PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[somethingshiny]

Just a quick post.

Lily had her 2 mo check-up today (shots tomorrow.) She weighs 15 lbs! Since babies are supposed to double their weight by 6 mo, Lily should weigh almost 20 lbs by then. That's a 5 lb weight gain in 4 mo and she's already gained over 5 lbs in 2 mo. We (dr and I) decided to start diluting the formula a little to see if that will slow down the weight gain. She's obviously in the very highest percentile range but perfectly healthy otherwise (except for the heart which is doing great on meds.) Dr is going to look into appetite as a side effect of her heart meds. It's so weird because you usually don't think of heart babies being huge!

JT is feeling much better today and was able to go to preschool. Lily hasn't had diarrhea since early yesterday. Whew. Two kids is SO different than one. This was the first time I couldn't give JT all the cuddling and lovin' he likes when he's sick. And, when he threw up all over his bed, it was a bit difficult to clean him up while trying to keep Lily from screaming and change bed linens. But, I wouldn't trade these two kids for anything.

That's it for me. I have to try to catch up on cleaning.

 

[ChargerGrrl]

Hello Mamas

Just gearing up for a day of Nico- errands. We have a lacation consultant appointment later this morning, and will also stop by the daycare to submit paperwork and the deposit. Today is also our weekly mommy group gathering.

I'm curious to find out if my supply has increased and of course to learn what his gain is since the last LC appt two weeks ago. He should be over 10 lbs at this point. Tomorrow is his 3 month checkup and we'll see what his pedi thinks about his progress. I'm still hopeful that we'll be able to cut back on the formula if in fact my supply is keeping up with his demand.

I got my pertussis vacc yesterday- finally! I'd been putting it off, but got my butt in gear and was able to be squeezed into a quick appointment. I did get a reality check when i stepped on the scale- I was up about 3 lbs from my 6 week post-partum checkup in late July! So I'm now about 5 lbs away from my pre-preggo weight. I admit that i pretty much eat everything I want, so I need to stop that program and eat more "cleanly". I do go on almost daily walks with N, but probably need to add something a bit more strenuous to my routine. I was used to doing bootcamp 5 days/week well into my 7th month, but there's no way I can go back to that. Will need to look at other options that I can fit into my day. Has anyone done the stroller strides classes?

Mara- yep, i'm on that site. look for a msg.
SS- so Nico is the opposite of Lily in regards to weight gain. He's in the lowest percentile range but pretty healthy overall. Glad to hear that both kids are feeling better!
Ally- I feel for you about the sleep habits thing. Folks just don't understand how distruptive veering off course can be to our LO's!
Viz- yay for raspberries and slobbery kisses!
Pupp- maternity leave goes by soooo fast, doesn't it?. I took off around 4 months, and head back to work Nov 1st. I try not to think about returning back and just enjoy my time with N.

 

[Sha]

Hi,
Just a quick drive-by post.... I didn't really get a chance to catch up but skimmed through the last page. Just wanted to respond to a few posts...

mtjoya - I'm sorry about your cough/cold. Hope you feel better soon.

SS - wow, 15 lbs huh? Dalila had her 9 month check-up last week and she's only 16 lbs 5 oz. I have to check the percentiles but I think she's only in the 10th percentile or something like that. Interesting how baby weights differ. My mother keeps telling me I'm not giving her enough food, especially after she saw a pic of my friend's baby, who is 20 lbs at 5 months old. He's always had a huge appetite.

Chargerr - good luck on losing that last bit of weight. Are you on a special program or will you be dieting only? I need to get my butt in gear as well. Been feeling rather jiggly these last few weeks.

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

AFM - So I've been feeling a lot of 'role strain' recently - like it' so hard to balance all the things I have going on in my life. Work has been really stressful over the last few weeks and it feels ike almost every night I have to be carting work home, which I hardly ever end up doing Then there's motherhood and trying to make time for Dalila, then there's my relationship and trying to make time for DH (I think we're in a bit of a rut right now ), then there's trying to make time for me (to sleep, exercise, to just have some 'alone time' etc), then there's family issues to deal with, etc, etc,....it all seems so much sometimes! I feel ilke I'm trying to juggle 10 balls at once and if I look away for one second I'll end up dropping one or all of them. I'm really feeling like if I didn't have to work a lot of stress would be off my plate. But I can't afford not to work. Sigh.... Does anyone feel like this sometimes?

 

[Puppmom]

Charger, Nico is such a peanut. How cute!

SS, I'm more in your camp. I have a feeling this kid is gonna be a moose. At his 1 month check , he was up over 4 pounds from his birth weight! It'll be interesting to see what he's like as a child and adult. DH and I are both on the small side (with the exception of my excess chub ) but we both have tall people in our family. I have a few aunts that are over 6ft!

Mt, I hear ya on the boobs. Mine are obnoxious too. I had a friend who lost all of her baby weight but when she stopped breastfeeding, people kept asking her if she lost weight. It must have been the drop in cup size. I'm looking forward to fitting in normal shirts. These things are out of control!

So my OB appointment was a bust. I called to confirm yesterday and they told me the wrong day. Soooo, now I have to go back tomorrow but have no sitter. Anyone else bring their LO with them to their postpartum check? I'm not sure how I'm gonna pull this one off!

For those of you who EBF, when did your LO get on a schedule? N will eat anywhere between 2 and 6 hours apart. 2 hours is rare as is 6 and, generally, he eats 6-7 times per day. I still feed on demand but I'm wondering when I can start a schedule. Also, my body still hasn't really adapted to his needs (maybe because of the inconsistent schedule). I wake up every morning hard and leaking. I HATE leaking! I have to pump pretty frequently to stay comfortable. That's probably making the problem worse by making my body think it needs to produce more milk but, in the moment, I need some relief!

Oh and MIL came over today for her first "lesson". She got so nervous changing N's diaper that she forgot to wipe him! All she did was put on a new diaper. Whoops! I think her confidence level will go up when I'm not watching. I know how stressful it can be to perform any task with someone watching over your shoulder so I can only imagine taking care of someone's baby while they watch.

 

[mtjoya]

chargerg-I need to get that shot too, next week I am getting that!

Sha-Thanks girl! I hate this crap!

puppmom-I know I hate it. I have been a D before but my mom tells me that she had them big but after she stop bfing with both my brother and I they shrunk! I hope that happens to me! I don't like these big boobs!

 

[Mara]

re: bbs...i am so glad mine shrunk down to a manageable size, but they are still bigger than pre-baby-boo. AND shrunken is how they look and saggy too. it ain't pretty!

CG when i was on leave i also hated thinking about returning to work!!!

sha... i think your mental conflict is the same as most moms experience. i mentioned to Greg about 2 weeks ago that i feel like i am doing a half-ass' job at everything in my life right now and it doesn't sit well with me. he said he thinks most people feel like that all the time which DAMN is a depressing thought because i am used to being 100% with everything i really value. and now it's like i feel like everything gets short shrift. the thought of doing 50% for wife, mother, career continuously is really sad. it's funny because i was fine being 100% wife and career but add in the mother thing and suddenly i can't do it. shouldn't it be more like 75% at least. HAH! and i would love to work PT and we could afford it but unfortunately my job situ doesn't support it right now.

so J is a lot better with his cold though it's still trying to kind of hang on-- he's sleeping well at night at least, and it's also taking it's sweet time leaving ME which sucks because i really don't need to be 25% right now. AND he's doing nap strikes lately too which i think is a side-effect of the whole pulling to stand thing in his crib. he ends up pulling to stand and then can't easily get back down so he freaks out and cries and then we have to go back in and lay him down--nothing i haven't heard other moms say as well. but jeez getting him to relax takes forever--and he's TIRED, rubbing eyes, all red faced, just wanting to sleep but his brain or whatever not allowing him. poor baby!!!

 

[curiousaboutdiamonds]

Mtj - I can totally relate to hating the boobies and the tummy. Nothing fits and I feel like all the eyes are on them. Ugh. How are you feeling? Any better?

SS - Glad to hear the kiddos are doing better. It'll be interesting to hear if her appetite is a side effect of the meds.

Charger - Hope you had a good appt. At almost 6 months, I'm still about 5 lbs away from prepreggo weight (gained 35lbs). At 5 months, I started cutting back on the junk food and getting on the elliptical 5x (30 mins), but the scale hasn't budged. I don't think I'll lose all the weight until I'm done bf'ing. The classes sound fun!

Sha - Aww, you're not alone in how you're feeling. It IS difficult to juggle everything. But you are doing everything you can. Definitely take some time for yourself to rejuvenate! {{{HUGS}}}

Pupp - Boo on the appt mix-up. I've heard that mommies have brought their babies to the postpartum appt. I didn't bring A, but my doc seemed shocked that I didn't bring her. The whole office was looking forward to seeing the baby. I'm EBF, but I didn't get A on a schedule until I pumped exclusively and bottle fed her. If you don't need to pump, I would cut back on the number of pump sessions or pump for only a short period.

Mara - Sorry to hear you're still sick. Nap strikes, uh oh. I'm really not looking forward to that. A has finally started napping regularly during the day. But I think it's because she can't really do much except roam around her crib.

Guess that brings me to the question of - when do you lower your crib? When they start sitting up? When they're pulling themselves up?

 

[Mara]

we lowered the crib to the lowest level this wkd since J was pulling to stand. when he was crawling and sitting it was about another 3 weeks before he actually could pull to stand. we are also going to get a crib net because even with crib on lowest level he is basically at mouth level with the rail so another month or so and he will be a good head above and that worries me.

 

[curiousaboutdiamonds]

Thanks Mara! Our babies grow so fast don't they?!

 

[mtjoya]

ally-Lol..I know right. I hate those dirty pervs that check me out. Nasty. I am still feeling like s**t! My brother just got home from school and he is taking care of J. He is such an awesome babysitter! I try to pay him but he doesn't accept any money. I pay him in food. lol!

Mara-J is so cute! I can imagine him pulling himself up! J gets mad cuz she tries to crawl but she just swims.

 

[ChinaCat]

Hi girls! I miss you all.

Viz- Hi lady. I miss you. I can't believe all of your heartache over Lil C and his health. It must be so frustrating and exhausting. Keeping you in my thoughts and hope it all clears up soon and for GOOD this time.

PP Check-up- I took O. He just sat in his car seat.

Lowering crib- He crawled/stood up at the same time so we lowered it then.

Sha- EVERY mom feels like that. It's just part of the deal. I will say that (from a year out now) that it just goes in cycles. Some weeks I am totally on top of it and feel like I am managing, and some days I feel like everything is a mess and I'm one breakdown away from falling apart. When you are in that place, try to pick the most important things and just let everything else go. And forgive yourself for not being "perfect". We all are doing the best we can. I will say that the BEST thing DH and I have done for each other is have a standing date night every Fri night. Not sure if that's possible with you and a baby-sitter, but it really helps us to connect and just have some grown up time. Hang in there.

Schedule- I was pretty diligent on getting O on a feeding schedule. I pretty much fed him every 3 hours unless he wanted to eat earlier. He quickly got on that schedule, though sometimes it fluctuated b/w 2 and 4 hours, depending on when he started sleeping more at night. So if he was asleep, I woke him up to eat after it had been 3 hours.

Weight- Well some of you know that O is a mini baby. He is like in the 3rd or 5th percentile (depending on if you are going on world scale or US scale). I'm over worrying about it. He eats ALL the time. My BFF was shocked at how much he ate. Her daughter is 3 months older, is HUGE (like 98th for height), not fat or anything but just big and she doesn't eat ANYTHING. Getting her to eat is a struggle. Meanwhile O eats everything. So it's just genetics.

Can I say that ALL, every SINGLE one of my BFF's are preggo right now? I'm talking SIX. 4 are on their second (with little ones only a few months older than O) and 2 are first-timers. Crazy. I'm literally the only one that can drink right now.

O is doing GREAT. I just love love love this age. So much fun.

 

[somethingshiny]

pupp~ I did have to take JT to my appts. He was right in the room during the exam. He just slept in his carrier the whole time. When I had my check after Lily, the nurses were disappointed that I hadn't brought her.

Lily eats every 2-4 hrs during the day, it's not a great schedule! But at night, she has been consistently going 5 - 5.5 hrs between bedtime bottle and first night bottle. Now if on;y those feedings would match up with meds times, I could get some serious sleep!

Also, we ditched the swaddle and started the sleep sack a week or so ago. Obviously she loves it because she's sleeping SO much better!

 

[phoenixgirl]

Viz, boo on the job limbo and crazy rare infection. Ridiculous. Glad your little monkey makes up for it with his charm and general wonderfulness. BTW, I just FB stalked you today and mightily enjoyed your pics.

Pupp, I also instigated a feeding schedule. Only recently (at almost 11 months) have I let Claire go more than 4 hours during the day between feeds (and this because I hope to wean her in the next 6 weeks). Early on it was more like 3. Also, as you know, pumping to alleviate the fullness is just creating a vicious cycle. I bet you can keep it to 6 to 7 feeds a day and just make the timing more regular without much boob pain.

Sha, hugs. That's hard. If it helps, I'll say that not working is not some magic solution to the stress of being a mom. I still find it hard to have me time, hard to balance things with DH, easy to let resentment build up at times. I'd be lying if I said that quitting didn't help me, but I think that working or not, it's often much harder on the mom to transition into parenthood, and communication and coordination between spouses is key.

China, whoa, 6 pregnant friends! At least by being off baby-cycle with them, you position yourself to inherit tons of clothes and toys for your next one (if you want one!). Too bad nobody else can share a drink, but hey, lots of designated drivers!

Am the only one who wishes we could have a PS Mommy Cocktail hour? How fun would that be?!?!


AFM, now that the school year has started (without me), I finally feel relaxed. All summer I was decompressing, trying to get organized, and figuring out how Claire and I would spend our days. And it's like I'm playing hooky to be at home when school is in session, so that's fun.

We're heading to my family beach house this weekend with two couples with babies -- Claire's little boyfriends. So this marks a new era of vacations with kids. I hope I can still relax without having to be the hostess with the mostess. I suggested each family cook one night to keep costs down and spread the responsibility around.

The only thing we can get Claire to drink more than a few sips from is a plain old plastic water bottle. She sticks her little tongue in it, but since there's no mess from a big cup and a fast flow, she winds up guzzling it down. So I'm just going with that because, darn it, this baby will be weaned one way or another! I have this fear that our trip to France will roll around and I'll have to say to Mom, sorry she's not weaned, hope you can get her to take her liquids . . .

 

[MonkeyPie]

pupp, I took Micah to my pp appointment and it seemed like all the other mamas in the waiting room did, too. I was always seeing babies there, so he just came along with me. He was a very good boy and stayed in his carseat the whole time, staring at the midwife. She loved him.

SS, Micah was 15 pounds at 4 months and he is SO 20 pounds now, I can tell he weighs more. They never told us to dilute his formula, though, that just seems mean if they are hungry. Every baby is different, you know?

Mara, I still can't believe J is standing up! Do you think the crib net will help if he can see that far over the rail? Or does it attach to the wall at a slant or something? I may have to research that, I guess I have no idea what one looks like lol.

Sha, I had no idea Dalila was so petite! She looks completely healthy to me, she's just going to be little. And I totally hear you on the weight of your role as mom. It seems like just when you can't handle any more, something else gets added to your plate. I know you can handle it

CC, did you feed him every three hours to help him gain weight or was that just your schedule? Micah hasn't been on a three hour schedule for some time - the other day he ate at 5am and didn't want to eat again until 2! I was so freaked out, but he was happy, napping, and being himself. Just no wet diapers. Then it was back to normal. Silly baby.

Micah has started fake coughing. He figured out that when he coughed for real everyone would go, "Oh goodness!" So now he will do it all. Day. Long. Even if no one is looking!

 

[gingerB]

MP - A does that fake cough thing too...although i just assumed it was him learning a new sound

PG - i've been trying to get A to take water from a sippy cup also. so far, major FAIL. he only wants it from a regular cup. everytime i try to put the sippy tip inhis mouth and drip water in so he can tell what's inside, i swear he makes THE most dramatic yuck face. then i take the top off and he guzzles the same water . we just took our first mini vacay with my bffs and their bebes...def a diff kind of vaction experience! fun, but different

ss - you are a super mama dealing with baby toddler and meds!! go on with your bad self!! so glad lily's sleeping is starting to improve

cc - lol...my best gfs are all preggo also, two 2nd timers and 1 first timer. that, along with me still bfing made for a wild and crazy vacation let tell ya virgin bellinis all the way around -- woohoo! and 4 co-workers, 3 second timers and 1 first timer. must be someting in the texas water

mtj - sorry you're feeling under tthe weather. glad your bro is an awesome babysitter!

ally - we lowered the crib recently also, when A started craawling and pulling to a stand.

mara - boo on the double mommy/baby cold but glad J is turning the corner. what you're describing with the tired and the rubbing but something not letting him sleep -- that's A EVERY NIGHT it makes me feel so bad for him because i know he's frustrated. i don't know what to do.

sha - big hugs. i'm right with you feeling that i can't do the mom + wife + career all at the level i want to do it at. and the feeling that if i look away one second eveyrthing wil fall apart, i swear you pulled the sentiment right from inside me. no advice as i'm struggling too, just empathy.

charger - hpe you have a great LC appt!

viz - poor C and poor mama! seriously he is a champ and handling all these issues yet still maintaining his adorable sunny self. and YOU are a champ -- definition of grace under pressure.

-----

AFM, A's sleep has been, well ups and downs. def in the downs right now. he's ben doing this weird moaning thing every couple of hours that goes to full blown crying if one of us doesn't sneak in there to pat his bottom back to sleep. only takes a minute or so, but it's up every 2 hours. this is new. and now when he wakes for his night bottle, it takes anywhere from an hour to 2 hours to get him back down. he's obviously tired rubbing his eyes, trying to sleep, but jsut can't. his arms are roving, his legs are kicking, but his eyes are closed. eventually he starts to cry and fight, just mad, cuz he's tired. it usually take 2 of us to get him down. the first person almost just wears him out until we're exhausted, then the second then comes in and he eventually goes down fitfully until the morning. we were doing not too bad until a few weeks ago this new thing started. double

so i took the plunge and tried to puree chicken. first attempt, no bueno. the texture was gritty and he kept coughing/gagging. i don't think my cheapo processor can handle a fine enough puree for the chicken. MOMMY FAIL. i was like durn it, chewy is about to get some 'spensive organic chicken treats, but then decided i would try mixing just a bit into some thicker purees (sweet potatoes, winter squashes, carrots) and it was a winner! MOMMY SAVE. so he's now happily gobbling down chicken, and i love the fact that i'm managing to get some heme-iron down him. i'm thinking about doing egg yolk next. anyone with experience here?

i've been on a food making spree. most recently i've been dicing fresh fruits and freezing them, which i later thaw and mash into organic greek yogurt or into his dinner. so far i've done mango, papaya and pear and it's worked out well. this way he's have fresh fruit even after the season is gone. and i'm working more texture in this way than with the fruit purees we have been doing.

i've been looking for whole milk organic greek yogurt, but seems this combo doens't exist. found an article about how to turn regular yogurt into greek -- so i might try buying whole milk orgnaic yogurt and changing it to the greek verion myself. hopefully it works.

 

[Mara]

here's a photo of the crib net/tent thing. it's pretty hard core it seems and i am not a fan of how sterile it is. hahaa. it goes on with what seem like 500 velcro straps--which our crazy boy maybe can eventually defeat but who knows.

re: size of babies, every time i think J must have gained a ton of weight we go to the Dr and he's only gained like 1lb or something. it's funny how your mind plays tricks on you. at 6mo he was 17 i think? or just like shy of 17, so gained about 1.25lbs in 2 months. we thought FOR SURE he was almost 20 so we were like WHAT?!

ditto sha that D looks totally hale and healthy to me!!

pupp i didn't take J to my appts with me because one day G was able to stay home with him and the other day my Mom did it. i just didn't have to so i left him at home otherwise i would have taken him.

pg can you get a sippy that is more like a bottle? we just got some avent ones that are sippy cups, but you can put the avent nipple on it, so it is a transitional kind of thing. just thinking if you try something like that you could get him drinking off the bottle easier than a sippy but then use that same cup for a sippy later.

ginger we are using the regular fage total which i believe is whole milk greek yogurt. they have the 2% and then the nonfat but we get 'total classic' which i think is whole milk. it's def a whole lot more cals and fat than 2%! anyway we give him that mixed with a bit of baby oatmeal (i'd like to move to regular oatmeal soon which i will most likely freeze cubes of) and 2oz of fruit. i typically make the fruit, puree it (and i leave it chunkier, a lot of fruits you can leave it chunkier depending on how much water you mix in with it) and use enough for 3 days in the fridge and then freeze 2-3 days worth in cubes.

(oh see you said organic as well...while 99.9% of what J gets is organic i figured that the fage is pretty 'natural' from an origin perspective based on the idea of greek yogurt, so i didn't require it to be organic)

i try to have about 3 days of fresh food in the fridge come monday and then on thurs and fri he gets frozen puree cubes. i mix in EB jarred meats with my veggies. i haven't been brave enough to puree meats BUT he is starting to not like the jarred Earths Best .. when i give it to him vs my own pureed veggies he gags and makes faces and tries to let it leak out. so i might have to start trying to puree meats and add it in with my own veggies which i am NOT excited about.

oh speaking of food, when do you give them fish? i read online not til about 8-9mo but we are already giving him lots of other things that said not til 8-9mo so i figure why not just try it. WF has a cod that is supposed to be a super mild white fish with low allergen that i was thinking i could bake then puree pretty easily. much more appealing than chicken!!!! thoughts?

oh and fake coughing... J has been doing that since 3mo. i make fun of him and cough back at him and he smiles. HA! sneaky!

 

[littlelysser]

Hi ladies!

I'm alive, although I totally stink. I don't like PS2. It makes me feel yucky and meh.

Quick drive-by.

Calvin is good. He's a year. Love him to bits. He is seriously my favorite human being. I just enjoy the heck out of him.

Viz - Ugh. I'm so sorry to hear about C. My sis is a nurse, so if you have any questions, she might be able to help. But still, you and C will be in my thoughts.

CC - hello friend! Can't believe we have one year olds. How did it happen? I wish O and Calvin could hang. I think it'd be absolutely hysterical.

Mara - Feel better. I gave Calvin fish at around 7 months. He really liked it. Still does. I made a broccoli cheese fish type dish, pureed. He LOVED it.

Welcome HH!

PG - We did the same with the sippy with Calvin. I gave him water and whole milk in it. I held it for him most of the time. He wasn't super into it...a few weeks ago it just totally clicked. He is really good with it. He also likes the take and toss. They don't have handles, so they are more like a regular cup. And I'm totally in for the Mommy happy hour.

Everyone else, hello. I do read, I just don't post anymore.

and here is my last pic in this thread...Calvin after having some birthday care, just kicking back and relaxing.

Okay, lets see if this thing will actually post.

 

[mtjoya]

Thank you ladies for the well wishes! I am still feeling like crap! I am drinking some tea!

Fake coughing: J listens to us cough, DH and I are both sick and she does the same too! wt........lol, it's funny! that lil brat! hehe!

 

[MonkeyPie]

littlelysser, what a cute picture! I love how he has his arms behind his back, all chillin', haha. Cute.

mtjoya, I really hope you feel better soon

Mara, that thing looks insane. I think it's funny that the baby in the picture is all smiling like it's the greatest thing ever, but you know at night he's like, "GET ME OUT OF THIS THING!" Haha. I hope Micah doesn't become a climber and we can go without the Bed Trap of Mesh.

Last night at around 2:30, all three of us were sleeping peacefully and suddenly Micah started making this horrible sound like he was choking. I have never seen my husband move so fast! He was fine, no spitup or anything, but it sounded awful and my heart was in my throat. And then he was soaking wet, I think because he peed in surprise when Daddy all but yanked him out of the crib. He had a harder time falling back asleep, too. Poor little guy. I'm looking forward to when he sleeps through the night.

And I love the fake cough. Sometimes it's a real cough, but with the fake one he sticks his tongue out all far and gives us the side-eye. It's hilarious.

 

[lovelylulu]

Hi friends long time, no post.

We've had a pretty busy summer. We went away to N. Carolina for a vacation at the beach with my dad and my brother's family. Nora was two months at the time and I didn't know how it would go - but we actually had a great getaway. Then we treked up to my hometown for a friend's wedding in NY and last weekend we had all of our family here for her baptism. That little girl is partied out!

Things are going pretty well, though I've been calling her a baby-in-reverse. She just hit that *magical* three month mark when, according to the *baby literature* everything is supposed to be sunshine and roses - end of fussing, better sleeping, etc. But instead of getting easier it's actually getting more difficult. Our champion sleeper (9 hrs for weeks) has started waking up every four hours or so. I know that it's not terrible, but it's definitely moving backwards. And while she has tons of smiles and coos during the day, she also has some spirited crying as well.

She hates. hates. hates. her car seat. Help. Loves her sling (maybe that's the problem) Any suggestions? I try to feed her right before going anywhere, but it usually just ends up being hysterics. So now I dread taking her places.Thankfully on our longer car trips we left in the evenings so she slept almost the entire way and the one time we had to leave in daytime, we just got very, very lucky.

Also, napping. It confuses me. Nora eats about six times or so during the day (j.crow, we too, were on an every hour and a half, but thankfully it's now mostly two). Then she'll hang out and *play* for a while (still not interested in toys too much, but loves cooing at me) and after about only an hour or so, she'll need to take a nap. So instead of the 2-3 naps a day I keep reading about, N takes 6. is that normal? 6 naps. thoughts?

Charger - we head back to work the same day and just secured her a spot in daycare. what a process. I think that it's a great place, but honestly, I'm dreading the *return* for all of the reasons that sha articulated (hugs)

pupp - appointment - I took Nora, but for us it turned into something of a tragic circus. hope that you have better luck! Also, N isn't yet on a hard and fast schedule at three months. She generally eats about every two hours and I'm working on trying to have a more consistent bedtime - right now it varies from about 8:30-9:30...

viz - so much dust for a great resolution to your job hunt and even more dust to little c - hope that his little body is feeling much stronger very soon.

mere - c is adorable and congratulations on being a sahm!!

sha - hugs again. it's so hard isn't it.

little l - calvin's eyes get me every time. happy one year. amazing!

monkey - i think that nora might be an early teether as she just started some drooling. what where micah's first teething signs? he's such a cutie!

mara - that tent things looks like an interesting solution to mr. j the monkey. and i hear you on the 100% vs. 50% though I would probably settle for 75% after I return to work

pg - yah for hooky

 

[MonkeyPie]

So instead of the 2-3 naps a day I keep reading about, N takes 6. is that normal? 6 naps. thoughts?

monkey - i think that nora might be an early teether as she just started some drooling. what where micah's first teething signs? he's such a cutie!

As for the naps, how long are they each time? If she's 'power napping' then I don't think it's too big of a deal. If it helps, Micah is the opposite - he naps maybe two times a day, 30 minutes tops unless he had a bad night before or he's in the rocking chair. As long as you don't think she's over-tired she should be alright.

Micah drooled a TON. And even though he has always been a chewer, he stuffed EVERYTHING in his mouth. And if it was my fingers, he bit really hard. He was also pretty fussy in the evenings until I figured it out and bought some orajel, which he loathes, but works miracles. If you put a drop on her gums and she's happier in a few minutes, that is your answer! Micah got teeth early, too, our babies are just overachievers haha.

 

[lovelylulu]

The naps are generally about an hour maybe 45 minutes to round out the 2 hr eat, play sleep cycle . . .

 

[vizsla]

lulu - c took a ton of naps... albeit short ones. i think he would 'nap' about every 2 hours or so.. for around 30-45mins - repeat all day. we would be lucky if we got some longer stretches at night (like a 2 hour 'nap') but... yeah.. i'd say that's normal. when c went to daycare (and was probably more stimulated than at home) he would take 2 maybe 3 naps while there (6-7 hours) - on the weekends it went back to the 5+ naps. i have to laugh at the 3 month "roses and sunshine" comment b/c i heard.. nee.. was BANKING on this turn of events... ummmm not so much. yes, life improved in 3 month chunks.. but it wasn't until he was 9 months old that all of those things 'clicked' with him. probably not what you want to hear, but then again c is one in a million

ginger - oh girl... i feel ya... been there.. still there sometimes. why fight sleep babies, when it's just so good ... who knows why anything happens at any particular time. a mind puzzle these kids. right around the 8month mark was my breaking point as far as sleep deprivation was concerned. i had to make a radical decision for my mental health - hang in there mamma.. you are doing a fantastic job!! ((hugs))

hey ladies!

not much new to report here. starting to think about c's first birthday. so bittersweet. i'm glad we are finally at this age because life is just so much more 'doable' these days. i feel a bit like my old self. i feel like i can handle things better. i can manage c's schedule and don't have so much anxiety about sleeping and eating and just having this little person in my life anymore. i didn't realize how UN-relaxed i was for the majority of c's life until i just started to loosen up. that anxiety is a (not nice word), to say the least. and lucky me, i'm prone to it. i used to spend a large majority of my day worrying about everything - from worst case scenario while driving to how much sleep he was(n't) getting or how much he was(n't) eating - the list goes on and on. i think this prevented me from enjoying a lot of his life up to this point. going out of the house (comfort zone) was never 'fun' - it was a chore.. would he freak out? would he blow out?
i don't know what has changed in the past month or so.. maybe it's c and his personality, maybe i've finally learned how to roll with the punches, maybe things weren't as tough as i imagined them to be, or maybe all along i was worried about the wrong things (his recent illness really brought me some perspective... just seeing the other babies at the hospital made me realize how LUCKY we were to just be dealing with some GI issues).
anyhoo, i say bittersweet because while i love where i am mentally with c i'm still so upset at where i am physically in my career and just the general makeup of my family structure.
i should be thankful i have a job that pays me well and keeps my family afloat. but it doesn't stop the resentment or the nagging guilt that i've missed out on so much time - and we all know there is nothing we can do to get that back.

 

[Mara]

speaking of sleep... i totally confess i am BITTER AS ALL HECK when my baby doesn't want to sleep and i am tired. like right now being sick, all i want to do is sleep and he's like 'napping, oh heck no...!!'... JEEZ thanks kid. and who stands up in their crib babbling at 4am? that would be MY BABY. when my cold medicine is just starting to wear off too. BOO.

AND who the heck is out mowing their lawn at 8am? that would be my NEIGHBOR. while baby is sleeping. yep i'm pretty grouchy today, sorry in advance.

re: lots of naps in a day. i have no idea what is normal because our little creature only ever took 2 a day max after about 2-3 weeks old. and they were normally only like 1-2 hours max. now he sometimes will go 2x a day but more likely it's one a day and maybe 1.5 hours. but he sleeps 12-13 hours at night so i can't really complain. but when he is fighting that ONE nap it definitely bugs me because i am thinking 'really you have been up for 3.5 hours !!!!'.

the only thing i will say about naps and sleep is that our pedi encouraged us to get him off a really aggressive lots o'naps schedule early on so that he would sleep longer at night. so if the baby is sleeping 6-7 hours a day then i would say don't be surprised if they won't sleep through the night or sleep really long stretches. they might not know HOW to sleep longer if they are napping all day long. reading something like HSHHC basically ingrained on me that we had to teach J how to sleep properly as they don't just pop out knowing that.

J was a nightmare for me between about 3 weeks and 7-8 weeks. after that he got infinitely more enjoyable and less of a crab all the time while awake. every baby is definitely different though.

re: the tent solution-- seriously ladies that thing is scary looking. and YES i thought the same thing, way to put a happy child in there as opposed to the reality which is probably the screaming mess that J will be when he looks up and seeing that weird obstruction to his view. i don't know how successful it will be but i also heard to put it up sooner rather than later so that the kid is used to seeing it.

and this cold is kicking my a$$..!! i think J is pretty much better at this point or he sounds like it but i am still tired even after 3 straight nights of 9-10 hours of sleep and taking it easier during the day, my nose is still running and i am still tired. i am taking zinc and vitamins like there's no tomorrow and AM SO HAPPY i can finally take cold drugs for the first time in 1.5 years...! woo hoo for drugs. haha. last nite i took tylenol cold warming and was out like a light, even though G's snoring.

 

[lovelylulu]

viz - thanks for the insight into c's napping schedule. Nora will start daycare in about a month and a half and the folks there said that there's a sort of baby peer pressure that will likely get her onto a more predictable napping schedule. Though, at her young age, they babes are allowed to nap as needed.

And I'm so glad that in your last couple of posts you've mentioned how much more you are enjoying motherhood. there's no denying that it's tough and your family has had some bumps to say the least - but you really have to try to breathe it all in because it just flies by and so quickly that little one isn't so little. I'm trying to soak it all in too - the good with the bad - but venting here can sure help on one of those days

I can also empathize with the *family structure* concerns/pressure/stress. For the past three years, I've made nearly double what my husband makes - he works for the government and I work in private practice - but we both work about the same hours. Knowing that we wanted to start a family, I really wanted the balance of income to switch - simply because I wanted to have options. I wanted the choice to continue at my current job, the choice to change to a lower paying job, the choice to go part-time or even the choice to stay home. Unfortunately, the job market has been tough and despite giving it a good effort, the job situation stayed stagnant. I felt trapped and some other not great feelings, despite actually enjoying my job. Just the feeling like you have no option really got to me. Then, sort of out of no where, my husband was just offered a new job. I was so happy for him, for me, for our family. I really hope that you find the best situation for your family!

 

[vizsla]

yeah.. i'm really waiting for our 'out of nowhere' stroke of luck. DH and i often discuss how UN-lucky we are and why it seems like everyone but us has gotten that one big 'ol (good) break that shifts everything .... we're still waiting for ours
what is frustrating these days is that i have been trying my da*nest to make our good break happen... for 6 months - running after every lead - for myself, for DH - but keep hitting brick walls. it's taxing to say the least. i just keep picking myself up, starting at the bottom and hoping one of these days something will line up. the little man in my life - while he never encourages me - is the only way i can continue to get up everyday and try again. lately, as i start to reflect on this first year, i get pretty sad. sad because i'm still in the same situation and sad because trying to get OUT of it has taken even more time and energy away from him. plus, DH and i had discussed trying for baby #2 this winter, but i can not bring myself to even consider it until something changes in my work/family structure. being the HOH is just too much pressure, along with everything else. i need a 50/50 balance so i don't lose my mind.

vent over

back to naps. i know that for my baby - sleep = sleep. so when he would nap 5+ times a day, we would usually get longer stretches at night. if he didn't nap well during the day, he would be an overtired pill at night. daycare is nice in that it did, somewhat, give a bit of structure to his day BUT i was a sleep tyrant and when he would come home only having 2 30 or 45min naps i was ticked. #1 i knew he needed to sleep more and #2 i knew this meant that we would be in for a rough night.

every baby is different, but in his first 5 months or so, i never found less sleep during the day = more sleep at night.. for us

 

[curiousaboutdiamonds]

China - Good to see you. My group of friends were like that last year - all of us were pregnant and friends of friends were pregnant. I think it's just the next phase of our lives - having kids. Then, it's raising them.

PG - Hope you find a sippy that works. Cocktail hour? Yes please! Haha, love "Claire's little boyfriends." Of all the babies in my group of friends, there's only one boy. I call him "A's boyfriend." So cute when they play with each other. Have a great time at the beach!

MP - So cute about the fake coughing. Sorry to hear about last night. How scary. Did you figure out what happened?

Ginger - Oh my, sorry to hear about the sleep problems. Hope A gets over this phase soon so you all can get some restful sleep. Yay for feeding A meat. I'll definitely keep your method in mind when we get to that stage. And freezing fresh fruit, what a great idea!

Mara - I must have missed the crib tent discussion, because I saw the picture and I was like, WTH? I wonder what the reviews say. As for fish, my SIL gave him pieces of fish around 9 months. We went out for sushi and she had some grilled fish and was feeding him small pieces of it. Ugh on the early morning landscaping! Why oh why do they have to do it so so so early! Hope you kick the cold soon.

LL - Happy 1 year to C! Love the picture and his "I'm chilling" pose!

Mtj - Sending more healthy dust to you.

Lulu - A was doing the same thing as N at 3/4 months. We were also doing E-A-S-Y, and she would take 25-30 min catnaps 4-5 times a day, waking up 1-2 times a night. It wasn't until she started STTN at 4.5/5 months did she start having a consistent nap schedule, 2-3 times a day for 1.5-2 hours.

Viz - I'm glad you're getting back to your old self. You've been through too much. More job dust coming to you!

Question - How much time does your DH spend with your LO? I feel so bad for my DH. His company just implemented a new schedule for all their engineers, 9:30-7pm. With A's new schedule of napping at 9am and 12:30 and sleeping at 7pm, DH doesn't get to see her until the weekend. He rushes home for lunch (works nearby) and always misses her at lunch time. He asked me to stretch out the time between naps or her bedtime, but I can't really do that because, as we all know, when they need to sleep, they need to sleep. I don't want to suffer the wrath of not putting her down when she's sleepy.

 

[fieryred33143]

Viz-hugs hugs hugs!! I've learned through my experience with depression and anxiety after having Sophia that letting go and just enjoying life as is lifts so much stress. We should always strive for better situations, better finances, better life but that should be like those computer programs that run in the background. It's there, it's running, it's thinking, and life goes on in the meantime.

Saying that Charlie has had quite a year is a huge understatement but you guys have come out of it like rockstars. Year 1 a success! I can't wait to see pics of his b-day party

 

[meresal]

Welcome HH! Can't wait to see more pics!

Charger... I am going to consider the game a "situational success" and here is why: We had BOTH grandmothers with us at the game, and we were not in a typical viewing area... our seats share a concourse with the suites, which has couches, tables, and televisions (I can still watch the game though I'm not sitting at the seats).

First thing first, the earmuff/headphones were INCREDIBLE. He didn't startle once and I swear he couldn't hear a thing. They get an A+++++ from me. (I will post the link below in case anyone is in need. We visit lots of sporting events and go to airshows, and after one game I already consider it $18 very very very well spent.)

Good- The only reason I consider this a successful outing, is becuase, I was able to find a quiet spot (a corner) where I could hold C while he napped for an hour. If he couldn't take a nap, the whole afternoon would have become disasterous.

Problems- Total, he was only in our seats about 15 minutes of the game. He loved the first 10 minutes or so, seeing all the new sights and people, then had a bottle, and then got tired. He couldn't fall asleep with all the people around, and so I had to go find the quiet spot I mentioned above. He slept until half time (Awesome!!!!).
He was able to spend halftime at the seats, and then once the game started again, he wanted to go walking. The 3rd quarter was a blurr of transitions between MIL, my mom, and myself switching off. Finally DH gave him another bottle, and I spent the rest of the game standing at the top of our section bouncing him while he watched the game. He didn't get fussy once, but I did have to hold him the whole time.

All in all, Charger, the only reason I will take C back to the game (and I will only do it maybe once or twice... we have season tix), is because we are able to use that concourse area which has big screen tv's and couches. The concourse also has lots of other moms and kids that are watching the game inside, as opposed to at the seats, so I had people to talk to. I sat next to a mom with a 6 mo old for a bit. If we had regular seats in a regular section, I would not be taking the baby back.

Here is a pic before he fell asleep in the first quarter:

The headphones are from a company named Peltor:
http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/ear-muffs-for-children.html

 

[vizsla]

tee hee... i'm so in love w/ that picture! i want to buy c a pair just 'cuz...

PG - been thinking about your sippy sitch. you've probably already thought about this buttttt have you seen the bottle that adds handles - then you switch out the top? .. a conversion kit if you will something like so:http://www.amazon.com/Thinkbaby-Spi...ie=UTF8&s=baby-products&qid=1284575525&sr=1-3

p.s. my sister went straight from the boob to a straw - said her kids never got the sippy, but mastered a cup w/a straw.... worth a shot right??

FIERY!!! oh how i've missed you around these parts. i swear people think "this chick is crazy... she's obviously just making stuff up now" not so much...
and you know i always take your advice to heart.. once again, you've put a good perspective on things. i need to focus on the positive and take comfort in the fact that the right thing will come along with perseverance. i just don't want to lose that fire, KWIM? i don't want to get complacent, turn around and c's 5 and i'm still chugging along. the fire keeps me keeping on.