PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[lliang_chi]

Kunzite, worse yet, in Europe not all the car seats have the sternum buckle! I don't know how they keep the straps from slipping off the shoulders! When I read that I decided that we were DEFINITELY bringing our car seat when we did our family vacation in October. Ethan was 7+ months at the time. Oh and hotels gave us cribs with slats > 2.8 inches, and gave us cribs with comforters in them. The baby sitter tucked him in with the blanket.
Sorry to hear about the swaddling. Can you put M on his tummy to sleep to keep him from startling himself awake? I felt safe putting Ethan on his tummy after 6 months when he was moving around and very mobile in his crib.

Buttons, so interesting that they have such different "advice" from place to place. How was the choir? I think it's a wonderful idea to build non-Mommy friendships as well. How forward thinking of you! I'm glad T got some quality grandparent time with your family. And I'm glad I'm not the only one that totally with the grandmas. Fortunately, my MIL has been pretty tight lipped about offering her opinion.

Mayer, I hope N gets better and can get of the nebulizer. How difficult it must be to get him t use it 3 times a day! We used infant - 12M formula (Gerber Good Start). Sounds like he's totally getting in a groove with naps and routine. Did you decide if you're going to do another puree meal? What is N eating these days?

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

I return from lurkdom to have a mommy vent. Selfish, I know. Sorry!

After co-sleeping and nursing to sleep for nearly six months, my baby is asleep in her crib for the first time EVER. I'm a bit traumatized by the experience. She may be, more so. Pantley and Sears, you lost this one. Ferber you won... for now. Hope I did not just make a terrible parenting decision. If this doesn't lead to her (and me) sleeping for more than 45 min at a time, I'm calling her a lost cause and upping my Zoloft dosage.

It took 50 minutes of crying. She passed out on her belly, face smooshed into crib mattress (I had to go in and turn her head... she can roll front/back/back/front with ease, though), hand gripping crib bars for dear life. I feel like a horrible mama from making her go from nurse/cosleep/cuddle to crib/alone in one night, but there was NO easing out of her habits. We had to do it cold turkey... a slow transition just wasn't working. Waaaahhhhhh! I keep telling myself that 50 minutes isn't that much, that the increased cortisol/adrenaline levels didn't do damage... that she still knows I love her dearly. I'm such a wimp.

ETA: And within 5 minutes of posting, she woke up.

 

[Buttons]

Rear facing is strongly encouraged where I am, up to at least a year old. You can actually get points on your licence for failing to use a rear facing seat for an infant. And children are supposed to stay in booster seats until they are ten years old.

What's a sternum clip? I'm pretty sure our car seat doesn't have one of those. At the same time I can't actually figure out how the shoulder straps could slide off T's shoulders - it's designed so the anchor point for the straps is behind his shoulder blades and that along with the side padding on the seat keeps them in place. Maybe it's a different design to the ones in the States.

I've heard that on the continent people use car bassinets - basically a bassinet with a harness. Now that gives me the heebie jeebies. I can't figure out how that is safe. I even asked my Mum as that was how infants were transported when we were little and she said she hated doing it and was so much happier when we got big enough for the car seat.

Kunzite - absolutely agree about being judicious about all the well meaning advice out there, and doing what works best for your child and your family!

Lliang - that crib sounds scary! Most people I know take a bassinet or a travel crib when they go away, that must be why!!!

PPM - I have no advice as I haven't had to start thinking about sleep training just yet but I wanted to say I am reading and I am thinking of you. Sending lots of virtual hugs as that just sounds so tough x

===

AFM my 'must make friends' expedition went well last night, yay! They were really friendly and I was twice invited out for drinks as soon as I feel ready to leave T for a few hours! I enjoyed the music too and it just felt great doing something that was purely for me and not a baby activity

In other news it's threatening snow here today which is a bit unusual. My parents (120 miles away) are already seeing snow. I hope it doesn't hit here too hard as we live up a very steep hill and I doubt it will be salted so we will be confined to barracks!

Hope everyone else is well, have a great weekend all!

 

[choro72]

PPM, how did it go? We're still cosleeping and nursing to sleep. I don't have the guts to CIO, and I applaud you!

Monnie, how nice your hubby can help in the morning! SNL will go back to sleep immediately with a boob, but if I have the strength to get out of bed I can squat him to sleep too. Need to work out those flabby thighs anyway :p

Steph, how is it going with the solid food and day care? Is the BLW going well? When I go back to work I'm planning on bringing more food than bottles just because I don't want to waste milk.

For whomever it was that asked about feeding schedule:

Whenever SNL wakes up and is less cranky, solid.
Boob, boob, boob, boob, boob, however he much he wants.
5PM, solid.
6PM bath.
Boob, boob, boob, however he much he wants.
8PM-10PM ish when he's sleepy, squat squat squat, hug into bed, slooooooowly creep downstairs. Repeat until my bedtime.

 

[dani13]

Happy Friday ladies!!

Buttons, yep I do have a nursing cover. OK, you are going to laugh, but I nurse L lying down on my side. In the beginning, I used the Brest friend, but since I have a bad back, I tried the lying down position and really grew to like it. Problem is, L will only really nurse in that position and that's it (unless he's really tired). If I try to feed him in the traditional way, he gets really pissed and cries. Its crazy. I guess I shot myself in the foot on that one!! I'm trying to "retrain" him, but its been really hard! Its amazing how headstrong this little guy is! It kind of upsets me because I really feel like unless I can lie down somewhere, I wont be able to feed him unless Im home!! UGH!

JG- WOW, she is beautiful!!!! Re: Hylands teething tabs, what's the deal with them? I did some research, and it seems there are some warnings out about them? DIdnt have time to read up on much, but it looked like the warnings were similar to the ones about Orajel and the like (choking risks?). Can someone fill me in? I will get them for him if they'll help...some nights he is just so miserable!!! I actually ended up giving him some Tylenol the other night because it seemed like he was very uncomfortable, and I think it helped.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE!!!

 

[Kunzite]

I only have a second (which is too bad because I could write a huge post with empathy for PPM and hop on my soap box about car seats...) but I want to say... Dani, there is no way the tablets can be a choking hazard. Not in the traditional sense because they dissolve quickly (or you can dissolve them first in water and give them) or in the Orajel sense as they don't deaden (sp?) the feeling in the throat. Some concerns are for the ingredient Belladonna as it can be lethal in high doses, but we're talking HIGH doses. Just thought I should share since I recommended them. And to also add, we only gave them to M for two nights and only two tablets at a time. We reserved them for right before the teeth popped through when he was at the worst. HTH!

 

[Buttons]

Oh Dani I would never laugh except in sympathy! The first four weeks of T's life I did about 80% of his feeds with both of us naked from the waist up, and me lying back pretty much flat. It was the only way to get the little bugger to latch on half properly! Maybe some kind of slowly slowly approach might work to getting him used to feeding upright? Little by little take to putting something under him, like your arm at first, and then a cushion, and then your arm and a cushion... and then gradually put cushions under your torso, so that day by day you slowly come more upright? I don't know if this would work at all, I'm making it up off the top of my head, but sure isn't that Mommyhood?

Kunzite we had an odd night last night, lots of roaring crying for no discernible reason, and I'm wondering are we in the same boat as Dani. I'm going to look into those teething tablets!

I looked up those car seat sternum clips and it turns out they're illegal in Europe, and our car seats have a completely different design on the chest straps so they're unnecessary. Apparently there's a regulation that in the event of an emergency an adult must be able to release a child from a car seat with one click of a button. I guess this would explain why I had no idea what they were!

My friends are suggesting I move T to forward facing at 9 months, as driving will be so much easier on me. Eh, no thanks people. I will keep him rear facing as long as I can find a seat that will contain him!!!

 

[JGator]

Thanks for all of the swaddle advice everyone! I think we will try to slowly transition her out of it.

Dani, our doctor said we could give K any teething drops/tablets that are natural and do not contain numbing agents (like Orajel does) as the numbing agents can numb a baby's throat. I put 2 tablets in a little water to dissolve them and then put the pastey substance into her mouth. What I read online about Hylands is the Belladonna is the potential issue and a baby would have to ingest 12 bottles for harmful effects. I am open to any other suggestions for teething. We bought a couple teething rings, but they seem too large for K's mouth as she's only 11 weeks old.

PPM, hugs on the sleep issues. I hope you and the baby survived the night without too much emotional distress.

Buttons, glad you had fun at choir practice!

Sunny, funny that H also turned herself 90 degrees. My DH and I are both not morning people - looks like we might have gotten lucky and gotten another night owl since she has been staying up late and sleeping late in the AM. Knock on wood!

MP, funny how Ev moves around so much too! I'm sure we will be in for a treat when we get K into her crib as she'll have more room to move around. She's still in the pack n play in our room.

LC, we tried one arm out last night - and she did great!

Kunzite, thanks for the swaddling advice. I told my husband about your recommendations and experience with 3 kids, and we're going to start trying to get her out of the swaddle habit. My husband is a much better swaddler than I am...I tend to make them too loose as I'm afraid to hurt her.

AFU, we left one arm out of the swaddle last night. She woke up in the same position we left her in with both arms out, but her feet were still swaddled this time. Also, we had some extreme inconsolable screaming (very unusual for K) yesterday and took her to the doctor where we got a prescription for Zantac for reflux. Hopefully, this will help - she slept for a long time again (9 hours+) last night, and she seems happier today.

 

[amc80]

Dani, our doctor said we could give K any teething drops/tablets that are natural and do not contain numbing agents (like Orajel does) as the numbing agents can numb a baby's throat. I put 2 tablets in a little water to dissolve them and then put the pastey substance into her mouth. What I read online about Hylands is the Belladonna is the potential issue and a baby would have to ingest 12 bottles for harmful effects. I am open to any other suggestions for teething. We bought a couple teething rings, but they seem too large for K's mouth as she's only 11 weeks old.

I just bought some Hyland's Teething Gel. It's pretty much the same as the Orajel Natural. And it was on clearance at Target for about $2. I've used it a couple times and it really does seem to help. We have teething rings for B, but he doesn't use them. He prefers to just chew on anything/everything. My iphone is his favorite.

We gave B his first hair cut last night. His long strands (from birth) were ridiculous. Now he looks like such a little boy! Does anyone know of any baby safe hair gel? I've read of people using baby lotion, but I'd think that would just make his hair really greasy.

 

[monkeyprincess]

amc, B already needed a haircut? Ev was born with a decent amount of hair, but he is slowly losing all of it and becoming nearly bald. I really thought it would have started to fill in by now. I have really thick hair, and my DH has a good amount too, so I have no idea why we have such a baldy on our hands. He looks funny because he has such a round head. Kind of reminds me of a cartoon character or something. No advice on the gel. I frequently put lotion on his head because he has some really dry patches. It does make what little hair he has look a little greasy.

Question for those of you with babies in daycare. How do you decide when to keep the baby home. Ev has a cold, and he is a bit congested and coughs once in awhile, but he doesn't seem sick enough to go to a doctor or anything. He just has the snuffles. It's kind of hard to tell how sick he feels because he is pretty much his usual somewhat crabby self. It would probably be easier to tell how sick he is if he was more of a happy kid. I just don't want to be neglectful if I should be taking him to a doctor.

 

[amc80]

amc, B already needed a haircut? Ev was born with a decent amount of hair, but he is slowly losing all of it and becoming nearly bald. I really thought it would have started to fill in by now. I have really thick hair, and my DH has a good amount too, so I have no idea why we have such a baldy on our hands. He looks funny because he has such a round head. Kind of reminds me of a cartoon character or something. No advice on the gel. I frequently put lotion on his head because he has some really dry patches. It does make what little hair he has look a little greasy.

Question for those of you with babies in daycare. How do you decide when to keep the baby home. Ev has a cold, and he is a bit congested and coughs once in awhile, but he doesn't seem sick enough to go to a doctor or anything. He just has the snuffles. It's kind of hard to tell how sick he feels because he is pretty much his usual somewhat crabby self. It would probably be easier to tell how sick he is if he was more of a happy kid. I just don't want to be neglectful if I should be taking him to a doctor.

Yep! All if his hair has grown in that is about 1.5", plus he had random hairs from when he was born...that were probably 3" long. It looked ridiculous. So we evened it all out and trimmed the sides a bit, in an effort to get him looking less like a dandelion.

You can't see the long hairs in this pic, but he definitely has a full head of hair.


B is always sick from daycare. We took him to the doctor once his cough sounded really bad and we couldn't determine if the wheezing was from his lungs or his sinuses. It was just his sinuses. As long as it's just a cold and no fever, I say he's fine to go.

 

[FrekeChild]

I return from lurkdom to have a mommy vent. Selfish, I know. Sorry!

After co-sleeping and nursing to sleep for nearly six months, my baby is asleep in her crib for the first time EVER. I'm a bit traumatized by the experience. She may be, more so. Pantley and Sears, you lost this one. Ferber you won... for now. Hope I did not just make a terrible parenting decision. If this doesn't lead to her (and me) sleeping for more than 45 min at a time, I'm calling her a lost cause and upping my Zoloft dosage.

It took 50 minutes of crying. She passed out on her belly, face smooshed into crib mattress (I had to go in and turn her head... she can roll front/back/back/front with ease, though), hand gripping crib bars for dear life. I feel like a horrible mama from making her go from nurse/cosleep/cuddle to crib/alone in one night, but there was NO easing out of her habits. We had to do it cold turkey... a slow transition just wasn't working. Waaaahhhhhh! I keep telling myself that 50 minutes isn't that much, that the increased cortisol/adrenaline levels didn't do damage... that she still knows I love her dearly. I'm such a wimp.

ETA: And within 5 minutes of posting, she woke up.

Hugs PPM. The first time I ever left A to her own devices and let her cry herself to sleep for a nap, she cried for an hour and a half, with me checking on her at increasing intervals. She finally fell asleep, whimpering still, on her knees slumping against the bars, both little arms poking through, hands holding onto the bars. She'd been sleeping in a Rock N Play in her own room for months, so sleeping alone wasn't too abrupt of a change for her, but at first she HATED her crib. It took a long time to ease her into it, and it didn't help that we kept going out of town and disrupting all of the hard work we'd already put into it, but she finally prefers her crib. She likes to roll around a lot while she sleeps, she likes playing with her stuffed animals when she wakes up, and she likes to go to sleep by herself (she'd been going to sleep with a bottle for a really long time) and it's finally a good situation. But it took a long time and was really stressful, there was a lot of crying involved especially when she was having some separation anxiety issues, but I'm glad that we did it.

My advice: do what you feel comfortable with. There were various weird things that I did through our the transition, such as just letting her get so exhausted she'd fall asleep sitting up, letting her fall asleep in her Pack N Play, taking a nap with her on the couch next to me (something about seeing me sleeping helped), and spending time with my hand on her belly until she fell asleep. Separation anxiety, traveling and changing from two naps to one nap really threw everything off and slowed us down. It was all about trial and error for us.

Feel free to vent!!!! That's one of the reasons we're here!

 

[lliang_chi]

Freke, thanks for sharing your story on sleep training and CIO. It helps to hear what everyone else does/did. How is Miss A doing these days? I always check on you guys in the toddler thread. We'll be there soon!

AMC, okay I'm realizing that you are NOT posting enough pictures of B! You gotta post more lady! I love your little blondie and his cute pouty lips.

Monkey, I agree with AMC, I only keep Ethan at home if he has a very high fever (over 100.4, that's the pediatrician's definition). Other times I kept him home when I caught Hand-Foot-Mouth, in case Ethan was contagious, I didn;t want it spread to other little babies. I think you'll definitely *know* when you feel uncomfortable taking Ev to daycare. You need to post pics of Ev, I can't imagine him being a baldy. He had so much hair!

JGator, glad she did great with the one arm swaddle. Don't be afraid if really tucking in there with the swaddles. I was a SUPER TIGHT swaddler in the very beginning J was like, "How do you get it so nice?" Then he saw I really *TUCK* it in there and he was like, "Wow, that's tight." But hey it worked. Otherwse you can try using the Miracle Blanket.

Buttons, you have to post a picture of your car seat now because I'm really intrigued on the design of the straps for your seat. I'm glad you had such a great "Operation: Make Friends" outing. Sounds like everyone's really welcoming and nice. I hope the weather doesn't turn to snow for you guys. It's supposed to be SO NICE the next two days then the temps PLUMMET. So not looking forward to it...

PPM, I'm sorry to hear you're having a hard time with sleep training. You should do whatever you feel is best. And as for E's crying, think of it this way, If she wanted to play with a gallon of laundry bleach, or a kitchen knife, would you let her? Of course not, you'd take it away or remove her from that. And when she cried you would say, "No E, you can't play with that," even though she WANTS to. You know what's best for her. Same with sleep. You know what's best for her. How is your DH bytw (Speaking of sleep). I hope things are getting better in te PPM house.

AFU: Ethan woke up at the 1:30/2AM fuss time again. Sigh.... We'll stick to what we're doing iand hopefully he'll brak his habit. I thikn the nights he slept REALLY well, I feed him a LOT (4+ oz) during his dreamfeed. Maybe I'll tell DH that he REALLY needs to tank Ethan up... We'll see.

 

[monkeyprincess]

AMC, okay I'm realizing that you are NOT posting enough pictures of B! You gotta post more lady! I love your little blondie and his cute pouty lips.

Monkey, I agree with AMC, I only keep Ethan at home if he has a very high fever (over 100.4, that's the pediatrician's definition). Other times I kept him home when I caught Hand-Foot-Mouth, in case Ethan was contagious, I didn;t want it spread to other little babies. I think you'll definitely *know* when you feel uncomfortable taking Ev to daycare. You need to post pics of Ev, I can't imagine him being a baldy. He had so much hair!

Amc, I agree with LC! What a cute blond fuzzball. Love it!

LC, I found a few pictures demonstrating Ev's hair loss. He's not completely bald or anything, but he really only has a few wisps on top left. And here I go again posting pics of my little guy. Sorry Ev!

 

[lliang_chi]

MP, YOu're right he is a baldy. I remembered Ev having so much hair at birth and was like, I can't believe he's "bald". Well, better he loose hair on this end of his life than the other, right? I think he looks like a cartoon baby in the super adorable sense, not in a weirdo-looking way (I hope I'm making sense). Are those dimples I see??? SLAY ME!!!!!

 

[Buttons]

Awwww ladies you are KILLING me with these photos!!! The cuteness!!!

I have some hair loss pics as well, must dredge those up and post them.

Lliang this is our car seat: http://www.besafe.com/en/Products/Baby-car-seat-0-13-kg/iZi-Go

 

[Dandi]

Hi ladies!

May I join in? I've been dying to hop onto this thread for weeks but just haven't found the time! Our beautiful son Oscar Matthew was born on 12-12-12, if anyone is interested my birth story is here: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/calling-all-the-pregnant-psers.47081/page-1241#post-3340365#p3340365']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/calling-all-the-pregnant-psers.47081/page-1241#post-3340365#p3340365[/URL]

I had the blues pretty bad for the first 3 weeks, and even now have the odd teary day now and then. I am so much better though and really enjoying being a mum. He is now 5.5 weeks old, I can't believe it! He is so bright eyed and alert, people can't fathom that he is only so new, he holds his little head up and pushes up so strong with his tubby little legs, he is a goer! DH reckons he'll be walking by 6 weeks He is already sleeping through the night in 7-8 hour stretches, with a feed then back to bed for a few hours, and napping in 1-2 hour lots in the day. I think he is off to a good start! He has been sleeping in the bassinet in our room and last night I nervously moved him to his cot in his own room (with an apnea monitor and baby monitor for my sanity!) and he slept soundly from 10pm until 6am. What a man!
Sorry for the rushed post, Oscar has just woken up, little monkey! I look forward to reading all your experiences and advice!

 

[pancake]

Hello everyone!

It's been so long since I've posted about us in here that I don't think I can address everyone individually, sorry - but hello and welcome to all the newcomers And to the stalwarts - I have been watching you babies grow and change with wonder!

S is now 11 months old - I remember posting in here so often in those first few months and I can't quite believe that much time has passed and so much has happened in that time.

She's still the happiest bub around and as she is able to communicate better is still just as sweet and cheerful as she was as a tiny thing. She's crawling - took her a while to get there, and quite a time to get going forwards, but is finally on the way! Eating up a storm as usual! Clapping, pointing at everything she wants and finds interesting, waving, can identify "ball", "flower", "Grug" (Australian picture book character - she has a plush toy Grug that is her best friend), "car", "moon" etc in her books, and is obsessed with ceiling lights and fans at the moment. She'll follow simple requests (mostly in Vietnamese as I try to be strict about using it with her) and so far hasn't pushed the limits too much, although she's pretty inquisitive. Says "mum", "dad" and "woof!" (which sounds more like "boov!") Now has 4 teeth - two top and two bottom.

I'm still breastfeeding and still loving it. I return to work in 2 weeks (gulp!) and am hoping so much that we'll be able to continue at least for a while yet. S doesn't take much during the day any more (has a snacky feed around 11 and a slightly better one around 2) but still has a big feed in the morning and a pretty good bedtime one. There's no question that most of her nutrition is now coming from solids.

We bought a new car a couple of weeks ago (Subaru Liberty wagon - think it might be the Legacy in the US?) and with it, a second car seat. Unfortunately she is now past the height marker for the rear-facing marker on all the rear-facing seats, and so we've bought a convertible forward-facing booster with an excellent safety rating.

I'll be working 4 days a week - 3 days on-site and 1 day from home. At the moment, my mother will do 2 1/2 days (the 1/2 is for the day I work from home) and my MIL will do 1 day. MIL is not as reliable with her commitment as my mum though, so when we are offered a day at the on-site daycare at my work we will take it; S LOVES being around other kids and I had hoped to have her in creche at least 1 day a week from mid-year, so if it comes up earlier we will snap it up. Places are hard to come by here!!!

I really don't want to go back to work, but at least I am now somewhat looking forward to a new intellectual challenge, getting my brain back into gear, and being back in a working environment with colleagues etc. The work will be very different from what I was doing before (previously full-time clinician; now starting a PhD and just doing an occasional clinic) but before I went on mat leave I was feeling ready for a change of scene, and truth be told, if I were going back to the same job I would be dragging my feet even more than I am already. So hopefully it will work out.

We'll be moving onto the toddler thread soon - I can't believe it! For the newer mamas around here - soak it all in and share the joys and challenges, this thread is so wonderful. I look back at the last 11 months with a mixture of joy, wistfulness and amazement - it has truly been the most fantastic year of my life, even with the considerable difficulties I had (non-baby related - those of you who were around 6-8 months ago may remember what I mean). I wish I could do it all again! - but at the same time am having the best time yet with our little girl. It is absolutely true that every stage is more gorgeous than the last!

 

[Haven]

A friend just stopped by to visit, so I'm going to photo bomb this thread and then run. I'll be back! I'm loving all these beautiful baby pictures!

Brienz turned 1 month old yesterday, so I tried to take some pictures. You can see he humored me for just a moment.

 

[monarch64]

PPM, good to see you posting here! Please don't worry, you are doing everything possible to make sure you have a well-rested child and two better rested adults, all of which make for a happier family! Whatever it takes, whatever recipe you end up using, is the right one for you if it works. There are no mistakes, there is only trying to do what you think will work in your house. I sincerely hope that you find your personal "recipe" soon and that it leads to more restful nights. Hugs. You're doing great. You're not a wimp! You are a good mama!

Buttons, so great that you got out for some non-Mama time! It's such a different, but good, feeling to do that. I've done that maybe 3 times in the last 7.5 months and each time I've thought "why don't I make time for this more often?!" It's not really feasible, but it makes me feel great to get out and remember that there is life outside of my home and my child. I hope you make some new friends from your meeting with whom you can let down your hair once in a while.

Choro, thanks for sharing your feeding routine. We need pics of little S! How are you feeling about going back to work?

Dani, hello! Can you pump and give bottles when you're out and about instead of having to lie down to feed your boy? That is a tough situation, I really feel for you and wish you the best. Yes, they are very headstrong, they just know what they want and when they want it and sometimes there's no getting around it. You're amazing, though, I commen you for your bfing efforts!

JGator! My husband is a morning person but I am NOT. He's great though at doing all the morning stuff (starting as early as 4 sometimes) and I do the late night stuff, so it's a good trade. Glad the Zantac is helping! Hopefully this will get you all a little more rest.

AMC, your boy is PRECIOUS. My goodness, that little face surrounded by those angelic wisps of blonde hair! What an absolute doll. I've thought about trimming A's locks since she has some weird regrowth but just can't bring myself to do it. I'm giving us til her first birthday and maybe then we'll see about evening her hair out. I digress: he is a gorgeous little boy. Good job, mama!

LC, gosh, there is just never a lull in the action! did you travel yet to do the move? I can't remember when that was happening.


MP, omg, what a beautiful little boy. That smile is just the sweetest, and the dimple KILLS!!! What a love!

DandiAndi, glad to have you here! Was hoping you'd join in. Oscar is adorable! I am so impressed that you have already moved him to his crib and he's doing so well. We JUST moved A to her own room at almost 8 months! And that was only because she started pulling herself to a stand and tried to catapult herself out of the pack n play once! Otherwise we would've kept her with us for...ever. LOL

Pancake. That girl of yours is a star. An absolutely beautiful baby. I love looking at her pictures, it's like she's looking right through the camera lens and communicating with the person behind it. Just amazing, and so pretty. Love that hair! I'm happy to hear your happiness in your post; it is so evident that you love being a mom and love her with all your might.

Haven--this Brienz of yours is just stupendous. A handsome, intelligent looking little chunk of a man. I'm kind of in love! Tell us more when you get a chance!!!

 

[lulu66]

this is a drive by posting...but first i must say, could these kiddos be any freakin' cuter?! love all the photos!

AFU, Ellie's 6 wks old. All of the relatives have left & we survived the first week just DH, her, & i complete w/a trip to the dr. turns out she just had a dry stuffy nose & baby eczema but my mom & sister were both sick while visiting so we didn't want to take any chances. thank goodness the pedi didn't act like we were stupid or neurotic for bringing our baby in to get her nose sucked. in a lot of ways, i feel like i'm just getting my footing. i was so used to having someone else to lean on during the day & now it's just the two of us until DH gets home from work. i've managed a shower most days (i consider that a victory!) & all in all we're finding our groove. i'm hoping to converse more in this thread now that it's just us during the day. i got so much from my participation in the pregnancy thread.

i just started pumping (pump from insurance arrived last week) & i'm figuring out how to work that into my day. right now i've been, let's say, feeding her at 8 (she'd normally eat again between 11 & 12) and pumping at 9:30. is this how it's done? any tips or tricks???

well, that's about it for now. i have my 6 wk post partum check up wednesday. not sure what to expect from that appt...

i feel i must contribute a photo (i love looking at everyone's so much). here's ellie a few weeks ago, 1 month old. time really does fly.

 

[Skippy123]

gah!!!! so many adorable babies!

 

[amc80]

Lulu- at my 6 week appointment I got a pap (OUCH) and a birth control talk. As for the pumping, that's about what I did, but you can also pump after you feed to increase your supply.

AFU, the 4 hour drive was a success. Both ways, he slept almost the whole time, except when I stopped for a half way feeding. Huge relief. The baby shower was nice. It was for my BFF who had two MCs before this, one at 16 weeks. Definitely a lot to celebrate. B did great at the shower once he calmed down. As soon as we got there there were 20+ women ooing and awwing over him, so he was a bit overwhelmed. Eventually he calmed down. Here's a pic from the day. He was wearing a sweater vest! Ha.

Oh and this is post haircut....he looks like a member of One Direction

 

[Missy0483]

I'm still around ladies, just don't have too much to contribute at the moment!

I just wanted to stop in and say that all of these babies are ADORABLE!!! I can actually look at them now and not have bad feelings, so that's a good thing.

AMC, I must say that B's hair is absolutely amazing. Blake's hair was always so crazy and long. We never cut it and just let it do its own thing haha. We were going to wait til he turned a year old. I can't even imagine how it would have looked, I'd probably have been able to give him pigtails by then! I love his hair so much, I'm glad we were able to keep a few strands. I attached a picture of the back after it dried from his bath.

DH told me over the weekend that he's ready whenever I'm ready. We both miss (physically) being parents SO much. I have a heart issue that I'm having looked at with an MRI on January 29. So pending those results and an ok from my OB (just want to make sure I'm fine since I had a c-section in June) we'll probably start trying soon. After we talk to Blake first though. His ok is the most important one. We want him to know that we aren't replacing him (how could we ever replace a baby like him, there's no way!!). So that's it for now. I will keep you all updated on our journey!

 

[amc80]

AMC, I must say that B's hair is absolutely amazing. Blake's hair was always so crazy and long. We never cut it and just let it do its own thing haha. We were going to wait til he turned a year old. I can't even imagine how it would have looked, I'd probably have been able to give him pigtails by then! I love his hair so much, I'm glad we were able to keep a few strands. I attached a picture of the back after it dried from his bath.

I'm glad you're still here! Hopefully you will be back sooner rather than later. I'm really praying for you and I hope you get the okay to start trying soon. You are so strong, it's amazing to me.

The curls are so cute! Be has the straightest hair ever, not even a hint of curls.

 

[Missy0483]

Thanks AMC! We have good days and bad days. The bad days usually don't last all day...just something triggers a memory or whatever. My niece (on DH's side) says she's talked to Blake and don't be sad because he's happy. She's 3 and she actually asked her mom if they could go visit Blake because she misses him. She had a full blown conversation with him at his gravesite So sweet. She mentioned that they would always be buddies. We all think that she somehow has a connection with him. When she talks about him it's so serious and comes out of no where most of the time. They say children are able to communicate with people that have passed. I hope she can. It's comforting to know that he really is ok.

One of our friends had a star named after Blake. We're waiting on a clear night where we don't have plans. We're going to visit Blake and try to search for his star together.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Missy, I'm so happy to see you check in because I still think about you all the time. I really admire your strength. I cannot even imagine all of the emotions that go along with trying for another baby after losing a child, but know that I will be cheering you on when you decide the time is right and your body is ready (really hoping everything is okay with your heart). And did your little Blake ever have a head full of hair!!! He really was and is a special little guy.

amc, B looks so grown-up with his spikey hair and sweater vest! So cute. Happy to hear the trip went well for you. It will be a LONG time before I attempt such a trip with Ev.

Lulu, Ellie is so sweet! Can't believe she is 6 weeks already. Sounds like you are doing great. My mom stayed with us for a week after Ev was born, and I was terrified when she left. But I found that DH and I were so much more confident and happy when we finally got into a routine with our little family. Hope it is the same for you. And enjoy those days alone with her. As exhausted and frustrated as I sometimes was, I loved being the one person who knew Ev best and watching his little personality start to develop.

Monarch, thanks! I love Ev's dimples too. Hope everything is going well. Can't wait to hear about see more of your little one.

Haven, how are things going? Love those pictures of B. He looks so tall!

Pancake, I'm going to miss on this thread when you and S graduate, but I hope you keep on posting! You are my mom idol! Sounds like you are doing such a fabulous job with that beautiful little girl. She truly is a beautiful child! I hope the transition back to work goes well for you. That's nice that you won't be working a full schedule and that you have family members able to take care of S.

Dandi, nice to hear from you! Oscar certainly sounds like he is quite advanced, especially with his sleeping! I cannot tell you how jealous I am! I'm sorry the first few weeks were tough for you. I too suffered from baby blues for the first 3-4 weeks after Ev was born. It's a tough transition and you are dealing with crazy hormonal changes and sleep deprivation. So happy to hear things are looking up for you though. Hang in there it really is true that it keeps getting better and better!

Buttons, how are you doing? Did you little one turn into a baldy too? Too funny. Hope all is well!

PPM, hope the sleep training is going better for you. I dread the day we need to start sleep training Ev. Big hugs. Hope everything is going smoothly at the PPM household.

Hi to everyone else!

AFU, things are going well. We are getting into a routine now that I'm back at work. I had to work a lot this weekend, which made me sad, but it was nice that DH and Ev got to spend some quality time while I worked.

So when did you notice your baby really had good head control? Ev still absolutely refuses to do anything but scream and face plant when we put him on his tummy. He holds his head upright when we burp him and walk around (although he has a lot of bobbles and head butts). I just feel like he might be a bit behind with holding his head up and he always tips over when we try to sit him up on the couch. He seems strong otherwise, and he is constantly kicking me with his strong little legs. I guess I will have to ask the doctor at his next appointment.

Also, for those of you with nosefridas, how often do you change the foam plug thing? It says to do it every time, but it doesn't really seem necessary since nothing even gets close to touching it. I clean the nose and mouth pieces each time, but I am going through the foam things like crazy.

 

[megumic]

Missy, I too greatly admire your strength and grace. I'm glad you're still around this thread, as I always enjoyed reading about your journey through ttc, pregnancy and beyond. I hope you keep posting and hanging out here - you are indeed an inspiration to me.

MP, I only change the filter on my nosefrida every now and then. They are expensive and I agree with you, not worth changing every single time. Plus, unless C is actually ill with something, the snot I'm sucking outta there is just normal boogies. I do love my nosefrida though !!!!

 

[amc80]

MP, I only change the filter on my nosefrida every now and then. They are expensive and I agree with you, not worth changing every single time. Plus, unless C is actually ill with something, the snot I'm sucking outta there is just normal boogies. I do love my nosefrida though !!!!

So, just how much better is the nosefrida than a hospital bulb booger sucker? B is always congested, and the bulb doesn't do much. The idea of the frida grosses me out, but at this point I'm willing to try it.

 

[monkeyprincess]

So, just how much better is the nosefrida than a hospital bulb booger sucker? B is always congested, and the bulb doesn't do much. The idea of the frida grosses me out, but at this point I'm willing to try it.

amc, I was so grossed out by the idea too, but I found the traditional bulbs really ineffective, and I could never even see if I was making progress. The nosefrida really works, and you can see the results. It is a completely disgusting thought, and my husband is completely revolted that I use it (he's never tried it himself), but honestly, the way it is designed, I cannot see how it would ever be possible to suck anything into your mouth. It has really been a lifesaver for us, as Ev is always congested.