PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[Tacori E-ring]

Mrs, Sage is ADORABLE! What a beautiful little girl. I LOVE her thick hair!

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 7/25/2009 10:56:36 AM
Author: Mrs
here''s another

She is too freakin'' cute!

 

[Mrs]

Thanks nycb, Tacori, and TGal!

 

[puffy]

mrs what a beautiful girl you have!!! i love her eyes and her hair is adorable!!

 

[lili]

Mrs--
Oh my!! How adorably cute is Sage!
Look at those hair, piercing blue eyes, rosy cheeks and who can forget those adorable baby rolls!

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 7/25/2009 1:50:56 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Mrs, Sage is ADORABLE! What a beautiful little girl. I LOVE her thick hair!

total ditto!!!

 

[Pandora II]

Mrs - Gorgeous photo of Sage! I would kill for hair like that...

MGAL - hope things are okay and it was just a cold.

NF - Well done on the cross-country trek and fingers crossed that the move-in goes smoothly - I hate the technical bits of moving house!

Mela - how did it go with the crib?

Blen - I noticed in the bf advice thread that you were talking about side-feeding. Are you co-sleeping (in the most literal use of the word) with George?

I ask because Daisy always comes into bed with me once it''s daylight. When it''s still dark outside she''ll wake up, eat and go straight back in her cot (we use the mini Co-Sleeper), but if it''s daylight then she can''t seem to sleep - she doesn''t cry, just talks to the ceiling and kicks her legs a lot, but it means I can''t sleep so I just pull her in with me.

I learnt to side-feed and now she just latches herself on when she feels like it and I can just carry on sleeping.This morning she slept from 5.30am to 10am in our bed - whilst this is wonderful (although how she manages to end up with more of the bed than me I don''t know) I''m thinking it may not be a great habit to foster.

Just wondered if you were doing the full co-sleep thing what your info on it was...

 

[Blenheim]

Pandora - we''re bedsharing. We have a cosleeper, but it''s set up downstairs for naps. In terms of whether or not it''s a good habit to foster, I think it depends partially on if you''d feel about doing it longer term. My friends who cosleep have their kids in bed with them at least part of the night for a couple of years it seems. They''re happy with it, we''d be fine with it, I think that TGal has mentioned that some of her friends have kids that age in bed with them and hate it. I''d also make sure that you and your husband are both on board with it.

 

[Burk]

Mrs~What a cutie pie!!

 

[Mrs]

Thanks puffy, lili, mrssalvo, Pandora, & Burk!

 

[gailrmv]

Mrs your description of being a SAHM and how your job never ends really struck a chord with me. I feel the same way. It's helped me to ask my DH to help with specific tasks - for example, could you please bathe the baby while I start dinner? Or, could you please do the dishes while I get the baby ready for bed? I know he wants to help but sometimes I feel if I don't ask him to do something specific, he doesn't just jump right in. I hate feeling like a nag, but if I don't ask, I don't get the help I need and feel resentful. When I ask, he's very helpful. Since I get to be with the baby all day, I like it when he can take over something like bathtime or playtime so he has time with A while I can do something like fix dinner or whatever. Also, while breastfeeding is taking up so much of my time, it is incredibly helpful when DH takes over some of the other things that I used to do around the house. But I always have to ask. I do really miss alone time. There is very little of that! If DH takes care of A for an hour or two on the weekend, he always gains a new appreciation for me and what I do all day!

I've also found that meeting other SAHMs has made it a lot more fun. I like to meet up for walks or jogs, get coffee, hang out at someone's house, etc. Knowing that I will have something to do and someone to talk to makes the day a lot more fun.

I'm finding that I am really enjoying being a mostly SAHM (I'm working very part time from home). DH and I both agree that this is the best choice for our family at this time. I do struggle with guilt though - about not contributing financially to our family and not using my hard-earned education. I don't think there is a perfect answer, though. I am really happy with how things are right now, I just wish I could silence the voices of doubt and guilt!

ETA your Sage is just beautiful! I love all her hair!

 

[gailrmv]

Date: 7/26/2009 6:11:40 PM
Author: Blenheim
Pandora - we''re bedsharing. We have a cosleeper, but it''s set up downstairs for naps. In terms of whether or not it''s a good habit to foster, I think it depends partially on if you''d feel about doing it longer term. My friends who cosleep have their kids in bed with them at least part of the night for a couple of years it seems. They''re happy with it, we''d be fine with it, I think that TGal has mentioned that some of her friends have kids that age in bed with them and hate it. I''d also make sure that you and your husband are both on board with it.

I totally agree. I read quite a bit about sleep, and in my opinion co-sleeping is great as long as both parents are OK with it ongoing for up to a few years. DH and I did not feel it would work best for us for a number of reasons so we are not doing it, but A and I do co-nap sometimes (as it is the only way I have found to get him to nap!)

 

[Courtneylub]

Mrs, Sage is so beautiful!

Work has been difficult. I''m on week #2 and still not sure what my decision will be. I''m giving it one more week. Unfortunately, it looks like I''m about done nursing. My supply is not keeping up with her demand at all and I hate pumping at work,especially when I''m pumping about half of what she eats. Plus it''s not very accomodating here. A tiny little storage room with a chair. I have to go ask a woman to unlock it for me every time I need to use it. The problem is, IF I decide to resign and stay home, will I regret quitting nursing? I suppose I could continue nursing/pumping through this week and see. If I tried all the ways to boost my supply, is that even possible this far along? I feel like we''ve supplemented too much and there''s no turning back. I always pumped even when we gave her formula, but I don''t think it''s helped my supply. People keep telling me it''s fine if I stop and that I''ve done great, but I just feel defeated. I''m so torn about it. I want to continue, but not like this!

We still have Alila in our room, but we''ve taken her out of the bassinet and she''s in the pack n'' play. Once she gets used to that in about a week, we''ll move her into the nursery/crib.

 

[mela lu]

Oh Court - I'' feel for you. I have no idea about the supply issue, but I''d keep pumping another week while you decide. One more week in the long run is nothing. FWIW, you have done a great job thus far!

You have a beautiful thriving little girl

Mrs - Sage is gorgeous!

__
Thank you cards are not done, so I''m not allowing myself too much PS time. I have to make these kinds of deals with myself or else things dont get done.

Romy is sleeping in his crib full time now. Bassinet is in storage

. Since he''s officially 2 months old now, we''ve started Baby Boot Camp (BBC) where I''m stretching his feedings to every 4 hours, and then once we''ve mastered that, I''m going to stretch his second night feed (typically 5am - 6am) until 7am. The next step will be to eliminate the first night feed (typically 1-2am). My "goal" is to have this all done by the time he''s 3 months, and we go to Croatia for 3 weeks. I figure he''ll relapse there (with the time change) but the ground work will be set. I''ll get him back on track when we return home in Sept.

Hi all mommies! Hope to play again soon

 

[Mrs]

Date: 7/27/2009 9:10:27 AM
Author: Courtneylub
Mrs, Sage is so beautiful!


Work has been difficult. I''m on week #2 and still not sure what my decision will be. I''m giving it one more week. Unfortunately, it looks like I''m about done nursing. My supply is not keeping up with her demand at all and I hate pumping at work,especially when I''m pumping about half of what she eats. Plus it''s not very accomodating here. A tiny little storage room with a chair. I have to go ask a woman to unlock it for me every time I need to use it. The problem is, IF I decide to resign and stay home, will I regret quitting nursing? I suppose I could continue nursing/pumping through this week and see. If I tried all the ways to boost my supply, is that even possible this far along? I feel like we''ve supplemented too much and there''s no turning back. I always pumped even when we gave her formula, but I don''t think it''s helped my supply. People keep telling me it''s fine if I stop and that I''ve done great, but I just feel defeated. I''m so torn about it. I want to continue, but not like this!


We still have Alila in our room, but we''ve taken her out of the bassinet and she''s in the pack n'' play. Once she gets used to that in about a week, we''ll move her into the nursery/crib.

Courtney, I''m sorry you''re still torn about what to do regarding work but I''m glad you''re giving yourself a chance to explore the option of continuing to work. If you have any feeling that you might regret weaning her fully in the event that you decide to stay home, I would keep pumping this week. It IS possible to relactate and there''s some good info about it here. For me, I''m really glad I continued to pump like I did at work for the 4 or 5 weeks that I was working since I''m home now. It is a million times easier to nurse her than it would be to get a bottle ready every time she needs to eat. With that being said though, Alila will be just fine if BFing is not going to work for you both going forward! Having a happy, less stressed mom will probably make her happier so you have to decide which option will cause more stress for you in the long term. We''re thinking of you and hope things get easier soon!

 

[Mrs]

TDM, thanks for sharing your experience and for the encouragement regarding staying at home and being more vocal about how Dh can help. I think you''re right - I just need to be more specific about the help I need when I need it. Thanks for the complement as well - I think Sage is beautiful too

Mela, Thanks! Congrats on getting Romy to sleep in his crib! And good luck with Baby bootcamp!

 

[fieryred33143]

Mrs-Sage is so beautiful! Even FI commented on what a beautiful girl you have!

 

[MustangGal]

Mrs - Sage is soo cute! I love the hair!

Mela - get those thank yous done so you can come hang out with us

Courtney - I''m sorry the decision has been so hard for you, I''d try to pump if you think it''s only going to be another week. I know pumping and feeding is hard, I only made it 5 weeks, so you''re doing great!

Kyle seems to be better, Saturday he was less congested and his attitude seems normal. Yesterday he wouldn''t eat as much as normal, but was still acting fine. He slept really well last night, and I actually had to wake him up at 6:30am this morning to make it to work on time. So I guess we got pretty lucky if this was a cold.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 7/26/2009 6:11:40 PM
Author: Blenheim
Pandora - we''re bedsharing. We have a cosleeper, but it''s set up downstairs for naps. In terms of whether or not it''s a good habit to foster, I think it depends partially on if you''d feel about doing it longer term. My friends who cosleep have their kids in bed with them at least part of the night for a couple of years it seems. They''re happy with it, we''d be fine with it, I think that TGal has mentioned that some of her friends have kids that age in bed with them and hate it. I''d also make sure that you and your husband are both on board with it.

Yup, that was me. I have a friend with a 3 year old and while they don''t hate it, she is still totally sleep deprived and would get him out if she could. Another friend has a nearly 4.5 year old and they still LOVE cosleeping.

Pandora, you are also in a unique position in that you know you will not be having any more children. My friend with the 3 year old wants another child an is trying to figure out how it''s all going to work. They also never meant to cosleep this long. My friend with the 4.5 year old knew it was her last child (her first is 19 years old) and had the luxury of being able to continue on with it as long as everyone was happy with it. She does say however that their sex life was sacrificed a bit and that she does hate how her very big 4.5 kicks in his sleep.

 

[janinegirly]

I wanted to chime in re: sleep, as I think it's good to hear different perspectives. Sleep training is very important and has proven results, but some of us never did it and ended up ok too. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do those early days, and trust/hope it'll work out in the end. Sleep training is easiest when done early, but it's not impossible later as well! All those books are overwhelming and in the end, I do believe instinct and awareness can take care of a lot.

In my case, we had a bassinet, but the baby moved to bedsharing around 2 months and stayed there till 4 months. For me, it was a great experience even though I certainly never planned on it! I did it since I had to position the baby (had some flathead concerns back then, no issues now!) but benefited from it in other ways because I could watch her 24/7 and it was a special time b/c DH wasn't around alot at that point (we were in between houses,etc.). I also had my LO sleeping on her belly early, again to help with positioning and the co-sleeping allowed me to watch her like a hawk just in case. That is something that worked for me, but am not advising anyone else.

At 4 months, I moved her to the crib with no issues. BUT I was still rocking her to sleep. I knew this was a bad habit, but continued it. At 8 months, it got harder b/c she was back arching and not wanting to go to sleep, so rocking was annoying to her. I took her cues and started to put her in her crib if she fought rocking. It seems to have worked! She kicks around alot and yes, I still pick her up if she fights it, but only for 5-10minutes of soothing before returning her to her crib. Eventually she can't fight the sleep!

So the moral of my story is, sometimes you don't follow the rules (unintentionally), but it can work out too. Not advising anyone to follow my lead, but just a show of support that it can work out even if you end up making some unconventional choices that work for you and your child.

 

[MustangGal]

janine - it''s nice to hear another side of sleep. We haven''t intentionally done any sleep training either, and I haven''t read any of the books. We just did what worked, and it''s turned out well for us too. I did end up co-sleeping a little bit, which I never intended to do, but getting out of bed after a c-section was really hard, so it was just easier to have him next to me. I also planned to have him in our room until 2 months or so, but ended up moving him to the crib at 5 weeks because he made so much noise in his sleep it kept me awake!

I actually wish he''s sleep on his tummy, his head is still a little out of shape, but he only likes his back. I''m going to ask the pedi about it at the next appointment. His head has gotten better, but it still looks a little funny

 

[sbde]

mrs, sage is just soo beautiful!!!

 

[janinegirly]

quick question: what do you mommies think of soft blocks? My LO is 10 months (so will be off this thread soon!), and I think these blocks are great, but not sure if she''s too advanced for them now and maybe I should look into something like big legos or more complicated toys. However, the Fisher Price rings are still her favorite toys (she uses them for everything including crawling!), so you just never know.

 

[AllieLuv83]

I am not a mommy or even a preggo yet but being the ever early planner I have started to do some research. Can you ladies give me the lowdown on the bugaboo?

 

[Mrs]

Allie, I don''t know much about the bugaboo except that it''s expensive. Check out page 6 of the baby stuff thread for some more info. I''m sure there''s more info on other pages of that thread if you click through it some.

Thanks fier, MGal, & sbde

janine, I''m afraid I know nothing about soft blocks - sorry I can''t help! Thanks for your post about sleep training! It''s good to know that some LOs end up sleeping fine without the stress of "training."

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 7/27/2009 5:10:08 PM
Author: AllieLuv83
I am not a mommy or even a preggo yet but being the ever early planner I have started to do some research. Can you ladies give me the lowdown on the bugaboo?

I seriously considered the Bee, but it''s so incredibly low to the ground it would kill my back very quickly. The Chameleon was better, but cost the same as the Stokke Xplory.

We bought the Xplory and LOVE it. It''s definitely an urban stroller (as is the Bugaboo Bee), but it turns on a sixpence, you can push it with one finger, it''s narrow so no problem in shops, it''s really high up so you can talk to the baby and they''re not at exhaust fume level, the bag takes a huge amount of shopping and it should last Daisy until she''s 4 years old or so. It also has a lie flat option so you can use it from birth but D. hates being flat so she''s always had it slanted so she can see out. DH loves it as well - I rarely get to push it when we are out!

 

[mela lu]

Date: 7/27/2009 5:10:08 PM
Author: AllieLuv83
I am not a mommy or even a preggo yet but being the ever early planner I have started to do some research. Can you ladies give me the lowdown on the bugaboo?

I have the Chameleon and LOVE IT! I think your stroller should reflect your lifestyle. I live in the heart of an urban city. TIGHT SPACES! The bugaboo is great for that. I walk everywhere, including to the end of my street to pick up groceries from the various little shops (butcher, green grocer, etc).
Since the basket on it is small relative to some other strollers, I just carry another canvas bag that I hook onto my "mommy hook" for the walk home. LOVE IT.

Now, if you were constantly in and out of your car (more suburban lifestyle) then the Bugaboo *could* be annoying. The fact that you have to remove the seat/bassinet/carseat in order to fold the base could be annoying if you were doing that 1000 times a day. Also, you need an adaptor to attach the carseat (extra $$$) that also needs to come off in order to collapse the base.

I rarely disassemble mine so I don''t mind, and when I do, it''s a snap. I love the design, the lightweight quality, and the steering is incredible. It turns on a dime.

Hope that helps!

(back to thank you cards

)

 

[natalina]

Mrs- oh my goodness- Sage is ADORABLE! What a doll baby! Thanks for posting the pics!!!

 

[AllieLuv83]

Date: 7/28/2009 8:53:51 AM
Author: mela lu

Date: 7/27/2009 5:10:08 PM

Author: AllieLuv83

I am not a mommy or even a preggo yet but being the ever early planner I have started to do some research. Can you ladies give me the lowdown on the bugaboo?

I have the Chameleon and LOVE IT! I think your stroller should reflect your lifestyle. I live in the heart of an urban city. TIGHT SPACES! The bugaboo is great for that. I walk everywhere, including to the end of my street to pick up groceries from the various little shops (butcher, green grocer, etc).

Since the basket on it is small relative to some other strollers, I just carry another canvas bag that I hook onto my ''mommy hook'' for the walk home. LOVE IT.


Now, if you were constantly in and out of your car (more suburban lifestyle) then the Bugaboo *could* be annoying. The fact that you have to remove the seat/bassinet/carseat in order to fold the base could be annoying if you were doing that 1000 times a day. Also, you need an adaptor to attach the carseat (extra $$$) that also needs to come off in order to collapse the base.


I rarely disassemble mine so I don''t mind, and when I do, it''s a snap. I love the design, the lightweight quality, and the steering is incredible. It turns on a dime.


Hope that helps!


(back to thank you cards

)

I am going to live in the burbs so this might not be a good stroller for me. I will post this on the gear thread. Thanks!

 

[janinegirly]

I have the frog and started out in the City and now in the ''burbs (LO is 10mo''s now). Having the bug will mean needing a 2nd stroller that''s more compact and can be folded more easily. However, we still use the frog more--it''s sturdy and she likes it, plus takes concrete well (still walking on roads, sidewalks in the''burbs). For mall visits, quick trips to town, trips in the car, I take the 2nd stroller (which in my case is a Maclaren Quest). I''ve been happy with my choices.