PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[Mara]

yup viz...re setting expectations. but i totally hear ya on wanting to make sure C is healthy before doing any training.

whenever i am sitting there debating whether or not to do something when it comes to J... i always try to think about how *I* would feel if i couldn't control my life. aka last nite after being asleep for an hour he woke up and was crying. i had purposefully left his ceiling fan on high and not zipped up his sleep sack because his room was 77 and i wanted it to cool down before we went to bed so i could finish sacking him and turn the fan off (he doesn't really like it but will generally ignore it for his first stretch of sleep)... well i thought instantly 'ok he's cold'...so i go in, turn the fan off, give him paci, zip up sack. he's out within 30 seconds. when i came back to the couch i told greg...imagine you can't pull the covers over you at night when you wake up and the room is cold. so until our kid can 'pull the covers over him' in diff aspects of his life, that's our job to be there and help.

on the flip side... when he wakes up the 3rd time like last nite because paci falls out, he doesn't know how to put it back in yet but he's not crying, just fussing and i know he doesn't NEED it to sleep...and that he is warm and generally not hungry (he'd be really crying if he was)... i figure, look dude, time to have some alone time and figure out you don't NEED me or the paci. boom, sleeping in 10 min and out for 4 more hours. he obviously didn't need me, or the paci or food.

its SO easy to look at parents stating as TG said, an opinion and think 'they are judging me' or 'they are talking to me!'...when in reality it may not even be related. i totally do it too... like when kim says 'i wouldn't put a blanket in with my baby'... i could think 'gee kim thinks i'm a bad mom because i put a blanket in!'... or i could think 'kim is generally saying SHE wouldn't do that'. i choose to pick the latter.

parenting is one of those things where everyone is instantly defensive...everyone has their own opinion, EVERYONE. friends, parents, gparents, enemies, random strangers. even if they don't voice them. but in reality most people's kids are going to turn out 'generally' fine regardless of most parenting styles. there are the odd cases, aka TG's friend with the hitting little boy... or my friend with the hitting little boy...(But he's a good kid in 90% other aspects of his life, so it's random).

i also subscribe to the feeling if peeps are happy then great. as long as people enjoy what they are doing and wholeheartedly subscribe to it, why not. no one is going to change their mind anyway and if people are happy with the way their life is going, who am i or anyone else to tell them differently?

oh and re: the b/w...having some recent wakeups with J totally underscores for me it's not b/w. we did make some changes (unswaddling) which messed with him but part of it was his brain going 'wake up wake up wake up' and nothing i really did would FIX that. but i kept doing the same things over and over to hopefully help him realize what 'expectations' were so that when his brain relaxed, his body could get it. even if we were still dealing with sleep deprivation, (and we may still be...who knows the last 2 nights may be a blip!)... i would try my damndest to stick with it because i felt like it was right and it worked before so it would work again.

random vent re sleep and just stuff in general. why do people who don't have kids always try to offer a REASON for your kid doing something? when i tell a friend that J wasn't sleeping well ...they instantly throw things out there like 'oh no! what's wrong with him!?' or ... 'oh is he growing or maybe you need to feed him more?' or... 'oh is he sick?'... 'oh do you think that maybe he's in pain?'...it's like..can you wait for me to get the next sentence out about deswaddling OR the heat in his room OR the 4mo wakeful before you start trying to diagnose my kid? SO many people do it and it's so irritating!!!!

 

[vizsla]

yes TG, an opinion

much better!

i fully admit to asking for help and then seemingly not taking it. i probably sounded like a broken record complaining about the same thing over and over - but in hindsight i had a very valid reason for not listening

ha!

and i do get a smidge defensive (who me?

). this road has been soooo bumpy that it''s hard NOT to feel like i shoulda coulda woulda done things differently - had things been different. maybe it was the whole ''bad habits'' thing. we did exactly what some would consider ''bad habits'' - but never once thought of them as such. that''s all...
also

for *us*... 9 times out of 10 when c is awful at night it IS because something is wrong. so, i could totally see myself running thru all of the things that could be ''wrong'' if someone is saying "d usually sleeps well, but now she is doing this weird thing", KWIM?

i''m hoping this won''t be the case for the future tho, because it''s getting really old

on a much lighter note... and kinda funny... last night i went to bed before DH. c-dizzle must have rolled over to DH''s side of the bed and when he woke up at 12a to eat i looked around the room like "where the heck is mr.viz?" just as i thought this, a little head pops up from the ground... poor dude was sleeping on the floor - i told him he was redic and should have just moved charlie to the middle. weirdo

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 6/17/2010 1:51:02 PM
Author: vizsla
on a much lighter note... and kinda funny... last night i went to bed before DH. c-dizzle must have rolled over to DH''s side of the bed and when he woke up at 12a to eat i looked around the room like ''where the heck is mr.viz?'' just as i thought this, a little head pops up from the ground... poor dude was sleeping on the floor - i told him he was redic and should have just moved charlie to the middle. weirdo

LOL! My DH does this, too. I laid Micah in the middle of our king bed yesterday to wear himself out and hopefully go to sleep, and DH wanted a nap before work. So what does he do? Squishes himself into the space between Micah and the wall, with his feet hanging off and his arms all tucked up against himself. Seriously, guy, you can move the baby - he wasn''t even asleep yet!

 

[Mara]

viz i hear ya re: worrying something is wrong. i totally do it too esp in the middle of the night when you are jolted out of sleep, but i can tell from J's cries what the vibe is. he RARELY screams now...so when he does i know to jump and go.

re: cosleeping...i am too afraid of squishing J. now that he is bigger and seemingly more HARDY i could maybe do it from time to time to get extra snuggles, but greg is totally against it, which is fine with me in general, i don't want to have J realize 'I LURVE THIS' then be like 'oh crap'. though sometimes on saturday mornings i go sneak him in between us for 30 min after he wakes up and we play with him and blow raspberries on his belly but he's already awake. portia always looks PO'd like 'now he's in the BED TOO.'

next time the men are being silly with the babies you ladies should take some video hehe.

speaking of putting the baby on the bed--yesterday we were discussing with mom on how to nap J because she is still putting him in his old bassinet and he's too big and TILTS it to one side now (scary) so i said well nap him in the PnP ... and she said well i'll just put him on my bed. i was like umm no he's not napping in the middle of your bed left totally unattended. she was like why not, it's really big, he won't go anywhere. i was like HE ROLLS NOW and he doesn't like to stay still. hello!

sometimes....

 

[vizsla]

mara - yes! rolling is reason #45 we have to start transitioning c into his crib sooner rather than later - he''s sooo wiggly, it''s INSANE! after he gets his clean bill of health, of course.
i''ve fashioned a pretty secure barrier for him right now, but i don''t feel comfortable leaving the room until he is alseep.
i''ve resorted to hiding under the bed so he doesn''t see me... but inevitably when i pop my head up to check on him and how close he is to the edge of the bed, he catches a glimpse of me and starts in with the crocodile tears
hand-FUL this one

 

[KimberlyH]

judgement has become dirty word, so bizarre. we all make judgements, it''s how we decide what is right for us, who we want to be friends with, etc. it doesn''t mean we think someone doing things differently is a bad person (with some obvious exceptions) it just means we don''t always agree, no big deal.

here i feel a bit on the fringe, because pretty much everyone is okay with letting their kid cry and i''m not, at least not now. doesn''t mean i''m right and everyone else is wrong or vice versa, it''s just the choice i''ve made.

advice: i''ve always said i don''t think one has to be a parent to have valuable thoughts regarding the subject and my opinion hasn''t changed now that i''m a mom. sometimes outside perspective is more helpful. when it''s thoughtful and desired of course.

**

just need to dust and clean floors.and the house will be done.

went for a walk, then came home and ate 5 oreo cookies. disgusting!

 

[vizsla]

kim - i agree with you... it's all in the delivery.
i'm totally guilty of saying (before c) "oh, i would NEVER do that" or "i can't believe they do that" etc.... oh, the words i have eaten. i've learned so much from this kid - and no lesson more strongly than being less judgy of people and their parenting decisions.

and you are not on the fringe.. i never let c cry if i could help it. DH and i were crazy about getting to him to soothe him when he cried. it's only been in the past few weeks that i can *clearly* see that when he isn't getting his way, he cries and *finally* not pain cries. plus, he's almost 8 months

- so not itty bitty anymore. DH and i lightly follow dr. sears approach to attachment parenting.

 

[PrettyBlues]

Kim, I also don''t believe in letting M cry, at least not right now. We''ll see if it changes, but for *me* I don''t think it''s the right decision.

 

[KimberlyH]

vis, it''s why all along i''ve never committed to any absolutes, i know what i want to teach her, those things are firm in my mind (dh and i actually made lists before she was born, and ours matched almost perfectly), the how is flexible, because she is who she is and i have to adapt to that. i get the "sort of ap" thing, an outsider may view me that way, but it isn''t my intent, and there are pieces missing. i am a big believer in following my instincts and doing what seems logical. so i won''t feel on the fringe, vis, but it''s okay if i am because my responsibility is to do what i think is best for little miss thing, not for me or anyone else.

a funny story related to all this sleep discussion: it''s naptime and i had put j down to go to the bathroom, she was screaming, i walk back in the room, peer over her bed, she stops cold and gives me the biggest gummy smile.

 

[Burk]

Tgal~Very interesting thinking about same parent/same ways because to an extent and I can see that can def. waiver for certain things with K. His sleep is number 1, though, and Tayva is older and can understand reason (for the most part

) and direction so I almost always put K down right when I see his tired signs and then I can tend to T. But there are times, ironically prime example while I was typing this where I can see my "ways" change b/c of the second child. Like just now K and T are both napping. K let out a cry and I darted up the stairs to get to him because I had noticed that T was in a pretty light sleep and was struggling to get comfy so I know he could have easily woke her up. Turns out it was a "pain" cry and I would have gone to him regardless but had it just been a "I'm pissed" cry I would have gone to him at that time just because I didn't want him to wake his sister. So yea, things are a little different. Also, forgot to comment earlier on the comments on how girls are "easier" or behave better because their girls. I get this all. the. time. Drives me crazy. Seriously, my kid is by no means easy. But, I have boundaries and I don't waiver in discipline and the girl knows there are consequences if she misbehaves. She is usually well behaved because of how I've parented her and NOT because she is female. My SIL keeps telling me to wait to see a difference with K and while I'm guessing there will most def. be a difference (um different kid and yes boy changes the game a bit) I can assure you K will NOT have discipline issues ect because I'll parent him too! Vent over on that.

Mara~I am planning to give that formula another try probably in a month or so. I'm guessing my milk will be gone by then (since my supply is dwindling FAST). I am kinda wondering if that night was just a fluke and I really don't want to spend the money on the other formula (will cost us close to $300 a month for formula on it

).

And, just because we're talking sleep, a pic of K sleeping at the pool today. Kinda cute story behind the pic actually-I had put him in his stroller with his toy to occupy him while I found his paci in his bag because I knew he was getting tired. As I was looking for the paci he cuddled up to the toy, fussed for a second, I stuck paci in and this was the result. Love it!

 

[Burk]

Oh and Mara again, thanks for that site with the breathable blankies!! I ordered one for K!

Also wanted to add I don''t take K to the pool nekkid...I took his clothes off because he was wet and didn''t put anything else back on b/c I wanted him to be cool....he was in the shade! Didn''t want anyone to judge...ha ha!

 

[vizsla]

OMG i can''t BELIEVE you would take a baby to the pool without a full wet suit on!

ok... can we seriously talk about this? i''m sooo nervous about the sun! you should have seen me at the zoo.. i was dodging all over the place to keep the darn stroller in the shade.

i have a s/s rash guard top for c to wear with his trunks .. and a hat... and sunscreen (california baby of course - did my earlier link get lost?)

what is the general rule for other mamas? also, when i take c on a walk at night do i even need to worry about sunscreen? i don''t typically, but then i wonder if i *should*.

i don''t want to get crazy paranoid about the sun, but i feel like i kinda have to be.

 

[Burk]

viz~I''m also really terrified of the sun. I do shirt, shorts, hat and shade as much as possible with K. And sunblock. I tried your link and didn''t get to a list? I was using neutrogena sunblock but read your post that''s not good? In the evenings I don''t do sunscreen.

 

[qtiekiki]

good general rule of thumb for sunblock - you want titanium or zinc oxide to be the active ingredient. These are the physical blocking agents.

 

[KimberlyH]

We''re in southern CA, so sun is a big concern here. It''s been cooler than normal so I''ve been able to keep her covered with clothing. She HATES her sun hat, it''s the smallest I could find but still too big, so when I carry her in the bjorn for walks I prop one of DH''s hats over her head/face. She looks funny with the floppy backwards baseball cap on, but it keeps her covered. I just had DH buy her sublock and used it for the first time today (need to read your link, vis), she seemed to do fine with it. her ped said if we had no choice to use it, but just try and keep her in the shade. Um, fantastic, but it''s June in CA and I''m not staying locked up in the house.

 

[TravelingGal]

Viz, do you mean a walk at night, as in when there is no sun out? Or late afternoon? Because if we''re supposed to put sunscreen on at night, I am definitely not up to date on the latest sun threats because this isn''t something I even think about!

Amelia was always in shade for the first 6 months, and by then it was fall, so I didn''t worry too much about winter. I bought a rayshade for my maclaren, in case I needed more shade. But I am of the camp that sun is needed for the vitamin D thing so in the late afternoons if we take a short walk, I don''t put any sunscreen on her.

Burk, I hear ya girl. My BFF got the same thing with her daughter (most everything I''ve learned about the parenting style I have, I got from my friend). Then she had a son, and while in some ways it was harder (he was like an overeager puppy on a leash) when her voice rang out, he just hustled to attention QUICK. She did tell me there is a difference between her two kids in that her son is more of a daredevil and way more naturally adventurous/curious and sometimes she REALLY needs to drive a point home, but he knows her word is law.

I KNOW K is going to be every bit as awesome as T!

 

[Sabine]

Viz, I don''t put sunscreen on when we''re just going to be out quickly...we go for a quick walk with the dog every day around 11, and he''s in his stroller with the bigger shade than his umberella stroller, and he just wears shorts and a shirt (I used to do hat too, but now he takes it off immediately. I also don''t do sunscreen if we''re just walking to/from the car and a store or something. But if we''re going the park or on a longer walk or to the pool, I def. do sunscreen (well, sunblock). He wears a rash guard at the pool, but I try not to worry too much.

As for sleep...I actually had an interesting experience this morning. Today was dh''s day off, and we had a full day planned (including a derm. appt. for Jacks), so our morning routine was a little off. I rushed to put Jacks down for his morning nap so I could get ready, and he just would not go down. I wanted to make sure he napped before his dr. appt., so I went in to try to settle him, even though I KNOW it only makes things worse if I go in. And it did. Exponentially. I tried to let him CIO again after that, and it just wasn''t happening. I ended up going in and rocking him, and he fell asleep on my shoulder and I held him for a 30 minute nap for the first time in AGES. Honestly, it felt really good to do that since I haven''t really done it since we sleep trained at 4 months. And he was fine going down for his 2nd nap and bed tonight. Even though I don''t plan on making a habit of it (and re-learned my lesson about trying to go in to get him to go down quicker), it was nice to hold my sleeping boy.

And part of our big day was getting his hair cut for the 1st time! I had been hoping if I let his hair grow, he''d get more of the curly-cues like he has in back all over, but it was just doing some funky wave things on top that resulted in it sticking straight up, so we got it trimmed short. Here''s a little before and after pic.

He was so good (although I did have to feed him puffs to get him to sit still), and then we went out to an early dinner afterwards and he continued to be good and ate a TON (olives and tomatoes from the salad, bread, half of a chicken breast...seriously, and some broccoli).

And speaking of going out to eat...do you other moms of real food eaters find that it falls to YOU to share your food with your LO? I''m not ready to order him his own meal yet (although he certainly ate enough tonight to warrant one) because I don''t like the kid''s menu options usually, I''d rather him just eat what I''m eating. But we don''t go out to eat that often, and I can already tell that I''m going to miss bringing leftovers home or finishing my own meal!

 

[Mara]

kim, you shouldn't feel on the fringe because of CIO... a lot of moms on here are not into it. i actually feel like the moms who would consider hard core CIO are less in #'s than those who wouldn't. and while i was for hard core CIO (how hard could it be really ! HEE) before... i actually am not that sure about it now...not because i don't think he could take it or that it won't work but rather it's that i don't know if *I* could take it... esp since our house is small and i can hear every little thing. i would need to be gone and then it would prob work.

gotta love the LO's giving you the big smiles once they see they are getting their way! sometimes if we put him down in the boppy and walk away to get a bottle or something going he starts totally crying--esp if its end of the day and he's crabby. if you come back and stand over him he is all giggles...and sometimes when he is irrationally screaming (aka same situ) if you start laughing really loudly and tickling him he starts loudly giggling. i am like... really dude this is why i can't take you seriously at 3am when you wake up. faker!!

burk love the pic!!! And i don't really care if you take K to the pool naked...we saw lots of naked babies or babies with just diaper on in the pool in Maui.

re: the sun...i am not paranoid about J. maybe because of my skin tone so i tend to not stress in general. i put sunblock on him (neutrogena baby 60, and block not screen...viz i didn't read your link but i have read elsewhere that it's recommended)...and i try to take care if he will be out with us, like i don't let the sun just blast down on him, but he likes to dangle his leg out of the stroller on walks and sometimes in the bjorn his legs get sun and his arm... but he never gets color. i always put a hat on him. also like TG said if its late afternoon i don't put anything on him if we go for a walk. plus we live in CA and it's just not realistic to keep him out of the sun. lastly, i was always in the sun when i was little and who knows what protection was like then. i just feel like you can't be totally over the top about it, like anything else... you do what you can and that's it. then again i love being outside and i hope he does too. the pedi was fine with us using block on him.

burk.. i hear ya re formula cost. when J was drinking like 1/2 formula 1/2 milk the formula was maybe $10 a week. but now it's more like $20 a week since he's doing 2/3 formula and 1/3 milk. when it goes to total formula it will prob be a little more. but cost wise this formula is not necessarily and more $$ than similac or the other ones and yet it's so much better nutritionally. plus J just LOVES it. and i can't wait to get our loveys..! i think mine will be here fri--i got the last blue elephant one they had and a pink giraffe for my gf who is having a girl.

sabine.. love the new haircut!! J is sooo cute!

so i just discovered childrens' place today online...i've seen them in the mall but never went in. they are having a 50% sale and i found a 15% coupon and got some CUTE stuff online. yes i'm obsessed with shopping for my child.

J didn't get his 2nd nap today, so of course by 6:30pm he was cranky extraordinaire. i put him down at 7. i am so glad tomorrow i will be home with him so that i can make sure he gets both naps! it's great he is sleeping better at night but he still needs his naps if possible.

mom did feed him homemade apricot puree today and apparently he liked it.

i can't wait to see the BPF's tomorrow!! squee.

 

[drk]

Kara watching World Cup soccer (Germany''s first game) with her little friend while wearing her "born to play for Deutschland" shirt.

 

[taovandel]

AWWWWW!


Sabine: I normally can''t stand when others eat off my plate--I like me some leftovers sometimes! But my husband puts food away like a 10000 lb crazy person so I doubt he would share! So I''ll be in the same place as you---sharing my food while everyone else enjoys their full plate. haha. His haircut is cute! I keep saying I''m going to take Evan in for something---his hair is crazy sometimes....but I''m trying to wait a few more months (He''s not even 8 months yet).

Can''t contribute much to the sleep/breast feeding discussion going on here lately. Evan has been sleeping through the night for a long time now, but about 2 times a month (normally two days in a row) at around 10:00 p.m. he will wake up freaking out....screaming. It''s the saddest scariest cry ever! We normally cuddle with him and he calms down and goes back to bed before 11:00. No clue why this is happening...at first we thought it was teething because right after that his teeth followed. But he did it recently and his two teeth are in and no sign of any others.

AFM: We did a little photo session in my apartment for Father''s Day. My husband is a chef so I bought Evan a little chef hat and a bunch of veggies and set up a little scene on our couch (Using a brown blanket as a back drop). I went to pick the pictures up yesterday from Walmart (With my husband..I figured it would be in the envelope so no big deal). I get up there and they tell me I need a copyright release!!! I was so mad. So I explained to them they weren''t professionally done...in the apartment...hell the blanket as the back drop was bought from walmart!! They finally agreed to it and almost showed my husband the pictures on accident...I had to push him away when she went to open the envelope to show her supervisor what I was talking about. Thankfully they had me sign off on the copyright and they let me take the pictures home....I''ll post the pictures we chose on Monday after he receives his present! They turned out great.

My husband and I were off yesterday so we took Evan to the park...he is soooo bored of it...I know he is too young right now to appreciate it but he never even smiled...not even once!

My mom bought Evan a little kiddie pool, so we put him in it yesterday and he loved it! He even laid back at one point and rested his head on the side of the pool and was just chillin'' kicking his feet and having fun. He kept screaching and smiling...of course none of my pictures reveal how much fun he had....he has a sourpuss in most of them!

We think it''s getting to be time to lower the crib down. He''s starting to grab at us to lift up and all day yesterday in the pool he kept doing it and at one point stood up. Gah!

Be back to post a picture!

 

[taovandel]

sorry I have three!

Evan and his Daddy at the park.

 

[taovandel]

Evan laid back in the pool.

 

[taovandel]

The only smiling picture I have of Evan in the pool....he was looking at his grandma...so she might have some good pictures...

 

[cdt1101]

Tao - OMG that pic of Evan in the pool resting his head is ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE!! EEK!! Can''t stand it, I want to eat him in that picture

He''s getting so big!!

Sabine - Love Jack''s new cut! I still haven''t cut Lex''s hair and DH doesn''t want to anytime soon, but it does get crazy sometimes!

drk - Kara is a doll!! Love her little soccer shirt!

Hello ladies

OK back to lurking.........hehehe.........

 

[vizsla]

CDT don''t lurk!! we miss you!!

here is the direct link to the sunblocks/screens - you can search by your brand too - and it''s fun to read thru the ''hall of shame''

best sunscreens/blocks

i feel better about my sun protection strategy. DH is almost see-thru, he''s so pale (love those irish roots) - i have a more olive complexion, but C definitely seems to take after his pops when it comes to skin tone. i tell DH all the time that he has to be crazy about the sun. i know there are going to be times when we can''t help but have him in the sun, but unless i remind DH i don''t think he would EVER think about it.

TG, yes i was talking about walks after 5p. it''s still pretty sunny and hot here, but i also figure a little vit. D is a good thing and it''s not the high UV part of the day so i typically don''t worry about it. however, i did go a little OCD at the zoo. there was NO shade and it was HOT and sunny and we were there in the middle of the day - that''s when i start to freak about the sun.

tao - OMG evan''s HAIR! i''m soooo so so so so jealous! i''ll post a recent pic of c - he''s still peach fuzz city!

sabine - CUTE hair cut!! what a BIG BOY!!! and i totally agree about kids meals. when c is older (3-4yo) i''ll probably let him order mac and cheese for every meal, but i''d like for him to experience lots of foods and LIKE lots of foods...

AFM - so c''s new sleep pattern is MUCH improved.. now i''m getting greedy

. he''s been going down at 7:30p waking up at 12a to eat (no biggie) and then waking again at 4a to eat (grrr

) and then kinda half-a** drinking the bottle

. THEN THEN THEN doesn''t go back to sleep until 5:30a or so (and my alarm goes off at 5:45a - NO BUENO). anyhoo, by the time 5:30a rolls around he''s beside himself. DH will say something like.. "he''s pulling at his ears and arching his back, something''s wrong!!!!" and me being the super sleep deprived surly girl that i am snip back "yeah, because he''s tired!" anyhoo, 20mins of struggling to get him to go back down and he''ll sleep until 7 or 7:30. so my question is this... what do i do

. ha!
but seriously... i was thinking about slowly cutting down on the oz in the 4a bottle until it''s just soothing. think this will get us over that 4a wake-up?

 

[phoenixgirl]

Hi sweet babies! Kara, you are a little cutie, and I bet you will be a great soccer player some day! Jacks, love the hair cut! Evan, you get me every time! Stop being so cute with your adorable hair and cheeks!


TODAY IS MY LAST DAY!!! Yay!!! DH seriously suggested I not bring my pump because I won't need milk for work on Monday. Ah, men. Can you imagine the ouch? Plus, I'm traveling up to NYC next week to go wedding dress shopping with my friend, and my mom will watch Claire for 10 or 12 hours, so I'll need at least three bottles for that.

ETA: Is it weird that my super boob has switched sides? Now the left one pumps more each time. In the early days, the right boob beat the left by a margin of up to 2:1.

 

[meresal]

I have to post quick... (need to get Father''s Day cards to the post office)... but here is my BPF contribution:

C waiting for the nurse to come with his first shots. No idea what was in store... Happy 2 months sweetie!!

 

[KimberlyH]

Mara, perhaps my perspective is skewed regarding being on the fringe when it comes to sleep issues.

I don''t see her as faking when she does what she did yesterday; in my head it''s the equivelant of her saying "Mom, I need you!!!" and in most cases I would respond to that, so there''s no reason not to respond to the crying/screaming.

Vis, I guess much of my parenting style fits in with the AP philosophy. I didn''t/don''t intend to parent that way, and I haven''t researched and decided "I want to be a X type of parent" I just follow my gut. I have no suggestions for you regarding the sleep thing...mine would probavbly be to do exactly what you are! ha ha ha

 

[fieryred33143]

I''m in a boring training boooooo

Real quick, Kim I don''t think Jane fakes it at her age. Sophia just started with the alligator tears and we can totally tell when she''s faking.

Viz-if he''s just drinking a little, I would probably increase the last bottle and eliminate the one he''s just playing around with. When we did that at 5 months, we still soothed her to sleep-we didn''t let her cry. But no more bottle. It took about a week for her to sleep through that wake. She STTN at 5m4w.

 

[Mara]

see, i def think my kid is a faker at times. because how else can you interpret wah wah wah... giggle? he obviously wasn't UPSET. i don't think he intends to manipulate, he's too young for that, but it's cause and effect. IMO the babies are smarter than we think.

confession... similarly related. sometimes when J is all screamalicious aka in the middle of a bottle burp session...i just start laughing at him. and he looks surprised. i'm sure he'll need therapy later...like 'mom laughed at me when i was crying, doctor!'...but i rarely get upset when he's crying, it's more like hey buddy why you crying?? your life is GOOD. *I* wanna be you! let's trade!!

i absolutely adore my kid...as TG likes to say i am whipped over him. but i don't think it needs to rot out my brain. i can tell when he really NEEDS me or something from me vs when he doesn't and i'm sure that line will keep getting clearer as his personality matures.

sleep update...so the last 2-3 nights for sleep have been MUCH better. i am keeping fingers crossed someone is getting through his wakeful period. last nite he slept til 4am, woke briefly, i put paci in and he fell back asleep til 8am.

annnddddd we have a new development...sleeping on his side. he has done this the last 2 nights pretty consistently, last nite at 3am i woke to pee and he was on his side, i went into check on him, SO FRIGGIN CUTE, his little arms were just out in front of him and his cheek was on the mattress. when i went in at 4am to paci him, i rolled him back on his side afterwards, and he instantly fell back asleep. methinks he wants to be a side sleeper. i am one, so of course i love it! he may look like dad but he can sleep like mom HA.

i finally just ordered an external hard drive for backup of all the photos etc i have on like 3 diff computers. it'll be here tomorrow, yay!

viz...i would cut back that 4am bottle if he's just tonguing it. hopefully when you get it down to like 1-2oz you can cut it out and/or he will just self-wean from that feeding. i'm so glad things are better and it is EASY to get spoiled with sleep...that is for darn sure.

drk...soo cute pic of K...i love how alert she is like she's really into the game!
mere...aww i got a similar pic of J with his daddy right before his 2 month shots. C is so chill... and he's getting so big. adorable.

more pics more pics!

here's our pic, it's from last saturday...when we were out at the festival. it was sooo HOT that day, kid had a trough of sunblock on.

pet peeve--hate how the baby sunblocks don't rub in that easily, so as a result J always has white smears all over his body. cute. oh and that's greg's beefy shoulder, not mine! he LOVES to wear J in the bjorn.