# Where are the Sept '10 babies?



## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

I'd love to hear how you're doing! My little Lila-bell learned the hard way how to roll... off the couch! (ouch! bad mommy) She can't sit unassisted, but loves to stand. She'll babble for literally an hour straight. She has so many things to say! I'm so in love.


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

Mark is doing great! Just hit the 4 month mark, and can sit for a a short time, and LOVES his jumparoo!!! Hes smiling all the time and laughs, but you gotta work for it! Growing all the time and nursing like a champ!







I love my little cutie!


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Lila's all smiles, she flirts with strangers from the sling, but if they try to touch her she's quite vocal about not liking that!


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## nilatti (Aug 5, 2010)

Silas is babbling and LAUGHING. He is starting to understand the point of toys, and finally has the motor skills to enjoy them. He's teething hard--cutting all four front teeth at once. So that's been tough...We joke about starting him on solid foods earlier than we had planned, because he's constantly nomming on a carrot or cucumber slice (not eating, just something cool on his gums).

EC is still going well. He really will *not* poop in his diaper, but will hold it until he's on the potty. He made the potty sign on my birthday last week (and did, in fact, need to go)! He hasn't done it since, but still...

He still doesn't roll over (should I be worried yet?) and hates tummy time, although we make him do it. He can sit up by himself on his potty, but not on the floor yet. He loves to stand (supported).

He also giggles when we say nonsense words--even if we're not using a funny voice to say them. I really believe he can tell the difference (although everyone says I'm crazy).


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

I wondered where everyone had gotten  Good to see you!

T was 4 months a week ago. He's a master thumbsucker--only his right one! And I joke he's not going to meet any gross motor milestones except sitting because he always has his thumb in his mouth. He is the most easy-going baby! Sleeps great; actually, he has the sleep habits of a much older kiddo (defined naps, early bedtime) and sleeps better and longer than his 3yo sister.

STATS:

17LB, 9OZ

26.5"

Both are 90%. I think he's a bit longer than that, though. Everyone thinks he is at least 6mo.



Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nilatti* \
> 
> He still doesn't roll over (should I be worried yet?) and hates tummy time, although we make him do it.
> 
> He also giggles when we say nonsense words--even if we're not using a funny voice to say them. I really believe he can tell the difference (although everyone says I'm crazy).


No worries--my DD2 who walked before 10mo didn't roll until AFTER she was sitting unassisted! And I firmly believe that there are certain words T knows and responds to--and I sometimes think he tries to say "hey" and "again" when we are playing! So you are not crazy at all.


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## Corrine917 (Jan 22, 2011)

I am a first time mom! My little boy Timmy was born 9-17 he was 9.5 lbs 3 weeks late and a emerg c-section. I am married but my husband is "domestically challenged" spoiled and honesly he seems to see our son as something he will "grow into" it sucks but I love him! I have no family and no one to compare stories with. My little boy hates tummy time has not rolled either way sucks thumb smiles and has a funny laugh prefers shower water to tub? uses jumper will use his legs to stand if supported he is as of today 18lbs and is super long wears clothes that say 9-12 mo) doc says not overweight just top 99 precentile for height! he is alleregic to milk protien i try to breast feed but supplement with bottles when needed. I wish i knew other mommys in the va area! would love any advice!


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

Hi Corrinne! My 2nd DD was milk protein intolerant, too, and for a period of 10 months I was some variation of dairy, soy, nut, and egg free while nursing her. It was hard, but she is the healthiest kid! So it was worth it. Your DS and mine sound very similar in terms of size (I weighed mine today, and he was 18lbs clothed)! I love big babies


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

Glad to hear of other BIG BABIES! Mark just hit 4 months (on the 18th) and is over 15lbs! Everyone thinks he's HUGE, but my nephew was bigger at this age! Today someone saw a PICTURE of him and said "He's huge what are you feeding him?" and I was proud to say only breastmilk!

Mark can roll from front to back, did it first at six weeks! But has only done it a few times since! I just think he doesn't care too, he's pretty happy on his tummy, or back or sitting! As long as he's well fed, rested and has a toy to chew on! He's getting good at squriming around, he can get all the way across the pack n play on his back 0.0 and this morning in bed I had him laying on his tummy on my tummy and he saw the cat and all the sudden HAD to get to him! lol it was funny watching him kick his little legs and reach to only move half an inch!


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## Laurski (Mar 13, 2010)

Great to hear how all the Sept. babies and Mamas are doing! Ellie's almost 5 months now, which blows my mind! She is definitely *not* an easy baby--more tempestuous than easy, and absolutely opposed to sleeping. Each naptime is a production, and she will only nap in her swing (or on me or in the car). She absoluely refuses to lay on her back in the co-sleeper, so at night she's in my bed next to me, which is lovely but also not conducive to sleep, since the longest stretch she'll go without sleeping is 3 hours (on a good night), so we're gearing up to really try The No Cry Sleep Solution (especially the gentle nipple removal, since Ellie seems unable to fall back asleep most times w/out my boob...not a sleep self-soother for sure!)

Yet despite her determination to make mommy really, really tired, she is just absolutely amazing. Talks up a storm, smiles and giggles like crazy (her favorite giggle-inducer is when I kiss her on the lips...she thinks it's hilarious!), rolls from tummy to back regularly, can *almost* roll from back to tummy, and so, so desperately wants to be able to sit up on her own.

She's a petite thing, too, despite being a voracious eater--25 1/4 inches long, and 13.2lbs at 4.5 months.


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## liberal_chick (May 22, 2005)

Howdy! Fin will be 4 months old on the 26th, so just a few days away now! I have another big one; he's just over 17 pounds and I have no clue how many inches. I just know the 3-6 month clothes are getting small!

We seem to be hitting his 4 month sleep regression b/c he went from waking 1-2 times a night to 5 or so. Perfect timing since I went back to work last Monday (*sarcasm*). He's in the bed with dh and me at night just b/c it is so much easier to get some rest that way. I am about ready to transition him to a crib part time, though. We waited too long to do that with ds2 and it was a terrible time. He's rolling over and "talking" a ton, although he's starting to get a bit picky about wanting to be held all the time.


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## MamitaM (Sep 10, 2010)

I'm the mama of another big boy here! Sonny was born September,14 and weighed a nice healthy 7 pounds 9 ounces and was 21 inches long. I'm not sure how long he is now, but he weighs 18 pounds! People always ask how old he is and are shocked, they think he's 6 months! They always ask what I feed him and I say "just mama milk". I have 4 milk babies and 2 of them were on the smaller side and really needed to gain weight and they have since drinking my milk!

My boy is so calm and almost always happy and never cried at all during the first 3 months, he's just started to have some fussy days over the past week or so and he's started to cry a little, but I can calm him pretty fast. He got his first 2 teeth for Christmas! He can now roll from his back to his tummy and sit up in his exersaucer and loves to stand when I hold him. He gets super excited when I say "stand" and help him stand up. It's so funny! We co-sleep and sometimes co-shower.He thinks it's really funny to burp in my mouth when I ask for a kiss.


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

Wow those are the same stats as M born on the 18th!


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

I just figured out how to post pictures... but I can't figure out how to make it smaller!


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## mommy2chloerae (Feb 6, 2005)

Clayton is now 4 months and 19lbs 1 oz and 26 inches long. He's just so huge, I am blown away.

He babbles, chews everything. Sits unassisted for like 5 seconds before leaning in toward something to try to get into his mouth


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## Baby~Braatens~Mama (Apr 21, 2010)

Caleb is 19 weeks old today. He is 26 inches long and is 17 pounds. He tells long stories using is "ag-goo-ar-ga-abu" and has been rolling over (belly to back) since he was 5 weeks old. He can roll back and forth and scoots himself around his playmat or on the hardwood, and has even worked his feet under his little butt and raised it up! He can sit unassisted for 3 minutes, but always goes for his toes and then ends up getting stuck down there . He laughs and smiles all the time, and is usually pretty easy going. He usually, voluntarily (we never CIO) sleeps through the night and has since he was 8 weeks. He didn't like cosleeping (wouldn't sleep and would get super fussy in bed with us) so he has been sleeping in his crib in his nusery for the last month, something we weren't expecting and that was incredibly heartbreaking during the transition (for me, he just cuddles down and passes out, while I lurk and watch). He is still EBF, but has licked jello and likes to pretend to eat off a spoon. We have given him a pizza crust to mow down on, but he didn't swallow any, just chewed on it during one of his more aggressive teething days. He likes to chew on carrots and celery, too. He is the most amazing and wonderful part of our life, and we are all so very much in love with him. He changes so much every day and it is so very amazing to watch him grow.


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

Caitlin is 19.5 weeks and full into 6-9 mo. clothes. At 17 weeks she was 25.5 in. and 16.5 lb.

She occasionally rolls from back to side. No other rolling, but her hand-eye-mouth coordination is great! She loves to smile and laugh. 



She does not love to sleep, though we've improved from a couple weeks of not sleeping more than an hour at a time most nights to sleeping a couple of 2 hour stretches each night, so I guess that's something. I just got her an amber necklace, so waiting to see if that suddenly works miracles on ger sleep habits.


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## Chloe'sMama (Oct 14, 2008)

HI there-

Love seeing all these beautiful babies!

Hannah is 20 weeks (4.5 months) and just the happiest baby in the world! At her appt. this week, she weighed 15 lbs, 14 oz and was 26 inches long. So funny, the doc said she was such a big and healthy baby, above 90 percent for both height and weight. DD1 was 27.5 inches and 18lbs, 2 oz at 4 months.... DD2 is TINY when I look at her.

She has been rolling from belly to back since around 2 weeks and from back to belly at 2.5 months. She can get up on hands and knees, but doesn't know where to go from there. Usually it ends in her scooting backwards quite a distance.

She has had a few pretty terrible nights (4 month regression???) she just wants to roll over all night and then when she does, she cries because she wants to sleep.... last night she woke 4-5 times to nurse and a few others just to get comfy next to me..... it was a GOOD night for us.... recently she has been waking up every 15-20 minutes and doesn't want to nurse.

Anyways, love hearing about all your babes!

Here is a picture of my two DDs.... just before christmas. I will try to post a more recent one soon.


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## skyewriter (Aug 11, 2010)

Hey, we're Sept 1, a 7lb 1oz, tiny little boy! His sibs were each within oz of 8lb 8oz... so forgive me but I was def doing the math to compare to the 'big' babies! I guess he's a pretty big guy cuz the last week of Dec he was 17lbs and 261/4 inches long -it just that ever since his big brother who was 18lbs at 3mo and 28 inches long (and of course rolled over that very day b2f) the rest of my babies seem tiny! So its awesome looking to see all the beautiful Sept babies, and see how normal all our not at the same benchmarks babies really are, as if we didn't know those benchmarks were practically invented to stress new moms! Anyway he's the happiest and melow-est baby yet... makes me afraid to have another cuz he is just so good, sleeps on a schedule -new concept to me- and actually cries to be brought to bed if I put it off!!! My favorite is how he laughs at people saying 'hi' to him then ducks his head to hide, then does it again!! So cute! He can almost sit unassisted, loves to stand assisted, can hold a stand for a few seconds if you let go a little, and I swear he says words DH agrees cuz they are just so appropriate to whats going on.. this week has been b-ay-buh.... don't know if I'm nuts, but I'm loving it.. oh great nursling (love that word sooo much!) and co-sleeper. He also seems to be nursing heavier at night, but I love the really heavy nurse all night long nights, I feel like I'm really doing something -really mothering? I don't know, can't find the right word but it is a great and satisfying feeling.... oh over mine so I will and its all about the mouths, two fists at once! and he holds my face in his two hands and puts his mouth over mine so I can make kissy sounds, he loves it -almost as much as I do!! Don't know how to post pics.....


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## Baby~Braatens~Mama (Apr 21, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *skyewriter*
> 
> My favorite is how he laughs at people saying 'hi' to him then ducks his head to hide, then does it again!! So cute! He can almost sit unassisted, loves to stand assisted, can hold a stand for a few seconds if you let go a little...
> 
> ...


 I LOVE it when ds plays peekaboo with people!

My lo likes to grab at our faces, too... But he is more about digging his fingers into our cheeks and grabbing our teeth, eyes, nose etc. He likes to open mouth "kiss" our cheeks, slobbering everywhere and giggling up a storm!

At the top of the reply box there is a toolbar. The eighth box from the left contains the tools to post a pic (inert image, the first icon in the eighth box from the left: third box from the right) insert a video, insert attachment etc. Just place your mouse over the icons and click the one you desire. The photo one will open a box that will allow you to browse your pc for a pic.


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## Schae (Oct 6, 2006)

Great to hear how all the babies are doing!

Tiisetso is 18 weeks old and only 6.4kg, which is surprising considering he was born weighing 4.16kg. We've really really struggled with eczema and allergies and I'm sure it's had an impact on his weight gain. He is healthy and happy though, so I try not to worry about the weight. In the last few weeks, we seem to have gotten the eczema under control. Tso can roll over from tummy to back and is very blase about this ability. He is a happy munchkin and smiles all the time, as long as he's in my or my husbands arms. He's really not keen on strangers, but will happily giggle at them as long as they're not holding him lol! He can sit unassisted, but his favourite thing to do is stand, as soon as he's standing, he's GRINNING!

Sleep wise, we're doing okay. But I've realised that I'm not giving him the opportunity to sleep 'better'. He takes all his naps in my arms, I haven't really tried to get him to nap elsewhere. I don't like the idea of 'fighting' with him to sleep, and being frustrated if he doesn't. But - that means I haven't given him a chance, so from this week, we're going to try napping on the bed. I'm not sure how often he wakes at night, maybe 2 or 3 times, we co-sleep too. There is a lot less frustration from him now that he can grab onto toys and get them into his mouth!


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## nilatti (Aug 5, 2010)

It seems like, with a couple of exceptions, our babies are on the big side (regardless of birth weight). I've heard that AP = baby cries less = more calories to grow on, but has there been any large-scale controlled study on this? Based on our sample, I'd say it's true, but we're not a big group.


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

I am LOVING ALL THE UPDATES!!!!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nilatti*
> 
> It seems like, with a couple of exceptions, our babies are on the big side (regardless of birth weight). I've heard that AP = baby cries less = more calories to grow on, but has there been any large-scale controlled study on this? Based on our sample, I'd say it's true, but we're not a big group.


I don't know about studies, but there's more to it than that... AP mamas are more likely to EBF, nurse on demand, not use pacis (allow baby to comfort nurse), and not nightwean or sleep train in the first year. All of those are reasons that babies would get more nursing in. And now we're heading into the stage where mainstream mamas are doing cereal, and if we are not, we're likely nursing in exchange for cereal.

So while I agree with the thesis that AP babes are more likely to be hefty, I think the reasons may be myriad!


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

My little Mousie is still right in the middle. She is 14lbs 9ozand 25" long. That puts her at 59th% for her weight and 67th for height.


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## Laurski (Mar 13, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Amanda_Reyasmom*
> 
> My little Mousie is still right in the middle. She is 14lbs 9ozand 25" long. That puts her at 59th% for her weight and 67th for height.


I'm surprised she's only 67th for height...EllieBean was 25 1/4 inches at 4.5 months and the doc said she was 90th for height.

Ah, these growth charts are a mystery...


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Laurski*
> 
> Quote:
> 
> ...


That makes more sense..She was 90th 2 months ago...My phome ap must be off


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## Canadianne (Jul 14, 2010)

I think I might help prove that study...

My September baby is over 20lbs (we think 22 but won't know for sure until his well-baby appointment next week). He wore an outfit meant for a 12 month old yesterday!


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## MacKinnon (Jun 15, 2004)

I love hearing about all the big babies! And how everyone is doing! I'm glad to see a thread!

I do not have a big baby, my Ellie Bean (and I see someone else has an Ellie Bean too) is a little bitty thing. She was 7lbs 4oz and is up to 14lbs 2oz. She's not kept up her grow curve. We're thinking reflux and possibly a dairy allergy, I'm doing another dairy elimination and go back to the doc on Friday to see where we are in weight gain and probably try Prevacid. She's crazy spitty, coughy, congested. My family doc seems to be persistent in the belief she is a "happy spitter" but she's really not, she's a pretty fussy, cranky spitter. It's been weird, as my other two were big babies (8lbs 10oz and 8lbs 15oz) and were both in that 18lb ish range at 4 months. She just seems so little, jsut now moving into 3 to 6 month clothes. She's starting to roll over, a couple times, and seems to be working on bottom front teeth. Loves to chew on Sophie the Giraffe and watch her big sibs play. I went back to work in December and it's been rough. She's with my in-laws, my mom or my sister and generally hates it. We've FINALLY had a few good days this last week! She's not adjusting to bottles well, but we're working on it. She's my little love bug, adores Mommy right now, followed by her big sister and Daddy in a close third. I miss her terribly at work!


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## a13xandra (Dec 17, 2010)

My little girl is 18 weeks today. Yesterday's doctor appointment said she was 12lbs 13 oz, and 24" long! She may be 40th percentile on weight, but she is a smart one, so she's figuring out object permanence and, unfortunately, stranger anxiety early. She can roll over from front to back, because she hates tummy time still. She loves to babble! We're fighting with naps and sleep these days.


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

I asked my dr if M was big. He told me that the "growth charts" are garbage and he doesn't use them because they were all made with white, upper middle class, formula fed babies from the Midwest.

He said that EBF babies grow faster earlier then slow down after 6 months, when they are moving and playing more whereas formula fed babies grow more steadily over the first year, so yes my baby is "big" compared to formula fed babies of the same age.


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## Laurski (Mar 13, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MacKinnon*
> I love hearing about all the big babies! And how everyone is doing! I'm glad to see a thread!
> 
> I do not have a big baby, my Ellie Bean (and I see someone else has an Ellie Bean too) is a little bitty thing. She was 7lbs 4oz and is up to 14lbs 2oz. She's not kept up her grow curve. We're thinking reflux and possibly a dairy allergy, I'm doing another dairy elimination and go back to the doc on Friday to see where we are in weight gain and probably try Prevacid. She's crazy spitty, coughy, congested. My family doc seems to be persistent in the belief she is a "happy spitter" but she's really not, she's a pretty fussy, cranky spitter. It's been weird, as my other two were big babies (8lbs 10oz and 8lbs 15oz) and were both in that 18lb ish range at 4 months. She just seems so little, jsut now moving into 3 to 6 month clothes. She's starting to roll over, a couple times, and seems to be working on bottom front teeth. Loves to chew on Sophie the Giraffe and watch her big sibs play. I went back to work in December and it's been rough. She's with my in-laws, my mom or my sister and generally hates it. We've FINALLY had a few good days this last week! She's not adjusting to bottles well, but we're working on it. She's my little love bug, adores Mommy right now, followed by her big sister and Daddy in a close third. I miss her terribly at work!


Maybe it's just something about EllieBeans that equals petite sizes and reflux issues...my Ellie has reflux and has been on Zantac since November. It's definitely helped with her fussiness and crankiness (especially once the dosage was upped a month and a half ago), although she still sometimes will cry after a particularly nasty spit up and I usually spend at least some of my days smelling like sour spit-up milk. I keep hoping that hitting 6 months will help some with her reflux...

Weirdly enough, she doesn't seem to have a dairy allergy but a reaction to legumes (especially chickpeas...)


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Please tell me mine isn't the only one with severe stranger anxiety! At her 4mo check up she CRIED every time our (Wonderful!) nurse practitioner came near her.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Ok if I had read the whole thread I would see that she is *not* the only one with stranger anxiety lol! I have to put a plug in for my Chiro.. Lila had some nasty reflux (still working on it) but the chiro is definitely helping. She goes once a week and is spit free for days!


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## skyewriter (Aug 11, 2010)

Hi, I'll try the pics someday, love all the posts and the pics. Bought an amber teething necklace from Made by Finn, think thats it... but wanted to add that they also have hazelwood necklaces and that they sound Great for reflux! preg mom w/ terrible reflux wrote that she finally got releif, I would def want to try it for a refluxy baby on the grounds that its cheep, can't hurt, and not a drug! So I wanted to point it out as i didn't know about it before, and I was all excited about it, just like I am all excited to get the amber!! I love these kinds of remedies.

My little guy just discovered the dog yesterday, as well as the letter 'D' as in DA DA DA DA DAAAAAH! When he wants to go to bed. Peek a boo is still the best.


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## Corrine917 (Jan 22, 2011)

Ok So Timmy has done some new things First I was so worried he was never going to roll over and jokingly my mom said well wouldnt you have to put him down long enough for that to happen and guess what she was right I decided just to start putting him on the floor with toys scattered away and now he will roll from front to back and back to front sometimes he gets stuck half way and plays there in limbo or screams till i fix him! also he is now sleeping in his OWN crib in his room!!!!! He sleeps from 6pm till 12 feeds sleeps till 5 up for good till 9 nap! Tomorrow we find out his actual size and length from dr 4 month check up (should i expect him to get shots i hate that) Tonight is Grandmas night so i get a glass of wine (i never drink) and some SLEEP!!!! Also I recently learned if your babys allergic to milk or other Things the formula may be a medical write off Simlac has a form the DR is going to sign and Anthem will pay for Timmys formula not an income thing its medical (about 4 months too late) but may help other moms to know!! I am so happy to see all the pictures Fin looks so much like Timmy Size and all! Also Im doing your baby can read! it is a hard routine to keep up daily but he sees the words arms up and puts his hands in the air to be picked up to feet but thats the only one so far he reconizes and it may just be the routine he gets not the word we shall see! Im thinking of giving up pumping but will talk to Dr tomorrw. I feel like a bad mom saying that but I barley produce an oz a pump session and I do it every 3 hrs and take vitamins and all. That is all my rambaling I promise I wont ever type that much again!


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## happyblessedmama (Sep 6, 2003)

Glad to see this thread, hi ladies! (Not that I was super active in the DDC...)

Since we're doing baby updates.... here's Aidan



He will be 5 months old on Feb 2nd. He has been rolling back and forth for a while, loves to grab toys, weighs something over 17 lbs. He loves peek-a-boo. Not sleeping awesomely, still nursing... that's us in a nutshell.


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

Anyone else out there with updates?


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

We're still here hanging tough. Lila's decided she wants to twiddle, pinch, kneed my breast ect. while nursing. Oh and don't forget pulling my hair. She hasn't decided one annoying habit, she's test driving all of them! Dh got me a nursing necklace for Valentines day (He doesnt' know it yet.. I should probably let him know lol!) And speaking of necklaces, I ordered her amber teething necklace. I'd rather have it early than late! Even though we don't seem to be teething yet. It's a good thing she's cute! LOL


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

Oh, yes, Amanda--we're trying on the annoying habits right now too. Hair pulling, face/neck pinching and breast scratching are at the top of his resume right now. OOUUUCH! I'm glad you mentioned necklaces. I'm on kid #3 and never had a nursing necklace, but I think I want one. And we are hard-core teething. I so want an amber necklace, but I fear everyone will think I am looney for putting one on a boy! I actually want 3--I have friends who swear on their sun protection power, so I think each kid needs one.

*Does anyone else have a kid who is NOT rolling over? * And by not rolling over, I mean not remotely interested in rolling over? My mom is starting to get on my nerves/make me worry about T because he doesn't even try...


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PinkBunch*
> 
> *Does anyone else have a kid who is NOT rolling over? * And by not rolling over, I mean not remotely interested in rolling over? My mom is starting to get on my nerves/make me worry about T because he doesn't even try...


Lila rolled onto the floor from the couch. Other than that she's pretty stationary lol. but at the same time she's always in arms or the exersaucer.. man she loves that thing! She can travel 1/2 way across a king size bed to cuddle me in her sleep.


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## nilatti (Aug 5, 2010)

Silas has 0 interest in rolling over. My step-mom is convinced that he'll be developmentally delayed, but Dr. Sears lists this as something to expect "between 3 and 8 months old."


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

Oh yeah, the annoying stuff! OMG! All the time now. The worst is when he's falling asleep and does a repetitive pinching or scratching over and over and over.... makes me crazy. The hair pulling is getting so bad (he does it and LAUGHS) that I'm going to cut my hair short again next month!

The best though is when he grabs Dh's beard in his sleep and pulls it! Lol! I feel so bad fro him but its too funny!


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## northwoods (Dec 28, 2009)

I never posted much in the DDC, but did a lot of lurking.

My DD was born 9/16. She's laughing, which is awesome. We had a little trouble with her gut, but I quit dairy, and that seems to have made all the difference.

She's not rolling over yet. No interest. She is perfectly content just hanging out on her back. She'll tolerate tummy time longer each day, but eventually screams until I flip her back over. We're going on a trip next week, and will be using disposable diapers (we always use cloth otherwise). I'm thinking that the lack of butt padding might help her out.

So nice to see pictures and hear stories! Congratulations, all!


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## mommy2chloerae (Feb 6, 2005)

Clayton has rolled over a total of 4 times, 3 in a row and once yesterday but I think he didn't realize what he was doing. Only belly to back too, he can get to his side going from back to belly but just stops there. He hates being on his belly so I think he doesn't want to finish rolling 

He is going through a "must hold 24/7" stage and holding 19lbs is tiring. Add in the fact the kids haven't been to school in a week due to all the ice here and I'm going a little crazy. I can't wait until the roads/parking lots are better and we can get back into our little routine. Even without a schedule it's amazing how we get into a routine that makes our days better.


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## MamitaM (Sep 10, 2010)

I love seeing all the updates and what our babies are doing right now. It's fun for me to say "hey my baby just did that too".

Right now I'm teaching him to use the sippy cup. I tired at Christmas, but he wasn't ready yet. Last night he took it in his hands and seemed to know it was supposed to go into his mouth. So cute! He got a few sips.

Aww.... he's starting to fuss, not cry, but it looks like he may need his mama now.


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## sere234 (Feb 7, 2009)

Caden is a happy babe! He's 5.5 months (born 38 weeks) and long! Other than the 4 month sleep regression hanging around, he's a pure delight!! He naps twice day, 2-3 hours each time, but nights are much harder. He has trouble going back to sleep whenever he stirs or hits a sleep phase near waking. This means he only sleep for short stretches (1-3 hours) before he startles or stirs and needs help going back to sleep. Last night I got a 3.5 hour stretch!! Woo hoo!!!

The kid is crazy for food and we've tried to hold off but we giving him bits of veggies every day or two. He devours them very happily! He keeps everything in his mouth and only makes faces for sips of water. I admit, we give him water sometimes to watch his funny reactions!

C still only stays awake 2 hours (3 tops) between naps. Kinda tough to get out of the house, run errands, and be back in time for naps. And if he misses/is late for a nap, life falls apart Anyone else have this problem? I know I'll take this back later, but I'm kinda looking forward to him staying awake longer

Also, when does your LO take his/her longest nap? C's is in the morning which means we miss all the play groups around here. Why are so many baby/kid things scheduled for 10:00????

Anyone else thinking about the next babe? We want another soon but would like to have Caden sleeping better at night first!


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## MamitaM (Sep 10, 2010)

um.... my baby is often still sleeping at 10am! He'll wake around 6-7am for some mama milk and a cuddle and he may chatter and giggle a bit beside me in bed then he's back to sleep until around 10am or so.


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sere234*
> 
> C still only stays awake 2 hours (3 tops) between naps. Kinda tough to get out of the house, run errands, and be back in time for naps. And if he misses/is late for a nap, life falls apart Anyone else have this problem? I know I'll take this back later, but I'm kinda looking forward to him staying awake longer
> 
> ...


M only stays awake about 2 hours between naps as well... we are trying to get on a routine with 3 naps, morning afternoon, early evening, then going to bed earlier. M falls asleep easily in the car, so we try to schdeual errands so that we are done around the time he needs to nap so he falls asleep in the car and I can just carry him in and usually I can keep him asleep. Which nap is longest varries, today so far he has had 3 1 hour naps.. I'm guessing he will have a short 4th nap as well, depending on how the evening goes. I'm really trying to drop that 4th nap, and go to bed earlier, but so far no luck. We'll see where we are in a week....

We are thinking about number 2, but we are going to adopt this time! So we are forced to wait till June 2012 to even start becuase DH won't be 25 till then. Assuming South korea is still adopting to the US, I guess the process is pretty quick if you have the money saved up already and the baby will most likely be 9-12mo so they will still be pretty close in age.

Also when he is on his back and rolls he gets stuck on his side too, and he usually can't roll with a diaper on on when he has no diaper.

M's also been some how spinning in circles on his back. When I organize his clothes/diapers I put him on his back on the floor an he some how manages to schooch his feet around like hands on a clock! His head stays in the same spot, but his body goes in circles! LOL!


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

What are these "naps" you guys are talking about? lol Lila goes to sleep between 8 and 9pm then wakes around 7am. She'll doze in arms or in the sling, but not for long 30 min maybe an hour if I'm really lucky! I think if I were a better mother she'd take a solid 3 hour nap, but that requires me to go upstairs and lay down with her.


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## northwoods (Dec 28, 2009)

DD can only stay awake 60-90 minutes at a time before she needs a nap. Naps are usually 30-60 minutes. She sleeps 10-12 hours at night, waking a couple of times to nurse.

I'm looking forward to longer stretches of awake time between napping! She's not really hard to get to sleep, but it would be nice if I didn't have to do it five times a day.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

just saw this-- subbing, will be back when I have time


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## Lit Chick (Aug 15, 2007)

Hi all!

Tal is 5 months now and doing great. But he just started wailing, so more later. lol


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Have a moment... Ozzy sitting on my lap contemplating a teether and Em's in the high chair snackin...

Ozzy is a jolly (not green) giant. I literally have never seen a happier baby. He just grins and laughs all day, hardly ever fusses. It's crazy. He's such a cheerful guy.

And as for the giant... nearly 27 inches, 21 lbs, at 5 months. HE'S HUGE.

He's rolling over both ways and pivoting on his stomach 360 degrees... so I say he has 21 lbs of pure muscle, rotfl.

I think he'll be crawling much earlier than my first born... because he loves tummy time, and she would never tolerate it for more than 4 seconds. He'll just hang on out his stomach for like 20 minutes at a time, watching Em and I play, and trying to get his butt in the air and his knees under him.

His sleep has definitely gotten into a schedule... up at 7 am, short nap at 9 (like 30 min), long nap at noon (like an hour), short nap around 4 (30 min), then down for bed at 7.

Thinking about trying a back carry with the mei tai... I got my mei tai when Em was 9 months so I've never tried to back carry a younger baby.

Will be back with pics.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Oh... was just reading back... I would NOT worry about a baby not rolling over. I think Em was 6 months before she rolled, she just wasn't interested. And she's a perfectly normal and physically able toddler, lol. Don't sweat it.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

OK... babies in bed... pics!

Sorry there are a zillion, I can never pick one.

My little guy:







Hanging out with his big sis:



Rolling front to back...





Lovin naked-butt tummy time:



Chillin in the kitchen:



Happy man


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## ChelseaWantsOut (Oct 2, 2008)

My baby boy (9/18) is doing well! He's been fussy from the start but at least he's not screaming for hours on end anymore. He's actually quite cheerful most of the time as long as we keep him entertained and in arms and catch his tiredness signs quickly enough. He recently started shrieking about everything (excitement, hunger, joy, boredom, frustration), which is adorable, but kinda painful. He also JUST started blowing raspberries a lot. Yesterday he woke me up at 5 am doing that for like fifteen minutes until I finally gave in and got up and took him into the kitchen and started cooking breakfast, at which point he fell back asleep.









Speaking of sleep, he'll only do it on me or DH for the most part, which hasn't become an issue yet. I think I'll probably start working through The No-Cry Sleep Solution at 9 mos or so. I have no idea how many times he's waking at night anymore, and I feel pretty well-rested most mornings, but I am looking forward to him sleeping on the bed next to me instead of sprawled across my torso someday.

He's not rolling over, really (okay, he rolled front to back one time, weeks ago), but he can sit up unsupported for like 10 seconds before falling forward on his hands and whining to be propped back up.

Let's see, what else? He's exclusively nursing and loves to nurse. It's hard to know what to tell the ped when she asks how often he's nursing because sometimes it's several times an hour and sometimes he'll go 2 hours or so...and I don't really keep track or think about it unless I'm around people I don't know that well.

We're doing EC part time, and he poops almost every morning shortly after awakening. He almost never poops in a diaper - our sprayer is not getting much use.

He was 6 lbs 8 oz at birth, and last time I weighed him (a couple weeks ago) he was 14 lbs, so he's not huge, but following his curve on the WHO charts.

He had really mucusy poo for the first couple months, but now I'm off dairy and it's gone, so I'm happy it's gone, but sad it was dairy, because I love dairy.

He loves us to sing to him. His favorite songs are "If You're Happy and You Know It," "Do Re Mi," "Beautiful Boy," and "Hit Me Baby One More Time." His face lights up when we start singing. Sometimes it is the only thing that will calm him, especially during diaper changes and car rides. He hates the car and doesn't fall asleep in it.

He smells so good and is so beautiful sometimes I just stare and sniff for an entire two-hour nap. Sometimes when he's nursing to sleep he reaches up and strokes my face lovingly and puts his fingers up my nose. It's adorable. I am overwhelmed by my love for him.

Every day, in every way, it's getting better and better.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

If a Ped asks that, just say "enough." ROTFL. Most nursed-on-demand babies don't have a "nursing schedule" yet. (well, Ozzy does, but he's my freakish main-stream baby... Emma nursed erratically until she was like 10-11 months). If he's gaining weight right, then he's getting all he needs when he needs it.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ChelseaWantsOut*
> 
> Let's see, what else? He's exclusively nursing and loves to nurse. It's hard to know what to tell the ped when she asks how often he's nursing because sometimes it's several times an hour and sometimes he'll go 2 hours or so...and I don't really keep track or think about it unless I'm around people I don't know that well.


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

LOL. My ped didn't know what to do when, at 2 months, I answered, "Plenty." when asked how often she nurses. She seemed to desperately need a numerical answer, so when she said, "Would you say around 8-10 times a day?" I just said, "Sure." Really, she was growing like a weed and making plenty of wet and dirty diapers. Why did the frequency and duration matter at all?

Right after posting last time she started rolling front to back a few times. And our next ped appt we have to decide whether to have the sleep argument. Her: Your baby really needs to learn to self-soothe, so when she wakes at night you need to just comfort her while she lies there, even if she cries some. She's already warned me that will be important at 6 months, so I can either discuss my views or lie about sleep. The trouble is I really would like her to sleep more than 1.5 hours at a time, but not by that method.

Another couple photos of my happy girl:


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

What a doll!

And, uh, are you REALLY attached to this ped?

I couldn't stand someone giving me parenting advice, when they are only qualified to give MEDICAL advice. How much you comfort your baby at night is not a medical issue. Ugh.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jenifera2*
> 
> LOL. My ped didn't know what to do when, at 2 months, I answered, "Plenty." when asked how often she nurses. She seemed to desperately need a numerical answer, so when she said, "Would you say around 8-10 times a day?" I just said, "Sure." Really, she was growing like a weed and making plenty of wet and dirty diapers. Why did the frequency and duration matter at all?
> 
> ...


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## mommy2chloerae (Feb 6, 2005)

Any tips on naps? We borrowed a pack n play but her cries the second he is in it, even if I try to put him down in a deep sleep.

Sleep in general has been rough. We cosleep but he cries every hour.

He is lucky he's cute


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

I'm pretty attached to this ped, and honestly, I've never heard of a ped who doesn't dispense parenting advice, especially about sleep. I think most parents are desperate to hear what their peds have to say, and so many are looking for the ped to say it's okay to CIO, etc. that they're used to offering parenting as well as medical opinions. She's super open-minded, though, if I talk to her. She's fine with selective/delayed vax, very supportive of breastfeeding (though Caitlin is growing so well I've not had to face the challenge of any issues to see if she's as supportive as she says), fine with co-sleeping (which we don't do much of) and generally a proponent of parents making the decisions that work for their family.

She said we'd talk at 6 months about sleep, and I'm pretty sure that if I just tell her I'm comfortable with our current sleep situation she won't push, especially if I explain where I'm coming from. She's very in favor of making informed decisions, and understands that if a parent's research makes them make choices that are other than what she recommends, that's okay. She offers her explanations for why she makes her recommendations and the benefits and risks, as she sees them, of any alternatives, then backs off.

My only gripe is that she's only in the office once a week (she teaches at the University otherwise), so if Caitlin gets sick any day other than Thursday we have to see a family practitioner. But she's been an exceptionally healthy baby so far, knock wood, so I'm sticking with her for now.


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

mommy2chloerae - My suggestion for naps is to wear him.  I used to be able to put Caitlin down for naps sometimes, but any more as soon as I lean over to set her down, her eyes pop wide open, no matter how long I've let her sleep in my arms first. So now I just wear or hold her for naps, unless she falls asleep in the carseat. That may not work as well for you with older kids, but maybe with a baby carrier/wrap you can still make that work. Caitlin doesn't nap well anyway, typically 30 minutes at a time with a 90 or so minute nap maybe 3 afternoons per week, so holding her isn't really that big a problem.

As for nights, we're struggling here too. She's not up every hour, but sleeping in 90 minute to 2 hour stretches has been the norm, and it's exhausting. I've tried eliminating dairy and failed at eliminating gluten (way too hard!) and have settled, diet-wise and for now, on eliminating milk and ice cream (including hidden in ingredients lists when I remember to check) but eating cheese and yogurt. That seems to be okay with Caitlin's belly, but who knows for sure? Last night she slept for a 4 hour stretch before then going back to 90 minute stretches. I'd like the later stretches to be longer too, but this was still very nice. I have three ideas that may explain why this happened:

1) The universe is messing with me. Just to keep me on my toes, she'll occasionally have a good night so that I can spend the next few weeks scratching my head wondering what magical combination of circumstances I need to repeat to get it to happen again.

2) Her pajamas were 100% cotton. I actually read this on the Dr. Sears website last night, so I put her in an all cotton sleep and play. Her jammies she had been wearing were 80% cotton/20% polyester, and he said some babies are sensitive to non-natural pajama fabrics. I also used the organic bamboo sleep sack instead of the man-made fleece one.

3) We elevated the head of the Arms' Reach cosleeper by removing one level of feet on the lower end. It only results in an angle of a few degrees, but we wondered if it might help with any potential reflux issues. Caitlin spits up a LOT. She's always been a happy spitter, but it's possible it was making her uncomfortable at night.

I'll repeat 2 and 3 tonight and see how things go.


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## Parker'smommy (Sep 12, 2002)

hello!! I posted on the Aug. and Sept. 2010 boards as I was due Sept. 5th, but had a planned csection Aug. 27th....  I recognize a lot of names on here and am loving all of the great pictures!!

My daughter, Genevieve Faith is a little over 5 months old and such a sweetie. We are just getting over her colic and I am SO relieved. I didn't experience any colic with my older two, so she made up for it!!!lol.....She's a little peanut too. My other children were delivered at 10 pounds and 9 1/2 pounds and she was just 7lbs 2 oz! She is also gaining slower, and while she has lots of chub, she is tinier and more petite. At her last appt. at almost 5 months, she weighed just 14 lbs 10 oz. We have major reflux though, and I think that is contributing. We are on our 2nd meds too. Zantac didn't cut it at all. She is now on Prilosec and it seems to be doing the trick.

Baby G also seems to be behind a little on her milestones. BUT...we aren't concerned. There is a large range of normal. She's just at the bottom end of it. She just starting grabbing and swatting at stuff and has only rolled over one time. But she is a chatterbox.....always talking!!!

Good to see all of the cute babes and hear how everyone is doing. I've got to figure out how to post pictures to share too!


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## ChelseaWantsOut (Oct 2, 2008)

Well, we WERE having really good nights with any brief wakings resolved quickly by popping a boob in, but the past two nights have been frustrating. He's wiggling all night, waking up fussing or crying multiple times a night and needing me to get up and bounce him back to sleep. I co-sleep so I won't have to get out of bed, dang it! I think it's teething, but he also has a goopy eye.

The ped gave me eye drops for it, but they say on the insert that if you're a nursing mom you shouldn't use them because of possible harm to baby, so my thinking is: if they're worried about my putting this into my eyes and then its getting into my milk and from there into my baby, why would it be better to put it directly into my baby's eye? Does that make any sense to anyone else? Anyway, for now I'm rinsing it out, putting a warm wet washcloth on it, massaging the inner corner, and squirting breast milk in his eye four times a day. If it's not better in a week I'll re-evaluate.

Loving the pics and updates from everyone as well! Someday I'll de-lazify and get my pics off my camera.


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## boatbaby (Aug 30, 2004)

Hi everyone! It's so sweet seeing all of these baby faces. I was end of Sept and then 42+3 so Naia is not yet 4 months old (next week). Reading about your babes is a fun sneak peek on what's to come. She is SO smiley and giggly and loves all people (opposite of her brother at that age who was captain serious and very clingy). She is CRAZY for music and howls like a little dog when she hears it, even hearing someone sing the birthday song. We had some eczema/ gassy tummy issues but figured out it was tied to me eating tomoatoes. No more tomatoes = happy baby with skin all cleared up. Yay! Right now we're just wishing for warmer weather so we can get her out for more than a few minutes at a time (I am a weather wimp and it's COLD and windy here), and we can't wait to take her sailing this spring too.


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

We did the goopy eye at around 2 months...and each eye took about a week to clear up and all we did was warm compress and BM.

M is definetly on a sleep schedule now. We do our bedtime routine at 7, massage, change into PJs, say goodnight to the fishys (turn on thier night light), nurse, (sometimes a story if he's still really awake), and then rock. He's asleep before 8.

He sleeps the first few hours in his crib waking every 45min-2 hours... then eventually, when he won't settle in the crib anymore around 11 oor 12 he comes to bed with me, then he wake up at 4 like clockwork to eat, its the only time he nurses more than a minute or two all night. Then he sleeps till 7 (he probably wakes in between, I'm just too out of it to remember!) He only stays awake an hour or so in the morning before an hour nap.. then he's up 2-3 hours before an afternoon nap then another 2-3 hours before his evening nap. He's in 6-9 month clothes already, don't know his weight, we go to the Dr. next week. Hes getting MUCH better at sitting, which is very fun! He loves it! He'll be 5 months in a week! Crazy!


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Sitting-- Ozzy LOVES it too. I can't wait until he can sit unsupported.

Peds-- I think I must have the most awesome ped on the planet. He never talks about how I should parent, EVER. He just talks about their weight, height, head circ. He looks them over and points out anything to keep an eye on (like Em had vaginal adhesions at one point when she was younger). He'll check or ask about a few milestones (rolling over / running and jumping / how many words / etc). Then he says "looks perfectly healthy, keep doing what you're doing." That's it.

Naps-- I either nurse or give Ozzy a paci and lay next to him on the bed until he falls asleep, then I roll off the bed and creep away.

Love the baby pics!


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

Alright I just imported pictures from my camera! 

Here he is sitting up! Playing with one of his faveorite toys!



And here he is with Cousin Vincent (SamiPolizzi's Son) who is almost 2 on Super Bowl Sunday! He was in his crazy outfit!


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## Schae (Oct 6, 2006)

gosh i love reading how all the babies are doing  We're also having some struggles with sleep issues, it appears that we're going through some sort of regression - he struggles to fall asleep. I hold him for most naps - or join in on the bed. Once or twice i've been able to sneak away and sit on the couch and be in awe at the fact that i'm alone lol! He's a sweetheart! Will be 5 months next Friday, and we've started with solids as per the paed's recc as he is very allegic and allergic babies should start earlier - i've done lots of reading and am okay with this.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

I love happy babies! How adorable!

I've given Ozzy a tiny taste of avacado, but we're not starting solids yet. I started around this age with Em, but she just seemed more "ready"-- no tongue thrust, reaching for food, etc. Ozzy just doesn't seem interested yet, and was definitely tongue-thrusting the little bit of avocado... so, maybe try again next month.


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## MacKinnon (Jun 15, 2004)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Parker'smommy*
> 
> My daughter, Genevieve Faith is a little over 5 months old and such a sweetie. We are just getting over her colic and I am SO relieved. I didn't experience any colic with my older two, so she made up for it!!!lol.....She's a little peanut too. My other children were delivered at 10 pounds and 9 1/2 pounds and she was just 7lbs 2 oz! She is also gaining slower, and while she has lots of chub, she is tinier and more petite. At her last appt. at almost 5 months, she weighed just 14 lbs 10 oz. We have major reflux though, and I think that is contributing. We are on our 2nd meds too. Zantac didn't cut it at all. She is now on Prilosec and it seems to be doing the trick.


This is my third and I'm experiencing all the same things! My big two where nearly 9lbs, and my baby was 7lbs 4oz. She was 14lbs 4oz at 4mon. 1wk. My big two were like 18lbs at this point! In fact, she wore a 3 to 6 month Valentine's day shirt yesterday that my DS wore for his first Valentine's day. The difference is that she is nearly 5 1/2 months and he was 3 weeks! It really brings home their size disparity!

She also has reflux but our doctor has been really hesitant to prescribe Prilosec. At my last appt. they wanted me to do a two week trial on Mylanta (we've done Zantac) before giving me the Prilosec. I see a very medication and vax reserved family doc, which is awesome, but she's SO classically refluxey. Fussy, coughing, gagging, crazy amounts of spit-up, etc. And it's definitely NOT impacted by my consumption of any of the major allergens, as I've done trial eliminations. I go in Monday for a follow up, so hopefully I can finally get the script!


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

There is waaaaay too much cuteness here 

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kelly1101*
> 
> I love happy babies! How adorable!
> 
> I've given Ozzy a tiny taste of avacado, but we're not starting solids yet. I started around this age with Em, but she just seemed more "ready"-- no tongue thrust, reaching for food, etc. Ozzy just doesn't seem interested yet, and was definitely tongue-thrusting the little bit of avocado... so, maybe try again next month.


This is us too! He's not ready, though he tried to eat my plate--quite literally--often.

*Size relative to sibs--*different from what you others are experiencing with #3! DS is by far my biggest, though he was 3oz lighter than DD2 at birth. At 3 months, he was bigger that DD2 was at 4m!

We have rolling. Finally I can get my mom off my case  And he's sitting pretty darn well now too. Good grief, where did my baby go??


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## mommy2chloerae (Feb 6, 2005)

Clayton had a seizure today. My daughter and I had them as infants too. I was hoping he wouldn't have to go through this.


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## PollyC (Sep 27, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mommy2chloerae*
> 
> Clayton had a seizure today. My daughter and I had them as infants too. I was hoping he wouldn't have to go through this.


Hey I'm sorry, that is really rough. Hope you are feeling ok and being good to yourself


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

As far as size and siblings... Ozzy was born 8 days further in gestation (at 37 w 2 d), and was nearly a pound bigger (7 lb 4 oz : 8 lb 1 oz). He was bigger at FOUR MONTHS than Emma was at TWELVE MONTHS. He was over 19 lbs at 4 months, and Em was only 18 lbs at a year. She's always been "normal" but petite. He's got some chunk, but he's not even that chubby any more-- he's just HUGE. A giant baby. He looks like he's 9-10 months old at least. When people out in public ask me how old he is, and I tell them five months, they look at me like I have two heads, rotfl.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mommy2chloerae*
> 
> Clayton had a seizure today. My daughter and I had them as infants too. I was hoping he wouldn't have to go through this.


So sorry


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

How are you and Clayton, m2c? Thinking of you.

Kelly--I only compare DS to DD2 because, as everyone says, she was HUGE! She's just now at 3 on the charts for height. But Ozzy has Theo beat by about 2lbs. Have you measured O's length lately?? Theo is so long that b/t him and his fluffy bum, I have trouble zipping 12m sleepers if they've been washed too many times.


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## gradstudentmommy (Jul 28, 2007)

It's so neat seeing how all of our adorable newborns have turned into adorable infants!

Carrie-Sorry to hear you baby has reflux. My baby has silent reflux and Prevacid has made a WORLD of difference. The ped would only prescribe a tiny dose which wasn't enough to make much of a difference so we went to see a ped gastrointestinal specialist. It's still a bit of a struggle and my baby isn't the greatest sleeper (especially early in the morning when the medicine wears off) but at least he's not in pain. I hope you can get a PPI.

Sorry to hear about Clayton's seizure. How scary. 

Kellan is doing great. He'll be 5 months this Thursday and he's just about to crawl. He gets up on all fours and rocks back and forth. He's been rolling from back to tummy since Thanksgiving but STILL hasn't figured out how to roll stomach to back. I swear he'll be crawling before he figures out how to roll back.

He's not the greatest sleeper, which I think is in large part due to his reflux, but he's super smiley and happy most of the time. I don't know how to post pictures but I changed my profile picture to a recent one.

It's nice to catch up!


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## porcelina (May 2, 2007)

Love seeing all these pictures!!

Simon is also pretty big, though I think Ozzy beats everyone! He's wearing 9 month clothes at 4.5 months. He can roll from back to front and then gets mad when he realizes what he's done and starts complaining. He's doing a lot of shrieking. Naps are pretty bad still -- usually only 45 minutes each!! Nighttime isn't too bad -- wakes at 1 and 4 to eat. Then, he's really less stable and wakes about an hour later. Then, DS1 wakes up, sometimes early (5.30), and comes in to see us. Overall, things are great, especially between them!


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## Laurski (Mar 13, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mommy2chloerae*
> 
> Clayton had a seizure today. My daughter and I had them as infants too. I was hoping he wouldn't have to go through this.


I'm so sorry.







How are you and he doing?


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Measured last month at just shy of 27 inches. I can BARELY squeeze him into a 12 m sleeper-- the diaper makes it hard (cloth) and he usually can't totally stretch out his legs, so we've moved on to 18 m and 2t clothes. Yes-- he wears the same size clothes as my nearly-2yo.

It's really completely bizarre. It's so funny when they lay down next to each other. She has him by a few inches and like 4 lbs.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PinkBunch*
> 
> How are you and Clayton, m2c? Thinking of you.
> 
> Kelly--I only compare DS to DD2 because, as everyone says, she was HUGE! She's just now at 3 on the charts for height. But Ozzy has Theo beat by about 2lbs. Have you measured O's length lately?? Theo is so long that b/t him and his fluffy bum, I have trouble zipping 12m sleepers if they've been washed too many times.


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

Kelly--my 4.5yo and 3yo weigh EXACTLY THE SAME


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mommy2chloerae*
> 
> Clayton had a seizure today. My daughter and I had them as infants too. I was hoping he wouldn't have to go through this.


I'm soooo sorry. I hope he doesn't have more!


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## MacKinnon (Jun 15, 2004)

I hope Clayton is OK! How scary!

My older two were big like Ozzy, my son in particular. Everyone was SHOCKED he was as young as he was. But he slowed way down after 6 months, only gaining two pounds between 6 months and 18 months, and is now on the small side for his age (just turned 4). My SIL and my step-brother both have September 2010 babies, and they are both in that nearing 20lbs, 9 to 12month clothes range, and then Ellery is here at 14lbs and in 3 to 6 month stuff. She looks like she is way younger next to them! It's funny!

We started cereal today! I've debated it for a while, as she's shown all the signs, grabbing at food, tracking it with her eyes, she's sitting mostly unassisted, etc. And she's nearly 5 1/2 months, so close enough I felt OK about it. The big thing that got me to try was hoping it would "weight" her food and help with the crazy reflux. We started with whole grain rice cereal mixed with breastmilk and she devoured it! She was grabbing at the spoon and shoving more in her mouth! It was very funny! My big two were never spoon fed, they hated it, and we just skipped purees, Ellery... Well, this child ate everything in the bowl and would have kept on going. It might be coincidental, but after eating we had a quick bath, pj's, and she then nursed, burped (no spit up!!!) and fell asleep. I can't remember her not spitting up after nursing, so this is momentous for us! We see the doc tomorrow, and I'm not leaving without Prevacid. A real and proper dose. I swear.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Yay for no spitting up, and baby liking the food!

We did a mix of purees and finger foods, with Em, will probably do the same with Ozzy, whenever he starts showing signs of being ready...


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Lila's about the same size as Ellery, and totally obsessed with food. I didn't realize tracking food with her eyes was a readiness sign. She grabs at everything so I can't really be sure about that one. I'm really trying to hold off til she is sitting better though. I have no actual reason for this though lol!

I wanted to suggest the chiro for reflux. We're having some pretty good luck. L goes once a week, towards the end of the week (Today!) she is back to spitty and you can tell her tummy is bothering her  but for days after an adjustment there's no spitting at all. My chiro saved me from heartburn while I was pg, and I'm seeing obvious improvement with Lila.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MacKinnon*
> 
> We started cereal today! I've debated it for a while, as she's shown all the signs, grabbing at food, tracking it with her eyes, she's sitting mostly unassisted, etc. And she's nearly 5 1/2 months, so close enough I felt OK about it. The big thing that got me to try was hoping it would "weight" her food and help with the crazy reflux. We started with whole grain rice cereal mixed with breastmilk and she devoured it! She was grabbing at the spoon and shoving more in her mouth! It was very funny! My big two were never spoon fed, they hated it, and we just skipped purees, Ellery... Well, this child ate everything in the bowl and would have kept on going. It might be coincidental, but after eating we had a quick bath, pj's, and she then nursed, burped (no spit up!!!) and fell asleep. I can't remember her not spitting up after nursing, so this is momentous for us! We see the doc tomorrow, and I'm not leaving without Prevacid. A real and proper dose. I swear.


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## JulieInChicago (Jan 15, 2010)

Hey mamas. I was sort of a lurker/occasional poster on the Sept 2010 DDC. Elliot Benjamin came on 9/20 and since then it's all been a fog. I went back to work after the max 12 weeks and we're pumping/EBF and CD'ing still.



I found my way back here because I'm really starting to lose it. The mix of usual seasonal cabin fever, perhaps baby blues, and a lack of sleep are adding up to make me a complete powder keg. I've kept it almost entirely out of my work life (with just 1 slip-up) but my personal life and relationship with my husband is starting to suffer.

Elliot went from 1-3 wake-ups each night to hourly. He wakes up and shrieks, arches his back, thumps his legs down onto the crib mattress. We sidecar co-slept until he outgrew that 2 weeks ago, but now he will only sleep in our bed. This is a really bad situation because (1) our 70 lb dog sleeps in the bed too and I don't feel that's a safe combo, (2) my husband can't sleep with E in the bed since he's a light sleeper and E makes lots of noises, and (3) we both work long days and need the rest.

I'm hoping/assuming this is teething- are any of your babes there yet? I see here that I'm not the only one having sleep regression issues, but is there a reason for it, or anything we can do? The way he moves his legs almost seems like gas pain, but I can't seem to get it out of him. When I put him in the crib the minute I take hands off him he cries, no matter how asleep he is, and trust me, I'm careful! Last night he slept in his crib an hour, then got up and I spent 90 min trying to get him back down before I gave up and coslept.

Sorry, just had to vent. I keep looking here to try to get ideas, but short of medications it seems like- esp if it's teething- it's a "ride it out" situation.


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## mommy2chloerae (Feb 6, 2005)

Thank you for all the comments and thoughts, it was really a scary moment. Had I not gone through it before I know that it would have been even worse. He has had 2 total, maybe 3 if he did in the morning as his first one (he wasn't acting like himself when we woke up), but none since going to the ER. He'll have an EEG at the children's hospital here this week, and then they'll decide if he should be put on medication to stop them or if they are just something we'll have to watch and let him "grow" out of.

He has had a few amazing days since though. He talks and laughs, squeals and plays. He is such a joy and makes even complete strangers stop and talk to him or comment on how sweet he is


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## sere234 (Feb 7, 2009)

MacKinnon- I love the name Ellery!!! So sweet!

Julie- So sorry about the new crazy nighttime schedule! I'm right there with you though! I think my Caden has been teething since 2 months (that's when he started drooling like crazy, eating his hands, drenching 1-2 bibs an hour) but no teeth out yet so it must take a while!

Have you tried swaddling at night? Caden started waking every 45-60 minutes at night starting at 4 months but I've gotten it up to every 2 hours most of the time now! Here's what we do: Stuff that diaper so we won't have to change him, swaddle (works wonders for our boy!), I sit up to nurse him (we co-sleep), and finally got him to take a pacifier. If I nurse him laying down, he'll go back to waking every 45 min but when I nurse him sitting up, get him to sleep, put in the paci, and lay down (takes about 20 minutes all together) he'll sleep much better. Yeah, I tried to get my kiddo to sleep elsewhere (swing, crib) and I spent 1-2 hours at each waking, attempting to slide the sleeping boy off of me. DID NOT WORK!! He trained me and let me know co-sleeping works best for him. As it is now, I'm grateful for my 2 hours of sleep chunks, surfing the web on my phone while getting him to sleep (keeps me awake and interested!), and rememebring that this is a phase. DS slept well for 4 months and will go back to that someday soon. My DH also is a light sleeper and some nights he sleeps in the guest room. Our dog (she's tiny though!) sleeps with us and some nights she also gets kicked out! If it comes down to you and your DH getting sleep or your dog sleeping happily, I'd kick the dog out! He/she will adjust!

BTW- Elliot is beautiful!! Love his BG diaper

Mommytochloerae- glad your little guy is okay now! Hope it gets figured out and that he outgrows it. Can't imagine how scary that must have been but I'm glad you had experience with it at least!

Okay, we go for C's 6 month check up this week and I'm going to bring this up with her: Caden STILL spits up! I see on here babes do that but it's classified as reflux. C doesn't show any signs at discomfort at all when he spits up (mostly I never even hear him do anything and then I turn around or look down and I'm covered in it!). He's at above normal weight and happy. Tell me this is normal!

AND- C started eating sold food around 5-5.5 months old. SOOOO many people on Mothering seem to think this is awful! He was so ready though and he eats very well. It was very obvious he showed all the signs of readiness and I went with my instincts and let him eat smooshed/small bits of what we eat. He loves it, does great with it, and spits up less when he eats our food. Got a bit flamed on Mothering for it though. What's your opinion? It just seemed wrong to trust myself on everything else when it comes to my kid but not on the food issue. I always try to go with my mommy instincts and this time it was hard since everyone was telling me to ignore them.....

Sorry this was so long!


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

I think there's a difference in eating real smashed up bits of table food and shoveling pureed mash into a baby who isn't ready.

I've been pumping for a localish mama for Eats on Feet. Her DH is coming to pick up almost 2 gallons of milk today!


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

My 5.5 month old still does... like yours, no discomfort, above weight, happy, sleeps great. It doesn't affect his weight gain, doesn't bother him, so I don't worry. Sucks that it makes more laundry to do, though, rotfl.

Oh-- and you know more about when your kid is ready to eat than anyone on the internet does  If he's ready, he's ready, don't fret what anyone else says.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sere234*
> 
> Okay, we go for C's 6 month check up this week and I'm going to bring this up with her: Caden STILL spits up! I see on here babes do that but it's classified as reflux. C doesn't show any signs at discomfort at all when he spits up (mostly I never even hear him do anything and then I turn around or look down and I'm covered in it!). He's at above normal weight and happy. Tell me this is normal!


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## JulieInChicago (Jan 15, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sere234*
> Have you tried swaddling at night? Caden started waking every 45-60 minutes at night starting at 4 months but I've gotten it up to every 2 hours most of the time now! Here's what we do: Stuff that diaper so we won't have to change him, swaddle (works wonders for our boy!), I sit up to nurse him (we co-sleep), and finally got him to take a pacifier. If I nurse him laying down, he'll go back to waking every 45 min but when I nurse him sitting up, get him to sleep, put in the paci, and lay down (takes about 20 minutes all together) he'll sleep much better. Yeah, I tried to get my kiddo to sleep elsewhere (swing, crib) and I spent 1-2 hours at each waking, attempting to slide the sleeping boy off of me. DID NOT WORK!! He trained me and let me know co-sleeping works best for him. As it is now, I'm grateful for my 2 hours of sleep chunks, surfing the web on my phone while getting him to sleep (keeps me awake and interested!), and rememebring that this is a phase. DS slept well for 4 months and will go back to that someday soon. My DH also is a light sleeper and some nights he sleeps in the guest room. Our dog (she's tiny though!) sleeps with us and some nights she also gets kicked out! If it comes down to you and your DH getting sleep or your dog sleeping happily, I'd kick the dog out! He/she will adjust!


Can I ask more about swaddling? He hated it when he was small (2-6 weeks). Might he be ok with it now? Is that something that he might have grown into?


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## gradstudentmommy (Jul 28, 2007)

JulieinChicago-the arching and thumping and screaming sound like reflux symptoms. Any chance your baby has reflux? It took a while for me to diagnose my baby because he has "silent reflux." He never spits up. Seriously-never, he just swallows it back down and it burns his little throat. It really affects his sleep. We have him on medication now and it's making a world of difference. I also removed dairy and soy from my diet and this made a big difference too, but not enough so that we don't need medicine. But reflux or no, there does seem to be a 5-month sleep regression. My little guy is up at least every 2 hours. I've started putting him down in his crib until I go to sleep (we cosleep) and he seems to sleep better. I get a few hours free in the evening. It's hard to say if your guy would take to swaddling now but you could try. I used the Halo Swaddle sac until he outgrew it. Now I use the Kiddpatamus (sp??) swaddle me. And lots of empathy. The lack of sleep is making me soooo cranky and short with my husband and 3 year old. I really hope we all start sleeping more soon!

Sere-interesting about your baby sleeping better when being fed not lying down. I've noticed the same thing. Maybe I should try doing that in the middle of the night. Currently I only do it at the start of the night. I'm too tired to even sit up at night with all his awakenings! Do you worry about swaddling now that the baby can roll over? I've found my guy face down in his swaddle so I stopped swaddling.


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

We stopped swaddling for a while and just restarted with the Woombie (the only swaddler she can't break out of). That gave us two decent nights, but last night she just kept waking up clearly angry that her arms were pinned. If they're free, though, she wakes up to pat and scritch at her mattress, so I don't get sleep either way . . .

Sere - There are two things I can think of regarding food. I think it's possible for popular opinions to sway mama's instinct, because we tend to think of the norm as the way to do things, and the norm in most of US society is to start cereal around 4 months, making it seem normal to start foods that early. So if that's part of the decision process, it's not necessarily a good place to follow "instincts" since they're being swayed by society. That said, the reasons to wait until 6 months to offer food are safety (if babu can't sit up, they might choke if food gets too far back and they can't spit it out) and biology (difestion is immature until then). We're all the best judges of our babies' physical readiness, and just as with anything else, some babies' systems mature faster than the 6 month norm and some slower. So ultimately it does make sense to trust yourself, as long as you're confident the early rice cereal contingent isn't making you falsely see signs of food readiness. 

As to spitting up, I've always heard that many babies outgrow it by 6 months (only 2 weeks away!), but it's not uncommon for it to last until 9 months or even a year. If baby's a happy spitter and growing, it's not a reason to worry at all. It's just messy and one thing most of us can't wait to put behind us!


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

Add me to the *sleep regression* camp! T always has been a fabulous sleeper, but this week he has added not one but two night wakings. Coincidentally my 3yo also has decided to wake up at the crack of dawn, so I am pooped!

*Reflux--*T is my first kiddo to seemingly have no reflux. I have had one of both the varieties you guys are discussing, though--a happy, laundry-problem spitter and a miserable, non-sleeping, screaming all the time, dairy/soy elim spitter. Neither is fun.

Food--I think if you truly are marking readiness based on your child, then offering complementary foods is fine. We've started giving T a sippy of water and a mesh feeder with something in it at dinner mostly just for his entertainment. I hope not to do purees as it's such a pain! We went more toward BLW with DD2 simply because she had no interest in being fed from a spoon (she's still stubborn and independent!), and it was awesome. Both my girls went to table food quickly. so we'll likely drag our feet till the boy is ready to finger feed himself. It's SO much easier that way!


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

Went for a well check today (for some reason my dr. does odd months...) Just 2 days shy of 5 months, he's 18lbs 5oz and 26.5inches long! On the bigger side, but not huge. Dr. says he looks great, but doesn't think he's ready for solids yet, but thinks he will be by 6 months. I think, he's really close and at this point wouldn't hurt, but wouldn't really help either. We are waiting at least until March starts (5.5 months). M has been spitting up too, he never used to! I think he's eating too much too fast. He nurses SOOO fast now, 1-2 minutes, then spits up a TON. I think he just needs to S L O W down! Lol! He's sitting totally unsupported now. He was so surprised when he first did it a few days ago and didn't fall over right away! Here's a pic http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=6377036&l=c86c94b510&id=503848007


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## sere234 (Feb 7, 2009)

S8boarder- love the pic of baby M! So cute!!

Caden has just started sitting up too. And dare I say this: I'm actually looking forward to when he can crawl. Me coming in every couple of minutes to move my whining and bored baby is getting a bit old







. I'll get hims started playing on the floor and then run off to do/get something. While I'm gone, he always rolls to his tummy and scoots around for a bit, and then just generally gives up on life and whines. But CRAWLING!!! He'll amuse himself to no end! Get every toy he wants! Explore everything and never be bored!! Right? 

Moms who have 2+ kids may now tell me I'm crazy.


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## Parker'smommy (Sep 12, 2002)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sere234*
> 
> Moms who have 2+ kids may now tell me I'm crazy.


Yah...kinda of....lol. There is NO way I want an early crawler...or walker. Oh my...the nightmare. But with my first, I wanted him to hurry up and do the next milestone. With the last, mommas mourn every milestone as it is the last.  And yes, he will have new found independence, but instead of running around getting him things you will be following him around making sure he is safe and not getting into things he can't. It gets way more tiring when they are older....trust me. I love it that I can put G somewhere right now and leave and VIOLA....she is still there when I come back!!


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sere234*
> 
> And dare I say this: I'm actually looking forward to when he can crawl.


Mwaahahahahahahahahahaha.

And as for the rest of your post, well... Emma started crawling RIGHT when horrible vicious three-month-long intense separation anxiety hit. My husband called it "Emma's five-foot rule." If I was not within five feet of her, at all times, she SCREAMED. So, yeah.... her crawling did not free me up much. All it did was increase her ability to target, reach, and consume random lint and debris on the floor.

Not looking forward to the "If there is a dead bug or old cheerio anywhere in the entire house, I WILL find it and put it in my mouth" stage.

At least the house is already babyproofed/toddlerproofed for Em, but I know that within the next few months I'm going to be cleaning the floors several times a day, and I'm not thrilled about that. Please do not be in a hurry to crawl, Ozzy.

We were visiting my mom's house yesterday and she got some good pics...

Ozzy in my old walker (mom didn't throw away any of our junk), and stretched out napping in the sunshine on mom's bed





And I can't resist a pic of my beautiful girl


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## MacKinnon (Jun 15, 2004)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kelly1101*
> 
> And as for the rest of your post, well... Emma started crawling RIGHT when horrible vicious three-month-long intense separation anxiety hit. My husband called it "Emma's five-foot rule." If I was not within five feet of her, at all times, she SCREAMED. So, yeah.... her crawling did not free me up much. All it did was increase her ability to target, reach, and consume random lint and debris on the floor.


Yeah to all of this! There is actually a developmental physcology behind this, as kids become more independent (crawling, walking) they increase their seperation anxiety. Natures way of helping you not be eaten by a lion, least you wander too far from Mom. I saw this CLEARLY with my kids. They would gain a skill, and then get more anxious, etc.

I'm SO SO SOOOO not looking forward to crawling. I've got a 7 year old girl who's Squishies, and Polly Pockets, and beads, and other tiny little things fill the house, and a 4 year old boy, who's Playmobil, and Lego bits are also all over. With my son (my second) my daughter was just over three, and really not into the little bitty stuff. We're seriously debating moving the big kids and all their little stuff into the big master bedroom that is upstairs, and we would take the larger of the two downstairs rooms, with the other one for the baby's stuff (dresser, etc.) and a guest bed.

As far as food, I waited a FIRM 6 months with my daughter and son. They weren't interested, and never did want spoon foods. Well, I'm in the third child slide, lol  I've relaxed a lot. And I have very reflux-y child. I was willing to try cereal over pretty serious medication. It seemed the lesser of two evils. And she LOVES it. However, it is not helping the reflux. So, we started Prevacid yesterday morning. And she screamed for 2 1/2 hours last night. I'm worried the meds are causing stomach pain (which is a side effect, really? stomach pain as a side effect for the reflux drugs, thanks for that). I think that there is an OK range of normal, and that although I would NEVER advocate feeding a 3 month old, and generally, waiting a full 6 months is best, we all have to figure out the best options for the situation.

We were in at the doc on Monday and DD is up to 14lbs 14oz at 5 1/2months. She gained 10oz in four weeks, which is a bit under the 3 to 5oz goal. Our doc isn't concerned, but did give me the Prevacid and said she supported my trying cereal, especially if we could avoid using Prevacid, and perhaps give her something to consume when she was busy refusing bottles during the day!


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## Monkeybean415 (Jan 17, 2011)

Hi mamas! I was not on this forum during my pregnancy and would love to join you all since our LOs are all the same age! I am looking forward to getting to know all of you! DD was born on Sept 18th! We're EBFing, CDing, and cosleeping... I am loving every second of motherhood! Little A is rolling over and sitting pretty well but no where near crawling! WOW! That's amazing! We also have no started foods yet- I think we're going to delay for as long as possible and then do baby led solids! Still no teeth here either and that's fine with me!


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## pacifica (Apr 8, 2006)

Yay! I haven't been on MDC in a loooong time, it's great to see this thread and all these BEAUTIFUL september babies!! My baby Eden is just soo soo incredible. I love her more and more everyday. She was born Aug 25, so she's into her 6 month and so very petite. I'm 5'1", so maybe she's taking after me. She rolls everywhere. Wiggly little baby. She's a little social butterfly, giving smiles and squelling at anyone who gives her attention. She thinks her older brothers are hilarious and laughs at them all the time (so cute).

In December, my husband had a mental collapse and was hospitalized for a while. Very stressful for all of us. Things are more stable now, but we are having a rocky time with our relationship for sure. I'm attempting to start my own business. I've been a SAHM for the last 8 years, but I need to get my own income and feel self-sufficient. It's going well so far.

I started giving E some bananas and she was digging it, but then she got totally constipated. Her poo was hard, when before it was only liquidy breastmilk poo, so I've stopped the solids until her bm's are back to normal. She loves to eat food though, so I'm not sure how to balance her diet so she doesn't get constipated again. She also loves taking sips of my water, always grabbing for the glass when I take a drink. Very cute. She is sitting up. She rolls back and forth the full length of our king size bed. Now I'll try to upload a picture...

Her daddy plays music, so she wears earphones during practice and we dance!


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## gradstudentmommy (Jul 28, 2007)

Mackinnon-Is your Prevacid the compound or the Solutabs. My little guy SCREAMED on the liquid compound. It was worse than the reflux! But he's been doing beautifully on the Solutabs.

Pacifica-So sorry to hear about your DH. We've been having some hard times here too and the sleep deprivation just makes everything worse for everyone. Good luck starting your business.


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## craftymcgluestick (Dec 31, 2009)

Hi old friends! Nice to see this thread; I'm hardly ever on mothering since Baby Andrew and going back to work and sleeping occasionally pretty much take up all my time , but I wanted to post an update.

Earlier in the thread, someone mentioned hefty babies being related to AP. Well, we are still EBF on-demand and co-sleeping and Andrew was only 14 lbs at his 4 month well baby. But he was also 27 inches (20 at birth on 9/14) and is a crawler. Yes, our tall boy started inchworming in January and now...Katie bar the door! we're locking up our cabinets and quickly figuring out how NOT babyproof our house is. Maybe he just can't keep the calories on, though I have noted with pride his pudgy arms and legs getting pudgier.

Here's my Andrew enjoying his first solid food: National Geographic. (Notice Dad in the background in exact same pose.)



And here he is after jumping so enthusiastically, he fell asleep!



And one more, calling my supervisor (ha!)



He turned 5 months last week and is cutting both his 2 bottom teeth. I sold his baby swing at a re-sale shop to make room for the exersaucer and jumparoo, but I cried a little because I can't believe my baby is such a grown-up.  But we still nurse and snuggle all night every night and when I look at his sleeping face, I still see my newborn.  He is the absolute joy of my life; what did I ever do without him?

So great to see all of your babies and hear of their progress. Thinking of you all!

Your friend,

Crafty/Mary


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Awwww what a cutie!

And wow, crawling so early!


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## MacKinnon (Jun 15, 2004)

Pacifica- Sorry to hear about your DH and struggles. These months with new babies are hard w/o that kind of upheaval. Hugs!

gradstudentmommy- We are on the capsules. I break them open and she gets 1/3 of the capsule twice a day. Not a scientific process, LOL  but the whole pill is under her max does, so I'm not going to OD the kid. I get my finger wet and then roll it in the little beads and swipe them inside her cheek. MUCH easier than liquid meds! I told my family doc I didn't want the compound, I had heard it wasn't as effective, although the dosing could be more accurate.

Crafty- Crawling is very alarming to me! I'm SO not ready! Ack! I also have a 14lber who is EBF. My other two were nearly 20lbs at this point and also EBF. She's just littler. Although I think our biggest difference is here reflux.


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Monkeybean415*
> 
> Hi mamas! I was not on this forum during my pregnancy and would love to join you all since our LOs are all the same age! I am looking forward to getting to know all of you! DD was born on Sept 18th! We're EBFing, CDing, and cosleeping... I am loving every second of motherhood! Little A is rolling over and sitting pretty well but no where near crawling! WOW! That's amazing! We also have no started foods yet- I think we're going to delay for as long as possible and then do baby led solids! Still no teeth here either and that's fine with me!


Hi! Sounds a lot like my little guy! Same b-day and everything! He's not close to crawling yet either, but GREAT at sitting now. Can even lean over to get a toy and sit back up. I'm excited to start solids, but with no teeth and little interest we are still waiting. Our Dr. suggested having him sit at the tabel with us and when he's yelling for food, not just slightly interested or reaching like he does with everything, to go ahead and start with veggies, and then fruit.


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## jpietryka (Jan 18, 2011)

I feel ya. I just moved my baby into his crib two weeks ago after a week of getting only 2-3 hours of sleep. We did have to let him cry a bit initially but know he goes down fairly easily. I wanted to mention that I had a very similar experience with my son where I thought he was having a gas issue but I couldn't work it out...turned out to be two teeth.

We use a white noise machine (Sleep Sheep) which helps. I even downloaded a white noise ap on my phone for when we are away from the house. Hope things are getting better for you and baby E. =)


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## jpietryka (Jan 18, 2011)

Hi there, I'm new here and very excited to meet like-minded mommy's. My little boy Reece came into the world, au natural, on Sept 2 (9.02.10 - lol). Like many mom in this thread we cd, ebf and co-slept. Baby boy just moved into his big boy bed two weeks ago. Yeah! We are sleeping much better now. Month 5 has been a big one for my little boy, he mastered rolling, got two teeth and started solid as well. Teeth were a funny thing, we thought he was having bad gas pains and that was why he couldn't sleep for more than an hour at a time. Then pop-pop...we had two teeth. Baby R has also gotten quite savvy with his little hands. It is so amazing to watch these LO's develop into there own persons and figure the world out!

Minnow


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## sere234 (Feb 7, 2009)

Crafty- You have a crawler!!! I mentioned on here earlier it might be nice if my DS could crawl and entertain himself more. All the moms told me I was insane and I now realize it's true!!! I see tiny pieces of trash, an occasional dead bug, or dropped food on the floor and think: OH NO- Caden will be crawling and eating that in no time! Hopefully he will hold off for another month or 2!

We went for Caden's 6 month check up on Friday and he's 17 pounds, 12 ounces, 27.5 inches long He laughed and smiled at everyone at the office during the visit, only whined 1-2 seconds for his vaccine, and then conked out in the car







. Which is awesome, cause my kid doesn't sleep very well in the car! But his last nap was over 4 hours ago so that explains it!

About the vaccine: We're doing delayed and selective so only 1 vaccine at a visit, 2 shots so far for the boy. But after each shot, I've been worried. I watch his every reaction and this time he was very fussy and clingy for 2-3 days. He did this funny gasping thing repeatedly on Sunday that had us freaking out a bit. I hate it having to choose between the 2 sides of unknowns (vaccinate or maybe get an illness) in my kid's health









Last night I got a 3 hour, 40 minute sleeping stretch!!!







I know because I have an app on my phone to track his sleep. Seemed easier to pay $5 for it than to write down his sleep habits when we were doing TNCSS. Nothing like surfing the web while I struggle to stay awake and nurse C at night.....

Hope everyone is doing well! I am loving my baby, husband, and life so much


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

OMGosh Crafty! It's so good to hear from you. I do not envy you on the crawling at all. Lila managed to get up on all 4s and I freaked out. I'm 97% sure it was a fluke, but still!

Sere- You must be a saint. If I were getting less than 4 hours of sleep a night I'd be toast.

I'm sick as hell today and Reya has her little sister downstairs and has been bringing her up to nurse and that's about it. She's such a great big sister. (and daughter!)



Lila sleepin



Lila cookin' with Mama


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

OMG, I LOVE the pics Amanda. The one with Reya wearing her in the ring sling is so awesome.


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## JulieInChicago (Jan 15, 2010)

Aw, Lila's such a doll!

We're still struggling with sleep issues here but on the recco of a friend bought a Miracle Blanket, and two nights ago Elliot slept for a 4.5 hour stretch! He gets so quiet and peaceful in it, and he's great at self-soothing.

We also ordered a new crib mattress, just to see if that might help.

One thing continues to be a problem, though- leaky diapers. Last night we had 2! Had to change sheets, sleepers... and the diapers weren't even wet, really. I'm sure that they're just repelling so we need to use less soap and strip them, but it's such a pain. We use RnG Hard Rock and I love how soft the dipes get but I think I'm going to have to give up and switch.


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

Love that pic of Reya wearing her sister!!!

Sere - I love my baby tracking app too. I don't have to remember when I last changed her, because it tells me (as long as I remember to enter it) and I can easily track her day and night sleeping. I don't always put nursing in, but it's been such a great app!

We also get leaky dipes at night, but it's because they're thoroughly soaked. I use Fuzzibunz with the larger microfiber insert plus a hemp insert and change once at night. Some nights that's okay with minimal leaking and sometimes that leaves puddles. I've tried two different larger hemp prefolds in place of the hemp insert, but they leak worse, plus they're huge, so it seems Caitlin can't be comfortable. I could live with one night change if she'd not leak, but sometimes having to change jammies (thankfully it hasn't spread to sheets yet) in the middle of the night is so painful. I'm very tempted to try disposables overnight for a week to see if keeping her drier would give us longer than 2-hour stretches at night and prevent having to change at night, or at least prevent leaking. I don't want to go that route, but think it might be a fair trade if it brought some sanity-saving extra sleep continuity. And a short trial wouldn't be too bad if it didn't help.

I'm having trouble getting Caitlin to eat during the day. Whether we're at home or out and about, she gets so interested in everything around her that she'll snack, if that. Then she wants to nurse for 40 minutes at a stretch when she wakes at night, several times. I love how busy she is, and how much curiosity she shows in the world around her, but I wish I could turn that off several times a day for meals. I can't find a place even in the house that isn't totally distracting and more interesting than my boobs. Mommy necklaces don't help, because they're more interesting than my boobs too, and she can't seem to play with one and nurse at the same time. I've got room darkening curtains for the nursery that I'm hoping will help when I get a chance to put them up some time this week.

And I can't help sharing some more photos. I love seeing everyone else's, so hopefully everyone else loves seeing them too.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Wow, that last one is incredibly sweet.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

She really is the best big sister ever! She's already planning when Lila's 12 and she's 24 and how Lila can come spend weekends with her. Oh and she changes cloth diapers. Doesn't get better than that!


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

Wonderful pics of Caitin and Lila! I think my DD would just die of joy if she could wear her brother--but she's only 4.5 and 35lb, so she'll have to settle for getting worn herself on occasion 

Night diapers = *knock on wood* we haven't had issues with leaking. Well, once, but that was because he fell asleep before I got him diapered for the night. We use a trifolded infant prefold as a doubler inside a premium prefold and then a PUL cover.

CRAFTY!!!!!! Crawling?? No wonder he wanted to stay put on the inside--he knew he was going to be working hard out here 

I haven't got much except that we moved T to his crib this week. He's reliably STTN, and he seems to prefer his own space. I am sad. But he is not. So I guess that's just the way it is.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Ugh, I don't know when we're going to move Ozzy to a crib.

The situation is weird. Emma is still co-sleeping (with my husband) in the "bedroom" while Ozzy and I co-sleep in the "kids room" (which has a twin mattress and a crib, we're on the twin mattress).

So I guess the solution is to get Emma to sleep on her own on the twin, and move me and Ozzy into the queen-sized bed with my husband [not that it matters to me where he sleeps, we've only had sex in the living room and kitchen for the past two years, rotfl... one day we'll actually have a bed to do it in]. But then what when Ozzy is ready to go into a crib-- and I think it's going to be far earlier than Em. She's always been a snugglebug and sleeps very restlessly, she's all over the place, and wakes up 1-2 times a night even though she weaned like 9 months ago. Ozzy, on the other hand, at 5 months old is only waking up twice a night to nurse, does not seem to want that close physical contact all the time like she does, and sleeps very soundly. And I do have visions of having my own bed with just me and my husband, haha. But, I'm paranoid that they would just wake each other up all night if they were in the same room together.

*sigh* I'll probably just keep doing what I'm doing, which is procrastinating on getting them in their own beds, and doing the "lazy" thing instead... but hey, it works and we are all getting enough sleep, and when you have 2 under 2 and everyone's getting enough sleep... why try to "fix" it?


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## sere234 (Feb 7, 2009)

Love the pics of Cailin and Lila So sweet!!!

Amanda Reya's Mom- My friend has a 11 mo and a 10 yo and she says it's like having a first baby again! But she loves that her older DD can help her so much! Also, I get about 8 (very broken) hours of sleep a night, 3 hours was just my longest unbroken stretch! OMG, I wouldn't survive if 3 hours was all the sleep I got!

Caden has a BIG butt at night: Thirsties cover, Mother Ease OS, newborn GMD, and sometimes a hemp stuffer. But he never leaks! Disposables, BG 3.0, Goodmamas, FB, he leaked out of them all before we found the magic combination Now there's never a problem! I think it's all the layers of absorption for the liters of pee he must produce at night and a cover that fits him very well that does the trick.

Jenifer- My kiddo is SUCH a distracted eater now too! I swear he's eating less nowadays simply because there is so much to see, listen, notice,and grab. I read that my milk adjusts to his age needs and he's getting more calories with less milk now but SERIOUSLY. Stay on for longer than 1 minute, boy! If there is anyone in the room, he won't eat until we are alone. Sometimes he waits so long to eat that he is ravenous when he actually does have time to pay attention to nursing 

Kelly- We need to move C to his crib soon too. I think I'll miss him more than he will me







. Not sure if I'm ready to trade baby cuddle for better sleep or if I'll even get better sleep! First thing though I've got to get him to sleep unswaddled and not in a swing or with me! Need to start leaving one arm out when we swaddle him for sleep... And, well, the swing? Maybe I'll just continue to let him sleep in that until it breaks. And skip the crib for a while! The child sleeps for HOURS in his swing during naptime and before he come to bed with me.

Here's my boy's 6 month picture


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## Marilyn82 (Jan 26, 2005)

OMG I know I'm late to this thread (fell off the face of the earth for awhile lol) but I am seriously LOVING seeing everyone's little ones! I can't believe how big they are already! And is it just me or does our DDC not have the cutest babies EVER??!

My little Mila is 4.5 months (born 10/2..I was 3 weeks overdue lol) and is just so precious. She has such a distinct personality. She is a great sleeper at night, only waking once or twice and going right back to sleep after a short nursing session. We've just barely started getting naps down though, that took awhile. She is very curious and very attached to our family but leery of strangers. She loves to be worn in the wrap or Boba when we are out and about, but only likes to be in it when we are moving. She LOVES the bumbo, she sits in it on my desk while I am working and on the table while we are eating dinner lol. She loves toys, she will sit and just examine things for long periods of time. We are still EBF and had to take the CD'ing to part time as I'm working 12+ hour days and cannot keep up with laundry. She rolls from back to side but has not rolled all the way over yet (well once or twice on the bed but I think it

was because there was a bit of a 'dip' kwim?). She hates tummy time and I don't push it, I'm not worried. Just a side note but one thing I've found really annoying is that everyone mispronounces her name! I didn't expect it lol. For the record, it's pronounced MEE-lah (everyone seems to think it's My-lah)


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Awww, Mila got the foot!

Ozzy hasn't been able to get it in his mouth yet, although he will occasionally take off his socks.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Ack. Here, too. Like literally the only time he will eat a "full meal" is if we're laying down on a bed, with a blanket on him loosely keeping his arms down, and no distracting lights or noises, ROTFL. If I'm NIP or trying to do it with his sister running around, he just pops off constantly. Which is okay, because when he does, he'll look around, then look back at me with this huge milky grin  But it takes forever doing it that way, rotfl.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sere234*
> 
> Jenifer- My kiddo is SUCH a distracted eater now too! I swear he's eating less nowadays simply because there is so much to see, listen, notice,and grab. I read that my milk adjusts to his age needs and he's getting more calories with less milk now but SERIOUSLY. Stay on for longer than 1 minute, boy! If there is anyone in the room, he won't eat until we are alone. Sometimes he waits so long to eat that he is ravenous when he actually does have time to pay attention to nursing


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## mommy2chloerae (Feb 6, 2005)

Clayton ended up having 5 more seizures. We spent 3 days at a Children's Hospital and he had to have an EEG, MRI, Bloodwork and a lot of waiting to rule out any problems. The last seizure was the worst, his oxygen level dropped so much he almost had to have a breathing tube placed, thankfully just an oxygen mask was enough. We got home yesterday.

The verdict is that it is a genetic disorder (I had them, so did my daughter and other family members), but they needed to be sure that was all that was going on before treating. He is now on phenobarbital and will be reevaluated in 4-6 months.

So yeah.

He's still the sweetest baby ever and was such a trooper through this all.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

*hugs* So sorry ya'll are dealing with this.


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## sere234 (Feb 7, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mommy2chloerae*
> 
> Clayton ended up having 5 more seizures. We spent 3 days at a Children's Hospital and he had to have an EEG, MRI, Bloodwork and a lot of waiting to rule out any problems. The last seizure was the worst, his oxygen level dropped so much he almost had to have a breathing tube placed, thankfully just an oxygen mask was enough. We got home yesterday.


Oh my gosh, I can't even imagine! I'm glad you are all home and hopefully the seizures decrease soon! Is this what happened with your daughter? Can't remember if you said whether she still gets them or not. My little sister (not so little, she's almost 18!) had had seizures nearly all her life. It's pretty terrifying even if you know what to do.

Kelly- Caden JUST started eating his foot last week. He's a very strong, stiff, and sturdy babe and just couldn't bend his legs that way! My very flexible niece OTH has been eating her foot since she was 4 months old. Maybe your little chunker has too much chub in the way to get his foot up that high!

Marilyn- I love Mila's name I must admit whenever I read it I do pronounce it Mee-la until you put somewhere in your post how it is pronounced. Must be the spelling that throws me off? Hopefully people get used to it!


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## pacifica (Apr 8, 2006)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mommy2chloerae*
> 
> Clayton ended up having 5 more seizures. We spent 3 days at a Children's Hospital and he had to have an EEG, MRI, Bloodwork and a lot of waiting to rule out any problems. The last seizure was the worst, his oxygen level dropped so much he almost had to have a breathing tube placed, thankfully just an oxygen mask was enough. We got home yesterday.
> 
> ...


Glad to hear everyone's home from the hospital and a treatment plan's in place. Clayton is lucky to have experienced parents to help him. Hugs

I love seeing all these babies!!! Lila and her sister are just precious, how amazing! E has yet another cold from her brothers, I'm ready for spring!


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## mommy2chloerae (Feb 6, 2005)

My daughter no longer gets them, so I hope that is the same with him. The Neurologist believe it is a genetic disorder (since we have such a strong family history).

He is much happier today and even took a nap on his own without being held! It was amazing. 



Mommy and baby in the hospital. Everyone thought he was a girl in the gown.


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

So glad to hear Clayton's doing better and is at home. **Hugs**


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## Laurski (Mar 13, 2010)

*Mommy2chloerae:* I'm glad to hear Clayton's home from the hospital. I hope the phenobarbital keeps the seizures in check.









I love seeing all these pics of our DDC babies! I keep meaning to upload camera pics onto my computer...I'll have to do so this weekend so I can post a few of my skinny Bean (was 13 lbs 15.5oz at her 5 1/2 month checkup (delayed b/c of all the snow)). If I didn't push her out myself, I'd wonder whose kid she was!









I can't believe my little baby's going to be 6 months on Sunday! We're going to give solids a try then...should be messy and fun! I have to admit, I'm a little sad about no longer being her only source of food (even if I'm still the primary one)...

(Are you guys going to do baby-led weaning, purees, or a mix? I'm leaning towards a mix, myself, but curious as to how others are going to approach the solid food adventure...)


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## mommy2chloerae (Feb 6, 2005)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Laurski* (Are you guys going to do baby-led weaning, purees, or a mix? I'm leaning towards a mix, myself, but curious as to how others are going to approach the solid food adventure...)


I think a mix. He is interested in food, grabs at mine, etc so I feel like he will accept them when the time comes. My husband is anxious to start him, and I think I will be happy when he is ready  He is over 20lbs and nurses frequently which can be really draining.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Did a mix with Em, will likely do the same with Ozzy. Not starting him on solids yet, though, even though his sister was already eating solids at his age (a week shy of 6 months). He just doesn't seem to be showing as many signs of readiness as she did.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Laurski*
> 
> (Are you guys going to do baby-led weaning, purees, or a mix? I'm leaning towards a mix, myself, but curious as to how others are going to approach the solid food adventure...)


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

We're planning to do BLW, but will play it by ear as we go and use purees if there's a situation in which it makes sense.

I was trying to post earlier during the forum outage that Caitlin just recently seems to enjoy taking medicine. Both Mylicon and Tylenol, she opens wide when she sees me get the dropper out of the bottle, and she licks the liquid and swallows well. I was thinking that's a sign of solids readiness (no tongue thrust with the medicine) and wondered if anyone else's babe does the same thing.

Then I was holding her during dinner tonight and trying to rip a piece of pita bread off to eat, doing it quickly to keep her hands away, but she was super speedy and grabbed a chunk and shoved it in her mouth. I guess she was ready to eat.  She managed to slobber on and chew off most of it and then swallow it, about a 2" square piece in all. She seemed to enjoy it. If daddy got good photos I'll post one once I get a chance to get them off the camera.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Took these today... my little guy will be 6 months next week, holy crap how time flies...







With big sis


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## Marilyn82 (Jan 26, 2005)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sere234*
> 
> Oh my gosh, I can't even imagine! I'm glad you are all home and hopefully the seizures decrease soon! Is this what happened with your daughter? Can't remember if you said whether she still gets them or not. My little sister (not so little, she's almost 18!) had had seizures nearly all her life. It's pretty terrifying even if you know what to do.
> 
> ...


No, you are right, it is pronounced Mee-la! People are mispronouncing it as My-lah, which I hate lol.

Kelly, those pics of Ozzy are sooo cute, his little cheeks are totally to die for!

mommy2chloerae - So clad to hear your little boy is doing better. It sounds like you are handling it really well (well, as good as can be expected anyway). I hope the medication helps.


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## sere234 (Feb 7, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Laurski*
> 
> (Are you guys going to do baby-led weaning, purees, or a mix? I'm leaning towards a mix, myself, but curious as to how others are going to approach the solid food adventure...)


We are just letting C eat what we eat, only in small chunks or a little smashed. We don't puree anything since he is fine with the chunks and since we eat very healthy, he's getting a variety of foods. Yesterday he even grabbed and sucked on a lemon slice for a happy, silent 10 minutes. I'm sure you mamas understand how ~amazing~ it is to have a quiet 10 minutes from a 6 mo! He LOVED lemon, oddly enough... In fact, he hasn't turned away ANY foods and they only thing he made a funny face at was water (because of the temperature I think).

So funny how he grins and breathes in that happy/fast way when I set him in the highchair!!! This kid loves food so much we have to eat during his nap or in another room if we don't want to feed him....

It's pretty crazy to think that this time last year, Caden was just a tiny 1.5ish inch baby inside me and I was sick every minute of the day. I will gladly take my very interrupted sleep and an energetic baby over that any day!!!


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

Wow! Glad others are talking solids! We will be starting sometime in march and honestly I'm really worried! I don't know why. He's been sitting by himself for a while grabs at food....I guess it's just a big milestone. My little baby isn't so little anymore! Our Internet is down so I'm posting from my phone! I'll post again when the Internet is back. I have an amazing video to share.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Ha, it's nothing to worry about! It's just recreation until closer to a year old, anyway... letting them play with food and see how much they'll actually get in their mouth and swallow.


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## jpietryka (Jan 18, 2011)

That is so sweet! So far we've been doing mostly homemade purees with Reece, which he totally digs. He'll give me a little grut if I'm not feeding him fast enough. Haha!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sere234*
> 
> So funny how he grins and breathes in that happy/fast way when I set him in the highchair!!! This kid loves food so much we have to eat during his nap or in another room if we don't want to feed him....


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

Ok if you want to see some super cute babies in action at the aquarium go check out the video my husband made! 



 In this Video my son Mark is 5months and my nephew Vincent is 23 months.


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## Laurski (Mar 13, 2010)

I can't believe my sweet baby's 6 months old! We started solids on Friday--avocado. We ended up giving her a few pieces to play with and also mashing some up and giving it to her on the spoon. She seemed to like the avocado, and even more so liked to help us put the spoon in her mouth.







She gagged a bit on the larger pieces of avocado, and I have to be honest, I'm just not sure I'm tough enough to handle her gagging when she still seems so small. Maybe we'll try a bit more BLW in a few more weeks when I've gotten a bit more used to her eating solids.

A few pictures of my spirited, challenging, amazing little girl:



Her first solids!



Hanging out with her favorite family member.



Getting better and better at sitting.


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## Corrine917 (Jan 22, 2011)

Wow I can not believe all the updates since I was last on. I found the most AMAZING church where babies almost out number people! Not really but so many mamma's to share with and learn from I have been so blessed lately. Life is going so good for Timmy. I enjoy hearing how all the babies and growing. I have been at my wits end since I have been forced to switch to Bottle feeding Timmy due to his allergies but since giving up the boob he has lost all Gas, Bloating, Bleeding and pains in general. It was a sad last feeding but we prayed on it and I tried to keep pumping but I gave up It was so hard. And they say to avoid ANY foods until 7 MONTHS!  I may get another opinion. Timmy will not sit up when we try to hold he he purposefully leans forward to eat his toes but will turn his head up to see TV or DADDY It looks very uncomfortable and funny but hes happy. He loves his toes. and if he is on his back he QUICKLY rolls to tummy and gets upset I have tried to show him how to finish the roll back to his back but he has no interest when he can scream for me to do it ha. He only loves to be on his tummy for about 4 seconds. Sometimes he comes to work with me so here is a pic of him at DH's desk


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## ChelseaWantsOut (Oct 2, 2008)

Here are some pictures of my baby in a tiny suit. It's my husband's album, let me know if you can't look at it.

I suppose we'll start solids around 6 months. He's starting to get interested and tries to drink from my cup. We're planning to do BLW.

All day he's been napping poorly and waking up crying. Now he's asleep on his dad. I dunno what the deal is, but I should sleep in whatever position I want while I have the chance!


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Marilyn82*
> 
> OMG I know I'm late to this thread (fell off the face of the earth for awhile lol) but I am seriously LOVING seeing everyone's little ones! I can't believe how big they are already! And is it just me or does our DDC not have the cutest babies EVER??!


Mila was on my short list! I love her name. Lila does the same staring at things. she had a rattle on the tray to her swing. She stared at it til she just fell asleep! You could see her trying to figure out what it was and why it was there.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mommy2chloerae*
> 
> Clayton ended up having 5 more seizures.


I hope you guys can keep the seizures at bay.







I know it's hard mama, hang in there!
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Laurski*
> 
> (Are you guys going to do baby-led weaning, purees, or a mix? I'm leaning towards a mix, myself, but curious as to how others are going to approach the solid food adventure...)


She's precious! I'm thinking avocado for L's first food too.. so yummy







I'm planning to go straight to table food. If she can eat it she can have it! I do have a food grinder (baby gift) and Reya's itching to use it, so I'm sure there will be some purees in her future. I just don't wanna do it








Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kelly1101*
> 
> Took these today... my little guy will be 6 months next week, holy crap how time flies..


OMGosh he just makes me smile! My chiro's nephew was born a week before Lila and he told me "My nephew could eat her!" That's what I think of when I see your guy!
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ChelseaWantsOut*
> 
> [
> I suppose we'll start solids around 6 months. He's starting to get interested and tries to drink from my cup. We're planning to do BLW.
> ...


<3 sleeping on daddy is the best!


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## Corrine917 (Jan 22, 2011)

Ho my Goodness the Suit is adorable he looks so handsome!!! I totally forgot I bought one to match daddy i wonder if i can even find it now!

I cant wait to start solids too! I have not even tried to offer him a cup! I am getting High Chair today. What is BLW?

Timmy has the same sleep pattern napping poorly and waking up crying. Only sleeps on my chest at night....which is new he was always a good sleeper before this month.

I am so happy to be back here and learning and laughing with all of you and I keep mommytochloerae and all the other moms and babes in our prayers each day.


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## JulieInChicago (Jan 15, 2010)

it's so great to see all the photos-- what a little man in a cute suit!

The seizures sound terrible. I read that sometimes a fever can cause them- might that be it? Probably too simple.

We're waiting for 6 mos for solids- 2 weeks away. My husband is allergic to avocados so we'll probably start with sweet potatoes or something. A friend gave us a babycook as a gift-- funny because I was making fun of it in the store!-- so we'll probably make puree in that.

We turned a corner with sleep and Elliot's sleeping 4-5 hour stretches now. We started using a Miracle Blanket, we bought him a new mattress (we were using one that was used), and we've been turning down the lights in the house and quieting down at 7pm. Something worked!


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

Corinne - BLW is baby led weaning - www.babyledweaning.com - offering babies table foods from the start of feeding solids rather than spoon-feeding them purees, and allowing them to lead the way in what and how much they eat. There's no need to make or buy special foods for baby, and they learn to eat a variety of tastes and textures from the beginning, plus they learn to handle chunks of food in their mouths when the gag reflex (which protects against choking) is farthest forward in the mouth. More info at the link I posted. A couple of photos of Caitlin at nearly 6 months eating broccoli and venison steak. She probably did swallow a little broccoli (but not much), but she just sucked the (iron-rich) juices from the steak.



Julie - Caitlin doesn't seem to tolerate the swaddle anymore, but we were wondering if a new mattress would help us get longer stretches of sleep. Hers is quite old, but I'm worried about the chemicals off-gassing in a new one and don't really want to spend the $300 or so for an all-natural one, so for now we've done nothing.


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## Triceratops (Feb 8, 2010)

Little miss is 5.5 months now! Doing well! She enjoys her jumper, rolling over both ways, and she doesnt really enjoy tummy time. She is fitting into 6-9 month clothing just fine, and has adorable leg rolls. <3 She is currently working on hair. hah.


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

We just did our first food with Mark! Gave him some sweet potato! He was excited to have a new toy to play with! lol! He's been fussing wanting our food for days, so today I gave him sweet potato, when he put it in his mouth he made quite the face LOL!


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## ChelseaWantsOut (Oct 2, 2008)

I just gave my Cady-Bear some celery to gum. I don't guess it counts as giving solids since more drool got on it than celery got into him, haha.

SLEEP IS WEIRD. It just changes all the time. The new normal for the past couple days has been two 30 minute naps and one 2 hour one in between, and awake times have lengthened to 3 hour stretches. He's also sleeping 12 hours at night now (not straight through), and going to bed anywhere from 6:30 to 7:30. Weirdest of all, he hasn't wanted to sleep on me for the past few nights! He wants me to put him down on the bed, and resettles himself for the first few wakings! It's weird, but nice. I've gotten to sleep-snuggle with DH for the first time since mid-pregnancy!

The babe is very busy lately, and actually notices and gets upset when you take a toy away from him, which is new. He's stopped loathing tummy time because of the increased interest in toys.

Jenifer, that pic of your babe with the steak is adorable!


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## jpietryka (Jan 18, 2011)

So has anyone else been bitten while nursing yet? OUCH! Any tips on curbing it would be awesome.


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

ChelseaWantsOut - Thanks! She seemed to enjoy gumming it.

I haven't been bitten while nursing yet, though Caitlin did accidentally latch on to a non-nipple part of my boob, which didn't feel so good. But she never tried again, so I didn't need to do anything except break the latch. I've been told by other nursing moms that the best course of action is to say ouch, loudly enough to get the point across, but not so loudly that you freak baby out, and put them down on the ground to end the nursing session. Baby will be mad, but will associate biting with stopping nursing. Pick them up after a couple minutes (or just long enough to get the point across - it's not a punishment) and try again. It shouldn't take more than a couple times of doing this for most babies to learn. If you've got access to a La Leche League group in your area, they're a great resource for that type of problem, especially if you're having trouble fixing it with the recommended courses of action.

Caitlin's up to 19 1/4 lbs today, which is around 92nd percentile. They measured her length at 26.25", but that's only, I think, 1" longer than at 3 months and is barely above 50th percentile. She seems very long, so I'm going to try measuring her at home. She always outgrows her outfits in the crotch/leg length first, so I can't believe she's not taller than that since she's 6 months and almost growing out of her 9 month clothes.


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## JulieInChicago (Jan 15, 2010)

jenifer - we bought a soy-based foam mattress for $100 from Amazon - this one - and it hasn't off-gassed at all, that we can smell. We're super pleased with it! LOVE the photos- what a charmer.

great hearing about everyone's first food stories. we're still waiting for 6 mos... 2 more weeks!

So... yesterday my pump broke in an airport bathroom before an outbound flight. UGH. I tried to go to the KellyMom forums for help but I've gotten none... does anyone know how the Ameda manual pump attachment is supposed to work? I think I figured it out - you put it on the horn and stick the white thing in the membrane- but it takes 2 hands and resulted in blisters!! Can that be right? I used it that way since it was better than nothing to get through the day, but... sheesh, if that was right that's a terrible design.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

We have tooth. Bottom left.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Oh no! Already?! I'm not ready for that!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kelly1101*
> 
> We have tooth. Bottom left.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

I wasn't even sure he was teething. He was still sleeping great, not being fussy, etc. There was a VERY slight pick up in drool, and he seemed really chewy, so I kept thinking "hmmm... maybe sometime in the next month." Then I was feeling his gums and sure enough, there it is. He's pretty swollen on the other bottom front, too, so that one may follow soon. Em got both of her bottom front teeth when she was 6 months, so no big surprise.


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## MamitaM (Sep 10, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jpietryka*
> 
> So has anyone else been bitten while nursing yet? OUCH! Any tips on curbing it would be awesome.


Yes. He got his first 2 bottom teeth around 3 months and there were two days of biting and it made me really nervous to nurse. I'd take him off the boobie right away and say no really loud and then cover my boobie with my shirt. I noticed if he wasn't really hungry and just "playing" he'd bite. So I stopped letting him "hang out" on the boobie. He'll bite me every few days, but not to hard and I just say no and unlatch him and tell him boobie goes away when he bites and I cover up and offer him more in a few minutes.

My baby is almost 6 months and he has 8 teeth! Four on the bottom and 4 on the top. Whenever he gets a new tooth his latch changes a bit so sometimes the new tooth will poke me a bit and I have to ask him to latch again or change position a little.

People always ask how old he is and how many teeth and they are shocked at how big he is (almost 20 pound) and can't believe I can still wear him. It isn't to bad and much easier then dealing with a big stroller on the metro with so many stairs. People are also surprised that I still nurse with all those teeth. I actually told myself I'd think about cutting down or weaning when he got teeth, but since he started to teeth so early there was no way I could even think about doing that. His biting was really not that much of an issue though.

We're going to start doing BLW soon and he's going to be a vegetarian like me, for now at least. I really want to feed him something. I'm just trying to get him to sit up on his own first. He does have good head control and he can put toys in his mouth and seems interested in my food and my coffee!


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## mommy2chloerae (Feb 6, 2005)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JulieInChicago*
> The seizures sound terrible. I read that sometimes a fever can cause them- might that be it? Probably too simple.


He didn't have a fever during any of the seizures (7 total), it's a genetic thing. Now he hates his medication (he took it perfectly at the hospital, like he just wanted to get home lol), it is a fight and I get it spit in my face at least once a day. Still better than seizures though.

I can't believe how big all of our babies are!

I love the picture with a steak, that's what my daughter did with pork chops for the longest time


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## jpietryka (Jan 18, 2011)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MamitaM*
> 
> Yes. He got his first 2 bottom teeth around 3 months and there were two days of biting and it made me really nervous to nurse. I'd take him off the boobie right away and say no really loud and then cover my boobie with my shirt. I noticed if he wasn't really hungry and just "playing" he'd bite. So I stopped letting him "hang out" on the boobie. He'll bite me every few days, but not to hard and I just say no and unlatch him and tell him boobie goes away when he bites and I cover up and offer him more in a few minutes.
> 
> ...


Oh my, eight teeth!! That is wonderful that you are still able to nurse. I'm definately not ready to stop either. I have noticed that baby is bitting at the end so I think you hit it on the head...he's full/bored at that point. I've been watching him more for that "I'm finished que".

We've also just started doing some BLW after reading about it here. Last night baby munched away on a strawberry and a brussel sprout. It was so cute and let me tell you, I am over the moon that he enjoyed his sprout!!


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

Quote:



> Originally Posted by *Kelly1101*
> 
> We have tooth. Bottom left.


Us too, as of 2/25. We also have our 2nd ear infection. Yay T was 19+lbs at the ped. He'snot keeping up his insane chub since he's going 10 hours at night without eating. But he is so tall that we are going to have to move his jumparoo up to the THIRD height!


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Ozzy is losing the chub and putting on inches, too. He still has the chunky cheeks and chunky thighs, but his torso has slimmed and lengthened a lot.

6 month check up is Tuesday, we'll see how he measures then.


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## sere234 (Feb 7, 2009)

Mamita- Teeth! Wowo!! Caden has just been drooling for 4 months, no teeth







. He goes through at least 10 bibs a day...

Kelly- Ozzy is loosing the chub? But that's what he's famous for in my mind! Such a big happy boy from your pics!

Even though C has no teeth, he still bites when he nurses. At my LLL meeting last week, everyone said that when he does it, push him in toward my breast and he'll have to release. I guess that's LLL official suggestion! Seems to work!

Jenifer- we have an organic mattress from Costco. Good reviews, only $120ish, and it's nice. Not that Caden has let us put him in the crib much to try it out though!

Julie- That pump sounds awful. Doesn't seem like it's working right if it's giving you blisters. Ouch!!

Caden has slept so much better the past 2 nights!! I got several 3 hour stretches and even a 4 HOUR STRETCH!!! Not seen that in 2-3 months  Oddly enough, he seems to sleep better when the room is brighter at night. Daytime naps have always been marvelous and hours long so I left the light in his room on at night and he slept so well! Then when he came to our room later in the night, we left another light on and it was better too! Maybe this is just a coincidence but I'm willing to keep trying!

I can't wait until it is warmer and we can go outside more. Caden loveslovesloves being outside No jackets, no blankets, no warming up the car. So nice.

PS- how many of your babes love music/singing, being outside, and animals? Those are Caden's favorites and I think it must just be a baby thing!!


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

Looking more into those mattress options and trying to decide. The "organic" cotton mattresses are kind of a labeling scam - the cotton cover was grown organically, but the rest of the mattress is still usually as toxic as any other. The soybean foam one seems to have a non-toxic fire retardant (maybe boric acid, from what I can find online), but I'm not sure. I don't love soybeans in general, since most are GMO and I'd rather not support that, but it may be a better choice than a lot of mattresses out there, and certainly more affordable. Some of what I'm reading, though, indicates that a soy based foam is really something like 20% soy 80% petroleum, so then you're really only benefiting from the type of flame retardant used. That's a big benefit, though, in my book, so . . . still undecided.

Caitlin also loves all those things, Sere. It's just in the last couple weeks that she has finally noticed our cats and thinks they're pretty funny. But since we can't let her pet them much (she grabs fur so quickly) she gets frustrated. Music has been so helpful in making clothing changes and getting in the car seat less traumatic, plus we have music on a lot when it's just the two of us at home. Much better than the TV, and less distracting when I'm trying to feed her.


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## gradstudentmommy (Jul 28, 2007)

Pinkbunch-Your guy is sleeping 10 hours at night without eating? Is he waking up at all? How, how, how? I'm so jealous!


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

I'm not Pinkbunch, but Lila's a GREAT sleeper! She slept 6 hours her first week home, and now she's sleeping 10ish hours a night too. The flip side of that is that she nurses ALL. DAY. LONG. She doesn't nap worth a damn, but she sleeps all night!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *gradstudentmommy*
> 
> Pinkbunch-Your guy is sleeping 10 hours at night without eating? Is he waking up at all? How, how, how? I'm so jealous!


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## Vaquitita (Mar 2, 2006)

just found this thread, love the pics! Josh just turned 6 months old and weighs 21lb. I need to switch him out of his infant carseat.







that will make grocery shopping so much harder, he usually naps at 10am and it's so nice to just put that seat in the shopping cart. in general i'm a baby wearer, but he will not stay asleep going in and out of the carseat and sling. if i go around his naps, then that means going at lunchtime. not so great for the other kids. and of course he naps again in the afternoon.

so far josh isn't too interested in food. i do solids a lot like jenifera2. must try and get pics this time around. nothing cuter than an infant sucking on steak or broccoli! he did suck on a carrot one day, and a bare chicken leg bone another. but he hasn't shown any interest since.


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *gradstudentmommy*
> 
> Pinkbunch-Your guy is sleeping 10 hours at night without eating? Is he waking up at all? How, how, how? I'm so jealous!


LOL--I don't mean to rub it in! T is my 2nd one to be like this (DD2 was a horrendous sleeper!! Still isn't very good at 3.) and it's nothing we've done differently. I wish I knew--I could make a killing!

*solids--*We've been putting a little of whatever we're eating on T's tray. He thinks, somehow, that sucking his thumb will get the food in there. It's kind of hysterical! He's rarely without the thumb in his mouth. He's been gnawing on carrots for teething which seems to be working for him.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

So I'm pumping for a mama I met on Eats on Feets (actually 2 of them!) A couple of weeks ago Dad came and picked up almost 2 gallons of milk. I've got ~300 oz of milk in my freezer!


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Good for you Amanda!

Ozzy had his 6 month check up today-- 21 lb 13 oz, 29 inches. Still a pretty big boy!

We haven't started solids yet. I'm dragging my feet. He isn't quite sitting up on his own yet, so that's my excuse.


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## MamitaM (Sep 10, 2010)

Amanda that's great! I do the same thing! The name of the network has changed though to Human Milk 4 Human Babies. I've been donating since my son was 3 weeks old and am now good friends with first mom I donated to. The first day we met she actually gave me her pump!!!


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MamitaM*
> 
> Amanda that's great! I do the same thing! The name of the network has changed though to Human Milk 4 Human Babies. I've been donating since my son was 3 weeks old and am now good friends with first mom I donated to. The first day we met she actually gave me her pump!!!


Yeah, it'll always be EoF to me lol! One of my Mamas has MS and is having to wean her (now 10mo) and another has a premie and she's never built up a great supply  Her babe is 12wks now and she just went back to work. They have a tough road a head. I never really appreciated the fact that I haven't really had any nursing problems. It wasn't easy, but I didn't have any major issues. I've only been pumping for 2 months now.. I wish I had kept better records. I think I've donated about 600oz so far. I need a bigger freezer!


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## gradstudentmommy (Jul 28, 2007)

You mamas who are donating milk are doing such a wonderful thing. I really admire you. What am amazing gift to be able to give.

Well I'm jealous. My little guy is a crappy napper AND a crappy sleeper at night. At least I successfully moved him to his crib. I thought he'd cry like crazy but really he was fine. The first night when he woke up and started to cry, I'd pick him up then put him down again. After about 15 minutes of this he fell asleep. Now I put him in and he might cry for literally a few seconds. By the time I close his door he's quiet and falling asleep. But he just wakes up ALL THE TIME. He never naps more than 30 minutes and at night he often wakes every hour. I was so hoping moving him to his crib would help him sleep better but it really hasn't changed anything. Sigh. It's only been a few days though so maybe he'll start getting some longer stretches. He's also been sick and teething so I'm sure that's contributing. But what I wouldn't give for even 4 hours of sleep a night!

K is crawling a bit. He'll take a few crawls then go back on his belly. If I stick a magazine or paper towel (forbidden fruits!) a few feet in front of him, he'll crawl to get them. I can't believe it. My daughter didn't start crawling until 8 months. And he still can only roll back to stomach. He seems to have no interest in learning how to go stomach to back. Once he's on his stomach he immediately starts practicing crawling.

I can't believe these 21 pounders! I thought K. was big at 17 pounds and 6 months.

I'm also dragging my feet on solids but he's not "quite" 6 months. He still has one more week. Then I think we'll start. He's totally interested in food!


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *gradstudentmommy*
> 
> K is crawling a bit. He'll take a few crawls then go back on his belly.


And heeeeeeeeeeere's why he's waking up a bazillion times! I cannot tell you how many mommas I know have complained about frequent, frequent nightwakings only to have a crawler just a few weeks later.

*milk donation--*I was pumping to donate to a momma who doesn't produce enough, but she went on domiperidone and doesn't need me now! It was cool, though, to be able to know that my milk got that baby through his first couple of days  Right now I have about 60oz in my freezer and no one to give them to. Go you guys who are donating 100s of oz--it's so much work!

Holy big baby, *Ozzy!!!!* I will be interested to see how long T is--29" seems about right? But I don't think there's any way he's 21lbs 

And we have TOOTH #2 as of this morning!


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

I did a one time donation through eats on feets around X-mas! I'm really wishing I had a better pump.. I may just splurge and get one, so that I donate more! I have a pretty good over supply and can easily pump. I just have a medela swing, and its not that great. 

Mark is sleeping terribly... ughhh... its so erratic. He'll sleep in 30min to 3 hour chunks. We're doing NCCS with little progress. He falls asleep easier, but he doesn't sleep any longer. He just can't settle himself when he wakes. Hope he can in the near future. He sleeps a little better with me. But not significantly better. He usually sleeps the first 3-4 hours in the crib, and then the rest with me.


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## jpietryka (Jan 18, 2011)

It's so heart warming to see all the momma's donating! I keep trying to get enough extra but can't quite get there.

I think baby Reece is making a breakthrough with his night sleeping. We have finally tipped the scale where he has more nights with just 1-2 wakings than nights with 3+. Thank goodness, cause mamma was getting worn down. Sleep has been the one area where I find I question myself the most. Am I doing this right, is it too much or too little, so it's great to feel some progress.

Reece is having a grand old time with BLW! We gave him a piece of lettuce and tomatoe the other day, it's hysterical to watch him explore. Big thanks to fellow mom's here for sharing about BLW, I'd never heard about it.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

I'm pretty sure we're teething instead of just shoving things in her mouth! I cannot believe how quickly these babies are growing up. Here's more from my girlies.

Koala Sister. (BTW if you ever see that white thing in your baby's pictures get them to an opthomologist asap! It's bad but better now  )



Koala sister takes a nap (note she's still wrapped in the sling lol ) Stella wants to know why we're photographing her baby.



Playtime!


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Hey ladies! I've been MIA for a while... as some of you know my hubby deployed and dealing with that with three kids is SO much harder than it was with two!

On the plus side, I'm losing weight as a surprise for him  After Christmas I was 240lbs and down to 220lbs now with a while to go. (If anyone remembers, he is in Japan but is totally fine after the earthquake/tsunami)

Mae is getting so big. She's been sitting on her own since just after daddy left 2 months ago and just became mobile last week! I think teeth may be starting soon as she's starting to bite a lot more than just gnaw.

She sleeps great, but not through the night. However, since daddy is gone we cosleep and don't even bother with her crib (which is still sidecar with my bed but is now used as a holding space for things I might need in the middle of the night such as wipes and diapers)

She loves getting to Skype with daddy and obviously still recognizes him! Can't wait for him to come home... we were hoping she wouldn't be walking yet by then but she can already hold herself up standing so I doubt we will get so lucky... we still have several months to go 

Her eyes are turning green (like her daddys) from the inside out... and her dark hair is falling out with extremely light blonde growing in underneath!


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

Mae - I've been wondering about you since this thread started. I even went back to find your most recent posts, but nothing since January, so it's good to hear you're doing (relatively) okay! That little one is such a cutie.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

i didnt realize its been so long... last post was the day he left. still feels like it was just last week


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

Mae! So good to "see" you and to get an update on Baby Mae! I'm glad you are doing well in spite of your DH being gone. Thank heavens he is safe. I cannot believe that Baby Mae is mobile! Wow... I'm sooo not ready for that.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Awww @ the tutu!


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Her big brother picked out that outfit!

And yeah the mobility is crazy. Girly is GOING! Four days ago she could barely scoot and now she can army crawl fast enough to get across the room in the time it takes to put her down, grab a diaper and get back to her (and the diapers are in the same room!)


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Ozzy is more-or-less mobile. He can roll/belly-pivot/inchworm his way across the room to whatever he has his eye on (so that he can promptly shove it in his mouth). He REALLY wants to go hands-and-knees, he can push up with his arms till his stomach is off the ground, and he can get his knees under him with his butt in the air, but can't quite do both at the same time yet. With all the persistence on that, I wonder if he's going to skip army crawling and go straight to cross-crawling. Would be weird, since Em army-crawled for months. What he does NOT want to do is sit unsupported. He won't even try-- whenever I have him sitting, he doesn't want to try balancing, he wants to lunge towards something (so that he can promptly shove it in his mouth, rotfl). It gives me an excuse to not start solids yet, but now I feel like I'm seriously procrastinating-- he's 6.5 months.

We are really starting to enter the stage I love the most, though. 3-6 months just seems so frustrating half the time-- they WANT to play but are still learning how to use their bodies, so it can be difficult. He's getting to be SOOO much fun now, though. The other day I had the babies in the double stroller and Emma kept saying "Ah Stop! Ah Stop!" (she calls him Ah). When I looked, every time she leaned back, he would reach up and pull her hair. LMAO. I've been slow-to-bond with both kids, but I'm definitely full-swing into being madly in love with him at this point. His grin is just magical. Every time he sees me his eyes light up. He's so interested in interacting with the world. He goes into fits of giggles. I'm so enchanted, hahaha.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

My older two never army crawled, they both went straight into hands and knees... so its new and horribly adorable to see Mae doing this.

With Mae when she was first starting to sit up I had the same issue with her lunging forward. Then I learned if I gave her a toy she likes and sat her up she would be more likely to sit there and gnaw on it... even if just for a few moments. Now, she can sit until she decides not to sit anymore... which is usually when all the toys within arms reach are no longer fun and she wants the paper her brother just dropped on the other side of the room.


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## Parker'smommy (Sep 12, 2002)

Wow....all of these babies are SO big and doing so much!!!

My little peanut is just 15 lbs 10 oz at her 6 month appointment and is actually delayed in her milestones. I'm trying not to dwell on it too much and just take it in stride, but it's hard sometimes to see babies who are MUCH younger than her do so much more than her. She is nowhere near scooting, sitting up or anything like that. She just started swatting at toys and things at 5 months. She will now grab at stuff, but cannot hold a toy in her hands for very long. She has rolled over a handful of times. But she is here and we love her so much.

This is her a few weeks ago...



In her bath...



Love seeing everyone and hearing how everyone is doing.

This time, last year, many of us were hoping to get out of the 1st trimester!! How things have changed!!!

I guess I can't figure out this posting picture thing...help?!!


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

according to the milestone charts i've seen "most" babies are not scooting yet until 8 months. and even thats just most, not all.

Your baby learns different things at different times than other peoples. Mae is, I am positive, going to be a late talker. Your little girly may be talking well before its time!

for your pictures... theres a little image of a photo (next to a few frames of a video) in the edit bar above where you type... click that and paste the link in the URL tab of the window that opens


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Ok Lila was being particularly cute today. So here's a pic lol! 

I would cry if my bitty girl was crawling! She can get up on all 4s but I think we have a while.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

She has some seriously gorgeous eyes. It looks like your firstborn does, too.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

I'm so smitten. I still wake up wondering if it's a dream.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kelly1101*
> 
> She has some seriously gorgeous eyes. It looks like your firstborn does, too.


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## jpietryka (Jan 18, 2011)

Such sweet babies! Reece is also learning to crawl right now, he gets up on all fours really well. Sometimes he'll straighten his legs and looks like he's doing push-ups. So far he hasn't figured out the forward part but he reverse nicely. Haha! We are in the same boat on the "no-sitting" action and he's also not very interested in his feet yet. He's very long in the waist so I'm curious if that's not part of the reason. These last two weeks have been action packed! It blows my mind how quickly Reece has changed from his 6 month check on the 2nd.


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## mommy2chloerae (Feb 6, 2005)

Clayton is 6 months old today


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Time does fly...


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Mae is 15.7 pounds and 25 inches


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## Laurski (Mar 13, 2010)

Ellie just had her 6.5 month checkup on Monday--she's 14 lbs 12oz and 26.5 inches long...my tall skinny babe! I'd still classify her as being high needs, but my oh my have we had such an improvement in her general levels of happiness in the past few weeks! I remember reading somewhere about HN babies not liking being babies, and it certainly seems true for my girl. The more things she can do independently, the happier she is.

No crawling/scooting here yet (when I put her on her tummy she'll hang out for awhile then roll over and look at me like, "really, mom?

You're still trying this belly thing?"), but she loooves when I stand her next to the couch or ottoman so she can hold on and stand. She can stand unsupported by me for a few seconds, and it seems to get longer each time. Each time she does it she smiles and makes her "happy monkey" noise. It'll be interesting to see if she's an early walker.

I'm also afraid to say this, for fear that I will jinx myself, but my girl's been sleeping through the night for about 2 now. She goes to sleep around 8:30 - 9 and is up anywhere between 3:30 - 4:30. So we went from 1-2 hour stretches to 6-7 hour stretches *literally* overnight! We started giving her avocado in the evening, which I think helps her reflux (old wives' tale or not, it seems to help her!) and having her sleep in her car seat (also helps with the reflux at night). Unfortunately her reflux overall seems to be getting worse, so we're switching meds and, if that doesn't work in a few weeks, seeing a GI doc.

Oh my, I've written a book! I'm just in such a better place with my sweet Ellie than I was; I really struggled with just how HN she was, and now that I've grown to understand her and her needs better, and now that she just seems so much happier since she actually gets some sleep and is able to do more things for herself, I really, truly understand why people not only do this parenting thing once, but sometimes multiple times!


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

Laurski--great news!! I'm so glad you and Ellie have come to an understanding 

Had T's well visit today:

19lb, 8oz

27 7/8"

I forget what his head circumference was, but it's only in the 40th%tile while his height is over 90% and weight is close to that! Hee! He's normal, just tiny-headed  What's funny to me is that he' smaller than DD2 was at the same age.


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## gradstudentmommy (Jul 28, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mommy2chloerae*
> 
> Clayton is 6 months old today


Happy 1/2 birthday Clayton! Kellan is also 6 months today. He's definitely crawling in earnest now. It's shocking to me. He has his older sister beat by about 3 months! He's not babbling all that much though so I think he'll be a late talker like his sister.

Parkersmommy-I know it's hard not to compare your baby to others but try not to worry and try not to torture yourself. My daughter is speech delayed and I used to torture myself when she was a toddler thinking, "When is she going to ask 'why' questions?" She's caught up just fine and actually has a vocabulary several years above her age (though she's still a delayed in other areas). Your baby is BEAUTIFUL by the way!


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## Canadianne (Jul 14, 2010)

Ack! We just had the boy weighed and at 5 1/2 months he is 23lbs 7oz!


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

WOW. You just dethroned Ozzy as Chunkiest Sept Baby.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Canadianne*
> 
> Ack! We just had the boy weighed and at 5 1/2 months he is 23lbs 7oz!


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## Canadianne (Jul 14, 2010)

I don't think my back would have minded if Ozzy kept the title.

I've been concerned that he is going to outgrow his one-size cloth diapers but CD veterans have promised me otherwise.







Hopefully he will thin out once he can get his massive belly off the ground and starts crawling.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

well... maybe.

My friends son cant fit one-sizes and is wearing the largest sposies she can find... and he just turned 1 :/ boy is a chub monster!

shes soooo skinny too... i joke that he just sucked everything right out of her... as he didn't start eating solid food until he was 8 or 9 months old even!

Not that thats a bad thing, he was obviously getting all he needs from her milk lol


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## Canadianne (Jul 14, 2010)

I guess I should keep the possibility of needing to use disposables in the back of my mind!

Beckett is definitely taking everything from me. I'm almost 15lbs under my pre-pregnancy weight because of his constant nursing and casein sensitivity (it's amazing how much cutting out dairy can do to your caloric intake!).


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

speaking of weight loss!

I'm losing weight while my husband is deployed (on purpose, carefully and healthily) and am down 23 pounds as of weigh in today!  I am so excited. He's gonna come home to a bigger baby Mae and smaller big Mae!


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## gradstudentmommy (Jul 28, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Canadianne*
> 
> I guess I should keep the possibility of needing to use disposables in the back of my mind!
> 
> Beckett is definitely taking everything from me. I'm almost 15lbs under my pre-pregnancy weight because of his constant nursing and casein sensitivity (it's amazing how much cutting out dairy can do to your caloric intake!).


I hear ya! I'm 20 pounds below my pre-pregnancy weight (also nursing exclusively and not able to eat dairy due to milk protein sensitivity). I'm sort of dragging my feet on starting solids because I don't want to lose the weight loss benefits!


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

I'm about 10 lbs pre-preg weight for the most recent pregnancy, but still have about 10 more to drop to get to pre-Emma weight. I literally typed that one-handed while stuffing a Cadbury Egg in my face. Damn you Easter candy.


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

Hmm, I lost weight quickly then stalled. Was 30 pounds below pre-pregnancy weight by around 3.5 months (Christmas-ish) and have just stayed there since. I've been attributing it to a combination of less exercise with the icky weather and less than great food choices, but now that it's getting nice again and I'm cooking foods that I intend for Caitlin to eat (and will eat them myself) I'm hoping to restart and lose the 15-20 I've still got to go. We'll see . . .


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kelly1101*
> 
> I'm about 10 lbs pre-preg weight for the most recent pregnancy, but still have about 10 more to drop to get to pre-Emma weight. I literally typed that one-handed while stuffing a Cadbury Egg in my face. Damn you Easter candy.


*giggle* I gained 50 with my pregnancy. I'm 3lbs lower than that, but I eat like a horse and sit and nurse Lila all day long. I'm hoping now that it is warmer I'll get out and walk more.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

I didn't start trying to lose weight until he left in January... at that point I had ballooned up to 240lbs. I'm now back to under my pre-Mae weight and aiming for pre-DD1 weight.


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## Canadianne (Jul 14, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MaerynPearl*
> 
> I didn't start trying to lose weight until he left in January... at that point I had ballooned up to 240lbs. I'm now back to under my pre-Mae weight and aiming for pre-DD1 weight.


You've done amazingly well to lose so much in such little time!


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## mommy2chloerae (Feb 6, 2005)

Way to go mamas that are losing 

You'd think since he's almost 21lbs and just recently trying solids that I'd lose, but I'm 10lbs from my prepreg weight and have been stuck there for 3 months. It shows me at least that all the calories I eat are needed to maintain my weight and feed him, I'm not gaining  I can't get skinny nursing, I usually hang onto 5-10lbs until they wean (so I have at least 1.5 years to get used to this size I guess).


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## mantischick (Dec 17, 2009)

Hi Everyone,

I wasn't a frequent poster on the DDC (my shyness in real life extends to the Internet apparently) but I was thrilled to see this thread in Life with a Babe. Ollie came into the world on Sept. 16th. A wonderful homebirth. It would have been nicer is Ollie didn't have an elbow by his head (yes, an elbow, not just a hand) coming out. Fast forward and he is a animated six-month-er who babbles all-the-time. Today it is the "m's" with the tongue sticking out. Hilarious. Yesterday it was tongue clicks. He is also inch-worming his way around and sits unsupported bashing pans and spoons together.

Congrats to everyone who is shedding the pregnancy weight! I still have 5lbs left to go and then another 20lbs to get to my ideal. I've added in walking and kettle-bell to try and speed things along.

Ollie Stats: 5.5 checkup --> 19 lbs 7oz and 29.5in. No teeth in sight.

Here is a cute pic of Ollie when he was 4 months



And at 5.5 months (sitting on daddy's lap in a parked car)


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

Way to go on the losses, ladies!

I gained less than 30lbs with this one, my least so far, and had a big babe, huge placenta and polyhydramnios...so I was only albs away from my pre-pg weight at a week pp. But I stuck there till I added in exercise, and now I am 5lbs below pre-pg weight and feeling great! I looking eating whatever I please--thank you nursing!!!

Canadianne and m2c--I was dairy, soy, nut and egg free with dd2' and man did those lbs just disappear. Of course, I was grumpy and miserable because I couldn't eat anything...


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

My bitty girl had a day yesterday. One of those tiny teeth is breaking through, and I can see her second one. It should be out by Avocado Day (6mo) She also managed to squirm backwards a little. She's too ambitious. I wish she had more of her slacker mom in her lol!


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

yeah... its only been about 2lbs per week loss since I started this... but after 10 weeks that adds up!

I found that I can't just nurse off the weight. I have to watch what I eat and how much I eat plus exercise... but I am doing this with professional help and its going great! That plus the progress I see in myself is really promising 

I do have an issue right now though, something very traumatic happened two days ago and I am strongly fighting the urge to turn to food for comfort. But with my husband overseas its looking more and more like that will be the only comfort I get.

Mae has no teeth yet... but she has been biting me lately. Usually she would just gum my hand or whatever body part she got in her mouth but its been all out biting lately... and her poor pacifiers as well. Thinking one may be moving around in there getting ready to come up.


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## jpietryka (Jan 18, 2011)

Wow! Sounds like everyone is doing an awesome job of shedding the lbs! I'm at my pre-preg weight...of course getting pregnant in December that means I still have about 5lbs to shead.







I've noticed that I seem to plateau every other month. Guess my body is just taking time to adjust. I've also noticed that if Reece increases his nursing that I end up starving so I guess I'll have to hit the gym eventually. LOL

@mantischick - Ollie is too cute!


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jpietryka*
> 
> I've noticed that I seem to plateau every other month. Guess my body is just taking time to adjust. I've also noticed that if Reece increases his nursing that I end up starving so I guess I'll have to hit the gym eventually.


OMGosh I'm starving All. The. Time. Between pumping and Lila, my grocery bill in insane.


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## JulieInChicago (Jan 15, 2010)

I gained 35 lb and lost it all before new year's. I ran through my whole pregnancy (including a half marathon at 14w and a 5k the day before I went into labor) and I think that helped. I ran a half marathon yesterday, 2 min faster than when i was 14w pregnant, but not very fast 

Elliot turned 6 mos this weekend and got his first taste of something other than boob... sweet potato! We got a Babycook as a gift and while we didn't really want/need it, I have to say, it is super easy and handy.


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

Mark hit 6 months on friday! A few days before that we had to go to the dr. becuase he was coughing. He was 19lbs 6oz!! He had bronchitis and an ear infection.  His first time on meds... but he's feeling much better!! He's sleeping better too, I think he had the ear infection for a while, poor guy... During the day he was so happy you couldn't tell anything was wrong but at night he would hold his ear and scream... 

We did a bunch of 6 month pictures today! We are doing more this week! I will post them once they are edited. Baby Led Weaning is going pretty good! M Loves bananas and tomatos!


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## skyewriter (Aug 11, 2010)

I can't beleive its 6mo!! my little guy does so much that is new, little things and show stoppers! He is now a hip sitter, I noticed myself carrying him on my hip yesterday. I figure on having him lick his first apple at 11mo like my others... what is BLW? mine all weaned at 5 (YEARS!) how does introducing solids tie into weaning? ..just curious. Anyway, never weighed myself.. some days feel great, somedays figure I'll look good when I am pregnant again! I think we are teething in earnest today and yesterday...


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

BLW=baby led weaning=introducing solids as finger foods and allowing baby to eat as desired rather than spoon feeding purees

Introducing solids is the beginning of weaning, since weaning is the slow process of replacing breastfeeding with other methods of providing nutrition and comfort. Weaning ends when breastfeeding stops completely.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

We've started BLW... nothing big yet she's only had a couple things... including raisins that she LOVED playing with and a couple even ended up in her mouth. Not sure if any ended up in her tummy lol Guess I will know at her dirty diaper tomorrow!


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

I'm probably the only person still not doing solids, rotfl.

I just keep procrastinating, and he sitll will not sit upright for more than a few seconds (even when I hand him a toy to play with-- he then lunges for my foot or something), so that's my excuse.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Lila's been showing readiness signs for a while, and she's obsessed with food. Every time I take a bite she opens her mouth and chews. I feel guilty eating in front of her! The sitting up was my concern too, but she's gotten much better in the past week. She keeps getting up on all 4s. She squirms backwards, and will scream. She's not happy about being stuck in reverse! Tomorrow is 6months exactly so we're going to enjoy some yummy avocado!





Lila's in a photo contest on FB and we'd appreciate a vote if you have a min to spare! "like" Pooters on fb and then "like" her pic! The only thing we like more than diapers is *free* diapers!


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

It's Avocado Day! And every time we say it Lila freaks out <3 She has no idea why we're so excited lol. Also I woke up at 3am with my first plugged duct. I can't find the lump, but it feels like I was punched in the boobie. It's soo tender. I never had one with Reya.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

if you cant find the lump are you sure its a plugged duct and not the start of mastitis? I never get lumps with mine but it hurts in one general area of the boob and within a day starts turning red and my fever skyrockets.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MaerynPearl*
> 
> if you cant find the lump are you sure its a plugged duct and not the start of mastitis? I never get lumps with mine but it hurts in one general area of the boob and within a day starts turning red and my fever skyrockets.


Totally not sure, but I'm hoping for the best lol! I never got mastitis with Reya either.


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## Laurski (Mar 13, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Amanda_Reyasmom*
> 
> It's Avocado Day! And every time we say it Lila freaks out <3 She has no idea why we're so excited lol. Also I woke up at 3am with my first plugged duct. I can't find the lump, but it feels like I was punched in the boobie. It's soo tender. I never had one with Reya.


Ellie's first food was avocado. She loved it! Until she got a taste of sweet potato...man, does she love her sweet potato!

I get plugged ducts all.the.time. In fact, I have to take lecithin daily in order to avoid them I don't always feel the plug...sometimes just a section of my boob starts to hurt and then it gets very firm and tender. If you have one of those massaging shower heads, those work great. I put it on as hot as I can take it, focus the shower head on the area for a few minutes, then compress like crazy in the direction of my nipple. I used to try to be all gentle in trying to get them out, but after too many plugged ducts to count, I just decided to get tough.

I hope it gets better for you soon (remember to drink lots of liquids!) and I hope it's not mastitis!


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## Laurski (Mar 13, 2010)

Oh, and I forgot...we have teeth! Ellie cut her bottom two front teeth on Friday!


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

wow two at once! you are so lucky! I end up going through them seperately, prolonging the amount of time I'm in "OMG MOMMY MAKE IT STOP HURTING" mode. Still no teeth here yet... I dont remember when the big two got their first teeth.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

That's what happened with mine....

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MaerynPearl*
> 
> if you cant find the lump are you sure its a plugged duct and not the start of mastitis? I never get lumps with mine but it hurts in one general area of the boob and within a day starts turning red and my fever skyrockets.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Avocado Day was a huge success! 




Today she tried peas..







I think the pictures speak for themselves! She's becoming very very good at scooting backwards. Still trying to master forward motion though! She gets super cranky if she's not put down for naps IN HER (our) BED. And she means it!


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Big kids were eating homemade pickles. Mae was getting mad wanting one so I let her gnaw on one for a little bit. It took about 2 minutes to get the pickle face (she REALLY likes them!) but finally got a little one!


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

Since we're sharing food pics, T wants to play!


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## skyewriter (Aug 11, 2010)

We aren't doing solids yet.. so if any one else is lonely be comforted -solids haven't hit our house yet! My older ones licked their first braeburn apples, whole apple I bit to start, at 11mo... they all ate just fine, so no rush!! (plus HATED the 'real' poop!







) ... Right now we have a tummy thing... never knew he ate Sooooo much at a sitting till I just watched it allll come up.. on ME!! But he is happy and bouncy, just projectiled like 6 times since afternoon... guess the tummy aches the bigger kids had were something after all... bummer.

We scoot backwards too!! Crawl stance, reverse! ..Wish I could get a pic up.... the page freezes when I try..


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *skyewriter*
> 
> We aren't doing solids yet.. so if any one else is lonely be comforted -solids haven't hit our house yet! My older ones licked their first braeburn apples, whole apple I bit to start, at 11mo... they all ate just fine, so no rush!! (plus HATED the 'real' poop!
> 
> ...


You are not kidding about the food poop. Sooo gross! I really thought we'd wait longer, but she is obsessed with food, and has been for a while. She started tracking food before 3mo, she sits really well, and when she watches me eat she opens her mouth with every bite and chews lol! Hilarious 

I hope your house is feeling better soon!


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## skyewriter (Aug 11, 2010)

Thanks!

Quote:


> I hope your house is feeling better soon!


I'm sitting here kinda waiting to see if anything comes up.... he just nursed, but I guess the bed is the test... if the odds of messing the bed don't get us, well then maybe we are done!

hated 'real poo'!! swore I'd just wait till potty trained! (smirk) ..DS2 trained at 31/2 yrs... nursed till 5 tho! (as did others) honestly must have just not noticed if they were watching me eat! we did chunks of food and lots of momma bird - Worked great, no mess!


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## Chloe'sMama (Oct 14, 2008)

Hannah is almost 7 months! Wow, the time has passed quickly. Both kids are in a 'Mommy' stage and I am exhausted. Hannah wants to be in my arms ALL the time. DD1 is having a really hard time too. We are slowly navigating though.

Hannah is good at getting up on her knees, but pushes herself backwards. She has figured out some kind of mobility because I will find her across the room, although I have not seen how she does it. She has been gaining very slowly and we suspect some allergies and I am off of Gluten at the moment and maybe dairy in a while. Our naturalpath is going to do some tests after some gut healing. No teeth or food here either. Waiting to get the results of the tests before we introduce anything, although, she has none of the signs (not sitting alone, no teeth etc.)

Good to hear from all of you.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Mae's not really into eating solid food yet... most of the time its playing with it and putting it in her mouth like to taste it but no swallowing yet. Learned that after several raisins went in but nothing but the usual yellow poo came out lol guess she spit them back into her hand or something.

But if I don't give her some to play with she gets mad. Not even her fork or spoon are enough to keep her happy when we are putting those things in our mouths and she doesn't get to too!


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

So who has amber teething necklaces? What do you think? Lila had 2 teeth break through in the past week. There was some general crankiness when she was tired.. and maybe she was sleepier than normal, but overall she did amazingly well. She didn't need any otc meds for pain at all, and I would have totally given her something, I'm not into making a baby tough it out ya know. I don't know if she just had an easy time teething or if the necklace works. Either way I am passing them out for baby shower gifts!

So to recap.. She scoots backwards, has 2 teeth (sorta!), loves avocado and refried beans, (I knew my baby would love mexican food!) hates peas and not a fan of carrots either. Today my girl tried to pull herself up with a laundry basket. She made it about 1/2 way before I had to rescue her. I'm not ready for my bitty girl to do so much! She's way more independent than my first.


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## Laurski (Mar 13, 2010)

Ellie is 7 months old today!









I can't believe how fast the past month has gone...


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## nilatti (Aug 5, 2010)

We use an amber teething necklace on Silas.

I think it helps, but MY GOODNESS he's bothered by teething. So we've also been using Camilia and occasionally Tylenol. I just hate to see him so miserable. I've been able to feel those teeth beneath his gums for MONTHS now. 

Here's a little story about the amber necklaces. DH's little sister had Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis growing up. She's in her 20s now, but still has some pain in her neck and shoulders. We got her an amber necklace for Christmas and told her that it was supposedly helpful (and it was pretty anyway). She was skeptical, but wore it for a week and then didn't wear it to church on Sunday. When she got home, she felt awful--the kind of thing that would ordinarily confine her to her bed for the rest of the day. She put the necklace on, took a nap, and woke up feeling like a million bucks! Silas can't tell us how the necklace helps him or doesn't (and we don't care, really...it's not hurting him, and it's adorable!), but it was nice to hear from my SIL that it seems to help her.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Ozzy is "scooting"-- not quite army crawl, but nearly. He can sit by himself briefly but still topples over constantly so I wouldn't say he's sitting independently yet.

The first two teeth are in but he's still teething like mad, LOTS of bumps on his gums, I wonder how many are going to be coming in soon. I've given him tylenol in the evening the past few nights, he seems so miserable. I had a cracked tooth last month that got infected (ending up with a root canal), and it gave me a whole new appreciation of how much it sucks to have tooth pain, haha.

His favorite thing at the moment is pulling his sister's hair, whenever she's within reach. So that's fun.

I reckon I'm going to have to start solid food soon. Ugh.

I so love this age. 6-9 months is probably my favorite stage so far (which is how we ended up with Ozzy in the first place... Emma was an ADORABLE 8-month-old). He's so alert and charming. He's a big giggler. Loves being tickled and lifted up in the air superman-style (I'll be built like a pro wrestler before he's 1 year old... it's some serious exercise lifting his 21 lbs up in the air). He's started to like the bath, I may end up with another water baby like Em.

Us yesterday, at my cousin's son's first birthday party...


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## Ginger Bean (Mar 10, 2011)

My son is almost 7 months old... wow, time goes by fast!

We follow baby-led solids and he mostly just tastes/plays with his food. He spits most of it out. Yesterday, I think he actually ingested a bit of avocado, and then he threw up twice at night. Does that mean he's not ready? He didn't seem bothered by the vomit. He just went back to sleep.


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

I think I have thrush!!! The last few days have been ROUGH. Nursing is like toture! M had an ear infection and brhoncitius and was put on anti-biotics, so it would make sense that we have thrush now. It's miserable... I was up crying much of last night not knowing what do becuase I didn't want to nurse. We have a dr. appointment today, so I'm really hoping the dr can give me a good suggestion. I read up on treatments, just hoping the dr knows which one will work best for us..... We took family pictures last week though!


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Awww! Love the hats


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kelly1101*
> 
> Awww! Love the hats


Dit-tow! Too cute 

Gention Violet should help thrush it's available OTC, you may have to ask the pharmacist though. I hope it clears up quickly. I'd also take oral garlic as often as you can stand it.


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## ChelseaWantsOut (Oct 2, 2008)

We went out for Pho over the weekend and Cady-Bear grabbed a bean sprout and immediately choked on it! Red face, not breathing. DH was holding him at the time and turned to me and said, "Chelsea, he's choking," and I just took him and did the baby heimlich without even thinking about it, it was unreal. The bean sprout came right up and he started laughing and was totally fine, but I was all jittery from the adrenaline for hours. I think maybe we'll lay off the pho for awhile.

In other news, he's pulling to a stand and rocking on hands and knees a lot, has two teeth on the bottom, and is eating little bits of egg yolk out of my hard-boiled eggs every morning. I tried giving him avocado last week and he cried like I was trying to poison him. I also gave him a bot of carrot, which he seemed okay with. He's been really fussy the past few days, possibly because it got cold and gray again after some nice sunny warmth. He's also been letting his dad put him to sleep again, phew! I was getting a little worried he would only nurse to sleep from now on.

I'm not sure what I weigh, but I know I'm below my pre-pregnancy weight. I find it really difficult to eat enough on my own with my high-needs babe during the day. I think my hair has finally stopped falling out, but I also recently buzzed most of it (kept some short chunky bangs in the front because I'm so hip and edgy) because it was just thin and limp and gross. How is everyone else's hair?


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## ChelseaWantsOut (Oct 2, 2008)

Yeah, raw garlic minced into a glass of water is what I did so I could just swallow it. Probiotics also helped, eventually.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Oh good Maes not the only one pulling up... She just started today and all I could do was say "NO! No you are a baby! stay a baby!" lol

And I got bunches of pics of the kids yesterday to send to daddy... here are my favorites:


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## Lit Chick (Aug 15, 2007)

I have been MIA for ages!

DS2 is a totally average baby. We had his 6.5 checkup and I was sweating it, because my first was crawling at 5mos and DS2 just learned to sit. I thought he was delayed, because I only have my crazy DS1 to compare to, but my ped laughed and said sitting is a 6 month skill on average, crawling 9, walking 15. She saw my first blow through his milestones, and said it's nice that this one is being a baby.

And what a sweetie! He's so loving, so full of smiles and joy. He's getting a little grumpy with teething and he's really grumpy that he can't run after big brother yet, but those are his only complaints.

He is totally not interested in solids. Except yogurt... my dad gave him some yoplait! ACK! Of course he liked it - it's a sugar bomb. But the next day, he exploded in yucky poop... major explosion. And it was while my parents were babysitting and my dad was holding him. I picked him up later and my dad said "he's not ready for yogurt!". HA!


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Welcome back Lit Chick!

Ok so I just did episode 1 of Jillian Micheal's 30 day shred.. it's gonna be a LONG month. I'm beat!


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

I just lost ten pounds in three days!

I don't recommend it. I had a vicious, violent stomach flu and vomited and had diarrhea for seven straight hours, until I near went to the hospital for dehydration. Only now three days later have I been able to eat more than a few bites of dry toast.


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## skyewriter (Aug 11, 2010)

anyone go through a fever yet?


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

Only mild, vaccine or teething induced fevers here. I don't think it's been over 100.3. Is your baby sick or is it caused by something else? How high? A friend took her son to the ER recently for 103 fever after vaccines, but before they could be seen it came down and he was back to his usual, happy self.


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## skyewriter (Aug 11, 2010)

we're 103 - 104 since yesterday.. but he was a totally happy camper.. some crying today, but mostly happy, good nursing... I can see a tooth almost surfacing too... runny nose is clear colored ...not yellow.


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## Lit Chick (Aug 15, 2007)

We had a fever in February - 103 but came down with meds. Our ped had us watch the fever and said if it did not go down with meds or if it went to 104, go to the ER, but it never did. DS2 kept eating and was still alert, just obviously not feeling good. He just wanted to be held 24/7. He had the high fever overnight, then low fever in the day, and by the next night he was back to smiling.

We had one more fever like that not too long ago - he was about 103 again, but it did not last as long and he was not as miserable as with the first.

And Kelly - I had that bug when DS2 was about 7 weeks old... I'm pretty sure that's what messed up BFing for us. I have never been sicker than that in my life. I was weak for days after, probably seriously dehydrated. I had a bad stomach bug once before, but nothing ever that violent and long. Hugs to you, it's horrible!


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Well, Ozzy is "crawling," but still not sitting up. LMAO. How is that even possible? It's kind of like an army crawl but more like he's freestyle swimming across the floor. He'll stretch one arm out in front of him and then squirm/push in with his feet, then take that arm back and stretch out on the other side, etc, until he wiggles to what he's trying to get. It's way funny looking. But yeah, refusing to sit. He'll sit for like 60 seconds, maybe, then see something else on the floor and topple himself over. Half the time he won't even let me sit him up, he like locks his waist and sticks out his legs straight, because he wants me to hold him up standing (ALL.THE.TIME.). He is pretty strong with the standing, I only have to let him hold onto my hands and he can keep himself upright. It's hilarious/frustrating to me that he won't sit.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

6mo 2wks. Lila is 16lb 2oz and 26" long. She started out HUGE and has grown super slow. Met the new ped today and he was great. Lila liked him


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## Lit Chick (Aug 15, 2007)

I almost forgot - my baby decided he likes solids! Prior to this weekend, he was much more interested in teething on the spoon, but something just clicked. He chowed on bits of banana, avocado, green bean, and carrot. By last night's dinner, he was baby-birding and if I was too slow he grabbed my hands and tried to ram the food into his mouth. He much prefers the purees to my freshly mashed offerings - even tiny lumps are too much texture for him and he gets a worried "am I going to choke" look on his face. But the purrees he eats with gusto.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

We are nearly halfway done with our deployment, I'm officially down over 25 pounds... if I keep this up I will not only be the lightest my husband has ever known me when he comes home... but also no longer obese!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kelly1101*
> 
> Well, Ozzy is "crawling," but still not sitting up. LMAO. How is that even possible? It's kind of like an army crawl but more like he's freestyle swimming across the floor. He'll stretch one arm out in front of him and then squirm/push in with his feet, then take that arm back and stretch out on the other side, etc, until he wiggles to what he's trying to get. It's way funny looking. But yeah, refusing to sit. He'll sit for like 60 seconds, maybe, then see something else on the floor and topple himself over. Half the time he won't even let me sit him up, he like locks his waist and sticks out his legs straight, because he wants me to hold him up standing (ALL.THE.TIME.). He is pretty strong with the standing, I only have to let him hold onto my hands and he can keep himself upright. It's hilarious/frustrating to me that he won't sit.


Mae was the same way just a few weeks ago. Now she pulls herself up to standing (but only on me) and has sat herself up... twice now. She really dislikes just sitting there though...the two times she sat herself up she sat there maybe a minute then went back to crawling.

And that crawl is exactly how she started out, now she has a knees-and-elbows crawl... but its been a couple weeks since she started crawling.


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

It's so amazing how these babies develop so differently! Caitlin is a great sitter, but doesn't crawl at all and has no interest in standing.

And we're definitely regressing on sleep. Nighttime sleep got much worse recently when teeth started poking through and she got a mild cold. But her long afternoon nap has also gotten worse - I used to be able to put her in the crib for it. I'd have to go nurse her 2-3 times during the 2 hours she slept, but if I swaddled her I could put her back down after she fell asleep each time. Now if I even stand up to get ready to put her in the crib her eyes pop open, even though she's fast asleep and has been sleeping for 20-30 minutes. So I'm stuck in my chair for 2-3 hours, reading. Or I can nap with her. If I wear her she'll rarely sleep that long. Sigh. I don't mind wearing/holding her for the 2-3 short naps she also takes each day, but I'd really love to have some of that 2 hours to do something baby-free most days.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Jenifer, that's how Em was-- an really good early sitter, and a late roller and no interest in crawling (I don't think she even army crawled until like 8 months). I guess it's a temperament thing. It's just freaking me out now because I thought that's how babies did it, and now Ozzy is so completely opposite.

And sleep regression-- ugh. Remember how I had the perfect sleeper who slept great from birth? Yeah, that's all gone now. It's been a nightmare the past week.


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## Lit Chick (Aug 15, 2007)

Augghhh, sleep. We have to wake up for work at 4am, and the kiddo has been waking up at 3:30 instead. It's awful. And he's been fighting sleep so hard at night. The current pattern is try to put him down, 10-15 minutes later he starts to scream, we give him a 15-30 minute cuddle while we watch some TV, he passes out in arms.

We've tried to skip the whole screaming part and just keep him up while we finish our evening, but nope. His routine is fake sleepiness, scream, then really sleep. I'm not amused.

And my 3 yr old has had some potty regression - 2 full blown accidents in 3 days, after months of no problmes. SIGH.


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## northwoods (Dec 28, 2009)

Wow! Today we went from AAAAAAAHHHHHHHs to ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-bas. Something just clicked for her. So fun to watch (and hear) these changes!


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

Oh, yes, we're getting lots of ma-ma-ma-ma-ma and some da-da-da-da-da. Very fun. I pretend she's ma-ma-ma-ing at me, even though it's still random.  And the other day my husband and I both swore we heard her say, clear as day, "Say it again." So crazy!


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Aaaand... the separation anxiety begins. DAMMIT. At least it's hitting him later than Em, maybe it won't last as long (from when Em was 6-9 months old, if I went more than 5 feet from her she screamed her head off).


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

*Babbling*--YES! And I love it







Ba-ba-ba-ba....vvvvvvvvv.....ga-ga-geeeee! He is SO noisy--I thought at least one of my kids would be more reserved, but I've got a third chatterbox.

*Night wakings*--Oh, yeah. I found him trying to get up on hands-and-knees in his crib two nights ago. This phase is hell on sleep. Though I'm not ready for him to crawl yet, I definitely *am* ready for him to stop practicing in his sleep!

*Pulling up*--T will pull up using my fingers and was thinking about trying it on the laundry basket yesterday, but mostly he's still content to sit and play. Thank goodness. Mae, I couldn't deal with all Little Mae's antics--they're still little bitties, not big kids!

*Avocado*--Back a few pages someone mentioned a babe throwing up after avocado. My older DD had a sensitivity to it in her first couple years and would throw up every. single. time. she ate it for a while. She's almost 5 and has been able to eat it without incident for at least a couple years.

We just got back from Florida where we spent our spring break. It is SO nice to have an easy, roll-with-it babe--his sleep was fine, he did great on the (very long) car trip, and he just all around had a great time


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PinkBunch*
> 
> Mae, I couldn't deal with all Little Mae's antics--they're still little bitties, not big kids!


I really wish she felt the same. I got a video of her tonight standing herself up on me... crawling up to me, pulling herself up into my lap and using my stomach and chest to help her stand up... then standing there holding my chest to stand up straight without me holding her.

She shouldn't be doing this! I want her to NOT be walking yet when daddy comes home! It's so heartbreaking every milestone she hits without him here.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Lila's been a hard core babbler since 4ish months, but still no syllables yet.

*She's said "Hiiiii" twice in the past few days in context. I can't tell if it's a real word or a freaky coincidence. So far I'm leaning towards coincidence. She's officially pulling up, sitting really well. Enjoying tasting food, and maybe even ingesting some! They're hard to see, but there are 2 teeth in that big smile *


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## skyewriter (Aug 11, 2010)

At the ped's (not fun) as I was soothing my little guy he said 'I don't like this" it was clear as a bell, my DH and DD heard it too... then he said it two more times followed by "I don't want this".... I was not only blown away, but man did it suck to have to be there!!! Good part was that night hugging him and singing his song in his ear, he said 'I like this" clear as a bell.... that was a lot better!

today he pulled to a stand holding my fingers.. not crawling -yet.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *skyewriter*
> 
> At the ped's (not fun) as I was soothing my little guy he said 'I don't like this" it was clear as a bell, my DH and DD heard it too... then he said it two more times followed by "I don't want this".... I was not only blown away, but man did it suck to have to be there!!! Good part was that night hugging him and singing his song in his ear, he said 'I like this" clear as a bell.... that was a lot better!
> 
> today he pulled to a stand holding my fingers.. not crawling -yet.


Before today I wouldn't have believed you lol. Lila's obsessed with The Duck Song (You tube check it out) and 3 times she said "hey" at the same time as the duck! I'm so glad he "liked this" Tha'ts sweet.


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## Lit Chick (Aug 15, 2007)

My baby has also lept into language! He's had a very few basic words for a bit now, but last night he was mad and clearly said "I want baba!" DH and I were dumbfounded. It makes me think that what sounds to me like "I love you" might really be it.

DS2 is such a thinker. It's so interesting to watch how he develops and the skills he's putting his effort into.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Oh good, I was starting to think I was losing my mind! This morning when DH came in from his run she very clearly flirted with him and said "hiiiiii" LOL


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

I thought T had been saying "Hey" appropriately for a while, and it seems like he's tried "yeah" too. But nothing like what you guys are getting. Wow!! My kids are early talkers but not even close to phrases at 7m!!


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## nilatti (Aug 5, 2010)

Silas said "Engie" a few weeks ago (our dog's name is Ender), but I didn't entirely believe it was not coincidental--although he was looking right at the dog. Today, he said, "Doggie!" I think that's his first word.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

mae is nowhere near talking yet lol


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

I've never even heard it was mentally/developmentally possible for babies to form actual phrases at 7 months. At this stage even "mama" and "dada" are usually just coincidence, not actual words with intent.


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## MsDolphin (Jan 5, 2010)

Hi ladies! I've been MIA too, I've missed you all. It's great catching up with you all and your little ones. I rarely have time to myself these days, not that I am complaining.









DS is now 7 months and he's the love and joy in my life.







At his 6 month check-up he was 19 lbs (75%) and 28 inches (97%). He is wearing 9 and 12 months clothes.

He started crawling, pulling himself up and sitting by himself at 6 months. We started him on baby food last month, so far he prefers the orange veggies (squash, carrots, sweet potatoes) and he does not like fruits (pears, apples, peaches), I think they might be too sour for him.

Last night when I got home from work he had cut his first tooth. He hasn't said any words yet, but he smiles and laughs alot.

Only negative is DS *hates*hates*hates being in his carseat. He fights when we put him in it. If someone is riding in the back with him, he is better... but when it's just the two of us in the van - most of the time he crys the whole ride. Alot of the time he only stops crying because he's worn himself out a fallen asleep. I have tried everything from talked to him, to not talking to him (so he doesn't realize where I am), to toys, a stuffed animal, paci, toddler music, DVDs (although I am not certain he can see the screen from his car-seat). I have just learned to try to tune him out while I drive, but it breaks my heart to hear him crying the whole time.

Good to "see" you gals! I hope to check in more often.


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

MsDolphin - Is your little guy still in an infant seat, or is he in a convertible seat? I've heard that some babies do much, much better after the switch to the convertible seat. They usually sit more upright and are just designed more for comfort, especially once babies get bigger. One other thing I'd suggest trying if you haven't yet, is to rig up a mirror (they make special safe ones designed to go in cars) so that he can see himself. Good luck - having baby cry all the time in the car is so, so hard!


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## Schae (Oct 6, 2006)

MsDolphin you have my sympathy - my little munchkin hated the car till about 4 months old and still occasionally screams. Hopefully your little one outgrows his dislike of the seat soon.

Tiisetso is nearly 6 months 3 weeks or so. He's sitting on his own very nicely, no more toppling. And lunges forward landing on his tummy. No talking yet 

He loves to eat our food and after initially enjoying purees, he's totally over them. So we have a baby bird in the house.

Sleep - well, he's never slept in his cot lol!! But we're all doing okay I think.

He's had separation anxiety from birth hehehe!


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## skyewriter (Aug 11, 2010)

I wouldn't have believed me.. but three times and in front of DH and DD who all heard it... and boy was it appropriate!! (cringe... blood draw, multiple tries to find a vein







).... he has done hi and other odd sentences before but this was just need to communicate!!

first tooth is just through tonight!


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## Lit Chick (Aug 15, 2007)

For those that have the super-early talking - are your babies crawling? Because my little talker has not even figured out how to get up on his knees and rock yet. I figure he's just putting his energy into language for the moment... but wondering if any of yours are managing both.

And as far as usage goes, there is still plenty of random babble, but when he really wants something and he's not getting it, then he uses words. Either "baba", or he'll call for a person if the person currently neatby is not undersating his fussing hints (Mama! I want to play, I want a cuddle, I need a diaper... and Daddy is oblivious!). The "I want" sounds have only been associated with "baba" thus far.

No tooth yet... and kiddo is hitting another spurt of something because he's having tooth wake-ups AND hunger wake-ups now. ACK.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

I read somewhere than Hi is one of the easiest words for babies because it doesn't require teeth or tongue. Which would make sense to me. I told DH over the weekend, "she say Hey.. you should answer her!" and he looked at me like I was stupid. So he said "Hey baby!" and she answered him... he looked at me and said "Ok, maybe she's saying hey"

As for physical stuff she's up on all 4s rocking and has been for a while. She pushes herself around the floor, but is still stuck in reverse. She can sit up from laying down now, and that's sooo great. She'd get so mad lol. We're officially pulling up.

She won't touch applesauce, but loves apple slices and can do quite a bit of damage with her two tiny teeth. She likes zucchini soup and cauliflower. She likes refried beans better with salsa than she does without. Guacamole is a WIN. She's more receptive to peas than she was the first time, but she still doesn't love them. I think we're going to try green beans tonight. She also really likes sneaking food to the dog.

Just in the past couple of days I think she's started really swallowing and EATING vs just tasting. She eats such tiny amounts I can't imagine sitting her down with a 4oz jar of food. It would take DAYS for her to finish it!


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## nilatti (Aug 5, 2010)

Silas hasn't managed any kind of locomotion--I think you're right that they pick an area to work on.


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## MsDolphin (Jan 5, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jenifera2*
> 
> MsDolphin - Is your little guy still in an infant seat, or is he in a convertible seat? I've heard that some babies do much, much better after the switch to the convertible seat. They usually sit more upright and are just designed more for comfort, especially once babies get bigger. One other thing I'd suggest trying if you haven't yet, is to rig up a mirror (they make special safe ones designed to go in cars) so that he can see himself. Good luck - having baby cry all the time in the car is so, so hard!


We just got him in a convertible seat a few weeks ago. He does look more comfortable, however he still fusses. He also has a mirror on the back of the seat which is for me to see him, but I think if he looks at it right - he can see the built-in DVD screen screen in the van.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

132 this morning. 15 lbs under pre-Ozzy weight, only 7 lbs to go to pre-Emma weight. YAY. It's nearly summer, too, and I'm a lose-in-summer, gain-in-winter type. So, hoping to be pre-Emma weight by the end of the summer


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## skyewriter (Aug 11, 2010)

132.... but how tall?? I haven't gotten the #alls to step on a scale yet... but everything fits.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

I'm a tiny person, lol-- 5'3". I was 125 before I had kids and would like to get back there.


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## sere234 (Feb 7, 2009)

Hi all, haven't posted in a while since I pretty much only read Mothering on my phone while getting Caden to sleep

Quick question though: We're going out this weekend for a baby-free afternoon and I need milk advice. C still breastfeeds for 90% his nutrients but eats the food when we do if he's awake. I've got 1 baggie of milk frozen for this weekend and am wondering what to do for future mommy/daddy outings. Pumping takes forever and doesn't yield much, even when I do it consistently for 1-2 weeks. So do I leave C with formula? Soild food? Rush home after 3 or so hours? Ideas from you who have BTDT? Thanks!!


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## RedOakMomma (Sep 30, 2004)

It's so fun seeing all these familiar names and totally unfamiliar (but TOTALLY cute!) babies! I haven't been on MDC much since our forum closed down, but I thought I'd check out this forum today and what popped up??? September 2010!  

It's great to hear about what your babies are doing! Some early crawlers and talkers...wow. And food-wise, I think pretty much everyone seems ahead of where we are. We *just* started intro of solids last weekend. I don't know...part of me just didn't want the mess and complication of it. Plus she's our last, so the whole idea of the beginning of the end of breastfeeding was pretty sad. ...But she loved it when she finally did get to play with food.

Dd will be seven months soon. She is amazing. Dh and I sit up at night sometimes and talk about her...she seems to have been put on Earth just to be joyful...to smile and love and cuddle. Really...she has the sunniest personality. Not that she's not whiny or unhappy at times, but just...I dunno...after four kids, we find her pretty darn special.  Milestone-wise she's sitting up, juuuust starting to crawl forward, and doing the usual "mamamam mam" "dad ada dada" kind of stuff. She's a fanatic for textures and fibers, loves pinching up tiny bits of stuff, and she's happiest when she gets to pick up and figure out anything NEW. Curiosity, I'm tellin' ya. In buckets. She also loves playing peekaboo, and will do the blanket part herself.

She has her two bottom teeth, and teething is NOT her thing. She's been a great sleeper from day one, but on bad teething nights she tosses and turns all night.

Here are some pictures of her at six months old:







I'm jealous of those of you that have lost all your baby weight. I've lost everything I had before dd, but still nothing seems to fit. I think I need to lose even more now, just 'cause stuff has shifted. :/

Well...I only had a chance to read the first and last few pages of this thread--I'm going to try to go back and see if I can catch up on the rest. Not that there's a whole lotta free time anymore...things with four have continued to be very, very busy. We're definitely NOT going to be having any more, and I'm fine with that.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Hey ROM! I was wondering about you.

And no, you're not the only one who is late with solids, lol. We've only just started giving solids to Ozzy, and he's older than most of the babies here. For most of the reasons you already said. But, he ate a whole bunch of pureed peas tonight. He's starting to get into it. Fun but kind of bittersweet.

I am feeling good about the weight loss but my clothes aren't fitting right, either. Even if I get back to the weight I was, my actual body shape has changed-- I don't know if my hips will ever be like they were before, probably not. My hips have gone out a LOT. And my boobs are still massive. I have hopes that after weaning they will shrink up some. Until then, yay for giant shirts.

Love the pics of your little girl, she is beautiful! Em had a dress very like that, so adorable.

My mom snapped a pic of me outside last weekend when we were having a picnic and I was nursing Ozzy. Kind of cool, because I don't have any 'breastfeeding" pictures. And when she took the pic Ozzy was squirming all over the place and I was talking to Emma so I look like I'm oblivious to having a baby attached to my boob, but, I'm still all happy that I have one nursing pic, haha:


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

I love her eyes. So much.


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## Lit Chick (Aug 15, 2007)

OK, what kind of cameras do you have, esp you Mae? My pics are OK but not THAT great.

User error or just Canon fail?

It might be a bit of both... my MIL's Sony def takes better pix than my PowerShot.

ROM - welcome back! My DS2 is also cuddly and sweet and a delight to be around... not that DS1 wasn't, but DS2's personality is just mellow and joyous. Aaaaaaannnnd, it makes me want another one just like him (except a girl, lol).


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## Parker'smommy (Sep 12, 2002)

Hi ladies!!!

Nothing much going on here...lol. Miss Thang is around 17 lbs if the home scale is correct. She has 1 tooth and the 2nd one is about to break through...eek!! She just sat unassisted for the first time yesterday at 7 1/2 months! So yah...she is still a bit behind in her milestones. She is not close to talking either. She still coos and babbles, but doesn't make any consonant sounds yet. It's par for the course though. She has been a month or more behind in all of her milestones so far. I can't imagine her crawling, pulling up or anything that all of these amazing babies are doing!! WOW!!!

We are enjoying our sweet baby girl and it's going by so fast. It's hard to believe that last year, this time, I was 4 months pregnant! I


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## Parker'smommy (Sep 12, 2002)

Oh, Sere...to answer your question....I wouldn't leave formula. If your LO hasn't had it before, I don't think he would even accept it, ya know? Don't waste your $$,and really, I wouldn't want to feed it if it wasn't neccessary. Does your LO even take a bottle??

If in your shoes, and with the experience of my older 2 ebf children, I would 1- nurse upon leaving with dh. 2- leave some breastmilk in a cup ( or bottle if they will take it), and 3) leave a solid that they have eaten before with consistency. If you are going to be gone only 3 hours, I'm sure that it will be plenty and your LO will be fine, even if they don't have anything during that time.

I left dd a few weeks ago for a much needed dentist appointment. I left her with dh. I nursed her before leaving and left him with some breastmilk to put into some oatmeal. He fed her that about an hour after I left, and then rocked her to sleep and she was still sleeping when I got home a few hours later.

Good luck!! Hope you enjoy your afternoon with your hubby!!!


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lit Chick*
> 
> OK, what kind of cameras do you have, esp you Mae? My pics are OK but not THAT great.
> 
> ...


It's not a matter of how good the camera is, but rather the experience of the one taking the pictures. My powershot was my best friend for a long time and I took some AMAZING shots with it

Including this one:

that was taken shortly after my husband and I started dating, sitting on the grass in my dads yard while talking to my husband on the phone. The bee wouldn't leave me alone, I told it if it didn't I would take its picture, it didn't go away so I took it's picture.

I suggest reading some photography tutorials and learn how to use the camera, it's amazing the difference knowing how to use the manual mode on any camera makes.

Also from my powershot (i love this shot, Maes big sister!)


Of course, post-processing has a LOT to do with it too, something I have almost 20 years experience with (I started at age 10 and I'm going to be 29 this year... agh!) Though that pic of Mae up there where you can see her eyes so beautifully, that was straight off of my Panasonic Lumix (not that huge of a step up from a powershot, really, just that my powershot died  I really REALLY want a DSLR so I have more control over my photos!)


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## Lit Chick (Aug 15, 2007)

OK, then I don't feel too bad about it... lol. MIL's camera has a few extra "dummy" settings that make for better point-n-shoots without effort. I should just read up on mine and practice more!

I did take a photo class back in high school, but it was using pinhole cameras. Heh. Not exactly useful....


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Mae sat herself up!

I sat her in the middle of the livingroom, she did her usual lean over to get into a crawling position, crawled across the livingroom, and sat herself back up!

Awwww my baby's getting bit way too fast


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Yay!

Wow, I love that milestone. I can't wait till Ozzy can do that. Of course he's still *barely* sitting-- if he has something really really interesting he'll sit for a minute and check it out, but usually as soon as I get him in a sitting position he sees something he wants and dives for it.


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## skyewriter (Aug 11, 2010)

ROM, my little guy just NOTICED your little girl! He sat up from nursing (thats when I get on here) (yeah divvy nursing time up between all the books, studying, kids HS lessons... sigh at least I'm busy!) Anyway he sat up looked and looked at her and smiled! I swear he has never really looked at whats on the screen before!


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

I was hoping the past two nights was a fluke... guessing by tonight it's not.

Mae nurses a little at bedtime then gets up and lays her head on me... I sit up and hold her and she falls asleep that way. She's ALREADY breaking herself of nursing to sleep


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Oh, no frowny face!

I'm already starting to stress that Ozzy still is nursing to sleep. I don't do extended breastfeeding (nothing against it, just doesn't work for me), Em weaned at about 14 months and I hope to do the same with Ozzy. Em always went to sleep different ways-- she'd go through phases of nursing to sleep, rocking to sleep, just laying down with me and passing out, etc. (at this point I'm rocking her to sleep, have been pretty much since she weaned). Ozzy has only ever nursed to sleep, EVER. I'm like Hmmm.... how is this going to work.

But I'm trying not to sweat it yet, we still have half a year at least.

Man, Ozzy is great. I love my firstborn too, but I adore the hell out of this kid. He's just so much fun to be around. His temperament is so different from Em's. She's gorgeous and adorable which helps a lot, but she's been a handful since birth and is very temperamental, a big-time diva drama queen. He's just very laid back and grinning and fun. He's so easy. He was giving me huge belly laughs tonight, I had him on the bed and would cover his body up with the blanket, then whip the blanket away and blow raspberries on his stomach, he was just about shrieking with laughter. <3


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

I wish ladies who fear having boys could meet our sons, Kelly. Mines my first born and is the same, my second born girl is the same as your Emma. Even though they are now 8 and 5 they are STILL like that! They are both having issues from the deployment and you can tell that how they react has a lot to do with their personalities. DS is getting in trouble for trying to be silly and get attention (usually totally unlike him) while she goes and throws fits big enough that the principal has to call me about it and although she's in Kindergarten, she's already been put in inschool suspension (for running away from the classroom and counselor)

Mae... she's something else. She's curious and determined. She's sweet and adorable but just doesn't make me giggle like DS always did... she wakes me up studying my face with her hands, she is absolutely intrigued by my laptop, cell phone and ipod and if I make the mistake of leaving the phone or ipod anywhere she could possibly reach she will get to it as fast as her chubby little arms and legs take her. Both hubby and I got in trouble a lot as children for tearing things apart to see how they work, I have a feeling Mae got a good healthy dose of that from us. DS got a good amount from me alone and already at age 8 knows that when he grows up he's going to be a Marine and then go to school to become an engineer.

It's really amazing how much you can tell about someones personality from this young age... I already knew at 6 months that DS had a great sense of humor, that DD was stubborn like anything and can already tell that Mae is very curious.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

This is really tripping me out. I swear to god I knew in utero, too, lmao. I kept saying "this is YOUR little boy, Jason" to my husband... while Em is a little Jason-clone in looks (seriously, she is just a female version of him, looks nothing like me), she is totally me in personality-- high strung, dramatic and emotional, obsessive-compulsive, stubborn as a mule. Jason is an extremely laid back, easy going and good natured personality, very bright and chilled out. And I kept saying throughout the pregnancy "he's more chill than Emma". And it continues to be that way. (although hilariously enough, he looks like me).

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MaerynPearl*
> 
> It's really amazing how much you can tell about someones personality from this young age... I already knew at 6 months that DS had a great sense of humor, that DD was stubborn like anything and can already tell that Mae is very curious.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Yeah. Lila's screamed at me for the past 2 days because she can't walk. She can pull herself up and is standing.. she's trying sooo hard to cruise furniture. It's not been pretty.  Today she managed a crawl.. sorta. One knee then the other, and she'd sit up. She did that a couple of times, then she squirmed her way to me (only about 3ft lol) I don't think she's realized what she can do yet.

Who's doing easter baskets? What are you stuffing them with? I've got a diaper, and some babylegs. Now I'm out of ideas. Maybe some finger puppets from etsy? Bath toys? ugh.. I don't know!


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

I'm not doing Easter baskets until they know what an Easter basket is. I'm such a lazy parent. LOL.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kelly1101*
> 
> I'm not doing Easter baskets until they know what an Easter basket is. I'm such a lazy parent. LOL.


Ha! If it were up to me I'd skip Easter every year, but DH wants to do it. <rolls eyes> My heart just isn't in it. Every year we would go to my grandpa's for egg hunt ect. I never did the work lol. But now I'm 700 miles away.

I got Reya http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001CZ0IG8 this game and a pair or arm warmers.. if she hates them the baby can wear them lol. DH's birthday is Easter too and I'm drawing a blank. He's got a D*ell trucker cap, and water bottle (his employer) and I got him some headphones cause he hates his ear buds. I need one really great present here. This is too hard!


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Easter was always "new outside toys!" time growing up so I'm carrying that on.

All three kids easter baskets this year are buckets for the beach that will help them build awesome sand castles when dad comes home. The big two got several different outside games, some balls, some chalk and the usual candy.

Mae got a bowling set, a new stacking toy for outside and a cup for with supper.

Each got a new outfit too, Mae and DD's dresses nearly match, so cute! So hard to find too since DD is size 7 and Mae is 6-9 mo.

Also, bad storms here last night. Tornadoes even. Not cool to hang out in a tub with a 6 month old and her big brother and sister. Thankfully we are fine, no damage to our house either. Several of my friends weren't so lucky  One has an 18 month old son in the hospital with critical injuries and a couple are not able to live in their homes anymore after what damage there is.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

My hometown with all my family, Deltaville VA, was hit bad by a tornado. Houses completely reduced to rubble, my grandma's church is destroyed, etc. Thankfully no deaths. It is pretty damn crazy though.


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## RedOakMomma (Sep 30, 2004)

Kelly, I'm glad everyone is okay. Keeping your family in my thoughts.

If anyone could spare some thoughts, prayers, or blessings, please send some our way. My oldest son is having a benign brain tumor removed today. The surgery is very long but should go well.

In the waiting room now...gotta go nurse dd...


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Oh man. Thinking of you today, ROM. Hope the surgery goes great and he recovers quickly.


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## Laurski (Mar 13, 2010)

Just hopped on here for the first time in a few days...

ROM: My thoughts are with you, your son, and your family. I hope the surgery goes well.

Kelly: I'm glad to hear your family is ok after the tornadoes, but how terrifying! I hope the rebuilding process goes swiftly.

I'm jealous of y'all with the easy babies! Elliebeans continues to be our challenging little dictator, although things have slowly gotten better. She's actually a lot of fun, now, but super intense...and still not really into sleeping (or at least napping)! I'm definitely going to get her back when she's a teenager by waking her up at 4:30 in the morning on the weekends!









We're in full-blown frustration stage. She hasn't figured out how to sit up by herself yet, so that upsets her. Then, once she's sitting, she wants to stand, but she doesn't know how to pull herself up without some help, so that frustrates her. Then, when she's standing, she wants to walk, but she doesn't know how to do so, so that frustrates her. She's super-pleased with herself for the first second or two after she achieves the next step, then starts crying again.

I'm definitely not looking forward to babyproofing, but I can't wait until the frustration cycle has passed...


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## Lit Chick (Aug 15, 2007)

ROM, my thoughts are with you.

And they're also with those of you who were hit by the storms or have loved ones who were.


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## reneeisorym (Oct 24, 2007)

Reese is sitting up, but not crawling or even trying. She likes to hold things and flip them over and over looking at each side. We're having a hard time getting her to eat texture. She will eat toast fine, but anything that isn't smooth she has a hard time getting down the hatch.

Oh and I'm flipping out because AF is really really late, but I wasn't charting. I took a FRER and it was negative, but showed two lines when I looked at it after church. I flipped! I need to go get another.

Here is the one in question if you are curious:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157626532280408/

And Reese:


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *reneeisorym*
> 
> Oh and I'm flipping out because AF is really really late, but I wasn't charting. I took a FRER and it was negative, but showed two lines when I looked at it after church. I flipped! I need to go get another.
> 
> ...


Uh, yeah, I'd test again. The line on the edge definitely has color, and evap lines usually don't! Relax, though--it will be fine  Reese is adorable!


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## reneeisorym (Oct 24, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PinkBunch*
> 
> Uh, yeah, I'd test again. The line on the edge definitely has color, and evap lines usually don't! Relax, though--it will be fine  Reese is adorable!


Thank you ..

I'm going to get my hair cut at 4:30 and I can pick up one then. In my stash left over from Reese (they haven't expired and I'm having to deal with this!) I had a FRER, "Answer" brand, and a dollar store test.

FRER: As seen above

Answer: Basically same results from FRER - negative until I looked back a couple hours later to find 2 lines...

Dollar Store: No line at 3 minutes - baby fussing so I left and when I got back it was past 10 minutes, but there was a second line only I couldn't tell if it had color or was gray. Now the same test the line seems to have disappeared, so I'm questioning my sanity.

I just wan't quite ready. I really wanted a 3 year gap between them! It'll be fine, though. breathe ....


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Dollar tree tests have a phantom line that shows up and disappears. It means it is negative.

Some FRERs do develop a line well after the testing period. They are still negative.

Thats why we only read in the time limit on the tests (5 or 10 minutes depending on brand)

I wouldn't bother testing again 

I had to test yesterday lol... I had gotten my period in november and december but not since. With my first 2 I got it the whole time I breastfed. I'm just assuming its the stress of EVERYTHING going wrong with my husband gone. I will probably get it in 2 weeks because my inlaws are coming soon which means I get a break (I LOVE that I love my inlaws)

Nothing new with Mae but my goodness... I am loving this phase of babyhood and despite everything screaming NO NO NO NO NO I'm starting to consider another.


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

I knew you would know  but the edge of that FRER just looks so darn convincing...

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MaerynPearl*
> 
> Nothing new with Mae but my goodness... I am loving this phase of babyhood and despite everything screaming NO NO NO NO NO I'm starting to consider another.


Yeah, you said it. I am so there. You'd think that I'd have learned when I purposefully got pg when DD1 was 9m that this age suckers you, but oh no.....


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Yep... the cuteness of this age is why my babies are 16 months apart.

I'm ready to resist it this time.


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## Lit Chick (Aug 15, 2007)

This is the bad age... I have been considering a 3rd because DS2 is such perfection! But no, no no no! DH is going to get fixed this summer.


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## a13xandra (Dec 17, 2010)

Eris is also in frustration stage. She seems nowhere near being able to crawl or sit herself up. She doesn't even like sitting or tummy time for long. I'm Pagan, my Easter celebration was a month ago, but Eris got some plastic eggs that she can bat around.

RedOak - I pray all goes well for your little one. I hope your family is doing well.


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## nilatti (Aug 5, 2010)

Question for those who have two close together--my bestie just had her second (they're 2.5 years apart). My DH and I always wanted to space ours 1.5 to 2 years apart (that's the spacing between DH and his sister, and they are super close). BFF says that we are crazy. "I can't imagine having two any closer than mine! It would be so much work!" But in my experience, when I've looked after kids, siblings who are closer in age entertain each other and play together more--they can play the same kinds of games. The worst babysitting gig I ever had was 2 kids with an age gap of 5 years or so, because they really couldn't do the same things or watch the same movies or read the same books.

But I do know that the first year of two would be really hard, but after that...I think it would be good.

So, if you're in the midst of that first year...how awful is it? Survivable? Sure, let's do this again? What?


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

Nilati - I don't have any experience, but I'm in the same boat you are. I'd really like to have a second 1.5-2 years after the first. I'd go for sooner, but my midwife recommended 1.5 years minimum to allow my uterus to heal after the c-section. Of course, first I have to get my cycles back (Caitlin still nurses ALL NIGHT LONG) and then I actually have to have fertility, which eluded us for 8 years, so who knows. I'm also curious to hear others' responses. My biggest concern is sleep - I don't know how you'd deal with a toddler who still nurses frequently at night and a newborn, but perhaps by then I'd be able to consider nightweaning the older one?


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

mine are 2 1/2 years apart and 5 years apart and really, either spacing has its advantage. 5 years apart means your bigger kid can help out more with taking care of the littler one... taking care of themselves... helping out around the house. And they do play nicely together.

My two older kids love Mae to pieces and play with her all the time (especially peekaboo, they all love peekaboo!) but they will also play together outside, away from the baby.

closer in age, you can end up going through potty training at the same time in some cases, not have to deal with going to a middle school AND an elementary school for sign up/awards/etc for more than one or two years, they will play together and have a lot of the same friends.

They also have their own disadvantages, kids who play together too much get sick of each other faster and fight, they could end up stealing each others friends and if both the same gender, stealing each others boyfriends causing a LOT of heartache... while further apart children... as far as I see the only disadvantage is you FINALLY finish having to baby someone (no more diapers, they can entertain/clothe/bathe themselves) and suddenly you start all over at the beginning!

as for further apart not playing together, or closer together playing together... that all depends on the siblings. I hated my older brother (he's 2 years older than me) and never played with him *ever* my younger brother (1 1/2 years younger) I would play with sometimes but not always, he got on my nerves and as I got older I started dating his friends, he didn't like that... my 10 years younger baby sister? I would play with her every chance I got. She's a baby, it's better than any old doll!

On the same note, I'm so close to my 10 years younger sister (and have been for years) that she was my maid of honor at my wedding (and is currently trying to get stationed close to us so she can come visit more often... she's joining the Navy)... my older brother wasn't even there and my younger brother would have been if he weren't at basic training for the army at that time.

Spacing is all a personal opinion. Do what YOU want... when YOU want... and don't listen to what anyone else tells you


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nilatti*
> 
> Question for those who have two close together--my bestie just had her second (they're 2.5 years apart). My DH and I always wanted to space ours 1.5 to 2 years apart (that's the spacing between DH and his sister, and they are super close). BFF says that we are crazy. "I can't imagine having two any closer than mine! It would be so much work!" But in my experience, when I've looked after kids, siblings who are closer in age entertain each other and play together more--they can play the same kinds of games. The worst babysitting gig I ever had was 2 kids with an age gap of 5 years or so, because they really couldn't do the same things or watch the same movies or read the same books.
> 
> ...


My first two are a few days shy of 18m apart. Lots of people think it is insane. And yes, the first year was brutal. Rewind--one thing to consider is nursing while pg and/or weaning before you planned. I worked pt when I got pg with #2 and could. not. let down with the pump. I made it to year, supplementing with formula during the day while at work, but NWP didn't work for me. So that was the first tough part.

The first year--it was BAD. BUT...DD2 still is high needs! She was MSPI, so I was on a very limited diet and she screamed for the first 6 months of her life. Plus she never has been a great sleeper and was nursing 12 time in 24 hours after a year, at least 4 of those at night. So that contributed to how hard it was a lot. If DD2 had been more easy going like DD1 or DS, I think it would have been better. There are some hidden benefits in that first year: the older one is napping a lot still, so you have more time to rest. Also, it actually is easier to have 2 in diapers than one in diapers and one PLing! Oh and DD2 was old enough by the time DD1 PL'd that she picked up on it not too much later and essentially PL'd completely on her own at just turned 2!

Now, DS and DD2 are a little over 2.5 years apart. The transition was easy as pie, and she is AWESOME with the baby. We had a mild sleep regression with her, but that is the only challenge we've had with her since he's been born that I can tie directly to the change. But after having 2 so close together and seeing how close they are, I feel sorry for DS because he's not got a "partner"! We likely will try for nearly exactly a 2 year spacing for #4 mostly because we liked having a late summer babe. We'd go for sooner, but I don't want to miss out on summer with my kids by being newly pp.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nilatti*
> 
> Question for those who have two close together--my bestie just had her second (they're 2.5 years apart). My DH and I always wanted to space ours 1.5 to 2 years apart (that's the spacing between DH and his sister, and they are super close). BFF says that we are crazy. "I can't imagine having two any closer than mine! It would be so much work!" But in my experience, when I've looked after kids, siblings who are closer in age entertain each other and play together more--they can play the same kinds of games. The worst babysitting gig I ever had was 2 kids with an age gap of 5 years or so, because they really couldn't do the same things or watch the same movies or read the same books.
> 
> ...


Mine are 16 months apart... I'm liking it. Hard? YES. But very do-able, especially once we passed the 6 month mark. I have needed help from my husband a lot, especially for bedtimes. But, now they play together and entertain each other, and since these are my only two I'm planning on having, it's nice to get all the pregnancy and baby stuff out of the way in one fell swoop... it's a lot of work but I think the pay off will be good. My sister and I are 21 months apart and played together our entire childhood and are still best friends.

Bottom line: it's hard, I've gotten the hang of it a lot better now, and given the chance I wouldn't change anything, I would space them like this again. I think the hardest part really was not once Ozzy got here, it was before-- the pregnancy, with a young toddler, was rough. But, it wasn't un-survivable, obviously


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## reneeisorym (Oct 24, 2007)

I took another test after my hair appt. Just one line. A line did appear when I looked at it an hour or so later. They need to quit doing that!

I'm not taking anymore for a few days anyway. FYI: My last AF was March 5th. I figured I was going to be late because I saw CF on the 1st (some still left on the 2nd). If I ovulated then, I certainly would have seen a bfp or AF by now. I always start 12 days after I ovulate. It's 18 since I saw CF. Something crazy is going on in there.


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## pacifica (Apr 8, 2006)

I have twin boys and the pregnancy was hard....and everything after is hard!







Of course there are advantages at times, but wow, nursing was VERY difficult much of the first year. I was sooo sore having 2 nurslings. I just really didn't get anything done other than baby care. Forget taking care of myself. I TOTALLY love the relationship they have together though. Twins are so lucky, thier mommy's.....well it's a tough gig!


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *reneeisorym*
> 
> I took another test after my hair appt. Just one line. A line did appear when I looked at it an hour or so later. They need to quit doing that!
> 
> I'm not taking anymore for a few days anyway. FYI: My last AF was March 5th. I figured I was going to be late because I saw CF on the 1st (some still left on the 2nd). If I ovulated then, I certainly would have seen a bfp or AF by now. I always start 12 days after I ovulate. It's 18 since I saw CF. Something crazy is going on in there.


After I got my period back from Emma (6 months pp), my cycles were completely out of whack. I had a regular period, then a six-week period, then a 3-week period, then when I got pregnant with Ozzy it was on like cd 28.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

i had one in November and December and not one since. If I do get another I doubt it will be going back to normal as I will be going back to stressed like crazy the moment my inlaws leave.


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## northwoods (Dec 28, 2009)

This age must work cuteness magic. Last night, my husband, who has long been adamant about having only one kid, said that we could have two. He's so in love with DD.

I'm downright giddy.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *northwoods*
> 
> This age must work cuteness magic. Last night, my husband, who has long been adamant about having only one kid, said that we could have two. He's so in love with DD.
> 
> I'm downright giddy.


YAY!


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## Lit Chick (Aug 15, 2007)

Heh, for real!

My cousin just had a baby girl and I told DH I was a little jealous. "Why?" "Because I'll never have a girl." "Well, I'm not fixed yet..."

Oh husband, do NOT tempt me when DS2 is at the perfect age! You might regret it....

Luckily, I'm at the "do not touch me" point in my cycle. But if he says something like that at a different point.... well, that's how we got #2....


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## Laurski (Mar 13, 2010)

Y'all are braver than me...I get palpitations just *thinking* about another one any time soon!

Although I do agree, 8 months is an *awesome* age! Ellie just started clapping, and sometimes makes the "yay" sound that we make when we clap. It's too cute!


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## RedOakMomma (Sep 30, 2004)

Congrats to those that are eeking another babe out of their partner (or a potential babe)... I know how challenging that discussion can be, and it's great when it doesn't need to become a huge issue!

Ds1 is doing well after his surgery. It's crazy. A week ago they were literally carving a tumor out of the center of his brain, and now he's in the kitchen eating pretzels. Modern medicine is amazing.

re: close-together kids...

Dd1 and ds2 are 19 month apart, but I think we had it easy...dd was adopted, and came home to us when she was 9 months old. I got to skip the pregnancy and the demanding infancy (which of course, I wish I'd had), and skip straight to the good stuff! Dd and ds are really close...they drive each other bonkers, but they play and work together, too. I'm glad they have that.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *RedOakMomma*
> 
> Congrats to those that are eeking another babe out of their partner (or a potential babe)... I know how challenging that discussion can be, and it's great when it doesn't need to become a huge issue!
> 
> ...


SO glad to hear about your son. Hope he continues to improve.


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## sere234 (Feb 7, 2009)

ROM- Glad the surgery went well!! That kind of recovery is amazing!!

About spacing of kiddos- We're waiting until Caden is about 1 yo before we talk about trying for the next one. I'm not in a hurry but probably we'll have another next year. My siblings and I (8 kids in all) are all about 1.5 years apart each (whoa!!!). Worked out well in the end though I think my parents must have been insane....

Caden is still waking every 2-4 hours at night.... Someday we'll sleep again! He naps 2-3 times a day though, 1.5-3 hours each

Lovin life so much now. Sometimes I look at my babe and still can't believe he's ours Here he is with his great aunt on Easter He's such a friendly, happy boy!

)


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

ROM--How WONDERFUL that your DS is improving so rapidly.

sere--C is adorable! We'll likely start trying again around November. I don't want a summer baby because I want to enjoy it with my older kiddos.

T is on his 3rd/4th ear infection in his short life, all of them since December. Poor dude. He's trying to pull up and crawl, getting up on all 4s and rocking like a mad man and even doing a mean downward dog...but no real crawling yet. Though that doesn't stop him from making his way all around the room. He doesn't go where he wants to and get stuck and angry a lot.

Here he is on Easter:


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## MsDolphin (Jan 5, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jenifera2*
> 
> Nilati - I don't have any experience, but I'm in the same boat you are. I'd really like to have a second 1.5-2 years after the first. I'd go for sooner, but my midwife recommended 1.5 years minimum to allow my uterus to heal after the c-section.


We are trying for a second. I'd like DS to have someone close in age to grow up with. Plus at my age (40+) if we want another, it needs to be soon. Although my doctor did mention I will have an increased risk of a ruptured uterus. Anyone have personal experience with that?


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

MsDolphin--I would do your research on the uterine rupture risk. I have read a lot of VBAC information, and I know it is common to recommend a minimum of 18 months between deliveries after a c/s, but I don't know how evidence-based that recommendation is. I remember reading somewhere that your scar is as "healed" as it's going to get within a relatively short period of time. My VBAC was 32 months after my c/s, though, so I didn't pay too close attention myself. If I were you, I'd look into it further. Even if your risk is 'increased', the base risk is super, super low--like less than 1%--so the "increased" risk may not be something to dissuade you from a close spacing.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

We've got thrush. Hurts. Like. Hell. On the nystatin right now, if that doesn't work in a few more days we're going the gentian violet route. Breastfeeding sucks right now (no pun intended). 

When we went to the dr, they weighed the little man-- 24 lb 3 oz. HOLY. CRAP. He just keeps GROWING. He hardly eats solids at all still, goes 3 hours between nursing sessions during the day, and will go 5-6 hours at night. I have been asked if my boobs are manufacturing miracle grow. It's not even all chubbiness, either-- he's over 29 inches long at this point, he's just MASSIVE. He is the size of my (always petite) toddler.

He's army crawling right along at this point, faster than I'd like, and the past few days using a LOT more leg work-- he wants to cross-crawl but he's not quite strong enough yet (I'm not surprised, that's a lot of bulk to lift, lmao). But he is rocking on hands and knees some. He'll stand holding on to me, or even if I just hold one or both of his hands, but he's not yet pulling up on furniture. He is FINALLY sitting fairly well. He still will only do it as long as he doesn't see something interesting just out of his reach. He much prefers to be crawling along on his belly. Such a contrast to my first born.

Finally getting the hang of the solids. We're doing a mix of purees and finger foods. He also is getting good at drinking water out of one of his sister's sippy cups (the kind with the flexible bottle-like nipple spout). Having so much fun now that the weather has turned. Put him on a blanket in the grass and he is in heaven-- he'll crawl right over to the side of the blanket and try to eat the grass, lol. He's obsessed with his big sis, wants to do everything she does and play with everything she's playing with, and loves to climb all over her and try to pull her hair.

I'm going to try to upload some pics tonight.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

been in myrtle beach for a week.

Mae now -

attempts to clap

plays peekaboo by lifting things in front of her face

pulls herself up on EVERYTHING

cruises efficiently even around corners

crawls correctly

sits herself up easily

stands on her own for a few seconds

how do i get her to STOP?!?!?! LOL


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## sere234 (Feb 7, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MaerynPearl*
> 
> how do i get her to STOP?!?!?! LOL


Seriously!!!! Caden crawls pretty fast and is pulling up on everything possible!! He is very entertained by this and can play much longer on his own but GEEZ! Keeping up with him is tough!

Kelly-  Sorry about the thrush But wow on the 24 lb chunker!!!

So what does everyone do about your LO playing outside? Caden wants to put everything (leaves, soil, grass, flowers) in his mouth and generally I'm comfortable with that but DH isn't. How do you feel about this?


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Playing outside-- I really don't think he's going to hurt himself putting grass in his mouth... pretty sure that I just to just eat straight up dirt... the human race lived outside for a pretty long time... but like you, my husband isn't crazy about it *rolls eyes* So generally if it's just me out there with the kids, I let him play in the grass, if my husband's there I try to keep him on a big unzipped sleeping bag (it doesn't get grass and dirt on it as bad as a blanket, and it's big enough that he can move around on it) with a bunch of toys.

Oh, and pics!

My big guy:





Sweet Potato!!!



"I'm about to shove this toy in my mouth"



Happy dude



Gratuitious unrelated pic of my toddler being all cute:


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

I can't decide whether I'm happy Caitlin isn't mobile yet or now, but since it is what it is, I guess it doesn't matter much how I feel about it.  I will say I'm really happy that she sits so well, though. I feel much better about setting her down to play sitting than always lying on her back.

She's turning into a biter, though. Not so much while nursing, but today she bit my armpit. I think she was looking to nurse and wanted to get my attention? We were talking to a carseat tech about installing her new convertible seats and then OW! She also likes to bite my upper arm when she's bored.

Oh, and I caught her with her finger in her nose today. I'm hoping it was accidental, as I really thought we'd have at least a few more months before that would become standard practice . . .

And now a couple photos from Easter.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

OMG that second one is precious!

Em was like Caitlin-- no interest in crawling but loved to sit and play-- trust me it is much easier. It is still baffling to me that Ozzy isn't like that (and frustrating, haha-- I wish he would sit and play while I got things done around here). Mobility will come soon enough, and then you'll never rest again.

As for the biting-- does she have teeth yet? Ozzy hasn't yet (knocks on wood) but Em used to bite my arms and shoulders something fierce when she was teething.


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

WOW! So much going on! I've been out of the loop for a while! M is 7.5 months now and all the sudden things are happening FAST! Hes mobile, but not crawling. He's squirming, scooting, rolling, and as of an hour ago pulling up to standing!! 0.0

He got his first teeth yesterday! And I can see the second one about to pop though!

We had a scare 2 weeks ago. He was sitting on the changing table and I turned to grab a shirt and he reached forward to grab the water bottle and did a front flip off the table, hitting his head on the way. He only cried for a minute, but he hit his head hard enough that I was in tears calling the dr. You can read the whole story here http://5dogsandababy.wordpress.com/

We had easter too, and I did make a basket. He mostly had stuffed animals in it, also had two balls and 2 books. I got to get the pictures off my camera, too cute! But for ow here are two other pictures of my big guy (20lbs 5oz)

Trying Ham while waiting in the LONG line at Honey Baked Ham on Good Friday.



Trying to crawl!! LOL!!!


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

So so mobile lol. Today she came to hunt me down while I was doing dishes. She's still got the same 2 teeth  We had about a week where she was "talking" saying "Hi" or "hey" in context, but she quit  so now I am leaning towards it being a fluke. I have more, but my bitti girl is laying on me, making it difficult to type!


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## LovnMyBoys (Jan 21, 2008)

I'm another one who has been MIA. I've tried to check in here but getting to post is another story. I've left the keyboard three times already at this point in this post so I'll see what I get in.

The time is just flying by. I'm not sure if I updated at any point but this year has been a bit of a challenge. January was spent pretty much living in the hospital with RSV and flu in both the baby and my 3yo. At one point I had both in the hospital on separate wards, but then thankfully in the same room for the rest of that week long stay. They were also both in individually for just under a week each. Everything was going decently with no dairy, soy or wheat for me on the GI front for Elias until all of that illness and then it all flew out the window. I went top 8 plus corn free and then to the Dr Sears 6 food total elimination diet which is where I am now but luckily it is really helping. We are all pretty sure that he has the same rare autoimmune disease my older two have but we would have to do scopes to confirm for sure which we will be discussing at tomorrow's appt. I feel like I've been doing non stop illness in 2011. Ds1 has been running a high fever for the last week, and ds2's asthma has not been so good the past two weeks. I'm hoping this will all turn around now that the weather is truly changing. I feel like I spend way too much time in appts.

Elias is almost 8 mos and about 17lbs (was just under that at whatever last appt he was weighed at). He is not on the move thankfully, but sits and tranfers well to get what he wants nearby. No solids yet b/c of the issues here, but he wants them badly. Only one of us can introduce a food at a time, and very slowly, so for sanity reasons I'm winning that one right now. It is so obvious how food/nutrients play a role in emotional health, because man I'm struggling some days.

Elias is babbling up a storm, and seems to have a couple words he uses in context. He wants to be held all the time but thankfully he is happy in arms unlike ds2 so I don't feel it is an overwhelming pain issue this time round.

Left again....had to clean up puke from all over the kitchen floor. Yes that is a fairly regular occurence here and I believe related to the non stop asthma cough this time, but who really knows. At least it makes for little upset when puking is involved.

We are contemplating some big changes here. We are debating a move to a smaller less expensive house so that me returning to work in Sept in not necessary. Its a big decision b/c it would mean a different larger city and a much more mixed/lower income area of town. A big change from the upper middle class career area we are in now. I've come to the conclusion that what I thought I wanted when we bought this house when I was pregnant with ds1 is not what I turned out to need. We have little in common with the people who live around us, and would do much better where there is a larger homeschooling, attachment parenting community right nearby. I feel ashamed to say that this community feels safer for my children, because the other area is in no way unsafe, but just a very different feel. I'm sorry if that is not coming across correctly, but it is what I'm struggling with right now. If it was an issue of daycare vs me being at home it would be an easy choice, but I work part itme at a job I really like and my husband is home when I am working so more variables involved for sure. I just think that with starting homeschooling, another child in the mix of never ending appts, medical issues and the fact that I will probably be nursing as a very large nutrition source still it is probably the better choice, but money would be much tighter for sure.

I did enjoy a nice treat yesterday though. I have started using woven wraps in my babywearing repetoire and got to model some at a babywaering fashion show yesterday. I love showing people the various ways they can babywear, and we came home with a brand new Manduca carrier as a draw prize...yay!

Ok I'm really needed now. I hope to get here more often to check in. Here is my little man 7.5 mos.


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## reneeisorym (Oct 24, 2007)

I'm not pregnant ... anyway ...

Reese is not crawling either. I'm kinda happy she likes to just sit and play! She's little, though. I wonder if it has anything to do with that.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

A milestone I am more than happy for Mae to finally hit: She has figured out how to sit down from standing up. After a lot of falls. It was actually one of the falls that seemed to make her want to figure out how... she started doing it shortly after that!

As for playing outside I worry more about the sun than grass/dirt/bugs... being so pale she burns very easily.

I mean obviously I wont let her put any rocks in her mouth (choking hazard) but grass isn't going to hurt her more than the peas she had for lunch will... we don't put down pesticides.


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## Parker'smommy (Sep 12, 2002)

Here is little Miss Geneveive on Easter. It's not the best photography...but it captures her personality perfectly.

She still is NOT mobile...and really, just started sitting. She is 8 months old and still falls over a lot.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

omg what a picture! Be sure to keep THAT one to embarrass her later in life lol


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## Lit Chick (Aug 15, 2007)

Hey - if any of you are experienced gardeners, can you take a peek at my post here and let me know - should I rip this plant out to prevent whatever that is from taking over all my herbs, or is what happens when marjoram is left to its own devices?

I know I've had other plants that start looking funky when I don't prune and tend... but this is just, yeah, pretty sure that's a weed.

I'm hopeless as you can tell!


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## Lit Chick (Aug 15, 2007)

We have a tooth! 8 months old today, and it's finally here.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lit Chick*
> 
> We have a tooth! 8 months old today, and it's finally here.


Yay! Still nothing for Mae... hoping her current crankiness and unwilling to sleep without my boob in her mouth is teething and not that she caught whatever DD1 has. DD1 has been home from school for 2 days with a low fever and sore throat  We are pretty sure it is strep but giving it until monday before we put her on anything for it... she's already starting to feel much better today, I think one more day off school and she will be fine.


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

So, for those doing baby-led weaning or with older kids, how do I teach her to stop throwing food on the floor, or, maybe more appropriately, when will she outgrow it? It's not a game for her, she just decides she doesn't want something and throws it on the floor instead of setting it back on the highchair tray. Even if she just doesn't want another bite right now but will go back to it in a little while, she'll throw it down if I can't stop her. Then I either have to clean it off (because it's inevitably covered in cat hair) or get something new to eat, or just say we're done and clean her up. I know it's part of the learning process, but knowing when it might end could help me pull my hair out a little less . . .


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Um... my two year old still throws food on the floor on a semi-regular basis. So, can't help you there.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Ok, suddenly Ozzy LOVES food. After not even starting solids until after 7 months, now a month later he's going nuts for solid food. Not so much the purees as small finger foods (soft fruits and veggies, cheese) (and I don't blame him-- have you tasted jarred baby food? ugh). He's just shoving it in and grinning and making lip-smacking sounds after every bite. LMAO.


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jenifera2*
> 
> So, for those doing baby-led weaning or with older kids, how do I teach her to stop throwing food on the floor, or, maybe more appropriately, when will she outgrow it? It's not a game for her, she just decides she doesn't want something and throws it on the floor instead of setting it back on the highchair tray. Even if she just doesn't want another bite right now but will go back to it in a little while, she'll throw it down if I can't stop her. Then I either have to clean it off (because it's inevitably covered in cat hair) or get something new to eat, or just say we're done and clean her up. I know it's part of the learning process, but knowing when it might end could help me pull my hair out a little less . . .


Right now, you can't sweat it. She thinks it's fun and doesn't know anything about wastefulness  You can tell her that food stays on the tray, and down the road, you can start warning her that the meal ends if she throws food again and then stop them meal. But they don't start understanding that for a while yet. If it bothers you that much, I might stop the meal when she does it starting now just so you don't get frustrated, but it's going to be at least a few months till she even begins understanding consequences like that. Luckily, I have dogs, so nothing goes to waste here!


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

This is what we do with Em. I think we started doing that around 15-16 months.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PinkBunch*
> 
> You can tell her that food stays on the tray, and down the road, you can start warning her that the meal ends if she throws food again and then stop them meal.


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## Laurski (Mar 13, 2010)

So exciting to hear all about teeth and eating and sitting and crawling and cruising and all of that good stuff! It's hard to believe that this time last year we were all about midway (or a little bit more) through our pregnancies, and now we have these babies who are morphing into tiny little people!

On a different note, I have a question for all you ladies...I'm seriously considering becoming a SAHM for the next year (or so). I've been working part-time since January, with a crazy bizarro schedule, and my hours are scheduled to increase in September, and frankly, I'm just not happy, for a variety of reasons, with the way things have been going since I've gone back to work.

My question: if you're a SAHM, how did you decide to be one? Any suggestions or advice for someone like me who keeps teetering back and forth between deciding one way or the other? I keep making pro and con lists, but they're not helping me at all. Part of me just viscerally *wants* to stay home, regardless of the reasons my brain keeps giving me to stay at work...but then I freak out at the thought of being technically "unemployed." DH is totally on board with whatever I want to do (and admitted if I were the primary breadwinner, and he were in my position, he'd probably be more inclined to stay home than not...)

So, my wise DDC comrades...any advice?


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

I am telling her repeatedly to put food on the tray, not the floor. And making myself laugh thinking of Rizzo in Muppet Christmas Carol. "Light the lamp, not the rat! Light the lamp, not the rat!" And usually it signals a total lack of desire to eat, so yep, I end the meal as well. I was just curious how long to realistically expect this to last, and it sounds like a while. Sigh. Oh, well.

As to SAHM-ing, I'm at home for now, but my plan is to go back part time this fall. I don't want to, but my desire to be home is warring with my desire to have more money. My big thought about staying home is that someone has to play with Caitlin, comfort her, change her diapers, feed her, see her "firsts", talk to her, teach her . . . and I don't want to pay someone to do those things when I could do them instead. But then, I gave up a good income to stay home with her, so it's hard to not have that anymore, even though my husband's income is also good. I don't miss the actual work, just the paycheck. If you have any desire to be home with your kid, and you can financially swing it, I'd encourage you to go for it. You can't ever go back and re-live this time, but you can work later.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

This.

I've been at home since I was about 30 weeks preg with Emma... it's been rough without two incomes. Nursing and cloth diapering helps. Plus since I'm at home I can do better meal-planning and save money in other odd ways. For me, with two kids in day care, I'd probably have to work two jobs and just never see them-- it's expensive as hell here. So for right now we're just making financial sacrifices and I'm going to go back to work when they hit kindergarten age. It has limited our family size and dictated the spacing-- we decided to only have two and to have them close so that the time I spend out of work is minimal... but, for every family there are all kinds of different factors. No one can tell you what is right for you-- you'll have to figure out what is holding you back from SAHM and what is pushing you towards SAHM, and figure which is stronger.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jenifera2*
> 
> . If you have any desire to be home with your kid, and you can financially swing it, I'd encourage you to go for it. You can't ever go back and re-live this time, but you can work later.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

I chose to be a SAHM because I can... and because I couldn't with the first two and I hated leaving them every day.

I agree, you can always work later... you can't make your children be babies again though.


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## angelinamerica (May 7, 2011)

I am a SAHM and while there are certainly positives and negatives to any choice, overall I'm happy. I essentially left work for my maternity leave and then never went back. We had decided this would be the plan well before I even got pregnant. Our reasoning was that we were fortunate enough to be able to do OK with just my husband's salary, and realistically with the cost of good daycare being what it is (we'd have wanted a very small private daycare if not personal, in-home care, so the cost was pretty high) I would have been working 'just' to cover the costs of daycare. Not that that isn't a valid choice if working is very important to you---I have plenty of friends who may not 'need' the finances but honestly really enjoy their jobs and it makes them a better mom in the long run to be doing something they love while also getting an opportunity to parent. But for me, my career wasn't really going where I wanted it to go so I wasn't walking away from something I was terribly passionate about.

I also knew that I wouldn't be a good working mom. I just didn't think I would balance it all well. I find childcare and managing the basic household 'stuff' very time-consuming these days---for me, I think it would just have been too much.

I love that I am with my child every day. My husband works incredibly long hours, often months (literally) go by without him taking a single day off. he works at least 12 hours a day, so in many respects I'm a single-parent in that it's all me, only me for 99% of my son's waking hours. My husband tries to come home for an hour or so during the day to see/play with him/feed him but then has to go back to work. So, for us, it was important that at least one of us 'got' to be there as much as possible since we knew my husband's schedule will be like this for at least another two years.

I won't lie---some days I desperately miss being able to be in an office. I miss being able to eat lunch when I want to (or at all!) and i miss being able to just jump online and pay bills or kill time. I miss being able to take a sick day. I miss being able to go to the gym and see other adults. I still haven't been able to find a good balance in my life yet, but in the long run when I look back on these days I honestly don't think I'll remember the bad days when I'm just dying to have some alone time as much as I'll remember the joy of spending as much time as possible with my first-born son. I do wish I could work out having some type of babysitter/mother's helper for 1 or 2 days a week though as I really miss the gym 

I am shocked by the negative response I have encountered from so many about my decision, though. Just the other day a doctor commented to me that it was a shame that I was so highly educated and staying at home, didn't I feel as if I was wasting opportunities, etc. I never know what to say to people to say things like that. Except that no, I don't feel like I'm wasting anything. It also bugs me when people insinuate that I'm not working at all. believe me---and I know I don't have to tell anyone here this---being a SAHM is work. I'm working from the moment I get up (and I never get a sleep-in day  ) til the moment I go to bed. Sneaking time to be online is only accomplished when my son is sleeping and I can sit down a moment and grab a quick bite to eat. But, like right now, those moments are fleeting, so off I go again


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## Laurski (Mar 13, 2010)

Thanks for your responses, everyone. It always really helps me to hear the thoughts and experiences of others, even if I'm the only one who can make the final decision!

Financially, we can swing it...it's actually *costing* me to work right now (about $30/month) although it won't with the increase in hours in Sept.

My gut tells me that I'll probably decide to SAH, even as my brain panics at the thought. I so feel like I'm doing a crappy job at balancing work/parenting, and, like angelinamerica, my DH works incredibly long hours, including weekends, and pretty much never takes time off. So most of the parenting and housekeeping also falls onto me...I have no idea how single mamas and mamas with spouses in the military (or who travel frequently for work) do it!

Thanks again!


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## Lit Chick (Aug 15, 2007)

I've been toying with the idea of being SAHM. I'm probably not going to do it though. The reasons I currently want to stay home are less about wanting to be a mommy and more about being really pissed about my job.
I want a break, and quitting to be SAHM would not be a break.


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

angelinamerica - I have a masters degree in engineering, and I expected more people to mention the "wasting my education" stuff to me, but I'm thankful to not really get that from people. But I always just say that no, I don't feel like I'm wasting anything. Really, any more explanation isn't their business, and judgy people just like to judge anyway, no matter what you say.


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## Chloe'sMama (Oct 14, 2008)

Hi Ladies-

Hannah and I are doing very well. She is a little over 8 months and started to crawl on Easter. She is so much smaller than DD1 was, so it is cute to see her crawling. We are waiting on solids until some allergy tests come back, which should be any time. Big sister loves her most of the time, but has occasionally hit her or pushed her.

I was working (part time from home) when DD1 was born and continued until she was a year and I just decided that I was not doing a good job at either and stopped. I understand what you ladies are going through. I am very happy with our decision, although I have several friends that do not like being at home, so it has to work for you.

Here is a photo of Hannah about a month ago and one of me wearing both girls...


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## Chloe'sMama (Oct 14, 2008)

Also, pretty funny, Hannah has 3 BOTTOM teeth and nothing on top. So funny looking. We will see if #4 is a bottom or top. She seems to be teething up a storm. All three came in within 2 weeks. (just after 7 months) Yikes.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Mae still has none. Got her two new teethers though in anticipation, by high request. I'm currently listening to her squeek her Sophie the Giraffe constantly... she loves that thing! Also, a RazBABY... which she loves the texture of on her gums.

So at least when she does start to teeth... she has those.


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## porcelina (May 2, 2007)

Hey! Love all the beautiful pics everyone is posting! We have some photogenic babies and great photographers!

I just want to say to angelinamerica and anyone else that I totally agree that it is awful when people under value the very difficult and important job of raising children. What better than an educated mother to provide the best possible education for my child? Our society seems to think that children are not so important and that the task of raising them can be done by anyone. They think that if economically you can make more than you would have to pay to a childcare provider, then you should work. Well, children get an incredible amount out of being with their mother for the early years of life (assuming that mom has no mental or substance abuse issues). They will learn a ton, and the more educated you are, the more they will probably learn from you. Furthermore, you will produce strong, productive, healthy individuals to society, who will eventually be running this country, paying taxes to fund programs, etc. Not to mention, you probably get a lot out of being with your children too! As hard as it is some days, there are so many moments to treasure.

By the way, I am not a SAHM, and I hope I don't offend any non-SAHMs. I work/study part-time. I sometimes wish I could stay home full time, and other times am glad to have a life outside of my children. I think it is important that they get the right care and am very careful about choosing care providers for them. It is not an easy task!

I love hearing everyone's point of view on this topic!


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## Laurski (Mar 13, 2010)

First, happy Mother's Day, everyone!

Second, I love what you had to say below, porcelina! Just a very lovely, thoughtful posting! (And I agree, it really is wonderful to hear everyone's opinion on the topic.)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *porcelina*
> 
> Hey! Love all the beautiful pics everyone is posting! We have some photogenic babies and great photographers!
> 
> ...


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

Ah, for Mother's Day, Caitlin had me awake from 3 until 6 this morning, got me some lovely gifts, then just as I was getting her to sleep tonight, she woke up crying and vomited massively all over me and the rocking chair. Lovely. Still, I'm overjoyed to be able to enjoy this day as a mama for the first time ever.


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

Ah, for Mother's Day, Caitlin had me awake from 3 until 6 this morning, got me some lovely gifts, then just as I was getting her to sleep tonight, she woke up crying and vomited massively all over me and the rocking chair. Lovely. Still, I'm overjoyed to be able to enjoy this day as a mama for the first time ever. 

Oh, and now post-vomit she's wide awake and happy. Could be a long night.


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

Hey all, Happy Late Mother's Day!

M is doing well, besides bumps and bruises, from constantly trying to stand and then falling down! In the last week he got 2 teeth! They are coming in very slowly so he looks kinda funny, the first is probably about half way in, the other is just barely sticking out.  He's already learned to use them on apple slices. He LOVES solids! I only give him fruits, veggies, and meat/eggs so I have to always make sure we have some of those for him as he gets really upset about missing a meal! He's a funny boy who knows what he wants.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Been sick a few days but Mae is just fine... She stands unsupported for a few seconds at a time and seems to get braver and braver. Also, we have a push toy she has no problem walking holding on to... just a matter of getting the confidence not to use it!

Still no teeth... but she's been trying to rip off my nipple the past few days!


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

We have a TOOTH! Finally! That would be why, if Sophie and the Razbaby weren't in her mouth, my nipples were her favorite chew toy.

Also, last night I caught her climbing on a box to reach higher up. Seriously? Her brother and sister were at least a year old when they figured that one out


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## sere234 (Feb 7, 2009)

So is anyone else going a little crazy CONSTANTLY keeping an eye on their mobile baby? Caden crawls and climbs on anything he possibly can and eats every little speck on the floor. I think I need a cowbell for his neck so I can actually leave the room!

sk8boarder, C has lots of bruises too! When he started crawling, I had to remind myself cruising was causing the bruising, not some terrible disease he'd suddenly gotten!

On Mother's Day, I got to wake up at 5:15 Babies just know when a special day is and want to celebrate it starting VERY early

And no, no teeth here yet! I guess that's a good thing: less biting of me and less chance he'll fall and break one?

Glad to see everyone is doing well and I love looking at the baby pics


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## Schae (Oct 6, 2006)

Also been MIA - i read on my phone but can't really post. Tiisetso is nearly 8 months old and had two teeth (got them at 6 months). He doesn't have much of an appetite, but loves to feed himself and join us at the dinner table. 

He's trying desperately to crawl, and ends up scooting backwards which frustrates him tremendously. He's recently started bathing with his big brother and practically leaps out of my arms into the bath. It's very cute.

The SAHM question. I am a SAHM, it was meant to be for a limited time, but I'm really struggling to find a job - it makes me happy that I'm home with him. But we need to eat too lol! I'm hustling though  I feel if you can afford it - then do it! You can't rewind your child growing up - but there's time for everything else


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

*cough* Remember this? LMAO.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sere234*
> 
> S8boarder- love the pic of baby M! So cute!!
> 
> ...


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## sere234 (Feb 7, 2009)

YES!!! I was thinking about that the other day and when I posted! HAHAHA!!!

To be honest, C loves crawling and is happier mobile but yep, you all were right to not wish it here quickly

A baby that only rolls. Sigh. What will be next??? WALKING?!?!? Talking back to me??? Screaming in anger?!?!

Oh dear...


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Mae is just getting too big. I took her outside the other day while the big two ran through the sprinkler... and she got up on her hands and feet and "baby bear"ed it over to where the sprinkler would hit her too... and just sat there and held her hands out every time the water would go over her.

We finally know about when Daddy will be home! Its a couple weeks sooner than we thought


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Miss I hate headbands!



Best big sister ever!



Here she is climbing the stairs.. very pleased with her baby self!


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sere234*
> 
> A baby that only rolls. Sigh. What will be next??? WALKING?!?!? Talking back to me??? Screaming in anger?!?!


Yes, yes, and yes, hahahaha. But it's all very awesome, too.

And good news Mae!


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

baby... please don't walk til daddy gets home!

 Talking to daddy!!!!!!!!!


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Ozzy is cross-crawling. Help.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kelly1101*
> 
> Ozzy is cross-crawling. Help.


lol its all downhill from there! wasnt long after that that Mae started pulling up, cruising and practicing standing without support


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

Caitlin really wants to crawl, and at this point, I think I'm ready for it to happen. Not because I think it will be easier during the day, but because maybe she'll finally decide sleep is OK again. She's never been a great sleeper, but the last week or so has been pretty awful. She slept last night from 8 until 9:30, then was up until 1:30 and only slept (not without waking) until 7:30 this morning. Dear daughter, please work this crawling practice out of your system so that we can get back to some semblance of sleeping at night!


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

yeah, days when Mae gets down and moves more (like yesterday when I found her in the kitchen multiple times, thankfully it is baby proofed!) she sleeps like a rock all night. I actually leaked last night for the first time in months because she only woke up once to nurse... and then didnt wake this morning until after 8am!

She's currently standing at her piano dancing ("jumping") and singing (usually ma ma maaaaa or ah ah ahhhh) while mommy laughs. She got daddies show-off-ness for sure!


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

Goooo Ozzy!!!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MaerynPearl*
> 
> lol its all downhill from there! wasnt long after that that Mae started pulling up, cruising and practicing standing without support


T is pulling up and trying to cruise but CANNOT get cross-crawling down for anything. He gets maaaaaad!


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

And then yesterday he started going belly to sitting. YESSSSSSS! I am not crazy about mobility milestones, but belly-to-sitting is the best.milestone.ever. It saves him so much frustration.

And, sweet story:

Yesterday the kids and I were in the play room and I had to go pee. Ozzy is playing and seems distracted so I sneak off to the bathroom. Of course as soon as I start peeing (sorry for the TMI) he starts howling because he realized I'm gone. But then as soon as I'm leaving the bathroom, he suddenly stops crying. I peek in through the door, and Emma is sitting beside him giving him a hug, patting his back, and saying "shhhhh ah [she calls him "ah"], shhhh ah."

I just about cried, it was the sweetest damn thing I've ever seen.


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## Laurski (Mar 13, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kelly1101*
> 
> And then yesterday he started going belly to sitting. YESSSSSSS! I am not crazy about mobility milestones, but belly-to-sitting is the best.milestone.ever. It saves him so much frustration.
> 
> ...


First, I am super jealous of the belly to sitting thing. Ellie still hasn't figured it out, and it causes us all sorts of DRAMA over here. Oh, the tears, the wailing, the humanity of it all!

Second, what a sweet story! What a great big sister!


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Aww! It seems like the only time mine are interested in their sister is when I ask them to do something. "Clean off the table for supper." Suddenly they're on the livingroom floor yelling "but mooooooom I want to play with the baby!"

also mae has started "talking" not really talking... but she has started saying "mama" when she wants food. It doesn't mean me, it means food.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Ozzy is not at ALL verbal. It's surprising because Em was already doing her Spanish Soap Opera at this age-- all kinds of consonants, babbling all the time. Ozzy just screeches. He has happy screeches, sad screeches, tickle screeches, worried screeches. LMAO. He is so much more physical than she was, though, so I guess a lot of time it's an either/or thing.


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## MsDolphin (Jan 5, 2010)

Love seeing the pictures! Keep posting them.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

My little man...


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Mae clapped!!! Finally! She's been trying for so long but just couldn't figure out how to get it to make noise lol.

Also, tea party with daddy!



The face thats going to get her out of trouble a lot as she grows up:


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

No pictures, but T is officially cross-crawling as of yesterday. EEEEK!


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## Laurski (Mar 13, 2010)

Wow, Mae...your profile picture of Mae and your picture of your DH having tea with Mae (too cute!) look so similar!

Can some of your babies please talk to my baby about how to sit up, crawl, and/or cruise? We're just a bundle of frustration over here (with super new ingredient--whining. Yay!). We play "pull up on Mama's thumbs" for hours, but put her on her stomach for her to try to sit up and/or crawl? Almost always instant meltdown. I feel so bad for her (because I have a short frustration fuse too), but also, baby? Mama's thumbs are getting a little tired.

(I also think she's in the midst of teething for her top front teeth--lots of drool, lots of finger chewing, greenish poop and up every 45 minutes or so last night. I hope they come in soon!)


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Yeah... Mae looks just like daddy. She looks NOTHING like Mommy.

Mae CAN crawl. She CAN sit. She CAN stand up holding on to anything but me... but guess what she prefers?
Mommy holding her. Jumping, while mommy holds her. Holding on to Mommy while standing. Or standing on Mommy. That's it. Gotta involve Mommy lol. And I think she's getting the other bottom tooth soon, she's started biting my nipple again and that hurts SO bad with a tooth!


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

I so remember feeling this with Em.... it'll happen... hang in there 

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Laurski*
> 
> Can some of your babies please talk to my baby about how to sit up, crawl, and/or cruise? We're just a bundle of frustration over here (with super new ingredient--whining. Yay!). We play "pull up on Mama's thumbs" for hours, but put her on her stomach for her to try to sit up and/or crawl? Almost always instant meltdown. I feel so bad for her (because I have a short frustration fuse too), but also, baby? Mama's thumbs are getting a little tired.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

And teeth... ack. Ozzy got his first bottom two at 6 months. Now he's working on the top two. One has cut (thank god), the other is still ridiculously swollen-- I can feel and SEE the ENTIRE edge of the tooth sticking way out, but it hasn't actually broken through the gum. Does NOT look fun. Thankfully Ozzy is a pretty chilled-out teether.

We're still fighting thrush. Went to the ped yesterday. We decided to do one more gentian violet treatment, and I'm putting Nystatin on my nipples, before going to Diflucan.


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## Laurski (Mar 13, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MaerynPearl*
> 
> Yeah... Mae looks just like daddy. She looks NOTHING like Mommy.
> 
> ...


Same here! Everyone is always telling me how much Ellie looks like daddy. I guess I was just the incubator...









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kelly1101*
> 
> And teeth... ack. Ozzy got his first bottom two at 6 months. Now he's working on the top two. One has cut (thank god), the other is still ridiculously swollen-- I can feel and SEE the ENTIRE edge of the tooth sticking way out, but it hasn't actually broken through the gum. Does NOT look fun. Thankfully Ozzy is a pretty chilled-out teether.
> 
> We're still fighting thrush. Went to the ped yesterday. We decided to do one more gentian violet treatment, and I'm putting Nystatin on my nipples, before going to Diflucan.


Ugh. So sorry about the persistent thrush. That sounds absolutely miserable. I hope it clears up soon!


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## Parker'smommy (Sep 12, 2002)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kelly1101*
> 
> And teeth... ack. Ozzy got his first bottom two at 6 months. Now he's working on the top two. One has cut (thank god), the other is still ridiculously swollen-- I can feel and SEE the ENTIRE edge of the tooth sticking way out, but it hasn't actually broken through the gum. Does NOT look fun. Thankfully Ozzy is a pretty chilled-out teether.
> 
> We're still fighting thrush. Went to the ped yesterday. We decided to do one more gentian violet treatment, and I'm putting Nystatin on my nipples, before going to Diflucan.


I used Grapefruit Seed Extract to get rid of my thrush and 2% miconozole too. So....I put 10 drops in 1 oz of water and applied with a qtip to my nipples every hour...seriously...every hour. Then, after nipples had air dried, I put on the 2% miconozole ( yes...yeast infection cream). Both are safe for baby and you don't have to wipe off. I did it religiously for 1 week and it went away. I kept it up doing it 3 times a day for another week to keep it away. Seriously...it worked so well. I've heard that Nystatin has sugar in it and can actually breed yeast. ANd this treatment doesn't involve the staining of the genetian violet.


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## sere234 (Feb 7, 2009)

Kelly- I'm no help with the thrush  But I hope if lets up soon! Can't be easy dealing with that for so long....

We're on vacation in NC and it's been so nice and relaxing! Caden has been having so much fun playing with his 2 yo cousin that he ignores eating and sleeping until ABSOLUTELY necessary! Then he'll nurse like crazy for 1/2 an hour and collapse in sleep for a couple of hours. I guess life is too dull and predictable at home for him







.

So Caden still has no teeth and is not really saying any words though he will sometimes mimic sounds. He is crawling, cruising, and likes to play independently much more than he did just 1 month ago. He just started clapping and dancing to music  Plus sleep is better lately too! Now I get a 3-4 hour stretch after midnight surrounded by him waking every 1-3 hours. I'm grateful for this! Naps are still pretty awesome and I'm hoping he sticks with his two 1.5-2 hour naps for a while longer!

Anyone thinking about weaning yet? When Caden turns 1, I think I will slowly start night weaning. He is still so hungry at night though now so I guess I'll wait and see how it goes. Daytime nursing can wait until he is ready 

BTW, how do you comfort without a breast or bottle? When C falls and gets hurt, I pop the boob in his mouth. Wakes at night or during a nap? Easy fix is the boob. When we flew out here, he nursed during the flight. I'm going to have to learn new comforting techniques in the not so distant future!

Here's a picture of us in Wilmington, NC.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Wilmington is close to me! 

Our sweet princess said "Dada" to daddy on Skype today. Like she meant it. He smiled so big I thought his face would break! I almost started crying... I want him home but I am so glad she did that.


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## Marilyn82 (Jan 26, 2005)

Hi Guys! I can't believe how big our little ones have gotten!!!

My little Mila is growing sooo fast! She is a little younger than many of the babies here, thanks to my epic pregnancy lol. She is 7.5 months and sits unsupported well but is not mobile yet.She hates being on her stomach so the extent of her mobility is pretty much just rolling onto her back the moment her stomach touches the ground lol. Actually last night she started rocking back on her knees a little, but it wasn't long before she had enough and rolled over again.

She says "mama", and "bye bye". I'm pretty sure "mama" actually means boob though lol.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

lol "Mama" totally means boob to Mae too. She has no word for me, but when she's hungry, sad, scared, hurt... its MAMA! MAMA! So I really don't count that as talking for her... If she ever said it without trying to shove my nipple in her mouth I'd know it means me lol


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

I think I got a "d"-sound out of Ozzy yesterday. Other than that, just screeching still. LMAO. It causes such a disconnect in my mind to have this physical/not-verbal baby coming right after having a verbal/not-physical baby. It seems like he is "younger" than she was at this age, but also "older."


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## Marilyn82 (Jan 26, 2005)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kelly1101*
> 
> I think I got a "d"-sound out of Ozzy yesterday. Other than that, just screeching still. LMAO. It causes such a disconnect in my mind to have this physical/not-verbal baby coming right after having a verbal/not-physical baby. It seems like he is "younger" than she was at this age, but also "older."


LOL I have the same thing but in reverse! My ds was way more physical but less verbal at this age, dd also seems better at fine motor skills but he was better at gross motor skills...too funny.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MaerynPearl*
> 
> lol "Mama" totally means boob to Mae too. She has no word for me, but when she's hungry, sad, scared, hurt... its MAMA! MAMA! So I really don't count that as talking for her... If she ever said it without trying to shove my nipple in her mouth I'd know it means me lol


Yep, totally!


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Is anyone else doing sign language with their babies?

Mae just told me she is sleepy (she did last night too but I thought it was a coincidence, not the actual sign). I was so excited lol... she's now taking her morning nap without a fuss!


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

We've done signing a little bit, but need to get into it more. So far she responds when I make the milk sign but doesn't do it herself, and she seems to, at least sometimes, do all done at dinner (after throwing all her food on the floor). I haven't worked on much else with her, but I'd like to. With waving and clapping, she's definitely showing that she's ready to mimic signs, so now it's all on me.


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## LovnMyBoys (Jan 21, 2008)

Wow, there are some pretty mobile babies here. Elias can transfer from sitting to tummy, but doesn't go anywhere from there. He loves to stand holding my hands and can stand unsupported at the couch for a little bit. He says dada (sometime with correct meaning) and does ton of random chattering. He has sometimes started saying yay when clapping, loves to give high fives and has just started waving in the last few days. He tried banana as a first solid and the tummy handled it well. I've been able to expand my diet a little more too which is sanity saving. We will still need to move very slowly with solids though. I offered avacado a couple times and he would not even put a piece near his mouth.

Exciting news here is that we are moving. Well as long as tomorrow's building inspection is fine we will be selling our place and moving mid August. This means I will be a SAHM full time which will be great for our homeschooling plans. July we head to camp for the month as a family where I will be working as a camp nurse. Busy times here, but I am so not looking forward to having house showings with three little guys.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

I wish I knew when my husband will be home.

Mae can stand a few seconds at a time without any support at all. Long enough for me to let go, sit down, her to realize I'm not holding her and reach forward for me.

I don't want her walking without him home, he's missed every other big milestone so far


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

I hope she doesn't walk before he gets back! Lila's doing that balancy stand for a few seconds too. I think she's got a while before full blown walking happens though. She is trying to cruise furniture. 1 or 2 steps at a time. I'm not a fan.

Is anyone else's baby extra needy lately. The past week has been super rough on my girl. She wants Mama all the time. Papa and Sister just arn't enough 

Here she is standing.. sorta lol!



Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MaerynPearl*
> 
> I wish I knew when my husband will be home.
> 
> ...


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Amanda_Reyasmom*
> 
> I hope she doesn't walk before he gets back! Lila's doing that balancy stand for a few seconds too. I think she's got a while before full blown walking happens though. She is trying to cruise furniture. 1 or 2 steps at a time. I'm not a fan.
> 
> ...


awww!

and YES OMG what is it?! Outside in the heat, its not down crawling and exploring... its mommys arms. Inside, the only time I can get away from her is naptime and thats if I'm lucky and she doesnt wake up enough to realize I'm not there!


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

You mean you get to put your baby down for naps!? I literally sat on the couch for at least 5 hours today nursing or cuddling a sleeping baby. I'm trying to remember how fast that goes away and enjoy it, but WOW.


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## northwoods (Dec 28, 2009)

We have a crawler! She's on one knee and one foot, but she gets around just fine. I realized that she figured it out as I was babyproofing the kitchen Good timing.

She's also holding onto my fingers and wobbly-walking. It's really fun, but it's all she wants to do. It is really challenging to get anything done.

DD has been really needy for the last week, but I think she's working on her two upper teeth.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Yeah, Ozzy's top two just broke through. And there's a gap like a mile wide, LMAO. Great, I sense I'm going to have to fork out for braces at some point.

He's started pulling up on furniture. *sigh* Also has started waking up stealthily early in the morning and crawling down to the foot of the bed so that he can fall off and scream and make me have a frickin heart attack. Ugh. Did that this morning. Not cool.

Reckon it's time to start teaching him to go feet-first. I remember Em totally had the feet-first-off-furniture thing down by 10-11 months. Hopefully he'll get it by then, too.

I've had a very fussy baby past few days. I don't know whether it's those teeth (they have both cut), or more teeth coming behind them, or just general frustration / developmental. He's getting faster and faster at cross-crawling but I think it has just emphasized to him how much that he wants but is out of his reach. His separation anxiety has been pretty mild but it can still flare up (and has been). He's still struggling with the pincer grasp, sometimes it's perfect and then he'll get frustrated and it won't work right for him, and that pisses him off. I think he's just in an in-between stage developmentally and he wants to get past it to the next stage (of greater agility and better fine motor skills).


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## RedOakMomma (Sep 30, 2004)

Kelly, our boys had huge gaps in their teeth when they were little and it was actually a good thing...by the time their adult teeth come in, that space gets used up. And besides...gap teeth are the IN trend right now! 

Dd is crawling and pulling up now...saying "mama," "dada," and "hi dada" appropriately. Also waving, clapping, and doing that wake-up-crawl-on-the-bed thing. YIKES! This thread reminds me...must 1) start signing and 2) set up the video monitor.

She's almost 8.5 months. I can't believe how this is flying by. One year is going to be here before we know it!

Adorable photos, everyone! That photo of Lila is so darn cute!!


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

lol I don't "put her down" for naps... I lay down for the nap with her and then slowly and as silently and carefully as possible move my body away from hers until I can tiptoe out of the room. The moment she wakes up and notices I'm not there, though, I hear all about it.

And yeah, I've been thinking this is teething too. In addition to not wanting to let mommy go, whatever clothing of mind is closest to her mouth will have a HUGE drool spot on it... and she's been biting my nipple and her fingers... but not her teething toys. Oh and she's got a very very slight fever.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Ozzy still nurses to sleep for naps... we lay on the bed, then I roll/sneak away once he's out.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Oh man, when I said "put her down" I meant in the most literal terms.. physically PUTTING her down lol. Lila can tell the second she's not being held! It's so weird because she was a great sleeper. She's since decided no naps for her unless she's in arms. The big girl has taken advantage of the fact that I'm strapped to the couch.

We still don't have any major talking just "hiiiiiiiiii" when Daddy comes home, it's hilarious! She's clearly flirting with him!


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Mae's the same, thats why I nurse her in bed. So I don't have any body parts under her. If I so much as step on something or shut the door with noise she will wake up and I have to get back into bed with her and nurse her until she falls back asleep.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

We put the window A/Cs in last weekend (so glad we did-- it's been in the 90's and humid), so the white noise from that keeps him from waking up. Even before then I would usually get a fan running (even when it wasn't hot) just for the sound... that way his sister running up and down the hall doesn't wake him up and I can even tiptoe in the room if I need to get something, without him waking up.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kelly1101*
> 
> We put the window A/Cs in last weekend (so glad we did-- it's been in the 90's and humid), so the white noise from that keeps him from waking up. Even before then I would usually get a fan running (even when it wasn't hot) just for the sound... that way his sister running up and down the hall doesn't wake him up and I can even tiptoe in the room if I need to get something, without him waking up.


I might have to find our fan so I can do that.


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## Schae (Oct 6, 2006)

gosh the nap talk made me feel so much better! i get all sorts of flack for not putting Tso down for naps. he naps in my arms mostly. sleeps on his own at night. i employ the roll away and tiptoe out the room technique then! maybe i should try it during the day too. But it doesn't seem worth it when his naps are so short in anycase?

We have clapping and waving happening here. And an absolute obsession with standing - he tries to stand up - crawling is so boring apparently. I feel like he's going to just get up and walk one of these days and skip the crawling altogether. Lots of babbling too.

Lila is sooo cute! And so is Caden - sounds like he's having a ball on holiday!


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## northwoods (Dec 28, 2009)

I've been trying to get DD to nap independently, but she's not having it. She makes it maybe ten minutes on her own. When she wakes up, she's up-and grouchy-until the next nap. I keep trying, but having her nap in the sling has been so much easier.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Aww thanks for the Lila compliments. There are few things I enjoy more than showing off my baby!

I'm sorry that naps are so hard to come by, but it's comforting that it's not just mine who has decided naps are for chumps. I swear today she slept for about 6 minutes in the sling while I grocery shopped, and about 1/2 an hour laying on my belly while I laid on the couch. Even if she's sleeping 8 hours a night that's not enough.

I picked up a mesh feeder and fed her a breastmilk popsicle. She loved that! hopefully we can get these next teeth in quickly!


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

I have a mesh feeder but havent used it yet. Planning to with the watermelon this weekend because the thought of her swallowing large seeds just bothers me. I mostly got them to give her ice cubes during the summer to help her cool down some

And yeah... even trying to stay in there with her now she refused to nap. at all. all day. so yeah, is it official that children at this age decide that naps are unnecessary even though they are very very necessary?

She is so cranky and rubbing her eyes and "MA MA MA MA" grabbing at my boobs... but the moment she starts drifting she gets up and moves around as much as she can so she doesn't pass out!


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## mommy2chloerae (Feb 6, 2005)

It has been awhile. Wow such beautiful babies. They are all past the newbie stage, it's so amazing how fast time flies. I think we've made the cutest babies ever.

Clayton is 8 mos and got his second tooth last night and started crawling  He did a "booty scootch" thing before that by getting on all fours, swinging his butt over, then sitting back up. He hasn't had any more seizures and we're going to see the Dr again in July and hopefully get another EEG done and if that is clear he'll be weaned off the medication. He takes it so well now though, so it isn't a battle. He says "Ma" and "Mama" for me, "Nuh nuh" to nurse, "Da" and "Dada" for my husband, and "Ba!" for his brother (and sister).

We are having sleep issues, he rolls all night so I think we're going to try to move to a crib. I'm just so scared of him rolling off the bed and can't really make my bed into crib lol. He hates to be set down when sleeping (still) so it'll probably be a long process  It's really hard though, I love cuddling with him, but can't function on no sleep with 2 others to think about.


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

It is so refreshing to come in here and see that you all are dealing with the same things we are!

T is a perpetual motion machine of late, on the go all the time. And sleep has gone to hell, so bad that I (incorrectly) assumed that he had another ear infection! He's constantly moving, even when he's sleeping. Both top teeth cut through in the last couple of weeks too--he has a huge gap, *Kelly*! And whoever said that their kid is dissatisfied with cross-crawling? So right. He is getting faster by desperately seems to want to walk. I think he will walk sooner rather than later. He's still not talking much, but he's trying to mimic--just this week he tried to say "dance" and "Gaga" which is my mom's nickname. So cute! He's also loving solid foods so much that he stole a chocolate donut from his sister in the car and crammed it in his mouth. Piggy!


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Mae didn't use her knees to crawl very long. She quickly learned hands and feet move her faster... and getting mommy to hold her hands so she can walk gets her there fastest.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Accidentally found a way around holding her while she naps today. Kids had an inner tube my in-laws bought them over spring break laying on our livingroom floor... I put her in the middle because she likes to flip it over herself (like that ring stack toy) and next thing I know she's lounging like this and dozing off on her own.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

The cause of Mae's crankiness: One bottom tooth, two top teeth. All at once. She's not a happy camper. None have broken through yet but I see them bulging the gums so it cant be too much longer... I hope!


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## nilatti (Aug 5, 2010)

My friend Rebekah is a professional photographer. She got this picture of Silas a few weeks ago.

He's doing the rocking and scooting, but no crawling yet. He REALLY wants to crawl. Still lots of sounds and squeals, but no new words.

He's cutting his top two teeth. He is a biter! Sere, I'm totally thinking about weaning. I know that here on this wonderful AP forum, people think it's child abuse to wean before 2, but I feel like it depends on the baby. I'm not going to do hard-core forced weaning, but I have moved into the "don't offer, don't refuse" stage. When I first started that, I realized I was nursing way more than I needed to. I was offering the breast whenever he started to look fussy or peaked, and only after that didn't work did I try the potty or a different toy or other things. Offering the breast AFTER trying everything else, I've discovered I'm only nursing about 4-5 times per day (he gets a bottle of breastmilk in the mornings when I'm at work), but a lot at night. I hope to have him day-time weaned by 12 months, but I think we'll be night nursing up to 18 months. What DO people do when they want to comfort baby but don't want to nurse? I'm at a loss.

Does anyone STTN yet? Silas sure doesn't.

But he's cute and interesting and getting more fun every day. So there we are. It's so fun to see everyone's babies growing and developing--and all so different.

Oops, he's fussing. Got to go!


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

Mae - You may not want to hear this, and hopefully you'll fare better than we did, but about 4 weeks ago we had a fussy, non-sleeping baby and could feel a sharp tooth on the bottom (she has two already) plus see two beneath the gums up top. They still haven't popped. The top ones are very prominent, and she touches them a lot, but the bottom one we can't feel anymore, though she still presses on that spot a lot.

Also, we rarely nurse for comfort here, except for sleeping. Caitlin nurses a lot still, day and night, but doesn't really want it if she's upste. If she gets a head bonk or something like that, I just hold her and rock a bit. If it's bigger comfort, like we're in a busy place with lots of strangers and she's a little apprehensive, I wear Caitlin and bounce a lot. Snuggles, bouncing, hugs, and toys are the main comforting tools here, with shushing as necessary if she's really upset.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

OMG Silas looks like Ozzy. The reddish hair, the big pretty eyes, the awesome chubby arms  He is a cutie.

And LMAO at this: "I know that here on this wonderful AP forum, people think it's child abuse to wean before 2, but I feel like it depends on the baby" It depends on the baby and it depends on the mother. I don't extended breastfeed (past one year ish). I think EBF is great, but not for us.

With my firstborn, we started nightweaning at right about 11-12 months, and nightweaned before day weaning. I felt like getting sleep was more necessary at that point (hell I was about 5 months preg with Ozzy and exhausted). We did Jay Gordon, modified (about a week for each "stage" instead of 3 days)-- if you haven't heard of it, google Jay Gordon night weaning. It's very co-sleeping / AP-ish friendly. After she was night-weaned, and was eating regular food meals, her day-nursing really regulated itself-- iirc, it was first thing in the morning, right before the nap (she was down to 1 nap at that point, she hates sleeping), right after the nap, and before bed. So we started cutting those sessions out, one at a time, once every week or two. I think the first one to go was the after-nap... instead of nursing I would just cuddle her for a few minutes then get her a snack right away, then we'd go on with our day. Then the before-sleep-- she was always a rock-to-sleep baby, so I would just rock her like usual but would give her a sippy-cup of milk (the kind with the soft "nipple" so that she still got some sucking urge satisfaction) and hold her and snuggle and rock until she was asleep. I forget when we stopped doing the sippy-cup of milk... it phased out gradually, probably a month or so after the weaning was done. I think that "gradual" is the key word for anything weaning... there's no rush. But yeah, you don't have to nurse for any specific set of time just because some other chick does, just as you don't have to stop at any specific time just because other chick already weaned.  You'll know when it's right for you and him.

Oh-- and Ozzy just got his top two teeth (3 and 4). They were stretching and bulging at his gums for well over a week. It was awful.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nilatti*
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Oh, and as for how to comfort-- I remember freaking out when I was still nursing Emma "how will I get her to calm down when she weans?" But of course babies change as they get older. Different things work at different times. Picking up, holding, and singing softly have always worked with both of mine. Rocking. In the toddler stage, surprise distraction with something awesome - toy they really like, picture frame I grab off the shelf that has a pic of her in it, anything random that comes to hand that I can say "hey, what's this!?!" A lot of times with Em it's just to sit beside her and talk to her and rub her back if she'll let me. A few minutes of this and of her getting the tantrum out, and usually she'll turn around and hug me and calm down. There are a million ways to deal with an upset child other than nursing (although god knows nursing is the easiest, and I'll miss it, lol), and they change from month to month, and from week to week. Cross that bridge when you come to it.


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kelly1101*
> 
> Oh-- and Ozzy just got his top two teeth (3 and 4). They were stretching and bulging at his gums for well over a week. It was awful.


UH, T's were bulging like that for FOUR MONTHS! I am not kidding--he got his first tooth (bottom) just shy of 5m, and the ped told us at his 4m appointment she thought he'd teethe top teeth first. Luckily, he's only been a fussy teether lately, and that's because I think he's going to get about 6 at once. He just cut#3 and 4 about 10 days ago, #5 yesterday, and I can see at least 2 more.

nilatti--Hang in there with the biting. It does improve. To help in the meantime, offer him a frozen wash cloth or cool teether immediately before nursing. I plan to nurse till about 18m (nursed 16m with DD2 and made it to a year while pg with DD1), and I still don't offer unless it's naptime. I am not one to whip it out for an owie or a tantrum. You have a say in the nursing relationship too, and if it is not working for you, it is not working.

Mae--That pick of LM in the innertube is awesome!!!!

AFM--T is just picking up things left and right now, and it is sooo fun! He's doing "How big is T?" and signing more and all done. He's pulling up and cruising and really, really desperately wants to walk. And he loves the water--he keeps trying to climb into the bathtub!


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

sheesh... cutting #s 3s and 4s and more... and Mae still barely has her 1! lol. Oh I have it in for me, she will probably also cut 5-6 at once.


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## sere234 (Feb 7, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kelly1101*
> 
> Oh, and as for how to comfort-- I remember freaking out when I was still nursing Emma "how will I get her to calm down when she weans?" But of course babies change as they get older. Different things work at different times. Picking up, holding, and singing softly have always worked with both of mine. Rocking. In the toddler stage, surprise distraction with something awesome - toy they really like, picture frame I grab off the shelf that has a pic of her in it, anything random that comes to hand that I can say "hey, what's this!?!" A lot of times with Em it's just to sit beside her and talk to her and rub her back if she'll let me. A few minutes of this and of her getting the tantrum out, and usually she'll turn around and hug me and calm down. There are a million ways to deal with an upset child other than nursing (although god knows nursing is the easiest, and I'll miss it, lol), and they change from month to month, and from week to week. Cross that bridge when you come to it.


You are so right about babies changing as they get older. Sometimes I forget that Caden won't always need/want what he does now... I forget he goes through a new phase every month or two!!

He's finally got ONE tiny tooth peeking out btw Sounds like most babes here have at least one!

Mae- C's favorite thing to do is hold our hands and walk around the house. He'll tell us where to go and NEVER wants to stop....

OH, he waved and said "buh buh" all on his own last night to his grandparents We pretty much melted at that So sweet!!


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## porcelina (May 2, 2007)

I find it really interesting that a lot of the babies who wanted to stay on the inside a bit longer seem to be way ahead in terms of milestones! Lots of early crawlers in this group!!

Simon is now 8 months, still not even close to crawling, very limited babbling, no teeth, just sort of content to hang out.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

That usually tends to be the case in my anecdata. My cousin's son went past 42 weeks and WALKED (as in, walking by himself, real walking all over the place) at.... 7.5 months. I'm not even making that up.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *porcelina*
> 
> I find it really interesting that a lot of the babies who wanted to stay on the inside a bit longer seem to be way ahead in terms of milestones!


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

People told me that last week that that happens. I didn't care at the time I just wanted her out!


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *porcelina*
> 
> I find it really interesting that a lot of the babies who wanted to stay on the inside a bit longer seem to be way ahead in terms of milestones! Lots of early crawlers in this group!!


DD2 crawled/pulled up/cruised at 7m, walked before she was 10m old and took off 6 steps the first time. She was a 41-weeker. DS is slow compared to her so far but I think he may walk sooner. So I guess my anecdata supports as well!!


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Lila was born 2 days before her due date, she's officially cruising furniture.  I'm so sad. She's a late Sept baby too. I've got video of her pushing her highchair around like it's a walker. She's growing up so fast!


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## sere234 (Feb 7, 2009)

Hmmm... Caden was born 38.5 weeks and was pulling up and cruising at 7.5 months. He's 9.5 now and still just cruising and crawling...


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## mommy2chloerae (Feb 6, 2005)

Clayton was over a week late and is just now crawling. He is a velcro baby though and hates being put down.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Ozzy was three weeks "early" (37-weeker) and started army-crawling 7 m, cross-crawling 8 m, and just turned 9 m and just started pulling up and cruising furniture. But he's not vocal at ALLL. I mean he's loud and hollers and screeches a lot, but not a lot of "babble." His sister (a month early, 36 weeker) was about a month behind the rest of babies her age... didn't roll until 6 months, didn't army crawl until 8, didn't cross-crawl until 9, didn't stand unassisted until I think 11-12 months, walked at 14 months. BUT she was a babbler from a very early age, all kinds of varied consonant sounds, a little chatterbox. I think babies tend to focus on one or the other most of the time. And I think that very late, and very early, babies show it in their gross physical milestones.

But, meh, by the time they are two years old it all shakes out anyway, lmao.


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## skyewriter (Aug 11, 2010)

still can't get a pic in... but hooray for velcro babies! I love all the cuddles.. my little guy is wiggly if we stand still too much, army crawls fast now! just really starting, smiles and looks back at me! laughes and sprints if I call him back!!!!! oh man, slow the time down,, 9mo ...I almost passed out -told someone he was 8mo, and my oldest was like 'ma, its June.. he's 9mo now" AAAck.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Anyone else go through the "bathtubs are scary!" phase yet? Mae started at about the time her daddy left in January and just NOW got back into thinking they might not be so bad... maybe... lol


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Lila's still pretty in love with the bath tub.  I can see teeth 3&4 and maybe even #5, but they're still not breaking through. She's a trooper though, I wouldn't give up her amber necklace for, well, I guess I'd give one of them up for $50 and just buy a new one lol.. nevermind.

Poor girl keeps trying to walk, she'll stand, balance, step and fall. I still haven't invested in a little walker, I should, she's constantly pushing her high chair around the dining room. That's damn cute! In honor of father's day I made up a side by side of my sleeping girl and her Papa.. She's a little Mini-him. My SIL asked if I was sure she was mine lol.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Awww!

Ozzy is finally starting to "talk" instead of just screech. Lots of "ba ba ba ba ba la la la blah"

Working on tooth 5 here. Miserable. He's pulling up all over the place but showing no inclination to stand independently.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Ahh talking is so much fun! A few days ago we had something dangerously close to "mum" but that's about it.. She still says "hiiiiiiiiii" when her daddy comes in the door. We don't have any syllables no ba ba ba, mamamam, dadada ect. She screams when she's happy. Grocery shopping with her is great fun lol.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

We've started getting excited "HIIIII!" and wave... when she sees our neighbor lady come over, when she sees the bus pull up with her brother and sister at the end of the school day... and the most excited (and seriously MOST adorable) when daddy calls on Skype and she notices him. I can't wait for him to be home!

We've been working more with sign language... I only get "daddy" and "sleep" and a sort of odd version of "all done" that we are still working on. She quiets down if I do "milk" and she's hungry or if I lay her down to change her, she fusses until I do "change" and she knows why she's laying there.

Our first anniversary is this coming Monday and I'm in tears because I don't even get a hug or kiss for our anniversary


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

9 month check up today, 24 lb 11 oz, 30.5 inches. Still a giant, but at least the gain has slowed down and he's lengthening out.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Mae- I saw this and thought of you! I found it on Facebook.. Kim's Crafts


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

awwwww hehe!


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

How's the weight loss going? Last month I signed up for a weight loss challenge with The Sparkle Mama http://thesparklemama.blogspot.com/2011/05/june-get-your-sparkle-back-weight-loss.html I came in 5th with a loss of 6.71% of my body weight (22lbs!) We had 20 mamas join the first place winner got 10 (cloth) diapers and the 2nd and 3rd got 5 each. I'm sure there will be another one next month.. anyone wanna join? Since giving birth I've lost 75lbs! (50 of that was baby weight) This month we only have 13 mamas. Help us keep this going, we need more interest for July!


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

I have way too much going on to keep trying to lose weight. I'm stuck at just over 200 pounds and gave up caring. 35 pounds down... 35 to my goal weight and yeah. Meh.

I think the whole having no clue when my husband is going to be home thing has a lot to do with it. And raising 3 kids with NO help and now no school to take two of them off my hands part of the week... I feel like I'm going crazy.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

I'm hanging out at 130. I'd love to get rid of that final 5-- then I'd be back to pre-Emma weight. But, I'm pretty happy as it is. If I drop another five it will just be the icing on the cake.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Good work! I'm very very very far away from 130 lol

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kelly1101*
> 
> I'm hanging out at 130. I'd love to get rid of that final 5-- then I'd be back to pre-Emma weight. But, I'm pretty happy as it is. If I drop another five it will just be the icing on the cake.


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## MsDolphin (Jan 5, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kelly1101*
> 
> 9 month check up today, 24 lb 11 oz, 30.5 inches. Still a giant, but at least the gain has slowed down and he's lengthening out.


Has anyone else had their 9 month appt yet?

We had ours last week, DS is 20 lb 8 oz and 29 inches.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Anyone else NOT doing well baby visits?

Apart from life being hectic with 3 kids and no help... I see no point. I can weigh and measure her better than the doctor can, know she's ahead on almost all of her milestones and the few she's not ahead on she's only slightly behind and its not worrisome (like teeth, she didn't get one until almost 8 months and at almost 9 months still only has one) and I'm not vaxing. Or at least delaying them until 12 months. I haven't fully decided yet but I have 3 more months til I have to.


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## MsDolphin (Jan 5, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MaerynPearl*
> 
> ...I can weigh and measure her better than the doctor can


What is her weigh & length now?

I am just curious what other 9 month old babies are at compared to DS. He is my first, so I don't have any past experience to go by.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

I haven't checked her in over a month... I will tomorrow. Last check she was nearing 17 pounds and 26 inches... but that was at about 7 months. She's 8 1/2 months now.

She is on the smaller size... not enough to be "small for her age" just like 25th percentile for both height and weight... which is where she's always been so no issues with her growth.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

We did the first couple, but I can't come up with a good reason to continue the well baby checks. Lila managed to pop out teeth 3 and 4. (finally! they've been visible forever) She's great at cruising. Still climbing stairs. She's super close to having her hair in a Pebbles ponytail! I'm excited about that lol. It's so long and in her eyes. I'll be happy when I can do something with it instead of her just looking like we neglect her.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

as of today, 19 pounds on the nose and 27.5 inches 

Everyone always says "oh she's so tiny" but she's really not... she was tiny 9 months ago


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## nilatti (Aug 5, 2010)

Silas is 20 lbs and 27.5". We do the wellbaby visits, but sometimes I feel like they're kind of pointless.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

I like the well baby visits. We do most vaxes, but I would go anyway just because I like my ped a lot and I like for them to have a good working knowledge of my kids... it might not make a difference if we go in for a sick visit, but it makes me feel better because I "know" them and they "know" me...


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

back home I did my well baby visits because I liked my doctor and liked having a relationship with her.

But now, being in the military life, there's no point getting to know any doctor. We move every couple years and they get switched out all the time.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

one of Mae's top teeth broke through, finally!

Has anyone ever had a child get one top and one bottom first? That's what mae is like right now, its so weird to me?


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mommy2chloerae*
> 
> We are having sleep issues, he rolls all night so I think we're going to try to move to a crib. I'm just so scared of him rolling off the bed and can't really make my bed into crib lol. He hates to be set down when sleeping (still) so it'll probably be a long process  It's really hard though, I love cuddling with him, but can't function on no sleep with 2 others to think about.


We are having this issue too, tried a very thin mat on the floor, but he rolls off, put him between DH and I, but he rolls over by DH too much. So now we have two options, a snug tuck pillow on my side of the bed, and the crib, he sleeps the first half of the night in the crib, then the second half on my side of the bed. The pillow works GREAT but their customer service was AWFUL. So I don't recommend them.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

With my husband coming home (soon?) I have re-sidecarred our crib as Mae also hates to be put down when she's asleep. It's been fine with hubby gone as she would just have his half of the bed but now I need the extra room plus security of knowing she's not near the edge and about to roll off.


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

Ha they BOTH look like Mark too!!! He has redish hair! We both have brown hair!  And he got the chub going on too. This is after a little too much sun on memorial day.



Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kelly1101*
> 
> OMG Silas looks like Ozzy. The reddish hair, the big pretty eyes, the awesome chubby arms  He is a cutie.


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

Glad to finally catch up here!!! I'm not on MDC very often. I finally just started working out and actually trying to lose weight. Have lost a few pounds but gained a lot of muscle so I'm happy with that. Hoping to lose 30lbs, but doubt I'll lose that much without MAJOR work, which as long as I'm still nursing I'm not putting in!

We had Mark's 9 month appointment 2 days ago (he's 9 months TODAY!) he was 22lbs 2 oz and 29.75 inches. He just got his 5th tooth (3 on top, 2 on the bottom). And he's finally sleeping a little better!!!!!! After 8 months of waking every 30mins!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He's also nursing less at night so he's been sleeping in the crib more with DH handling some of the wake ups, I finally feel somewhat human again.

He is also finally mobile, less than 2 weeks ago he finally crawled, using one knee and one foot! lol! But since then he already started furniture cursing. He also says a lot of sounds, da, ma, ba, vvv, fff, and more. None seem to mean anything yet, but he signs "milk" but it means "Want" he will sign it anytime hes trying to get something he cant reach. He's everywhere and into everything. Poor guy closed his finger in his dresser yesterday. Then bit me when I offered to nurse.. :/ He eats like a champ! Holy cow, anything and everything. Tonight he ate chicken carrots, and perogis. He also started clapping, and then he came to a tae kwon do tournament today and clapped everytime the crowd did. Too Cute!!


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

You should join the Sparkle Mom Challenge for July!

Lila's top 2 have officially broken through. I think we had one last time I posted  She's been cruising furniture for a couple of weeks, but now she's REALLY great at it lol. Twice today she took a step without falling. My bitty girl is growing up so fast.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sk8boarder15*
> 
> *Glad to finally catch up here!!! I'm not on MDC very often. I finally just started working out and actually trying to lose weight. Have lost a few pounds but gained a lot of muscle so I'm happy with that. Hoping to lose 30lbs, but doubt I'll lose that much without MAJOR work, which as long as I'm still nursing I'm not putting in! *


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

I've lost over 30 pounds in the past 6 months with VERY little work (and the help of sparkpeople.com)

It's not hard to do at all if you let yourself do it slowly and don't expect final results for months.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Wow, lots of chubby redhead boys this DDC. I'm so hoping he keeps his hair color. It's so adorable.

5 teeth here. Working on 6.

Not much else to report. Crawling fast, cruising furniture, no signs of standing independently.


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

Let's see....

WBV--ours is delayed till the 1st because T is having tubes put in Thursday  His ears are just consistently infected--any time he gets the least big congested, he comes down with a bad double EI. We have tried pretty much everything we can, and he has diminished hearing, and I'm worried about him becoming resistant to abx in the long term, so it seems like the right decision. The ped even said, "She's doing everything she can for you, buddy: nursing, no daycare, you name it." Still, I'm struggling with my baby having surgery and feeling that it truly is necessary. We've been to the ped a lot, though, so I know he is weighing in just under 22lb.

Milestones--crawling like a bat out of hell, pulling up on everything, cruising, and getting really brave to let go, grab things with one hand, and even transition between pieces of furniture. He also climbs the entire flight of stairs. He thinks about pushing up to a stand quite a bit but isn't quite there. He has had a burst of verbal/signing development in the last week. He's now signing more and ball and is clapping. He's an utter madman about "patty cake". And he is mimicking and/or saying quite a bit: dada, this, get, up, poop (he told me he was pooping last week!), baby, puppy, clap, dance, and patty cake (pa day). He doesn't say them consistently, but he definitely says them in context. Too fun! DD2 had 25 words at a year that we could recognize (and she has articulation issues), so I am not surprised that he is picking them up. He also learned to give high fives which is super cute.

Weight--I am hovering right around 140, which is my goal weight; I graduated high school at 137lb and weighed right about what I do now when I got married six years ago. I've been lucky to work out at least 2x/ week since winter, and I didn't gain much with T (~27lbs, all but 8 gone at 1w pp), so I have had a pretty easy time taking it off. Luckily.


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

Well I started working out 3xs a week (in addition to Tae Kwon Do 1-3xs a week), and after the initial weight gain (from muscle) I'm starting to lose. In the last 3 weeks I've lost a pound a week each week. I'm 138 now, was 100 in high school, 150 at my highest a few weeks before Mark was born. I'd like to at least get below 120.. But for my height I really need to be closer to 100-110. I just don't want to cut any calories well BFing. But I think I might be able to keep up the loss if I keep up working out. Its a really good workout designed by my Tae Kwon Do instructor specifically designed to help adults gain muscle evenly (with out "bulking up") and lose weight.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

For calories, I calculated how much I need (not breastfeeding) to stay the same weight. Adding in breastfeeding, then, the weight has slowly dropped off while not harming baby Mae at all.

Both of Mae's top teeth are through, still only one on the bottom. Looks so odd to me, I've only ever known children to get both bottoms then both top!


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## mommy2chloerae (Feb 6, 2005)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Amanda_Reyasmom*
> 
> How's the weight loss going?


It isn't  I'm, stuck between 140-144

I'd like to be 10lbs from here. I'm only 5'2" so the weight doesn't really have room to hide. I keep blaming the csection but I think it's exhaustion (still broken sleep) and lack of motivation. I did well on the 30 day shred but started skipping days, got busy, then never started back.

I need to do something. I feel pretty bad about myself lately.



He's really losing the newbie look!


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## mommy2chloerae (Feb 6, 2005)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MaerynPearl*
> 
> Anyone else NOT doing well baby visits?


We're doing WBC mostly for the vaxes and because he is on Phenobarbital for his seizures and longterm use can cause developmental delays and I just want to be sure to catch anything asap. So far he is right on track.

He is 21 lbs 1oz and 29 1/4 inches at exactly 9 mos.


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## mantischick (Dec 17, 2009)

So little Ollie had his 9 month appointment and is 21lbs and 30in. He loves to babble and pull himself to standing on everything. He also loves, loves, loves to bang hard objects together. My house is a very noisy place to be 



However ... he's a biter. Any tips from anyone on how to handle this? It started out when he would give big hugs he would open his mouth on your shoulder. Now he bites down on hugs and it is starting to progress to biting my legs when he want my attention. I've tried the loud "Ouch" and putting him down ... he laughs. I've tried bursting into tears and putting him down ... he laughs. I yell, he laughs. Sigh ... Any thoughts?


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

I would like to know too. Mae is a biter, she doesn't laugh when I react but it does make her upset and cry, too... but she doesn't stop! I will start crying and she will start crying and I will stop crying and she will do it again!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *mantischick*
> 
> However ... he's a biter. Any tips from anyone on how to handle this? It started out when he would give big hugs he would open his mouth on your shoulder. Now he bites down on hugs and it is starting to progress to biting my legs when he want my attention. I've tried the loud "Ouch" and putting him down ... he laughs. I've tried bursting into tears and putting him down ... he laughs. I yell, he laughs. Sigh ... Any thoughts?


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## Chloe'sMama (Oct 14, 2008)

Hannah is a biter too. I just take her away from the area she is biting and say 'no biting, gentle to mommy'. She doesn't seem to stop permanently, but she does stop for the minute.

We had our 10 month (9.6 month) appt. yesterday. She looks good although she is really not gaining well. She started at 9 lbs, 12 oz and 21.25 inches long.... at almost 10 months she is 18 lbs, 1 oz and 29 inches long (30% for weight and 85% for length). Doc doesn't seem concerned since she is meeting all milestones. We are not really doing much solids and have been trying, but she just is not into it.

I need to post another picture soon. She is just so cute! I will get DH to download them soon.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

That's how big Emma was at a year (born at 7 lb 4 oz). She's two now. She's fine-- strong, healthy, bright, etc. She's just not a chubby baby/toddler, she's a "banana"-type. Those genes run through my family (skipped me, unfortunately).

As long as Hannah is strong, healthy, doing well, I wouldn't worry a bit. Especially since babies tend to "plateau" between 6-9 months-- all that increased crawling/moving.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Chloe'sMama*
> 
> Hannah is a biter too. I just take her away from the area she is biting and say 'no biting, gentle to mommy'. She doesn't seem to stop permanently, but she does stop for the minute.
> 
> ...


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Pics!

Just got up from nap, hanging with big sis:





My big guy:


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

My camera's acting up so I've got fewer pics 

Here's my guard dog.





And here's Lila enjoying a tortilla with some guacamole spread inside  YUM!


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## MsDolphin (Jan 5, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Amanda_Reyasmom*
> 
> Here's my guard dog.


Love this!

I wish I had pics of DS with our dogs. I got one when he was very young, but that dog has since passed away (he was 17). The other dog just turned 17 and his is too rough with them, so the dogs did/do stay away.


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## RRMum (Nov 7, 2010)

Hi I had this issue with DS, he was even biting while nursing. I tried all that you did with no luck. What worked is a loud "Ouch that hurts" then I firmly set him on the floor and left the room for a about a minute. After a couple of tries that worked. I was lucky though he wasn't yet crawling so there wasn't much trouble he could get into while I was hiding in the other room. When I returned I just acted as if nothing had happened. Good Luck!


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Stella wants very little to do with the baby while she's actually awake lol. The exceptions are when she's eating or has just finished eating. Stella is extra affectionate.. or maybe she's just tasting the baby, plotting. 

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MsDolphin*
> 
> Love this!
> 
> I wish I had pics of DS with our dogs. I got one when he was very young, but that dog has since passed away (he was 17). The other dog just turned 17 and his is too rough with them, so the dogs did/do stay away.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Ohh man, look what came in the mail today! Lila's concentrating very hard in the first pic.. I caught her stepping  You can barely see her matching diaper in the second pic!


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

Anyone having separation anxiety? Mark often cries when I leave the room, except when he's with daddy. I felt so bad for my mom last night who tried to entertain him for an hour (while I got a massage) to no avail. I know this can be normal, but it came out of nowhere....


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Both of mine had it early. Emma was AWFUL. AWFUL. AWFUL. From about 6 months to nearly 10 months old. Jason called it "Emma's five foot rule" I could not be farther than five feet away from her or she would scream like you were pulling out fingernails. She didn't even want Jason. Just me.

Ozzy had it much milder, and only for about a month, I guess around 8 mo - 9 mo (he's been better the past few weeks, he'll be 10 mo in a week). And he is a lot more okay with having daddy hold him instead of me at this point.

Really all you can do is suck it up and repeat to yourself "this too shall pass, this too shall pass."

Although seriously sometimes with Emma I now miss it, LMAO. She is a frighteningly independent toddler. Like, if we're at the park, she doesn't even care where I am, she will just run right off with whatever little friend she can find, and not even listen when I'm hollering at her to stay close and not go too far.

Moral of the Story: No, you are not spoiling your baby by giving in to separation anxiety and letting him/her be near you. No, your kid will not be Ruined because you don't force him/her to be held by other people. No, your kid is not going to be tied to your apron strings forever-- he/she will still figure out how to be independent. Tell anyone who says otherwise to shut their cake hole.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

It almost seems like Mae is starting to have separation anxiety about daddy being gone, though he's been gone 6 months!

And yeah I agree, giving in to separation anxiety is NOT a bad thing! I constantly did with my now 8 year old and he's extremely independent. He just spent the past 8 hours at a friends house (for a birthday party) and I am 100% positive the mother had no issues with him (she always tells me how well behaved he is over there!)

Luckily, he's smart enough to know to stay away from strangers and if one tries talking to him when I'm not around (or dad, or another trustworthy adult) to find someone he knows to be sure it is okay. I still worry though... and according to my mom I will continue to worry until the day I die lol... Apparently your baby having babies of their own only makes it worse, not better!


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

Its just hard because he went from a super happy with everyone baby, unless he was tired, to an only OK with Mom and dad baby in no time flat! I'm used to some freedom. I just feel bad for him too. Hes getting 3 teeth in right now too (lateral incisors) and possibly his first molars (hes chewing back there a lot too all the sudden) so the poor guy is mess. He's crying in daddy's arms right now becuase I needed a break. He's been a mess ever since he got out of the tub, SCREAMING. He's eaten, nursed on both sides (for a LONG time) had tylonal, and he's still screaming. :'(


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

MaeMae's been chewing in the back a lot lately, too, but I don't think it's teeth. Not totally sure what it is (new sensation now that she has more control over her hands maybe?)


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## Laurski (Mar 13, 2010)

Haven't been around much lately b/c of the recent MDC issues...but thought I'd check in with our DDC babies.

So much happening with all our little ones...it's so much fun to read! Kelly--I can't believe those pics of Ozzy--he looks like a little boy now! And Amanda and Maeryn--I can't believe your LOs can stand all on their own. Crazy!

Ellie is going to be 10 months on Monday...I literally can't believe it. She has been so much more fun in the past few months. Just like DH and I predicted, as soon she could do more things for herself, she became a much, much happier baby. She sits up by herself, crawls, pulls herself up, transfers between pieces of furniture, and harasses my dog like crazy! Poor guy...he's definitely become more gray since she came home from the hospital. He is absolutely her favorite "person" in the house--she shrieks and giggles whenever he's around.

She's also so much more solid lately. I'm not sure what she weighs now (she weighed 16.8lbs at 8.5 months), but she looooves to eat and packs away anything I give her. We're on the slow march to giving up purees, since little Miss Independent is a big fan of self-feeding.

She's also obsessed with ceiling fans. If she sees one, she will stop whatever she's doing, start reaching for it, and make these really funny sounds (I wish I could describe them...grunt isn't quite the right word for it. More like an 90 year old man making noises when he is reaching for something.). It's absolutely adorable.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

It's so funny to me... I mean it's not hard to remember that Mae was born at the end of a month everyone expected her to be born at the beginning of, but it's still so funny for yall to be talking about turning 10 months and Mae's not even 9 yet! (tomorrow!)


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Got a camcorder? This is the type of thing you should record, so that you can show them when they get older, lmao.

Ozzy is a big fan of ceiling fans (ha ha fan of fans) too. He shrieks at them (his Happy shriek).

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Laurski*
> 
> She's also obsessed with ceiling fans. If she sees one, she will stop whatever she's doing, start reaching for it, and make these really funny sounds (I wish I could describe them...grunt isn't quite the right word for it. More like an 90 year old man making noises when he is reaching for something.). It's absolutely adorable.


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## Laurski (Mar 13, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kelly1101*
> 
> Got a camcorder? This is the type of thing you should record, so that you can show them when they get older, lmao.
> 
> Ozzy is a big fan of ceiling fans (ha ha fan of fans) too. He shrieks at them (his Happy shriek).


We do! I actually used my phone to record her doing this the other night at the ceiling fan across the alley from our apartment and sent it to my sister. She said she couldn't stop laughing.

I can't wait to break this video out when she brings her first boy/girl friend over. Ha!


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Oh My... 



 (It's 22 seconds I promise it won't hurt!)


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

Oh dear, Amanda. I am not ready for this!!! She is darn cute, though


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

She's the biggest girl in the WORLD!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PinkBunch*
> 
> Oh dear, Amanda. I am not ready for this!!! She is darn cute, though


Seriously though.. I just got the new phone and managed to catch that. She took 7 steps yesterday. I'm not ready for this either! (and thank you.. This baby makes me so insanely happy I can't stand it!)


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Mae started trying today :'( she needs to stop until daddy is home!!! She doesn't have that long left to wait but I seriously don't think she's going to make it.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Holy crap! Walking! Wow.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Amanda_Reyasmom*
> 
> Oh My...
> 
> ...


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

I'm still stunned! She took her first steps Father's Day weekend. Did you notice how LOUD she is.. that's her happy.. Can you imagine when she's mad? LOL There's so much noise!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kelly1101*
> 
> Holy crap! Walking! Wow.


----------



## Parker'smommy (Sep 12, 2002)

Wow!!! Everyone is moving, moving, moving. Well, except Miss Genevieve...lol. She is now 10 months old and hasn't even started crawling....She has scooted backwards a few times. But I think it was accidental...lmao.

I'm getting very sentimental and sad that her first birthday is fast approaching. PUT ON THE BRAKES!!! Is anyone else feeling this way? It may have to do with her being my last baby...but man... It's gone by way too fast. In a way, I'm happy she isn't bounding through her milestones. It keeps her babyish for longer 

Here's a picture of my sweet girl....



And here's a pic of all 3 of my kids. Could they all look any different in coloring?


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

NOM NOM baby looooves spaghetti

And over at the neighbors house... she loves their toy car!

on her arm is just a piece of dead grass, but up by her eye was her first owie from learning to walk!

Thats a better version of it. Up top you can see as of last night it's totally healed though!


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

Had T's 9 month WBV a couple weeks late.

Weight: 21lb, 13oz

Length: 30 1/8"

His weight gain is starting that downward trend that mobile breastfed babes have. At least I *know* this pattern now, so I won't be as freaked as I was when DD1 only gained 3lbs from 7m to 18m! He's healthy and happy and was up at 1, 3 and 5 last night. Seriously.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

I think gymnastics runs in her daddy's family.

Speaking of daddy we are getting very close to him coming home and VERY close to Mae walking. Still praying she waits but she has been trying to take steps (and falling, so far)


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

Wow, I haven't checked in here for a while. Glad to see where everyone is now!

Caitlin just turned 10 months and started crawling at 9.5 months. She's not sleeping any better after learning to crawl, but I'm still having fun with it. She's not too into things she shouldn't be, but I love that she can just follow me out of the room when I go to the bathroom or to get a glass of water, instead of me having to take her with me or leave her crying.

She got 2 bottom teeth around 7 months, and had 4 top teeth all break through at once a little over a week ago. Seems to be handling them OK, though.

My big complaint right now is her sleep! She comes to bed with us, usually around midnight, after her first stretch of sleep in her crib. For the next few hours it's not terrible, but then around 5 or so she gets so restless! Lot's of kicking and hitting, moving around in the bed. I'm no longer getting anywhere near enough sleep because it's hard with a baby finger in your eye and constant kicks to the groin.  I tried putting her back in her crib at 6 this morning, but she wouldn't go back to sleep for me. I wouldn't mind getting up at 6 if she would go to sleep before 10 at night, but this is rough.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Mae gets up at 5 too, so I've had to start going to bed earlier myself


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

I wish she had something resembling a "wake up time". It was 7:30 for a while. Then suddenly she started sleeping until 8:30. Then 6 yesterday, 7 today. But it's fine - we manage with naps for mommy as needed!


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

We had our first fever this weekend  Apparently tooth #5 is a doozy!


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## Lit Chick (Aug 15, 2007)

Been away for ages. Glad that all the LOs are doing so good!

with #1, I was really lazy about WBV since we're not vaxing. I did pretty much every-other, and mostly to keep up a relationship with my ped. With #2, I've been going, because I wanted to make sure he kept growing normally. And YAY - he finally made up the ground that he lost! Average weight, and a little above average height. Crawling and furniture surfing, and thinking about walking... but he's a cautious boy and will not attempt anything hands-free.

Little guy did make some walking progress on Sun. My brother has a great bond with him, and so when he took his little hands and tried to walk him around the room, DS2 did it! For us, he's just been dropping to his knees and crawling. But for Uncle, he put one foot right in front of the other and crowed about it! Very cute.

He's in day-care full time now (my mom/dad/brother were sitting, but they are now taking care of my grandma). So, he has a perma-sniffle and gets diaper rash. BUT, I got new cloth diapers (pockets with fleece lining), so hopefully that will be nicer on his bum than a soggy prefold. We shall see. Poor day care - they asked for more wipes and butt cream.... and today they got cut-up Tshirts, pump bottle of homemade wiple solution, and a jar of coconut oil mixed with corn starch. Heh. Wondering how that will go...


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

I swear she was fine, happily playing and I told her "Your mama don't dance and your daddy don't rock n roll" and she started crying!


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

So Amanda, did you get up right away and start dancing to reassure her? 

Caitlin can't pull up to standing yet, but she can push up on her feet on something that is shorter than she is. At the mall today she was pushing up on things in the play area, then diving head first over them after toys. She realized she can climb onto them, but doesn't get the concept of falling off the other side. Thankfully I or another mama was there to catch her . . . this time. Gonna have to be careful at the mall for a while until she learns to exercise a bit of caution!

Did anyone else do fireworks last night? Caitlin is pretty noise sensitive (jumps when someone sneezes, for example), so I wasn't sure we'd go, but some friends were doing a pretty impressive display, so we decided to chance it and leave if necessary. She jumped with the first few fireworks, but didn't get upset, then she just fell asleep. I was impressed, because they were loud! I kept her ears covered the whole time and she did great.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Mae's reaction to fireworks. No clue if she liked them, it was a mix of terror and glee. Cling for dear life, then go back and forth between whining and squealing with laughter.

Also, as of yesterday she will get up in the middle of the floor without anything to hang on to. Also, still trying to take steps. Few more days baby, wait a few more days!!!!!

Also, another pic of all of my kids. I'm trying to remember to take pics like this more for family back home! And yes, my son is wearing red fingernail polish. At his own request. And he is 8. Yes, I'm a proud mommy that my son doesn't see a problem with it! Today I let him pick out his own bottle, whatever color he wanted. He chose white, because we already have red and blue and he wants me to do red white and blue for when Dad comes home lol


Yesterday was OUR holiday! Our big one  I mean... of course we would be all about independence day being a military family and whatnot, but add to it that those three kids' birth stones are red, white and blue (in order of age lol) and that we were originally planning on getting married on July 4th, 2010 (but settled on June 13, 2010) We had a lovely picnic with both neighbor families that I know plus two other families that are one of theirs' friends. Then the dads (all 3 Marines) shot off fireworks for everyone to enjoy.



That is most of the kiddos who were there yesterday, minus 3 of the 4 babies (Mae-Mae is in the bottom right so she's considered in the pic lol)


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## Lit Chick (Aug 15, 2007)

Sigh, no fireworks for us.

#1, we get up wicked early, so staying up past sunset is a rare thing.

#2 we live in AZ, so being outside in July is awful

#3 even though I was thinking about staying up and sweating anyway, we had a huge dust storm so our town's show was cancelled.

Ah well. I think maybe next year we'll plan on the 4th in Chicago. My family always has a huuuuuge party, and the 4th to me should be about humidity and junebugs, not gritty dust and oven temps.


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

And don't forget fireflies! They were putting on a pre-fireworks show for us here in Michigan.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jenifera2*
> 
> So Amanda, did you get up right away and start dancing to reassure her?
> 
> ...


Of course I did! LOL.. It's a terrible pic, but you really only get one shot before you have to tend to the crying babe . My girlie LOVED the fireworks, my real camera is so very close to dead, and my phone won't take pics at night . So no action shots here.

Our next exciting milestone is I think we're about ready for a tiny Pebbles kinda pigtail! I gotta get some little elastics and give it a try.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

I saw videos of that, it was crazy! Day to night in less that a minute.

My hubby has been through several of them (over in Kuwait/Iraq) but I've never been in one. I can imagine that is one sort of storm I would hate. It's bad enough the fire down here still blows its smoke up and chokes our little town every single morning 

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Lit Chick*
> 
> #3 even though I was thinking about staying up and sweating anyway, we had a huge dust storm so our town's show was cancelled.


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## Lit Chick (Aug 15, 2007)

Dust storms are hideous. They make a mess of everything, and trees here are not strong (and tend to be overwatered with shallow roots) so they fall over like crazy. And it is terrifying if you're on the road. You're supposed to pull over and stop - but of course people still try and drive, and speed. So the news was saying pull over, stop, and turn off your lights - because if the lights are on then some idiot still driving with try and "follow" you, and smash into your stopped car. Suuuppper.

If it's nasty windy, I take side streets because I'd rather stop in a residential zone than on a highway.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

well the driving aspect doesn't sound that much different from driving in a snow storm, except I imagine the roads aren't quite as slippery with sand/dust as they are with snow/ice lol


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## MsDolphin (Jan 5, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kelly1101*
> 
> Moral of the Story: No, you are not spoiling your baby by giving in to separation anxiety and letting him/her be near you. No, your kid will not be Ruined because you don't force him/her to be held by other people. No, your kid is not going to be tied to your apron strings forever-- he/she will still figure out how to be independent. Tell anyone who says otherwise to shut their cake hole.


DS sticks to me like glue. I've got the attitude that it's just a phase and since he's my only baby (hopefully one more later, but we will see what God has planned) I will enjoy this phase of with him. DH is not so understanding, he b*tches about it whenever DS starts crying for me. I hate that he isn't very understanding about it.

One good thing, is DS is fine when I am not around. It's only if he sees me and I am not holding/playing with him - he goes into crying-baby-mode.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Holy separation anxiety! My poor girl is having a terrible time when I try to leave the room! I went grocery shopping without her today and came home to a frazzled DH, big sister and baby lol.. She looks sooo innocent, don't let her fool you!


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## JTA Mom (Feb 25, 2007)

Wow, all the babies here have grown so fast. Count me in on the side that can't believe the first birthday is 2 months away! *sniffle*

It feels like Elias is blowing through all these milestones. He's started crawling, something his older brother didn't do until he was a year old! And he is cruising like crazy. He also has a thing for Dora. Every time his older brother watches it, Elias MUST MUST MUST be in the room. It's too cute.

How did this



Suddenly become this:



I swear, the first picture was taken, like, a few days ago, max!

Ami


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Mae is all about Jake and the Neverland Pirates or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. In the car the "hot dog" song calms her down.

And yeah, totally crazy that in less than a year we go from 

to


look at how much her hair changed! She doesn't even have as much hair now as she did when she was born!


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## porcelina (May 2, 2007)

LOVE this pic!!! I can see them all looking back on it in 20 years trying to pick out who's who.

Please, please give me your tips on taking such great pictures!! You really make great ones! I took a photography class in college, but it has been awhile and now I just use the automatic setting, but I know pics could be much better. What do you do?

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MaerynPearl*
> 
> 
> 
> That is most of the kiddos who were there yesterday, minus 3 of the 4 babies (Mae-Mae is in the bottom right so she's considered in the pic lol)


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Wow... serious changes.

Ozzy:



Now:



Just crazy.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Oh Kelly! I love those top teeth! Too cute  Lila's lips are so freakin big it's hard to get a pic of hers lol! A-dor-a-BULL!


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## bethanta (Jul 15, 2009)

All our babies are so cute!!!

P still has no teeth, I can't wait until a couple come in and she gets that adorable toothy smile  Of course her smile now isn't so bad either...!


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bethanta*
> 
> All our babies are so cute!!!
> 
> P still has no teeth, I can't wait until a couple come in and she gets that adorable toothy smile  Of course her smile now isn't so bad either...!


OMG she looks a lot like Mae in that picture!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *porcelina*
> 
> LOVE this pic!!! I can see them all looking back on it in 20 years trying to pick out who's who.
> 
> Please, please give me your tips on taking such great pictures!! You really make great ones! I took a photography class in college, but it has been awhile and now I just use the automatic setting, but I know pics could be much better. What do you do?


Um... #1 tip any photographer will tell you is, if you see a picture you want to take you should probably change perspective. If you only ever shoot from how you see things you will probably miss some great shots.

Otherwise? I don't know, practice I guess lol... I never had classes or anything I've just always been artistic.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Oh! I forgot!

He's finally home!

and Mae loves him! She behaves much better for him than she does for me.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Aww Mae congratulations! So happy for you guys 

Reya and I got crafty yesterday. We made a tutu dress! (excuse the ever present laundry bucket... and I promise that diaper is clean!


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Wow. Awesome pic. I'm so happy for ya'll 

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MaerynPearl*
> 
> Oh! I forgot!
> 
> He's finally home!


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

Mae, I cannot click the thumbs up enough times!!!!


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## MsDolphin (Jan 5, 2010)

Agree! Awesome picture. Happy for you that he is home.









Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kelly1101*
> 
> Wow. Awesome pic. I'm so happy for ya'll


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

So happy for you, Mae!

Caitlin now has 4 top teeth (can't remember if I mentioned that) and just tonight started pulling up to standing. She spent the weekend swimming in a lake and boating and is definitely an up-north kind of girl!

As for taking photos off auto, what kind of camera do you have? Can you adjust aperture, shutter speed, ISO? Here are a few tips on the technical side, then a few on the artistic side:

* Shoot in aperture mode. The lower that number, the less depth-of-field you'll have in focus, so you can get great portraits with the smeared, buttery background.

* Buy a 50mm f1.8 prime lens for great portrait shots. For either Canon or Nikon you can get one for around $100 and you'll be amazed at the difference between that and whatever kit lens probably came with your camera.

* Keep your ISO as low as possible, but dial it up for shooting in low light if necessary.

* Look at the shutter speed that your camera is using when you're in aperture mode. If it's a number that is smaller than your lens length, use a tripod or open the aperture or up the ISO. So, for example, if you've got your 50mm prime lens on and your aperture setting requires a 1/20 second shutter speed for proper exposure, that's too slow for you to take without shake if you're holding the camera in your hand. Open the aperture to get at least as fast as 1/50 second.

* Avoid using the on-camera flash, since it makes people appear pretty dull and lifeless. It can work for a fill flash if you're shooting in bright sunlight and the sun is behind your subject, but don't use it in low light if you can avoid it.

And artistic tips:

* Position your subject so that you can see the little white square of "catch light" in their eyes. Standing between the light source and your subject is good.

* Get on your subject's level - so sit or lie down on the ground to photograph babies.

* Or get well above them and look down. Or do both.

* Fill the frame with your subject unless the point of the photo is to show off the setting. Way too many photos include too much of the surroundings and you can barely make out the subject.

* And most importantly, think about what story you want to tell when composing your photograph, and who the audience for that story is.

And for those of us who don't shoot enough to have a gut feel for timing, and especially when shooting children, don't be afraid to take lots of photos and throw away the vast majority of them. DSLR camera usually have a rapid-shoot mode that can take several shots per second. This is good when you can't count on a child holding a facial expression, or when you're going for an action shot. Just be sure to cull the photos viciously and immediately - going back to sort them later is something you're not likely to find the time for.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

YES. I have a huge extra drive just for my photos because I take hundreds at a time... I mostly shoot children, groups and families so I have to take lots to either catch them all with a good expression or have enough to choose from to put the expressions together.

I have literally THOUSANDS of photos that I have taken just in the past 6 months. I keep them all, however in addition to photography I also like to edit photos and I keep a lot of my failures for practice editing or because they are super cute candids

never ever underestimate the power of a mistake in a photo, for example:

Looks like a beautiful photo of a girl smelling the flowers, right? Her mother made me print a poster size of that because she loved it so much.

What you don't know is she was actually goofing around and pretending to eat them.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jenifera2*
> 
> And for those of us who don't shoot enough to have a gut feel for timing, and especially when shooting children, don't be afraid to take lots of photos and throw away the vast majority of them. DSLR camera usually have a rapid-shoot mode that can take several shots per second. This is good when you can't count on a child holding a facial expression, or when you're going for an action shot.


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

A few recent photos, though her top teeth are now much bigger than in the photo with the pink shirt.


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## porcelina (May 2, 2007)

Jenifera2, THANKS for these tips!!!! This is very helpful!!! I had an old, manual Minolta back when I was in college, and I remember using the light meter in the camera a lot. I was just not clear on how to translate these rules of thumb for these digital cameras these days (esp. since it's so fuzzy for me now)! Yay! Our Nikon D50 takes great shots a lot of the time, but I have been having a really hard time getting decent pics out of our Canon G12, which is supposed to be a great camera for its size and has great reviews. Hopefully, these tips will help a ton!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jenifera2*
> 
> So happy for you, Mae!
> 
> ...


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## Lit Chick (Aug 15, 2007)

Yay Mae! So happy for you.

We got away for the weekend... it was bliss. Last time the husband and I had more than 4 hours alone, I had just found out I was pregnant with the baby. BUT.... we get back and the first thing I see is a rash, Mouth, groin, hands, feet. Suuuuuuuuper. So looks like I'll be taking a sick day to find out if it's coxsackie and contagious or random no-big-deal rash.

Daycare sucks.


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

That rash doesn't sound good. I hope it turns out to be nothing serious!

For those interested in taking better pictures of your babies, I've been loving Me Ra Koh's new book,Your Baby In Pictures: http://www.amazon.com/Your-Baby-Pictures-Parents-Photographing/dp/0817400036/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310955745&sr=8-1

It offers suggestions for photos from newborn to 1 year, complete with the settings you might use on your camera, whether it's point-and-shoot or DSLR. Even though our babies are nearing a year, there are still some fun suggestions in the 6-9 month and 9-12 month sections that could be used, and it would be a great buy for any photographer planning to have another baby or who likes to take photos of other babies. Here are a couple of her shots that I replicated this weekend:


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

So... how are our babies doing with vocabulary?

Mae has "said" a ton, and a lot of it has made sense to us but I know having had two kids before it doesn't count as talking yet because although it makes sense to us and sounds like she means it, she has no clue what she actually said and does not repeat it.

We're getting close, I think, to a "mommy" seriously meaning me. Working on "daddy" too but right now more than anything we are working on getting to know daddy again.

Today, Mae seems to be working on how to do kisses correctly.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

We have a couple of words! Yay-ya = Reya, And I get "mum" when she's tired and wants to nurse.. I'm not 100% that's me.. it could be nursies lol. The new one from this weekend is DADDY! She totally skipped over "da da" and went straight to DADDY! Dh was outside on a business call and she's started calling him from the window. It was the sweetest thing ever! Reya and I just looked at each other and said "Did you hear that!?"

Her confidence is gaining on the walking thing. She's taking 6-10 steps at a time now, and if she loses her balance she stands back up without actually falling. I can't believe how fast this has happened.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Oh and I think she's trying out "doggie" but I'm not 100% sure on that one lol


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## Lit Chick (Aug 15, 2007)

We had mama, dada, and baba really early.... and he kind of stopped bothering with that as soon as crawling came into the picture. He does "say" Fffffffff quite a bit, and I'm pretty sure that's "Finn" (older brother). Mama means me, or "I'm cranky, do something!" Dada means daddy, or "I'm really happy, yay!"

And the rash is Hand, Foot, and Mouth. But the doc said he's not contagious anymore, so that's a plus. And while he is not a fan of eating right now, he will take regular gulps of ice water, so he's well hydrated. The doc said he's fighting it off really well. Still - ouchy blisters in his mouth! Poor baby.

And daycare SUCKS. He's the 4th kid in his room that was diagnosed today.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

I hope he recovers quickly!


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Walking, Mae has taken a few steps... 3 is her current record. I don't think it will be long before she's off wandering around, she's gotten pretty solid at standing in the past week.

Talking Mae's new favorite game goes like this:

"mom" "what?" "ma" "what?" "mum" "what?" "mama" "what" "mommy" "what?" *various other M and Ah put together sounds* "what?" "dada" "I'm not daddy." and she squeals.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Our living/dining area is weirdly laid out, so we can't put up a baby gate. We block off the area with her pack n play to keep Lila off the stairs. She figured out how to squirm her way through, and climb the stairs. Yesterday she climbed 1/2 way up the first flight and started screaming "Reeeee YA" "REEE-YA" Til her sister came to fetch her! I can't believe she went from YAY ya to Reee Ya in 2 days!


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

aww! i have a feeling Mae Mae will have a problem with her sisters name because it's sort of complicated so we are just calling her "sissy" for now... Mae isn't even attempting that or her brothers name. Though she does seem to want to say "kitty"

and walking:


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## MsDolphin (Jan 5, 2010)

DS started walking last week, its so cute. He hasn't said any words yet.He's good at grunting and pointing at what he wants.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Love walking! I'm such a voyer I watched a few more.. That's a girl who doesn't like "no"!

I need to do a new one of Lila, now that she's more stable! Here she is dancing a couple of weeks ago 




Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MaerynPearl*
> 
> aww! i have a feeling Mae Mae will have a problem with her sisters name because it's sort of complicated so we are just calling her "sissy" for now... Mae isn't even attempting that or her brothers name. Though she does seem to want to say "kitty"
> 
> and walking:


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Mae Mae shakes her butt to dance, no videos yet though


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## porcelina (May 2, 2007)

Simon's taking it easy on the gross motor -- just started crawling.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Ozzy keeps saying "daddy" but we're not sure if he really knows what it means. It's possible-- last night when I was holding him he leaned towards Jason and put out his arms for Jason to hold him and said "daddy!" LMAO. It's so hard to tell how much of it is babble and how much is actually labelling, though.

Funny related, though-- my toddler and I were playing a "what does the animal say" game where I was naming all kinds of animals and she would make the noise. And on a whim I said "what does a baby say?" and she replied "ba ba ba ba ba!" Hahahaha, he does do that a LOT.

He "let go" for the first time last night while cruising furniture, but only for a second.

Just got tooth number 8.

Still a giant giant giant baby. Getting taller all the time.

I hate giving him a bath. It's like giving a bath to a cat (except no claws, thankfully). He squirms, struggles, tries to stand up and climb out, won't sit still, I'm wrestling him the ENTIRE TIME trying to wash him. In comparison to his sister who has been able to sit nicely in the tub and play since she was like 6 months.

He basically never sits still. NEVER. EVER. EVER. Unless I strap him into something (carseat, high chair, stroller, carrier). If he is not literally strapped down, he is in motion. I can't even hold him, without him leaning out all over the place trying to grab things and go places. I really do not want him to walk. He crawls too fast as it is. He's all over the damn place. I'm exhausted. LMAO. I'm starting to really realize what a calm baby/toddler his sister was/is.

He wants to chew on electrical cords more than anything in the world. Yesterday I was folding laundry and he was on the floor eyeing the cord to the fan. He started towards the cord and I made the "AH!" [stop] sound. He stopped, looked at me big-eyed, then looked at the cord big-eyed, then looked back at me. Watching me. As soon as I looked back at the laundry, there he goes again. I say "AH!" again. He stops. For the next few minutes, I kept looking at him, and he would turn like he was going to go for the cord, then look back and see me watching him, and stop. Over and over again. You could see the thought in his head "when are you going to stop watching me so that I can get this cord?" I was trying so hard not to laugh.


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## nilatti (Aug 5, 2010)

Silas is crawling all over the place, but not pulling up or cruising furniture yet (thank goodness!). He has six teeth.

As to words...we're still just at "doggy!" I know who is special to baby...

He has six teeth and seems to be working on another one.

I can't get over what a pleasant and easy-going baby he is. He only really acts up when he's in some kind of discomfort. Recently, we spent four days in DC because a play I directed was touring there. Everyone remarked on how happy he was just to hang out, crawling around the theater (in baby-proofed areas), or riding in the Ergo. I thanked him a thousand times for being such a sweetie.

He loves books, which makes me incredibly happy. We had our first trip to the library to get books for him yesterday. He's been in there before, but just because I needed to get a book FOR ME. He love love loved it. He's just now learning to turn pages in board books, and he can do that for hours.

He also has a sense of humor, I can tell. He doesn't say "mama" or "daddy" yet, but the other day, he was babbling: "mamamamammamamamamamama." I said, "Yes, that's right, MAMA." He looked right at me, and said "DADA!" and started giggling uncontrollably. It sounds like Mae told the same joke!


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## JTA Mom (Feb 25, 2007)

Kelly, that sounds so cute! I'm sure Ozzy was getting annoyed. I mean, what's wrong with that yummy chew toy?









Elias loves cords as well. And shoes. Especially flip flops. I am not used to hiding shoes from a human. A dog, yes, but a 10 month old??

It's amazing to see how different the brothers are, and how little it has to do with me! If only I knew that with my oldest, I could have relaxed more. I feel like Elias is growing so much faster than his big brother. I can't believe in 2 more months he's going to be 1 and no longer an infant. I remember it being so much longer with his big brother.

Ami


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

You know, we hardly belong in "life with a babe" anymore. We've got a whole lot of toddlers around here! I still love seeing everyone's photos!


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

We've only got 4 teeth still... over the past day it's becoming more obvious that I am "Mom" (a little heartbreaking, I wanted to be Mommy again! but brother and sister call me Mom, so that is who I am.) And she seems to be developing quite a sense of humor. Her current two "jokes" are:

"Mom." "What?" "Mom." "what?" "Ma." "what?" "Mama." "what?" "Nom." *silence* *baby cracks up*

and

"Say daddy, Mae Mae! Da-Dee, Daddy!" "Mom."

She also started pointing! That's a big one for me, don't remember when my first two started pointing and Mae is already pointing and then staring at us to have us tell her what things are. Probably because that's a game we play with her where we point at things and tell her what they are... started out when daddy was deployed and I would point at pics of him and tell her who he was.

Oh and I got a video of her sort of dancing... she usually does much more than this though. She LOVES the song her teapot plays!


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Two new pics, a friend bought me a cow cloth diaper! It's just too cute. Anyway:



Can't stop laughing at that one.

And her new trick!


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## MsDolphin (Jan 5, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jenifera2*
> 
> You know, we hardly belong in "life with a babe" anymore. We've got a whole lot of toddlers around here!


OMG - noooooo! It's too fast.









Although, I think you might be right, I peeked into the toddler section and I see the "July 2010" tribe is there.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jenifera2*
> 
> You know, we hardly belong in "life with a babe" anymore. We've got a whole lot of toddlers around here! I still love seeing everyone's photos!


:-( My baby toddles. She just walked her tiny self across the room. I might cry.


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## JTA Mom (Feb 25, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Amanda_Reyasmom*
> 
> :-( My baby toddles. She just walked her tiny self across the room. I might cry.


I'll cry with you!









Why do the younger ones race to grow up? Not fair!

And it's way too early for toddling. We have at least 2 more months before then. Right?


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

I don't know. My girl was an end of Sept baby! I figured it would be longer. She's been climbing stairs for a couple of months, now she's starting to figure her way DOWN them!? She just hops off the sofa, and the bed now. She doesn't wait for anyone!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JTA Mom*
> 
> I'll cry with you!
> 
> ...


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

I sure as hell hope so.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JTA Mom*
> 
> And it's way too early for toddling. We have at least 2 more months before then. Right?


Ozzy pics, he'll be 11 months next week!


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## Lit Chick (Aug 15, 2007)

My little silly still only has two teeth. The top ones are almost out though.

At day care they do roll-call, so if you say "Where's Tal?" he'll raise his hand. So cute! He also claps really well, and he's fantastic at playing catch. We have a few balls he can pick up in one hand, and he throws them overhand and is aim is generally right on. I wanted to freeze time when I saw him playing catch with his older brother for the first time.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Mae has been growing in leaps and bounds since daddy came home... Just now he was trying to get her attention and said "Maeryn..." and without even looking at him she replied "Daddy..."

She also started signing "more" and "all done" tonight while daddy was feeding her the chili I made for supper since her own supper was gone.

She takes several steps at a time... yesterday we even caught her going up and down the only stair in our house (out our back door) very well both standing and crawling... agh!

Been snotty and slobbery the past couple days, finally getting her fifth tooth, possibly also her sixth.

And she's already figured out how to open the child safety locks on our cabinets. Luckily, despite being locked, all I keep in my lower cabinets are cans and pans. I know better than to keep cleaning supplies in the reach of my older kids let alone Mae so they are all up so high that I need a step stool to get to them (and I'm 5'8!)

I seriously don't remember my first two doing any of this this soon, she won't even be 10 months for a couple more days!


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## MsDolphin (Jan 5, 2010)

DS has 3 (maybe 4) top teeth coming in at one time. The bottom 2 have been there a while.

He doesn't eat alot at meal time (stage2 baby food) and the doctor said to supplement with formula. But I am wondering if he is just ready for "real" table food, not the baby food? Anyone have thoughts? This is my first child and I think I am nervous about what kind of table foods to give him. He has had small bites of table food, but not enough t be a meal.


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

Caitlin has been eating real table food (no purees) since she was 6 months old. She got 2 bottom teeth at 7 months and 4 top teeth around 9 months. With teeth, we have to be careful with meat, since she can now bite off large chunks but has no back teeth to chew them. Otherwise, she handles most foods just fine.

Since you're nervous, try a couple options:

small foods - peas, diced fruits and soft veggies, cereal like cheerios

hand-held foods - toddler biscuits, crackers like wheat thins, roasted carrots or sweet potatoes cut into french-fry-shaped sticks

It may take some practice for him to handle putting foods into his mouth and moving them around, so he might gag a little, but that's not the same as choking and shouldn't require interference from you. If he's noisily working food around, he's not choking - choking is silent since baby can't move air. It's not uncommon for a baby to gag, spit up a bunch of food, chewed and not, and put it back in to try again. It bothers parents more than babies. 

Also, don't worry too much if he doesn't eat a lot right away. It's important at this age to learn about food, but playing is an important part of that.

Is there a reason your doctor wants you to supplement with formula? Are you nursing? If so, he should be getting all the nutrition he needs from you (barring unusual circumstances) and doesn't have any need for food. He'll learn to eat more and nurse less over time. I'd guess most babies get the majority of their calories from food (as opposed to nursing) by 18 months or so. Some like food earlier and eat more of it even before they're one, but some take longer to get to it. Mama's milk is plenty to get them what they need while they're growing into solids.

Oh, and I'll also add that it doesn't take much to make a "meal" for a child this age, but even so, I doubt Caitlin very often eats enough to qualify. She nurses a lot and is still growing and developing normally, so there's no reason to worry. Breakfast might be a chunk of banana (maybe 2 inches long) and a few (maybe 5-10) cheerios. Possibly a few spoons of yogurt. Lunch might be half a stick of string cheese (or less) and a few bites of fruits, veggies, and meat that I'm eating. Dinner is similar to lunch. Some days she only gets offered one meal if we're busy.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Mae also has been eating what we eat since just before turning 6 months (the day she grabbed MY food and stuck it in her mouth, we started giving her solid food)

I only give her purees when we are eating something she otherwise can't eat (too spicy, too hard, whatever) and I have nothing else to offer her.

Of course, she shows a strong preference for some foods over others. Corn she much rather eats on the cob than as kernels (perhaps because it is too hard for her to pick up a lot of kernels at once?) She loves fruits and veggies... preferably fresh or steamed. She doesn't mind the meat she has been given but definitely chicken over anything else.

And walking update. She randomly stands up in the middle of the floor and starts walking now. I have a toddler and she's only 10 months old today!


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MsDolphin*
> 
> DS has 3 (maybe 4) top teeth coming in at one time. The bottom 2 have been there a while.
> 
> He doesn't eat alot at meal time (stage2 baby food) and the doctor said to supplement with formula. But I am wondering if he is just ready for "real" table food, not the baby food? Anyone have thoughts? This is my first child and I think I am nervous about what kind of table foods to give him. He has had small bites of table food, but not enough t be a meal.


Both my kids were different when it comes to eating at this stage. Em ate baby food for a long time. Loved it. But I think even with her, by 10 months or so she was eating table food. Ozzy only ate baby food for like two weeks, he just wasn't that into it, and he has been eating table food ever since (he started solids a bit late at 7 months, has been eating table food since before he was 8 months).

A baby's stomach is the size of his fist. I think a lot of people worry about not feeding enough, but they are giving HUGE portions. A little bit of food goes a long way with them. The key is frequent feeding. Offer five (SMALL) meals a day, if you can. He may devour some of the meals, and some he may do nothing more than throw it on the floor. Just keep offering at fairly regular intervals. There are two minds about this, but I've found that relatively regular meal times work well for babies/toddlers.

What to feed him-- are you still introducing and checking for allergies? [standard advice-- any new food, wait 3-5 days to see if there's a reaction before doing another new food]. Ozzy just finished with being introduced to all the "allergenic" foods (strawberries, peanut butter, shellfish, eggs, etc). If you have a history of allergies talk to your ped, but if you don't I don't think you have to worry about introducing anything, just follow the spacing of a few days and watch for any signs of allergies. Only thing that is really a NO for any baby at this age, is honey-- risk of botulism under a year.

Stuff that I feed Ozzy:

Any kind of fresh fruit-- if it's soft I just give it to him, something harder like apples I either steam until it's soft, or cut it up very small (cheerio-sized).

Veggies-- same as fruit

Grains-- cheerios and other "grain" cereals, toast cut into thin strips (with butter, peanut butter, cheese melted on top, etc), pasta noodles (with a little bit of sauce or just a little butter)-- I tend to stick with small rotini or elbow pasta, easier for him to grab and eat-- and rice on occasion. I try to stick with whole grain for everything, but it won't ruin his life if he has some non-whole-grain mac and cheese at his great-grandma's house or something.

Dairy-- cheese, yogurt, just cut the cheese up small

Protein-- any cooked meat you eat, cut it up small enough to swallow (cheerio-sized). babies normally don't need a whole lot of meat, if they get protein from dairy (include your breastmilk if you're nursing) and whole grains

Once all the foods are introduced, you can get creative with things... really usually you can try to give the baby anything ya'll are eating for meals, just cut it up small if you're worried. Most kids are really into self-feeding at this stage with their fingers (god knows they want to self-feed any speck of crap they can find on the floor).

Good teething snack for this time of year: Cut up a watermelon into thin strips like little shoestring french fries, freeze them (spread out on a cookie sheet, and then throw them in a freezer bag), serve frozen. Both my kids are nuts for frozen watermelon and it helps teething when nothing else does.

Good website: http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/ always good for ideas and info on what specific foods work for kids, plus if anything is known to be allergenic.

So... there's my Food Novel. LMAO.


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

Hey ladies!! Long time, no "see". We just got back from our vacation--we went to Texas in July. Gluttons for punishment we are, though it was every bit as hot and MORE humid at home, so I guess we didn't really punish ourselves too much.

I am LOVING all the pictures--I haven't gotten a camera since my oldest was born 5 years ago, and now I'm wanting a nicer camera after seeing the quality of the images you guys are capturing. I swear I'd never need to pay a photographer again.

*Food--*I haven't done purees with my last 2 at all, and DD1 was off of them quite quickly. The biggest advice I can offer (and it has been posted already, but it merits repeating IME) is that gagging is a normal, natural reflex and part of the learning process. It teaches babies where they can put food in their mouths and where they can't and how much to chew before they can swallow.

*Walking*--T is getting there. He is walking behind push toys quite well, and this morning he was petting the dog while standing, let go, stood there balancing and bouncing up and down for a good 30 seconds! So I know we are close. The under is 2 weeks 

*Pictures*--A couple weeks ago, I put together a huge collage frame of family photos, and T is OBSESSED with it. He points to different faces and 'names' them--dada, baby, dor-da (Georgia), sis-sis--says "awwwww", kisses the baby. It's super cute, and it's so funny to see how enamored he is with pictures of his family.

Here he is playing in the sand on vacation:


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Ozzy has "let go" a couple time but still not close to walking, I think.

As far as talking, we've decided that the "da-da" he says when he sees Jason IS intentional. He also says "up". That's all for now. He still screeches constantly, lmao.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Lila won't eat baby mash either. She'll gnaw on a big ol hunk of apple over applesauce any day lol. She can do some serious damage with those bitty baby teeth! She's got 6 of them now. She's a toddlin fool. DD1 took 4 steps at 10mo, and then not again til 11mo. Lila took her first steps at 9mo (minus 3 days) and is still plugging a long! Talking! Oh how cute the talking is. She's got Dad-deee, dog-eee, Reee-ya Sometimes she gets lazy and it still comes out "Yay-ya" I really like Yay ya.  And FINALLY... FINALLY she says Mum, or Mam. Here's two with her sister and one of her trying to figure out how to put her sling on! Edited to add one of my favorite milestones... first baby pony tail! YAY


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## JTA Mom (Feb 25, 2007)

I'm loving all the pics!

They are growing so fast. A part of me really can't wrap my head around the fact that in less than 2 months I'll had a toddler. Denial isn't a river in Egypt, as they say.










Elias is getting faster at crawling, but he's figured out that if he pulls himself up on a chair, he can push it around and walk behind it. A DIYer just like momma.







It helps that we have wood floors--the plastic ones? Forget what they are called. So the chair glides smoothly.

He only has 2 teeth. I'm wondering where the rest are. His older brother had a ton more by this age, but then again, he wasn't even crawling yet, much less cruising. He's a screecher too. A high pitched one. After he screeches, my ears ring! Anyone have any tips on dissuading him from doing that? It's driving his older brother bonkers too.

Have any of you thought of having another one? There's 3 years between Munchkin and Elias, and while I loved having time alone with my oldest, I'm wondering if there should be closer spacing between Elias and the next one. But then, I want to enjoy Elias' toddlerhood/babyhood too.

Mind you, this is all happening when I decide I want another one. Half the time, I'm hyperventilating at the thought of another! Doesn't help that Munchkin was telling dh about the baby in mommy's tummy a few days ago. According to him, he and Elias are twins, and now there's a new baby there. I peed on a stick, and nope, not yet. Phew!

Ami


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

Ami - We are, in theory, trying for another now (or for the last couple months, even). But in reality I've still got no AF, so I have no idea when fertility might even return. Still, we're very open to closely spaced babes, and are only planning to have 2. We had Caitlin 8 years after we started trying, so I don't want to be much older than I am now and still having babies. 

Two more thoughts on table food - If you think your babe doesn't like a food, keep offering it. Sometimes it just takes a lot of exposure to be OK with a food. Also, try offering it in a different form. All of a sudden Caitiiln went from liking foods in large chunks to liking them cut into little pieces, but she still likes bananas in large chunks only and will eat strawberries in almost any form. A friend thought her son didn't like strawberries until she gave him a whole one (instead of one cut up) and he devoured it. In general, he also prefers small pieces of food, so this is just one anomaly.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

We're done having babies.

It is pretty crazy to think that when Em was this age, I was already 2 months pregnant. It's really kind of nice to not have a young baby and/or be pregnant. I do love the spacing of them, though-- it has been hard but there are definite perks, and I think the perks will increase as they get older and will be interested in roughly the same things at the same time. Plus it's nice that Em is so small and Ozzy is so big, so they fit into the same diapers and clothes, lmao.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

If you ask DH we're done, but we were done before Lila







. I'm getting older, but if I can lose another 60ish lbs in the next year I'm definitely going to start pushing for another. Any longer than that and I just don't see it happening. I would LOVE another baby, I look at Lila and I see exactly what her little brother looks like. (and I didn't think I was one of those women who wanted a BOY..I just feel like there is one.. which makes me want a girl first then a boy LOL!)


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

One more tip for solids - If your baby throws food on the floor, he's not necessarily done eating. We found (and also have friends who say the same thing about their babies) that if we give Caitlin more than one piece of food at a time she throws all but one on the floor, eats the one that's left, and then wants more. So now I give her one piece of something and don't give her more until she's finished eating that one. Lately she's been handing food back to me when she doesn't want it anymore (such an improvement over throwing it down!), but even then she's not necessarily done eating - just done with that type of food.


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

We're not done. I don't think. Some days, I think we are but most, no.  In fact, we're not preventing now. I even took a test this a.m. because of some strange spotting (BFN), but I am with jenifer about not having a PPAF yet. This is the longest I have gone. If we definitely decide to go for it, it won't be till November.


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## Lit Chick (Aug 15, 2007)

Oh boy.

We're done and DH is getting fixed next month... but wow it's not easy. My head and even my heart tells me we're done, but my body is consumed with baby lust.

When I think about my family, I'm happy as is. I remember after DS1, both DH and I knew we wanted another child. I do not have that same feeling. BUT. I loved being pregnant. I loved giving birth. And every time I see a pregnant woman, I want to be pregnant too!

My BF has 3 and had her tubes tied after the last - and she said she went through the same thing. She knew it was the right choice, and never really regretted it - but she also went through a period of being very sad that there would be no more babies. She said that sadness ended when her youngest potty trained, and she got full mom freedom back.


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## nilatti (Aug 5, 2010)

DH and I are ... sort of trying. I haven't gotten AF back yet, and we've both been too busy and stressed to have much time to kiss, let alone much more!

August should settle down, though, and I think I'm starting to see signs of AF's return (CM changes and such)


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## Parker'smommy (Sep 12, 2002)

No more babies here. Yes, I'm sad at the thought of not having another baby. But I'm so overjoyed that we have Miss Genevieve...a baby we thought we'd NEVER have due to 3 losses- 2 of them 2nd trimester losses that I get over not having another easily. I couldn't put my family through another high risk pregnancy and we made the decsion to have my tubes tied during my section. I feel so incredibly blessed that I am mostly content.

Thankfully, Miss G is pretty small and isn't going through her milestones rapidly. She still seems very very babyish. She isn't crawling still at 11 months and is just saying mamama, and dadda. SHe can sign "more" and she can wave hi and bye. She is a doll!


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## MsDolphin (Jan 5, 2010)

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE GOOD SOLID FOOD TIPS.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jenifera2*
> 
> Is there a reason your doctor wants you to supplement with formula? Are you nursing? If so, he should be getting all the nutrition he needs from you (barring unusual circumstances) and doesn't have any need for food. He'll learn to eat more and nurse less over time. I'd guess most babies get the majority of their calories from food (as opposed to nursing) by 18 months or so. Some like food earlier and eat more of it even before they're one, but some take longer to get to it. Mama's milk is plenty to get them what they need while they're growing into solids.


No, I wasn't able to BF, which is why DS gets formula. I think she just meant to nurse/formula between "meals".

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kelly1101*
> 
> Good website: http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/ always good for ideas and info on what specific foods work for kids, plus if anything is known to be allergenic.


Great site - thank you!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Parker'smommy*
> 
> She still seems very very babyish. She isn't crawling still at 11 months and is just saying mamama, and dadda. SHe can sign "more" and she can wave hi and bye. She is a doll!


I think all babies are different. DS walks, but he still hasn't said any words yet.


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## northwoods (Dec 28, 2009)

We aren't preventing, but I've not had a PPAF, yet. I'm ready to start trying whenever my body is!


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

Ah, that makes sense then, MsDolphin. It's always been my understanding that babies should be on formula until at least a year (so that seems like something that's normal, to me, which seems like your doctor wouldn't be surprised he's not eating enough to meet all his needs), and some go on to toddler formula if they're not super eaters after a year.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

As most of yall know, hubby was gone for 6 months and got back recently. His first night back we had that ever important "do we want more?" discussion. We agreed on "no or at least not right now" and have since failed to use any sort of protection other than hoping my breastfeeding keeps my fertility away as it has been. So... I don't know. Not a clue. It's not what is best for us as a family right now but we both just "know" there's another waiting for us. He's already spoken with them at work about getting snipped (and reversed someday if we decide we want more, because that is somewhat expensive we want to know we have the money to just throw around when we want a fourth child) but won't be doing more towards it until he goes back after his leave is over (2 weeks off! He goes back at the end of next week)

Yeah. Not trying, not really actively "wanting" (though know we do both want) but not preventing either. Go us.

Took us 24 cycles without me even nursing to conceive Mae though, so not very high hopes of a surprise blessing.


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

T shuffled four or five funny little steps to me today! I definitely don't have a walker yet, but he's moving in that direction.


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## jenifera2 (Mar 3, 2010)

OK, I know I asked this before about throwing food (more in a moment), but I have to ask again:

When does the pinching stop?????

She pinches my chest and arms when I'm wearing her on the front. Sometimes when she's nursing. She pinches my back when I'm wearing her there. This wouldn't be an issue in winter, but I've got a lot of bare skin and I'm going insane with the pinching!!!!! Anyone with older kids who can reassure me that this is a short-lived phase?

As to the food throwing - Although she still does drop some food on the floor (intentionally, as opposed to just messiness), she's gotten to the point of often handing me food she no longer wants. That's a major win in my book!


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

I'm not sure about short lived, that depends on the kid. My son was fascinated with my moles and was still trying to remove them at age 3. He's 8 now though and hasn't done that in years. DD1 only did it maybe a month total. DD2 has been since she was about 6 months old when she started with the pinching grasp. For the most part she seems to be growing out of it now, unless her daddy plays with one of my moles first.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PinkBunch*
> 
> T shuffled four or five funny little steps to me today! I definitely don't have a walker yet, but he's moving in that direction.


Awww Congratulations! It's bittersweet.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *jenifera2*
> 
> OK, I know I asked this before about throwing food (more in a moment), but I have to ask again:
> 
> ...


Hell if I know and it's driving me nuts! Her pinch is TINY TINY, and sharp. Lila tells us she's done by throwing things over the edge. 9 times out of 10 there's a doggie waiting for her lol.

My girl officially walks more than she crawls.  I'm really not doing well with it. She's barely 10mo, she shouldn't be walking and have a freakin vocabulary! She says "Reee-ya" "Dad-deee" "Yesh" (yes--this one is new from today!) "dogie" and "mum" She can point to her sister's eyes, nose and mouth consistantly. I know I keep saying it, but I cannot believe how fast she's growing. I miss my bitti girl.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

She won't quit doing stuff! My girl just climbed DOWN the stairs... are you freakin kidding me! At least before she *acted* like she needed me to fetch her off the stairs! Good grief. Oh and it's been days since she's crawled anywhere.  I love crawling.. it's so sweet.


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

*Pinching*--My niece soothed herself by pinching elbow skin till she was at least 5. So it may not end soon.

Sunday morning I left T sleeping in our bed and came downstairs to eat breakfast. I figured I'd hear him when he woke. Then I heard "footsteps" at the bottom of the stairs, and there he was. He'd gotten down from the bed, crawled down the hall, backed down the stairs and was SO proud of himself!

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Amanda_Reyasmom*
> 
> She won't quit doing stuff! My girl just climbed DOWN the stairs... are you freakin kidding me! At least before she *acted* like she needed me to fetch her off the stairs!


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *PinkBunch*
> 
> *Pinching*--My niece soothed herself by pinching elbow skin till she was at least 5. So it may not end soon.
> 
> Sunday morning I left T sleeping in our bed and came downstairs to eat breakfast. I figured I'd hear him when he woke. Then I heard "footsteps" at the bottom of the stairs, and there he was. He'd gotten down from the bed, crawled down the hall, backed down the stairs and was SO proud of himself!


Awww isn't that proud look the best! Down stairs is quite the accomplishment! Up is relatively easy lol.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Did anyone go to The Big Latch On? Here's Lila and I


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

We had a local one but Jason had to work and take the van, so we couldn't go  But everyone I talked to around here who went said it was awesome


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

We had a good time, I didn't know there were *any* crunchy mamas in my town lol finding 10 of them was awesome


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

We don't have stairs for Mae to master (one step out the back door, she mastered that shortly after crawling, it's not much though)

She has however mastered climbing as much as she can. Yesterday I caught her on top of a box we have in the livingroom that is a foot tall... 3 different times. Twice when no one else could put her up there and once watching her get up on it.

Then we found her on the couch and neither hubby nor I had put her on it and brother and sister were in bed... but one of brothers chairs were sitting in front of the couch and we are pretty sure she climbed up that.

Then today I left her in my room on my bed to watch a movie... not usually an issue since everything was babyproofed including the bed itself so it's not too high, but is still high enough to require effort to get off without falling... and next thing I know the cats come tearing around the corner followed by a squealing walking Mae.

Little smarty pants is going to be the death of her mommy. She's currently trying to figure out how to open our back screen door lmfao.

She has so much determination and so little fear... it's like she wants nothing more than to be JUST like her brother and sister.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

So yesterday Lila ripped off her diaper so she could pee on my floor. Twice. (she's been doing it a while, but yesterday it was pretty obvious.. the diaper was dry both times.) I could get a potty chair and encourage this, but she's not even 11mo. And I don't WANT her to potty learn.. she's so bitty. And her diapers are so beautiful! I have 2 on the way that she hasn't even worn yet lol! WWYD? So far I've just been putting pants on her lol.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

I'd just get pants if you don't want to potty train. I don't blame you for not wanting to... I still haven't gotten into that with my toddler, I'm waiting until she insists. Imagining being out running errands and having to find a place for a kid to pee at a moment's notice, sounds like a nightmare.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Amanda_Reyasmom*
> 
> So yesterday Lila ripped off her diaper so she could pee on my floor. Twice. (she's been doing it a while, but yesterday it was pretty obvious.. the diaper was dry both times.) I could get a potty chair and encourage this, but she's not even 11mo. And I don't WANT her to potty learn.. she's so bitty. And her diapers are so beautiful! I have 2 on the way that she hasn't even worn yet lol! WWYD? So far I've just been putting pants on her lol.


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## porcelina (May 2, 2007)

I think you should totally get a little potty for her to sit on! It is her own desire so you are not forcing anything on her! We do EC and it is only because DS taught me how! Don't worry, it will be at least 7 months before she will be trained, so you will still get use out of your cute diapers! By all means, don't make her sit in her own pee If she would rather not just because it's cute!







We don't catch nearly as much pee as what you are describing, just 98 percent of the poop, and it is so awesome!!
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Amanda_Reyasmom*
> 
> So yesterday Lila ripped off her diaper so she could pee on my floor. Twice. (she's been doing it a while, but yesterday it was pretty obvious.. the diaper was dry both times.) I could get a potty chair and encourage this, but she's not even 11mo. And I don't WANT her to potty learn.. she's so bitty. And her diapers are so beautiful! I have 2 on the way that she hasn't even worn yet lol! WWYD? So far I've just been putting pants on her lol.


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## JulieInChicago (Jan 15, 2010)

Have you tried snap diapers? They're harder for the little ones to get off.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Amanda_Reyasmom*
> 
> So yesterday Lila ripped off her diaper so she could pee on my floor. Twice. (she's been doing it a while, but yesterday it was pretty obvious.. the diaper was dry both times.) I could get a potty chair and encourage this, but she's not even 11mo. And I don't WANT her to potty learn.. she's so bitty. And her diapers are so beautiful! I have 2 on the way that she hasn't even worn yet lol! WWYD? So far I've just been putting pants on her lol.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

These are snap diapers lol. And they're hard core snaps 3 on each side! Today she started un snapping them through the pants. I'm getting a potty chair this week.

Ya know, I'm really feeling cheated out of this whole "baby" thing. She has always been a little person. She didn't stay very "baby" for long at all. She came out of the womb holding her neck up, she's hit every milestone early. I'm just bummed. I was really hoping for squishy and swaddling longer.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Mae's the same. I've broken down and cried a few times because I want her to be my last but she's not a baby like the other two were!

She met a little girl yesterday that was born the same day as her... that girl is bigger than her but not as advanced....

Should have known better though... between her daddy and I we hit most of our milestones early (and her bittyness comes from him, he looked like a little kid until his senior year of high school)

As for potty training, you could do what my sister did! potty train early (around now) and just used cloth diapers instead of "training pants" to lower the amount of accidents she actually had a lot of cleaning up to do, also makes it easier when you are going out and need to find her a potty... if you don't right away you just change the diaper.


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

Wow... long time no see guys!!! Mark has grown up so much and I love reading about what your babies are doing! We now have 6 teeth and he is an eating champ, LOVES his food! He eats anything but yogurt!  He also has taken a few steps!!! 2 is the max so far, but WOW. He's pointing at everything, says mama, and dada, but not always "correctly" lol! He also tries very hard to say "dog" and he barks! Its the funniest thing ever. The dogs will all be barking and he just yells! EH! EH! EH! Too cute! Mark is waving, and pushing his little train thing all over the place, going up and down the stairs... its insane how much he is doing now. Can't believe he'll be 11months in a couple days and then 1 year just a month later... SLOW DOWN. His sleep is still awful, but during the day he is the happiest kid ever (besides a little seperation anxiety.. ok a lot.. lol).

Biggest thing, we started baby swim classes. HE LOVES IT. Wish we started earlier, but we waited till after our big vacation (which was amazing and we decided to move to Portland, OR!!) This kid is a FISH! Seriously! He can almost swim already, he floats on his back, and kicks and is starting to hold his breath underwater. Seriously awesome.

Here are a few pictures....

This is on the way home from Portland, yes WE DROVE. 4 adults a 2 y/o and a 10 mo/o 3 days each way! And we all survived. Mark did great!



Here he is doing one of his faveorite things, EATING. He eats enough now that I have to make him his own plate!!



And finally here he is floating with daddy helping a little at swim class!


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Birthday party plans?

We are probably doing a "pirate tea party" one for miss Mae Mae... her favorite toy is a tea pot and she loves playing with her brothers old pirate things.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Hell if I know! I'm sticking my head in the sand and trying to pretend it isn't happening.


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Amanda_Reyasmom*
> 
> Hell if I know! I'm sticking my head in the sand and trying to pretend it isn't happening.












Totally in denial. TOTALLY. I think we'll do a cookout/no-theme party  But T is already excited about the cake, or as he calls it "CACK". He has a baaaad sweet tooth


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## MsDolphin (Jan 5, 2010)

DS only started walking about 3 weeks ago and now he is running. The transition from walking to running went so quickly. *sigh*

Curious if any of you plan to turn the car-seat around at 12 months? Or are your going with the new recommendation to keep babies rear-facing until they are 2 years old?


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Mae Mae started running tonight too! Daddy came home and she just couldn't get to him fast enough. Thought he was gonna break his face smiling so hard!

Still no words, but she gets her point across with sign language for the most part.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

DD's new trick is when she gets sleepy, she starts rubbing her eyes and asks for "da-dee" OMG talk about melting my heart.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Def until at least 2. Emma turned 2 in April and she's still RF.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MsDolphin*
> 
> DS only started walking about 3 weeks ago and now he is running. The transition from walking to running went so quickly. *sigh*
> 
> Curious if any of you plan to turn the car-seat around at 12 months? Or are your going with the new recommendation to keep babies rear-facing until they are 2 years old?


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kelly1101*
> 
> Def until at least 2. Emma turned 2 in April and she's still RF.


Each of my kids has gone progressively longer RF. I hope to make it to 2 with T.

Annnd....as of last week, T is walking EVERYWHERE. Nearly 11m exactly. He seems SO big now


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## Chloe'sMama (Oct 14, 2008)

DD1 is 3.25 years and is still RF (she is really big too....) I plan on keeping her until the limit of her seat. DD2 will take the same route. So so so much safer. Check out the Family Safety forum for more info on extending RFing.

Hannah is going to be 1 soon. OMG. I can't believe my little baby is getting so old. People think she is much younger though because she has very little blond hair and is on the smaller side. She is trying to stand unassisted for a few seconds at a time. I wonder if she will walk before big sis did at 14 months. She seems pretty happy to crawl, so I am not holding my breath.


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## JulieInChicago (Jan 15, 2010)

Elliot has been walking for a few weeks but now can bend over and pick up a toy and keep going. crazy.

For his bday we're going low key- immediate family only. I think we're going to cater it since we're crappy cooks and way too busy.

So, my issue of the day-- Elliot won't sit to nurse for long any more. During the day especially he just wiggles around, gets down, turns over, stands up... I can get him to nurse a few minutes if I sit on the couch and lean over and he stands on the floor and nurses standing up. It's annoying, it hurts when he keeps pulling off, and everyone here says it's a sign he's ready to wean. NO WAY! too early! Any ideas, thoughts, tips?


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *JulieInChicago*
> 
> Elliot has been walking for a few weeks but now can bend over and pick up a toy and keep going. crazy.
> 
> ...


I think it sounds like you've got a distracted almost 1yo  A lot of babies go on nursing strikes around this age because they're just sooo busy. Lila is all about the nursing acrobats too. I think it's a-ok to set limits here. Tell him it hurts when he does xyz and he can't nurse right now. If Lila bites then she gets to stop nursing. That's just a rule, "Don't hurt Mommy"

As for us, we're still pretty much the same. Walking and talking. Last time I posted she had about 5 words. She's added a couple like YAY and she told me she loves me! It was the best lol.. She said "mum" and I said "what?" Then she said "hi" I laughed then she said "mum" and I said "what baby?" and she said "I love you" . Well, it came out "lave you" but I'm pretty sure that's what she meant









Ohh and she met another baby! She had no idea there were other little people in the world. She looked this baby (2wks younger) right in the eye and then tried to touch her.. yep. Right in the eye! It was fun, and they shared well.


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## MsDolphin (Jan 5, 2010)

Instead of clapping when DS does something, I taught him to pump his hands in the air. Like when he gets the shapes into a toy. Cracks me up every time I see him do it. Probably not helping I encourage him. LOL


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MsDolphin*
> 
> Instead of clapping when DS does something, I taught him to pump his hands in the air. Like when he gets the shapes into a toy. Cracks me up every time I see him do it. Probably not helping I encourage him.


We need video! That sounds hilarious


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

OMG just typed out this long post and then my mouse clicked wrong and I lost it. Arrrgh.

ok--

-walking-- just a few steps at a time here, he's very unimpressed with it and would rather crawl

-climbing-- all over the damn place. up on the bed, up on the sofa, up on everything. thank god we have no stairs

-teeth-- still just 8, top and bottom front four. not looking forward to molars

-birthday-- in 8 days. wild, wild, wild. fun to think of how miserable I was a year ago. doing semi-small party, family at my mom's house, low-key, a couple of other babies (my nephew and my cousin's baby)

-talking-- not sure. pretty sure about 'dada" and "up" but the rest I don't know whether it's just mimicking sounds, or actual intent-talking. will know in a few months, I reckon. I remember by 13-14 months Em was obv understanding most things we said to her

-pics:

At another baby's 1st birthday part last week-- racing to the top-- ignore my awesome nursing-bra cleavage



My little redhead



Peek-a-boo (red spot on his face from where his sister (accidentally) bashed him in the face with a very heavy toy, lmao, poor guy)



Loves the swings



I just like this shot



"do that walking trick again and I'll give you a car"





<3 my 1-year-old


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## Laurski (Mar 13, 2010)

Wow! So many babies doing so many things these days--so much fun!

I'm coming to think Little Miss Eleanor is a bit of a perfectionist and therefore is hesitant to try new things until she's confident she can do them well. For example, she was definitely on the later side of crawling--she waited until she was 9 months old, then went from army crawling to cross crawling in about a day. Now she's cruising everywhere, and usually walks around our couch barely touching it, but I don't think she's going to stop making contact with the couch until she's 100% sure she can do it "perfectly."







Definitely takes after both her mommy AND daddy on that score...

No real words here yet. She's said "Da" a few times when looking at DH, and has said "Ga-gi" when looking at our dog (he has a really tough name for a little baby), but not much else. She does, however, roar like a lion and make monkey noises if you ask her to do so!









I can't believe she's going to be one on SATURDAY! Just 4 more days! We had our big party for her this past weekend--held it at a local park with swings and a playground. It was a lot of fun. On her actual birthday we're just going to have our immediate family over--I'm starting back at work on Monday, so we wanted to keep it nice and low-key.

She's actually at daycare today so I can get some lesson planning done. It's so sad being home all alone without her--I keep thinking b/c it's so quiet she must just be getting into trouble...


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

That's just how Em was. She finally started walking at 14 months, and as soon as she did she was walking perfectly, like an older toddler.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Laurski*
> 
> I'm coming to think Little Miss Eleanor is a bit of a perfectionist and therefore is hesitant to try new things until she's confident she can do them well. For example, she was definitely on the later side of crawling--she waited until she was 9 months old, then went from army crawling to cross crawling in about a day. Now she's cruising everywhere, and usually walks around our couch barely touching it, but I don't think she's going to stop making contact with the couch until she's 100% sure she can do it "perfectly."
> 
> ...


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## MsDolphin (Jan 5, 2010)

Does anyone's LO sleep through the night?

DS still gets up 1-2 times a night for a feeding. I don't know if we should try to "force" him to sleep through the night, by not providing a bottle when he wakes up. I read/heard to give water and/or sooth him back to sleep (rub his back, give a paci, etc). I guess I feel when he's ready he will sleep through the night. Am I off in thinking that?


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Totally normal for a 12 month old to wake up 1-2 times a night. If you're in "night-weaning mode" (although sounds like ya'll do bottles), I have heard to gradually increase the amount of water in the bottle (as compared to the amount of formula), eventually it won't be "worth it" to him to wake up, and he'll start eating more during the day to compensate.

But, you don't HAVE to do anything like that. Like I said... it's normal. My two year old still often wakes up. Hell, even *I* don't sleep through the whole night without waking (even before kids).

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MsDolphin*
> 
> Does anyone's LO sleep through the night?
> 
> DS still gets up 1-2 times a night for a feeding. I don't know if we should try to "force" him to sleep through the night, by not providing a bottle when he wakes up. I read/heard to give water and/or sooth him back to sleep (rub his back, give a paci, etc). I guess I feel when he's ready he will sleep through the night. Am I off in thinking that?


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## sk8boarder15 (Jan 12, 2010)

Wow. Love seeing your posts! Mark WALKED ACROSS THE ROOM TODAY!!! Woo hoo!

We are slowly working on night weaning here... some think its still too early, but he's waking every hour (co-sleeping or not) and I can't take it anymore. So we did half the night no nursing last night, and are doing half the night again tonight and are hoping to go most of the night tomorrow night. We aren't letting him CIO, we are still offering other comforts, just not nursing. Mommy needs some sleep.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

We're night-weaning soon. I had planned to already be doing it, but he's been sick, and now I've got ANOTHER plugged duct that needs to be nursed out. I did this:

http://drjaygordon.com/attachment/sleeppattern.html with Em, will probably do it about the same with Ozzy.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *sk8boarder15*
> 
> Wow. Love seeing your posts! Mark WALKED ACROSS THE ROOM TODAY!!! Woo hoo!
> 
> We are slowly working on night weaning here... some think its still too early, but he's waking every hour (co-sleeping or not) and I can't take it anymore. So we did half the night no nursing last night, and are doing half the night again tonight and are hoping to go most of the night tomorrow night. We aren't letting him CIO, we are still offering other comforts, just not nursing. Mommy needs some sleep.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

You guys have my sympathy! Lila's been sleeping through the night (5-6 hour stretches) since we came home from the hospital. She has been sleeping ALL night (8-12 hours) since 3ish months. She doesn't nap worth a damn. She has to be in arms or the sling, but she sleeps great at night!


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Mae is walking everywhere and for long distances. She's to the point now where she catches herself rather than falling. Still almost no words, she's been focusing on walking so much. We have a definite "Daddy" means daddy now... she whined at him the other night because he wouldn't pick her up "DAAAAAADDY!!!"


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Lila's not doing anything new.. mostly just building on skills. When I tell her "No" she looks at me and says "Daddy!" Cause he doesn't mind if she plays scrabble (or anything else lol) This is where she waits for me to come out of the bathroom.


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

Last night, T was running around like a maniac destroying the living room. The boy can make a huge mess in 2 seconds flat! Anyway, suddenly his pj pants were in his hand instead of on his bottom. He looked at me, took a few steps toward me and said, 'HERE!' and handed me the pants. Silly kiddo


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

UGH Mae's a little ball of destruction lately too. She totally ruined the entire pack of paperwork for her brother & sisters school.

I'm not looking forward to this weekend. If we get evacuated, I have to do it with 3 kids and no husband. Sucky.


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## Laurski (Mar 13, 2010)

Kelly--that's really good to know about Em. Am I right in remembering she waited to talk, too? That seems to be the track Ellie's on. (By the way--are you guys ok after the earthquake yesterday?)

Ellie's also a holy terror around our place. Swathes of destruction left behind everywhere. The worst part is that the layout of our apartment makes it very tough to babyproof certain areas, and she's recently discovered places that aren't safe. Problem-solving babyproofing issues is no fun!

As for sleep--Ellie's finally been sleeping in a crib for about the past 1.5 months (no longer in a carseat, yay!), and generally sleeps from 9-5 or 6. She'll occasionally wake up, but DH just gives her some butt pats and she's usually off to sleep. I'm actually in the process of weaning her down to just 2 feedings a day--first thing in the morning and right before bed--because I am going back to work next week and won't be able to pump anymore with my new schedule. (I also get so little when I pump at this point that it wouldn't be nearly enough to feed her.) I'm hoping to keep the 2x a day nursing until around 18 months, when I'll probably start to wean her of those nursings too, but I'm not sure yet. My goal is 18 months, and then we'll go from there...


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## Laurski (Mar 13, 2010)

Oh, and I forgot to ask you guys--how are your LOs naps? For a few months Ellie (finally!) had a nice, consistent nap schedule--lately they seem to be all over the place (and for all different lengths of time). At first I thought she was moving to a one nap a day schedule, but given how sleepy/grumpy she is when her morning nap is pushed back too far, I don't think she's quite ready for it yet.


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Mae naps 10-11 and 2-3

her schedule messes up any time she is teething or just before a growth spurt.


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## MsDolphin (Jan 5, 2010)

DS will normally take 2 good naps a day (1.5 - 3 hours), however the times vary. I wish we had him on a better routine, but he is with me, DH or either set of Grandparents depending on the work schedule, so it's hard to get on a good routine.


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## nilatti (Aug 5, 2010)

So, Silas is still not sleeping through the night....although, he's been down for over an hour, which is unusual for this time of the night.

We're thinking of doing the Dr. Gordon thing pretty soon. I read a great series of posts on the Leaky Boob about when she did it. It sounds like there was one horrible night and then it wasn't that bad. Kelly, is that your experience?

Silas is crawling, pulling up, into EVERYTHING. He's also stopped saying any nouns (other than "daddy" and "mama," but I think "mama" means "feed me") and replaced them all with "that." It's very efficient.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Laurski*
> 
> Kelly--that's really good to know about Em. Am I right in remembering she waited to talk, too? That seems to be the track Ellie's on. (By the way--are you guys ok after the earthquake yesterday?)


Yep, Em had like 2 words at 20 months. Then by the time she hit 2 years old she had like 200 words. It was almost literally overnight. It's just her personality-- she doesn't want to do anything until she can do it right. She's very cautious and very perfectionist-- a quirky kid-- but she gets to it all on her own schedule.

The earthquake was like the scariest thing of my life, lmao. We had just gotten home and were in the kitchen having a snack, my first thought was "a car just hit our house" then after about 3-4 seconds realized it was an earthquake. Snatched up the babies and went to the doorway of the bedroom. It was so loud, dishes rattling, everything shaking pretty violently, for a LONG time. I just kept waiting for it to stop. Was probably about 60 seconds but that felt like 10 minutes at least, haha. I was all shaken up (no pun intended) for quite a while afterwards. We're only about 30 miles from the epicenter, so it was nuts.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Laurski*
> 
> Oh, and I forgot to ask you guys--how are your LOs naps? For a few months Ellie (finally!) had a nice, consistent nap schedule--lately they seem to be all over the place (and for all different lengths of time). At first I thought she was moving to a one nap a day schedule, but given how sleepy/grumpy she is when her morning nap is pushed back too far, I don't think she's quite ready for it yet.


Ozzy's at one a day, usually around 10:30 or 11, for an hour or sometimes 2 if I'm lucky. Then he sleeps 7 pm - 7 am (with a few wake ups of course). He went to one probably at about 10 months, which is actually a month later than Em did. Neither of my kids are big on naps, apparently.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *nilatti*
> 
> So, Silas is still not sleeping through the night....although, he's been down for over an hour, which is unusual for this time of the night.
> 
> ...


We had a few bad nights, but all in all it went well. One thing is that we did it a lot slower paced than the schedule Gordon lays out. Like, instead of doing each "stage" in 3 days, we'd spend a week on each stage. By the second or third week, it was very smooth and easy. The first stage was definitely the hardest.

Ozzy's mobility is really taking off past week or so. He's standing on his own now all the time, takes a few steps occasionaly, still prefers crawling. He crawls like a streak of white lightning, though. The boy is FAST. He is climbing on everything, can get up and down off the beds now (mattresses/box springs on the floor), the sofa, crawls up into the big tubs of duplos in the play room, etc. I'm glad that we are still very baby/toddler-proofed. Because he's much more into everything and causing havoc than Em was. His life's mission is to find creative ways to try to get to electrical cords and chew on them. You wouldn't believe the things I've had to do with electric cords around here to keep him away from them.


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Everyone ready for Irene? We've had to cancel Ozzy's birthday party-- were going to have it at my mom's house in Deltaville (just north of Virginia Beach on the bay) tomorrow at 2 pm.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Am I the only one who needs to go through this thread to write down when she hit all these great milestones? lol


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Happy birthday to my baby boy


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## JTA Mom (Feb 25, 2007)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kelly1101*
> 
> Happy birthday to my baby boy


----------



## Laurski (Mar 13, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Kelly1101*
> 
> Happy birthday to my baby boy


Happy Birthday, Ozzy!

Ellie's birthday was Saturday. So glad the hurricane wasn't last year--that would have been one heck of a trip to the hospital!


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

OMGosh! Happy birthday to Ozzy and Ellie! I can't believe it's been a year. I might cry!


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## Monkey Keeper (Nov 20, 2009)

to Ozzy and Ellie!!

I cannot believe how quickly this year has gone by. They're not babies any more


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## MaerynPearl (Jun 21, 2008)

Yeah, Mae's all out a toddler. No more crawling. At all. She falls down? Stands right back up and keeps walking. I want to cry!

She carries things, looks behind her while walking, brings us things if we ask her to. Where's my baby?!


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Wow... I'm kind of looking forward to that, but scared of it, too.

Ozzy's still just taking a few steps here and there-- half the time he'll be standing, and I'll sit a bit away and hold out my arms for him to walk to me-- he'll take 2-3 steps and then just pitch face-first towards me and I have to catch him, lmao.

So Irene cancelled Ozzy's party on the 27th. We re-scheduled for the 10th. If Katia cancels this one I'm gonna be PISSED.

TURN KATIA TURN.


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *MaerynPearl*
> 
> Yeah, Mae's all out a toddler. No more crawling. At all. She falls down? Stands right back up and keeps walking. I want to cry!
> 
> She carries things, looks behind her while walking, brings us things if we ask her to. Where's my baby?!


 It's sad isn't it? Lila gave up crawling a month ago. She helps me put away the laundry and speaks in (small) sentences. "It's good" "I did it" "I love you" I can't believe how fast she's grown up. Here she is today.



And last week she got her first "big girl" adjustment at the chiropractor. Up until then she'd be adjusted on my lap.



I started a Toddler thread. I didn't want to leave the DDC.. this is even harder!


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

She is so beautiful!

It blows my mind that we have talkers in this thread. Em was an early talker like that, but Ozzy still seems so much like a baby. We've still only heard "daddy" and "up."


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Aww thank you. She's just so amazing. I miss "baby" of course. I love love love the newborn phase. But I am remembering to celebrate all the toddler stuff too. Yesterday she took off her diaper and we put her on the baby potty. She totally pee-peed in it! She was so proud of herself. She kept clapping and yelling "Yay" at it lol. That's just awesomeness you don't get with a baby kwim?


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## Laurski (Mar 13, 2010)

Ellie's just started walking--I missed her first two steps, as I was out walking our dog, but got to see her third! She'll take a few steps by herself now and then, but usually likes to walk around and around our couch, stepping/cruising. I can't believe we have walkers and talkers already!

Ellie definitely still feels more baby than toddler, especially since she's not really talking or regularly walking. However, she definitely seems to have mastered the art of the tantrum, so at least she's more like a toddler in that regard!









(Kelly, I hope you were able to have Ozzy's party!)


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Laurski*
> . However, she definitely seems to have mastered the art of the tantrum, so at least she's more like a toddler in that regard!
> 
> 
> ...


OMGosh that made me LOL. Lila screamed until I let her shoplift grapes (2) while at the store yesterday!


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## Kelly1101 (Oct 9, 2008)

Yep... I remember thinking on Em's 2nd birthday that the second year is SO MUCH more fun than the first. I'm very very excited for Ozzy to enter his second year.

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Amanda_Reyasmom*
> 
> Aww thank you. She's just so amazing. I miss "baby" of course. I love love love the newborn phase. But I am remembering to celebrate all the toddler stuff too. Yesterday she took off her diaper and we put her on the baby potty. She totally pee-peed in it! She was so proud of herself. She kept clapping and yelling "Yay" at it lol. That's just awesomeness you don't get with a baby kwim?


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## Laurski (Mar 13, 2010)

We're in the midst of our first super scary high fever--104.6 a few hours ago. I had to pick her up from daycare and took her to the doctor's. Possibly Roseola. Poor kiddo! (And, holy scary high fever!)


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## Monkeybean415 (Jan 17, 2011)

Laurski- Oh no! I hope your DD feels better soon! :hug:

Ok so I am SO bad at keeping up with forum posts... I almost feel like I'm crashing the thread... :blush:

Happy Birthday to all the September LOs! DD's was on Sunday! Wow I can't believe it's been a year!


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## Amanda_Reyasmom (Feb 5, 2010)

I started a thread in Toddlers! I'm itching to see birthday pics!


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