PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[pancake]

Mayerling, "they" do say that 5 hours is STTN for a breastfed baby - but I don't think it really matters what it is, it's great for you and N! I used to get very engorged when S slept longer early on, but it wasn't until she became consistent in sleeping longer stretches that my supply adjusted. That wasn't for several months - she started truly STTN just after 4 months (8 hours plus) and has settled at around 11-12 hours a night. At N's age things were still pretty changeable - she only woke for one night feed but the very long stretches were inconsistent for some time.

PT, Ava is going great guns!! Just love her cheeky little face. I do think she is looking more and more like her daddy as she grows! I think it's so important not to put pressure on yourself and am glad to see that you're feeling fairly relaxed about everything. She's perfect!!!

 

[pancake]

Mayerling, "they" do say that 5 hours is STTN for a breastfed baby - but I don't think it really matters what it is, it's great for you and N! I used to get very engorged when S slept longer early on, but it wasn't until she became consistent in sleeping longer stretches that my supply adjusted. That wasn't for several months - she started truly STTN just after 4 months (8 hours plus) and has settled at around 11-12 hours a night. At N's age things were still pretty changeable - she only woke for one night feed but the very long stretches were inconsistent for some time.

PT, Ava is going great guns!! Just love her cheeky little face. I do think she is looking more and more like her daddy as she grows! I think it's so important not to put pressure on yourself and am glad to see that you're feeling fairly relaxed about everything. She's perfect!!!

 

[lliang_chi]

PT y'know what it is?? It's Ava's CUTE ADORABLE CHEEKS!!!! Nom nom nom I just want to eat them up!!! How fantastic that she's sitting up so well.

Pancake, Scrunchy nose Sylvie!! SO CUTE!!!! Glad she handled her shots like a champ, but sorry for the 6 hr later delayed reaction. I've learned to just give Ethan a dose of acetaminophen when we get home so he's nice and comfy and can sleep OK. His first round of shots he was SLEEPY then MISERABLE when he was awake. Now I do what I can to avoid the miserable-ness. Glad S is enjoying the beach house. Sounds like she'll be a breezy beach baby.

Mayer, huzzah, I remember that first night that Ethan slept 6 hrs. I was felt like I was liberated or something. Felt SO GOOD! Hope the thrush is gone, or on the way soon. I haven't heard of a vacccine against the stomach flu. Maybe your pedi means a flu shot???

PP, holy cow, I can't believe you had your DH, L, your dog and you in your bed! Must be a BIIIG bed, LOL. How's L doing at night now? Better I hope. How was L's vaccines?

Janine, Hee hee, A is just meh about zucchini. Ethan is meh about it also. THe only blood draws they've done wiht Ethan have been heel pricks. I haven't had anyone do blood draws with syringes. I'm not squeamish when it comes to needles, but not sure how not-squeamish I'd be if they take a needle to my little baby.... I really hope A lucks out with a good nurse....

S&I, Aw, sorry to hear Alex is waking more often, but with the amount you say he's eating maybe he's having a growth spurt? And I agree sometimes I'm like "Yikes! that's a lot of milk" when I fill 6oz bottles, but I know in a week or two I'll get totally used ot seeing it filled that much. I giggle that Ethan was once upon a time only 8lbs and drank only 75mls at a time... Awww.... As for the thermometer, I use a flexi-tip one that we'll only use for rectal temps. Our doc accepts rectal temps as "accurate" temps. It's not too bad to take them.

NEL, Do you feel Katie the same combo the whole week? Ethan doesn't have as much of a healthy appetite as K does, so I don't get a chance to feed him as much as I'm making. I've got tons of frozen food in my freezer taking up space. I'm going to try to introduce sweet potatoes tomorrow. I like introducing new stuff to Ethan to see his reactions (like the green beans). Then the stuff he doesn't like I have day care give to him, lol! Glad working from home with Katie wasn't too bad. Do you think you're going to try to do that more often?

IHA, Look at your little man!!!! I can just hear him giggling through my comptuer! What's the plan for his birthday party??

AFU, we applied for Ethan's passport today. It was surprising a painless process, even if it's a PITA that it requires BOTH parents to apply in person. But oh well, it's done. We will hopefully be getting it in 2-3 wks. We paid for expedited because J was paranoid it wouldn't get back in time for our trip. What trip you might ask??? One of my oldest friends is getting married in October in Switzerland! So we're going to make a whole vacation out of it, going for 10 days. THe wedding will be the first 1/3 of the trip. Then the middle 1/3 will be in another part of Switzerland where the Swiss Air Force is having an air show. Not sure what we're goign to do for the last 1/3rd, but I'll sort that out. Right now I've got the wedding logistics (hotel etc) booked. I need to book the air show hotel, then figure out what we're going to do after that. Dunno if we'll stay in Switzerland or maybe try to hit Germany or something.

 

[pancake]

Oh forgot - Mayerling, I assume the paediatrician is referring to the rotavirus vaccine. It's part of the standard publicly-funded schedule here. Three doses, given at 6-8 weeks, 4 months and 6 months. It doesn't necessarily prevent infection but dramatically reduce severity and hospital admissions with rotavirus.

LC - look at your adorable tech-savvy little man!! So exciting re Switzerland - it is an incredibly beautiful (albeit hair-raisingly expensive) place! Make sure you spend some time up in the Alps - we stayed in Muerren, which is the highest town accessible by road, it was GORGEOUS. Interlaken is gorgeous too. And forest hikes...

How long does a US passport last for for a little bub? Sylvie's is valid for 5 years...5 years of looking like a ridiculous 4 month oldstunned mullet

I forgot to say - we are off to New Zealand on Friday (D has a conference) and then - and this is the exciting part - to BALI on September 8! Can't wait!!! Hope S is still in adaptable mode by then, with the sleeping and new places and time changes... But I'm just SO excited. We so desperately need this holiday, after the last few months!

Oh and also forgot to say, S is on bottle strike. This is not as dramatic as I make it sound, as S rarely has a bottle these days, but the last two times have been a real struggle. D managed to get a whole 60ml (2oz) into here a fortnight ago, and last week my mother persevered for 35 minutes to get in 120ml (and "changed the scene" 4 times during the one feed in an attempt to get more in!). After e latter feed Mum didn't think she'd take the breast when I got home since it was only 20 min after the bottle, but S promptly drained one side. Cheeky girl!

 

[lliang_chi]

Pancake, wow, fantastic vacation you have planned! Sounds great!!! Sigh, Bali... how fantastic! Are you staying in a hotel or getting a beach "villa" or something? SO nice! We're actually going to be around Interlaken for the Swiss Air Show. Where did you stay there? I need to book hotels still. I think the US passports are the same way, so if we go anywhere Ethan will have a little 6M old baby ID. Hee hee.

Wanted to ask a question to the mamas: what are you using for a high chair?? Our place is TINY, so not sure if I want to get a big high chair.

Also any suggestions for a travel stroller? I'm contemplating a Baby Jogger City Mini. But also thinking about the Bumbleride Flite, or the UppaBaby G-Luxe.

~LC

 

[parrot tulips]

LC - We like our Uppababy G-Luxe for an umbrella stroller (we have a Bumbleride Indie as our all terrain stroller). It's light and super easy to open/collapse, and the huge shade is great. You'll definitely feel everything if you're on uneven terrain, but for running errands on smooth surfaces, it's perfect. As far as a high chair, we have the Fisher Price Space Saver High Chair. It straps right onto most dining chairs. Not the most attractive thing (I find it downright ugly, but it's only temporary), but it works well for us, and if we recline the seat a little, it slides right under our dining table. Great for small spaces!

 

[pancake]

LC, we have the BJCM for travelling and in the car. It is great! But definitely clunkier and heavier than an umbrella stroller. It really depends what you want - the CM has a really nice steer and doesn't bump as much as an umbrella, plus it has THE MOST ENORMOUS sunshade! We love it. S doesn't love it so much (doesn't cry or anything, but just looks vaguely disconsolate), but that's because for some reason, she just doesn't love being in a stroller...not sure why. I bought the 2011 model heavily discounted (I paid $180) on Amazon and am very happy with it.

Re high chairs, if you're looking for something to strap onto a regular chair, I really like the Minui Handysitt and am planning to get one for S. She's sat in it a few times at cafes and things and it's just really convenient - folds up flat, fits onto most standard chairs, and it seems comfortable enough. But I have also heard good things about one of the ones that hangs off the table - I think it might have been by Inglesina?

 

[mayerling]

Pancake, Bali sounds FANTASTIC! And thanks for the info on the rotavirus vaccine. I need to check whether it's available in the UK so we can have it when we get back or whether N has to have it before we go.

LC, thanks for asking about the thrush. It's not gone yet. My breasts still hurt - the right one seems to be suffering from vasospasms as well - and the baby's tongue still looks white.
How exciting about your Switzerland vacation! Switzerland is a country I've always wanted to visit but I haven't managed to yet.

PT, thanks for the words of encouragement. A looks so cute in her pic!

AFU, it's still very difficult to get N to nap during the day, and when he does nap, he naps for a long time, sometimes right through a feed. But his nights seem okay so far. He just had a 10:30 to 4:00 stretch. For the past couple of days I've been taking notes of what his days look like in hopes of discovering some kind of pattern.
Also, I'm a bit stressed because my mother seems to be the only person who can get him to nap/sleep, and she's not going to be around when we go back to the UK. Whenever I hold him and try to put him to sleep, he starts rooting and gets upset when I don't feed him...

 

[PetitiePoire]

Mayerling- Sorry it’s been so stressful with N’s sleeping. I’m glad you did get that one 6 hour stretch. If N is anything like L, his sleep may change after going back to the UK, so it might be pointless trying to find a pattern now. We used to get the 7 hour stretches, but that changed when we moved here. She is just now starting to be ok in her pack n play, whereas she was fine in the bassinet at night before. As I mentioned before the swing has been great for day time naps. It often makes me sad though that she prefers that to me holding her.  Also, L does the same rooting thing when I hold her. I’ve started using a pacifier when I know she is just wanting to suck vs being hungry.

Pancake- You’re trip sounds awesome! L’s passport picture is of her at 6 days old! When we went through customs they checked her against the picture… what are they going to do at 5! Haha Also, thank you for the information about the shots. I’m glad S did well!

PT- I love the pic of Ava in the garden! She’s so precious.

LC- I love the new pics of Ethan with your phone. He looks so intrigued! His passport will probably come super quick. I often wonder if expedited is worth it as they seem to do a good job getting them done fast. L didn’t end up getting her shots. They are waiting until the 8 weeks. Oh well. Thanks to me, we always have the dog in the bed (she’s small) and I love having the baby too. Our bed is an antique, so it’s not big. The size is bigger than a full, but smaller than a queen. We went from a King to this bed, because I fell in love with the frame.

AFU- I think L has realized she can have as much space on the bed as she needs because she now sleeps like a starfish all spread out! DH and I have taken to sleeping on the extreme sides so that L doesn’t wake up. So far she has taken two naps in her actual crib- the rest have been in her swing. Has anyone else found that a bath before bed helps them sleep? We skipped her bath twice this week and those nights she didn’t sleep well. Maybe it was just coincidence.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

PP, so cute that L is sleeping all spread out. Is she out of her swaddle? K neve really loved hers and liked to sleep stretched out, too. As for the bath, I don't know how big a difference it makes, but K seems to enjoy a bath before bed. It's been part of our nighttime routine since we first brought her home and now she starts rubbing her eyes in the bathtub because she totally associates it with going to bed. I could be completely wrong, but I think the warm bath + massage helps her to "wind down" and go to sleep with ease.

Mayerling, sounds like the night stretches are getting longer and yay for the good naps!! I wish I had some advice regarding the boobs and putting N down for naps (namely that he's near the boobs and then perks right up). I know it's common and I've read that the husband can put the baby down, but that doesn't really help in the middle of the day. I have no clue what might help--try to fool your baby by wrapping yourself up in several blankets?

LC, hilarious pic montage of E and the phone--I had to show my husband and we both got a good chuckle out of it. I joked that E's more tech savvy than I am. As for high chairs, we have the Keekaroo and it has a suprisingly small footprint. But so far we've only used the bebe pod to feed. It stays strapped to our dining room chair and it's low enough to be tucked under the table, so it can't even be seen unless we're using it.

As for the stroller, I finally made a decision and got the G-Luxe. Like PT, I have the Bumbleride Indie and love it, but after test driving the Flite and the G-Luxe, the G-Luxe finally won me over. My reasons were: 1.) I found the G-Luxe easier to fold. 2.) The G-Luxe was lighter 3.) I don't need the car seat bar (one of the advantages of the Flite) 4.)The canopy on the G-Luxe was bigger and finally 5.) The basket on the Flite was small and hard to access. The basket on the G-Luxe was great. My one concern about the G-Luxe is I've read the straps are kind of small and since K is sooo long, it's a concern. I ruled out the Baby Jogger City Mini based on weight (that one is >16 lbs. whereas the G-Luxe is 11 lbs.)

As for food, I was giving K the same combo more or less all week, but now that I'm supplementing store-bought food, I mix it up a little more. So for each meal, I give her about 4 oz. of homemade food (same combos), but I'll supplement a couple of ounces of a different puree or Go Baby yogurt. Or for her last meal I'll try giving her a couple of ounces of meat after she finishes 4 - 6 oz. of fruit puree. That rarely goes well.

Pancake, a vacation to Bali sounds amazing!! We are also taking our beach vacation (much less exotic) that week, it should to prove to be interesting, but I'm looking forward to it! Poor S and her shots--that's exactly what happened to K at her 4-month appt. and it was so hard to see her cry knowing her legs were hurting and just waiting for the tylenol to kick in. At least she's feeling better now and won't have another appt. for a couple of months!

PT, Ava is as adorable as ever and I had to laugh about the biiiiig baby comment. She looks so petite to me! And woohoo for sitting up for prolonged periods, K is still weak in the torso and will topple over after a minute or two. I've been trying to do more exercised to build her strength, but I think so much of it just happens naturally. And hearing her say "mama" must melt your heart!

S&I, I need a new thermometer myself. I have a rectal thermometer I got from a baby first aid kit and also picked up a thermometer that is a pacifier, but I don't know how accurate it is and it takes 90 seconds to get a read. Which seems like forever when you have a fussy baby on your hands.

IHA, Liam looks like such a little man!!! So cute!

AFU, a few things:

1. No teeth yet. I check constantly.
2. We're in the midst of a growth spurt. K has been waking up at 5:45 and sucking her bottles dry, then refusing to go back to sleep. Frustrating, but temporary (hopefully).
3. WE are DEFINITELY in a nap transition. I really thought K would keep her 3 naps until 7/8 months, but she's dropping that last nap like a hot potato. The past two days I've put her down and she squeals (not screams, but high-pitches squeals) for up to an hour before I just pick her up and move on. The really early wake-up time coupled with only two naps has me distressed. She's still getting about 4 hours of daytime sleep stretched across two naps, but she's up for 3 hours or more in between naps and it leads to fussiness.

ETA: We threw a little birthday party for K yesterday (she turned 6 months). It was really funny, my husband had "Happy Half Birthday" written on the cake. I need to post pics.

 

[S&I]

Mayerling, yay for N's improving sleep schedule! Try not to worry too much about implementing a daytime routine. It seems like babies tend to sort out their nights earlier than their days. How's your thrush? A did pretty well at his appointment on Friday, up until the point when the needles went into his thighs for the 2 shots. At that point, he cried so loud and hard that his whole face turned red. It was so sad, but he calmed down shortly after I picked him up from the table.

Petite, good luck with L's shots! That's funny that she's realized she can have as much space as she wants on the bed, but not so great for you and your DH. We have to bathe A everyday so he can feel good right before bedtime.

Pancake, Yay about your trip to Bali! Sorry about S's delayed reaction to her shots, but glad the acetaminophen worked quickly. A also screamed when the shots went in, but calmed down pretty quickly once he was in my arms again. Poor baby. I also only want to do axillary temps on A, but his pedi said rectal temps are the most accurate. She did say her next recommendation was a temporal one if I didn't want to do it rectally. Sorry about S being on bottle strike.

PT, I love A's chubby cheeks, and it's great that she's been sitting unassisted for longer now. Aww, were "mama" and "uhm-ma" her first words? So sweet!

LC, E is so cute with the phone - love the collage! Yay for applying for his passport, and the trip to Switzerland sounds wonderful. We have the FP space saver high chair like PT does, but it's still in the box since we haven't started A on solids yet. We also have the BJCM stroller and love it! The one-handed fold and unfold is the best, but it is quite a bit bigger than an umbrella stroller. A's pedi also said rectal temps are the most accurate, but I'm so scared to do it.

AFU, thanks for the thermometer recs. I think we'll try the temporal one first and if I can't get it to work accurately, then maybe I'll try an ear one or brave it and try a rectal one. A did pretty well with his shots on Friday, except for the brief screaming from the needles. He's in the 75th percentile for both height and weight (up from 50th 2 months ago), and still in the 15th percentile for his head. He's just going to have a small head like his daddy. We also stopped using the Miracle blanket and switched to a sleep sack. He definitely moves around a lot more, but he's been able to stay relatively asleep until around 4:30am the past few nights.

 

[S&I]

NEL, sorry I didn't see your post before I posted. Aww, how fun that you threw K a half-birthday party. Can't wait to see the pics. Did she have any cake? Sounds like K is going through the 6-month growth spurt. Hope she sorts out her nap routine soon. What type of thermometer do you think you'll get for K?

 

[pancake]

LC - after your post about the highchair, I went and looked up the Inglesina Fast again... and bought one on Amazon It is so much cheaper than the Handysitt and gets great reviews, plus because it's not made of wood I expect it'll be lighter too. I have been thinking of getting something before we go to Bali, so hopefully this should arrive in time!

NEL - want to see party pics! Gosh, I can't believe that half a year has gone by since we had our bubs. It doesn't seem that long ago, but when I look at Sylvie now I can't believe how far we've come!

S has been doing the same thing with her naps (squealing through the late afternoon one... actually she is doing that right now and it is 10:30am...???why) on and off for about a month. I thought she was going to drop it, and then she went back to a solid 3 nap structure (long, long, short). Every now and then she drops that last one again but like you say with K, she gets stroppy because she's overtired by bathtime.

Hope K starts getting up later again soon! S seems to have settled into a 6:30-7am wake-up, which I am happy with. The problem is, I'm never sure what to do after that - get her up, or put her back down. The jury is still out on that one. I have been putting her back down, mostly, with mixed results. Sometimes she just plays for 45 minutes and then I get her up again, sometimes she goes straight back to sleep. Think it's just a transitional thing, maybe...

S&I, that's interesting that doctors in the States tell parents to take rectal temps on their babies. While they are the most accurate core temp, here we actually tell parents specifically NOT to do them, and apart from in neonatal units, most paediatric wards don't do rectal temps. I think the most important thing is that you are consistent. Temporal thermometers are accurate when used correctly but are very operator-dependent, plus they are really expensive. And the ear ones are just really hard to get consistent readings from (as you can imagine - depends how far you stick it in, what angle, etc etc). I would say, since your doctor says to do so, do your rectal temps but only if you feel comfortable - otherwise just do axillary, and tell them that's where you took it so they can interpret it accordingly.

I'm glad Alex came through his immunisations ok! You have done very well with the deswaddling. I remember being SO worried that it would totally stuff up S's sleep... in the end it didn't, but it was a bit of a trial (mostly due to my trepidation!).

LC - next time I am totally going to give S some paracetamol when we get home from her immunisations. Poor things - the next lot is 3 needles! (Hep B/polio/diphtheria/Hib/pertussis/tetanus, MMR, pneumococcal - plus I believe they are looking at moving the varicella one to 12 months on the Australian schedule!) At least it is not for another 6 months.

PP - I'm giggling at the mental image of L as a little starfish (I think my brain puts her in a starfish costume) on the bed with her parents squished out to the sides! Haha, now I am imagining each of you and your husband in a little cosleeper with L spread-eagled in the middle

I don't know if S sleeps better for having had a bath, but it is so much part of her routine (like NEL's K) that she expects a feed and bed immediately after hers. We have skipped her bath a couple of times in the last few months when travelling, and it doesn't seem to have made much difference. We'll be skipping it a few times in the next few weeks whilst we're on the road, so I will report back!

Mayerling - the rotavirus vaccine is definitely available in the UK, but it is not on the NHS schedule - you'll have to pay for it if you want it. Here, it's on the schedule and is given at 2, 4 and 6 months. It can be given later but I believe the 3rd dose has to be given by 32 weeks of age. It's an oral vaccine so it's not stressful to give.

LC - we are going to stay in a 1 bedroom villa - closed off bedroom, semi-open air kitchen/dining/living/lounge, and - best of all! - a private pool! The latter was something we really wanted to splash out on, as it will mean that even while S is asleep, D and I will be able to relax in the pool together. There is so much holiday accommodation in Bali that the prices are really good due to the competition, and we are going at a good time - weather is great (dry season) but it's before the craziness of Australian school holidays, during which Bali becomes overrun with obnoxious Australian tourists

AFU - going well. S is eating a little less these last few days, and I have been noticing over that time that she looks quite...well, fat! So I think she must have had a bit of a growth spurt recently and is now in a more static phase. Other than that, not much news to report, except that I am LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVING this age (6 months)! She is just so much fun! Has something to say about everything, and it's just squeal/screech/happy cough/raspberries/giggling all day long.

AFM - looking back, I think I have just had my first cycle and that the light bleeding I had a couple of weeks ago (the week of my dad's funeral) was probably a light AF. I have a Mirena but that doesn't change the fact that I will cycle, I suppose, so I guess it's a matter of how thin the uterine lining is and how much there is to shed. Think I might try and track it, if it's possible... will have to do some reading up! Not surprising that I'd be cycling again now...S dropped her night feed about 2 months ago. Hmmm.

Edit: Here are some phone pics from the weekend...

 

[Skippy123]

Pancake she is adorable LC what a cutie pies SUCH CUTE BABIES!!!

 

[parrot tulips]

PP - I love the starfish imagery. Ava used to sleep like that, until she realized she could roll over onto her side, face me, and play with my hair/face. It really is amazing how much space such little tiny people can take up in bed.

Pancake - S is just too cute! I love her hair. Makes me smile every. single. time. It really is wonderful when the babies become more interactive. I love the raspberries. And the laughter. And the random baby mumbling.

S&I - I like our temporal thermometer. I've always gotten normal temps, except a slightly elevated temperature after some vaccinations (which made perfect sense). Glad to hear the transition to a sleep sack seems to be going well. A has been out of her swaddle for so long, that we have a huge variety of different types of sleep sacks depending on the temperature (light cotton, fleece, wool, and down).

NEL - Ava definitely does things in her own time. She sits up beautifully, but still has a hard time with the concept of swallowing her purees (we're getting there, but very, very slowly). As for hearing her say "mama," it definitely gets me every time. But when she's upset and crying, saying "mama mama mama" with tears streaming down her cheeks, my heart just breaks. Awww for the half birthday party. We thought about doing something, but it totally escaped us.

AFU - Ava still only likes white peaches (I can sometimes sneak some veggies in there, as long as the predominate flavor is peach). She clamps her mouth firmly shut if I try to introduce anything else. But it's progress, so I'm quite pleased. She is also learning to use her sippy cup. She prefers the one with the straw, since the whole cup doesn't have to get tipped back to drink. Most of the milk/water dribbles out of her mouth, but she does manage to drink a little bit.

What's been on my mind lately, since it's only 2 1/2 months away, is Ava's first birthday party. I'm not sure how big or small to go, how much is reasonable to spend, and whether to push for professional 1 year birthday photos (DH thinks it's an unnecessary extravagance, but would oblige if I felt it was important).

 

[FrekeChild]

11 days. We leave the 31st. I am beyond exhausted. I'm just glad we're not moving across the country and staying in our general region. I cannot imagine NOT having our stuff for more like 3 weeks instead of the 4-12 day range we currently have.

I wanted to say hi! I had a couple of FB friend requests that looked familiar today, and I figured I hadn't checked in in a while.

Synopsis:
-2 teeth
-loves chile con queso, hates applesauce
-loves graham crackers, hates sugar cookies
-loves chocolate ice cream, hates vanilla
-still wearing some 3-6 month clothes
-turns 9 months on Thursday
-this close [] to crawling
-this close [ ] to pulling herself up to standing
-not close at all to walking

Miss you all! As soon as I get some free time (hahahahaha) I'll be back! I make it sound worse than it is, I should have some free time after the move. Fingers freaking crossed!

 

[lliang_chi]

Stroller: I'm looking for a "every day" stroller that can handle bumps better than my SnG, has a good sunshade, flat/near flat recline for Ethan to nap, and transportable for travel.

Pancake, for some reason I thought you had a BJ City Select. Was I mistaken? The thing with the BJCM, it folds in half not collapses like an umbrella, so I'm wondering is that a PITA when traveling. I.e. would I prefer having a stroller that collapses rather than folding in half. Checked out the Handysitt, it looks like a great solution, but it only has a lap harness. Is a 5 pt harness overkill for a high chair? I suppose the shoulder straps would just get dirty?? TBH the ones that clip on the table makes me nervous. Maybe because I have an all glass table though...

PT, thanks for the comments on the G-Luxe and the Space Saver. I'm thinking of just doing the Space Saver for my high chair since I don't really have space to have ANOTHER piece of furniture in my living/dining room.

Mayer, boo, I really hope the thrush goes away soon. Is N getting treated for it too? Wouldn't want you guys to pass it back and forth. Don't sweat the day time routine. As N gets older he'll settle into a routine on his own. Until then, you should just focus on making sure his needs are met: he's getting food, he's getting sleep, he's getting changed. I found keeping a log EXTREMELY helpful sussing out a routine. During the haze and noobie unsure-ness, you don't notice patterns. Until I found myself 'expecting' him to wake at certain times. THen I went back int he logs and sure enough he was settling into a routine. I still keep logs even as Ethan is in daycare. Does N root *every* time you hold him? Are you open to trying a suckie? He might want to just suck for comfort and not actually drink.

PP, OK, I was picturing a much bigger dog. We have a 35lb dog and if she decided to jump in bed there'd be NO ROOM. I got the CUTEST picture in my head of a little baby all sprawled out, and you and your DH crammed to the very edges of the bed. LOL! We don't bathe Ethan everyday, but I do sponge him down the days I don't bathe him. Ethan's skin gets dried out with frequent bathing.

NEL, pic of the birhtday cake and birthday girl! I wanted to make a little cake for Ethan, but got too busy this weekend. I made PB cookies instead. Dunno if that counts... Thanks for the insight on the G-Luxe. I'm pretty sure that I'd be OK wiht dealing with a slightly heavier stroller if it can be used for everything. No teeth for us either.

S&I, don't be scared of taking rectal temps. You don't put the tip in deep at all, and you can hold it such that your finger tips keep it from going in deeper if baby if wiggling around. I kinda hold it like I would chopsticks if that makes any sense. I'll try to take a picture. How did A handle the sleep sack transition? Ethan had a pretty tough time with it, but he was pretty content being swaddled. Never busted out of them like A does/did.

AFU, didn't have Ethan's 6 month appt today because I wrote the appt down wrong. We're going tomorrow midday-ish.I will be bringing some acetaminophen with me to give him after the shots. Then he'll go back to day care.

Ethan had a tummy ache last night. I gave him sweet potatoes purreed with some chicken broth for "dinner" last night. I think that did it. Poor guy. He was really uncomfotable. Today I just stuck with what he's had before. I think I'll SLOWLY introduce the chicken broth to him...

Ethan's on nursing strike again... At least I know I can pump >1L (32 oz) a day... I would much rather nurse though.

 

[mayerling]

LC, N is also getting treated for thrush. I do feel a bit better than a week ago so hopefully everything is on the mend. As for the daytime routine, if I wasn't worried about him not getting enough of a rest, I wouldn't really care about it. But he certainly stays awake too long. As for rooting, he roots every time I try to put him down except in cases where I put him down after having just fed him.
Sorry to hear about E's nursing strike and tummy ache.

Freke, good luck with the move! And hurray for A' teeth!

PT, I hope A starts taking to other tastes soon. And how exciting about her birthday coming up!

Pancake, how annoying that AF has reared her ugly head! Mine came exactly 28 days after giving birth! My OB couldn't believe it and gave me a vaginal ultrasound to confirm it was AF and not pregnancy/birth stuff still stuck in the womb.
I'm glad to hear that S is such a happy baby! I'm sure she'll love her Bali vacation.

S&I, what did the pediatrician say about introducing solids? Glad to hear that A did well with his shots.

NEL, if only I could wrap myself in blankets! But it's around 37C (this is the equivalent of body temperature - I don't know what it is in Fahrenheit) every day here so I really can't do that. Maybe when I'm back in the UK...
A half-birthday is such a cute idea!

Petite, I'm seriously considering the idea of a swing but since we're going back soon it really wouldn't make any sense to get one now as we wouldn't be able to take it with us. I guess I just have to tough it out for another 4 weeks.
Btw, I missed a call from the US embassy yesterday so I have to call them back today. I really hope nothing got screwed up with N's report of birth and passport.

AFU, after two nights of 6-hour stretches, N is back at only doing 4 hours. I really think it's because he's overtired. He really does not sleep enough during the day and I don't know how to change it. No matter how hard I try, sometimes we completely miss the window between one 3-hour set and I have to wait until the next feed for him to go down. Yesterday, he had a 2.5-hour nap around lunch time (after having been up since 9:30), and then didn't sleep at all for the rest of the day. Around 7pm I gave up and drove him around for an hour so he could get some sleep. I'm really worried about him staying awake for hours on end, and about how it's affecting his night sleep and his development.

 

[pancake]

Mayerling, N's development is going to be FINE! There is nothing in your posts that suggests that his sleep issues (which are common) are anything near the severity needed to negatively impact development. In fact, I'm not sure I've ever seen a baby whose development was delayed because of sleep issues... I'm certain, actually! 4 hour stretches at this age are totally normal. S is super at sleeping but still woke around 4-5 hourly overnight until...can't remember when. But ages, she was definitely older than N is now. She used to have one 4-6 hour stretch, and then 3-4 hours before her morning feed. I don't think you have any cause to worry, although I totally understand that you do and that you're going to - I had no cause to worry but found things to worry about, I think it is the lot of a first-time mum! The day sleep will improve over time - it really will! It sounds like you are doing a great job.

LC - good luck for the immunisations! Re the stroller, I have both the BJCM and the BJCS. The BJCM is our "portable" stroller (it lives in my car and comes with us on holiday) and the BJCS is our everyday workhorse, the one I take out for walks and errands on foot. The suspension of the BJCS is amazing, and that combined with the forever air tyres make it a very smooth ride. But I love the CM as well - I have quite a few friends who have the CM as their only stroller and are very happy with it. If I were going to buy an umbrella stroller, my pick would be the Peg Perego Pliko Mini. Huge canopy, great recline, good sized basket, good steer. But don't expect as sturdy a feel if you pick an umbrella stroller - they do necessarily feel more flimsy when driving.

How frustrating re E being on bottle strike! I cannot believe your supply, though. Whoa, mama! I guess one good thing is that he's been on bottle strike before and come out of it, so fingers crossed he'll come out of it again!

Freke - loved your "synopsis"! Good luck for the move. Hope we'll see more of you afterwards. A sounds like she is going great guns, as usual!

PT, so true that all babies do things at their own pace. S sit (albeit only for short stretches), her fine motor development is fantastic (she's been transferring objects from hand to hand for a few weeks, and she is developing a crude pincer grip), her social/speech is coming along really well - but she has still never rolled! Either direction. Zero interest, although I'm sure she'd be strong enough if she could figure it out (and wanted to). Great that Ava is making progress on the food - white peaches better than nothing! It's still winter fruit for us here - can't wait to introduce all the lovely stonefruits that come in over the summer months.

I think I felt a little heartbroken at the image of Ava crying and saying "Mama, mama!"!!

I say do the photos. If you get to decide if they're necessary or not, I reckon they are

 

[mayerling]

Pancake, thanks for reassuring me. Honestly, I'm not unhappy with his night sleep; 4-hour stretches are pretty good. I'm more worried about his day sleep and how he goes 3-5 hours without sleeping.

 

[sba771]

Hi everyone. I have been MIA for a while but have been lurking as I remember when so many of you were pregnant or ttc! (heck I remember the wedding planning too)

So been busy with my new little man! I just wanted to share. We had a rough start with a NICU stay and major BFing issues, but everything is right on target now and he is just becoming so much fun, even though he never seems to sleep! Here is little Max!

 

[lliang_chi]

PT, we were posting @ the same time. I'm glad Ava likes white fleshed peaches. Does she not like yellow fleshed peaches? I wonder if it's a color thing. Hm, sounds like she has a really discerning palate, I wonder if she'll be a wine-lover in 20 years.... Ethan LOVES peaches too, but I haven't made them in a while because J and I love peaches also so we keep eating them before I can cook them up for him... LOL. I should just go and get a bumper crop of peaches and make some for him. I hear you about how much space a tiny baby takes up. My sis uses the phrase "Couch Terrorist" (a person's whose actions prevent anyone else from using the couch), and Ethan's totally one. He takes up SO MUCH room. Aw, my heart's breaking with the idea of Ava crying and calling for "Mama" at the same time.... Poor pumpkin! I love the pictures. Can I squeeze those chubby cheeks? Your pup looks very intrigued with Ava. OMG I can't believe she's turning 1 yr soon! I agree with Pancake, do the pro pictures!

Freke, also a cross post! Love the update. Two teeth for Miss A! LOL, she loves chile. OMG so close to crawling! How crazy! You're going to have to unpack and baby proof @ the same time! Well, I suppose it's easiest so everything will be baby proofed from the get go, instead of having ot adapt your house to the baby. Dust dust dust for a smooth move. Hope everything goes as planned.

Mayer, Go easy on yourself with N's daytime sleep too. He's still sorting himself out, and every baby is different. Maybe aim for just a quiet "restful" periods when you hold him in a quiet, dark-ish room, no talking or eye contact. That way, even if he's not sleeping he's not taking in any stimuli and can zen out for a little while. Plus it gives you a chance to recharge a bit too.

SBA, my my, look at that handsome face! I'm glad things have smooth out for you guys and everything's going well.

 

[Skippy123]

PT, SBA and LC, soooo many cute baby pics, squeeeee I love all the pics!!!

 

[S&I]

Pancake, that's awesome that you bought a new highchair after talking to LC about it, ha. That's totally something I would do. Speaking of which, the way you talked about your BJCS is making me want to get one to go with our BJCM too! Your Bali villa sounds fantastic! I can't wait until I feel confident enough to take A on a relaxing vacation. Good luck tracking your cycle. I got my first period a week before I got Mirena inserted, then had about 6 weeks of spotting (assume from the Mirena), and haven't had anything since then. I love S's spiky hair! A's hair sticks up too, but we definitely need to trim the hair around his ears - it's so long already.

Skippy, hi to you, M, and E!

PT, that's great that A is enjoying her white peaches at least. Can't believe little Miss A is almost 1 already! I also vote yes to the 1-year pro pics. Aww, I'm sure it's heartbreaking to see A crying and saying mama.

Freke, love your synopsis! Good luck with the move - I'm sure you'll handle it well.

LC, is your Bob too bulky to use as an everyday stroller? If you like the handling on that one, an umbrella stroller probably won't cut it. We have a Chicco Liteway that stays at home. My dad likes to put A in it and push it around the house, ha. It doesn't feel as cushy as our BJCM though, in terms of handling. Thanks for the reassurance about taking rectal temps. Re: the sleep sack transition, I think A is doing well overall. He does flop his arms a lot more, and seems to move around his crib (goes from vertical to horizontal, which makes me worry about his head hitting the crib). He's more grumbly, but he doesn't seem unsettled, if that makes sense. Sorry about E's tummy ache, but hope he's feeling better today. E seems like he's sitting up pretty well too! He's so cute! Oh, and I just added you on FB.

Mayerling, sorry you're still dealing with the thrush, but it sounds like it's improved slightly. You're doing great with N, and I'm glad he's giving you longer stretches at night. Day time schedules came a lot later for us too. He's going to go back and forth a little with his sleep times for a bit - that's totally normal, and doesn't mean that he's overtired. A's pedi said he could start with rice cereal if we wanted, but I think we might wait until he's closer to 6 months. I've been looking at the wholesomefoods website in preparation for it though.

SBA, Max is so adorable! Sorry about your rough start, but glad to hear that you've gotten past it and that things are going well now!

AFU, my parents said A was a big fussball yesterday after I went to work. I think it might have been because he had gotten used to nursing anytime he wanted on the weekend, and then it's gone on Mondays. Poor baby, he's already getting upset by the Mondays. Too bad I'll have to tell him that it only gets worse as we get older, ha!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

S&I, I LOLed about A hating Mondays. It's engrained in us early! I didn't give K any cake--it was ice cream cake. I'm afraid of giving her any dairy other than yogurt. Clearly my husband got the cake for himself and just used K as an excuse to have it I'm not sure which thermometer I'm going to end up getting. I should probably research more. I might just stick with the rectal one we have.

LC, such cute pics of E! Look at how well he's sitting!! Peanut butter cookies sound delicious! Are you leaning toward the BJCM for your second stroller? Have you looked at any Maclarens? I'm eager to have something lightweight and compact so I can stop taking the all-terrain stroller in and out of our SUV. Sorry to hear about E's tummy--I hope today's appt. goes well!

Freke, you have so much going on! Thank you for checking it, I can't believe that A has teeth, is super close to crawling and is still adorably petite! Like LC said, you'll be babyproofing when you move in, but at least you can just get it done from the get-go! I still haven't bought a single babyproofing item. Which isn't a brag, it's bad.

PT, at least you found a food that A loves! K loves peaches, too, but for some reason I've had a hard time finding ripe peaches and then the skin won't come off and I get annoyed and end up throwing the peaches out. I can't believe it's just a couple of more months before A is 1!! I say go for the photos. Usually my husband is the one pushing for us to have photos taken and I'm the one saying it's an unecessary expense, but then we do it and I'm so glad I did.

Pancake, I'm totally with you on the sleep issues. I'm never sure if something is a transition or just a phase. So I'm not sure if she's dropping that last nap permanently or if it's just temporary because...growth spurt? Teeth? I'm just going with it for now and seeing what happens. Same with the morning routine. I usually put her back down and see what happens. Since she doesn't cry, I don't worry about teaching her cry = mama will pick you up. But at the same time, if she's not consistently soothing herself to sleep, is there a point to leaving her in the crib? I don't know, my rule of thumb lately is that if she wakes up after 11+ hours of sleep, I'll pick her up.

And now I think I'm going to get the Inglesina, too. It looks perfect for travelling. I recently bought a go-pod and K really seems to like it. Not sure if you've seen them, but it also looks great for travelling. I move ours around the house as needed, take it to the in-laws, will travel with it. It's great for keeping K occupied for a half of an hour or so. I just attach her favorite toys to it.

Such cute photos of S!

Mayerling, I totally understand the worry...I was so neurotic about K's sleep when she was a newborn. I'm still neurotic about her sleep. I promise I can relate to the fretting over N's sleep. But it's okay--there are weeks when our babies simply have no interest in sleep at all. There was a day I cried throughout my entire mom group session because K was only taking quick catnaps. But it was fine. N will work out a routine that works for him and sometimes we're just along for the ride. You are doing an amazing job and N is growing and developing just fine. Everything with a newborn is temporary and you just have to get through the frustrating parts as best you can.

AFU, my day is not crazy so I decided to take 45 minutes and read a book in the park. It was wonderful--I sat in the grass and lazily ate some delicious Thai food. After about 10 minutes I glanced up from my book and noticed that a family was sitting next to me. The dad was in a suit and the mom was in casual clothes--she must have brought the baby to meet daddy for lunch. The kid must have been 8 months--he was adorable. Then a few minutes later ANOTHER family sat on the other side of me. The baby was only a couple of months old, but same sitution: dad in suit, mom bringing baby to see daddy for lunch. As much as I enjoyed my relaxing lunch in the park with a book, seeing both families made me feel a pang of jealousy.

 

[lliang_chi]

NEL, Is the go pod kinda like a jumperoo/exersaucer? But portable? Sweet you got 45 mins of "you time" and so sweet with the two families with kiddos being by you. I"m relatively close to Ethan's day care (1+ miles), so theoretically I could pop over for a visit. They have quarterly lunches that I'd be able to do, I think the next one is Thanksgiving lunch. We missed the past one (July) because we weren't on the email distribution lists.... Re: peaches, have you tried frozen peaches? They're actually quite nutritious as they're flash frozen in the peak of ripeness. Plus they don't have skins, so makes for SUPER easy prep. We get pretty decent peaches from MI here, so I've been fortunate in finding sweet and ripe ones. But Ethan's been unfortunate because DH and I just eat them....

S&I, for the most part we don't use a stroller everyday. But if I have to go anywhere that I need to roll him more that 50 ft distances (over concrete) I definitely opt for the Bob. Even uneven sidewalks etc are a PITA with the SnG. Right now our Bob hangs folded up in storage. So if I ever need it, I have to take it down. Another reason why we don't use strollers too often. But once Ethan outgrows the SnG I think we'll keep the Bob and whatever "travel" stroller in the "at ready" location by the stairwell. DH initially balked at keeping the stroller in the stairwell, but it's quite convenient and it doesn't get in anyone's way.

AFU, Ethan's appointment went fine. He got his shots, turned red but quieted down after I picked him up. The doc said that he's eating well, but maybe we shouldn't push the bottles so much in the evening, he's likely not waking from hunger. So today I've been mostly just shushing him back to sleep the times he woke up. OMG, his wake ups, ALL of them because of the dog. She's being SUCH a PITA tonight. I told DH that I"m about ready to give her away. Of course she's being SUPER sweet to J and kissing up to him since she knows she's on my sh!t list.

We got the all clear to start giving him protiens. Chicken broth, hard boiled yolks crumbled into his solids, and even pureed meat, though I'll likely wait until he gets used to broth before starting him on meat.

 

[bobbin]

Hi everyone! Thanks to those of you who asked how Charlotte and I are going! I am still here reading along, but have been a bit busy lately.

Petite: How is L's sleep doing now? Is she still in her regression stage? How old is she now, I can't remember. I know C had a sleep regression around 5-6 weeks which coincided with her growth spurt and a wonder week. I tore during birth and I was NEVER checked. At my 6 week OB appt he asked me about what type of birth control I wanted and that was it. My physio who I am seeing for pelvic floor issues said he was very naughty for not checking. Have you been checked out yet?

Kunzite: Your boys are just so so cute! I understand the quick post. I barely have time to post and I only have 1 child - I cannot imagine finding the time with 3!

Monnie: Yay for 3 months of breastmilk! I didn't buy too much maternity stuff, but I am going to keep them for the next baby. It is all cheap stuff anyway so I wouldn't get anything for it really.

Pancake: I hear you on the distractable baby thing! C has started becoming REALLY distracted when feeding over the last few weeks. She arches her back to look around and throws her head around (while still attached mind you) or she keeps detaching to look around and then re-attaches for a few sucks and repeats. It is so frustrating. I have never used a cover when BF'ing in public, but I am now starting to put a blanket over her head when feeding out and about just so she can't look around! I have heard that 4-6 months is the distractable stage, so hopefully S will start feeding better again soon.

Oh my gosh that scrunchy little nose is adorable! Love the photos of her! And I notice you have a cotton on bib - I only just discovered them the other week and they are the best!

Yay for a holiday to Bali! How exciting. I would love to take C somewhere overseas but that is not on the cards at the moment. How long are you going for?

LC: How did your meeting with the daycare director go? E is ridiculously cute. I love his long hair. Don't cut it! And Switzerland!!! How exciting! Love the photo montage of E. C would totally gum up my phone if I let her, but I am scared of her breaking the phone with her copious drooling!

I have to admit that DH and I haven't had sex yet after C's birth and she is 4 months old! For me it is a few things: C is in our room and we are so busy before bedtime that in bed is basically the only time sex would happen; I had 'down-there' issues since the birth such as a weak pelvic floor and anal tear that meant I was uncomfortable with the idea of having sex (these seem to have resolved now though); I had issues with sex being painful occasionally before pregnancy and I am terrified of having sex again now as a result and I find it hard to switch off my mummy role and go to a sexual partner role if that makes sense. DH is understanding but I know it is hard on him and I wish I could get past it.

Janine: I kind of subscribe to the view that food is for fun before 12 months, so I wouldn't be too worried about her not eating a lot of solids. But, I haven't started on solids yet so we will see how I feel when that happens.

Mayerling: I am so sorry to hear about the thrush and vasospasm. I suspect I suffer from some kind of vasospasm too and it is not fun. Has the thrush cleared up yet? Your post-partum recovery has not been easy you poor thing!

PT: Ava is so gorgeous! I love her outfit. LOL at the big baby comment. My 4 month old weighs 15lb!

Freke: Good luck with your move!

S&I: LOL at A hating Mondays. I don't blame him! So are you nursing and supplementary feeding with formula still? Is A still going through a bit of a sleep regression? C is the same - see below. I am hoping it gets better for both of us soon!

NEL: Sorry to hear about your down moment during lunch at work. But sitting in the park reading a book and eating lunch sounds amazing. Is there anyway for the babysitter to bring K to you at lunchtime occasionally?

AFU:
1. C is 4 months old today! We celebrated by getting her immunisations

2. I had my first time away from Charlotte on the weekend. I went to a conference to get my professional development points for the year. The conference was on the Gold Coast, so DH came with me and looked after C during the day. I hated being away from her! I tried to pump in the morning and afternoon breaks, but they were only 20 mins long, so after going to the toilet, getting a drink and something to eat, I had about 10 mins to pump and get to the next session. That combined with being in a strange place meant pumping was not succesful as I was too stressed. C came to me at lunchtime to feed and then the next day I just skipped the morning session so I could feed her at the morning break time before coming in.

I also went out to a fancy schmancy dinner for the conference on the Friday night on my own. James Morrisson played and we all had to get dressed up in 1920's style flapper dresses etc. I was really nervous about it as I didn't really know anyone, but managed to be seated on a table with people from my work and ex-work and it was a lot of fun. My first night out since C was born! I didn't drink though. By 10pm I was exhausted and just wanted to go back to the motel, but dessert hadn't been brought out and there was no way I was going home without dessert!

DH did really well looking after her, although during the dinner he messaged me to say that C was screaming, that he was rocking her in the pram but I might need to come home. I told him that she might need more milk. He gave her some more and she promptly went to sleep - he had thought that he should only give her the one bottle even though it has been ages since we have given her expressed milk and we don't know how much she is drinking now!

It was also the first time we had gone away with C and oh my gosh the amount of stuff we packed. We got there at 10pm after a 1.5 hour drive. C slept the whole way there. But once we got there, there were a heap of roadworks blocking off the side of the street the motel was on. We called the motel and they told us there was no access to the carpark and to park on the road. The closest park we were able to find was 600m or so away from the motel. As soon as we parked, C started screaming and continued to scream while we loaded up the pram with all her stuff and carried her as well as the overflow of stuff along the loud, dusty and smelly (because of the roadworks) road to the motel, wait to get the key and then find our room. To top it off, just as we were entering the motel, a couple of cars pulled into the motel carpark The motel staff hadn't told us that we could cut across the roadworks at a certain point. After that she was fine though, adapted to a new sleeping space perfectly.

3. C has been going through her sleep regression for a few weeks now! It started at around 15 weeks - she went from sleeping for 10-12 hours straight overnight to 4 hours. After a night of waking at 2am, 5am and then 7am, I put her bedtime later again so we were only waking at around 4am. She is getting better now, and is up to about 6 hours, but nowhere near as good as before and we are still waking up at around 4am as she is going to bed at 10pm. She is also sleeping more during the day though - she is now having about 4, 1hr naps during the day, whereas before I would be lucky if she had 2.

Mamas who have gone through the 4 month sleep regression - how long did it last for and did your babes go back to normal sleep patterns after?

4. C is sitting up by leaning on her hands now! I limit the time she does it as I am concerned about her hurting her wrists, but she seems to really enjoy it. She is also starting to try to get her knees underneath her when she has tummy time, but she gets frustrated as she can't seem to grip onto the floor to push herself.

 

[bobbin]

Oops, forgot pics!

First trip to the beach during our trip to the Gold Coast:


First coffee!


I just love this girl so much!

 

[mayerling]

Bobbin, it sounds like you had a great time at the conference, both on your own and as a family! I'm sorry to hear about the vasospasm (and the anal tear - I have one too and it hasn't healed yet; what did you use for it?). C is such a cutie! I hope she gets over the sleep regression soon.

LC, glad to hear E's shot appt went well. How did the shushing him to sleep go? Also, thanks for the suggestion on trying to block out stimulation when N refuses to sleep.
Btw, I just added you on fb!

NEL, thanks for the words of encouragement. And how nice you were able to have a 45-min break to yourself. Isn't it crazy how when we become mothers 45 minutes seems like a substantial amount of free time!

S&I, it's great that the pedi said A could start on solids but I understand why you might want to wait until he's a bit older. And how funny that A hates Mondays already!

SBA, welcome back! How old is your LO now?

AFU, I woke up today determined to do my best to get N to nap. I remembered what somebody said on my EASY thread: if it's been a certain amount of time, do what you can to get him to sleep! So I did. I swaddled him. I know it's no surprise to anyone that swaddling works, but N seemed to love having his arms out and would break out of his swaddle the first couple of weeks after he was born, so we soon unswaddled him because we felt bad about constricting him. Anyway, so thus far he had a 1.5 hour nap after in the morning, and I put him down for one just after midday. He did half an hour so I was determined to put him back down but I soon as picked him up to rock him back to sleep he spit up quite a bit. So that was a bust. But still. I'm determined! Swaddle it is. Has anyone ever put their baby to sleep on their tummy? A friend of mine did it with her son in order to combat the startle reflex but N hates tummy time so I would think he would hate sleeping on his tummy too.
In other news, thrush is still there; both on my nipples and in N's mouth...

 

[S&I]

NEL, I saw the go-pod when we went to get the jumperoo, but was afraid A would get bored in it. Glad K likes it! Sounds like your lunch in the park was relaxing, but sorry you felt a pang of jealousy seeing the 2 families there. Don't forget to post pics of K's half-birthday!

LC, sorry your pup keeps waking E up. Ours does the same thing - barking for no reason. Yay for the all-clear to start E on proteins, but I understand you wanting to take it slow with the chicken broth first. Have you decided which stroller to get?

Bobbin, such cute pics of C! Sorry about her sleep regression. A is about the same. He was up to 8-9 hours going to bed around 8pm, but last week he started waking up every 2 hours for a couple of nights. Now he's back up to about 5 hours, but last night he woke up at 11pm wanting a feed. I'm hoping it's not due to me transitioning him to a sleep sack. I don't think it is though, because he started regressing while still in the Miracle Blanket. I hope he goes back to his longer stretches soon! Glad you were able to make a family trip out of your conference.

Mayerling, ugh - so sorry the thrush is still around. Glad the swaddle is working for N's naps. We went through the same thing with A when he was a few weeks old, thinking he didn't like being swaddled because he always wanted one hand up by his face. After we forced him back into a swaddle, he was able to sleep more peacefully. My mom tried to put A on his tummy a handful of times for naps early on. It did help him not startle himself as much, but I wouldn't put him on his tummy to sleep overnight since I wouldn't be watching him like we do for naps. A also hates tummy time (but is getting better), but didn't seem to mind sleeping on his tummy.

AFU, we're still in a sleep regression, but I'm hoping it'll get better soon. A seems to have picked up his night feed again, around 11pm now. I guess I'll blame a growth spurt for that. His pedi says he should be able to STTN without any feeds anymore, but I'm not sure I can handle that right now. He's getting more tolerant of tummy time though, so that's a plus. This morning, our dog walked by while he was on his tummy, and he decided he knew how to crawl. He pushed his legs against my leg and used his arms to steer. Also, I think he almost rolled over this morning in his crib. Well, maybe just half-way because he was hugging the back wall of the crib when he was crying for me to pick him up.

I'm taking the afternoon off to spend with my sister and her husband before they go back to NY tomorrow. We might go the BBB to try out some convertible car seats to see which ones fit into our SUV comfortably. I'm deciding between the Diono Radian, the Britax Pavilion or Advocate, and the Recaro Proride. We've still got some time before A needs to switch. I just want to be prepared and make sure I have enough time to research and decide which one to get. Have any of the older babies switched from their infant seats to a convertible yet? NEL, I know you had already purchased a Britax (Boulevard, I think?), but has K started using it in your SUV yet?