PS Mommies Thread!

[Burk]

Jas12~Adorable pics!! I love the snow pic! It's getting cold here, but no snow. I've been meaning to get a "bundled up" pic, though.

janine~So sorry about the upsetting appointment. I would second Tacori's advice to NOT worry about percentiles. I have no experience with flat head but Tgal advice sounds excellent. Good luck!

snlee~Thanks! Sorry the STTN was a fluke. At least you got one night of good sleep!

Tgal~happy belated b-day!! I, too, love my cart cover so I thought it was a good gift. That pic of Amelia in the cart is precious. Love that clip, T has the same one and it gets lots of use.

I can't believe Amelia and all her PS buddies are getting so old...8 months already?!?!?

QT~Thanks!! It's amazing how fast T's hair has grown. I'm sure M will have more hair before you know it! Cute pic of you and Miss M. Those babylegs look adorable. I may have to get T some.

mrss~yay for 11 hours!!!

Tacori~Yuck to Tonsillitis! Hope you feel better soon! Thank goodness T is still feeling well. Is your DH watching her while you rest? I hope so!

mrsm~Good to *see* you!! I cannot believe Amelia is 6 months!! those pics are so cute. Look at her with her sippy. Such a big girl. Glad to hear the stroller is your miracle to naps!! Oh, and sorry to hear about the clogged duct.

So DH and I went to Toys R us last night to get a few more things for T for Christmas and then we went so crazy we decided we'd use some of the stuff for her birthday (January 18th). The kid is so spoiled and we were having way too good of a time picking out toys.

We cleaned out our office on the main floor since it's right off the LR and are putting another toy box and her bigger toys in there. I really need a bigger house!

 

[janinegirly]

TGAL: sorry, I thought of one question--you mentioned being advised to carry Amelia as often as possible--how does this help with flathead? Chloe''s slight flatness is more on the side from (I''m guessing) sleeping with her head tilted to her right and also from me carrying her on that side (and her straining to see me, particularly while feeding). I also have on a few occasions let her sleep in my arms at night, which I guess made it worse. Anyway, I don''t see how carrying her would improve it since it''s not completely on the back of her head. Maybe if I carried her on the other side, but then I''m constantly forcing her to look only one way. I''ll start doing the neck exercised daily too. Thanks for your help!

 

[puffy]

tgal Amelia is a doll!! i just love that clip! good luck on the trip to oz. i''m sure Amelia will be great.

mrsm 6 months?!?! wow!! she''s such a pretty little one!

tacori sorry about tonsillitis! hope you feel better soon. that''s good that T is fine though. YAY for getting a new camera! i''m sure you will love the D60. i''m trying to get rid of my D80 for a D90 upgrade. but i have a feeling that DH will get the D90 even if i don''t get rid of the D80.

qt did you end up getting cuppies? M is sooo cute! i love the baby legs on her. glad to hear that she slept almost the whole drive!

burk i hear ya on the toys! it''ll be B''s 1st birthday on sunday and we have got so many things for him! some of the stuff he can''t use until later on, but we wanted to get it just because. and i have a really big family so i can only imagine all the gifts we''ll be lugging home after his party

ella how are you? how are the twins? i was thinking about them because they are just a few days, 2 days older than B i believe. can you believe it''s been a year?!!? i hope they have a wonderful first birthday!!

mrsS that''s such great news about Jake sleeping 11 hours!

it''s madness here!!! B is all over the place and things are all over the place. i''m trying to start packing for hawaii but that is obviously not happening! everything that i take out to put in the suitcase, B takes out of the suitcase to play with or to put in his hamper

and it''s not helping that it''s DH''s birthday on thursday and i am still trying to get things together for his "surprise" bash. i *think* he knows about it. oh well.

 

[curlygirl]

Hi!! I know, I''m a horrible friend for not checking in more often and I promise that when I go back to work next month I will be on here more often. I''m just doing a quick one-handed drive by for now.

TGal, happy belated birthday! I can''t believe how much Amelia has grown!!! She is just precious.

q, Meena is sooooooo adorable! I LOVE H&M for baby clothes, they have the best stuff at great prices.

Tacori, I miss you!! I hope you''re feeling better soon. Give Tessa some cyber smooches from me, Lily and Lucy!

MrsM, Amelia is such a cutie pie! So grown up!

janine, sounds like Chloe''s doing great!! Don''t worry about the percentiles at all. As long as your pediatrician thinks she''s doing well, you have nothing to be concerned with. I have no idea about the flat head thing but sounds like TGal has given you some great tips.

mrssalvo, I can''t believe Jake is crawling! Time is FLYING by!!! So sorry to hear about the choking thing. So scary.

snlee, sounds like D is doing great and he''s so cute!!!! Don''t worry about STTN, it will happen. Everybody''s babies eventually do it, right?

As for us, Lucy is just a lovely baby. Her 2 month appointment isn''t till next week--we kinda screwed up the scheduling--but I can tell she''s growing like a weed!! She is just a smiling, cooing blob of sweetness!!!!! She is also sleeping like a champ at night. She does 7-7.5 hours (in a row!) every night and I am NOT complaining. She puts herself to sleep which is pretty amazing. She also refuses the pacifier which is also shocking to me but I''m not going to force it on her if she doesn''t want it! She''s not the greatest napper during the day but it''s ok because she''s not annoying while she''s awake. She''s just super alert!! Meanwhile, big sister Lily continues to amaze us with her most recent word explosion!!!! Within one week the girl has exponentially increased her vocabulary. DH and I have to seriously be careful what we say around her because she is a sponge!! We have resorted to spelling a lot of things now!!! She also does not want to sit in her high chair anymore so we bought a little table and chairs for her. She sits like a big girl and waits for her food and after she finishes eating, she says "all done" and gets up. I swear she''s going to be a teenager next week!!!! I think she''s learned a tremendous amount at daycare and her teachers even say that she''s teaching stuff to the other kids! Such a ham!!

Anyway, sorry for the quickie and I know i missed a few people but just wanted to check in. I hope everyone is doing great!! I''ll be back soon!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 12/2/2008 1:27:08 PM
Author: janinegirly
TGAL: sorry, I thought of one question--you mentioned being advised to carry Amelia as often as possible--how does this help with flathead? Chloe''s slight flatness is more on the side from (I''m guessing) sleeping with her head tilted to her right and also from me carrying her on that side (and her straining to see me, particularly while feeding). I also have on a few occasions let her sleep in my arms at night, which I guess made it worse. Anyway, I don''t see how carrying her would improve it since it''s not completely on the back of her head. Maybe if I carried her on the other side, but then I''m constantly forcing her to look only one way. I''ll start doing the neck exercised daily too. Thanks for your help!

I carried her in the ergo a lot where she would lean the side of her forehead into my chest. She would be pretty much almost straight up when I carried her that way. When I carried her in my arms I switched to the other arm so that it was the opposite side of the head in my arms (she sort of laid sideways the way I carried her.)

When I started treatment for Amelia, she did not yet have a flat spot, so I wasn''t battling one that already existed. I just changed positions as often as possible. At nights, I just let her head fall where it may and it didn''t seem to affect anything too much.

Also perhaps sitting with her sitting on your lap with her back toward your front may help?

Don''t apologize for asking questions...ask as many as you''d like! While it''s only a cosmetic thing, I wanted to do my best to keep flat head from happening. Mostly because my cousin has a very flat head and it''s been a real point of insecurity her whole life. She won''t even let her boyfriend stroke her hair/head because she freaks out. Girl''s will have enough insecurities in life without a flat head!

 

[DivaDiamond007]

Popping in while I have a moment.

Janine - I was worried about James having a flat head too. He would only sleep in his car seat for like the first 7 weeks. Once we got him away from that he wouldn''t sleep on his back at all. He''d startle himself awake about every 10 minutes so he''s been a belly sleeper ever since then. I ran it by the pedi and she said it was fine as long as there''s nothing in the crib that could suffocate him. He''s 5 months now and his head is beautiful!

Re: recovery. I had a "vaginal c-section" and it was not pleasant. I got the shakes from some meds that I was given and it was uncontrollable at times. Luckily my "Dani" was there (her real name is Jeannie) and was a huge help. I stayed in bed for more than 24 hours after delivering per doctor''s orders. Getting up the first time was hard and I bled a lot. Definately take advantage of the mesh panties and supersize pads. I brought everything that was stocked in my room home with me. The hospital also sent me home with some Tucks and some antibacterial numbing spray - if they do the same for you then use them - the combo made me feel much better down there. I also had a ton of gas after delivery. It was sooo embarassing but Jeannie assured me that it was normal and to just let it out. I also agree that you should take any at home help that you can get. It is tough with a newborn especially when your belly (or vajayay) hurts and it''s hard to get off the couch.

Tacori - Tessa is getting to be so grown up - she''s a toddler now and not so much a baby anymore. How tall is she? I remember you saying that she''s a shortie and I''m curious because James is sooo tall - it''s just hard for me to imagine such a little person running around!

I love the baby pics! They are all so adorable. I really need to post some more of James but our home internet is still down so I''m using in In-Law''s computer and don''t want to put my pics on their computer.

James is 5 months today and he''s just growing and growing and growing. Sometimes I think he''s an inch longer and a pound heavier every morning! He''s about 18 lbs. and 27" long now - by our unscientific measurements. We''re still working on introducing new foods and so far the only ones he really doesn''t like are green beans and peaches. He still loves the applesauce. James has a wonderful personality but he''s not been into napping these days. He''ll get so tired but not want to go down. He''ll just fuss and fuss until he''s finally just so exhausted that he falls asleep where ever he is - usually in my arms or in DH''s arms. I feel bad seeing him like that! We''re getting a white noise machine soon as the vaccum cleaner seems to do the trick in a moment of desperation.

I only did a bit of Black Friday shopping this year. DH and I got what we''ve been talking about for about a year now: a new, big, tv. We started a fund and with some early Christmas money from his parents we got a 42" 1080P, 120Hz LCD. Our previous tv was 27" so this one is huge compared to that.

We''ve lived with his parents for about 2.5 months now and so far so good. We basically have our own apartment so if we don''t want to be around his parents we don''t have to. DH''s dad is a bit wierd but his mom is wonderful. I''ve always gotten along with her really well and it''s nice to have some help on her days off. When I go back to work in January we will be saving 100% of my wages so that is great for us.

I''ll try to post more often - I''ve been lurking but don''t have much time these days - I miss you guys and your little ones!

Diva

 

[Jas12]

Tgal--Happy (belated) 8th month to Amelia and birthday to you. Still can''t believe you went to BRU at 5am for PUFFS--damn, that''s love

I luv the new amelia pic (we don''t get enuf of those!) i don''t know why you say she is not photogenic, she is an angel, but i know what you mean about your kid looking better in person, pics just don''t capture ''the baby essence''--whatever that is, i feel something is missing in pictures.
Nice of you to call Co a smartie, but it''s just the consequence of having a teacher mom. I am sure Burk is the same, i repeat things over and over like some 1950''s spelling bee drill and my poor kid is probably wishing he could talk to get me to shut up

.

Qtiekiki--aww, lovely pics, you look beautiful yourself. I am glad that the dinner went well but too bad for the crying over the drive. It''s so hard when they cry while travelling, you want to comfort them so you feel like stopping, but need to get home so they stop fussing--grrr

Tacori--ick, you poor thing, rest up. We need u back in full force!

MrsS--YAAY for 11 hours!!!!!!!!!

. THat''s how Co started last month so i bet there is no turning back now. Yipppee. Hopefully you will get rested up in time for the busy holidays.
Now, if only we could get Jadie to STTN for Lili!

MrsM-sucky about the mild duct, weird too. Can NOT believe your Amelia is 6.5 months old!!!

Curly--sounds like you guys are doing great. Must be amazing to watch the vocabulary expand. that just amazes me. I can''t get over how my kid knows to look at the ceiling when i say "light" so i think i am going to be tearing up every day when he actually talks to me

. Is it getting easier to juggle 2 kids now that you are past the dreaded first 6 weeks?

..........


So after some internet research i have diagnosed Cohen with Roseola. A very high fever with no other symptoms followed by a sudden disappearance of fever and the arrival of a spotty rash is the characteristics of the virus. He must have contracted it from the kids he was around last week. It is common from 9-12 months and is not serious--although the fever often causes seizures that are alarming but not very dangerous. Luckily i didn''t have to witness one of those. Co seemed fine as of yesterday but Charlie noticed a small rash when he was bathing Co tonight and so i figured it out from there. Thought i would share in case another baby gets the same symptoms
Roseola:
*Very high fever (possibly with seizure)
*no other symptoms, or difficult to detect (puffy eyelids, fatigue, possibly irritable)
*drop in fever
*appearance of rash day or two after fever (small dots) starting on trunk .
baby center has lots more info if need be....

 

[mia1181]

Janine- I'm a lurker (not a mom but a nanny). About Flatheads, my charge had a flat spot on the side of her head and we did a lot of the things T-Gal did with her daughter to "fix it." Her's wasn't full blown torticollis, so it didn't require any PT but we resolved it by positioning. You will want to "even out" her head by putting pressure on the other side. Obviously this is hard to do because she will favor one side, but prop her using rolled towels, blankets or postioning wedges, so that the weight is on the bulging side. You'll have to play around a bit to get it right.

Secondly, you also need to focus on getting her off her back as much as possible. Tummy time is great for babies anyway and if you can carry her without putting pressure on the head do it as much as possible. We also had my little charge take her daily naps in the living room (where we kept an eye on her) on her tummy. So it's actually a two-fold approach. If you only flatten the other side of her head to match, the whole back of her head will be flat. By getting her on her tummy more you will give head the opportunity to grow and round out on it's own.

As for your concern about her head size and potentially anthing that might be going on, I think you should just watch those milestones. If she is hitting milestones okay and there are no other problems, she is probably okay. She if you really feel like something is going on then definitely pursue it. But don't get too worked up percentiles can be misleading.

 

[Gemma12]

Okay, I am sorry this has taken so long!! Hopefully some of the story explains why I have been MIA!

BIRTH STORY

I had a busy day the day before she was born. We had just moved house so I was doing chores around the house then shopped with a friend in the afternoon. I was getting pretty big and was more tired than usual. In the afternoon I spent a lot of time rubbing my back which hurt more than usual-like a crampy period pain type feeling.

After dinner I felt like I had indigestion. I couldn’t get comfortable. After a while I got up and started walking around the house as I just wasn’t comfortable sitting still. It felt like I had a lot of gas and I kept going to the bathroom. At about 9 pm I had a really strong squeezing pain and my belly got tight. I said to DH “Wow, that was a really strong Braxton Hicks!” I had another one about 5 minutes after that. DH was all funny and wanted to ring the hospital but I thought it was very likely to be false labour.

I went to bed to try to rest and at about midnight got up to go to the bathroom again. I had been having mostly gas pain interspersed with the strong BH pains. In the bathroom, I felt like I had lost control of my bladder-there was a little trickle even though I tightened up my pelvic floor. I went back to our bedroom and said to DH ‘I think my waters broke’. The hospital had told us to call, so I did. They wanted me to come in to be assessed, but I told them I didn’t have much pain so I wanted to stay at home. They told me to come in if I had pain or at 6 am if nothing else had happened.

I went back to bed but couldn’t get comfortable. At this stage I hadn’t finished packing a bag so I got up and threw a few extra things in there.

At about 2:30 I decided to take a shower. In the shower, I noticed that my belly was getting really tight with the gas pains as well and they were starting to feel a bit stronger. I woke DH and told him that we should get to hospital.

When we arrived I had a strong pain which meant that I had to stop walking. We got to the labour ward and they were really busy-we waited (me sitting on a towel!) in the waiting area for about 45 minutes. At this stage I started timing the ‘gas’ pains and they were 3 minutes apart and lasting for about 60-90 seconds.

By the time we got into a room it was nearly 4 am. I was pretty uncomfortable and asked the midwife to call for an epidural. She told me she wanted to assess me first because ‘I think you’re about to have this baby’. I laughed and said (politely), ‘This is my first baby, it will take a while’. At this point I couldn’t talk through contractions and was really finding them quite painful.

The midwife left the room for about 15 minutes (it felt like longer but DH timed it!) and by the time she returned I really wanted that epidural! She told me that my ob was on her way, and she was going to do an internal.

She did the internal and told me that I was 8 cm dilated. I said to her ‘See, I’ve just got a very low pain threashold-I need that epidural’. She told me to breathe through the pain and was great at giving me clear instructions and getting me to focus.

At 5am she assessed me again and said I was fully dilated! The anaesthetist had arrived (a friend of mine) but I didn’t get the epidural in the end. (She was very forgiving about having been woken up for nothing!) The midwife instructed me to push as my obstetrician arrived and put on gloves and prepared me for delivery. I pushed through four or five contractions and my beautiful girl was born! I did have a second degree tear as she had a very good size head even though she’s a skinny Minnie.

The recovery was initially very good although I did have a hiccup at week three with some bleeding so I ended up with a D&C. Still Pippa is now a month old and thriving-doing well at the breastfeeding on the whole and despite mild colic and reflux sleeps occasionally! Not smiling as yet but definitely engaging more.

Thanks for reading if you made it that far!! She is having a fussy day today so I can’t catch up but I have been reading and I’m sorry to hear about all the ill bubbies. Hope everyone is feeling better and I hope that I will be back to catch up soon!

 

[janinegirly]

Date: 12/3/2008 2:13:20 AM
Author: mia1181
Janine- I''m a lurker (not a mom but a nanny). About Flatheads, my charge had a flat spot on the side of her head and we did a lot of the things T-Gal did with her daughter to ''fix it.'' Her''s wasn''t full blown torticollis, so it didn''t require any PT but we resolved it by positioning. You will want to ''even out'' her head by putting pressure on the other side. Obviously this is hard to do because she will favor one side, but prop her using rolled towels, blankets or postioning wedges, so that the weight is on the bulging side. You''ll have to play around a bit to get it right.



Secondly, you also need to focus on getting her off her back as much as possible. Tummy time is great for babies anyway and if you can carry her without putting pressure on the head do it as much as possible. We also had my little charge take her daily naps in the living room (where we kept an eye on her) on her tummy. So it''s actually a two-fold approach. If you only flatten the other side of her head to match, the whole back of her head will be flat. By getting her on her tummy more you will give head the opportunity to grow and round out on it''s own.


As for your concern about her head size and potentially anthing that might be going on, I think you should just watch those milestones. If she is hitting milestones okay and there are no other problems, she is probably okay. She if you really feel like something is going on then definitely pursue it. But don''t get too worked up percentiles can be misleading.

Mia1181: Thanks so much for your post--it''s a big help hearing from someone who''s experienced it and you give great advice. I have a few questions if you don''t mind:

1)How old was your charge when you started these efforts and did it resolve the flathead?

2)We have my daughter taking all her naps on her tummy now and I try my best to have her on the bulging side during other times (evenings are the toughest when I''m sleeping too). My question is how to get the pressure off her head (by carrying her around) and especially with awake tummy time. When she is awake she hates tummy time and can''t lift her head so it still is pressure on the head.

Thanks again...

 

[mia1181]

Date: 12/3/2008 1:12:36 PM
Author: janinegirly

Date: 12/3/2008 2:13:20 AM
Author: mia1181
Janine- I''m a lurker (not a mom but a nanny). About Flatheads, my charge had a flat spot on the side of her head and we did a lot of the things T-Gal did with her daughter to ''fix it.'' Her''s wasn''t full blown torticollis, so it didn''t require any PT but we resolved it by positioning. You will want to ''even out'' her head by putting pressure on the other side. Obviously this is hard to do because she will favor one side, but prop her using rolled towels, blankets or postioning wedges, so that the weight is on the bulging side. You''ll have to play around a bit to get it right.



Secondly, you also need to focus on getting her off her back as much as possible. Tummy time is great for babies anyway and if you can carry her without putting pressure on the head do it as much as possible. We also had my little charge take her daily naps in the living room (where we kept an eye on her) on her tummy. So it''s actually a two-fold approach. If you only flatten the other side of her head to match, the whole back of her head will be flat. By getting her on her tummy more you will give head the opportunity to grow and round out on it''s own.


As for your concern about her head size and potentially anthing that might be going on, I think you should just watch those milestones. If she is hitting milestones okay and there are no other problems, she is probably okay. She if you really feel like something is going on then definitely pursue it. But don''t get too worked up percentiles can be misleading.

Mia1181: Thanks so much for your post--it''s a big help hearing from someone who''s experienced it and you give great advice. I have a few questions if you don''t mind:

1)How old was your charge when you started these efforts and did it resolve the flathead?

2)We have my daughter taking all her naps on her tummy now and I try my best to have her on the bulging side during other times (evenings are the toughest when I''m sleeping too). My question is how to get the pressure off her head (by carrying her around) and especially with awake tummy time. When she is awake she hates tummy time and can''t lift her head so it still is pressure on the head.

Thanks again...

Hey Janine, I can''t remember how old she was, but I will check the "nanny log" when I get in to work today and see. I started with her family when she was 3 months old so I know for sure she was older than your little girl. I am guessing we noticed it at around 4 months. Her head is perfectly round now and we never had to resort to the "helmet" like some people do.

She is still pretty young so you probably have lots of time. Just do what ever you can to reduce the pressure on that same spot on her head. If she isn''t able to lift her head yet she isn''t going to get the full benefits of tummy time, but it will happen with time. Most babies hate tummy time so don''t worry she''s not any different. Tummy time is super-important though because it helps them learn to roll over and crawl. And that anger and frustration you see when they are on their tummy, actually helps them learn new skills like rolling over to get off their tummy. With my little charge, her parents didn''t like to put her on her tummy because she cried. But once we HAD to do it, she got used to it very quickly. I think you are doing great by just having her nap on her tummy (remember to keep a close eye on her). And remember this doesn''t mean you can NEVER have her on her back but just try and limit it as much as possible. It will get easier when she can hold her head up.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 12/3/2008 1:59:10 PM
Author: mia1181

Date: 12/3/2008 1:12:36 PM
Author: janinegirly

Date: 12/3/2008 2:13:20 AM
Author: mia1181
Janine- I''m a lurker (not a mom but a nanny). About Flatheads, my charge had a flat spot on the side of her head and we did a lot of the things T-Gal did with her daughter to ''fix it.'' Her''s wasn''t full blown torticollis, so it didn''t require any PT but we resolved it by positioning. You will want to ''even out'' her head by putting pressure on the other side. Obviously this is hard to do because she will favor one side, but prop her using rolled towels, blankets or postioning wedges, so that the weight is on the bulging side. You''ll have to play around a bit to get it right.



Secondly, you also need to focus on getting her off her back as much as possible. Tummy time is great for babies anyway and if you can carry her without putting pressure on the head do it as much as possible. We also had my little charge take her daily naps in the living room (where we kept an eye on her) on her tummy. So it''s actually a two-fold approach. If you only flatten the other side of her head to match, the whole back of her head will be flat. By getting her on her tummy more you will give head the opportunity to grow and round out on it''s own.


As for your concern about her head size and potentially anthing that might be going on, I think you should just watch those milestones. If she is hitting milestones okay and there are no other problems, she is probably okay. She if you really feel like something is going on then definitely pursue it. But don''t get too worked up percentiles can be misleading.

Mia1181: Thanks so much for your post--it''s a big help hearing from someone who''s experienced it and you give great advice. I have a few questions if you don''t mind:

1)How old was your charge when you started these efforts and did it resolve the flathead?

2)We have my daughter taking all her naps on her tummy now and I try my best to have her on the bulging side during other times (evenings are the toughest when I''m sleeping too). My question is how to get the pressure off her head (by carrying her around) and especially with awake tummy time. When she is awake she hates tummy time and can''t lift her head so it still is pressure on the head.

Thanks again...

Hey Janine, I can''t remember how old she was, but I will check the ''nanny log'' when I get in to work today and see. I started with her family when she was 3 months old so I know for sure she was older than your little girl. I am guessing we noticed it at around 4 months. Her head is perfectly round now and we never had to resort to the ''helmet'' like some people do.

She is still pretty young so you probably have lots of time. Just do what ever you can to reduce the pressure on that same spot on her head. If she isn''t able to lift her head yet she isn''t going to get the full benefits of tummy time, but it will happen with time. Most babies hate tummy time so don''t worry she''s not any different. Tummy time is super-important though because it helps them learn to roll over and crawl. And that anger and frustration you see when they are on their tummy, actually helps them learn new skills like rolling over to get off their tummy. With my little charge, her parents didn''t like to put her on her tummy because she cried. But once we HAD to do it, she got used to it very quickly. I think you are doing great by just having her nap on her tummy (remember to keep a close eye on her). And remember this doesn''t mean you can NEVER have her on her back but just try and limit it as much as possible. It will get easier when she can hold her head up.

Janine, you don''t have to put her on the tummy on the floor.

Sit in a chair with your legs together. "Drape" her over your legs with her arms and head hanging over one side. Her cheek or chin should be resting on your thigh. Rock her back and forth by moving your legs and rub her back. Amelia hated tummy time but I found she didn''t mind this.

Also, this may seem like a no brainer, but I didn''t really realize it until my PT helped me. When I had Amelia in tummy time, i had her arms sort of stretched out alongside her head. They can support themselves better with their arms bent and tucked under their chest. You can hover over them (basically lay over them in the same position on your tummy) and use your hands to tuck their arms in. It would be like if you were praying with your hands together at your forehead with your elbows at your chest...or an abdominal "hover" position (if you''ve ever done those in a workout). She should be in that position. This may help.

 

[TravelingGal]

Tacori, hope you are feeling better! Not sure if you''ve seen the deals posted on the Nikon DSLR thread, but there are some great deals right now on the D60!

 

[snlee]

TGal, you crack me up. I cannot believe you got up at 5am for baby food! The things we do for our babies! Happy belated birthday! What a cute picture of A at Costco. Funny how babies look overwhelmed there! I hope you are right about the flukey sleeping and that STTN regularly will soon follow. We started transferring D to his crib two nights ago and I think he's having gas problems so I am sleep deprived!

QT, glad you had a great trip. How often do you visit the bay area? M is so cute in her BabyLegs and hello kitty dress! Love it! You look great too! The clogged milk ducts hurt. Luckily I usually catch them early now that I know how they feel. If I put heat on it and massage while nursing they seem to go away pretty quickly. Still a pain in the A$$!

Tacori, so sorry you have tonsillitis. I hope you feel better soon. Glad Tessa isn't sick.

MrsS, yay for 11 hours of sleep! It must feel wonderful!

MrsM, cute pictures of A! Sorry to hear you have clogged milk ducts too. I know what you're going through. I seem to be getting clogged ducts frequently. Luckily I usually catch them early now that I know how they feel. If I put heat on it and massage while nursing they seem to go away pretty quickly. Still a pain in the A$$! Hang in there!

Burk, isn't it so easy to spoil our babies? I tell DH that at least I'm not buying much stuff for myself anymore. I'm always buying baby stuff!

puffy, when do you leave for Hawaii? Your packing mess sounds so funny although I'm sure it's no fun for you! That's sweet that you're throwing your DH a surprise bday party.

curly, both your girls sound like they are doing great! And you sound so happy! I am really happy for you. I can't imagine having two kids under 1.5 years old. You make it sound so easy (although I'm sure it's not)!

Diva, James sounds like he is doing well. I'm glad things are going great for you and your family.

Gemma, wow what a birth story! I am jealous of your short labor! Sorry to hear about the D&C. Sounds like Pippa is doing well. You should post a recent picture of her.

I bought a few pairs of BabyLegs and can't wait to try them out. QT, Burk, anyone else interested in BabyLegs - I searched for the best deal on BabyLegs and wanted to share what I found. Lil’ Tulips has a buy 2 ($12) get 1 free special going on now plus free shipping. Naturally Trendy has some on sale for $7 plus $5 shipping. babySNAZZ has a wider selection, many on sale for $8 or $10, $4 shipping. The BabyLegs official web store has some that are in sale for $8 plus shipping.

Mommies, what is you baby's favorite teething toy? I want to get D some before he starts teething and there's are many to choose from.

 

[lili]

snlee
I may have to use them as arm warmers.
DH hates it when her clothes are so tight that they leave marks on her.
I see that you bought D some.....can't wait to see how they look on him.
I admit, they are super cute and they've got some interesting designs too -- some very macho too.

Sorry that D is keeping you up...I can certainly relate in that arena.

Janinegirly
Yay for the STTN. That's great.
Sorry to hear about Chloe's flat head issue though.
I hope that using TGal suggestions will resolve the issue.
J favored one side when she was younger too.
I was very diligent when it comes to not letting her sleep on one side of her head too much.

MrsS
Yay for the 11 hours STTN.

jas12
At this point, I'm just hoping that she's back to waking up once or twice a night.
For the last week, I've been getting up on the hour again. I don't know if it is her cold or if she's truly hungry.
I'm telling you, this daycare thing is making life hard on us. Before we started daycare, J was actually sleeping 6-7 hrs straight.
It seems like she reverted back to her newborn days

We've got some work cut out for us.

Tgal
If that's how Amelia look in picture and she's unphotogenic, she must be a bundle of cuteness IRL

She's just adorable. And she look so tiny in that big ole Costco cart.
I'd post more pictures of J, but they all look the same with her charging at the camera

Until I get some new poses, no picture posting for me.

Ooo....have fun in Oz.
ETA: happy belated b-day and love your gift.

Curly
Lily sounds like one smart and cute chickadee!
And Lucy is following close in Lily's footstep.
Your DH may want to get going with his collection of bats!

MrsM
Amelia is such a little doll!

Love that aerial shot of her.
Sorry to hear about her not taking the bottle,
but it looks like she's taking an interest in the sippy cup.
I'm not having luck with the bottle myself.
The caretakers been using the dropper to feed J during the day.
I think we'll just give up on the bottle and concentrate on the sippy cup or straw at this point.


QT
Awwwee....how cute M is with her designer dresses and leggings

And you look great as usual.
As snlee said, clogged duct are a PITA.
I don't know how it is with clogged ducts elsewhere, but mine are clogged at the nipple.
It feels like someone's used your nipple as a pincushion. You get this stinging sensation and it just radiates inward.
Not fun.

 

[lili]

Tacori
Sorry to hear about your tonsils.
Hope you recover quickly. We missed *seeing* you (and ergo Tessa) here.

MrsS
Kept forgetting to say how scary that Jake was choking on the napkin.
Glad everything is okay. It''s a good wake-up call for me since I tend to let J play with napkins and papers

Jas12
Glad to hear that Co''s fever is down.
Thanks for the info on Roseola.

April babies
Any more teeth coming in? I think Co is still toothless eh?

 

[lili]

Gemma
Oops....almost to comment about your labor story.
Wow, you''ve got a really fast labor and delivery.
Sorry to hear about the D&C though, but it sounds like everything is ok now.
And tough girl for no epi.
You have a higher tolerance of pain than you thought huh?

I agree with snlee -- we need an updated pix of your little Pippa.

Diva
Glad to *see* you again.
It sounds like things are working well with the living situation with the in-laws. That''s great.
James is growing like a weed....he''s a tall one -- 27" at 5 months? Wow.
Yes, we''d love some new pictures of him.
And being the picture monitor on here, where is that Halloween picture you promised?

 

[Gemma12]

1 hand....

thanks snlee and lili-happy 2 oblige!

tacori i hope you are feeling better! glad t has stayed well.

q such gorgeous photos of meena! are babylegs tights?

jen love those 6 mo photos-how gorgeous! i can''t believe she''s 6 mo already!

janine p has flat head as well on the left-the paediatrician suggested tilting her mattress to one side with a rolled up beach towel placed length wise along the mattress. It has helped a bit. also i hold her draped across one arm with her head in my elbow for tummy time when she is fussing on the floor.

curly i would love to see some photos of your girls!

lia hope you and c are doing well and recovering!!

still trying to catch up....

 

[mrssalvo]

aw gemma, love the pic!!!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 12/3/2008 8:30:35 PM
Author: Gemma12

1 hand....

thanks snlee and lili-happy 2 oblige!

tacori i hope you are feeling better! glad t has stayed well.

q such gorgeous photos of meena! are babylegs tights?

jen love those 6 mo photos-how gorgeous! i can''t believe she''s 6 mo already!

janine p has flat head as well on the left-the paediatrician suggested tilting her mattress to one side with a rolled up beach towel placed length wise along the mattress. It has helped a bit. also i hold her draped across one arm with her head in my elbow for tummy time when she is fussing on the floor.

curly i would love to see some photos of your girls!

lia hope you and c are doing well and recovering!!

still trying to catch up....

Awww so adorable! Love the cute little fingers (enjoy them before they get all porky, hehehe).

Still have to catch up on your birth story! It''s good to see you here again!

 

[qtiekiki]

Burk
If M is anything like me, then she will probably have short fine hair and look like a boy for a while.
Get Tayva some babylegs. They''ll look so cute on her long legs.

puffy
No I didn''t end up doing the cuppies. One because I got too much to plan/get ready for the weekend, and two because I ended up celebrating my god-grandma''s b-day (belated) with a full sheet cake that night.
Thanks. I was really glad that she slept.
Hope Brady has a wonderful 1st birthday party this Sunday.

curly
Yeah H&M baby clothes are awesome, so cute and cheap.

Diva
Did you started solids at 4 months? Sounds like James is doing well with food.
Hope your internet is up soon because we need pics of James.

Jas12
Glad you figure out what''s causing Co fever. Do you have to do anything to get rid of the rash? or do you just have to wait?

snlee
Before I was pregnant, I used to visit every other month or so. I didn''t visit during my whole pregnancy because my parents ended up visiting me more than once a month. I am hoping to visit every couple of months now for M to see Grandma and Grandpa, but we''ll see.
Thanks for the deals on Babylegs. I''ll have to order a few more.
I think Jas12 got the Sophie giraffe for Co. I am going to look into that one.

lili
I haven''t gotten a clogged milk duct yet (knock on wood), so I don''t know how it feels. Sounds painful.
My parents and MIL were giving me a hard time on M socks being too tight and leaving marks on her calf, so I get bigger size socks. They still leave marks. I told them that her legs are just too chubby. hehe.

Gemma
Wow you had a really speedy delivery. You are a trooper for going without epidural.
Babylegs are baby leg warmers. I just tuck them inside the onesie; that''s why they look like tights in the pic.
P is adorable. Ditto to Tgal about fingers getting porky, well everywhere get a little porkier.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Gemma, she's beautiful! I'm sorry about the D&C, but yay for a quick delivery! Hope you're enjoying these first weeks, as exhausting as they are. Good to hear from you.

Thanks Q, Burk, Puffy, Curly, snlee and Jas! I can't believe she's 6.5 months either. How the heck did that happen? I still think of myself as having a 'new' baby!

lili, I@ love the 'arial shot' description too - I love pics like that, she always looks so surprised that I'm hovering up there with a camera. She doesn;t do too well with proper sippy cups either. Stubborn little thing! The one in the pic is just a cup with a spout, ie if you turned it up it wouls pour out. It can get messy, but better than nothing!

Jen

 

[Tacori E-ring]

TGal, totally forgot to comment on the adorable cart cover! We have one too but your''s is cuter

What are VR lenses...I know I am stupid. I saw that awesome price at B&H am going to talk to DH about it tonight. What are those two lenses for? The guy at Wolf was not very helpful. Also do you use your extra battery? He said they were not necessary but I use the extra one for my point and shoot all the time.

iluv, thanks I feel much better. What does your DH say about baby #3?

MrsM, I am glad T is a healthy girl too. Ame is SOOO adorable! Seriously a cutie. Thanks for the new pictures. Sorry about your clog. I am sure it is gone by now. Let me know if you need any tips. That was my life for 6+ months. They are brought on my stress, unwire bras, sleeping on your stomach, engorgement, illness, and other mysterious reasons. That is strange you cannot pump. I never could get as much as I could with her nursing but it was enough at least 5 oz when I stopped. My little girl had the opposite situation...she refused ME! Oh well. She is healthy. That is all that matters. I can''t believe she is 6 months! Time flies!

Q, tights are a PITA maybe I should look into these. Actually changing her diaper at all is now very difficult. She is strong and wiggles away to run around diaperless until I can pin her down again. At least she has only peed on my floor twice so far.

I feel much better today. Finally after over a week!

Burk, no, noggin was watching her. DH had to work and I felt so horrible. Love the new picture and AV. Such a pretty girl! Any cool new toys I should know about?

puffy, I don''t think I need anything more advance than the D60. The D90 can take high def videos which is super cool though. Hope you have a great time in hawaii. How could you not! Haha. Hope DH''s party goes great tomorrow!

Curly! I miss you too friend. I am on the mend and gave Tessa kisses from your girls. Sounds like things are great for you. Lucy is such a great sleeper. I am so jealous. Lily is so cute how she will sit at her own little table. I love when Tessa says the few words she knows. Makes me feel like it is all coming together KWIM? I am sure someday I will be wishing for her to STOP talking so I am enjoying this time of discovery.

Diva, I know my baby has been replaced. She was 28.5" at her one year but I think she has grown at least an inch in the last month. Her pants are still too long but the cuff is much smaller. If she would stay still I would measure her. You all started foods early! I am such a rule follower so I waited until her 6 month b-day. We downloads a vacuum sound off the internet. Worked like charm. Hope he sleeps better soon. I started to sleep train T around James age. It seemed to help.

Jas12, poor Co! Is he feeling better?

Gemma, wow she is precious! Thanks for your birth story. You are tough to forgo the epi!

Snlee, thanks for the info on babylegs. I will have to check them out. I was the milk duct clog queen so I can relate. It is best to deal with them early.

Lili, I know I have stayed off of PS recently. Between the million family members in town and being sick I just didn''t have the energy. I am back now though! Thanks for thinking of me.

 

[iluvcarats]

Date: 12/4/2008 9:33:06 AM
Author: Tacori E-ring
TGal, totally forgot to comment on the adorable cart cover! We have one too but your''s is cuter

What are VR lenses...I know I am stupid. I saw that awesome price at B&H am going to talk to DH about it tonight. What are those two lenses for? The guy at Wolf was not very helpful. Also do you use your extra battery? He said they were not necessary but I use the extra one for my point and shoot all the time.


iluv, thanks I feel much better. What does your DH say about baby #3?


MrsM, I am glad T is a healthy girl too. Ame is SOOO adorable! Seriously a cutie. Thanks for the new pictures. Sorry about your clog. I am sure it is gone by now. Let me know if you need any tips. That was my life for 6+ months. They are brought on my stress, unwire bras, sleeping on your stomach, engorgement, illness, and other mysterious reasons. That is strange you cannot pump. I never could get as much as I could with her nursing but it was enough at least 5 oz when I stopped. My little girl had the opposite situation...she refused ME! Oh well. She is healthy. That is all that matters. I can''t believe she is 6 months! Time flies!


Q, tights are a PITA maybe I should look into these. Actually changing her diaper at all is now very difficult. She is strong and wiggles away to run around diaperless until I can pin her down again. At least she has only peed on my floor twice so far.

I feel much better today. Finally after over a week!


Burk, no, noggin was watching her. DH had to work and I felt so horrible. Love the new picture and AV. Such a pretty girl! Any cool new toys I should know about?


puffy, I don''t think I need anything more advance than the D60. The D90 can take high def videos which is super cool though. Hope you have a great time in hawaii. How could you not! Haha. Hope DH''s party goes great tomorrow!


Curly! I miss you too friend. I am on the mend and gave Tessa kisses from your girls. Sounds like things are great for you. Lucy is such a great sleeper. I am so jealous. Lily is so cute how she will sit at her own little table. I love when Tessa says the few words she knows. Makes me feel like it is all coming together KWIM? I am sure someday I will be wishing for her to STOP talking so I am enjoying this time of discovery.


Diva, I know my baby has been replaced. She was 28.5'' at her one year but I think she has grown at least an inch in the last month. Her pants are still too long but the cuff is much smaller. If she would stay still I would measure her. You all started foods early! I am such a rule follower so I waited until her 6 month b-day. We downloads a vacuum sound off the internet. Worked like charm. Hope he sleeps better soon. I started to sleep train T around James age. It seemed to help.


Jas12, poor Co! Is he feeling better?


Gemma, wow she is precious! Thanks for your birth story. You are tough to forgo the epi!


Snlee, thanks for the info on babylegs. I will have to check them out. I was the milk duct clog queen so I can relate. It is best to deal with them early.


Lili, I know I have stayed off of PS recently. Between the million family members in town and being sick I just didn''t have the energy. I am back now though! Thanks for thinking of me.

Considering that his part consists of about 5 minutes, he''s all for it. haha

We are really weighing the pros and cons. After all, we are "home free" now, but home free for what? Isn''t this what life is all about? But do I have the energy and patience anymore? (not sure) It is such a gamble. I have two healthy great kids. Am I tempting fate? Asking too much? This is all TMI I am sure. I will stop with my what ifs. It would be nice to have a baby around. I am just worried that it may compromise the two I already have. I am not sure if I have it in me to do the sleepless thing anymore. It was different before school when we were all home together, but now I am running around to all sorts of activities. I would have to get this baby the super deluxe, most comfy car seat, because it will spend most of its time in the car.

I am glad that you are feeling better Tacori! I remember those wwf wrestling diaper changing days (vaguely) not fun! (I will put my $ on you for now though

) Although I am sure there will be times that Tessa is victorious! Looking forward to all of the great pics you take with your new camera.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Tacori, I think you might just have given me the answer to the ''why do i have clogs again?'' question! Engorgement. Amelia is nursing less as I''ve introduced solids. She loves eating solid food, has taken to it with real enthusiasm. Veggies and fruit mostly, with a few proteins like lentils, chickpeas and a little fish mixed in. She eats three quite big meals a day and is thriving on it, but she got to that stage quite quickly. I guess it''s taking my body a little bit longer to adjust. Today, I feel like I am just one big clog. Great. I did pump again, and got a little milk, but by that I mean less than 1oz, using an electric pump. I wonder, should I let her nurse before I give her food each time or would that just screw things up more?

Iluvcarats, baby no 3? Yay! If you''re up for it, go for it! DH and I are weighing up the pros and cons of baby number 2 right now. If we''re going to do it, we''re going to do it pretty soon for a few practical reasons. We are undecided. The dynamic of our little family is pretty good right now and I don''t know if I want to mess with that. On the other hand, I loved being pregnant (other than the m/s and exhaustion and DH working away for some of it) and on an emotional level, I want to have another baby.

Anyone else thinking of having another? I''d be interested to know what made you go for more than one or stick with one. At the moment, I think our ages are against us having another (DH is quite a bit older than me and there comes a point where another child isn''t a good idea). Plus, we''re really happy as we are, so why mess with it. I''m struggling with this. If I''d started earlier, I think I''d have had a whole housefull of kids. I really, really didn''t want any children at all until just before we decided to ttc, so this is a whole new emotional ball game for me. DH would have as many as we could find beds for.

Jen

 

[TravelingGal]

Real quick, as I have been ill all week and progressively just getting worse instead of better...

Tacori, VR lenses are "vibration reduction" I believe. It just helps when you don''t have a steady hand. Not so much a big deal with closer range (18-55 lens) but with the zoom lens it really does help. These lenses are more expensive so it''s worth it to find a deal with them.

And yes, the cart cover is nice - I got it as a gift from a friend who likes posh things. It''s an Itzy Ritzy (now known as "cuter than a duck''s butt) cover and they are pricey. But I have to say, they are so nice and padded and I love it so much that my normally frugal self would buy another if I lost this one.

 

[royalasscherlover]

Hey mommies, I have a question for you. I''m looking to buy a gift for a friend of mine who has just given birth. I want to get her something to pamper herself, not something for the baby. Any suggestions? What did you want the first week or two (other than sleep, which I can''t really pull off long-distance!)?

Thanks!

 

[Burk]

Been super busy. My DH''s friend is the President of a local bank and he called the other day saying he had a great house for us that the bank had forclosed on. So, we''ve been spending our time trying to figure out if we could make it work. The house is bigger than our current house, the location is great and it would be a good investment. It''s the perfect time to buy, but then what about our current house? The chances of it selling quickly are slim to none and we really can''t afford 2 mortgages. I told myself I wasn''t going to get my hopes up, but too late! I soooo want a bigger house. And this new house has a pool, more garage space, 5 bedrooms, the list goes on. I hope we can find a way to make this work.

Gemma~Your birth story is amazing and your little one is adorable!!! Tayva was a bit colicy so I can totally relate.

Tacori~Glad you''re feeling better. Sorry your DH wasn''t able to be around and help you out. So hard to have the energy to take care of a little one when you don''t feel well! Thank goodness for Noggin!

As for toys-we ended up getting her the laugh and learn house you recommended because my MIL didn''t get it because she couldn''t resist this huge dollhouse I guess....something T won''t be able to use for years over something I told her T would love. Whatever. Anyway, then we got a bunch of smaller things like a wagon of leggos (does your T do leggos? our T is obsessed with them at daycare) a vacuum cleaner and some "kitchen stuff."

diva~Glad things are going weel!

curly~ Good to *see* you!! Sounds like things are going great!!

iluvcarats~I think you should totally do it!! My mom is so happy they went ahead and had my brother when my sister and I were 9 and 6!

mrsm~My DH is 14 years older than me. This does play a role into us wanting to start trying for number 2 soon. I have always wanted 4 kids but I doubt that will happen. Hopefully 3, though!

We''re going to start trying for the next one when T turns one.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

If you want 3 babies, I really, really hope you can get this house! You''ll need the rooms. Oh, I''ll keep everthing crossed for you, it sounds like you''ve fallen for the house. I felt that way about the one we have now, it just wasn''t a good time for us to buy a house but I wanted it so bad it hurt! Lots of house buying / selling dust to you. Could you rent your house out to cover the mortgage for a while? I had to do that and by the time we were able to sell it, the value was a little higher, so it paid a nice chunk of our new mortgage. Just a thought, I soooo hope this works out for you!

Jen

 

[Burk]

Thanks Jen!! I really hope it does work out. I want more space so badly. We are considering renting our current home. We think we should easily be able to get enough to cover the mortgage. Who knows. Still trying not to get too excited....