PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[steph72276]

Date: 2/7/2010 4:52:33 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie
Blen I think you need to draw a mustache on George with eyeliner or something and take the picture again

Now THAT would be a funny photo!


RPS Wait, I missed something... your step mom said that you baby was ugly?? Now that is just crazy!??!


Steph Your boys are such cuties. Newborns still crack me up, they are so zoned out in photos! Andrew look just like you from what I recall of seeing pictures of you. Does Evan look like Andrew did as a baby?


Tao Yah for laughing!


***


Hunter is almost one. I feel old

DD, thank you. I know, I couldn''t get him to look toward the camera for anything! Hopefully the pros will have some tricks! Yep, Evan looks exactly like Andrew did as a baby and Andrew looks like a carbon copy of me. Here''s a family pic taken a while back...I get that he looks like me all the time.

 

[phoenixgirl]

Woe is me! DH gave me a massage with lavender oil, but it was a thinly veiled attempt to seduce me. Somehow the oil got in my lady parts! It burns! I just hope I don''t wind up with a UTI. Let this be a cautionary tale to the rest of you as I am sure many a husband uses massage to get things started.

 

[NovemberBride]

RPS - what a rude and immature thing for SM to say. I hope she doesn''t make a habit of telling your kids things like that.

Steph - your boys are so handsome! Andrew looks like such a proud big brother.

Tao - I think it''s supposed to be good when they start sucking their hands, it is one of their self-soothing mechanisms. A couple of my friends told me that it''s preferable to the binky, because if they lose the binky when they''re sleeping they may start crying because they can''t put it back themselves yet, but they can find their hands. Olivia found her hands a couple of weeks ago and she definitely uses them to self-soothe. DH and I sometimes look at each other and laugh because we put her down to sleep and about 2 minutes later we hear these super loud sucking sounds as she''s furiously going to town on her hands. It works though, and she''s usually asleep a few minutes later. Just another perspective to consider.

 

[taovandel]

Nov: I didn''t even think of that! I knew it was a self soothing thing...but I''m so busy thinking so far ahead and the breaking of habits....I need to stop doing that. I mean, you don''t see adults walking around with pacifiers or sucking on their hands to calm down at work so eventually he will break the habit himself. Thank you for your post....

 

[natalina]

RPS- Wow- can''t believe someone would make a comment like that! Especially when Ben is such a cutie!

Blen- one of our good friends has a son that started wearing glasses around one year old. I have always thought he looked adorable in his little glasses, and he doesn''t seem to mind them at all. That pirate pic is hilarious!

Steph- your boys are too sweet. What a beautiful family you guys are!

Dreamer- can''t believe Hunter is almost a year old! Time just flies!

Tao- you lucky duck- got a good little sleeper there! Aren''t the little giggles just the best?!?!?!

PG- Oh my goodness! I''m sorry, but I have to admit your post made me laugh out loud! I hope your ''lady parts'' are feeling better!!!

Okay, so I know I missed Friday, but here are a couple shots of Ellie from yesterday:
~~~nevermind. Won''t upload. Will try again tomorrow.

 

[sunkist]

Date: 2/7/2010 6:42:28 PM
Author: NovemberBride
RPS - what a rude and immature thing for SM to say. I hope she doesn''t make a habit of telling your kids things like that.


Steph - your boys are so handsome! Andrew looks like such a proud big brother.


Tao - I think it''s supposed to be good when they start sucking their hands, it is one of their self-soothing mechanisms. A couple of my friends told me that it''s preferable to the binky, because if they lose the binky when they''re sleeping they may start crying because they can''t put it back themselves yet, but they can find their hands. Olivia found her hands a couple of weeks ago and she definitely uses them to self-soothe. DH and I sometimes look at each other and laugh because we put her down to sleep and about 2 minutes later we hear these super loud sucking sounds as she''s furiously going to town on her hands. It works though, and she''s usually asleep a few minutes later. Just another perspective to consider.

Hey Everyone!

I''ve had a very busy week, havent been able to catch up here yet. But I have a quick question/comment re: sucking on hands too! Wes has started doing this in the last week or so, s its been on my mind. I know that its a self soother for him, but I was wondering how can I encourage it when he''s still swaddled for all his naps and sleeps?Cause then I am removing his hand from his mouth to wrap him and replacing it with a binky. I wish I didnt have to then come in and replace the binky so often.

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

 

[sunkist]

Date: 2/6/2010 5:50:07 AM
Author: rockpaperscissors67



Mara, DANG, do you realize how lucky you are to be able to pump so much? The average is .5-3 oz. for both breasts at a pumping session, so yeah, I''d consider 4.5 and 5 oz. a ton.

Really??? 0.5-3.0 is average for both boobs???? I pumped 5 ounces off of one boob yesterday! Of coursse that is off my boob that I dubbed ''Monstro'' since getting my milk in. hahaha! Normally I just get 4 off of that one, but I dont pump a lot, only when Wes doesnt eat enough to deflate me. I guess I do have an oversupply issue, must have been what was causing him so much gas that first month or so

 

[phoenixgirl]

Sunkist, wow, yeah, that's a lot! I've never pumped more than 3.6 ounces from both breasts (seems to be about a 2:1 ratio between the right and left breasts).

Do you think you could leave one of Wes' arms out when you swaddle him? We did that some before we stopped swaddling altogether. Now we put Claire in a sleep sack.


Of course, maybe we should still be swaddling . . . last night Claire swiveled 180 degrees in her sleep! As in, we put her head toward the window, DH checked on her and she was turned 90 degrees with her head right next to the drop side of the crib, and then I checked on her and her head was toward the door! She remained on her back the whole time, though. I've seen what she does: she keeps kicking her legs, a little to the side, and then she leans back with her head, a little to the other side. But the most I'd ever found her turned in the past was about 45 degrees.

I'm off to clip Claire's nails in her sleep (another plus of not swaddling) . . .

ETA: In case anyone is wondering, we are off school again. So I've now worked 1 day in the week I've been back to work. But it's not even fun anymore because we are right at the limit of what we don't have to make up. If we miss any more days, we'll either have school on previously scheduled holidays or, worse yet, extend the school day. One year school didn't get out until 4:15. Ugh! But each class is only 3 minutes longer or something like that, so it's not like the teachers actually add an extra day's worth of content divided into three minute chunks. They just give the kids longer to take their quizzes or whatever, so it's pointless.

 

[steph72276]

Good morning. So today was the first day I had the boys all by myself. Our company has left, and Adam went back to work. I got up 2 hours before Andrew needed to go to school, and somehow we were still 5 minutes late. Oh well, I will get the hang of it soon. Andrew wanted me to walk in to show his friends "his baby". It was really cute, the boys were like "hmm, okay whatever" and the girls were like, "awwww, he's so sweet and tiny like a babydoll!" Haha! Anyway, I'm off to go try to get some laundry accomplished while he is doing his sleeping thing. Last night was actually much better as he slept a couple of 2 hour and 3 hour stretches, so I feel like a new woman today! Oh and a bonus was being up at 4am, I got to see the shuttle launch from our back porch! Have a great day everyone!

PG, I'm sorry about the oil, ouchie!

Nov, thank you...Andrew is SO proud! Good to know about the hand sucking, Evan does that and won't take a binky.

Nat, thank you so much. Can't wait to see your pic when you get it to upload.

Sunkist, I agree w/ PG about trying to leave one arm out while swaddled.

 

[steph72276]

Oh, also...does anyone have a baby scrapbook they love? I swore I was going to do a digital one this time because of how time consuming it is, but I got Andrew''s out last night and LOVE how it turned out. I will do digital ones for the later years, but I do want a regular one for his first year. Thanks!

 

[rockpaperscissors67]

Thank you all for your support re: what stepmom said. It''s weird because she and I get along and have never had harsh words or anything, and she''s classy about most things. It really doesn''t matter to me if she thinks any of the kids were ugly babies -- it''s vocalizing it to my daughter that bothers me. I''m thinking since she doesn''t have kids of her own, maybe she doesn''t understand how every mother thinks her child is the most gorgeous on the planet?

On a related note, Ben already has two nicknames, the poor kid. He has the most pointed ears I''ve seen on a human, so we''ve been calling him Buddy, as in Buddy the Elf, which also works given his small size. The ears come from SO, who was dubbed Spock by his friends as a youngster. Ben''s other nickname is Hoss. The other day, Will walked up and said, "Hi, Horse," so we called Ben Horse for a day or two until SO said that Hoss is much better. I feel for Ben -- it''s not going to be easy having so many siblings that want to call him anything but his given name.

NB, thanks for adding that info about the Freestyle flanges in the different sizes. I didn''t realize that the other sizes were hard plastic! I''m pretty sure you''re right about the PIS not coming out of the bag. I went with the Ameda Purely Yours over the PIS the last time only because I found the Ameda for a great price, and the portability is what attracted me to the Freestyle.

Mara, Blen pretty much covered the fore/hindmilk imbalance. The reason it concerns me is because of my prior experience with the combo of that and a baby that doesn''t gain weight easily. With the other kids, it became a real challenge so I''m trying to be proactive and get it straightened out before it becomes a serious issue. Since Ben is a lazy nurser, I''ve started pumping during almost all feeds and then every other feed or so, I follow up the nursing with about an ounce of breastmilk (argh...in a bottle because my syringe doesn''t reach the bottom of the bottles and I couldn''t find another container to use, so I just gave in to the easiest way!). I ran into supply issues with Will starting around 4 months and really want to avoid that, so I''m doing as much as I can to boost my supply now.

Blen, is it awful that I laughed at that picture, too? OMG, G is way too cute for words and the eye patch only adds to his cuteness.

Steph, man, your boys are adorable. Andrew is totally a carbon copy of you! Isn''t it amazing how two kids of different ages can get the same combo of genes when there are so many possible combinations? My older kids really look different from each other, so that''s why I''m amazed that Ben is like a little clone of Will.

Sunkist, sounds like you fall into the super producer category! It''s really not common to be able to pump that much, but it does come in handy if you''re going for a good freezer stash. I would kill to be able to pump that much. Even though I fell within the average the last time and usually pumped about 3 oz. each time, there were times that I didn''t and it was frustrating trying to catch up.



Not much new here today, except I''m back to work. I''m so thankful to have a job that allows for juggling a baby and working, especially with the pumping added in.

Does anyone here use a HotSling? I have a homemade sling that I like, but I thought the HotSlings look nice and am very tempted to get one.

 

[gailrmv]

Steph Congrats again!!!!! You'll have to keep us posted on having 2 little ones, since a lot of us here (including me!) have been thinking about when/if to have another!
You asked about baby books. I love ours. I shopped around a lot and this one is really "me". It's made by Tessera, baby book link I think I found it a little cheaper at babysakes.com and I remember having a hard time choosing from all the cute ones there!
That reminds me, I'm about a month behind. Better update!

 

[gailrmv]

Steph The other one I really liked was here

 

[Blenheim]

The horrible thing is that I just gave George the pirate bear, as it sings and dances and sometimes when he is just grumpy he''ll become calm looking at it, and then I realized that they were both wearing eye patches so I took a picture. And even later I realized they were both wearing striped red shirts and blue pants. That''s when I started giggling about it.

RPS - already back at work??? Jeez. And that actually makes more sense about the stepmom - a while ago I thought that most newborns are ugly until about the three month mark, as they''re so wrinkly and odd looking at first. I''ve changed on that. But when G was a newborn i thought he was the most adorable newborn in the world, and now that I look back at pictures I think that he was wrinkly and odd looking in a cute way. haha. But she still shouldn''t have said that to your daughter.

Steph - he does look just like you! And he looks like such a proud big bro in that pic, and that''s cute about wanting to show E off at school. Awww.

DD- I know everyone says that the time goes by so quickly, but it feels different actually living it. I can''t believe that Hunter''s almost a year now!


George just woke up and so we are now going to go glasses shopping.

 

[vizsla]

hey ladies!

re: nipple shields - i used them off and on the entire time i BF as well. c had *majah* latch issues, and coupled with my flat nipples - made a NS a necessity. we did, eventually work our way off the shield (after about 2 weeks), but then c chewed me into hamburger meat (seriously, i thought i was going to have to have reconstructive surgery on my nipple) so we went back to the shield. anyhoo, i would have continued to BF with the shield had he not lost all interest in BF after getting nothing but bottles while i was in the hospital. so, i guess my point is that my LC consultant thought if the goal was to get c to nurse, and using a shield got him to nurse without destroying me, then it was a success. and while it does cut the flow or the intensity of the flow by a %, it wasn't enough of a % for the LC to be worried that c wasn't getting enough oz, it just increased the time i spent feeding.

re:nursing bras... for my BIG OL NURSING BOOBS (because they got HUGE) i really liked the nursing bras from target that have the little holes for your boobs instead of the side sling. those seemed to dig in and hurt.

CDT -

sad for you. you have such a great attitude about working, one that i really admire - so it seems extra unfair that you have to look for something else, but i'm glad you have time to figure out what you and your family will do.

blen - tee hee - agreed, too cute.

china - i *totally* knocked c head into the corner of the wall the other day. i was talking to my sister when it happened. i, of course, got all upset and freaked out and she was laughing saying something like "OMG is that the FIRST time that has happened? and he's 3 months old? that's pretty good"

nat - thank you so much for your going back to work (or not) story. you were in the same boat as me. i have pictured myself sitting down with my boss and telling him 'i'm outta here' and the relief that would bring. i just *wish* upon *wish* that it wasn't a necessity for me to work. we could live on DH salary (we would have to move to a cheaper part of town, probably cut down to one car, really sacrifice) BUUUTTTTT, we need health insurance. it's the ONE thing that really keeps me working. DH works for himself, so we would be forced to pay for health insurance out of our own pockets... and at around $600/month it just, well....i'm still working. i am so happy for you that you were able to make the decision that was right for you and ellie. will.not.be.jealous

but you know i totally am

speaking of...... on the work front - today i managed not to cry during my entire commute, which was a small victory for me. i know DH is thinking,"see, i told her it would get easier" just because i'm not a complete and utter mess when i leave for work. and it hasn't gotten any easier, i just have gotten better about crying. i also feel that DH is thinking he doesn't have to 'do' anything differently to better the situation if i am not sobbing when i leave for work. at this point i still don't know what the answer is to my situation. DH works all over the city and has flexible hours so he takes c to daycare and picks him up - which is why switching to a daycare close to my work doesn't make sense, and moving is not really up for discussion right now. it is what it is and i have to find something that either allows me more time at home, or i have to 'suck it up' and work and try and make the best of it. a friend told me something this weekend that struck a chord with me - while *i* may need charlie more now, *he* will actually need me more when he's older. i can cling to that this week.

onto milestones! re: laughing - i feel like c has been laughing for a month maybe more. and he's almost rolling from back to front (i can't keep him on his tummy anymore because all he does is roll over) AND he's found his feet! he's about 2 weeks from sticking those puppies in his mouth! if you ask me, i think that's way advanced for a 14 week old i attribute it all to the fact that he doesn't sleep - the more he's awake, the more he's learning... and hey, it's the only way i'm coping with the lack of sleep

c is totally all about his hands too! and i would LOVE if i didn't have to swaddle him at night so he could use his hands to self soothe, because aside from waking up to eat 2-3x a night, he totally gets piss*d if his paci falls out when he's not quuuiiittteee sleeping. ugh, plug the baby is getting old. maybe i'll try one free hand tonight - that usually goes over like a ton of bricks, but ya never know.

oh, and he's full blown co-sleeping now. i'm so nervous about creating a sleep monster, but last night he literally curled up next to me and put his head on my chest and fell right asleep. OMG i melted, mommy confession: i luuuuvvvvv it!

i have some pics of me and DH as babies, but i need to upload some recent ones of c to compare.

 

[qtiekiki]

Viz
It''s tough to have to pay out of pocket for health insurance. Our friend went back to work in the corporate world after having kids (she started her own accounting business alongside her DH''s law office) b/c of health insurance.
I just had my baby, and I am already dreading going back to work. It''s harder for me mentally than when I am actually back at work.

Pumping
Wow all you brand new mommies are pumping already. I feel like J is on my boobs constantly, and can''t imagine pumping in between. Too much work.

sunkist
4oz for one breast is a lot. That''s great for building up a stash. The only time I get that much is the first morning pump after M stopped night feedings. But I never used any of my freezer stash the whole time I was pumping. I kept giving M freshly pumped BM from the day before, so I ended up throwing out the stash after M transitioned to soy milk.

 

[AmberWaves]

Blen: Love the pirate pic, good luck glasses shopping today!

Sunkist: I also get an ounce alone from the heavy provider just hand expressing for 45 seconds when the boob is too full, leaving the boob a teensy less full. It''s crazy how much comes out of that guy! I feel bad because even then I spray Piper all over her face sometimes.

Re: Pumping. I have the PIS, but still havn''t used it. I''ve been using the medela isis (both are hand me downs from family who didn''t pump) which is manual and comes with a bottle. I really want to start pumping to make a good stash because I hope to have a night off in a month (how pathetic did that sound?) and leave the babe with my SIL/MIL but I am just so unsure how to do that. Should I just get those bags and freeze the milk?

 

[janinegirly]

Date: 2/7/2010 8:19:22 AM
Author: Mandarine
Thank you Janine!!!

Co-sleeping is not an option for us...I don''t even know what that would look like with two!. Lucas''s head is not as bad as Alex, but he is getting a bit of flat head too.

I started being SO MUCH MORE diligent about tummy time, using the bumbo and now even the jumperoo! (they still can''t jump, but enjoy sitting there). I also bought this thing: Boppy noggin. I assume that''s similar to what you used?. I plan on putting it wherever they are laying/sitting. Not sure if it would work in the crib, we''ll see.

I think I''m going to take profile pics of both babies today, and then take the same pic in a month to see if it''s improving/getting worse.

Thank you again for your tips

Mandy: yes that''s the one! (Boppy noggin). I thought it was great--first of all felt less guilty about stroller/bouncy seat time, but second of all it looks comfy!

I wasn''t necessarily suggesting co-sleeping--just letting you know what I did and that it comes down to being vigilant however you choose. My dr. did not recommend it, I just took it on since to me it made sense that 12 hrs at night on favored side was a major culprit! See how things go the next few weeks and you can always step things up a notch if they do not self-resolve.

 

[natalina]

Trying to post pics again...

ETA: Ugh...so tiny...will try again

 

[natalina]

I hope this one shows up okay! Ellie LOVES her Bumbo! I am so glad you guys reminded me about it! Otherwise it probably would have stayed in the back of her closet until she was about 4 and found it herself

!

 

[natalina]

And on her crazy play blanket... Think her eyes will stay blue?

 

[ChinaCat]

PhxGirl- OMG you are cracking me up. Reminds me of a story about a friend of mine- She wanted to give her BF a sexy time massage so she went to the store to buy some good oil. She picked out something that smelled good to her, cooked him a nice meal, etc. All of a sudden in the middle of her attempt at a sexy time massage, he started screaming and jumped up and ran to the bathroom. She used peppermint foot lotion- which is tingly and exfoliating at the same time!

Can you imagine? So freaking funny.

Tacori- I know, re: nipples, like who would ever think about whether yours are too short or too flat or whatever. It sort of made me laugh when the LC told me. I mean I knew I wasn't well-endowed, which ended up having no effect on my ability to BF, but apparently I am lacking in the nipple department.

Mandarine- Your boys remind me of something out of the Sopranos. They always look like What? Are YOU talking to ME? Keep on moving, nothing to see here.

Mara- You sound like you have a great attitude. I did NOT and really had a hard time during the newborn phase. It's really going to help you get through this part which is all about surviving. And O started lifting his head up super early, never liked being held like a baby, always wanted to be "up" on my shoulder looking around. We never did tummy time but he started lifting up and rolling over relatively early due to his neck strength.

Blen- I

the pirate pic. And pirates are cool!!!! Wait till he wants to be one for Halloween and then trot that picture out.

Steph- Sweet sweet picture of Andrew and Evan!

Viz- I think you just need to give yourself a break in all areas right now. Don't worry about the co-sleeping thing right now. If it works and if gives you and C some snuggle time, just enjoy it. I worried so much about forming bad habits about everything, and for the most part they change so much that he outgrew most of it on his own. You MIGHT have to sleep train him eventually, but so what? Even those of us that don't co-sleep will probably have to eventually. So let yourself enjoy your time with C right now. Yesterday I let O take a nap on me just b/c I could and I really enjoyed just holding him for an hour or so. So sweet. Also, I totally know what you mean about your DH. Sounds terrible, but I really was reluctant to let DH know things were better b/c I felt like he didn't really understand how hard it was and I really needed his help and sympathy. Of course, the nicer I am to him the more he helps, so it kinda backfired on me.

Thanks for everyone's comments on the showers.

Also I so would have gotten the handsfree pump you're talking about. I just kept using the hospital grade one I rented b/c it was easy.

Did anyone see Drew Brees's son last night after the Super Bowl? Freaking cuteness galore. Here's a pic.

ETA: Natalina, so cute!!! O loves his bumbo, but he loves sitting up. The shape of her eyes is so pretty, the way they curl up on the end. I'm wondering about O's eyes as well. They are still super blue at almost 6 months. DH and his whole family have blue eyes and my mom does, but mine are blue/green/gray and O's are way bluer than DH's.

 

[phoenixgirl]

Re work, sigh, I just wish it were June already. But a part of me loves my job, ya know. My substitute told me Thursday morning, "Oh, by the way, I had them read Heart of Darkness over exams, so you should teach them that today." Um, by the way sub, I was planning to start a new unit today. Who makes the kids do reading over semester exams? I mean, I''m tough, but I''m not cruel! So now I''ve had to do all this research on HOD, which I haven''t read since college, and it is reminding me why I love my job (ironic, since HOD kind of sucks, but it sucks in an interesting kind of way). But maybe I could do some kind of curriculum planning and writing from home if I want to return to work some day; that''s the part of the job that uses my brain the most.

Viz, yay for not crying! I get you on DH thinking no crying = better. I''m sure he''s just relieved when you don''t cry because he feels helpless when you do, but he does still need to support you either way.

And one thought I had on the benefits of daycare: Claire''s schedule is not disrupted and her needs are met in a more timely fashion than at home. At home, I''m waking her up early to feed so I can go on a walk with a friend or making her skip a real nap so we can go to the grocery store. At daycare, she naps when she is tired, eats when she is hungry, etc. And many cultures throughout history have shared child-rearing; it''s not like women in hunter-gatherer societies could stay in the cave/lean-to/whatever all day playing with the baby. Our development is not dependent upon Mommy playing with us all day. Humans have instincts to help babies that aren''t their own, and I''m sure these developed so that the whole village would raise the child.

 

[cdt1101]

China - that pic is super cute!! My DH was telling me this morning about how cute his son was (I fell asleep before the end of the SB

)

Viz - aw, thanks! I hope all of my rambling about being a working mom has helped. It really does get better, just remain positive. It definitely sucks losing my job, but I''m glad I have time to plan before the paychecks stop coming in

Phoneix - Your story is hysterical! I was seriously LOL when I read that

Natalina - The pics are super cute! Her eyes look like they may stay blue. How old is she again? Lex is 8 months and his eyes are still changing. I''m still holding out hope they''ll end up a green/hazel like mine, but his are on the browner side of hazel right now. Not nearly as dark brown as DH''s though, but definitely not light like mine.

Blen - that pic is soooooooo stinkin cute!! I love George''s expression in his pics, like he''s saying "get this over with, I''m so bored"

Steph - Your boys are adorable

You can totally see how proud Andrew is to be a big brother.

As usual, I''m sure I''m missing someone

But a big HELLO to everyone else

 

[phoenixgirl]

P.S. Natalina, yay on the Bumbo! As for her eyes . . . they look pretty blue to me. Claire''s are dark blue/grey, and I''m sure they''ll be brown. Do Ellie''s eyes look like a normal blue-eye color or a darker color?

China, love the massage story! Yeah, peppermint, it is tingly!

 

[lovelylulu]

china - re: the fantastic saints victory and drew brees and his son - ridiculously cute -

 

[vizsla]

here i am complaining about work and RPS is already back to work?!? good lawrdy supermom! how do you do it? that's impressive for sure!

agreed, mara you do have a super good attitude - i *totally* could have used that in the first couple of weeks.. i was a MESS!!

bumbo.. it's sooooo funny b/c we keep trying to put charlie in the bumbo, but he's just a smmmiiidddgggee too small so he does this little lean to the side. and we tried putting him in his exersaucer for the first time this weekend. he LOVED the toys, but the poor little peanut is so tiny that it nearly comes up to eye level and everything is juuust out of reach BUT, he *totally* wants to play with everything. he laughs himself silly in his bouncy seat at all of the goodies hanging on there.

china - agreed, i do need to give myself a break... but it's hard. i'm so used to being in control and being able to figure out any and everything so that it works 'out' - and this situation is a little out of my control. it is what it is for the time being. and, if i am perfectly honest with myself, i *really* want this new job - and, at the same time, i'm trying not to feel guilty that i want this new job more than i want to spend time with charlie. gah, the things we put ourselves and our emotions thru.

ok, so charlie's bumbo pic.

 

[vizsla]

comparison:

 

[qtiekiki]

Viz
I think Charlie looks more like you.

Natalina
Ellie is adorable.

Can''t believe how big these babies are already. I still remember when you ladies were posting on the pregnancy thread like it was yesterday.

 

[Mara]

PG i agree with leaving one arm out...we have tried diff swaddling techniques on Julian and he mostly prefers one or two arms kind of 'up' but not entirely out and then if he needs to he can pull one out and suck on his hand which he loves. If we swaddle him too tightly and he has an attitude about it he will fight to pull his arms out and just work himself into a frenzy. But sometimes he likes it. I think it has to do with how alert he is personally.

re: Supply, I was surprised to hear also that .5-3 is average! My morning pumps are about 5.5 oz total and then it decreases to about 3.5 oz total by evening time. But I am producing more than he can eat for now, though I am sure that will change. One of my friend said she overpumped and ended up with a ridiculous production that wasn't sustainable, so told me to watch out on overdoing it also. I am really happy that I am producing enough because neither my Mom or Grandma bf any of their kids so I had no idea what my supply would be like from a 'genetic' standpoint though maybe that is totally irrelevant. And my boobs are pretty big and all I kept hearing was 'bigger is not better' when it comes to bf'ing so I was totally unsure what I'd be putting out.

re: Nipple shield... yeah we are using it and trying regular boob from time to time, I just don't feel like struggling with that right now, plus I'd rather him have a positive experience with boob than build up crying and frustration and if that means shield on for now, then fine. We are figuring enough out right now without having to 'perfect' everything yanno.

re: Baby books... check out Etsy, they have some REALLY cute baby memory books on there. I have a few bookmarked. I actually need to get on that and order. Same with the announcements at some point! Speaking of announcements, I have to share this picture I got of baby J yesterday, it's SOOO cute and I might use it as the announcement pic depending on if I can get my girlfriend to come and take some more prof baby shots within the next 2 weeks or not.

Viz thanks for the tip on the shield and the note on the nursing bras. I still haven't gone out to get any...! This healing thing is taking some time but I feel better every day. I kind of have to laugh that during pregnancy, I thought I would be up and taking like mile long walks within a week of birth. DOH, ignorance is bliss I guess. Oh and my boobs are crazy big now. Does anyone else's husband just think they are the BEST THING EVER? I seriously am amazed at the men's interest in the boobs.

Blen I love that pic, though he prob won't when he is older.. hahaa.

Yesterday we went to my Mom's house for a 'practice outing' to get more used to taking the baby out with us. It went really well...he was only minorly fussy at the end after a bit too much of overstimulation and it took him longer to get to sleep but the car ride home lulled him thankfully. And then he slept like a champ last nite so maybe the stimulation and being more awake during the day was good. But the really crazy thing about going out was when we came home, the front door was open...not just unlocked but OPEN just slightly.

Turns out neither one of us closed it or locked it, OMG thankfully our neighborhood is relatively sleepy and safe and suburban but wow! What if someone came to the door and decided to come in. So we made a mental note to not get so distracted that we ever do that again.

and final random note, we are excited because my Mom is off next week from school so she offered to take the baby anytime we want for us to be able to get out and do something together. And on the same note, she will take him on Sat evening for us to go out for a fancy 'Vday dinner' a day early. I am really looking fwd to it because it will be the first dinner out where I can REALLY EAT since being pregnant, I plan to eat a crazy steak and wedge and a big dessert. WOO HOO. Yes I am this excited about food...I have missed being a foodie.

Love all the baby and comparison pics!!