PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[Mrs]

Date: 7/23/2009 9:51:58 AM
Author: dreamer_dachsie

Date: 7/22/2009 11:01:22 PM

Author: Mrs

Date: 7/22/2009 10:12:29 PM

Author: dreamer_dachsie

I''m very happy to schedule my life around her naps but I can''t figure out how to do that since she falls asleep in her stroller and/or car seat when I don''t expect her to. For example: this morning she woke up at 6:30AM. I took her out for a run at 8 expecting to be back by 9 to put her in her crib to nap. But then she fell asleep in her stroller while I was running so I came back home ASAP so that she could keep sleeping without movement. Should I have transitioned her from the stroller to the crib when we got home? I knew that if I did that she would wake up.... Then after her nap from 11AM to noon (in her crib) I tried to get her to sleep more but she wouldn''t. So I took her out to run errands and she was awake until 2PM when she fell asleep in her car seat. Again, I came home and brought her inside to sleep with no movement but did not transition her to her crib and she slept for 2 hours... Tonight DH and I went out for dinner at a place that''s walking distance from our house and she again fell asleep in her stroller at about 6:30 right before we got home... I wasn''t sure if I should wake her and do the whole bed time ritual of bath, boob, bed or just curtail that to get her in to bed since she was clearly tired. I ended up skipping the bath...

I have this issue sometimes too... but it sounds from your description that Sage is fairly predictable getting tired and sleeping roughly 2 hours after she wakes. Hunter is the same generally. He also doesn''t *really* show the typical sleepy signs any more. All of a sudden he will just get a little more fussy! So I wonder if you have to plan to be home 1.5 hours after waking to make sure you catch her when she is ready to go down. I have adopted this pattern maybe it will work for you: 1.5 hours after waking I nurse him again -- I find he naps much longer if I do this, because otherwise it would be 4 hours between feeds and that is too long for him, he is a 3 hour guy in the day) then at around 1:45 minutes after waking I rock him and sing to him for 5 minutes (I am trying to classically condition him that this is the cue for sleepy time) and put him down. He plays with his binky and toes for 5-10 minutes and then more often then not conks out for 2 hours!


When I first started doing this routine -- where there is NO BFing immediately before sleep -- he would cry for about 6-7 minutes before he went to sleep. That lasted 2 days and now he just sings and humms and sucks his fingers to sleep, that is his self-soothing technique, we hear him do it all the time when he is sleeping. I totally get if you are not comfortable letting him cry/fuss, it is completely painful to hear!, but it may be that she just needs a little time to figure out how to put herself to sleep. We have seen great improvement in Hunter this week that we have been using a 10 minute rule (we have only hit the full 10 minutes 1 time, all the others he is out within 3-5 minutes of crying). For us, the pick up put down worked great when Hunter was less than 3 months old, but now it just makes him madder and more worked up! So we stopped doing that.

Thanks DD - your recommendations make a lot of sense. I''ll try feeding her and then putting her down after she''s been up for 1 1/2 or 2 hours this morning and see how she does. I don''t mind letter her fuss a little.

I''ll let you know how it goes! thanks again

 

[Mrs]

Date: 7/23/2009 10:06:45 AM
Author: cdt1101
Dreamer - sometimes his eyes are closed and i''ll just let him be...but most of the time he is also crying, but not like a full on cry...i''ll say just fuss, but sometimes a little more than that. And the longer i ''leave him be'' he gets really worked up sometimes, so it''s even harder to calm him down. But after his 2:00 AM feed, I''ll leave him in the crib and let him make his noises....it''s just i can''t sleep because the rooms are next to each other. Sometimes he will fall in and out of peaceful sleep. But the past 2 nights it''s constant. So usually after about an hour of him fussing, he''ll start really crying and I pick him up, rub his back and he falls asleep in my arms. As soon as I put him down, the cycle starts again. It hasn''t been until after his 8:00 am feed that he will take a good 2 hour, mostly peaceful nap.


I don''t know...I know these things take time, but I''m known for not being very patient

So, yeah, this is all very new to me...hehhee.......

cdt, I''m sorry he''s having such trouble sleeping! Question: when he seeps in your arms, how are you holding him? over your shoulder? cradled with his head a little elevated? Perhaps the reflux doesn''t bother him as much when you''re holding him because his body is positioned better to prevent the pain. Do you have a sleep positioner in his crib to elevate his head a little? If not, you could try putting some towels under the mattress to tilt it so that his head is higher than his feet and see if that helps at all. I hope you find some solution soon so that you can get some sleep!

 

[nycbkgirl]

CDT- im sooo sorry

I know its frustrating but if its not reflux then u just have to give it some time and try to figure him out...do u try puttin him on his stomach when he falls asleep or is he too young for that still? Sometimes it doesn''t work from the first shot but try the pik up put down routine and when he''s on his stomach in the crib pat his butt lightly ....hey gotta try everything :-I..good luck and keep on venting!

 

[Mrs]

Date: 7/23/2009 10:40:59 AM
Author: nycbkgirl
Blen- eek@ diaper issues..I have never tried cloth but I gather it must be nice against the skin and no diaper rash?


So jon slept from 10-6..and woke up screamin with no warning sign...he was THAT hungry...I kept him up from 6 fed,played,more play,bath, feed,sleep. Im hoping we are falling into a routine. I just go with the flow re their napping etc bc I know they will work it out and find they routine eventually.

Jackie woke once but gave her the bottle and she fell right back out..so she''s getting there.


We had therapy evaluations and jackie seems to be the stronger one at least in the legs dept and holding head. Hopefully we will have physical and occupational therapy sessions to improve their strength and avoid any developmental delays if possible.


So nanny came this morning, actually seems she''s getting along with MIL, they are kinda alike in terms of their beliefs about childcare (duno if that''s a good thing lol)...she''s nice ..but she came in this morning and had brkfast here..and even asked for coffee and bread n butter ??...is that normal...I wouldn''t mind her eating lunch here..in fact I told her plz help yourself to everything in fridge...but almost right away in the morning?..granted there wasn''t anything to do at the moment...but shouldn''t she eat brkfst @ home?..or maybe she didn''t have time this morning..not sure ??


Anyhoo....I feel weird having someone ''handling'' my kids but maybe in time I will adjust!

nycb, I''m glad the twins are sleeping relatively well! I think it''s good that your MIL and nanny are on the same page since they''ll be together so much watching the kids. WHat time did she get there this morning? I think if she''s expected to be at your place by 8, it''s not unreasonable for her to have breakfast. I know it''s weird having someone else care for your child - I felt the same about having S in daycare - but you will get used to it. S was only in day care for a few weeks but by the end of those few weeks, I felt very comfortable with the caretakers there watching her.

 

[Mrs]

Sleep update: Sage woke up at 5:30 this morning wanting to eat so I fed her and tried to get her to go back to sleep but she stayed up taking to herself for a long time. I finally got her up at 7, changed her, dressed her, and let her play on her mat for a while but she started to get fussy. So at 7:50 I put her in her crib where she fussed and complained for about 5 minutes and then fell asleep! So she went down for a nap about 2.5 hours after she woke up since she didn''t really go back to bed after 5:30 even though she was in her crib. Let''s hope this goes well! She was just crying out a little but seems to have settled back down now... fingers crossed!

 

[nycbkgirl]

Date: 7/23/2009 10:59:53 AM
Author: Mrs

Date: 7/23/2009 10:40:59 AM
Author: nycbkgirl
Blen- eek@ diaper issues..I have never tried cloth but I gather it must be nice against the skin and no diaper rash?


So jon slept from 10-6..and woke up screamin with no warning sign...he was THAT hungry...I kept him up from 6 fed,played,more play,bath, feed,sleep. Im hoping we are falling into a routine. I just go with the flow re their napping etc bc I know they will work it out and find they routine eventually.

Jackie woke once but gave her the bottle and she fell right back out..so she''s getting there.


We had therapy evaluations and jackie seems to be the stronger one at least in the legs dept and holding head. Hopefully we will have physical and occupational therapy sessions to improve their strength and avoid any developmental delays if possible.


So nanny came this morning, actually seems she''s getting along with MIL, they are kinda alike in terms of their beliefs about childcare (duno if that''s a good thing lol)...she''s nice ..but she came in this morning and had brkfast here..and even asked for coffee and bread n butter ??...is that normal...I wouldn''t mind her eating lunch here..in fact I told her plz help yourself to everything in fridge...but almost right away in the morning?..granted there wasn''t anything to do at the moment...but shouldn''t she eat brkfst @ home?..or maybe she didn''t have time this morning..not sure ??


Anyhoo....I feel weird having someone ''handling'' my kids but maybe in time I will adjust!

nycb, I''m glad the twins are sleeping relatively well! I think it''s good that your MIL and nanny are on the same page since they''ll be together so much watching the kids. WHat time did she get there this morning? I think if she''s expected to be at your place by 8, it''s not unreasonable for her to have breakfast. I know it''s weird having someone else care for your child - I felt the same about having S in daycare - but you will get used to it. S was only in day care for a few weeks but by the end of those few weeks, I felt very comfortable with the caretakers there watching her.

MRS- she got here at 7am and i dont have a problem with her having brkfst but asking us for bread and butter and coffee ..on ur fist day...and she didnt like the bread i had

lol...duno it kinda rubbed me the wrong way a little..im like no sorry dont have that bread bc i dont have time to go shopping! and she got her 10 mins late (again not a problem but on ur first day??) maybe im picky but ive worked since i was 13 in managerial office positions and i would get there even before they opened! and would bring my own food or order out. and....jackie was sleepin on balcony and MIL was inside...so nanny came in and started chatting with MIL...i walked over and im like so whos with the baby...so she ran out there..im thinking i will see her today til 4 and then maybe not continue

..it really is hard leaving ur kids with others esp ppl u dont know and trust....i will eventually get used to it but maybe just have to find the right person

..thanks for the support!

 

[nycbkgirl]

Date: 7/23/2009 11:05:03 AM
Author: Mrs
Sleep update: Sage woke up at 5:30 this morning wanting to eat so I fed her and tried to get her to go back to sleep but she stayed up taking to herself for a long time. I finally got her up at 7, changed her, dressed her, and let her play on her mat for a while but she started to get fussy. So at 7:50 I put her in her crib where she fussed and complained for about 5 minutes and then fell asleep! So she went down for a nap about 2.5 hours after she woke up since she didn''t really go back to bed after 5:30 even though she was in her crib. Let''s hope this goes well! She was just crying out a little but seems to have settled back down now... fingers crossed!

fingers and toes crossed! but 530!

...o my i would cry lol..soooo not a morning person!

 

[cdt1101]

NYC - we do sleep on belly...I know it''s a "no-no", but for us, we made the switch really early on because he never liked being on his back..still doesn''t...you should see the meltdowns over diaper changes. I''ve even tried putting him on his back to "play" and it last 5 minutes before he just goes nuts...arms and legs flying and cry cry cry.

MRS - When he''s in my arms he''s resting on my shoulder. So I agree the upright position is most comfortable for him. In fact, for a week we only slept him in his carseat just so we could get some rest. But obviously we couldn''t keep that up. We''ve tried the infant positioners, but he hates being on his back so much that he would kick and kick until he ended up horizontal on the positioner.....and then that, of course, caused a meltdown.

I don''t know ladies...I think it''s official, we have a BRAT on our hands

Can''t wait to see what kind of toddler and teenager he turns into

 

[MustangGal]

For the all babies with sleep issues, here''s what Kyle''s schedule is like, since I think he sleeps pretty well. He''s 5.5 months old, but has been doing pretty much this routine since about 2 months. He''s also formula fed, and I know this makes a bit of a difference.

Wake at 6am, eat, get dressed, watch mommy get dressed, go to the sitter
Nap 7:30am-9am
eat, play, run errands with the sitter
Nap 11am-12pm
Eat, watch the other kids at the sitter''s, practice sitting/jumping
Nap 1pm-3pm
eat, get picked up by daddy
Nap 5pm-5:45pm
solid food feeding at 6pm
bath & bottle at 7pm
bedtime is somewhere between 7:45pm and 8:30pm
then he sleeps all night

I think if I didn''t have to go to work in the morning he would probably eat at 6am then go back to sleep for a while. But the 6am wakeup fits into my schedule well, so we''ve been keeping it there.

cdt - we had some reflux issues for a while, and bought a wedge for the crib to keep the baby at and angle while sleeping. This was supposed to help with keeping the food down, but Kyle would just squirm off of it (even while swaddeled!). Maybe give one a try if you don''t have one already?

I wish I had the video camera handy this morning, Kyle tried putting his bib on the cat!

 

[nycbkgirl]

Date: 7/23/2009 11:36:00 AM
Author: cdt1101
NYC - we do sleep on belly...I know it''s a ''no-no'', but for us, we made the switch really early on because he never liked being on his back..still doesn''t...you should see the meltdowns over diaper changes. I''ve even tried putting him on his back to ''play'' and it last 5 minutes before he just goes nuts...arms and legs flying and cry cry cry.

MRS - When he''s in my arms he''s resting on my shoulder. So I agree the upright position is most comfortable for him. In fact, for a week we only slept him in his carseat just so we could get some rest. But obviously we couldn''t keep that up. We''ve tried the infant positioners, but he hates being on his back so much that he would kick and kick until he ended up horizontal on the positioner.....and then that, of course, caused a meltdown.

I don''t know ladies...I think it''s official, we have a BRAT on our hands

Can''t wait to see what kind of toddler and teenager he turns into

aah ok..dont worry my babies have been sleepin on their tummies since 1mo and i slept that way too when i was a baby...so it def does seem like reflux...what can be done about that?

 

[MustangGal]

DD - about short naps, Kyle does this sometimes, and if I know he should sleep longer, I first try to just pop the pcai back in and see if he''ll conk back out. It works seomtimes, similar to the middle of the night wakings, when it was gas/burp/bad dream that wakes them and they''ll go right back out. I try not to let him see me when I do this, just reach over the end of the crib and stick it back in. I also don''t go in there if he''s just playing/talking.

 

[Pandora II]

CDT - Daisy wouldn''t go on her back at all if she was completely horizontal, so I put a rolled up jumper under the cot mattress so one end was raised and the whole mattress inclined. Then I put her down on her side with a rolled up blanket down her back and head. Zero problems since then,

I also have a memory foam changing mat and still put a folded spit up cloth under her head so she''s not flat. I hate being flat myself so maybe it''s genetic?

NYC - I think it''s normal to expect you to provide coffee and breakfast foods. We had various people who looked after us as kids and they ate whatever was in the fridge - although my mother did ask what they liked and buy that. I''ve also never known a nanny be watching a child while it was actually asleep?

 

[nycbkgirl]

Pandora- lol not to watch her while asleep just be outside with her while she is sleeping..she could read a book,knit even doze off..but I rather he be next to her bc she has a tendency to start screamin ...I think it is dreams? Is that possible at this age

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 7/23/2009 5:59:03 PM
Author: nycbkgirl
Pandora- lol not to watch her while asleep just be outside with her while she is sleeping..she could read a book,knit even doze off..but I rather he be next to her bc she has a tendency to start screamin ...I think it is dreams? Is that possible at this age

Definitely dreams I think - Daisy sometimes starts absolutely howling out of the blue for 10 seconds or so and then silence again... very odd.

I managed to traumatise her this morning - I''d ordered a whole load of things from Jellycat (amazing British soft toy company) as presents for friends who are having babies and some bits and pieces for D.

Jellykitten have these tiny animals called Babblers that have noises in their tummies and I want to make a mobile out of the farm set and a pram toy with the jungle set. Anyway, Daisy was lying in her cot talking away to me and I tried the mouse out on her - she looked interested... then I tried the dog - she looked a bit worried... then I tried the elephant - the bottom lip wobbled followed by full-on howling.

I picked her up and cuddled her and then we tried it again while sitting on mummy''s knee so that she isn''t scared of them - she saw me smiling and tried so hard to smile herself while looking at it with great suspicion.

 

[MustangGal]

Kyle woke up stuffy this morning, any tips on how to help him? His nose wasn''t running, but he sounded congested. No fever, not really coughing, just congestion...

 

[nycbkgirl]

Date: 7/24/2009 4:19:39 AM
Author: Pandora II

Date: 7/23/2009 5:59:03 PM
Author: nycbkgirl
Pandora- lol not to watch her while asleep just be outside with her while she is sleeping..she could read a book,knit even doze off..but I rather he be next to her bc she has a tendency to start screamin ...I think it is dreams? Is that possible at this age

Definitely dreams I think - Daisy sometimes starts absolutely howling out of the blue for 10 seconds or so and then silence again... very odd.

I managed to traumatise her this morning - I''d ordered a whole load of things from Jellycat (amazing British soft toy company) as presents for friends who are having babies and some bits and pieces for D.

Jellykitten have these tiny animals called Babblers that have noises in their tummies and I want to make a mobile out of the farm set and a pram toy with the jungle set. Anyway, Daisy was lying in her cot talking away to me and I tried the mouse out on her - she looked interested... then I tried the dog - she looked a bit worried... then I tried the elephant - the bottom lip wobbled followed by full-on howling.

I picked her up and cuddled her and then we tried it again while sitting on mummy''s knee so that she isn''t scared of them - she saw me smiling and tried so hard to smile herself while looking at it with great suspicion.

unfortunatley jackie keeps on screamin and cryin

and we have to pick her up eventually.

isnt it so cute when their bottom lip quivers and its like they are offended lol.

MGAL- no tips but i hope its nothing!

 

[sbde]

sorry to hear that mustang. if you want to wait and see if it turns into a cold, what you can do in the meantime is put his bouncer in the bathroom and let the hot water run in the shower for a bit (or i take a hot shower myself!). the steam helps him with his congestion.

 

[sbde]

Date: 7/24/2009 1:49:31 PM
Author: nycbkgirl

Date: 7/24/2009 4:19:39 AM
Author: Pandora II

Date: 7/23/2009 5:59:03 PM
Author: nycbkgirl
Pandora- lol not to watch her while asleep just be outside with her while she is sleeping..she could read a book,knit even doze off..but I rather he be next to her bc she has a tendency to start screamin ...I think it is dreams? Is that possible at this age

Definitely dreams I think - Daisy sometimes starts absolutely howling out of the blue for 10 seconds or so and then silence again... very odd.

I managed to traumatise her this morning - I''d ordered a whole load of things from Jellycat (amazing British soft toy company) as presents for friends who are having babies and some bits and pieces for D.

Jellykitten have these tiny animals called Babblers that have noises in their tummies and I want to make a mobile out of the farm set and a pram toy with the jungle set. Anyway, Daisy was lying in her cot talking away to me and I tried the mouse out on her - she looked interested... then I tried the dog - she looked a bit worried... then I tried the elephant - the bottom lip wobbled followed by full-on howling.

I picked her up and cuddled her and then we tried it again while sitting on mummy''s knee so that she isn''t scared of them - she saw me smiling and tried so hard to smile herself while looking at it with great suspicion.

unfortunatley jackie keeps on screamin and cryin

and we have to pick her up eventually.

isnt it so cute when their bottom lip quivers and its like they are offended lol.

MGAL- no tips but i hope its nothing!

omg i LOVE baby pouts haha too cute.

 

[Dreamer_D]

MGal I think the same types of things that help us help babies -- sitting in a steamy room, massaging the face where the nasal passages are (under eyes, above eyes, bridge of nose). They also sell saline mist sprayers for babies that would probably help!

***

Well we are off to visit family for 2 weeks and I don't know if I will have internet! Your hopes and good vibes are needed for Hunter to sleep ok despite the 3 hour time difference and for all our hard work this week not to be undone!

Also, we are visiting the city we are movign to for 4 days and we will be househunting!

Wish us luck!!

 

[sbde]

good luck dreamer, hope you have a fab vacation!

 

[nycbkgirl]

DD- have fun and good luck! we will miss ya here!

 

[MustangGal]

Sounds like it''s probably a cold, he was asleep when I dropped him off at the sitter at 7am, and he didn''t really wake up until DH picked him up at 11. And he hadn''t eaten since 5am and wasn''t fussy, so I don''t think he''s "himself"

. I hardly ever get sick, so I don''t really do anyhting in particular. I''ll try the steamy shower when i get home, and I think I have some baby nose drops. Thank ladies!

DD - good luck in the city! I hope Hunter stays on schedule for you, and that house hunting goes well!

 

[neatfreak]

Hi all! Checking in from CA. Well we made it but it was a rough few days. There is nothing that I hate more than moving and being in transition and sadly it''s not over yet. Although we finally closed on our house (yay!) we are having some work done inside AND our stuff won''t be here till next week so we are at a hotel. The boys are NOT happy...I can''t wait to actually move into our house!

Amusingly enough the day I flew solo with the babies was the easiest day of this week.

Hope you all are doing well and I''ll see you all soon!

 

[mela lu]

Good luck DD. Hope the trip goes well on all fronts. Please report back regarding the time change. I''m interested because we''re going to Croatia for 3 weeks in Aug and there will be a 6 hr time change for us.

Neat - congrats! Hope the rest goes smoothly and you can transition into your new surrounding seamlessly.

I''m MIA because I told myself "no pricescope until you finish the thank you cards". I''m cheating right now...

Romy is sleeping in his crib tonight for the first time. I hope it goes well because he CERTAINLY has NOT been napping well in his crib.

The past two days have been uncharacteristically bad Nap days for him. I''m talking 15-20 max!!! It kills me because I dont get a break. Urgh. TGIF.

Fingers crossed the crib doesn''t fark up his good night sleeps.

 

[Blenheim]

DD - have a great trip!

NF - While I''m hoping to move soon here, I''m absolutely dreading it at the same time. You have my sympathies. I hope that it starts looking up for you.

Mela - good luck with the crib!!

In case anyone''s been following my diapering difficulties, the wool pants did the trick. All liquid all over the sheets is now from my breasts.

It''s been very cool so the wool pants work, but I''m going to go ahead and sew another pair of wool soakers (wool shorts instead of pants) for when it finally heats up again.

 

[Mrs]

Neat, Im so glad the house closed and the flight went well! You are my hero for flying solo with TWO babies! Amazing! I hope the weekend goes well for you!

Mgal, Thanks for posting Kyle''s sleep schedule! I hope he is feeling better! If he''s still not well, I would elevate the head of his mattress a little so that he doesn''t have bad post nasal drip. The steamy bathroom works if he starts coughing.

Mela, how did the crib go?? Is your thrush getting better? Good luck with those thank you cards!

Blen, I''m glad the wool pants worked!

DD, I hope you have a great trip! We will miss you here!

Pandora, Cute story! Isn''t it funny when babies decide they don''t like something? I wonder why the elephant scared her. DH was telling me about this article he read this week and how babies are very attuned to sounds and emotion so perhaps the elephant Babbler is a mean one!

cdt, how''s Lex''s sleeping going? better I hope!

courtney, how''s work going? you doing okay?

nycb, what ended up happening with the nanny? are you going to try to find another one?

Re: Sage''s sleep. That day I put her in her crib at 8, she only slept for 30 minutes... but she did better yesterday and I''ve realized something important: she doesn''t nap very deeply and there are times when she starts crying in her sleep. She wants to keep sleeping but the crying wakes her up. When she''s in her crib, I try to get her to take the pacifier and stroke her head which will sometimes help her get back to a deeper sleep but it doesn''t always work. When she''s asleep in her stroller or car seat and she wakes up like that, it''s much easier to get her to go back to sleep since a little movement in addition to the paci calms her down so she can sleep more. Yesterday I was able to lengthen her nap by over an hour by doing that a few times since she was asleep in her snap-n-go. I keep trying to get her to nap in her crib because I think she will sleep better there and eventually I KNOW she will sleep better there but right now she typically naps better in her stroller or car seat. Moral of the story: I have given myself permission to stop feeling like a bad mom about her not napping in her crib and I''ve decided to keep trying to get her to nap there but I''m not going to beat myself up about the naps she takes in her car seat or stroller. Bottom line: I need her to sleep well at night AND during the day. So as long as she seems to sleep better in her car seat or stroller at some points during the day, I''m going to let her nap there without guilt. Phew!

Yesterday we went back to the pedi about her chest congestion and she was sort of on the fence about the nebulizer treatments. Sage''s congestion and cough is clearly NOT normal but it''s not really affecting her sleep and she doesn''t seem that bothered by it... I opted to take the prescription but I''m not going to fill it unless she seems t get worse. She has already had two courses of antibiotics now and I just don''t want to over medicate her if this is just something her body needs a little longer to work out... we''ll see.

I''m doing fine - it''s hard to be home though and I''m struggling with this notion of being a stay at home mom. It isn''t that challenging to care for her in that it doesn''t take all that much brain power - I find that it takes more emotional energy than anything else. The most difficult part is that there is never any break from it. And when DH comes home, it''s not like he takes over. I''m still the one who feeds, changes, bathes, and puts her to sleep.... AND I feel like I''m the one who should be making dinner even though by then I feel rather spent. I fully expect him to relax and kick back on the couch while my "work" continues. At least when I was working outside the home, taking care of her in the afternoon and at night was a change from my daily work but now, it just gets rather monotonous. I want DH to respect the work that I''m doing in caring for her all day such that he is interested in giving me a break from it now and then but I find that I don''t respect it enough myself so how can I expect him to.... That''s hard.

I''ll leave you all with a pic (I hope it is sized okay!)

 

[Mrs]

here''s another

 

[Blenheim]

Mrs - could her hair be any cuter!? I also don''t see any reason for feeling guilty for letting her nap where she wants to. The important thing is having her sleep well and keeping you sane. I hope that her chest congestion starts to clear up soon. Obvious question, but have you expressed to your DH that you need help in the evenings? We have to have a chat every once in a while about what we each need to get done in the evenings so that the division of work seems fair. It''s an ongoing thing and it takes work to make sure that EVERYONE in the house gets their needs met.


George managed a back to belly roll this morning! But of course we both missed it. We''ve left him a couple of times on his belly and come back to find him on his back, but he''s a little sneaky baby who doesn''t want to do any of it in front of us. We got that one quasi-roll (where he had a head start) on video, and nothing since. I''m sure we''ll be able to catch him in the act sooner or later.

I don''t think that I participated in the age thing a few days back - George is about 3.5 months now.

 

[Mrs]

Date: 7/25/2009 11:17:15 AM
Author: Blenheim
Mrs - could her hair be any cuter!? I also don't see any reason for feeling guilty for letting her nap where she wants to. The important thing is having her sleep well and keeping you sane. I hope that her chest congestion starts to clear up soon. Obvious question, but have you expressed to your DH that you need help in the evenings? We have to have a chat every once in a while about what we each need to get done in the evenings so that the division of work seems fair. It's an ongoing thing and it takes work to make sure that EVERYONE in the house gets their needs met.



George managed a back to belly roll this morning! But of course we both missed it. We've left him a couple of times on his belly and come back to find him on his back, but he's a little sneaky baby who doesn't want to do any of it in front of us. We got that one quasi-roll (where he had a head start) on video, and nothing since. I'm sure we'll be able to catch him in the act sooner or later.


I don't think that I participated in the age thing a few days back - George is about 3.5 months now.

Blen, I know you're right and that I should communicate better with DH about this stuff... I just read that paragraph I wrote above to him and he expressed appreciation to me for sharing how I feel. He said, "I think I know what you mean - I'm struggling with the same thing - works hard for me too..." So it seems we're on the same page here, which is good I guess but it's not the page I want us to be on. I don't think either of of us respect the work of a Stay at Home Mom as much as we need to since right now I AM a SAHM.... not sure how to work through this but I know we will.

Congrats on the roll!

 

[nycbkgirl]

MRS- i couldnt get over her hair and how cute she is! i even showed dh lol!....i am sooo sorry u are struggling and i can totally relate! i wanna work and i wanna cook and clean (myself) and its like whenever i have a few mins down time im beat and just lay there like a lump. that is why they say if a SAHM would get paid she would be the richest person bc that is the hardest job in the world! and i of course have double the fun..so downtime isnt much

...imagine having 2 S''s lol..maybe that should make u feel better

...my dh is so amazing everytime i talk about him i wanna cry lol..he does their laundry, cleans, feeds them and does everything i do..and he isnt afraid to deal with 2 by himself..and he works very hard (nites)....he is my absolute hero and i think u need to talk to your dh and express how u feel..that this is not just your daughter but his as well and parenting is equal....maybe he doesnt know u feel this way? i cant believe how this sickness wont go away..its been sooo long..urgh!

Blen- wooohooo for wool pants!...and jon also pulled a tummy to back roll while no one was lookin

Neat- i will say u are my hero as well...i would never fly solo with 2 babies...bow down to my twin queen

AFM- both kiddos slept poorly all day ystdy (practically no naps at all)...i was so frustrated in the evening i couldnt even tell u...i had another crying moment...until i had to wake dh up bc i was DONE. with him up we bathed, fed, rocked and put to sleep..oh and i managed to cook a quick meal after only eating a PB&J sandwich all day long

jon slept from 1120pm til 730am! that was a miracle...our girly on the other hand...still wakes at 4 and 7..praying that gets better soooon!
so the nanny didnt work out! we are interviewing more and i NEED to find someone ASAP b4 i go clinically insane!