PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[Loves Vintage]

Skippy - That must be tough! Are you able to spend time outdoors in your backyard? You have nice weather year round, right? Or walks with the boys. Sorry, I don't think I realized fully about Evan's neutropenia and that it meant he couldn't go out. I hope he grows out of it! Sounds like chances are very good that he will. That's so nice of your husband to encourage your walks. I'm sure it helps to re-group. I think taking them for a drive sounds like a good idea. I would totally be at the Starbucks drive-thru too, haha!

Re: taking babies out and their schedules. I take S out, usually right after a nap and right after she eats. I don't go out for too long. Usually, it's a max of two stops, so taking her in and out of the car seat twice. She hates being put in it. This is the convertible seat. She never minded the smaller car seat, I guess because it's more reclined? Anyway, I bring a bottle with me, in case she gets hungry, and I have fed her in the car before. She will also fall asleep in the car on longer drives. I also put her in the ERGO for every errand. She has never sat in front part of the cart at a store. She really likes being in the ERGO, and I LOVE carrying her that way. It's very easy because both hands are free, and I never worry about her for a second, because there she is, hanging out with momma. I am very lucky because she never cries when I'm carrying her, plus all of her other needs are already met. I *think* (and totally appreciate that I could be wrong) that sometimes parents over-estimate how long their babies can stay out, and that's when you hear screaming babies. Here's my disclaimer - of course babies cry for other reasons too. This is just my perception about one of the reasons why they may be a little cranky when out and about.

 

[Puppmom]

Skippy, N used that paci and it did help it stay in - at least when he was in the stroller. Hopefully the weight will at least keep it from rolling away in the crib. Oh, and I wouldn't sweat the solids. We didn't start N until 6 months and, even then, he didn't eat much of it. He was a milk baby! He LOVED his milk.

LV, so glad S likes the grilled cheese. We have to limit N too since he's a face stuffer. He starts signing for more when he gets down to just a couple of pieces.

Allie, Charlie is just too handsome. Great job on the birthday party. Everything looks wonderful! Babies totally bring families together so I'm super happy for you that you're feeling all the love.

Basil, yay for adventures with baby H! That life jacket pic is the cutest! What color eyes was he born with? N still has blue eyes so I'm wondering if they'll change at this point. DH has blue eyes and, for some reason, it really excites him that N has his eye color.

Noel, glad to hear N isn't the only one who tries to shove all of the food in his mouth at once! He has a couple of ride-on toys but he prefers to push them and pull them. My nephew, who is almost 2 likes to ride them. Either way, I think S will get some use out of her cute new toy even if she doesn't use it how it's intended.

 

[Loves Vintage]

LV, so glad S likes the grilled cheese. We have to limit N too since he's a face stuffer. He starts signing for more when he gets down to just a couple of pieces.

Puppmom - THAT is adorable! How many signs does N know? How long would you say it would take him to get each sign? I may have asked this already (short term memory issues!), but did you follow a particular book? Or did you just wing it. I would prefer to just wing it, as I have a ton of books I never even refer to, some of which I can't even find!

 

[Puppmom]

LV, we have a kit that MIL bought us but we've never used it. I looked up the signs on YouTube (cause I'm an idiot and I can't tell exactly what to do from the pictures alone) and we would just do the signs over and over when appropriate. For example, we would say and sign more every time we would give him another bite. One day, he just did it back! It took a few weeks of the same sign. We only did one at a time. He does "all done" and "milk" sometimes. I want to teach him please and thank you...just because I think it's cute!

 

[Skippy123]

Just for fun. I am hoping they fit them next month or I need to use other gowns but these belonged to their cousins. baptism gowns

PUPP, aw that is cute that he signs for more grilled cheese! He is precious!!!

LV, I should go to Starbucks!!! hehee Is S crawling all over the place now?

uh oh ,crying babies. gotta go! thanks for the tips everyone

 

[basil]

Hi everyone!

Aw, Skippy, what beautiful gowns! Congrats on 6 months! I can imagine it's really hard to go out with two, and with the neutropenia I'm sure it's better to stay home anyway. I hope little Evan outgrows it soon! It's nice of your DH to spell you for a bit for a walk. Sometimes it makes such a difference to be able to get away just for 20 minutes or so. You are doing such a great job with them though - you're like a supermomma! That lamb thing is so cute - I hope it helps. H won't take that kind of pacifier, but he also has that same problem.

Pupp - How is N doing at daycare this week? At what age did you start the signs? My cousin's DD did that but she learned them in daycare, then my cousin would sometimes not know what the sign meant! H's eyes were sort of grey-ish when he was born...it was hard to tell the color. Definitely not blue, but not dark brown either. I kind of thought he would have dark brown eyes cause DH does, but I sort of hope that they stay hazely green like mine. Aren't guys funny about babies looking like them? DH is so fascinated that H has some of his features, he talks about it all the time

LV - I think you're right - I totally think I overestimated his ability to go on errands when he was a newborn. It seems like there are so many contented babies riding around in snap n' gos, in carseats in shopping carts, etc. But mine was never one! We do something similar to you with H now. I have an Ergo and also a ring sling that he loves. I like the ring sling for shorter errands cause it's easier to get on and it's lighter to pack. We only just started using the Ergo without the infant insert though, so I think it will be better now. H really loves to nap in either one. So sometimes I park at a big strip mall and just schlepp between the stores and the car to do my errands so he can get a good sleep. Then I nurse him in the car before we drive home. This is the best solution that I have found, because he pretty much hates being in the carseat (infant model). He sometimes still screams on the way home, but at least it's not in public It's not so good for my budget, though, since then I spend a lot of time wandering around in Marshalls/TJMaxx/Target/DSW/etc and inevitably buy stuff! Yesterday I went on a 1 hour walk up and down hills cause I couldn't otherwise get him to fall asleep

Noel - I'm reading all your solids advice and taking it all in for later! H liked the water...He fell right asleep! I can't wait til it's summer again and I can take him swimming. I actually start work on Monday, so we are getting all prepared, physically and mentally. It's hard, but will be best in the long run.

Allie - Oh what a gorgeous boy and the party looks so fun. That giant cupcake is awesome. I always make fun of my mom since for my first birthday she forgot (???) so took pictures of me with a blueberry muffin with a candle. Did you make the cupcakes?

Anyway, not much new to report. Getting back to go to work on Monday has been occupying a lot of my thoughts. We stopped by the daycare to make up his bed and drop off stuff today. I had to do an unannounced visit for my sanity to just make sure everything was on the up and up. I know it will be fine. They have cute little Halloween decorations and they're having a Halloween party on Halloween where they will put on his costume. Parents are invited but it's at 9 am and I have interviews that day so I can't do. I already feel guilty. I should save my guilt for when he actually realizes and cares that I'm not there, but it's hard.

Sleep is going to be an issue. H is still waking up every 1.5-3 hours. And he wants to be nursed/rocked back to sleep. I know that the books say it's a no no at his age, that you should put them to bed drowsy but not quite asleep, blah blah blah. But if H isn't fully asleep, he starts screaming before his head even hits the mattress! And the screaming continues for 20 more minutes even after he is picked up again. He's too young for CIO, so how am I supposed to do this? I've just over the past few nights been transitioning him from bassinet to his crib. He's doing fine but it's harder on me to have to get up and go to the next room to feed him. And I keep falling asleep nursing which means he ends up sleeping in bed for like 2 hours til I realize, so I'm sure that's not helping either. Any advice??

 

[Loves Vintage]

Basil, Sounds like you're getting some good shopping in. That's so cute that H likes to sleep in the carrier. What kind of sling do you have? I remember it from your picture at the ocean. Re: sleep, I am by no means an expert!!! I feel like I have no place even commenting on a sleep question, haha, but I have some questions. Is H swaddled at night? Had he ever been? Does he like a pacifier at night? Do you nurse him right before bed? What does he wear at night? Now that S is a little older, I put an extra blanket on her at night. We've noticed that she sleeps much, much better this way. She STTN last night, and I had a full size quilt folded up a few times on her!! Sweet, cozy dreamland! She didn't wake til after 7!!! Now, I would not suggest that for H, since he is still so young, but if he's in a sleep sack, maybe a warmer one or doubling up. Just wondering if that might make a difference. Waking up every 1.5 hours seems like a lot, so maybe something else is going on. Oh, AND S used to sleep in our bed, and she would always cozy up to one of us during the night, which is why co-sleeping made me so nervous. Uhm, hindsight being 20/20, I think she was too COLD! Aye! Ok, so my last point -- S is now in a crib side-carred to the bed, so if she does get up (which she used to until fairly recently, and sometimes still does once a night) I don't have to get up to get her. That is an added benefit, but the real reason for it is because we weren't able to transition her to the crib in her room. One day, we will, but not yet. In my mind, she is at least sleeping in her crib now. A few months ago, she wouldn't even tolerate that. Ok, I'm rambling now, but I suppose my point is, if you see any benefit to keeping him in your room, so you don't have to get up, then that is an option. Of course, having him close also means he's aware you're right there, so maybe that would make him wake more?? So, basically, ignore what I just said. Ha! See, I told you I don't know what I'm talking about. Well, maybe some things to think about anyway.

Skippy, Awww, so sweet!! I hope you get to use those gowns. They are beautiful!! Nope, no crawling here yet. Since she was at the pedi for her 9 month visit on Monday, we discussed it. He is not concerned, nor am I. She will crawl when she crawls! She does move around a lot on her tummy and can even scoot around a little when in a seated position.

Puppmom, Youtube! Thank you! Yeah, I can't really figure out how to do it from just the pictures either. Haha! We are trying to teach her bye-bye now. She's still clapping away. It's great. Every time someone claps for her, she gets an instant smile. I love that. When random people stop to say hello to her, I suggest they clap, they do, and then she smiles, and the people love it. People LOVE to make babies smile!!! It is priceless to see!

 

[moxie.moo]

Hi ladies,

Skippy, I wanted to tell you that we have the same issue, but strangely enough it's only for naps--at night when it falls out or she spits it out she just goes back down. So strange. During the day we have frequent "paci malfunctions" and one of us will go RACING up the stairs to try to catch it and re-insert before things get ugly. I know we will need to wean her from it entirely at some point as it's impossible to get anything done when every 20-30 minutes you have to race around... I can imagine it's hard staying in so much. I lose my mind when my DH has a 24 hour call... there's only so much Lucy can do so it's tough to sit with her all day. Thank god for the internet and forums like this! When I go out with her, I feed her a bottle and know that I'm "on the clock" for 1.5 hours or so. Otherwise she's a crank or she falls asleep which is low-quality for her in the car seat on the move. Adorable baptism gowns! That reminds me that I have to schedule that pre-Advent.

LV, my nephew signed for so long and I was a smitten kitten. Please was by far my favorite and it's so cute when they use it appropriately when they're still teeny tiny. My sister is fluent in ASL so the signs were easy for her... I'm hoping she'll just teach me what I need to know. I hear you on the going out--we have a two stop rule because otherwise she is at her limit. I always have a bottle because it makes things go more smoothly, but my main time restriction is pumping--I have to feed the pump every 3-4 hours, so I either bring it with or go home, even when I have a sitter.

Noel, I love that Skye is working on her fitness. Too cute. She has the most edible cheeks.

Basil, I feel like we’re neck and neck! I go back to school/work next Thursday and I'm equal parts nervous and excited. I have a bit of a more gentle transition than you--2 days/week to start, then 3-4 days a week come January. We are opposite than you on childcare--we were originally committed to daycare but now think we may hire our sitter to be our nanny 30 hours/week. I'm conflicted as I want her with other kids, but the nanny gives us better coverage for when I see clients at night or my DH is overnight. I'm sure Hayden will thrive with either option and you can always switch! That's what I'm telling myself, so I can tell you the same! As for sleep, once Lucy started eating more during the day (28 ounces in 7 feeds rather than 24 in 8 feeds) she started sleeping so much more at night. That’s my limited advice and truth is I feel like I have so little control over everything—sometimes she doesn’t nap, sometimes she naps 2.5 hours at a time! Also, can you move the crib into your room? Lucy is too long for the bassinet (lady love is 2 feet tall already…) so we disassembled and reassembled the crib in our room to make a gentler transition for everyone. I also moved the crib further from my bed and I sleep better not hearing her every second and honestly I think she sleeps better too—my husband is a sleeptalker so we are always in dangerous territory. Hopefully it’ll get easier for you! Oh, and to echo LV, Lucy is definitely cold sometimes. Now I put her in a onesie, a gown and socks, a swaddle, and either a swaddle blanket or a sleep sack. I am eternally hot so I think I underestimated how much clothing she needed… May be worth a shot to add a layer??

Allie, the pics of Charlie are too cute. I can't believe how fast a year can go. What will next year bring? So exciting--congratulations on 1 year, mama!

I'm sure I missed people but I'll catch up soon, I hope.

AFU we are trucking along. I am becoming a Ferber devotee after reading about putting them to sleep where you want them to sleep instead of trying to transition her once she’s asleep. It suddenly made sense and for us it’s working--she almost always sleeps in the crib now and I think the issue was us messing with her rather than her sleeping poorly. It also makes it so much easier to do things while she’s asleep since I don’t tiptoe around now that she's upstairs even during the day. We had a 1-week stretch when Lucy was sleeping 10-7 overnight, but that seems to have passed and she's back up at least once a night again. It may be that we’ve gone away a lot but we’ll see… We tried dream feeds to keep the stretch going and I think it made it worse. I wouldn't have missed the long stretches if I had never had them, but now I'm feeling sleep-deprived all over. Still, she's a good sleeper when she does sleep, but it is just so irregular and unpredictable still. I'm too type A for baby schedules and I need to be more patient... The only thing we count on is not counting on anything.

I am still pumping full time, but my old hand-me-down pump crapped the bed yesterday. I debated renting versus buying since I never know how much longer I will last... I ended up buying since I had a 20% coupon and as it turns out the new pump is a DREAM. Same brand, same model, but probably 4-5 years newer and holy moly. My boobs may feel normal again after all. I wish I had done it sooner. Life-changing. I’m also getting more brave about taking her out—we’ve gone grocery shopping together, to church, and to the mall to walk when we had non-stop rain recently. Go me. Baby steps. Alright, ladies, have a great night!

 

[AllieLuv83]

Thank you for all of the kind comments ladies. Yes I toiled over the cupcakes and all of the food, decorations etc. for 2 days. I worked on Thursday and Friday and just did things after work for the party. It really was a blast. I am still nursing Charlie and pumping at work, since he won't drink cows milk yet, and won't take bm from a sippy cup so I just pump it and give it to him 1-2 hours after he goes to sleep.

Here is Charlie after his party enjoying his xylophone he received as a gift from his Auntie V.

 

[basil]

Allie - Love that grin on C's face! He looks so excited!

Moxie - good to hear from you! That's awesome that L is sleeping so well overnight. I feel the same as you about the naps - I never know if he is going to wake up in 10 minutes or sleep 3 hours. So when he goes to sleep I run around doing my chores as fast as possible then sometimes I'm like "ok, what do I do now?" if he takes a longer nap (like now!). H is also pretty long (24.5 inches!) but he sleeps with his legs bent up over his tummy (so funny), so he still fits in the bassinet. Moving the crib to the bedroom would be possible but a tight squeeze and it would only really be like 15 feet closer since his bedroom is directly next to ours. He is wearing cotton PJs (hanna anderson or similar) and a fleece Halo sleepsack swaddle thing, which ends up being like 3 layers of fleece wrapped around his torso and one layer on the bottom. I was actually worried he was hot! That's awesome about the new pump helping so much! Which one did you get? I have a Medela pump in style. I really wanted the Freestyle but it turned out my insurance got me the PIS for free, so I guess I'm stuck with it. I know a few ladies on here EP'd for a long time - I think there is a thread somewhere - so hopefully your investment is worth it!

LV - the sling is from http://www.comfyjoey.com/index.php. It's awesome! I felt a little bad about paying so much $$ for what is basically a piece of linen wrapped around some rings, but I couldn't make it myself for that price. And I have gotten to the point that a few hours of happy baby is worth a lot of money! It's probably not as comfortable as the Ergo or similar, since the weight is one one shoulder and your upper back rather than your hips, but it's currently comfortable for me for about 1.5 hours on one shoulder, and if I switched shoulders could probably get even longer out of it. Maybe that will change as he gets bigger, but I still think it will be nice for a quick trip to the grocery store or whatever. Once I got the hang of it, it only takes me about 30 seconds to put on (I timed it).

Anyway, the bedtime routine I started seems to be helping him fall asleep, which is good. We are doing bath/pjs/story/nurse/bed. The first night he took about an hour after nursing to fall asleep but now DH rocks him in his arms for 2 minutes and he is out. He has come to anticipate the nursing though and will start crying during the story to hurry it up! Oh well, one day he will appreciate the Mixed Up Chameleon. He is still waking up a lot at night though. Nursing every 3 hours. I have not been nursing him when he wakes up before 3 hours, which happens 1-2x/night, and he goes to sleep with about 5 min of rocking/cuddling, but won't settle himself. Ugh. I wonder if part of the problem is that he is not consistently in his crib since I fall asleep nursing and so he is usually in our bed ~2 hours or so per night. I guess I could feed him sitting up but that is just SO painful to contemplate at this point

 

[noelwr]

hello mommies! Skye's first toof is finally coming through. it is just the smallest dot... like the tip of a white needle poking through. it luckily doesn't keep her awake at night, though a few days ago it gave her a lot of trouble during nap time so I had to put in a paracetamol suppository. she still puts everything in her mouth, even sand when playing out in the playground at day care. unfortunately she doesn't eat as well as she used to. before bath time, she helps us put her toys in the box. she knows when we put a toy in her hand to put it "In the box!"

she had her first bubble bath.


my favorite pic from this week.

 

[somethingshiny]

Love the baby pics!!

Skye looks so happy in her bubbles. She reminds me of Lily so much. They seem to both have the same kind of attitude. Like they overlook their kingdom or something. lol

 

[Skippy123]

Hi Mommas!!! I was wondering how old everyones baby is right now?? I sort of lost track and was curious! We we have a few weeks before the baptism; I am excited!!! I am crossing my fingers the gowns still fit. If not, any suggestions on where to get one last min?

NOEL, love the bubbles, cute cute!

BASIL, hope going back to work is an easy transition!!! I will be thinking of you and H! the sling is super cute; I bought 2 Moby's and NEVER used them. I should though. I hope H sleeps better soon.

ALLIE, C is growing so fast!!! how old is he? aww cute!

MOXIE, the new toy paci is great but the only drawback is the plush toy is attached to it so you can't throw it in the dishwasher. They need to come up with velcro for it, instead of sewing it on. Bliss said she used the Ferber method and it worked for them. Is it working for you. How old is your lo? Yay for pumping. More pics please!!!

LV, awww I just love your S, she is precious! We need more pics please. I bet I confused Noel's lo w/your girl for the crawling. My sisters SIL has the cutest baby girl and she scoots to get around and she is a little over a year. I think the crawling really varies and same with walking. My nephews both walked really late and now they are super stars, running around etc. thanks about my boys!

 

[bubbly1126]

First off, I have to apologize as I am really slacking in the PS department. Ugh. I just can't seem to find the time. I intend to catch up on everyone tomorrow but for now here is a quick post.

Liam is 6 weeks and getting more handsome every day. I love my little man beyond comprehension. He is eating anywhere from 4-6oz every 2-4 hours and sleeping anywhere from 3 to 5 1/2 hours at a time. Usually the first session is 3 to 5 1/2 and then we get up and feed him and then from then on it's about 2-3 hours for the next session. I don't think he is doing bad at all. He is also now in his crib and I was having the hardest time getting him to sleep in it because he wouldn't sleep on his back all of a sudden. (So we'd put him in his bouncer... I know, that's a no-no... but when that's the only place you're child will sleep besides your arms, you'll do it! lol) I think it was either gas or the fact that it's too quiet in his room. I swear he sleeps better if there is noise... nothing seems to wake him up. So tonight I put a radio in his room and have it on low to see if it helps. So far he has been in his crib, asleep with no fussing for the past half hour. That's a record. Who knows what the actual issue is but if this helps, I'll take it!

Basil: I think it was you who asked what color eyes he has. They are blue. Daddy has brown and I have blue. I'm not sure if they will change but I really don't think they will because usually if they are going to they have a darker hue to them but his don't... I think his are too blue to turn to brown... but we will see. I'm hoping they stay so he at least has SOMETHING of his mommy's. Haha.

Anyway, that's all the time I have... I have to get some sleep in before he decides he wants to wake up. I hope you are all doing well and I'm going to try my hardest to play catch up tomorrow.

For now, here are some pics...

 

[noelwr]

shiny - thanks so much. I love Lily (from what you've written about her) so that means a lot to me. Skye does this thing when she's checking something out... she tilts her head back and then looks at it down past her nose, all snobby like. I call it her critical look. but overlooking her kingdom... yes, that describes it perfectly, too!

inhisarms - love the last pic of little Liam. in that one, I also think he looks like you.

 

[Skippy123]

Quick hello & catch up a little later. eta: inhisarms, aw what a handsome lo my boys 6 months old

 

[Puppmom]

Noel, S looks gorgeous as always. I love her Hello Kitty shirt. Whenever I see Hello Kitty stuff it reminds me of when DD was little. She used to call Hello Kitty Hello THE Kitty. It was very cute.

IHA, what a cutiepie! Those are great eyes so hopefully they stay put. DS doesn't look anything me like me (now or when I was a kid). Oh well, one of the reasons I fell in love with DH is he's handsome so it's okay by me if DS looks like him!

Skippy, those two are adorable. It's interesting how they're looking less alike as they grow.

Basil, daycare is going okay. I still feel sad a little that he's there and not with us or MIL. N still craves adult time so he's constantly being held or accompanied one on one by an adult. This morning, he cried when DH dropped him off which isn't unusual but, when DH put him down, he ran to one of the teachers and put his arms up to be picked up. He stopped crying when she picked him up. At least I know he likes them! He's still eating and sleeping really well there. Word on the street is he loves circle time singing too. re: signs, we started with N around 8 months or so and he picked it up pretty quickly. My brother has the same problem with his son - he's signing and my brother has no idea what he means!

Allie, love that action shot of Charlie!

LV, do you leave extra diapers at daycare? Right now, we're sending in 4 per day plus we keep 2 or 3 extras there. Lugging them back and forth is not as much of a pain as I thought it would be. It's really no bother at all. I'm just worried we'll forget his bag one day!

 

[dcgator]

Hey Ladies,

I am sorry that I have been gone again for so long, but things have been uber busy to say the least. I will try to catch up with you all later, but I at least wanted to give you an update. Ms Sophia is nearly 11 weeks old (about 2.5 months) and doing really well. She was weighing in at about 10.5 pounds and was 23.5 inches long at her 2 month visit.The past few weeks have been filled with activities. Two weeks ago Sophia and I took our first solo trip to visit granny and auntie for a few days. Granny wanted sometime with the LO before I went back to work and daddy needed some quiet time to cram for his GMAT. The trip went well both ways and she slept like a champ in her carseat for the 3.5 hours each way. Last week, I started back to work supposedly for half days, but it ended up being more like full days work wise, ugh. S went to daycare for about 2 hours the first day, and we increased by an hour or two each day, till she pulled a full day last Friday. I end up dropping her off around 9 and daddy picks her up around 4. She has transitioned really well and seems unphased by going to "school" all day. I miss her while she is gone, but at the same time, it's nice to get a little respite from 24 hours a day babytime. It's so quiet in the house now though, sometimes I feel like I hear her anyway, lol. This week I have been back to work officially full time, and so far so good. I do want to quit working as soon as she gets home though, so that has been kinda tough.

On the feeding front, I am still pumping for her, and manage to give her 2-3 bottles a day of breast milk, and the rest we supplement with formula. We seemed to elimate any colicky fits by going with the Gentlease formula, no direct breastfeeding, and using only Playtex dropins. She still has a lot of gas and some spit up though, especially at night, so we are giving her gas drops after her evening feeds. As for sleeping, she isn't doing much at daycare, since she is one of those that doesn't want to miss a thing. She ends of taking 30 minute naps or so throughout the day, rather than one or two longer naps. However, she is sleeping well at home. She sleeps through the night, aside from one feeding. She ends up going down after her bottle at around 10/10:30 pm and will wake up about 4+ hours later for a feeding and then will sleep till around 7 am. We transistioned her into her crib in her room this weekend instead of the bassinet in our room. She seems to be doing ok, so I hope it keeps up. On that note, we have the Summer Infant video/monitor and I must say its awesome. I can see her really well at night, so much so that I can tell well her pacifer is out or in. Developmentaly, she is starting to balance in a sitting up position and is constantly trying to sit up all by herself. She has also discovered her hands and I can't keep them out of her mouth. I also get some yummy drooling with the hands thing, lol.

Overall, Miss S is a very happy baby and loves to smile. She is a champ with going out and riding in the car, and will sleep through daddy and I going out to dinner or running errands. God bless her that she likes the car/movement. That being said, if she is fussy, she needs her swing or the vibrator in her pack and play to calm down. So, no major complaints here and I have to say daddy and I are quite smitten. I have attached a picture of her smiling and being goofy but will try to post some more pics later. Till then, I hope you all are doing well and I look forward to catching up properly soon!

 

[dcgator]

Btw, I love all the baby pics, thanks for sharing ladies!

 

[Loves Vintage]

DCG, Yay! Happy to "see" you here and to read your update. Sounds like everything is going smoothly for you guys! Sophia is adorable! You have to come back and post more pics!

Puppmom, Aww, I know daycare is tough, but it's so nice to hear that he's so comfortable with his teachers. Sounds like a really nice place for him. Very cute that he likes the sing-alongs. Don't you love getting the updates from daycare. I live for those phone calls. Haha. I keep watching the clock. I start to want to call to see how her day is going at like 10! Haha. Re: diapers, I keep a small stash (like 6?) of disposables at daycare in case we forget. I don't like leaving any there because I would need the extras for use at home. Overnight diapers have proven to be a bit of problem now that S is STTN. I used to use an insert with long microfiber insert and a hemp insert, but that wasn't enough. After laundering her bedding for a few mornings in a row, I decided to just use a disposable. Any ideas?

Skippy, Awwwwwww, so CUTE X 2!! Hehe! I can't believe they're 6 months already!!!

IHA, Liam is so cute! I love his eyes! The last photo you posted is just the cutest! His little personality is shining through!

Noel, Skye's pictures are so sweet! I really like both of them! She's so pretty in the hello kitty photo. Yay for her first little tooth!!

Moxie, Glad to see you posting! Good for you on getting the new pump. I wonder if your supply will increase now. I too started out with a used pump. I hated that thing!! I had no idea that a good pump could make that much of a difference.

Basil, How's sleep going this week?

Geri, Haven't heard from you in a while! We'd love an update on C. What's she up to these days?

**********
S turned 9 months on Friday. I took her to the aquarium. I wasn't sure what she'd think of it. She may have been a bit too young, but I do think she liked the smaller colorful fish. We went to a sea lion show, and clearly she had no idea what was going on, but whenever the audience clapped, she DID too! It was very very funny and CUTE! Clapping is her thing these days. If daddy is down at the bottom of the stairs, and he claps, she gets a big smile, thinks for a few seconds, and then claps too! If we make her teddy bear clap, she claps too. Hee, hee. Oh, and she's using her knees, doing the bending back on her knees thing, so I think crawling will be here soon.

Oh, and I had the flu this weekend. I was worried that S would get sick. She didn't. She'd had the first dose of her flu shot last Monday. I was so happy for that flu shot!!

And, some photos. In the second photo, she's doing a head tilt thing, which she does on occasion while she's looking at us, she then smiles and giggles. A whole new perspective on the world!

 

[Puppmom]

LV, it took me forever to find a sure-fire nighttime diaper solution. A double-stuffed BumGenius would usually (but not always) do the trick. Right now, we use an apple cheeks cover and two loopy do inserts. I chose the Applecheeks because they have a really roomy pocket. Our Blueberries are probably roomy enough to hold two loopy do inserts too. I've never been able to doublestuff a Fuzzibunz. N is very bootilicious in his night time diaper but it's cute!

 

[Kunzite]

Hi ladies!!

I don't have time to do much catching up but wanted to drop in.

Allie - Happy birthday to Charlie!!!!

LV - Did you figure out your answer about the amount of food? We're sort of going through this right now too. I also can't seem to figure out any good finger foods to send to daycare. Everything I want to make either seems too hard to send in, too hard to warm up, etc. So for now we've been sending in puffs, but I'd really like to give him some real food as a snack. re: overnight diapers, we do the same as pupp. We double stuff a Blueberry. We use the double layer Blueberry insert and also a Thirsties doubler. It's *just* enough coverage for right now. Every few days he'll have a little leak at the leg but not much. I just bought some Baby Kicks hemp doublers too, so we'll see if those hold more. Look at S!!!! She looks so mature, I just adore her!! And look at all of that hair!! We've been trying to teach O to clap, but he's not interested in the least.

noel - S can't have a tooth!! Now her and Ollie aren't twins anymore. How has teething been for her? You go back to work soon, right? Are you excited?

basil - I hope DC goes well!

IHA - Liam is a cutie!

Skippy - Hi mama!!! Such adorable pictures of the little guys. I love Evan's comb over (that's Evan, right?). We try to do that with O's hair too since it's longer down the middle. We call him Dapper Dan with that hairdo

pupp - I'm glad to hear DC is going well so far. O just started crying and crawling over to us when we drop him off in the mornings. It's so sad. I feel okay about it because he's always fine by the time the door shuts!! It still breaks my heart a little though. We take 6 diapers to DC on his first day of the week and then just bring in however many he used the next day (to always keep his stash at 6) and then take everything home on Friday.

dc - Good to see you! Little S is such a doll. I'm glad to hear that transitioning back to work has been okay and that DC has been good.


AFU - We just got back from a two week trip to the midwest to visit our families. I was really nervous about flying with O, but he did a really good job. We bought him his own seat because I'm super uncomfortable with how unsafe a lap baby is, so he was in his car seat. We decided to rear face his seat on our first flight, which wasn't a great idea. Our flight was so early in the morning that he actually fell asleep before we even pushed back from the gate (score!) and then stayed asleep during takeoff. A la the thread in Hangout about reclining seats..... the lady in front of O immediately reclined her seat and kept slamming it into his car seat!! Not just once, and not lightly. I was like, lady just look behind you and see what you're hitting!!! She nearly woke him up before she finally decided to sit still. I realize she wanted to sit back farther, but I don't think she would have enjoyed it if there was a screaming baby that she'd just woken up right next to her head! Needless to say, we forward faced him on the remaining three flights!

We recently got a Macbook and I'm not very good with it yet, so I have no idea how to resize pictures!! Hopefully I'll get with the program and figure it out soon because I need to post some new pictures! My baby is going to be one in less than two weeks!!!!

 

[noelwr]

Skippy - you can really see now that the boys are brothers!

dcgator - love Sophia sticking out her tongue!

LV - aw, the head tilt thing is so sweet. have you also got the Boon Flair? we took the seat belts off because Skye just chews on them and they get really dirty.

Kunzite - whoa, O turning one in 2 weeks. teething is going really slow. I thought this thing would pop out in a couple of days... now I see only three little pin points next to each other. she had a couple of days when she was really crying during nap time. otherwise, it hasn't kept her up at night. nah, I haven't really missed work. but going back means I'm on my way to a healthy recovery so it's a good thing.

- - -

Skye is pulling herself up on the furniture and standing a lot lately. yesterday she was pointing at pictures in her book, like I usually do. otherwise she doesn't point much. she also doesn't clap properly so it took me a while to figure out that was what she was doing. she claps her hands on top of each other. I'm not sure if she understands waving either. she will move her arm up and down but I don't know if she's doing it on purpose or she's just happy.

was trying to take a nice pic for a Christmas card this morning and got a couple of shots that are typical Skye:

looking down her nose at the world and clapping hands her own way


and right now hanging out under the desk

 

[Skippy123]

Beautiful Oliver

 

[Skippy123]

KUNZITE, Oliver is such a doll! He looks like such a happy happy baby! I am glad he had a good trip to see family! I am super glad to see you back; you were missed!!

NOEL, yay for Skye standing and pulling herself up! Awwww, such a cute outfit, darling!

LV, yay for 9 months!!! Gosh the time is flying; It feels like yesterday you gave birth! Oh my gosh she is beautiful!!!!! Do you have the boon high chair? do you like it? we haven't bought high chairs yet. I am just thinking ahead. aw that is so sweet you to her to the aquarium. You aren't a SAHM, right?

DCGATOR, aww, your little girl is adorable!!! I am glad she had a good trip to see family! sounds like such a good baby! good luck to your hubs!

PUPP, that is so cute your guy loves circle time singing; he sounds like a doll! aww


AFM, nothing too exciting. the babies are crazy active. Miles has some ezema (it just started) so I have been putting California baby on his dry patches (poor guy). I hear they grow out of it? I hope so. They love tummy time and playing with their toys. Thanks for your sweet words on my boys!!! Are you dressing up the babies for Halloween? What will they be dressed as?

 

[basil]

Hi all!

Skippy - We are dressing H up as Darth Vader...and our puppy will be Yoda. It's kind of dorky but the idea of my sweet baby as an evil villain is pretty funny to me. We'll probably try to take some pictures this weekend. Are you dressing E and M up? There must be a lot of fun costumes you could go with twins! Yeay for 6 months and pumpkin pictures.

K - O is such a doll! I love that lightening romper. Happy early birthday!

Noel - omg, that is the cutest hat that she has on! have you decided which you will use for the card? Congrats on first tooth!

LV - love those pictures! I think S looks sort of like Winona Ryder with her little pixie hairdo.

DC - good to hear from you! Cute sweater that Miss S is wearing there. H is doing the same thing at daycare...we get a sheet every afternoon with his diapers, feedings and naps. He always has like 5 naps that are 30 min long each! I hope he and S get used to it and sleep a little longer. We have the summer video monitor too and I think it is worth it's weight in gold. Sometimes I just like to watch him sleeping.

Pupp - glad that N seems to be adjusting to daycare well. That's great that he loves his teachers...I bet in time he will make some buddies with the other kids too. He's probably just not used to it yet though.

IHA - L is so cute! He looks like he's gonna grow up to be a football player or something!

Anyway, back to work on Monday. Was definitely bittersweet. I do like my job and it's nice to feel important again...wrong way of putting it I'm sure, but it's hard to explain. H is so far doing pretty well at daycare. I call once or twice a day to check on him and I can sometimes hear him "talking" in the background. He loves to give little soliloquies of baby babble with a super serious face on, like he is giving his plan for fixing the economy.

The only part we are having an issue with is feeding. I am pumping like crazy at work. I get about 3 oz every 2 hours. It is a lot of pumping. But daycare is giving him a lot of milk. Little H is a bit of a glutton so I know they are just making sure he doesn't go hungry, but it's frustrating that he eats more than I can pump - at one point he drank 5.5 oz at once! Then when he drinks so much milk at daycare, he doesn't want to breastfeed when he gets home, which isn't helping either. Today and yesterday were better than the first two days though so I am gradually cutting back the amount and seeing if they can feed him every 2-2.5 hours instead of every 3 and then do smaller bottles. And give the pacifier directly after the bottle so he is not just eating to suck. Did anyone else have this problem?

The other thing - which is minor - is that they seem very attached to using diaper ointment all the time? I never felt like he needed it before and he does get changed frequently there, so he doesn't have a rash or anything. I don't want to make a big deal but I'm not sure I like the idea of all that cream if he doesn't need it. Maybe I will buy a more natural cream...I just bought the cheapest cause I figured I never used it!

H is still killing us at night...I am hoping as we get closer to 4 months things will improve a little? He's almost 3 months now. Just a 4-5 hour stretch would be great at this point. Mama is living on caffeine.

Well, tomorrow is Friday and I am looking forward to the weekend! Hope you all post some Halloween costume pictures!

 

[noelwr]

Kunzite - I got confused as to why Skippy was posting O's pics! anyway, he is getting so grown up, too! I think he looks great in glasses. so studious.

Skippy - I wish Halloween was a bigger thing here. I think it's starting to become popular because my cousin's kids are going trick-or-treating and there are Happy Halloween banners at the day care.

basil - H's soliloquies sound so cute! below is the photo I chose for the card. it's my first time photo shopping and airbrushing. I had to airbrush the drool hanging off her chin! you can still see it a little, though, as I'm crap at this. plus I haven't paid for the program and am just using the 30 day trial version.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Noel, I think you did a GREAT job with the editing! I was going to ask you if that was a professional photo before I read your post. Very, very cute!! She looks like a little princess! Yes, we have the boon flair. I got it off of craigslist for free. Hee hee. I was going to pay $50, if I recall correctly, but the couple noticed some of the finish came off of the bottom (the metal part) so they decided to give it to me for free!! S doesn't really chew on the straps, though they do get messy especially with the cream cheese sandwiches, which are a big hit!!

basil, Hee-hee, costumes sound adorable. You know we'll need pics, right? I've gotten the Winona Ryder comment before!! Re: rash cream, I would totally tell them not to use it! No sense in using it if he doesn't need it. I think the aveeno rash cream is "better" ingredient-wise, if you're looking for a cream like that. I will use that if S has a rash-rash. Most of the time, if there is some redness, I use this b/c it's CD safe: http://www.amazon.com/GroVia-Magic-Natural-Diaper-Ointment/dp/B004G7BXPO It's clear, and it smells A-Mazing! Otherwise, I prefer to use nothing at all. I make lots of specifications at daycare, and no one seems to mind. They seem to understand that every baby and every mama is different, so they are very accommodating, which I totally appreciate!

Skippy, Yes, I do like the boon. I don't think I would have it if I had twins and had to pay retail, though! I am not a full SAHM. I'm home with her three days, and I go into the office two days. I work an additional 10 hours from home. It doesn't matter if I work those hours during the day, in the MOTN, or on the weekends. Basically, I'm accomplishing the same with this schedule as I used to during my regular M-F. The amount of work I receive is not consistent, so some weeks I'm working a lot more and playing catch-up, other weeks it's a lot easier to get everything done. Everyone seems happy with the way things have been going, most of all me since I get to spend so much time with my favorite little person! The days that I go into the office almost feel like a break because I can completely focus on work! Not sure how much longer I'll keep this schedule. Maybe another year? Oh, and I do have a halloween outfit. I'll post photos! Can't wait for halloween! (It's been YEARS since I've said that last!!)

Kunzite, YAY!!! You're back!!! We've missed you!!! And, cute little Oliver! Fantastic pictures as always! Such cute little outfits. Are any of them ebay finds? The knit outfit is adorable. What brand? For snacks, I've been sending in cut-up cheese. Havarti is nice because its still soft-ish and more flavorful, I think. DC also has cheerios, so I've authorized that as a snack. I give S trader-o's on her tray while I'm preparing meals, and she's happy as can be with them.

 

[Cupcake*Muffin]

Happy Friday Mamas!

Noel---Skye is so beautiful! The other day I saw a picture of another little girl that was modeling and her name started with an S. At first I thought it was your little S! By the way, that last picture of her under the desk, is that a little cow around her leg? Is it a bell? Or am I nuts?

LV---aw...I love the head tilt!

DC--glad to see you back! I'm glad S is such a sweetie and lets you guys have your time out. Hopefully she stays that way

Skippy--the boys are adorable! Is the eczema on his leg?

IHA--I love that picture of L smiling! So adorable!

Allie--I can't believe Charlie is already had a birthday! Time is flying for sure.

Basil--how's the sleeping going?

AFM: we settled the first car accident suit, and now we are onto the second one. Hopefully that one will settle next month and we can move on with our lives. We also got a memory foam mattress topper for DH which arrived today, hopefully it will eliviate some of his back pain from all the accidents. The stress of my job and lack of sleep (I get up 2 or 3 times a night to pump) is really getting to me, I have lost about 8 lbs in the last 3 weeks. None of my clothes fit...my boss jokes that the best diet to have is being a Purchasing Manager. I am hoping to get out this weekend and buy some new pants since everything I can pretty much just slide off of me without unbuttoning...sad times.

In other news Lorelei is now eating solids twice a day per the doctor's orders and she finally likes Sweet Peas. She is also in love with the Baby Mum Mum biscuits. We are setting things in motion to babyproof the house, now that when you put L down on the floor she manages to wiggle/roll herself all over the living room. I think we might ventur into sippy cup territory soon, since she keeps reaching for glasses and then putting them to her mouth when we hand her a glass/cup/can. Too cute. The dr said she would like her to be eating solids 3 times a day at 9 months...I'm getting sad that the nursing and pumping will end in another 6 months. But I guess the babe needs to grow up sometime. Lorelei also turned 6 months old on Sunday, she is now weighing in at 14lbs 9oz, 25" tall, and still has a tiny head at 40.2cm, which makes her around 25%, 25%, and 6%.

Here are a few pics from her 6 month shoot on Sunday. And we also dressed her up as a pink bunny for her first Halloween at Lincoln Park Zoo, I don't think she loved it since it was a bit warm, but she was so cute. L also got to sit in her first high chair at a restaurant...she looked like such a big girl. Have a good weekend everyone!

 

[Cupcake*Muffin]

And my favorite...sorry for the AW...