PS Mommy Thread-Newborn to 12 months!

[JGator]

MP, we have this sunscreen - http://www.amazon.com/BurnOut-8000-SPF-30-KIDS/dp/B0037AO682/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1366829231&sr=8-2&keywords=baby+sunscreen Yay for Ev sleeping through the night!

 

[Kunzite]

Poor M has suspected Roseola. He's on his third day of 103-105 temps It breaks my heart to see my baby with such a high fever. I'm so scared that E is going to get it too. They share everything and I keep forgetting to get them separate food/bowls/spoons/cups! I remember as soon as they're done and then want to cry! Not that it really matters since he was contagious before the fever broke, but still. Poor boy

 

[JGator]

Kunzite, sorry to hear about M. I hope he's feeling better soon and that E stays healthy.

 

[sunnyd]

I realize we're heading into the weekend and things tend to slow way down around here, but I'll put this out there anyway: has anyone done, or is anyone planning to do a cake smash photo session for their baby's 1st birthday portraits or party? I'm thisclose to scheduling one for A. I have a friend who is a great photographer and charges a ridiculously reasonable sitting fee and DVD price giving full rights to us to have prints made anywhere. I've been trying to read up on making a healthy cake that just LOOKS unhealthy, and the logistics of taking the baby to her studio, getting very messy, and then getting her home without having to backtrack and scrub down everything she comes in contact with.

YES! No idea on the logistics yet, since it's 6 months away, but good luck! I always think they're so cute.

MP, H is hating rice, and hating b.nut squash so far. She literally gags on it. I mean, it's not my favorite either, but it's not GAG inducing!! Maybe we'll have more luck with sweet potato tonight??

Back to catching up...

 

[amc80]

AMC, wow! B is climbing stairs and perfecting his skills. It sounds like he has great physical interest/skills if you read the Wonder Years book.

I haven't read that. But I think he's a bit behind on language so I suppose it balances out

Poor M has suspected Roseola.

Poor thing. Hugs!

monarch64|1366409086|3430758 wrote:I realize we're heading into the weekend and things tend to slow way down around here, but I'll put this out there anyway: has anyone done, or is anyone planning to do a cake smash photo session for their baby's 1st birthday portraits or party? I'm thisclose to scheduling one for A. I have a friend who is a great photographer and charges a ridiculously reasonable sitting fee and DVD price giving full rights to us to have prints made anywhere. I've been trying to read up on making a healthy cake that just LOOKS unhealthy, and the logistics of taking the baby to her studio, getting very messy, and then getting her home without having to backtrack and scrub down everything she comes in contact with.


YES! No idea on the logistics yet, since it's 6 months away, but good luck! I always think they're so cute.

We will be doing one for sure. They are just so freaking cute.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Kunzite, poor little M. Is there any chance that's what E had, rather than a reaction to the amoxicillin? Hope all three of your boys get and stay healthy.

Sunnyd, good luck with the sweet potatos. I have a feeling Ev is going to be none too impressed when he tries them tonight.

JGator, thanks for the sunscreen recommend. I'll have to take a look at that one.

AFU, DH just told me our little guy got BITTEN at daycare today. He was hanging out in the exersaucer, and one of the crawlers came over and bit his hand. I guess he cried for a minute and was fine. I know these things happen, but I didn't think we'd have to worry about that kind of thing until he was in the toddler room or at least until he had a chance of defending himsef.

 

[S&I]

Kunzite, I hope M gets better soon and doesn't spread it to E or the rest of your family!

MP, I know how you feel! A got bit at day care a while back and my mama bear came out. He had teeth marks on his wrist for a few days, and I'm talking about uppers and lowers! I think it was the director's son who bit him too, even though they wouldn't tell me. Hope Ev wasn't too hurt by it.

 

[sunnyd]

Kunzite, oh no! H has yet to have a fever, I can't imagine how painful it must be for you to watch. Poor guy.

MP, good luck with the SP, I'll expect a comparison tomorrow. Haha!

AMC, climbing stairs?! Oh jeez. You have your hands full!

 

[monkeyprincess]

Sunnyd, I don't know about you, but Ev LOVED the sweet potatoes. It was so darn cute to watch him smack his lips and wait for more

S&I, yikes, A really got bitten hard then. Ev had a little tiny mark on his finger, but it was gone by last night. They don't tell who the offender is out our daycare either, but in the "oops report" (which, was not an oops, but an assault!), they put the time down. So I went back and looked at the video archive, so I think I know who did it. Just a little twerp who didn't know any better, so you can't really be too mad about it.

 

[sunnyd]

She also loved the sweet potatoes! She likes to grab the spoon and and suck on it. So of course there are potatoes everywhere when she eats. Haha! Biting babies, oh no!

My SIL watches Harlowe, well her DH got chickenpox from the vaccine he got a few days ago. So I got to spend the day at home with her yesterday and today she's hangin' with Grandma.

Hope you all have good weekends!

 

[monkeyprincess]

Sunnyd, hoping little H didn't get exposed to chickenpox! Ev continues to love his sweet potatoes. I switched to carrots after a few days, and he was not a big fan, but I guess we'll keep trying. I added a bit of oatmeal to try to thicken it up a bit, but he saw right through it.

AFU, we had a rough night last night. After we gave Ev his bath, he was really sleepy, but just could not settle himself into a deep sleep. He would cry really hard until he was just about to pass out, and then he would decide something wasn't just right, and he would start screaming again. We finally got him to sleep, but he was up crying 15 minutes later. I was going to leave him in the crib for awhile, but then he rolled himself onto his tummy while in his woombie for the first time, so I had to go rescue him. His arms will officially be out of the woombie from now on, and then we're transition him out of it completely. Anyway, I didn't get to go to sleep until 3 last night when my husband took over because Ev kept falling asleep and then waking up screaming. He had no fever and didn't seem sick, but I do think his bottom teeth are starting to pop through, so maybe that was it? It seems odd though because he was completely fine all day.

 

[dani13]

Happy Monday ladies!!! (Yeah right!)

Hi MP, yep, sounds like teething. L is too. His 2 bottoms have cut through, so he has been waking up a lot during the night as well. I've been giving him Tylenol before bed, and it seems to help. Oh, and they seem fine during the day because they're busy. But at night,they dont have anything to do but sleep, so that's why they seem more uncomfortable during that time.
Everything else is going pretty well. Going back to work has been tough, but I know he is being taken care of and loved, so in a way, its a nice break for me to get out, socialize a bit, and exercise my brain! I think it literally turned to mush when I was on my maternity leave. How are things with you?

For the Mommy's that are introducing solids- is anyone's kid just not liking baby food (purees)? It seems that no matter what I try (fruits, veggies, oatmeal, etc) L is just not a fan. He makes a face and then spits it out when I give it to him. The only thing so far he seems to like is applesauce. So today, just for fun, I gave him a piece of my fig newton to gnaw on, and I think he really liked it!!! So what should I do? Should I give him regular (table) food? I know some babies just dont like baby food, period. Maybe that's him. He also loves water and loves to drink from a cup. When either one of us has a cup in our hand, he stalks us until we give him a sip, and he is really good at drinking from it too! Its hysterical!!!

 

[JGator]

Dani, maybe look into Baby Led Weaning - there is a book. I think some of the moms on here can chime in on that. K seems to like rice cereal - she eats about 2-3 tbs once or twice a day without too much protest. We give her sips of water every few bites. K's nanny suggested we get her a sippy cup as she refused the bottle one day but took some milk out of a cup. We are going to ask the pediatrician about that next week.

MP, sorry Ev was so difficult with sleep last night. I'm sure it's teething related. I would suggest giving him Tylenol at night also. Many people have recommended that to me. Good luck removing his arms from the woombie. K did fine when we did that with the swaddle.

Sunny, glad to hear H liked sweet potatoes. I am looking forward to giving K something other than rice cereal.

AFU, today is K's 6 month birthday. Will post a photo later today. K had her first night where she didn't wake up numerous times between 2-5am for her paci/food last night. We have been trying to not feed her during the middle of the night. Last night, she went to bed at 9pm and didn't wake up till 545am. So, she got a bottle then and went back to sleep until about 745am. She had a horrible day yesterday - very whiny and only took a couple 30 minute naps so I expected a long night.

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

Monnie, Kunzite, Sunny--Thank you for your input re: working. I know you are all right, and in my heart I want to resign. DH is being surprisingly resistant, so we need to do a lot more talking about it.

I'm running into a bit of this from my DH too, Haven. I can't quite figure out the basis of his resistance, but he seems to think it wouldn't be good for me in the long run to stay at home full time. He keeps saying that if I really want to stay home (or, actually, if I really need to quit my job), he will support my decision. But that is not a very supportive statement in my opinion. (Of course we also have the whole issue with his sister owning the daycare, and him thinking that our son is getting the best free daycare around, which he is.) Anyway, I feel like I would somehow be letting him down if I decide to quit my job, and that makes me a bit resentful. I love my husband, and he is really the best husband and father I know, but this is one area on which we do not see eye to eye. Sorry for the little rant!

Oh, and your (not so) little guy is nearly the size of my 6 month old! Ev is a little over 28 inches and just under 16 pounds ....

I'm late to this game, but I, too, faced resistance. My hubby kept saying, "This isn't what we planned for. We planned for you to return to work. Think BIG picture, not short-term!" but all I could think was that my baby deserved ME as her main caregiver and that nobody could love her and care for her the way I could. I definitely dealt with severe PPD, which was exacerbated by returning to work so soon. MP, I feel you on the resentment and feeling of letting one's spouse down. I was SO there. I'm glad I don't feel that way now... It was all-consuming at the time. I remember bawling my eyes out on the couch, just wailing, when my husband told me he wanted me to return to my job. I was like a child, but I literally felt physical pain at the thought of going back. Ugh.

I'm going part time next year. It's a good compromise for me... I do love my job (even now, when I feel I'm there all too often), but do I wish I would have taken this year off? Or gone part time? Hell yes. HELL yes. I've never felt so un-committed to my work, and as a teacher, that just doesn't fly. And my home is a disaster. And there were brutal days when I only spent a few moments with Eloise before bedtime. I wish I had a do-over.

 

[dani13]

PPM, I work part time, and IMHO, it really is a perfect balance. I work about 20 hrs a week, and my parents watch him while Im at work. It really is great bc L gets time with his grandparents, and I get to get out, have social contact, and exercise my brain a bit. I know that he being taken care of very well, so Im so grateful for what my parents are doing to help us out. If anything, MH was the one who pushed for me to cut down my hrs at work- he wants me home with the baby as much as possible. Even though I took a really big pay cut, for us, its totally worth it- he is only going to be little once! If I didnt have my parents, most likely I would take a night or weekend job so that MH could be home with L while I was at work. I understand your concerns about other caregivers, I had them too. I think its wonderful that you will be going part time next yr- you're going to love it!!

 

[Kunzite]

These are for anyone who has doubts about the value of a video monitor, specifically one that pans and zooms! These kids play together so well and have so much fun together.... when I'm not in the room!!!

 

[JGator]

PPM, yay for going part-time next year. Are you working full-time this summer?

Kunzite, love your video monitor play pictures.

Here is K's 6-month photo. We had a coconut frosted cake last night to celebrate and she got her fingers into the frosting. She's really grabbing everything these days.

 

[monkeyprincess]

JGator, K is such a beautiful little girl! Happy 6 months!

Kunzite, so cute! That must be so much fun to sit and watch them when they don't know you're looking. We will definitely be getting a higher tech video monitor once we stop using the Angelcare monitor.

PPM, that's great you are able to go part-time next year. I can relate to a lot of what you said. Before I went back to work, I too sat on the couch crying and looking up at my husband and desperately wanting him to say I should just quit my job. Now that I've been back working longer than I was home with Ev, it is not so raw anymore. I honestly don't think I would make the best full-time SAHM, especially since I only have one baby. I think once Ev is older and talking and being more active, and we have other children, I will re-visit the staying home issue or at least switching to part-time. I'm in the process of interviewing for another position right now. I think it would give me better work/life balance, but I'm not sure it is just right. Truthfully, I feel like I don't even know what I want these days! I really go back and forth. I do feel like my baby receives excellent care, and I can watch him all day long on the camera, so that helps tremendously. But I not nearly as committed to my work as I should be, and I'm really just coasting right now and getting by with the bare minimum. It is not sustainable.

Dani, definitely sounds like BLW might work for you. Ev is not so keen on his sweet potatoes anymore. I'm trying to hold off on fruit for awhile because I feel like he will reject all veggies if I do that, since he seems to like sweet things. It's not easy knowing what to do!

AFU, Ev thankfully slept so much better last night. He went down around 8. Woke up and fussed around 2, but I waited, and he eventually fell back asleep. Having his arms out doesn't seem to big of a problem so far. In other news, I have to travel for work and be gone on Thursday and Friday night. I'm so sad to be leaving Ev, and I worry about my DH being solely responsible for two nights. He'll do fine I'm sure, but I feel like I'm the one who does the all of the organizing and preparing, and I don't think DH fully knows what he's got coming on his own.

One more thing, when did your babies start sitting up? Ev is super verbal and has pretty darn good fine motor skills for a six month old, but he always seems to be lagging behind on the gross motor skills - holding head up, rolling over, etc. Trying not to compare him to other babies I know, but he can't sit up much more than 30 seconds or 1 minute before he topples over. He is pretty good about putting weight on his legs and holding himself up if we set him against a chair or ottomon, but not very long.

 

[amc80]

One more thing, when did your babies start sitting up? Ev is super verbal and has pretty darn good fine motor skills for a six month old, but he always seems to be lagging behind on the gross motor skills - holding head up, rolling over, etc. Trying not to compare him to other babies I know, but he can't sit up much more than 30 seconds or 1 minute before he topples over. He is pretty good about putting weight on his legs and holding himself up if we set him against a chair or ottomon, but not very long.

I've got the opposite concerns. Be was sitting about 90% unassisted shortly after 5 months. He was crawling at 7 months and is now cruising furniture (8 months) and climbing stairs (OMG). I'm guessing he will be walking by 10 months, if not sooner. His fine motor skills are okay (probably in the average category). But I do think he's behind with the verbal stuff. He hasn't yet said a consonant and sticks to sounding like an owl. The pedi told me bigger kids are generally advanced in gross motor skills because they tend to be stronger. I'm not worried about his verbal skills yet but will definitely bring it up at his 9 month appointment (if he's not babbling by then...PLEASE be babbling by then!).

I'd be interested to hear from the other moms- does anyone have a kid who was advanced both physically and verbally? Or does it tend to be one or the other?

 

[lliang_chi]

Kunzite, OMG is that O under the changing table? That's HILARIOUS! I think I'm going to need to get a pan/zoom monitor. LOL

AMC, I think NEL's K was both advanced with motor skills AND verbally. She's got a brain child there. Ethan sat really early, took a LONG time to crawl, but was walking a day or two after he turned 1. He still doesn't talk much though. He doesn't really babble either, only every now and then. Man of few words, is what I'd call it. I dunno, he's got a 15 month appointment next month, so maybe I'll bring it up then.

 

[monkeyprincess]

Yup, sounds like my guy is the complete opposite of B and E. He babbles and "talks" non-stop and even mimics speech patterns, so it's like we are having a conversation with him. But he has no interest in sitting or crawling. I sort of wonder if the reason he is having trouble with holding himself up better is because he is kind of gangly. Tall and skinny with a big ol' head.

 

[JGator]

MP, K has a small head (39%), and is slow physically in my opinion. We will see where she is in percentiles next week. She is very verbal, but hasn't rolled over yet. She can sit up pretty well with help, and she had head control early, but she's definitely no where near crawling. She rolls onto one side in her crib at night, and still hates tummy time. Good luck travelling for work. I'm sure your DH will handle it really well, and he will be thrilled to see you when you get back. I have been avoiding travel for a while now. I have to go in the office next week for 3 days of training, and the first 2 days are 8am to 9pm as they have dinner plans included in the training. So not looking forward to having to schedule pumping at the training class with the mothers room situation that we have, but I guess I am fortunate that the training is local for me as most people are travelling in from someplace else.

 

[Kunzite]

Kunzite, OMG is that O under the changing table? That's HILARIOUS! I think I'm going to need to get a pan/zoom monitor. LOL

Yes!! He loves to take everything off the changing table which is why the kids are playing in a large pile of blankets, shoes, and books, and also why we don't keep diapers on the changing table

 

[Dandi]

Oh Kunzite, those pictures are so funny, look at that little monkey on the changetable!! Ahhhh your kiddos are so gorgeous!!!!!

amc, wow, climbing stairs already?! You have a little goer on your hands, clever bubba!

JGator, K is such a beautiful, beautiful baby. Those eyelashes!! You must be one mega proud mamma!!

Dani I''m rapt you're enjoying work, I'm planning on doing about 20 hours a week when I go back too, I was worried it wouldn't be a good enough balance but I'm so reassured reading your post!

sunny I'm glad you posted about the sweet potato, I hadn't thought to give that a go!

Hello to lliang, mp, PPM and monarch, so sorry if I missed anyone!

Well the solids thing is going pretty slow, Oscar hates carrot, and didn't like apple either, much to my surprise. He seems to like pumpkin, and had a go at the rice cereal but was pretty disinterested. I don't blame him! I was thinking of trying avocado or perhaps pear next??

He is being as total monkey this week with his naps. Usually I can put him down wide awake, he garbles away to himself for a few minutes and goes right off to sleep. This past week he has screamed and screamed when put down, and a few times giving him a top up feed was the only way to calm him down. He is still sleeping 11-13 hours a night, so when he wakes at night he clearly puts himself back to sleep as I never hear him... I don't get it! I was wondering if maybe he's hit a bit of a developmental milestone and just doesn't want to nap? Ahhhh who knows. He seems to have given up on rolling, I haven't seen him do it for weeks now. He is nearly sitting up unassisted.

 

[amc80]

So the past few days have been super fun. B started throwing up last week. The doctor thought it was a 24 hour thing, and it seemed that way (this was Wednesday and Thursday). Since then, he's thrown up once Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I talked with the doctor and he said that when babies throw up once a day it's usually a diet thing, so we are on a bland diet. Started yesterday with that...and he still threw up. When I picked him up from day care he was wheezy and coughing. He seemed okay last night although he really fought going to bed. Then, he woke up around 11pm and WOULD NOT go back to sleep...except on me. So I got to sleep on the futon, half reclined, with 25lbs of baby on me. But hey, at least he slept (and somehow I did too). He's had a mild (99.8ish) fever off and on this whole time. He does have two teeth popping through right now so that can explain the crabbiness and fever. But the barfing and coughing? Who knows. Everything I've read points to an allergy of some sort. Back to the pediatrician today. We've been doing breathing treatments but they haven't helped. Poor kiddo

Oh, and he lost a pound between his last two appointments (about 2 weeks apart). Not sure if it's because of the barfing, being mobile, or a combination.

 

[Kunzite]

Jgator, she is such a doll! She looks like she's going to have such a sweet personality.

amc, I'm sorry to hear about your little guy being sick. That sounds terrible


Quick post in case anyone is looking to get a convertible, Diono is running a sale. Here's the Amazon link, but I think most websites have reduced prices. http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=pe_169890_29473800_pe_row/?docId=1001187081

 

[monkeyprincess]

Kunzite, thanks for the info! We are about to get a couple convertible, so this is great timing. Do you have Dionos? Which model do you have? I was debating between a Radian and the Britax Boulevard. Any thoughts?

amc, poor baby. I hope he is feeling better today. Did you find anything more out at the appointment. Hoping you both get a better night sleep.

Dandi, wish I had some advice for you, but my kiddo has never been anything but a cat napper. That's awesome you're getting 12-13 hours at night. We think we've hit the jackpot if we get 9 hours

I'm away from DH and Ev for the first time. It's probably okay for the boys to have some bonding time, but seeing Ev after work is what gets me through the day, and I'm really missing him about now.

 

[Kunzite]

MP, we have 6 Radians, 4 R100s and 2 R120s. Currently we have O in the R120s and when he's too big to rear face we'll switch him to R100s and give the R120s to M. We figure M will always be bigger than E and the extra 5lbs RF will allow us to flip them at the same time instead of flipping E early because M outgrows his seat. Given how crazy long Ev is I would probably get a Radian in your case. It really depends on how long you want to RF. Britax seats have notoriously short shells, less leg room RFing, taller sides (the short Radian sides are good for kids to hang their legs over and also easier to get them in and out of the seat), and sit higher (important if you already have a taller car).

 

[lliang_chi]

MP, for what it's worth, we put Ethan in a Britax Blvd and a Radian RXT side by side when he was 6 months old. At 6 months his feet were already touching the back seat at RFing. Ethan is now 14.5 months and he's just starting to reach the back seat RFing. So he still has plenty of room to grow and remain RFing for as long as possible. Plus the RXT can be used as a booster as Ev gets older.

 

[amc80]

amc, poor baby. I hope he is feeling better today. Did you find anything more out at the appointment. Hoping you both get a better night sleep.

Yes and no. The puking is thought to be residual from whatever bug he had last week. Apparently the stomach can stay fairly irritated for up to two weeks. He didn't throw up yesterday, so that's a plus. For the breathing issues, he wants us to go back to the steroid breathing treatments. The rash he thinks is just due to fever/heat. I asked about allergy testing (for environmental stuff) and he said most allergists won't test until they are a year because it takes a full season cycle to develop sensitivities.

Last night was bad, but better. He at least slept in his crib...but took probably 45 minutes of crying to get him to sleep. And then he woke up in the middle of the night and it was the same thing, 45 minutes or so for him to fall back asleep. Tired mama.

Hopefully he will be on the mend soon. I think his teeth are just adding to the fun, and I think one is totally out and the other is close behind...so hopefully there's some improvements very soon.