PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[Burk]

Mandarine~Sorry the boys are sick! Hope they both feel better soon!

QT~Love the pics! He''s getting so big already! You''re not the only one who thinks he looks like daddy!

Mara~Preaching to the choir about how irritating BF is!!! I have vasospasms (OUCH), and because of the vasospasms I still have cracked nipples, K is an ADHD eater (I think in part b/c of personality and in part b/c of reflux/intolerance), and then there''s the fact that I''m pretty sure he is intolerant to something I''m eating. Sucks. I think if you feel better pumping and bottle feeding, do it. If my appt. with the breastfeeding doctor doesn''t go well tomorrow-meaning I start getting some relief and so does K, I''m throwing in the towel! As for the sleep positioner, we used one with T and are using one with K and I stopped when T was rolling over so around 10 weeks or so maybe.

Tao~Sorry E isn''t sleeping well.

ginger~As long as A is getting your BM who cares how he is? If you''re okay with pumping and he''s happy that''s all that matters. Good for you for giving it a great effort!

RPS~Thanks for the info. I made an appt with a doctor we have in town that specializes in breastfeeding because I am so over the vasospasm crap...that, and the food intolerance thing, oh and a possible foremilk/hindmilk inbalance even though I''m vigilant about block feeding.

So, yea, I''m on the BF is no fun train right now. Ha. Sorry Will is being clingy. T is doing that with my DH. When I go to get her out of her bed in the mornings she asks me "where''s daddy. I want daddy." And then there''s the attitude she pulls with me when I ask her to do simple tasks at times. Drives me crazy! I think it''s just her way of coping with not being the only one anymore, but yuck!

viz~Sorry you weren''t feeling well.

Steph~Yay for E and good sleep! We do EASY too and it works really well for K (when he''s not in pain and crying). Hope the formula Mandi mentioned works for the spit up.

 

[Burk]

Aww Mandarine. I''m so sorry. I struggled when I had ONE sick baby. I cannot imagine two. Hang in there. It will get better. Can you have you DH watch them for an hour or two tonight so you can nap? **HUGS**

 

[Burk]

Oh, and we got the proofs from K''s 3 week pro pics. Got some GREAT pics of T and K together. Only got two pics of K sleeping

but they are my favs....thoughts on which you like better?

 

[Burk]

Other one..

 

[steph72276]

Oh, Mandi...I am so so sorry you are having a rough time. I remember thinking I would never survive with Andrew when he had bad reflux issues and would scream ALL DAY AND NIGHT...but really it does get better and you will get through it. You are a great mom, just do the best you can do. I agree, can your DH take a shift tonight so you can get a few hours of sleep? It would probably make a world of difference just to get a few hours.

Burk, I LOVE those pics! I really like the first sleeping pic. Your avatar is just gorgeous though with them both, how cute!

 

[vizsla]

mandy - it''s so hard to say it''s temporary when your days are close to 20hrs long, right? or to say to yourself "this time next week things will be better." i totally understand (well minus 1 baby understand). "nap when the baby naps" - always elicited a huge HA from me... so hard when they only nap for 30mins

a little story. it was the night before my first day back to work. i was already emotional about leaving charlie and all of that good stuff that goes along with it. DH came down with some major sickness and slept in the guest room. charlie, on the other hand, came down with his first cold and ear infection and was absolutely inconsolable. i literally was up all night holding, feeding, walking, rocking, soothing baby - knowing that i also had to return to work the next day. it.was.awful! then i had to make the decision.. call off work on my first day back and stay home with charlie or go in and leave my sick baby. i guess what i''m saying is that i couldn''t have felt more awful and there was no amount of cold showering that could wake me up or make-up to shine me up. it stunk, but i muddled through. and continue to pull myself into work every day and muddle through. the best i can offer is the feeling that you are not alone and that there are people going thru the same thing... ((hugs))

 

[Mara]

re: pumping and bottle feeding vs continuing on boob...yeah i don't want to give up on the boob RPS esp since he takes it so well BUT he's just such a lazy eater! anyway i am not doing anything yet, we'll continue the way we are and see how it goes. but i just notice when he gets the bottle he is so much happier when he's done because he's actually FULL as opposed to 30-45 on the boob looking around or falling asleep and after about 15 min no amt of foot tickling or chin tickling is making him do anything. and then i pop him off and he looks pissed. it also makes it hard for me to mentally try to get him on any sort of 'schedule' soon because he takes so long to eat. and his quiet alert time is shortened because he's spending so much time on the boob looking around and not eating! we'll see.

oh and my friend who EP's...she gets like 12-15oz out of ONE PUMPING session. i kid you guys not. i swear she is like super boobwoman. she only has to pump 2x a day!!!

ginger..i discovered something last nite that seemed to really help my boobs and ducts out, i heated my gerber boob pads in the micro for 30 seconds, and then put them on and then pumped with them on. i felt like i really actually got more close to emptying the boobs!! and i got about an extra 1/2 ounce out of them each by doing that it seemed. so i will be doing that every time now, they felt so much better.

the other thing about bf'ing for me which drives me nuts is that i get nauseated feeling every time i pump or have him on the boob. so i can't eat while i am doing that which makes it hard to schedule eating sometimes. and if i have let down feeling i also get nausea. not fun.

re: rice cereal, so we started J on that the night before last. we cut a slit in one of his nipples so he'd get it easier and i mixed 1.5 tblsp in with about 4 tblsp of chamomile tea and put it in with his night bottle. also his night bottle is typically both formula and breastmilk. we laugh at the crazy cocktail we give him. oh and gripe water in there too. he had hardly any spit up but again at night he does pretty well USUALLY though like every 4th or 5th night he might have a lot more spit up and discomfort than usual. then last nite we did the same thing and he had NO spit up at all which was great. and he went down for 7 hours. so it seems to be helping even with just the little amt. since it's only once a day i don't have an issue mixing the cereal in, it takes like a minute.

viz... keep in mind that J is only 6 weeks so not like we have a few months of experience yet, but if C sucks down his bottle and is up every 3 hours do you think he needs more food? i know that breast milk burns off faster but i have 2 friends with 6-8 week olds whose kids are sleeping 5-7 hours on only breast milk now, so maybe he needs more or he needs more fat to keep him fuller longer? i think you are EBF but i swear by a little bit of formula in with the milk for night feedings, i really think it makes a diff for how long J can go. he seems to burn off BM within 3-4 hours at night but with formula and BM it gets us those 6-8 hour chunks. and it's still mostly BM just with formula added. or maybe try more BM in a larger bottle? J sometimes takes 6oz of BM at night, it seems crazy but he sucks it all down!!

also re: the sleep books, honestly i think that all of this stuff is good in principle but until someone is willing to dedicate the time in the book, aka for no cry sleep it says keep a log for 10 days and do all these things and until someone is willing to do that then look at patterns and experiment to change then you won't know for sure.

i was thinking last nite that child rearing is simply trial and error and figuring out what works for you and your kid...then going with it. and what works may change but as long as you keep experimenting you can usually figure new things out.

burk..sorry i forgot to respond to you re chamomile, well the pedi said dont give it to him alone because she doesnt want him 'replacing' feedings with water and filling up, but to use it to mix the formula, so chamomile tea + formula powder instead of using water. and i feel like it really helps. and he only gets it like 1-2x a day right now but if i feel like gas is really bothering him one day i will mix him small bottles of it to supplement with BM. we use the sensitive stomach Similac and it seems to be working well. also his poops don't even smell bad, i heard with Similiac some feel it makes them smell bad but ours didnt really change much..maybe because he's still 90% BM.

oh and i love that 2nd pic of K!! super cute. and love your avatar! umm that reminds me we still haven't done our announcements, i am such a loser.

mandarine..oh my gosh woman, you have my sympathies. i won't tell you that you are superwoman or a saint anymore. i can just hear your frustration in your posts. i am so sorry the boys are being such handfuls and don't feel bad for venting at all. two would be extremely hard to handle and esp when they are staggering naps it must seem like an evil plan created to drive mommy insane. just hangin there, it IS a finite period of time...but it's too bad you can't enjoy more of this time you know? and i hear you re: returning to work. i will prob be WFH for a few weeks before actually returning and i am already thinking 'how do you do that with a baby??'... what if he is screaming or pissed off one morning and i have conf calls? how embarassing to have him in the background! do you put them in their room? how do people do this? it might actually be a relief to have to get back into the office!

steph...so happy E is doing well with the sleeping!! it makes a huge diff at night for sure. i can deal with a screaming fuss all day long if i can get some quality sleep at night. i hope his reflux improves, def try the rice cereal if possible.

so yesterday J was a mega fuss... i imagine 6 week growth spurt or something but he also had some bad gas in the evening and cried inconsolably til he was able to release it. he wouldn't even EAT for like an hour in which case i was like totally worried since he always eats. so we just kept him near us on the couch, and let him cry, he went in spurts as he was releasing gas and had a few quiet periods where he was watching TV and us. but by the time bedtime routine rolled around he was sucking at the bottle like a champ and down for the count within 45 min. he hardly napped yesterday so maybe that had something to do with it. then he slept 7.5 hours and then another 4.5. he is still sleeping actually but i hear him making noises so he will be up soon. anyway, we were thinking holy crap we are in for it tonite, he is going to have a horrible night etc, but i think we got lucky, jeez. i hope he is cheerier today.

when do they wake up NOT CRYING??? i live for these days... he does it sometimes but most of the time he wakes up and starts crying immediately, even when i go in and get him right away he still seems upset. i imagine this is kind of like the diaper change crying, he stopped doing that about a week ago and now just is quiet and cooing and looking at us, hopefully waking up is like that soon too.

our bedtime routine... well we haven't been able to incorporate bath into it yet daily, it just seems so hard to find the time when G gets home. so the regular routine not with bath (we bathe him like 2x a week right now and give him wipe downs daily with a wet towel): feed with bottle and/or boob, lower TV and lights towards the 1/2. diaper change about 10 min before he finishes the last of the bottle or boob. lots of burp breaks. and then at the last burp, he goes on my shoulder with TV off and lights dimmed and we just rest together for about 10 min while greg cleans up in the kitchen. then we swaddle him and carry him to his bedroom where the light is off, only night light. put on the sleep sheep and we do some happy baby rocking and sshh'ing until his eyes are droopy..sometimes he doesn't even really need it longer than a minute. depending on if he is fighting it, i might rock him til he's in his light sleep OR if he is pretty dopey from food/tiredness then i will just put him in when he is slightly still awake. sometimes he fights his swaddle for a while then passes out and other times he just passes out.

i want to eventually move the last half of the routine into his room and out of the family/living area but he seems to be doing well with it as is so no need to change it yet but prob in the next 3-4 weeks i'd like to modify it so that i can get ready for going back to work in 6-7 weeks so that we have it set for when that change happens.

wow this is really long...sorry!!

 

[vizsla]

oh i would LOVE to feed him more... but it's a CHORE to get him to eat even 5oz... so when he wakes to eat i feel like i have to feed him - especially if i adhere to the weight x 2.5 thing.

he has been perpetually sick, and the reflux etc... anyone have any tricks to increase a baby's appetite?? should i tell him it's bathing suit season coming up? that always makes me want to eat more... ya know, cuz you always want what you can't have

oh and i can't wait for c to wake up not crying too... we get a handful of pleasant wake ups a week..... they are heaven!

 

[ChinaCat]

Hi ladies. Wow, so much to comment on, but I''ll just hit a few.

Fiery- I don''t think Sophia is rude at all! O had his first "picnic" playdate last week with about 6 other babies. Ages ranged from about 7 months to 5 months. They ALL ignored each other. Only O and one other baby were crawling and O did steal toys from other babies.

BUT they were all just kind of clueless, just grabbing whatever toys were nearby so it wasn''t intentional and none of them reacted to each other. They did however, all notice each other''s feet which was hysterical.

Burk- Nice to see you over here! Those pics are adorable- I like the first one.

Pandora- Just love everything about Daisy- the dress, the blackberry.

Viz- Really hope that spring brings some much needed sunshine your way and everyone in your house stops being so sick. Normally when kids wake up that much to eat I would say they don''t NEED to eat, but in Charlie''s case it might be so. I would say maybe he''s being a lazy eater b/c he knows he can eat all night, but sounds like it''s hard to get him to eat. What does your doctor say about eating that much at night? I have a hard time not feeding O at night if he''s hungry.

Mandarine- Any way someone can help you? You need a break. Family, DH, or even a babysitter/nanny that could come over and give you just a few hours of sleep? It doesn''t sound like a luxury at this point, but a necessity. You ARE supermom, but even supermom needs help.

BREASTFEEDING QUESTION: I have a friend who is having supply issues (back at work, stressed, sick, etc) and I want to give her some ideas about how to stablize/increase her supply. She is drinking some tea, not sure what though. I know to tell her to drink tons of water, make sure she eats (oatmeal is good), maybe drink a beer. What else can I suggest? Mother''s Milk tablets?????

Deswaddling- We deswaddled at 4.5 months. Did arms out for naps, then pretty much did nothing at bedtime after a few days. I was worried b/c he loved the swaddle, but it didn''t really bother him much.

Bedtime routine- PJ''s, lotion, book, nurse, down at 7:30 (before time change). About 8 now, but will be back at 7:30 soon. He doesn''t "need" to nurse usually, but it''s the only time I get with him. When we have a babysitter or if DH is in charge of bedtime, he gets a bottle but only if he is due for a feeding. Otherwise, he goes down after the story. Sometimes we rock him for a bit and sing him "bedtime" songs. He goes down without a fight.

Waking up "happy"- I remember reading a book that said my baby should be waking up happy by x weeks and it royally p****d me off. For the longest time, he woke up because he was HUNGRY and if that was the case, he woke up screaming. But once his eating and sleeping regulated, he started waking up happy. Now he is SO happy when he wakes up and DH and I fight for who gets to get him up in the morning. Sometimes on the weekends I let him take a nap on me and it cracks me up that he doesn''t slowly wake up like adults do, he just POPS open his eyes and gives me a huge grin. And sometimes says "Bah!".

Anyway, point being, they will start waking up happy, it just takes time. I can hear him wake up, but often I just let him "play" in his crib for 1/2 hour or so.

 

[AmberWaves]

Oh Mandarine, I''m so sorry the boys are giving you the run of grumpiness. I hear you on the snoring. I''ll just get Piper to sleep in our bassinet and Paul is over there snoring away, I get SO ANGRY at him I literally get hot. I totally know it''s not healthy, but I do wish he''d stop.

Today is the crappiest day at work so far. Last night Paul was fooling around with some co-workers and came home late, after her bath was done (around 8:30). Usually we bathe her and dress/lotion her and I feed her and down she goes. Well, I don''t know if it was the time change or what but she didn''t go down until after 10:30, which included two hours of total crying because I kept thinking she was hungry and she obviously was NOT. Eventually I pulled her onto my lap and watched tv and she started with the sleep cues (rubbing eyes yadda yadda)and I fed her and put her down. She woke up at 1am, then wouldn''t be put back down without crying. I had to pick up/put down three times (over an hour) before she''d go back down for awhile. Then she woke at 3:45, same thing. Ate, walked, patted... put her down, cry cry cry. I picked her back up and put her in her crib- EARTHQUAKE. God is all, "Yeah, no crib yet". So then I ran to my grizzly bear sounding husband and tell him about it (After waking him up), thus resulting in ruining his sleep.

Accident? Then I put her down- cry cry cry, picked back up. It was ridiculous. She was falling asleep SO easily, but once down she''d cry again. I debated bringing her into bed with us again, then thought against it because I KNOW she''s capable of sleeping in her own bassinet. Finally I just stood above her and rubbed her tummy and shushed her and that worked. For two hours. Sigh. Then we were up and out. I really wish she hadn''t rejected her paci. She could take that thing to college for all I care, I just want her to NOT CRY ANYMORE.

I am so not looking forward to the shots next week.

Also, on top of not sleeping last night, I got to work and there is a huge bank emergency causing us to bounce checks, and I have a ton of month-end crap to do. I got so overwhelmed I cried and then got a massive migraine that lasted for two hours basically making me useless. My migraines cause numbness in my hands and face, and I can''t see anything. FUN.

Hello everyone, I''m far too crazed to individual post, just know I am reading!

 

[vizsla]

oh amber...

boo!

cc - yeah i was wondering that... if he knew he could eat all night he does???... awwww it''s all a crap shoot anyway, right?? sometimes i''d just don''t want to deal with the crying at night so we feed him, but i don''t want to deal with the sleep deprivation either.... it''s like no win...

i did want to post some iphone baby apps for pandora - then i swear i''m done for the day

all were free (cuz that''s how i roll

DoodleBuddy, Baby Phone (charlie LOVES this one), Baby Piano Lite (and this one), Funny Flash, Peekaboo Barn, Matching Zoo, I hear Ewe, Scribble Lite, Look Baby! (and this one), Super Match Madness Free

 

[fieryred33143]

So many sick babies

Poor George. I hope he feels better soon

Mandy-big hugs. I can''t imagine how frustrating it is. You have every right to vent and feel this way. I hope this phase passes soon

Burk-K is adorable

I love your avator of T and K!

Mara-Did the pedi confirm reflux? I must have missed that. Poor J! That''s awful! Hope it goes away soon.

Hi China

Amber-sorry about the terrible day

Bedtime routine--We used to do bath, lotion, pjs, nurse. Then I went back to work and would get home at crazy times so I cut out baths and let MIL give her a bath during the day so it was lotion, pjs, nurse. Then we switched to formula and in the craziness of the evening I couldn''t find the lotion so it became pjs, bottle. That''s what we do as a bedtime routine haha. I always change her clothes though, even if we are doing nothing for the day. I like her to know that when she sees her pjs that means bed.

Waking up-Sophia never woke up crying as a newborn but she did wake up grunting. Now she wakes up going DADA but for some reason she wakes up crying from naps. I really want to teach her Ta-Da because I think it would be hilarious if every morning we heard Ta-Da over the monitor.

Swaddling-We waited until she was ready. I think it was around 3 months, maybe 3.5 months. She was just over it so we were able to go cold turkey.

I wish I had remembered to bring my camera to show pics of Sophia standing. She doesn''t stand on her own yet but she finally learned to put her feet on the ground instead of tippy-toe. I stand her up in her crib or by the sofa so that she gets used to it. Yesterday she grabbed the remote and was playing with it and at one point let go for a few seconds. I wonder if she''ll learn to stand on her own and eventually cruise before really getting how to crawl. My mom says that I never really crawled because I hated it and started walking at 11 months.

 

[Mandarine]

Hey guys!

I just have a few minutes but wanted to say thank you

I got them to take an afternoon nap in bed with me...and then I fed them and took a walk to Starbucks and grocery shopping with a friend (who has one baby that is a handful too, 6 months, bad reflux, wakes up every two hours, etc). Anyway, it felt good to go vent....plus the caffeine and chocolate biscotti helped too!!!

Last night DH did the first feeding of the night and I did the second...they just took a while to go down after the second one. I hope tonight is a little better!!!.

Tomorrow the babysitter is coming so I plan on going back to sleep when she gets here instead of going to the gym!.

Oh and today I have to finish my development plan for my boss...haha, sounds like such a joke to fill out these things now, Corporate America!

So anyway, I didn''t mean to be a total debbie downer....sometimes I just feel like I can''t breath and my ears are actually ringing from all the screaming!. They are not bad babies...not laid back easy babies either, but this last couple of weeks they have just not been feeling well....poor dudes

(yes, I call them dudes...hehe)

Anyway, back to your regular programming!!! Thank you all again for letting me vent!!!!

Oh Mara, what''s the chamomile tea for? I''ve never heard that before!

 

[Blenheim]

Mandy- I cannot imagine trying to handle two babies, let alone two sick ones. One sickie is bad enough. I''m glad you were able to get out some today.

Amber - lots and lots of hugs.

Bedtime routine - Vitamins, brush teeth, wash glasses, bath as needed, night diaper and PJs, sometimes we then walk around the house and say "night night" to everyone, nurse, sleep.

Speaking of glasses - G has managed to smear snot all over his glasses every ten minutes or so today. I am sick of washing them. He sobs if I wipe his nose too... we joke that he really really likes his boogers and doesn''t want anyone else to steal them away. Same thing with poopy diapers. Weirdo baby.

 

[ChinaCat]

Mandy- I call O "dude" all the time. My mom actually pointed out when he was an infant that I never called him "Oliver" only "dude" or "baby".

Now he''s O, Little Man, Dude, Bug...still baby sometimes. And don''t apologize for venting, that''s why we''re here. And we all know that there is so much goodness sprinkled in with your adorable boys, I don''t for a minute think they aren''t worth it or that you don''t love them like crazy. It''s funny, but O is smooth sailing this week (PLEASE don''t let me regret writing that!) but reading your post (and Viz, Mara, Burk, Amber, etc), you instantly remember being in that place of helplessness. It''s just part of it. That''s why they say being a mom is the most difficult job in the world. It truly is. And then next week they''ll be really good and you''ll forget all about the screaming. Until the next time.

Just get through this week. And please go back to sleep when your sitter comes. It all gets easier to deal with when you get a little sleep.

Amber- Man, you''ve had one terrible, no-good day, huh? Sorry. But Pipes doesn''t need her paci, she''s got her two delicious fingers!

Fiery- Lots of babies I know skip the crawling. She''s just being a girl and not wanting to crawl on the dirty floor like these silly boys.

O is still on his tippy tippy toes, it''s so cute.

Viz- I know, I always found it easier to feed O when he wakes up at night. I still try even though he rarely eats at night anymore. How old is Charlie again? You''re getting close to him growing out of a lot of this, I suspect. I hope.

AFM- O had his first playdate and had his first encounter with green peas. All successful. He would make the funniest face when I fed him the peas, like mad woman, what is this crap? But he kept eating it, so I guess he liked it. We had the best weekend, I am really enjoying this age. It''s easier to take him out, he doesn''t need a nap every 2 hours. Plus he''s more interactive and fun. I can''t wait to take him to the zoo! The weather has been so gorgeous out. I love spring. He''s definitely teething, can see one tooth pushing through. So he''s been a bit more fussy, but not as bad as I feared.

My eyelid keeps twitching. Which apparently is from sleep deprivation. Go figure. I am actually getting sleep and I get this!

Sorry I missed pictures/confession Friday. Will try and post some pics tonight.

 

[steph72276]

Thanks everybody for sharing your bedtime routines. Ours has sort of gone bath, lotion, new diaper, nurse/bottle, rock, lay down with soft music...this has seemed to work well the past few nights. I have to time it when he is due for a feeding though, so it kind of varies when it starts. We will add story time to this when he gets a little bit older. I know most people say don''t start the rocking or you''ll never be able to quit it, but I

it! I think this is our last baby, so I''m trying to treasure those sweet moments

 

[steph72276]

CC, the eye twitching could also mean low potassium(I get that often)...you could try eating a banana.

 

[Mara]

mandy....the chamomile tea is for gas, it helps soothe digestion. our pedi recommended it to us and we use it in place of the water for the formula mixing. it seems to help actually.

most of the bedtime routines seem to have lotion in them, is that for ''massage''/soothing? one of the things that they told us in the newborn class is not to use lotions on the newborns since their skin is so delicate and doesn''t need anything. they said to use EVOO if you use anything. since we got like 500 lotions from people we havent used any, it''s kind of funny!! i wonder when we start using lotion??

all the sick babies, boooo...i hope they feel better soon (and parents too!)

amber...sorry your night was so rough!! what you said about snoring and the bassinet is why we don''t have J in our room anymore. it was way too stressful for everyone involved. i love having him in his own room, everyone seems to sleep better, though sometimes i do have to stop myself from rushing in when i hear him do his long gasping choke cough thing.

viz...what you said about the ''him knowing he gets night feedings'' ... basically C has a night routine of his own, he has expectations set...when he wakes he gets food. i hear ya re: his smaller size and not wanting to skip a feeding, have you tried soothing him when he wakes to see if he''s REALLY hungry? i notice that when J is not really hungry but wakes up, i can soothe him back to sleep typically, BUT if he''s hungry no amt of soothing will suffice and he also will be rooting or trying to stuff his hand in his mouth and generally kinda pissed off.

fiery... yep the dr confirmed reflux or ''active stomach'' as she put it... he has gas and reflux, we can feel and hear his little tummy working a lot of the time. i was hoping he would get greg''s stomach of steel...maybe in the future.

mandarine...i am so glad you got out for a while and venting can be really therapeutic!! just know you aren''t alone.

china re: bf''ing and increasing milk...honestly for me drinking fluids makes the biggest difference. i am sure the tea and all that helps but really i think it''s just more fluid (and tea is fluid!!) because i notice a huge diff when i down fluids all day vs when i don''t.

re: waking up happy, i can''t wait. i look at his little smiling face in his sleep and think ''why does it have to change?'' hehee.

greg is home today so we went to have lunch with J and then i went to BRU where i got some stuff, including a new sleep crib wedge thing, we''ll see if it works. it was only $11 so. and they have the Maxi Cosi Foray on sale for $249, $100 off. so tempting except that it''s not a true one hand fold and it''s 26 lbs. i think the city mini is what we''ll end up getting even though i don''t love the ''sporty look'' of it...oh well, i do love the 17 lbs and one hand fold for $220. darn that stupid Foray being so cute and easy to maneuver.

 

[taovandel]

Another terrible night with the little one...ugh! We are going to try a bit of oatmeal tonight just to see if maybe it was just the rice bothering him....so it''ll probably be another crappy night in our casa.

But yesterday he was the happiest baby ever! He pretty much didn''t cry the entire day and was smiling and laughing the entire time...

 

[Mara]

oh and i have to post...i got the world''s cutest pic of J in the car...trying to resist the lure of the sleep sheep and the car ride. love the sleepy eyes.

 

[Pandora II]

Thanks Viz - freebies are right up my street as well!

Euughhhh, I am so tired. D is being a nightmare at night for the last few days. She''s been sleeping from midnight till 8am or later for months now (bedtime is normally around 8.30, but she''ll wake up at midnight when I go to bed) and it''s been great. I don''t wake up even when she eats and we all get a full night''s sleep.

Suddenly she''s started having what my father thinks are ''Night Terrors''. She''ll sit up suddenly and start screaming. She''s still fast asleep but her eyes are wide open. I''ll cuddle her and hold her, but even sticking boob in mouth doesn''t help - and with Daisy, boobie works for pretty much anything. Last night it went on for over 5 hours, waking up every 15 minutes or so.

Except never actually awake. I even tried to wake her up in the hope that it would help.

As a result we are both overtired and cranky.

I spoke to the Child Development specialist at my Nutters & Babies group on Monday. She said it sounded like Night Terrors as well, and could be due to her having too much to process in her mind and it disturbing her sleep. Her learning verbal and motor skills at the same time is probably the cause.

I''m taking her to the doctors for her 8 month check-up soon (a few months late... oops

) so I''ll talk to him about it. She''s also come out in a really odd rash - doesn''t itch at all, but her skin is incredibly dry and feels like sandpaper. It''s on her back, front, cheeks and really bad down her arms especially round her elbows. It isn''t red, just feels terrible. Weirdly it stops just above her diaper and isn''t on her bottom or legs. I''ve stopped using any products except Emulsifying Lotion which I''m covering her in 4x a day. I''m wondering if it might be a reaction to a washing powder, DH bought a different non-baby brand of fabric softenener last time so I''ll try getting the Fairy one I usually have.

Fiery, on the playing with other kids thing, this was something I also discussed with the specialist. Daisy prefers to play alone with toys, but will happily grab them off other kids and also likes to prod them, pull their hair, feel their teeth etc. Luckily most of the other kids are a year or so older and they are so sweet and patient with her - although one child hit her over the head with a ring-stacker toy. She looked a bit shocked and then screamed her head off, the other mother was so apologetic but she wasn''t actually hurt in the slightest.

Anyhoo, apparently they don''t learn things like sharing or playing ''with'' other children for quite a long time. They will display intense jealousy towards other children over possessions or people though (try picking up another baby and watch Sophia''s face

).

 

[taovandel]

Also, wanted to add....1st night with no swaddle since he was like 8 weeks old. We are using a sleep sack though....

I put him down still awake and he fell asleep in like a minute! So far so good....

 

[phoenixgirl]

Girls'' night out tonight! I shouldn''t have picked a Tuesday, though . . . now I need to wake up for tomorrow, ugh!

And the 10K is not this weekend but the next. Apparently I''m just going to wing it. I''m currently running 30-45 minutes 2 or 3 times a week. Pretty good, yes, but not 10K in 10 days good, I don''t think.

Also, I''m trying to plan my friend''s baby shower, but I''m not a very girly/shower type person. Yes, I''m a girl, and I had a shower, but I''ve never had to plan one before. My friend is from the UK and not familiar with the American baby shower thing, so maybe that will work to my advantage!

Mostly I''m just on autopilot until June when I retire/resign/relax. Until then, I press on like a crazy lady, trying to sometimes spend extra time with my baby, sometimes exercise, sometimes connect with my husband, sometimes have girls'' nights, etc. It''s a crazy juggling act.

 

[rockpaperscissors67]

Goodish news from my end! Hannah went to the orthopedist today and it looks like she''s already on the path to healing well. The fracture is on the inside of her pelvis, right by where the femur attaches, so apparently this is why it''s so painful. He expects her to start trying to put pressure on that leg in a week and then be off crutches within 3 weeks. She''s not going to be able to ride again for a couple of months, but she''s not banned from riding permanently. I''m scared to have her ride again, but this is something she LOVES so I''m glad she can do it again for her sake. She''s also out of ballet for a while. She said she''s going to go to ballet class and just watch, and she also wants to keep going to the stables to see the horses. I feel bad for her.

Steph, ah, Andrew''s such a big kid! I like age differences like that -- it seemed to work out much better for my kids than being really close in age. I was hoping he was closer to Will''s age so we could compare behaviors and maybe I could figure out how to convince Will that he needs to not be so oppositional to me.

Burk, the pic are lovely! I hope that doc will be able to help and give you some encouragement. BF is so hard when you''re dealing with a bunch of issues. It sounds like T is doing the same thing as Will. I wish it were as easy as telling them that just because there''s a new sibling, it doesn''t mean that we love them any less. Life would be so much easier if we could reason with little kids.

Mara, it''s likely that J will stop being such a lazy eater when he gets older. I keep telling myself that about Ben to keep my sanity (or what''s left of it!). He will nurse for like 10 minutes and then fall asleep...then wake up a few minutes later and act hungry again. It''s a vicious cycle. I''ve considered making him wait to nurse so that he''ll be hungrier and nurse better, but since he''s not packing on the weight, I''m hesitant to do that. When he sleeps a long time at night, he nurses really well when he gets up -- he stays on task and nurses for a good 30 minutes. The snacking makes it hard to do anything.

I''d love to be like your friend and get that much at one pumping. I know it comes with its own difficulties, but yeah, I would be happy.

I had to look up nausea while breastfeeding to see if I could find anything to help and I didn''t really, but Kellymom says that most women find that it goes away between 6-8 weeks. Maybe relief is coming soon?

Viz, I hear you about trying to get a baby to eat more. If I had any tricks, I''d share them...but I have no idea. I think they just have the appetite that they have and you can''t do anything to change it. The only thing you can do is encourage them to eat higher calorie/fat foods if they''re old enough for it. When my babies hit the later part of their first year, avocado is one of the first things I introduce because it''s high in good fat and calories and babies seem to really like it.

I think you also have to look at the overall picture instead of just the child''s eating habits. It''s possible for a kid to be perfectly healthy and not eat much. My 9 year old eats like a bird and she''s thin, but also really healthy and VERY active. My older daughter was similar when she was that age, but now she can pack away the food.

China, some of the things your friend can do to increase her supply: take fenugreek (3 capsules, 3 times a day) or take More Milk (or More Milk Plus or More Milk Special Blend) in either capsules or tincture; take a nursing vacation (go to bed for the weekend and do nothing except nap, eat and nurse); power pump (pump in addition to nursing, can be added to nursing vacation for super boost). If those don''t work, she can check into taking reglan or domperidone. If AF has come back and that might have something to do with her lowered supply, she could take a calcium/magnesium supplement.

I didn''t have much luck with the Mother''s Milk tea and from what I''ve read, you have to drink a LOT of it. I found it much easier to just take More Milk Plus or Fenugreek.

Amber, I''m sorry you had a rough day! I totally hate when a baby gets into that crying cycle and nothing you do seems to work. We''ve been going through it every single night from about 10:30-midnight and I''m soooo thankful that SO is really good at getting Ben to finally sleep because it really makes me nuts.

Do you take anything for your migraines? If you don''t, I''d highly recommend trying some of the meds out because it makes a world of difference when you can feel better in 30 minutes instead of suffering all day. I''ve had migraines for 16 years and would die without imitrex.

Fiery, congrats on Sophia standing! What a big girl! There''s a little boy at Will''s day care that started walking at 8 months, which is really cute...but kind of a nightmare, too, because the parents got to chase him that much sooner.

Mandarine, I swear, it sounds like heaven getting to nap with not one but two babies! I''m glad they napped and you are feeling somewhat better.

Blen, I''m sorry but I laughed at George liking his boogers! Funny boy! Will still is horrible about blowing his nose, so I tell him to make the tissue dance (like the old joke: How do you make a tissue dance? Blow a little boogie into it.)

Daisy, those do sound like night terrors. My friend''s daughter had them when she was younger (she''s 3 now), and it scared the crap out of my friend. I hope Daisy gets over them quickly!


Now that Ben''s asleep, it''s time to take myself off to bed. I don''t know if it''s the time change or what, but I''m definitely feeling more tired the past few days than I have since Ben was born. Oddly enough, he''s sleeping more at night (5-6 hours) so by getting that block of sleep, I *should* feel more rested. I had to lie down with him the past 2 days at 5 p.m. and take an hour nap -- it''s almost like being pregnancy all over again.

Oh, wait, I have to vent about something. I am SO UPSET about not losing this last 15 lbs. already. Of course, it''s my fault totally because I feel like I''m always hungry, so therefore, I''m always eating. Plus, I tend to grab quick snacks so that I can eat quickly while Ben''s asleep, so I end up eating things that are convenient, but not necessarily conducive to weight loss. I went to Kohl''s last night because I had to buy an outfit for the inlaw''s anniversary party since I can''t cram my butt into my normal clothes. I did find a pair of dress pants and a blouse that I can wear after I lose this weight, whenever that might be, but I also tried on a pair of jeans and they looked HORRIBLE. I hate this.

I need to do something, but I''m frustrated by the lack of time for that something and lack of motivation. I think I''m going to try to go for a walk each day at 5 -- I can probably do that instead of taking a nap and it would be a nice way to end the work day. I really want to get the Wii Fit and I would just bite the bullet and buy it from Amazon (at jacked up prices because they''re hard to find), but with the tendonitis, I don''t think I''ll be able to do a lot of the games. Ugh. I wish there were a magic potion you could take to not only lose the weight but also get into shape!

 

[Mara]

Speaking of AF a few days ago and what is normal to get it back...umm I think she's returning. DRAT. I can't totally tell though because with the gummi bear removal last Friday I'm back to spotting again but I feel kind of crampy and just that general ugh feeling... it's been 11+ months but I remember it well. Bah. What happened to '10 months' average or whatever. I am sure it's because my pumping/feeding J has been sporadic the last few days and also he is going so long at night that I mostly don't get to pump til like 6-7 hours at night so my production has been less at night.

And umm my back hurts from all this hunching and rocking and 'general' child care. UGH! I'm old!

And I feel like my boobs are trying to drive me crazy...combined with my pump. I swear that I get varying 'pull' on the pump depending on WHATEVER and I always spend a few minutes futzing with it when putting it on and then during the session etc. I have to always massage the crap out of my boobs too and often I feel like the pull on the nipple changes mid session then I have to mess with it again. And I think my right boob which is the mass production one is trying to plug up on me or something..I didn't used to have a thin squirty stream from any of the ducts on it but now suddenly in the last 2 days I do.

Like you RPS I am tired of carrying these extra 15lbs too. I am working out but the scale does not want to give it up. And like you I am bad with snacking and just eating whatever I want...but it's also not enough IMO to support my breastfeeding.

I went to work out tonite and during the jumping I felt like my bladder was going to fall out on the floor. Just another fun side-effect of pregnancy and vag birth I guess.

Seriously for all that us women do to bring the life into the world you think someone would cut us a break and give us back our bodies (or even better!

) and no AF for like a year and do something about the breastfeeding boob pain/plugged ducts/etc. I mean is that SOO much to ask?!!?!

(oooh this was negative. bed time!!)

 

[vizsla]

hey ladies-
i have a few mins this morning before the work crazies begin - so i will try and catch up properly emphasis on *try*

blen - i had to giggle about the snot and the glasses... tee hee - is g man feeling any better??

rps - thanks!! i know c probably will never be a big eater .. i was just hoping to ''fill his tank'' during the day to be confident in eliminating night feedings... and i feel ya on the last few lbs. but your little ben still so young, give yourself at least 6 months before you start beating yourself up i haven''t been to the gym once... i think as soon as i can get a few zzzzz i''ll be able to work out after c goes to bed. anyhoodles eat what you want, keep making that good juju for ben and the weight will come off

china - i hope too!!! charlie is 4.5 months old

last night i tried ''soothing'' him back to sleep at 2:30 when he woke up... which eventually led me to holding him in bed at 4:00 and then finally feeding him at 4:30

. he did sleep the first half of the night in his crib

well, from 8 until 11:45 up to eat and back down until 2:30. i tried to tell DH to try and soothe him back to sleep at 11:45 but he gave it about 5 mins worth of effort before he fed him.

i''m wondering.... why is it that when i feed him, he goes back to sleep immediately?? but when i ''soothe'' him, it''s like he never fully falls back to sleep.. as was the case from 2:30-4:30?? it''s like he''s just 1/2 asleep.

mandy - i echo china.. never feel bad about venting... i love my little man to DEATH, but yeah.. sometimes i just want to hide in a closet and forget he''s in the next room screaming. it doesn''t make me a bad mom.. just a normal one. i''m still struggling with trying to be a ''good'' mom and a ''good'' employee.. i feel like i can''t be both - and either way i''m disappointing someone. mom guilt much??

burk- good to see you!!!!! so sorry k is having the same issues as t.. could it be a different type of intolerance this time around?? my sister''s kids were actually allergic to rice. RICE! ((hugs))

hello everyone else!! steph yeah for sleeps, pg only a few more months - jealous!, ginger adorable pics, sha how cute is little d, tao hooray for no swaddle! and everyone else i''ve missed

in news that is not complaining about sleep

charlie has ''found his voice''. like his squealing squawking voice.. and it is HI-larious! gah, i wish i could post sound clips on here because it cracks me UP! and the smiles and giggles are out of control.

just last night - when he wouldn''t go back to sleep - he turned and stared at me all bright eyed and giggled... how can i be mad at that??

so, DH is like way irish... and being st. patty''s day and all - he told me this morning - and i swear he was half serious - that he was going to take charlie to our local irish bar "early".

yeah, a baby.... in a bar....

p.s. i almost exclusively refer to charlie as mr. as in mr. stinky poopy pants or mr. is being an extra grump today or how many kisses does mr. want today. poor thing is going to have such an identity crisis.

 

[AmberWaves]

Hey mommies, I have a sec to say hi, then it''s back to work. Blah. Piper slept from 9pm to 6am last night. My head hit the pillow and I was out, and was shocked as hell to realize my alarm went off and I didn''t wake up! Of course, she fed from one boob and now the other is DYING (she''s napping right now), I''m afraid it''s going to choke her when she does wake up to eat.

RPS: I rarely get migraines now, it was so I would notice the vision change and take something right away, (usually excedrin migraine).

How am I still so tired???

 

[October2008bride]

Date: 3/16/2010 6:58:50 PM
Author: Mara
oh and i have to post...i got the world''s cutest pic of J in the car...trying to resist the lure of the sleep sheep and the car ride. love the sleepy eyes.

Lurker on this thread - but omg Mara he looks a LOT like you!!

 

[steph72276]

Good morning! Well, I''ve just got a second b/c the baby is waking up, but funny story of the day.....Our British friends gave Andrew a whole bunch of soccer jerseys. Well, I sent him to school today in a really cute green and white one with a four leaf clover on it. Then I talked to Adam who informed me that that wasn''t the name of the team, it is a beer company that sponsors them....that would have been good to know BEFORE I took him to his Christian school! Haha, hopefully nobody knew what it was, I''m so embarrassed! Hope everyone has a great day!

 

[Sha]

Hi,

Just popping to ask if anyone caught the show, ''Quintuplet Surprise'' on TLC last night? Their story is similar to Jon & Kate - struggles with infertilty, then they had a baby girl...decided to go back for ''just one more'', and got 5!! 4 girls and a boy. The father never really wanted children, but the mom always say herself as a ''mom''.

Can you imagine having that many children under 5? Now that I''m a mother and realize how much work it is to take care of 1 - I can''t imagine taking of 6!! I''m sure there''s a lot of stress - (financial, physical, emotional etc), that comes with it. I hope they''re able to handle the stressed better than Jon and Kate did, and I hope they have lots of help!