PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[meresal]

Ohh, and BTW... my sister caught our freak of a nephew, pressing his finger into her son's soft spot on the top of his head!!!

and yes, she told him the night before, when she caught him the FIRST time, that he was not allowed to do that, and expalined to him how it is very harmful to the baby.

He is going to be a psycopath, I just know it.

Ohh, and he will be 11 in December.

 

[ChinaCat]

Ginger- Oh no honey. I have no words. Just sympathy. I know how hard you worked for that, especially with your crazy schedule.

Mara- Sorry for the bad day. Love the hair. I've been meaning to do that for months now but I'm so lazy. Maybe you'll motivate me.

Burk- Welcome back! Yay for good babies on vacation. Love that K loves T! So sweet. Hope your first week back is good.

PrettyBlues- Miles is CUTE! And I LOVE your chair.

Can't remember what else sorry!

"AFM"- Today was my first real day of my flex schedule. I LOVE it so far. It wasn't so much that I loved having today off (though that was WONDERFUL), the best part is how much I enjoyed my weekend with O. Because I knew I had today to take care of any errands, etc. that I needed to do, I could relax and just play with O. Normally I would be stressed if he didn't nap, because that was the only time I had to do stuff. And then I had to get my errands done in between his schedule and it rarely worked out. Then DH and I had to "trade off" who had to work, who had to do errands, etc. Always frustrating. But this weekend I could just go with the flow and if he didn't nap, or if DH had to work, no problem. I just let O lead and we had a great weekend. He's such a funny little guy.

Though he's had a bit of a rough time. Not sure if it's a virus or teething or he ate something, but OMG the poop this weekend. O has never really had blowouts even as a baby. Maybe once or twice. But I think he had at least 6 if not more poop diapers yesterday. Every time I changed a pee diaper, he pooped. The worst part was that it apparently hurts him, he screams bloody murder and his poor little bum is so red. And he is passing whole peas and corn? I've seen whole corn before, but the peas thing is weird. Poor man, calling the ped tomorrow.

Other than that, he's his funny happy self. His new thing is if I say "hello?" he will put the phone up to his ear. Or whatever he happens to have in his hand at the time. So cute. He's definitely close to walking, though not quite there yet. He tries to walk all the time on his own, makes it about 3 or 4 steps and then either sits or falls on his bum. And it's open/close doors, turn off/on lights, he's into EVERYTHING.

 

[Mara]

jcrow we didn't do either, we went straight to walker. but J is not that easily entertained for very long no matter what the toy..even the walker is like 15 min max before he starts getting irritated and hitting it and fussing... so he just gets shuffled from item to item. but i think drk started a thread in FHH called jumperoo or exersaucer, check it out? i think the jist was jumperoo.

ginger i am so so sorry to hear about that. when we had bm in the freezer (we still have a little) i would check it all the friggin time--i was just SO paranoid because i wasn't producing that much at all. i cannot even fathom how much 1000 oz of BM is girl, but you've done a great job and you'll continue to do wonderful and bounce back. hugs.

burk i can't wait to see what K is!!! i love hearing the chunkalicious baby stats!

mere what a cute picture!!! gee i am really lagging on the baptism hee. and ewwww on that other little boy!!! boo.

china yay for a flex schedule!! i really hope that i have a similar feeling too, but right now i just feel overwhelmed by everything and wish i could go PT. but i am so happy that you had a great day and hope it keeps going that way.

 

[meresal]

China- So glad that the flex schedule is going to work out and you are enjoying it! I am going into the office this week to meet with my boss about turning in my resignation. I think I would enjoy a flex option, but in the line of work I do, they are not fond of anyone having access to our databases from home. The only time they let people use work laptops was when our building was closed from the hurricane.

 

[ChinaCat]

Mara- So far so good, but I am under no illusions that the work part of it will be easy. I'm not sure it will work out work-wise, but I am going to try and enjoy it while I can. As for the baptism, we are doing O's in October. He'll be 14 months old. So you've got time.

JCrow- We had both. O liked both. But jumperoo is probably better since they are so similar but you can bounce in the jumperoo. There was a thread comparing the two recently.

Mere- That's so beautiful (the gown). We had one in my family that went all the way back to my grandfather, but it burned up in a fire some years back.

 

[jcrow]

mere - awe, happy belated baptism day to deuce! beautiful gown. the one em wore was the one i wore as a baby. my cousin had made it along with a matching bonnet and blanket. i'm hoping to take pics of em in it tomorrow morning [that's when we have the best light for pics].

thanks for the jumperoo vs. exersaucer feedback. we were thinking jumperoo just because em seems pretty active. we actually got a hand-me-down exersaucer baby einstein thingy but i sold it at a consignment shop because there were fabric things that didn't seem washable yet stuff the baby would put in her mouth.

mara, yay for the bblowout! less maintenance rocks!

 

[KimberlyH]

Ginger, I'm sick for you. So so sorry.

MP, it breaks my heart too. I can't stand her crying.

 

[mtjoya]

Mara-You are a real babe! Look the new look!

Ginger-FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF!!!! I am soo sorry missy! That really sux! A funny and gross story comes to mind. Well, 3 baggies of BM somehow got into the ice maker and guess what...The milk came out in cubes when we got ice. My hubby and brother got a taste of my BM my brother was soo grossed out. Whatever. But seriously I am sorry.

mere-Beautiful pic of beby!

PB-What a cutie!

Sorry, if I missed anyone, the answer is always the same PSers bebes are super cute!

****Disneyland.....*****

I know J is small too young to know what's going on, but I WANT TO TAKE HER TO DISNEYLAND! It's mostly me but I really wanna take her and am thinking of getting the season passes. I believe it's $400 something. It's crazy but they raised their prices and it's crazy that you almost have to pay $100 to get in! So, I will be looking into that. My mom and I bought mickey and minnie mouse shirts to wear when we go!

 

[MonkeyPie]

Ohh, and BTW... my sister caught our freak of a nephew, pressing his finger into her son's soft spot on the top of his head!!!

and yes, she told him the night before, when she caught him the FIRST time, that he was not allowed to do that, and expalined to him how it is very harmful to the baby.

He is going to be a psycopath, I just know it.

Ohh, and he will be 11 in December.

Omfg, that just made me gag.

Ginger, I am SO SORRY about the milk

 

[phoenixgirl]

Ginger, I'm so sorry about the BM. That just stinks. I'd cry over losing 10 oz., not to mention 1,000.

Mere, ick, your nephew does sound creepy. I have a creepy nephew too; he's 6. One time he yelled at my mom, "I command your [private parts]!" And he got so angry when my sister (his aunt) told him that he and his cousins needed to play separately for a little while that her husband had to physically restrain him while he yelled, "I hate you! I'm going to kill you!" I don't intend to leave him alone with Claire because I do believe there's something wrong with him.

China, yay for flex schedule! Hopefully the work part will work out. And I hope O's tummy feels better soon.

OK, so Claire is totally mobile now. Still not crawling . . . scooting. She's playing with the oven right now. That should probably be a "no touch," but I feel like I've told her that about a million things and she's probably getting confused. I'd rather teach her not to pull down the telephone stand than to avoid an oven which will soon be off limits due to a baby gate.

Does anyone else have foot pain? I've been waking up with very stiff feet; same thing if I sit down for a while (or nurse Claire cross-legged, as I often do). I guess it's not really pain, just tightness. They loosen up after a minute. I've ordered new running shoes and I'm going to take it easy in that area for a while. I don't think it's plantar fasciitis because I don't have pain by the heel. If it's anywhere, it's more the arch. I'm wondering if gaining 48 pounds during pregnancy has anything to do with it. I still have 20 to lose.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Apparently weird nephews must be common! I have one as well, serious oedipal/jealousy issues that manifest in all sorts of angry and inappropriate ways. And step sis is totally delusional and thinks nothing is wrong. She actually approached my dad recently about wanting him to spend some time with Colin to teach him how to handle a rifle and hunt because he was "old enough". Um....no, never gonna happen with this kid!

 

[fieryred33143]

The babies are soooo adorable

MTJ-I love that pic of J!! She reminds me so much of S

 

[meresal]

Thanks ladies. I was so excited with the shot that the photographer got. It will look perfect in a frame with mine and my mom's pictures.

Fiery- Congratulations on your raise!

Re: Nephews... I didn't realize it was so commmon.
I haven't given it lots and lots of thought, but I think it comes from how the mother treats the child. I believe she would rock him to sleep upwards of 7 yrs old and he still shares a bed with my sister when they come to stay at my parents house. Sometimes, I think she is the one that encourages him to stay with her. (This last trip he was sleeping on the couch, which he chose to do since there was another bed he could have stayed in, and she went in and woke him up, to have him move upstairs with her.) He nuzzles with her on the couch when watching movies and she runs her fingers thru his hair and up and down his back, underneath his shirt. It seriously makes me gag. A few months ago my sister discovered a horrible smell in their bathroom and couldn't figure out what it was; a week later she found a jar of urine behind the toilet. Apparently my nephew was conducting a science "experiment".

PG, like you, our little ones will NEVER be left alone with him... especially after this incident at my sister's house. The first time my DH met him, my nephew tried to get DH to look at his underwear by pulling his pants down unexpectidly in order to catch DH off guard, and kept trying to hit DH in his privates. He was 8 at the time. He has always been "behind" socially, but it is now becoming ridiculously scary. His differences are starting to manifest themselves in extremely odd ways when he is around other children, and especially boys/men. He just doesn't know how to relate, and I fear that he is past the possibility of learning. (That and I don't think my sister will do what needs to be done to get him the real help he needs. He REALLY needs to be held back... well, actually he should have been held back years ago. She keeps taking him to all of these specialists, but won't get the treatment after they diagnose him. I think she likes to complain about all of the things her kids need, for the attention.)

 

[vespergirl]

Ginger, I am so sorry about your breastmilk. That is just heartbreaking.

Meresal, what a gorgeous christening picture! I love the gown.

 

[vespergirl]

Mtjoya, what a gorgeous picture of your bebe!

 

[meresal]

Mt- I took C to Disneyland when he was only 2 months old, and I couldn't believe the response he had for all of the colors, songs, and rides. He slept thru a few of them, but he absolutely LOVED "It's a Small World" and enjoyed all the people around. I think it would be great for you to take your adorable little one! (Cute cute picture!)

We are actually taking C to DisneyWorld when he will be almost 5.5 months. I can't wait to see how he absorbs all of the new things there. I know he wont remember it when he is older, but personally, I think it is great to get the little ones into new surroundings... and what better place than Disney!

 

[vizsla]

aye ya ya.. so much to catch up on.

drk - (hugs) it's amazing the medical community isn't standing behind you KNOWING the benefits of BF.
ginger - i.am.so.sorry there aren't enough frown faces to post for you i know nothing can bring all of that hard work back, but i'm sending some virtual hugs your way ((hugs))
love the hair mara!
sooooo so so so so so jealous of your new schedule cc in a good way of course.

well i've had a bit of a roller coaster few days (i don't know why i even bother to say this anymore, i should just expect it).
thursday i had an interview at a VERY "corporate" company. eeeeaaaakkkk i had to wear (gasp) a SUIT!
right now i work for an extremely casual clothing company, so flip flops and jeans are the norm here. anyhoodles, during the interview (as i tried to get over my loathing of slacks and embroidered logo polo shirts) he said two things that brought a tear to my eye. #1 a standard work week is 36 hours (vs. the 47.5 at my current company) and #2 they work from home some of the week.
what i'm grappling with is that while the location is great - right downtown, about a 5 min commute by car - the company is a complete departure from what i'm currently doing. i guess it would be a "resume builder" type of job, but i would be going head first into an avenue that i never really wanted to peruse. while getting as far away fashion as i possibly could.
the guy who interviewed me said they are a 'step above working for the state'. i think he meant that people get in and they just meander along until retirement. this all sounds well and good as i don't really want to work anyway, and the reason i'm looking for a job is so i can spend more time with C until DH can find something. plus, i don't really think that working in my current industry will ever provide me with the time i need for C, but it's such a huge jump that i'm a bit frightened. then, out of nowhere, a company that i've been in talks with forever (in my industry) just opened up our line of job vetting after months of nothing. this company is super super small and i would be responsible for all of their marketing and visual collateral. which is a LOT. butttt i would have the opportunity to have true creative freedom and the working environment would be very casual (and also about a 2 min walk from home).
toppled onto that is my child who has an awful cold, teething and everything else under the sun. he's miserable. yesterday i stayed home from work with him and i literally could.not.put.him.down. i ended up carrying him around in the bjorn all day and he would just put his head on my chest and watch me do stuff around the house. crying alll night long... i don't know what to do. let him cry when he wakes up? or let him cry? last night he slept with DH and i and he still cried every couple of hours - no amount of soothing helped him. what's up baby?? at our 9 month apt he was 50% for head, 50% for height and 10% for weight. my little string bean. the doc wasn't worried about his weight b/c he was still growing length-wise (which i guess is the indicator for thriving etc.) and she also wants us to start cutting out oz. on his bottles and upping his food intake. just something else to cram into the day.
ok, off to catch up on work... hi everyone else i missed!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Meresal, I don't know if it's a standard thing, but in my nephew's case his behavior is 100% connected to the coddling/over attention he received by his mom for the first 6 years of his life. She exclusively breast fed on demand until he was probably 2 or 3, she co-slept until probably 3, she "wore" him everywhere for as long as she physically could, she wanted to home school him as well (all of their kids actually). It was almost a co-dependent thing, she needed him and he needed her. He's the oldest of three, and his issues appeared when he had to "leave" her to go to kindergarten. His little brother and sister got to stay home and get all of her attention and that made him very very angry. Not only does he suffer from outbursts and temper tantrums still-he's going into the 3rd grade-but he's combative and violent, sometimes secretively.

I don't think she did enough to socialize him, she thought having a brother and sister in the house were enough. It's not, socialization needs to happen both inside AND outside the home and boundaries need to be set for what's appropriate behavior inside and outside the home for both parents and children.

Please note ladies, I'm speaking about a personal experience, and NOT trying to generalize or start a debate about her parenting methods.

 

[Mandarine]

Hi guys!!!!

Wow this looks SO different!. Add me to the team of "not a fan" of the new PS!!! (sorry PS!)

So I just wanted to stop by to let you know "it's not you, it's me!"....haha. I know, such a classic break up line but I feel bad that I sorta stopped posting.

I just couldn't keep up anymore. Life got busy with work...and the more mobile the babies are, the less time I have. Now they demand attention. To use Dreamer's analogy....much easier to post when they are in the "house plant" and "cat" stages. Once they are in the "puppy" stage then forget it!.

I guess I felt like I was being selfish...because I would come, talk about me, me, me and then do a crappy attempt at catching up. Then all the new moms started coming (congrats everyone!!!!!!!!!! beautiful babies by the way!) and I just really couldn't do it. I know how important it is to talk about sleep, and swaddles, and reflux, and formula, etc, etc, etc...and I felt bad that I just couldn't add anything even though I graduated from that phase alive (barely! hehe). I just couldn't talk about that while I had babies demanding attention.

So there you go...I do miss PS...and the mommies, and the babies!!!....I know I will be back and if it's ok with everyone I'll just post randomly when I lurk and see something I want to respond to.

***

Just a little update on the babies. They are SO big. Like ridiculously big. Where did my little babies go? In a couple of months I'm going to have two toddlers!!!

We have a nice nap schedule going (9am and 2pm) but naps along with bedtime have been an issue lately since now Lucas pulls himself up in the crib, Alex sits on his and they start cracking up!. They talk, laugh, play and eventually start crying because they are exhausted!!!. So 6:30pm bedtime no more...now it's like 8:30 and it's a fight!. I'm hoping it's just a phase and they'll get over it because I miss early bedtime and 12 hours of silence so much!.

Anyway....big hugs from me and the lil' dudes

 

[curiousaboutdiamonds]

Wow, I've missed so much in the last week. Started work (PT) last week and then went out of town for the weekend so haven't had much time to catch up.

Just love all the baby pictures. Too too cute!

Skimmed the last few pages and here's what I can remember:

Mara and MP - beautiful mamas and love the new hairdos. As a straight hair gal, I'm always envious of curly haired gals. MP, hope your mom gets better soon.

Ginger- oh my! Ugh, I can't imagine how you're feeling. {{{HUGS}}} Were you able to save any of it? I also have a deep freezer stash and my biggest fear is that the freezer will somehow break down.

DrK- add me to the camp that hopes something works out in your favor and you can continue to BF.

SS and Pupp- Welcome!

PB- for getting over the 4m wakeful. We were just there 2 weeks ago and we're back to our "schedule".

CC- for the flex schedule. Hope it continues to go well!

Viz- aww poor C. Hope he feels better soon. Sounds like you have some possible work alternatives. Hope you decide on something in your favor.

to everyone else!

AFM- we actually had to do a little CIO last night when A went to bed at 8:45 and woke up at 9:45. She cried for 13 mins then slept till 4 to eat, then back to sleep until 8:30. I saw her wake a few times in the monitor from 6-8 but she went back to sleep. I think she's starting to learn how to self-soothe. I think she's also starting to teeth - biting everything, drooling a ton, chewing her hands.

Question: does anyone's LO do a bear growl/grunt? A started doing this last week. She does it randomly and sometimes when she gets frustrated. It's really funny. I hope it's just a phase though.

 

[lovelylulu]

ginger, I'm so so sorry.

 

[ChargerGrrl]

Just a quick drop-in to send Ginger hugs and feel better dust.
i'm so sorry, hun

 

[Sha]

Hi Mandy! Glad to see you back. I've been wondering how you and the boys have been doing. Feel free to post pics when you get a chance! Would love to see how they've grown.

I completely hear you about it being hard to keep up with this thread sometimes - it moves so fast! right now there's so much I want to respond to, but so little time! I'm home on lunch sneaking a 5 minute PS break while my lunch heats up in the oven.... so will just respond to what I can remember right now as well.

So for now - to everyone!

vesper - thanks!

ginger - I'm sooooo upset for you. I can't imagine how long it must've taken you to pump that much milk......1000 oz? Wow. ((HUGS)))

mtjoya and meresal - cute!

 

[lovelylulu]

mara - the hair looks fab!! truly. and if it gets you out the door in the mornings faster all while looking polished that is good stuff!

china - I'm so happy that you're so happy with the new schedule While I have weeks left of maternity leave I'm already dreading the return to the office for such a variety of reasons. Though I haven't figured out whether or not to work reduced hours (mainly because hearing other peoples' experiences that they aren't in fact reduced...) gah. i will just leave that whole topic for another afternoon.

mere - gorgeous christening gown and such a handsome little fellow!!

jcrow - congratulations on the baptism and christening!! and on rollovers!!

something - lily is such a pretty little girl!

pupp - welcome

charger - the concert sounds great. as does mild weather!!! fortunately there was a break in the heat this weekend and our family was able to spend some quality time outside of the house. hurray for airings!!

mandarine - totally understand that absence and the boys are soooo freaking cute! can you remind me what age you opted for the great deswaddling of 2010? thanks!!

viz - sorry that c is feeling all sorts of under the weather. I'll be sending some immunity vibes his way!!

miles is too cute!

*************************************************************************

And my 7 week hellion has become an 8 week part-time hellion. Last week was full of inconsolable fuss. This week, I'm met with huge grins one minute and then huge screams the next but overall more sweet than sour. and fortunately, she's always settled and sleeping for the night by 10 p.m. so at least there is a mental finish line when the going gets tough.

we're also trying out cloth diapers for the first time today . . . wish us luck!

 

[KimberlyH]

Nephews: I have one I'm concerned about. But if "babywearing", "extended breastfeeding", and attention are what causes issues with kids my daughter is in for it, I guess. And man do I hate all the lame terminology associated with babies/kids.

Mandy, totally understand your taking a break.

***

The neighors damn gardener comes at a different time every single week, and it is ALWAYS naptime, doesn't matter when I put her down. So Jane has slept for a total of 30 minutes this morning and I am so frustrated. She's laying in her crib talking to herself. We have company coming and I really wanted her to have a good nap this morning. GRRRR!! I'm overly angry about this. Like stomach upset angry over it.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Kimberly, I'm sorry, that's not what I was trying to imply-hence my disclaimer. I was specifically talking about my stepsister who was SO involved with her son that it became a co-dependent relationship. That coupled with most likely underlying psychological issues or chemical imbalances have made him the problem he is today. He has no coping mechanisms and thus acts out.

 

[Mara]

Kim, girl have a glass of wine! I actually find that the daytime naps are so hit or miss...half the time because of external things as you mention-- like the neighbor's gardener or someone's roofer 2 houses over etc. Just gotta roll with the punches sometimes, as sucky as it can be.

So I think I am getting a cold. BOO. I was fighting one this wkd and thought I kicked it but it feels back and I just am a serious CRAB today. I snapped at my Mom this morning as she was trying to pick through J's clothes because she wants to dress him like it's WINTER because her house is like 40 degrees. I gave her a sweater and pants and she was like 'these don't even match' and I was like 'I don't CARE!'.. he just barfs on whatever he wears anyway!

And I have to drive up to SF this afternoon for a meeting my boss has prioritized, when I really should be figuring out how to drive more revenue to my program--but whatever. Woe is me.

Viz... I can hear your indecision in your work situ. The creative one sounds great BUT it also sounds like more work. I actually really like doing my job but it's too stressful for me right now. So I think even loving what you are doing doesn't make it easier to work harder at a time like this. I told Greg last nite I'd much rather get screamed at by J than someone else. HA!

Ginger.. more big hugs.

Lulu... girl...J was a total hellion from weeks like 5-7. I was actually despairing as to what kind of child I'd popped out. But at week 8 he turned a lot more sunny. And it got better from there..thankfully. Hang in!

re: weird children. My confession is that sometimes I worry and mentally stress over what kind of person J will turn out to be. I know that may sound weird but sometimes I think...Gee I hope you will turn out to be a great citizen and a good person. And not be doing weird things like all the children mentioned here. Is that NORMAL to stress over? Baby is a blank slate most would say, but I also think that they are born with tendencies or personalities or traits that don't have much to do with how they are raised. Maybe this is a bigger debate but yeah sometimes I stare at J...like when he is all pissy and red because he got put down in a situation he doesn't like and he's glaring at me from underneath his knitted brows and screaming and I just get a little .

 

[phoenixgirl]

Viz, hmmm, so is the second, surprise opportunity more exciting to you? At least the first one would be a 25% reduction in working hours. That really adds up! What would the hours be like with the second one? I hope C feels better soon!

MTJoya, LOL about DisneyWorld! I feel the same way. My siblings were always planning trips that I couldn't go on because of work (and which were less attractive to me because I didn't have kids), and now I'm like, "When is somebody going to plan another trip?!?!?!" I know, I know, I should!

Mandy, I know how you feel! I don't think you have to keep track of every story or reply to everyone each time. This same thing happened when we were newbies, and there was talk of splitting the thread, which I took kind of personally, like I showed up and started posting and people were like, "Whoa! Too much to read!" I like having the mix of ages for giving advice to mamas of younger babies and getting advice from mamas of older babies. But that means that you just can't follow the stories as closely and respond as in-depth as you would if it were a smaller group. I think everyone understands that, right? By the way, I love your photos on the other site of the boys playing with food at playgroup. Where did you come up with that idea? Did each parent bring something?

lovelylulu, glad the hellion is only part-time now. And good luck with the CDs! I'm washing a big load of ours right now.

Kim, sorry about the gardener! So is s/he using a lawn mower once a week (I assume that's why it's noisy)? Does that seem like a lot? My yard is the size of a postage stamp (we have a block mower that we keep at our neighbor's and everyone uses it, like, twice a summer), so I wouldn't know. The city has been redoing our gas lines for the last month, which has involved a lot of jackhammering, repaving, redigging, more jackhammering, etc. Yesterday they were jackhammering right outside of Claire's window during naptime. I finally moved her to the PNP in the back of the house (though you could still feel the vibrations), but at that point the nap was lost. I'm keeping the PNP set up until they're done so I don't get stuck again. Maybe just ask sweetly if the gardener can let you know ahead of time when there will be mowing so you can plan naps accordingly?

I know how you feel, though. Our next-door-neighbor is having construction done, and the contractor is nice enough; he always bring my BOB up onto the porch when I've had to leave it outside to tend to Claire. On a not related note, he's also 80s fabulous. He was clearly in his 20s in the 80s and hasn't updated his hair, earring, or striped polo shirt since then, hee hee. But he keeps irritating me because he parks me in in the alley with this attitude of, "Well, if she needs to get out I'm always around to move my truck." But he could park without making it impossible to access my car. DH and I have both talked to him nicely about it (he was like, "But that guy over there doesn't want me to block him in," and DH was like, "Are you seeing a pattern here?"). Anyway, now that I'm not working and all I have to direct my She Who Must Not Be Crossed energies at are the gasline workers and the 80s fabulous dude, I find myself getting all worked up over those things. I can't wait until school is back in session and I can catch the private school kids smoking behind my garage!

Mara, I think every parent has those worries. Don't you ever notice that the wild child stories are always about somebody else's kids (and very often SILs . . . I wonder what it is about SILs? Maybe because women are held more responsible for how their children turn out, and your own sister was raised the same way as you so will tend to do things the same way?)? I've been attempting to set boundaries with Claire (e.g. no pulling on electrical cords), and I say, "No pull!" or whatever very sternly, and half the time she just looks at me and smiles. Does she think it's funny? Does she not understand? 99% of me knows that she's just a tiny baby and she's learning and I need to be consistent, but 1% of me worries that if she smiles when being disciplined, maybe there's something weird with her. Just a latent thought, not something I really think about . . .

 

[phoenixgirl]

BTW, I can never remember to post on Fridays, so here's a recent picture of Claire . . . showing off her eye-lashes and the cowlick that's going to drive her bonkers when she's a teenager!

 

[jcrow]

4 months

em had her 4 month checkup. she's 12 lbs. + 24 inches - 50 percentile for weight and height. whew, glad to know she's gaining well. i was a little worried. not sure why, i guess maybe because you have no idea how much she's eating since you don't physically see it while bfeeding. the doc also said we don't need to worry about doing cereal at this point since she seems to be doing so well. at 6 months we'll start the foods. big boo to the 4 months shots. at least dh was there with me this time. she wasn't too happy but settled down to eat right after. and then promptly slept.

after her appt. i went and picked up a jumperoo. it's this one: http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st= ... &pid=52497

the links don't work the same in the new ps. boo.

anyhow, she's in it now. she's a little small for it, but whatevs. we put a book or two underneath for her to bounce. it's nice to have something else to get her off the back of her head.