PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[FrekeChild]

Ooooo!!! Lookie at all the new babies! Congrats mommies!

More at a later date--today was a long day and I should be going to bed!

My wee one is still a tiny little thing. I'm estimating about 12.5 pounds, and she turns 4 months next Friday. She can still fit into a couple of her newborn items, fits best into 0-3 size, and 3s are still kind of huge on her. She's got a little buddha belly, but her clothes are SUPER loose around her middle, and the length is really where she's outgrowing her clothes. I am starting to think she'll be 9 months old before she fits in her 6 month outfits!

I wish I could share youtube videos - her giggles are the most wonderful thing ever.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Freke, oh my gosh those photos are so cute!! She's ADORABLE! And I love her little Buddha belly. She's so leeetle! I just want to scoop her up and snuggle her! I hope you're doing well--how is the whole work/life balance thing going?

MQ, I had the same reaction when my due date came and went (since Katie was a couple of weeks early). So funny that when I went into labor, I didn't feel ready, but once I saw her I was so excited that I got to spend an extra two weeks with her.

How did last night go with sleeping? That 12:30 - 7am shift sounds so rough. It's amazing how we can function on so little sleep, right? I still have a little pang of fear everytime I walk up the steps to go to bed. I never know what lies ahead! Katie also hates to be swaddled, but does tolerate her halo sleep sack at night (because I fear she gets cold). It's so hard to figure out what works for them. And I know with mine, it changes, which makes it tougher. As many other moms have pointed out, at this point it's just about surviving!

Glad to hear the baby weight is shedding quickly! I only weighed myself once about a week after getting home and I was 5 lbs. over my pre-pregnancy weight, but I hate the way my stomach looks right now, so I can't wait to be able to exercise again.

 

[SweetAsscher]

Hi everyone! I hope this isn't a thread jack, but I was wondering if any of you have dealt with RSV? We had to take my 10 month old to the emergency on Saturday bcuz he couldn't breathe. It was the scariest thing I've ever seen. He's much better now but the Dr didn't really say how long it lasts. She just said its as common as a cold but affects babies more severely.
Does anyone know about how long RSV lasts? Or if they can get it more than once?

 

[Skippy123]

Hi everyone! I hope this isn't a thread jack, but I was wondering if any of you have dealt with RSV? We had to take my 10 month old to the emergency on Saturday bcuz he couldn't breathe. It was the scariest thing I've ever seen. He's much better now but the Dr didn't really say how long it lasts. She just said its as common as a cold but affects babies more severely.
Does anyone know about how long RSV lasts? Or if they can get it more than once?

I think it is like the common cold; it is a virus, but it is deadly for babies. I had to watch a video on it before bringing my boys home. It is a good thing you took your baby in right away. I do not know how long it lasts; I would call your ped. My boys are preemies so we have Synagis injections (an antibody to protect my boys against RSV). I would ask your doctor if your baby can get one injection IF your Ins will cover it since it is expensive (they base the injections on the RSV season but it is usually from the fall to the spring). I am so sorry that happened to your baby, I would follow up with your Ped or call your doctors office. I bet they can get it more than once, my nephew got it. When I chat with her I will post what she says. Okay, so I just checked Babycenter and this is what I found; http://www.babycenter.com/0_respiratory-syncytial-virus-rsv_1754.bc
hope your soon feels better soon!

FC, she is such a cutie!!!

Manne, we need pics please!!!

NEL, you are so wise to be okay w/things changing for her and going with it!!! that is a great attitude!


I remember the early days falling asleep a few times while feeding the boys! Or once I almost fell asleep at the changing table. It does get better! I think the 10 or 12 week mark they started sleeping more.

 

[Mannequin]

Freke, what a gorgeous little girl! She is too cute. Hope everything is going well for you and your hubby.

NEL, major snoozage for baby and mommy last night! I made sure we went for a nice long walk out in the sunshine during the afternoon, and he had a bath before bed. I put him down on a clean diaper/full tummy, and I turned on the little toy a few times as he fell asleep (this one -http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3104466). He slept almost three hours, and then had some pretty good stretches of sleep afterward, too. I still think a white noise/sound machine would be better, since I can set it to stay on for a while instead of having to give the seahorse a squeeze every time it turns off, but I will see how this goes for Wes. I don't usually need a lot of sleep but the frequent interruptions make it difficult to feel rested. It's good that Katie likes the Halo sack. I have two of them in fleece and one lighter weight cotton one. My boy hates having his arms wrapped up and if I put a sack on him, he kicks and fusses. He is a STRONG kicker - during delivery, our nurse noticed that his feet were actually BRUISED from pushing on my ribs! I've started just dressing him in a warm sleeper or using a receiving blanket over him at night. I know the blanket breaks the mom rules in the books, but he is warm and comfortable. I also left my bumpers up, too, since he is not rolling yet. Crib police, come get me!

Sweet Asscher, I don't have any advice on RSV. Good luck - a friend is dealing with this right now and she has two small children.

When are babies supposed to move up in diaper sizes? I feel like Wes is almost too big for his newborn swaddlers now. He's wearing a 0-3 mo. sleeper today!

A few pics of Weston to share today:
6 days old




Yuck, camera again! 8 days old


12 days old today

 

[NewEnglandLady]

SweetAsscher, a good friend of mine just went through RSV with her one-month old (scary!). It took about 10 days to go away--she steamed him up in the shower and had him sleep upright to help with the congestion. I'm so sorry to hear your baby is going through this!

Skippy, I have yet to fall asleep during a feeding, but it's a fear of mine! Sometimes I miss the old days when I could just doze off on the sofa while watching a movie. Now everytime I feel sleepy I think "where's the baby?!"

MQ, so funny, I actually have that seahorse (bought by a relative). I even tried to use it for the first time this morning when K was fussing, but it wouldn't turn on! Glad to hear that W loves it and that he let you sleep a little last night!

K is still in the newborn swaddlers, but I think most babies grow out of them in a couple of weeks. I only bought 100 of the newborn size swaddlers since that was suggested by the baby bargains book, but I ended up getting about 100 more in a diaper cake and I had to go out and buy another pack yesterday, so I think K is in them longer than most babies, but I'm not sure. My friends with big boys skipped the newborn swaddlers and newborn clothes altogether, so I don't think it's unusual go to size 1s and the 0 - 3 month size quickly.

I love the Weston pics!!

AFU, we're having another awake day today. I took K to the park so we could both get some fresh air and she loved looking around at the trees. I thought she'd fall asleep on the way home, but nope. I just put her in the ERGO a little while ago and we danced to Johnny Cash and she fell asleep pretty quickly. D insists on only classical music, but I knew she'd love JC--she IS my daughter!

 

[SweetAsscher]

Thanks everyone. I talked to my pediatrician, and he said they don't really want to give kids more medicine than absolutely necessary. I guess bcuz he's not that little anymore? He said its like a common cold and we just have to let it run it's course and let his own immune system fight it off
Im just dealing with it by suctioning his nose and I have the humidifier on in his room. And Albuterol nebulizer treatments when his breathing is too labored or he's wheezing too much.
Poor little guy. At least he is acting more like his normal happy self.

 

[princessplease]

Hi ladies its been FOREVER since I've been on here, but it's great to see the ladies that I was in LIW, BIW and TTC with having their LO's!

Our LO is 7 mo, and was born on 8/10/11 at 3:46 am. He's a wonderful baby, and is growing perfectly! He weighed 20lbs at his 6 month checkup, and is happy and healthy.
Here's a pic of him when he was first born

and today

 

[Skippy123]

aww look at all these adorable baby boys!!!

Princessplease aww cute bath time pic!! You need to stop by more often!

SweetA, Ivan is precious, I hope he feels better soon!

Manneq, sooo precious!

NEL, sounds like a wonderful day w/your sweet baby girl!!!

 

[lliang_chi]

Freke, wow, what a beauty! I love her little belly! And that's OK that she's a little petite, as long as she's getting bigger and staying healthy and it definitely looks like she is. How's everything going with you and A? Have you figured out a balance with work etc? Looks like your DH's holding her in her belly pic? So sweet!

MQ, glad Wes is doing so well. What a handsome boy you have there! I totally agree that the nip shields are giving Ethan a shallow latch too. I hope Parrot can chime in, she said that Ava eventually transitioned to no shield BFing. Ooof, Wes's witching hours sound tough. Ethan had witching hours too 11PM - 5AM. But we realized that we weren't feeding him enough. We're up to approx 110ml (just over 3.5oz) per feeding. Maybe Wes is wanting a bigger top up at night???

NEL, LOL about Johnny Cash! THat's fantastic! Wow, I can't believe K stays awake in the Ergo. Ethan passes out every time I put him in it after a short fussy session. We walked the dog to the groomer yesterday in it (it was almost 80F today, so she needed a haircut), I think it's like a mile there. I took the bus back with Ethan in the carrier still. Aw, *love* the Katie pics. Keep 'em coming!

Asscher, Sorry to hear about RSV! I hope your little one is OK. I'm glad he's feeling like his normal self today!

Skip, OMG I *totally* fall asleep feeding Ethan during the middle of the night feedings, and first thing in the morning feedings. That's why I sit in the MIDDLE of the couch and put tons of pillows around me. Luckily the worse thing that's happening to me is I'm straining my neck.

Princess, what a gorgeous little boy you have! Look at the blue eyes!!!

AFU: TOday Ethan had a fully awake day during mid-day. From 11AM - 5PM he barely slept. So I noticed a little tip that seems to work for me. Change Ethan's diaper 40 mins- 1hr after he's done with feeding. That way he'll get it all poopy/wet but still be in a drowsy state so he's not going ballistic during diaper changes. So, this is totally a "new mom" afternoon. I'm chronicling it for your enjoyment, feel free to skip the novel if you're not interested....

So I fed him at 11AM. Then picked him up around 12N to change him. I'm still doing the sink soaks to change him and get the diaper cream off instead of using wipes, so changes take a little while. In the midst of changing to a fresh diaper, he has some fountain works, and peed all over himself even on his hair! So I was like OK fine, I wanted to bathe you today anyway. So drain the sink, refill it and start on his bath. That takes about 20 mins or so.

Then I change him into a short sleeved, pull over his head onesie since it's 80F today. Note, Ethan HATES pull over head stuff so he goes ballistic. The onesie doesn't fit him (0-3M size). First I'm like, "Whatever, I'm going to leave it because he hates the pull over stuff. I'll freaking cut it off him." But then I'm like, "no this is ridiculous, it doesn't fit him." So I have to undress him. Again goes ballistic. Then grab the last short sleeve onesie that would fit, but unfortunately another overhead one. When I'm buttoning him up, I notice he'd got a poopy diaper.

SO back to the bathroom, fill the sink. And y'know I just pulled this onesie over his head, I don't want to take it off just to put it back on again and have him go ballistic 3 times. So I'll just hold the shirt up so it doesn't get wet in the sink. Of course this never works, but I always think it will. Sure enough, it gets wet in the sink. So it needs to come off anyway. Ballistic, again. And now I'm out of short sleeve onesies. So I put him into just a shirt and diaper.

OK so fine, he's clean, fresh diaper, new shirt, dry, fed... and wide awake. So I put him in his vibrating chair/rocker which usually puts him to sleep eventually, while I pump. So I'm pumping he's still very much awake. Then Ethan's *just* drifting off to sleep AND... the phone rings. Waaah! Rock, rock, shush shush, finally drifting off to sleep, so I put him down. Then I'm "smart" and say I'm going to lower the ringer volume on the phone RIGHT NOW. So I do, and RIIIIIIING at current setting and wakes him up. I totally deserved that one... Rock, rock, shush, shush, finally drifting off to sleep again AND.... the dog barks. Waaaah!! Rock, rock, shush, shush.... put him down, but he's wide awake.

So we do some tummy time to tire him out. Nope! Finally goes down about 4:30PM when my sister comes over, but he'll need to eat soon, like in 10 mins. Sure enough he starts crying and yup he wants to eat. Then he's totally sleepy. I'm hoping he'll stay sleepy tonight... Fingers crossed.

~LC

 

[pancake]

Hey all!

Freke - little A is such a little pocket rocket! Gorgeous! Glad to hear things are going well with you guys.

MQ - lovely to see proper pics of Weston's sweet little face! Re the interrupted sleep, I totally agree - but I do think that over time the body adapts a bit. I cope much better now than I did 3 weeks ago - both with the overall sleep deprivation and with the interruptions. That said, Sylvie does go 4 hourly stretches between feeds at night at the moment, so I do get 2 1/2 hours of sleep between feeds most nights. Re the latching and breastfeeding, I have often heard it said that it can take 6-8 weeks to get it "right" and if you can persevere until then, it's likely that you'll be able to establishing BFing. That said, a mother's sanity is also pretty paramount - I really hate it when new mums are "guilted" into doing something that doesn't feel right (if indeed it doesn't). Yay for your milk coming in!

SweetAsscher, your little boy looks so cheeky!!! Re RSV - yes, you can get reinfected with it, but it tends to become a less severe illness as the child gets older - in adults it just causes a cold. The other thing probably worth knowing is that RSV causes a big chunk of bronchiolitis in the community, but not all - there are zillions of viruses that can do it. So unfortunately there's not a lot you can do, apart from know the signs to look for and know when to take him to get checked out. It sounds like he's responding to the albuterol though, so that is a good thing - not all babies do, and babies under 6 months never do.

Skippy, I definitely nod off at moments during feeds at night - it is just too easy as I am super-lazy and keep Sylvie's bassinet next to my side of the bed, and I feed her sitting up in bed.

NEL, S is still in newborn nappies too - I think she'll be in them for another couple of weeks at least (although I plan to transition to full-time cloth by then). Definitely growing out of the newborn clothes though! Great that you had a good nursing session! Katie sounds such a bright, alert little thing!

LC, there is something really cool about reading another mum's day like that - a sort of solidarity thing, knowing that people are at the same stage as us! You are doing a stellar job - I had to giggle and groan about the suit changing with the poop - I had to change Sylvie, my clothes and my bedsheets yesterday morning because of a poosplosion - just 30 minutes after I'd changed Sylvie completely because of the previous one! Girl loves to poo in the mornings...

AFU, not much news... had mothers' group yesterday, it was good to meet a bunch of other new mums living locally. Sylvie is the youngest baby in the group by quite a bit (the next youngest is 6 weeks, and the oldest is nearly 4 months) which means that I will get all the benefit of hearing from the other BTDT mums!!! Other than that - trooping on. Feeding, sleeping, playing. She's been back to her normal self since Monday after being off-colour with my cold over the weekend (basically she was snuffly, more sleepy and looked a bit glazed-eyed). Other benefit is that she seems to have grown out of her late-night unsettled period - she used to squelch from around 10pm to midnight, but for the past 3 nights has just been sleeping through that period between feeds instead. Touch wood! I have noticed she's sleeping much less during the days - usually she'll have one 2 or 2.5 hour nap, but then between the other feeds she'll only do an hour or so and be awake the rest of the time. Then she seems to sleep through from the early evening until when we go to bed, and from then until the morning it's feed-change-sleep-repeat. I'm hoping this continues!!!

Respect to all of you pumping mums, I don't know how you do it! - a few days ago when S took just the one breast at a feed I tried to express the other, and even with my electric pump I only got 40 ml out in 20 minutes! Ugh... I am going to start needing to do this more to build up a supply in the freezer for when we start giving the occasional bottle (for when we have to go out or whatever).

Cannot believe S is already a month old. WHERE IS THE TIME GOING???

 

[SweetAsscher]

Thanks for the info Pancake. I didn't know that not all babies respond to the albuterol. He did seem to feel much better with the Atrovin plus albuterol vs just albuterol. I'm lucky that my mom works at a hospital as a respiratory therapist usually ICU but often in the NICU. She said they normally don't give babies Atrovin but I guess he really needed it.
Right now the struggle is that he's feeling better and not wanting to take it easy!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Pancake, I'm glad to hear the mothers' group went well and that you have a group of BTDT moms! What did you guys talk about this first week? My mom group starts next Tuesday and I'm excited about meeting other local moms. The class is for moms with 2 - 10-week olds, and K will be a 4 weeks, so I'm hoping there will be a couple of BTDT moms in my group, too.

Glad to hear that S is on a schedule that is working! K's schedule is somwhat similar. She's usually up for a couple of hours in the morning ,then takes an hor nap. In the afternoons she either takes little catnaps (on her more awake days) or she takes a long nap from about 1 - 4. She's usually up in the early evenings, then gets her bath around 7 and sleeps pretty heavily until 7 the next morning. I'm lucky that she's never been too fussy at night, but she definitely can be fussy in the evenings.

The pumping isn't bad at all once you're used to it. My only frustrations are when Katie's really fussy and I need her out of my arms so I can pump and the MOTN pumps where I feed her, get her back to sleep and THEN have to pump while exhausted.

The time is definitely flying by. I'm already freaked out about how fast it's slipping by!

LC, like Pancake said, I love the fellow mom stories. I sometimes just start laughing to myself when I find myself in typical new-mom situations. Who knew that being peed on would become a daily activity. Or that multitasking no longer means working on another project while on a conference call, but rather pumping while keeping a fussy baby entertained and emailing at the same time. Keep the stories coming!

K often falls asleep in her ERGO as well, but when she's in an awake phase, she loves to look around while I work. Or dance.

Princessplease, I love the photos. What a cutie!

Sweetasscher, so glad Ivan is starting to feel better--I love your pics, too!

AFU, a few things:

- I only have one image from our photo shoot. We ordered a bunch of prints last night, but don't have access to the digital images. So funny that I was NOT going to have a girly girl, but what did I put her in? Yes, a pink tutu and headband. Who doesn't love a tutu??

- So Katie has a little buddha belly. She's no longer spitting up, has regular bowel movements, isn't terribly fussy, etc., so I don't think it's anything to be concerned about. But my husband is a bit of a hypochondriac. And so is his mom. The in-laws were over last night and both D and his mom were worried about K's belly. Blah! So who has to call the pediatrician and sound crazy? Me, of course.

- I'm bringing Katie into D's office tomorrow. I'm hoping she doesn't fuss too much. I'll probably bring her into my office next week.

- We went to the mall today and I decided to try a few things on for the heck of it. I'm an idiot. I ended up tearing up in the dressing room because I HATE the way I look in clothes right now. And then Katie started crying, so I sort of had to rush out and it was hilarious and embarrassing at the same time.

 

[lliang_chi]

NEL, OMG I *looooove* Katie's picture. She looks like an ANGEL!!! I love that her eyes are open. A lot of newborn pictures are of cute widdle sleepy babies, but I love that her eyes are wide open. I have a few of Ethan when he's awake too. I remember my photographer loved how much hair Ethan had. She said, it was too bad he's a boy and not a girl otherwise she could do lots of cute flower head band shots. Looking at Katie's picture, I totally see what she means. ADORABLE!

Pancake, awesome your mom's group has a bunch of BTDT moms that can help. There's 3 friends who are SAHMs that get together every week from DH's university crowd. I hung out with them last week and it was nice. They also had some great tips on how to get E to sleep longer through the night.

AFU: Ethan's having a sleepy day today. Get this: He slept for FOUR HOURS last night from 11PM -3AM! It was AWESOME! Then I fed him and he slept for another 3+ hrs. I'm hoping we can get a repeat performance, but judging by how much he's sleeping this morning/afternoon, I don't think so...

New mom comment of the day: Do you find you have to ask yourself if you brushed your teeth this morning...? Or is it just me... I shudder at what happens when I have to go back to work.

AFU, Ethan is 30 days old on Saturday! We're having a 1 month/red egg and ginger party for him with my girlfriends. A pot luck brunch at our place. It should be fun. I realize I need to get a bunch of stuff ready for that, and I kind of can't think of how that works. It was so much easier when I could just do stuff on my own, but now one of us has to worry about E and I'm the only one that can cook, so if i'm doing it, nothing's being done for brunch...

 

[Skippy123]

NEL, she is so beautiful!!!!

 

[janinegirly]

I love all the photos..gosh there is nothing cuter than a newborn, leg rolls, hands clenched, big bellies...awww.

Sorry can't respond individually to eveyone since I"m at work and swamped, but glad to hear everyone is doing so well!

NEL: I went to Jcrew today to try on a dress and saw myself in a brightly lit changing room - it was not good. I am 4 months futher out than you and not 5lbs within my pre preggo weight...it sucks! I want to do something, but really are you supposed to diet when bf'ing? Not to mention I've never dieted and don't know where to start since I have no time! And does anyone know how to get rid of the yucky stomach wrinkles...this seems to not be just weight related. With DD1 I was a lot luckier in terms of what I was left with.
I woudn't care so much if the scale wasn't moving and summer is coming!

A is doing great meanwhile, eating away, but still no cereal on a regular basis just yet. She's been in size 3 diapers awhile and really is a joy and makes me smile each day which isn't always easy after a tough day at work!

 

[parrot tulips]

I have fallen way too behind in the past few days to respond to individuals, but I have to say that I am LOVING all the photos. LC & NEL, looks like you both found amazing newborn photographers. And Skippy, you always manage to get such beautiful shots of your boys.

For those already attending mother's groups, I am so envious. I feel a little lonely and isolated sometimes, but my pediatrician doesn't want me joining any groups until Ava is 3-4 months adjusted, so not until April or May. She said preemies' immune systems are more delicate than term babies, even with their adjusted ages taken into consideration, so she is having me be extra cautious.

Ava is doing well. Getting her down to sleep is a breeze. Sometimes she stays asleep, sometimes she doesn't. Overall, though, things are so much easier. One new thing she has been doing for a few weeks now, is eating her hand when she's hungry. It's cute and funny and so much better than hearing her fuss to let me know. She has also been smiling tons more, and will let out the occasional happy squeal. I can't wait for that squeal to turn into laughter. Still having trouble with her hating bath time. From the moment we start undressing her (which she doesn't mind during day time wardrobe changes), she starts howling, and doesn't stop until she's dressed again. Doesn't matter if it's a sponge bath, shallow bath, or fully emerged, she HATES it.

 

[Mannequin]

Quick post - Weston had a great 2 week checkup today. Back to birthweight and then some - the little dude is up to 8 lbs 7 oz! The doc is very pleased with his overall health and progress, and he was so good at the office. Proud of my little guy!

LC, LOVE your mom afternoon story - LOL!

NEL - Katie is simply beautiful in her picture! WOW!

Will be back later for more...

 

[NewEnglandLady]

MQ, glad to hear Wes is doing so well!!! Is he pretty quiet when you take off his clothes? Katie hates getting undressed...which I might prefer when she starts high school, but sure does make for unpleasant doctor visits right now!

PT, I can completely understand the isolation, I definitely feel the same. I have one outting per day, but it still feels isolating. I remember going to the park a couple of days ago and thinking "maybe there will be another mom there with a newborn and I can talk with her!". Hopefully you will develop a network around you--once Ava is up for it maybe you can just hang out at Babies R Us all day and chat with new moms.

So cute that Ava eats her hand. Does she ever put her hand in her mouth and then move her head back and forth in a vivacious effort to nurse it? It cracks me up when Katie does that, but also makes me feel bad for her since she is never successful at extracting milk from her own fingers.

Janine. the yucky stomach wrinkles suck. So do my stretch marks. And my lack of a waistline. I don't think you're supposed to diet while bfing, but I'm going to talk with my OB about what I can do at my 6-week checkup. I don't have time to take any classes, but I really want to tone up and am not sure how to tackle it. I'm sure you look great and we're both our own biggest critics, but the post-pregnancy body is no fun.

Skippy, thank you!

LC, I have to admit that I rescheduled our photo shoot for a time when I thought she'd be awake so I could get some "alert" photos. She was a little fussy and I don't think we had as much flexibility in poses, but we got a lot of good shots. I heart Ethan's photos.

How did last night go? Did you get another 4 hour stretch? I can't wait to hear about his 1-month party!

AFU, we had a bottle malfunction last night around 8pm that led to a major meltdown. I thought she was just refusing the bottle, but it turns out the nipple was blocked. She SCREAMED for hours and I couldn't figure it out because she was acting hungry (hands in mouth, rooting when something touched her face, etc.), but then she'd refuse the bottle. I did nurse her. Twice, in fact, and coudln't figure out why she wanted to nurse and didn't want the bottle when usually it's the opposite. I finally figured it out around 10pm--she ate and then crashed for 4.5 hours, which is the longest she's ever slept at once. I felt sooo bad!

Just got back from visiting D's office. It went well and it was nice to see his colleagues.

 

[parrot tulips]

NEL - Yes, Ava does do the vigorous head shaking when going for her hand. Makes me laugh every time. And I know you must have felt badly about the clogged bottle nipple, but it's gotto be at least a little bit encouraging that she wanted to nurse...

Question for you ladies with daughters. Have you thought about buying a small piece of jewelry now to give to your little girl for a major birthday or occasion (sweet 16, 21st, wedding day, etc.)? My husband wanted to do this right after Ava was born, but it's looking more like something we'll purchase by her first birthday. He was thinking of a ring, but since we have no idea what size her fingers will be, I was thinking about a bezel set pendant (or do you think that might look dated by then?).

 

[lliang_chi]

Hey ladies!!!

Janine, I'm glad A's doing well. Is it that she doesnt care much for the brand of rice cereal? I'm glad she's such a happy baby.

PT, So good to see you around here. How's that precious Ava doing? My friend has a premie too, he was born around 26 or 27 weeks. She said her doc advised her to get a nanny to keep him from catching any bugs. But it'll get better and Ava is such a champ, I'm sure you'll get the all clear soon. Sorry she's hating her bath though. Do you have a bath thermometer? My friend suggested I get one and it's great because the water's always a good temp for Ethan. Re: Ava's present, why don't you buy her a loose stone. That way when you guys decide what to do, you can set it at that time. And that way it'll still hold some significance. Just an idea. I love the thought of giving her something for a big occasion, like a wedding or something. Heart melt! If I have a daughter I'm totally going to "steal" your idea.

MQ, Hooray! Glad Wes is doing so well at his 2 wk appt! What a good boy!

NEL, So cute that Katie sucks her hand when she's hungry. What a nice, fuss-free cue for feeding. Ethan just wails. Well he'll ball up his fist and put it near his mouth for like 2 secs and THEN wail. I would LOVE to see the rest of your photos! We only got 2 awake photos, but a bunch of sleepy baby photos. Last night was OK. It was more difficult because J and I were "not fighting" but not talking. More on that later. Sorry to hear about the bottle malfunction. But it is encouraging that she wanted to nurse! I always try to get Ethan to nurse first too, because once he gets the bottle he'd way prefer the bottle than nursing.

AFU: Not much is going on. J and I had a "non fight" where we're both steaming at each other but not talking. It was re: adding Ethan to my insurance. Basically we were waiting for paper work (hospital discharge papers or birth certificates) to send to my HR to add him. But we still hadn't received anything. So my impression is that J thought I "dropped the ball" on following up on the paperwork/ insurance, and I was annoyed that he was putting this all on me. We're OK now, but it kind of spoiled the evening/morning. We did get a birth certificate today.

Other news, we've been held hostage at home waiting for DH's dressers to get delivered. SO ANNOYED! I need to do some shopping for the brunch tomorrow and these delivery people are NOT coming!!! And I still need to do errands for the 1 month party tomorrow! ANNOYING!!

~LC

 

[charbie]

Hey mommas-
I've been following along but just not able to respond
Nayways, wanted to throw a tip out there forwhen a wailing baby doesn't want stuff put over his/her head; or for when the baby has had a gross blow out and you don't want to get poop all over your kids head.

Now, this is a foreign concept to me. I felt like an a-hole when it was introduced.

Wait for it.

Onesies go up and down. As in, they have those massive neckholes bc you can take the onesie down over the butt or up over the butt instead of up over the head. Umm, duh. Makes changing after a blow out much easier.

Ill leave you with a gratuitous picture of the A-bomb. She's up to 15lbs (31%) and 27in (88%!!!). Highest she has ever been on the charts, which is HUGE for her, since before her surgery she could only maintain weight, not gain, and was off the bottom of the chart. Such a great feeling to know she is gaining well and squishy. And I also still pump/BF, and at 6 mo old she still has never had a bottle of formula and only a few fortified bottles for extra calories. So it can be done, for those of you will will be going back to work! I have lots of tips on how to get those pump sessions in.

 

[Mannequin]

. (double post)

 

[Mannequin]

Sweet Asscher, I am happy to hear that your baby is doing better! Such an awful virus going around for little ones.

NEL - UGH on the bottle blockage! Poor you and poor Katie! I have only been pumping one bottle or so every day for my husband to give to Weston, and I am nursing for all other feedings. Not sure how much he gets, but he seems to be nursing longer now (closer to 15 minutes as opposed to 10 min). He's content to nurse only one side each feed, which had me concerned at first but obviously gaining and making enough messy diapers. I just switch him to the other side for the next feed. When the kid goes to pull away, his whole face is FULL of milk and he's soaked a sleeve with anything that he didn't manage to get into his mouth. LOL He is pretty good for wardrobe changes so far. I pull some onesies and gowns down instead of going over the head when possible.

Pancake and NEL - how did you find your local mom groups? I am interested in meeting some new mommies and some BTDT mommies in my area, but I haven't got a clue where to get started. I have the newest baby in my family by at least seven months, and because of my location I am a bit isolated from my family, friends and coworkers who have little ones.

LC - Isn't it funny how sleep makes so much of a difference with newborns and their moms? Weston has been sleeping about a three and a half to four hour stretch at night for the last three nights. Thank you, baby! He did it again last night, but then was awake about every hour and a half or so afterwards until 8 am or so. I had to look up a red egg and ginger party - what a neat tradition. Do you have some friends or family that might help with the main courses for the brunch for Ethan in addition to bringing potluck? I imagine the red eggs take a long time to prepare! Hope you insurance papers come soon. Weston's SS card came in the mail this week - DH and I were having a laugh about him being steet legal. Hope your dressers showed up!

janine - Sorry you are unhappy with the post-baby body. I tried on some clothes at Target this week when I went in for more nursing tops, and I felt the same way you did at j.crew. . My belly is droopy and deflated, and I don't quite fit into things the way I want to, yet. I am hoping that regular exercise and breastfeeding will help with this. I am dying to get back into my cute summer stuff and capris. None of my maternity pants are summer styles or weight, and my regular jeans and pants don't fit yet. It has been unseasonably warm for March here in Michigan, and I found one pair of capris in the closet today that fit - YAY!

PT - How cute that Ava nibbles her hand when she is hungry! I am looking forward to Weston being more interactive and better equipped to tell me what he needs. He is spending more time awake now and I am enjoying playing with him. I had the same trouble with baths for him last week. Yesterday, he was FABULOUS for his sink bath. Go figure. I like the idea of buying a piece of special jewelry for Ava for when she gets older. My favorite 16th birthday gift was a pair of diamond earrings from my parents. The stones had originally been in my mother's wedding ring. It will be nice for Ava to have something special like that to keep when she is older.

Charbie and PP - cute babies! Thanks for sharing pics.

AFM- Biggest annoyance right now? HICCUPS. Weston gets them at least once a day, just like he did in utero. He's been getting them at night, and they piss him off so he won't settle down to sleep. I have to hold him and pop a pacifier in his mouth until they go away. Poor kid!

I got a letter from my school district about my maternity leave this week. Since the baby came a bit early, I will likely need to go back to school for a few weeks at the end of the school year. My FMLA benefits will expire May 31st. I was really wanting to stay home and would even have gone unpaid for the ten day difference in the contract and maternity leave times, but I can't lose the health insurance for me and the baby. Bummed, and now I have to figure out two weeks of day care!

DH's coworkers sent a card with a Target gift card to celebrate Weston's arrival - totally generous! We don't have an activity mat yet, so I was going to get one for Weston. Any recommendations?

 

[Skippy123]

Mannequinn, I would go see the activity mats; I like the colorful ones that have crinkle toys and a mirror. My boys love the crinkle toys and mirror but ours came from Nobetterdeal.com FP makes some cute ones. I think mirrors help for tummy time!

Charbie, I love that pic!

 

[parrot tulips]

Mannequinn - Ava likes her Lamaze Space Symphony Motion Gym. It's bright and colorful, has some crinkly areas on the mat, and a dangling mirror. The thing Ava likes best, though, is that the bars overhead sway a little, so it's more interesting for her. The music is a little creepy, but the baby doesn't seem to notice.

 

[Mannequin]

Good suggestions, PT and Skippy! Wes would probably love a mirror, will have to get a gym or mat with one so he can talk to it.

Newborn pics are scheduled for Tuesday! My little guy will be 18 days old - not so "new" but still stinking cute.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

MQ, adorable photo!! And 18 days for the newborn shoot sounds about right. I've heard 2-3 weeks is good for newborn photo shoots.

As for the mom group--ours is through the same place that offered all of the prenatal classes. I think it's a pretty well-known baby store chain around the Boston area.

So sorry to hear you have to go back for a couple of weeks--finding care for a couple of weeks is frustrating, but the good news is that it's only a couple of weeks! Not ideal, but not sooo bad.

Charbie, oh my goodness, what a cute photo!!! And I'm sooooo glad to hear that A is doing so well!!! You must be so happy about that!

LC, sorry about the non-fight. I just got an email yesterday from HR saying that I need to fax K's birth certificate and I thought "crap, where do I get that?" Did you get yours from town hall? I can't remember what they told me at the hospital. I thought her SS card was enough.

Did the dressers get delivered?

PT, I love the idea of getting something now to give as a gift at a later date. A pendant or loose stone would be perfect. D really wants to give Katie a gift, but isn't keen on jewelry. He's insisting on buying her a piano. I'm letting him take on that project. Maybe my project shoud be something sparkly

AFU, Katie is eating like a crazy lady. She was taking about 2.5 ounces at each feeding, but the past two days have been more like 3.5 oz. My supply can't keep up with her appetite despite my constant pumping and nursing, so I'm back to supplementing with formula.

It's also a sleepy day today. We took her to the beach again and she slept through the whole trip.

 

[lliang_chi]

Charbie, Is it only the onesies that have the "boat neck" collars? I have a couple of onesies that have a t-shirt/crew neck collar that I'm pretty sure need to be pulled over his head. I guess I can give it a shot, but just wondering. And yeah I had no clue that it could go both directions. LOVE the pic of Aubrey. And Hooray for her being up in charts and gaining weight! She still looks like a little angel! Is she on solids already?

MQ, I read it's best to feed on one boob until it's empty so the baby can get the fat rich hind milk and stay fuller longer. So you're doing the right thing. If he's still hungry give him the other boob, otherwise your body should "reabsorb" it and you can offer the other boob the next feeding. I would also suggest the your hospital for Mommy groups. Some of them have support groups or at least a set up some kind of means of helping mothers connect. Go Wes for giving you so much sleep! Hiccups, so cute but sorry they keep little Wes up. Hee hee. I love it when Ethan gets them. Do you think you can get family (your mom or DH's mom) to watch Wes during those 2 wks you have to go back? That would be pretty sweet so you don't have to look for day care for 2 wks. Some places will charge a premium if you're a "drop-in" like that. OR at least that's how it is in Chicago. Can't wait to see the newborn pics!

NEL, so glad Katie's eating so well. Maybe she's going through a growth spurt! Don't sweat the formula supplement. You're doing a fantastic job and I'm thinking your body will catch up to Katie's needs. The non-fight diffused/fizzled out uneventfully. We were able to get Ethan on my insurance by calling my HR dept, and DH was able to pick up 2 copies of birth certificates which we faxed to my HR. J went to the County Clerk Vital Records office. Holy cow, I can't believe D wants to buy Katie a piano!!! Is your DH a musician or musically inclined? Seems like he's pretty serious about it with the classical music thing and now the piano. Any beach pictures of Katie? I miss the beach. In Chicago they have what they call a beach (on Lake Michigan), but it's so not the same. Beaches = ocean, and Lake Michigan is SO NOT an ocean.

AFU: No the dressers did NOT get delivered. They were supposed to get here between 1-4PM yesterday. The truck arrived 10:10PM. DH went downstairs to meet the delivery people and they only had 1 of our 2 dressers that we order. In January. DH told them to keep it, and come back when they have both pieces.

The 1 Month/Red Egg & Ginger Brunch went really well! It was a small turn out, just 6 of us total. I made cinnamon rolls, a fruit salad and had bloody mary's and mimosas. Sis brought biscuits and gravy and the coffee, my two friends brought a quiche and a quinoa + berry dish. It was great, very tasty. The guys watched basketball and my friends were able to hold and cuddle with Ethan. Ethan was so well behaved, he let everyone hold him and didn't really fuss much during his diaper changes, etc. I bloody mary'd and mimosa'd all morning & afternoon, so I pump & dumped all day. I'll start freezing etc again tomorrow. In anticipation of today's bloody marys & mimosas, I thawed out extra milk so Ethan has plenty to eat today.

 

[parrot tulips]

Charbie - I love that picture of Aubrey! Glad to hear she's doing so well. Luckily Ava has become accustomed to having shirts pulled over her head. I was so afraid of trying in the beginning, that I only bought kimono style onesies/shirts, even if it meant spending a lot more money. It sure was hard to find them, though.

NEL - I think taking charge of a "sparkly" project for Katie sounds like a wonderful idea. The piano...sounds risky, especially if she hates playing. Hmmm...the beach sounds wonderful. Hopefully the rain over here lets up so I we can do a little family trip ourselves.

Mannequin - So excited for your newborn pics! Hopefully you'll have a few more awake photos, since he won't be super "new."

LC - What a disaster about the dressers. I hate when delivery/service people give you such a broad window of time, which makes you waste your whole day waiting for them. But for them to be late (we might not have even answered the door at that hour) AND to not have your complete order!?! Is there any way you could get some sort of small compensation for them putting you out like that?

AFU - Ava is continuing to do well. She has her fussy moments, especially at bath time, but overall, she is a sweet, happy baby. We're nowhere near STTN, but she goes down fairly easily, and will usually average 4 hour stretches at night (sometimes more, sometimes less). One exciting thing we did - purchase a Graco Pack n Play at Costco for $49! We weren't planning to buy one, but it was such a good deal, that we went ahead and did it. It's at my parent's house, so she has a safe place to sleep when we visit (plus it'll come in handy if we do little road trips here and there).