PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[jfo]

Nice job, MP! I might have to do the same thing so I can get L's baby book up to date.

OMG, the little sushi for Ev sounds so adorable and awesome! Ha, poor Ev was like, what IS this? I imagine that sushi rice is not quite soft/fluffy enough to not be a totally bizarre texture to a baby. DH and I looove sushi too and look forward to the day that L can eat some.

Dani, I'm sorry to hear about L getting roseola! I'm not too familiar with that one, but time to google ! I'm glad to hear he's on the mend. Ugh, that's really too bad about your SIL and nephew not making it to L's party. DH and I are both tight with both of our families, so we would definitely be disappointed if any of our local family members couldn't make it to a big occasion for Lila! I hope that all that doesn't overshadow the happy occasion though and it's good that you BIL and niece will at least be coming by.
Are you going to have a little cake for L to smash and eat?

 

[JGator]

MP, good luck today with Ev's surgery. I hope it is successful and that you are not feeling too anxious. Keep us posted on the surgery.

Dani, your SIL drama sounds like the Real Housewives of NJ. You live in NJ right? Maybe your SIL is related to someone on the show! Sorry for the drama. At least you won't have the SIL at the party to deal with. I can't believe how much you have done for them including spending the night to babysit before you had L. They really don't appreciate you and your DH. Good luck planning - when is the party? What kind of food are you having? I can't decide what food we should have for K's party. We have some vegetarians and a family who only eats Halal meat which makes it a little complicated.

Jfo, how is L? Did her congestion and cough go away? How is the house coming along? I bought K some hair clips on Etsy recently including a strawberry to wear on Halloween. Her bangs are completely in her eyes these days so hopefully these clips will stay in and she won't figure out how to pull them out.

AFU, we did a little sleep training this weekend. K cried for 45 minutes for her first nap yesterday with us going in to check in periodically but not pick her up. She seemed to get more upset when we went in to check on her though. She did fall asleep though. Later in the day, she took a 90 minute nap in her car seat as we ran errands. She normally only will sleep 20-30 mins in the car seat so I guess she tired herself out earlier in the day. At night, she cried for less than a minute a couple times and then woke up around 545am. I let her cry for 15 minutes and then found her crying flat on her stomach so I picked her up and gave her a bottle at 6am. I figured she was hungry and she did a great job overnight. The nanny will be on duty for her 2 naps today so hopefully she will do a little better than 45 mins of screaming today. I just really need to start getting some sleep so hopefully this will not take too long. She had a couple good nights last week, but she had numerous wakeups per night after that. She also gets hysterical if my DH goes in to get her in the middle of the night, and he keeps trying because I know it hurts his feelings and he wants her to get over it, but she just gets so hysterical it breaks my heart.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Thanks for all the good wishes, ladies. Ev had his surgery early this morning, and everything went just fine. The poor little guy is wiped out and a bit out of sorts, but otherwise doing pretty well. I can tell his temple is tender, and it is swollen and bruised around the incision site, but hopefully, the Tylenol will keep him from being too uncomfortable. DH and I are so relieved to have this behind us and not hanging over our heads anymore. I will update more later!

 

[dani13]

Thinking about Ev today, MP... Hope all is well!

Be back to write more later!!

 

[dani13]

Hi JFo!!! We are going to be having L's one year pics taken professionally next month, and we are planning to do a cake smash session along with that! Should be interesting, because he is like Bam Bam when we are home, but when out in public he is so quiet and tame! I know if we were home he would smash the heck out of that cake, but there...well, I just don't know! We will have to wait and see!
How's things going with the house?

Hi Jg haha, your response made me laugh. Ya, my SIL probably *thinks* she is a real housewife....but, nope, not even close!! She is just not a nice person. All in all, I'm so happy she is not going to be there....but I actually feel bad for my hubs bc I know he is upset with his brother. And I'm just pissed that L's first bday is only going to happen once, and its not more important than a friends bday party. I think that's so messed up.
The party is this Sat, and I'm already having anxiety ridden dreams like people showing up at my house and I am not ready, don't have any food, etc. Speaking of food, we are only having about 20 people, so we are doing chicken parm, penne vodka, and my Mom is making a big Greek salad and a bunch of apps. My Dad is a vegetarian but eats fish, so we will probably throw a salmon steak on the grill for him, depending on what he wants. I'm getting a big cake from a great local Italian bakery...vanilla and chocolate with cannoli filling. Had the same at my shower, and everyone was raving about it, so figured we would do it again. I'm going to make a cocktail and put it in my big pitcher, lol! I love doing that! For Mothers Day I made a peach sangria and everyone loved it. So much to do on Friday and Sat to prep, but I'm going to try and enjoy it!! I'm also particularly excited bc my sister is coming in from California for the event ( don't know if I told you guys...she moved there in July). I know she is so homesick and misses L like crazy, so she'll be so happy to be here and that makes me happy!!
JG: as far as sleep training....L was like K in that he would get up several times a night up until just a couple of months ago. One of my friends with 3 kids of her own said to me...." Here, read this book". (Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child) and she handed it to me. Then she was like...." We followed his methods, except we didn't do the check-ins bc it kept the kids awake."
I took the book home and started reading it, and the whole premise of the book is sleep training with check in intervals ( don't know if your familiar with it). So I was hysterical laughing, because basically she put the kid in the crib and that was it!! But you know what? She was soo right!! The first 2 nights I did check ins, and it just fired L up even more. The third night I just didn't go in, and he settled down and went back to sleep in about 15-20 mins. The 4th night he slept through. Honestly, it's the best thing we ever did..when I think of how sleep deprived I was for the first 8 months of his life, it makes me ill!! I know it's hard to listen to the crying, but eventually she will get it and stop waking up. Trust me!

 

[JGator]

MP, glad to hear Ev's surgery was a success. How did he feel last night?

Dani, your party sounds great. I might steal your idea for the cocktail in a pitcher. I make a mean sangria. That's a great idea. That cake sounds divine too. Yay for getting to see your sister from CA again! I'm beginning to agree with you and your friend on the check ins making things worse, but K has started sitting up and also getting her foot stuck in the crib rail so I think I have to go check or she'll hurt herself. So many of my friends have said you have to let the baby cry or she will never learn to sleep. Either the check ins or the cold turkey shut the door CIO.

AFU, K's naps were epic fails yesterday. She screamed her head off, and we gave in after 30 or 40 minutes and took her out of the crib. She has started sitting up in the crib and also getting a foot stuck in the crib rail at the same time so we had to keep going in and rescuing her foot, and she would get so upset when she saw us and didn't get picked up. Last night, I was able to calm her down at night once by patting her bangs/forehead and then around 3am, I gave in and gave her a bottle. From 3-4am she kept screaming and sitting up and getting her feet stuck. My DH patted her tummy till she fell asleep sometime after 4am. Any suggestions on what to do when your child is sitting up in the crib screaming their heads off in the middle of the night? I may have to revitalize AMC's sleep training post. I also think we'll put in the breathable bumpers now.

 

[monkeyprincess]

JGator, yes, I would try a breathable bumper if I were you. We had one that came with his bedding, and we finally added it to the crib about three months ago, and it has made a huge difference because he was always walking up when his limbs got stuck in the crib slats before. And since it's breathable, I don't worry about the air flow or him getting his head stuck in the corner. Ev is a pretty unpredictable sleeper. He will have several nights in a row of staying in the crib and pretty much sleeping through the night, but there are also nights when he just has trouble staying asleep and sits up screming, and it's hard to say if he's hungry or teething or what. DH and I are big suckers, and we usually go to him on those nights he wakes up, so I'm not one to help with sleep training.

Dani, good luck with your party, and try not to stress too much. L is only one, so he'll have fun no matter what! I agree that I think it probably works out the best that your SIL won't be there. I can understand why a six year old might prefer to go to a friend party than to a baby's party, but it seems like his parents could have found a way to let him go to part of the party and then come and spend time with the family later. I would just try to be the bigger person and focus on celebrating your first year with L

Hi jfo and everyone else!

AFU, Ev slept well last night and seems like he is back to himself. I don't think he's even noticed the surgical tape on his forehead, which is great because we are supposed to keep him from picking at it, and it is supposed to stay on until it falls off. Hoping he does well at daycare today.

 

[dani13]

JG, I would DEF invest in a bumper. I feel like a bad Mommy....I've had a regular bumper on L's crib since he was about 6 months old ( he was getting his feet stuck too). As far as what to do if she is just screaming her head off....don't do anything. Let her CIO. The first night or 2 she may cry for a good while, but that will be bc she is used to you or DH coming to her quickly. Then each night should get progressively better. Think of it this way....I truly believe that if you don't help her soothe herself to sleep on her own ( ie not going in when she cries) K will develop sleep problems as she grows older. I didn't want that for L, and although he isn't the perfect sleeper, when I see him showing signs I take him into his room, turn on his sound machine, and he just knows. I either nurse him or give him a paci depending on time, rock him for 5 mins, then put him in the crib and that's it. Once in a while he still wakes in the middle of the night....we just don't go in. Of course, you have to do what your comfortable with...but I would strongly consider it at this point for K. I promise you...it will be the best thing you ever did!

Ps- can you give me your sangria recipe? I was thinking of doing a pomegranate champagne punch: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/drink/views/Pomegranate-Champagne-Punch-240761

MP, I hope Ev is doing well! Sounds like he got through his surgery like a champ. As far as the situation with my SIL and nephew...I totally get that he would rather go to a friends party than L's. But, I don't know...am I wrong to think that family should be kept first? That's how my parents taught us. To me, my nephew should be at this party regardless....this is his cousin's first birthday. I agree that my SIL could have found a way to so both...She just cant be bothered. I'm just so bitter. I think I have to stop holding people up to the standards that I hold myself up to....I feel like I won't be disappointed half as much in others if I start thinking like that.

 

[JGator]

Dani, I have a breathable bumper that my SIL gave us so I put it on today. K skipped her AM nap as she has story time at the library and I think the nanny was trying to avoid the drama so said she would sleep in the car on the way to story time.

I modified this recipe from allrecipes - http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sangria-sangria/

It is best if you make it ahead of time, and let it sit overnight without the carbonated water.


Original recipe makes 6 cups
1/2 cup brandy
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup frozen lemonade concentrate
1/3 cup orange juice
1 (750 milliliter) bottle dry red wine
1/2 cup triple sec - we use mandarine vodka instead
1 lemon, sliced into rounds - we dice into cubes instead of slices - easier to eat
1 orange, sliced into rounds - dice
1 lime, sliced into rounds - dice
1 apple - diced
1/4 cup white sugar (optional)
8 maraschino cherries
2 cups carbonated water (optional) - add this before serving

Directions

In a large pitcher or bowl, mix together the brandy, lemon juice, lemonade concentrate, orange juice, red wine, triple sec, and sugar. Float slices of lemon, orange and lime, and maraschino cherries in the mixture. Refrigerate overnight for best flavor. For a fizzy sangria, add club soda just before serving.

 

[dani13]

Thanks so much, JG! That sounds super yummy! I'm now thinking I need to purchase a punch bowl for the pomegranate punch I want to make...I have one of those large drink dispensers but I feel like that's better for sangria.

 

[JGator]

Dani, a punch bowl would look great to serve and display that pomegranate champagne punch! Good luck with the party.

MP, we put the breathable bumpers up last night. I don't think K likes them since she normally sleeps on her side and wedges her feet into the crib slats and that's not feasible with the bumpers! She didn't get stuck, but she did sit up a ton of times. Has Ev continued to not notice his bandage? Did you have an inspection for your house? How is that going?

AFU, K slept horribly last night. Hopefully today will be a better day. Also, I forgot to mention, she finally has a tooth coming in - I can't see it, but I can feel a sharp edge on the bottom front. She's almost 11months old so it's about time!

 

[monkeyprincess]

Dani, it does seem like you will have to lower your expectations of you SIL. I agree family should come first, but what can you do? Good luck! I'm sure your party will be a success.

JGator, I think we were posting at the same time. Ev does like to wedge himself against the sides, and I seem to remember it took a little while to adjsut to the bumper. All in all, it has definitely been better since we added the bumper, but I guess you'll just have to see what works best for K. We still use the angelcare monitor, and Ev likes to get himself wedged in the corners, so sometimes, this makes the alarm on the monitor beep. We should probably stop using the motion sensor, but we still get so much peace of mind just knowing it is there. Overprotective parents, yes, we are

The house inspection went just fine. We have a few minor things we will ask them to fix, but I see no reason why the deal will not go through. It was fun going back to the house knowing it is going to be ours for sure. Time to start gathering boxes and packing!

Oh, and one more thing. Ev about broke my heart yesterday. DH does the vast majority of daycare drop-offs and pick-ups because I have to commute to work and DH doesn't. Anyway, I was all excited yesterday because I got to pick Ev up for a change, and the little stinker was not very happy to see me, and cried and cried while I got him ready to leave, and he was just bawling the whole way out to the car and in the car. All of the daycare people were looking at me with pity. Maybe I'll just stick to letting DH pick him up because Ev is always excited to see me when I get home at least.

 

[jfo]

Hi mamas. Sorry, I feel like I've been MIA. This will have to be quick as L is sick again and I've had to take time off/work from home all this week. Long story short, L has another double ear infection and, while we caught it early and she's on antibiotics again, she still is running fevers and her sleep is complete crap at night so I'm a tired mommy. We have gone ahead and scheduled the ear tube surgery for the 10th. My only concern at this point is that they're telling me that if she has a runny nose or cough 48 hours before the surgery, I have to let them know because they may want to reschedule. The problem is that L has had congestion and a cough nonstop for at least a month now! It's like a catch 22. She needs to surgery so the fluid can be drained and I really do think her congestion will get better too, but she supposedly can't have the surgery until she's pretty well cleared up from a congestion standpoint. UGH. I guess I will see when it gets closer.

MP, that's fantastic news that Ev's surgery went well and he's doing just great. What a relief and I'm so glad it's behind you now. Now you can focus on packing, moving and closing on your wonderful new house! As for the daycare pick-up... I totally know what you mean! Amazing how these little ones get used to a particular routine, and if it's thrown off, they're like whaaat is going on??!! Oh those little buggers.

JG, I'm so sorry that K's sleep has been bad again recently. I hope she gets used to sleeping with the bumper and I hope that sleep training goes well for you. Normally L is pretty good about going to bed and STTN, but since she's been sick again, she's standing up in her crib and screaming when I leave the room at bedtime and I've had to take her to bed with me when she wakes up at night and then she's still awake for 2 hour periods in the middle of the night. I might have to do some sleep training if she starts to think that mommy is going to continue this behavior after she's feeling better!

Hi Dani! The cake smash with the 1 year old photos sounds like a great idea! And the party sounds like it's going to be awesome with some yummy food and drink. Can we come? I really better get my act together as I figure out what to do for L's birthday, which is a month from tomorrow!

I gotta run, but on the positive side of things, we've done a lot more unpacking and our place is starting to look less cluttered with boxes and we can start to envision what type of furniture and decor we need to buy. But boy... we have a LOT to buy!

Hi to everyone else and hope all is well!

 

[JGator]

MP, sorry Ev broke your heart at daycare. K sometimes give us a cold stare - my DH calls it the "What are you looking at Punk?" look.

Jfo, sorry to hear L has been so sick. Poor baby. I don't blame you for letting her sleep with you. I let K sleep with me some mornings when I'm too tired to be up for the day and she'll go back to sleep for an hour or so. I'm glad you are making progress on the unpacking too. Good luck with the surgery on the 10th. Hopefully they will be a little lenient with her cough/congestion since the surgery should be fixing that!

AFU, K had a better night last night. She woke up from 4-5am. I caved and gave her a bottle and held her, and she wouldn't go back to sleep in the crib so I brought her to our bed at 5am. She did wake up at 4am in a crawling position which is funny because she doesn't crawl. She must be practicing at night! We tried finger painting with homemade (cornstarch based) paint today. She wasn't too into getting her fingers messy and the paint was kind of thick and jello like so not exactly easy to smear on the paper. Are any of your babies learning sign language? The nanny has been signing to K for a long time. It seems that she is signing a few things like Milk, More, and all done, but not necessarily in context. It's like waving - she waves a lot out of context and seems to also do these hand motions now too.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Jfo, it does sound like tubes are really going to help out your little one. Fingers crossed that she is well in time for her surgery. Poor little dear.

JGator, every once in awhile, I bring Ev into bed with me too, because sometimes you just do what you have to do to make sure you and the baby get sleep. Sounds like you are starting to have good nights more and more often, so at least it's progress. They taught Ev a few signs at daycare. My SIL said they don't teach them more than a few because some people worry about it delaying language. Not sure if that's true. Anyway, once in awhile, he'll sign "more." That's the only one I know, so I'm not sure if he does any others.

AFU, we had Ev's appointment yesterday, and we found out that one of his vertabrae did not form properly in utero, so he basically has half a vertabrae, which is causing the curve. We have to get xrays every 3-4 months for the next couple of years to monitor his growth and curve. It sounds like he will likely need surgery at some point in the future to remove the hemivertabrae. Not what we wanted to hear, but I guess we'll worry about that when we need to. In the meantime, he's doing great. He's pulling up on everything now and starting to walk with his little walker toy. All of a sudden he likes being read to much more than he used to, and "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" and "Peek a Who?" are his favorites. I think I read each of them ten times a day these days

 

[jfo]

JGator, ha, the cold stare! L will do that to us too. We are also chopped liver compared to my mom. Grandma is #1 in her eyes. It's because my mom will let her do whatever she wants and hates to hear her cry. I guess that's what grandmas are for... spoiling!

But yeah, I've been more lenient recently about having her come to our bed, and holding and rocking her to sleep considering how bad she's been feeling. I cannot wait to get to the 10th at this point so that she can just get some relief and the number of doctor's visits get reduced dramatically too. She just hates the pediatrician's office now. The moment we walk down the hallway to the office, she starts crying. She recognizes it and she's just scared out of her mind. I don't blame her since she doesn't seem to be able to go there without having a shot at the end (we had to go back yesterday late in the day because the oral antibiotics were just not effective enough and she had to have another antibiotic shot). She was just hysterical when it was all said and done and she threw up all over my husband yesterday in his work clothes because she was so upset. I don't even know what to do to calm her down when she gets that upset other than take her out in the hallway and try to walk around and distract her, but it still takes a long time. Worst part is we go back tomorrow to take another look at her ears (and potentially get another shot) and then back on Monday for the pre-operation physical.

That sounds great that K is sleeping better. Too funny that she woke up in a crawling position. She may just surprise you one day! That's so great that you create some paint for K to try finger painting at home. I'm not quite that ambitious just yet. Daycare does a great job of providing all those sensory experiences for L and she often comes home with her artwork. It's really cute what they do there.

They are teaching a few signs at daycare, like "more", "please" and "all done". She will sign "more" and "all done" (and tries to say "all done" out loud too) usually in context, but she'll throw out "more" randomly a lot too when it doesn't make sense. I've never seen her use "please", but I didn't know that one until I just looked it up, so I will try to encourage her to use that one more at home.

MP, I'm sorry to hear that Ev will eventually need to have surgery to remove the hemivertabrae, but glad that it isn't negatively affecting his growth and development otherwise, and it great that you guys are all over it and will be monitoring it in the meantime. That's awesome that Ev is doing so well and into his walker toy and loving books! I've noticed L is really interested in books now too and will proactive pick up a book and start to flip through it. I bet Ev will be walking soon!

AFU, development-wise, L is really starting to understand a lot. She literally just starting pointing in the last day, so it's really cute. I can ask her where is the light? and she will point at the light on the ceiling. She will occasionally say "buh bye" while waving bye bye and will say "da dee" to me when she hears her daddy in the other room, but she refuses to say it to him when he's right there. She will occasionally say "mum mum mum", but it seems to only be when she's eating, so it may be her saying mmmm, this food is good. She also learned to put both arms up in the air when we say "touchdown!" And now she tries to grab the tv remote from us and starts pushing buttons and looks at the tv to see if it did anything. If we give her a remote with no batteries in it, she has no interest! Lastly, I've seen L stand unassisted for maybe 15 seconds. They told me at daycare that last week she stood unassisted for 40 seconds. Crazy!

Here she is at daycare using one of their walker toys. This photo cracks me up because she looks so serious...

 

[S&I]

Aww MP, Brown Bear is A's favorite book too. After bath time while we're getting him into his PJs, he says "bear bear". Sorry to hear about Ev's vertebrae, but I hope it doesn't bother or hurt him.

His day care also teaches sign language. He learned "more", "please", "milk", and "all done" in the infant class. He's now also added "apple", "baby", and "cookie" since being in the toddler class. They sing an ABC song everyday that has signs for each word. I think he knows how to say all the words that he can sign except for "please" and "all done" though. So it's kind of funny because he'll say "more" while also signing it.

Oh and JGator, I hope K gets used to the bumpers soon. A likes to stick his feet in the between the slats and have them resting on the bumpers. My husband says he's airing out his feet when he does that, haha. Babies sleep in the weirdest positions!

 

[monkeyprincess]

Hi S&I, hope all is well! That's cute your little guy likes Brown Bear too. Ev has a bookshelf of books, and that is one of the ones he always grabs and brings to me. Then he sits down and stares at me like he is in class. It melts my heart every time, but I wish that one or two readings was all he wanted and not 5-10!

jfo, she is SO cute.I just love her chunky little thighs in the leggings That's cute how serious she is too. Ev watches us laughs the whole time like he can't believe he is actually "walking." I wonder if she will take her first steps before her first birthday?? It sounds like she is really picking up on a lot of things too. So fun to see, isn't it>

Dani, hope the party was a smashing success!

 

[JGator]

MP, sorry to hear about Ev's half vertebrae. I hope it ends up being a small issue that doesn't cause him any pain. That's great that Ev is pulling himself up and starting to walk! You may have a walker in time for his birthday. K loves books too. She has a basket full of them in our living room and is constantly going in and finding them and leafing through the pages on her own. She partiuclarly loves the ones that are textured/touch and feel.

Jfo, wow L is really making developmental leaps! That's so cute that she can do the touchdown sign. I love the picture of her with the walking toy! Too cute!!! How is her health? I hope she is feeling better so that you can have the ear surgery as scheduled.

Dani, I hope L's birthday party was a success. I just ordered some party supplies today for K's birthday.

S&I, thanks for checking in! We need to see some pictures of A. That's too cute that A will sign and speak at the same time. K is getting used to the bumpers, but she definitely does what A does and puts her feet on top of the bumpers now. She always seems to like to have her feet propped up - she does that in high chairs when we eat out and also she will put her feet on the belly bar of her stroller.

AFU, K did not sleep well this weekend - her naps were horrible. She did sleep well last night though. She got up at 3am and DH was able to pat her back to sleep so that was a major victory over the multiple wakeups from previous nights. We have not done the full blown Ferber method yet so I think we may have to resort to that before we actually get some consistent sleep. K turned 11 months old yesterday. We went to a consigment sale hosted by a local moms of multiples group this weekend where we got some bargains including some See Kai Run shoes for only $3 a pair! K is still not crawling - I wonder if she ever will. She did finally learn to roll from back to tummy. But she doesn't stay on her tummy - she immediately back peddles into a sitting position. So, if we put her on her back, she will roll over and then sit up immediately. She does try to pull herself up to stand, but she isn't'strong enough yet. She can stand when leaning on something like a couch for a long time as long as there is something of interest to look at.

 

[monkeyprincess]

JGator, as always, K looks SO adorable in those pictures. What a cutie. It kind of sounds like K probably could crawl if she really wanted to, but she sees no need to do so Just wait, she'll probably surprise you one of these days!

Oh, and thanks for your kind words about Ev's back. I think DH and I are just now grasping what it all might mean, and we will probably be seeking the opinion of another orthopedic surgeon once we have his next set of xrays in December. The doctor we saw really dumbed everything down and only gave us general information and a lot of what he said contradicts other things we've been reading. We just want to make sure that he is not too conservative in his approach, because we want Ev to develop as normally as possible and not be restricted from being a normal little boy. The more I read, the more thankful I am that he does not appear to have any other issues because it sounds like a very high percentage of kids with congenital scoliosis also have problems with other organs. I keep trying to figure out why this might have happened and hope it was just a random event, and not the result of a genetic component or something I did or didn't do when I was pregnant. Our doctor assured us it was completely random, but I still can't help but feel guilty somehow this happened to him.

 

[JGator]

MP, try not to feel guilty about Ev's condition. I'm sure you could not have done anything differently to prevent it from happening. You are a great Mom, and you and your DH are doing everything in your power to give Ev the best available care. Best of luck to you in finding a doctor that tells you all the facts and also is up to date with the latest treatment options. It sounds like Ev is developing (cruising, crawling, standing, etc) fine so far so that's a good sign for his ongoing health. Thanks for the compliments on K.

 

[jfo]

MP, try not to feel guilty about Ev's condition. I'm sure you could not have done anything differently to prevent it from happening. You are a great Mom, and you and your DH are doing everything in your power to give Ev the best available care. Best of luck to you in finding a doctor that tells you all the facts and also is up to date with the latest treatment options. It sounds like Ev is developing (cruising, crawling, standing, etc) fine so far so that's a good sign for his ongoing health.

I second this! MP, I know it's hard not to feel guilty as a Mom since you are the one who grew this wonderful human being for 9 months in the womb, but things just happen and there isn't necessarily any rhyme or reason for it. But I hear you... although this is different, I've felt terribly guilty for how sick L has been during this first year of her life since a lot of the viruses she caught can be attributed to her going to daycare, and how she probably would not be in this situation if I had gotten a nanny instead or stayed at home, but it is what it is and we just do what we can to make sure our children are well cared for and in the best position to have a healthy and successful life ahead of them. You are doing that with Ev, he's thriving and he is a very lucky boy to have you guys as parents.

JGator, K is SUCH a doll! So beautiful. I'm glad that she had a good night's sleep the other night. You guys are making headway with the night sleep--keep focusing on that and hopefully the daytime naps will get better eventually too. She may be one of those kids that never crawls and just goes straight to walking to get around after scooting around, which I've read is more common than you think! The fact that she is trying to pull up to stand means that she's going to build up those muscles to do it--I bet she'll be pulling up to stand by herself within a few weeks.

AFU, we went back to the pediatrician on Saturday morning. She told us that her ears were looking a lot better, so no need for another shot. Well, Sunday morning, L spent wailing most of the morning--we had to leave a restaurant, which we haven't really had to do yet--and since we had just been to the doctor the day before, we didn't suspect that she may have been hurting. My husband's stepmom was in town staying with us and I was starting to think that her "stranger" anxiety was getting out of control because L only wanted me... Well, DH finally suggested giving her some ibuprofen in the early afternoon and I was like, well, it can't hurt and then within an hour, she was happily playing with DH's stepmom and laughing. So we went back to the pediatrician yesterday for her pre-operation physical and we found out that her left ear's infection looked way worse than Saturday morning, so that explained her behavior, poor thing. So she had another shot yesterday and we go back again tomorrow morning. At this point, if we could have the tube surgery TODAY, I would do it in a heartbeat. I just don't want her to suffer any longer! Just need to make it to the 10th!

 

[Buttons]

Hi ladies!

I am sorry I disappeared for months on end and lost track of everyone. After moving cross country and all the upheaval, and then I put my back out and found typing very painful and I came back one day and tried to catch up and just got lost and couldn't figure out how to construct a proper reply I had missed so much.

Anyway I wanted to come back today and say hi and also a huge thank you to everyone for all of the support and advice and virtual hugs that you all shared with us in the early days here. T is ONE today, I can't believe it. Where did that year go?! But I wanted you all to know that you made such a difference in those hard early weeks and how much I appreciated it.

So, THANK YOU from us xxx

 

[monkeyprincess]

Buttons, happy bday to T! Hope all is well. You'll have to update when you can.

Jfo, crossing my fingers that L's ears stay healthy until the 10th. I'm sure it's stressful, but hopefully, this will all be a thing of the past soon. Poor little thing.

Jfo and JGator, thanks for the support by the way. I'm feeling better about things right now. I wish I could magically make his little back perfect, but since I can't, we are just going to make sure he gets the best treatment possible.

 

[JGator]

Buttons, great to hear from you and see a picture of your beautiful boy T (Wee Buttons!). Please write more when you get a chance and fill us in on what T is up to these days.

MP, how is everything going with the house and move? Is Ev's birthday just around the corner? I'm glad you are feeling better about his situation and that you know you are doing everything you can for him.

Jfo, I am really hoping that L holds out till the 10th with her good health so that you can have the tubes put in as planned. Good luck with the procedure. Are they doing it as outpatient surgery in a hospital? When I was small, I had to be admitted overnight for tubes. I'm pretty sure they don't do that anymore. What are your plans for L's birthday? We will try to just be happy with the accomplishments on night sleep and hopefully naps will fall in line soon after. I have had thoughts that we should have put K in daycare as I think she's not getting as much structured activities, variety, and interaction with others. We may move her to pre-school at 18 months. We'll see what our nanny does in the next few months. I know we have been blessed that K hasn't been sick, but at some point, she will have to build up her immunity.

AFU, K seems to be focused on trying to pull up these days. She just started pointing at things a couple days ago, and she is saying MaMa a lot now. But, it's funny, she usually will only do it when she thinks she's alone, and as soon as she sees me she stops saying MaMaMa. It's like it's her little secret that she says it. K has had a few good nights of sleep in a row. Our tactic that seems to be working is to put her back down from her sitting position in the crib and pat her and shush her when she wakes up until she falls back asleep. If we wait too long to go in, she gets too worked up, but if we catch her soon enough she will fall back asleep without too much trouble. Last night, she woke up around 1130pm and 330am and was able to be patted back to sleep. The night before, she woke up around 130am and then slept through the night till 7am. So, knock on wood, things are improving, and her naps are a tiny bit better too.

 

[jfo]

Hi Buttons! I wasn't active in this thread when your son was born, but was reading in the background. Good to hear from you and happy 1st birthday to T! What a cutie! Hope all is well with you guys and come back soon and share what you've been up to.

MP, thanks for the good thoughts. I'm glad that you're feeling better about things too. I haven't been good about reading the other threads recently, but I hope things are going ok on the TTC front and the house stuff. How is packing going?

JGator, thanks so much. It is an outpatient procedure, and I've been told that it happens so quickly that parents barely have enough time to go get a cup of coffee before it's already done. I found out a little boy in L's daycare class had tubes put in a couple weeks ago. He was back at daycare the next day and the teachers say that he's been doing really great... sleeping better and overall much happier. That's always comforting to hear!

Too cute that K likes to say MaMaMa in secret! It sounds like K and L started pointing around the same time. Isn't it cute? Of course, most of the time I don't know what L is pointing at... she'll just point and babble something, and I just nod and say, yes, isn't that so interesting? That's great news that you continue to make progress on the nighttime sleep!

Umm... so DH and I were finally decided that we will just have a cook-out at our house on Saturday afternoon, the 26th to celebrate L's birthday. We'll invite family and some close friends and try to keep it as simple as possible. The only thing is that most of our friends have children that are older (ages 6+) since we are late bloomers to parenthood and I'm just now realizing that we don't have anything for them to play with? There's a mix of boys and girls and if we have good weather, we might be able to keep them entertained in the yard with a soccer ball or something, but I don't know what else we can do... Help? Any ideas? If it's not so good weather (which is quite possible by late October where we live), I could potentially pop in some movies or let them play on the Wii...

 

[monkeyprincess]

Jfo and JGator, so cute about the pointing and saying words in secret. Ev babbles and talks all the time, but I still don't think most of it is in context. He will repeat different sounds after me like "ma ma ma" "da da da" or "ba ba ba," but after a couple of times, he decides he doesn't want to speak on command anymore. The one thing he is saying now is "whoa." He will say it just before or after he drops something. He also says "yeah yeah yeah" when he sees the cats and starts crawling after them. Also, when we say "bye bye" to him, he will wave and mouth or whisper "bye bye," but he won't say it out loud. I really do think he just doesn't like to do it on command. This is such a fun age, it's like things are finally starting to click

Jfo, our party for Ev next weekend will be pretty similar. Baby Ev and 4 cousins aged 6-10 (my younger neices and nephew won't be in town). Anyway, we have a few lawn games (ladder golf and bocce ball), but if it is not nice that day, they'll just have to suck it up and entertain themselves I'd probably be more concerned it were friends instead of just relatives. I just ordered Ev's cake, and it came with a smash cake. We'll either cookout or get some carry out food. Just keeping it simple since we are going to be in the middle of getting ready to move.

Our new house stuff is on track, so we should be closing and moving in just over two weeks. We picked up some boxes, but haven't started packing, so that needs to start this weekend. TTC is fun as always. Ha! No luck yet, but hopefully we will be able to try an IUI sometime in the next few months, which worked last time. With Ev about to turn one, DH and I really ready to have another pregnancy and new baby on the horizon

 

[JGator]

Jfo, 3 days till L's surgery. Do you think it will happen? Good luck with the party planning. We don't have any family nearby so my mom is flying in for the party and we'll have friends - a few of them have children who range from almost 2 to 10. So, I need to think of ideas for games too - maybe just a pinata. And, I still have no idea what we are doing for food.

MP, good luck with the party this weekend. the move, and the TTC-front! You have a lot on your plate right now. How is Ev doing? Evertyhing okay after his surgery?

AFU, we had some friends over for dinner this weekend who have boy/girl twins who are 10 months older than K. K is really into babies and other kids lately - ie, she stares at them when we go out, and I heard she lunges at them at the story time at the library. Anwyay, she had a blast, and apparently she intimidated the girl twin because of her in your face style. K had cow's milk for the first time out of one twin's sippy cup. They totally were drinking out of each others' cups! And, she also had tofu which is what the twins brought to eat for dinner. We went apple picking and pumpin patching this weekend - K slept for 1.5 hours on the way there so that was great! K had a horrible sleep weekend. I think we are regressing! When I try to pat her back to sleep, I am up every hour - so I end up bringing her to our bed at a certain point when I'm just too tired. K still goes into panic/hysterical mode when my DH goes in to help in the middle of the night so I have been covering the night time wake ups, and I'm just exhausted.

 

[jfo]

Hi everyone,
Really quick drive-by. It's been a bad morning. Long story short, L's tube surgery has been rescheduled from this Thursday until Monday, the 21st. Another 2 whole weeks. It's a combo reason for the delay: L caught another cold virus from daycare last week which showed up on Saturday and they won't do the procedure if she has a cough/significant nasal congestion--which is what she has--AND the original ENT surgeon who was going to perform the surgery is unexpectedly out due to a personal matter and they don't know when he will return to work. So now we have a different ENT surgeon for the procedure that we've never met... Meanwhile my own mother is making me feel HORRIBLY HORRIBLY guilty for sending L to daycare. UGH.

MP, glad that everything is going well with the packing/move stuff. Looking forward to hearing how Ev's party goes this weekend!

HI to everyone else. Sorry for such a me-centric post!

 

[jfo]

JGator, we were posting at the same time I think. K looks so adorable at the pumpkin patch!! I'm sorry to hear about the sleep regression. No good! I hope that gets turned around again soon. Too cute about K being into other babies and drinking cow's milk! Was she able to digest it ok?