PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[fieryred33143]

Date: 3/2/2010 4:28:54 PM
Author: ChinaCat


This is where I really hate being a working mom. I feel like it''s so hard to decide what to do when I am not with him everyday so I don''t necessarily know his habits as well. He decided to fall asleep at 5 pm yesterday and NOT wake up. I HATE it when he does this. First of all then I don''t see him except for like an hour in the morning, plus I don''t know whether to wake him to eat or not. And he''s not in his PJ''s or overnight diaper or sleep sack.

Grumpy today about missing O. Viz, if you feel like this everyday I really really feel for you.

I''ve come to terms with the fact that I am just never going to know what her daily routine is like during the week. We focus on her bed time routine because we know we can make that a fixed routine. Then on the weekends, I go off of her cues.

The other day Sophia fell asleep at 6:30 which was unusually early for her. She had on a clean diaper but wasn''t in her PJs. I ended up going into her room around 11pm in the pitch dark, stumbling to get her pjs on which of course woke her up and she thought it was hilarious that she could feel me but couldn''t see me, then I almost tripped with her trying to get to the glider to give her a bottle. Luckily she went right back to sleep after but that could have been disastrous so I won''t be doing it again.

 

[Blenheim]

Steph- just gorgeous! I wouldn''t know how to choose.

CDT - hugs.
We mostly quit CIO for that reason - when the standing up and banging commences, he just gets increasingly hysterical and then it takes forever to get him back to sleep. I think that CIO really did help him learn how to put himself back to sleep when he only kinda wakes up, but if he stands up then that''s just it over here. I''d be interested in what some of the other people are doing for this.

1. BOB- got it at 7 months so no help.
2. Umbrellas - Don''t have one. We put him in the shopping cart seat, carry him in the mei tai or Ergo, or put him in the BOB (depending on the circumstances).
3. Sippy cups - We started trying to introduce around 6 months and quite honestly he hasn''t really taken to them. He just finally got the whole drinking out of the strawed sippy cup thing (at 10.5 months). This reminds me that I need to go by my aunt''s house as she has a ton of those types of sippy cups that she''s not using.
4 Naps - I think G moved to 2 naps per day around 7ish months? Maybe? Or perhaps 8? (Jeez I''m old, I don''t know where my memory''s gone. This didn''t even happen that long ago.) One nap in the morning, one nap in the afternoon, and we follow his cues as to when he should go down for one or he fights it like mad.

 

[vizsla]

mandy - oh girl... if we really do have twin (personality) babies then i want to jump thru the screen and give you the biggest ginormous bear hug ev-ah... i can barely keep my head above water with ONE high needs baby... i literally can *not* FATHOM two. i just keep telling myself that babies who don''t sleep are smarter and reach milestones faster really and truly, **NOTHING** made me feel better about charlie and his needs than reading thru dr.sears web site and his fussy baby book. it has me in tears most of the time - just knowing i''m not alone or doing things "wrong" is so helpful. http://www.askdrsears.com/html/5/T051200.asp

charlie has reflux too... i''ve heard that months 4 and 5 get worse for some reflux babies, so i would think that we have lots of burping in our future. however, i have found the following bottle/nipple combo (a TTT) works super duper well to control the amount of spit up/air. playtex vent air standard with gerber latex nipples - cross cut medium flow (4+month) - i actually got the nipples at the grocery store so they shouldn''t be too hard to find. don''t know why this works but it does. are they still on zantac? we didn''t really see any results with zantac until we coupled it with prevacid.

cc- unfortunately i do feel like that most of the time. it''s worse when DH tells me what c''s schedule is. am i bitter much?

 

[steph72276]

Thanks, girls for all the sweet comments and feedback. We are really happy with how they turned out. So I THINK I decided on the propped up one where he''s sleeping and has his pouty lips sticking out...I really love that one. I found some really cute ones at paperstyle.com and they are pretty reasonable. Thanks again for helping me choose and for all the compliments on my boys...they have my heart

.

 

[sunkist]

Hi Amber! To get some pumped bottles going so you can take a leave from Piper, pump the extra after P is done eating. Then just keep what ever amount you got in the fridge and add too it after the next feeding or any time you''re feeling too full. That worked for me, now every couple days I add another bag of breastmilk to my freezer stash. Even with this stash, Wes was not taking it in a bottle yet. My hubby tried twice w/ me at home, I tried once (but it was cold, guess he doesnt like cold), but then last week I left him with my mom while I went to get my hair done and he took the warmed up bottle no problem!

I would definitely do a few afternoons away from Piper before leaving her for the weekend or even just one overnight! But when I came back from my 3 hours at the hair salon, Wes was happy as a clam! I was starting to get antsy myself towards the end of my hair appt though!

Good luck! Just start pumping some milk and add to it till you have full bottles ( since W is EBF and I had no idea how many ounces a full meal was I just made 5 oz bottles and it seemed to work well when my mom fed him!). I hope you can take your weekend away with hubby soon! (Now that I think about it, I''m not really one to talk cause hubby and I have been talking about taking a trip somewhere, but I''m totally taking Wes with me!

haha)

 

[Mara]

question re: pumping and breast milk production... maybe RPS you can answer this? how long after i pump can i expect my boobs to have enough milk to feed him again? i am assuming every 3-4 hours there will be enough for a ''feeding'' but is that enough time for them to produce?

also sunkist and amber re: taking the bottle while you are at home...i''ve read that if you are home the baby can smell the mom and milk in the vicinity so whenever i read about getting an EBF kid to take the bottle it suggested mom leaves the house. my friend had to do this and it worked whereas being home didn''t. interesting stuff!

 

[ChinaCat]

Fiery- Thanks. That''s normally how I feel but for some reason been feeling grumpy/anxious about it today. And yes, every time I do it I remember DON''T wake up a sleeping baby!!!! I could care less about the PJ''s but he was soaked through and also had a blanket over him and I am too paranoid to let him sleep with a blanket still.

Mandarine- That''s more what I was thinking. I will have to try and adjust the setting, thanks!!!! Sorry about the burping.

Mara- By the time your little guy is 3 months he will be in a way more regular routine and it will be much easier to tell your mom what schedule to follow.

Blen- Thanks for your input. I cannot cannot believe George is almost 11 months.

 

[cdt1101]

China - I feel the same about CIO, I'm not against it at all (in the right situation), but I've yet to been able to hold out long enough and he's at the age where when he wakes, it's not like fussy cry...it's like stand up and demand attention, cry! Like C, Lex STTN on his own when he was ready, we never used CIO, so I'm really at a lose as to what to do w/ our current situation

Blen - yup...same here. If it was a matter of just waking up and fussing a little than I could see CIO working, but once he stands and slaps the crib he just gets more and more pissed that we don't come running in

It *used* to be that he would wake in the morning and we didn't have to rush in, he would be content to sing or just make noises in his crib for sometimes 45 minutes, not anymore! When he's ready to get out of that crib and start his day, he's ready....blah...he's just changed so much and I don't feel like we did anything to account for the change (that I'm aware of anyway).

The thing is too, he's not waking to feed..he just wants us to rock him for like 10 minutes and then he goes back to sleep. Strange, because when he was younger he HATED being rocked...I mean I would try and he would just wiggle and fuss until I put him in his crib, he would then fall asleep on his own...strange kid

Like I said earlier, I think starting daycare (which totally f'ed up his naps!!!) and then all of the sickies, have just screwed up his routine. He's FINALLY less congested since being put on an allergy medication and FINALLY over the 5 days of vomiting and diarrhea (today was his first day clear of symptoms). I'm hoping things will start to improve soon...a girl can dream anyway

There I go rambling again

ETA - We had the nanny watch him the past 2 days since he still had some diarrhea and we couldn't take him to daycare...what a relief it was to know I didn't have to miss work. And Lex seems to be responding well to her so far. So it looks like as of April 1st she'll watch him full time until August. Unfortunately daycare just didn't work out for us. He was sick a lot and w/ no family in the area to help, my DH and I just couldn't take anymore days off. In the future we'd probably go back to nanny care when I decide to find another job.

 

[Pandora II]

Wow, I''m WAY behind...

Viz - commiserations on the 3 hours of sleep thing. I had that till D was about 6 months - you do get used to it by then! Dr Sears was a lifesaver for me as well! Daisy is nice in the sense that she doesn''t cry all the time or anything, but she is really demanding and doesn''t sleep in the daytime. A lot of it is probably frustration, she got better once she was more mobile and more vocal.

Amber - Honestly I don''t think your going out does anything to stop separation anxiety. I used to abandon DH and Daisy all the time, plus anyone could hold her or give her a bottle and then... BAM... no-one but Mummy will do. It seems to last about 6 weeks and then gets a bit better.

Mara - Your boobs constantly produce milk so you can do a feeding 15 minutes or so after pumping. They may not feel like they do after 3-4 hours, but they do work! I''ve almost never had an engorged feeling as Daisy wants to eat so often, and even when I''m sure there is nothing there she seems to get a full feed out and she has rolls on her thighs!

Sha - Try getting a Mei Tai or other type of sling - NOT the Baby Bjorn as that will kill your back. I''ve had 5 lots of spinal surgery and I can carry Daisy for hours in the Mei Tai and about 10 minutes in my arms...

Cdt - I''m so sorry...

 

[AmberWaves]

Thanks for all the great tips everyone!

Piper has yet to try a bottle, so I am going to pick up some baggies to do a milk transfer so Paul can feed her while I go for a long walk or something, get out of the house. I hope it works!

 

[Mandarine]

Viz, I think Charlie may be more high needs than my boys at night time....so hugs to you my friend!. Mine wake up, but once per night usually and they wake up very early in the am...but it it was one baby it wouldn''t be a big deal. It''s just tiring because it''s two...so I''m still up every three hours pretty much anyway!

During the day is a whole other story and they are definitely demanding and just weird (hehe)!! So I feel ya!!!!

I haven''t read much on Dr Sears because what I have read in some of the "multiples" communities is that his advice really is not easily applicable for twins (or more). Like baby wearing...well, that''s just not feasible for extended periods of time!!. But I liked that link you sent! Thanks!!!

 

[Sabine]

Steph, gorgeous pics! I think the one with you and the hat is just precious!

Mandy, starting around 6 months, I''ve been able to just sit him up on my lap and pat his back a few seconds to get him to burp. I still do this though (although it''s not a huge deal if he doesn''t burp) because if I don''t I''m much more likely to get a big spit up on the floor now that he is sitting all the time. I think at 5 months I stopped burping him halfway through the bottles and only did it at the end. When he first started sitting unassisted, we went through a HUGE spitup phase no matter what I did, but he''s so much better now. I can tell he still has reflux, but the actual amount of spit up is very little (and none some days, I can''t even believe it!)

China, Jacks (7 months) is mostly taking 2 naps a day (around 9, and then 2-2.5 hours after he wakes up). But if they aren''t good naps, he''ll take a 3rd quick nap. He''s still sleeping well overnight, but he''s started waking up earlier in the morning (sometimes as early as 5, when normal was 6:30) so I''m wondering if he needs less than 12 hours overnight. I''ve been trying to move his bedtime back a bit, but it hasn''t been successful so far.

China, what other milestones is O hitting? (or anyone else with a LO around this age?)

I''m starting to get a little worried even though I know all babies are different. Jacks is sitting unassisted and I feel like he''s advanced socially (has really clearly understandable facial expressions that show what he wants, responds to our emotions/tones/facial expressions), but other than that, he''s a bit behind. He''s not babbling in consonants at all yet. He''s not crawling or even getting on all 4''s on his own, or finding other ways to move (like army crawling or scooting on butt). He''s not holding his own bottle very much (he''ll put a hand on it and I can let go for a second or two). I think the thing that gets me isn''t that he isn''t doing any of these things, it''s more that he hasn''t done anything "new" in a while at all so I worry that he''s falling behind if that makes sense. I always worry that I should be doing more to stimulate his development.

 

[phoenixgirl]

Fiery, I don''t know how you put up with that MIL! Mine is crazy, but at least I deal with her in limited doses!

Sha, sore thumbs?!? I can''t guess what could be causing that! But sorry for all the soreness! I always sit cross-legged to nurse, and that can get tiresome. I feel better when I can squeeze in a workout or at least am stretching. Otherwise my muscles turn on me. Unfortunately, there''s not too much exercising going on for me right now.

Mara, as a (sometime) fellow WWTer I can sympathize with the weight struggles. Honestly, I''m still up over 20 pounds at 4+ months PP. I know some people say BFing makes them shed pounds like crazy, but I seem to be in the "what if there''s a famine, nope, better not lose any weight" camp.

And good for you for taking the trip to Hawaii! DH and I were planning to go to France this summer, but we decided to delay the trip when we realized how difficult BFing is. Honestly, I''m not sure I''d enjoy my transAtlantic trip that much if I were pumping all the time and worrying about my milk supply holding up. But the good news is that we''re planning to take the trip this fall after she''s weaned and before we start TTC #2! Yay!

Mandy, yay on the extra sleep! It makes such a difference!

Steph, I vote for 2 and 6, maybe you can do both? So cute!

Amber, definitely important to get out of the house! Yes, making sure Piper can be ok with others is important, but more than that, you need *you* time. So yeah, I''d pump, and then go out with a girlfriend or take a nap or go on a date with DH.

BOB, I haven''t used mine yet (!!!). Claire is 19 weeks and has good (I think) head control. Is it too soon? We have a Boppy head insert -- would that work? Mandy, it sounds like you''ve had success! Now I just need the time to give it a shot.

So, I don''t want to jinx anything, but Claire has been a superstar recently. She is now sleeping at least until 4 and usually until we''re awake anyway (6 or 7). This week she''s only taken 2 bottles a day. If Claire were to keep STTN and taking only 2 bottles at daycare, I feel like maybe, just maybe, I could become a normal non-zombie person again. It''s really physically taxing to come home from work and try to squeeze two extra pumpings in between feeds because I''m trying to turn 11 ounces into 15. But if she only takes 2 bottles, 11 is just right! I might even take the doctor''s advice of trying more ounces per bottle.

Maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel!

 

[cdt1101]

Sha - I missed your post about the sore thumbs...I have that too!!! Towards the end of my pregnancy I had carpel tunnel (I could barely pick up a pillow). As soon as I delivered it went away, except since then my thumbs just feel weird/sore! Like this past weekend, I went to grab something and hit my thumb at a weird angle and it hurt so freakin bad...seriously pain. No idea what it is, but just wanted to say I feel your pain.

Since I''m in the rambling mood today

My linea nigrea still hasn''t disappeared

I''m thinking it''s never going to fully fade. I''m so surprised since it didn''t even show up until super late in my pregnancy and it was never very dark and only below the belly button. But yet, it still remains 9 months after giving birth

I know it''s not the worst thing, but I just don''t like it because I feel like it looks like hair from a distance...heheehee....

 

[gailrmv]

hello! I mostly just have time to skim PS these days but it is great to read how you all are doing!

About the sore thumbs Is it where your thumb attaches to your hand, that is, could it actually be a wrist thing? My DH's left wrist started bothering him really badly when A was a couple months old. He asked the doctor about it and was told it is super common for new parents (usually the mom). It is a strain that happens from using your wrist repeatedly in a different way than you are used to, i.e. picking up and putting down the baby. His dr said to just take advil and wear a brace (that he bought at the drugstore) to immobolize it overnight. It is still bothering him a lot unfortunately, but I guess the advil and brace helps some people. What DH has is not harmful in a long term way, just annoying. Anyway just wanted to share that in case you have the same thing!

Bob stroller We used it from the beginning (did not have the carseat adapter). I used the snuzzler for extra head support. I just walked with him til he was maybe 3 months old and then I jogged very slowly on level surfaces. From his perspective it was probably the same as a fast walk. As he's gotten older I run faster and he loves it!

Comfy chair that is not a glider I think you will be fine with a stationery chair. I rarely rock A. We mostly just sit. We bought a rocking recliner from la-z-boy thinking that we could use it in another room later on. I would say it is most important that your chair be COMFY because you will be spending a lot of time in it!! I like that mine reclines in case I want to put my feet up while we are nursing, or in case I needed to sleep in his room for some reason.

Love everyone's pics!!

 

[sugarpie honeybun]

Steph, those pics came out absolutely adorable.

 

[sunkist]

Mara - ya, I''d been told about baby smelling the real source of food when youre home, but I guess when hubby tried I had no where to go haha! But I was sure he would take it for my mom when I was gone.

Re: how long it takes milk to fill back up, I think its just what you and the baby condition youre body to do. Wes was on a 3 hour schedule at first, but recently he''s switched to a 2 hour schedule.

So, now I fill up sooner.

 

[E B]

Steph, those photos are so sweet. You have two beautiful boys.

 

[Blenheim]

Date: 3/2/2010 9:09:59 PM
Author: sunkist
Mara - ya, I''d been told about baby smelling the real source of food when youre home, but I guess when hubby tried I had no where to go haha! But I was sure he would take it for my mom when I was gone.

Re: how long it takes milk to fill back up, I think its just what you and the baby condition youre body to do. Wes was on a 3 hour schedule at first, but recently he''s switched to a 2 hour schedule.

So, now I fill up sooner.

This- your body adjusts. The other thing is that you''re continuously producing milk, so even if you don''t feel full, there''s some milk to be had if baby''s hungry even if it''s not enough for a full feeding.

Sabine - yes, every baby is different, but something else that I''ve noticed is that sometimes G''s development comes in waves. He''ll go for a little while with making no real noticable "progress" and then - bam! - he hits a bunch of milestones at once. So it''s also possible that you''re in one of those lulls. G didn''t start doing any sort of crawling motion until 7.5 months, by the way, and my impression was that it''s fairly normal. I mean, you hear about the babies who are crawling all over at 5 months and that''s what sticks in your mind, but later crawling is normal and doesn''t mean that anything''s wrong with him or that you''re not stimulating him adequately.

 

[rockpaperscissors67]

Thank you to everyone who sent a FB friend request. I love being able to steep myself in pictures of very adorable babies! It''s funny how I have never met any of these kids in real life, but I think so fondly of them.

Steph, OMG, those pictures are amazing. I couldn''t pick just one. I love #7 because it looks like Evan''s saying, "Hey world! Here I am!" The one of Andrew kissing his head is, I think, my favorite because it''s so sweet. And #25 is darling -- who can resist a sleeping baby?? I had to look twice at #28 because I didn''t see the ear on the hat at first and thought Evan was wearing a wig.

Ignore me...I''m a bit scatter-brained tonight.

Amber, I''d try pumping while feeding in order to start a freezer stash for when you want to go out. I find that''s the easiest way for me -- I am able to pump much more that way. You might try pumping early in the morning during Piper''s first feed, if that''s feasible. When I first tried pumping while nursing, it was a comedy of errors because it was hard to get baby latched on then get the pump attached, but with a bit of practice I could do it, well, not easily, but without needing 12 extra hands.

As for the separation anxiety, I honestly think that this is a natural thing for kids to go through no matter what you do. Or maybe I tell myself that because I''m a total wuss about leaving my kids! I only do daycare because I have to work, but beyond that, I can''t stand to leave Will for more than a couple of hours. MIL offered to keep Ben if we need to run errands and I had to tell SO that it will be a while until I''m comfortable doing that. I''m so thankful that he''s like me and hates to be without the kids.

China, I try to start introducing sippy cups around 9-10 months, but I think babies can learn to use them even earlier. I also like to teach my kids how to drink from a straw as early as they can learn because it comes in handy.

Re: Naps...at 6 months, I think my kids were only doing 2 naps during the day.

Re: Strollers...I only use umbrella-style strollers and I generally will start putting baby in it when he can sit up, even if he needs support.

Mandarine, I hope the boys continue to feel ok. My kids have typically been just fine after all of their shots beyond the first set. I can''t answer your question about burping, though, because I never bother burping Ben unless he seems uncomfortable.

Mara, about bm and production...you''re constantly making milk, so you could conceivably pump and then still have enough to feed J right after. I read something the other day that said that a baby can take 3x more milk from the breast than a pump, but I don''t know how true it is. There have been a couple of times that I pumped because I thought I was going to explode, then Ben woke and I fed him. He gets a little frustrated when that happens, I think because he doesn''t get the fast letdown so he has to work harder, but I know he''s also getting hindmilk so I just let him nurse as long as he wants.

If you try to plan to pump about an hour after a feeding, you should be fine. It''s likely that J wouldn''t want to feed again for another hour, but if he does, he''ll still get plenty.

My sympathies on the weight loss for you, too. At least we''re in good company.

Everyone who has a MIL/Mom that drives you nuts about the baby...I''m so glad I''m not alone. While I''m not happy that anyone else has to deal with a worrier who questions everything you do for your baby, it makes it a bit easier to take MIL when I know I''m not the only one dealing with this stuff.

===

I''m sorry if I missed anyone -- I will catch up tomorrow morning. I''m trying desperately to put the invitations together for SO''s parents'' anniversary party in -- EEEK!! -- 18 days! This thing has been making me thoroughly crazy. The first thing is that we were supposed to get married March 20. Then some things happened, so we decided to postpone, but still don''t have a date. Somehow since we live together and have our boys together, it seems like there''s no hurry for us, which is fine most of them time. But then I have days when I want to know when we''re going to actually get married!

SO and I decided to throw this party because it''s his parents'' 50th anniversary, which IMHO is a pretty wonderful thing. The majority of the people that are invited are in their 60s or 70s, so we needed to hold it out in the country where they all live. Yeah, we ran into a serious lack of venues. Finally, we found a place and the owner came up with a perfect menu for this group and the cost is only $18.50 a person. With the venue set, I started on the invitations and found that the ones I bought to run through our printer don''t work in our printer! I had to send them out to a print shop, so now that it''s March 2 and I have them back, I''m assembling them all so they can go out tomorrow.

And then there''s the cake issue. I asked SO to get a picture of his parents'' wedding cake so we could have their favorite bakery recreate it. MIL is IMPOSSIBLE to get around -- she wants to know exactly why he wants some of their wedding pictures!! SO has kept saying that he would get the picture but I realized tonight that we need to get the arrangements made for the cake NOW. I decided to go in a different direction and look for someone to make a fondant cake, so my fingers are crossed that one of the people I contacted will take pity on me and make the cake. If not, I may have to learn how to do fondant myself and quickly.

For those of you who planned a big wedding...I don''t know how you did it without losing your minds. This is a small party for 50 people and it''s been a fairly frustrating experience! I only hope that it turns out well enough and the in-laws are happy and have fun.

I had told SO that I want us to have a small wedding with our families attending, but I''m reconsidering based on this party planning experience. Running away to Vegas might be a better option.

 

[Mara]

I am going to try to do a little collage of some of our favorites from the photos we had done, there are so many cute ones I could go for pages if I just posted them all hahaa.

PG and RPS...yep the stuck weight is a drag for sure. but i already feel like working out yesterday made my leftover pot belly a little smaller, maybe it''s wishful thinking hehe. but i plan to go to the gym at least 2x a week to start if not more, as much as my schedule will allow!

thanks for all the info re: boob fillage. Since J is measuring so small I really wonder what he gets from my boobs yanno. And similar to what you noted RPS, sometimes I will ''feed'' him and he falls asleep so I put him down to sleep, and then I pump about 15 min later, but he wakes up an hour later hungry and I really wonder...do I have enough to give him?? So that combined with his tiny weight gain makes me think maybe they were taking longer to ''fill'' or something which is why I asked. I have been meaning to ask for a week now..jeez! Memory so bad.

I''ve been trying to get him to nap once a day in his crib so we can start to get him used to it so we can do a hopeful nighttime crib transition within 2 weeks. I feel more stressed having him with us in the same room because I don''t want noises to wake him and Greg snores up a storm sometimes so I tend to sleep lightly attuned to J''s noises, and wake kind of stressed out about J sleeping, G snoring, etc. Sometimes G wakes ME with his snoring and I tend to think how can the kid not wake up? So then I wake up, check him, put on his sleep sheep, etc. I feel like if he was in his own room I''d be less stressed...plus with the monitor we can hear him anyway and his room is a few steps down the hall.

Not sure if I wrote this earlier, my god my memory is crap but I think J is on the verge of smiling at me! I feel like he really sees me now and knows who I am..well a caretaker anyway...I can''t wait to get that first smile. He did a half one today and stares at me very intently, I love at least feeling less like just anyone and being someone he at least visibly recognizes now.

Does anyone remember what they did for ''entertainment'' for the awake times for the newborns? He is doing 1-2 hour stretches of awareness now between food and naps but he cries or fusses for most of it. Sometimes he will do 30 min of quiet alert or do quiet alert between stretches of fussing, but he''s such a fuss during awake times. Should I just not worry about ''stimulating'' him in those times? We do some tummy time, some bouncer vibrating/toy time and sometimes we do swing time and I will sing and talk to him and sometimes he just stares at the walls or the shutters, pictures on the wall etc. Is that all I should expect at this point? I''m going to have Greg put together his play mat this wkd too.

 

[gingerB]

steph - your pics are just

! i

the 2nd one with him awake and smiling on his evan blanket, and the kissing one, and the propped up one with those lips of his, and the one with you. good thing you''ve picked one cuz i sure wasn''t helpful in narrowing them down!!

this thread moved waaay too fast for me today!

cdt - oooph...you''re making me nervous about my linea, i was really hoping it''d go away soon!

rps - you''re planning a "small party of 50" this soon after having a baby?! you must''ve been mother earth or somehting in a past life -- i''ve said it before and i''ll say it a again. you are a rockstar and a half. i don''t think i could even strive to be you!

=================================================

so big day today.

1)we decided to do newborn(ish) pics and booked an appt. i say -ish because he''s already 2 weeks and missed that 5-10 day old super bendy/curly window. but he was a post term and was/is shedding like crazy so i think this is better. the appt is for thurs so he''ll be just 2 1/2 weeks. i just wanted some pics to remember how teeny tiny he is (love love love his teeny tiny fingers and toes!!) and now most of the shedding is done so hoepfully the re-touching will be minimal.

an aside: and speaking of teeny tiny, our little porker packed on another 10 oz in 6 days. i truly don''t know how this is possible. i got so paranoid about over feeding him that i started to chart his intake and his 24 hour total is 22-24 oz. this is only a little bit more than the average AND it is almost all breastmilk. so overall i feel better about his rapid weight gain, but still freaking in awe. he really doen''t make too much poo (which i''m not REALLY complaining about) but his tummy is still nice and soft and he has yet to throw up so i''m pretty sure his GI tract is working ok. and he''s a really awake baby, not super fussy, but awake and alert through most of the day, anyway, enough paranoid mama ramblings. i''m going to try to just enjoy his chubby cheeks and wait for the rolls to start rolling in on his currently still skinny legs and arms.

2)we had our LC appt today. i think it went well. i really liked her. she was patient and encouraging but not too pushy. she showed me a very different way to get A to latch on....and it seems to be working! we practiced twice since i got home and i think he got some milk and my boobies weren''t so sore that i couldn''t still pump afterwards. what a difference the correct technique makes. although to give credit to the hospital LCs, there was a crazy baby boom that weekend and they were short staffed and trying really hard to get to all the mamas and did not have the luxury of time. i''m super excited and see a glimmer of hope that this breastfeeding thing (from the tap

) might just work out afterall. and she didn''t even mention me renting the hopsital grade pump or push me to buy any thing. she explained why she preferred another bottle system vs the one we'';e using, and it made sense. she also was honest in admitting she was not familiar with the one we used and actually really studied the bottle we brought, trying to dissect the mechanism/prinicple behind it. she really seems to geniunely care and wants to cont to learn so she can teach people like me. i really respect that. and A seems to really knock out after BFing, even though he gets less milk. maybe because he has to work so much harder. which may in turn be good for the said aside above.

3)we went to the grocery store. now this may seem trite to the experienced moms out there, but this was the first big "outing" i''ve gone to since A was born. outside of the dr. and the LC appt, i''ve been too nervous to take him anywhere. and i was able to practice taking him in and out of the car and using the stroller with hubbs around to supervise (wasn''t able to do this before due to my healing issues down there and needing to be careful not to strain) and was successful. so yay! and now the fridge is stocked again, which is essential as the dropping off of prepared food from visitors is starting to dwindle

 

[Pandora II]

Mara - entertainment for newborns is hard! Daisy and I just had several baths a day as she loved water...

 

[Sha]

Pandora - thanks for the recommendation! I will check that sling out online.

Sore thumbs - thanks for the feedback. Yes, TanDogMom - it''s at the base of my thumb and below it, around the wrist - on both hands. I was doing some research online yesterday and it seems to be some kind of ''tendonitis'' - inflammation of the tendon sheath in that area. I did read on one site that it''s common in new moms but the site didn''t say why, so I was going to research it further. What you said makes a lot of sense. My pain started the day after I delivered - in the same hand I had my pitocin drips - so I thought it might have been related to my IV, but then it also started in other wrist. How interesting that your DH has it and you don''t... I''m sorry - it can really be painful and limiting. I''m sure it''s related to all the baby-related wrist things new parents do, as you mentioned.

Steph - WOwwwwww.......

is all I have to say! All of those pics are winners. I especially love the ones of Andrew and EVan and you and Evan, and the one with the pouty lips.

You and Andrew look so much alike.

*************

I''m heading off to the hospital to get an X-ray done on Dalila - doc recommended it to check for a possible heart murmur.

Has anyone else had to do this?

 

[vizsla]

sore thumbs?!?! how did i miss this??? i TOTALLY have them! to the point where i will go and reach for something and yank my hand back in pain.. so WEIRD.
it doesn't help that i literally work with my hands everyday - i'm in a creative field - so they have become somewhat of a nuisance.

mandy- phew for you! i think some of what dr. sears says is a liiiittttllleee over the top, but i do *really* like his general approach to babies and child rearing. (the attachment parenting can get a little much for me). and i LOVE his 'baby book'. a GREAT resource to have.

re: sleeping.. i am reading the no-cry sleep solution and i like a lot of what she says... but like every book (i've discovered the hard way) i have to take the pieces and parts that i think will work for us and disregard the other parts. so, i'm with you all on the CIO - fine in theory, not so much in practice. we have our 4 month apt on friday and i am going to ask the pedi about charlie's daytime eating and if this has direct ramifications to his nighttime eating. i'm flabbergasted sometimes that he just has no interest in eating a lot at any one time. he's a total snacker.

RPS - i think it's so super sweet what you are doing for SO's parents. and that sounds like a LOT especially with a newborn! girl.. i've said it before and i'll say it again, are you superwoman??

amber- if i didn't HAVE to leave charlie to go to work i don't know if i would leave him for more than a few hours at a time. if you are not comfortable leaving her yet, then i wouldn't. no use in you being stressed and not able to enjoy your outing. i do think it's probably a good idea to get piper used to a bottle for the future. my sister waited too long and then claimed her girls 'wouldn't' take a bottle. she couldn't be away from them for more than 2 hours for the first year of their life. ((hugs)) to you... and i am still so GREEN with envy that you can take piper to work with you....

mara - it's so hard not to compare baby's weight with friends who have children around the same age. DH and i are in this 'non competition/competition' thingy with some friends who had a baby the day after charlie. their daughter is like 3lbs heavier than charlie, eating 8oz a feeding, sleeping thru the night blah blah blah.... anyhoo, take comfort in the fact that there are a lot of babies out there who are 'peanuts' and are just as happy and healthy as chubbier babies oh, and DH and i are both 5'10" - so not 'small'.

as for entertainment, i worried about this too... but YOU are the best entertainment.. changing his diaper is entertainment, nursing is entertainment. honestly we didn't start doing tummy time until about 3 weeks ago

- charlie got sooo overstimulated so fast that i liked to try and keep things mellow when he was awake. and i would pick one activity during his awake time. vibrating bouncy was 1 activity. the next cycle would be laying on me or sitting on my lap and reading a book, the next cycle i would put him in the sling while i did house stuff. now that he's older we play with a light up toy, or soft blocks, or 'keys' etc. but even then i feel like he gets totally stimulated at day care so i try and keep it low key at night. snuggles are good entrainment

i just have to post this picture... i ordered a bunch of stuff from children's place b/c they are/were having this CRAZY sale... (i seriously got 8 tops, 5 bottoms, a hat and 8 pairs of socks for $60 shipped!) anyhoo, i made charlie model his new hat for me (the reason it doesn't match his outfit

)

you would never know from his demeanor that he gets ZERO sleep.

ETA - sha ((HUGSS)) keep us posted!

 

[rockpaperscissors67]

Mara, yay for working out! Even if what you''re feeling is more mental than physical, that''s awesome.

I know it''s easy to assume that you don''t have enough milk when you feed J, pump, then have to feed him again -- ESPECIALLY if he does the same thing that Ben does and complains about the flow being slow. This is one of those leaps of faith that you have to take. J is gaining, so that should tell you that he''s getting enough. If he wasn''t, it would be obvious because he would look bad. He might not be gaining as much as you expect, but I think that''s the norm for some breastfed babies. If he''s active when he''s awake, he could be burning a lot off. Ben is crazy when he''s awake -- he''s always moving his arms around and kicking his legs.

Re: sleeping -- I think babies learn to sleep with noise around them if you expose them to it. Right now, Ben is napping in his swing only a few feet from the tv. If I had to try to keep everything quiet when he''s sleeping, I''d be in so much trouble! SO also snores like mad, but Ben sleeps right through it. I figure this is his training for when he''s grown up and married to a woman that is as obnoxious during the night as I am (I snore and grind my teeth!).

Re: baby refusing bottle when Mom''s home -- Isn''t it amazing that a baby can smell Mom like that? They can also hear pretty well so yeah, if someone is trying to give a bottle with no luck, Mom has to leave the house. A baby can also identify a Mom''s nursing pads, too, just because of the specific smell!

Re: entertaining newborns -- I stick with talking or singing to them. Ben spends a lot of his awake time lying here on the couch next to me while I''m working. I talk to him and he watches tv, the back of the couch, the wall and the ceiling fan. SO is really good about carrying Ben around and telling him about everything they look at. I think life in general is stimulating enough!

Ginger and Viz, honestly, this party is not that big of a deal. Maybe I''m used to juggling a lot because since I have so many kids, I''ve done it for so long? I''m very much a planner and keep lists for everything, so it''s just a matter of checking stuff off the list. I will be totally honest here -- some of the things have been made easier because we''re willing to pay whatever people ask for some stuff rather than shopping around. For example, the cake is already taken care of. The one baker got back to me early this morning, we discussed it via email and I already paid her. The cake is supposed to serve between 50-60 people and it was $165. I know that I could have gotten it cheaper elsewhere, but this woman is willing to fit me in to her schedule and she''s doing a cake in the style of a picture I picked out. That''s the only way that I was able to go from "I need a cake OMG!" to "The cake''s taken care of!" in less than 12 hours.

So yeah...point is that I am NOT a superstar at all. When I had my first, life pretty much stopped. I had to learn over the years to be able to juggle multiple issues as once, and I still mess up lots, like when I forget that we''re out of something so we have to go to the store a couple times in one day.

Viz, I''ll say it again -- I *love* that boy''s smile. He looks like such a happy little man! His hat is quite dapper.

===

I know this isn''t a newborn-12 months issue, but I''m going to share because eventually all of you will be going through potty training.

Last night, we went to Babies R Us to look at car seats (and found nothing we liked, ugh). Will was out of Pull Ups and they had some that came in a really cool Toy Story themed box. Will *loves* Toy Story, so I told him we''d get these Pull Ups, even though he''s so close to being fully trained that I figured we''d end up with some left over. This morning, I opend them up to find that all of the Pull Ups have Lightning McQueen on them! This did not go over well with Will. He flat out refused to put one on and instead insisted on wearing underwear. He also went potty several times before he went off to day care, so maybe the wrong Pull Ups was a good thing?

 

[AmberWaves]

Sha: good luck with the appointment, I hope it turns out okay!

Viz: How cute is that hat? I wish Piper would wear them! My aunt bought her this knitted brown flapper-style hate with a pink flower, and I died a million deaths trying to keep that sucker on her. No go!

Regarding bottle feeding the monkey-baby: I totally need to get on this- I have a plethora of bottles (avent, born free, playtex drop ins, glass evenflo...) a pump in style, AND a manual Avent Isis, but I am feeling so overwhelmed with the whole thing. Maybe if we'd been using bottles as a habit (say a few a week in place of nursing), I wouldn't be as freaked out by it all. I can't even pinpoint why I'm so freaked out, which really, really bothers me. I DO want some free time, seriously.

Piper is outgrowing all her clothes. She's in 6 months and somehow (?) we have a gap in the clothes we/people bought for her! She's got a ton of 3 months and a ton of 12 months. I wish I had time to go shopping (and the extra funds, which I could spend, but I'm a $$ hoarder).

Anyone care to recommend their playmat? She's been doing tummy time on the carpet on a blanket and I don't think it's nearly stimulating enough.

ETA: Transitioning to crib and loud nighttime noises: I have yet to move Pipes to her crib in her room, and she's 14 weeks? (Mommy confession- I have no idea how old Piper is, the whole 3 months and X weeks thing just screws with me because her 4 month day is 3/24, but I'm SO CONFUSED on how old she is now, I just say "3 months and change") I really want to move her, and I know it's probably better FOR her, having a bigger space than her cramped bassinet, but then she chokes in the middle of the night and I just freak out thinking, "If she had been in her crib..." and No, I don't finish the sentence because I don't know what I'd say. Right now she naps in a loud office, or at home with the tv on. I don't turn off lights or be extra quiet. At NIGHT, though, I turn off the lights, put on the humidifier, and nurse her then set her in her bassinet. I am a noise NAZI when it comes to getting in bed. I actually made Paul hold in his coughs when he was sick.

It's ridiculous. I get so paranoid that any noise will wake her, though, and I need to sleep while I can! Of course, in her room she has two nightlights- one bright yellow light with a glass duck (yep, it was a gift) and the other a dimmer blueish light. The bright one is right across from her crib and the blue next to it. Should I remove both? How will I see when I need to feed her?

 

[vizsla]

Charlie loves his skip•hop funky farmyard play mat. it's the "coolest" of the mats IMO. We use it all of the time! And he loves swatting at the toys and actually grabs and holds the bunny ring!
I hated bottles too, made me feel like anyone could be his mom if I wasn't needed to provide nourishment. So I totally understand the hesitation, but it is nice to be "off duty" once in awhile pumping a few times a day won't be that awful just to build up a little supply promise.

ETA: i've tried like a MILLION bottles - no me gusta advent & dr. browns - they leak like crazy and the dr. brown bottle have a bagillion parts. i *kinda* like the born free, (but charlie eats well with a standard nipple and not a wide one - so we can't use the born free). my new best friend, however, is the playtex advanced vent air. it has the least # of parts, doesn't leak, and helps with the gas bubbles. if piper hasn't had a bottle before, you might have a little learning curve getting her to suck on them correctly. and you will probably have to watch the nipple flow ... when charlie started on bottle feeding he would GULP down the bottle b/c even the slow flow and level 1 nipples were way too fast, and then spit the entire thing back up. we had to go down to a preemie nipple so he had to 'work' at it (much like nursing). we also stopped after every 10 sucks and burped every ounce. now that he's older we only have to burp at the end. i guess all of that rambling was just getting to the point that i thought bottle feeding would be easy - just stick it in their mouth, they eat and done.... not so much.

 

[steph72276]

Hey, guys...I feel like a new woman today! Adam went in late to work today, so he took the 4 am feeding, so that means I was only up once during the night! Woohoo, amazing how a few hours of sleep will make you feel so much better. I even went on a run this morning. While I was up during the night, I finished my announcements thanks to your help and ordered them...they should be shipping out today. Hope everyone is having a great day!

Amber, aww I know it''s hard but you do need some time away..even if it''s just 2 hours to go to dinner with your hubby. If you could just pump enough for 1 bottle, would you feel comfortable leaving her for that long just to get used to the idea?

Kaleigh, thank you so much!

CDT, thank you..those were my favorite ones too. Sorry about AF, hugs to you.

Bella, thank you...I think they are gonna keep me on my toes when they are teenagers

Mere, thank you! I need to stop by the pregnancy thread to "see" everyone. Did you make a decision about the glider?

China, thank you!

Puffy, thanks you are so sweet!

Mara, did you decide on a pic for your announcements? I''m sure all yours are cute too...did he cooperate and sleep during the shoot?

Fiery, thank you. Your little S makes my heart melt in your profile pic...what a cutie!

Mandi, thanks...I love that one too. Glad you guys had a good day yesterday.

Blen, thank you. We never really did CIO either...didn''t seem to work with A.

Viz, good to know about the bottles...A had horrible reflux but it lessened with Zantac and I''m starting to see some reflux issues with E now. Such a cute pic!

Hi, Sunkist, TDM and Pandora!

Sabine, thank you!

PG, thank you. Hope C continues being a sleep superstar!

Sugarpie, thank you!

EB, thank you! I loved your ring pic on the toe so I did one like that too.

RPS, Thank you...you had me cracking up with the wig thing, how funny! Wow, you are superwoman to be planning a party already. I feel accomplished if I can get a shower and straighten up the house on a daily basis!

Ginger, thank you! Yea for your newborn pics. We waited until 4 weeks with Evan and he cooperated. Yea for A gaining weight!

Sha, thank you! A had to go for a heart murmur. I freaked out about it, but they said that it is not harmful, just to be aware that it''s there. I think it''s pretty common and I''m sure it''s nothing to worry about, but it makes us moms worry anyway.

Hello to anyone else I might have missed!

 

[steph72276]

Oh and here''s the proof for our announcement (ignore the hurried up blackout of our name!)