PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[gailrmv]

Fiery You aren''t doing ANYTHING wrong. It could be anything. Maybe Sophia is just not a great sleeper. I''ve got one of those too. Maybe she is going through a growth spurt. Maybe she''s still getting adjusted to you being back to work and is being more clingy at night. It could be anything, but you are doing everything right - don''t beat yourself up.

How big is Sophia now? My ped said they need approx 2-3 oz per pound of bodyweight per day. A is about 18 lb, and he eats (nurses) about 8x a day. If he gets ~5 oz per time, then the ped''s estimate is pretty accurate for us.

If Sophia is bigger than 12 lb, then I think the 25 oz estimate that some others mentioned may be too low. If that''s what she''s getting, it makes sense she is hungry overnight.

It sounds like you have a demanding job. It must be awful going around like a zombie. Can someone help with one of the night feedings so you can get a good stretch of sleep? Can you pump right before bed or somehow manage to get a bottle on hand for FI to give her overnight? If you are really desperate, can MIL stay over one night to help out? It is so hard to function on broken sleep, esp when you are working too--- thinking of you, hoping things get better.

 

[gailrmv]

Question about solid foods

A is 6.5 months (already!!) and I''ve been giving him solid foods for about a month. By this I mean baby foods. I fix most of them myself - easy things like mashed bananas, pureed squash, sweet potato, etc. He''s also had baby applesauce and carrots. We''re just working our way through the recommended 1st foods. He''s not really interested in them though. He has just a few baby spoonfuls when offered (once or twice a day). Then he cries and turns his head away. Then we stop - I won''t force the food on him. Oh, he''s also had baby rice cereal and baby oatmeal.

I''m not worried about him getting enough to eat - I know that this first year, milk is his main source of nutrition. I just want to make sure he gets a good attitude about food from an early age and is not a picky eater. My brother is an extremely picky eater. My mom catered to this and in fact, still does! I have the opposite problem - I have to battle the tendency to overeat or stress eat. So, it is really important to me that we raise A with a healthy attitude about food.

Any ideas?

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 10/9/2009 1:40:42 PM
Author: TanDogMom
Question about solid foods

A is 6.5 months (already!!) and I''ve been giving him solid foods for about a month. By this I mean baby foods. I fix most of them myself - easy things like mashed bananas, pureed squash, sweet potato, etc. He''s also had baby applesauce and carrots. We''re just working our way through the recommended 1st foods. He''s not really interested in them though. He has just a few baby spoonfuls when offered (once or twice a day). Then he cries and turns his head away. Then we stop - I won''t force the food on him. Oh, he''s also had baby rice cereal and baby oatmeal.

I''m not worried about him getting enough to eat - I know that this first year, milk is his main source of nutrition. I just want to make sure he gets a good attitude about food from an early age and is not a picky eater. My brother is an extremely picky eater. My mom catered to this and in fact, still does! I have the opposite problem - I have to battle the tendency to overeat or stress eat. So, it is really important to me that we raise A with a healthy attitude about food.

Any ideas?

Well I''m no expert and Hunter is a chow hound, but I think that you should just keep offering things in a relaxed, happy, smiling manner, and when he gives you cues that it is enough then stop right away! Picky eating can be genetic, in that some people are more sensitive to textures, but I also think that tension of stress at eating time is the biggest cause of pickiness. If he takes just one little bite, oh well! And if he doesn''t like something one time, then happily move on to somthing else. Hunter hateed avocado the first time he tried it, but we offered it again another time, still hated it, so we mixed it with sweet potatoes, his fave, and then he ate it all up!

IIRC Hunter wasn''t much into food at that age either, and my friends son went off in completely. I took Hunter off food for 2 weeks too when I thought it was causing eczema. Arond 7mo I noticed he got better at eating and more hungry.

 

[MustangGal]

TDM - when do you do the feeding? Right after BFing/bottle, or inbetween? We do about an hour or 2 after he gets a full bottle, and he chows down on the baby food. At A''s age Kyle was eating about 2-3oz of solids and sometimes cereal as well (we started solids at 4 months).

****

We''re taking Kyle on the 5K walk of the Race for the Cure on Sunday. There''s usually 40,000 people downtown participating, so I''m hoping he''ll be entertained by all the excitment and behave. I''ve done this since we moved to Phoenix 6 years ago, and even did it last year when I was 5 months preggo. Managing the crowd with a jogging stroller is going to be interesting!

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 10/9/2009 1:40:42 PM
Author: TanDogMom
Question about solid foods

A is 6.5 months (already!!) and I''ve been giving him solid foods for about a month. By this I mean baby foods. I fix most of them myself - easy things like mashed bananas, pureed squash, sweet potato, etc. He''s also had baby applesauce and carrots. We''re just working our way through the recommended 1st foods. He''s not really interested in them though. He has just a few baby spoonfuls when offered (once or twice a day). Then he cries and turns his head away. Then we stop - I won''t force the food on him. Oh, he''s also had baby rice cereal and baby oatmeal.

I''m not worried about him getting enough to eat - I know that this first year, milk is his main source of nutrition. I just want to make sure he gets a good attitude about food from an early age and is not a picky eater. My brother is an extremely picky eater. My mom catered to this and in fact, still does! I have the opposite problem - I have to battle the tendency to overeat or stress eat. So, it is really important to me that we raise A with a healthy attitude about food.

Any ideas?

Honestly, Baby Led Weaning is the way to go.

Next time you are having a meal (as longs as it''s something healthy-ish) just put whatever you are having on his tray/plate whatever and let him play with it and choose what he wants to eat. That way he decides if he wants to eat, what he wants to eat and how much he wants to eat. The book I receommended to Mrs & Blen is fantastic and gives all the scientific background to the theory. Often youngest kids in a big family are the least fussy eaters - the parents were too busy/exhausted to be bothered with all the purees and battling every mouthful and so the child just had to get on with it themselves.

 

[Blenheim]

All contingencies are now removed except for financing, and it sounds like we should know on that one next week. Yay!!

George is now 6 months. I have no idea where the time''s going. He still isn''t crawling, but he''s starting to pull himself up into a standing position and wiggle all around. Daycare has a ballet bar in front of a mirror that he looooves right now. I know that it''s only been a month now that he''s been faking us out with acting like he''s going to crawl any second, but part of me''s starting to wonder if he''s actually going to crawl. I never did... just started walking at 9 months.

Pandora, thanks for the book recommendation! I talked with one of my midwives last week about solids and after trying purees for baby #1 and BLW for baby #2, she''s definitely going with BLW for current baby #3. And honestly, we''ve decided that we''re lazy enough that we''re not going to bother with purees. Does the book recommend that they have a pincer grasp before starting on solids, or just that they''re sitting on their own, interested, etc? We''re trying to figure out when to start. And it''s great that you finally have that whole legal mess behind you.

Robbie, great to hear from you again! Desi is adorable.

Erica, great to hear from you too! I was wondering about you.

Fiery, the whole feeding situation right now sounds so frustrating. I have no idea what George was doing at that age... I do know that DH just went by cues though. I drink half caff, which makes me feel a little bit better about the coffee intake.

Neat, happy bday!

Sorry to everyone I missed, baby needs me...

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 10/9/2009 6:54:24 PM
Author: Blenheim
All contingencies are now removed except for financing, and it sounds like we should know on that one next week. Yay!!

George is now 6 months. I have no idea where the time''s going. He still isn''t crawling, but he''s starting to pull himself up into a standing position and wiggle all around. Daycare has a ballet bar in front of a mirror that he looooves right now. I know that it''s only been a month now that he''s been faking us out with acting like he''s going to crawl any second, but part of me''s starting to wonder if he''s actually going to crawl. I never did... just started walking at 9 months.

Pandora, thanks for the book recommendation! I talked with one of my midwives last week about solids and after trying purees for baby #1 and BLW for baby #2, she''s definitely going with BLW for current baby #3. And honestly, we''ve decided that we''re lazy enough that we''re not going to bother with purees. Does the book recommend that they have a pincer grasp before starting on solids, or just that they''re sitting on their own, interested, etc? We''re trying to figure out when to start. And it''s great that you finally have that whole legal mess behind you.

They need to be 6 months and able to sit up - even briefly. They also need to be interested in what you are eating - signs like copying your chewing movements, watching fork to mouth, trying to grab your food etc. They don''t need a pincer grasp, just to be able to hold something in their fist.

Best things to start with are things with ''handles'', so broccoli, carrots etc. Babies can''t open their hands to get to things so you need to ensure that the handle is long enough that they can hold it in their fist and something is sticking out of the top for them to suck/gum/chew on. You may need to cook them just a little longer than you would for yourself.

Best to start them after they have had a milk feed so that they aren''t hungry, then as they get into the idea you could perhaps start them off with a bit of a feed and let them top up with solids. Whatever the case you should still be feeding mainly mil till they''re around a year old.

Fruit is also good, avocado as well - leave the skin on things as it makes it easier to hold. Basically anything that you are eating that isn''t too junk food like.

The finger to thumb opposability tends to come later, so eating things like peas or rice is more difficult for them.

You can offer more than one food type at a time - for some reason babies tend to automatically select foods that they ''need'' and often avoid anything that they are allergic or intolerant of.

The main rule is to NEVER put anything in their mouth for them. They must do it all themselves even if they really seem to struggle at first. Also, if they gag, wait to see if they can sort it themselves before rushing in and thinking they are choking (that bit is HARD for parents). Expect them to play more and not eat much at first, it can take weeks before they are really eating a good amount.

If they''re over 6 months they don''t actually need purees - purees were invented when the recommendation was to give babies solids at 3-4 months old and the tongue thrust reflex is still strong.

That is great that your midwife is supportive, she should be able to give you advice.

I can''t wait to properly start it having had to confiscate a chocolate biscuit she grabbed off DH this evening. She was NOT happy about that and we both ended up covered in chocolate!

 

[gailrmv]

Rough night tonight... little guy did NOT want to go to sleep! I don''t know what the problem was - too much fun, I guess. He''s sleeping for now, cross fingers.

DD I''m glad to know that Hunter went through the same thing at this age. I''m definitely trying to be relaxed at feeding time and keep it fun. Like I said, I''m not worried yet... but want to make sure we keep things going in the right way so that he gets into good habits.

MustangGal I''ve tried different things as far as the timing. He nurses so often that we''re never really too far from a feeding! Usually I offer him food around the same time as I''m eating, so usually midway between his nursings. I''m trying to keep him from being overly hungry or overly full when I offer him the solid foods.

Today we tried pears for the first time and he seemed to like them!!

I''m also concerned because we have a history of severe food allergies in the family... so I''m pretty cautious about following an order and avoiding certain things for quite a while. Pandora,I will look into the baby led weaning - sounds interesting, and maybe a good choice for us if we can make it work around the allergy thing!

Mrs that sounds really fun volunteering with Sage! I''m sure the senior citizens just love her. I will call the place close to my house and see if we could do something similar. Nice that it is flexible in case it conflicts with nap time. Do you worry about germs at all (either from her to them, or vice versa)? I swear I did not use to be such a germ freak until having the baby and then this whole swine flu thing!


Is anyone else still struggling with baby weight? I''m at a plateau - very frustrating.

 

[cdt1101]

TDM - yes! I still have 10lbs to lose and they aren''t budging

I''m hoping once I go back to work they''ll start to come off since I can go to the gym more (we have one at my company). I''m trying not to be too hard on myself though, but it sucks since I want to wear all of my old jeans, but can''t...my thighs/a** are freakin HUGE still! At this point I''m just watching what I eat and going to the gym when I can (only weekends at this point since Lex is too young for their childwatch).

You know, I just read an interesting article in Parents magazine about the whole solid eating thing. And they suggested skipping baby food as well. Just offer what you are eating but in a softened form. Especially veggies (the author suggests always giving a green veggie w/ every meal). The article said that nature has a way of making sure a baby won''t eat food they have allergies too. The baby will refuse it. The article did state however that it''s crucial to start introducing foods in that 4-6 month timeframe (again, especially veggies). But who knows...just some Dr''s opinion. I think once I go thru the baby food I have (just one of each stage 1), I''m going to go ahead w/ the real food approach. Good luck!

 

[Haven]

Hi, mommies!

First, I just want to say that your babies are beautiful! I lurk in here every now and then to coo at your little ones.

I was hoping you could give me some advice. Friends of mine recently had a baby, and I''m going to see them and the baby for the first time since her birth this Wednesday. What is an appropriate gift for a newborn and her parents? I''d like to give them something sweet, yet useful. Did you get any noteworthy gifts when your babies were newborn? It doesn''t even have to be useful, I guess, as long as it''s adorable and you think they''d appreciate it.

I''m looking to spend around $30.

Thank you!

 

[fieryred33143]

Hi Haven!

It''s hard to say what she may appreciate without knowing what she already has.

One gift we received from MIL that I absolutely love is the Homedics Sound Spa Lullaby. It''s $20 at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Another website appropriately nicknames it the "baby crack machine." LOL it''s a white noise machine that has 6 settings: heartbeat, ocean, rain, and three songs. It also has 3 animal cartridges that project onto a ceiling/wall. I love it. When she was in our room, we would set it on the heartbeat and it would calm her down. Now we have it set to the rain. It drowns out surrounding noise. Now that she''s older, she loves the little animals. It cracks her up (especially the cow for some reason lol)

Anyway, that would be my suggestion. It''s one of those things that you don''t really miss if you don''t have it but can get a lot of use out of it if someone gets it for you. It plugs in so you don''t need to get batteries BTW.

 

[fieryred33143]

Another thing I thought of that isn''t necessarily useful but is really adorable is a big teddy bear for comparison photos. Robbie does this (I think so does CDT). She takes a photo of Des against it and its crazy to compare how big he has gotten. I wish we would have thought of that.

Also, you can try a baby carrier like moby or mei tai. Don''t know the cost of it but it''s definitely something great to have.

 

[gailrmv]

Haven, that is thoughtful of you! It''s hard to say, without knowing what she already has. You cannot go wrong with:

1) Genuine offer to babysit while she naps or has some time to herself. Maybe a gift cert for a pedicure and offer to watch the baby while she gets it!

2) Prepare some food for her or give a gift cert for a restaurant that delivers

3) Something for her, not the baby - like a gift set of Aveda products or similar

4) Bottle of wine or champagne!

5) Gift card to target or similar since there are bound to be things she realizes she needs

6) Children''s books or educational toys (she probably already has, but you can''t have too many!)

7) If you go with clothes, choose something for 6 months or older (and think about the season the baby will be at that time). We got SO many cute outfits for newborn and 3 month, but not much for later on!

 

[gailrmv]

Date: 10/10/2009 4:32:51 PM
Author: fiery
Another thing I thought of that isn''t necessarily useful but is really adorable is a big teddy bear for comparison photos. Robbie does this (I think so does CDT). She takes a photo of Des against it and its crazy to compare how big he has gotten. I wish we would have thought of that.


Also, you can try a baby carrier like moby or mei tai. Don''t know the cost of it but it''s definitely something great to have.

Love the idea of the bear. To combine Fiery''s two ideas, there are some stuffed bears that make soothing sounds like heartbeat, rain, etc! We have one called Sleep Sheep. We like it!

 

[mela lu]

okay, on the gift train - I like ANYTHING "Burts Bees", diaper ointment and body wash especially - combined with a set of thin wash cloths, BAM! Great gift!

Like the idea of booze (TDM!, lol) or something for mom since she''s probably forgotten all about herself by now. DO NOT buy anything that requires immediate action, like a "baby foot print" thing or similar. BAD. New mom''s barely get to shower, let alone have time to make pretty footprints

. A Frozen lasagne or chicken pot pie would be great too.

I particularily LOVE my burp cloths. I can never have too many of them. Unlike the majority of PS moms, I like my burp cloths pretty and dainty, as found on etsy. Spit up is gross enough as is, why make it grosser by using icky looking rags. But that''s just me. I''m "glamour'' like that. I feel like burp cloths would be a great gift. (pretty ones)

white noise is KEY. Great idea. There are CDs of it for around $30

 

[Haven]

Thank you for all of the amazing gift ideas! I so would have done the wrong thing if I hadn't asked.
I bought the Homedics noise machine, and I think I'm going to get mom a manicure, and the Burt's Bees products sound fun, too.
Thanks mommies!!!!

ETA: I LOVE the giant bear idea, that is so cute!

 

[Pandora II]

I second the Burt''s Bees Baby Bee products - they''re gorgeous. The Wash/Shampoo, Apricot Oil, Buttermilk Lotion and the Diaper Cream are what I use most. The Skin Cream is also great now that she''s drooly. I rarely use the Bath Milk or the Bubble Bath though.

I have 100% bamboo fibre hooded towels and wash clothes and they''re lovely - I''ve bought them as gifts for all my friends. They''re supersoft, go in the washing machine and remain supersoft - often cotton goes quite hard.

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 10/10/2009 8:38:23 AM
Author: cdt1101
TDM - yes! I still have 10lbs to lose and they aren''t budging

I''m hoping once I go back to work they''ll start to come off since I can go to the gym more (we have one at my company). I''m trying not to be too hard on myself though, but it sucks since I want to wear all of my old jeans, but can''t...my thighs/a** are freakin HUGE still! At this point I''m just watching what I eat and going to the gym when I can (only weekends at this point since Lex is too young for their childwatch).

You know, I just read an interesting article in Parents magazine about the whole solid eating thing. And they suggested skipping baby food as well. Just offer what you are eating but in a softened form. Especially veggies (the author suggests always giving a green veggie w/ every meal). The article said that nature has a way of making sure a baby won''t eat food they have allergies too. The baby will refuse it. The article did state however that it''s crucial to start introducing foods in that 4-6 month timeframe (again, especially veggies). But who knows...just some Dr''s opinion. I think once I go thru the baby food I have (just one of each stage 1), I''m going to go ahead w/ the real food approach. Good luck!

I find that a bit strange as the WHO advice is nothing other than breastmilk or formula until 6 months, and all my BLW books are really strict on the no solids till six months as their digestive systems aren''t mature enough before then - especially for coping with starchy foods like cereals - and babies can get kidney damage from eating food before 17 weeks.

Did they give reasons why they would advocate solids at 4 months?

 

[Blenheim]

Pandora, thanks for going into all of that. I was out shopping today and looked for the BLW book, but Barnes and Nobles didn''t have it. Might need to order it online. I''ve read some recommendations to wait until baby develops pincer grasp to start solids, which is why I was wondering about that. My apprentice middie waited until 9 months with her second, which I believe is when she was exhibiting a pincer grasp.

George tried to grab my food this morning and ended up with a fist full of whipped cream, which I quickly tried to wipe off - so I hear you on the chocolate!

TDM- I keep suddenly losing a couple pounds overnight and then plateauing for a while, and I still have a ways to go. I''m not trying too hard, however. Still haven''t stepped on a scale...

Haven - glad to hear that you found a good present!

Date: 10/11/2009 5:13:39 PM
Author: Pandora II

Date: 10/10/2009 8:38:23 AM
Author: cdt1101
TDM - yes! I still have 10lbs to lose and they aren''t budging

I''m hoping once I go back to work they''ll start to come off since I can go to the gym more (we have one at my company). I''m trying not to be too hard on myself though, but it sucks since I want to wear all of my old jeans, but can''t...my thighs/a** are freakin HUGE still! At this point I''m just watching what I eat and going to the gym when I can (only weekends at this point since Lex is too young for their childwatch).

You know, I just read an interesting article in Parents magazine about the whole solid eating thing. And they suggested skipping baby food as well. Just offer what you are eating but in a softened form. Especially veggies (the author suggests always giving a green veggie w/ every meal). The article said that nature has a way of making sure a baby won''t eat food they have allergies too. The baby will refuse it. The article did state however that it''s crucial to start introducing foods in that 4-6 month timeframe (again, especially veggies). But who knows...just some Dr''s opinion. I think once I go thru the baby food I have (just one of each stage 1), I''m going to go ahead w/ the real food approach. Good luck!

I find that a bit strange as the WHO advice is nothing other than breastmilk or formula until 6 months, and all my BLW books are really strict on the no solids till six months as their digestive systems aren''t mature enough before then - especially for coping with starchy foods like cereals - and babies can get kidney damage from eating food before 17 weeks.

Did they give reasons why they would advocate solids at 4 months?

I was wondering the same thing... My understanding is that their digestive systems start to be mature enough to deal with solids in the 4-6 month range but you can''t know when in that range your baby''s is mature enough just by looking at him, and so all of the major health organizations recommend waiting until at least 6 months to be safe. But maybe that''s what the article meant by 4-6 months?

 

[cdt1101]

I should have mentioned in my previous post that this article was specifically addressing how to avoid picky eaters and instill healthy eating habits for your child. And since that seemed to be TDM’s concern, I mentioned the article.

He states:

“When babies are ready to start solids between 4-6 months, they are going thru a series of big developmental changes that make them more interested in eating. They begin to see color…..they are learning language and social skills and gaining control of all the big muscles of their body. And developing the fine motor skills to grab objects and then move them from hand to hand.”

“All these advances are fueled by your baby’s curiosity. He is no longer content to just see, smell, and hear his surroundings-he wants to interact w/ the world. At this age, babies are also going thru a unique stage of nutritional development. If you give your baby a food repeatedly, he’ll acquire a taste for it more easily now than at any other time in his life. In fact, his taste buds are setting their food preferences just like you set preferences on a cell phone…….however this stage of adventurous eating is relatively short. “

“Take advantage of your baby’s blossoming sense of sight by feeding him one brightly colored food per meal.” (He goes on to list various veggies, such as bell peppers).

He goes on to add:

“Many parents are still told to wait 3-5 days between starting new foods in order to prevent or identify allergies. I strongly disagree w/ this approach because there’s no good evidence that it reduces allergies. Research as shown, however, that babies learn to love new flavors best when they come in rapid succession.”

The article is pretty lengthy so I tried to extract the jist of it.

I did state before that this is just an opinion of 1 Dr. He just talks a lot about how babies do not need “baby food” and can eat what you eat, but obviously softer and smaller. I found that aspect of the article interesting and I wish to explore it w/ my son.

I know I’m the odd one out here, but I did start Lex on oatmeal at 3 ½ month, although not every day and it was just a tsp. At almost 4 ½ months, he now eats a tablespoon of oatmeal in the morning and a tablespoon of veggies at night. And he’s doing really well.

I think that the best any of us can do is go w/ what we feel is best for our child. My DH and I decided to follow Lex’s lead and he started grabbing at our food as early as 3 months. As of this weekend, he now is grabbing his spoon and guiding his own food to his mouth. Maybe he’s ridiculously advanced (doubt it), but I just wanted to throw it out there that it isn’t SO bad to start before 6 months. But I also am a person that doesn’t believe there are any hard and fast “rules” in parenting, no matter how many Dr’s tell you what is “best.”

Just my honest opinion.

 

[fieryred33143]

Re solids:

I have heard of a lot of pedis suggesting that you start solids at 4 months. My pedi does not suggest it and he asked me how I felt about delaying cereal since we''re still bfing. I haven''t decided but was reading kellymom.com and I may skip cereal all together.

 

[MustangGal]

I started solids at 4 months, but only becasue Kyle was on formula. If I had been able to BF until that point, I was going to wait until 6 months. My pedi gave us the green light at 4 months, but his feeding recomendations are pretty conservative in the amounts and times. He still said to do only 2 feedings a day until 9 months, and no meats until that point either. He also said no juice yet too.

We survived the 5K Breast Cancer walk yesterday! This was my 5th year doing it, and technically Kyle's second year, since I was 5 months preggo last year

. He took a nap the entire 5K! It was his usual nap time, but I thought the crowds and noise would keep him up. We didn't really get any good pics though.

And my SIL is pregnant! They have a 3 year old son already, and have been trying on and off since May. She seemes convinced the Chinese birth calenders are accurate, so she only tried in months that said she was have a girl this time

. She's already "complaining" about symptons, and she's like 5 weeks along. This will be their last, so I hope she relaxes and enjoys it.


** Kyle is 8 months old today**

 

[Pandora II]

I totally agree with everything in the article - it''s almost identical to what is in my books - I was just suprised about the age thing. I would love to start D on solids now (5 months) because it''s such a fight to stop her eating them and she seems so obviously ready.

But then I was given a stern lecturn on the sins of giving your child food before 6 months - I was only giving her tiny tastes of things as well - so I''m not sure what to do now. I mean, she can get things from hand to mouth with no problem and obviously wants to try things...a baby animal would just get on and have a bit of a chew...

My Health Visitor is useless, and my GP and my dad just say to do whatever I like. Friends who are doing BLW just said to not rush it and enjoy that I am breastfeeding and it''s so easy - there are years ahead of having to make meals because your kid is hungry so to make the most of just having to undo a few buttons!

I am still a little bad - I wrested a grapefruit pig from her grasp this morning and I let her eat the bits that were left in her hand.

 

[mela lu]

Pandora - you''re so cute

Romeo is such a late bloomer. He''s 19 weeks (so about 4.5 months) and he barely knows he has hands yet! hahaha. He''s totally oblivious to our food, and is still content just sitting like a bump on a log watching us. It''s funny how "boring" he is. We''re enjoying it, cause I know it gets way harder when they have more ''needs''. Reading about Lex and Daisy is so crazy for me because Romy is similar in age but FAR ''younger'' in development.

 

[robbie3982]

Pandora - Thanks for the BLW rec. I''m definitely going to check it out when it comes time to start thinking solids. I''m sooo not ready for that. I can''t believe he''s going to be eating real food soon! So glad to hear that your battle with the evil employer has come to a close. I hope things are getting a bit easier for you! Daisy sounds so adorable. I keep picturing her trying to grab your food. If sitting up on their own is a requirement for solids, I don''t think Des will ever be ready! He hates to be in any position other than lying on his back or standing (well, jumping more so than standing). Trying to get pictures of him propped up sitting is so hard now because he just slouches himself down the second you take your hand off of him. He doesn''t even like sitting very reclined in the tub. We had to buy a new tub that he couldn''t slouch out of as much and it''s still a two person job to bathe him because he''s such a wiggle worm.

MG - Happy 8 months to Kyle! I can''t believe he''s going to be walking soon! Have you baby proofed everything yet?

Fiery - How''s the feeding change going? Is Sophia sleeping any better on the weekends? Des was up every 2 hours this weekend except for one blissful 3-hour stretch. Blegh.

Dreamer - Glad to hear the next 3 months are going to be great! It sucks that the typical American woman has to go back to work right when things are getting good. I know you said Hunter''s a lousy sleeper, but is he sleeping any better than he was when he was Des''s age?

Erica - Welcome back!

Neat - Did you get your cake?

Mela - Too cute about Romy babbling! I wish we could upload videos to PS. Is the difference between babbling and cooing just consonant vs. vowel sounds?

Blen - Thanks! I''m a bit behind, does this mean you got an offer on your house or you''ve put an offer on a new one? I remember reading that you were trying to move.

Mustang - Congrats on doing the walk! I did the walk here on Mother''s Day.

Does/did anyone''s baby not push up when on their tummy at 3.5 months? Des has great head control and will pick his head up, but he uses his back muscles, not his arms. He can get his head up pretty high considering, but it still makes me wonder why he''s not using his arms.

Today started off sucky. I lost all of my personal info from my phone. I have a sidekick and they''re having server issues. My contacts, calendar events, etc are most likely gone forever. They''ve been sending out texts telling users to make sure their phones don''t power down to avoid this, so I''ve been charging mine every night. And on the way to work this morning it just shut itself off. Boooo. The only contact that wasn''t deleted was DH. Awesome. The ONLY number I had memorized. Luckily I had a few important people like Sabine saved on my work phone.

Lack of sleep is starting to get to me and I had a really short temper all weekend. I feel so bad when I get frustrated with Des. I kept missing his sleepy cues and then he wouldn''t go down for naps and would get cranky. I really hope he starts sleeping longer than 2 hr stretches at night. I don''t want to give bottles while I''m home with him (I really enjoy nursing him now), but if he won''t sleep, we''re going to have to. I NEED to get some sleep or I''m going to go insane.

Despite my crankiness, I managed to get some cute shots of my 15 week old that I wanted to share:

 

[nycbkgirl]

Hey mommas!
Sorry I am being a bad ps''er...can''t get to everyone..writing from the car on way back from a weekend getaway. My parents stayed with the kids and we went with dh, sis and niece for a roadtrip (I def missed my kiddos but we needed this time to rest and sleep) I def think all parents need to be re-energized. Mom said lo''s slept really well...the night before we left,dh let jon cio when he awoke at 4am and he doesn''t even know how long he cried for bc he turned the monitor off and just went to sleep :/ I was wondering y my son slept til 8am lol ...but it worked and he''s sttn w.o. A peep ever since.

We started rice cereal...4tbs 1x a day..they didn''t like it in the beginning but are ok with it now.

Robbie- sooo good to hear from you and love seeing lil cutie Des!...I have the same sidekick issues but it hasn''t shut off ...I just lost internet and aim for a few days but its bak all except the email ..gotta call..weird that ur contacts were lost ..doesn''t it save on the memory card?

Mela- ur my sleeping idol also! Lol..12 hrs is amazing.!

Hey to everyone else..will respond another time...

 

[robbie3982]

NYC - Your contacts are only saved on the sim card if you manually save them there. I had no idea they weren''t stored somewhere permanent until this whole fiasco started. I was just reading online that calling t-mobile to complain will get you a better offer than the free month of data they''re giving everyone. At this point, they''re going to have to do a lot better than that to keep me as a customer when my contract is up in December.

 

[NYCsparkle]

hi everyone!! mommyhood the 2nd time around is A LOT more tiring....if thats possible. sofia was sleeping from 9-4:30 up until a week and a half ago...now shes getting up at 1:30, 3, 4:30...and so on....by the time I fall asleep my ds is waking up and i''m running on fumes.

how did the rest of the 2nd time mommies deal with being tired and dealing w/other kids. my ds is 3 and wants to play with me all the time. i sometimes feel like an awful mom

for not being able to play w/him when he asks, because dd requires so much attention right now. i''m still bf''ing but its hard w/ds. i feel like i''m not pumping as much as i can because i''m always tired and involved w/the2 of them.

 

[E B]

Robbie- Welcome! Your little guy and mine sound so similar, behavior-wise. Henry smiles a ton, but not when he's in the car! I used to sit in the back seat with him, and we soon learned that was half the problem- if he could see me, he wanted to be held. When I moved to the front, his crying lessened, but he still hates his carseat. It won't let him move around, and even worse, it isn't mommy's arms!

H also rolled over several times a couple weeks ago, but hasn't shown any interest since. ADORABLE new shots of Des!

fiery- I agree with the others- it's not your fault. I don't think 9-5 is the norm for three month old babies, esp. if they're breastfed. We've had just a few 9-5 stretches, but many more nights of H up at 2:30 and 5:00 a.m.

Mustang- Happy 8 months, Kyle!

And congrats on finishing the 5k.

NYC- I'm sorry. I can imagine it's twice as exhausting with two. Could it be a growth spurt? Is she wanting to nurse every time she's up? You're not an awful mom- you're doing the best you can with the amount of sleep you're getting. Does your husband help out in the evenings? I wish I had words of wisdom about what to do with two, but I'm still learning about parenting just one. Hugs.

RE: Solids- Henry shows interest in my eating, but doesn't try to grab for food. Since we've got a history of food intolerance in the family and Henry's EBF, we're going to hold off until six months and start with something like banana or avocado that I mash or make myself. Baby Led Weaning sounds interesting, and I'll look into it more. I do worry about the possibility of choking, though, but I'd probably win the paranoid mom prize if it existed.

I know it's far too early for H to start crawling, but it seems as though he wish he could. When I'm holding him and he spots something cool (like the light over our bathroom mirror), he starts making these happy little shrieking noises and kicks his little legs. He's getting much wigglier in our arms, like he wants to move for himself. And during tummy time, he struggles to scoot himself forward on his tummy. We'll see what happens- like Blen, I wasn't a crawler. Apparently, I 'scooted' until a year and went straight to walking.

 

[Pandora II]

Robbie - LOVE the photos, Des is so photogenic, can't believe he's already 15 weeks. Time flies!

Daisy is very lazy when it comes to moving. She screams blue murder is she's on her tummy, refuses to try and push up (even though she can if she wanted to), won't roll over (again she can but won't) and can't be bothered to even try to crawl. She's getting there on sitting up alone - collapses after 30 seconds or so, and is desperate to stand. She can pull herself up to standing and then take steps and all she wants to do is stand - my knees, in the bath, in her stroller etc.

I think girls are often more into getting what they want, whereas boys tend to be more laid back and wait for things to come to them. I know my mother was shocked at how laid back my brother was after having two girls - they even wondered if he was special needs it was that bad! My sister and I both spoke before we were a year old, he didn't speak till nearly 3. My sister has a boy and a girl and says that her daughter is way more competitive and wanting to do things than her son.

FUN EVENING...

My baby girl is sporting a lovely black eye and swollen-up purple cheekbone tonight...

She launched herself out of DH's arms as he was bringing her through to me in the bath - he managed to catch her before she hit the floor, but not before she hit the wardrobe and our metal laundry bin.

Poor little thing howled like crazy for a minute and then started playing with her rubber duck all smiles again... poor DH on the other hand has been in tears all evening and feeling very shaky.

I rang my dad from the bath who said to take her to ER if she started vomiting or got unusually sleepy and hard to wake, but otherwise not to worry...and prescribed DH a large glass of something. I was very bad and asked DH if he wanted his rum in an expensive crystal tumbler or one of Daisy's plastic sippy cups.

Thank God the social workers aren't coming round till next week!