PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[Skippy123]

TIFFANY ~ aww, I can't wait to see pictures of your boys!!! I just love those little guys. I hope they sleep better and without making you feel bad for CIO. I haven't done that yet but I probably will look to you for help when the time comes.

ALLIE great pics!

GERI, thank you! How are you?

SS, happy birthday to sweet Lily!

KUNZITE and TIFFANY, thanks about Miles!

Cupcake, I heard Kegals help and that that is a common problem. It is funny no one tells you about the after effects of birth; I questioned a few things that happened in the past that corrected themselves. Maybe see a different doc if the kegals don't work?

NOEL, your little one is a doll!

LV, I have 7 lbs left to lose too! it would have been 5 but I have been stress eating a bit. how is your beautiful lo?

Well it looks like we might get to bring home Evan on Sunday. His white cells are crazy low so that means we cannot have visitors and we have to see the Hematologist often and watch for fever and infection. I am praying he out grows this as some kids do and I pray he does too. This is going to be hard keeping him away from friends and family. I hope people are understanding. Otherwise Miles is doing well and it will be super nice to have them both home!!! Hope everyone has a Wonderful weekend Mommas!

 

[parrot tulips]

Skippy - I'm so happy to hear you'll have both of your little guys home soon! Hopefully Evan is strong as an ox before you know it.

Allie - How do you take such great/professional looking photos!?! Beautiful family.

 

[Kunzite]

Happy Birthday Lily!!

Well it looks like we might get to bring home Evan on Sunday.

Skippy!!!! So, so, so excited for you!!!! This actually brought a little tear to my eye. I just can't wait for your family to be together!!



Oops... almost forgot my BPF (it is Friday, right.... man it's been a long week!)

Chilling in the Indie

 

[noelwr]

Skippy - fingers crossed that Evan gets to come home today! people will be understanding about postponing visits if you just explain it to them.

Kunzite - O has got so much hair! what color are his eyes? I think they might be same as S's: dark green/blue/gray that's not really a color yet. hers have light brown in the middle of the iris, though.

- - -

AFU, Skye is eating so well! this week we tried blackberries in our fruit and boiled egg in our dinner (instead of meat) which she all liked. she also eats a whole slice of bread for lunch with paté. I no longer have to make the bread soggy in water, either. I'm enjoying it all while I can, before she becomes a picky eater.

here's a photo from today (left) in her boy's onesie. before we knew she would be a girl, Grandma was convinced she'd be a boy and went out and bought clothing. the one on the right is from last week, when I was still playing with her teddy bear hat.

 

[Skippy123]

Evan doesn't get to come home today. We will meet with the hematologist on Monday I think? My dh is meeting with the doctor today. I won't update until he is actually home. thanks for the support my ps mommas!

Miles loves to sleep on his right side so he is getting a funny shaped head. I try to move him but I saw Evan sleeping on a boppy at the NICU and I thought I would try it to help round his head more so he isn't so flat on the right side. Well it works. I use it for Miles at nap times so I can watch him as I would never leave him on the boppy unattended. Just thought I would mention it in case anyone elses baby is getting a flat side of their head going on.

NOEL, she is precious!!! I bet you can't help but smooch those little cheeks of hers often! She is such a happy baby!!! lol about grandma and the onsies; she is too pretty!!!

PT, hi, twin momma! I am so excited for you!

KUNZITE, Oliver is a doll; such an adorable little guy!!!

 

[taovandel]

Skippy--Evan had a slightly flat head (back of the head) because for a couple of weeks in the beginning he would sleep in his carseat because he would only sleep for like an hour in the bassinet at night. Thankfully his popped back to normal after a bit--haha.

So now we are extra careful with Violet---she doesn't have a flat head but she has these bald spots on the back of her head from being on the boppy/crib/etc. It's the funniest looking bald spot also---almost like a happy face on the back of her head...haha. Now that she is rolling around all over the place we are hoping the hair will start growing back in.

So sorry you couldn't bring your Evan home today--it will happen soon though and I can't wait to see pictures of the family together again!

 

[noelwr]

my kid not only had bread for lunch she had to have an extra slice with her dinner! she seems to be hungrier than usual.

by the way, does anyone else's LO shake his/her head? Skye does it a lot, almost like she's saying no, but obviously she has no idea that's what it means. or maybe just when she does it, I copy her and then she copies me and then she tries to get me to copy her every time. I don't know.

tao - Skye also has a bald spot! granted, she has no where as much hair as Violet, but she's still got a bald spot on the back of her head. it just recently starting grow hair.

Skippy - , but I hope it's not too serious and that he will get to come home soon.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Hi Everyone! Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who responded to my sleep questions. For a quick update, basically, nothing has changed! We're just not ready yet! I'm going to talk to her doctor at her 6 month appointment to see if he has any concerns/suggestions, but I think we are going to maintain status quo. We would like to co-sleep, but are very nervous about it. I am going to talk to her doctor about this too. Now that she is reaching 6 months, I feel a little less worried about SIDS. I think SIDS risk decreases substantially at 6 months, so maybe we are ready for co-sleeping now, OR maybe I will start introducing her to her crib during naps. She does take naps in the bed, while I am next to her for the most part, and awake. We shall see. It was very helpful to hear everyone who said their babies didn't STTN until older than her. It definitely helps keep things in perspective. So, we still have to work this one out.

Catching up now:

Noel, Skye is such a healthy eater!! I hope she doesn't become a picky eater. That is something that I dread. A friend's girls will mainly eat chicken nuggets, frozen waffles, pancakes and grilled cheese. Gosh, that is so awful. I hope my daughter never knows a chicken nugget, though I suspect it will be unavoidable once she gets to school. Once again, I love the teddy bear hat!!! I'm going to have to get one this winter!

Tao, That's funny about Violet's bald spots! You should post a picture of her smiley face. That's amazing that she's rolling so early. Was Evan the same way?

Skippy, Sorry to hear that your Evan won't be coming home today. I hope he gets to come home soon. We used the boppy for naps with S for a while, and I believe that contributed to the flatness on the back of her head. The boppy decreases range of motion. They also advise against using it for sleeping, but like you said, as long as you're with him, then should be ok. For her flat head, S's doctor rec'd more tummy time, which she hated at the time, so admittedly, she wasn't getting enough tummy time. It took us a while to recognize her flat head, but it is just evening out now. Oh, we also used a co-sleeper which has a really hard "mattress", which I think also contributed to the issue. Ohhhhh, and that pic of Miles sleeping is just too sweet! That photo brought a tear to my eye. Too precious. I love babies!!!

SS, Glad Lily had such a great first birthday. I love all of the photos of you and her together and the one of her and her big brother. You have a beautiful family! Oh, and your cake was awesome too!!!

Tiffany, Glad you had time to check in. We need new pictures!

Cupcake, L is a little doll!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh she just looks so sweet. I see you're having fun with all of the cute little girl outfits! Squee! Good for you for traveling with her! You are much braver than me. S is almost 6 months, and I'm afraid to drive more than 2 hours with her. I don't recall exactly when S started holding her head up. It wasn't a milestone that we recorded, I guess because it's something that sort of gradually improves over time. I wouldn't worry about her sitting on the couch, like you mentioned. Sounds like you have a sweet baby! I hope she starts napping for your dh. Oh, and I think we stopped swaddling at 4 months. I asked my dr at her 4 month appointment, and he told me that he doesn't believe in swaddling! We also think that contributed somewhat to her flat head, due to decreased range of motion. We were really worried because she would calm almost instantly when swaddled, but she she was ok not long after deswaddling.

Allie, Shall I say it again?!? Your pictures are amazing! Charlie is so ADORABLE as always. What is the wooden toy in the last photo you posted? Is that all one toy? Or two different ones? I want. Thanks for your reassurance re: our sleep situation. I *think* we can co-sleep. I just have to get past my nervousness. I am the opposite of you. I sleep VERY DEEPLY. That is one of my concerns. There is plenty of room in the middle of the bed, and I don't really move around much, so we are working toward that. I know a lot of people will co-sleep with baby on mother's side only, but we'd need to push the bed up against the wall, and I'm not too keen on being stuck in the middle!

Puppmom, What a gorgeous boy you have!! I love his outfit!! He is just toooooooooo cute! The last picture is my favorite! He's such a HAPPY boy!!

Dreamer, Hello!!! Your 2 cents are always welcome here! You know I think you give great advice!! I think we're going to try full co-sleeping or her own crib, so we've made a lot of progress in the decision-making. Honestly, I think we are going to try co-sleeping. I think you are right about the "5 mins, 10 mins, 15 mins theory" not making the most sense. I wonder if I mis-recalled what her dr said. I will definitely ask this week! Would love it if you would post some photos of your boys for us!!

Geri, Glad to hear that C is such a good sleeper! Does she fall asleep on her own? What's new this past week?

Kunzite, O is super-cute in his Indie! Are you going to post any of the pro-photos? Hint, Hint

*******
All is well here. I had S out gardening with us yesterday. I parked her in her Indie while I did a TON of weeding. She seems to really enjoy her outdoor time. The other day, we were out on a blanket, and she was turning her head up, looking at the sky when she heard birds singing. Too precious! Yesterday, we saw our first hummingbirds!!! I don't believe I've ever seen one before. They are so tiny and cute! So, I was very happy that S was there with us. I'm sure we'll have them every year because they come for one of the perennials I planted last year. Very excited that my little girl will grow up with hummingbirds in her yard. Call me crazy, but for me, that was very special.

 

[Loves Vintage]

And, here's my baby!

 

[Puppmom]

Skippy, I'm sorry Evan didn't get to come home. Hopefully it won't be much longer.

Kunzite, O is so cute! I would love to see some of those pro pics!

Allie, I'm glad you posted! I always love the Charlie pics and you didn't disappoint.

LV, I'm in the same boat as you re: sleep. N sleeps well sometimes and sometimes not but we're just rolling with the punches for now. We do struggle getting ready in the morning with him in the bed. We build a pillow fort around him on the bed and use the video monitor to keep an eye on him. He mostly sleeps in his crib but usually ends up with us the last hour or so. S is so sweet. I love the sailor collar on her shirt!

Shiny, I'm so glad Lily had a nice birthday. She looks so stinking cute in all of her pics! ...and I agree with the others - stay here!

Noel, I love Skye's hat! She just looks so happy in all of her pics. I can't believe she eats like such a big girl. We have such a hard time getting N to try new textures.

I just had to share some pics. We put pics on the computer today and we had some of the cutest shots. I swear N's hair (and two front teeth) are growing by the minute! His favorite things these days are his blankie (god, that thing is getting stinky!) and his toy cars.

 

[Kunzite]

noel - Yes! O's eyes are exactly like S's!! I never know what to call them because they have every color you could imagine in them; blue, gray, green, yellow, brown, black. I just love that teddy bear hat Everytime I see a picture of your adorable girl I want to tickle her because she just looks like she has the best laugh!!

Skippy - Awww mama, I'm sorry to hear that. Hang in there. Even the morning that O came home we didn't know if it would be that day or not, they just kept us guessing! Nurses would come in and be like, "Is today the day?!" and we'd just look at them like, you tell us!! Stay strong.

Tao - O still has a bald spot. It's getting pretty funny looking because the hair above it is getting long so it looks like a strange old man comb over

LV - Oh my gosh, she is just the cutest. O and I were watching (okay, maybe just me....) LOTR a few days ago and I had an ah-ha moment! S looks like Galadriel with dark hair! If you cosleep for naps when you're home, what does S do at DC? Just curious. The last few nights O has been a little restless when eating his MOTN bottle so I think we're just going to slowly cut down the amount we give him as a little experiment to see if he really needs to eat. As you know, my baby isn't a big eater so I always hesitate to take away food he DOES want to eat!

pup - Look how big N is getting! You practically have a toddler on your hands! O doesn't have a blankie, but he can pull the bottom of his sleep sack up and suck on it. It smells so bad after a few nights! I need to order some more so we can wash more often because it's just gross!

Pro preview

Hopefully I'll have the disc in my hot little hands in a week or so and I can actually post more, although that tie one is my absolute favorite!

 

[random_thought]

SS: Happy Birthday to Lily!

Cupcake: I peed my pants involuntarily today while running...5 seconds later the neighbors knocked on our door for a cup of milk...so I feel your pain lol

AFM:
Hey all, I'm sorry I've been MIA! I've been busy with Cayden's baptism and lots of friends and family coming from out of town We had a great time and he is now 10 weeks old today! We are getting lots of smiles and he is actively working on rolling over! He also loves talking to us, to himself, to the wall...anything that will listen really Sleeping 10 hours now, waking up in the middle to eat...mommy and daddy are VERY happy!

 

[Deelight]

So much to catch up on I hope I didn't miss anyone

Thanks for the lovely comments about the sleeping Lily - she was fairly happy in that pic namely as it was taken shortly after she managed a number 5 while we were out (without a parents room in sight )

Tao - WOW and congrats on Violet rolling that is awesome

Noelwr - The pics of Sky just get cuter and cuter if that is possible she has such the prettiest eyes and I am so in love with her hat so cute

Cupcake you have the cutest family I love the little dress so cute with all the ruffles - good luck with going back to work

As for head holding L could almost do it from day dot but in saying that she was also a pretty big bubba (9lbs 12) but I think by about 1.5 -2 mths she had it down pat.

As for swaddling we just finshed at about 3.5mths we swaddled for that long do to the cold weather - we moved from a miracle blanket to a woombie convertable (love it do not like the winter one) when L started to fight the peanut shell in her sleep we let her arms free and she went with it - I still use it some nights depending on how cold it is but she now uses a sleep sack and blankets and jumpers (we are in winter here) I think to a certain extent you can tell/guess when bubs is ready


Also for the leakage problem at the hospital where I gave birth they have a physio come and assess you and they give you pointers and excersizes - definitly up the kegals they do help strengten your pelvic floor also when you get up or move position brace yourself (pull up your kegals) this can help

The other thing is when you go to the loo they recomend leaning forward onto your knees and using the balls of your feet this helps to get rid of more waste with less strain and therefore help not damage the muscles further - I think to a certain extent most women do develop this issue after giving birth - hope it gets better
Kunzite - WOW O is 8mths - time does fly and he has grown so much I love his hair kinda looks like a mini flat mow he looks so spunky

LV - S so looks like a little elfin baby so pretty and sweet - I love that googled the smiling that made me giggle - as for STTN and CIO I have never had to do it at night but I do admit doing a modified version for naptime this morning and it was hard - we caved and lilybug won so I am probally the worst person to give advice on this - I hope she starts STTN soon

As for prewgg weight I was huge but reall all belly no idea how much I have left to lose but I can now fit in my smallest jeans however in saying that I have the worlds biggest muffin top OMG it is horrendous but they button up so I take that as a win

As for co=sleeping I am in the too scared to try basket however on the odd occasions where I have accidently fell asleep with her in the bed while feeding I have literally not moved a muscle unless she started and then I woke up to react to her

Pupp - awww look at little N's teethers he looks such a happy cute bubba

Skippy - Twinkie mumma you know your always in my thoughts love the pic you posted of Miles *hugs*

Shiny - the montage is beautiful - I especially love the photo of Lily with her bro she just looks a picture of utter contentment and he looks so proud of his lil sis - all the pics are beautiful and congrats to Lily turning 1 *clap*

Allie you ake the most amazing pics loving all the photo's looks like C enjoyed the beach

RT cayden looks like a cutie

AFM Liljana is trekking along she turned 4mths last week we are pretty sure she has said her first word - DA-DA 3.30 in the morning she decides to have a 2hr party with mama and out it popped she has said it a few times again not that she makes the connection but it is still cute - Time has flown and she is starting to be a lot more fun to take out the last month or so she has become hyper aware of her surroudings and can actually travel in her pram without a meltdown

We started solids this week on our pedi's advice he suggested introducing allergen foods before she turns 6mths as new research indicates it is 5 times less likely that she will develop allergies her cousin has a peanut allergy so I am cautious in doing this still haven't had the guts to do it yet. So far she has just had a little rice cereal once a day she has also had a little banana and apple sauce - so far so good - not sure how much/times I am meant to feed her so I have been giving a couple of teaspoons once a day will be checking with the healthcare nurse next week .

Still no proper rolls she has done it when she has not tried - I put her on her tummy and she kicks her legs like a mad woman as if she wants to move - she does however get really happy and proud when mama rolls her over LOL

I have to say really loving the 4mths she is such a giggly girl hearing bubba laughter makes my day

Hope your all well

 

[Loves Vintage]

Puppmom, Wow! N looks like he's grown so much since the last photos you posted! I love the picture of him in his wagon!!

Kunzite, So, you're saying my baby looks like an Australian elf? I don't know the movie, so I looked up a photo. S sleeps at dc in a pack and play. They say she falls asleep on her own. I think she behaves differently there because her mama is not around, which is how other moms and the ladies at daycare have explained the inconsistency to me.

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

Looking ahead, does anyone have the Pewi Ybike Ride On Toy and Walking Buddy: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004EIS6EQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER. I saw it in one of those parenting magazines.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Quick drive by post. We were in NJ this weekend visiting the in-laws and Aidan got to hang with two other babies his age. One, was 11 months and was pretty on par with Aidan developmentally and the other was my friend's daughter who is 10 months and is OMG, so far beyond the boys developmentally (she's walking and saying a few words on her own). It's crazy to see how different they all can be but be the same age.

The best picture from the weekend. A in his first bouncy house experience!

 

[Kunzite]

Kunzite, So, you're saying my baby looks like an Australian elf? I don't know the movie, so I looked up a photo.

Not at all! I'm saying she looks like a strong, regal, beautiful, girl! I just see a lot of similarities between her face and Cate Blanchet.

 

[noelwr]

Skye is crawling! okay, not really crawling on all fours, but if you put something in front of her, just out of her reach, she does a combination of pushing with her legs and pulling her body forward with her arms. anyway, she can move forward now!

HH - that's a really cool, artistic pic with the netting in front.

rt - love how you always look so happy with Cayden in your pics.

Deelight - you just feed her until she stops eating. don't worry, she won't overeat.

LV - I think Sam looks like a little elfin baby. she's just adorable. what color are her eyes? you have such nice outfits for her. I have to take photos of Skye right after I put any clothes on or otherwise they have food stains all over them and drool down the front. hummingbirds - cool!

Kunzite - I live next to a retirement home and run into a lot of old ladies at the grocery store and they all comment how S has brown eyes. uh... she doesn't. not that there's anything wrong with brown eyes because I've got very dark ones, but right now her eyes are just not brown. OMG, O's pro pics are fantastic! his lips are so juicy red.

puppmom - one more month to go! any plans for the first birthday?

 

[Mara]

Just popping in to say I LOVE ALL THE PHOTOS..!!!! love love love PS babies, they are the cutest!!

and Noel, what brought me into the thread was your SUPER CUTE avatar of Skye...those CHEEKS. i love baby cheeks!

 

[turtledazzle]

Oh, all the sweet PS baby pics! Love them all! I am still terrible about downloading pics from my camera, but we have been taking them. One of these days there will be a ton of pics of T to post.

Skippy -- So sorry Evan didn't get to come home. Soon your sweet boys will both be home with you.

I'm hopelessly behind on pretty much everything these days. We traveled to New England last month -- T's first flight -- and he did wonderfully on the trip. He was a big hit with the grandparents who hadn't seen him in about 8 months. A couple of weeks later we went on a 4+ hour road trip and, again, he did great.
He's currently cutting his top two teeth, and cruising around on things. He loves his little walking push toy, so walking is surely going to come soon. He officially said "bye bye" loud and clear this morning ... melted my heart. Otherwise he is signing "more" a lot at meal times these days, and says "ma" for more. He also says "ma ma" and "da da" a lot, but we're not so sure he really uses them in context. He turned 11 months on Saturday ... where has all the time gone?

Re: deswaddling. We started gradually deswaddling at 3 months. We started by leaving one arm out (alternating each night). He did OK with that for a week so then we tried both arms out with epic failure. Went back to one arm out for another couple of weeks and by 4 months 1 week we completely deswaddled and moved to sleep sacks. We are now at day 3 of no sleep sack at night.

Our next thing to tackle is pacifier use. T slept mostly without one until 7 months when he started cutting his first tooth -- the paci was the ONLY thing that would soothe him then. So now he's really attached to them and I'm scared of how bad it is going to be -- it will be some really tough nights for all of us! But, I would rather break the habit sooner than later, and he really shouldn't be using one when it is time to move up to an older room at day care. Ugh. Anyone here have any advice?

 

[noelwr]

turtledazzle - I too am interested in weaning off the pacifier. I then googled it and read somewhere to do it at 18 months. anyway, I am already slowly trying to get S to use it less by not giving it to her during play time unless she starts whining. however, it is making a great "carrot-stick" to help her learn to crawl. she doesn't have any teeth, yet, so I think it's going to be a long time before we wean the pacifier at bed time. I did read that once you take it away at night, don't give it back when they start crying or they will get confused. you need to be strong and no pacifier = no pacifier.

 

[Deelight]

HH cute photo of Aidan looks like he was having a ball

Noelwr YAY for Skye moving she will be crawling before you know it

turtle no advice here - I sucked my thumb till I was 5 my parents tried everything apprently in the end a newspaper article showing a baby with two tales made me stop ( my dad showed me the picutre and told me I would grow tails if I kept sucking) - god luck

L had her vaccines today poor bugger - she was braver then mama was I always feel so bad when she cries but she was a little champ gave her some homemade applesauce today the reactions were priceless

hope your all well

 

[somethingshiny]

Real quick on the paci. At about 8 months, I only let Lily have it in the car and in the crib. For the last couple months, she can only have it in the crib. It's worked really well for us. She doesn't get mad that she can't have it during the day, but she will say "ni-ni" to get in the crib and have a suck. She'll just play contentedly for 30 min or so while sucking the paci and then want to get up. So, in addition to the paci soothing, she has learned that some alone time helps too. I'm not sure when we'll wean. I was hoping she'd kind of wean herself. If not, we'll prob go cold-turkey on it around 18 months.

 

[turtledazzle]

Thanks for the paci advice everyone!

Real quick on the paci. At about 8 months, I only let Lily have it in the car and in the crib. For the last couple months, she can only have it in the crib. It's worked really well for us. She doesn't get mad that she can't have it during the day, but she will say "ni-ni" to get in the crib and have a suck. She'll just play contentedly for 30 min or so while sucking the paci and then want to get up. So, in addition to the paci soothing, she has learned that some alone time helps too. I'm not sure when we'll wean. I was hoping she'd kind of wean herself. If not, we'll prob go cold-turkey on it around 18 months.

Tyler also only gets the paci in the crib -- it is only used for sleep. As with everything it seems, I have read conflicting things. Overall there doesn't seem to be any harm in pacifier use until after 2-3 years of age, but weaning can get more difficult as they get older (as least from what I have read from people's stories). I am actually not that worried about his using it since it is only for sleep, but as I said we need to wean sooner rather than later since he'll have to be off of it before moving up in rooms at daycare (not sure when that will be yet -- not until he has been walking for a bit so we've got time).

 

[Skippy123]

GOOD NEWS EVAN is home!!!! We still need to go to the Hematologist weekly to monitor his ANC levels since he is Neutropenic but it is sooooo nice to have our chubby baby home!!! I will try to check in when I can. many hugs to you mommas and your beautiful babies!!! I LOVE all the pics.!!! gorgeous little ones

 

[lliang_chi]

Skippy fantastic news!!! I'm so happy you have your home family at home with you!!!! Hugs to the Skippy Family!!!!

 

[tiffanytwisted]

Skippy that's fabulous! I'm so happy he's home, enjoy your first night together as a family!!

 

[Kunzite]

Yea Skippy!!! That's amazing news

 

[Puppmom]

Skippy, that is fantastic news! We'll assume that no news is good news and no posting=BUSY MOMMA!

 

[Lanie]

Yay Skippy!!! Enjoy little Evan and Miles as they become partners in crime!!!

 

[noelwr]

Skippy - can't wait to hear all about having both your boys home now.

- - -

AFU, Skye has diaper rash. I thought it might be from teething, but we can't feel anything. she also had two 1.5 hrs naps yesterday. not sure what's going on. maybe all the crawling is wearing her out. this week we tried spinach and that was her to her liking. drinking water from the sippy cup is also going well. I dread transitioning to drinking without a lid but apparently they should be able to around 9 months? seems too soon. tomorrow she is going to spend 2 nights at my mom's. it is going to be so quiet at home. I can't wait to sleep in.

after getting dressed in the morning...


sitting makes me tired...