PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[PilsnPinkysMom]

MP- Just chiming in to say that what you're going through sounds normal. B didn't sleep longer than two hours or so until 6-8 weeks. It's just now, at almost four months, that he will regularly go five or so hours. Anything more than that is rare.

As for B, I finally took him to the doctor. He's been congested for a few weeks and started with a cough over the weekend. The doc thinks he has a sinus infection. In other news, he weighs 16lbs 6oz and is 26 inches long. Not bad for 15 weeks....

Eloise was 16 weeks on Sunday, and she's just now approaching 13 pounds. She's such a peanut!

 

[amc80]

Eloise was 16 weeks on Sunday, and she's just now approaching 13 pounds. She's such a peanut!

That is tiny! B was 12lbs 12oz at his 2 month appt and that was before he started filling out! How long is she?

 

[dani13]

Hi everyone!!!!

Hope you all had a great holiday!! Ours was nice...very quiet, we just had it with our immediate family, so very small this year.
We are doing very well! L is growing in every way with each passing minute! Like my DH said, it's like one night he went to sleep a newborn, and the next morning he woke up as a little boy!!! Lol!!! He is smiling, cooing, and even laughing tons, and it's so cute! He still wakes up every 3 hours to eat, sometimes will stretch it to 4 but its a rarity. It's ok though, I'll take it!!! He is even less moody in the evening over the last few days, so hopefully we are on the upswing. He has his 8 week appt this week, but I weighed him here at home last week and he was already up to 13 lbs!!! He's a little chubster....still bf's like a champ!!!!!

Wanted to attach a pic from Thanksgiving day. L is such a sweet boy and I love him so!!!

 

[FrekeChild]

A had her year check up today - she was 30.25 inches (86%) and 21 pounds 7 ounces (53%). Long and Lean.

I cannot believe that she is almost twice as long as she was when we brought her home from the hospital.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Freke, sorry for all the questions, but curious was size A is in. K is in the 99.5th percentile for height--a month ago she was 30 inches and just under 20 lbs. Her 12 month pants have started getting too short this week, but I'm afraid if I go any bigger, her pants will fall off. I really miss the summer and simple rompers where I didn't have to worry about her limbs being too long!

 

[S&I]

We're taking A on his first road trip (about 4.5 hours or so) this weekend. I need to make a list of all the stuff we're going to have to pack for him. Anyone have one handy?

NEL, the jump from 12-month to 18-month clothes and then to 24-month clothes seems so big! What happened to growing 3 months at a time? A is still in 9-month pants right now, but we did try on a pair of 12-month pants the other day because I got behind on doing his laundry, and they didn't fall off, but they did sag down past his diaper butt, ha!

 

[amc80]

We're taking A on his first road trip (about 4.5 hours or so) this weekend. I need to make a list of all the stuff we're going to have to pack for him. Anyone have one handy?

We took B on a road trip when he was a month old, so our lists may be different. For us (with some things added for what we'd need now):

Diapers
Wipes
baby shampoo
blanket(s)
pacifiers
bottles
bottled water
formula
breast pump/bags/car adapter
toys
booger sucker
cloth diapers/burp cloths
stroller

Hmm, I think that's it. We also brought his nap nanny (and still would at this age), but if he were older we probably wouldn't. Maybe his bumbo though. Our trip was longer, about 8 hours, so we stopped every two hours or so to feed/change.

 

[FrekeChild]

Freke, sorry for all the questions, but curious was size A is in. K is in the 99.5th percentile for height--a month ago she was 30 inches and just under 20 lbs. Her 12 month pants have started getting too short this week, but I'm afraid if I go any bigger, her pants will fall off. I really miss the summer and simple rompers where I didn't have to worry about her limbs being too long!

She's still in 9 month or 12 month clothes. I actually just started putting her in the 12 month sizes, which are still a bit too big on her. I think it just depends on the brands? I have one pair (Calvin Klein) that cover her feet, and the Carter's she's wearing now are kind of bunching around her ankles.

Do you have any 12-18 month sizes? I think the only brands that make that size are babyGAP/Old Navy and Gymboree, so I only have a few items of those sizes, but they exist!

We are very lucky to live in Cali, so I can still stick her in those rompers and summer outfits and she's not freezing her tail off. It's one thing I really enjoy about this place. Sometimes. I really miss winter weather, but it makes it easier that I don't have to worry about her pants being long enough, wearing long sleeves or ever wearing socks. Now if I could just get rid of the 110 degree heat from April-September, we'd be in business.

 

[lliang_chi]

S&I, here's a link to my google doc for my Ethan Packing List. Some things might not apply for you, but I figured I'd share. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ArngJJdJFyepdFIxMEVnVWx6V3Fxb00ycWtlNF85Zmc

Will post more later ladies

 

[lliang_chi]

NEL, try baby leg warmers. They make them in so many cute styles. babylegs.com is having a Cyber Monday sale.

~LC

 

[S&I]

S&I, here's a link to my google doc for my Ethan Packing List. Some things might not apply for you, but I figured I'd share. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ArngJJdJFyepdFIxMEVnVWx6V3Fxb00ycWtlNF85Zmc

Will post more later ladies

Thanks LC, but it says I need permission to view your spreadsheet.

Thanks for your list AMC. I added some of the things on your list that I forgot to include on mine.

 

[lliang_chi]

S&I, I changed the permission to "Anyone with the link" so try again.

~LC

 

[S&I]

S&I, I changed the permission to "Anyone with the link" so try again.

~LC

Awesome list, thanks LC!

 

[lliang_chi]

Question in general for you mamas, What age difference are you guys trying to plan if you're thinking of having more than 1 kid? I'm not sure what we'll be doing. On one hand, my family, we're very close in age (twin sister and brother that's 15 months older) and we have a very close relationship. And James is 3 yrs separate from his sister and they have an AWFUL relationship. I would want Ethan and his future sibling to have a great relationship like what I have with my family. Dunno if this is a product of close age gap or just personality or what. Anyone want to weigh in???

 

[pancake]

LC, I've been thinking about this a bit too, although not so much because of later relationships, more in terms of planning for ?3 kids and trying to fit in the rest of my advanced training at work.

I don't think sibling relationships later in life are dependent on the age gap. I'm almost 33, my sister is 23, my brother is 21, and we are all close, esp my sister and I, and my sister and my brother. I think it is more to do with how you grow up together, how parents foster and manage their kids' relationships, and then a good healthy dose of simple personality compatibility.

FWIW we are looking at at least a 2 1/2 year gap between Dot and our next one. I am no longer under any illusion that I will finish my doctorate before I have my next baby, but I would like to get at least 12 months of solid work under my belt first. We're thinking about starting to TTC maybe late next year. I don't want to leave it TOO long as you never know how difficult or easy it might be and I would dearly love to have 2 more...

 

[amc80]

LC- I'm another one who doesn't really think the age gap has a whole lot with whether or not the kids get along. My brother is three years older than I am, and we only started liking each other in the past five years or so.

Our current plan (well, more like our plan before B was born) was to start trying for #2 a year from now. We are going on a cruise next November and I don't want to be pregnant for it. If we started during/right after the cruise (and were successful), the kiddos would be exactly two years apart.

BUT, the thought of going through all of this again makes me want to barf. So we'll see. Ask me when I've had more than 3 hours of sleep at a time.

We want 3-4 kids, and we are both 32, so we are working against the clock.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

LC, I love babylegs (and K has a few pairs), but they fall down when she's crawling, so they aren't as functional as I'd like.

As you know, D and I have been talking about spacing of kids since K was born. Our ideal range was 18 months - 3 years between K and her sibling. Neither of us is wanting to jump in and get pregnant right now, but we agreed that we'd try in the spring, so if all goes well K and her sibling will be around 2 years apart. We're on the fence about having a third, so we haven't even thought about that spacing.

 

[Kunzite]

Question in general for you mamas, What age difference are you guys trying to plan if you're thinking of having more than 1 kid? I'm not sure what we'll be doing. On one hand, my family, we're very close in age (twin sister and brother that's 15 months older) and we have a very close relationship. And James is 3 yrs separate from his sister and they have an AWFUL relationship. I would want Ethan and his future sibling to have a great relationship like what I have with my family. Dunno if this is a product of close age gap or just personality or what. Anyone want to weigh in???

My sister and I are 3.5 years apart and I've never really felt like I could relate well to her. Part is personality and part is that I've always been mature for my age and she is very (very, very) immature for her age. DH and his brother have a 6 year gap and he had the same problem. That was one of the reasons we wanted the kids close. Not that it would guarantee any sort of closeness, just that we wanted to try to push the odds into the favor of them at least being able to relate to each other. My other reasoning was that I knew if things got "easy" with O that I would never agree to go back to the chaos of a baby, best to follow chaos with more chaos! That reasoning didn't quite pan out though because O got very easy about half way through my pregnancy

ETA - I forgot about my third reason! I wanted to limit the amount of time that O would remember being an only child. I have no idea if this worked or if it's his personality but he's been nothing but loving towards the babies.

My DH would joke that our fourth reason is that we're going to wait to potty train O until we can do all three boys at once! O could sit in a dirty diaper all day if I let him so DH might be on to something with this...

 

[monkeyprincess]

I am just getting to the point where a future second baby is even a remote possibility. The first week after E was born, I repeatedly informed him he would be an only child. However, I want E to have at least one sibling, and I know this newborn thing is just a phase. Anyway, before E was born I would have said we would start trying when E was 9 months, but now I'm not sure I'll be ready or be able to convince DH I'm ready after the baby blues I had the first few weeks. Given our difficulty conceiving E, we don't really have tne luxury of waiting too long though. My siblings are 4 and 2 years older than me and 3 years younger, respectively. We are all really close, but I am probably closest to my younger sister mainly due to our personalities. I do not think age determines closeness.

On a related note, I had my 6 week appointment today. All is well, but I am a bit nervous about resuming any bedroom activity. Luckily with our current sleeping shifts and unpredictable baby, I don't think it will be a possibility for awhille, much to DH's dismay. I got an Rx for the pill, but I am not sure whether I want to go back on it because I kind of want to monitor my cycle. Decisions, decisions

 

[mayerling]

I'm an only child and hated it so I've always said I want more than one. HOWEVER, things have been so very difficult since N was born that I'm finding it increasingly difficult to warm up to the idea of going through this again.

 

[stephbolt]

We want to wait until N is 2ish to try for a second, making them around 3 years apart. I'm just turning 30 next week, so not feeling too rushed on that side especially since we are likely to stop at 2, and I need a break from the pregnancy and newborn side of things and for N to be more independent before I'm willing to tackle a second. I also would like to go PT at work at that point, and I think a few more years will make that more feasible both logistically at work and financially with DH's earnings. My sister and I are 16 months apart and fought like crazy, but we are good friends as adults. My brother is 4 years younger than me and 3 years younger than my sister, and neither of us is close to him. But I think there's so many other variables that go into what kind of relationship you have with your siblings both growing up and as adults, that we are just going to do what works best for us in our current life.

I'm sorry I'm so bad at replying here, I read every day but finding time to post just never happens. We are doing pretty well, N turned five months old yesterday! Over the Thanksgiving weekend she started rolling back-to-front like crazy. Work-life balance is still hard, I realized I was having way more bad days than good days and asked my midwives about what's normal and what could be PPD. I sat down with the counselor they have in their office and talked through it, and just that helped me realize there are some things DH and I can change that can make life better and we are doing them. He takes N at least one evening a week and on the weekend so that I can work out, which is a major help to my mood, and I've also started WFH one day a week. We also have cut out our eating in front of the TV habit and are making an effort to sit at the table and talk to one another. I am still going to see a therapist as well, but I'm happy these changes seem to be helping so far. What I really would love is to find some local mama friends, I know lack of a local support system is part of my problem. I'm checking out some groups online but with the holidays no time yet to get together with any of them, but hopeful something will pan out in the new year perhaps, and as N gets older and starts doing playdates as well. Here's a recent pic, she loves her exersaucer so much!

 

[monkeyprincess]

Steph, glad to hear you are taking steps to take care of yourself. I am sort of in denial that I have to return to work in January, and I just know my anxiety and blues will return when I do. A baby just brings so many changes. It has really made me realize how self centered I was able to be pre-baby, and I thought I was busy and stressed out then! Anyway, hang in there!

Mayerling, ugh, I totally understand where you are coming from. Today was a trying day at our house, and I again started to think that I cannot go through this again. Not that I should even be thinking about it yet because E is not quite 7 weeks.

AFM, ugh, I keep hoping for progress, but E continues to be a super light sleeper who wakes shortly after being laid down. And it takes ages to get him to sleep. He has also been spitting up a lot and seems really uncomfortable and hysterical when he does. I do my best to get all the burps out and hold him upright for a long time, but he regularly spits up/vomits in his pack n play. We are having to hold him most of the night. I think I need to press his doctor more about how we can get him to sleep better and to find out if he has reflux or an allergy or what. I am just so disappointed that he does not seem to be improving in the sleep department. It really makes me feel inadequate that I cannot make him more comfortable. One day this week he was so pleasant and cooing and smiling (I think they were legitimate smiles even). Hoping for more of those days.

 

[mayerling]

MP, I hear you on the bad sleep. Thankfully N was not difficult with his night sleep back then, only his day sleep. After 10 weeks night sleep started getting wonky and by 20 weeks it was terrible. We've now started sleep training. Anyway, I'm rambling, all I wanted to say is hugs!

 

[monarch64]

Hey ladies! I haven't had much time to keep up or post the past month, things have been busier than ever. Alexandra turned 6 months old on the 26th, weighs 18 lbs, 14 oz, and is 28 inches long. Still hates solids (we've tried bananas, squash, avocado so far), and is currently going through the shrieking/ear-piercing screaming phase (happy screams). Bedtime routine is set (story, bath, jammies, bottle, crib), still no teething, but lots of drool.

Checkups seem to take FOREVER, this time we were there for an hour and a half which is a long time trying to keep a baby entertained in a tiny room! I made her a headband out of the table paper. The doctor and nurses thought that was quite funny, but I was like, doesn't everyone do that? Next time I'll make her a dress.

I feel much better about things at 6 months than I did at 4 months and before. My confidence in myself as a parent is much higher now, and I am not micro-managing my husband any more, and we are both getting more rest at night. I'm just grateful for a little lull before the next wave of developments takes place.

 

[lliang_chi]

Hey ladies!

Finally got pics back from our holiday shoot. We lucked out with some unseasonably warm weather so we hit up a playground and took some pics.

AMC, how's life pump-free? I've been pretty much pump free as well. I still nurse Ethan though, but my supply has gone way way down. THe downside is I'm up a 7 lbs, so I've been way more conscious of (trying) not to eat junk/sweets etc since I don't get those extra calories anymore. How's B doing? Any new teeth yet? Whoa, 3-4 kids?!? Bow down to you, mama!

MP, sleep troubles. Can I join the club? I think Ethan might be the club ring leader. He's 9.5 months and still not STTN. We're sleep training now (just started this week), more on that below. E looks adorable! I can't believe he's 6 wks already!
Re: bedroom activity, honestly take your time and keep things open between you and your DH. If E's still sleeping in your room, I'm pretty sure that activity will be curbed anyway. THat being said (warning, the following might be TMI), I definitely felt much more connected with J once we started having regular sex again. (Ethan was 8 months). Plus sex initially was totally uncomfortable at first so I didn't WANT to do it. That was a major bum because I *love* sex. But trying different positions helped spark things back again, and all was right again.

Freke, I *love* your little imp and her expressions! We flew with Ethan in arms, but overseas flights you can get a bassinet which was awesome. IT was another place to put him so he could play with toys etc. Good luck on the Christmas flight! We're flying from CHicago to FL for Christmas too. Then lots of driving to see both sides. Whatever, it is what it is.

PPM, awww, Eloise is a little peanut! How are things going with you guys?

Dani, I love that outfit for L!!! He's getting so big. I love when they're more interactive and cooing and smiling. It melts your heart! Great job on feeding him into a chubby little turkey! LOL!

NEL, Gymboree has some 12-18 month sizes. Sorry the BabyLegs don't work out so well for her. Can it at least bridge the short pant length to socks so she's not exposed? Just a thought. Can you stick with the rompers and put tights + leg warmers on her? Re: a 3rd we also have that on the table. It will depend on how we can make it work with our lifestyle, but we'll see.

S&I, hope the packing list was helpful. Where are you guys going?

Pancake, It's great to hear you have such a good relationship with your siblings despite the big age difference. I've been loving the Dot pics on FB.

Kunzite, O and the boys are 18 months or so, right? The "not remembering being an only child" thing is also something that I think about. I'm loving how big brother is being so sweet to his baby brothers!

Steph, look @ Miss N! She's five months already! Yay for rolling! Have you decided anything with solids? I'm glad you were able to speak to someone about how you're feeling. SOunds like the little changes etc would be a great start and such a good way to start healthy family habits. For looking for Mommy Groups, try meetup.com. Dunno what city you live but there's a TON of Chicago Mommy meetup.com groups, so I'm sure you'll find SOMETHING! Good luck!

AFU: Ethan had his 9 month appt last week. He's 60% for weight, and 70% for height. The doc is pretty happy with everything, his development, babbling etc. He's still not crawling yet, but the doc's not worried. He loves pulling himself up, so maybe he'll go from scooting/creeping straight to walking. Who knows.

As mentioned, we started sleep training. Thanksgiving weekend, J went to FL to visit his folks, I decided to try putting him down with minimum rocking and carrying. Then DH came home and it all went to pot again because DH would rock him to full sleep then put him down. So after talking about it, we decided to do the PU/PD (or "no cry") method. We still feed him @ 4AM, the doctor said he's likel hungry at that wake up. But the other ones we just shush him back to sleep.

The first night J took care of him @ midnight and 2AM, both times he went down with some shushing and patting in ~5 mins. Got up @ 4AM and nursed, and went back to sleep. Second night I took him @ midnight and 2AM, both times went down like the night before. But 4AM, J gets him. He didn't realize he needed to feed him, so Ethan spent 45 mins-1hr crying fussing. Last night Ethan was extra fussy @ midnight, took about 30 mins to go down, 15 mins @ 2AM, and got up @ 4AM, 5AM, and 6AM. 4 and 5 I nursed him, 6AM I shushed him back to sleep for another hr. So far I think we'll get there. J does get frustrated, especially when Ethan is extra fussy. But we'll continue to have patience and ride this out.

What else.... We started table foods in earnest. Ethan's always getting something to eat with his fingers at meals @ home. I still spoon feed him, but we've also been giving him: Cheerios, hard cooked egg yolks , papaya (raw), baked apples diced, cheese, white part of bread, scrambled eggs, noodles/pasta, banana.

 

[Newjewels]

MP,

Have u seen the DVD of Dr. Karp's Happiest Baby on the Block? (I think that's the title.)

That was a lifesaver for us. Are you opposed to putting your baby in a swing, on high speed, swaddled, +/- pacifier, for the first hour or so of sleep, then trying to transfer to PNP or crib? That was successful for us, often with the vacuum on for the very first little bit which DD found soothing. Either that, or else DH or me hiding behind the swing and shhhhing loudly. We'd do this with swing in living room so we were there to monitor.

Some people I'm sure worry about baby sleeping in a swing, but we were all about doing what worked for us, and allowed for the most quality sleep. We did not practice CIO. We did get one of those head "doughnut" thingys from pottery barn kids that we put in the swing to help prevent her head from getting flat, since she spent so much time in her swing. (She even napped in the swing and not her crib/ bed well past one year of age!!)

Eventually got to the point where we were able to hold/ rock her for a bit then place her in her crib to sleep. She is 3.5 yrs old now, and sleeps like a champ.

Good luck!!!

 

[lliang_chi]

Monnie, I wanted to add Miss A looks adorable! I love the little hair "flower" you made. I can't believe you're stuck waiting for that long @ your pedi. Ours is the exact opposite. They churn us in and out in 15 mins. I feel like a dollar sign to them. Ethan did the ear piercing happy shrieks too. J *hated* them. THey grow out of it pretty soon. I think they just get so amused with how they can make such loud sounds. Sorry to hear A's not that big into solids. Parrot had the same issue with her Ava, and had a lot of success with mesh feeders.

 

[lliang_chi]

NewJewels and MP, Harvey Karp's book suggests using a swing. He also says you can wean the swing by slowing down the speed once your LO starts sleeping consistently in it. Slow it down, slow it down, then eventually just sleepign in the swing without any motion. Then you can try transitioning to the crib after that.

 

[missrachelk]

Hi ladies!

I was actually able to read thru one page of the thread and can say I'm somewhat up to date!

AMC I hear you on the pumping. If I didn't think it would be the end of my supply completely I'd stop pumping. I am down to 2-3 a day from trying to get in 6-8 and the relief is great.

Steph - glad to hear you're feeling better and taking time for yourself. I'm feeling good but the time for myself department is severly lacking!

Kid spacing is always the topic for new mamas isn't it? I've always thought 3 years but with my DH's age (he turned 43 the day Hannah was born) and my PCOS I want to get going sooner than later. For us it all depends on when my cycle returns and what it is like, if it's wonky I think we'll start TTC when she turns one in case there are difficulties

AFU Hannah is 8 weeks! she is really smiley and really seems to notice DH and I and it's so great! She's a very happy baby and I can't really complain. She sleeps great, sometimes I think for too long! Mark my words though I guarantee I'll be back in a few months singing the blues about cosleeping and getting her out of the big bed. Once she turns 3 months I think we'll start her off in her own bed, or at least in the bassinet. She's finally fitting into some 3 month clothes even though they are still a bit big. She's also in some of the diapers that I originally wrote off as being ill-fitting because she finally has a teensy bit of chunk to her. She was 9 pounds 7 oz at last check. We finally graduated from weight checks too! No return visit until 3 months, except if I decide waht to do about her shots. We gave her the DPT one and the Dr wants 2 others for meningitis but I need to research them before we decide. We're (shall I say I because DH goes with whatever I say on this) not against vaccines, I just want to wait until she's a bit older unless it's something she has a decent risk of contracting and becoming very ill from. After 6 months and after a year I am much more comfortable.

Our huge thing the past few weeks has been BF and my supply. It's officially low and we (my LC and I) don't think there is any more increasing that will happen unfortunately. So supplemetation is a long term thing for us, and I still will have to watch things closely to keep the supply I do have. Like I said above I've cut down on pumping to one early AM then one or 2 more each day, and sometimes only the early AM. It's hard not to see bottles of milk in the fridge but I do feel good that baby is getting everything I have.

Since my supply isn't going to increase DH and I decided to pursue donor milk. Luckily I found a donor quickly and we're getting a freezer tomorrow so I can pick up our first batch of donated milk early next week. As long as H tolerates it and we want to continue it will be a long term relationship, as the donor has literally thousands of oz of milk frozen! It makes me nervous to turn over my baby to someone else in a way, but her health is good and it's the same milk she feeds to her own LO so it's not like getting it off the street or anything. I'm curious if anyone here has any experience with donor milk. I really have everything corssed that it works out because I will feel so much better that even if I can't produce that my baby girl will still be able to have human milk instead of formula. But on the other hand formula is fine and if we need to use it we will.

On sleep - at this point I'm wondering how long a stretch of sleep / nap is ok as far as not eating? H is 8 weeks and she's been asleep for a nap for over 2 hours! I'm inclined to wake her up but then I think I should let her sleep. At night she goes for long stretches too but I don't really notice all that much because unless she's wet all I do is offer the other boob : )

SOme development questions for the group -
When can we expect some development as far as holding head steady (she can hold her head really well but is still somewhat floppy and unsteady and hed-butts us on a regular basis LOL) and rolling over?
How old are most babies when they're ready to sit in a bumbo type seat?

I also can't imagine going back to work and I'm only going to be doing 15-20 hours a week. Hopefully at first I'll get to work from home primarily too. I can see wanting to keep putting off when my start date will be too, I'm already pushing it because my brother will be visiting from overseas until the 14th of January when I was going to start back around the 7th.

 

[lliang_chi]

Rachel, I don't have any experience using donor milk, but I did DONATE milk when Ethan was about 4 or 6 wks old. I think I donate something like 400 oz or close to it. It was a lot. Don't feel down that you're supplementing (either with formula or donor milk). Hannah is healthy and is thriving BECAUSE OF YOU! Don't ever loose sight of that. I can't remember exactly when Ethan was able to hold his head, but she's only 8 wks, so I'd say it's still normal that she's floppy. Do lots of tummy time for better head control. Ethan started tolerating it more when we started putting TOYS with him during tummy time.

Question for mamas, do you guys put toys in the crib with your babies to play with when they wake up?