PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[MonkeyPie]

Drk, I am SO GLAD you got everything straightened out with the pumping. It seems silly that it ever even came up, but not everyone gets it. Thank goodness the nanny worked out too - everything fell into place for you!

Eek, ginger, I will be thinking about A today. I hate shots so much. Micah has his four month appointment this Friday and I am seriously dreading it after my horrible crying fit at his 2 month appointment. Gahhhh. Why must shots hurt?

Mara, Micah actually already does the "I must not be alone!" thing even now. He has since he was born. All you have to do is be in the room with him though and he's fine. I hadn't considered it a habit that needed to be broken - I am still that way even now, I hate being by myself so much - so I thought he was just like me. Whoops. Guess we better work on that! I'm glad CIO worked for him, how did the rest of his night go?

Amber, it's good that Paul is trying to help with night times now so that she can get used to him putting her down, too. I know how awful it is to sit there and hear them cry - my husband can do it but I just can't stomach it, I can feel my blood pressure in my ears when he screams - but it will be good for her in the long run if you decide to stick with it. Do you have a video monitor? That may help you feel better about it. I know we will be getting one when we move to a bigger house because not being able to see him would really get to me.

So Micah did pretty well last night with Daddy, but one of the times he woke up, he ate and then when DH put him back in his crib he FLIPPED OUT. I have never had him do that before so I'm not sure what happened, but DH was at a loss, he didn't know what to do. So I walked over to the crib, peeked in at the baby, and he promptly quit screaming and started smiling at me. Oh, little stinker. As much as I like that he prefers me (yes, he is a total mama's boy), I know it makes DH feel like crap. He flopped back into bed looking offended. Poor guy. Hopefully that doesn't happen often!

 

[vizsla]

amber - how did the rest of the night go?

FWIW - i let c CIO for 2+ hours only to discover he had an ear infection.
talk about feeling like sh*t - and he had vomited and pooped everywhere.

CIO is so so so so so hard. my only piece of advice is if you decide to *really* do it - that's it.. that's the decision you have to run with. being wishy washy about it really does (from my experience) make the crying longer and more intense.

amber, have you thought that she could have a little ear infection? (granted, my experience is biased) but what i have learned from C is that if he is just wanting mommy he will stop crying the second i pick him up (which only reinforces to me that i have to let him figure out how to fall asleep on his own). however, when he is crying and i pick him up and he continues to cry and get increasingly upset this signals there is something 'wrong' - be it gas, poop issues, cold, ear infection etc.
that said, it is only after i did CIO with him, that i am able to decipher his 'needs' since before he would just cry all.of.the.time. no matter what the issue was and all.night.long.

I've been where both you and mara are and if you have any questions, need support, ideas etc. i'll be around all day!
hugs girls!!!

hey drk! your pumping work issue makes me so i hope you are able to find a solution that works in your favor!
and c never liked cereal.. i don't even try the baby cereal anymore instead we are trying 'real' oatmeal now - i thought he would like it better than the baby formula since he has been favoring more food-food.

love the toofus!!

 

[Sha]

Just a quick post...

Amber - sorry about the sleeping and crying issues. I'm wondering if it might be a mix of teething and just wanting your comfort at nights. It's hard to do CIO when there's actually an issue like teething involved, but if she got the tablets before bed then maybe her pain should be lessened a bit? Maybe on some level too she knows you'll 'cave' so she cries harder? I don't know... Hope things settle down soon for you guys, though.

drk and Mara - lol at the floaters comments. But Yikes! I've so glad I haven't had to fish one of those out yet... That can't be fun.

drk - glad things are better for you now at work. So cute that you're enjoying your little K! Baby smiles are the best.

Mara and MP- Dalila does the 'I must not be alone!' thing all the time too. I've have her surrounded by every conceivable toy on a comfy blankie and she'll still wail up at me and pull her hair like I've put her in the middle of a sea of snakes. Sometimes I just let her cry a bit if I really need to get something done.

mara - that was a funny story about J.

ginger - wow, crawling already at 6 months??? Awesome!!!

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

AFM - Isn't it the cutest thing when babies learn how to play peekaboo? Dalila does it with the curtain when I'm changing her and it's sooooo cute! She'll pull the curtain over her face and wait... and then I'll pull it back and poke my face out and say, "I seeeee youuuuuu!!!' and she'll giggle hysterically and do it again..... Silly girl. She's finally learned to crawl on her knees a bit (at 8.5 months) and is busy pulling up on everything imaginable. She's also babbling a lot. It's so funny to hear her.

 

[Mara]

re not liking rice cereal...have you guy tried it? it's gross! i wouldn't like it either hehe. esp after eating other fun things like sweet potatoes or flavorful items. we put rice cereal in J's bottle when he was little so he's had it for a long time so when we moved to 'solids' i used baby oatmeal but even that by itself is really bland. he definitely loves veggies better...i just use the oatmeal to 'bulk' up items like fruit.

also we first made J's cereal too watery and he was like trying to suck the spoon since i think he was confused. he actually prefers more thick solids, which i guess is good so we don't have to 'graduate' him to thicker stuff in a month or anything.

MP.. lol. i dont think there is anything 'wrong' either way. i think it just depends on how you are... both greg and i are really independent, and i actually love being alone. i guess we want J to be like that too or at least know it's ok to be alone and that he doesn't need someone around all the time to be 'entertained'...that he can play with himself and external inanimate items and be just as entertained. the funny thing is that he is like this with me a lot of the time but i notice after extended periods of time with my mom and sis (aka on a friday after all week with them) he seems to be more high maintenance and i think it's because they ALWAYS have him with them wherever they are in the house and there are 2 of them he almost always gets full on attn...then he comes home and it's like..why is mom in the kitchen instead of with me.

obviously there's that line between social and anti, so we don't want him to be some loner but i think he tends more to being social so just want to be sure he at least gets some of the 'ok i'm alone and it's not a horrible thing'. esp since he sleeps alone in his room, naps etc. also the irony is that SOMETIMES he seems totally chill and cool with being alone and other times it's like the world's worst thing ever.

so last nite went crazily well, i was shocked. at 10:30pm i went in to turn his sound machine down and he got a little restless plus he was way across the crib so i moved him, gave him paci, he looked at me and went to sleep. and slept til 5:30am with no wakeup! at 5:30 greg was up and about so he binked him and gave him his blankie and he slept til 7am. so wow i actually got a full night's sleep...why do i still feel so tired?? and he was smiley this morning. i fed him his bottle and put him back and now he is creeping and rolling around the crib doing who-knows-what but he's quiet (ok now he's squeaking).

sha... haha i know that was our first poo incident but we knew it had to happen sometime!! we pulled him out, dumped the tub, rinsed it out and then rebathed him. he was like 'what? what did i do?'...

amber... hope the night went better afterwards... from what you wrote and my EXTENSIVE knowledge of children (sarcasm there!) i would think that either P has something going on like viz noted, OR she's just realized it's way more fun when she cries and Mommy comes to soothe her than not. Greg was like 'well i thought it was too early for them to manipulate us' and I pointed out that I didn't think it was manipulation at this point--that implies like ill intent... to me it's more like...the babies realize they would much prefer to be with us right?? So why wouldn't they be PO'd they are all alone in the dark while there are 'sounds of life' outside their room? But it is interesting to me that even when Paul was holding her, she was still sobbing and not soothed. As soon as we pick j up if we go in or if we bink him, he's 99% of the time soothed. So that is why it seemed like the right time for us because I know he just wanted that bink.

also i know some of the PSmoms have gone through sep anxiety with their babies and oh man i really don't want that to happen.. so maybe some of what we can do now will help us later, who knows. all these phases with the babes can really tire you out!

and am i crazy to say that i don't know how moms with 2 or 3 kids under 5 even do it???? seriously between my job and my husband and my dog and my family and the house and J i am like...really?? i am always busy, always feel 'kind of tired' and i have a relatively good sleeper. he's just really high energy. i don't think i could hack another kid even if i WANTED to (and i really don't). am i a wuss or what?!

oh and the one other thing about CIO i have noticed--if you do give in and go in after lets say 30 or 45 min it's a horror tale in there. there's usually lots of tears, wet mattress, spitup, hot sweaty baby. it was actually so much better to wait until he stopped then go in like 20 min later. i think that when i have given up and gone in, it makes it worse for me because of course you see all that stuff and go OMG WHAT HAVE I DONE and i think it's doubly scarring for the parent in terms of wanting to try it again. i was all worried last nite about ...is he laying in spitup etc. we really freak ourselves out mentally.

viz...did you ever update us on what you planned to do with the work situ?? curious. also on the real oatmeal, do you cook it til mush and then just give it or did you puree it? i am wondering when we can graduate from baby powdered oatmeal to the real thing.

 

[MonkeyPie]

Rice cereal IS really gross. I have tried everything Micah has tried just so I can be sympathetic if he acts like he hates it, and let me tell you, most baby food is grooooss. The straight sweet potatoes and carrots are good, but when you get to mixtures it's just weird. And baby cereal is just boring after the fun stuff!

Mara, Micah actually plays by himself a lot, more than I really expected him to. I was thinking he was going to be super high maintenance and want interaction all the time, but he mostly just does his own thing even though he can't sit up by himself yet. (Doesn't stop him from trying, with his little baby crunches.) I was thinking more at night. I am ok in the day by myself, too, but at night I hate it so, so much. So I get it when Micah is all fussing around his crib, and I pull him into bed with me (so I can sleep, too!) and he's all happy and goes right to sleep.

I hear you though, about how J acts more clingy when he's been with grandma all day. Micah is like that, too. With my MIL she pretty much lets him be and only comes when needed because she's so busy all the time, but my mom is always carrying him and bouncing him and talking to him. So then he comes home and I just plunk him on the couch and he's like, WTF? Hah.

Oh, and I feel ten times worse, and more tired, when I get a full nights sleep nowadays. I feel better when I get up at least once with the baby. That makes NO SENSE.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

um...I love rice cereal (well, cream of rice) and eat it all winter long. Brown sugar goes a long way towards making something palatable. I know that's not an option with the LOs but what about mixing a little fruit in with it?

 

[AmberWaves]

Okay, so after he put her back down she had some intermittent cries but settled down. She slept until 3:30, I nursed her and she went back to sleep, then woke up at 5 and went back down, then woke for good at 7. Paul was all proud, "See how well she slept when Daddy put her down?" Honestly, I was wondering if it was an ear infection, too. No fever, no ear tugging, no tears when she's laying down. The thing is... she wants ME over alllll others. Since I put her down into her crib, when "someone" went to get her and soothe her, she laid her head on his shoulder, patted his face... and wait- WHISKERS?? THIS IS NOT MOMMY! Paul said she reared back and started crying. I think it was a case of "I want MOMMY to put me down". Blah.

 

[Mara]

I love cream of wheat, with a lot of brown sugar and honey. I do mix fruit in with his oatmeal (which is also bland but has more nutrition than rice cereal). The baby cereals are ok when mixed in with other things...one combo J liked was avocado, cauliflower and oatmeal all mixed together. So it always makes me giggle when people are like oh the baby didn't like rice cereal at all...NOT surprised! Even BM is a little sweet.

J loved straight sweet potatoes...in 20/20 hindsight I would have done it as his first food since he just mowed it down. And they are so super easy to make...just poke a few holes in some, bake them til soft, cut open and scoop out the flesh and either just mash it or food process it, easy.

Speaking of foods...curious do Moms mix foods together more often or do each food separately all the time? Like 'here is a bite of apricot' and 'here is a bite of zucchini'...so like foods all at same meal but separately or more as a blend? I tend to like my food mixed so after we tried foods 'separately' for a few days for allergies--now I just mix them. And he seems to like them. But just curious.

 

[KimberlyH]

Mara, I haven't mixed foods yet because J is still learning to eat them, but our ped recommended keeping foods seperate until 8 months or so. Not sure why, but we don't mix foods we eat so we probably won't mix foods she eats either, until we head into meats, then we'll do meat/veggie mixes. Basically I'm making her the same foods available as "Stage 1" foods in the grocery store (except the brocolli, I have no idea why I started there but it didn't hurt her, although she wasn't such a fan). We've worked our way through green veggies and are headed into yellow next, then fruits, once we're done with that and know she has no allergies we'll keep giving her her favorites and throw in the ones she doesn't like here and there.

 

[curiousaboutdiamonds]

Just going back to the last page ...

Ginger-How funny and CUTE is that picture! Crawling already! Go A!

SS-Hope the appointment went well. Continued dust to you guys!

Amber-Aww, poor P and mommy. Hope P gets over this wakeup phase soon. Have a great trip to SD.

Mara-I'm so jealous of all of these new foods J gets to eat. My pedi wants us to wait until 5 months for rice cereal and 6 months for solids. Seems forever! for a good night last night! Add me to the camp that feels more tired with more sleep. What is wrong with us? I also don't know how moms do it all with more than 1 kiddo. Ideally, I'd love to have one more, but it's all too much, especially living in the bay area.

Allison D-Congrats on your godson! He's absolutely precious. Beautiful pics!

MP-Look at that cute tooth!! I still can't believe he already has a tooth.

KimH-I think A is a few weeks behind J. Is J already using the sippies? When should we introduce the sippie and what do you put in them?

Charger-We didn't give A the generic tylenol until her 4 month shots - when she had a low-grade fever - and we gave it after her shots. Hope N took them ok.

Viz-Yay for a (mostly) successful trip! Boo on the poo and thrush issues. Hope it gets resolved soon.

PG-Yay to C for sitting up! Yuck on the allergies. Good luck with finding something that will help you feel better without hurting your supply.

DrK-Glad the work and pump issue got resolved and that you found a nanny. I like to hear about K's development and sleep because A is following right behind her. She's now starting to sleep about 9-7:30 with 1 wake-up to eat.

Sha-So cute about D learning to play peekaboo. I love the babble! A has been a babbler since she was 2 months. People say she'll be a lawyer like her mom.

AFM-Nothing new. A is sleeping 8:30/9:00-7:30, waking at 3/3:30 for a bottle. We use to give her 4oz but have now cut that to 2oz to eventually eliminate it. She is still sleeping with 1 arm swaddled, and taking 3-4 catnaps (30mins), but at least she's deswaddled for her naps. She use to fight her naps, but now I play Rock-a-bye-baby on the BCM and she instantly falls asleep. She can sit up if you prop her. Babbles a ton and is a rolling machine. I'm working PT, some at home, some at the office.

 

[vizsla]

uncle bens rice cereal isn't that bad on it's own... but baby rice cereal and/or oatmeal
however, LO's taste buds are super sensitive so things taste much more intense for them than an adult. which is another reason why baby food is/should be generally "bland".

mara, i cook the heck out of steal cut oats (really thick) and then give them a slight wizz with my stick blender. c prefers the consistency more 'chunky' b/c it's easier for him to pick up and eat. he's really into feeding himself right now, which is why i'm looking for foods that he can pick up. it's great and all (sarcasm), but BOY he is sooo messy these days. puffed rice cereal (quaker) is super fun (dissolves quickly) and easy for him to eat. i've also been microwaving fruit, like an entire peach, for about 30 seconds and then cutting it up into tiny chunks. fruit chunks mixed with the rice cereal has been our go to 'breakfast' these days.

re: going in during CIO.. i couldn't do it. i had to wait until he was asleep before i would go in and 'check' on him. i don't think i could do CIO with a video monitor either. too heart wrenching to sit and watch him so upset. hindsight about doing CIO before they become too mobile - now that c is sitting and standing up in his crib, i would be very uncomfortable doing CIO for fear he would launch himself out of the crib while in a fit of unhappiness. now, when he wants out, he starts throwing his pacis out of the crib. silly boy.

as far as the job situation is concerned - i have a second interview at the 'not.glamorous.job' tomorrow to meet the team i would be working with. i'm calling it my firing squad of interview. i'm not nervous - i actually like public speaking and typically get along with most people. i'm just hoping the offer (if it comes) is a decent one since i'm switching industries. i'm a bit worried about giving up my 5 weeks of vacation (not that i can take it all) plus, i'm on a bonus incentive program that contributes a big chunk to my bottom line. the main things i'm trying to decide between the 'not.glamorous.job' and the 'fashion job' are: staying in my current industry vs. starting over in a new one - working for a large worldwide corporation with the potential to move around internally vs. working for a 12 person start up <- and the + and - that go along with the aforementioned differences in company structure. part of me likes the security of being in a large company that isn't going anywhere, but it is going to be MUCH MORE STRUCTURED vs. working for a fashion start up and having lots of freedom and my hands in lots of aspects of the business.
i'm trying to remember my goal for even finding a new job is the opportunity to spend more time with c. so i need to figure out which route will provide that. right now, i don't know. i know which would be most stable but i don't know if it necessarily means more flexibility. then again, my current job is completely inflexible so ANYthing is better. ugh, confusing....

 

[phoenixgirl]

Sha, yay for peekaboo and crawling!

Viz, is it weird that I am feeling kind of stressed out about your job decision? I just hate being in limbo. Yuck. But it's also been my experience that decisions like this go from being confusing to being clear all of a sudden, so I hope that happens for you if/when you get the offer/s.

 

[PrettyBlues]

Hi ladies.

I had a big long post typed out, and I lost it. I don't have the energy to go back and figure it all out, so hopefully you'll forgive me for just jumping in about myself

We were away for the weekend. We had our first out of town trip, D had a meeting with a client so we made a two night stay of it. I wasn't sure how it would go sharing a room with Miles, but the first night he was so tired he went to bed just after 6 and woke up at 7! He has never done that before, and sadly, it has not been repeated either. But I have to say, I think it's the first time since he was born that I work up actually feeling fully refreshed and with no bags under my eyes - it was wonderful! Then we had an extended family bbq out of town, so we got back, showered and changed, and headed out again. It made for a long day for everyone.

Vent ahead. Before we left for the bbq, I told D I think we need to leave early, M's schedule has been all over the place with the trip, and twice already this week we extended his bedtime for family things (dinner at his Mom's, and his nephew came over), and it's important he gets his sleep. So he said sure, I understand, blah blah. So come 6pm, I say, so when do you want to go (it's an hour and a half drive)? And he says well, we can't just leave now, I haven't seen this family in six years. Which is true, but now that we have moved back, he will see them more often. Also, Miles is my priority over everything else. Not to mention, he said we would leave early. And of course, it's always oh well, it's just this one time, but with the amount we see his family, it's not. It was three times last week. I know some people are pretty flexible with their little ones, and I don't mind being that way a bit, but overall I prefer to have a schedule for him. And he needs his sleep, and he just doesn't sleep as well if he is kept up past his bedtime. I'm not sure what to do about it. I'm just really hoping all these family things will slow down a bit once the fall hits.

as for foods, we are waiting until six months before introducing anything, so all this talk seems so foreign to me, and so far away. But I guess it will come up fast - it's only six weeks from now.

 

[phoenixgirl]

PB, yay for the good night's sleep! I understand why you're frustrated about the bbq. Even though I consider my DH to be hand's on, I think if he were in charge, Claire would wear the same diaper all day, never eat, be bitten by every mosquito in our area, get a sun burn, and go to bed at 10 p.m. And it can be tiring to be around the in-laws multiple times in one week. Even people with the best of familial relationships find that to be a bit much.

 

[somethingshiny]

lily is refusing yo be off of me today so just a one-handed quick post...

card appt was great! increased the meds due to weight gain and ekg was good! she doesn't have to go back for 3 months!!

also, finally got a sling! lily has only been in it for short periods but she doesn't mind it and even fell asleep in it. thank you all for the initial suggestion and the recommendations!

 

[KimberlyH]

SS, so glad the appointment went well. One of my closest friends had a heart transplant as a teen (just celebrated her 20 year transplant anniversary), she has two children one of whom has heart problems as well, has had multiple surgeries and is slated for another pretty soon. It's very scary. You and Lily remain in my thoughts. Glad the sling is working out for you.

Ally, Jane will be 6 months on the 26th. I started sippys when she kept grabbing for my water glass. She can't hold it on her own yet (she's a tiny 6 month old) but she does love it. I started with expressed breastmilk, but switch to water because she wasn't getting much from it and it seemed wasteful to use the pumped milk that way. We'll transition to pumped milk as she gets older and better at holding it and swallowing from it.

PB, I don't deviate from our routine much, and it has altered our lifestyle pretty drastically, but Jane is thriving and sleeps good for the most part, so it's worth the time we've vested in giving her said routine. Hang in there.

 

[mtjoya]

It's so hard to keep up with this thread! I am so slow! Whatever jumps out at me I will comment. Sorry if I miss anyone, I don't mean to be rude!

J had her pedi appt today! She weighs 17 lbs. 10 oz. and measures 27 inches.

Doc gave me the green light to give her veggies. She said that to start off with at least 4 different veggies first then fruits. No strawberries til after 1. She also advised to mix fruit with cereal.

I went to BRU and bought some Gerber Organic: Green Beans, Sweet Peas, Carrots, Banana and Pear. I got her 4 little pouches of Plum Organics fruit Apple & Peaches.

Excited to see how Miss J handles this. Hehee!

Mara- I tried out the McLaren Trumiph and I loved it!!!! It's so smooth and awesome. I checked out the Volo and it's pretty good. The good thing about it was that the shade was much larger than the other models (Trumiph & Quest). It's very light too! I think J would love it!

I love BRU. I also got her a Tommee Tipee sippy cup. Don't know if I am spelling right. Hehe! So, yeah I am happy that honey bunny will get to eat her veggies!

 

[gingerB]

amber - sorry for the rough nights. dh and i put A down equally and he accepts both of us doing everything equally at this point, so it might be hard, but it may be a good thing for everyone that you guys are trying to get her to get used to both of you. and i think it's super sweet your dh actively wanted to start doing this.

mara - yay for a good night! cio is tough. i gave in after a couple of weeks. i couldn't take it. maybe A is ready, but i'm not quite there yet.

ss- yay for a good cards appt!! so glad miss lily's ticker is ticking well

pb - i'm the same way about A's routine. i hate when it gets disrupted because you see it reflected in his sleep -- which is not that great to begin. initially i felt like i needed to be polite, but after a while, if there were vsitors, i honestly just said it's bedtime, say good night to everyone! let him make the rounds and took him upstairs to put him down. sorry your DH is not being more understanding. hopefully this is just the initial excitement and he'll calm down.

viz - ditto pg, hate when things are up in the air. but it's great that you even have an option right? hopefully one of them ends up being a perfect fit!

AFM: A had his 6 month visit yesterday -- my big boy is 18lb 12oz and 27.5 inches -- jumped the curve from 50%tile for both to 75%tile for both! his head, which was once proportional (50/50/50) is now relatively peanutty as it has stayed on the 50%tile growth curve...lol. pedi told us it was time for cio. not sure i'm ready. we did it for a couple of weeks a few weeks ago and i couldn't take it. i may change my mind later, but i'm just not ready right now. he also told us A is ahead of the game motor skills wise -- he was meeting his 9 month appt milestones already just reinforced that i needed to get on top of babyproofing with a quickness!!

 

[fieryred33143]

Happy Birthday Oliver!!!!



China-I hope you guys have a great day!!

 

[steph72276]

Hey, girls! Just a quick pop in to say hello. Love all the cutie pies.

My oldest started kindergarten this week, so it's been a bit wild around my house. Now that I have so many hours with just the baby, I am thinking about signing up for a Gymboree class with him. Has anyone been before? Experiences?

Happy Birthday Oliver!!!

SS, yea for a great appt!

MTJ, which one did you decide to get the Triumph or the Volo? I am thinking about getting the Volo soon to keep in the car so we can keep our jogging stroller in the garage. I will probably wait until E is ready for the convertible car seat before I buy one though.

LOL at all the moms trying out the baby food. I make pretty much everything for E except the meats and I haven't been brave enough to try that

Sorry to all the moms having sleep issues. E has been waking up lots during the night. The poor guy is still mostly asleep, but he's crying out and moving his head from side to side and ends up on his belly and can't get turned back over. Thank goodness he didn't wake up at all last night, the night before was like 10 times before I finally got him up, changed him, fed him and put him back down.

Sha, so cute about peek a boo!

Mara, oh no about over stuffing J! Haha, he was probably loving all the extra food until he threw up!

MP, yea for the toof!

Hope all you other mommies are doing well!

 

[jcrow]

FL Steph - i think meresal takes hers to gymboree classes? i looked into them too and will maybe start them with em once she's 6 mos old.

 

[Mara]

Happy Birthday O!!!!! Gee I am so sad all the older baby mommas are leaving us. WAH!

Last nite my work comp died. I had to resurrect my home laptop which runs like a snail AND the t and h on the keyboard stick. It's painful. I also am up this early for a conf call in EMEA and the team isnt even ready since the other meeting ran over. It's now 30 min overdue. REALLY? I COULD STILL BE SLEEPING. And when I go into the office (I'll take my time today) I'll get to hand over laptop to IT so god only knows how long that'll be!

Quick update from my end due to crap keyboard. Last nite J went down... started playing in crib then realized about 10 min later...oops I'm alone and it's dark and the night light is on! Crying commences. I was distracted by trying to resurrect dead work laptop (wouldn't even boot in safe mode) so I didn't really pay attn but a few min later I lift my head going...what is that strange silence? Yup. CIO was only about 3 min. I give it 5 more and creep in, he's passed out. Wow. And no squeaks til 6am (which is my fault since I was up for this call and I went in to cover him with the blanket). He moved ALL over the crib, and G was up at 4am for rowing but no wake! It gives me hope that we are on the right track with this.

I've been composing this for an hour so I just am going to post and come back later to add more.

 

[PrettyBlues]

Thanks for the support. I think the reason D doesn't think much of his sleep schedule is that he is not the one to get up with him at night, or deal with a cranky baby the next day. However, I do think we are reaching the point where family obligations are dying down, but if it continues, I'll have to sit down and have a talk with him.

I have been putty M down in his crib for at least one nap each day now, to get him used to it. He is already quite comfortable in his room, as I change all his diapers and we play in there, and the naps have been going well. Soooo, I think sometime in the next couple of weeks we will try putting him in there overnight. Last night he woke up a few times to talk or whine, and was SO LOUD, so I think it's time. And it's getting hard for D especially, as he is up early for work and doesn't have the option to nap after a rough night. I know M has to go to his room eventually, but I am still a little sad about it.

SS, so glad to hear the appointment went well, it must be such a relief. And glad to hear you are liking the sling.

Ginger, yay for a good appointment. I think if you are not ready to do CIO, don't do it. Just because the pedi recommended it, you know what is right for you and A.

China, Happy Birthday to Oliver!!

Mara, sorry about your work computer, but yay on the sleep last night

 

[ChinaCat]

ONE YEAR TODAY!

THANK YOU Fiery and everyone for your birthday wishes, both here and on the other site! I can't believe it's been a year and yet I think about where I was a year ago (in a hospital bed with a one hour old baby thinking what do I DO with him? ) and we've come so far. I know some ladies are sad when their little ones turn one, but honestly I am just full of joy. I LOVE the age O is and everyday gets better and better. I am also so proud of how much I've learned. And a lot of that has to do with all of you ladies. Your support, advice, encouragement, ideas and just all of you BEING here, knowing there is always someone to share the good and hard times with, has made this year so much easier. And I truly feel you all have helped me become a better mother- one who trusts my instincts, who does the research and then finds the best solutions, who doesn't do something just b/c every "other" mother is doing it, and who has finally learned to RELAX and just enjoy my baby. So thank you. I truly don't don't know what I would have done without this thread and you guys this past year.

Will be back later to share my thoughts on the birthday party (and what NOT to do). Hoping to upload pictures tonight and will try to post a few this week.

Also, I'll still be around for a bit, lurking and jumping in to offer advice if I have any. I feel so close to most of you and your little ones, have to keep tabs on the little ones!

It's a beautiful day. I kept him alive for an entire year!!!!!

 

[Sha]

Re: ONE YEAR TODAY!

THANK YOU Fiery and everyone for your birthday wishes, both here and on the other site! I can't believe it's been a year and yet I think about where I was a year ago (in a hospital bed with a one hour old baby thinking what do I DO with him? ) and we've come so far. I know some ladies are sad when their little ones turn one, but honestly I am just full of joy. I LOVE the age O is and everyday gets better and better. I am also so proud of how much I've learned. And a lot of that has to do with all of you ladies. Your support, advice, encouragement, ideas and just all of you BEING here, knowing there is always someone to share the good and hard times with, has made this year so much easier. And I truly feel you all have helped me become a better mother- one who trusts my instincts, who does the research and then finds the best solutions, who doesn't do something just b/c every "other" mother is doing it, and who has finally learned to RELAX and just enjoy my baby. So thank you. I truly don't don't know what I would have done without this thread and you guys this past year.

Will be back later to share my thoughts on the birthday party (and what NOT to do). Hoping to upload pictures tonight and will try to post a few this week.

Also, I'll still be around for a bit, lurking and jumping in to offer advice if I have any. I feel so close to most of you and your little ones, have to keep tabs on the little ones!

It's a beautiful day. I kept him alive for an entire year!!!!!

Oliver is fortunate to have such a wonderful mom!

Can't wait to see pics!

 

[Mara]

Ginger, SS, MtJ..yay for great appts!!!

It's funny how most of the 6mo old babes are pretty similar in length but different in weight. J was 16.5 weight and 27.5 in length at his 6mo which was 'just shy of 6mo'...but a week later we got on the scale with him and he was 17-17.5 (our scale is not as accurate!) so I think he had a growth spurt right at 6mo.

Mtj...yay for foods!! If you are interested in trying diff things, try Earths Best as well... they don't use any extra sugars etc whereas I think Gerber does. I am a fan of super short ingredient lists aka a pear and apricot food should simply have pear and apricot! Plum is also a great food that lots of Moms love and J likes it too-great for on the go.

re: routine, I am a huge routine freak. I think it's why J sleeps as well as he has since 6 weeks. Maybe I was a little too crazy in the beginning with it but I think that helped us an immense amt. He never 'fights' to go down because I think he just knows that is what happens. He may cry and be upset in his crib after we leave him for a while, but going into the room and getting ready for bed and all that he is usually pretty chill and it's actually when he gets his most giggly. For naps--we are still trying to find that right groove, but I think a lot of it has to do with the nanny situ and me knowing it will change etc. So as long as he gets his 12 hours at night, I just want him to get ~2-3 hours during the day whether it's one long one or two shorter.

Also, I totally admit we plan our life around getting him in bed by 8pm. We are always out to dinner at 5:30pm on the wkds now. Some days its 7pm if he hasn't had a good nap day and once or twice it's been later...one day we were at a friends house and just totally lost track of time, realized it was 8:30 and we were in SF so the drive home was an hour, so J went to bed at 10. I was freaked out thinking he would flip out and have a horrible night, but he was actually fine since he 'napped' in the car so at home we just quickly got him in PJ's and stuck a bottle in and he slept 2 hours later the next morning which was great since it was Sunday. But I think he's so into his routine that he will just stick with it even though one weird night.

I admit I will miss when he grows out of the infant car seat since if we are out and about and he's tired, in a pinch I can toss him in there and rock it like a crazy woman and he WILL pass out for a cat nap. Once he's in convertible car seat, that option is straight out GONE.

re: CIO... I think that there might be something to the 'when they are ready' argument. Granted we have only done 2 days of it but I already feel like he is getting it. Don't quote me in a week if he starts going crazy with the drama but it seemed like after that one 20 min stretch he kind of is picking up on it. Even this morning after his bottle I put him back into crib immediately, no snuggle or fun time because I was still on this conf call and he was fussing and cruising around in the crib...and then I see him finding the paci, picking it up, trying to put it in...I don't know if he succeeded since I was distracted but 2 min later I look at the monitor and he's passed out, his mouth was out of range of the camera so I just saw his bottom half and could not see paci. But, it never even got to 'crying'...he was just fussing and just for about 5min.

Whereas the last time we tried it...which was when...3 or 4 weeks ago? He just was inconsolable after like 45 min and had barf and sweat everywhere which put us off the whole thing. Anyway. Who knows...but it makes me wonder if there is something to that whole 'when they are more ready' argument.

Anyway we'll continue and see. But ginger... if you guys try again in another few weeks maybe he will surprise you.

Steph... my neighbor does My Gym with her kids and loves it. I don't know if you have one of those near you. I think it's like Gymboree. She also does story time at the library, I want to go with her one time since I am just curious how it goes ... obviously I remember it from when I was little but wondering how/if it has changed. Not sure J can really appreciate it yet but he might like the interaction. She does music classes and also swim classes I think as well. The girl is busy like every day!

CC...please don't leave us forever! Plus I love pics of O. And ditto that this thread is so helpful to Moms. Fabulous!

 

[KimberlyH]

China, happy birthday to Oliver and congratulations to you! Hooray for a successful first year of motherhood.

 

[ChargerGrrl]

Happy Birthday to Oliver! Here's to many, many more years.

Nico was a brave boy on Monday and handled his 2month shots well. He was a wee bit fussy afterwards, so i held him and cuddled for the rest of the day. He did feel warm just before bedtime (then again, it's been HOT here in L.A), so we gave him a dose of Tylenol so he'd sleep well. Ass far as his stats go, he's continuing to slowly gain weight but went from the 10th percentile at his 1mo visit, to the 30th percentile this time around. Height continues to be on track. And we also got his hip ultrasound results back and all is OK- whew!

Visited the LC today, and he's up 5.5 ounces since last week, so we're doing good with how much formula he's getting (4 oz/daily). My supply continues to be on the low side, but at least I'm providing him with the majority of his nourishment.

It's interesting to read about everyone's sleep issues/experiences! And yep, I'm a HUGE routine freak as well! We follow THE HAPPIEST BABY ON THE BLOCK, and it's worked wonders for us. His papa is in charge of swaddling/putting him down at night, and then i do it during the 2a feeding. he seems to respond well to either of us. He really likes the swaddling and jiggling/swaying. And the white noise machine is on before the swaddling begins, so who knows if if helps or not. Anyway, that's usually all it takes to get him to a drowsy state, and then we put him in the co-sleeper. sometimes he can fall asleep on his own, and other times he'll need the paci and some shusshing.

oops, the peanut is awake- gotta go!

 

[Burk]

Quick hello to all the mommies and babies! Things are pretty crazy around here....volleyball started Monday (in the gym by 5am is just not agreeing with my love for sleep) and school started today. Trying to get back into the routine of working and get the kids into the routine of having to be woke up in the a.m. and go to daycare for a few hours. So far so good. I haven't even been able to read all of what I missed but real quick...

K had is 6 month appt. last Thursday. He was 28 inches long (90%) and 18 lb 9 oz (75%) and can't remember the head but it was tiny (something like 40%). Big boy. He has been doing great at daycare. They love him (as in fight over who gets to take him when I get there). I LOVE our daycare.

Ginger, our pedi thinks I should CIO with him when he wakes at night. He only wakes once to eat....goes down at 7 and wakes to eat any time between 3-5. I've tried soothing him by binky, rocking, ect but he seems genuinely hungry. So I tried CIO a few nights ago (and had done it before with him here and there in different situations with a lot of success) and he cried for 50 minutes and it was miserable so I finally went in there. He wasn't soothed by me picking him up or a paci but only a bottle. I just don't think his body is ready to get rid of the feed so I'm holding off for a while. I've been slowly decreasing how much we feed him and are now at 4 oz so maybe he'll get there or maybe I'll try again in another month or so. Either way just don't think we're ready for CIO.....all this to say I'm with ya.

Happy birthday O!!!

 

[gingerB]

so...my little motor monkey had a few surprises up his sleeve for me today.

surprise#1. came home kind of frustrated because i was stuck late at work. got home just barely in time to feed him dinner so i rush into the kitchen and was quickly tryng to heat up some of his food and DH calls out...honey, LOOK. turn around and the kiddo is crawling. like crawling crawling. on his hands and knees crawling he turned 6 months 3 days ago it's still a bit jerky (trying to post vids on the other site) but recs on baby gates anyone?

so then surprise #2. I asked DH how A did with the nanny that day and DH looked at me and said NOT GOOD. i went over to her little report sheet and saw that he slep ok, so i was like what was wrong? she told him that when she went to go get him from his nap, HE WAS STANDING UP IN HIS CRIB.

so naturally i whipped out the flip again for a repeat performance and hubbs got the screwdiver and lowered the crib

he's growing so fast!!! i'm excited but sad at the same time. i feel like i barely have time to enjoy one stage and he's already headed to the next does that make sense?

mara - yeah, hubbs and i talked about it and agreed that in our (the three of us) own time when we feel ready, if we need to, then we'll do it. cio is not off the table, just put away. like you i guess, i believe it works, but for the right parents/baby and most importantly, at the right time. soooo glad J is doing great with the sleep training!!!

burk - we're at something similar too. goes down at 7 and although we've cut that 3-5am bottle down, but he genuinely seems to need it to go back down so i believe he needs it also. occ he wakes at other times and is quickly soothed with a little rocking and patting, but that wakeup he immediately starts smacking his lips and squirms into position for his bottle. when we tried the CIO, i think he would get confused on why we would come somtimes (for that bottle) and not others. cio doesn't work that way, so like you, we're putting it off until he no longer needs that last nightime bottle.