PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[S&I]

Sunnyd, A's ped also said that they are okay to sleep on their tummies by the time they can roll back and forth. I did worry about sleeping on his face too, but it didn't help to reposition him, since he would just roll right back over. I think H is fine to sleep however she is comfy!

 

[S&I]

Ooh, I can finally post a pic from my phone!

Here is what A wanted to do instead of taking his 10-month picture.


Boo, it's sideways!

 

[monarch64]

Alex turned 9 months two days ago...we took her to her appt. this morning, where she measured 21.5 lbs, 30", no anemia or lead in her system, testing at 10 months developmentally, great numbers all around. After our appt my husband had meetings so I took A on errands, the last of which included combining a scheduled meetup with a friend and the local greenhouse so we could buy seeds to start for our garden this year! One "wing" of the greenhouse was full of pansies...they stretched on forever, in all different colors. Alex loved them but was more concerned with the small white rock/gravel covering the floor. It was so great to spend the day with her.

 

[Kunzite]

When we unswaddled Miles at night he immediately started sleeping on his tummy, face down!! It was seriously the most stressful week of my life. I would just lay awake watching him on the monitor (in the same room, haha!) making sure I could see him breathing. Thank goodness he grew out of that quickly.

And I'm ashamed to admit that after a week of being swaddle free, I've resorted to swaddling Elliot for a few of his naps these last few days. Without the swaddle he reverted back to 30 minute cat naps and was a whining, crying mess all day. It was unbearable. The good news is that he's done fine at night. We did one night of CIO and he cried less than 30 minutes and now consistently gives us a 9ish hour stretch from 6:30-3:30 or so! I wish we'd done it sooner Miles does an 8 hour stretch, which is good, but I want them to be more in synch so I can get them back in the same room already!

And a few pictures since I haven't done a BPF in awhile.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Eek! Too much cuteness for one morning.

S&I, Alex is getting so big! I think little babies look so cute standing up like that when they have such tiny bodies and relatively big heads. It is amazing to me that they go from being so helpless to standing and walking in a year.

Monarch, Alex looks adorable as always! Glad to hear she checked out so well at her appointment.

Kunzite, your boys' eyes are gorgeous! I love their sock monkey hat and coat.

AFU, little man slept 9 hours in his crib again last night. He kept waking up and coughing and moving around (so of course DH and I didn't sleep very well), but he also kept soothing himself back to sleep without needing any intervention from us. Loving it!

 

[Puppmom]

Jumping in here. Baby Nate joined our family exactly two weeks ago today. Things are going great. I feel great physically and I'm feeling pretty darn good emotionally too. Nate's a pretty laid back kid. He has the typically impeccable timing of all babes though. No matter how recently he's eaten or been changed, he's up and a fuss when I'm eating or trying to put DS1 to bed or about to get in the shower. I wake him every 3 hours during the day to nurse although he wakes on his own here and there. He pretty much gets up to nurse and 1am and 5am which is totally manageable except when he decides to STAY awake.

Big brother is AMAZING. He's such a good boy and a great helper. He's very attached to daddy these days and doesn't like when daddy sits down to eat or shower and go to the bathroom. Poor DH! He's seriously adorable though. I'm trying to enjoy the teeny baby phase but I often look at Nate and daydream about him being a toddler. I love having a toddler so much.

I forgot how hard a newborn can be. I feel like all I do is nurse! On the bright side, nursing is going really well. We had an early setback because we gave him a paci on days 4 and 5. Big mistake! He basically refused to nurse for a full day and then screamed at my boob for 10 minutes or so each time I tried to nurse him for the next few days. I also had a ridiculous supply early on and it was making me really uncomfortable. I was pumping 6-8oz AFTER nursing him by day 5-7. I stopped pumping because I wanted my supply to settle in so I just sucked it up for a few days and I'm no longer becoming engorged. I still have a fast let down and spray the poor kid in the face every time I nurse him. It's actually pretty cute because, for the first few moments, Nate doesn't latch to nurse. He just eats like a hamster would from their water bottle.

Today we had his two week check and he's up a pound from his birth weight already. I have a feeling I'm gonna fatten this one up quickly just like the last.

It feels kind of surreal to be back here but I'm looking forward to the adventure. All of the anxiety and trepidation I had while pregnant is gone.

 

[JGator]

Pupp, you cracked me up with your eats like a hamster analogy! Too funny.

Monnie, K is beautiful. Love her rosy cheeks. I'm glad she had such a great 9 month check up and that you were able to spend some quality time with her.

MP, yay for Ev sleeping through the night. K did last night too. Maybe they are in sync.

Kunzite, your boys are so handsome. What kind of camera do you have? We are in the market for one.

S&I, Alex is a cutie. I can't believe he's standing already. He looks like a really happy baby.

Sunny, good luck with the fenugreek and blessed thistle. I am taking fenugreek seeds (put in hot water), Mothers Milk tea, Mother Love capsules, oatmeal, and now the dreaded Rx - Reglan. I have noticed an increase in my first pump of the day. Do you get one good pumping session in the AM? That is what I find. And, then it goes down from there. But, I think I am getting about 400 ml total per day up from 300/350 ml now.

AFU, K slept through the night last night with 1 arm out of the swaddle - we are afraid to try both, but maybe this weekend. She is not rolling over at all yet though. And, she's 4 months old today. We will have a little cake later. We do that every month. I made her a pediatric ophthalmologist appointment for her for mid-March. I think her left eye is crossed. We have a family history of it so I'm pretty sure she has it. I went to the eye doctor for myself yesterday, and the doctor said no age is too young to get it checked and the sooner they catch it the better. Will post a picture later after we get one for her 4-month birthday.

 

[dani13]

Oh Kunzite, your boys are soooo precious!!! Have to ask, where did you get that knitted monkey hat? And that Argyle sweater? They always look super cute!

Welcome Pupp!!! Glad to hear things are going well!!

Oh man, ladies....Back to work for me starting Monday Im just so upset. I know I should feel lucky that Im only going back part time, and that my Mom will be the one watching him, but Im still having a hard time with it. I just want to be with L all day/every day, and not have to miss a thing. This is going to be super hard, and Im so nervous about timing everything correctly with the bf/pumping....dont even know if Im going to have time at work to pump, but I dont want to stop bf yet, so le sigh Hoping everyone has a great weekend, say a little prayer for me.

ps L is still a crappy sleeper. He had a few longer stretches for a few nights in a row, so thought we were doing well, and now the last 2 nights he is up every 3-4 hours again after 1 am feed. Sigh again I do think my body has adjusted to the lack of sleep, bc I barely feel tired anymore. Yet we will see how work goes this week..My memory is the worst so Im really concerned about my job performance, which is scary considering the job I do!

 

[monkeyprincess]

Pupp, yay! Glad that everything is going well and that you are feeling better!

JGator, that's great you're following up on the eye. Hopefully, it will be something easily treated if caught early. There's always something to worry about with these little ones, isn't there.

Dani, just wanted to send you my well wishes. Trust me, I have been there and know exactly how you feel. I was miserable the week leading up to my return to work. The first few days will be hard because it is a big adjustment, but you will be okay. Hang in there!

 

[Kunzite]

MP, yea for 9 hours

Jgator, we have a Canon XSi, which I know is an older model Rebel. Not sure what the new one is. More importantly we have a 50mm lens (nifty fifty) that does amazing in low light. DH broke it right around the time the babies were born so I bought a different stock lens that can zoom and hated it! I immediately bought another 50mm! Have you ever heard of pseudostrabismus. We thought O had a cross eye too and it turns out he just has a wide/flat nose bridge and one eye has extra skin in the corner. Not to say you shouldn't have it checked of course! You can tell if it's pseudostrabismus by looking at reflections in her eyes in a photograph and see if they're in the same place in both eyes. I'll try to dig around and see if I have an old photo of O.

Dani, good luck going back to work! I have no idea where the knit hats are from because they were a gift. Nearly all of the boys' sweater rompers are Gap from eBay, courtesy of Oliver I don't think I've bought these poor boys a single outfit!

pupp, welcome!!! So happy to hear things are going well for you! The boys are 9 months today and I still wish for them to be toddlers already!



ETA - Okay Jgator, not the most ideal examples because the light source isn't directly in front of his eyes... but you get the idea!

 

[JGator]

Kunzite, thanks for the lens/camera recommendation. On the pseudo-strabisumus, what do you think?

 

[amc80]

Hi all! Such cute pictures, keep them coming!

I am SO SO happy to announce that B slept through the night last night. As in from when he originally went to sleep at 8pm, he didn't get up until 7am. It was amazing. That's the first time he's done that without getting up at some point to eat.

I'm not crazy enough to think that's how it will be from now on, but a girl can dream.

 

[sunnyd]

Dream away, woman! It can happen!

Welcome Pupp! Your hamster analogy made me LOL at work. I had the same thing happen several times. The first time I kept reaching to grab what I thought was a cat hair or something. Nope, just a milk stream to the face!

JGator, I WISH I could get 300mL. Haha! The morning is the best time, but I'm lucky to get .5oz from both boobs in a day. Sigh. I think I'd be happy to get an oz+ per day. We'll see what happens!

Monnie, Alex is so so pretty. She's gonna be a heartbreaker, your DH better be ready!

S&I, same with your Alex! Cute cute cute.

MP, congrats on another 9 hours! Woot woot! Keep the streak alive, E!

We had another TERRIBLE night last night. She went down quickly at 7, but woke up a half hour later and wouldn't go back to sleep for a half hour. Then she was up at 12:30 to fuss, then again at 2:30 to eat, then AGAIN at 3:30 and wouldn't go back to sleep in her PnP. DH slept sitting up with her lying on him until 5 or so. Then she was up at 5:30 for good. I miss my good little sleeper!

I just tried emailing myself a picture from my phone, it hardly works, but I'm hoping I can get a new one up! It's been so long!

 

[Kunzite]

Kunzite, thanks for the lens/camera recommendation. On the pseudo-strabisumus, what do you think?

In my very unqualified opinion, it looks pseudo to me. In the pamphlet the ophthalmologist gave us it was extremely obvious when the reflection didn't match (like in this link: http://www.pediatriceyemd.com/service/child/pseudostrabismus). K's photo, like O's, is just slightly off but I think it's because the light source isn't directly in front of them. Hopefully that will help you worry less while you wait for your appointment.

 

[dani13]

JG, I wouldnt worry too much....she is so super young, I bet you that is what they are going to tell you. Good luck!

Kunzite, thanks!! I didnt know Gap had an Ebay store? Or did you just buy Gap stuff from random sellers? Thanks for the well wishes!

Sunny, Sorry for the sleep troubles. Im right there with ya, sista!!!

AMC, That's amazing B slept through the night!! I feel like that is NEVER going to happen with L!!

Hi Mp! Hope all is well with you guys! Thanks for the well wishes too!!

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Hello, long time, no post! I miss you ladies! It's impossible for me to do a full catch-up, so I'll just start with most recent posts.

Pupp- WELCOME! Loved your breastfeeding story- glad you have an awesome supply. You sound like you're doing wonderfully

S&I- Standing! Wow! Time flies by so fast. He is darling.

Dani: That return to work is brutal- your feelings are totally normal. I made a promise to myself to give it a fair shot (I read that advice from NEL here), and if I didn't feel like it was working, I was open to resigning. You'll know what's right for you.

Monnie- Hard to believe she's 9 months already. Where does the time go? I adore her pictures- she is such a little beauty. What are you guys planning on growing this spring/summer?

AMC- Hooray for sleeping through the night! Do you feel like a new woman? You never know- it could happen again. It WILL happen again. Eventually, at least. How's your sweet boy, otherwise?

Kunzite- The twins are just too cute. Sounds like they're sleeping pretty well at night. Do you have them in separate bedrooms? That's what it sounded like, from your post. Hoping they get a more similar schedule soon.

Sunny- Tanking milk supply stinks. As long as you feel it's worth it to nurse/pump, keep at it. It's defintiely not an all-or-nothing thing, but I do understand that at some point the milk yield may not be worth the time it takes to get it.

AFU- All is well. Eloise is just about 7 months. She shot up from 25th percentile height/weight to 55th percentile... growing girl! Still nursing and pumping, though supply took another hit and I only make about 13oz a day. Still using donor milk (and so thankful for our donors!). She started solids around 4.5 months and just recently started to REALLY get in to eating. Not quite crawling forward, but she scooches in every direction and somehow manages to make her way across a room FINALLY in her own crib, in her own room, and even though her sleep isn't consistent (sometimes there's one night waking, sometimes there's four), we are sleeping much better now that she's out of our bed. Work is still rough, but I enjoy it most days. Going part time next year and am SO EXCITED for that! Already dreaming of #2, but DH wants to wait 'til E is about 5. I think I can convince him to start trying when she's around two

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Sunny: Wanted to add that if you do a search on FB for "low milk supply" or "IGT milk supply" there's an AWESOME FB support group for moms with igt and/or chronic low supply. They're a wealth of knowledge for increasing supply for the trickiest of cases. Most moms are on herbal supplements, pump, and many take Domperidone. They're very non-judgmental- some feed using at the breast supplementers, some use bottles, some use donor milk, some use formula (store bought and homemade), and they NEVER criticize any mom when she decides to stop breastfeeding and/or pumping. I spend what little online time I have on that board, which is one reason I've posted a lot less over here If it wasn't for the group, I would have stopped pumping and trying to nurse AGES ago. Might be worth checking out!

 

[FrekeChild]

Those cheeks PPM!!!!!!! Oh my!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Puppmom]

JGator, DS1 slowly weaned from the swaddle around 4 months too. It wasn't too bad. By that point, he was pretty much breaking out of them at that point. K's eyes look great (and gorgeous!) to me but I'm with you that you should definitely get it checked out if it worries you.

Dani, sorry you're stressed about returning to work. I hope that it soon becomes clear to you what you should do. I'm with the others that you should give it a shot. You might just find the balance nice but I know how scary it can be to leave your baby for those long stretches at first. I went back to work full time after DS1 (and will again) and I found that pumping helped me feel better. It made me feel good that I was doing something good for him while I was away. Hopefully you can find time but all will be well even if you can't. I found that the best times to pump ended up being the most inconvenient at work. I liked pumping at 10 and 2 but 10am is a very popular meeting time so I had to shift my schedule a bit. Oh, and Grandma time is the BEST. The bond that DS1 has with Grandma as the result of my working is amazing. That's something he definitely wouldn't have if he didn't spend so much time with her.

Monkey, thanks! I love reading about E and looking at his adorable pics! I'm glad things are going well for you too. I remember feeling so many of the things you felt early on with DS1.

PPM, that girl of yours is beautiful! I'm so glad the donor milk is working well for you. I had an oversupply with DS1 and he didn't really like the bottle so I was basically pumping at work just to keep my supply up. I would pump between 28-32oz and he would take one or two 5 oz bottles per day. By the time, he was 7 months, I had over 1,000 oz in my deep freezer! I donated it and it was one of the most rewarding things I've ever done. Throwing it away would have crushed me.

Sunny, the spray is funny but totally flusters me sometimes. I'm definitely a messy breastfeeder! If I remember right with DS1, that spraying happened much less frequently as time went on. I'm hoping for that because I want to get comfortable nursing this one in public. I managed to nurse DS1 for 15 months without ever really nursing him outside of the house. That required a lot of sacrifices on my part so I don't want to do that again.

Kunzite, I'm glad this whole wishing toddlerhood on my infant is normal. I thought I was the only one!

AFM, we're doing well here. I was so worried about taking care of two but I've decided to consider it a challenge and it's helping. I'm proud at the end of the day when my house is tidied up (maybe not exactly clean) and my kids are asleep. I also decided to switch N1 to half days at daycare while I'm on leave. I just love his company and hate that he's at school all day while I'm here. I'm especially proud when I get him for a nap without N2 losing his cool in the process!

DH is struggling a little more than I am with the adjustment. He mostly just doesn't deal well with the lack of sleep. He doesn't complain but it's very obvious. I forgot how lack of sleep can lower a man's reaction time (and maybe his IQ!) by about 50%. Fortunately, I learned from N1 and am much more patient this time around. I was constantly rushing DH last time and that would get him even more flustered. I'm hoping that he gets into the swing of things by the time I go back to work because the things that I can accomplish while N2 is sleeping will have to get done outside of work hours.

 

[monarch64]

S&I: Omg, A is such a handsome, happy guy! Happy 10 months to him!

Kunzite: they are just the most beautiful little boys. I hope their sleep becomes more in synch for you, too. I've thought before that having multiples must be challenging in so many ways, but out-of-synch sleep issues hadn't occurred to me!

MP: that is so great that your boy is soothing himself back to sleep! 9 hours is a fantastic stretch.

Puppmom: welcome! Love the name Nathan, a couple REALLY good-looking guys I knew in high school (only dated one!) were named Nathan! Glad things are going well for you re breastfeeding, etc. and that you're feeling good about things all around.

JGator: K is simply beautiful! I love that you have cake every month on her "birthday!" That's so sweet. Her eyes look totally normal to my untrained ones, I hope she checks out ok but if not great that you caught it early.

Dani: going back to work sucks, to put it bluntly, but you'll be fine and you'll figure things out day to day and week by week. I had to write down reasons I was going back to work in a notebook that I carried with me all the time and referred back to it often (still do.)

AMC: glad he STTN! Yay!

SunnyD: Haha, my poor husband, he is going to have a much harder time letting go than I am, I can already tell. Have you tried putting baby to bed later than 7? A has a bath at 8:30-ish and is asleep by 9, wakes once in the MOTN for a dream feed and then is out until 8:30 at least the next morning. We had tried putting her to bed early, and then later, but her sweet spot seems to be 9 p.m. I hope your little H's sleep improves soon.

PPM: Hi! I'm growing lots of veggies, mostly. Last year I took lots of notes on what I did wrong, so I'm not including anything that grows on a vine and spreads rapidly in my raised bed, haha. I'll do tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers in other places but save the raised bed space (which is 5 x 10 or something) for peppers, herbs, and probably lettuces. I'm itching to get out and dig in the dirt once the weather warms up which should be in the next couple weeks according to our extended forecast. Gah, Eloise is GORGEOUS, beautiful eyes! I can't believe she's already 7 months. A didn't sleep in her own room/crib til 7 months either. E will be full-on crawling any day! So exciting!

AFU: we all had A WEEK. We all, starting with Alex, have had a little head cold. Nothing seriously uncomfortable, but definitely annoying and leaving us all lethargic and cabin-feverish due also in part to the gray wintery days that are February in Indiana. On a positive note, my mom came up to babysit for a few hours on Tuesday and brought me a brand-new sewing machine!!! I had decided to hand-sew Alex's baby quilt, but my mother was not having it. As always, she knows best, because it took me about 8 hours just to get the top sewn together using the machine today what with all the interruptions having a crawling/cruising baby around brings. It's a really simple pattern done with just 10" squares from a Moda layer cake, but I think it's going to turn out really cute. This picture doesn't do it justice and it's not crooked, everything is sewn right sides together and then the seam allowances are clipped so you end up with soft, frayed edges after washing. I'm making two in case she becomes attached or if we have another baby!

 

[Dandi]

Hi ladies! I'm sorry I don't get to post much but I just adore reading about all of your beautiful bubbas and seeing everyone's gorgeous pictures! Oscar, DH and I are all doing really well, I'm feeling a lot better (been having treatment for PND) and Oscar is growing like a weed. He's nearly 12 weeks already, I can hardly believe it. He is sleeping 10-12 hours a night and napping when he decides to during the day! He has really started lifting his head up which is a relief as he has a nasty heat/dribble rash on his neck and under his chin. Has anyone else had to deal with that? I just keep the area dry and put QV lotion on it before his naps and after his bath, but it still gets really firey and red.

Well the little munchkin just woke up, so that's me over and out! Here's a recent pic of my handsome boy.

Much love to all!

 

[dani13]

Thanks, everyone for your support. Today is the first day back (have to be in by 1pm) and I've already cried at least 4 times. That coupled with the fact that my husband's brother passed away very unexpectedly at the age of 41 over the weekend ...its just all too much. My heart breaks for MH and his family, but mostly my niece, his 9 year old daughter. I never take anything for granted, but it really makes me (again) stop and thank God for everything that we have and realize that the things we worry and stress about in life are just minor things that really don't matter at all.

Anyway, hope everyone has a great week. I feel another episode coming on....

 

[JGator]

Dani, I am so sorry for the loss of your brother in law. That is way too young and so sad. Hugs to you and your DH and his family.

Dandi, Oscar is adorable. I'm glad you are getting such great stretches of sleep. It's winter here so I can be of no help with the heat rash.

Monnie, your garden sounds delish! I'm so jealous. I really love gardening. I can probably do something small this year - maybe tomatoes and basil. Tomatoes are my favorite food. I need to get on that! Also, the quilt is beautiful. I have always wanted to learn to quilt. I don't even know how to sew though so I think I have a lot to learn. My MIL is very good at sewing, knitting, and crocheting - maybe she will teach me on one of her extended visits.

Pupp, we de-swaddled last night. We switched her to a Halo sleep sack, and 2 nights prior we had both arms out of the swaddle. This has not been a success sleep-wise, but I don't think it's the swaddle. Thanks for the reassurance on K's eyes also.

PPM, yay for Eloise sleeping in her own room! That's great. She's a beautiful baby. Also good luck convincing your hubby for #2.

Kunzite, thanks for the opinion on K's eyes. I'm hoping to get the pseudo diagnosis. We are seeing her pediatrician today for her 4-month visit so I will ask there, but I still plan on seeing the pediatric ophthalmologist either way due to the family history.

Sunny, good luck with the pumping. Let me know if anything you take seems to have an effect on your output.

AMC, congrats for B sleeping through the night. I hope he kept it up for your sake.

Hi, MP and everyone else!

AFU, we took out both arms from the swaddle a few nights ago and then went cold turkey and switched from a swaddle to the Halo sleep sack last night. K has been a horrible sleeper lately. I think it's teething related though. She whimpers, kicks her legs up in the air, and puts her fingers in her mouth. She won't take a pacifier either. So, we have had 4am and 6am wake ups the last few nights (with and without the swaddle). My DH is paranoid that she's going to roll over and not be able to roll back so he has been checking on her constantly and getting even less sleep than I am. And, we had a melt down yesterday at home this time. K was eating and then started crying and wouldn't take the bottle anymore - she seemed a little better with a cold teether and then started screaming again - eventually she took a bottle and calmed down. She totally refuses the breast also - I have to give her a bottle and even then she is into pushing it away and fussing during feedings. Very frustrating for us!! Yesterday, I was pumping and feeding her a bottle of pumped milk at the same time.

 

[amc80]

Dani, sorry to hear that
JGator- how frustrating! Don't you wish you could rationalize with infants?

So B has sttn 3 out of the last 4 nights! The night he didn't he woke up at 4:30 to eat, then right back to sleep. Last night I actually slept the whole time as well, so life is good. He also decided to FINALLY roll back to front. He did it and then starting crying, ha. Scared by his own powers?

 

[monkeyprincess]

amc, yay for good sleeping! We are consistently getting 8-9 hours out of Ev these days, which is good enough for me for now. Can't wait until he does 10 or more, although I do kind of like the extra time with him.

JGator, sorry you're having some sleeping problems and fussing problems. The fussiness is a continual problem for us, but I can usually trace it back to him being hungry or overtired. And when the two coincide, we get the meltdown of all meltdowns. Sorry, I don't know much about the eye thing. I do have a nephew who had surgery because one of his eyes was a bit lazy (he was 7 at the time), and he is doing great. Oh, and your little girl is gorgeous!

Dandi, nice to see your update. So glad things are going better. What a cute little man you have. Love his arm rolls

Monarch, hope you are all feeling better. What a fun project. I used to be crafty and liked to knit, but I just have no ambition these days. I need to force myself to do it I think. It's just so hard to find the time.

Pupp, I can imagine taking care of two little ones is hard work. Sounds like you are doing great though. I so remember those early days when DH and I were both constantly sleep-deprived, and I was so grateful for his help, but also had to bite my tongue not to get frustrated when he didn't anticipate what Ev and I needed or didn't do it quite the way I would. Men just aren't very good multi-taskers in my experience.

PPM, E's eyes and cheeks are to die for! So glad she is sleeping better for you these days, or at least most of the time. I too am seriously considering approaching my supervisor about going part-time. DH isn't as on-board with this as I would like him to be, but I really do feel like I would do a better job being a mommy and at work if I could cut back my hours. I might wait until we have #2 (God-willing) before I do it.

Dani, I hope your first day back went well. I remember I cried a lot that first day and then a little more over the next few days, but it does get easier. I forgot to mention that I'm really sorry about the loss of your BIL. So very tragic.

AFU, Ev continues to sleep well, for which I am very grateful. I stayed home again today with a stomach bug or possibly food poisoning. I'm finally feeling a bit better, but I could not keep anything down for about 18 hours. I have not had any type of stomach bug for so long, and now I've had it twice in the past two weeks. So strange. Neither DH nor the baby has been sick either. Totally TMI, but the worst part of all of this is that everytime I throw up, I end up wetting myself. I thought my bladder control was back to normal after having Ev, but apparently not. That is the main reason I stayed home today. I can't imagine anything more mortifying that having to run to the bathroom to throw up and then wetting my pants at the same time. Sorry, totally TMI.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Oh, MP], that sounds absolutely awful!! I'm so glad you're feeling better!

Dani, you are dealing with so much right now. I'm so, so sorry to hear about your BIL's passing. I can't imagine going back at a time like that, I'm definitely thinking about you!

Dandi, I feel like Aquaphor is a cure-all for any skin issues. I'd recommend slathering it on under his chin to keep the moisture from getting in there. We use it constantly--I have about 6 bottles around the house and apply it every hour or two (K is prone to eczema).

Monnie, that quilt is adorable!! And good for you for doing it all yourself, I've always thought it would be so handy to have a sewing machine around, even if I used it irregularly.

Puppmom, I love hearing from mama's with 2 and it's always re-assuring to hear that you learn from the first and (sometimes) that can make it easier with the next.

PnPsMom, E is sooooooo cute! Look at those eyes! Look at those cheeks!! EEEE!

 

[pavelover]

Hi everyone- just reading along. Hope you don't mind me stopping by.

Jgator- I'm not clear hold old your little one is (sorry cant remember). But you mentioned the teether...have you tried any pain reliever during these times when she's not wanting to eat- or so fussy over night? Of course check with your pediatrician but its just a thought.... Hope it sorts itself out soon for you!

Love seeing all the other babies and reading your progress!

 

[JGator]

Pave, you are welcome to drop in any time. How are the twins doing? Not much longer till you join us. K has had daily melt downs recently, and I am attributing them to teething. Yesterday's ended after I put a bottle nipple filled with water and frozen in the freezer into her mouth - she sucked on it for a few mins and then fell asleep for a good 30-40 minutes. I also have the Hylands teething tablets which sometimes work. I give her those a couple times a day.

MP, sorry you have been sick so much lately. That is no fun and sounds miserable. I hope you are feeling better soon. So happy Ev is sleeping through the night consistently - that gives me hope since we're a few weeks behind you.

AMC, yay for more sleep! I miss the old days when we were able to sleep in every day compared to our current sleep schedule! And, I know I'm lucky that K usually sleeps a good stretch, but I really love (miss) my sleep!!!

AFU, K slept from 11pm till 6am so much better than the previous night. She had a melt down last night and ended up falling asleep with a frozen bottle nipple to soothe her teething. We had her 4 month check up yesterday. The doctor doesn't think her eye is crossed, but I am keeping the ophthalmologist appointment to confirm with an expert due to our family history. K weighs 14 lbs and 10 oz and was 24.5 inches. I think her hunger fest last week helped her in the weight department! The doctor suggested she eat 6 oz of formula/breast milk with longer stretches between feedings (4 hours instead of 2-3), and also said to move up to the medium flow nipple. She also suggested rice cereal which I tried yesterday and K went nuts for it. She was practically feeding herself - ie, pulling the spoon into her mouth. I have a few funny videos of that since DH is away for work. Also, she wants K to have 2 oz of water a day for fluoride. Is anyone else doing that?

 

[pavelover]

jGator I think the water makes sense... In Sj where we lived there was fluoride so we should have been covered (although I'm not sure my son drank water)? Then I moved to PI whereupon can't drink the water anyway so I looked into supplementation. I became paralyzed over what to do as there was so much conflicting info online . My dentist in Manila suggested using a third of a pea sized fluoride toothpaste and let my son swallow when he brushed... I guess they need to improvise a bit over there-Ty was three by that time... My mil almost fell off the sofa when she heard what I was doing....I still don't have an answer...

 

[Kunzite]

Jgator, IIRC don't you supplement? If so I would just make her bottles with fluoride added water instead of having her drink water. I'm not a big fan of fluoride supplements so we take the middle road and use fluoride added for half of the babies' bottles, and non-fluoride for half. I'm not really one to talk about giving water though! I have yet to find our box with sippy cups from our move and I refuse to buy new ones.... so the twins are not up on their water drinking yet To do list: Find sippy cups!!

The little guys had their 9 month appointment yesterday. Not surprisingly M was a full pound bigger than E, 18.5 and 19.5. I looked back at O's stats and he was low 17, so I think these two are going to be bigger than him!