PS Mommies Thread!

[ellaila]

I''m here, I''m here! Still reading everyday - just hard finding the time to write now that I''ve got two crawlers on my hands (and no gates up yet!). Yikes! Gabe is more like an inchworm crawler - he doesn''t do hand, hand, he does both hands at once and then scooches his legs up. But he''s FAST!! Katelyn is crawling more properly (of course - would you expect less from my little lady?

) but she''s not going too far just yet. Though sometimes she does follow him around, which is just so stinkin'' cute it''s ridiculous. Also the sitting up just kills me because K sits like she''s having tea with the Queen. Veddy veddy ladylike, that one. Oh and they both do the downward facing dog triangle pose too! My friend said that was the precursor to her son pulling himself up, so watch out Tacori!

Love all the new photos everyone! Such gorgeous babies and kidlets!

Curly, I cannot believe how big Lily is now. I just cannot believe it! I think of you every now and then because my babes are 8 months old, and if I''m not mistaken Lily was eight months old when you got or found out you were pregnant, right? God bless you, woman!! And I''m sorry to hear about your mom - hope she''s feeling better now!

Tacori, we''ve got that same bib as in your avatar (and the blue one for Gabe) - such a cute photo of Tessa! I was with a Tess the other day and I had to keep biting my tongue to not add that last "a" in there every time I said her name!

The past few weeks have been a bit rough between the whole BC/hormones thing (BTW, I''m on the ring for this month but then I''m switching to Mirena or Paragard. MsF, are you periods really long/heavy on Paragard? That''s the biggest downside I''ve heard for that one.), Gabe''s teething, and then Q, Gabe, and I all got colds. EEEEEK. Thankfully, I feel sane again, Gabe''s tooth *finally* popped through, and the colds are on their way out, so here''s to brighter days ahead! On the teething front, Katelyn''s got four (bottom two, top two), and Big G''s got just the bottom two now.

I laughed out loud at the thought of handwashing nursing tanks!

Or of handwashing anything for that matter (other than baby toys, that is)! Too funny.

OK, off to go eat a cough drop and pack a diaper bag.

 

[ChinaCat]

Hey mommas-

Delurking to get your opinion about baby shower gifts. Tacori, I think you helped me once before, but can''t find the page now.

Need to get a shower gift, and don''t want to get her something useless. And no clothes. The thing is, it''s a couples shower so it''s a gift from me and DH and I don''t want to get something he would be embarrased about.

Men!

On her registery is a McLaren Easy Traveler Car Seat Carrier Stroller. Also is a Rainforest Bouncer.

Any of these good? I know they may not be useful right away. Or should I just get her bottle drying racks and diapers and such. She''s a pretty good friend, if that makes a difference. And it''s her first, and she will be a working mom.

Thanks in advance! And all of your babies are so precious. I lurk occasionally and troll for pictures! You guys sound like amazing moms.

 

[Jas12]

ChinaCat--on my list of ''must haves'' for baby are:
* Miracle blanket (for the first 3 months or so)
*Wipes warmer (esp. if she is not going to use commercial wipes)
*The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems book or another sleep solution book (Tgal has a good one can''t remeber the full title now)
*A bouncy chair or swing (i barely ever use my swing but most moms swear by them)
*A Sophie the giraffe natural rubber teether-toy (most babies luv them)

Ella--good to hear from you. You''ve certainly had your hands full the past few weeks with the hormones and now two crusin babies! Hope u feel better soon.

Tacori--you too, hope that cold goes away. My sister gets a cold every time she flies, maybe u caught something on the plane

will catch up more later--gotta get my house organized, i am soooo behind in housework it''s stressing me out!

 

[ChinaCat]

Thanks Jas!!!!

I love Cohen''s name btw. Very cool. My BFF just saw Leonard Cohen in London and said it was one of the most amazing experiences.

 

[ellaila]

ChinaCat, I agree with Jas that a Miracle Blanket is a must-have for the first 3-4 months. And most new moms don''t know about them until they''re in the thick of it, so to have one ahead of time would be great! Also, I think a swing or the jumperoo would be an awesome gift and would be very appreciated!!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Ella, T has been pulling herself up to standing for a month and a half now. She started cruising a few weeks ago. How cute K follows G around. Get those gates girl. Makes life SO much easier. I have three altogether. One for the top of the stairs and two long ones to gate off our family room. I had to buy those things for the cabinets b/c she keeps opening them and climbing in

Busy little girl she is. Hope you all feel better soon. We have the same cold over here.

China, I did a box (decorative one from Home Goods). Is your friend nursing? Mine was so I included some stuff for that. I put in nursing pads, lansinol, soothies (for soreness after BFing), 2 waffle receiving blankets (perfect for swaddles), pacis, chocolate, bottle of wine, white noise CD, ear plugs, a blank journal....I think that''s it. Oh and a small thing of wipes and diapers. Basically what I call my first week survival kit.

Jas12, I was thinking we probably did catch it on the plane since we got sick a day or two after. Sucks. But I FINALLY feel better. T''s nose is still running really bad and she hates when we try to wipe it. She is still eating and sleeping so I am hoping that''s all that is bothering her.

 

[ChinaCat]

Thanks Ella and Tacori. That helps a lot!

Tacori- what a sweet gift! You are very thoughtful! Writing that all down for future use, seems like a lot of showers are coming up.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

China, I went back and bought 10 more boxes since everything fit so perfectly in them. Plus I lucked out and the one I gave her matched her nursery. It would be perfect for storing...anything in it. Maybe important papers, cards, etc like a keepsake box. I love that you want to give her something useful. That is very sweet. BTW our swing was a LIFESAVER!

 

[ChinaCat]

Tacori-

I don''t think we have a Home Goods??? Can you guess what size the box was?

Also, can you get a white noise CD at Target or BRU, or where?

These are great ideas. I am going to try to either do the box, or do a miracle blanket and a jumper or saucer, depending on her registry and if she is breastfeeding or not.

Thanks!!!!!!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

China maybe TJ Maxx or Target would have cute boxes. It was big enough to hold a bottle of wine (long ways). I could measure one if you want. If she is not BFing you could fill it with smaller stuff like nail clippers, or bath stuff, a few board books....I like the idea of creating a "theme." But then again I am a weirdo. I downloaded the CD at here! it really is a LIFESAVER!

 

[ChinaCat]

Tacori-

No need to measure, I can figure it out from the wine analogy. And I can probably eye-ball it depending on what I buy to put in it. And thanks for the link on the CD! You have been a great help!

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Date: 8/18/2008 4:37:16 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Snlee, it is *so* good to be back! Thanks!

MrsM, we live in a pretty big house and I can still hear her when she wails but it is nice to have a back-up. Plus sometimes my ears play tricks on me and I *think* she is crying but isn''t really. That''s annoying

I don''t think you need a really expensive one. She has only been sick once before and I was sick that time too! Hard to deal with her and myself but I must say she handles it MUCH better than me. If it wasn''t for her running nose you wouldn''t know she was sick.

Linda, you are so sweet. I feel better today. Yesterday was bad (and we drove 8 hours which is uncomfortable in perfect health) Hope all is good with you friend.

Curly, we love huggies wipes too. Lily is such a pretty little girl. I cannot wait to see if her sister looks like her. Sorry to hear about your mom.

Skippy, thanks! PSers do have some cuties.

Tacori, I''m so glad I''m not the only one who hallucinates her baby crying! I was sitting an exam today and I thought I could hear her crying just almost out of earshot. Really distracting. It was the first time she''s been out of my sight since she was born. Scary! She was in the carpark, with her daddy. Quite safe and perfectly happy, but I was stressed!

 

[misspinky]

T-Gal:I have some of those clips for J's hair--they do stay clipped in really well. And they come in some SUPER cute designs. I bought one that is a birthday cake and one that is balloons....I guess I'll just put them all in her hair on her birthday

 

[ellaila]

I just checked out that link for the hair clips, and OH MY, are they adorable!!! I''m personally not into big poofy ribbons and bows on little girls but these are so cute because they''re just flat and simple. A store like 2 miles from my Dad''s house sells them, too, so I''m going to check them out this weekend! I''m thinking maybe gumballs ... and a flower ... or a butterfly ...

 

[lovelylulu]

Date: 8/20/2008 8:24:05 AM
Author: ellaila
I just checked out that link for the hair clips, and OH MY, are they adorable!!! I''m personally not into big poofy ribbons and bows on little girls but these are so cute because they''re just flat and simple. A store like 2 miles from my Dad''s house sells them, too, so I''m going to check them out this weekend! I''m thinking maybe gumballs ... and a flower ... or a butterfly ...

ella: just popping in to say that if they don''t happen to have them by your dad''s you can order them online here

 

[janinegirly]

I love coming here and checking the photos--i''ll be joining you ladies soon, eek!

Curly: I''m so sorry to hear about your mom--you have so much on your plate! Hang in there preggo twin! Lily is getting so big meanwhile (but still loving those Huggie wipes, haha).


PS: I have a gear question-when we were out to dinner the other night, I saw a couple with a little baby (about 6 months) and they had the cutest high chair cushion. They fit it into the restaurant high chair and it looked so cozy (multicolored and easily packable)--what a great idea. Anyone know where to find these? I''ve done internet searches but they all come up with not quite the right item.

 

[TravelingGal]

More later...interviewing nannies today and it''s my first day back at work. Argh!

misspinky, thanks for letting me know how those clips work. I think I will buy some next week.

janinegirly, I think they have some at BRU, but the really posh/cute ones are usually at the more boutiquey baby stores. My friend has one and it cost her about 80 bucks, although I have seen them for around $60 on sale.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

janine, we got ours at Target. I posted the link for burk awhile back. Love it! It has some cushion in it too and a few loops for toys. I also have the rubber table topper which makes things a little easier and more sanitary too.

 

[Jas12]

China Cat--glad we had some suggestions that you may use. Your friend will luv you for it. I''ve done ''theme box'' type of gifts for other occasions and when the stuff is really useful they are great so Tacori''s idea is a perfect one.
It is hard to know what moms will need or want--for instance i bought a case load of breast pads and didn''t use a single one and someone swore i would need a boppy pillow for nursing but i don''t use that either, but in general there are some products that *most* moms can''t do without!
Oh, i was also going to mention that a few ppl bought me gift certificates to some local take-out restaurants or dropped off a homemade meal in the week or two following Cohen''s birth--that was beyond wonderful b/c when u are nursing 24/7 and are exhausted the last thing u want to do is cook dinner!
and Re: Cohen''s name--i saw the Great Leonard in Toronto in June (it was my DH''s first father''s day gift from me) and it was simply incredible-grown men were in tears!
....

Tgal, I think all the PS girls need some of those hair-clips! Very cute

....

I spoke waaaay too soon about my monster boy transitioning well to a 4-hour routine. That lasted all of maybe 4 days. He has had a rough couple of days, been waking up SO early, tiring himself out when he is awake (b/w his jumperoo/swimming/tummy time etc. he''s expending a lot of energy) but he is refusing to nap longer. He wakes up after 45 min and is happy for 20 mins then has a melt-down. I try to leave him in his crib for 20-30 min but he never falls back asleep and sometimes i am able to rock him for a bit and he''ll go back down, but that''s inconsistent. I don''t know how to extend his naps or keep him from waking up so often

. Just when i think i have him figured out he has me perplexed again--very tiring and frustrating. Anyone have suggestions?

 

[Jas12]

Tgal--g''luck with the interviews--let us know how it goes. Hope your first day back on the job wasn''t too painful

 

[TravelingGal]

Hiya gals!

lili, I think I am going to get a few...I think they are cute without being overly cutesy. Probably a flower, an animal (I like the duck, I think) and food. So all of the above! I am going to order next week I think. I''ll let you know how they go.

ella, doesn''t surprise me that K sits like she is having tea with the queen. We have always said how ladylike she is! I wish I could video of both her and Gabe crawling. Hope things continue to be brighter for you!

chinacat, I agree on the miracle blanket and think the other two things you are thinking about would be lovely gifts.

Tacori and mothers of cruisers, what gates do you recommend? Glad you are finally feeling better!

Jas, I didn''t love my boppy either (as I did try to bf for two months). I much prefered my brest friend, which has back support and is more flat.

As for Co''s sleeping, I don''t have much to offer...only consolation as Amelia''s naps seem to be getting shorter as well (they are still about an hour - an hour and a half on a good day, but remember that she used to be a 2 hour napper!). It seems this isn''t unusual, as they are getting more social and cognitive. The book I have also said this is about right. As long as she takes 3 naps a day and they average an hour each, I''m OK with that. How is his night sleeping?

Being back at work is pretty easy because now I have help! I have no idea what to do with myself (guess I should...work!) I try to stay out of the way with my mom helping her out, but darn it, I miss her already and we''re in the same house! What am I going to do when I go away for 5 days starting Sunday?

The first nanny interview went well. Unless the second one blows me away, I''m going with the first lady.

Hope y''all are well!!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Jas12, sorry Co''s naps are so short. I hate it when that happens. I have no advice. Seems like every baby is so different.

TGal, I am dream baby gates. I didn''t have much of a choice though b/c I needed extra wide (one opening was over 60"). So far I like them though. They swing BOTH ways which is helpful. Easy to open with one hand. Seem secure (she hangs from them).

Re Boppy: I did like it but I had to "raise" it with a blanket when she was a newborn. Honestly I used it for HER to hang out in as much as I did to nurse. Also felt like it helped her learn to sit.

 

[lili]

Ella
Hehe, it doesn't surprise me either that lil MsK is so proper when it comes to crawling and sitting

She's such a little lady.
And bigG is too funny with his inchworm crawl!
Any more update pix of them?
It seems like ages since you posted pictures of your kiddies.

Ahh....sorry you guys had a rough week.
Hope your days will be brighter here on out.

Jas12
Sorry to hear that Co is not adjusting as well to the 4-hr EASY.
I'm the last person to offer any tips since I've got a non-napper here.
I will tell you that whatever naps J is getting are shorter than before too.
And she's waking up every 3-4 hrs at night to eat.
It seems she'd much rather spend her time during the day to play instead of eat and sleep.
So when night time comes, she's on her 3 hr feeding schedule.


TGal
Can't wait to see how the clippies look on Amelia.
Oh, I've checked around and it seems that $8 is the price per clip for the Giddygiddy.
I did find another felt snap clip vendor --
www.onelilcupcake.com
The designs are a little different and the workmanship is probably a grade lower....but they go for $6 a piece.
They do have some cute designs.

Glad the interview went well.

 

[msb700]

hey mommies thank u for the kind words about little K...we are thankfully all feeling much better and finally back on track..

Curly: sorry to hear about ur mom

..Lily has grown so much! love those pics of her..

Tacori: hope u and Tessa are feeling better! I SO hear you about DH!!! mine ALMOST did the same thing..and mind u both little K and I were almost bed-ridden by then...i think he saw the sparks coming out of my eyes when he said he was going out and quickly changed his mind

..as for the Tessa, i would say be ready as Tessa will start to ''let go'' of things shes holding on too pretty soon!! (she wont be able to walk much and will probably grab rite back on, but those few seconds of ''free standing'' will make u proud )


ella: good to hear from u!!! I can just imagine K sitting like a little lady...i still smile when i remember her picture in the swing looking like shes enjoying her day at the country club! hehehe...i can''t believe how much ur babies have grown already

Jas: Sorry Co is having a rough time sleeping

its amazing how quickly their sleeping pattern can change...Plus, as they start to grow and discover new things, their naps just start getting shorter and shorter coz they just want to explore and investigate and see wat else they can do...hope ur managing to get some zzz''s

TGal: Congrats on going back to work..im sure it must be tough not giving Amelia 100% of ur attn, but at least ur in the same house so u can always pop in and give her a kiss when u feel like it

 

[TravelingGal]

Thanks Tacori, I will go look into them.

lili, I will check out that site, thanks! I don''t mind paying $8 though if the clips do stay, as misspinky said they do.

msb, good to hear things are back on track. They throw you for a loop sometimes, don''t they?

Speaking of loops, Amelia is throwing us some good ones...hehehe...

Mommas of teething babies, did your LOs refuse to eat when they were teething? Amelia has gotten fussy over her bottle for the last couple of days. She has never had this issue.

My mom, who is helping while I work, said today that Amelia hardly ever cries because she is a good baby and that I don''t give her the opportunity to do so (meaning I take care of business). She said crying might be good so she can exercise her voice. I told my mom, don''t worry, Amelia cries plenty. She looked unsure and so I said, well, now you''ve jinxed us.

Sure enough, Amelia would not take her midday bottle and was super fussy. I said don''t force feed her...she won''t starve and can eat later. When we put her down for a nap, she was still super fussy. Making sure she wasn''t hungry, I gave her a bottle one more time and she took it then, but was STILL fussy...rubbing her eyes because she was so tired. At that point, there was nothing left to do but let her CIO. I stayed where she couldn''t see me to make sure she didn''t flip over and stay face down and about 30 minutes of crying (more tired crying than screaming) sleep finally overtook her.

I told my mom with a grin, see told ya she cries!

 

[Jas12]

Lili and Tgal--so it seems some sleeping/eating ''regression'' is common at 4ish months. A few of my friends have noted this too. Lili, since Co is tiring himself out sooo much during the day he is needing to go to bed earlier. I started to dream feed him which has worked well but he still gets up in the middle of the night to eat so like Jadie, he is almost demanding food as much at night as during the day
Tgal--oh boy, your mom did jinx it

. Amelia could be teething, i have read that teething babies loose their appetites.
Cohen has had many of those fussy/crying spells in the past week. I know his are due to being tired but my mom, MIL, grams have every theory in the book as to what is causing them. drives me nutso!
I am sure your mom''s fear of Amelia having under developed vocal cords is put to rest now-lol.

Speaking of moms and MIL''s-just got in from seeing Momma Mia with my mom and grams--it was a cute, feel good movie. Lots of fun. I think i''ll be humming ABBA tunes for a few days.

Spent the day making baby food---phew, it was a big job but i think a have many months worth now! I made peaches, apples, blueberries, strawberries, plums, carrots and beans. I got everything but the peaches from the garden or from local growers. I needed to do it now before the produce only comes from some far off place. I couldn''t find local organic peaches so I had to splurge and get 3 for a ridiculous $9! I boiled everything then put it in the blender but i just realized i should have steamed it all instead (to retain more of the vitamins) oh well, i''ll do that for the next batch.

 

[msb700]

Tgal: Yeah, babies do tend to become fussy eaters/drinkers while they teeth. Its coz the bottle nipple rubs against their gums while they drink and that can be painful for them as their gums are already puffy =( some parents i know but teething gel about 5 to 10 mins before the feed which they say really helped...maybe thats worth a try?

Jas: I LOVE cooking for little K...it is time consuming at times, but when you start doing batches life becomes so much easier...How do you freeze the puree when ur done?

 

[TravelingGal]

Thanks for the tip msb...I am not sure if she is teething, but I will know tomorrow if today was a fluke.

Jas, well, you can add me to the 4 month sleep regression thing. Amelia took only two naps today. Morning was 1.5 hours, which was excellent, but she went down fighting. Same thing in the afternoon, and that one only lasted 30 or so minutes. Late afternoon didn''t happen. Apparently she went to bed with no problems though (my mom put her down because I went shopping for some work clothes). She just kept flipping over, babbling like crazy and just having a generally good time. Then she got frustrated that she was still awake and starting crying. I may be happy to leave her by the time I go on my biz trip this Sunday.

Speaking of trip and shopping, I have decided the diet starts this week. Shopping was utterly depressing...nothing fit right and I don''t even want to tell you what size pants I am (I used to be an . And then to really see my saggy belly and stretchmarks...whoa. Combined with today''s dealings with Amelia, I really thought...hm...was it worth it? I used to be kinda cute. She took everything from me!!!

AND to top it all off, what I ended up buying was...I can''t believe I am saying this, more maternity clothes.

There was a section at Ross and for the most part you can''t tell they are maternity clothes, and they were basic and cute. Regular clothes aren''t cut for my smaller upper body and big gut and hips. But wait, there''s more...because I wear flip flops 24/7, I had to get a half size bigger in SANDALS because I couldn''t handle my toes being restricted in any way. My only consolation in the past is that my shoe size didn''t change, but I guess I was WRONG.

I can''t even jump off a bridge to end my suffering...I have a daughter I love too much to leave.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Tgal, I feel your pain! I could have written the part of your post about the shopping trip. I don''t have anyone I can leave Amelia with so I had all that fun + wailing baby. In the end, I got DH to go to the nicest shop he could find and bring home a selection of great big clothes in flattering colours. He has a better eye fpr these things than I do and infinately more patience!

I have never managed to get Amelia to nap in the afternoon. Not once since she was born. She sleeps well at night, from 9pm to 7am, then she wakes fpr a feed and goes back to sleep until 9am. She''ll doze on my lap for ten minutes after a feed in the afternoon but if I try to get up and put her in the crib she''s wide awake! My mother claims that I never took a nap either. I''m deeply grateful that she sleeps at night but an hour or so in the afternoon would be bliss. She just doesn''t seem to be tired. Any ideas??

Jas, that''s such a good idea- we have so much stuff in the (now hopelessly overgrown) garden. If I could only get Amelia to sleep for a while I could steam, puree and freeze a whole pile of it. I used to love gardening, just haven''t had any time this year. Our fruit trees seem to be thriving on neglect, so we should at least have apples, plums and pears to mash and freeze.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

msb, I think my DH is just SO clueless

Hope you are all feeling better. This cold seems to be lingering. Oh well. I know I will be healthy again...someday

TGal, I think T did eat less when she was teething. Probably b/c they don''t feel good/in pain. I am less hungry when I am like that too. Good luck with your trip.

Jas12, sounds you are set for awhile. I wish we had more freezer space and I would have made my own too. Careful with the berries. Someone told me (not sure if it is true) that lots of babies have reaction to those. I *just* gave her berries around 8 months.