PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[NewEnglandLady]

PnPsMom, you poor thing! I hope you can talk with your OB first thing in the morning or just get to your ER. That sounds so uncomfortable, you have had such a miserable time with BFing! You are by no means pathetic. A couple of weeks after giving birth to K I suffered a hemorrhage and was convinced I was just being wimpy and didn't need to see a doctor. In the end, I realized I'd waited too long...but it definitely happens when your entire focus is on your baby and you don't really know what is "normal".

Pancake, K likes her stroller for about a half of an hour, then is over it. I always keep my Ergo in the basket just in case she gets fussy. She still loves the Ergo, so it's my fuss-free solution. I'm really loving our Inglesina. I don't have to worry about her hitting her head on the chair. And she can eat at the table, so no cleaning the tray. I really like that bath seat and was going to order one on Amazon. I was at a kid's store today and found a bath that is foldable, so ended up getting that since it's perfect for travel. I used it tonight and it worked really well. Yes, seeing K interact with everything around her is incredible. Her brain just soaks everything in. She will stare at something for several minutes with her little brow furrowed. Oh, and I promise to get some teeth pics as soon as I can.

I can't WAIT for our vacation--yes, we are going for a week as well. This was a long weekend for us here in the States and just having a few days as a family was great. It makes me even more excited to have a whole week--it will the most time we've had together in 6 months!

LC, Ugh, so sorry about E hating his car seat. That is the WORST! K used to hate hers and I kept telling her that she had to learn to like it because she's a suburban baby. I swear at one point I had about 15 toys in her car seat. It's so cute that E is saying dadadada. I think D would die of happiness if K started babbling dadadada. And isn't it odd how much less time there seems to be in the day now? When I was pumping more, I felt like I had built-in PS time. Now I feel like I have to squeeze in time whenver possible, which is hard!

I'll try to get a raspberry pic. They're sporadic, so I have to be on point. My best bet is when she's eating.

Freke, I feel so bad about your knee!! You must have been in total focused mama mode to get through all of that. No wonder the flood gates opened once you were in relative safety. I'm so glad that you are now with your husband and that your friend is flying out, but it still stinks that your knee will be recovering for several more weeks!

Mayerling, how is the daytime sleep going? K went through a period where she was waking up about a half of an hour after I put her down for a nap. I eventually just made sure she had per paci and left the room. For some reason it helped K more if I wasn't in sight.

AFU:
1. Amazingly, K is no longer requiring her paci at naps. Really weird timing there, but now she'll suck on it, spit it out and go to sleep. She's been really similar to Sylvie in that she's started liking her crib. And napping. My child whose traditionally fought naps is now perfectly content to nap. It's odd.

2. You know how I have a hand blender? To make Katie's baby food? Well I was an idiot this weekend and forgot to unplug it while wiping off some risotto (I was getting adventurous with Katie's food). Anyway, the blender fell, something hit the button and my index finger got caught in the blades. I have 4 deep cuts that required 11 stitches in the ER. The worst was that we had to wake up Katie and she was up the entire time we were in the ER. She definitely slept in the next day.

I'm attaching a pic of my poor hand and one with D and Katie so I can end this post on a happier note! Get it, note??

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Thanks for the get-well wishes.

We ended up going to the ER. Turns out, I have three abscesses in my right breast. They gave me Vancomycin through an IV, and I developed the "red man" reaction (red, itchy rash across my upper body), so they followed up with Benadryl. The wooziness/sleepiness still hasn't worn off.

I'm supposed to see a surgeon tomorrow, and more likely than not they'll do a laceration and drainage of the abscesses. There's a chance they can pull fluid out of one via syringe.

I'm also starting to take Cephalexin and Co-trimoxazole.

Nobody could give me a straight answer, but it seems I'm to pump and dump for a while. Seriously a bummer. I have enough BM in the fridge to get Eloise through tomorrow morning. I don't know at what point I'm allowed to nurse again.

 

[FrekeChild]

Oh my goodness! Hugs PPM and NEL! How about we PSers make a pact that no one go to an ER for at least a month! 3 in one week?!

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Oh my goodness! Hugs PPM and NEL! How about we PSers make a pact that no one go to an ER for at least a month! 3 in one week?!

AMEN! Super healing vibe to you and NEL. Let's be healthy and safe!

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

By some cruel twist of fate, I just pumped a TON of breast milk. For reference, I usually get 1 ounce, even if I skip a nursing session and pump instead. Maybe the knowledge that I have to pump-and-dump made me care so little about yield that I relaxed and had a crazy letdown? I will stare at this picture longingly for the rest of my pumping/BF days and cry as I pour the milk down the drain.

 

[pancake]

PPM - I'd store your EBM until you've talked to your obstetrician. Cephalexin is prescribed all the time for mastitis and is generally considered safe for breastfeeding mothers; I'm not entirely sure about cotrimoxazole but in paediatric practice it is prescribed to very young babies relatively frequently for the treatment of urinary tract infections, so it's possible that it's ok for breastfeeding mothers too.

Here's to our thread being accident- and infection-free for the next little while!

 

[bobbin]

Oh my gosh! PPM, NEL, Freke sorry to hear that you have all been in the wars! Healing dust heading your way.

PPM: You poor, poor thing. Breastfeeding is hard enough to establish without all the added complications you have been having. I can't imagine how awful you must be feeling. I had a mild bout of mastitis last week and I felt awful enough but to have had it for that long and with the abscess! Ugh. Get better soon!

Freke: How is your knee going? Is your BFF there now? I hope you are able to get enough help to be able to rest and heal.

NEL: What kind of bath seat did you order? We have been putting C in a bath cradle (stretch terry towelling on a wire frame) for some time now and DH finds it super easy to bathe her using it. He does all of her baths now, but when we were washing her in the sink he would refuse to do any. When she outgrows the cradle we will just put a nonslip mat in the bath for her.

Pancake: Have fun in Bali! I am SO jealous. Seriously. I just started looking up family friendly resorts in Bali and Thailand I am that jealous.

Re being unhappy in stroller - Maybe try a back carry in the Ergo so she can look around a bit more? C also has started not to like the car. She will always cry when I put her in, but she is usually easily distracted with a toy and then most of the time will be content during the actual drive.

LC: So funny about DH bragging that Ethan is saying Da Da. C made some sounds that sounded a bit like Ma Ma and DH looked at me and went "She said MAMA!!"

AMC: Aww, your little guy is so cute!

Mayer: C is a terrible napper. I decided on the weekend that I needed to change that, so for the next few weeks I am really focussing on trying to get her through transitions. I'll let you know how I go!

S&I: I hope A does start to STTN regularly soon! I hope C goes back to STTN as well.. DH's parents told him the other day that they think I'll be pregnant by the end of the year. NOT. GOING. TO. HAPPEN. Do you have plans for when you will start trying for #2?

Petite: L sounds exactly like C was at that age - had to be fully asleep before being put down and fed to sleep at night (still does though) and very relaxed and calm. C isn't so relaxed and calm these days but she is still a happy little thing most of the time.

PT: I love the photo of A taking off her sock. Hilarious!

AFU:

C has been on a developmental whirlwind. In the last 2 weeks or so she has found her feet, discovered she can plant her feet and lift her butt up to move a little while on her back, started bringing her knees up underneath her and propelling herself along while on her front and rolling onto her side when lying on her back! It is so exciting to see and I am ridiculously proud of her whenever she does something new!

She has also been a lot more high maintenance than usual, startling at loud noises a lot more (she cried when I blew my nose today), waking up 2-3 times during the night and STILL not sleeping for more than 45 minutes at nap time. That combined with a husband who has recently started to snore loudly every night, insomnia on my behalf (I can't stop THINKING about everything when we go to bed) and a bout of mild mastitis last week means that I have been exhausted. On Friday I was trying to get her to go back to sleep after a very short nap. She was crying and arching her back and I just burst into tears I have decided I need to cut back on the amount of things I do outside the house during the week as I have been out almost every day for the last few weeks. I am also focusing on trying to get C to nap for more than 1 sleep cycle at a time. At the moment that involves putting her down for naps in her pram and rocking her when she starts to wake up. When she starts sleeping for longer on her own I am going to try to transition her back to her cot.

We have transitioned her into her cot in the nursery. It is nice having a bit of space but I have been missing having her close at night. I have also started to imagine all of these horrible things at night when I am trying to go to bed - like someone breaking into her room and taking her!

Attaching the photo I took for Father's Day (last weekend in Aus):

 

[FrekeChild]

Bobbin, that is ridiculously cute. I especially love the Gymboree hat!

I'm still kickin'. Very slowly though. BFF arrives tonight and I'm way pumped.

 

[mayerling]

Freke, how terrible about having health problems on top of a move.

PPM, I'm sorry to hear about your abcesses. I've had so many breast issues with breastfeeding myself, so I know how upsetting it can be. I second Pancake's suggestion of not dumping unless absolutely necessary.

Bobbin, I look forward to seeing how operation longer naps goes.

NEL, boo for the blender cuts. I hope you feel better soon.

Pancake, congrats to your DH for landing the new job!

LC, how nice that E doesn't require a feed when he wakes up.

AFU, after keeping a log for 2 weeks, I realised that N seems to wake up around 3 am regardless of when he goes to sleep. So I decided to start moving his bedtime earlier to see if he'll still wake up at 3. So last night I moved it up by half an hour and he still woke up at 3! . I'm sure it'll all go to hell next week when we move back to the UK, but hooray for small victories.
Naps are still hit and miss but I'm trying not to obsess over it.
I'm also really bad at doing tummy time and I keep having to remind myself to do it. Also, N seems to have an eye infection and we're applying some cream 3 times a day. So we've been unable to take him back to the beach. I hope we'll be able to take him again on the weekend.
I'm also trying to pump as much as I can as DH and I are going away for one night for our anniversary. And it's so hard when N refuses to nap during the day and give me some time to pump.
And, finally, thrush. I decided to see somebody else last Friday who said that it's possible that the thrush is gone and that the lingering pain is due to an inflammation. So he prescribed a strong anti-inflammatory. And boy am I glad I went to see him. I haven't had any pain since I started taking the anti-inflammatory!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Mayerling, I'm so glad you're on the anti-inflammatory and that it's helping! You can kill two birds with one stone by pumping while N does tummy time. I used to pump on the floor all the time...pumping when they sleep is ideal, but I totally understand needing to pump at other times, too.

Freke, your BFF is in town by now, so yay! Would love to hear about the move when you get a chance. I'm definitely thinking about you and your poor leg!

Bobbin, that photo is so, so cute. The frustration with lack of sleep (both yours at night and hers during naps) is enough to make any new mom cry. When you mentioned having C nap for more than 1 sleep cycle at a time, does that mean napping multiple times within a particular cycle (like a 3-hour cycle)? So two 45-minute naps within a certain amount of time? Or do you mean having her nap outside of her cot? K always napped when I wore her and there were times I walked around aimlessly so as not to wake her up.

I ended up canceling the bathseat and got a foldable bathtub instead because it's handier for travelling. It's this one: http://www.amazon.com/Prince-Lionheart-Flexibath-Foldable-Bathtub/dp/B004NRNSRI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346878068&sr=8-1&keywords=folding+bath+tub.. I like it, but it's a bit deep, so she floats if I fill it all the way up.

PnPsMom, that breastmilk looks so encouraging!! I had a quick hospital stay soon after giving birth to K and pumped A TON while there. I joked it was something in the hospital air. I actually had some left over and could make a little stash (the ONLY time that ever happened). Fingers crossed the increase stays!

How are you feeling? How did the appt. with the doc go? I'm so glad you ended up going to the ER!

AFU, life with limited use of my right hand is NO FUN!

 

[megumic]

Hi mommies! I'm finally checking in over on this thread, now that Callan is 3.5 weeks old. It has taken me some time to process the fact that he is here (I should have expected this!) and that I had an emergency c-section. I've been slow to come to terms with everything and I am doing better now, thankfully

Cal is doing well, except that he isn't up to birth weight yet. He was 8 lbs 12 oz at birth and yesterday at the Drs he was 8 lbs 4 oz. I am BFing and supplementing, as I don't expect a full supply since I had breast reduction surgery 10 yrs ago, but at least I am able to give him something.

Anyway, I hope to be around this thread a bit more often now that we're slowly adjusting to our new life.

 

[S&I]

Pancake, I'm sure you guys will have so much fun in Bali! I think 2.5 or 3 years apart between siblings is a great gap. We might end up with roughly that age gap too, but I don't want to push it out much further than that, since I'll be hitting that dreaded 35 in a couple of years, and we all know what that means. Congrats to your DH on the new job - that's wonderful news!

Mayerling, great job with the sleep logging. I log A's diapers and feedings. Yay for N sleeping longer with the earlier bedtime! Good luck with the move back to the UK next week. We're really bad with tummy time too, but it was mostly because A hated it so much. He tolerates it so much better now, so it's easier to remember to do it a few times a day. I'm glad you're feeling better with the anti-inflammatory.

AMC, B is such a sweet little thing! I'm glad to hear that your supply is increasing that that things are going good.

Rachel, we have the Lorex LiveSense Baby Monitor, but like others have said, we didn't start really using it until recently. A is almost 5 months old and I didn't need the monitor until I stopped sleeping in his nursery at night. He doesn't nap in his crib during the day, so there was really no need until now to use the monitor. It has the option of turning off the video and only using sound, which I use. When I hear a sound from the monitor, I flip on the video to see what's going on. It also has a feature to plug into Skype so I can see it from outside the house (at work, etc.) if I plug the monitor into a computer that has Skype running on it. We haven't really used that feature all too much. You're getting so close!

NEL, aww, hope K's forehead is okay from her bathtub accident, and wow - two teeth already! Yikes about your poor finger and the ER trip! Hope you're healing up quickly. That's great that K has made you indifferent about what gender you want for the next one. I've always wanted a girl, and I actually went through the same temporary disappointment as you when we found out A was a boy. I always told DH that I had to be 100% sure that I was okay with having 2 boys before I would consider having #2. Well, I'd still really love to have a girl next, but I'll be okay with 2 boys. Ooh, thanks for posting the link to the foldable bathtub. My mom keeps talking about buying a big storage bin to use as a bathtub, ha. How does K like it so far?

LC, that's funny/cute that your DH is bragging about Ethan saying da-da. Sorry E is still waking up. A seems to do that every other night or so - it's weird. Last night was one of those nights, waking up at 10:30pm, 12:30am, 3am, and finally 6:30am. I've noticed that when A is fussing in his crib, if I go in there to try to pat/shush him, he gets more worked up until I pick him up. So now I try to let him self-soothe for a couple of minutes to see if he'll fall back asleep before I go pick him up. Re: hating the car, I think it happens once they start becoming more active and noticing things around them. It's like they realize they're strapped down, and just want to get out. Oh, and I'm not ready for #2 just yet either. We're just talking about it for now, no real plans besides my age limit coming up soon.

Freke, glad you're in CA now, but so sorry that you sprained your knee right before having to make the trip to the airport with all the stuff. You are one strong lady! I hope your knee is feeling a bit better, and I'm glad your BFF is there to help you out now. Wow, 4 teeth for A - that's crazy! Hope she's not suffering too much. How does she like the new house?

PPM, so sorry to hear about your abscesses! Were you able to talk to your OB about whether you need to dump your milk or not? I really hope things get better for you soon! You're not pathetic at all - just a mom putting her daughter first. No shame in that. Good luck with the laceration/drainage. Tons of quick healing dust to you!

Bobbin, love the father's day pic! Yay for rolling! A will complete a roll from back to front if we start him by pushing his butt over to the side, ha. Sorry you've been exhausted lately. How is C's night-time sleeping - getting any better? We haven't started planning for #2 yet, but I did have to tell DH "no way" when he asked if we should start trying now. I think he thought I wanted to try right away because I was talking about it quite a bit the other week. I set him straight though.

Meg, welcome! Glad you're doing better and adjusting to life with C!

AFU, just waiting for A to start regularly STTN. It seems like he'll have one or two good nights followed by a bad night where he'll wake up at least 2-3 times. He still isn't requiring a full bottle when he does wake up, just a quick suckle on me, so that's good. In other news, we bought another stroller. We got the Baby Jogger City Elite, but it was on sale because it's a 2010 model. I can't wait to get it - should be here tomorrow. The forever-air tires and the 75lb weight limit sold me on it. Although...I do also like the features of the City Select.

 

[lliang_chi]

Hey mamas,

Just a quick post before I have to split to pick up Ethan from daycare.

Just sending dust to Freke, PPM and NEL that you guys heal up. No more ER craziness for anyone in the group OK???

Meg, welcome! Hope you and Callan are doing OK. Love the diapers on him, what a handsome man!

Freke, hope your BFF is there and you're getting settled.

PPM, Did you check with the OB's about the drugs, if they're safe? I hpoe they are, I *hate* seeing milk getting tossed down the drain.

NEL, That folding tub looks interesting. When I bathe Ethan in a hotel the last time we were on a trip, I just filled up the tub and sat in there with him. It was weird walking around wiht no bottom as I was getting him dressed etc. But it wsa just DH in the hotel room. Sleeping (of course!) Enjoy your trip!!!

Bobbin, Happy fathers' day to Mr. Bobbin. What an freaking ADORABLE picture. I'm glad C is doing well and is having a whirlwind of a week.

Pancake, Happy fathers' day to Mr. Pancake too. Aw, cute that S is "Da, da, Da' ing in time for it too. Hee hee, nake-y Sylvie! I love seeing nakey babies, I thikn they're so cute!!!! Have fun on your trip!!!

S&I, We're going to get a Baby Jogger City Mini as our everyday strollre since Ethan's outgrowing the infant carrier. Hope you get your BJ soon so you can take A on a spin in it Sounds like A's doing the same as Ethan on the sleeping dept. Hope our boys will get the hang of it soon.

AFU, Ethan got a haircut! I'm really sad that he looks like an older baby now. DH *loves* it so I guess that makes me kinda happy. But sigh!!!! Little pumpkin's getting bigger!!!! After the haircut, DH and I went for a really nice lunch then we checked out car seats etc. We're going to get a Diono Radian XRT (formerly branded Sunshine Kids). I compared it to the Britax Pavillion/Advocate (the one wihtout the side impact bladdres) and the with the Britax, Ethan's feet were already touching the back seat. The Diono he had a little bit more room. So I figure I'll take the extra few weeks/month with him rear facing and not having his legs all scrunched up. Plus it's slimmer than the Britax so more adults can fit in the sit comfortably.

Will post haircut before and after pics. Maybe later tonight. We have a baptism class for Ethan today.

Oh yeah, and Ethan slept 7 hrs last night from 8PM - 3AM without waking for anything (his suckie or anything!) Hooray!!!!

 

[lliang_chi]

Here's the before and after haircut pictures. I'm kinda sad my little baby is looking like a big boy now....

 

[S&I]

LC, aww! E still looks just as cute with his new haircut. We need to trim A's hair too - it's way too long around his ears. Oh, and you're going to LOVE having the BJCM as your everyday stroller. It's so light and easy to fold/unfold, plus it's quite the zippy little thing. If I could have put the foam-filled tires on ours, I wouldn't have bought the BJCE. We were thinking about selling our BJCM since the two are pretty similar, but we might just end up keeping both. I don't know, I keep going back and forth, ha!

 

[S&I]

Oh and LC, I forgot to comment about the convertible seat. We went to BBB one weekend to talk to them about it. I was also comparing the Britax Pavilion/Advocate and the Diono Radian. The lady had good things to say about both of them, but then I asked which one she would suggest. She then said the Recaro Proride, which I think is our current top pick at the moment. She also took both the Britax and the Recaro out to our SUV so we could see how they fit in the middle seat. The Recaro is way taller (taller base) than the Britax, so it covers a little of the rear view. I've also heard the Diono is really tall too and requires a big SUV or minivan, so we didn't try that one out. We still have to take A to the store one day to actually sit in the seats like you did with E before we decide which one to get for sure.

 

[lliang_chi]

S&I, if it's any consolation, we put both the Britax Pavillion and the Diono Radian XRT, rear facing, in our 2010 Honda Civic. The Diono did sit taller, it was behind the driver seat. The Britax was short and squat, the Diono long and skinny.They were behind front seats, not in the center. DH said he have any visibility issues when he sat in the driver seat. SUVs might need to have more line of sight to the back/side windows, though.

We didn't try the Recaro, but a little fun fact: Recaro makes race car seats for Formula1 cars. They translated their expertise to the highly sensitive (and profitable) child seat market, so you're looking at a pretty solid product if you're thinking of the Recaro.

 

[stephbolt]

PP - you are smart to let DH figure things out on his own, I need to do that more myself. Oh, and we do all our daytime naps other than the first one of the day in the swing too. Hope daycare is ok with that!

NEL, hope K's teeth aren't causing too much trouble! Thanks for your thoughts on going back to work, it helps so much to hear about how other people manage it! Ouch to your hand, hope you are doing ok!

S&I, hope A gets the hang of STTN soon! The drive to my parents was about 2.5 hours, on the way there she made it about two hours before she woke up. On the way back we stopped after an hour to visit my grandmother and then she made it the remaining hour and a half without fussing. My MIL is 4 hours away and I know DH will want to head up that way this fall, but I am going to avoid it as long as possible.

pancake, love hearing about S's love of her bed, so adorable! Glad traveling went well!

LC, thanks for the back to work advice! Sorry to hear E is hating the car, that must be so hard! He looks so handsome with his haircut!

Freke, hope you are taking care of yourself and healing up ok!

PPM, how are you feeling lady?

bobbin, I love that Father's day card! So adorable!

mayerling, sorry you're still having trouble with N's sleep - do you have a baby swing? It's the magic bullet for us to get Nora to sleep during the day. Hope your travels back to UK go ok!

Welcome meg!

AFU, Nora is 10 weeks old today, and had her 2 month appointment this afternoon. She's 12 lbs 4 oz (76%) and 24 inches long (92%). Our little girl is tall! She and I both cried when she had her shots, she took a nap when we got home and then woke up and was screaming so much she wouldn't nurse, I wonder if it was hurting her to lay on her leg. I gave her some tylenol and a bottle of pumped milk and she's napping in the swing now. Hopefully she's feeling ok and doesn't have a bad night. If she does ok tonight I'm going to drive down the the shore tomorrow and meet up with my mom for a few days, she's at her house down there until Sunday. I'm trying to soak up the last two weeks at home with Nora, went to visit work yesterday and it was a strange feeling, but it was nice to see everyone there and get caught up on the gossip with the reorganization that has taken place while I've been on leave. Seems like a mostly positive change, but I'm anxious to see it in action.

Hope all the mamas and babies here are doing well!

 

[pancake]

Bobbin, I saw that photo on FB and was so touched - DH must have LOVED it! Re the stroller - I haven't tried a back carry in the Ergo (haven't quite figured out the logistics of doing it on my own!!) but I forgot we had a Bjorn until the other day; I got it out, put her in it forward facing and she LOVED it! My back didn't, but it'll do for short trips

I think the touchiness comes with those developmental leaps. I often find S is more demanding of my attention when she's in a rapid learning phase. It's so exciting though - watching them acquire those new skills and trying to process what they can do now!

Freke - how are things now that BFF is around? You must feel so much better just having another person on your team!

NEL, every time I think about your blender accident I wince, you poor poor thing! Hope you're doing ok and adjusting to using your RH less.

Re the bathtub, I am actually thinking of getting some kind of smaller bathtub or one of those dam things, because the seat is great but I have to put a lot of water in to get it to the level I want for S's baths. On the weekends then one of us jumps in with her, but otherwise it just seems such a waste of water!

Meg - hooray, hello!! Cal is just beautiful. I hope you'll post more pics of him soon... they change so quickly, especially early on. I'm glad you are able to make peace a bit more with the way things panned out. I think time, especially time spent with your beautiful son, is a great healer in these situations.

S&I, with A sleeping through some nights and not others, how are you finding YOUR sleep? When S was lengthening her night sleeps but they were still a bit erratic, I remember I used to wake up around 3 or 4 and just lie awake wondering when she'd start fussing

The Elite is a great stroller - I really really like it but I wanted something that would face towards me as well as outwards. Also, the Select is a little narrower than the Elite. If I had my time over I think I would buy the Versa now, as it's more compact than the Select but has the features that I want. I don't know if we'll benefit from the Select's capacity to be converted to an inline double, as S might not spend much time in the stroller by the time we have #2.

LC, E definitely looks more grown-up in the post-haircut pic, but he is still SO PRETTY!!! (My mind's eye is looking triumphantly at J there ) What a cutie.

Stephbolt - how did Nora go overnight? Hope you didn't have any more issues post-needles, poor things. She is growing like a proverbial weed - great work, mama!!

PPM - how did you go with the surgeon? Thinking of you.

AFU, we are going to Bali TOMORROW!!!! It's all a bit mad chook here because it's my mother's birthday and my family is coming over for dinner (I've made an oxtail red wine ragu to eat with pasta and a lemon tart), and we're not completely packed.

It's been a very tough week. My father has had one last hurrah from beyond the grave - the reading of the will was on Tuesday. I don't want to be gauche and go into details but suffice it to say he divided his estate in such a way that if my mother, siblings and I were not so close, it would very easily drive us apart; families break up over wills like this. Inequity does not begin to describe it. Even as close as we are, there has been so much angst in the last few days - thankfully at the situation, not at each other. We will work it out amongst ourselves but gosh, we really have been tested to the limit these last 6 months.

Cannot wait to get to Bali and soak up some sunshine, do a lot of nothing, and eat a lot of good food! There will be stuff to deal with when we get back but I think we're ok for the time being and I can put things aside for the week. Until yesterday I wasn't sure I'd be able to relax and not obsess over what's going on, but after talking to my mum and siblings over the last day or so, I feel a lot better.

 

[mayerling]

Pancake, what a pity that there are still issues caused by your father. But yay for your upcoming trip to Bali!

S&I, I hope A starts STTN consistently.

PPM, have your health issues been resolved?

Steph, I intend to get N a swing asap, but I recently heard that sleep is not restorative unless it's in a crib.

LC, I love E's new hairstyle!

Meg, I look forward to more Callan updates.

AFU, N is 2 months old today! We had his 2-month check up and everything is okay - though he still has conjunctivitis and thrush , and he also had his first shot. He got the hepatitis shot which isn't available on the NHS in the UK, but we decided to wait for him to get the other shots in the UK so we don't have to worry about having to explain what he had over here and what he needs to get over there. He wailed for a few moments but I shoved a boob in his mouth and that calmed him down.
Also, my theory that he'll wake up at 3 no matter when he goes to sleep was rejected as last night he woke up at 2. Oh well...

 

[S&I]

LC, that's exactly why DH likes the Recaro one, because of their race car history! Both the Recaro and the Diono look long and skinny. Let us know how E likes the Diono once you guys get it. I think the Recaro, Britax, and Diono car seats are at the top, so you really can't go wrong choosing between any of them.

Steph, happy 10 weeks to N! She is one tall lady, and oh so cute! So sorry to hear about her shots causing so much pain for her. How did it go overnight? It sounds like she did really well on the road trip. I'm still too scared to try the 4.5-hour trip to the in-laws just yet. Maybe I'll be braver once we transition A to a convertible car seat.

Pancake, sorry to hear that your father's will has caused some extra grief, but glad that your family is able to work through it amicably. You must be so excited for Bali! I feel like my sleep will never quite be back to what it was pre-baby, but I am sleeping better in my own room versus in A's nursery. So it turns out that the BJCE that I got yesterday is a 2011 model (not 2010 like I originally thought). It was only manufactured a few months before my 2012 BJCM, so I feel even better about the $80 discount now, ha! BJ is having a drawing for a free Versa on their FB page, so I might sign up for it even though I never win these types of things. The video for it does look pretty cool. ETA: Does S hate both the BJCM and the BJCS equally, or does she tolerate the BJCS better because she can see you?

Mayerling, happy 2 months to N! Poor thing about his lingering thrush and conjunctivitis. Glad you were able to soothe him after his shot too. I found A would wake up during a small range of times, like anywhere between 2-3AM usually. Now he doesn't do that, but he's started waking between 11pm and 12am now, go figure.

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Mayerling, happy 2 months to N! Sorry the 3am wakeup is not quite sorted out, but sometimes I feel these babies get a kick out of throwing us for a loop. K did the same thing--kept waking up early (5:45). I tried a few things, thought I'd figured something out and then this morning she woke up at 5:45 on the dot. I woke D up with my exasperated "UUUUUUGH!" I'm sure N will move away from the 3am wakeup soon!

Pancake, when I read your paragraph about your father's will, I literally said "are you kidding me?!" out loud. And then read it again. Not to sound crude, but I shouldn't have been surprised after everything he's put you through these past several months (and really, your whole life), but I just can't believe he still manages to toil with your family's emotions even after he's passed. I'm really, really sorry and I'm so glad you are close with your mother and siblings so that you can take the will in stride together.

Enjoy your trip to Bali!! I can't wait to see pics! Oh, and the bath seat. I totally understand the issue with filling up the whole tub for the seat. I used the Bumbo for a couple of days (shh, don't tell) and had the same issue. I think we'll use this foldable tub for a while.

Stephbolt, N is such a long baby! We're in the same boat and it makes it tough for clothes. All of her clothes are too big around her waste and legs, but I need the length! I'm so sorry to hear about N's screaming. K did the EXACT same thing and it seriously traumatized me. She fell asleep soon after her 2 month shots, woke up SCREAMING and I tried to get some milk in her along with her Tylenol before she finally exhausted herself back to sleep. It was so awful that it made me really anxious for her next round of shots, but her 4 and 6 month shots were just fine. It was just that first round that was so bad. Hope she's feeling better!

LC, awwww, Ethan looks adorable!! I know you were resisting the cut for a long while, but it was just a teeny trim and he looks adorable. K has so many odd, long hairs that I wouldn't mind if she got a little trim herself. I fear my husband might flood the salon with his tears, though. Anyway, E is cute as always! You'll have to let me know how you like the Diono! We have to buy another convertible (for the babysitter) and I'm on the fence about buying a cheaper seat since we already have the Boulevard, or if we should give her the Boulevard and get the Diono. I was planning to make the switch to the convertible as soon as we were back from this trip (K is about 29 inches now and the limit is 30), but that means I need to order a second seat pronto!

S&I, I defnitely know what you mean about being prepared for two of the same sex before trying for #2. I still go a little gaga when I see cute boy clothes. When it comes to #2, I think I'll be a little more laid back. Laid back for me isn't very laid back, though. But I've pretty much left it in my husband's hands as to when he wants to try again. At least that's the plan until I get a strong urge. So far K seems happy in the tub. How are you liking the BJCE? Score for it being a year newer!

Meg, welcome! I'm sure it was a shock to end up needing and emergency c-section, I know many women (several of my own friends included) who took some time to come to terms with having an emergency c-section. I think that even when you tell yourself that you'll be flexible with the birth plan, when things don't go as planned, it is still hard. My L&D definitely didn't go as planned and it's made me re-evaluate my own plan for the next time. Even though C isn't back to his birth weight, it sounds like he's getting plenty of nourishment. Glad to have you here!

AFU, we're pretty much ready for vacation. The house is clean. The minivan (yes, we rented a minivan. Kind of embarrassing.) is packed. We just have a couple of things to throw in tomorrow morning and we're off! I wish I could take a picture of this van for you--it's hilarious. Not only do we have a van, but we have the cargo thing on top. You'd think we were a family of 8 based on how much space we need! In our defense, the dogs are taking up more space than anybody!

 

[mayerling]

Quick post to say that N rolled over a few days ago while doing tummy time!

 

[S&I]

NEL, I totally go gaga when I see cute baby girl clothes! Hope you're having fun in Montauk! I had to chuckle reading your description of the packed minivan and cargo thingy on top. You'll have to tell us how K did on the car ride up there. Did you put her in the Britax seat? We took the BJCE out this weekend, and I love it. It is quite a bit heavier than the BJCM though, so it's not as easy getting it in and out of the car. But it definitely goes over bumps a lot smoother. We now keep the BJCM to stroll A around the house, and the BJCE is in the car for outings.

Mayerling, yay for N rolling! A has yet to roll on his own, ha. He'll complete a roll if we get him started by flipping his lower part, namely his butt, over. Then he's able to lift up his head and get the rest of his body upright. He'll stay on his belly for a short while, and then rock his way back until he's rolled over to his back again. I'm not counting that as officially rolling though.

AFU, A has been sitting for longer periods before toppling over. He's also started reaching for his toes and trying to suck on them, which leads to him toppling over quickly. He hasn't started lifting his feet up while on the changing table so that's good. He's still drooling like crazy, but no signs of any teeth. He's also now about an inch taller than his cousin, who is 6 weeks older than A!

 

[bubbly1126]

I gotta read through some pages to get caught up...

But Liam is 1!! Check out the 12-36 month thread for some birthday pics! I also have some questions in there for ladies so if anyone from here also has any insight, I would truly appreciate it!!

 

[amc80]

Hi! We took a road trip out of state (8 hours or so) so I've been away. B did great on the trip, slept most of the time in the car. I pumped and bottle fed while on the road. Very strange pumping while on the freeway...thank god for tinted windows!

B had his one month appt today. He's 23 inches (95th%) and 9lbs6oz (25th%). He's up 11oz from birth weight and 1lb12oz from his low point. Everything else looks great. He has been really gassy and the gas drops haven't helped, so the doc recommends I give up dairy for a bit to see if it helps (boo).

Still having some sleep issues. Basically, he will want to nurse for well over an hour in the middle of the night. Last night I nursed for 15 minutes and then gave him 1oz from a bottle. Sure enough, I put him back down and he didnt fuss. I go back to work in a week and DH will be taking over this feeding anyway, so it's a win win. The other issue we have is that he stays up for 5-6 hours during the day, particularly the afternoon. Then he gets really fussy. Yesterday I decided to swaddle home and put him down after 3 hours or so, and he ended up sleeping for 4 hours. I think the poor little guy just doesn't sleep when he needs to, so we have to be better at recognizing when he needs a nap.

Hope all is well with everyone!

 

[lliang_chi]

S&I, re-reading my post, I meant to say DH said he had zero visibility issues with either seats installed on the two end positions. Look at A sitting up like a big boy! You'll be surprised that he'll "get" sitting up really quickly. Ethan had it down in just a few days. Anyway, I totally count what A does as rolling over. Ethan has a giant noggin' so he'd just lean his head one direction and roll over that way.

NEL, have fun on your vacation! Let us know how Katie did on the car ride.Hope Mountauk (spelling?) was great! I'm guessing the boys would've loved it too So funny what you say about D crying about K getting a haircut. It's actually pretty easy to cut baby hair, so if you wanted to give it a shot you should. My tip is to keep playing with Katie's hair while she's being fed, like pinch it between your fingers in a scissor and drag it up. This is what the stylist will need to do with their hair when you need to do a cut, if she's nonplussed by this action by the time she gets her first cut, it'll go much smoother. I kept doing this to Ethan for a few weeks before I broke down and cut his hair. He kept squirming around, but he never batted my hand away as I was cutting his hair.

Mayer, Hooray for N rolling! Glad to see he's humming along

Pancake, ugh! I'm sorry to hear about your father's will reading. I'm glad you have such a close family that you won't let any of this interfere with each other. Your vacation is *just* what the doctor ordered! How's S doing in the sun and warm weather? You'll have to post cute pictures of her in the water!

Steph, wow! Can't believe N's 10 wks (plus) now! Hope you're doing OK with getting ready to go back to work. I'm glad that the org change is mostly positive. I'm sure you'll be fine. We're here for you too. Oh and I'm sure you've already heard this, but don't make your first week back a FULL week (M-F). If you can swing it, go back on a Weds or Thursday, so you can ease back in. Otherwise it'd feel like a VERY LONG WEEK.

IHA, OMG Happy birthday Liam! I can't believe the little man is ONE! Look at those chubby cheeks though. I love the cookie monster cake you made! Looks like L had a fun time with it. Is that a sippy cup in the middle of the cake??? No advice really on the MOTN bottle. More on Ethan's sleep sitch below.

AMC, wow, look at B what a champ! I wouldn't sweat the MOTN feeding with him being so young right now. He'll likely need eat every 3-4 hours anyway. By the time he's about 2.5 or 3 months, he'd likely be able to go 6 hrs or so. But Ethan's never gone much beyond that. E *loved* the swaddle so if it works for you guys, I say go for it! Hope the lack of dairy helps him. Poor little baby tummy. I know it kinda sucks for you though.

AFU, Ethan's sleep is still kinda meh. Thursday night/Friday AM the Sleep Gods gave me the finger and he was getting up every 1.5-2 hrs. Last night at around 1AM he was PISSED! I handled Ethan fine (although broke down and gave him a bottle, which he only drank like 40 ml the stinker) but didn't handle DH too well. Mostly being petty because he snapped at me once upon a time, so I snapped back last night, kinda, "There, see how you like it." Which was totally bratty of me, and I recognize that. But I've kinda been in a bratty mood of late, not sure how to shake it. Maybe I'll suggest DH and I have a date night sometime soon.

But anyway, I've been trying so hard to keep Ethan from depending on a bottle to go to bed, but I think he's slowly associating it. Mostly in the early evenign. He goes down @ 8PM, then he's usually up at like 10PM/11PM which we feed him a little (dream feed, although I thikn he's too old for that now), then he goes back to sleep. Lately he's be very regular about waking at about 1AM, and I dunno how to break him of that habit. Any suggestions?

 

[bubbly1126]

It is a cup with a straw. He refuses to use traditional sippy cups. He set it down in his cake. Guess he wanted to share with cookie monster. Haha!

How old is Ethan now? Liam slept through the night for the longest time but I still struggle sometimes with him waking up in the middle of the night for a bottle. It isn't often but definitely did pick up when he started teething. I think it just feels good for him to suck. Does it happen every night? If not, I personally wouldnt worry. I'm sure it will pass.

Oh and he is so adorable with his haircut. Liam is getting his first haircut tomorrow!!

 

[lliang_chi]

Aw, I so wanted to wait until Ethan hit 1 yr to give him his hair cut. But I think J would've cut it himself if we were waiting that long. South Asians have a cultural "celebration" at the baby's first hair cut, where they don't cut the baby's hair for the first year. Then it's offered in a religious ceremony or something then everyone has a big party. I'm *sure* I'm butchering the actual meaning of it. But I bring it up because I wish I had that to fall back on to stave the hair cut. Oh well. It's done now.

Ethan's 6 months. I think he's teething because he's been PISSED OFF upon waking the past two nights. So it kinda feels like teething to me. I hope those teeth hurry up and get here. I'm toying with the idea of getting an amber necklace for him...

 

[pancake]

LC - I think that there is said to be a sleep regression at around 6 months, maybe that is what is happening with Ethan? Regardless of what you call it, I think it's not that surprising given all the developmental changes happening at the moment. In the last 2 weeks S has made huge developmental strides and with that has come the first inklings of separation anxiety. She cries out more at night now (at home she would resettle but here she needs cuddles - although she has come down with a cold, see below), and during the day she will be perfectly happy but if we walk away from her even for a few seconds she starts to cry.

Re the 1am wakings - I'm not really sure. If you know he's not hungry, and he is otherwise well, you could try CIO at that time? I hate CIO but I have to say that sometimes I think it causes less pain to everyone (esp to S) than going in and attending to her, then leaving her again.

IHA - Happy birthday to your adorable little man!!! Wow, that year went fast. The photos are beautiful!

amc80, I'm with LC - one night waking at B's age is terrific! Glad that he took the bottle and settled well overnight, especially if your DH is going to be doing the night feeds after you return to work. Speaking of which, how are you feeling about it? I haven't gone back yet but I know that several mamas here have done it relatively early in the piece and well-documented the ups and downs of that journey.

S&I, sometimes it sounds like we have the same baby S still doesn't roll either. She has never rolled in either direction and she's now almost 7 months! That said, I don't worry about it any more (especially since her development is so great in every other way!) and am just enjoying the fact that I have a happy baby who will sit still and play... because once they start moving, it's curtains to mama productivity at home!

Re the strollers - score on the 2011 model! S seems to hate both strollers equally ALTHOUGH I must say that in the last week things seems to have improved...I'll get back to you on that one.

NEL, thanks for the solidarity re my dad, as ever. I am feeling much better about the whole thing with the passage of a few days and being on holidays... and part of me is also saying, "well, he can't do ANYTHING more now!" - that must be the last hurrah. My siblings and I haven't sat down and talked about it all yet but we'll do so at some stage after we get back home. Sigh.

How is YOUR vacation going??? I giggled re the minivan. We brought SO much stuff to Bali. It's ridiculous!

Mayer, happy 2 months to N! I'm sorry you're still having issues with conjunctivitis and thrush. Are you still on the anti-inflammatories as well? Very exciting re the rolling.

AFU - we are in Bali! I look back and think that gosh, we had a lot of hurdles to get this point but we are now on "properly" on holiday and we needed it SO much. S was a little star on the flight (6 hours) and charmed the socks off everybody on the plane.

She has been a bit unsettled going down for sleeps, which we expected, and in the last 24 hours she's come down with a cold HOWEVER so far she is still her happy self when she's awake - but she did wake twice during the night for cuddles and a breastfeed, which she hasn't done in months. We are just glad that so far she is not miserable with the cold and are hoping and hoping that she doesn't get sicker!

Her wake times have extended dramatically in the last week or so and she is now staying up for 2-3 hours during the day. She has been eating up a storm - she's stopped just gumming finger foods and has now figured out how to bite, chew and swallow (albeit without teeth!)! At breakfast she is having toast (her favourite) and fruit, she'll have bits of whatever we're having when we're out for lunch, and I steam some vegies for her at dinner time. She is still being spoonfed, too, but I've backed off on the amount.

Our villa is lovely and she is loving having meals at the table with both of us. She has a float or a swim in the pool each day and is getting used to it although it took her a while to warm up to it. People here love babies and she gets lots of chats and attention wherever we go.

ETA: Have been trying to post pics but having trouble - will post from my cell phone later!