomorow *sigh* but other than that nothing very exciting..

love to you all on this january day


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *spughy* 
I"m also pretty sure that my immune system would be at least partially fixed if I nightweaned Rowan and slept more than 1,2,3 and 4 hour chunks at night.

I'm *so* with you on that one, Mama. Sometimes it surprises me that I'm functional *at all* with the shit for sleep that I've been getting for the past 200 years. Well, 16 months is probably more like it, but same diff. Sometimes I try to imagine the day that Brynn sleeps soundly for 5, 6, or more hours in a row, and it seems like a fairy tale that I will never actually experience for myself.

I am feeling back to myself again today, though, which is reassuring. The vertigo is gone, thank Maude (tm Helen). I am not sure, but I think my cycle may be coming back...and the vertigo and extreme fatigue were related to that. I had the teeniest bit of spotting following several hours of *intense* menstrual cramps, so I guess something's going on there. This is the second or third month I've had these phantom periods, so I have no idea if I'm actually ovulating or not. At least I've got an IUD though, because lord knows I could not deal with any less sleep than I'm getting now!!!









Anyway we're headed off to Texas tomorrow for a week, so I hope you all have a nice long weekend (if you are American) and that all of you sickies get to feeling better, especially you Spughy!


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## SoulJourney (Sep 26, 2005)

Hey mamas! Like many of you, haven't had much time to post so. I'll admit, it's honestly because I'm squinting my eyes and cramping up my hands knitting into the wee hours! I can't believe what I've been missing out on all this time!







I spent quite a bit of time just practicing and teaching myself how to knit, with the help of Spiritmomma, of course!







HERE is my first project THREE ROWS from being completed and HERE is what it will look like on! = ) SOOOOO excited!








to all of you mamas! I'm reading about you, I really am!

Spughy: What REALLY helps boost my immune system when I feel icky: echinacea(3x a day), Emergen-C(2x a day), my vitamins and lots and LOTS of water. Has SERIOUSLY helped me fight off yuck several times. I hope you get to feeling better soon.

*Amy* get to feeling better, too!

Fern: I want to see pics of your van when you get it!!!!!

Would love to write more, however, I HAVE A PROJECT TO FINISH!


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## MamaFern (Dec 13, 2003)

OOh its beautiful!! i love the soysilk yarn!! is that the dark earth colourway?
i cant wait to see it on your head complete! im so so happy that you are a knitter now!

we made an offer on a beautiful delica tonight.. we drove out to richmond to see it (which is like an hour from where we live) in the rain and fog and cold..its pretty rad and we are crossing our fingers in hope that he will go down in price a bit from his asking..

ill update you when we know


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

I have taken on some babysitting... so my reason for not posting is that.







I wish I could say that I am knitting (but I don't even know how) and besides.. Dominic is having soooo much fun with the kids that come over. How could I resist?


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## Phoenix_Rising (Jun 27, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MamaFern* 
OOh its beautiful!! i love the soysilk yarn!! is that the dark earth colourway?

where can I get soysilk yarn? do i have to buy it online?

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Queen of Cups* 
What is average for kiddos: a few words at one year (1-5), and at least 50 words and occasional two word combinations by 2 years, and a few thousand words by 3 years old with simple sentences of 3-4 words.

Just google "verbal milestones in children" or "speech development in infants" or similar terms and you'll get a ton of checklists, charts, and article and you'll find that only a few words at 13 months is absolutely normal!

KeaganRae babbles A LOT but really only says mama. He *tries* to say hungry but it comes out "nuh nuh". He recognizes the signs for more, hungry, milk and can sign "more". What he lacks in verbage he has in teeth though. Poor kid is now working on #12. In a period of 2 days this weekend he got 3 teeth. OUCH!


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## spiritmomma (Aug 29, 2005)

Susannah: So does KaeganRae have some molars? Isa seems to be working on some molars on the bottom.

Peacefulmommy: I know you've finished... I can't wait to see it on!


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

Blooming heck, mama, I can't believe you chose a calorimetry for your first project. I HATE ribbing, and I take my headwrap thingummy off to you








Susannah- 12 teeth? Yowch. I believe the soysilk yarn mentioned is made by Paton's and stocked by Joann's, but I have neither of these things so I might be completely wrong.
Fern, what's a delica? A car? Another spinning wheel? Whatever it is, I hope you get it.
Amy, my periods hurt far more when I haven't ovulated than when I have. It's like my body is trying really really hard to squeeze out this tiny drop of blood, instead of relaxing and let nature take its course. Y'know? I really hope that you feel better soon.
Spiritmomma, if it's OK I'm going to borrow that poem. My magic ball of yarn is going to someone who would appreciate it.
Spughy







Take care of yourself, OK?


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## MamaFern (Dec 13, 2003)

delica = van..









ngaio is working on molars and none too happy about it..

she finally got over a nasty cold and has another green snotty nose..so i dont know. i miss the sun.

my daycare kiddos just arrived for the first time since the school holidays.. back to work. oh joy


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## Queen of Cups (Aug 29, 2003)

Ellie has 10 teeth - four front on top and bottom, top two molars, and the bottom two molars are working really hard to get through. UGH!

But, here is the cutest picture of her yesterday. She woke up from her nap with crazy, sweaty, bed-head... silly Ellie!


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## DreamsInDigital (Sep 18, 2003)

The SCARIEST most awful thing happened to us at the mall yesterday. I went there to meet a friend for a playdate, and I got a double stroller for Kolaiah and Winter because my chiro has insisted I cannot sling Winter and we went up to the food court for some lunch. As I was standing at Taco Time ordering, Winter flipped himself over in his seat so he was laying on his belly but he was still strapped in. He slid down under the little steering wheel and got stuck. Stuck stuck. Like I tried for 5 minutes to get him out and then started hysterically crying and he's crying and screaming because the steering wheel is digging into his back and the edge of the seat is digging into his tummy and his diaper is caught under the seat and his leg is caught under the foot rest and his hip was caught under the side of something inside the car. Some of the staff from Taco Time came out to help and then someone called security and a lady came to help and suddenly there's a huge crowd of 50 people and here I am hysterically crying and my maternity pants are sliding down and everyone can see my fat ass maternity underwear and Kolaiah's yelling at everyone to stop hurting his brother and Winter's hysterical too. It was awful and I felt like the worst mother ever. They finally got him out and I just hugged him and bawled in front of all these people. I just sat on the floor with him and cried and hugged him and kissed him. Then I realized there was a huge crowd of people and I shakingly got to my feet and sat down at a table just holding Winter and trying to regain some control. Somebody brought me my food and Winter's signing eat eat eat more more more so I just sat there and fed him his lunch in a total daze and Kolaiah sat and ate his lunch like nothing happened. After a bit the security guard came back and brought the kids toys and balloons and told me to have someone call her if I needed anything. I just stared at her blankly thinking what more do I need than my baby? I thanked her but I felt a little crazy, a little hysterical, very confused and detached from reality. It wasn't until I got the kids home that I started to feel normal again. I don't really remember driving home. I feel completely traumatized and I don't think I can ever put my baby in one of those mall strollers ever again.
Winter is fine except a few little scratches on his back and belly, and I explained to Kolaiah what really happened and that everyone was helping and not hurting Winter and he seemed okay with it. I just can't stop hugging my baby and being so thankful he didn't get hurt.


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

You're not the worst mother in the world. My kids would have done exactly the same thing in that situation, and I've had a few "doh" parenting moments myself- I think we all have. The security guards had to be nice, they probably had enough sense to worry that when you calmed down you'd sue the mall for providing those dangerous buggies.
Are you complaining? Formally, I mean? A kid shouldn't be able to get stuck like that, especially not someone as small (agewise) as Winter.


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## DreamsInDigital (Sep 18, 2003)

Some people are suggesting I file a lawsuit to force the mall to change their strollers. It's owned by a huge company and there are more of the exact same mall with the exact same strollers all over the place here in the US.
I haven't decided what to do yet. I'm still kind of trying to get over the trauma first.


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## MelW (Jan 13, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Susannah M* 
KeaganRae babbles A LOT but really only says mama. He *tries* to say hungry but it comes out "nuh nuh". He recognizes the signs for more, hungry, milk and can sign "more". What he lacks in verbage he has in teeth though. Poor kid is now working on #12. In a period of 2 days this weekend he got 3 teeth. OUCH!

I bet his mouth hurts too much to talk much! Poor boy!

DiD~ I hope you guys are having a better, calmer day today.


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## Belleweather (Nov 11, 2004)

Hello, November Mamas! I'm back at MDC after a long haitus... I had to have a lot of therapy for PPD, and my therapist gently suggested that I take a break from Mothering because the contentious and blaming threads really got to me. Now that I'm feeling less vaulnerable, I'm hppy to get back in touch with all of you!

Our family is doing really, really well... Elliot is just starting to walk a few steps on his own, has only two teeth (and those are very recent. The pediatrician was starting to gently suggest dental x-rays to make sure he had teeth before the first one popped up in November) and says a couple of words -- mama, kitty, tree, dada and banana. He's the most enormously social child I've ever seen in my life which is quite the challenge to his very very introverted parents! Nathan and I are doing okay. I'm in school, STILL. I'd hoped to graduate at the end of last summer but handling school with a toddler is a lot more of a challenge than we'd anticipated... we're both limping through and should finish at the end of the semester, as long as we pass everything. After that, we're looking forward to moving home to the Pacific Northwest for a few years while we decide whether we're going to leave the country permanently -- DH has some opportunities we're looking into in New Zealand, so there's a good chance that we'll be there before the end of the decade.

So that's where we're at... I'm really, really looking forward to catching up on what is happening with everyone else's lives and kids, and new pregnancies (Congratulations, Helen!) and everything!


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## SoulJourney (Sep 26, 2005)

Fern: Yes, it's the SNS wool/soy in I think natural earth. It may be called dark earth, though!

Helen: I have found that I rather enjoy ribbing! So far, anyway!







And it is Paton's, stocked at JoAnn Fabrics.

Here are a few pics of it now! You can see my knitting needle in the pic of me...I didn't have a button on it yet. Now there are two cool wooden beads as buttons in place of the knitting needle.









pic #1
pic #2
pic #3 (I just like this shot!)

The colors are more true to life in these pics.








DiD...you are not a bad mama! I hope you and baby Winter are settled now!

Spiritmomma: LOVE the poem.


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## Phoenix_Rising (Jun 27, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *spiritmomma* 
Susannah: So does KaeganRae have some molars? Isa seems to be working on some molars on the bottom.


Quote:


Originally Posted by *flapjack* 
Susannah- 12 teeth? Yowch. I believe the soysilk yarn mentioned is made by Paton's and stocked by Joann's, but I have neither of these things so I might be completely wrong.


Yes, 12 teeth. And yes, he has 2 molars. He's got the four top teeth in front, 4 bottom teeth in front, the first molar on both sides on the bottom jaw, one canine on the bottom, and the first molar on (I think the left side) has come in and out a copule of times now. I had NO IDEA that a babe this young could have SO MANY teeth, but it sounds like there are a few more out there in our DDC!

I'll have to check at Joann's for the soysilk yarn. Got a gift card for there from my MIL this holiday season


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## MamaFern (Dec 13, 2003)

we got our van today!!!!







: its so rad!
woohoo..

oh..and our new foster baby is on his way here. born dec 28th..im waiting impatiently to see him..

ill update you with pics soon..


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## BodoGirl (Jun 29, 2005)

So, I keep reading everyone's posts... So much to catch up on.

An update on my twins.

They are 14 months now. Carrie has been walking since she was 12 months and Andrew is walking more now than last month. He was a serious cruiser.

Carrie has been signing milk milk since 10 months and then 'more' came shortly after that. Andrew doesn't sign back to me yet, but he does understand.

Both kids are babbling and putting words together. I understand some, not all.

We have ECI coming out to work with Andrew. I was concerned because a month ago, he wasn't as far along as Carrie. It used to be that he was the 'quick' one, but around the time Carrie started walking, she took off physically and verbally.

I inititially thought Andrew may be Autistic, but not so sure now. It's a parents worst fear. At least it was for me, because we worked so hard to get the babies here. Anything less than perfect is such a scary thing.

I'm still not sure he's got any real issues, other than a slight delay. Ever since we started the rough housing with him, etc, he's really taken off. He's been walking, babbling, looking me in the eyes, laughing, interacting with me and his sister as well as using his hands in some sort of fashion. So, who knows. Last week, I was in the darkest funk I'd ever been in. I decided that it was best to not analyze every little thing about Andrew. First of all, it is too early. Second of all, I had to give it a chance to work. AND, believe me when I say, the play is working.

Let me add about the 'play'.... Prior to the play, from about 8 months until about 12 months, I was busy setting up my Photography Studio. So, every spare minute I was off setting up the biz. Therefore, I didn't play with the kids. Oh sure, we went out and did stuff, but when we were home, I was in my office and they were in the playroom. Part of me feels very guilty.

What makes all of the above REALLY hard is the fact that Carrie is FLYING through her milestones. I try really hard NOT to compare the two.

Oh well, I'm around, so please be sure to look for me (or send me an email) if I don't realize our thread has moved on.

Great knitting BTW! I forget who posted the pics, but beautiful!!!! thanks!

Amy - I am in AUSTIN until Saturday. Maybe we could get together.

Hugs and happiness to all!

Christy


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Glad to hear most of you are doing pretty well. And







to the mamas who are having a hard time. (Myself being one of them.) Lots of teething, diaper rashes, and upset toddlers around here. Plus I am snowed in.. Oh well. This too shall pass. Just checking in a little.


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

Hugs to Christy.
FWIW, I am astounded by how different my girl is to my boys. In particular, she is far more verbal than they are, and far, far more prepared to sit down and figure out a problem, whereas the boys would leave something they couldn't do and come back to it later. Have you considered sitting down and reading some of the literature on parenting boys? That might help reassure you but to be honest, both twins sound absolutely gorgeous and I want to give them squishy hugs :group It's only going to get worse though- like when he gets to 3 and is the kid running around playgroup playing motorbikes with his best friend while everyone else is sitting, gently singing "twinkle, twinkle little star". Obviously, neither of my boys ever committed this heinous crime







but some of this is life with a boy- and not necessarily one with a diagnosis either.
We've just had a very challenging 2 hours. We slept in and didn't get out of bed until quarter past seven, and Isaac was wheezy. Six blasts of inhaler and fifteen minutes later, both boys were downstairs, dressed and making breakfast. Skye was done in ten minutes including booby which left me half an hour to do the packed lunches and get myself dressed. In the end, we were sitting twiddling our thumbs for 20 minutes before we went to the bus stop (it's raining and stormy here) SO- how come when I set the alarm for 6am we always miss the bus and end up late for school?


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## BodoGirl (Jun 29, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *flapjack* 
Hugs to Christy.
FWIW, I am astounded by how different my girl is to my boys. In particular, she is far more verbal than they are, and far, far more prepared to sit down and figure out a problem, whereas the boys would leave something they couldn't do and come back to it later. Have you considered sitting down and reading some of the literature on parenting boys? That might help reassure you but to be honest, both twins sound absolutely gorgeous and I want to give them squishy hugs :group It's only going to get worse though- like when he gets to 3 and is the kid running around playgroup playing motorbikes with his best friend while everyone else is sitting, gently singing "twinkle, twinkle little star". Obviously, neither of my boys ever committed this heinous crime







but some of this is life with a boy- and not necessarily one with a diagnosis either.

I appreciate the support... I had to get off the internet about it. I swear I could dx my son with pregnancy if I looked hard enough. I'm just enjoying him and his quirks and I'm REALLy trying to get past the developmental differences between the two of my kids! I'm getting there!

OH, but the best news of all gals is that I'm STILL b/fing. Almost exclusively still - except for snacks. I find that my kids prefer milk to food. I am feeding them a sitdown dinner and then snacks during the day. But, yeah, I'm pretty happy that we've been able to b/f this long. I am still planning to get to 2 years old at a minimum! Can't believe how fast time zooms by!!!!
Christy







:


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## spughy (Jun 28, 2005)

Hello everyone,

I am very slowly recovering from surgery. I was totally misled as to how I would feel and how mobile I would be afterwards. "Oh it's just minor, yes you can go back to work the next day, blah de blah". YEAH RIGHT. I feel about as mobile as I did a day after giving birth, and it freakin' HURTS. I have an important meeting at work today but I don't think I can sit that much plus we're snowed in AGAIN (so much for global warming in our part of the world - actually if global warming = generally freaky weather we've got it in spades) and I really don't feel up to driving in this.

I can barely sit on the couch long enough to nurse Rowan. We reverted to nursing lying down last night but it was weird for both of us.

Gotta go, hurty.


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## Queen of Cups (Aug 29, 2003)

Spughy - do you mind me asking, what type of surgery did you have?


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

Sarah. I really hope you feel better soon. Was this the- erm, restitching?


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## MamaFern (Dec 13, 2003)

sarah.. take lots of arnica.

my stepdads cousin died sometime on tuesday night or wednesday.. no one really knows whats going on..all we do know is that he didnt show at home on tuesday and someone found him dead somewhere in downtown vancouver but it doesn't look traffic related.
our families are pretty close and he has a 6 year old daughter that im sure is just freaking out right now, as well as a wife. i feel so sad. we saw them just after christmas and they were all well and happy.. he is a federal prosecutor so there is some thought to whether this was foul play, but no one really knows. we just found out today and everyone is in a panic and totally shocked and upset. he was such a nice man..he held ngaio a lot that night and talked with elwynn in such a nice way. im kind of numb..its horrible.


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## spughy (Jun 28, 2005)

OMG Fern that's awful -







to your family, and oh that poor little girl.







I always feel sad for little girls losing their daddies. I lost mine when I was 21, I can't imagine how awful it would be at 6.

QofC - it was a scar excision & restiching to fix a tear that didn't heal properly after Rowan's birth. So sort of like having an episiotomy without the birth. Only they carved the bad tissue out.


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## MamaFern (Dec 13, 2003)

oh sarah, that does sound painful..

death is such an eye opener.. i dont really think about what it would be like if tim died, but now i am and it freaks the hell out of me. what would i do? what would any one of us do if our partner or lover or best friend or mother or father or child died.. i guess because i havn't had anyone really close to me ever pass away i dont know what i would do.. i never want to have to lose someone i love.. but i guess its reality, no matter how much you wish it weren't that way.


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## BodoGirl (Jun 29, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *spughy* 
was a scar excision & restiching to fix a tear that didn't heal properly after Rowan's birth. So sort of like having an episiotomy without the birth. Only they carved the bad tissue out.

OUCH! I hope you heal quickly.

I hate death. I know it's part of life, but it still sucks! Before the kids, the thought entered my mind that death would come knocking one day, but now, that thought terrifies me.

I am so afraid of what would happen to my kids. A huge eye opener - for sure.

I'm so sorry.

Christy


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Sarah- I can't imagine! My thoughts are with you and sending you good healing vibes.

Hey all! Enjoying a moment of sanity while DH watches a movie with Dom.







:







: We are doing a little better today, but not much. It's just hard being cooped up inside. We usually go SOMEWHERE each day and go do something with the kids- so I can see Dominic going stir crazy too. I am having a hard time lately on debating whether or not to focus on the kids until they are in school or go for my RN and Midwifery degree.. (my passion. I already teach Bradley Method Natural Childbirth Classes). So hard to decide.

I woke up this morning and found DH sleeping on the couch. (He works nights) Apparently he came home and thought we were sleeping so soundly that he wouldn't disturb us and try to move the kids around trying to crawl in. I sat down next to him and talked about his work night.. and then out of the blue he says, "I think you are pregnant." (Which he has said everytime I was.) And I said, "A little presumptious since I am only a day late." He says, "Just a feeling.. you have been forgetting to check your temp.. so you could have ovulated later and we should have been more careful." (We were waiting until spring originally.) Then he says, " It's okay.. I've been waiting for you to want to try. And we were going to start trying next month, but I think you already are."















So we will see... just thought I'd let ya'll know whats up in our world.


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

Oh, Fern







There isn't an easy way to deal with death. I lost my dad at 21 when I was pregnant with Alex, and it still hurts so much sometimes to think about him and Rowan. The horrible thing is that life still goes on and you have to go through it without them. I'm obsessive about keeping wills and things up to date, though, but what terrifies me is that if anything happens to me then the boys go and live with my ex and my family is destroyed







That's one of the reasons why Steve has parental responsibility- not so much because he needs it now, but because that would give him the right to see the boys if I weren't around any more, and so Skye and her brothers would stay in touch.
What helped Isaac a lot when his friend died last summer was drawing: he got through hundreds and thousands of sheets of paper, grieving through art. There's a lot of good resources out there from the hospice movement about talking to children about death as well.
Danile







When are you going to test?
Spughy, I hope you're healing well.


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## s_kristina (Aug 9, 2004)

Does anyone have any tips on how to make moving easier on Joseph? Late this afternoon after getting off work early dh will be picking up the keys to our duplex. We might be getting some things moved in yet tonight. This is going to be a huge change for Joseph. All his life he has lived in a hotel room. He has always been within sight of me and Annette both. I know Annette is looking forward to having her own room she can run off to and get away from little baby hands grabbing her toys. I'm not so sure how this is going to go for Joseph though. Hopefully having more room to play in and a nice big yard to go outside and play in will help ease things. We also have more toys that are going to be coming out of storage for them to play with so that will be a nice distraction.


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## Awaken (Oct 10, 2004)

Ugh, sick and exhausted here, plus fussy teething baby







:







:









Christy- nice to see you again, and hear how the twins are doing! I remember the time before they were born, and about their birth so well. Seems like it was just yesterday! Ummmm- both your twins are lightyears ahead of my full term singleton- he's not doing anything you're saying your 'slow' child is doing! Early Intervention has been terrific for my 4 yo- he's been in it since he was 18 mos. At least they will give you peace of mind, and give you some suggestions of how to interact w. your kids to help their development. We really enjoyed the home visits- the therapy is kind of basic, you could probably figure it out for yourself, but it's nice for them to have another grownup to 'play' with! OH, and I definitely think there is a LOT of truth to the boy-girl thing. All of my son's preschool classes (special ed) have been boys, sometimes there might be 1 or 2 girls, and his teacher says the ratio is always that way- hardly any girls in the classes, and more boys need extra help and get a slow start than girls.

I think it's SOOOOOOOOoo awesome that you're still nursing them! After all you went through in the beginning! You stuck with it, and it sounds like they are thriving! Way to go, mama









Fern- I'm so sorry
















DiD- what an awful day. I'm so sorry- it sounds like the people were helpful afterwards; that's nice anyway. I can't tell you how many times I just want to sit down and cry like that!

Sarah-





















hope you heal VERY quickly and are better than new soon!

Danile- let us know!







: What an intuitive husband!

Kristina- I'm so happy for you that you're moving! I think Joseph will be thrilled with his new space! I can't think of anything off the top of my head, except what you'd already do probably- not make his world too huge to begin with- keep him close to you when sleeping and playing and let him explore the house and expand his living space at his own pace.


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

Mary, I hope you feel better soon.
Kristina, I think the best option is to just grit your teeth and go with it. We moved once when Alex was 15 months or so old, and then again when he was 3 and Isaac had just turned 1, and the kids coped really well. We had a few broken nights (that is, more broken than usual), put lavender on their pillow and kept the rescue remedy on hand, but they were absolutely brilliant. Plus, you really are moving "to" something rather than "away from" so it should be even easier.


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

Hi Mamas. Just a quick hello from Texas. I just read all of the posts but only have a moment before going to bed, so I wanted to say:

Spughy - heal fast, Mama. I'm sorry you are hurting. Kind of must really suck to go through that kind of pain and not be getting a baby out of the bargain!







How's that damn left boob, by the way?

Fern, yay on the van! How fun!

Danile, can't wait to hear if you are in the family way again! That's pretty cool of your hubby!

Mary, sorry you aren't feeling well.







Hope you are on the fast road to recovery.

Christy, good to hear from you. Congrats on making it to one year with both twins!! That is super-human, lady! Oh, and I'm in Austin now (it's Saturday night) but I just read your message, so we missed each other!!!

DiD - good LORD, how horrible!!! Whatever you decide to do, I am just glad that your sweet babe is OK. That's totally the last thing you needed to go through ever, not to mention so close to your due date!

Helen, how are you feeling? Still pukey?

Belleweather, good to see you and read about the past year and recent developments. Sorry to hear about your negative experiences and PPD.







I hope that the next year will be easier for you, no matter where y'all end up.

Barcelona, I got your PM and will respond as soon as I can. I have to do a little research to find out the exact name, and then I will let you know! But I am really happy with mine.

We're having a really nice visit here in TX. We spent the past few days with good friends (also Brynn's guardians) and their 3-month old babe. There is a pic of Brynn and Catherine and Baby June on my blog; it's really cute. Now we're at DH's aunt and uncles house, and Dh's mom is here too so it's a nice family visit. Tomorrow we're taking Brynn to the children's museum, and I'm really excited.







I should have lots of fun pics to share when we get home. THe weather has turned insanely bad here though, so I'm just hoping we make it home as planned on Monday night. Keep your fingers crossed.

Well I'm off to bed. Miss ya mamas!


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

Hi Amy, glad the visit's going well.
Today I'm both pukey and crampy. I'd forgotten just how much fun early pregnancy can be


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## spughy (Jun 28, 2005)

Hi Mamas!

I am still pretty immobile, although now it's more from doctor's orders than the massive pain. The pain is still there but now thankfully masked by some Tylenol 3's (which are ok while nursing, apparently). I went to see my doctor yesterday and the problem is that there is MASSIVE bruising around the incision site, which is why it is so painful. She ordered me off the ibuprofen (because it's an anticoagulant it was keeping me bleeding) and prescribed me T3s and an ice pack. But I should be able to hobble into work tomorrow at least.

DH has been taking Rowan over to his parents so she can play with people who can crawl around on the floor and lift her up.







which is so not me right now. Poor little bug. She was getting pretty mummy-deprived so she stayed here yesterday with me and one of my friends came over to assist with the playing. We did read a lot of books though, and had some good cuddles, and she took most of her afternoon nap on my chest while I enjoyed the soporific effects of the T3s. But today she's at the ILs again. I miss her so much but I know she's happier there than she would be with me not being able to pick her up or play with her. I feel like absolute crap about that though - not to mention how bad I feel for not being able to help DH out at all, especially now when he is trying madly to finish his thesis for next week.
I am SO taking him out for dinner as soon as I am better. Poor guy.

ETA: Amy, the left boob seems to be behaving itself, thank goodness!


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## MelW (Jan 13, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *spughy* 
Hi Mamas!

I am still pretty immobile, although now it's more from doctor's orders than the massive pain. The pain is still there but now thankfully masked by some Tylenol 3's (which are ok while nursing, apparently). I went to see my doctor yesterday and the problem is that there is MASSIVE bruising around the incision site, which is why it is so painful. She ordered me off the ibuprofen (because it's an anticoagulant it was keeping me bleeding) and prescribed me T3s and an ice pack. But I should be able to hobble into work tomorrow at least.

Spughy, I'm sorry your healing is so challenging. As a little OT rant, it makes me crazy that the doctor would choose T3s, since they are sooo constipating. Make sure you get enough fluid and fibre! I hope you're feeling better soon.

Flapjack, I hope you're feeling second trimester terrific very, very soon.

Amy~ Enjoy the children's museum and the rest of your trip.

My sister and boyfriend are visiting right now, and dh and I went out for a date last night! I put Neela to bed first, and when she woke up my sister cuddled in bed with her and sang/rubbed her back to sleep









We went to Goodwill this weekend and Neela found the cutest little person chair made out of an industrial-size plastic bucket. It's decorated with bugs and frogs and has a nice cozy cushion and she can drag it aroudn by the handle. It's such a cute little find! I also bought some used receiving blankets for the flannel to make a couple of diapers. A co-worker is having a baby soon and asked for CDs for her shower.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Spughy- I am so glad you are doing so much better.

Well.. I thought I would update everyone. You won't believe the spookiness of this situation...

We are getting ready for church this morning and I express my concern to DH about being a few days late now. He says, "Well.. I don't necessarily think you are pregnant NOW.. I just think you're going to be pregnant soon."







: We try to dig all of the snow off of our car and get in... no budging.. this car is not making it out of the development. Settle down to eat lunch with the kids.. and AF starts!!!!!!!!!







So hey- at least there's an answer for me. It's almost starting to creep me out his predictions.. but maybe we are just super close.

As for Isaac.. he is sooooo adorable! He's being mumbling "no" for a while now.. but not really saying it. Today he was distinctly telling us "nonononononono" when we did something he didn't like. Then I tried calling him over to nurse and he looks at me with a big grin and says, "no!"







I know I'll be ripping my hair out about it soon.. but it was sooo cute!!


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## spiritmomma (Aug 29, 2005)

DucetteMama: It is hard to deal with "nononononononono...







" especially when you need to change a diaper, put your child in a car seat, etc... BUT the upside is that is IS super cute!







:
Flapjack: Hope the unpleasantness passes soon and you feel all glowy and fabulous soon.
Spughy: Thinking good thoughts about the hobbling going well today. Glad the pain isn't too bad. Hope the healing is fast and complete.
Fern:







: Knowing your family to be close and supportive during this trasitional time... It's always hard to hear such heavy news. My prayers are with you guys!


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

That really is crazy that there is soo many others that used the heater vents as kids too! I didn't expect that.


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

Heater vents? Must re-read.
OK, today I'm feeling nervous and panicky because I haven't thrown up today







I need to get a life. It could be the result of fresh air and needing to do stuff, of course.


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## barcelona (May 1, 2006)

I just wanted to quickly stop by and say that I have been reading and not posting







Time, oh time! And my mom had serious surgery on her colon (1/3 of it removed), so my extra energies have been going there. She is in recovery now, though, and seems to be doing well.

And Finley is giving me a moment's peace, though, as he plays with my boots, so I'mt aking advantage.

Just wanted to say that my thoughts are with all of you going through a hard time...spughy, fern, DiD, and flapjack.

How crazy about your DH's intuitions, Ducette.

MelW, your date sounds great. Alex (my DH) and I are starting to want to go on a date...and are hoping we can find a way before too long. It seems so impossible right now. Is Neela super comfortable and familiar with your sister? I can't imagine Finley being okay with anyone but me there to comfort him when he woke up. I'm afraid he would be traumatized and scared by not seeing us there. Any tips on how you worked up to this?

Amy, I hope your trip home from Austin is pleasant, and that you've been enjoying The Lone Star State.

More soon...Finley needs me.









Happy MLK Day, everyone.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Oh my gosh.. wrong thread! LOL


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## StrawberryFields (Apr 6, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DucetteMama21842* 

As for Isaac.. he is sooooo adorable! He's being mumbling "no" for a while now.. but not really saying it. Today he was distinctly telling us "nonononononono" when we did something he didn't like. Then I tried calling him over to nurse and he looks at me with a big grin and says, "no!"







I know I'll be ripping my hair out about it soon.. but it was sooo cute!!

My ds started saying "No," too! Not verbalizing, but shaking his head. And he's doing it for e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. "Do you need your diaper changed?" HEADSHAKE HEADSHAKE! Hand him a snack he doesn't want? HEADSHAKE HEADSHAKE! And along with the headshake he has started showing you he is angry by knocking things out of your hands with his arms.







:


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## spughy (Jun 28, 2005)

Yeah Rowan's been doing the headshake too. But she's saying "yeah" a lot as well, so it all balances out. And she's saying "up" now too. Amazing how "no", "yes" and "up" can encompass so many toddler needs! And it's nice to finally get a committed response to "Do you want boobies?" so I know BEFORE I untangle myself from my bra if it's a go or not!









I'm feeling better today. I'm off the T3's (thanks for that constipation warning Mel - I gobbled a pile of prunes after I read that and I'm all good in that area at least!) and back at work, just hobbling a bit. Now we'll see if Rowan's awesome sleep for the past few nights (9 hours in a row on Sunday night, 6 last night) were caused by codeine or not.

Barcelona, I'm sorry about your mom. And Helen, I hope you get over the queasy-ickies soon.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *spughy* 
Amazing how "no", "yes" and "up" can encompass so many toddler needs! And it's nice to finally get a committed response to "Do you want boobies?" so I know BEFORE I untangle myself from my bra if it's a go or not!

















:







:







:







:







:







:

I SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO understand that!


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## MelW (Jan 13, 2005)

We have a new word for nipple...

Milk is "mook", and Neela has christened nipples "mookles". Clever girl!


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

Mookles, hee!









Well we are back from Texas. Unfortunately, my clothes, Brynn's clothes, DH's uniforms (which he has to wear to work) and the $300 carseat did not make the trip back with us. Two suitcases and the Britax are "unlocatable" at the moment, which sure was a swell way to be greeted home at midnight last night. We had to take a piece of crap loaner carseat home from the airport with a reassurance that "most" lost luggage is returned within 24 hours. We just called again and it has still not appeared in their system. How can a huge suitcase and a carseat just disappear??! Anyway, we have a few errands that we should go take care of but I really don't want to put Brynn in this ridiculous and too-big carseat if we can avoid it. I'm almost thinking I would be better off putting her back in the infant carseat for the next couple of days. Hmph!!!


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

Amy, that stinks.
Mookles. I like that. It would be nice if my daughter had a word for the special bond we share, other than "yeah, dat." Or "NOOOOOOOO, dat" (when I proffer the wrong nipple. There is always a wrong nipple.
Gentle healing, spughy







And







to everyone else. I have some occupational therapists coming to look at the house tomorrow morning to decide what adjustments need to be made to discharge my FIL back here, and I'm procrastinating the housework. Again.


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## DreamsInDigital (Sep 18, 2003)

It's snowing like crazy here! Yay! We went and played in the snow and now everyone is napping except me and DS1. We are watching the snow.
I'm 37 weeks plus a day. I had my baby shower on Sunday and it was fabulous. I got henna on my belly. PM me if you want to see pictures!


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## SoulJourney (Sep 26, 2005)

Helen: IKWYM, Noah only points at my breasts and says "Dat! DAT!" And since you were, so far, the only one who responded to my thread about amber teething necklaces, I'm assuming you have one from Wonderous Gems? Do you find that it works for you guys?

Amy: My stomach turned when I read your post, mama! I am always soooo paranoid something like that will happen to me when I travel.







I hope they find your belongings soon! On another note, Noah and I pulled your trick on Sunday and took a nice ride down the stairs.







: We only got down about six steps before coming to a hault but I'm still sore today. Noah didn't hit anywhere but I'm sure he has to feel something with as sore as my upper back muscles are feeling.

Fern:







to you and your family, mama.

Spughy: Glad to hear you are feeling better!

DiD: Yaaaay, snow! We JUST got our first "dusting" today. D*mn El Nino! ; ) I love henna on big beautiful bellies, I'll bet it's just gorgeous!









Well all, I'm going to try to catch some sleep. Noah has definitely not been allowing me to do much of it lately. I'm not sure what's going on with him but he has just been a different baby lately. NOT in a good way, either. Up late, fighting sleep, temperamental, aggressive, fussy, clingy, you name it.







: He takes FOREVER to finally stay asleep without being completely attached (think Super Glue) to the breast. It's really making me a bit resentful of our nighttime nursing relationship lately. Especially since my back has been out of sorts the past couple of days. I know he's teething, and I know he's going through some big developmental changes (speech & signing) but other than that I'm pretty clueless.


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

DiD, we all want pictures. We're living vicariously through you atm!
Peacefulmommy, we got our teething necklace through wondrous gems a few years ago and love it. It really does seem to make a difference to teething- Alex cut his baby teeth with hardly any problems, even the molars, but he's been really poorly this last month losing his top teeth. We've noticed the same thing with Isaac as well, that the change of teeth is making him ill- but Skye is pretty much sailing through. I suppose I should really go and buy a few more necklaces








I want snow. I bought a sledge just before Christmas and put it in the shed, and now it'll never snow here again







Blasted global warming.


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## spughy (Jun 28, 2005)

Helen, you can have our snow. I am sick of it. I want our warm winter weather back, rain and all.

So I spoke too soon about my left boob behaving itself.







Another plugged duct... Rowan cleaned it out pretty well last night and then again this morning, but her sleeping right through the night is NOT helping right now. I wish there was a happy medium between waking every 2 hours and sleeping 9 hours straight! I am going to not take any T3s tonight no matter how bad the pain is, and hopefully Rowan will nurse at least a couple times tonight. (HA! can you imagine me of 5 months ago reading this? She'd be whacking me over the head with a squeaky toy screaming "are you INSANE?!?!??") But so far it has not developed into full-blown mastitis so I am yet hopeful that I can avoid another round of antibiotics (although thanks to lots of yogurt and kefir Rowan and I got through the last round with no tummy troubles).

And yeah DiD - post pictures!!!!


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## kaspirant (Apr 28, 2006)

I don't know how you ladies keep up! We have been so busy.

Spughy - I am so sorry all the blah you are going through. I hope it gets all better soon.

Amy - OMG I hope your things come home very soon. That is one thing I'm so afraid of when I check my carseat...Here's to everything coming home safely and soon!!

Peacefulmommy - I'm in the same boat as you with the superglue. It's so hard for me to get anything done! Most of the time I just fall asleep with him and wake up sore







:

DiD - That is so cool. I just may have to do that next time









MelW - I LOVE mookles! That's great. Jacob just goes around going 'Numnumnumnum" whenever he wants to nurse. It's cute!

Strawberry Fields - We are in the headshake headshake too. He shakes his head so hard I just want to hold him still









Sunday we are doing family pictures on the beach. We are going to use the couple  ones for our engagement pictures. Working on the invitations now. I am kinda wanting to make them...but the time is biting me in the butt. The wedding is drawing closer by the second it seems. It's so exciting!!

*hugs* to all the mamas


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

Spughy, you are going to have to get a boob transplant and just get rid of that trouble making leftie once and for all!!!

I just have a sec to say that my luggage and the carseat did show up last night, and they delivered it, so yay! And our camcorder was even still inside the suitcase, so double yay.









In other news, DH found out that he is going to be interviewing with Dell for a job in Round Rock TX, about 10 minutes north of Austin. YAY!! The interview(s) will be next week, so please if you can spare them, we could use the extra vibes or prayers or whatever you think will help!! This would be just ideal for us, and I am so excited for it that I'm almost telling myself it is probably not going to happen just so I won't be too dissapointed if it doesn't work out.

Oh, and the head shaking - Brynn is doing that as well, which is quite funny sometimes. She's also just started nodding yes, but extremely exaggeratedly and it absolutely cracks me up. She also stomps one foot when she is responding in the affirmative, or when she is really excited about something. I'm like, Hey Mr. Ed!


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## Phoenix_Rising (Jun 27, 2005)

KeaganRae started walking last night! He was playing with grandma while DW and I ate dinner. DW gestures wildly behind me and as I turn I see Keagan walking. Real walking. Like 8 or 9 steps before falling. And today is practically at a run! I swear, this child does nothing halfway


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

OMG - Peacefulmommy, I completely forgot to post to you about falling down the stairs. I know that must have been so scary!! I am glad no serious injuries resulted to either of you. It's been two weeks for me and I am just now not in noticable pain 24/7, so a definite improvement!

Susannah, that is so exciting!!!!!


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## spiritmomma (Aug 29, 2005)

Susannah: Don't you just love it when they do something for the first time and they do it BIG!

A quick shout to everybody...Gotta go to bed...


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## DreamsInDigital (Sep 18, 2003)

http://s133.photobucket.com/albums/q43/Addysmama/

Be forewarned, the pics are huge and my belly is frickin gigantic.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Beautiful henna.


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## BodoGirl (Jun 29, 2005)

Dreams: I LOVE those pics of the Belly! I've been way out in left field lately, so are you the beautiful mom with the beautiful belly that is expecting a baby in February?

Amy: Oh crap - your stuff got lost. That sucks major butt! I'm really sorry about that. What airline did you take?

Amy: My parents live VERY close to the big DELL in RR. They live off of Parmer and Mopac [Toll 1]. If you move to Austin, then we'll have to meet. Even though I swear swear swear we've met somewhere before.

Also - my Carrie is a headshaker too. She'll be shaking no and have her mouth wide open to eat something. It's funny.

Spughy: Sorry about all the snow. Does that mean you are in CO? I have a friend that is outside Denver and she is TIRED TIRED of all the snow. They have been BURIED in it!

Spughy: Sorry about the boob too. Amy's right. A boob transplant will do the trick!

Keagan: Like I was told... get out your running shoes. Today steps, tomorrow RUNNING away from you! My little man, Andrew, started walking really well the other day. Each day, he is getting faster and faster and faster. My DD, Carrie, is FAST! AND, yesterday, she started to spin in a circle while standing. Very cute!

Kaspirant: Can't wait to see the pics on the beach. I'm a photographer and am always interested in other peoples work. Have fun and wear natural tones. I'm sure you knew that already though!

DucetteMommy: Ok, that whole DH insight thing - that gave me the chills!

FlapJack: Congrats!!! I didn't know you were pg again. Whew, while I'm happy for you, I'd cry if I was pregnant. My twins keep me BUSY BUSY.

ItsyBitsy: THANK YOU so much for your posts! They went a LOOONG way to settling me down. A strange calmness has settled now. So, I appreciate your words. They were very welcome! Thank you!

Quick update on my twinlets: Andrew is WALKING and BABBLING up a storm. He still gaze averts sometimes (not to me, but sometimes others). His vision and hearing tests are Monday and Tuesday of next week. I'm hoping all will be well and he'll be just a 'boy'.

Andrew's ECI visit on Monday went well too. He made lots of eye contact with the therapist. He also played Ready, Set, Go with the therapist. She would say, "Ready, Set" and then pause. She'd wait for him to look at her or babble something. After about 5 times, he 'got' it and would look or say some sound.

So, in looking back 6 weeks ago, I really do hope I was jumping the gun. Better safe than sorry. AND, how fun to watch Andrew play with someone other than me.

Carrie and Andrew are both cutting their molars AND eye teeth. I swear someone told me the eye teeth were last to come in. I guess that's not true. I can't believe my kids are screaming from the way their gums look. YOWZA!

Also, for those of you with 2 close together, how do you handle jealousy? My daughter is VERY jealous of anything I do with my son. We sleep with her. DS is in the crib now, so it's not like she's not getting any love/attachment time. I also spend PLENTY of time with her during the day. Afterall, my son likes to explore some on his own... Oh well, I guess it's a 'girl' thing.

Is anyone still carrying their kid(s)? If so, did you carry on your back with a ring sling? I've not ever seen a maya wrap, but am debating purchasing one so I can put a baby on my back and 'cart' one in the stores. OR, the ERGO keeps getting recommended to me. Someone said the ERGO as a toddler back carrier is great. Any comments?

Ok, well, I've hogged the post for sure! Talk to yall soon!

Christy aka BodoGirl!


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## SoulJourney (Sep 26, 2005)

Just time for a quick pop-in to tell *BodoGirl*: ERGO ALL THE WAY, BABY! I nanny for a little guy who is two months younger than Noah and it has proved to be such a life saver for me! I carry Noah in it, front and back, without any problems at all. Last time I checked he weighs 27 pounds! It works out perfectly for us b/c Noah's used to being in the Ergo and Dylan is used to the stroller so that's where they go! And even though they are not siblings, yes, we are definitely experiencing jealousy/"sibling" rivalry here. Dylan definitely wants EVERYTHING Noah has. I could give each of them THE EXACT same thing and Dylan would still want Noah's. When they are both feeling rather territorial over me is when it gets to be a bit much!







:


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

Christy, that is great that DS's visit with the early intervention woman went well! Fingers crossed for your visits to the specialists this week.







I forgot that you think we have met before and we tried to figure out where/when.







Well, if we move to Texas, we will get together and know for sure! Oh, and as for a back carrier, I *cannot live* without my Evenflo Trailtech backpack. It's actually for hiking, which we do a lot of, but I also use it all the time around the house, usually when I'm cooking. I take it to the grocery store, and she's happy to stay in it, and whenever we travel I take it in the airport with me rather than a stroller. It is THE BEST!! I don't think they make the exact model anymore, but my friend bought one on Ebay for like $20.


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## spiritmomma (Aug 29, 2005)

Quote:

Is anyone still carrying their kid(s)? If so, did you carry on your back with a ring sling? I've not ever seen a maya wrap, but am debating purchasing one so I can put a baby on my back and 'cart' one in the stores. OR, the ERGO keeps getting recommended to me. Someone said the ERGO as a toddler back carrier is great. Any comments?
ERGO

I was previously a Moby Wrap user, but for a back carry, it's all about the Ergo. To clarify, you _can_ use a wrap style carrier for a back carry, but it's nearly impossible to do it by yourself. When DH could help me strap Isa to my back, it was really comfy, but it was always a bust when I tried it alone. The Ergo is extremely intuitive, you don't even really need instructions, although I'd read them before you use it anyway.


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

Bodogirl: we just kept loving and kissing and cuddling the boys the way we would if they'd been further apart. Skye and lego-baby will have the same gap as Alex and Isaac, give or take a few days , and we hoped it would work out like that because the close gap's been so great in many ways. What makes a difference for us, though, is that Alex is fiercely independent and was off, gone, into toddlerhood and separated from mummy at 9 months when he started walking- but Isaac, even now, is huggy, cuddly and clingy. More so than Skye even.
If you haven't already, read the sibling rivalry book by Faber and Mazlish (how to talk so kids will listen...) because it's really cool.
DiD, I love the belly pics- and you know that if the henna goes really dark like that it's a sign of good luck on the way, right?
Amy, I'm so glad that your luggage is right where it should be.
kaspirant, when are you getting hitched?

I had a blooming awful morning. I can't fasten my trousers, which would be a fantastic exciting thing if it weren't for the fact that today I need to look respectable. I went to be the fantastic bright motivated NCT chair to the coffee mornings that our branch runs- which is desperately, desperately short of volunteers. I talked to at least 50 people, trying to recruit just 4 to keep the sessions up and running, and got 49 nos and one "I'm moving next week. Can we talk about it in a little while?" I now feel like absolute, total and utter crap, have to go and ring the former branch chair- who is the woman who started these sessions- and tell her that I'm crap and her brainchild is disintegrating into a million tiny puddles of poo, and then chair a meeting of the teachers and breastfeeding counsellors tonight, none of whom can talk in a straight line.
The good news is that I don't feel sick any more. Or at least, I didn't until I ate a huge and unhealthy lunch (egg custard tarts. Yum.)


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## barcelona (May 1, 2006)

I only have a moment, but I also wanted to add a shout out for the Ergo. I use it all the time with Finley, both front and back, and he's about 25 lbs. I love it! It's not the most aesthetically pleasing, but it is the most supportive and comfortable that I have tried so far, at least. Amy, your backpack looks swell, too. And I'll be sending thoughts/prayers your way for the TX job. I would selfishly like it, as that's a town I'll be visiting probably within the year, and can meet you (and maybe you, too, Bodogirl?)

Wanted to also share my exciting news that Finley had his first tear-free bath this week!!! I'm so excited and relieved. It was looking like he would never outgrow his strong opposition to the bath. For one bath, he was fine til we washed his hair, and he was screaming, but it was a bit better. We bathed him again yesterday, sans hairwashing, and he was fine!!! I couldn't believe it. Yay.

Helen, SO glad you are feeling better! Sorry about the crappy meeting this morning.

Here's our website, onto which we've added the very long one year movie. But, you can skim and skip and see some of Finley in action over his first year, if you so desire!

http://web.mac.com/hillarybaack/iWeb/Finley/Home.html

More soon, mamas! Hope you have a beautiful day!


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## spughy (Jun 28, 2005)

Wow, so much to read this morning! Bodogirl, I'm so happy your boy seems to be fine. They sound like wonderful kids. I always am kind of half-envious of people with multiples because it's double the love (but double the work too, that's the part I'm not so envious about!) You are awesome, mama!

Amy, I'm glad your tailbone is recovering, and peacefulmommy too. I am terrified of falling down the stairs with Rowan because our stairs are REALLY steep. Fortunately I only have to go down them to do laundry and get out of the house. And Amy I hope the TX thing goes through!

Susannah - wow on Keagan walking like that! Rowan was so tentative for the first MONTH she walked, I can't imagine a little one just getting up and running!

Well, our big news is that Rowan SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT without the influence of any codeine in my system!!!! Except, it was on the couch.







. Last night she went to sleep before nine and didn't wake up again until 6:30 this morning, nursed, and went back to sleep for another hour or so. She's been sleeping on the couch (DH sleeps on the floor underneath her







cause she's too big to sleep WITH on the couch anymore) because I'm not supposed to be lifting her out of her crib. So, now we have to figure out how to make her crib more like the couch. She seems to enjoy sleeping with her head pressed against something and the arm of the couch is obviously more comfortable for that than the headboard of her crib. Maybe I will tack some foam onto it, and cover her crib with a quilt like the couch is, and move the fish tank into the bedroom for some white noise, and put something else in there that mimics the sound of computers + fridge...







: But at least she can do it! For real!


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## DreamsInDigital (Sep 18, 2003)

Helen, that was the henna as it was pasted on. I scraped the paste off that night and it sort of stains the skin lightly and darkens after a few days. I should post a picture of it now. Some of it did go pretty dark. I think this is day 4 of it setting and it looks so pretty.


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

Doh. I knew that: but it's still lucky.
You know how the meeting this morning stunk? Well, the specialist workers one tonight was way, way worse. I wanna cry.


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## spughy (Jun 28, 2005)

Helen. I'm sorry you had a crappy day.

I actually had a good meeting with my boss today and sort of whined a bit about trying to balance work and family and he whined back about the same thing (his wife just had their baby #2 and their older boy is not adjusting all that well) and I gave him a heads-up that DH is nearly done his thesis and will be looking for work soon and we MIGHT move and I MIGHT want to go part-time. He was concerned about having to find someone to cover the other part of my job, but generally supportive and said that moving was definitely not a problem, I could work remotely from anywhere. Then, in a wacky, universe-obviously-approves happening, my boss got an e-mail not 3 hours later from someone in a related department whose wife has similar credentials to mine (better actually!) and who wants a part-time job. CRAZY hey? So it all might work out, and maybe even sooner than I thought!

And I feel a whole lot better today, health-wise. My boob is all good (antibiotics averted, yay!) and my delicate bits are feeling less delicate.


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

Y'all, I am about ready to throw in the towel. I don't know how much more of Brynn's terrible sleep I can physically take. I feel like I've become a human pacifier to her, and the past few nights have been right up there with the worst we've ever had. She's *SO* restless and wakes every 1-2 hours to latch on. Sometimes she actually nurses, but I'd say at least half of the time, she's just holding on until she goes back to sleep.

She is teething right now (two that I know of, but I don't think her molars are coming in yet) but this is just the way she sleeps regardless of whether she's getting teeth. The really frustrating thing is that while we were in Texas, there were two nights when she slept 5-6 hours in a row, so I really thought we were making some progress.

Shit she just woke up again.

HELP. I'm really at the end of my rope,


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## SoulJourney (Sep 26, 2005)

Aww, Amy! I couldn't read and not give you a







. I am so fortunate that, for the most part, Noah is a great sleeper. I TOTALLY understand your pain, though, we went through the exact same thing last weekend. I was up crying my eyes out at 4am because he wouldn't sleep and I was exhausted. I wish I could help you, I really do. Spiritmomma may have some good advice...she has rough sleeping patches with Isa sometime.

Love ya mama, keep your chin up!


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## spughy (Jun 28, 2005)

Aw, Amy, I'm sorry














. If it makes you feel any better, Rowan didn't sleep great last night either.

I don't have any suggestions, I'm sorry. Except maybe permanent travel? She always seems to sleep better when you're away from home, doesn't she?


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## spiritmomma (Aug 29, 2005)

*Amy*: so sorry about the lack of sleep. My only suggestions: If you are **** co-sleeping, try putting some space between you. Can she sleep in a separate space in the same room? Perhaps a mattress on the floor or a makeshift bedroll? I had visions of Isa and I co-sleeping for a very LONG time, but when I gave up (out of a desperation similar to yours...) and put her on a mattress on the floor, I slept more, she slept more. And isn't that the whole reason we co-sleep, for more peaceful, restful sleep?
I've also heard from many mamas that once they moved their little one a little further away from them at night, they stopped waking so much. Sometimes kiddos will wake (or half-wake) to nurse simply because mom's so close.
My aim here isn't to bash co-sleeping, so please don't flame me!
I simply want to add another idea to your life that may (or may not) help. When you are SO desperate for sleep that you get resentful or angry (which was happening to me A LOT towards the end of our co-sleeping) you can't really parent with patience and Love. So give yourself permission to try it and just see how it goes. If it doesn't work, at least you'll know that co-sleeping wasn' the issue and you can move on to trying other solutions.








s to you mama!


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

No, I'm totally not going to flame you Jaymi! We are going to be trying that post haste. She's going into the pack and play in our room (we don't have a crib) and I think she's just going to have to deal with it. You are so right about parenting with patience and not feeling resentment. It's been getting bad lately, as far as how pissed off I get when she is using me as a pacifier. It just can't go on. How did you all make the transition? Was it hard? You can PM me so that we don't hijack the thread. I just need A LOT of support right now because I hate that we have come to this, and I know the next week or so is going to be hard.

Spughy, totally! I wish I could figure out the connection.

I don't know what we are going to do for tonight though. DH leaves tomorrow morning at 6:30am for a week in Dallas, so he may just sleep in the other room. Tomorrow night, the new regime begins.


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## Queen of Cups (Aug 29, 2003)

Amy - we transitioned Killy into his own room at about 13 months because I was already 4 months pregnant and he's such a thrasher in his sleep that we knew it wouldn't be safe for him to be in bed with a newborn. Plus, he'd nightweaned himself for the most part when my milk supply went down with pregnancy, but was still waking several times a night (still does, now!) and I just couldn't handle it with the extreme morning sickness and exhaustion. What helped a lot for us: we got a futon for his room, its a full size so DH or I could lay down with him, and its low to the floor so if he rolled out it was no big deal. Plus, it can fold up into a "couch" during the day if we want more playroom in the nursery. When he wakes, DH goes in and lays down with him. Honestly, DH often falls asleep with him and stays there the rest of the night. I think the easiest way to night wean is to have daddy do night-time duty for awhile. But, if you get a full size bed, that way Daddy doesn't have to loose any sleep! Sitting on the floor next to a little toddler bed, patting baby's back for an hour is very tiring - just laying down and cuddling is much easier!


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## DreamsInDigital (Sep 18, 2003)

Amy have you tried the No Cry Sleep Solution? I'm mostly thinking about the "Pantley Pull Off" method. I don't think Brynn really needs to night nurse as much now but she's in a habit of it. Maybe nightweaning might help.


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

QoC, that is one idea, but you know Jason travels a LOT, so it might be best for us to work on a solution that doesn't require that he is there to soothe her. DiD, yep, we tried it twice and it helped *not one bit*. The pulling off isn't really the issue; she will detach on her own (for the most part) but she still wakes up SO frequently and thinks she needs the boob in the mouth to settle back down. She gets irate and hysterical if I say no, which is why I think we're just going to have to transition her to her own sleeping space. I'd like to keep her in our room though, if possible.

One thing that is working in our favor is that she is so verbal and she can understand *everything* I say to her. She may not like it, but I know that if I talk to her about it, she will at least understand what I'm saying. I was actually thinking about trying to find a good board book that talks about sleeping in a different bed than Mommy and Daddy. Do y'all know of any? And we're going to get back into the habit of a bedtime routine too. We did it for a couple of months and it didn't make her sleep any better, but I do think it's helpful to start to cue them that it's time for bed.

I really believe that this time next week, we'll be doing better. If not, I'm sending her to live with Spughy and Rowan. Ha ha!


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## spughy (Jun 28, 2005)

Hey! The last thing I need is another toddler!

(BTW our sleep methods are not great and I wouldn't exactly recommend them. Rowan fell off the couch last night







She wasn't hurt, but she certainly wasn't going back to sleep without boobies. But my milk supply has dropped somewhat since she stopped waking up at night and she didn't suck hard enough to get a let-down, so she fell back asleep before she really got any boobie juice, so I put her in the crib figuring she'd wake up at some point and want boobies, and she slept for 1 or 2 hours, woke up again, managed to get the boobie juice going, and then I took her back to DH on the couch and she slept on him for the rest of the night - which made a poor night's sleep for him - woke at 7, nursed, and went back to sleep for who knows how long because I had to leave for work. So that was our night last night. You really want that for Brynn?????)


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## Phoenix_Rising (Jun 27, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *BodoGirl* 

Is anyone still carrying their kid(s)? If so, did you carry on your back with a ring sling? I've not ever seen a maya wrap, but am debating purchasing one so I can put a baby on my back and 'cart' one in the stores. OR, the ERGO keeps getting recommended to me. Someone said the ERGO as a toddler back carrier is great. Any comments?

Ok, well, I've hogged the post for sure! Talk to yall soon!

Christy aka BodoGirl!

ERGO all the way! The ring sling only worked for about 2 months for us; after that he got too heavy - we needed something that would distribute his weight over both shoulders. You can wear the ERGO on your front, back, or hip. It is fabulous!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *spiritmomma* 
ERGO

I was previously a Moby Wrap user, but for a back carry, it's all about the Ergo. To clarify, you _can_ use a wrap style carrier for a back carry, but it's nearly impossible to do it by yourself. When DH could help me strap Isa to my back, it was really comfy, but it was always a bust when I tried it alone. The Ergo is extremely intuitive, you don't even really need instructions, although I'd read them before you use it anyway.

I was never able to get the moby to work on my back, even with someone else helping me by getting KeaganRae in. The ERGO is so easy!

Quote:


Originally Posted by **Amy** 
Y'all, I am about ready to throw in the towel. I don't know how much more of Brynn's terrible sleep I can physically take. I feel like I've become a human pacifier to her, and the past few nights have been right up there with the worst we've ever had. She's *SO* restless and wakes every 1-2 hours to latch on. Sometimes she actually nurses, but I'd say at least half of the time, she's just holding on until she goes back to sleep.

She is teething right now (two that I know of, but I don't think her molars are coming in yet) but this is just the way she sleeps regardless of whether she's getting teeth. The really frustrating thing is that while we were in Texas, there were two nights when she slept 5-6 hours in a row, so I really thought we were making some progress.

Shit she just woke up again.

HELP. I'm really at the end of my rope,

*Amy*- I am so sorry. We have gone through this for periods of a time, but thankfully when I was feeling like I was getting to the end of my rope he would sleep longer at a time for a few nights







Keagan also sleeps more at a time when we are not at home - maybe lack of a routine??? Maybe more stimulation during the day??? I don't know. I hope you figure it out really soon!


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

Amy, we gave up on cosleeping a few months ago. First, we got her to bed (in her own bed) in the evenings so I had some time to breathe out deeply, and from the 10pm feed she'd be in with us: then from the feed after that. She'll either nurse to sleep or be put in a sleeping bag, lie on her back and have her tummy patted whilst she goes to sleep: it takes a slow backwards count from 300 most nights to get her properly down. Then the first 45 minute cycle, if she's up, she normally needs feeding, but after that she gets herself back to sleep most of the time. If a slow count of 10 hasn't heard her settle herself, I feed her sitting up in bed, put her back in the cot and then she conks out again. Weird- but this was very much a developmental milestone for her. She couldn't have done it 3 months ago.
Jenn, when did you switch to a toddler bed? Skye is in a cot atm and I'm trying to decide whether- and when- to move her.


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

Helen, is she still in your room, or in her own room? Does she cry when you put her in the cot?

I've been thinking about buying a toddler bed mattress and laying it on the floor next to our bed (our mattress is on the floor already) rather than going the pack 'n play route. I'm really not sure at this point which would be better, or if it would make a difference.

The thing that has always made such a big difference for us is when I stop nursing her in bed and only nurse her in the rocking chair in her room. I did this again last night at bedtime, and she went to sleep very easily within 10 minutes when we actually got into bed. It also helps her settle without nursing throughout the night (though not every time she wakes). So that is definitely going to have to be the routine, no matter how annoying it is to have to get out of bed.

Yesterday I was 100% ready to just let her cry it out, but I really just *don't* think I can do it, as much as I might wish otherwise. I'm not really sure what I am going to do, but I hope to have it figured out by tonight. Any suggestions are welcome (keeping in mind DH is out of town for a week).


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

CIO doesn't work if you don't believe in it. You need to have balls of steel and be prepared to walk away and let her scream, and I don't think you can do that: so don't put either of you through that. Otherwise she'll be up at night again in a week. Trust me, I tried it with the boys and it never really, truly worked.
Yep, Skye has her own room. She naps in there, and will fuss (whimper, a shout or two. Not a scream, not attempt to turn over) sometimes when she's put down awake. Most of the time she falls asleep in arms/at booby and we transfer her. If she doesn't start to calm down and think about going to sleep (say, a count of 50?) then we leave it and try again later.
Have you got a blanket for your rocking chair? If you can snuggle up in there whilst you nurse her and don't get so cold, it'll be far more comfortable for you.
I'd say go with the toddler bed rather than the pack and play, because it'll be easier to transfer her when she's asleep. I wouldn't put it on the floor because of drafts- I'd either cut some pallets down to make a tiny futon for her and put some drapes up to make it nice and cosy, or else put her in a toddler bed with a guard rail. The "big girl bed" might be an option for her, given how verbal she is.


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## Queen of Cups (Aug 29, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *flapjack* 
Jenn, when did you switch to a toddler bed? Skye is in a cot atm and I'm trying to decide whether- and when- to move her.

Ellie's still in bed with us, she only wakes to nurse once or twice a night most nights, so it doesn't bother me. Okay, she starts in her crib (in our room), then is moved to our bed the first time she wakes to nurse - usually around 2am.

We switched Killy to a full bed from his crib, we never did a toddler bed. I didn't want a bed that we couldn't lay down with him and that he would outgrow, it seemed like an unneeded expense. A full futon bed will last him years. We switched him to it at about 13 months or so.


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## spiritmomma (Aug 29, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *QoC*
We switched Killy to a full bed from his crib, we never did a toddler bed. I didn't want a bed that we couldn't lay down with him and that he would outgrow, it seemed like an unneeded expense. A full futon bed will last him years. We switched him to it at about 13 months or so.

Yes, same here. We first transferred her to a crib mattress on the floor (the only thing the crib my mother bought us was ever used for!







) but we had the issue of me not being able to lie down with her and nurse if she woke. We then came into a twin bed from my father's wife when they moved. We only used the mattress on the floor and now I can get (somewhat) comfortable lying down with her if she wakes. Sometimes I even fall asleep there for a few hours!









I was (and am) still nursing her to sleep 99% of the time. My DH will sometimes hum her to sleep after me nursing her for an hour or so... Sometimes now after she nurses, she signs "bed" an wants me to put her down on her bed so that she can go to sleep without me interfering (!). It's a long road, but it does get better, Amy. I am sorry you are stressed out and sleep deprived right now! All I can say is, I have SO BTDT. I have been tempted to CIO too, but never did, thank goddess. Sometimes I just get SO itchy for my personal space, YKWIM? Like with every suckle of her mouth I just want to rip my boob back from her and point to it and be like, "MINE!"







Then, I come to my senses and realize that if I just let her nurse for like 3 more minutes, I could be blessed with another few hours of sleep. So I nurse her. BUT... Don't get be wrong. If we could be night-weaned right now, I'd be SO all over that. I am working toward the night weaning thing. But Amy, know that nightweaning takes a lot of extra effort in the night. When you are already sleep-deprived and grumpy (I get this way a lot...) you can't calmly go to your child, do something OTHER than nurse and be gentle, calm, and quiet even as your child cries. It's just too hard. I'd recommend getting a bit of good sleep before trying to shake up the routine too much. And give yourself a good long stretch of time before you think you will be nightweaned. Like 6 months or a year... then if you nightwean in 3 months it will seem like a miracle!


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## spughy (Jun 28, 2005)

Well our sleep troubles have resumed. Last night I had Rowan with me the whole night to give DH a break and she slept for all of an hour in the crib and then woke up. I nursed her back to sleep and put her back in the crib; she woke 20 minutes later but went back to sleep when I picked her up. I put her back in her crib and she slept for 4 hours. I thought "oh good" and put her back in after she woke up. And then she slept only 2 hours, and it was 6:30, so I nursed her and just kept her in bed with me figuring we'd get another couple hours of snoozing... but no, she woke up at 7:30 and didn't really want to nurse so she didn't go back to sleep. And since she didn't go to sleep last night until around 9:30 she didn't get nearly enough sleep last night so she was cranky and difficult this morning, so DH took her out for a walk in the sling figuring she'd conk out for a bit. They're still out so hopefully she's having a little snooze and will be human for the rest of the day.

Last night we managed to get the white noise in the bedroom set up - a serenity fountain and a power supply and hard drive DH had lying around. I'm not sure it helped at all, but I need to make her crib more comfy too. I'm going to go get bumper pads for it so she can smoosh her head against the top comfortably.

But, DH missed her last night. It's funny how they can be such a PITA but when they're not there, it's worse.

Amy - please don't do CIO. It really does desensitize you to your baby. Remember how a couple months ago I mentioned that a mama we know was at her wit's end and going to try CIO? Well, she ended up doing it. And she kept doing it, even when the baby was crying for a reason. A few weeks ago DH told me that she said her little one was teething and she cried so hard she threw up - because mama was still convinced that she had to just let her cry. This is a mama who only resorted to CIO as a last resort, and she didn't want to do it in the first place. And she went from being against it to letting her baby cry so hard she threw up. So please, please, don't do it! Brynn WILL grow out of this.


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

Mentioning CIO, I'm trying to support a mama who is struggling with a sleepless bottlefed newborn at night. If anyone has any ideas what you do with such a baby, please LMK. She isn't receptive to cosleeping.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

Gosh.. it's been awhile since I've checked in and I feel sort of bad since I feel on top of the world right now and everyone else's worlds seem so rocky at the moment!







: Well.. I love ya all and hope things ease up.

I, at the moment (and it will probably change within an hour..







) feel like I have my kids tackled. Isaac has finally hit the point where he is really communicating with his "eeehh!" cry and pointing and they both are playing fantastically together. Well.. Dom has been dying for this moment as he's been so excited over Isaac and Isaac would never play with him until now. I feel like they are at the perfect age and I am just enjoying them so much. I feel like it only gets easier from here once Isaac starts conversing, and that's such a relief. But in way, it's like saying goodbye to my baby.







Even though he is a toddler.. I considered him my baby still- and a part of me always will- but he's turning into such a big boy now! Right before my very eyes..

Life is a beautiful thing.


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

So, after a long talk with DH tonight, we decided that we are definitely going to try to transition her into the pack 'n play, at least for the time being. Anyway, I tried the new routine tonight:

7:30 - play in her room and read stories
8:00 - nurse
8:15 - brush teeth
8:30 - last few minutes of playing
8:45 - a few more minutes of nursing
8:47 - into the pack 'n play

Before we started the routine, I had a talk with her explaining that she was going to sleep in her "bed" and that after milk and teeth brushing, it would be time for night-night. I kept reminding her about it, and then she and her dolly, Minnie (she named her!), got in for a few minutes, and she told Minnie night night and rubbed her back. Then she got out and we played in her room for a few more minutes.

After our last nursing, when she was almost asleep, I put her in the pack 'n play and told her it was time for night-night. She stood up and played for a minute and then told me "Up Mama!" but I told her it was time for sleep. I was able to distract her from crying for about 10 minutes by talking about Minnie, and letting her turn her aquarium night-light thing off and on, and all of that. She finally got really pissed at 9:00, and cried pretty hard - off and on - for about 15 minutes. By 9:20, she was basically falling asleep with her head resting on the top rail of the p 'n p, and I finally coaxed her into laying on the pillow and letting me rub her back. She was out within a minute! She may not sleep long for this first round (usually when she falls asleep after crying, she wakes up within 30 minutes), but my goal for tonight and the next 13 days is for her to go to sleep ONCE per night on her own. When she wakes up, I'll nurse her in her room, and then bring her back to bed with me. After this two weeks, we'll move on to going to sleep twice on her own (if she isn't already), and so forth.

So all and all, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and I could tell that even though she was really pissed that I wasn't picking her up, she was truly OK....and I think she *gets it*. I am very curious to see how it goes tomorrow. I hear y'all on the CIO thing, but I feel like this isn't CIO in the mainstream sense - i.e., leave the baby in another room and shut the door. I was right there with her, talking to her and telling her that I wasn't going to leave her alone. After a lot of soul-searching, I feel like these are the boundaries that I need to begin setting for my own sense of self-preservation and for Brynn's development. I know that some of you may disagree with this choice...but after everything we've been through, I feel like there really weren't too many options left.

Anyway..... I'm going to go get ready for bed and enjoy my brief moments of having the bed completely to myself!!!


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## Queen of Cups (Aug 29, 2003)

Amy, if you're there with her comforting her and talking to her it is NOT "crying it out" - trust me, there will be lots of times in the toddler years when your toddler will cry, and you can't always make it stop. When a toddler cries because they're not happy, its not CIO. When a child cries and you lock them in a room to teach them that you will not help them and they ought to give up and go to sleep, that is CIO - in my opinion, anyway.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

I agree.


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## barcelona (May 1, 2006)

Amy, I am so sorry you have been going through such a challenging time with sleep with Brynn. That sounds so hard. I am so glad that the first part of the night, at least, last night, went so well, except for the fifteen minutes of crying...but it sounds like she did really get it, and you were there for her as much as you could be given the situation, and what you have to do for your sanity. How long did she stay asleep in the pack n play? It sounds like have a great plan.

I wish I had other suggestions or tips, but don't, as I haven't really been to that point of desperation. I have almost gotten there, but then Finley will start sleeping pretty well. (and the cycle has repeated itself)

He seemed to have turned a corner the past two weeks, sleeping beautifully, and only waking once early in the morning to nurse (maybe one other time in the middle of the night), and also going for longer stretches without me in the bed before we come to bed. Of course, I guess to keep up with the crazy sleeping of the group, last night was awful. He was up all night long, and I think it was started by waking up in a wet diaper/pjs. Thankfully, now he's taking a nice solid nap, and my DH took him this morning and let sleep a couple extra hours. But, I am hoping last night was a one-time thing, and we'll go back to his super-sleeping tonight. It definitely feels like a developmental milestone, thing, though, his new sleeping patterns and habits. He will even sometimes go back to sleep with DH patting his back (if he wakes before we come to bed). Once I'm in bed, though, if he wakes, he insists on the boob.

Ducette, I'm so glad you're having a great moment with your boys. They are amazing, and how fun it must be to see a new chapter evolving before your eyes, as your boys become friends.

Helen, unfortunately, I don't have any advice for a bottlefed non cosleeping baby. Hope someone has suggestions. So glad you're feeling less queasy.

Spughy, sorry you guys had a rough night last night! Hope it goes back to better asap.

Hi to everyone!


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## spughy (Jun 28, 2005)

Well we had another rough night. Rowan was sooo cranky yesterday afternoon (she only had an hour-long nap after her bad sleep the night before) so DH took her for a walk around 5 and she conked right out. I woke her just after 6 to have dinner, but she wouldn't hear of it, she just started crying when I put her in her booster seat so I took her out and nursed her instead. Then of course she wouldn't eat any dinner, even when I offered her parts of our dessert (sauteed pears with whipped cream) she liked it, but didn't really want much. So when it was finally bedtime she hadn't had much to eat, so she woke up after 2 hours, then after 3 hours, then after 3 hours, then after 1 hour, then 1 1/2, and hey! it's morning. At least she got MORE sleep last night, although still not the nice 12 hours she was getting last week. But this morning her appetite has been crappy too so maybe she is just "digesting" after the massive amounts of food she ate last week (according to DH). Anyway, she is asleep now and I hope she's out for a good long time. She's on the couch so I"m going to take this opportunity to sit with her and veg, and if she wakes early I can grab her quickly and smuck her on a boob. My boobs are kind of reeling from all the nursing - "what the hell?" they say. "Last week it was 3 times a day if we were lucky, and now we've nursed 7 times and it's only barely afternoon! We can't deal with this!" My milk supply apparently takes some time to adjust to a massive increase in demand. With my luck, it'll catch up about midday tomorrow, when I'm at work, and I'll get another plugged duct. Sigh.

Also, this all might be because she has a molar just about ready to pop through. I gave her some tylenol before her nap.

Amy - that's not CIO. Don't worry mama, I think you're doing the right thing there. You're lucky Brynn understands you so well, I think she'll adjust just fine.


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

Ugghh, Spughy. That is so rough. I hope your boobs stay with the program and don't give you any grief tomorrow. I don't think Brynn is getting her molars yet, but everyone says it is a nightmare. I'm definitely looking forward to that! (Shyah)

So last night went pretty well for us. She ended up sleeping in the pack 'n play for 3 1/2 hours, which is pretty rare for her! She woke up at 1:00am and I just brought her in bed with me for the rest of the night. I really did intend to take her into her room to nurse but I just couldn't make myself do it! She did wake up several more times during the night, and of course wanted the boobs...but I did see her once trying to get back to sleep on her own. She tried repositioning herself for about 5 minutes, and then gave up and signed for milk.







I still feel like we've made progress though, and I am going to keep on with the plan! Thank you to the mamas with the kind words and support. It does mean a lot to me.

Unfortunately, she took a really late nap today (fell asleep at 3:00), so she's STILL sleeping, 2.5 hours later. I'm about to go try to wake her up so that she isn't running around til 11:00pm because I didn't get to even try to take a nap today. Our downstairs heater broke AGAIN, so it's freezing downstairs. Thank goodness this house has two furnaces, so we can at least stay upstairs (and our bedroom is upstairs), but man, it's annoying as hell to have this happen again. I will be so glad to move out of this house!

My fingers are freezing, but I did want to say that I went to a baby shower yesterday and one of my "friends" here in town told us all that she is going to leave her 5-month old with her MIL and FIL so that she and her husband can go to New York city for a "date" - they are leaving the baby for 2 nights and 3 days.







And, the baby has only met this set of grandparents twice since he's been born.














I just feel so sad for this sweet babe. His mom is about as detached as you can get! I was just biting my tongue the whole time she was telling us, "Well, I just really need this right now," blah blah blah.


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

Nice. Real nice.







Luckily Brynn knows that her mummy loves her. I hope you get the heating thing sorted out somehow.
Spughy, I'm sending you disciplined boobie vibes. They WILL do what they're told in time, honest.
Skye, bless her, is a little star who just gets on with things. She's not talking quite as much as she was a couple of weeks ago, maybe, but I figure it'll come back when she's ready.


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## spughy (Jun 28, 2005)

It's definitely the tooth waking Rowan up. Last night she slept in 3 or 2 hour chunks and really didn't want much in the way of boobies when she woke. I had PLENTY of milk though, so way less stress for me there. DH took her for the last part of the night (after she woke at 3) and she woke up at 5 but he was able to get her back to sleep - he offered her a bottle but she wasn't having anything to do with it. So, she's teething and going through a crappetite phase - we just have to live with it. Thank all the baby gods that ever existed that this is happening NOW and not a week ago when I was in gobs of pain on top of it all.

Amy, that's horrible about that poor little baby. And people wonder why kids grow up to be juvenile delinquents. Honestly. I have to feel kind of sorry for the mama though, she must have some kind of emotional issues somewhere that prevent her from bonding with the baby. I think that kind of detachment is something you actually have to work at.


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## spughy (Jun 28, 2005)

Oh and I forgot to mention that Rowan has officially entered toddlerdom - she is now refusing to try food, as the mood suits her. Formerly she would try everything and just take it out of her mouth if she didn't like it. As of yesterday, she refused everything she didn't recognize. Except the waffles we had for breakfast yesterday. She scarfed those down pretty happily.


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## spiritmomma (Aug 29, 2005)

Hey ladies... I tried to respond last night, but the server was busy and I couldn't wait to get into my bed...
*Amy* I hope the sleep troubles are getting better. It's stressful on everyone in the fam isn't it?

Saturday was effen HORRIBLE at our house. I was going through one of those days were I didn't get much sleep the night before, Isa wanted to nurse every 15 minutes on top of everytime she stumbled, tripped, or bonked (which was frequent since she was tired too...) and I just had a complete melt-down.







: I cried and cried and when Joshua asked to take Isa on a drive to help her calm down and sleep, I reacted fiercely a la protective-mammal-don't-touch-my-young-you-beast! kind of way. It was NOT a pretty scene.
I eventually surrendered her, realizing I was too angry and out of control to help her feel comforted. She was sobbing in such a way that every time she took a deep inhale, she bit me







: which because I was already on a super microscopic fuse, did not sit well with me. I was not compassionate. So he took her for a drive and I stayed home and cried. Then I cried some more. Then I walked around the house, decided that without Isa my life has no purpose and sulked back into a long cry. Then, for the first time in at least a year, I made some art. The drawing is beautiful and really captures how I felt about my relationship to my daughter at that particular moment. She is rooted in me. I am the earth, and she is the new budding of spring. We are in symbiosis, but it doesn't always feel that way.
Sunday was better. And last night, we made great headway into night weaning. Isa was up, sort of doing a sleepy-wimper protest from 3 am to about 4:45. But I only nursed her for 15 minutes last night after the initial nurse to sleep. We nursed as long as she wanted to this morning, and I found that I've been much more willing to nurse today. I didn't get a TON of sleep, but I got enought to be in a good mood. Sunday, it snowed so much that church was cancelled so we pretty much stayed home all day. It was kind of a lovely slow day. We all needed it.

Hope everyone is doing well. Sorry this is so long winded. I just needed to get it off my chest.


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

Oh Jaymi. Sounds like you really hit rock bottom, Mama. That is *so* hard. At least Joshua was there to try to give you a helping hand. Your drawing sounds amazing. Is there any way you can share it with us? I would love to see it. I hope you are feeling more centered today. I keep forgetting you are just down the road from us; we got a lot of snow yesterday, and it's been snowing off and on today too. It's pretty outside.









My good news is that our downstairs furnace is fixed, so we have heat all throughout the house again. Yay! Man, it is amazing how much we westerners take things like that for granted. I was all complainy about having to stay upstairs for most of the day yesterday, and then I started thinking about refugees in Afghanistan who were living in tents while it was -10 degrees. So yeah, we're not in danger of frostbite or anything. But it is nice to have a working heater!









In sleeping news, we did the bedtime routine again last night, and even though she wasn't tired til 10:00pm (I was about ready to fall asleep while reading bedtime stories), I put her in the P'nP after she nursed, and she cried for ---- drumroll, please ------ 10 seconds! I was totally amazed. She tried to fall asleep with her head on the rail again, but I only had to ask her once if she wanted to lay down and let me rub her back. She signed yes, so I helped her lay down, rubbed her back for all of 30 seconds, and she was *out*. I had to sit there with my jaw on the floor for a minute! Anyway, she slept for 2 hours before her first waking up, which wasn't as great as the first night. But I'll take it! I did get out of bed twice to nurse her last night, and then I gave up on that again. It's so hard when she wakes up like 4 times to get up *every* damn time. But I'm going to keep trying. Anyway, I think I am going to either make or buy some cute pillowcases for her so that she has something in the PnP that will make her happy. She's really into butterflies right now, so I might order these. It would probably be super easy to just find some cute butterfly fabric though, and cheaper to make them myself. So we'll see.

OK, so what do y'all think about this? An aquaintance of ours here in town just emailed the Mama group to let us know that her 9-month old has chicken pox, and said if we want to come over and let our kids play with his toys, she's happy to pass on the germs. Would any of you do it? I mean, I would hate to deal with a chicken pox baby, but it is much milder at this age than if they get it later (especially as teens or adults), and I definitely don't plan to get her the vaccine. I'm on the fence about it.

And, lastly, as if this post isn't long enough already, I wanted to paste up something that made me laugh. I was looking up baby names, and found this site that has downloadable ringtones for almost every common name. Here are the ones for Amy, so you should see if they have the ones for your name. They are pretty funny; I think I'm going to download one.









PS: *Fern*, *Aubrey*, *Michelle*, and *other MIA Mamas* - where are y'all?


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

Jaymi. It sounds like a deeply healing day, but something you could have lived without. FWIW, we have days like that around here all the time (but not with Skye.)
Amy, feel free to disagree with me but I don't see any reason for a healthy child to contract every illness just to build up immunity. It's not compulsory to catch EVERYTHING, just like there's no need to be immunised against everything. Given your need for Brynn to sleep, leave chicken pox be until she comes up against it naturally. (And vaccination against cp? How whack is that?????)


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

Helen, your post made me laugh!







I agree with you; I'm just worried that with 95% of parents giving their kids the CP vax these days, her chance of being naturally exposed to it is far less than it was back when we were kids. KWIM? And if one doesn't contract CP as a child or young adult, you run a much higher risk of developing shingles as an older person, which is much more dangerous and painful, from what I understand.

But you make an excellent point. Sleep first, and we'll cross the chicken pox bridge when we come to it!


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## spughy (Jun 28, 2005)

Ok, Helen, cyber-whack me if you want, but we did get Rowan vaccinated for CP. I was against it initially, but Amy's point about "all the other kids are doing it" was what swayed me. It is very common around here for kids to get vaccinated for CP and I didn't want Rowan to get a severe case or, heaven forbid, shingles. DH has had shingles (in his 20s - and it is not inconceivable that without the vaccine, Rowan could go that long without being exposed) and gets outbreaks if he is under a lot of stress. It is frighteningly painful and just a horrible, horrible illness.

Anyway, I couldn't find any convincing research that there were any heinous risks to the CP vaccine used here, and while I had a pretty mild case as a child, I know some families go through hell for a month or more while it runs its course through their kids. I chose to avoid that particular hell. There will be others, I'm sure.


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## flyingspaghettimama (Dec 18, 2001)

Popping in to say hi!

And Amy, I would totally do the CP exposure, as long as you're not planning any big trips soon. I have the seven year old still unvaxed and we've only had ONE chance of exposure (unfortunately, last fall, right before a trip to Hawaii, so no go there). I would be all over that. It is very rare to get the opportunity anymore, even in the crunch-crunch NW. I will get her vaxed at 12 if she hasn't been exposed yet. Man, I hope it comes around again.

I have a friend whose daughter had it at around 18 months and she said it was much easier on that daughter than the 5 year old.

And, everyone else, Hi! Nothing much up here. I lost my funny bone a few months ago and can't find it. How much pathos _can_ life entail, indeed?


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

Hey FSM!! Good to see you around, Mama. You make a good point about CP, too.

OK, quick Night 3 Update: regular bedtime routine, she nursed til she was drowsy and then I carried her into the room and said, "time to get into your bed." Her eyes were open and I laid her down on the pillow; she sat back up but DID NOT CRY, didn't even whimper, and I said, "Would you like me to rub your back?" and this time she laid back down on her own - no help from me! I rubbed her back, with her eyes still open, and she was asleep within a minute. Hallelujah, I say.

Oh, and DH had 5 (or 6?) interviews today, and the two jobs that he likes the most are in Dallas. I wouldn't mind so much, but that's where my very annoying MIL lives. I almost think I'd rather that he take one of the other jobs in either Detroit or Kalamazoo Michigan, just so we're not in the same damn city as her. How bad is that??!










I'm goin to bed!


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## DreamsInDigital (Sep 18, 2003)

Amy it sounds like you're making real progress! Awesome!


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## SoulJourney (Sep 26, 2005)

Sorry I've been MIA! I promise I've been reading, it's just been crazy hectic around here and Noah hasn't allowed me much opportunity to post a ton.







: He is currently running around like a crazy loon in the play area while I type this post. Did I mention it's almost 10pm???!!! He has been staying up SO late these days. I know that part of the problem is that he naps until @#*%*@ 7pm through the week. There is nothing I can do about it, either. I am done nannying at 6pm each night. Usually he has napped for up to an hour right before we leave, then he ends up sleeping in the car on the way home. I really don't know how to fix this situation. I would love to make some changes, though, because it doesn't allow ME any down time at night. I can't really complain too much b/c I am fortunate enough to have a babe who sleeps through the night 95% of the time and who also cosleeps wonderfully.

Remember I told you guys about my sister's vasculitis? Well, after blood tests and a biopsy, it turns out it is not doing any organ or tissue damage and they can't pinpoint a cause. The doctor actually told her that it's VERY possible this is immunization damage. She had a tetanus shot a few years ago and this has been going on for over two years. When she was young, she reacted badly to the DTP and could not receive the boosters. After that, she had a strand of really scary health issues. SO...since the topic of immunizations has been brought up, I just want to stand on my soapbox for a moment and tell you all to pay really close attention to family history of reactions because it really does matter.

That being said, Amy, if you weren't so stressed out with sleep issues as it is, I would tell you to jump on the Chicken Pox! I agree with Helen to a point, but like FSM said, cases of chicken pox are becoming few and far between so it would be nice to grab the chance if you think you could handle the additional stress. If I had the opportunity right now, I'm pretty sure I'd do it.

Spiritmomma: I'm sooooo sorry you had a rough weekend.







You know you can call me anytime you need anything. Noah would be more than happy to keep little Isa occupied for a while so you could nap or something!

Oh, and one more note, then I'm off to bed! I went to the eye doctor Saturday and I need glasses for the first time in my life! *sigh* So this is what kids do to your body? Oh well, at least they're only for night driving, reading, knitting and such. At least they're cute, too!

Night night y'all!


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## flyingspaghettimama (Dec 18, 2001)

Helen, do you not have the CP vax in the UK? Is it uncommon? I know very, very few people here who haven't done it.


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## Phoenix_Rising (Jun 27, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by **Amy** 
In sleeping news, we did the bedtime routine again last night, and even though she wasn't tired til 10:00pm (I was about ready to fall asleep while reading bedtime stories), I put her in the P'nP after she nursed, and she cried for ---- drumroll, please ------ 10 seconds! I was totally amazed. She tried to fall asleep with her head on the rail again, but I only had to ask her once if she wanted to lay down and let me rub her back. She signed yes, so I helped her lay down, rubbed her back for all of 30 seconds, and she was *out*. I had to sit there with my jaw on the floor for a minute! Anyway, she slept for 2 hours before her first waking up, which wasn't as great as the first night. But I'll take it! I did get out of bed twice to nurse her last night, and then I gave up on that again. It's so hard when she wakes up like 4 times to get up *every* damn time. But I'm going to keep trying. Anyway, I think I am going to either make or buy some cute pillowcases for her so that she has something in the PnP that will make her happy. She's really into butterflies right now, so I might order these. It would probably be super easy to just find some cute butterfly fabric though, and cheaper to make them myself. So we'll see.

OK, so what do y'all think about this? An aquaintance of ours here in town just emailed the Mama group to let us know that her 9-month old has chicken pox, and said if we want to come over and let our kids play with his toys, she's happy to pass on the germs. Would any of you do it? I mean, I would hate to deal with a chicken pox baby, but it is much milder at this age than if they get it later (especially as teens or adults), and I definitely don't plan to get her the vaccine. I'm on the fence about it.


Jaymi- I would really love to see your art if you posted it









*Amy* - it sounds like the whole bedtime thing is really starting to work for your family. Yay! And I would totally be on the CP party bandwagon


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## Queen of Cups (Aug 29, 2003)

The CP vax is on the required list in my state for starting school, so you have to go through the whole exemption PITA to avoid it, which is especially difficult if you selectively vax, because then you can't claim you're morally opposed to vaxes since you've done some of them. But, if your child has had a "documented" case of CP - confirmed by a doctor - then they don't have to have the vax to start school. I'm looking for chicken pox right now! Luckily, there's a big catholic population around here and a lot don't vax, so it comes through this area every few months. I turned it down last time it came through my local AP playgroup because Ellie was only 5 or 6 months old, and I'd heard that when little babies get it its often so mild they don't have lifelong immunity.


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## MelW (Jan 13, 2005)

All of this talk about sleep is making my google ads show sleeping pills and sleep remedies!

And if anyone wants to make me feel good about our approach to sleep, you can tell me your stories of "I did nothing at all to encourage my child to sleep through the night and eventually they just did it on their own". I'm not ready to invest the effort into "fixing" her sleep pattern, so continue to night nurse every one to two hours through the night, with the occasional refreshing three or four hour stretch every week or two. If I had read this post a year ago I'd be totally depressed- but somehow we keep on keeping on







:

spughy~ have you looked into lecithin (sp?) for your plugged duct issues? It came up at a LLL meeting, and one woman swore that it cured her recurrent problem with plugged ducts/mastitis.

We haven't vaxed for CP, nor are we actively looking for it. The vax rate is low enough here that Neela could maybe pick it up around town, but I feel like intentional exposure is too strange for us. Not to mention the hassle of childcare for a sick child now that I'm working.

FSM~ Good to see you! I hope your funny bone returns soon


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

We don't have the chicken pox vaccine over here at all, not even privately. It hasn't been licensed as safe. If it's really that hard to come into contact with, Amy, and you can cope with another three weeks of no sleep then I'd grab the chance and go bring that little boy home to live with you for a few days. Better still, I'd get the names and addresses of the kids who are doing this playdate and get them round for tea next week and the week after, before their spots are out and they're good and infectious.
(Incubation period is 14-21 days, iirc, and the presence of spots means that the body is working on antibodies and the child is getting better. So for best results, you want to catch a child who's been in contact and is at that whingy, clingy stage but hasn't yet got spots. Be prepared for it to be nasty though, and get some clean knee socks to use as scratch mitts.
And I'll apologise to everyone who has vaxed against CP- like I said, it seems like such a weird thing to do from our perspective. It goes round infant schools every so often.
Just another good reason to come and visit me


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## DreamsInDigital (Sep 18, 2003)

Helen, we don't vaccinate at all, but even if I did choose some of them, chickenpox would not be on my list.


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## SoulJourney (Sep 26, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MelW* 
And if anyone wants to make me feel good about our approach to sleep, you can tell me your stories of "I did nothing at all to encourage my child to sleep through the night and eventually they just did it on their own". I'm not ready to invest the effort into "fixing" her sleep pattern, so continue to night nurse every one to two hours through the night, with the occasional refreshing three or four hour stretch every week or two. If I had read this post a year ago I'd be totally depressed- but somehow we keep on keeping on







:


Here you go...I did nothing at all to encourage Noah to sleep through the night and he did it on his own! Glad, too. Sleep issues are a deal breaker for me!


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

I forgot to send you hugs, PM. My eyes are changing too- I got them lasered at 18 and now I'm getting progressively more far-sighted, which shouldn't be happening yet.
FSM







Good to see you!


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## MamaFern (Dec 13, 2003)

we are no vax here too..i started thinking about CP the other day..now thatelwynn is 4 and still we have had no chance of contact with it.. its kind of scary! when i was a kid we all had it.. no big deal either..people are so afraid of being sick..

ngaio is totally off dairy and wheat these days. she was sick for a while with a cold and then a horrible rash on her face that i figured out was an allergy to oranges.. we had boxes of organic mandarin oranges around the holidays and she couldnt get enuff..but the rash kept getting worse and worse and i finally went aha!! then after her sickness she started getting some rash on her belly and exema all over in little patches.. i know im sensitive to dairy and wheat, we dont eat much but some, and now that ive stopped all consumption of it for her and trying for myself her skin is getting much beter.. poor little munchkin.

im sorry for not being catively involved here these days.. i come and read but often dont have time to post.
the wee foster baby is still here..he's gaining lots of weight and is a wake more these days.. he is going on 3 weeks old!
elwynn spent the last 2 nights away at my sister's house.. its been a nice break but i miss him like crazy. i could do with never being away from my kids for more tan an hour at a time. i still have a hugely hard time being out of hearing distance from ngaio. is that totally crazy?








s to the mommas who need one..

helen, you dont know how envious i am of your pregnant self.. *sigh*
DID..how are you?!


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## s_kristina (Aug 9, 2004)

We are back online after our move. Our sleep has been disrupted here also, but I was expecting it. My 5 year old is the poor sleeper here. She did not sleep through the night until she was over 2 years old. I am firmly convinced that my attempts at CIO when she was under a year are a big part of the reason why she had even more sleep issues after that. Part of it though is just personality. She was up every 2-2.5 hours around the clock to bf until she was around 2 years old. As she was still getting most of her calories from bf to that point she needed to eat when she woke up! Here is some info from a woman I'm lucky to call a friend of mine about bf and sleeping http://mother-2-mother.com/pillowtalk.htm She is a big part of the reason I gave up on my attempts to do CIO with Annette and how I found out about CLW and EN. We have a toddler bed that until we just moved was Annette's set up in our room for Joseph. When he goes to bed for the night I put him in it. I always nurse to sleep before laying him down. It's just easier for me and after the sleep struggles with Annette I'm all about what is easiest for us all. I have a feeling with a little push Joseph would sleep through most nights, but I'm in no hurry to push him. I often set Annette up with some coloring or other preschool work and nap with him for his short morning nap. When Annette was little I napped every time she napped, but that doesn't work with 2 kids. It also wouldn't work if she was younger then she is which is a big part of the reason we have the age gap we have. I was anticipating another child that didn't sleep through for years and got a nice surprise.


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## DucetteMama21842 (May 11, 2006)

You totally suggested what I do now at moments. Most days I babysit two other little kids... but when I don't.. at Isaac's naptime I usually set Dominic up with an activity and nap for a half while Isaac does. He's so good.. if he gets bored he just comes into my room and sits on the bed by me playing with my hair or rubbing my back.


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## spughy (Jun 28, 2005)

Hi mamas! Wow lots to read this morning!

FSM - HI!!! Good to "see" you again. I hope your pathos isn't permanent.

Mel - Yes, I tried lecithin. Unfortunately one of the side-effects is diarrhea, and that got me big-time, so I had to stop taking it.







I was all excited about it, too.

Amy - good work on the nighttime routine!

spiritmomma - I'd love to see your art, too.

We ran out of infant tylenol and decided to switch to infant motrin, and last night Rowan slept 6 hours straight in her crib - but after waking twice in 2 hours... weird. Anyway, she had a good night's sleep, but she kept making little whiny noises in her sleep which woke me up. But I go back to sleep again easily enough so it wasn't too bad. When she finally woke up she had a hard time getting out of her blanket - it was wrapped pretty tightly around her - and I'm wondering if she just likes being kind of confined when she sleeps? Maybe it's worth trying to swaddle her again? She hasn't been swaddled since she was about 12 weeks old - I worried too much about it affecting her hip development. Maybe I'll try just tucking her in more.

Her tooth is SO almost there. I bet it'll poke through today. Then she'll be more than halfway to all her baby teeth!


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## DreamsInDigital (Sep 18, 2003)

Hi Fern! Hope you're enjoying your little foster baby! 3 weeks old is so tiny! Awwww. I'm 38 weeks and 1 day, just chugging along growing this baby. I'm trying to make as much special time for Winter as I can, and I'm trying to really enjoy the nighttime sleepy snuggles. It's going to be much harder to get those snuggles once I have two babies competing for them. How is Ngaio handling sharing you with the little one?


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## MamaFern (Dec 13, 2003)

ngaio is amazing! she LOVES babies.. if he cries she runs up to him in his cradle and rocks it and says "shhh" and if his bottle is left anywhere she brings it to him..sometimes over and over again..







she is really a little mother









i remember feeling like i needed to get all of the snuggle i could with elwynn before ngaio was born but we all just did more snuggling after..


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## MelW (Jan 13, 2005)

This morning Neela had a long conversation with my calculator held up to her ear pretending it was the telephone. She came over to me and passed it to my ear, so I said "Hi Nana" thinking she was pretending to talk to Matt's mum. She said "No....duck!", and waited for me to continue talking to the duck on the phone.







After a few seconds she took it back, and continued her conversation with the duck. I love toddlers


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## DreamsInDigital (Sep 18, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MamaFern* 
ngaio is amazing! she LOVES babies.. if he cries she runs up to him in his cradle and rocks it and says "shhh" and if his bottle is left anywhere she brings it to him..sometimes over and over again..







she is really a little mother









That is SO CUTE.


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

DiD, you are getting so close!! You must be getting excited to meet your sweet baby girl!

Fern, I'm glad everything is going well with you and the foster baby! I've been reading your blog every few days to see how y'all are doing.









Mel, that is adorable! I am just so in love with Brynnie right now. It's cuteness overload!

We are really doing well with the new bedtime routine. I posted more details on my blog if anyone is interested. I don't want to hog up the thread with our daily updates!


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## spiritmomma (Aug 29, 2005)

I'm honored you want to see my drawing









It can be seen here I'd recommend the slide show view, otherwise the pictures are too small.

For my 2 cents, I'd be all over a wild CP exposure. I'd do in a heartbeat if I knew Isa was healthy going into it. I'd take lots of immune boosters, myself, to pass on in the milk too.

Fern!







Nice to see you and hear that things are good with you and your family. Glad that foster baby is getting your Love!

FSM:







and







( I think you're funny still.)

DiD: OMG! You're SO close... I can't wait to see pictures of your beautiful daughter. I'm sure you're feeling ready to meet her too!

PM: That goes for you too, sister! I'd be OH-SO-Glad to take Noah so you can have some _alone time_... it sounds so good doesn't it? Name your time.

*Amy* Yay for Brynn falling asleep quickly. And yay for your realistic expectations of her. I'm glad you are accepting that every night might be different and that just because she slept a shorter stretch one night, it isn't a backward step, just a different night. Many prayers and blessings as you both find peace in this new stage!


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## Phoenix_Rising (Jun 27, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Queen of Cups* 
The CP vax is on the required list in my state for starting school, so you have to go through the whole exemption PITA to avoid it, which is especially difficult if you selectively vax, because then you can't claim you're morally opposed to vaxes since you've done some of them.

I know that in Oregon at least it does not matter if you are selectively vaxing (in theory). That said, those people I know who do selectively vax are planning on claiming complete exemption and just not telling the school that there have been any vaxes done. We are choosing to not vax at all but we are also planning on homeschooling, so we won't have to worry about this all. . .

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MelW* 
And if anyone wants to make me feel good about our approach to sleep, you can tell me your stories of "I did nothing at all to encourage my child to sleep through the night and eventually they just did it on their own". I'm not ready to invest the effort into "fixing" her sleep pattern, so continue to night nurse every one to two hours through the night, with the occasional refreshing three or four hour stretch every week or two. If I had read this post a year ago I'd be totally depressed- but somehow we keep on keeping on







:

MelW - you are not alone here. KeaganRae still wakes about every hour and a half or so most nights. I think that some babes are just prone to waking alot during the night.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *MamaFern* 

im sorry for not being catively involved here these days.. i come and read but often dont have time to post.
the wee foster baby is still here..he's gaining lots of weight and is a wake more these days.. he is going on 3 weeks old!
elwynn spent the last 2 nights away at my sister's house.. its been a nice break but i miss him like crazy. i could do with never being away from my kids for more tan an hour at a time. i still have a hugely hard time being out of hearing distance from ngaio. is that totally crazy?

MamaFern- I'm glad that your wee one is doing well and gaining weight








And no, I don't think it is crazy to be away from your child. I have a hard time on the days that KeaganRae doesn't come to work with me even though I know I will get alot more done at work


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## flyingspaghettimama (Dec 18, 2001)

We also just are letting FSB be at night. However, I totally intend to nightwean at 18 months like I did with my firstborn, assuming the stars are in alignement (meaning, he understands the difference between night and day, it's summer, he eats enough in the daytime, and so on). But the cosleeping and nursing, I'll keep. I love cosleeping, honestly. He wakes up about 3-4 times a night, but doesn't really wake seriously. No playing or anything.

However, I totally understand needing more sleep and needing space. I think it just comes to different parent/child dyads at different times, but at some point, there is usually a line drawn...whether at 1 or 3 or 6. I think Sears says something about if you resent it, fix it...or did he say that parents should just drink more Boone's wine to drown out their fatigue? Hmm, probably not the latter.

Is anyone else in the no-talker club with me? He will say one word for a week, and then learn a new word and drop the old one. Right now, it's bye-bye.

I did feel better though today - I looked in my old baby book and when I was 17 months old, ya know how many words I spoke? Five. Yup. And I think I talk a lot. Too much, most likely. Here, I'll shut up now.


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

Lost your funny bone, my arse, FSM!









Susannah, where in Oregon are you? (Sorry if I should know this already!) I grew up in Southern Oregon and have actually been really hoping that DH will get a job there so we can move back!


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## Queen of Cups (Aug 29, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *flyingspaghettimama* 
Is anyone else in the no-talker club with me? He will say one word for a week, and then learn a new word and drop the old one. Right now, it's bye-bye.

All Ellie says regularly (and spontaneously) are: Mama, Milk, Da! (daddy), More, and nana (banana). I keep thinking I hear a "no" pop in and out, but I'm never sure... But she's very quiet and doesn't use words very often at all. I guess its because her brother chatters all the time!


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## s_kristina (Aug 9, 2004)

I sat down thinking Joseph only has 2 words, but then I started writing them out and I think he has more like 6 or 7. He consistently says dada and uh-oh. He will also occasionally say dat, da which seems to mean up or down depending on which he wants, Nana for Annette and assorted things with ba which means water bottle or cup. His recent cute one is mmm ba when telling me he wants to bf. Our bf word with dd was mmm mmmies and seems to be mmm snuggles or mmm snugs with him. I guess he is branching off from that and recognizing it's also a drink.


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## spughy (Jun 28, 2005)

FSM - Rowan is pretty much a non-talker, too. She says "dah!" constantly (or "bah!" which seems interchangeable, but more often if she's pointing at something that starts with a 'b', like a bird or a ball or a balloon). The only real word she says is "bye", but she says it so cutely: "baahye" like she's from Texas. Oh and she says 'apple', when requested. That's it. Occasionally something that sounds like a word will come out, but it's never repeated.

Mel - Rowan's sleep is definitely getting better, with some hiccups, and we haven't really "done" anything beyond having her sleep with DH on the couch when I can't take it anymore or wasn't able to pick her up. Last night she slept for 7 hours straight in her crib - and I saw her start to get up once last night, then flop back down to sleep. I don't know if this will last or not, I suspect we will have some regression at some point (perhaps tonight!), but it is certainly better than it was a month ago.

Spiritmomma - love the art! Beautiful!!!!


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## Phoenix_Rising (Jun 27, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *flyingspaghettimama* 
Is anyone else in the no-talker club with me? He will say one word for a week, and then learn a new word and drop the old one. Right now, it's bye-bye.

fsm - KeaganRae says mama, nuh nuh (hungry), and that is all he is doing now besides LOTSof vocalizing









Quote:


Originally Posted by **Amy** 
Susannah, where in Oregon are you? (Sorry if I should know this already!) I grew up in Southern Oregon and have actually been really hoping that DH will get a job there so we can move back!

We are in Salem, but DW loves Southern Oregon and if she had her way I think we would probably move there within the next 5 years or so.


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## flyingspaghettimama (Dec 18, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *spughy* 
FSM - Rowan is pretty much a non-talker, too. She says "dah!" constantly (or "bah!" which seems interchangeable, but more often if she's pointing at something that starts with a 'b', like a bird or a ball or a balloon).

Yeah, same here. It's amazing how many things start with a bah, isn't it? But I was never counting those as real words. When a book, ball, baby, and bonk are all "bah." As of last week, he did call milk "maam." He tilts his head and asks, "maam?" and then lay in my lap and look expectantly. This week, nope. But he did start signing for eat and "where" - funny, because I haven't used baby sign with him for about 3 months. I gave up, thinking he would start talking soon enough as to not really need sign.


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## Queen of Cups (Aug 29, 2003)

I gave Ellie her first haircut tonight! The ends of her hair were really scraggly, and I think they look better now: Before vs. After

I'd still like to cut bangs into her hair, because its always in her eyes, but DH is adamantly opposed to bangs. Bleah. I can't help but be a bit offended, since I wore bangs about half the time he's known me!

I added some video clips of the kids to my blog - check it out!


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## flyingspaghettimama (Dec 18, 2001)

QOC, While the previous hair was very hipster-cool, the the haircut is adorable. I love the little curls.

Little barrettes are so cute on long bangs. If she'll let you leave them in. I wish I could put barrettes on FSB...sigh...

Amy, I think you should update us on your sleep drama. I'm waiting for my next installment here.


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## Queen of Cups (Aug 29, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *flyingspaghettimama* 
QOC, While the previous hair was very hipster-cool, the the haircut is adorable. I love the little curls.

Little barrettes are so cute on long bangs. If she'll let you leave them in. I wish I could put barrettes on FSB...sigh...

When I'm getting her dressed in the morning she points to her bows/barrettes and then to her head (asking for one), but usually pulls it out within a few minutes. Especially in the carseat, when she's bored. If I can keep her distracted, she'll keep on in for awhile, until she notices it. She also has a recent love of hats, and her favorite is one of DS's outgrown hats. So, as soon as she finds a hat to put on, the barrette comes out.


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## DreamsInDigital (Sep 18, 2003)

Oh Winter has just developed some amazingly adorable behaviors lately. I am loving them. Now when he's hungry he will stare you down and sign eat eat eat eat and then walk over to the refrigerator and pull on the door like he's trying to open it. SO cute. He plays peekaboo and just grins like mad when he uncovers his eyes and you exclaim "peekaboo!" I feel like such a dork but this just makes me giggle so much. He dances when he hears music and he'll dance more if he notices you watching. He sometimes gets so overwhelmingly upset that he lays down on the floor crying. It breaks my heart. He says "Awwwww..." when he hugs my belly. He can follow a simple instruction like "Bring that to mommy" or "Put that in the basket." He doesn't always obey but he understands like you would not believe. He's started running down the hallway after his big brothers, he barely falls at all anymore. He's gotten so sure-footed. We went for a walk outside in hard-soled shoes for the first time the other day and he walked on the sidewalk and in the grass and pointed at everything. I love watching him discover the world, it makes everything seem brand new and so exciting. He doesn't talk much but he knows so much, you know? He's an amazing person and it's so hard to believe that he's barely been here a year. It's been a wonderful year, hasn't it?


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## MelW (Jan 13, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DreamsInDigital* 
He can follow a simple instruction like "Bring that to mommy" or "Put that in the basket." He doesn't always obey but he understands like you would not believe.
It's been a wonderful year, hasn't it?

It has been a wonderful year! I'm amazed by Neela's ability to follow instructions (when she wants to- I'm also amazed by her ability to tell me NOOOO). Yesterday she was underfoot while I was making dinner, so I gave her a plastic plate and told her to go put in on the table. She took five different things out and "set" the table for me.

Q of C~ I like the hair cut! I like bangs, but once it all grows out the longer hair will be nice


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## spiritmomma (Aug 29, 2005)

QoC: I like the haircut. And we're in the same shoes here where Isa's "bangs" are ridiculously long and in her eyes, but I'm trying to avoid cutting them too. _Sometimes_ she'll let me put a barrette in her hair, but it often gets removed too. I find that a little banana smear helps hold that hair back out of her eyes!









DiD:







: Your post made me sniffle a bit. It _has_ been a wonderful year. Aren't are kids just wonderful? And just think, you're just about to get a whole new experience with another wonderful child!


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## barcelona (May 1, 2006)

I just wanted to pop in and say a quick hi!

and Hi FSM!

yay for the sleep successes, Amy!

Peacefulmommy, what a beautiful drawing. Thank you for sharing. I love the imagery.

Q of C, love the haircut! What sweet curls. I just cut Finley's hair this week too! I did cut bangs, which I have mixed feelings about. But I do think it looks cute overall. Only thing is, his is stick straight. The ends don't look as scraggly though. I'll post pictures on our site soon.

Fern, how fun about about the tiny one! So glad he's in your arms and getting your love and gaining weight.

To the mom asking for success stories on sleep without doing anything (can't find the name..think it's Mel?) ...well, I wouldn't call ours a huge success story, but I would say Finley sometimes sleeps through the night, most often wakes once or twice to nurse, and sometimes wakes three or four times. like fsm, it's never a big deal, is quick and easily solved with the breast, and I don't feel like my sleep is that disrupted, nor do I feel sleep deprived. And we have done NOTHING to help it along. So there is hope!

My sister in law was in town, so we were busy being hosts to her and trying to handle a delicate and awkward family situation (she's dating a man who left and divorced his wife for SIL, and also left his 4 year old daughter!!!







) It is hard to not be judgemental, but we really tried (it has been a year now), though it is also hard to hear her talk about him and the daughter nonchalantly. Anyway...
Also, am working on the investigation to find out where Finley has been exposed to lead. (don't know if i told y'all about that, but his one year appointment levels came back at 9, too high for me to be comfortable with...and they were rechecked six weeks later and came back at 8, still too high). It's not the water. Now, we'll bring in some experts to investigate the apartment.
ALSO, this has been nothing short of an awful week in terms of my husband's career. He had a major setback in his struggling/budding film career, and was fired from his day job yesterday b/c his boss is an asshole. It was just a day job, but still a major source of income, and it is still traumatizing. I'm trying hard not to fall apart and be supportive to him...and just take a deep breath and know that we will be okay and that these things aren't the end of the world.

Thanks for listening!

And yes, what incredible joys these little ones are. I'm overwhelmed with how beautiful Finley is and how blessed we are and how fun and precious this time is, savoring it.


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## barcelona (May 1, 2006)

DiD! Forgot to say, hi, and how true is your post...and also, how very excited you must be for the arrival of your new little one!!!! So soon!!! Enjoy these lovely weeks awaiting.

You'll be having a homebirth right? Will you have a midwife? Thinking of you and wishing you a wonderful birth.


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

I was having a hard time trying to remain zen about my little girl, who loves me so much that she wants to be with me, holding me constantly. Thanks







I feel better.


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

Yeah I had a perspective-keeping day today too; I watched Oprah, and she was talking about women in their 30s in America, and the hugely high numbers of women with fertility issues. It made me feel incredibly blessed to have this amazing child sleeping in my arms.


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## DreamsInDigital (Sep 18, 2003)

Oh I know Amy. We're all so lucky to have conceived, carried to term and birthed our beautiful babes. I'm definitely feeling very lucky.
I'm 11 days from my EDD. Barcelona, to answer your questions, yes I'm having a homebirth with a midwife.
I'm totally not ready though. This baby can be a couple weeks late, fine by me. I haven't washed the clothes and diapers yet. I haven't gotten enough sleep yet!


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## SoulJourney (Sep 26, 2005)

: Thanks for making me stop to appreciate my wonderful little man, y'all! It really makes my heart swell up with pride to even look at him. And ya know, if there's one thing in this world that I feel confident about, it's that I'm doing a damn fine job of raising this boy.







Sure, we all make mistakes, but look at everything we are doing right for our children. We are one hell of a group of mamas, lemme tell ya!

BTW...that was Spiritmomma's wonderful artwork, not mine! I wish I could take the credit for it, though. I'm only useful behind the camera when it comes to art.


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## Phoenix_Rising (Jun 27, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Queen of Cups* 
I gave Ellie her first haircut tonight! The ends of her hair were really scraggly, and I think they look better now: Before vs. After

I'd still like to cut bangs into her hair, because its always in her eyes, but DH is adamantly opposed to bangs. Bleah. I can't help but be a bit offended, since I wore bangs about half the time he's known me!

I added some video clips of the kids to my blog - check it out!

I love the haircut!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DreamsInDigital* 
Oh Winter has just developed some amazingly adorable behaviors lately. I am loving them. Now when he's hungry he will stare you down and sign eat eat eat eat and then walk over to the refrigerator and pull on the door like he's trying to open it. SO cute. He plays peekaboo and just grins like mad when he uncovers his eyes and you exclaim "peekaboo!" I feel like such a dork but this just makes me giggle so much. He dances when he hears music and he'll dance more if he notices you watching. He sometimes gets so overwhelmingly upset that he lays down on the floor crying. It breaks my heart. He says "Awwwww..." when he hugs my belly. He can follow a simple instruction like "Bring that to mommy" or "Put that in the basket." He doesn't always obey but he understands like you would not believe. He's started running down the hallway after his big brothers, he barely falls at all anymore. He's gotten so sure-footed. We went for a walk outside in hard-soled shoes for the first time the other day and he walked on the sidewalk and in the grass and pointed at everything. I love watching him discover the world, it makes everything seem brand new and so exciting. He doesn't talk much but he knows so much, you know? He's an amazing person and it's so hard to believe that he's barely been here a year. It's been a wonderful year, hasn't it?

I love peekaboo









Quote:


Originally Posted by *barcelona* 
Also, am working on the investigation to find out where Finley has been exposed to lead. (don't know if i told y'all about that, but his one year appointment levels came back at 9, too high for me to be comfortable with...and they were rechecked six weeks later and came back at 8, still too high). It's not the water. Now, we'll bring in some experts to investigate the apartment.
ALSO, this has been nothing short of an awful week in terms of my husband's career. He had a major setback in his struggling/budding film career, and was fired from his day job yesterday b/c his boss is an asshole. It was just a day job, but still a major source of income, and it is still traumatizing. I'm trying hard not to fall apart and be supportive to him...and just take a deep breath and know that we will be okay and that these things aren't the end of the world.

Thanks for listening!

And yes, what incredible joys these little ones are. I'm overwhelmed with how beautiful Finley is and how blessed we are and how fun and precious this time is, savoring it.

How scary about the lead stuff - make sure to update us on what you figure out! And







with the job loss. Make sure not to do so much supporting that you don't take time for yourself.

KeaganRae started walking last week - he is soooooo steady it is amazing! Today he signed his first 2 word phrase - "more eat".


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## Queen of Cups (Aug 29, 2003)

Re: Lead - do you buy any foreign canned goods? I had a friend who's son had a higher-than-advised lead level, and she stopped buying canned goods from other countries because she read that sometimes the solder used to seal them has lead that contaminates the food. (Her husband is asian, so they shop at asian grocery stores a lot.) It turned out to be a false high reading for her son, though, when she had another blood test done where they drew it from a vein (instead of the finger prick) it came back much lower, and that's supposed to be the more accurate way to do it.


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

I buy cans from wherever they come from, but I'm vigilant about discarding dented tins. (To us, Coke comes in a can, peaches come in a tin.) Then again, the UK doesn't check lead levels either, so all of my kids could be seriously affected and I wouldn't know. The only tinned thing we eat regularly is Heinz low salt/sugar baked beans though.
DiD, I'm excited for you! I was looking at the June 05 Mamas thread for this month- the Heather's in labour one? Well, next month that's going to be us!!!!!!! (so hang on until February 1st, OK?) How's the job hunt going- has your dp found something yet?
Mel, I forgot to say, Isaac was waking upwards of 7 times a night at this age. He now sleeps 12 hours straight...


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## barcelona (May 1, 2006)

oops--i'm the one who got mixed up with the names...i was thinking in my head about you, jaymi, but called you spiritmama. sorry!







and peacefulmommy, if i'm remembering correctly, you're great with the camera, and the knitting needles!

Q of C thanks for the lead tips. the blood was taken from his vein both times, so i think that is the accurate reading. we never ever eat canned (or tinned) foods, actually, except if I rarely do black bean soup from the can instead of dry beans. i don't want to be overworked about it, but i also want to be proactive and careful. i think b/c we live in new york, with all the city fumes and yucks, it makes me extra paranoid. we might have someone come out and look at our apt to see if they can find the source.

and sending love to all the beautiful babies (and their beautiful mamas), appreciating the blessings we have.

yes, Did, i second the question about your DH trying to find work. am i remembering correctly that melw came and told us that he did find work and all was well? do fill us in. i understand your situation even better now, as we're in that boat...hopefully we'll have good news sooner than later.

btw, spughy, how's it going? hope you're feeling well and healthy and mastitis-free and that rowan is having a good sleeping spell.

and amy, i cannot believe how gorgeously brynn has adjusted to the falling asleep thing! amazing. are you still oh so pleasantly surprised and better-rested?

DH and i watched the first disc (there's two, it's long) of spike lee's "when the levees broke" about katrina. i highly recommend it. talk about putting things in perspective. and talk about one messed up government we have.







:

ok, i'm off ot my job (i work two half days a week while alex (dh) takes care of finley) hope everyone's having a good friday and start to the weekend!


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## spughy (Jun 28, 2005)

Hi everyone! Thanks for thinking of me barcelona - yes I am currently mastitis-free and Rowan is sleeping pretty well - last night she spent the whole night in her crib and woke briefly at 10 for a cuddle then at 1:30 and 6:30 for a nurse. So I got a good stretch of sleep in and didn't have to dump her on DH at all. We're getting there! And I'm so sorry about your dh's job








That sucks.

My DH is creeping ever-closer to having his thesis done. A couple days ago he had only one chapter left to write, so I'm thinking he'll be done writing in the next couple of days, although he will probably revise until his advisor physically rips the darn thing out of his hands and yells "Enough already! Just submit it!" because DH is such a perfectionist. It's 200 pages long and was only supposed to be 100, apparently.







:

Love the haircut, QofC! I long for the day when I have to give Rowan one, she still has very little hair.

I too feel very blessed to have such an amazing little girl. I realized last night that with her waking up less in the night I actually find it hard to put her back in her crib because I look at her sweet little face and feel her warm little body and it's just so beautiful and cozy and wonderful even if it's 1:30 in the morning and I desperately need sleep I still just want to keep cuddling her. But the times I've succumbed to that and just snuggled her into bed with me I've slept like crap and suffered for it so I don't do it. But I usually hold her a few more minutes than I need to anyway.


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

Spughy, I think we're married to the same person. Steve spent 15 hours working on his first assignment for his uni course: 500 words long. Can we teach the toddlers to say "perfectionist?" I know what you mean about the snuggliness though.
I have a quote running through my head and I can't remember what it's from- something about "day by day, she grows in grace and beauty." That's my girl right now







She's growing up so fast, and into such a lovely person. We figured out that the clinginess isn't actually separation anxiety, like we thought- she just worries when she's with a crowd of other children. The mother-baby yoga class, the toddler groups, we have cuddles all hour. At the park, with just her brothers there for company, she heads off across the field to chase seagulls without even a thought. Isn't that weird?


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## MelW (Jan 13, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *flapjack* 
We figured out that the clinginess isn't actually separation anxiety, like we thought- she just worries when she's with a crowd of other children. The mother-baby yoga class, the toddler groups, we have cuddles all hour. At the park, with just her brothers there for company, she heads off across the field to chase seagulls without even a thought. Isn't that weird?

Maybe she thinks her brothers will protect her- is she only clingy when they're not around?

Neela is an escape artist. Whenever I try to get her trailer hitched to my bike, she runs away. It's a several step process: go outside, remove bike from storage unit. Retrieve Neela who is running away to the playground. Come back, remove trailer. Search for Neela, find her climbing up the stairs to play on the upstairs neighbour's balcony. Hitch it together, chase Neela down and finally put her in trailer. Once again, debate with self the ethics of toddler leashes







:


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

No- if it's just her and me she'll go, too. Some of this is down to the naptime angst. Some of it isn't (she does a LOT better in the afternoons, but that's no help because most of the stuff we're committed to at the moment is in the mornings.) I have a regional training day with the NCT next Saturday and she's going in the creche, but with Alex and Isaac for company. Hopefully, that'll go well.


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## DreamsInDigital (Sep 18, 2003)

Oh yes I forgot to update about DP's job situation. He was offered a position on a different contract within the same company. The position itself is a demotion but he actually got a 75 cent an hour raise for taking it. He's still applying for a management position but at least for now he's still employed.

9 days until my due date!


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## MamaFern (Dec 13, 2003)

DID: oh my! you are so close!! i cant even believe it







i wonder how soon your little one will come.. sending birthing vibes your way









and yay on the dp job news..thats great! i knew that things would work out for you..


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

DiD, are you expecting to go late again? Or is this going to be the baby who arrives bang on her due date? Whatever, I can't believe it's so close







I'm glad your dp's gainfully employed. Unemployment stinks.


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## spughy (Jun 28, 2005)

DiD, I'm glad your DH is working







You must be getting so excited about the new little one!

We are having a really nice weekend here. The weather is beautiful and we went to the park and fed the squirrels and the ducks.

And this post is going to be cut short due to the little one trying to clamber into my lap...


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## DreamsInDigital (Sep 18, 2003)

I don't expect to be "on time" but I really hope that I don't go to 42 weeks again. That was unbearable.
I don't have any signs of impending labor, but I'll keep you guys posted.


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## Phoenix_Rising (Jun 27, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DreamsInDigital* 
Oh yes I forgot to update about DP's job situation. He was offered a position on a different contract within the same company. The position itself is a demotion but he actually got a 75 cent an hour raise for taking it. He's still applying for a management position but at least for now he's still employed.

9 days until my due date!


Quote:


Originally Posted by *DreamsInDigital* 
I don't expect to be "on time" but I really hope that I don't go to 42 weeks again. That was unbearable.
I don't have any signs of impending labor, but I'll keep you guys posted.


Thinking of you


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## SoulJourney (Sep 26, 2005)

Sending comforting labor vibes your way, DiD!


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

Sending many punctuality vibes your way, DiD. (OT, WHY doesn't Mothering have a clock smiley for all those overdue babies????) I decided this morning that I don't like my "official" due date, so from now on I'm due 41 weeks after I ovulated, on the 15th September. And I bet even now I'm still late...


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## MelW (Jan 13, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *flapjack* 
Sending many punctuality vibes your way, DiD. (OT, WHY doesn't Mothering have a clock smiley for all those overdue babies????) I decided this morning that I don't like my "official" due date, so from now on I'm due 41 weeks after I ovulated, on the 15th September. And I bet even now I'm still late...

That's terrific! Will you be giving the 15th to your midwives, family, etc. as your due date?

Fingers crossed for a punctual baby, DID.


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## DreamsInDigital (Sep 18, 2003)

I'm 39 weeks. Sigh. I went to the store the other day and the lady asked when I was due. I told her and she says "And they're still letting you out of the house?!?!?!" Like I was insanely walking around with a baby half hanging out of me. And anyway, who is this "they" she was talking about? Nobody tells me what to do!
I'm so bored! It's not like I want to sit around my house waiting for labor to start. I don't have the patience. I'm trying to be zen about this since I'm not even 40 weeks yet but my zen is rapidly crumbling into "get this baby out of me now!" Ugh.


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

Hey, that's a good sign! Total fed-upness is a good thing.
Have you had a cold yet? Pretty much every mother of a winter baby I know had a stonking cold/flu/the sniffles within 21 days of giving birth. It has to be 21 days, because that's the minimum possible amount of time for a cold virus to mutate enough that you need new antibodies and baby wouldn't be protected by your antibodies sent across the placenta.
Mel, it was really embarrassing. I did the maths, figured out what the last day of my LMP should be to get the due date that I "wanted", and gave that to my GP to do my booking for a scan yesterday. He put it into the computer, ran it through the wheel thing to doublecheck and said "no, that would make you due on the 17th." DOH! I did say that my fictitious period in December was very light though...


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DreamsInDigital* 
I'm so bored! It's not like I want to sit around my house waiting for labor to start. I don't have the patience. I'm trying to be zen about this since I'm not even 40 weeks yet but my zen is rapidly crumbling into "get this baby out of me now!" Ugh.









I totally felt that way at 39 weeks, too! I remember it so vividly. I can't believe we're going to get another baby in our DDC.









I feel like I haven't checked in a while. It's just been so busy because DH was out of town for a week interviewing for jobs, and it seems like being a single parent while he's gone just gets harder and harder. His trip last week garnered two follow-up interviews; both companies are in Michigan, though.







: One is in Kalamazoo, which I think would be OK, but the other is in Detroit. I actually got onto the Detroit tribe thread, and a lot of people say that living there is fine, so I guess I don't feel as mortified about it as I did initially. And if he doesn't get one of these jobs, it's not a huge deal because he's not officially out of the Navy until May 31st, so I feel like we still have some time.

Brynn's sleeping has been getting better (amazingly so), or I guess I should say, it *was* getting better until DH got home. He's totally disrupted our routine the past two nights, and even got her upset and crying and then took her out of bed after I had laid her down, which REALLY pissed me off. I am going to talk to him tonight and let him know that he cannot be in the room *at all* once I put her down. I feel like he's totally set the process back because he thinks he can "help." Arrrrghh! But anyway, like I said, she was doing so well before he came home. Two nights ago, she actually got into her bed while she was still awake, and played and talked for a few minutes before laying down on her own and falling asleep. Then, I think she woke up within an hour, so I told her it was still time for night-night, and she actually laid back down and went back to sleep (with the help of some back rubbing) that time too. Hallelujah! I'm hoping tonight we'll get back on track.

Oh, but in other good news - DH and I had our first "date" last night since Brynn's birth, and it was really nice. A good friend of ours and her 1-year old son (Brynn's buddy) came over and stayed with her while we went out, and she knows them both so well that I don't think she even really noticed that we were gone! We really enjoyed getting to eat slowly, and getting to have an actual conversation that wasn't interrupted 50 times by "GET DOWN! GET DOWN!" etc. It was fun.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *flapjack*
I did the maths, figured out what the last day of my LMP should be to get the due date that I "wanted", and gave that to my GP to do my booking for a scan yesterday. He put it into the computer, ran it through the wheel thing to doublecheck and said "no, that would make you due on the 17th." DOH!

Ha ha!! God is punishing you for being sneaky, Helen!!







Just kidding, but that is hilarious.

I've been thinking about zjande the past couple of days. Did she get married this past weekend? She did get pregnant last cycle, right?

Spiritmomma, thank you so much for sharing your art. It was really beautiful, and I loved the symbolism. Awesome. Are you feeling more like yourself again the past few days?

That's all I can think of to say for now.


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## DreamsInDigital (Sep 18, 2003)

No Helen, I haven't had a cold in months. Everyone in my house has been sick at least twice since the last time I was ill. So I guess I'm looking at being pregnant for at least another 3 weeks according to your theory, right?
No freaking way. Not on my life. Not in a billion years will I ever be more than 42 weeks pregnant. I would rather spend the next month sitting in a tub of cold Jello with fire ants crawling all over me.


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## SoulJourney (Sep 26, 2005)

Zjande's pregnant? Did I miss something???







:

ETA...Amy...Detroit proper can be icky but Royal Oak, a burb, is awesome.


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## Phoenix_Rising (Jun 27, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DreamsInDigital* 
I'm 39 weeks. Sigh. I went to the store the other day and the lady asked when I was due. I told her and she says "And they're still letting you out of the house?!?!?!" Like I was insanely walking around with a baby half hanging out of me. And anyway, who is this "they" she was talking about? Nobody tells me what to do!
I'm so bored! It's not like I want to sit around my house waiting for labor to start. I don't have the patience. I'm trying to be zen about this since I'm not even 40 weeks yet but my zen is rapidly crumbling into "get this baby out of me now!" Ugh.

Oh, yeah, "them". I remember "them". There were people who couldn't believe I was planning on working up to my EDD; for some convenient reason many people forget that worldwide women give birth and then go right back to work the same day. (Thankfully that is not needed of me though)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *DreamsInDigital* 
No Helen, I haven't had a cold in months. Everyone in my house has been sick at least twice since the last time I was ill. So I guess I'm looking at being pregnant for at least another 3 weeks according to your theory, right?
No freaking way. Not on my life. Not in a billion years will I ever be more than 42 weeks pregnant. I would rather spend the next month sitting in a tub of cold Jello with fire ants crawling all over me.

A tub of jellow with fire ants crawling all over you? Wow! I certainly hope that you don't go more than 42 weeks then.


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## DreamsInDigital (Sep 18, 2003)

LOL me neither.


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## flapjack (Mar 15, 2005)

Zjande can't be pregnant yet. She'd have told us, and be playing with me in September DDC. This much I know







And unfortunately, we're onto October mamas now and no Zjande- there's a limit to how far back I'm going to move my EDD to be pregnant with her, you know? I kind of wanted all three 26/11/05 mamas to birth on the same day again, but it doesn't look like that's going to be happening







sprgrl's due a good week or so ahead of my earliest possible date.

DiD, you're about to totally disprove my theory by going into swift, painless and speedy labour this afternoon (wait, no,this evening. 11pm?) and producing a healthy, bouncing baby girl. She will be born in the caul (imo, the single most comfortable way imaginable to have a baby), have just enough hair that none of it falls out but enough that you can put bows and bells and barrettes in as soon as you want, and look great in pink, and purple, and blue. How's that for a prediction? Oh, and you will have no tearing, grazing, or any other residual owies. You will be able to fasten your skinny jeans in 8 weeks time







Her brothers will love her, dote on her, and you won't be able to get near her to cuddle her because the fan club will be in the way. Even Winter








Who will be asleep throughout the whole thing, but will hug you as soon as he sees you tomorrow morning








How's that? Perfect birth story?


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## *Amy* (Jun 16, 2004)

LOL! And don't forget, she'll latch on perfectly within 10 minutes of birth, which will mark the beginning of a perfect and pain free nursing relationship!

OK, I did not mean to start rumors about zjande. I just couldn't remember!







:

I forgot to say yesterday, my other news is that I finally have my cycle back again, almost 2 years exactly from the last one. I have mixed feelings about it. I was super grouchy and impatient yesterday, and I figured out last night that that is probably why. Also, now that I have an IUD, my cramps are about 100x worse than before (but I never really had cramps before, so these are probably well within the normal range for most people). But it kind of feels nice to be getting closer to "normal," even slowly. And it is definitely good to have an increase in my almost non-existent libido!


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## Queen of Cups (Aug 29, 2003)

My cycle came back at 8.5 months (I'm tandem nursing - how unfair is that!?), but just this month it really seemed to normalize. I finally had a luteal phase that was over 9 days - it jumped to 12! I feel like my body is back to normal now, and its good to know that I'll be able to get pregnant again when I want to (in about a year). I had been worrying since my luteal phase was so short for every cycle since Ellie was born.

Amy - I've had terrible cramps since my cycle started back. I have endometriosis, though, so even though they're awful they're not quite as bad as they were before having kids. Cramps feel like early labor for me, seriously. I used to have to start taking prescription strength advil a couple days before my period and during the entire thing in addition to being on the pill. I remember some days walking hunched over it was so bad. Now, its just painful but not debilitating. I was really hoping, though, that two pregnancies and extended nursing (the lack of cycles during those) would be a true "cure" for my endo.

Ellie is just so darn cute these days! We call her Saint Ellie because she always shares everything with her older brother, even though he never shares with her. He loves her so much, though, its cute: he wants to hold her hand when we're walking places, and sometimes if she's in the grocery cart seat he'll walk along beside to hold her hand. AWWWW!


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## spughy (Jun 28, 2005)

No period here yet, although I'm wondering if it's about to start because that would be a good explanation of why my milk supply took a sudden nosedive yesterday. Sigh. I am SO sick of dealing with supply issues. I have added massive doses of fenugreek to the domperidone and blessed thistle I am already taking, but I am running out of energy - mental and physical - to deal with this and at a point not too distant I think I am just going to say "screw it" and let nature take its course. The other possibility is that I worked out too hard on Monday and my body is stealing resources from the milk factory to repair my muscles. But I LIKE working out hard, dammit! I like feeling good and stiff the next day.

I'm going to work out again today. I have NOT lost any weight for over week (and I've only lost 3 lbs total on my no-refined-carbs regime) so I'm not running a calorie deficit that would affect my supply, but I really, really want to exercise.

Rowan has been wonderful with it so far though. My letdown was a looooong time coming when she nursed this morning but when she stopped nursing after about 5 minutes of no letdown I said to her "if you keep sucking, the booby juice will come, just be patient" and she went back and tried again and after another minute or so she got a letdown. A VAST improvement over the last time my supply tanked to this degree, when she just bit me if she got tired of working on the letdown.

Oh and Rowan and DH both have colds. Rowan's isn't bad - yet - but DH couldn't talk this morning because his throat was so sore.


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## DreamsInDigital (Sep 18, 2003)

Oh Helen that sounds like a fabulous dreamy birth story! I'm thinking I'll probably still be pregnant for at least another week or more, though.


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## kaspirant (Apr 28, 2006)

I can't keep up! I hope everyone is doing great. Wedding plans are in full force and going well!!

Have a great day all!!


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## spiritmomma (Aug 29, 2005)

Helen started us a February Thread here:

February Thread for November 05 Mamas


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