PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[KimberlyH]

Anchor, no complaints on my end, it''s part of the deal of choosing to breastfeed and I accept that with my choice comes challenges, I just find it interesting that people think 40 minutes equals a lazy or slow eater because I''ve been told it''s the norm.

Drk, hang in there. I didn''t have supply issues, but as I''ve said I did have issues with low birth weight and feeding and things seem to have come together now. We hit our stride at about week 3 and things are going well.

Thanks, Mara and Mandarine for the tip. I''ll have to do some online shopping.

Fiery, I have two swaddlemes, little miss HATES them. She does not sleep when I use one. I wish I could send them to you for when you fulfill your uterine yearnings! One is neutral, and who cares if the other isn''t, no one is going to see your next baby sleeping that won''t know the gender. As for feedings, I''m watching for suck and swallow, because if she''s not I''ll pull her off, the kid is just a slow eater.

Breastfeeding: No one I''ve encountered from hospital staff to Jane''s pedetrician ever even asked what our plan was, it was simply assumed I would breastfeed. I was seen twice by a lactation consultant in my 48 hour stay at the hospital, the second time she spent over an hour with me. I was given free nipple shields and a Medela hand pump. Every nurse who provided me with care assisted me with feeding in some way. They offer free support groups 4 days a week at different locations throughout my county through the hospital system. And not once was the word supplement mentioned, and my kiddo was under the dreaded 6 lb mark, 5 lb 4 oz when she left the hosiptal. Her ped had us come in for weight checks and just encouraged me to see an LC and keep going. I was a bit overwhelmed by the push for breastfeeding and thought how horrible it would have felt if we''d opted to formula feed and had to tell all these people of our choice as it was clearly frowned upon.

 

[luvinlife]

Mandarine,

It’s great that you are teaching your children to speak Spanish and English

.
While on holiday in Greece, my DH and I met a couple that was doing just that with their children. The mom was Mexican and the dad was American. She said the children knew that with mom they only spoke in Spanish but with Dad they only spoke English. They also understood that to each other mom and dad spoke English.
It was interesting to see the children interact with each of their parents. Their spoke (and read) both languages perfectly. It now that I value the emphasis my parents put on me speaking 3 languages fluently. I hope to do the same when I have children.

como se dice en espanol "una persona que hable dos idiomas vale por dos". (a person who speaks two languages is worth the price of two).

 

[drk]

Kara will grow up speaking English and German. DH and I are having a hard time remembering to stick with what we're each supposed to speak with her though - each of us inevitably starts falling into the other language at some point. It's going to be hard to discipline ourselves...

 

[kennedy]

I think there is plenty of guilt and criticism to go around no matter how you feed your baby. Moms who formula feed feel badly because breastmilk is healthier and moms who breastfeed past a culturally acceptable age (6,9,12 months?) are called freaks, or even worse, abusive. Anyone remember an old thread entitled "How old is too old"? There were plenty of remarkably judgmental posts directed towards women who breastfeed past infancy and into toddlerhood. As I see it, the problem lies with an entire culture and medical establishment that makes child rearing and breastfeeding in particular almost impossible. Imagine how much easier it would be to breastfeed if you were surrounded by women who had done it before you, who could watch your other children while you tended to your newborn, who could provide you with the education and support you needed to persevere? Imagine not having to go back to work at 3 months, to be able to spend an entire year or more at home with your baby? Imagine a medical establishment that didn't allow formula companies to peddle their goods to new and vulnerable moms just leaving the hospital? Imagine pediatricians who actually understood the ins and outs of breastfeeding and who actually looked at your baby and not the charts? We live in a culture that requires us to separate from our babies long before we're supposed to and I think this has a tremendous impact on our collective ability to breastfeed.

The Breast is Best campaign is about raising awareness and working towards the goal of increasing the number of women who breastfeed. I think we can all agree that this would be a very good thing, no? How else can such a campaign exist without some kind of education about the tremendous benefits of breastmilk?

My last point is that it seems to me a false binary to say that the only alternative to mom's breastmilk is formula. What about donor milk? I'd be curious to hear people's thoughts on this. Human Milk Banking Association of North America

 

[fieryred33143]

***TMI POST AHEAD***

I need to be either educated or calmed down or something.

We DTD two days ago with a condom. Without getting into too much graphic detail, FI seems to think that we have a reason for concern. Basically, after DTD he realized that the condom at some point may have not been positioned correctly. Sorry that probably makes no sense, I just don''t want to get into every little detail.

That''s close to impossible, right? He''s really freaking me out

.

I think it''s time for me to get over myself and just get on bc.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 4/8/2010 6:29:06 PM
Author: kennedy


My last point is that it seems to me a false binary to say that the only alternative to mom''s breastmilk is formula. What about donor milk? I''d be curious to hear people''s thoughts on this. Human Milk Banking Association of North America

My thoughts at this point is that I''m totally ignorant on the subject and would need to look into it further. My current gut reaction is that I would feel safer with formula than I would donor milk, but there''s no educational or informative basis for that opinion.

 

[cdt1101]

Date: 4/8/2010 4:25:11 PM
Author: rockpaperscissors67

Date: 4/8/2010 3:27:00 PM

Author: cdt1101

Date: 4/8/2010 3:17:56 PM

Author: rockpaperscissors67

It's one thing IMHO if you choose to use formula, but an entirely different thing if you are forced to because your choice was taken away from you.

See...you did it again

I really should just step away from this thread at this point, but may I ask what business it is of yours whether or not *I* chose not to BF??????? And purely because I DID NOT WANT TO! ugh!


I don't even know what to say about this anymore....


For the record....I'm not even offended at this point by your comments, I just don't understand them. I mean why can't a mother make her decision and not be judged so much???


blah...I don't even think I'm making sense....I'm out

CDT, you *chose* to take what I wrote a certain way without even asking me to clarify. How if that my fault?


It's absolutely none of my business whether you choose to use formula or feed your kid kool aid 24/7. I believe that totally. But to take what I wrote and assume that I am making some statement about your choice not to even try breastfeeding, well, I just don't know what to say about that.


My point that you totally didn't understand had nothing to do with you and everything to do with a mom that wanted to breastfeed but couldn't because despite doing everything recommended to increase milk supply, it didn't happen for her. There are different feelings associated with having that choice taken away from you. When you are able to choose, you are in control. When your body won't cooperate, you are not in control.


Whatever. At this point, I can see that it's better if I move on over to the LLL website and hang there instead of continuing to apparently be such a source of pain and guilt.

If I misunderstood the intent of your post, then I apologize. Clearly this is a touchy issue for both sides. I know you are a huge help to the BFing mothers here so I hope you wouldn't seriously consider not hanging around.

 

[phoenixgirl]

Isn''t donor milk something like $2 an ounce?

I saw a documentary on MTV (True Life, I think) about two women who were pregnant and considering adoption. One of them had a girlfriend but let the loser father of the child (who had another child and was living with his mother) convince her to keep the baby; at two months she had seen the baby something like twice. The other was a 19 year old who chose a great couple to adopt her child, and she actually pumped her milk for them to use. Knowing how much pumping sucks and how many teen moms who keep their children won''t even consider BFing, I have to give her props.

While we''re on the subject of guilt, it''s easy for me to interpret people''s comments about the mental health of the mother being a reason to switch to formula as reason for me to feel like I''m making the "wrong" choice. The good news is that I am too sleep-deprived to care. I guess my point is just that we''re all vulnerable to feeling judged when it comes to how we''re doing, when we''re all just doing the best we can.

OK, time for dinner.

 

[Mandarine]

PG, I made comments about the mental health of the mom...just because it really came down to that FOR ME. I literally cried every time I pumped, I cried every time they would scream when I would put them even close to my breast, I cried every time they spit up the pumped BM. I cried ALL the time. So yeah, for me it was about my own mental health...and like I said, for me the fog lifted when I made the decision to stop. So that''s what I meant.

I HAD a lot of guilt. "Had", as in the past....once the fog lifted and I saw how much happier I was, how much happier they were, etc...then my guilt disappeared.

Comments like the risky behavior, etc...don''t make me feel guilty at all.....but like I said, I do think it''s out of line because I feel like people that make that decision (like me) are being judged. As if we are putting our babies in "danger" or something.

RPS, like the others, I hope you don''t leave. I think we can all agree to disagree and you always provide such valuable info to those moms that are BFing...and baby care info in general to all of us.

***

bedtime fussiness Are my babies just weird???. Some nights they go down without a peep. Other nights (like tonight) one of them fusses and fusses before finally passing out. It''s not even like real crying, it''s more like complaining. If I went in there now he would probably smile at me. They go to bed at the same time every night. I haven''t noticed any trends (like they are fussy at bedtime if they do/don''t do X).

 

[phoenixgirl]

Mandy, Claire has been doing the same thing. My guess is teething wonkiness. Sometimes I give her a little tylenol when she does that. And no worries with the mental health thing; I was mostly trying to point out that we can all feel judged at this vulnerable time, and I hope we''ll all just support each other instead.

I started the darn conversation (really, let''s be honest, I just wanted someone to say, "Wow PG, only fourteen percent of women are EBFing at 6 months, and you''ve managed to do it almost that long despite hanging on by a very thin thread? You deserve an A+ super fantastic award!"), so I just want everyone to get along. We all need the support. Well, at least those of teetering on the edge of insanity caused by sleep deprivation . . .


BTW, guys, I hope you catch my playful tone . . . I really am fine. I can hang in two more months, and then I will ask my mom to come visit and I will sleep, sleep, sleep . . . and then I will awake from my slumber and be reborn as Summer All Year PG . . .

 

[Mara]

maybe it''s mommy brain but i thought that there was discussion re: BF''ing before your post PG? anyway i don''t think you ''started'' anything. discussions are healthy and people can agree to disagree IMO. i don''t love BF''ing as everyone knows, but i am glad i can, so we''ll see how long i can hang in.

J has been chowing up a storm today. i''ve had to boob and bottle feed him today and he still seems hungry even though i feel like he can''t be and he won''t keep the paci in...general fussiness this afternoon.

Mandarine J does the same thing at night. some nights he''s good to go down and other nights, more the ''other nights'' lately he fights it like crazy even though he''s tired. i think it''s just a function of him wanting to be awake though, your boys are older. but i imagine that it doesn''t stay ''consistent'' for long!!

Fiery i went and got the lullaby spa thing today. and got one for my coworker and one for a friend who is pregnant...haha. i am like this is a great gift for moms!! i never would have known to get one beforehand. anyway i can''t wait to try it for naps tomorrow with J.

 

[Kaleigh]

You all are so supportive of one another, and it''s a blessing to see. I come here to get my baby fix... PS''er sure do make some gorgeous babies!!!!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 4/8/2010 8:28:27 PM
Author: phoenixgirl
I started the darn conversation (really, let''s be honest, I just wanted someone to say, ''Wow PG, only fourteen percent of women are EBFing at 6 months, and you''ve managed to do it almost that long despite hanging on by a very thin thread? You deserve an A+ super fantastic award!''), so I just want everyone to get along. We all need the support. Well, at least those of teetering on the edge of insanity caused by sleep deprivation . . .

Well then it all served you right for your darn indirect communication PG

We aren''t mind readers

I did it for 13 months, does that mean I get an doctorate in boobie feeding?

I will add it after my name: Dreamer D., PhD, DBf.

 

[fieryred33143]

Mara-I hope J likes it! If not then yes it does make an awesome gift! Rebox and give away! Ha

Sophia stood up in her crib all by herself!! It freaked me out to walk away with her sitting and come back to her standing. But of course once she realized she could stand she then got frustrated because she wasn''t standing. Weirdo.

Oh and she should be sleeping but instead she''s either whimpering or singing

 

[steph72276]

Well, I think Andrew passed along his virus he had to his brother

. E sleeps a lot, but nothing like he did today. Then tonight, he started having a rattling sound in his throat and started coughing. I''m so sad he''s not feeling well, it is the worst feeling in the world to have your little one sick. I''m taking him in the morning to be checked out even though I think this is just the start of it. I know I will be up every hour or so to check on the poor guy. So if I don''t check in for a few days, it''s b/c I have a sick little one

RPS, add me to the list of people that would be very sad to see you go. You are such a help to all the BF moms and are the first person most of us go to/went to with questions and you were always quick to respond. Plus, we really like seeing pics of your cutie and all of your stories!

 

[taovandel]

Fiery: Woohoo to Sophia! I''m probably going to cry when Evan starts standing/walking....

Steph: Sorry about Evan! Hope it''s not too bad and he''s over it quickly.

Mandarine: Woohoo for sleeping through the night!

Speaking other Languages: My husband is Puerto Rican and is fluent in Spanish. I keep trying to get him to speak to Evan in Spanish...but he doesn''t do it that often

And he doesn''t go to his grandparents enough to pick it up from them....another issue right there....won''t even begin it right now.

(I''m pretending the debate on BF vs. FF never happened by the way...makes me too mad to acknowledge it right now)

I only saw Evan for about 1 1/2 hours today.....

 

[mtjoya]

Luvinlife- We are teaching our daughter Spanish and then she can learn English when she starts preschool or something. When I was growing up I was only allowed to speak Spanish in our home. I think it''s kewl that if you are bilingual that it''s a good idea to teach your kids to speak your language. I know some people that are hispanic and know spanish but has never taught their kids how to speak spanish. I think it''s sad.

Fiery-I have never been on BC and my OB recommended Camila(mini-pill). I am BFing right now so he suggested this. I am afraid to try. Its not like we are in a rush to get thangs started! I only want the extra time to sleep!

 

[cdt1101]

Steph - Sorry Evan is sick!! I hope he gets better soon..give him extra kisses

Fiery - yay for standing up! I was freaked the 1st time too, but we had at least already lowered his crib (to the lowest setting), so I wasn't worried he'd hurt himself, just surprised to find him that way!

I meant to chime in on the bilingual talk yesterday....I think it's great! I always wished I knew another language, but I really think that that part of my brain doesn't work

My husband speaks Spanish (it was his 1st language), but he finds it hard to speak to Lex exclusively in Spanish when I'm around (eventhough I encourage it). Currently though, the nanny is only speaking to Lex in Spanish so I'm hoping that will be enough to at least set the foundation. The only time I have issues w/ any of this, is the pressure *I* get from my MIL?? She only speaks broken english, so obviously she wants her grandchildren to learn (and her 1st 2 grandchildren do speak spanish), but I don't really understand why I have to hear how he *has* to learn to speak it....*I* can't teach him! I guess she's afraid I would discourage or something, which I would absolutely never do. I just hope that in the future she doesn't pressure Lex if he doesn't feel comfortable speaking it (or can't learn it for some reason).

Don't think I ever gave an update here on Lex, but I'm happy to report he's 100% healthy at this point

Turns out, he doesn't have an asthma issue, he has an allergy issue. We stopped all asthma medication (including nebulizer and inhalers), and an allergist put him on Zyrtec for 1 week. By day 4 he was 100% back to himself! No congestion and no breathing issues at all. And he's STTN again

Super scary though that he was put on all of these medication he did not need, I'm just glad my DH and I went w/ our gut and took him off even when the pulminologist assured us it wasn't the medication making him worse

I know most of you have seen this pic on FB, but I don't have any new pics really other than from last weekend. Here's his 10 month shot...all 23.5 lbs of cuteness

ETA: Couldn't resist the hot pink shirt btw...it's my favorite color...personally I think he looks great in hot pink

 

[steph72276]

Hey, guys. Well E did well throughout the night. I gave him just a drop of infant Tylenol before bed and put him down around 9 and he slept till 7am. I got up about a dozen times to check on him throughout the night though. He is all smiles this morning, but I can still hear a little bit of rattling in his throat and he''s coughed a few times. I''m going to call the doc this morning and just ask them at what point I need to bring him in. I''m sure they will probably say only if he gets a fever, but I want to double check since the weekend is coming up. Hope everyone has a great day. Here is a pic from Easter of E:

 

[steph72276]

Fiery, go Sophia! She is becoming such a big girl!

Tao, thank you for the well wishes for my E. Sorry you didn''t see your E much yesterday...I know you are happy the weekend is here so you can give him lots of kisses!

Hi, Mtjoya!

CDT, thank you...I will be sure to give him lots of extra kisses! Yea for Lex being 100% healthy. I think it is so important for moms and dads to listen to their gut feeling and keep pressing if things don''t seem right. Yea for him STTN again too

He is adorable and I LOVE pink too!

 

[Mandarine]

CDT Lex is adorableeeeee!!!!!!!! I am so glad he doesn''t have asthma!!

And he looks su cute in hot pink!

FlSteph I am so happy the little one had a good night! Maybe he won''t really get sick (finger crossed!)...you''ve got yourself a sleeper...lucky duck!!!!

Fiery I can''t believe Sophia is so big already!!!...and hello? get on BC!!...but on the other hand...you make such pretty babies!!!

Other languages I really think it''s important for them to learn Spanish...and learn it well (speak, write and read). I know it''s going to require work, specially once they start school and only wnat to speak in English. My sister moved to the US with my nephews last year (they are 5 and 7 years old)...well, they only knew Spanish when they got here...and now? well, now they rather speak in English!. If she''s not persistent, they will lose it. I mean, I think they will always be able to speak it...but they may lose how well they knew the language/vocabulary before.

DH was born ans raised in the States...but his mom made sure he knew Spanish. In the summers he would go to Spain for vacation but had to take Spanish classes every day (to be able to read, write, etc). I plan on doing something similar and enroll the boys in Spanish classes in the summers (they''ll hate me for it but then they''ll thank me!...I hope!!!).

***

Boys did good again last night!

I just don''t know at what time they really woke up...I heard some noises at 5am and I turned off the monitor (my room is close enough that I can hear if they really are crying/screaming). Well, I didn''t hear anything until 7am...but that doesn''t mean they weren''t in there chatting for two hours!!!

COnfessions I don''t have any new ones....but I''m sure that''s going to change because I have a LOG day/weekend ahead of me!. Family in town, baptism, crazy/jealous MIL...so something fun/annoying is bound to happen!


Here is a picture from yesterday right before I gave the boys peas. I''m not sure why Lucas was so upset...but he lightened up once he tried the peas!. Their messy hairs and expressions here just crack me up...lol

 

[vizsla]

horray for lex!!! what a rollercoaster!!! and SUCH a cute boy!!!! he''s getting so big! now that he is healthy and out of daycare do you think daycare had anything to do with the constant sickness/allergies?? we are still battling colds/ear infections etc. and there is this nagging voice in the back of my head that thinks if he had a nanny he wouldn''t be constantly sick.. thoughts??

fiery - i''m sooooo dreading going back on the pill. i just hate the way it makes me feel and i hate taking a drug everyday. FWIW, you are most likely not PG, but i probably would run to the nearest dollar store just to put your mind at ease
____________
when i first heard about donor milk/milk banks i was taken aback and thought the whole thing was a bit ''odd'' - but then thought, "wait, WE drink milk that comes from *another* animal for their babies."
disclaimer: the whole concept of meat/animal by products grosses me out if i think about it too much, i''m hyper-sensitive to that stuff.
i was by no means trying to springboard a debate on animal rights or being a vegetarian etc - but it put the whole donor milk thing in perspective for me. didn''t seem weird anymore - at least it''s from a human to a human, KWIM?
___________

SO, for the past few nights i have been really studying what c does as he falls asleep. i want to understand his process and how i can help him go back to sleep in the middle of the night. anyhoo, i noticed that he really doesn''t need to be rocked or shhhhhhed or bounced etc. to go to sleep (because when i put him down i just hold him - and surf FB on my phone

- i''m not moving - i''m not doing anything).

i decided that he just needs ''someone'' there - for security. so, last night i tried a few different things - i tried putting him in his PNP after he had closed his eyes... of course, he immediately woke up the second i put him down

but thought if i continued to hold him he would eventually fall asleep - 30mins later, nope.

OK, back up viz.. you are moving too fast for the kid. baby steps. he ends up in our bed most nights, and seems to sleep better there - rearrange.

so i put him down in bed - i was next to him, but not holding him. he would roll over - grab my face, roll to the other side, roll back to me etc. and i just laid there. i know he''s struggling to get used to being free at night - having his arms out is a new sensation. i had to totally resist the urge to pin his arms to his side - the boy needs to learn, right?

so we just laid there - c rolled around for about 10-15 mins and eventually i saw his eyes getting heavy (note: he NEVER cried or fussed or anything.. just kinda rolled from side to side)

after another 3 mins or so he rolled super close to my face - so close i could feel his little exhale on my face

and about 2 mins later was asleep

!! i almost cried.

only then did i realize i had gotten myself into quite the pickle. it was only 8, and c was asleep in the middle of the bed - so i txt''d DH from the bedroom and told him i wouldn''t be back down

and i went to sleep too.

at 10:30 he woke up to eat - DH fed him AND.... are you ready for this?!?!?!?!? DH put him back down next to me (again, i wasn''t holding him - just laying next to him) AND AND AND..... he didn''t wake up until 4 O''CLOCK THIS MORNING!!!!

i couldn''t believe the clock..

can i get a whoop whoop??

yeah, so he pretty much didn''t go to sleep after that but let''s count that up... that''s FIVE HOURS!

FIVE!
FIVE!
FIVE!

ahhhhhhh, it''s the small victories that make my day

 

[fieryred33143]

I always forget to take a pic for Friday.

CDT-Lex is so adorable. I''m suprised he stayed still for the picture

. That is wonderful news about Lex and I''m so glad he''s feeling better

Steph-Love that picture of Evan! Hope he feels better soon.

Mandy-That picture is both hilarious and so cute haha. They look so much like your DH!

RPS-Add me to the list of people that really hopes you stick around

Re: languages MIL speaks to Sophia in Spanish all day. We were speaking Spanish but now we just say key words in Spanish like sleep, bottle, milk, eat, dance, etc. MIL only speaks Spanish but she says some words in English for some reason like up and outside.

 

[fieryred33143]

WHOOP WHOOP VIZ WHOOP WHOOP!!

That''s awesome

 

[cdt1101]

Viz - I don't think daycare was 100% the problem, but *personally* I feel like it was a large factor in Lex's health. Some sickness is to be expected (hello all those kids sucking on everything

), but the 1st month Lex got bronchitis (back in December) since then he was never 100% healthy. It was one thing after another, including pink eye twice, a BAD stomach virus, sinus infection...really this list is so long...blah. It's hard to say really, but I know I'm more at ease since he's been home vs daycare. I guess just knowing he's not exposed to as many germs makes *me* feel better. And I'll give you multiple WHOOP WHOOPS

That's awesome Charlie slept so much

I hope you were able to get some sleep as well!


Mandarine - the boys are so so so cute!!! I just want to squeeze them

I can't imagine having 2 adorable little boys to kiss and hug all day

I'd burst from all the cuteness!

Fiery - I have to be quick! For every 10 pics I take, 1 comes out w/ him actually being still....and I typically have to give him something to hold, this time it was big bird

Steph - Evan is adorable!

 

[Sabine]

Viz, that''s AWESOME!!!! Hopefully he will keep it up! I would have loved to cosleep if Jacks would have just slept next to me instead of on me, but it never worked for us. The going to bed early stunk too, but I''m pretty sure Robbie is at a point now where Des will go to sleep in his crib early on, and then they move him to their bed when they are ready to go to bed, so maybe that will be the next step for you!

Mandy, so glad you''re getting sleep too! I think it''s awesome that the boys will be bilingual!

CDT and Anchor, yay for healthy boys!

Steph, that is one sleepy dude! Hope he feels better soon!

Fiery, as I think I said previously, I think Sophia and Jacks are on the same timeline. He pulled up to standing by himself for the first time 2 days ago. He hasn''t done it in the crib yet, but he''s done it on a toy box, a diaper box, and me/the couch. It''s so exciting, isn''t it?

Re, sippy, I''ve given Jacks the sippy since 6 months and he just learned how to use it about a week ago. I had to get one of the cheap take and toss ones that the water actually comes out a bit when you tip it to get him to actually drink. Before that he''d just teethe on it.

Re, oatmeal, a lot of baby food actually has milk in it! I decided to not worry about it though, and Jacks seems to be doing fine with the little bits he gets in some of the meals and in the oatmeal, etc. (he likes the Gerber banana and oatmeal best, but we''ve tried EB and Beechnut too) and so far he''s been fine, so I''m hoping we can add in some other milk products soon!

As for us, Jacks is definitely going through some separation anxiety, I''m sure due to the fact that he''s getting mobile. He''s crying again when I put him down for naps and at night, and sticking his arms out of the crib above the breathable bumper reaching towards the door. Totally breaks my heart. I''m sure it''ll get worse as he learns to stand in the crib.

And I''m psyched that Robbie and Des are coming to visit next week!!!! Can''t wait!

My Friday confessions...I''ve been pigging out on Easter candy/desserts all week. AND Jacks has started this new thing of putting his mouth on whatever body part he can grab and then slobbering all over it, and I can''t stand it. I don''t like the baby slobber on my bare legs/arms, it totally grosses me out.

 

[Pandora II]

That''s great Viz - I know how great 5 hours can feel!

Sometimes Daisy is a bit hyper at bedtime and will mess about bouncing around on our bed instead of lying down and going to sleep. I just ''hug'' her so that she can''t really move and she''ll screech like mad for a few minutes and then suddenly zonk out. One of the tings I love about memory foam mattresses is that I can manage to extricate myself and get off the bed without moving or disturbing her.

Other languages - I''m billingual in Italian and I do try to speak to Daisy in it when we are on our own. I''m not sure that she gets enough exposure to really learn it though.

Today we finally have some nice weather here, so I thought I''d go and see what survived the winter on our terrace and get my cordon apple-tree in situ. Daisy got very excited watching the boats going past on the Thames and waved to all of them. Then a couple of ducks went past - to shouts of ''Dutt, Dutt!". I put her walker out there for her but she was much more interested in dirt and the waterbutt. Yay!

Anyway, I got the horrible chickenwire and twig fencing down that the last owners had put along the railings; scrubbed down part of the flagstones where the apple-tree is going and got it in the right place. Repotted a rose - Margaret Merrill, one of my favourites - chopped off dead bits of various plants; declared the wisteria dead

and the acer alive

and then bathed my very muddy, wet child!

Otherwise, today is a disaster - my cleaning lady is not back from Poland till NEXT week and so there are a ton of DH''s shirts that need ironing...

 

[fieryred33143]

Sabine-Jacks is adorable

Question about circulation:

I''ve noticed a few times that when Sophia is carried, her legs get really dark. I don''t know how else to describe it. It looks almost as if she got a tan or something. I noticed it the first time she was in the bjorn but figured it was because of the type of carrier. The second time I noticed it was when my mom was carrying her in a store. She was about 4 months at the time. Her legs were purple and I immediately ran over to check her. I thought at the time that it was due to her socks so I took her socks off and her legs went back to normal BUT at that point my mom wasn''t carrying her, she was in her car seat so now I''m wondering if her legs went back to normal because she wasn''t being held.

I haven''t noticed the purple anymore but on Wednesday, MIL was holding her and I noticed that her legs seemed to have gotten really dark as I described above.

I''m going to mention it to the pedi tomorrow because I''ve read that it can be a sign of poor circulation or a heart problem. In all cases she wasn''t held for that long. When it turned purple in the bjorn it was maybe 10 minutes after I had her in it. The time with my mom she was holding her for about 15 minutes as we were shopping around. And on Wednesday MIL was holding her for less than 5 minutes.

Do you think it''s the way they are holding her? Would you be concerned? I should have mentioned it to the pedi sooner but every time it happened I always had something else to "blame" it on so I didn''t think much of it.

 

[cdt1101]

Fiery - Lex''s legs get darker too somtimes when we hold him and they almost look blotchy. I haven''t brought it up to our pedi because we had so many other issues to solve 1st. But honestly, I don''t think it''s really an issue, I think it''s just a baby thing....but I could definitely be wrong! I would just just bring it up at your next visit and try not to worry in the mean time

 

[fieryred33143]

Yes, blotchy that''s the term I was looking for

. With the exception of the turning purple, most of the time her legs look blotchy when she''s carried.