July New Moms

[MelissaAS]

I had to start us off by saying that I already got an e-mail back from the Little Swimmers people apologizing and saying that they're sending me a replacement coupon in the mail! This encourages me to share my views, even when they're negative...Woo Hoo!!!

Hope everyone's having a happy July 1st!

Melissa

[MrsReber]

Hi Melissa! Happy 1st! Short week! More time with my babies!

Well, we didn't go anywhere Friday night. Brenden was crabby. I think he's got 2 more teeth ready to pop through. He's been getting up at night, which is unusual for him. On Sunday, we went to SIL's house, just in time to see DH's other sister's dog maul the cat. Unfortunately, the cat did not make it. Why don't people just leave their dogs at home? The kids hated the pool. Brenden screamed when his feet touched the water. Casey liked watching the other kids play, but didn't want anything to do with the pool. MIL showed up around 7:45. She says she's coming to Brenden's party on Saturday :rolleyes: . Wonder if she'll actually show up.

I'm trying to remember what was discussed on the June thread! Oh, daycare. Yes, it's very expensive, but you do have to pay for good care. Peace of mind is worth every penny. However, I will not give up my quest to stay at home.

Melissa, that's great you got a coupon in the mail to replace the Little Swimmers. I'm sure most companies are interested in negative feedback. That's the only way they'll know how to improve their products. I'm impressed that they gave you the coupon.

Nori, Brenden does the same thing, holding on to the furniture while "walking". They call it "crusing" in the books that I've read. My mom said on Friday that Brenden tried to walk down the hallway by hanging on to the wall. He's too funny. He and Casey were helping me plant flowers yesterday. Casey was doing rather well, but Brenden was pulling my poor flowers apart. They were both so dirty last night. They went right into the tub after dinner!

Well, no plans for the fourth here, just Brenden's birthday on the 5th. I hope it's a success. I still have to buy a few more things and figure out what sides we're having. I ordered an ice cream cake with a Sesame Street design. It's got a little road with 2 little cars the kids can play with. Big Bird is in one car and Elmo is in the other. It's really cute. I got the whole sheet. It sure didn't look very big! Maybe I'm just a pig when it comes to ice cream cake?

[Jorgan]

It's been a while since I've posted. My morning sickness has finally subsided, still present but just not as bad.

I wanted to chime in regarding daycare. We pay $1140/month which ends up being about $285/week and Drew is only there three days a week! Unfortunately we have to pay for five days a week. We had a very hard time finding care for which we had to only pay for which days he was there. When he's about 16 months old the price goes down and they switch to days. It is a lot of money but it's worth it.

All of these birthdays coming up! It's amazing how time flies by. Have a great holiday!

[Julia1Pin]

Barbara - Happy belated birthday to your daughter! Did you guys do anything special?

Melissa - I sent Glad an email because their bowl did melt in the microwave (against what the commercials say) and they apologized and sent me a coupon for a ree 3 pack! I love good customer service. On the other hand, i sent Dreft and email regarding their stain remover and all they did was email me telling me the proper way to use their product :rolleyes:

Regarding child care, we are so happy with ours. The lady lives with us 6 days a week and loves Abigail and treats her extremely well. She was supposed to leave us in September but luckily she has decided to stay until March. I don't know what were going to do when she leaves. Will Abigail have anxiety issues at 1.5 years old trying to get usded to someone new?

We had a great time at Big Bear and Abigail slept just fine in her portable crib! Everyone commented on what a happy, smily baby she is. And this weekend she started taking a couple of steps with us holding on to her hands! she's not crazy about crawling but I think she'll walk within the next month or two.

[erinl]

Nori, I'm going to post my Picture People rant as a separate thread. I've e-mailed customer service a couple of times, and instead of taking responsibility and working to resolve the issue, they are basically blaming me.

We've had an exciting couple of days. We went to the zoo yesterday. Hanne loved the polar bears. She was mad when we moved on. Then when daddy got home, she let go of the couch and just walked over to him. Okay, she only made it about 4-5 steps before she went down to her knees, but we were excited. She did it a few more times that evening. Then we went and picked up my bike with the new baby seat. We went for a ride this morning and Hanne really enjoyed it. Yea!

Someone has been quiet for too long. Off to investigate...

[nori]

Melissa...wow, maybe I should send a complain e-mail, too. So I suppose they don't make them smaller than regular size? I'm going to always buy a little bit bigger size when it comes to swimming stuff, though. Noah is a one chunky boy!

MrsReber...That's awful about the dog mauling the cat...:( Who's cat was it? I'm sorry you had to witness that. Ice Cream Cake for Brenden's birthday sounds great! Has he eaten ice cream before? It'll be fun, either your MIL will be there or not!:p

Jorgan, you just reminded me how bad my morning sickness was....I was soooo happy when I finally felt better and actually could read some thread on Great Food here. Take care of yourself and little one!

Julia...sounds like you had fun over the weekend. Noah does the same thing...walking holding someone's hands. He loves doing it, rather than crawling. But he's getting better at crawling now...used to be soooo slow, but he's picking up some spped now.

Erin...Daddy must be excited to be welcomed by his little girl! That's great!

It's July already? Can't believe it. Time flies!!! Oh, I don't remember who but someone asked when Noah will turn to 1.....his birthday is August 29th. Yes it's coming up pretty soon!

Off to get some more stuff done while my little guy is napping....

[nmody]

Hi Everyone--

Yes, Ella and I are still alive. Just been so busy to post. My maternity leave comes to an end in the next couple of weeks (well, I go part-time for 6 weeks, then full-time) so I have been trying to pack in a lot of stuff with Ella. We spent about 10 days in June with my parents in Arkansas. We got back on a Saturday, and the visiting guests has just now ended. Literally one after the next for about 2 weeks straight!

Good news though, we hired a nanny who started yesterday!! We are so excited because I think we've found someone really good! She has a bachelor's degree in child development, and is just so sweet to Ella. The only bad thing is Ella is having so much fun with Tonya, I hope she still enjoys my company!
:( I'm sure this is normal anxiety. On the topic of childcare issues, we are paying our nanny $1500/month (on the books). It seems so high, but the really good daycares in the area charge about 1500-1600 per month with 3:1 ratio. Tonya will be with us M-F 7:30-5:30 with some additional overnight work for when I have to travel. With DH's erratic schedule, it just makes sense to have some normalcy and routine in Ella's life right now. (Can you tell how I am really trying to justify our decision?)

I must admit, it has been nice the last couple of days to actually get things done around the house, and run errands without Ella. Childcare is just a difficult decision!

I hope everyone is doing well...I've read some posts here and there in June, and everyone seems to be doing okay. It's amazing how the babies are getting so big so fast!

Take care--

Nima

[MrsReber]

Nori, it's amazing how much things change with a second child:

First child - no dairy until 1 year. Second child - fed cheese and yogurt by first child. Steals first child's cup of chocolate milk. \

First child- no peanut butter until one year. Second child- first child doesn't want to finish her PBJ sandwhich so she hands it off to second child, who happily stuffs it in his mouth. Oh well.

So, yes, Brenden has had ice cream several times. Casey feeds it to him :rolleyes: .

The cat that was mauled was SIL's cat. It actually belonged to her step daughter, but she moved out. It was an indoor cat who was forced to live outside. The whole situation is a bit weird. The cat owner's dog recently killed a pet rabbit belonging to the pit bull's owner. They said they're even now. Personally, I say leave the dogs at home. What is wrong with these people? What really made me mad was that after the incident, they let the pit bull wander around the yard, trying to steal food from Casey. Later on, they gave the dog and bone and Brenden went to crawl up to her. If he put a hand on that bone, it may have cost him his life. Why wouldn't they just put the dog away? I'll never know the answer, I suppose. SIL (the cat owner) brought her dog to our house for a party once. I was so annoyed. The dog was eating off my table, eating my garbage, knocking things over. I mean, really, is that appropriate? I thought it was horribly rude and unfair to us and the dog.

Well, I'm still getting ready for the party on Saturday. DH and I invited a few more people. The only definite person is my mom! There are about 23 other "possibles". I'm sure we'll have about 15 or so. I think I need to get some more food.

Nima, good to see you back! Enjoy your time with your baby. Don't worry about the nanny taking over. Our babies know who mommy and daddy are. The only person my kids will accept over me is my mom. They prefer me over the daycare teacher who spends three days a week with them. It's always a hard decision, but you have to do what you feel most comfortable with. It's going to be a difficult transition. I'm still upset about leaving my kids each morning. We just have to do what we have to do. Until I hit the lottery, I'm stuck in the rat race. What's a shame is that with all the money I pay for childcare, the teachers get precious little of it. Most of it goes to the school and their supplies. They do great things with the kids, but it kills me to see the teachers getting paid such low hourly wages when they do all the work and give my children lots of love.

[lhall]

Originally posted by Julia1Pin
Will Abigail have anxiety issues at 1.5 years old trying to get usded to someone new?

The simple answer is yes. It will be difficult for her, but give it a few weeks and she should adjust fine.

I agree with Susan that you get what you pay for with daycare. Ours is expensive as well, but the peace of mind is worth it.

Leigh

[cchhbb]

Hi all,

Daycare runs about $1500/month around here. That's one of the reasons I haven't gone back to work. I'd much rather have someone come to my house than send my child to a daycare center. That is if you can get the right person.

Susan, how funny about your decription of Casey and Brendan and eating situations. I was at the farmers market this morning and the vendor asked if Garrett ate blueberries. I said yes, but I'd have to cut them in half first. She said obviously this is your first baby. With your second you'd be giving them everything much earlier.

I'm interested that Little Swimmers gave you such good customer service. I should contact Eckert about their diapers. Garrett is on the small side of side 3 and their diapers leak on him when used overnight. I bought some of their store brand since I had a coupon and while they work well during the day, they leak at night. I'm not buying them again.

Garrett is crawling so fast now. He crawled into the kitchen last night while I was making dinner and had a ball with empty yougurt cups and the plastic containers for strawberries. What a hoot. He's also standing like crazy. Everything he can get to he uses to pull up.

Nap training is going pretty well. He is now asleep in his crib. I've really been dedicated to this so we haven't been going anywhere for the last couple of weeks. Now as soon as he starts to act tired, our nap routine starts. I'm really looking forward to him finding a schedule so we can plan our days.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday. We're staying home and childproofing the house. Garrett is showing me something else that needs to be dealt with everyday.

Cheryl

[MrsReber]

Wow, I guess we're getting off easy paying under $1500 for 2 children! Isn't it amazing what it costs? It's almost not worth it for me to go to work. The problem is that we do need the little bit of extra income that I generate. After daycare, my train ticket, my parking fee, gas money, and the extra few dollars for auto insurance since I travel 25 miles each way to the train station, there's not a whole lot leftover. Hmmmm. Maybe....

Cheryl, I believe that Brenden has tried blueberries already. I guess after you grow comfortable with the first child and realize that you're not going to kill them, you're a bit more relaxed about the second one. I think that's true of all parents. My dad said he and my mom were like that, too. Plus, with the second one, you're in familiar territory.

I do agree with Leigh about a 1 1/2 year old having trouble getting used to someone new. It's actually much easier when they're younger. By 18 months, they have opinions on things and they like the routine to stay the same. But they are pretty flexible. There will be an adjustment period, but, like Leigh said, just give it time.

[Luv to Cook]

Just wanted to pop in and introduce myself. I became a mom on June 8th, 2003 and have been spending time on the pregnancy threads, but now its time to post here! We had a daughter, Asha Maliha, and I cannot get over how in love I am with her. Everyone kept telling me that I would feel like this, but I never imagined it would be this strong and that I would feel so raw sometimes! Anyhow, I look forward to getting to know all of you and reading all of your stories about your kids!

Thats it for now!

Anita

[MrsReber]

Hi Anita! Yep, I remember that feeling, being so in love with that new little person! Isn't it great? I feel like I should be moving on soon, having been here for over 2 years now! If you don't know me, I have a daughter who turned 2 in May and a son who will be 1 this Saturday.

Welcome!! Now I must go and catch my train so I can get home to my babies!

[nori]

Nima, your nanny sounds wonderful. Reading all posts about how expensive childcare costs, if you can get a nanny with that price, I'd say that's a great deal! It'd be easier for you to get back to work if you know your baby is in very good hand..

MrsReber, Poor kitty. I'd be very, very worried having a kid around that dog. No offense to dog lovers, but pit bull makes me nervous to have around, especially with a baby. How cute about Casey feeding Brenden! It must be so much fun to have kids close in age. After all that second child discussion, I stopped taking minipill...see what'll happen. :D

Cheryl, Garrett sounds like Noah. He likes to crawl to the kitchen and plays with whatever is available. And he'd stand up using anything he can hold onto.

Welcome Anita!!!! I didn't think I'd love this baby this much before I acutually had him. It's amazing, isn't it? Enjoy your little one!

Cheryl, are you following "No Cry Solution" book? (I don't remember if you're or not.) Does it require constant routine? Most of time I have to nurse Noah to sleep, then put him down. He wouldn't wake up usually, but when he goes to sleep, he's cranky if I don't nurse. Usually I give in and nurse him. I'm thinking I should start making him sleep on his own for at least for nap.......I'd probably look into that book, since that one has a good reputation.

[Julia1Pin]

Welcome Anita! Asha is a gorgous name. Hope to see you around her e often. This board is what kept me sane the first 6 months or so of motherhood!

[AnnaSue]

Congratulations and welcome Anita! Glad to hear everything is going well. Having a baby sure is an amazing experience!

I had an interesting night at work tonight. Up until this point I have been pretty fortunate in not having to deal with too many rude comments from people regarding pregnancy and child raising etc. However, this woman at work tonight came up to me and said "What on earth are you doing at work? You should be home breastfeeding your baby!" I work at a different pharmacy almost every day since I'm a floater, and I had never even met this woman before. What makes people say stuff like that? I guess it wouldn't bother me so much except for the fact that breastfeeding was a big problem for me, and therefore a bit of a sensitive subject I guess. I really wanted to breastfeed my son, but for some reason never got any real milk production, and eventually had to quit since I could only get a maximum of 2 ounces every day. I hope I don't have to go back to that store again soon.

Anyway, I was reading Erin's thread about the Picture People (thanks for the warning about them!), and I was wondering how often people usually have professional pictures of the baby taken. I hadn't even thought about that, and I'm thinking maybe I should take him in soon to get some good pictures. He is 10 weeks old today, is that too soon?

Sounds like daycare is pretty expensive everywhere. We are looking at paying $238 per week if I can't get a more regular schedule at work. The scheduler today said she was willing to work with me on it though, so I'm hoping I can get a set day off during the week (since I work every other weekend), and then my brother said he may be able to babysit a day or two during the week once DH goes back to work. That would bring it down to two days a week that we'd have to bring him to daycare, but like everyone else says, if we have to pay the full price we will. I won't leave him with someone I'm not comfortable with to save a little money. I'd never feel relaxed at work! The peace of mind is worth it!

[MrsReber]

AnnaSue! I cannot believe that someone you don't even know would be that rude to you! That's horrible!

I didn't take Casey for professional pictures until she was 7 months old. It was right before Christmas. Then I got her 1 year pictures taken. Then I didn't got back until Christmas. That was with both kids. I haven't been back since. I feel like I should go since I don't have 1 year pictures of Brenden yet and he'll be one in two days! However, we do have tons of pictures that we have taken at home. Many of those turned out really nice, especially the ones taken outside. Our daycare also does pictures. It's about $30 for a full package, but you only get the one shot of your child and a picture of the whole class. The thing is that it's hard to know if you child will be in a good mood for the picture so it's hard to schedule an appointment. I like the "drop in" option. Both my kids freak out if I put them down in a strange place and walk away, so the photography studio is not their favorite place.

[erinl]

I did 3 month pictures, Christmas, 9 mo and 1 year. Hanne loves getting her picture taken, so it's never been a problem. I try to schedule right after nap time. Now I think we'll cut back to Christmas and birthday.

I agree with Susan. I can't believe a total stranger would be that rude.

[MelissaAS]

Nori- Your little mini-pill comment did not slip by me...how exciting! Good luck!

Anita- Welcome! Feel free to ask/share anything, the people are really open and honest and helpful here! I too remember being astounded by actually feeling my heart swell with love for Julia. It is SUCH a blessing!

We're looking forward to the long weekend, even though Julia is coming down with another cold (her 3rd!). If/when she feels better, I'm going to start her on some rice cereal. Do you folks mix with breastmilk (if breastfeeding), formula or water? I can't believe I'm going to say this because I've been so adamant about not giving Julia formula, but I'm considering using formula to mix with food because I don't know if I can tolerate the idea of more pumping. 3x/day, 3d/week while I'm at work is about all I can take and that yields exactly what I need for the next work day. Any advice?

As for professional pictures, I had Julia's done at Picture People at 3mo. and since they didn't come out well I'm definitely re-doing at 6 or 7 months (maybe waiting until she's sitting) then probably 1 year. I went will a friend who had her 8-month-old daughter's picture done at Penney's yesterday and they came out great. I might try there next.

Happy 4th Everyone!
Melissa

[BeckyM]

Hi All!

My parents are here visiting for the week, so I don't have long to write. We're really enjoying their visit, and Katie is revelling in all the attention. She's used to only one person being able to pay attention to her during the day, and right now she has THREE!

Welcome Anita! You've described the feelings about a newborn baby really well. It leaves you feeling overwhelmed with love and incredibly vulnerable, doesn't it? Congratulations!

Melissa -- I've been mixing breastmilk with Katie's cereal, mostly because I don't want to spend money on formula. But I'm only pumping once a day, strictly to mix with her cereal. I wouldn't blame you for using formula with the cereal if you're already pumping so much already! I've also heard it's actually a good idea to mix formula with cereal for breastfed babies, because the formula has additional iron that the babies don't get as well through breastmilk. I'm considering using some formula with Katie's cereal when we go on vacation in August, because I don't think I can pump enough to have a bottle ready when my Mom will be watching Katie for an evening, PLUS the milk I'd need every day for the cereal. I'll try it at home first though, because I'm not sure if Katie will eat it that way or not. I know formula tastes a lot different from breastmilk, so I hope she doesn't protest!

Happy 4th of July, everyone!

Becky :)

[nori]

AnnaSue, that's really rude.:mad: I agree with everyone, I can't believe almost stranger saying something like that. Breastfeeding is a very personal issue and shouldn't be told by ANYONE what to do, even as a joke. It's not funny.

Erin, sorry to read about your Picture People experience. I'd never used them but was thinking to do it sometime. Maybe not, after knowing how they treated you.

Melissa, when I started rice cereal for Noah at 6 months, I mixed with breastmilk first, but then started using just water. He was still nursing a lot, so rice cereal was just an experience for him. Plus, he spilled a lot and I wasn't sure how much he was really getting. (I didn't want to waste breastmilk, you know.;) ) I think another reason you mix it with breastmilk is so that taste would be familiar to the baby. Maybe you can start using water, if she doesn't like it, switch to breastmilk or formula?? About mini-pill...well I really don't think I'd get pregnant for a while, considering how often I'm still nursing....but you never know. Reading all about MrsReber and Joanne's kids' story made me think it'd be fun to have kids close together. We're not so serious yet, but if it happens, that's fine with us.

Becky, have fun your parents' stay! Katie must be so excited to have grandma and grandpa.


We don't have any big plan for 4th....DH would grill something for dinner, and I don't even know if we're going to go to watch fireworks. I've heard the ones we have in town is pretty big, and it's far end of the town, and so crowded. We used to go to the nearby park by walk and spread the blanket to watch it...that was fun. Plus, all of this fire in the mountain....I feel like it's a little bit inappropriate to do fireworks this year.

Anyway, have a great holiday, everyone!

[albus87]

Welcome to the board Anita and welcome Asha! I think you joined the pregnancy board just as I "graduated" to the new mom's board in January.

I hope everyone is having a great 4th of July... we just returned from the carnival downtown. It was a lot of fun and Chloe loved it because there was so much to see. We brought her stroller but I ended up carrying her in our new "Over the Shoulder Baby Holder." Does anyone else have one of these? I love it! It's much easier on the back than the Baby Bjorn. It's also about half the price of the Baby Bjorn, so if anyone is looking for an easy, hands free way to carry their baby, I highly recommend it.

It's been a big couple of weeks for us. We measured Chloe a couple of weeks ago and realized she was just shy of 27 inches long. She's only 5 months old but the kid is tall! So, she's graduated from her infant travel system carseat to a convertible carseat. She seems to like it but she seems so small in it. We bought the Britax Marathon, it's good for up to 6 years and 65 pounds, so it's probably a little larger than most. I just can't imagine putting a newborn in there tho. The baby would be lost.

She's also been on solids for a couple of weeks. We offered her cereal about a month ago and she didn't really care for it. So, we waited a couple of weeks and tried it again. She loves it! She's also had sweet potatoes and carrots and last night we introduced winter squash. She loves all of those as well. She was on cereal exclusively only for about a week or so, then I introduced the sweet potatoes. I'm hoping I didn't rush things too much, but I think it's ok. She generally eats a serving of cereal and a 2 oz jar of veggies per meal. Her formula consumption has dropped by about 10oz per day, but I guess that is to be expected.

Nori - good luck on your endeavors to conceive a sibling for Noah. DH and I have been discussing if/when we'll have a second child. He's all for it, I'm still a little hesitant. We have decided, however, that if we do have a second one, it will be soon. We definitely want them close in age So, I guess I don't have too much time to make up my mind.

Interesting discussion on day care costs. Chloe goes to military daycare. It's subsidized and fees are on a sliding scale. DH and I pay the max amount which is $111/week, for a total of about $450 a month. I had no idea civilian daycare was so expensive. DH and I make a good living, but $1500/month would be hard to absorb! Of course, if we have a second child, our daycare costs would double (presuming we could get the baby into the same facility).

Well, I've probably written enough. I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday!

arta

[albus87]

Kim: I just reread the last page from June... Congrats to your DH on the job!

[Julia1Pin]

Melissa - I mix the cereal with water. I was pumping so much, and getting just enough fo rthe next day, that I didn't want to use that for food too. Abigail seemed fine with it.

Kim - I also forgot. Congratulations, and good luck on DHs new job.

We went for Abigails 9 month appt on the 26th. She's 27.75 inches long and 18,85 lbs. Also, 43.5 in. head. She's 60% in height, 50th in weight and head. And everything is fine. 2 more shots though :( Abigail took them like a trooper!! She wouldn't even lie down for them. She only wanted to sit or stand :) She's so funny.

Arta - How was Chloe during the fire works?

[albus87]

Julia: Chloe sleeps like a rock. She goes to bed every night at about 730pm and almost without exception, sleeps until at least 6am each morning. Our neighbors set off a MASSIVE fireworks show last night. It was very loud with lots of explosions. Because of the orientation of our houses, their front yard is directly under her second floor bedroom window. We were a little worried but she did fine - she slept through the whole thing. We have a white noise machine in her room - we turned it up a little louder than normal as a preventative measure, but she probably would have been fine without it. The cats, on the other hand, were freaking out! How did Abigail do?

We are heading to Lowes this morning. We want to replace the yucky, beige, construction grade downstairs carpet with Pergo. Right now, we are torn between having it installed and trying to do it ourselves. Are there any do-it-yourselfers out there? Has anyone installed the stuff? Any hints or horror stories?

[nori]

Happy Belated Birthday, Brenden!!!!!

Hope you had a wonderful birthday party, MrsReber. Did your MIL show up?:D


Arta, I'm jealous that Chloe is such a good sleeper! That's great for you! Noah still gets up crying several times so I have to go in. It's okay, though. I'm pretty much used to it. I reserved a copy of "no-cry sleep solution" from the library to see if there's anything I can do to help him( and me;) )out, though. I've never heard of that baby carrier...where did you get it? I have baby bjorn, which we still use here and there but I think Noah is getting to be too big for that. No carpeting experience here, although we're thinking to do tiling all ourselves soon. Good luck!

Julia, we didn't have any shots on 9 months appointment. I was told the next one will be after his birthday. I wonder what makes that difference??:confused: That's funny she just wanted to sit up or stand up.:)

Well we had a nice 4th of July...didn't go out to watch the fireworks, but DH grilled some kebob and it was great. I got this jersy outfit for Noah that has number 03 on the back. Saturday night, we went to drive-in theater to watch T3. At the nearby park, they were having a concert and they had a big fireworks at the end of the show which we could see very well. Noah was fast to sleep and wasn't disturbed at all with all that noise.

Oh and we went to public pool on Saturday and we played in kiddie pool. He had fun splashing water, and he didn't care having water in his face.

Everything was great this weekend until Sunday's lunch.....well I'll post another thread on Other Board because I just need to vent and let people know about this.

Hope everyone had a nice weekend!

[albus87]

Nori: I got the "over the shoulder baby holder" at parentsafely.com. Click on the "babysling" option. I had never heard of it before, but then I saw a woman at walmart using one with her 2 1/2 year old son. I was so intrigued, I stopped her and asked her about it. She highly recommended it and said she had used it for both of her kids. Apparently, you can get them through the La Leche league as well. I've only been using it about a week or so, but Chloe loves it. We spent about 3 hours at Lowes yesterday, and she was in the sling, happy and laughing, the whole time. It's much easier on my back than the Baby Bjorn as well. DH tried it and didn't really care for it. However, I think it was more a style issue than a comfort issue. I think he felt it was too "feminine" or something.

arta

[cchhbb]

Hi all,

Arta and Nori, I have a sling that was made by NoJO. I found it at a garage sale, but they sell it at Babies R Us. I use it a lot when we are just going for short distances. Like from the car into a store. I think if I was going to buy one I would buy the Maya one. It folds up much smaller and is easier to adjust.

Nori, I'm using the No Cry Sleep Solution book. It seems to be working, but don't expect overnight success. Since it is a low stress system, it will take a long time. Garrett and I have been working at it nearly 3 weeks and he will now nap in his crib. Sometimes it's a real struggle to get him to go down and stay down, but you really need to be consistent. I've pretty much toned down my schedule in order to dedicate myself to this. Once he falls into a schedule, I think I'll be able to start going back to my previous schedule.

Susan, Happy Belated Birthday Brenden! I hope the party was great.

Arta, DH and I have installed nail down hardwood flooring together. It's really not that hard, but was time consuming. Also, what really took us the most time was the prep work, i.e. leveling the floor after replacing the subflooring.

Julia, What a big girl. My doctor doesn't do shots at the 9 month. I wonder what shots she got that my DR doesn't give.

Erin, Sorry about your Picture People problem. How terrible. I hate it when they try to suck you in with good deals and then won't honor them. I've had really good luck with Sears. Babies R Us right by my house is opening a studio too. I'm going to take Garrett there one day since I have a coupon for some free pictures. I get Garrett picture taken at least every 3 months.

Welcome, Anita and Asha.

I'm off to wash the kitchen floor since Garrett is napping. He's really crawling fast and is pulling up on everything he can. He also just started to cruise.

Cheryl

[BeckyM]

Hi everyone! Katie is "helping" me type, so I need to keep this short. I just wanted to let you all know I just started a thread on the Other Stuff board asking for advice on choosing childcare for Katie. Since I'm going back to work in October, I figured I'd better start looking now! So if anyone has suggestions or advice on how to pick the best childcare (what questions to ask, things to look for, etc.), could you reply to that thread? Thanks!

Katie's 9-month appointment is tomorrow, so I'll report back with her statistics. I don't think she's supposed to get shots this time, but I know they're going to test her iron.

By the way, thanks erinl for the info on the Picture People. DH and I are talking about getting professional pictures of Katie, and based on your reort, I know where we WON'T be going!

Becky :)

[JoanneOR]

Hi everyone. I haven't had time to read or post much. Work has been very busy and since Caitlyn is on the move it's hard to be on the computer at home. So, I'm sorry I can't respond to everyone, but just wanted to check in.

Congrats to all the walkers! Seems like yesterday we were on the pregnancy threads! Caitlyn is getting good with her crawling. She also climbs the stairs now. Except every time she does it she panics half way up. I think she realizes she could fall. She's pulling up, too, but can't stand for too long before she sits down.

Becky, child care is tough. But it's good that you're starting early. I don't have too much advice, you just have to go with your feelings. If you have friends using child care, get recommendations from them.

Kim, congrats on your DH's job! That must be a relief!

Mrs. Reber, how was Brenden's party? I think he is the first to turn one here! I decided I'm going to have Colin's 4th birthday and Caitlyn's first together, sometime in mid-August.

Caitlyn had her nine-month appointment last week. She is 18 pounds and 29 1/2 inches. I think she's in the 50-60% for height and weight.

I've used both Picture People and Sears for photos. The last time I used Sears Colin was a baby and the girl taking the pictures was horrible. She was being nasty with the kids because Colin wouldn't smile. He was six months old! Yelling won't make the situation any better! Well, she wasn't yelling, but she definitely wasn't being nice to the kids. A horrible experience. I haven't been back since. So much depends on the photographer and you never know who you will get. I took Caitlyn to Picture People for her six month picture. They were OK, but they used this white background on a white rug. She is so pale, you can barely see her. A couple they took with a purple background were OK. I took the boys to an Olan Mills studio a couple years ago. The photographer there is great, but they are more expensive. I may attempt to get a picture of all four together there soon.

Nori, glad to hear Mrs. Reber and I may be somewhat of an influence on a possibly growing family. :) Good luck with everything!

[Julia1Pin]

Arta - DH wouldn't be caught dead wearng a baby bjorn or anything like that, even if his ara were about to fall of :rolleyes: Surprisingly Abigail also slept right through the fire works. I was sitting in the jacuzzi watching them and cringing because I figured they would wake Abigail up.

I think the shot she got was for Hep B. She got the iron poke in the foot too but didn't even make a peep during that pr*ck.

Susan - How did the birthday party go?


Nori - Sorry about the ice cream on Sunday. what a bummer :(

[MrsReber]

Hi! Joanne, I think Ellie (Bosunswife's baby girl) turned 1 a week or two before Brenden. Barbara I have a good man for Ellie! The party went well. My mom showed up just before 2:00 and my brother showed up about 2:15. I told everyone to show up between 2:00 and 3:00. At 3:00, I got a call from DH's sister asking if MIL was at our house. Apparently no one could find her. She was supposed to pick up SIL's son and bring him over. Two of DH's sisters already had plans so they weren't coming. At 3:45, finally, the rest of the crowd showed up. MIL showeed up just after 4:00. It was really hot out so my brother wasn't too upset to be sitting in the aircondited house waiting for the rest of the family. I'm a little annoyed that some of our friends blew us off (my best friend, for one). DH's one brother who I never met before came with his family. They're so nice. I hope we keep in touch now. Brenden loved being the center of attention. He's such a ham. He still wouldn't let anyone but me hold him, though. It got dark and looked like rain just before we had cake. DH thought we better go inside. It worked out well because all the guys brought the tables and chairs back into the garage and all the women brought in the food. As it turned out, it didn't rain, but we had nothing to bring in after our guests left! The kids ranged in age from 6 to 13 and they all played together so nicely. It was amazing. Our last guests left at 8:00 and the kids were more than ready for a bath and bed. So was I! Brenden had a great time with his ice cream cake. He had it all over himself and the table. It was really cute. I thought I wasn't going to have enough cake. We only had a tiny bit left over. We're still eating hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken!

Arta, I just wanted to offer some advice on the food. It's great that Chloe is eating, but my doctor had told me to always give formula or breastmilk before a meal since a baby's nutritional needs and calories should come primarily from those sources before about 9 months. I was feeding Brenden lots of food around 6 months because he wanted to feed himself. I found that his weight dropped off a bit so I had to try harder to keep his formula/breastmilk consumption up. I think it's around 9 months that I was told to shift more to foods. You may want to just check with your own doctor. Oh, and your daycare cost less than ours! It was $540 for Brenden to go to the military daycare! Must just be the location, I guess.

I wanted to take the kids to see fireworks, but Brenden was way too tired. We went to my brother's house to hang out and have some food. I'd say we went swimming, but the kids really don't like the pool. I tried. They were not into it at all. My brother and his family and SIL's sister and her boyfriend were leaving at 7:30 to see fireworks. The fireworks didn't start until 9:15, they just had to leave that early for parking. Brenden was already putting his head down on the ground so I figured it was best to go home. He is not pleasant when he's tired and he'll only sleep in the car or in his crib. We got home and Brenden was asleep by 8:30. Someone in the neighborhood was (illegally) shooting off fireworks that we could see from our backyard. They weren't loud and Casey really enjoyed watching them. Nothing spectacular, but at least it was fireworks.

Well, Casey is up from her nap and I need to check my work email so I must sign off!

[RunnerKim]

Whew so much to catch up on in the last week plus. I apologize now that I'm going to miss commenting on a lot!

Hearing everyone's day care costs have really made me realize that it's rather affordable around here. We think we have a place lined up that we really like. It's just across the street from my building - in the downtown police station/court building (AKA the Jail :eek: ). It's very secure though (key coded entry and everything). Rather small - 24 children total and have a good ratio often more than the required 4:1 because they're a drop-in center for police officers/court employees. Used to only be for police officers but they've opened to all city and county employees. It was very calm while we were there. We talked for awhile with a couple of the teachers and they seem to really enjoy working there - been there a long time, feel they get paid well etc. I'm looking forward to being able to see Lainey over my lunch hour - DH and i will probably alternate. $735/month (government rate). DH still doesn't know his salary though (has an idea) so I really want to know that before we sign up. He starts in a week. I'm not ready!!!

Nori - that's awful about someone giving Noah ice cream. I'd be mad too. We're planning it as Lainey's special treat when she turns 1 too. I'll be waiting expectantly to hear any news ;)

Welcome Anita & Asha (lovely name!)

Lainey slept through the fireworks too and there were tons. We were in our tent on a high school's grounds (at an agility trial) and I knew we were in trouble because we passed tons and tons of fireworks stands. DH wondered how people knew which one to shop at there were so many! I don't recall when the last time i lived somewhere that it was legal to set off fireworks (at least the bigger ones). The neighborhoods surrounding the school just set off tons of them - it was loud. I was in our tent with Lainey and didn't get to see it but heard it was quite the show. She tossed and turned but didn't wake up (and fornately our dog wasn't bothered by them but several other dogs there were freaking out poor things).

Melissa - you throw a lot of cereal away in the beginning, I personally wouldn't waste breastmilk on it. Use water (or if you're worried about iron then use formula) but it's not worth extra pumping in my opinion.

Arta - I thought I'd been told babies should still get 24 oz. of formula when they're starting solids. Lainey has maintained this (maybe a less now that she's really eating 3 meals a day) 10oz just seems small - how much was she taking before you added in solids??

AnnaSuee - it's amazing what people will say. I hear you on the whole breastfeeding thing. I was spending the night recently with a friend you had a magazine called Mothering, which had an article about tandem breastfeeding your 3 year old and new baby if that gives you an idea where it is in the spectrum of things. Friend and i talked about how we wished some of the diehard breastfeeding advocates really had a clue how difficult and impossible it actually is for some of us. Evan all that said - what a rude women. I have a friend who just tells people she just leaves her kids home and lets them eat cat food all day. That seems to shut em up.

It is me who's talked about signing. We do signs with Lainey - she hasn't started doing them back yet. I just love the thought of communicating with her earlier than her speech can develop (maybe, hopefully helping with some of the frustration pre-speaking toddlers feel????). She clearly understands cat, dog, Mom, Dad, more and finished.

Susan - I just have to say that is horrible about the cat getting mauled. I am a "dog person" completely but I'm very happy to leave my dog home where she's safe, happy and not stressed out. I'm so sorry you and your children had to see that. I caught part of an Oprah show recently that talked about accidents that happen to children - (major tear jerker episode) and of course pools was on the list. Made me think of your in-laws!

Gotta go!
Kim

[JoanneOR]

Arta, I must have missed your post about the amount of formula Chloe was drinking. Is it just 10 ounces a day? That seems a bit low, you might want to check with the doctor to see if that's OK. I don't want to worry you, but I'm remembering that when Caitlyn first came home they said she should drink at least 12 ounces a day for hydration. She was only about 8 pounds then. So it seems like a bigger baby would need more.

Kim, I'm sure everything will work out with the day care and DH's job. It'll be a tough transition at first, but it sounds like a good day care. The fact that the teachers have been there a long time and like it says alot. That's great that you can see Lainey at lunch.

Mrs. Reber, sounds like a great party. Especially since Brenden seemed to have a good time. Caitlyn is the same way about sleeping. She'll only sleep in her crib. Next week we're going to Michigan with DH's family (should be interesting!). I'm concerned about how she will adjust to napping (if she will at all!) and sleeping at night. But, I guess we'll just take it one day at a time! I know the boys will have a blast. All their cousins will be there and it's right on a lake with a nice beach.

Kim, fireworks are illegal here but you would never know it. People buy them in Indiana. I think the police pretty much ignore them unless someone complains. We had at least three families on our block shooting them off pretty late into the night. Caitlyn slept through it all, too.

I had an experience this weekend that made me realize how lucky we are with Caitlyn. We had to go pick up some xrays that she had taken of her hips a few months ago because we are going to see the orthopedist. Anyway, we had to go to the same waiting room that I was in when I went to have my amnio. This was just a few days after we found out about her heart defects and we were scared to death. They had told us there was a really good chance that she had chromosomal abnormalites and could have all kinds of other problems and I should have an amnio to be prepared. I remember being in that waiting room just so upset and barely able to keep it together. Here I was almost a year and a half later with my beautiful baby crawling all over the seats and making everyone smile. Proved them wrong, huh?!! Anyway, just wanted to share that!

OK, gotta go do some work!

[MrsReber]

Kim, luckily the kids and I didn't witness the attack up close. I just saw the dog playing with something. DH was the one who ran around the front of the house (we ended up pulling up around the side/back so we wouldn't get blocked in). I felt worse for his neice, who was very pregnant at the time. She was really upset. She had her baby on the 4th! She went into labor on the morning of the 3rd. Yikes! Way too long! She couldn't have an epidural because she has a rod in her back from having spinal meningitis when she was very young. The anesthesiologists wouldn't do it. She was in lots of pain. Her baby girl is Laylah Sage. She's so excited that our kids will be able to play together because they'll be so close in age. The other cousins on DH's side of the family are too old for my babies. They're not very interested in playing with them. About the ice cream- it is fun to feed it to them, but Casey hated it. She didn't really like ice cream until this year. Weird kid. Brenden liked it, but he likes all food. Oh, he did spit out potato salad yesterday. I hardly ever see him spit anything out. He would never waste good food!

Joanne, isn't it something to look back at where you were a year or so ago? It just amazes me. You and Caitlyn overcame a lot to get where you are now. Good luck with the trip. We're going to VA again the first weekend in August for a picnic with the other property owners. We couldn't make it the last 2 years since we were busy having babies! I'm worried about how it'll affect Brenden's sleeping patterns. He is such a good sleeper at night in his crib. Casey is so different. With her, it's a miracle if she spends the whole night in her own bed. I think she slept through maybe 2 nights without getting up last week.

Kim, that sounds like a great deal on the daycare. It's important to have the same teachers there for a long time. I could get cheaper daycare, but the places were frightening. I like to see the same faces each time I go in. Not just for the kids, but it makes me feel more secure, too.

[LosingIt]

Hi everyone, I'm a major lurker through pregnancy and now as a new mom. I enjoy reading about all your babies and I need some advice. I started Michael, almost six month old, on cereal the week he turned five months. The first week he just played with it, eating little. The next week he would eat the whole bowl - about 2 tablespoons - but now this week, I can't get him to eat his cereal at all. He makes faces and will hardly open his mouth for the spoon when last week he was diving for it. Should I try another cereal such as oatmeal or move on to veggies or just keep trying the rice cereal? :confused: Thanks!

[RunnerKim]

Losing It - Lainey did much the same thing. She seemed to really enjoy eating her rice cereal and I was feeling like she was handling it well and we were ready to move on and she lost interest in eating altogether! I don't think it's that unusual - just wait Michael out. Offer it, but if he says no just put it away and try at the next meal. He'll come back around to eating it (with gusto even). Lainey goes through phases where something will be her favorite and then she won't want it for awhile. It's hard when your first starting to not let it worry/stress you. The novelty has probably worn off and it's more work to eat than just get a bottle. It was probably about this point that I started feeding first and then giving the bottle (but Lainey has always taken enough formula that I felt okay doing this). You could try switching to oatmeal or this point - but I'd encourage you to also continue to offer the rice cereal too.

Susan - Laylah Sage is a pretty name. I feel for your SIL not being able to get an epidural. I can't get over how different your children are - eating, sleeping habits.

Joanne - that is so neat to have the perspective you did - especially considering some people would just see the glass as half empty (i.e., you having to be there at all to get the x-rays etc.).

Kim

[nori]

Joanne, I agree!!! I still remember we were in Pregnancy Thread and you gave us all update about Caitlyn. You guys are so brave, and yes, you proved them wrong by having her in that same waiting room, happy and crawling around.;)

MrsReber, sounds fun to go to VA in August! It'll be a blast with 2 kids, I think. Brenden sounds like a great sleeper...I wish Noah had a tiny bit of that. He's been kind of cranky, I don't know if it's teething or not. Now he'd get up and stand in the crib crying at night. I pick him up and soothe him, the he'd go back to sleep. It may be this temperture, though...it's been (of course ) over 100 degrees around here, and our cooler pads need to be changed this weekend. That means cooler isn't working very well. Noah's head is always sweaty, wetting sheets everynight. Is there anything I can do to keep him cool???

LosingIt, I just saw your post...I'd just try cereal here and there, but not worry about him not eating so much. He should be getting enough nutrients from either breastmilk or formula, and eating is just an experience. Noah also had those phases where he'd eat a lot and not at all. At this point (almost 6 months old), I'd not try other kinds of food, though, I'd just keep offering him rice cereal.

Kim, glad you found a nice daycare! It'll be nice to be able to see Lainey at lunch time.:)

Noah was up about every hour from 2am to 4am last night.:( Finally I took him to our bed and slept until 6am. Cheryl, I'm waiting to get my copy of no-cry sleep solution but I was afraid it might involve a lot of scheduling....I wonder if I can adjust to follow their schedule. We'll see.

Well gotta go for now. Have a nice day, everyone!

[MrsReber]

Losingit, ditto what Kim and Nori said. Brenden wasn't very interested in food until almost 6 months. Then he developed eczema and the doctor advised me to stop all food and re-introduce each separately to see what was causing the eczema. We started food again after about a week or so. Then he ate like crazy and wanted everything. He still does. Breastmilk and/or formula should mainly supply the nutrition for your son at this point. Food is more like "practice" right now. By the way- hi and welcome to the light! :D Finally got you out of "lurkdom".

Kim, it is amazing how different my kids are. One is blond with blue eyes and fair skin, the other is dark haired with brown eyes and olive skin. Although Casey is quiet, she is much more daring than Brenden. He hates any kind of rough play and doesn't like yelling whereas Casey loves to be thrown around and will laugh at us when we yell. I'm more amazed each day.

[BeckyM]

Hi Everyone!

It's amazing the number of posts since I was last here! I guess we've all got a lot to say.

Kim -- sounds like a great daycare situation. I'm starting to look into that for Katie, for when I return to work in October. I found out there's a new one being built fairly close to our house -- they already have one center a ways away, and it sounded pretty nice. Of course I'm still in the VERY EARLY stages of looking, but it's good to know there are some better-sounding prospects than I thought.

LosingIt -- Katie was the same way about rice cereal. She enjoyed it then hated it for a while, then ate it again just fine. I ditto everyone else's recommendations to keep trying. I imagine she'll come back to eating it after a while. We have found (at 9 months) that Katie will definitely eat more oatmeal than rice cereal though, so we're mostly feeding her that now. We also tried barley in there for a while, and she seemed to like that better than the rice cereal too.

The fireworks around here sound similar to what many of you described -- illegal but all over the place anyway. We even have a couple in our neighborhood who are both cops, and they have fireworks every year. I just don't understand it. Luckily the fireworks didn't bother Katie either.

Well, Katie had her 9-month appointment this morning (one week late), and she is now 28 1/4 inches long (75th percentile) and weighs 17 lbs (25th percentile). She is very consistent with being long and lean, so the doctor said that's just the body type she has for now. Hopefully she'll get to keep that body type and not become chubby like I was as a kid. Anyway, the doctor said everything looks good, and Katie is just where she ought to be developmentally. I had been starting to worry about her not crawling yet, but he said they don't really expect kids to crawl until about 10 1/2 months or so. He also said there's a really wide discrepancy between different kids at this age, so some crawl much earlier than that and some later. Anyway, he eased my fears about that. Katie is starting to get up on her hands and knees now, so she's showing signs of crawling soon.

That's it for now. I need to get busy on some things before Katie wakes up.

There are some young boys (maybe about 8-10 years old) playing baseball in the cul-de-sac in front of our house. Ahhhhh, to be young and carefree again, just playing games all summer. Sometimes I still find it hard to believe I'm not that age anymore, and that I actually am a MOTHER! It seems like only yesterday when I was out playing Cops & Robbers on my banana-seat bike.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Becky :)

[RunnerKim]

Becky - I want to transition Lainey to oatmeal from rice ceral (after all what adult, let alone toddler/child eats rice cereal!) We tried it awhile back and she didn't care for it - I just boiled water and added the ground up oats. Do you use the baby stuff or do you make your own? Can I just grind up (in food processor) oats and add formula or does it need to be cooked (and cooled)???

Katie is a lanky child! Glad the doctor thought she was doing well.

I have a questions about fans. Are they required to be safe for baby fingers??? It seems to me that Lainey could get her little fingers in there and they'd be long enough to reach the blades. But it's not something I've heard anything about and with the summer upon us I figured it would have come up ???? (and I obvioulsy haven't tested it!)

Nori - could Noah be teething? (seems like my answer to everything!). Cranky: teething. Not sleeping well: teething. Clingy: teething. I certainly think the heat could be playing a role. i have a much tougher time getting Lainey to sleep when we're having a heat wave here. I don't even trying putting her down in her room until I can open her window to start cooling it off (and since her room faces west that's a good hour plus after her normal bed time). Maybe you could fill a big casserole dish with ice cubes and put it in front of a fan in his room (as the ice melts the fan will blow the cooler air around the room) I have no idea how effective this would be???

Kim

[MrsReber]

Kim, we have the fan problem. We don't have central air. It was one of those things that I gave up when I sold my house after meeting DH. Oh, the sacrifices I make for that man! Anyway, we used to only have one a/c unit in the livingroom. Last year, when I was pregnant with Brenden, I made him buy another one. It's funny, this year, since I'm not pregnant or recovering from child birth, the hot days don't seem as hot anymore. Anyway, back to the fans. We have a window fan that we put in on the cooler days. Brenden walked right up to it (well, crawled and pulled himself up on the window ledge) and put his finger right in there! That was it. Mom pulled the plug. No fan while BK is up! We turned on the a/c and he went over and unplugged it! It's now taped to the wall with duct tape. I'm so afraid he's going to get shocked. I think he may have already gotten a little shock from it once. He's into everything. Now he turns the tv on and off, just like Casey did when she was his age. I forgot about that! I don't think there are any safety requirements on regular fans regarding children, though. I guess they leave that up to us.

[BeckyM]

Kim -- I'm still using the baby oatmeal, mixed with breastmilk. Katie's doctor said it's okay to start trying Cream of Wheat or regular oatmeal with her now though. I had thought it was important to get her the iron that's in the baby cereal, but I guess it's not that critical. I would probably just try the quick-cooking kind (smaller flakes) cooked with water, then let it cool considerably before giving it to her. I don't know if you can grind it up in the food processor small enough to serve it without actually cooking. Or maybe you can cook it with formula? Or maybe cook it with water and then add powdered formula? I don't know if that would make the taste better for a baby or not, but it might be worth trying if you don't want to buy the baby version.

I have no idea on the fans. We have a tall skinny one in our bedroom that I've been able to keep Katie away from so far. It's built differently than the regular rotating kind, so I think her fingers would be safe. I'm more worried about her pulling it over on herself. Luckily we have a/c (I don't think I could live in Ohio without it), so we don't have to use fans too much.

Becky :)

[nmody]

Hi Everyone-

There's been so much activity on the boards in the last couple of days! I have been lurking but haven't had time to post in a while. I thought with having someone watching Ella during the day would free up some time for me---WRONG!! I have been so busy trying to catch up on stuff that I've neglected over the past few months.

Happy Belated Birthday to Brenden! Sounds like you had a great party Susan!

Joanne--It's awesome to hear of Caitlyn's progress in this world! Your love and spirit are probably some of the best medicine she can have.

Kim- Congrats on DH's job and finding such a great childcare arrangement! What a load off your shoulders!

Nori--That was awful with the ice cream....I am getting more and more that way with wanting to experience all of Ella's "firsts" the first time they happen. I think it's the anxiety of going back to work that's causing it. I took Ella to my aunt's house in OK last month and my uncle tried to feed Ella mangos which is probably my favorite food, but I would never even dream of trying to feed a THREE month old!! I think some people are just reared differently, especially the generation before ours I'm finding.

Becky--good luck finding great childcare. We ended up using a nanny referral agency to find ours. It was expensive up front but totally worth it since we have found a great one. The agency here also certifies all its nannies with infant/child CPR as well as a baby safety class. She's even teaching me stuff I didn't think about!! :eek:

Well Ella had her 4 month appt. yesterday, and my kid is officially a giant! She weighed in at 17 3/4 lbs (95th %ile) and 25 3/4" (95th %ile)!!! Just roll after roll! But the pediatrician said she is doing great and just a happy baby. We also got the okay to start Ella on solids----what an adventure that it! I tried some rice cereal this morning and it was so funny!! She wouldn't swallow it, but couldn't spit it all out so she just left it on her tongue with her mouth open and screaming. She didn't know what to do with the stuff, and finally starting to cry about it. Oh well, so much for a first experience. Hopefully she'll just slowly figure it out.

Well, so much to do with so little time.....hope all is well with everyone!

Nima

[AnnaSue]

Hi everyone! Lets see if I can type with one hand again. Seems like Brendan always falls asleep when I want to use the computer. He has pretty much been asleep since 6:00 tonight, and I can't figure out whether or not I should wake him up. I'm afraid if I don't, he'll be up for the day at 4 a.m.!:eek: He never usually sleeps this much! I can't wait until he gets on a more regular schedule, but we aren't there yet.

Arta - I've been wondering how you like the new carseat you bought. It looks like Brendan is going to be a tall one too. He was 24 inches already at his 8 week appointment, and weighed 11 1/2 pounds. He is pretty long and lean at the moment. I haven't done any convertible carseat research yet, I thought I'd have more time!

Melissa - Sorry to hear about your frustrations with pumping. I went through that too. After having all kinds of problems breastfeeding, I tried pumping for awhile too to see if I could increase production, but after about 7 weeks, I just realized it wasn't meant to be. Fortunately, Brendan is now doing great on formula (after discovering Carnation Good Start!). It was a bit hard for awhile when I had to quit breastfeeding, and then he couldn't tolerate any other formulas.

Nori - Hope you are feeling better about the ice cream incident. I guess some people just don't think about the importance of certain things to parents. At least it wasn't on his birthday, so hopefully you and your DH can still look forward to that special occasion!

MrsReber - Happy belated birthday to Brenden! Glad to hear the party went well!

Becky - Good luck in your child care search. I recently posted a similar thread and got lots of good advice. I'm not good at posting links, or I'd do it for you, but I believe the title of it was "what type of childcare do you use while at work?" (or something like that).

Kim - Congratulations on finding daycare for Lainey, and I hope the upcoming transition goes smoothly for you. I'll be interested to hear how the signing goes for you, and when Lainey starts to respond. Did you buy a book to learn the signs?


Alright, I think Brendan is getting hungry. Maybe I'll try and keep him up for a little while.

[nori]

Kim, I usually put every blame on teething.:D When he's up at night, he'd stand up in his crib and won't lay down by himself. I just have to go to pick him up, because I can't let him cry out. Anyway, usually he'd go back to sleep by rocking. I hope he'd learn not to stand up when he woke up, but teaching him to do so without letting him cry out is difficult. So, that's my decision (not let him cry) so I shouldn't be complaining about getting up at night.

AnnaSue...wow Brendan is such a good sleeper! I used to type with one hand but not anymore. If I have him with me while I'm on computer, he'd want to type too so I can't do anything at all.


Nima...Ella is such a big girl! Rice cereal experience is funny. But she'll get used to it. It's interesting your doctor gave you ok for solid at 4 months...my doctor gave me ok for solid at 6 months, although he said I can start it if I really want to at 4 months. I guess every docotor has different view.

Kim, I don't know about the fan, but is it tall one, so Lainey won't be able to touch??? We have the one, but it has to be set on the shelf or table (no neck) so usually don't worry about Noah putting his hand on it. BTW, ice cube in front of fan sounds like a good one to me. That makes sense. I have to figure out how to put the ice cube in front of the fan, though...

We had meatloaf last night. I was feeding Noah some baby food and finger food but he was so fussy all the time. Well meatloaf for us got cooked, so we started to eating. Noah was looking at my plate very closely, so I gave him a tiny bit piece of it. He LOVED it!!! He got so quiet and kept eating for a while. It was so funny. He ate several big pieces. I guess he just doesn't like baby-stuff anymore.

[RunnerKim]

Nima - Ella is almost as big as Lainey and she's almost 10 months!

AnnaSue my advice about carseats is to make sure it can be rear-facing for more than 22 lbs. I have to turn my around at 22lbs and with a big baby that could easily be before 1 year (and I understand it's really much better to keep them rear facing as long as possible). I'm glad you've found a formula that works for Brendan - I did all the pumping too and its a major committment that comes at a cost. I think the un-predicatablity of sleep, eating, fussiness etc. is perhaps the hardest part about the early months. It really will get better soon.

We have a couple of box fans and mostly put them in windows or our sliding glass door - we're just waiting until after she's not in that room anymore (i.e., we go upstairs for the evening we put them out) we really only need to use them on the hottest days. I'm so thankful now that we had the ceiling fans put in our bedrooms.

How do you all serve carrots? Lainey's ready to do more finger foods so I'm trying to figure out how to do that with some of the stuff we've been processing. She's great at eating fruits but she's more selective of her veggies. I know carrots can be a choking hazard -- I read something about using a carrot grator and make long thing strips - would this be with raw or cooked??

Kim

[cchhbb]

Nori, the no cry sleep solution is not really a schedule, but a routine. It's also about watching your child for the first sign of being tired. Garrett and Noah have really different sleep issues, since Garrett sleeps 10 - 12 hours a night. He just won't nap. I don't nurse him to sleep, but he needs to be held if I'm going to get him to nap. Now, I can put him down after working about 3 weeks at it. We are focusing on trying to get him to fall asleep without being held now for naps. I wish I would have done this earlier since Garrett now just stands up when he is in his crib.

Nima, I think Ella is bigger than Garrett and he's 8 months. What a big girl.

AnnaSue, we have the Britax Marathon and I love it. I would check to see if it will fit in your car before you buy it. It's pretty big. It is also kind of heavy. This car seat is really expensive $250, but it is the one Consumer Reports ranks highest.

Kim, I give Garrett frozen organic carrots that are diced. I just let them thaw before I give them to him. I do the same with peas. He's not that great at picking them up yet, but seems very determined. He has a really tough time getting a grip on fruit.

Losing It, Welcome to the board.

Gotta run,

Cheryl

[erinl]

Real quickly--we shred raw carrots with the cheese grater. Hanne LOVES them that way. They do get kind of messy, though.

Everybody, keep your kids rear-facing as long as possible! We got rear-ended yesterday and I was so glad Hanne was still rear-facing. I got jerked around some, and I hate to think what it would have done to her. I was planning on switching her at one year (Sunday) even though ours can face rear to 33 pounds, but not anymore. We'll keep her that way until she can't stand it anymore!

[Julia1Pin]

Erin - Are you and Hanne ok? Did she freak out?

[BeckyM]

Erin -- How scary! :eek: That's one of those things we just don't think about until it happens to us or to someone we know. I sure hope you're all okay and that Hanne wasn't too traumatized by it. Thanks for letting us know about it and for the advice on keeping our seats facing backwards. It definitely gives me further incentive to keep Katie facing backwards as long as possible!

Becky :)

[MelissaAS]

Erin- Thank goodness you're all OK. Ditto on keeping Julia rear-facing; she doesn't mind it so we'll be continuing for a long time...

Kim- Thanks for the advice about the breastmilk/cereal situation. It does almost break my heart to throw out all that breastmilk, crazy as it sounds...

Nima- I love to hear about other big babies, glad to hear Julia's not the only one. She's 5 months and 18lb. 10oz.!

LosingIt- Welcome!! We seem to be at the same exact stage with solids...

I'm having basically the same experience as Nima (and LosingIt, and others!) with rice cereal. We started on her 5 month birthday this weekend and she wasn't very interested. Tried again yesterday and I know my mom plans to try with her today. Figure we'll just keep at it once in a while, but not intensely (daily) until 6 months...my doc also says that 4-6 month timeframe solids are optional.

Since Julia is so big we are starting to consider moving her to a convertible car seat, but keeping it rear-facing. Probably by the end of August. Keep that advice about carseats coming...we got one (a Graco of some kind) at our shower but it's still in the box so I may trade it in/up...

Melissa

[JoanneOR]

Wow, Erin, glad you're both OK. I was actually thinking of switching Caitlyn soon, too, but I think I will wait now.

Nima, Ella is so big! Caitlyn is a little over 18 pounds and 29 1/4 inches and she's 10 months! Sounds like Caitlyn and Katie are pretty close in size, Becky.

I tried one of those gerber graduate meals the other day for Caitlyn. It's got pasta, little pieces of chicken, and carrots. She really seemed to like it. I wouldn't buy it on a regular basis because it's too expensive, but we're going away next week and it might be convenient to take some of those, so I thought we'd try it out. She seems to be on strike against the baby foods. I don't think I'll buy anymore and stick with the table food. We had chicken last night and Caitlyn loved it! She probably ate a good 1/2 cup of it, which is alot for her. She really seems to like meat. I think we're probably at the end of baby foods. She likes to feed herself.

Gotta run!

[MrsReber]

I really like our car seats. We got three of the Cosco convertible seats. It's a rear facing infant seat, a forward facing seat and then it can be used as a booster seat. I belive it was $150. I got one for my car, DH's truck and my mom's car. Brenden outgrew his infant seat/carrier rather early. He was way too long for it.

I have to share this. I read how if you tell your kids that you love them, pretty soon, they'll say it back to you. Well, Casey was kind of saying it, but now she tells us all the time! And she'll tell us out of the blue. DH was outside last night moving some stuff in our yard. He walked in the house while Casey was sitting in her high chair. She yells out "I love YOU, daddy!". She'll tell me while we're in the car. I just love it. She's been so excited about the lightning bugs. I just love seeing everything through her eyes. It's so amazing. She's so observant. She'll tell me she hears an owl. Sure enough, if I stop to listen, I hear it too. Makes me kind of sad in a way. We seem to really lose that when we grow up. I guess this is my second chance.

Joanne, I have a closet full of baby food and Brenden won't touch any of it! He insists on having finger foods. I can't even feed him stuff. I guess it's good in a way since I can save a little money, but it's hard to always find something nutritious that he can eat by himself. My kids love meat, too. I can't figure that one out. Casey ate quite a bit of a venison roast a couple of weeks ago and they both love kielbasa and meatloaf. Casey won't eat veggies, though. I try to load her up on fruit to make up for it. Brenden will eat anything that is food, except baby food.

[RunnerKim]

Erin - how scary!! Glad you two are okay. Remember though that you should get a new car seat. Once it's been involved in an accident you're suppose to replace it (no matter how minor the accident) and insurance should/might cover the cost - particularly if its the other people's insurance!

Cheryl - are the frozen ones pre-cooked? Or are they soft from having been frozen or just small enough they're fine crunchy??
I just picked up a whole bunch of carrots at the farmer's market yesterday (I love that it's open during lunch on Wed. downtown!). I'll try grating and if she doesn't go for that dicing.

Joanne- I agree those baby convenience foods can be really hadny while traveling.

Hmmm- Lainey's a good sleeper - sleeps in her crib etc. but I always hold her until she falls asleep. I'll see if the library has the No Cry Sleep Solution. It seems if I just put her down in her crib when I know she's tired she sits/stands up and will start to cry (maybe because she's too tired??). I'll be curious how starting daycare affects this too. I'm guessing she'll end up more on a schedule.

It was interesting experience filling out all the forms for the day care - figuring out how much food she really eats. DH and I had fun thinking up all her favorite things -- playing in the dog water bowl, chewing on our knees, pulling the food processor base off the bottom shelf, eating paper etc. I'm sure that looks good! :eek: :o

If you have baby food that you don't think your baby is ever going to eat - remember to include it the next time the postal carriers or boy scouts come around your neighborhood for food drives. Baby food is always high on the list of needed items.

Kim

[cchhbb]

Erin, Glad to hear you and Hanne are okay. Good point about keeping them turned backwards as long as possible. Kim's right about getting a new car seat since you've been in an accident. I hope insurance covers the cost. I hope your car is not too damaged.

Kim, the frozen ones have been blanched before freezing. I just am too lazy to dice up carrots for Garrett to throw on the floor so I went to Whole Foods and bought some organic ones.

I love the list of favorite things that Lainey does. I would include pulling back the corner of the area rugs or mats in front of the doors and waving them.

The No Cry Sleep Solution book is best for people that are nursing their child to sleep and have a lot of night wakenings. I think that it has some great ideas for anyone who has some sleep issue with their child, but it is really targeted to breaking the habit of nursing to sleep. A lot of those children aren't able to self soothe themselves back to sleep so when they cycle through a period of light sleep they wake up and need to suck to go to sleep.

Susan, how sweet that Casey tells you that she loves you. I've been pushing DH to tell Garrett daily. DH grew up in a house where affection was not given and doesn't remember ever being told by his parents that they loved him.

Garrett went through the same thing about rice cereal. Ate great for about 2 weeks and then stopped. I think the novelity wore off. He started eating again after I added in some more variety. The DR recommended smearing some food on his teething toy and have him experience taste that way.

Cheryl

[MrsReber]

Cheryl, how sad about your DH. He needs to tell Garrett how much he loves him! Casey started saying it back around 2 months ago. It's so wonderful!

Kim, thanks for the suggestion on the baby food. I've put it in a bag with a ton of other stuff (okay, 4 bags) for DH's neice's new baby.

I see the value of putting your child down to sleep when he's not asleep yet. I had to do this with Brenden because Casey was demanding my attention. I honestly don't remember him complaining about it much. If he's not tired, he'll stand up and cry, but just about every single night, I put him in his crib and he goes to sleep by himself. Sometimes he'll lie there for a bit and talk to himself, but he's not upset about it. He eventually drifts off. When Casey was born, since she was the only baby at the time, she was used to getting rocked to sleep and to having someone run to her the minute she woke up. It amazes me that Brenden sleeps so well now. We didn't develop any sort of plan or anything, it just happened because we have 2 babies. We've been really lucky with him.

I'm off work tomorrow!!! I can't wait to go get the kids today. Oh, and for all you moms mulling over daycare- Every so often I try to sneak out and go get the kids a little bit early. Casey will ignore me when I show up! She gets very upset about leaving! So here I am at work feeling guilty and she's having the time of her life! She loves it there. It makes it a bit easier, but I still miss them! At least I know they're happy and having fun.

[nori]

Erin, hope you and Hanne was okay. It's scary. I had small fender-bender a while back, but thanks to the big bumper we had in our car, we didn't get any damage at all. And Noah was okay, too. You must be shaking. I was, although it was really minor accident.

MrsReber, maybe I should have a baby NOW....then Noah might start sleeping better.:D He's doing the same thing Brenden is doing...if he's not too tired enough, he'd stand up in the crib and cry. Since he's the only baby in the house,;) I'd go (not DH) in to pick him up when he cries. What else can I do? I'd rather get up and go pick him up than letting him cry. That'd give me extra more stress! How cute about Casey saying "I love you"!!! I can't wait Noah start saying that.

Cheryl, I'll go to the library to pick that book up soon since I got a call from them saying they got one for me. Noah is typical nurse-to-sleep baby. Hopefully I can find something useful in there.

Kim, I didn't know you're supposed to replace the car seat after the accident, even the minor one.:eek: When I had fender-bender, Noah was still in his infant seat. So it's replaced now but I didn't know about it at that time! I wonder why.....you think it might have some damage to it?? Filling the form for daycare sounds like fun! It's good to let them know what she likes/doesn't like. Sounds like your daycare is very nice place, wanting to get to know about her a lot.

Joanne, I agree that those baby foods are convenient, but Noah doesn't like eating jar food anymore, just like Caitlyn and Brenden. Only jar food he'd eat (I sneak in his mouth while he's eating finger foods) is, brown rice and chicken from Gerber. Anyway, I guess I won't be buying baby food so much anymore, but I was wondering about those Graduate products, but thought he's still too young for it. Maybe not.

Oh I have a question.....can I use regular breach to wash baby clothes?? Noah's stuff (especially bibs:rolleyes: ) got all those stains and I'd love to take them off. Can I use like Crolox (sp?) or is there any other baby products for breaching??

[JoanneOR]

Mrs. Reber, you're right, that is a wonderful feeling to have your kids say I love you. Cheryl, my DH grew up in a family like your DH's. They really don't show affection. But, it's funny, he is very affectionate and always tells the kids he loves them. I guess he rebelled! I was an only child and I rarely remember my parents saying it or showing affection. Maybe once or twice, and in very extreme circumstances. That doesn't mean they didn't, of course. So, I grew up not really knowing how to handle it. It took quite awhile, but being around my DH has really changed me. Now I'm very comfortable with it and make sure I tell the kids I love them at night and before I leave in the morning if I'm going to work. Cheryl, maybe your DH will feel more comfortable with it if he hears you saying it to Garrett frequently.

Kim, your list of what Lainey likes to do is so funny! Caitlyn does many of those things. We've noticed that all our kids do the same things as babies, i.e., eat paper, etc. The boys loved to unroll the toilet paper. We're waiting for Caitlyn to discover that. At least we know what to expect!

We've gotten into a terrible habit with Caitlyn. We give her a bottle to go sleep. Which is probably the same as nursing to sleep. That's not so bad, but sometimes, I'll just give it to her in her crib if I'm busy with the boys. Lately she won't go to sleep without it. I may need to read that book to break her of the habit.

Kim, great idea about the baby food. I've been opening them up and wind up wasting 80% of it because she won't eat it.

[JoanneOR]

Nori, I think we were posting at the same time. The graduate foods do say they are for toddlers, but the pieces of food are really small. So if they're already eating table food, those should be fine.

I'm not really sure about bleach on the baby's cloths. I use oxyclean. It works really well on stains.

[RunnerKim]

DH and I tell Lainey we love her (and each other :D ) all the time, but DH says he'd never tell his dad he loves him :( i'll admit it's not the most natural thing for me to say to my dad either. Very sad but we're changing it with our family - that is for sure.

Lainey found the toilet paper in the hotel we were staying in last week :o She also had a 6th sense about when we put the dog water bowl down in the hotel bathroom (the one we travel with she can pick up). She does it with a huge smile on your face so how can you be frustrated?

Nori - I believe the thinking is that if the car seat is in the car during an accident (your baby doesn't even have to be in it for it to need to be replaced!) that it can be stressed physically and no longer have its original integrity. If damage didn't even happen to your fender that's sounds really minor and I'd personally probably not buy a new car seat (in this case for your next baby) but that's obviously a personal decision. You're also suppose to make sure you dispose of the car seat in a way that someone's not likely to pick it up and use it (i.e., don't leave it out at the trash or donate it to Goodwill)

We've never used any special baby detergents. Figured we'd see if Lainey had a problem (sensitive skin) before going to the trouble buying seperate detergent and doing seperate loads of laundry. So we just use Oxyclean or Spray and Wash and that's always gotten out the stains.

Kim

[MrsReber]

I've taken to using bleach on the kids' clothes lately. It's cheap and it works. I haven't had any problems from it and it's only the whites, which are a small portion of their clothes. I started out doing their socks because I was getting embarrassed to send them to daycare wearing dingy socks! Brenden has a couple of white shirts that go with shorts so I've been bleaching those and they come out so nice.

Nori, I agree with Joanne, the Gerber foods do say they're for toddlers, but my kids never had a problem with them. Brenden has been eating table food for quite a few months. I know for a fact he was eating table food in Arizona and he was 9 months then.

[Guest]

I sometimes skim through this thread to see what is going on with all the babies. I noticed that Joanne said she gives her daughter a bottle, of milk I assume, when she is put to bed. Two of my brother's boys ended up with horrible cavities in their baby teeth and I would hate for anyone else to have to go through this when it is so easy to prevent it.

Here is some information from the American Dental Association website -http://www.ada.org/public/faq/bottle.html

What is baby bottle tooth decay?

Decay in infants and children is called baby bottle tooth decay. It can destroy the teeth and most often occurs in the upper front teeth. But other teeth may also be affected.

What causes baby bottle tooth decay?

Decay occurs when sweetened liquids are given and are left clinging to an infant's teeth for long periods. Many sweet liquids cause problems, including milk, formula and fruit juice. Bacteria in the mouth use these sugars as food. They then produce acids that attack the teeth. Each time your child drinks these liquids, acids attack for 20 minutes or longer. After many attacks, the teeth can decay.

It's not just what you put in your child's bottle that causes decay, but how often — and for how long a time. Giving your child a bottle of sweetened liquid many times a day isn't a good idea. Allowing your child to fall asleep with a bottle during naps or at night can also harm the child's teeth.



Why are baby teeth important?

Your child's baby teeth are important. Children need strong, healthy teeth to chew their food, speak and have a good-looking smile. Baby teeth also keep a space in the jaw for the adult teeth. If a baby tooth is lost too early, the teeth beside it may drift into the empty space. When it's time for the adult teeth to come in, there may not be enough room. This can make the teeth crooked or crowded.



How to prevent baby bottle tooth decay

Sometimes parents do not realize that a baby's teeth can decay soon after they appear in the mouth. By the time decay is noticed, it may be too late to save the teeth. You can help prevent this from happening to your child by following the tips below:

After each feeding, wipe the baby's gums with a clean gauze pad. Begin brushing your child's teeth when the first tooth erupts. Clean and massage gums in areas that remain toothless, and begin flossing when all the baby teeth have erupted, usually by age 2 or 2½.


Never allow your child to fall asleep with a bottle containing milk, formula, fruit juice or sweetened liquids.


If your child needs a comforter between regular feedings, at night, or during naps, give the child a clean pacifier recommended by your dentist or physician. Never give your child a pacifier dipped in any sweet liquid.


Avoid filling your child's bottle with liquids such as sugar water and soft drinks.


If your local water supply does not contain fluoride (a substance that helps prevent tooth decay), ask your dentist how your child should get it.


Start dental visits by the child's first birthday. Make visits regularly. If you think your child has dental problems, take the child to the dentist as soon as possible.

[navandoren]

hi everyone - i was hoping you might have room for another new mom. i have been lurking on this thread long enough, and decided its time to finally post.

a little about myself... my name is nicole and i am a new mom as of june. i am 31 years old, and live in annapolis, MD. my first child, griffin lee, was born at 6pm on the dot by c-section on monday june 23rd. he is a big boy at 9 lbs 2.4 ounces and 21 and 3/4 inches long. i tried for a vaginal delivery, but he just didnt want to arrive that way, even the forceps couldn't coax him. thankfully i recovered quickly from the c-section and am really feeling great now. i am overwhelmed by how amazing my little boy is. i am sure all new moms feel this way. DH and i have been enjoying him immensely. so far the biggest challenge has been breastfeeding. i am hoping that will get easier as time passes. its weird that something that is supposed to be soo natural just isnt - at least for us.

DH has to go back to work on monday, so i am a bit nervous about that. i figured this is the perfect time to post here, so that i can begin to rely on you all for support too. i hope to get to know you all better as the month progresses.

[JoanneOR]

Wow, MWS, that is pretty frightening! I knew that falling asleep with a bottle was not the best thing to do, but I thought it would be their back teeth or molars, and, of course, she doesn't have those yet. Last night after I read this I went into her crib and brushed her teeth. I think she thought I was nutty! She hasn't used a pacifier since she was about 2-3 months old. I'm going to try to give her a bottle with water tonight instead of formula.

Navandoren, welcome to you and Griffin! That's a very cute name. I would have to agree, breastfeeding is definitely challenging. It was probably the hardest thing to deal with after my first and no one really warned me ahead of time! It usually does get easier after a few weeks, but if it's not for you and the baby, don't stress about it. Formula is fine, too. The moms here can definitly offer advice.

[RunnerKim]

Welcome Nicole! Don't confuse natural with easy!! Many of us around here had challenges (to put it lightly for me!) with breastfeeding so feel free to ask any questions. It was right around the 1 month point that I got passed all the physical pain alas my milk supply was never adequate. Hang in there, it does get better. Do you have a mom's group to go to? My hospital system sponsored one for the first 6 months post-birth and it was tremendously helpful to me (with breastfeeding issues and everything else). With you DH going back to work it might help you continue to cope. I remember convincing myself I could handle DH running a few hours worth of errands. I think I managed not to cry until after he left :o I was a basket case those first few weeks :o

Joanne, good luck on switching Caitlyn off of formula for her bed time bottle. I knew you shouldn't do it but didn't know all the specifics either.

DH gave me a good scare last night. He woke me up by turning the bathroom light on in the middle of the night (normally if he has to get up, which is very rare, he closes the door) so I ask what's wrong - and he asks "Where is she?" and I say "Who" (both dog and Lainey are girls and I figured he was looking for the dog) and he says "Lainey." and I'm still half asleep and very confused why he's looking in our bedroom for Lainey? and i start to panic that I left the crib down and she somehow managed to climb out without making any noise etc. all this going through my head at light speed and I ask "She's not in her crib??" and he gets a sheepish look and goes "Oh, it must have been a dream" He dreamt that I'd gotten up (which I had but just to go to the bathroom) and gotten Lainey and just set her down on the bedroom floor to entertain herself while I went back to sleep. So he was trying not to step on her while he went to the bathroom but realized she's wasn't anywhere around. Took awhile for my heart to slow down so I could go back to sleep!

Kim

[BeckyM]

Nicole -- welcome to you and Griffin! Breastfeeding does get easier, I promise! I remember having to get all sorts of help propping Katie up with pillows, getting her to re-latch on, and gasping with pain each time she latched on. It took a while for my milk to come in, so I was constantly worried about whether or not she was getting enough. But now it does seem "natural", and I'm sure glad I persisted and that it worked for us. Good luck with your husband going back to work. I remember being really scared to be home alone with an infant too. But you figure out (by necessity) ways to do things without help. I'll echo Kim -- feel free to ask any questions. Some of us actually have some experience now, so we may be able to help.

MWS -- thanks for the info. I don't put Katie to sleep with a bottle, but you reminded me how important it is to be brushing her teeth. Her fifth one just peeked through the other day, and I haven't been very good about getting them cleaned after eating. She really protests (cries, bites the washcloth, bites me, squirms around, clamps her mouth shut, etc.), so I haven't been as persistant as I probably should be. I've gotten out the baby toothbrush I bought (the kind you slip over your finger), and I'm going to clean it today so I can use it before bed tonight. Hopefully if I keep doing it every night she'll get used to it and quit protesting as much.

Kim -- how scary for your DH to wake you up like that! I bet your heart was pounding like crazy. That would be so awful when you're groggy and half-asleep, because you can't really reason very well, and it would be easy to imagine the worst. I'm sure glad it was just a dream!

Well, Katie's waking up from her nap, so I'd better go. After her lunch, she and I are meeting a friend and her baby (who is only a few days older than Katie) for a walk in the woods. The weather here is just gorgeous today -- cooler and less humid than it has been, with beautiful sunny skies. It should be a perfect day for a walk!

Have a great weekend, everyone! We're going to DH's company picnic tomorrow, and we may try taking Katie in the outdoor pool there. I'm wondering if she'll like it better than the indoor one where we've been taking her for swim "lessons".

Becky :)

[nori]

Welcome Nicole and Griffin!:) I had a c-section too, and it was hard when we got back home. Breastfeeding was one thing, I could not use the boopy pillow to prop him up because it touched my wound. I also had hard time moving around the house for a while. It took about a months or so to feel much easier to do stuff. Breastfeeding will get better, I think. Just let him suck on it, whenever he's hungry. I did, and at one point I swear I didn't have enough milk because he was wanting to nurse like every 10 min.!:rolleyes: But the more he sucks, the better. Griffin is a big baby! Wow! Noah was one months early and just 6 pounds. He'll be one year old at the end of August and now he weighs 23 pounds.:eek:

MWS, thanks for the information. ;)

Kim, my DH did that once to me, too. I used to occationally take Noah to our bed at early morning when I was too sleepy to sit up and nurse him. One early morning, DH got up and said "Where's Noah?" It woke me up of course, and scared me for a moment I thought he falled from the bed or something. Then, I realized I didn't bring him in that day. DH was freaked out, but half-asleep, searching for Noah around the bed. I told him "Honey, he's in his crib." And he was like "Oh." and went back to sleep. Okay, that was kind of funny one.

Becky, I'm envious about the weather you're having! We have a sunny day, too, but you know, it's too sunny! Actually during day, it's too hot to go out, so when we go to the park, it's either very early morning (like before 7am) or after sunset (which is around 8pm). Have fun at the picnic!

Thanks for the comments about breach. Now, many of you use oxiclean.....I was thinking of clorox, but does oxiclean work for colored fabrics? I haven't done breaching for my laundry yet in my life, so I need a lot of kind of silly questions. :o What if the clothes are white with some patterns on it? Do you conside it as whites??

This weekend will be a slow one. No any special plan, but we may go to the pool at the park if it's not too hot. We're still waiting for some rain......it'll be nice to see some water around here.:D

Have a nice weekend, everyone!

[MrsReber]

Hello! It's Saturday and I'm posting! The kids are asleep after staying up until 10:00 last night. DH did his usual "they're still up??" Instead of offering to help put them to bed :rolleyes: . I was home with them yesterday since my mom is away. I took them to the store so I could make Casey a little book. It was very muggy out yesterday and we had rain on and off. I was putting Brenden in the car when I noticed a spot on his leg. I went for a closer look and saw there was one on his arm too! I know they weren't there the night before. I gave him a bath and I would've noticed that. I'm afraid that it's chicken pox. We got a notice 2 weeks ago at daycare that a case was reported in the school. I called the doctor's office and spoke to a nurse. She told me it wasn't necessary for us to come in, but if it is chicken pox, we'll see more spots appear in the next few days. She also said they could be bug bites, but they don't look like bug bites to me or DH. They look like little pimples or blisters. I hope Casey doesn't get it. He'll be contagious until the spots scab over. They said that normally takes 7 days. So here I am with a long weekend and I can't go anywhere!!!

MWS, thanks for the article. There's only one thing that I don't agree with and that's the reguar visits by age 1. We thought Casey had a problem because her teeth were discolored. The pediatrician told us to take her to the dentist. Well, we just brushed better and are more diligent about it now so her teeth look great. We made a dentist appointment, but then cancelled it because she looks fine now. Anyway, when I called the dentist and when I spoke to the pediatrician, they told me that dentist visits don't start that early unless you notice a problem. I would've had to have been referred to a dentist who specializes in pediatric dentistry most likely because Casey never would've opened her mouth for the guy. It would've just been torture for all of us (she's 2 now). They dentist's office told me that it was a bit early. As for the flouride, my kids get that in their vitamins. We also give Casey bottled water with flouride. She doesn't drink tons of it, she mostly just likes the bottle, but the doctor said it was okay. My sister's water didn't have flouride in it (well water) and her daughter had some problems with a couple of teeth. Of course, my SIL still insists that flouride is some evil thing forced upon us by the government. Can't figure that one out. All I know is that my teeth are much healthier than my parents and they didn't grow up with flouride.

Nicole, welcome! Breastfeeding is not as "natural" as everyone will have you believe. It is painful and awkward and it takes a good 2 weeks for some of that pain to go away. DH's neice just had a baby on the 4th. I spoke to her Thursday night because she had some questions about breastfeeding. She said "I can't believe this is how we have babies!". I said "yeah, it's kind of gross and you feel disgutsting for a good three weeks." she said "yeah! It's horrible!". But we all do it because we have these wonderful little miracles!

Nori, when I bleach stuff, I put in stuff that is mainly white, but with color. For instance, Brenden has a white shirt, but there's a little bit of color on the collar of it. Casey has two short sets with tops that are white except for the collar and the bottom trim. I also bleach those. I use a little less than the bottle recommends and I try to use the ones that smell a little nicer!

[navandoren]

thanks for the welcome and support. its good to know that i am not the only one who has these feelings about breastfeeding. at this point i dont see ever being comfy enough to bf anywhere besides the comfort of my own home, but i am hoping that will change too. its such a process getting the boppy pillow ready and positioning the baby and getting the nipple shield in place (i hope i dont have to use these shields forever!). i am keeping with it though, with the hopes that one day soon it will just come naturally.

joanne - you are right, noone really warns you ahead of time about the challenge of breastfeeding. i also find it frustrating that all the books and info that i have read say that if you experience any pain you are doing something wrong. i just dont buy that. i did visit a lactation consultant, who confirmed that he is latching on properly - but sometimes there is still pain (especially during the latch).

kim - i should definitely look into the moms group thing that you mentioned. i think our hospital might have one too. what a scare your DH gave you. i know i wake up sometimes confused about where the baby is too. it is neat though to think that your first instinct is for the wellbeing your child. its amazing how those paternal instincts just kick in.

becky - i am hoping that as you say things will just happen because out of necessity they need to happen. i wonder if dinner will just cook itself, you know out of necessity ?! : )

nori - i think i must have had a really easy recovery from the c-section. the incision never really bothered me beyond the first few days in the hospital. i guess i really lucked out in that respect.

mrsreber - it is amazing what we put up with all for the joy these little people bring us. i hope your weekend isnt full of chicken pox. i never had them growing up, so i guess i should look into being vacinnated myself.

[BeckyM]

Nicole -- unfortunately I haven't reached the point where dinner just cooks itself. It would be nice though! :D I guess that's not as much a necessity as some other things. I have learned to do a LOT of things one-handed though, while holding Katie in the other hand. I've also figured out ways to keep her happy while I do laundry (fold clothes on the floor next to where she's playing), take a shower (early on it was with her in the bouncy seat right outside the shower where I could see her, but now it's either before she wakes up in the morning or during one of her naps), and other things I thought would be impossible at first.

I agree with you that the breastfeeding literature should not keep saying that it's only painful if you're not doing it right. I asked the visiting nurse about that, and she said most newborns don't have big enough mouths to latch on over the entire areola (sp?), so it hurts until their mouths get big enough to cover more area. I also never thought I'd be comfortable enough to breastfeed in public, but I now do it without much thought. As you and Griffin get more used to it, I'm sure you'll both be better at it and able to make it more discreet.

We went to DH's company picnic today, and he loved walking around holding Katie, showing her off to everyone. Katie seemed to enjoy it, but we didn't end up going in the pool with her afterall. It seemed like it would be too much trouble to get us all changed into swimsuits and then back again before we came home. Besides, it was getting close to Katie's naptime. She fell asleep in the car on the way home, and now she's awake in her crib. I don't know if she'll fall asleep and take a good nap or if she'll refuse to nap since she got a little bit of sleep in the car. So far it's not looking good.

MrsReber -- I sure hope it's not chicken pox! Though I suppose it's best for people to get them as kids, Brenden's age sounds a bit young. Was the doctor's office concerned at all about his age, or is it nothing to really worry about? Either way, I'm sure he won't be happy, and neither will Casey if she gets them. Good luck!

Becky :)

[cchhbb]

Susan, I hope it's not chicken pox. Did Casey get the vacination? In Georgia, it is required before kids can enter school, but my DR does it at the one year check-up.

Welcome Nicole. Griffin was a finalist for a boy name. We ended up with Garrett, but I think if we have another boy it will be Griffin. I would agree with others that breastfeeding is the most difficult thing that I've ever done. Garrett's 8 1/2 months and we are still breastfeeding and now its like second nature. Please make sure you get the help you need. One thing that was recommended to a lot of new moms is to vary the position that you nurse in.

Becky, the company picnic sounds like a lot of fun. Too bad about not being able to go swimming. If you ever find out how to get dinner to cook itself, let me know.

Nori and Kim, I used to have a dream where I thought Garrett was in bed with us and somehow lost in the blankets. Considering he's only slept with us twice its pretty funny. My midwife said it's a very common dream post pardum. I've never heard of the daddy having it though.

Garrett got his first haircut today. I'm a little depressed about it. He was so cute with his curls. Now he looks like a little boy. He was really good. He sat on my lap and read a book while he was getting it cut. DH was there taking pictures. I did pick up the hair and brought it home. I think I should keep it.

MWS, thanks for the info. Our family had dinner out last night and a retired dentist owns the place we went. We go fairly often so he's gotten to know Garrett a little bit. He told me one time about having to pull a kids baby teeth when he was two due to decay. That was enough to scare me.

Garrett also is finally getting his first tooth. You can feel something sharp in his mouth. It's only about the size of a pin, but you can see something white. I washed his gums with some water since I've noticed the tooth each night.

Cheryl

[JoanneOR]

Hi everyone. I don't know if anyone's around on a Sunday, but my DH and the boys left today for the cottage. Caitlyn and I are going Tuesday. We went shopping today and picked up some stuff to bring. It's unbelievable how much we have to pack. First of all, there's all the food. I thought it would be much easier to just shop up there, but my SILs wanted to bring the food. They didn't want to have to run to go to the store while we are there. So we packed a bunch of stuff. They're bringing a bunch, too. We'll probably have enough food to feed an army with all this stuff. It's just crazy. I've just started to pack for me and Caitlyn after helping DH with the boys stuff this morning. DH's truck was packed and the van is quickly filling up. Oh well, hopefully, it will be fun.

Mrs Reber, hope it's not chicken pox. But, it does sound like it. When I had them as a kid, there were like little red blisters. They spread really fast if they are, so I'm sure you know by now if it is. The boys have been vaccinated. Our ped. does it at one year, too.

All the kids woke up today with pink eye. They must have all caught it together. I called the doctor and luckily she called in a prescription for us. My eyes are feeling kind of itchy, hope I'm not getting it too!

Cheryl, that's so cute about Garrett's haircut. So, he has curly hair? I have little envelopes with all of the boys first haircuts. And, pictures, too. Except they were all close to two before they even needed one! I know what you mean. I was a little sad each time, because it made them look like little boys instead of babies.

The family across the street just had a new baby boy. I can't wait to see him. They just came home today. After Caitlyn's nap we are going to go get a gift and visit. I was hoping she would have a girl, so I could give her all Caitlyn's clothes she's outgrown. Plus, Caitlyn would have a girl close in age nearby.

OK, I think I'll try to sneak in a nap myself before she wakes up. It's so weird having the house so quiet. I'm already starting to miss them!

[AnnaSue]

Congratulations Nicole! Glad to hear things are going well with Griffin, and I hope that breastfeeding will get easier for you soon. I know what you mean in that the books shouldn't say that you are doing something wrong if it hurts. I went to a lactation consultant when I was in excrutiating pain, and she said that I was doing it perfectly, and that it would just take time. I never did get good volume before having to go back to work, but I knew upfront that I probably wouldn't be able to breastfeed beyond 8 weeks, since pumping is definitely not an option at my job. I'm lucky if I get a break to go to the bathroom let alone pump. If I remember right from the pregnancy thread, you are going to be off work for quite a while right? Hang in there! I hope it will get better for you! Oh, I also joined a mom's group like Kim's, and I think it is great! Hopefully your hospital offers that too.

Erin - Good to hear that it sounds like everyone is alright after your accident. How scary though!

MrsReber - It is reassuring to hear that your kids like their daycare so much. One of my biggest concerns about the group center option for Brendan is that he would be lonely or something. Your post made me feel better!:) Did you find out if Brenden has the chicken pox? Did Casey end up getting it too?

Nori - I've had some of the same questions about using bleach on Brendan's clothes. Glad to hear I'm not the only one who has never used bleach before!:o

Cheryl - I kept having that same dream about the baby being lost in the blankets for the first couple weeks that we had him home! Interesting to hear that it is so common. How old was Garrett for his first haircut? I think Brendan will have to have an early first haircut. It is so long that we keep having to tuck it behind his ears already!

MWS - Thanks for the dental information. I've been a bit paranoid about this issue ever since seeing what happened to my cousins. My aunt and uncle used to feed them complete junk food (including bowls of brown sugar for breakfast!:eek: :eek: ) Not surprisingly, one of them ended up in dentures by the time she was 20.

Joanne - Sounds like fun to get away for a few days! Have a nice trip!

Brendan is actually sleeping right now in his crib! We bought a new vaporizer, and it has worked wonders for his nasal congestion. He slept in the crib for the first time last night, and slept from 9-5 without waking up at all. We are quite happy with this, and he looks so cute too! We're so used to putting him to sleep in this bouncy seat. Oh, and he rolled over for the first time today! The bad part is that I was at work, and DH had turned around for a minute, so we both missed it.:rolleyes: Oh well, I guess he'll do it again soon enough, but I'm a little sad about missing the first one.

I do have one question though.. did any of your babies hate getting a bath? Brendan SCREAMS every single time we give him a bath, and it takes forever to settle him down. I'm getting pretty desperate for ideas, I really though he'd be liking baths by now!

[nori]

MrsReber, how's Brenden doing?:( If it was a chicken pox, hopefully Casey won't get it.....or, is it better to have it done when they're small?? Now, is chicken pox the one you have to have it when you're a baby, rather than after you're grown up?? Thanks for the information about breaching...Noah has some clothes which are mixed colored, so I might have to get one you can use for color-fabric, too...(like Crolox2? something like that...)

Nichole, I think the more you get used to breastfeeding, the faster you'll get to be ready to nurse him, It's a routine, and you have to do it everyday.....so, in my case, it became like a second nature for me. I know that may not for everyone, and eventually you should choose whatever fits you and your family.:)

Becky, we took Noah to DH's company's function several times and everyone loved to see him! And DH was very proud to show him off.;) Did Katie nap after that??

Cheryl, yay for Garrett's tooth! And first haircut!! I have to tell you Noah's first haircut story..(I don't think I mentioned it before in here,,,,,,did I?) Well DH had been telling me that Noah's hair is touching his ears and he thought we should trim them. I kinda liked the way it was (cute...you know.) but DH thought boys shouldn't have hair touching his ears.:rolleyes: I said no, maybe we should wait, plus the first haircut is such an event (like ice cream;) ) that we should plan on it. Well one Sunday afternoon, while I was working in the house, he took Noah to backyard and gave him a trim!:eek: Without even telling me that he's going to do it.:mad: Of course I was upset, and finally DH realized how serious I was about this first haircut thing.:rolleyes: I showed him Noah's baby book where they have a first haircut information. We missed the before picture, and I didn't get to see his reaction so DH had to tell me how it went. he said "Well Noah saw scissors and was very interested in it...it was kind of cute." DH kept saying that it wasn't a haircut, just a trim, but I think it WAS a haircut. At least he told me before he cleaned up so we saved some of his hair. Anyway that was his first haircut.

Joanne, sounds like fun to getaway! Hope your kids' pinkeye will get better soon. How's your eyes?? I also visited one of my friends who just had a baby and it was amazing to see how tiny he was! Can't believe Noah was that size less than a year ago! Caitlyn will have a good friend to play with, even though it wasn't a girl. He could be her boyfriend...wait, maybe her big brothers would have something to say, in that case.:p

AnnaSue...Go Brendan!!! Enjoy the moment when he's rolling over only on one side or another...soon he'll be rolling all over the floor! I don't really have any good advice on bath time. Noah has been very good at bath time, basically he likes to be in water, I think. Is water too warm or cold??? We usually turn the cooler in the house when we bathe him, since he'll be naked and we figured he wouldn't like to be blown by cold air after he had a warm bath. Is he big enough to try the big tub with you or your DH? Maybe if someone is holding him, he may not be so upset...just a thought.

I got a book "No-Cry Sleep Solution" and have been reading it. It is a great book, I think, and it made me think that Noah's pattern is maybe not too bad. It's getting better, since usually he'd wake up once or twice during a night. The auther's baby's sleep log was amazing...he was waking up almost every hour!:eek: I also learned that "sleeping through the night" means 5 straight hour sleep and Noah sometimes does that. I'd definetely try some of her ideas to get him sleep better, but I may not follow the plan completely. Anyway, it seems like very gentle, soft way to make baby sleep through the night and if you don't want to let baby cry it out, I think it's worth to read it.

[RunnerKim]

Okay I'm sitting here in a wet stinky sweater top. Today is Lainey's first day at day care and we all rode the bus in together -with all the stuff she needs (big package of diapers, wipes, blanket etc.) and next thing I know she's vomitting all over me :eek: :o :eek: and herself. Fortunately not on DH since it's his first day. I did have extra clothes for Lainey of course but not for me. I guess she got motion sickness - she's used to being strapped in her carseat with motion I guess. Or I'm afraid she might be getting sick. She's had this sporadic little cough. What great timing.

Susan -- How's Brenden? and Casey? Sure sounds like chicken pox. Hope everyone's handling it okay, if it is it.

the other thing about breastfeeding that frustrates me - is that "they" say that all women can do it - I had the distinct impression that 99% of women could do it if they just stuck it out and got the latch correct. A lot more than that seem to have supply issues (and I know several of use went to extensive lengths to try and increase it). I feel like there's this conspiracy that they to lie to us so we'll feel extra pressure and try harder to make it work.

Nicole - for the longest time (weeks!) I could only breastfeed in this one location. I even took Lainey downstairs in the middle of the night b/c I had to be in that one spot. It helped some when I got the "My Brest Friend" pillow (similar in purpose to the boppy). I never bf in public much mostly because Lainey would not not always stay latched on and I'd need to see more what I was doing -- I think if I was exclusively bf though I would have invested in some tops designed for bf and that would have helped a lot. I did get very good at bf in the car though (while parked of course!).

That's great AnnaSuee - getting Brendan down in his crib! I still remember the first time Lainey napped on her own (not in our arms). Freedom! How do you give a bath? Lainey wasn't overly thrilled in the beginning but then I just got in the tub with her - it just seemed easier. And that worked much better.

Becky - we were just discussing at my Moms' group (should be called parents group I suppose as now that we only meet once a month DHs come too.) that sometimes for short trips moms will ride in back and try to keep the babies awake so they'll stay take their naps. It seems more and more these days when DH and i run our weekend errands I end up sitting the in the car why Lainey naps and DH runs in and does the shopping (or vice versa).

First Hair cuts!!! How neat. Lainey's a long way from a hair cut even if she were a boy. I think she must be the most bald 9 month old ever!

Joanne - I hope you don't have pink eye too. I just hear of that (or the dreaded lice) and start having sympathy symptoms.

Kim

[albus87]

Annasue - you asked about Chloe's carseat a few days ago. We ended up buying the Britax Marathon for her. It is expensive, about $250, but it is good for up to 6 years and 60 pounds. I figure it might be cheaper in the long run, rather than buying multiple car seats. It's also very cushy and comfortable looking. It's supposed to be good for newborn babies but I can't even imagine how tiny Chloe would have looked in it had we put her in there as a newborn. She still looks pretty small in it now. I tell you, I do miss the convenience of the travel system tho. Yesterday, we went to the store and I forgot my "Over the shoulder baby holder" contraption. I planned on putting her in one of the seats attached to the cart. I looked in all of them and they were filthy! There was no way I was going to put her in there. So, I carried her the whole time. She was definitely starting to get heavy, especially since I was trying to look at and buy luggage.

Joanne and Kim - Thanks for the advice about the formula consumption, but I must have written things down wrong. Chloe's formula consumption didn't go down to 10oz per day, it went down BY about 10oz per day. She's now eating 20-24 oz of formula each day, in addition to her cereal and veggies. I log everything she eats, believe me I would be freaking out if her formula consumption went down that far! We introduced peas yesterday. I was a little apprehensive because they were her first non orange veggie. She loved them! She ate the entire jar. DH was shocked because he hates peas with a passion.

Erin - I'm so sorry you were rear ended! That must have been so scary for both of you! But everyone is ok, right?

We are going on our first big trip tomorrow, visiting DH's family in Texas. It's going to be a challenge. I'm trying to decide what to bring and what to leave behind. For instance, we use a boppy when feeding Chloe. In fact, she doesn't eat well without it. So, do we pack the boppy or just buy another one down there? Decisions, decisions. I'd love to pack everything but I also want to be able to make our way through the airport with minimal difficulty. The challenge will actually be getting DH to pack a reasonable amount of stuff. He tends to overpack, forgetting that there are nifty inventions in Texas like washing machines. He gets it from his Mom. When they came out here for Chloe's birth, a 10-day visit, they brought 4 HUGE suitcases and 2 small ones. Poor FIL, she didn't even let him bring a coat because there "wasn't room." However, she had multiple outfits for each day! I'm not complaining tho - my MIL is a wonderful woman and I love her dearly. And I guess there is nothing wrong with being the best dressed woman in the room!

I'd better start packing for tomorrow's trip...

arta

P.S., Welcome Nicole and Griffin!

[BeckyM]

Hi All!

Kim -- how awful that Lainey got sick on the way in this morning, especially all over you! Maybe you ought to have a spare shirt to keep at the office, just in case this happens again. Hopefully it was just motion sickness from the new experience and she isn't really ill.

Arta -- when we took our first trip to Montana on an airplane with Katie, we brought our Boppy pillow with us. It was an additional thing to carry, but it really helped with feeding her while there AND with holding her comfortably on the airplane. The second time we went, I was able to nurse Katie okay without the boppy (though I still use it at home), so we didn't bring it along. By the way, we bought the Britax Marathon for Katie too. She seems pretty comfy in it!

Oops! I was going to write more, but Katie is now waking up from her nap. She took a fairly long one, and I should have been expecting to hear from her -- I just lost track of the time. I'd better go get her. I'll write more later!

Oh, real quick I just want to say that Katie had her best swim "lesson" ever yesterday. She actually seemed to enjoy it, and the only time she got upset was when she got some water in her mouth and choked a little bit. I think our persistence in bringing her and showing her it can be fun has been paying off!

Becky :)

[albus87]

Becky - Hmmm, I never considered bringing the boppy on the plane. I was planning on packing it in the suitcase... but now that you mention it, we just might haul it along in the airport. The plane tickets were really cheap, so we went ahead and purchased a ticket for Chloe as well, so we won't have to hold her the entire trip. But, since I have no idea of how she is going to react to the flight, we might end up holding her much of the time anyway. The boppy would certainly make that easier. We also bought a "sit and stroll" for use in the airport, on the plane and as a car seat at my in-laws. (It's a convertible, FAA approved car-seat and stroller combo).

I've purchased so much for this trip - the stroller/carseat combo, a cool bag for her bottles, a dry formula dispenser that hold premeasured amounts of formula, a backpack diaper bag, plus tons and tons of summer clothes as it is much hotter in San Antonio that it is here in the great Pac NW! We might have gotten a great deal on the tickets, but I think I've spent at least as much in getting Chloe ready for the trip!

Kim - I'm sorry Lainey vomited all over you - that must make things difficult at work. But I'm sure glad you mentioned it on the BB today... It made my think that DH and I should probably pack extra shirts for the plane.

Yikes - I'm starting to get stressed out thinking about all the stuff we have to bring! I'd better get packing...

[RunnerKim]

Becky - What does the dry formual dispenser look like? We've been using empty baby food jars but the lids don't always screw on well. Love to have something better.

Have a great trip!!!

Arta - glad I mis-understood about the amount of formula Chloe was consuming! If she's close to 24 oz. then I think she's probably fine. Lainey's not big on the green veggies either. Have fun on your trip too!

Kim

[albus87]

Kim, I got the dry formula dispenser at Babies R Us.... it is made of clear plastic, it's round and has 3 sections. The snap on lid has a pour spout. I haven't used it yet but it looks pretty convenient. It was about $3-4 and was in the bottle/bib section.

[albus87]

OK, I'm really procrastinating the packing because I just went back and re-read all the posts from the last few days.... I do need to get back to work but just wanted to ask Susan if she had confirmation that Brendan had chicken pox. I certainly hope not! If he does have it, I hope it's a mild case with a speedy recovery.

Chloe and I went to visit my cousin and her 9 day old daughter on Saturday. My cousin lives in Seattle, about 2 hours away, and Chloe did great on the trip down and back. No crying or anything in the car and she was definitely at her most charming at Jenny's house. The baby is absolutely beautiful... a sweet, quiet little thing (unlike Chloe when she was that age! :) ). She is only 6 pounds and 19 inches... she was so tiny, it made me really glad that Chloe was 8 pounds and 21 inches when she was born. I was afraid I was going to break the little one! My poor cousin is having an awful time tho... she's very petite (unlike me) and had a very difficult delivery. She ended up having a 3rd degree episiotomy and can still barely walk. She still can't sit and can pretty much only lay on her side. They actually kept her in the hospital for 4 days and wanted to keep her for a day or two longer, but she insisted on being released. The baby was actually released 2 days before she was. Fortunately, her BF/fiance is there and is very helpful and her mother lives nearby and goes over every day to cook and help with the baby. Still, I hope the poor girl recovers quickly.

Well, I must go continue the packing....

arta

[Julia1Pin]

Arta - I'm giggling at you packing because whenever we go anywhere with Abigail, even if we drive, we end up buying so much stuff, and filling up the whole Navigator!!

Yesterday we took Abigail to a friends house with a pool. It was Abigails first time in a real pool (as opposed to the plastic baby pool). She absolutely loved it!! She was happy and smiling. They have an innertube witha seat in it for babies and it was perfect!

Of course then DH took her up of the inner tube and gave her to me when I wasn't reaching bottom yet :eek: :eek: I started panicking to get my head above water and started to push Abigail down to get up and scream at DH to take Abigail. He freaked out and told me that I was pushing Abigaiunder the water so I could be above it! I am still kind of shaken up about it!!!:eek: :eek: But Abigail was fine and then continued playing with no problems. We'll definately take her again but we'll both be more carfeul about being on sure footing!

Susan - Was it chicken poks? Oh, and I was one of the rare cases that had it twice (once as an adult) so be careful.

[RunnerKim]

Whoops I was in a hurry - thanks Arta for answering me! I need to stop by and pick up another bib anyway to keep at day care. I'm just back from spending my lunch there. She's in yet another outfit- I guess I better pack more for her tomorrow. I'm really afraid she's getting sick :( They said she cried off and on the whole morning (expected but still hard to hear) but she did actually nap for about her normal amount of time. I just sat on the floor with her and then she crawled around and explored and played with all the toys. The teachers said that since she's there full time that she might get know them/the place within a few days. I hope so.

Arta - your poor cousin. I remember my first moms group and hearing some of the other women talk about how their recoveries from birthing and thinking - wow, that's one thing I do have to be thankful for.

Kim

[nori]

Kim, sorry to hear about the story in the bus.:( Hope it's nothing serious....motion sickness is probably the case, if she hadn't been on the bus before. That's great you can spend your lunch time with her!

Julia, I had similar experience at our friends' pool. DH gave Noah to me when I was pretty much deep spot in the pool. I was tip-toeing and had hard time raising my face up the surface. I almost got panicked, too, and tried very hard to keep Noah above the water and balancing myself. We, too, are more careful since then.

Arta, how's the packing going? When Noah was about 3 months old we took a car trip to Grand Canyon and I packed for him and myself. I had 3 bags for Noah and one for me.:o When we got the destination, I realized I forgot to load MY bag in the car.:eek: Of course I didn't forget about Noah's bags. It was better that way, rather than forgetting one of his bags. Fortunately, my mom was with us and she lend me some stuff. Have a nice trip!

Becky, getting water in mouth isn't fun experience even for grownups! But I'm sure she'll get used to it. Do they actually teach her how to swim? I've heard about that kind of swimming class for babies but never gotten any more information about it. That'd be neat!

Well I managed to get laundry and cleaning in the morning! Noah didn't take a long nap like he usually does, so my plan was interrupted a bit, but I've got it done! I also sneaked step aerobics exercise, too! Noah woke up in the middle of it, so I ended up holding him for a while. Then when he settled down, I put him down on the floor and he waved his hands and moved his body as if he was dancing with the music:) It was cute.

Hope Brenden is okay.....:(

[cchhbb]

Joanne, Have a great vacation. Yes, Garrett had curls. His hair was really long, down past his chin on the sides. I only cut it because it was getting in his eyes. I think he will have wavy hair now. He looks just like a little boy. I almost don't recognize him.

Nori, How terrible of your DH. Mine wanted to cut Garrett's hair a long time ago, but he knew better. It only took about 5 minutes to do and Garrett didn't mind a bit. We did take a lot of pictures.

Glad you like the No Cry book. I was amazed about the author's experience with her son waking up every 1 1/2 hours during the night to nurse back to sleep. It's amazing at how fast she was able to change that. Garrett and I are a much slower case. We've been at it about 30 days and he now naps in his crib. I do have to put him down asleep and he does take short naps. I hope that he starts to take a longer one. He really needs the sleep.

Arta, I'm lucky that my mom has bought a lot of stuff to keep at her house so I don't have to pack as much. She even buys food and diapers. My DH can't believe how much stuff we have for Garrett though. I've started packing up the baby things to put in storage and it amazes me all the room it takes. I'll be interested in how you like the stroller/car seat combo.

Kim, A friend of mine uses mass transit to take his baby to daycare and has some recommendations. Once per month, he would drive to work and bring a month's supply of diapers, formula, baby food, ect. He would also wash bottles and food dishes at work so he didn't have to carry them home. He actually would keep his suits at the office and change once he got there. I know he would squeeze in a jog before he picked up the baby to go home. He also used a back pack to carry the baby since it was unlikely they would get a seat on the subway. I hope your day goes better tomorrow. I'm sure Lainey will get more comfortable after she's there a few days.

Becky, I'm glad Lainey is starting to like the water. Julia, what a scary experience. DH's don't always think about the fact that you might be shorter than them.

Garrett did the cutest thing today. He crawled under the coffee table and started reading books. He just sat there and enjoyed himself. I went running for the camera. I got one picture before the little ham started crawling towards me.

Cheryl

[JoanneOR]

Wow, so many posts today! I don't think I can keep up. Kim, hope Lainey isn't sick. Well, I think I escaped without pink eye. I think I just needed to clean my contacts! And, Caitlyn's is pretty much cleared up.

We have that same formula dispenser. It's great. You just bring the bottles of water with you and dump in the formula. If you can't find it in the store, you can probably get it online at babiesrus.

Well, we take off tomorrow morning. I've been putting things we need to bring in piles everywhere. Traveling with a baby is exhausting. And, we haven't even left yet!

I forget who asked about her baby in the tub being scared (I'm sorry!), but Caitlyn was like that until she was about two months, I think. She really didn't like it. Her baths were about a minute long because she screamed the whole time. But, now she loves it. She hates swimming pools, though. We are bringing a baby float for her because we are right on a lake. Hopefully, she'll like it. I'm thinking she won't, though.

I've really been able to play alot with Caitlyn these past couple days. Usually, I'm busy with the boys and can't really spend any one on one time with any of them. But, we've had fun. She's really crawling all over and is so curious. Now she puts her hands over her head and says "yeah" and laughs. It's so cute. We've done some shopping :), baking (made those Beverly Hills brownies and they are awesome!!), and other girly things. It will be nice to see the boys tomorrow, though.

We went to see the new baby across the street today. He is so tiny. Very cute. Grandma was holding him and he was sleeping, so I didn't get a chance to hold him. Caitlyn was very curious about him. They also have a two year old boy. So, it's good that Caitlyn has her older brothers to screen her boyfriends! That's one thing we probably won't have to worry about.

My DH always takes care of the kids in the water, I can't swim! I've always had a fear of the water, don't know why.

Kim, if it makes you feel any better, all my boys were bald until at least a year! So, it'll come eventually. Luckily, Caitlyn does have some hair. Still a long way from needing a trim, though!

Well, gotta run and finish up packing. Have a good week everyone. I won't be around till next week. Hope Brenden (and Casey) are OK.

[JoanneOR]

OK, I'm procrastinating on packing! Here's that formula dispenser:

http://store.babycenter.com/product/feeding/solid_feeding/feeding_accessories/3565?_tp_EC=webcap_text&_tp_ESC=3416

I'm not sure if that will work. OK, now I'm really going...

[albus87]

Julia, I can understand how you fill up the whole Navigator... a couple of years before Chloe was born, I bought a Subaru Forester. At the time, I thought the car was huge (I had a sports car before the Forester). After our first road trip with Chloe, we realized the Forester wasn't going to cut it and we traded up to a mid-size SUV. Now, I'm starting to think it is too small and we should have gotten something bigger! It's amazing how much room children take up :)

Nori, that's a great story about you forgetting your own suitcase! Believe it or not, I'm still not packed. I've done a bzillion other things today, including getting my windshield repaired (even though we are flying), 10 loads of laundry, making a terrific dinner (miso glazed salmon, greens with bacon and basalmic vinegar, steamed sugar snaps, orzo with Pesto and tomatos, and avocado and orange salad - I was cleaning out the fridge) and packing the baby's stuff, but I still haven't packed my own stuff! Well, I always tell DH I work better under pressure. For some reason, I thought our flight left early in the morning, but this afternoon, I found out we wouldn't have to leave the house until 9am or so. So now, I figure I have tons of time and will just pack in the morning. I just hope Chloe cooperates....

I'll probably check in from time to time while on vacation, but if not, I hope everyone has a wonderful week. Joanne: Enjoy your vacation! It's bad enough packing for one kid, I can't imagine packing for four!!!

[MrsReber]

Okay, I'm finally back. It's not chicken pox. He never developed any more spots, but they did look like they had stuff in them. Casey did have the vaccine last year and Brenden got his yesterday at his 1 year appointment. He's now 22lbs and 30 1/2 inches. That puts him in the 50th percentile for weight and the 75th for height. He did great at his appointment. We had to wait forever for the doctor to come in the room. The kids were going wild with the paper on the exam table! I finally had to take it away from them. Brenden got his mmr shot, too. He only cried for about 15 seconds. After I picked him up, he stopped.

Brenden hated baths, too. I had the worst time trying to get him in the big bath tub. He'd scream and my ears would hurt. Now, however, he loves taking baths. He screams with delight when he sees me turn the water on. It's very cute. He still gets a little scared every now and then if he slips, but he basically enjoys it. I was bathing him in the little tub on the kitchen counter until he was over 8 months old because he would just freak out in the tub.

Wow, there have been so many posts. Kim, I think Lainey will be just fine in daycare. I'm always surprised at how happy my kids are when I go to pick them up. Casey looks forward to school after spending three days with mom.

Wow, Brenden doesn't have enough hair for a haircut! I found some old baby pictures of me yesterday. I couldn't believe how much Brenden looks like me. Even Casey told me it was him! On Sunday, we took the kids to the beach. It was so beautiful out. They hated it. I tried to convince them that it was fun. We went there around 5:00pm. DH fished a bit and I stayed with them in this little cove area. There were rocks blocking us from the waves, but there was still a little bit of water (like a tiny lake) that other small children were playing in. Casey saw a dead, tiny crab and freaked out. She insisted that the "rab" would get her and refused to move off the beach towel. She has a book about the beach that shows crabs. I didn't think she was afraid of them! Oh well. At least we tried. I told DH it was good that we didn't plan a whole day around it. I wanted to see if they'd like it first. Guess we know. I still want to take them to the boardwalk. They'll love the lights and the sounds and I can take a nice walk.

The in-laws are at it again. My SIL is upset that we aren't coming to their bbq tonight for her son. He's turning 14 today. The party starts at 6:00. If my train is on time (there was a derailment yesterday that messed up the schedule for today) I'll be walking in my house at 6:00 with the kids. DH is working late. There's just no way. We can't win. Besides, I did 1st birthday parties for my kids. We're not doing family parties after that. It'll be Casey and her friends for her 3rd birthday. Ooops, gotta run to a meeting!

[RunnerKim]

Whew Susan- I was sure it was chx pox after you didn't post yesterday. Glad it's not! That's too bad about the beach. Smart thinking for planning a short outing.

We're researching trading our little Mercury Tracer in for a minivan -- and not a little one either. We can't add to our family (canine or human) until we have a bigger vehicle. Camping trips/agility trials are major feats of skilled packing as it is.

And speaking of carting around stuff...
Cheryl that's excellent advice about bringing stuff in/traveling on mass transit. My office is right across the street so we decided in the future we'd make a trip down on the weekend and leave the diapers/wipes at my office for me to take over during the week. I also greatly reduced the amount of stuff I "need" to take for her each day. I'm leaving a couple outfits at the daycare. I'm going to buy another good bib to just leave there too. I've put a couple of books and a toy in my bag for entertainment on the bus. Wish I could get away without the umbrella stroller -- I might try it (it's 4 blocks to/from the bus stop).

There were several kids at daycare this morning and a couple of them came over to watch Lainey eat -- which of course meant she had much more interesting things to pay attention to than eating! I gave up and put her on the floor and they brought her over toys. I sat on the floor a little ways away from her and she crawled over to me and then another kid brought me a book and the next thing I know I'm reading it with a circle of kids around me and Lainey doing her usual climb all over me/stuff while I read. It was a wonderful way to start the morning :)

Arta you are a brave women leaving packing till so late!! I get way to anxious to do that!

Joanne - thanks for the link/picture. I'm stopping at Babies R Us on the way home tonight to purchase one (and a few other things).

I hope everyone has fun vacations

Kim

[nori]

MrsReber, I was with Kim...since you didn't post yesterday, I just assumed Brenden had chix pox and you were busy taking care of him. Glad it wasn't the case this time!!! Are Brenden and Casey afraid of waves??? It'll be nice to just go out in the evening to hang out at the beach. Living in AZ, it's not an option, sadly...:( Well too bad about your SIL. But she shouldn't be upset about you not be able to be there....you have a legitimate reason, and after a long day at work, and getting home around 6pm with 2 kids, I would not want to go out either.

Kim, sounds like your daycare is a great place! Funny that you ended up reading books to the kids.

Joanne, Arta, enjoy your vacation!!!

Cheryl, my DH didn't think it's such a big deal. In fact, he thought it was a "trim", not a "cut". Whatever.:rolleyes: But I got over it. Noah likes to "read" books (i.e. flipping pages). I also tried to take a picture while he's occupied with something, but it's hard. As soon as he finds me, he'd crawl over to me or look up to me and stop whatever he was doing.

Yesterday I found out that Noah is so much interested in stacking things up! We have those block books of Mother Goose and he was stacking them, plus some pieces from wooden puzzle! It was so cute. He was concentrating so much, but of course he doesn't know he should have bigger thing bottom, then smaller things top so he'd frustrated here and there. But he enjoys it. DH wants to get wooden blocks for his birthday. I'm sure he'll love it!

[navandoren]

wow -this thread sure moves fast! i hope i can keep up!

susan - glad to hear it wasnt chicken pox, that must be a relief! your in-laws sound like a real treat. i am thinking that i will have some stories to share in that respect. my MIL is a complete pill. stay tuned!

annasue - like you i am wondering about where and how i will pump when i return to work. fortunately, as you mentioned i have worked out a pretty good deal with my boss. i have 12 weeks off, FMLA, then i will mostly work from home through the end of the year - only going to the office once a week for meetings. we have arranged daycare near our home, so on the days that i work from home i will probably use the daycare for just a few hours a day as opposed to all day.

nori - bf'ing is already feeling more natural. now, i am not to the point where i am ready for long outings yet. but i am feeling much better about it at home.

i already forgot who was headed away on vacation, but i hope you all have fun.

my goal for the week is to check out the mom's groups in the area. hopefully there are good ones like those mentioned here.

did anyone have a baby who had baby acne? my poor little guy has it, and i feel soo bad for him. from what i read it will go away on its own, but i am wondering if there is anything i can apply to speed the process for him.

[nori]

Nicole, Noah had baby acne, too. Up until about 6 or 8 weeks, (I don't remember...) they repeatedly appear and dissapear. Most of them on face, and sometimes on fingers. My doctor said it's just normal and shouldn't worry about it.

[RunnerKim]

Nicole - Lainey had some minor acne - a couple of spots. I'm guessing your son has more than that?

Arta - I'm intrigued by your over the shoulder baby carrier wrap thingy. I read on the web site it's good up until age 3. Do you really think that's true?? I don't imagine using it until age 3 but Lainey's close to 20 lbs now and I wouldn't even think of putting her in the baby bjorn anymore. I'd really like to not hassle with the umbrella stroller during my commute. It's a pain on a crowded bus and to try to collapse and set up (even though it's pretty simple). I wondered if this might be a better way to go??? What do you think?

Kim

[AmyJane]

Hi all,

I'm new to this thread but was a regular on the pregnancy thread. I have been too busy to join until now. My son, Cameron Aidan, was born on April 5. I can't believe he's already 3 months old!! It is wonderful to hear how the new moms are doing since I chatted with you on the pregnancy thread. I look forward to learning from you all and hope I have something to contribute!

Navandoren and AnnaSue -- I just returned to work on June 27, and the pumping is going okay. In CA, it's a law to have a room with a lock for lactating moms (yay!). Don't know if it's law where you are. I pump 3x a day -- once in the morning, at lunch, and in the afternoon. Sometimes if it's busy, I just pump twice. Definitely get yourself an electric double pump -- saves time and effort. I bring the milk home in a little insulated lunch box with blue ice. In addition to missing Cammy, I wish I had more milk to bring home. We have to supplement with formula.

I'm thankful that DH is the SAHD and is taking care of Cameron f/t. I can totally relate to being so in love with the baby -- you just don't quite know what it's like until you're a parent!

Amy

[cchhbb]

Kim, At the La Leche League meeting that I go to some of the Mom's are carrying their 2 and 3 year old kids using the sling. Primarily, the baby rides on their hip and the sling helps to position and distribute the body weight. I bought the sling that I use at a garage sale, but if I was buying a new one I'd buy the Maya brand one. Especially since Lainey is not a newborn. The Maya one folds up very compactly. My friend can actually put it in her purse. She uses it with her daughter who is 2 1/2.

Susan, glad to hear that it wasn't chicken pox. Brendan is sure a big boy. Too bad about the beach. I want to take Garrett to the beach in September for a vacation. I hope he likes it.

Welcome Amy Jane and Cameron. Wisconsin has the same law that California does regarding setting aside a spot for pumping. We would turn our reference library into that spot. It did make things easier for our breastfeeding mommies. Don't get down about having to supplement with formula. You are doing a wonderful thing pumping for your son. One thing that I was interested in hearing was that the amount of antibodies is the same regardless of the quantity that you pump. I felt much better about giving Garrett formula after the breast specialist told me that.

Nima, I'm glad that breastfeeding has gotten easier. Pretty soon you will be comfortable breastfeeding everywhere. I go to a great mom's group that is run by a lactation specialist. It's so fun to watch the babies play together and to talk to other moms about what is going on with thier kids.

I forgot who asked about baby acne, but my niece's ped. suggested that they wash her acne with dandruff shampoo. After they did that a couple of times it went away.

Cheryl

[paula]

A quick question for the moms who are using the sling. I have seven month old twins, one of whom has outgrown his infant carrier and the second is borderline. Currently, I can carry them to and from the car/house/daycare by strapping DD in the carrier (with a handle) and holding DS. However, as soon as DD starts using her convertible seat, I will lose her "handle." Do you think that the sling is sufficiently hands free and sufficiently located enough to one side that I could use it to hold one child and "manually" carry the second?

Thanks.
Paula

[MrsReber]

Wow, Paula, I don't have any advice for you, but that's rough! I have a hard enough time getting around with a one year old and a two year old! I've been putting Brenden in the carrier and putting Casey in the cart to go food shopping. Guess we all have to be creative or we'd sit at home forever.

navandoren, I can't wait to hear some MIL stories! I need some company in that area. My MIL gets weirder each month. I need to know that I'm not alone :D! I picked up Brenden last night only to find out that he refused to nap all afternoon. He was particularly crabby last night so it's good that I didn't go anywhere. He clings to me at family gatherings and Casey is very shy. It would not have been much fun for me. The in-laws try to take the kids from me, but they cry. It's worse for me to try to relax with them screaming for me. I'm becoming so much less concerned about what other people think, though. I find that now I'm a mom, the children come first no matter what.

Nori, the kids weren't so afraid of the waves as they were of the water itself. Where we were sitting on the beach, it was very calm. The waves were breaking on the other side of the rocks. Casey did point at them and tell me that they were waves. I'm not too much of a beach person. I prefer to go there on a warm evening and walk or enjoy the boardwalk. I get bored sitting on the beach and I don't enjoy swimming in the ocean much. It doesn't help that they keep closing some of the beaches here due to pollution levels. Yuck! It's mostly from the geese, but there has been medical waste as well. It's such a shame.

[navandoren]

thanks for the tips on the baby acne - i just feel so bad for him. its on his face, neck and chest. from what i read baby boys are more susceptible as a result of their testosterone competing with the estrogen in the breast milk. i am glad to hear that it will just clear up on its own.

thats great to hear about the laws for breastfeeding moms. i wonder where i could find out if maryland has the same law. i work for the smithsonian, which is a pretty big place - so i am guessing there must be some room that i can use with a lock.

susan - i can guarantee it will only be a matter of time before i have some MIL stories to share. thats just par for the course with her. the latest - she was actually upset that the baby looks more like me than my DH. she is such a pill. my mom saved my hospital picture from when i was born, and if you didnt know you might think it was a picture of my son - everyone who has seen it says so. MIL looks at it and claims not to see the resemblence. even FIL said he couldnt see any difference at all between the pic and our new son. i am just glad they live in PA and we dont have to see them that often.

[paula]

I can assure you that MARYLAND does not have any laws about lactation rooms and locks. I work for the National Cancer Institute, which considers itself progressive in that they provide a lactina pump. BUT, both pumps provided at the Frederick NCI site are located in a locker rooms / bathrooms with only a curtain to insulate you from all the other ongoing bathroom activities. They claim they can not provide another location (ie an isolated room) because it would not have running water - which admittedly is a plus.

Paula

[cchhbb]

I just have a minute. I can hear Garrett waking up now.

Paula, I have a friend who has twins who actually uses 2 slings to transport her kids. Her kids are about 10 months. She says she can't go far carrying that weight, but it is a life saver when transporting them into a store, ect.

Cheryl

[AmyJane]

Cheryl, thanks for your warm welcome to this thread. I also appreciate what you said about the antibodies being the same regardless of the amount of milk pumped. Some days I just don't produce as much, even though I pump 3x at work and feed him at home. Have you or anyone else tried Fenugrek (sp?) or Mother's Tea and does that help?? Or do I need to drink more fluids?

Navandoren, you may want to call your office manager to see if there's a room with a lock (and running water) set aside for lactating moms. I did that and was relieved we have a small kitchen with a sink, right near my cubicle. My office manager even set up a chair and clock for me. A fridge was also added, so that's a bonus. Paula, that's unfortunate you don't have a private room with a lock, but at least NCI provides the pumps and semi-private area. Yes, you definitely need the running water. Btw, I used to live in Silver Spring, MD, so the Smithsonian and NCI are very familiar!

I'm glad to read some feedback on the sling. We have the Bjorn and like it, and I had wondered if the sling is better. Is there any advantage to it over the Bjorn?

[RunnerKim]

Welcome AmyJane!

I tried the fenugreek (and even a prescription medication) but didn't notice any increase in supply - this was before I went back to work though and was just trying to increase my milk supply generally (pumping after feeding etc.) I think its effect varies from woman to woman. Exercise can also decrease supply (or perhaps if you don't eat enough to compensate for the exercise supply suffers). So make sure your not only drinking enough water but also eating enough. My lactation consultant made of point of telling me that you don't get graded by how much milk you produce - it's not an A if you exclusively breastfeed and a C if you have to supplement 50% with formula or something. Any amount of breastmilk is a good thing. I pumped twice a day for a few months and saw a slow decline in my milk supply, I dropped to once a day for another month or so and then just did morning and evening feedings at home (but I never had enough milk to begin with, always had to give a bottle after every breastfeeding). Now that you're back at work there's so many more things for you to focus your energy on - don't stress over how much milk you're producing. Easier said than done, I'll admit.

I'm definitely looking into these slings. I'll check out the Maya brand for sure. I decided to try today without the stroller - it's just such a pain to get it on the bus, along with Lainey and my 2 bags. People have been great offering to help etc. but I don't want to need help :D It wasn't a big deal carrying her this morning the 5 blocks. I think with a sling it wouldn't be a problem at all - just something to help hold her in position a little better. AmyJane - we have the bjorn and used it a lot. I obviously can't compare it to a sling as I haven't used one of those yet but I felt the bjorn was very secure for a small child and allowed Lainey to look around and hang out when she had more neck muscles. You can be active with the bjorn - walk briskly and even do housework. DH used it a lot during more than me actually. However when she reached about 15lbs or so she just became too heavy to carry on your front.

Kim

[AmyJane]

Thanks, Kim! It's good to be back in touch with you BBs. Sounds like you are adjusting well to life with Lainey. She is a cutie (the little photo). Thanks for sharing your experiences with Fenugreek and how it varies from woman to woman. Well, exercise isn't a factor to me b/c I haven't done much since having Cameron. I think my calorie intake is decent, so I might just have to increase my fluids. I may try the Fenugreek and see if it makes a difference. Thanks to you and Cheryl for making me feel better about feeding Cammy breastmilk AND formula. I just couldn't stockpile enough when I was on maternity leave. He was so hungry that I didn't have many breaks to pump!

Oh, I can see why the Bjorn won't work after the baby gets too heavy. But the sling carries the baby in the front also, so I don't understand why it would be better -- but Paula mentioned it helps with weight distribution. I will also check out the Maya brand -- thanks.

What is everyone doing to get back in shape? Cameron is 3 months old, and I still can't fit into all my pre-pregnancy pants! :( I may try Weight Watchers and will do more walking and my pilates videotapes.

[MrsReber]

I was about to post before and my lunch meeting people showed up! What nerve! Anyway, I wanted to say that when I came back to work, I went down to our medical department and asked them if they had a room that I could use to pump. They have 2 exam rooms and they use them mostly in the mornings so I was able to pump once a day down there. I'd pump before leaving the house in the morning, then once at work and then feed when I got home. I had to supplement when Brenden was 6 months old because I just couldn't keep up with him. It's not a horrible thing to use formula! Don't sweat it. The most important thing is a happy mommy and baby.

I'm still trying to lose pregnancy weight! In the beginning, I got the stroller out and tried to go for a 2 mile walk at least three times a week. That helped me lose a few pounds. Then, when I was back at work, I joined WW. You'd be surprised at how much food you're allowed to eat while breastfeeding! I lost 12 lbs in 10 weeks on their program. I also joined the gym at work. I have 10-15 more lbs to go, but my clothes are fitting much better! If you can, I'd suggest some weight training. And give yourself time. The doctor says it takes 9 months to put on the weight, give yourself that much time to take it off. Everyone is different. I still don't fit into many of my pre-pregnancy clothes, but I'm almost there. Brenden turned 1 on July 5th. It's a tough battle, but I'll eventually win!

Oh, and did anyone ever try drinking beer to stimulate milk production? I believe you can safely have one serving of alcohol each day. I never drank much while breastfeeding, but I did have an occasional drink. I understand that beer or malt liquours will stimulate production! Just a thought- I'm not advocating drinking and nursing! :D

[nori]

Welcome AmyJane and Cameron!!!:) As everyone else said, I don't think formula feeding is nothing so awful about it. I myself have been breastfeeding Noah (still quite often!) but if I had to go back to work at 6 months or so, I don't think I'd be able to pump enough supply for the entire day for him. Ditto what MrsReber said.....important thing is happy mom and happy baby.:)

Breastfeeding and alcohol....may sounds like a bad thing, but I've read that recommending have a glass of wine to be relaxed and produce more milk. I actually have been having a glass of wine almost everyday...it does relax me, so beer may not be the bad thing.:D

Sling....I saw this mom was wearing at the Trader Joe's today and she said she got it from Internet...Maya brand. It looked comfy. I still use Baby Bjourn for Noah:eek: , but she said the sling is very easy on her back. So that may be the difference. Oh, she also said she can nurse in there. Kim, if you have to use a bus everyday, this may be the way to go!

I found this picture of me in swimsuit when we went to trip after our wedding. And my tummy was flat! What had happened for past few years???!!! It was just 4 years ago (okay, maybe that's a long time) but my tummy is so flubby. I still have a big appetite because of breastfeeding (that's what I think, but maybe it got to be the habit??? that'd be a scary thing.), but I know I should cut back on eating amount since I'm not nursing as much as I used to do. Anyway, I'm also still fighting to get back to shape!!! AmyJane, 3 months is still early....put away those pre-pregnancy clothes for a while!

:D

[Julia1Pin]

Amy - Welcome. Nice to see you here. I am back in my pre-pregnancy clothes (and working on losing more) but I got a personal trainer which means that I'm at the gym at least 2x week.

Susan - In-laws can be extrememly selfish. Trust me - I know. I hav emy own issues with them.

Kim - That's so cute - the thought of you reading to a bunch of kids.

Nicole - Abigail had baby acne also and I was so tempted to pop but I didn't and it went away on it's own fairly quickly.

Nori - I don't think DH would think that a haircut was a big deal either :rolleyes: Sometimes they just don't get it, no matter what.

[cchhbb]

Amy Jane, I took fenugreek and a Rx for a few months to build supply. I think that they did work, but lost their effectiveness over time.

About the slings. You can wear your baby in several different positions. They don't have to be in the front all the time. A baby like Lainey could be worn on your hip or even your back. A site that I looked at a few months ago was www.kangarookorner.com. It shows different ways to wear your baby and has several different types. I think most of them are about $40.

Susan, My MIL lives in Canada or I'd match mine up with yours.

The question about having a beer to improve supply. That used to be thought to be true, but was proved not to be the case. Too bad.

Cheryl

[AmyJane]

Thanks, everyone! It's good to connect with you all again.

Cchhbb, glad to hear the fenugreek worked for you, at least in the beginning. I hope to give it a try. Heard it makes you smell like molasses though! :eek: I'm glad to hear that there's nothing wrong with supplementing with formula. I'm not crushed that the beer theory doesn't work, b/c I don't like beer. :)

Thanks, all, for the encouragement about losing weight and sharing your struggles and successes. I've heard, "9 months up, 9 months down." Yeah, it's mostly my jiggly belly and butt, so ab exercises, walking and diet should help. Nori, I know we can eat 500 more calories while breastfeeding, but yes, it's good not to get into that habit! One woman told me she didn't lose her last 8 lbs. until she weaned the baby. Mrs. Reber, don't give up -- you will succeed! I used to lift weights b/c muscles do burn more calories. Julia, I think I will hire a personal trainer for awhile, who will come to my home (I'm no longer with a gym). My routine before I got pregnant was power walking, daily ab videotape, and weight training; this really helps, ladies. A trainer I spoke with recently says 60% of getting back in shape is eating right! I miss my old body :) ... but like you all, I will be patient and work hard to get it back!

[nmody]

Hi Everyone-

Welcome, Nicole and Griffin! Susan, I am so glad Brenden doesn't have CP! I kept hoping that both kids weren't infected with them esp. in this heat we've been having.

Well, I haven't posted in a few days because I started my bridgeback program with work last week. I went to work 2 days last week and two days this week. Unfortunately, yesterday and today I was at a meeting in Washington DC! I was amazingly and surprisingly calm and collected about 1.)going back to work and 2.)leaving Ella home for 2 days! I think knowing that I left her in good hands is a huge plus. DH watched her from 6am until 6pm yesterday, went to bed, and had to work last night overnight. Tonya (Nanny) came in at 6pm, stayed the night, and left around 5pm tonight. DH watched her until 8:30pm when I got home. I cannot believe how much bigger she seems and I've only been gone for 2 days!!:eek:

Arta, I hear you about packing! We leave on Friday morning for vacation (back to MD, DC area!!:rolleyes:), and I have a giant list of things to back for Ella, for DH, but nothing for me! We are renting a beach house in Ocean City, MD for DH's family reunion! There will be 50 plus people there so it will be alot of fun. The only bad thing about this house is that they provide everthing but the linens. I sent ahead a giant box with all of our sheets, towels, beach towels, etc...plus Ella's diapers, formula, some bottles, cereal...anything I could fit! And we will still have the pack & play, carseat/stroller, plus one large suitcase for each of us, plus diaperbag and backpack! (DH does not travel light at all...we HAVE to bring both of our cameras plus the camcorder plus the mp3 player....I put the kabosh on the laptop! :( ) I cannot believe how much stuff this kid needs. I spent about $180 at Wal-Mart on Monday just getting "STUFF" for this trip. BTW, has anyone seen these round beach towels they have at Target? I think they are the Swell brand by Cynthia Rowley. Oprah had them on the other day, and they were so cool! I think they would be perfect for sitting on with a baby. As if we need one more beach towel considering we live in the Midwest!?!?!?

Hope everyone's doing well....I'm sorry I can't remember everything I wanted to say to everyone, but it's almost midnight. I am so addicted to this board!

Nima

[MrsReber]

Amy- I had heard that, too- that you hold on to extra fat while you breastfeed. I think that's very true. I stopped in April and since then, I have lost another 10 lbs. The same thing happened the first time around. I'm bummed today. I missed the step class this morning because my train was an hour late!!!! I was sitting on the train while they fixed the "signal problems". I think that's a generic term for anything that causes a train delay. My back is killing me from sitting in that seat for an hour and a half. Not fun. It took me over 2 hours to get here today! I'm having a bad day already. I'm supposed to be in a meeting from 3-5, but I had to reply that I can only stay until 4:00. DH is working late. I have to pick up the kids before 6:00. Oh well. I'm working on my grand plan to stay home. We're getting quotes for refinancing the mortgage. Something has to give!

Nima, how sad you had to be away for 2 days! I would hate that. Casey has only been away overnight a handful of times with my mom and Brenden has never been away from us overnight. It's almost time, though. DH and I need to plan a Saturday outing to go fishing. We also could use a nice dinner out and some time alone!

[BeckyM]

Amy -- it took me almost 9 months to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. The good news is that I am still losing weight, so now I am even lower than when I started, and I'm getting closer and closer to my ultimate goal weight. I definitely agree with everyone who mentioned a different body. My stomach is also much flabbier now. Before, even when I would gain weight in my hips & rear end, I would maintain a relatively flat stomach. I'm afraid that's no longer the case! I think some of my fat cells actually shifted around, because my rear is actually smaller than it used to be (based on how my clothes fit), but my waist & stomach are proportionally bigger!

Tuesday I had a somewhat stressful day, because I babysat a friend's 4-month old son for several hours. She is a woman in my CL supper club who lives about an hour and a half north of here, and she had a meeting down here during the day and didn't want to drive back up to get her son before coming back down for our supper club. I told her I'd be happy to watch him while she was at her meeting, but it was right during the playgroup I normally take Katie to. So I ended up taking both babies to the playgroup, and it worked out fine. I was worried about both of them needing me at once, but they alternated pretty well. The only bad part was the drive to the playgroup, because Emmett wanted to sleep, but Katie was wide-awake and making lots of happy shrieks. That upset Emmett, so he cried the whole way there (about half an hour!). Katie wasn't bothered by his crying until about the last five minutes, so I arrived at the playgroup with two screaming babies. Luckily they both calmed down once we arrived, and I had help from the other mothers. Emmett slept in a bouncy seat in the corner while I fed Katie, then Katie played happily while I gave Emmett his bottle. I was glad I did it -- both because it helped my friend, and because it gave me the confidence that I can take care of more than one baby at a time. It hasn't convinced me to have another one just yet though! :D I was on edge most of the time, just feeling like I needed to be extra-vigilant with two babies. I guess I would be more comfortable if the second child were my own, and I was more used to it, but I'm still not ready!

We finally got our baby backpack yesterday, and it fits me (and Katie) well! I took her for a walk last night, and she seemed to really enjoy it. It definitely was heavier than walking with her in the Snugli though! I'm going to keep taking her for walks in it so I can build up my endurance for our trip to Montana in August. I want to be able to carry her easily while we're hiking. DH will probably carry her most of the time, but he may go on a longer hike with his cousin one day, so I would be carrying Katie on shorter hikes with my family.

MrsReber -- I'm glad Brenden doesn't have the chicken pox! I thought of you the other day, because I drove by a Goddard School. Unfortunately it's clear on the other side of town from here and too far for us to use for Katie. Thanks for helping me feel more comfortable about daycare by telling us about how much Casey likes it. I'm hoping to find a place where Katie feels the same. I'm in the middle of research now -- I'll let you all know where we come out.

Well, I need to go dry my hair before Katie wakes up. Hope everyone is having a great week!

Becky :)

[RunnerKim]

Becky - I'm glad your backpack finally arrived and that you have one that fits! I hate being in the car when a baby is crying - drives me nuts that I can't do anything about it -- so I feel for your 30 minute drive. Sounds like you really handled the 2 babies well and I'm sure it would only get easier.

OMG Susan - an extra hour on the train!! I can't imagine having your commutes -- I can certainly understand why your trying so hard to find a way to stay home. We're looking a re-financing our home to, hopefully it'll free up enough cash we can upgrade to a minivan.

I ordered a Maya Pouch Wrap this morning. Now I'm anxiously awaiting it's arrival. I can't believe how many devices I now have for simply hauling Lainey around!

We're still trying to settle Lainey's eating schedule with her new day care routine. Lainey's sleeping later now and giving her a bottle when she first wakes up seems to be messing her up for the rest of the day so this morning I didn't give her a bottle. She was perfectly fine with that (she never drank much at that feeding anyway). So she was now happy to eat breakfast for me at the daycare before I went to work. I enjoy feeding her so hope that continues, plus if I have the teacher feed her it won't be for another hour (which is when she wants to eat if she's had a morning bottle) but then she does't want to eat at 11:30 when they normally do lunch. She really doesn't seem to eat that often (never has which is I think didn't help my milk supply issues).

How often are other babies around 10 months eating?? If this new schedule works out she'll eat
7:30 yogurt, cereal, fruit and about 3-4 oz formula
11:30-Noon bread or crackers and veggie and about 6 oz formula
3:30 4oz formula
6pm Dinner cereal, veggie and fruit and often some finger food while we eat.
8pm 4-6oz formula.

Is it okay at this age to be reducing formual consumption? I know at a year or so she can switch to whole milk and be eating more (mostly?) table foods so figure the transition has to happen at some point???

Kim

[Julia1Pin]

Kim - This is Abigails food schedule:

6:30am - Nurse (probably around 6 oz)
10am - yogurt and homemade cottage cheese
1 or 2pm - Bottle (around 6-8 oz.)
5pm - vegetables and fruit
8pm - Nurse (probably around 6 oz)

snacks - cheerios (1/2 in mouth, 1/2 on floor), banana, hard prezel bagel, bits of what we're eating whenever she wants.

About 3 sippy cups of diluted juice per day.

[MrsReber]

Kim, you're probably doing just fine with mealtimes as long as Lainey is gaining weight and is healthy. Casey never ate much or drank much formula. She'd drink maybe 10 oz the whole day at daycare. We never used anything but 4 oz bottles with her. Brenden was the opposite. He'd drink five 8 oz bottles in a day!

Becky, really, having 2 kids is not much more difficult than having one. Yes, it's a bit more demanding, but you tend to be more laid back. For instance, I will let a child cry a bit longer if I can't get to them right away. I used to drop everything and run, but you just can't do it every time. It's really not that bad and it's so much fun. I love to play with the kids after work. I actually sometimes wish I had three (am I weird??). I was one of three growing up. I'm glad that I could help you feel a bit better about daycare. I had the same worries and fears as everyone else. I don't think about it much anymore. It's so hard to get Casey to come home! I have to almost bribe her with things like "don't you want to see daddy?" or "I'll take you to the park!".

Well, I have a 3:00 meeting that most people have to walk out of early (including the guy who scheduled it in the first place!!!!) I'm hoping it gets cancelled until tomorrow. Then I can stay until 5:00 if they want. DH is working late again today and the meeting was scheduled last minute. He said he'd go get the kids, but I want him to make the big bucks while he can! It's much more lucrative for him to work late. I don't get overtime. So long everyone! See you tomorrow!

[BeckyM]

Kim -- I'm not sure Katie's eating schedule is ideal, because our pediatrician said eventually we'll probably get to feeding her about five times a day, and right now we're only doing four. We dropped her fifth time of nursing a couple months ago when we realized we were waking her up from her naps early in order to eat. We also introduced solids a little later than some people, and she didn't take to them right away. But just for perspective, here's her schedule:

around 7 or 8:00am -- nurse (no idea how much)
about 10am - noon -- nap
noonish -- nurse, then 1/4 cup cereal (mixed with breastmilk or formula) and fruit
about 3 - 5:30 pm -- nap
around 5:30 -- nurse, then 1/4 cup cereal (mixed as above) plus veggies
around 9pm -- nurse, then to bed

Looking at that, I'm wondering if I should give her a snack in the mid-afternoon before her nap. She doesn't really eat any "snack" type foods yet, but I should probably try them with her soon. She is much better about eating foods with more texture now (i.e. bananas we mash up and leave a little chunky, vs. the stuff from the jar), and she did eat some muffin I offered her, so I should probably be trying more things with her.

MrsReber -- I'm glad to hear having two children isn't as hard as it seems like it would be. Someday DH and I would like another child, but we're not quite ready yet. I'm sure I'll start getting those pangs for another child sooner or later though.

I just talked to a good friend from work (she was the one who threw a very nice baby shower for me) and found out she was in the hospital over the weekend with a tubal pregnancy. :( The baby was eight weeks along, and she hadn't known she was pregnant. They had to operate, and she ended up losing one of her fallopian tubes. She is back at work and doing fairly well, all things considered, but I just ache for her. She is 35, and she is trying to have her first child. It certainly makes me even more thankful for my sweet little Katie.

I'd better go work on dinner while Katie is napping. I'm making the Wheat Berry & Dried Fruit Salad (as a LIGHT dinner -- DH won't be home) from the July CL. I hope it turns out well!

Becky :)

[RunnerKim]

Thanks everyone for posting their feeding schedules (love to see more). It's interesting to see what different babies do. Becky - Lainey would sometimes skip her afternoon snack and want to eat closer to 5 instead. We decided to offer her a bottle at 3ish feeling she was going too long without food when she waited until 5 to eat and I want to get her eating dinner closer to when we eat and there's no way I can get a nutritious (let alone intersting) dinner on the table the minute I walk in the door. I guess we started the transition from on-demand to scheduling. It's worked well for her (and me). Cheerios was the first snack food/finger food we gave Lainey. Its wonderful to have something I can just keep in the diaper bag and give her if we're running late.

Susan - I hope your meeting gets cancelled. Why it was ever scheduled is beyond me!

Julia - you make your own cottage cheese? I've heard of making yogurt, is making cottage cheese similar?

Kim

[Julia1Pin]

Susan - Hope your meeting is cancelled.

Kim - The translation is cottage cheese but it's more a cross between cream cheese and sour cream? Har dto explain. But it's basically boiling buttermilk and then draining it through cheese clothes. My nanny is doing it.

[nori]

Noah's feeding schedule is...(generally)

4 or 5am...nursing
7am..breakfast, usually 1 square of graham cracker and baby oatmeal with fruits, water
10am...nursing
12pm...lunch, it varies. recently he likes grilled cheese sandwich so I'd make that often for our lunch. That's what he had today. Plus, 2 baby carrots and some pieces of apples
Nursing...here and there:o
3pm..sometimes snack, cracker, cherrios, pears etc.
6pm...dinner. If our dinner is something he can eat, I'd give him that. So far he had mac and cheese, meatloaf, piece of chicken as finger food, and usually I'd give him some baby jar food while he's distracted by finger foods.:rolleyes:
Nursing, throughout the night:rolleyes:

It is very interesting to see how different every baby is!

MrsReber, hope your meeting was canceled! BTW, are you thinking of third one, or not?:p

Oops, didn't mean to post....editing to add some more...

Becky, it must be hard to ride with crying baby. I hate that, as Kim (?) said, there's nothing you can do.Sounds like you did a great job taking care of 2 babies! Sorry to hear about your coworker. :( That's sad. I hope she'll get another chance in near future.

[AmyJane]

MrsReber - sorry to hear you had a bad start to the day and had to sit on the train. I've had days like that where it takes forever to get to work! Hopefully you will get to your step class tomorrow or the next day and have a restful weekend! It IS good to know that having two children isn't as much work as one thinks ... I guess you do adjust.

Becky - thanks for letting me know it took you 9 months to get back to your pre-pregnancy weight. That's great you're still dropping pounds. I think we all have to just do those ab exercises to get the flabby belly back in shape :) I can imagine how stressful it was to watch the two children -- I would have been on edge too. Can you imagine having twins?!? Now that would be challenging! Sad to hear about your friend losing her baby. I'm sure she appreciates your friendship and support.

I loved reading about your childrens' feeding schedules and what they eat. This will help me when Cameron starts solids, which is in another 3 months. Did you all start your babies on solids around 6 months or sooner? Kim, Cheerios does seem to be the snack of choice!

Nori - are you still nursing during the night? How old is Noah now and how often does he wake? Cameron only wakes once a night now! But then my boobs are ready to burst in the morning! :D

[cchhbb]

Garrett schedule is:

6:30 nurse, then back to sleep for another 1 to 1 1/2 hours
9:00 breakfast of nursing and 1/4 cup cereal and 3 ounces fruit/veggie
9:30 nap
12:00 lunch of nursing and 1/4 cup cereal and 3 ounces of fruit/veggie
12:30 nap
3:00 nurse and snack of cheerios and wagonwheels
5:00 nurse and dinner of 2 ounces yogurt and 4 ounces of fruit/veggie
6:30 teething biscuit and cheerios while we eat
7:00 nurse and then bed by 7:30

[MrsReber]

I think the afternoon snack is a standard at daycare. I think they say babies should eat every 2-3 hours. My kids tend to graze more than eat so I offer them lots of different snacks. Casey and Brenden are now liking the Land O'Lakes cheese. They come individually wrapped. I like that idea since I don't have a big chunk of cheese open in the fridge all the time. They're little pieces of colby-jack, which they both like. I've replaced Cheerios with Kashi Heart to Heart. I've been eating it and it's way healthier than Cheerios. I realized one morning that I was eating a bowl of Kashi while they were having Cheerios. Hey, it just about looks the same and they both like it. I do get to make nice dinners because I'll set the kids up in high chairs in the kitchen. They like to watch and eat a little snack while I cook. Last night they munched on pretzel sticks while I made dinner.

Well, yes, I do think about having baby number three. Quite often. However, we "removed" that possibility at the end of last year. DH simply doesn't want more than 2. I know that's really the right decision for us, but how I love those little babies!!!! It's hard to devote enough time to 2 children with our current lifestyle. My co-worker tells me "two hands, two children. You don't have three hands." He has 2 really great kids. I talk to him a lot because his wife made the decision to stay at home with the kids. His son is off to college this fall and his daughter is in high school.

Well, I have another fun meeting today from 11-2 (or longer) to pick up where yesterday's meeting left off. Oh joy. At least we get a free lunch out of it. That's 2 free lunches for me this week! DH is working on Saturday and then he'll be fishing all day Sunday (and worthless when he comes home). I'm trying to plan a day at the zoo with the kids and my best friend. Her DH is working lots of overtime so she's on her own a lot,too. Hopefully, it'll all work out and we get to go. I know the kids will love the zoo.

[hrk]

Another new mom
Hi there, I hope you have room for another new mom. Today is Logan's two month birthday and things are finally settling into a routine so I have some time on the computer. I can't believe it has been two months.
We have been really lucky in that Logan has started sleeping from about 10:30 until 5-6 in the morning this last week, and last night I finally slept through the night without wking up every two hours to see if I was hearing any noise.
I was supposed to go back to work this Monday but unfortunately my C-section isn't healing as well as it should(Iknow I overdid it too early) so my doctor has me on disability until mid August. Fortunately my mom has been staying with us since she is a teacher and could come out to help over the summer. It has been wonderful to spend time with her and for her to get to know her grandson.

Susan- My MIL could give your MIL a run for her money. She lives about an hour from us, whereas my family lives in California. This is her first grandchild and she is a teacher as well. I asked her if she could come over and watch Logan while I went in to the office for some meetings and my mom will be on a weeks vacation and she told me her summers were her own and that she was too busy. Well I guess she meant it since we haven't heard from her in any way in a month. My mother can't believe how selfish she is that she can't even pick up the phone once a week. Not to mention two weeks after Logan's birth she had the nerve to ask DH when we would be starting on the next one.
AmyJane- I can relate to wanting to lose the pregnancy weight, but I have to behave myself and let my c-section heal first. My doctor told me the same thing as everyone has mentioned though- 9 months on 9 months off.
Nima- Good lcuk with your trip, we will be taking Logan to Clifornia for a week in August and I am already starting a mental list of what we have to pack and it is a ton.
Nicole- I work at NIH and they have set aside a room for pumping, but I have also talked with my boss about moving into a more private cubicle and I will just use the sink in our office for cleaning. But I do know Maryland is not a very friendly state when it comes to lactation.
Becky- sorry to hear about the screaming baby in the backseat. I have decided that only a man could have made the law that your baby has to be in the backseat facing away from you because it is pure torture to have to drive with a screaming baby
To all of you who posted feeding schedules it is very helpful to see what we have to look forward to.

And finally just a note about a neat activity I discovered. Lowes theaters has started a new program for new moms and their babies. It is called Reel Moms. On TUesday mornings they have a screening of a new feature movie open especially to moms and their babies. That way moms can get out of the house, see a movie and socialize with other moms and babies but not worry about fussing etc. I went this last week to the one in our area and it was great. We saw Pirates of the Caribbean, well I did anyways Logan was iin his carrier faing away from the screen. They keep the lights brighter than normal so you can nurse, feed or changes diapers right there in the theater, they turn the sound down so it is not overwhleming for the babies, and if they are fussy you can feel free to get up and move around to calm you baby down. It is a new program and I know they are in the process of expanding it. The website is reelmoms.urbanbaby.com.
Sorry this post was so long. I look forward to getting to know everyone on this thread and reading everyones wonderful advice and suggestions. Happy Friday.
Heather

[RunnerKim]

hrk - Welcome!! I'm sorry you're still having problems with your c-section. :( That Mom & Movies thing sounds really great. I know a theater in downtown portland has a crying room for parents to sit in which I thought was neat too.

Susan- thanks for mentioning the Kashi Heart to Heart, I'm definitely going to get some. Of course I've stocked up on cheerios when it was on a great sale.

AmyJane - Lainey was showing many signs of being interested in solids at 5 months (grabbing at our food, holding and chewing on a spoon...). I had all intentions of waiting until 6 months but realized that was also an arbitrary date and decided to listen to Lainey. I find Ellyn Satter's book Child of Mine to be excellent for giving guidelines -- I feel very comfortable with her philosophy (respects the child). So we started rice cereal shortly after Lainey's 5 month birthday. Just one meal and gradually got it thicker and thicker. Some days she didn't want to eat at all, sometimes a bite or two and others she'd polish off the bowl. At 6 months we started introducing "real" foods.

Happy Friday everyone!

Kim

[MrsReber]

Yay! Another self centered MIL! We'll need our own thread soon :D ! Why would MIL be asking about a second child when she has no time for the first?

Welcome! I love the name Logan. I was considering it for our son, but somehow Brenden just felt right. It still does so I know we made the right choice.

[nori]

Amy, Noah is 10 1/2 months and wakes up as often as every few hours.:o Sometimes he'd sleep 5 or 6 hours, but still wake up more than that. Since he can stand up by himself now, he'd get up and stand up in the crib. He used to be just lying down there but not anymore. I usually go in there to calm him down (often by nursing) and that'd do. I think I'm the only one struggling wiht non-sleeper here.....

MrsReber, have fun at the zoo! Sounds like fun. Is it first time for Brenden to go? (or did you say that you took them there before...I don't remember, sorry.:o ) I'd love to take Noah to nearby zoo but it's been too hot around here.

Heather....welcome!!!! Sorry to hear that you're having hard time recovering from c-section. I had one, too, and I also pushed it too much sometimes and started bleeding often. Then I learned to cut back whatever I was doing then. Anyway, it's a good think now you can stay with Logan more.:) I hope we had that kind of movie theater around here. We started going Drive-in Theater a lot because we can take Noah along. They play a lot of new movies so that's how we've been catching up with new releases. But going to the AC'd theater with other moms and babies sounds like a lot of fun. See if any Lowes Theater in the town...

I had a rough night last night. Clogged milk duct came back again, around 1am. Noah woke up so I went in, got him back to sleep, then realized one of my breasts hurt and hard as a rock.:eek: I did warm-compress for a while and since I treated pretty early, it didn't get much worse. Just when I thought of going back to the bed, I felt super-hungry. Mind you, it was 2am at night. So I convinced myself it's not good to eat anything now, since I'd just go back to sleep. Then, I started to have this terrible stomachache and had urge to get to the bathroom. This happened all of the sudden, and in the hallway, I could not go any longer and felt dizzy so I got on the floor. I lay down there for a while, and after started feeling better, I went to the bathroom and after that I felt just fine.:confused: I don't know what it was, we went out to eat last night and I had cobb salad and margalita. Can't think of anything bad... maybe turkey, or ham? Anyway, I'm feeling just fine, but of course Noah woke up ready to start a day around 6am. And he didn't take morning nap this morning!:eek: I spent more than hour try to rock him to sleep because I knew he was sleepy then. But after some attempt, he wasn't sleepy anymore so we decided to have early lunch. Now DH is taking him to the hardware store (He's off today). I'm sure he's sleeping by now.

Happy Friday, everyone!

[RunnerKim]

Nori! I hope you're feeling better. Scary. Sounds like something really funky was going on with your blood sugar & digestive system.

Kim

[navandoren]

nori - sorry to hear you had such a rough night. sounds like maybe you had a touch of food poisoning. i hope you are feeling better.

heather - glad to see you joining the thread. i am sorry to hear you are having a hard time recovering from your c-section. i ended up having a c-section as well. its great that your mom has been there soo much to help you. i remember you saying that you wouldnt set up the nursery or anything until logan arrived, so i hope you are feeling all settled in now. thats a shame about your MIL - its such a precious time now that she is missing out on. the movie theater idea sounds fabulous - i am off to check that link you provided now to see if they have it in this area too.

susan - i agree, it sounds like we are headed towards our own thread just for in-laws! it is nice to know though that i am not alone.

about the breastfeeding laws. i dont know why i was thinking about MD laws. while i live in MD, i work in washington DC. i checked the la leche site, and they didnt have any laws listed for DC that i noticed. i guess i will send an email to the office manager and see what they suggest. fortunately i will only be in the office once a week through the end of this calendar year. we have daycare right in the building, so i will check and see if they have a place to pump too. unfortunately griffin didnt get into the daycare at my work, due to a limited number of infant spots (reserved mostly for siblings). after he is one though the class sizes double, so at that point we will probably put him in the daycare at work.

i hope everyone has a great weekend!

[nori]

I've been feeling good, so it must had been some type of food poisoning or something....:confused:

I had a meltdown yesterday, just so much stuff was on my plate at the same time and we needed a break. So today, we asked one of our friends to baby-sit Noah and we went out for coffee. It was nice. I think we really needed it.

Gotta go now, but hope everyone had a nice weekend!

Editing to add some more stuff, now that my little guy is sleeping.;)

Breastfeeding law....I'm not sure how it'd work here, since I'm not working right now, but I personally think every company should understand and accomodate the needs of new moms. I remember someone mentioned she had to pump in the restroom.:rolleyes: That's baby's food we're talking about, and doing it in the restroom doesn't sound right to me. Where I used to work almost all employees had own room so my coworker told me that she used to pump in there shutting the door. That'd be ideal....

BTW, Kim, your comment about blood sugar acting strange caught my attention.....should I be tested for something??? Do you have any experience like that??

Oh, Noah started waving hand "bye-bye".;) It's so cute. Sometimes he doesn't get it, but most of the time, when I say "bye-bye!" and wave mine, he'd do it. Now I have to teach him to blow a kiss.:)

[AnnaSue]

Wow! I've missed so much since I last posted. We have this really lousy cable company, and unfortunately they also handle our Internet and e-mail access. Our cable has been out this entire month, and now our Internet and e-mail have been out for two weeks. They keep saying they are "working on it", but this is just ridiculous. We got sick of waiting, so DH hooked up a dial-up connection so we can at least get Internet access now. I can't believe how fast it seems compared to our so-called high-speed Internet through that joke of a cable company,

Anyway...Welcome AmyJane and Heather! Good to hear from you guys again. Try not to worry too much about getting into shape AmyJane. Three months isn't much time to give it. Brendan is almost three months too, and I have a ways to go before my pants fit again. It is weird because I only gained fifteen pounds while pregnant, so I thought I'd get back in shape in no time, but I feel chunkier now than when I was pregnant.:rolleyes: The hospital where I delivered offers a free one year membership at a gym after the birth of a baby, so I should really think about taking advantage of that! Sorry to hear about your C-section not healing well Heather. I had a C-section too, but hated sitting around the house so I started taking Brendan out everywhere right after getting home from the hospital. There ended up being a couple times where I felt like I overdid it a bit too.

Nori.. Thanks for sharing Noah's haircut story. I could see my DH doing that, so I immediately asked him not to after reading that! Hope your doing better now after not feeling well the other night.

MrsReber.. Glad to hear your kids don't have the chicken pox. I'm sure that was a relief to you!

I really like that formula dispenser that several of you have mentioned. We use that every time we take Brendan out somewhere.

Thanks to everyone for the advice on baths. We have discovered that the only way Brendan doesn't cry now is to bring his little tub out to the family room.:rolleyes: He still doesn't seem overly excited about it, but at least he doesn't scream like he did in the bathroom!

MIL'S!! Oh.. will I commiserate with some of you on that issue!! My MIL has been an absolute nightmare from day one. Fortunately, she lives in England. If she lived here, I'd go insane! I'm absolutely dreading her upcoming visit in September. It looks like our new house won't be done by then, so she'll be staying in our one bedroom apartment for two weeks. I'm thinking about going to stay with my dad during that time, because her last visit here was the WORST!! I'll post more about that later. This post is getting too long!

Becky.. Sorry to hear about your friend.:( I hope she is coping as best she can.

[nori]

Annasue, we must have been posting at the same time.:)

Have you ever tried to bathe Brendan in the kitchen sink? Our infant bath tub used to fit on the sink, so that was where we bathed him. In that way, you don't have to bent your back or knees!

Oh yes, I'm glad I could save you from that DH cutting baby's hair tragedy.:rolleyes: Somethings guys don't get it.

Wow 2 weeks in one bedroom apartment with your MIL??? Where she'll be sleeping? Maybe you both would be better off if she can stay in the hotel nearby???

[AnnaSue]

Nori, thanks for the idea about the kitchen sink. Brendan's tub won't fit over the sink, but we could probably try it on the counter. I don't know why I didn't think of that before, and it would definitely be easier than using the living room floor!

I agree that my MIL should stay in a hotel. In fact, I even asked DH a couple weeks ago to make the suggestion to her, but she promptly refused when he brought it up to her. We have a very small upstairs area with a futon, but that is also where our computer is, and I hate the thought of not being able to come up here while she is here. She was SUCH a pain in the neck last time she was here, and if she acts like that again this time..I'LL go to a hotel, and bring Brendan with me!:)

Editing to add.. I just read your post about the Noah's Ark birthday cake, and that is such a cute idea! Sorry I don't have any advice regarding your question since I'm not much of an experienced baker, but I look forward to hearing how it turns out.:)

[JoanneOR]

Hi everyone. We're back from vacation and had a really nice time. I was a little concerned because there were 20 of us staying in one cottage, but it went OK. Of course, there were some squabbles here and there, and it was nice to come home to our "quiet" house! But, the kids had a blast with all their cousins. The weather was great, too.

Caitlyn did really well. She slept good and was pretty easy going. Although I think she was a bit out of sorts at first because of all the people. She was pretty clingy with me the whole time, but that's OK.

Welcome to the new moms and babies!

AmyJane, one other thing that I heard could increase supply was oatmeal. I tried it, not sure if it worked or not, but it couldn't hurt. I've also heard about it taking nine months to take weight off. Sounds like you are doing fine. I've got about four pounds to go to get back to where I started with Caitlyn and she's 10 months. I'd like to lose another 10-15 after that, but I'm not really worried about it. I feel pretty comfortable where I am right now and I've decided I'm not going to stress about it. I do need to start exercising more, though. The weight came off slowly at first without any dieting or anything. Then I joined Weight Watchers and stayed with it for a few months and lost about 25.

It's great to see the schedules. I thought Caitlyn didn't really eat a lot, but it sounds like she's about the same as some others. Here's ours: (varies greatly!)

5:00-6:00am - 6 ounce bottle - back to sleep
7:00am - Awake, cheerios, maybe 1/2 jar of fruit
9:30 am - 6 ounce bottle
10:00-11:30am - Nap
11:30am - bread, fruit or veggie
1:00pm - 6 ounce bottle
1:30-3pm - nap
3:00 pm - snack (pretzels, cheerios, or wagon wheels)
5:30pm - dinner, usually whatever we are having, and, of course, cheerios!
7:00pm - 6 ounce bottle
7:30pm - bed

I'm going to check out the Kashi cereal, too. We use the multi-grain cheerios that have more vitamins that the regular ones. Other foods she's had are chicken, mac and cheese, cheese, yogurt (not crazy about it), carrots, pasta, that's all I can think of now.

Nori, I had to smile when I read Noah like grilled cheese. I remember when you were pregnant you posted about eating alot of grilled cheese sandwiches. I'm going to try that with Caitlyn. I think she might like it.

Kim, it sounds like Lainey is adjusting well to daycare (and you!).

Becky, I'm so sorry to hear about your coworker. She's lucky to have you for support. That is funny about taking care of the two babies. I remember when Jameson was a baby and I was pregnant with Ian. I watched a friend's infant for about two hours and after that was terrified about how I was going to handle two babies when our second was born. But, we did it (and then two more!) But, it is easier when they are your own.

Mrs. Reber, you're not crazy for wanting three! We have four, and if I was younger, I would have another. I feel a bit sad sometimes that Caitlyn is our last, but it's for the best. We have enough to handle already!

OK, sorry this is so long, just trying to catch up. Hope I didn't miss anyone! I'm at work, so I have to run.

[RunnerKim]

Joanne - sounds like a great vacation (but oen you almost need a vacation to recover from!).

AnnaSue - What about not giving your MIL a choice. It sounds like it would be worth it for your to pay for it. Just make the reservation and tell her our home is too small, we're really sorry our house isn't finished in time (if you'd prefer to postpone your visit till it is).

I bought a formula dispenser and am really glad I did. I'd seen it before I realized but hadn't bought it because I didn't really need anything that big (has 4 compartments) but it's so much easier to use than anything else I came up with and now I have different amounts in the different compartments so that's handy.

AnnaSue the other thing I thought about with baths is that Lainey has a couple of favorite toys - the Sprocket Heads (by Sassy I think) they're plast balls (with faces) on a string attached to a suction thingy. Lainey has loved these things since we got them for her from Santa (so she was 3 months). She'll even crawl from out bedroom to the bathroom in search of them now, but I don't let her play with them other than bath time to keep them special/intersting.

Nori- I have a friend who has blood sugar issues - will get headaches and such if her levels get out of wack. And the dizziness just seem indicative of that. I wouldn't worry about it being a chronic problem at this point since it just happened the one time.

We spent the weekend at an outdoor dog agility trial. It got up to 95 both days!!! This is the pacific northwest, Hot is upper 80s! Lainey is so wonderful she handled it without a problem (unlike me :o ) Lainey learned to clap on Sunday. We'd been trying to get her to do it for a week or so but all she'd do was grab her hands together but with all the clapping and cheering at the trial she finally figured it out. I was so proud that day - my dog and I had done really well in our runs and then Lainey learned to clap. :)

Kim

[LosingIt]

I just wanted to let ya'll know, Michael decided to start eating again. Last night he even ate carrots for the first time. He really seems to want real food though. I've thought about giving him some cherrios or teething biscuits to play with - which do you recommend?

I'm ready for another and Michael just turned six months yesterday. I think we may start trying for a second next year around this time. I can't afford to wait much longer than that - I'm a bit older than the usual first time mom - even most second time moms!

I've enjoyed reading what your baby's are eating. I'm so torn with wanting Michael to stay a baby but it is so much fun seeing him grow and learn.

[LosingIt]

Oops - I also was going to commiserate with Nori - my baby won't sleep through the night either! He usually only sleeps three hours at a time. I got excited last week when he only woke up once a night for two nights in a row but now he is back to waking three to four times a night. Oh, well.

[JoanneOR]

AnnaSue, Kim's idea sounds like a great one! And, if she still refuses to stay in the hotel, you and Brendan can go stay there! How inconsiderate of her. It would be different if it were a day or two, but two weeks?? That's very inconvenient for you.

Kim, you're right, I almost need a vacation to recover from my vacation! I've come to realize that our family vacations for the next few years (probably at least ten!) are really all about the kids. And that's OK. I want them to have great memories of things they did as kids. I just love watching them together. We stayed on a lake and they played all day in the sand and in the water. Caitlyn absolutely hated the water, though. We tried a few times and then gave up. She just screams when you even put her feet in. We had a baby float that we didn't even open up. I returned it yesterday.

This weekend we are supposed to go to a friend's cottage. I'm seriously thinking of staying home with Caitlyn. I wouldn't be able to go until Saturday anyway. My DH doesn't mind if we stay home and it will be nice to have some quiet time and maybe get some things done around the house.

That's so fun that Lainey is clapping! I've been trying to get Caitlyn to do it. She seems to have her mother's coodination, though!

LosingIt, I think either cheerios or the teething biscuits would be fine. The teething biscuits are much messier, though. The only thing that concerned me a bit about those was that a big piece could break off and be a choking hazard.

[RunnerKim]

LosingIt,
I definitely prefer cheerios. much less messy and Lainey always seems to gag on the teething biscuits (and sometimes she'll actully vomit a little bit from gagging). I don't think we gave them to her until she was closer to 8 months though so don't know if a 6 month old has the coordination for cheerios??

Kim

[MrsReber]

Hello! Wow, this thread is moving fast! I'm working at home today, but just stopped by to check in.

The zoo was fun. Casey kept telling us that the lion and tiger were going to bite her. DH decided not to go fishing so it turned out to be just a family day, which was very nice. We stopped over SIL's house to visit DH's neice and her new baby. They were over there for the afternoon and we had 4 bags of baby stuff to drop off for the new baby. Anyway, Laylah is now three weeks old and such a little doll. Brenden yelled at her and Casey looked at her, but didn't say much. MIL was over there, too. SIL just had reconstructive surgery following the end of her bout with breast cancer. She's home for the next 8 weeks. MIL was saying how great DH's neice looked and how "nobody eles's baby looked that good". BIL was standing near me and overheard that. He said that Brenden should go smack his grandma. I had to laugh. She said "oh, I meant that none of the mothers looked that good afterwards". I just laughed and said to her "there's no easy way out of this one". I take it all with a grain of salt these days. She tried to take Brenden from me, but he shrank back and had a death grip on me.

Wow, I don't think I could take 2 weeks in a small apartment with an MIL. That is downright rude to insist on staying with you. I agree that you should simply make the reservation for her and if she doesn't understand, well, that's too bad!

This is amazing- Casey went into her room, climbed into bed and went to sleep. She's been doing that when she gets tired. It's wonderful.

LosingIt- I think that 6 months is old enough for Cheerios. I'm sure Casey was munching on them by then. At the very least, I'd try some Gerber Wagon Wheels. Those get soft very quickly.

Brenden is almost walking. I see him taking a couple of steps here and there. I have to really watch him. He seems to like to try to walk whenever I'm not looking! It's only a matter of a week or so, I think. I trimmed his hair today. It's getting so long! We're going camping in 2 weeks in VA. It should be really nice. My sister and her family will meet us there for this big picnic on the 1st. It's with all the other property owners by the lakes. I can't wait to go. Looks like we're not going to refinance. I looked into it and they're offering us 5.5%. That's not much better than what we have now so we'd actually lose money in the long run with closing costs and all. I guess we should just be thrilled that we have a mortgage under $1,000- until taxes go up, anyway! Well, I'm off to enjoy some quiet time and eat lunch all alone!!!

[cchhbb]

I've been really interested in seeing other babies' schedules. I hope Garrett will drop a nursing soon. I am envious of babies that nap for more than 45 minutes.

I know I'd either kill myself or my MIL if I spent 2 weeks with her. It doesn't have to be in a one bedroom apartment just the same city would be enough to do me in. Actually, I probably would have to be checked into the mental health hospital. My MIL always trys to make me feel like I'm a bad mother and wife. I'm just glad she lives in Canada.

My mom and dad and going to be here next week. I can hardly wait. Garrett has changed so much since they saw him 6 weeks ago. I can hardly believe he's going to be 9 months old tomorrow. It seems like yesterday when I was taking him to his 6 month appointment.

Garrett got another tooth. He now has 2 fangs! I can't imagine how bad it's going to be when he gets his molars. He was so upset and cranky for about 3 days.

I've been trying to get Garrett interested in finger foods, but he doesn't like to touch soft things. He will pick up Cheerios, wagon wheels, and teething biscuits, but when I put something soft like fruit or a vegetable he won't pick it up. Do you think that his pincher grasp isn't developed enough to pick up soft things? I'd appreciate any ideas.

Joanne, glad to hear you had a terrific vacation. I don't think I'd like to go away again this weekend. You probably have a million things to do after being gone for the week.

Losing It, I'd be careful of giving teething biscuits since most of them contain wheat. I was able to find some wheat free teething biscuits that I give Garrett.

Kim, Yea Lainey on clapping! And Yea Kim and her dog on the agility trial.

Cheryl

[nori]

Cheryl, does Garrett at least try to grab the soft food? Or he's not interested in at all? Maybe he is not interested since they're not familiar to him? How about some pieces of apples? I also found that at the beginning, it's easier for him to grab things if they're bigger. I'd give him a bigger piece of apple (not slippery, relatively easy to chew on) to see how he reacts. But I'd watch him closely so that he won't choke on it.

MrsReber, sounds like fun time you had at the zoo! Kids must be excited to have daddy also.:) Brenden started to walking!? Wow. Noah still cruses a lot, and actually he stood up by himself for a few seconds for several occacions.

Kim, yay Lainey for clapping hands!! Noah would do it here and there. But sometimes his hands won't meet each other, and it's funny watching him.

Joanne, glad you had a nice trip. I understand your feeling want to stay this weekend, though. It'll be probably nice to stay home this time. It's Girl's Time!!!! I saw Caitlyn's schedule and noticed she really likes cherrios. Noah does, too, and that's what I'd give him whenever I need to work in the kitchen and I want him to stay in high chair. If you're walking on your dining room, you can't go so long without stepping on one of those cherrios.:rolleyes: You know how it goes.....

LosingIt, I'm so glad (but not for you...) to hear that there's another mom waking up several times during a night! I had one of those nights when Noah sleeps 5 hours but the next day, he'd go back to his normal schedule. Oh well is right. I just got used to that so I feel very uncomfortable when Noah is not waking up as often as usual. I agree wtih others, cherrios would be great to give to Michael. At 6 months, Noah had hard time grabbing cherrios (too small) so he prefered teething biscuit. (Warning...those are soooo messy!) You can give it a try and see how he does!
Oh, and good luck on trying for second one.;)

AnnaSue, I won't do any huge party for his 1st birthday but wanted to make theme as Noah's Ark, for his name's sake.:) Baking that kind of cake kind of intimidates me at this moment, but I'm getting great help from this BB. I'll keep you posted!!

DH took Noah to swing on the backyard after dinner and he fell asleep there. Dh took him in, but he was still sleepy and didn't wake up. He badly needed a bath, after that messy dinner, but I guess we just have to give him a little bit late bath tonight. The swing always does that to him!!!

[JoanneOR]

Cheryl, I heard this tip somewhere, maybe here? But, to help babies pick up slippery foods, crush up some cheerios, or graham crackers and coat the food with it. It makes it easier for them to pick up. I haven't tried it, but it sounds like it might work.

I hope I'm a good MIL someday! Sounds like there are alot of bad ones out there! Mine has her moments, but lately things have been OK. She lives about a mile from us. It almost seems better to have them nearby; you don't have to worry about any extended visits!

Yep, she loves Cheerios. I'm finding them everywhere, though. I don't know how they make their way into her diaper, but I usually find one in there after breakfast. Our dustbuster gets alot of use in the kitchen after she eats.

Mrs. Reber, the zoo sounds fun. We have a membership, but don't seem to get there very often. The kids do love it, though. Sounds like Brenden will be walking soon.

Last night I came home and I swear Caitlyn was making all kinds of new sounds. She was saying ah-boo, baba, and even somethings that sounded like mom. It was pretty funny. After reading about Lainey clapping, I tried to get Caitlyn to do it and she did! I kept doing it and finally she did it. She seemed so proud of herself.

[AnnaSue]

Glad to hear you had a nice trip Joanne!

We have been thinking about taking Brendan to Arizona to see my mom since she doesn't get to see him very often. She has been out here twice already, so I thought it would be nice to take him there soon. I'm a bit intimidated by the whole thought of flying with him though. Anyone know at what age you have to buy them a seat? Do they have to sit in their carseat or can you hold them? I have a lot of research to do on this obviously.

It has been interesting to read all the babies schedules. I'll have to refer back to this thread when we get to the food stage. Interesting also to see how good some of your babies nap. Brendan will nap less than an hour during the day lately, and stays up until 10 or 11 pm and gets up at 6 am. I hope that changes soon!

Mrs Reber.. Your trip to the zoo sounds like so much fun. I think it will be fun to take Brendan there when he gets a bit older.

Kim..Thanks for the bath toys idea. We tried some a while ago, but he was too little to benefit from them. I'll try again tonight. How is your DH's new job going? Are you all adapting well to the new routine?

The situation with MIL is getting worse. After reading your posts I decided that insisting that she stay in a hotel is really the best option. I've given her many opportunities to act like a civilized person, but she is just not interested, and I just can't deal with her here again. I don't think she has ever even said hello to me when we see her, not even the first time I met her.:rolleyes: I wouldn't even want my mom staying here for two weeks even though she is such a nice person, this place is just too small! So.. I brought this up to DH, and find out that he promised her she could babysit Brendan while she is here instead of bringing him to daycare. I really wish he would've discussed this with me before telling her that. It is bad enough that she is so unpleasant, but the last time we went to England, she was doing some rather odd things. For example, storing meat in the oven because she claimed it got too cold in the refrigerator. :eek: I'm not sure what is going on, but I don't feel safe leaving my baby with her, and DH doesn't seem able to acknowledge that this isn't a good idea. I don't know what to do, but at least I have a little time yet to convince DH that this planning arrangement is not going to work!

[JoanneOR]

AnnaSue, I know there are others on here who have recently flown and can give you answers about the carseat. The last time I flew was when Colin was about 18 months. At that time, you had to buy a seat if the child was 2. If the baby was under two, they could fly free, but you had to hold them. If you were lucky enough to be on a flight that wasn't full, you might be able to have a seat for them. If you want to bring a carseat for the flight, you have to pay for a seat. Things may have changed since then, though.

That's just terrible about your MIL. When is she coming? I agree, your DH should have consulted you before saying she could babysit. Hopefully there is a way out of that one! I wouldn't worry too much about offending her; she doesn't seem to be very considerate of you from what you've said. Maybe your DH can take a week off while she's here? So she wouldn't need to baby sit. I know you just went back to work, so it would probably be hard to take time off.

By the way, where are you in Chicago? I just noticed that you are in the Chicago area. I'm in a southern suburb.

OK, back to work!

[nori]

AnnaSue, I wouldn't want to leave my baby with your MIL, just by the way I'm hearing about her from you. Seriously, if you don't feel comfortable leaving him with her, you really need to talk to DH and make another arrangement or something. I suppose you're working??...if you have a good daycare already, you can say that Brendan enjoys being there much, or you can say maybe it's already paid in full term so it's waste to not to use them?:confused: Also I don't know how old your MIL is but the rule of caring baby had been changed A LOT so I bet some things she's not updated. If she listened to you, that's great, but it doesn't sound that way....BTW, where your mom lives in AZ?

Joanne, I found cherrios in Noah's diaper several times, too.:)

Gotta go for now.

[LaraW]

De-lurking for just a minute on the flying question Anna Sue had. My BIL/SIL recently came to visit with their 2 kids, and SIL told me that they had to buy a ticket for DD1 who was over 2 years old, but not for DD2 who was under 2.

I flew this past weekend, and there were several babies on my flight. They were all being held. The flights were all pretty full, though. I also saw a lot of parents checking carseats with their luggage so they would have them at the other end.

Hope that helps

[slknight]

Delurking for a moment too. I would post more but I have trouble keeping up with this thread.

AnnaSue, I was recently looking into plane tickets. You can hold a baby on your lap for free. If you want to get a seat, many (all?) airlines offer 1/2 price tickets for children under 2.

[RunnerKim]

AnnaSue - has your MIL even met Brendan yet? or is this her first visit? Sounds like this woman walks right over you (or tries!) if she doesn't even greet you!! I'm sure you'll have to be paying for daycare anyway - I'd come up with some excuse like it's really hard on babies to mess with their routine. I've just found out what a little ole weekend can do on Monday morning :( so a 2 week break maybe isn't best... just trying to come up with a semi-plausable excuse. How long has it been since she cared for a baby? My SIL came to visit it us several months ago and wouldn't be arriving until after Lainey was asleep and I know there was the expectation that she'd watch Lainey the very next day while we went to work ("fortunately" DH still wasn't working at that point so it became a non-issue). No way was I going to just leave Lainey with someone she'd never met and hadn't had a chance to know what Lainey's routine was (and I knew SIL had experience with babies - although not her own). I knew nothing of her parenting style. If this is her first visit since Brendan has been born then it might be even more important to establish boundaries for her!

Thanks for asking about DH's job. It's going well although he's getting shifted around a bit right now and isn't completely sure what his long term responsibilities are going to be yet. I'd forgotten how government can operate! It's going to take 2 weeks just for him to get a computer! There's so much more that we need to get done in our evenings/weekends now that he's not home during the day. I'm really enjoying getting to see Lainey so much more though.

Cheryl - it's still not unusual for Lainey to do power naps - 30 minutes even. But frequently she is starting to sleep for an hour to 1:30 now but that's really only come with the more routine life she gets at daycare.

Lainey really doesn't eat soft things either - banana just gets mushed in her hands. She does do peas though which is great (although quite a few still end up with their inards all over the tray). I'll have to try cutting up apple into little pieces. We tried grilling skinned sweet potato slices but that ended up being too gummy.

Yep - cheerios in the diaper - been there. You all need a dog - then you don't have to worry about cheerios (or any other food!) on the floor :D

Susan - so glad you can laugh at your MIL now - that must be so much less stress for you. That's so funny about Brenden walking on the sly - maybe he wants to have it all figured out before he shows you :D That is fabulous about Casey putting herself to bed!


Kim

[erinl]

Hey gang,

I've been trying to keep up, but for some reason I'm not getting notified of new posts anymore. We've also been really busy lately. We're finally done with Hanne birthday parties. I hate entertaining children in our house. It is way too small. Of course, it would be better if parents did a better job of disciplining. One little boy kept trying to take things away from Hanne. I was so proud of the way she stood up for herself. (He's 3.)

Hanne is walking more than crawling these days. Sometimes she still wants to hold onto a finger, but she doesn't need it. We were going to go to the zoo on Thursday, but I don't think she'll be happy being stuck in the stroller. So, we'll hit the beach instead. We went to the Indiana Dunes with a friend last week. Hanne loved it. As soon as I got sunblock all over her she grabbed a handful of sand and applied another layer of protection! She liked the water a lot, too. A couple of waves even caught her in the face, and she just looked up at me and grinned.

Hanne wouldn't pick up the fruit and vegetable dices for a long time, either. I found that if I let them drain on a paper towel for a minute, she liked them better. She really prefers fresh apple and pear wedges. Really ripe pears are pretty mushy--she ate those without incident with only two teeth.

Y'all have crazy MILs. AnnaSue, stick to your guns. Make her stay in a hotel and don't let her babysit.

[MrsReber]

Anna Sue! I am feeling all the stress that you feel. I totally understand. I would not let my MIL watch my children. She never has. Her idea of babysitting is driving around with them to show them off to her wacky family. Lucky for me, DH agrees with me on this point and is behind my decision 100%. She has complained that "Everyone" has babysat our children except for her. I can count on one hand the amount times that DH and I have actually had someone babysit our kids since Brenden was born. I agree, though, I would have a big problem leaving my child with someone who doesn't know them or know the routine. So many things have changed since our parents had babies so it's not unlikely that your MIL would do something without thinking twice. My MIL fed my daughter chocolate when she was 5 months old. I asked her not to. She said "but she likes it". When Casey was 1, MIL would stop by and try to teach her to say "no, daddy" after we repeatedly asked her not to do that. My feeling is that, if you can't repsect my wishes when you're right in front of me, what will happen when I'm not here? YOU should be your DH's main concern, not his mother. When she goes home, he still has to live with you. How would you be able to go to work knowing that MIL was watching your son? I know I'd be a wreck.

About flying. We flew to AZ in April. Casey was 23 months and Brenden was 8 months. Technically, we could've just paid for seats for me and DH. However, I knew that a third seat was in order. It did come in handy. I would check with the airline. We flew America West. Their website has good information on travelling with infants and children. We gate checked the stroller and brought one car seat on the plane. It has to go in the window seat. My little sister borrowed another car seat for us to use while we were there. We used a bungee cord to attach the carseat to our luggage, which has wheels. America West does offer half price seats for children under 2. They were very helpful when I called to book the flight, too. I got tickets for me and DH online, but they won't do the half price children's tickets that way so you have to call.

[BeckyM]

I can hardly believe all the posts since I was last here! It seems that I have less and less time to get on the bulletin board these days.

More on flying -- We've taken Katie to Montana twice since she was born (for Christmas and my sister's wedding), and we're going again in August for a family vacation. We found out the same information others have said -- that kids under 2 years old can fly without a ticket if they ride in your lap. Since those plane tickets are so expensive, we've chosen to hold Katie every time so far. We carried her around the airport in her little infant carseat (attached to the base) and then checked the carseat at the gate. We did have a few flights at Christmas that weren't too full, so the ticket agent offered to move us to a row with an empty seat for Katie. We tried putting her carseat in one of the plane seats, but it didn't work with their buckles! When we tried using the base, the buckle got in the way of the carseat locking into the base. Then without the base, the buckle was too thick to pass under the little lip thing that the seatbelt is supposed to go under, and it wouldn't move to another position. So we ended up just holding her anyway. At that point, she couldn't roll over yet, so we did lay her down in the empty seat between us for a while, and she really enjoyed the chance to stretch out.

I'm a little more concerned about how Katie will do on this next trip since she's so mobile now. We are planning to bring her carseat with us, but check it with our luggage since she's not in the infant one anymore. We're debating about our umbrella stroller and our baby backpack at the moment though. We will need both of them when we're in Montana, but we're not sure which to use with Katie in the airport and which to pack. We also have pretty bad flight times on the way out, because we are using frequent flyer miles, and they never have seats available on the good flights. We leave here at 7:00 pm and don't get to our destination until almost midnight Mountain time, which is 2 am our time! We also have a layover along the way, so Katie will definitely be woken up with getting on and off the plane. Hmmm -- maybe the umbrella stroller would be better in the airport so she can recline a bit and sleep in it. (Just brainstorming as I type -- don't mind me!) Anyway, her schedule will be all messed up, so I'm not sure how she'll react to all that. Usually she does fairly well, so I'm hoping she'll continue.

Katie still hasn't crawled, but she looks closer and closer to it all the time. People who see her are amazed at how adeptly she rolls everywhere though. She definitely can get anywhere she could if she were crawling, so I'm not sure she has much incentive to crawl. Oh well -- she'll do it when she's ready.

She did discover that she can spin on her stomach on our tile floor though. She normally stays on the carpet where it's softer, but yesterday morning she rolled over by where I was eating breakfast, and she started spinning herself around on her stomach by just pushing sideways with her arms. It was so cute. She did it again that evening when DH was home to see her, and we both were laughing. She would pause every once in a while, sort of close her eyes, grin, and shake her head, like she was enjoying being dizzy or something.

I've just started giving Katie Cheerios, and she seems pretty curious about them. She will eat them if I give them to her, but she hasn't quite gotten the coordination down to get them in her mouth consistently on her own. She picks them up just fine with one hand, then she tries to transfer it to her other hand and invariably drops it. (I haven't found any in her diapers yet :eek: ) I'm wondering if I should try some teething biscuits or something else bigger, but I'm worried about her choking. I guess I'll just have to try someday when I can sit and watch her closely with it.

Tonight I'm looking forward to a "Moms' Night Out" with the other mothers from Katie's playgroup. We're basically just going out to dinner, but it will be nice to be out without worrying about Katie. DH promised to be home in plenty of time to watch her, so I can go have fun and relax. I have a few mixed feelings though. I know it's good for me to get out, and I'm looking forward to socializing with the other mothers without our kids around, but I know I'll miss Katie. I think I'll especially miss nursing her and putting her to bed. I know DH will do a fine job -- I have absolutely no reservations about leaving Katie with him -- but I will feel like I missed out on something. DH and Katie will definitely have a fun time together!

And speaking of the playgroup -- next Tuesday is my first turn to be hostess! We always have it at noon, and the hostess provides lunch. Any suggestions of things I should serve? The kids aren't old enough yet to really be served on their own -- the moms either bring baby food for them or let the kids eat some things off their plates. So I'm trying to come up with something light and summery that can sit out fairly well as people are busy with their kids and that also doesn't take two hands to eat. Ideally it would be something healthy, but I of course want it to be impressive too. And I want it to be something that the moms could feed at least parts of it to their kids if they want. I was thinking of a CL grain-based salad or something, then maybe a pasta & vegetable salad. I also need a dessert, but the important thing for that will be taste. I want something that will really taste great and impress them with my culinary skills (without actually taking too much time or effort). With all these criteria, you can see why I'm having a hard time coming up with a menu. Any thoughts?

Well, I've typed long enough and ought to go on to other things. Katie took a shorter than normal nap this morning, so I'm a bit behind schedule.

I know I had other responses to other people, but I can't remember everything I was going to say. Sorry!

Becky :)

[JoanneOR]

Erin, that's great that Hanne loves the water. Caitlyn hates it! But the boys were like that as babies, and now they love it, so there is hope!

Kim, peas sound like a good idea. I'll have to try those. You're right, clean-up is much easier with a dog. We used to have a dog (she died about 1 1/2 years ago) and she loved to sit under the high chair and table and munch on the droppings! The boys have started asking about a dog. I'd like to get one, but Jameson seems to be allergic to one of our friend's dogs. Whenever we go there he gets wheezy and his eyes get puffy. Not all dogs, though, so far, just that one. Then with Caitlyn getting wheezy so often, I don't think a dog would be a good idea for her. We'll see. Maybe in a few years.

Becky, Caitlyn still winds up with half of her food on her chair or the floor. Katie'll get better with practice! HAve you tried those Gerber wagon wheels? They're alot bigger and dissolve really quick.

Have fun on your mom's night out! I know you'll miss Katie, but it's just a few hours and you need time for yourself! It will be good for your DH to take care of her alone for a few hours.

That plane ride does sound like a tough one for Katie. But, you might be surprised. She could adjust really well. I was worried Caitlyn wouldn't sleep at night or nap very well on our vacation and she actually did great. She took longer naps than she does at home. Probably all that fresh air!

Let's see, what to serve...I'm sure you would get lots of suggestions from the food board. How about that chicken salad from a few issues ago? I think it had grapes in it. There's a cold pasta recipe from a few years ago that's really good that I've made a few times. It's got angel hair pasta, peppers, shrimp, feta. I could post the recipe if you're interested. How about that picnic fried chicken (I'm not sure if that's what it's called) that was recently on the food board?

As for desserts, the chocolate eclair icebox one is great. I just made the beverly hills brownies and they were awesome! Maybe that strawberry tart from a few issues ago?

[BeckyM]

Joanne -- thanks for the food suggestions! You're right -- I ought to post the question on the food board too. I'm just too lazy / busy to get over there right now. I'll have to look for the recipes you mentioned. The pasta one sounds particularly good. I'm also thinking of maybe making a recipe from Bon Appetit (my MIL got it, so FIL has been giving me the magazines that come) for dessert. They're called Turtle Bars, and they have tons of butter, pecans, & chocolate chips, so I'm sure they'd be good. Or I might make a cake with chocolate chips, Germans Sweet Chocolate, nuts, and a cream cheese frosting that's a favorite of our family. So many decisions!

Now I just need to get busy getting ready for my Moms' Night Out! My ride is picking me up in 45 minutes, and I want to get the kitchen picked up before Katie wakes up. I know DH won't be able to do much in the kitchen while he's watching Katie (usually when I get home the high chair tray is still dirty), so I'd like him to at least get to start with it clean. Plus, I still need to get myself ready!

Becky :)

[nori]

Erin, how many kids were at her party? I agree, sometimes I wish parents pay more attention to what their kids are doing. Yay Hanne for more walking!

Becky,pasta dish sounds good, too. There is a basil-tomato tart recipe about a year ago in CL, which I thought would be great with salad for lunch. As for the dessert, the one Joanne mentioned (chocolate-eclair ice box dessert) is EXCELLENT! Easy, and perfect for summer. It's my favorite dessert to make (and eat:) ) Turtle Bars sounds delish, too! If you have BA July issue, there's a recipe for no-bake blueberry cheesecake and it was great, too.
Hope you have fun tonight!!

Question.....what kind of shoes you guys are getting for your babies? Noah's feet are a little bit of wider side and it's hard to find shoes that fit him comfortably. I've heard about this shoes which you can buy on-line, that's flexible and made of leather (?) or something. I forgot the name, but it looked pretty good. Maybe some sort of booties??? Is there any tip to find perfect shoes??

[cchhbb]

Thanks for the advise on finger feeding. Garrett tends to mush stuff and not put it in his mouth.

Susan, I missed that Brendan walked. YEA!!! Have you seen him yet or is he still trying to keep it a secret?

Garrett did the cutest thing the other day. DH had Garrett in the bathroom playing with some toys while he showered. Garrett started to raise a fuss by banging on the shower door. I went and took his clothes off and opened the shower door and he crawled right into the shower with DH. Now he thinks he has to have a shower every morning with anyone who will let him in. This morning, he crawled from his bedroom to ours and went directly to the shower. He loves it.

We lost power for 12 hours yesterday. We had a huge storm that came through yesterday afternoon and we didn't get power back until 1:30 am. I know exactly what time since my neighbor's home alarm went off for about 5 minutes. I was up then until 4:00. Garrett got up at 5:30 to eat so I'm pretty tired.

Becky, have a great time at Mom's night out. I feel the same way you do about leaving. Also, I know things go smoother if I'm here. I'm going to a birthday party on Saturday and am going to wait until Garrett goes to bed. DH can then stay inside and listen for him.

Becky, I've flown with Garrett about 5 times. I've been lucky and he's slept during the flights for the most part. I did bring some brand new toys so he'd have something new to play with. I'm sure Katie will roll with the punches. Since you are leaving so late, maybe she'll sleep.

I used to bring the infant car seat to the gate and then hope to get an empty seat. Everytime, I managed to. The infant seat was able to be used with the seat belt if I got an extension. The buckle was in an awkward place. The airlines have extensions for people who are large. I just asked a flight attendant. I got my mom to buy a convertible car seat to keep at her house so now I don't bring one. It is much easier for me since DH hasn't gone with me for any trips.

Gotta go, Garrett's waking up.

Cheryl

[MrsReber]

Hi! Yes, Brenden is officially walking. I told DH that he's going to have to put his shoes on him now. We've been avoiding shoes because it's way too difficult to get them on Brenden's feet. He curls his toes up and won't cooperate at all. I wasn't watching him last night and sure enough, he walked across part of the livingroom. I told him to come to mommy and he walked back! I knew he'd just do it one day. I think he was trying to perfect it first. He still prefers crawling. I was trying to get him to walk for DH, who got home at 8:00 last night. Brenden was just about ready for bed. I finally got him to take a few steps for dad.

Becky, I made a really good, very easy chocolate CL cake. I think it was in the June issue. It's chocolate fudgy cake or something like that. It took no time at all to make it and it looked and tasted great. I always recommend CL's black bean taco salad with lime vinegrette. It's awesome. It might involve too much chopping, though. Whatever you decide, I'm sure it'll be delicious. I'm surprised at how many moms don't cook, other than macaroni and cheese from a box!

Nori, I am still going to a Stride Rite store to buy shoes for my kids. I want to make sure that their feet are measured correctly and that they have good first shoes. They tend to cost a bit much, especially since they grow out of them quickly. However, I'm really concerned about having the right footwear for them. I could go to the Stride Rite store in the mall, but the people there were not very helpful. I travel about half an hour to go to this one store. The guys who work there make sure that the shoes fit properly and that they are the correct size. They know what they're doing. When Casey is a little older and she can tell me how her shoes feel, I'll be able to go to other stores. I'm pretty much a fanatic about proper footwear since DH has had problems with his feet all his life and I always had trouble finding comfortable shoes.

Ugh, I have another 3:30 - 5:00 meeting at work today. DH will pick up the kids. I'm leaving the meeting at 4:45, though. They can't keep planning these things last minute like this. I should be home at 6:30. Not too bad considering I normally get home at 6:00 when I pick up the kids. DH has to run out when I get home. He already had some plans. I know that 5:00 isn't really late, but I am at work at 6:30am so it is a very long day for me!

[cchhbb]

Nori, Here's a link on some moccasin (sp) style shoes. That's what my ped recommends.

http://www.robeez.com

Cheryl

[BeckyM]

Thanks for the food suggestions, everyone. Nori -- I remember that Tomato-Basil Tart. I even made it last year and thought it was really good. I'm not sure if I should make something with eggs in it though, because I know some of the kids will want to eat from their mothers' plates, and most of them aren't old enough for egg whites yet. But I was planning on having a fruit salad too, so maybe the fruit is enough for the kids to eat, as long as I have bread or something too. MrsReber -- thanks for the reminder of the Black Bean Taco Salad. That's one of my favorites too. It IS a lot of chopping, but I could do all that ahead and just mix in the lettuce at the last minute. That's now on my list of potential items too.

By the way, one of the recipes I'm considering making is a Nectarine-Couscous Salad with Honey Cumin Dressing (from CL June 2000). I've made it before (adding chopped cooked chicken breast), and I think people would really like it. The issue is the honey. Since we're supposed to avoid honey for children, I'm wondering if I should either make something different or substitute something else for the honey. There would only be two tablespoons of honey stretched out across eight servings or so, and I'm sure the kids wouldn't eat too much of it, but I wouldn't want to risk it. Do you think corn syrup would be an acceptable substitute? I don't think the honey flavor really stands out in the recipe, but I don't know if corn syrup would taste too different to be good. Any thoughts?

For dessert, I'm wondering if that Icebox Eclair several of you mentioned is something that needs to be refrigerated or frozen. I'd like to have something that won't suffer if it sits out for a while before people actually eat it. I want to be able to leave it on the table and have people help themselves when they're ready. That's why I'm thinking along the lines of those turtle bars or a cake. Let me know if I'm wrong about the eclair, because it sounds yummy.

Katie FINALLY fell asleep after crying in her crib for quite a while. We were out running errands, and she fell asleep in the car on the way home. Of course she woke up as I took her out of her carseat, and she just absolutely screamed when I put her in her crib for her nap. Normally she'll fuss for a few minutes and then go right to sleep, but not this time. I went in after a while and rocked her to calm her down, but when I put her in the crib again, she just screamed. I knew she needed her sleep -- I think she was just overly tired and upset about being woken up. I hate just leaving her there and listening to her cry, but I knew if I got her up, she would just be cranky the rest of the day. She finally did fall asleep, so I can now relax a bit and get some work done.

Well, I'd better get busy. I need to make some phone calls to hunt down child care options. Several people have recommended I call churches in the area to see if they keep lists of people who watch kids in their homes. So I'll check that out. I want to do LOTS of research before I decide on a place to take Katie.

By the way, I did have fun at the "Moms' Night Out" last night. There are 10 moms in our playgroup, but only five were able to come. We just went to dinner (at a place that was noiser than I would have liked, but the food was pretty good) and talked. We met at 7pm, and we didn't leave the restaurant until after 10pm! Of course the main topic of conversation was our babies, but that was okay. It was fun to be with other mothers who have the same fears, concerns, joys, etc. We could have talked for hours more, but we didn't want to be out TOO late. Katie and DH did fine, though he dressed her in much lighter pajamas than I would have. She seemed to sleep just fine though, so it obviously didn't bother her.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Becky :)

[nori]

Becky, I'm not sure about that honey in the salad, but is it cooked? I've been giving Noah whole wheat bread made of honey and seems fine. And as you said, it's not a whole lot, plus babies are not eating that much, right? Moms can feed their babies (if they want to) some crackers or breads if you're serving them. The eclair dessert...yes it needs to be refrigerated, but actually it can be frozen. So.....maybe you can make it, freeze it, then take it out when everyone arrives and it'll thaw on the table...I kinda liked that half-frozen taste, but I'm not sure if it'll fully defrosted while you're having lunch. Maybe it's better to go with your original plan??? Moms night sounds like fun!

Cheryl, thanks for the link. I went to their site and printed the sizing chart. I might buy one of those. They're so cute!

MrsReber, my DH also has some problem with his feet and he thinks it's because he wore the shoes that didn't fit him so well. We try not to make him wear any shoes in the house, but we obviously need some good shoes! I know that store!!! How expensive they are...like standard baby shoes? Noah has those wider feet so it's really hard to find something comfortable.

[BeckyM]

nori -- No, the honey is not cooked in this recipe. It's just stirred into the dressing to sweeten it. I am thinking of just using brown sugar and a tiny bit of water instead. By the way, I do have the July Bon Appetit (that's the same issue as the turtle bars), and that No Bake Blueberry Cheesecake looks absolutely scrumptious! I'm not sure I could ever justify making something with that much whipping cream though! :eek: It's probably a good thing it has to be refrigerated, so I won't be tempted to make it for the playgroup. Maybe that recipe would be a good one for CL to lighten!

Becky

[MrsReber]

Becky, I love the taco salad! I always suggest that. That cake I mentioned was really easy to make and very good. I think it's in the June CL. I'll have to look when I go home. I actually have to leave here very soon to take Casey to the doctor. She's having trouble going. The daycare called me this morning to let me know. I knew she was having some trouble last night when we got home, but they say she is really crying and unhappy now. I wasn't going to bring her to the doctor, but I figure it's better this way. She has been complaining of pain lately whenever I change her. She's not red or anything so I don't really know what the problem is. DH is all upset about it. She doesn't eat any fiber at all - doesn't like too many fruits and she won't eat veggies. I feel so bad for her. It made me sad last night. We gave her some apple/prune juice and she drank it. I thought that would've helped. Hopefully it's nothing major.

Nori, my poor DH with his feet! His mom took him to a doctor when he was about 2. The doctor put him in leg braces! Then the doctor said he had flat feet and attempted to create arches by fusing his ankle bones. His feet are such a mess now. They hurt him all the time. I'm so mad at his mother for listening to that doctor. DH asked what we'd do if our kids had flat feet. I said "nothing, it's not that major". MIL did say once that Casey looked like she had flat feet. I wanted to tell her that children don't develop arches in their feet for a few years!!! If she only knew that with DH, I wonder if she would've saved him some agony.

I have to run and catch at 12:00 train to make my appointment at 2:15! How crazy is that?

[nori]

MrsReber, I hope Casey is okay. Maybe you should keep letting her have those prune juice....it really helps with Noah. Poor Casey.:( Your DH's flat feet story sounds awful! I mean, as you said, they'll develop the arch as they start move around!!! And I know some people are flat feet (my dad) but it won't cause too much trouble, nothing worth to have braces as a baby! I did ballet when I was small and because of that, I have a nice big arch. But I've heard only good thing about that is so that your feet are less likely to become tired.

Becky...I used whipped topping (those in frozen section) instead of the cream for the topping. I used real cream for the cake part, though. It was very yummy, and actually it doesn't contain any eggs, nuts so my friend's son who's allergic to those could eat it, and he was very thankful. Using brown sugar sounds like maybe a good idea...unless you need that honey's "stickiness" in the salad.

I just realized in a week we're leaving to Colorado for my DH's friend's wedding. We'll leave Thursday evening, and come back on Monday. I got an e-mail from SIL and she said she can ask her BIL to lend us some baby stuff... car seat, play pen, stroller etc. That'll be great, since I was thinking of bringing carseat. Anyway, I have to call the airline to let them know that the baby is coming, too.:)

Last night Noah woke up a lot and I took him in bed with me in teh guest bedroom (which has more space). I did that several times, then put him back to the crib, went back to our bed. At one point, I thought I was sleeping there with Noah and wanted to make sure he's okay. My hands reached something diffent....bigger bump, and it didn't seem like Noah. I freaked out, thought he was on the floor or something. But turned out that I was in our bed and that big bump was my DH.:D I was frantically searching for Noah and he was like "What? What happened!!!????" It was kind of funny.

[cchhbb]

We just got back from Garrett's 9 month appointment. He is now 29 inches and 16 lbs, 11 oz. Nothing like being 70% for height and 5% for weight. They were quite pleased with his progress since he was premature. I did get a bit of a lecture about Garrett's poor napping habits. Oh well, it's not like we're not working on it.

Nori, too funny about your dream. Have you started the No Cry Sleep Solution yet? I don't tell the airlines that I'm bringing Garrett until I get to the gate.

Susan, I hope Casey is feeling better. Poor thing. It must be tough getting her to eat fiber since she doesn't like fruits and veggies. Your poor DH. I have a very high arch since I had club feet. They said today that Garrett's are totally normal and to put him in soft soled shoes outside, but to keep him barefoot as much as possible.

Becky, Personally, I'd totally avoid the honey if possible. I bet the brown sugar substitution will work. I know if there was honey in anything I wouldn't feed it to Garrett. I'm pretty cautious about what he eats.

Cheryl

[BeckyM]

Thanks again for all the menu advice. I think I'm going to go with the Nectarine Couscous Salad, but definitely do a substitution (probably brown sugar) for the honey. I agree, Cheryl -- I wouldn't feed something with honey to Katie either, and I want the moms to be able to feed their kids from their plates if they want to. I was thinking of also doing the Black Bean Taco Salad, but I decided that's just too much work to have TWO main dish salads. The other one requires a little less chopping -- that's what decided it for me. I'm also going to have a simple fruit salad (just whatever fresh fruits are available chopped up and mixed together) and the bundt cake I mentioned. I'm thinking I need some other vegetable side-dish though. I did post a thread on the food board asking for advice on it, but if anyone has any ideas, please share!

MrsReber -- I too hope everything comes out okay (literally) with Casey. That must be really miserable for her and for you. We're really lucky that Katie loves her prunes so much -- I think they're her favorite fruit!

Nori -- when you made that blueberry cheesecake, did you use full-fat cream cheese, or did you substitute reduced fat or fat free? I would be tempted to make it with a lower fat cream cheese, but I'd be worried it might not turn out well, so I'm wondering what you used. That was a good idea to use the other type of whipped topping for the top layer of the cheesecake. Maybe someday I WILL make that recipe.

Katie is getting SO CLOSE to crawling. Today she was sort of crawling but with her forehead still touching the ground. It was like she was pushing with her knees and feet and balancing on her head. When she lifts her head up, she goes down onto her belly and does the army crawl. Her preferred method of locomotion is still rolling though!

I talked to my boss today about my return to work in October (when Katie is a year old). He is still very supportive of me returning in a part-time role three days a week. I am getting stressed about it though, because I don't know how we'll get things done around the house with me gone three days a week. We have a tough enough time taking care of things now. It was difficult before Katie came along, but now we want to spend our free time with her -- not cleaning bathrooms, doing laundry, mowing the lawn, etc. I know people do it, so I guess we just need to figure out how.

Well, I ought to get some sleep! Good night everyone!

Becky :)

[nori]

Becky....I used less-fat cream cheese for that recipe, and it turned out great. I got those idea from Great Food BB when there was a thread about that cake. It's so summery, and much lighter than regular cheese cake. I can't think of any veggie side dish at this moment, but your menu looks great already as it is for luncheon.

I bet Katie will start crawling in no time. It was very fast from the point where she is now to real crawling, in Noah's case. Then fun begins.

Cheryl...I've been trying some of the ideas from that book, but not started logging anything yet.:o You know, at one point in the book it said "Do you really want to change....?", and it made me think (especially compareing to what the author's kid went through) this is not so bad as I think. Plus, I'm usually so sleepy at night to write something down! But I'm trying to introduce stuffed animal to cuddle with when he's sleepy, and also try to put him to sleep in different methods, not always with nursing. We'll see. Garrett is such a tall baby! I can't believe all our babies are growing so big now. Seems like it was just yesterday I started to post to this thread.

This evening I test-baked Noah's Ark cake. I really need to work on decorating skill, but it turned out fine and now I know what to do for certain things next time.

Well gotta go. Good night!

[MrsReber]

Well, we got to the doctor's office and Casey, of course, fixed her problem! However, the doctor did say that what came out was not exactly normal. She's still having some issues. The doctor said if she hadn't gone, she would've done a more extensive exam. For now, I'm going to find ways to sneak fiber into her diet. I was quite surprised to find that one brand of smoothie actually has 5 grams of fiber in it. Casey prefers dairy products, which is part of the problem.

Nori, that's great that you made a "test" cake. I should've done that with the crayola cake that I made!

Becky, don't worry about getting things done around the house after you go back to work. Yes, it is difficult, but things will get done when they have to get done. Spending time with the kids is, of course, my number one priority. On weekends, I will try to clean before they wake up or while they are napping. My house is not spotless, but it just doesn't bother me. That is so great that your boss worked out the three day schedule with you. I wish my boss would do that for me!

Cheryl, Garrett sounds like he's doing just fine. Casey had dropped to the 3rd percentile for weight at one point, but she is perfectly healthy. Sounds like you have a tall, thin boy on your hands!

[cchhbb]

Susan, Glad to hear that Casey took care of her problem. It must be challenging to get fiber into her. Would she eat Kashi? That has a ton of fiber in it.

Becky, I'd be so happy if I could work 3 days per week. I'm kinda itching to go back to work, but don't want to work 5 days per week. I can't imagine getting home at 6 and then putting Garrett to bed at 7.

Nori, I saw your thread on the cake. I bet it will look really cute. I know what you mean about deciding that you want to get really serious about solving a sleep problem. It took us 7 weeks to get Garrett to take 2 one hour naps in his crib. I know it took longer because I wasn't consistent. I finally had to make the decision that I was going to have a child who could go to sleep on his own. It was a lot of work, but I decided that the payoffs were larger than the pain. And it didn't involve lots of crying.

Becky, I bet Katie is crawling before you know it. It sounds like she's about ready to go. Watch out, once they start the catch on really fast and then they can really move.

Today, I was starting a load of laundry and Garrett was playing in the kitchen. He decided to crawl into the laundry room. I have a front loading washer and he was fascinated by the wash cycle. I turned around to hang up a shirt and he crawled up on the outer door. He was face to face with the clothes being washed. It was too funny. I ran and got the camera and was able to get a picture before he started to crawl off the door. The outer door is about 12 inches off the ground. I was really surprised.

Cheryl

[nori]

Cheryl, that's so cute about Garrett facing the washer!:) Glad you could capture the moment. I'm so impressed that you're so patiento to stick with the plan to give Garrett routine. Although I'm not sure if I'll try the entire plan, I'm glad I read that book. I think the best part is not involving so much crying.

MrsReber, does Casey eat blueberries and strawberries? Don't they have fibers in them? Maybe you can make smoothie from those berries. And maybe sneak in some prune juice in there??? Must be a relief to see her problem's fixed (for now, at least...) She must be feeling pretty good, too.

We went to the mall to get away from this heat. (Plus we had some shopping to get done.) Noah enjoyed riding on daddy's shoulder, and watching other kiddies in the mall.

Not much going on here, hope everyone's having a nice weekend!

[nori]

Wow I didn't imagine finding this thread that down below!:eek: Everyone must be busy. Hope you're doing okay.

Noah found it's fun to eat cereal (I mean, baby cereal...like oatmeal) with his hands. He didn't like me feeding him but he'd grab with his hand and just put the hand in his mouth. He ate a lot in that way last night...He even had second serving. It was fun watching him but boy what a mess!:rolleyes: Because of this heat and this eating, we really can't skip bath at night.

I just remembered Joanne mentioned I used to crave grilled cheese when I was pregnant and now Noah likes it so much. I almost forgot I did that....that's funny. Weekdays lunch end up as grilled cheese unless we have some leftovers. Today I had leftover and I made Noah half sandwich. He ate except the edges. I think it makes a great finger food.;)

[AnnaSue]

Thanks everyone for all the advice on flying. Considering how the airlines always make everyone put their seatbelts on at any sign of turbulence, I was surprised to hear that they allow you to just hold a baby. Isn't that dangerous?:confused: We'll probably end up buying a seat anyway just because Brendan is such a little fidgeter, that I think he'd drive people next to us crazy! I don't think he'd be a good flyer, so maybe we should wait until he gets a bit older.

Nori.. my mom lives in Chandler. Is that near you? Did you ever end up finding shoes for Noah?

Mrs.Reber.. That sounds awful about your DH's feet! I can't believe a doctor recommended that procedure. I can understand why you are so concerned about getting good shoes for Brenden now that he is walking! Is Casey's problem resolved now?

Cheryl.. Why was the doctor lecturing you about Garrett's naps? Brendan isn't a napper at all. Sounds like maybe we'll be getting that same lecture! That is really cute about Garrett climbing into the shower.

Joanne.. I live in the West Suburbs (Downers Grove), but I work in the south suburbs a lot! I work in different pharmacies every day since I float at the moment.

Becky.. Your mom's night out sounds like lots of fun! Did you get your menu finalized for the meeting you are hosting?

We took Brendan for 3 month pictures today at JCPenney. He would not smile at all for the photographer. Every time she talked to him he started sucking his thumb. :rolleyes: He does the same thing every time we take hime to the doctor too. He would only smile for me or DH, but by the time we got out of the way, he would stop. I think the photographer was a bit slow at taking the picture too. They still look quite cute though on the computer though, and I think they'll look really good once we get the finalized version.

The MIL situation continues. I've been using the argument that I don't want to interrupt his routine and that we've already paid for the daycare, so we should use it. DH thinks I'm overreacting, but that's too bad. He keeps saying how he turned out fine,:rolleyes: but that was 35 years ago, and she is almost 80 now! I don't think she has handled a baby since then, and times have definitely changed. If I use the "times have changed" argument though, I'm afraid he'll be upset about leaving him with my parents, or other normal people. Oh well, if need be I'll use my vacation days, but I think DH will come around.

[nori]

Just checking in before going to bed...Noah finally fall asleep after tossing around in the crib about more than 30 min. I had to be on the crib side to watch him, or he'd get up. I was getting sleepy being that dark room, watching him.

AnnaSue..glad you're around.:D I'm in Tucson. It's about 1 hour and half from Phoenix and I believe Chandler is on the way to the Phoenix. I'm thinking to buy the shoes Cheryl recommended eventually, but I just found this nice sneaker at the Target the other day. It's a pair of sneaker, and looked wider and bigger. But I don't usually let him wear shoes yet, though, mainly because he is not walking yet and I end up carrying him when we're out. Plus putting shoes on him is such a hassle!

Brendan's 3 months photo session sounds much better than Noah's. He had been so happy all afternoon but when we got to the studio, he started to cry not because of hunger or anything, simply tired and sleepy. (I could only get eveing session) I tried to nurse him, but he didn't settle down since he wasn't really hungry. We ended up using pacifier and the photographer took it off from him at the same time she shoot the picture.:rolleyes: She was quick and good, but in most photos his mouth looked like sucking something. It was sooo stressful for me.

Oh one more thing about flying....I've seen this harness thing at the One Step Ahead (catalog) which you can secure the baby on your lap in the airplane. I think you're right, what if some bad air turburance happened??? I haven't had that experience yet, thankfully, but that's what I'd been thinking.

I'm sorry to say, but I think your MIL is maybe too old to take care of infant. Can she rock him and walk him around when Brendan needs comfort?? My friend's mom wanted to babysit Noah but I was reluctant, since she won't be walking him around, because she could not hold him that long. I hope your DH can be your side, and support you. It is true that things have been changed a lot.....do you (or your DH) think you can talk your MIL what to do or not to do and she'd follow your instruction? I'd be upset if she insist that she'd do in her own way. This is your baby, not hers. Hope one of your excuses work.;)

[MrsReber]

I tried posting yesterday, but my message got lost!

Yes, Casey's problem is pretty much resolved. I bought wheat germ and I sneak it in wherever I can. Unfortunately, since the rest of us don't have this problem, we are all experiencing the wonderful benefits of increased fibe :D ! I have to laugh.

I think I'd be afraid to let an 80 year old babysit my newborn son! It's too bad that your DH doesn't understand that. Luckily, I didn't face this problem with my DH. He knows that his mother is not "normal" and he thinks she's losing it so it's not an issue. We're both uncomfortable with the thought of her watching our kids. I guess if you have to use vacation days or maybe do half days at work? That way she can feel like she's helping and you'll only be frantic for part of the day? I still can't believe your DH went ahead and made plans like that without consulting you. That's just not right. I agree, the daycare is paid for and you are going to lose out on that money. Your MIL needs to understand the routine before she can be left alone all day with your child!

Well, I have to get to work. I have a meeting soon. It's very quiet here today. Ahhhh. Nice change. I may sneak out early. DH and I are taking the kids to a ball game later. His company is having an event for the employees. It starts at 6:30 and they'll have dinner for everyone in a special section. It should be fun. We won't be able to stay for the whole thing, I'm sure. Brenden likes to be in bed by 8:30. We'll see how far we can get. I'll also be tired. I was up late watching Signs last night. I had to finish watching once I started!

[JoanneOR]

Hi everyone. I just typed a long response and lost it! Ugh! Maybe you're all better off! I'll keep it short this time!

I agree, Anna Sue, I think your MIL shouldn't be left with Brendan. For one, she sounds a bit wacky, and also, she is rather elderly. You could use the argument that you think it would be too much for her. Kind of like you're looking out for her best interests, you know? It's too bad your DH isn't behind you 100% on this one. That makes it harder. Has she decided to stay in the hotel? When is she coming?

I'm surprised, too, that there aren't stricter regulations for flying with babies. It is dangerous if there is turbulence.

Mrs. Reber, glad to hear Casey is doing better. How's Brenden doing with his walking? Enjoy your evening.

Becky, did you have your mom's group yet? Interested to hear how the menu went.

Nori, you're brave to let Noah eat cereal bare-handed! Caitlyn pretty much eats all finger foods now and she's getting better at getting most of it in her mouth! It used to be half on the floor and in her seat and now there's not too much clean-up. Except her, of course.

Caitlyn is doing well. Except she is starting to have bedtime issues. Lately, she's been crying when I put her to bed. I mean like hysterical crying. I don't know what it is. Hopefully it is something temporary. I'll go in and try to soothe her, but as soon as I leave she starts again. So, then I wind up taking her out of bed for 15 minutes or so and trying again. I think she thinks she is missing out on something. I think I need to read that book!

We go to the ped. orthopedist next week. Hopefully it will be nothing serious.

Yesterday was Colin's 4th birthday. I felt bad because I had to work. But I decorated his room while he was sleeping and left him a doughnut with four candles in it on the kitchen table. DH said he was very excited. When I got home we had cake and gave him his present, a Spiderman scooter. I'm going to have his and Caitlyn's party together in August. Still have to figure out what I'm going to serve. I'm thinking of taking the easy way out and ordering pizza!

OK, got to get started on work!

[MrsReber]

Joanne, thanks for asking about Brenden's walking! He's doing great. I can't believe how well he's doing. I suspect he has been working on it for a while. He took longer than Casey to walk, but is much more stable than she was. If I cheer him on, though, he seems to get distracted and he can't get his balance. He'll stick his head out too far and then fall over. I feel bad for him. Casey has been a real bully lately. She's getting in trouble for pushing him over when he stands up!

Happy Birthday to Colin! That's so cute that you decorated his room while he was asleep. My kids would never sleep through that!

[nori]

MrsReber, yay Brenden for walking! He has to be a very strong boy so that he won't be bothered by his sister's bullying.:D Your evening at ballpark sounds like fun!

Happy belated birthday Colin!!! Joanne, great job on decorating his room while he's sleeping. He must be so surprised!!! I would be.:) Where I used to work, they decorate each employee's room when his/her birthday rolls around. It was fun. Usually coworkers (close ones) do it after the person left, or early morning. I like the idea of candle on the doughnut! That's so cute. Noah also cries when I try to put him to sleep sometimes. Not always, but when he cries, he closes his eyes and just so miserably cries.:( I think he's too tired and sleepy and started to cry, then didn't know where to stop. Some nights, he'd sleep by himself when I put him in the crib. It isn't really consistent. Different every night.:rolleyes:

Oh...I have to start planning his birthday party, too. Well I'm pretty much planned for cake. I just need some animal figures I can put on the cake. I'm trying to find a cute ones.....not really real-life. I found those real-life figures at Michael's. If I couldn't find any, I'd go with them, though. Does anyone know where to go to get those figures??? (Hope I'm making sense here.)

[LaraW]

Nori, would animal crackers work for your cake? You can buy those really big bags at the grocery store. I think someone may have mentioned it on the cake thread. The Barnum's animals look more like zoo animals to me, but the other kind might be an idea for you.

Just a thought.

back to lurking

[JoanneOR]

Nori, here is a Noah's Ark candle:

http://www.birthdayexpress.com/bexpress/product.asp?sku=27952

It's at the bottom of the ala carte list of items. Unfortunately, there's no picture of it, though.

Have you tried a toy store for the animals? You could do a search at Amazon (toysrus) to find figures that might work.

Sounds like alot of fun! When is his party? You'll have to post a picture of the cake.

Go Brenden!! Have fun at the ball game!

My boys sleep like rocks. Nothing wakes them up. They have an alarm clock in their room that they set every night for 7:30. I don't know why, but Jameson likes to be sure he is up early. Except it doesn't wake any of them up, just us who are a floor above them. Could be a problem when school starts again!

Gotta start getting ready to go home. Yea! This has been a long day.

[cchhbb]

Anna Sue, I've flown about 6 times with Garrett and until the last couple of trips I was able to use the infant car seat. I always got lucky and was able to get an empty seat next to me. During the last trip, I didn't bring the convertible car seat and had to hold him. I had my Baby Bjourn to use in case we had bad turbulence. He is really squirmy too, but always falls asleep on the plane.

I would never let my MIL watch Garrett for very long. She would not treat him the way that I would like him to be treated. I'd use one of my silver bullets with DH if I was in your position.

Nori, I think Noah is going to have the greatest cake. I hope you take lots of pictures.

Susan, too funny about Brendan getting distracted. I hope you have a good time at the ball game.

My parents are visiting this week and Garrett is loving it. He is getting so much attention and some new toys. He just got a push toy and scooter today. He's going to be spoiled rotten by the time they leave, but I think its great.

Joanne, Happy birthday Colin! I'm impressed by the way your boys sleep. I bet he was really excited. A friend of mine made a plate that says 'you are special today' on it and uses it for birthdays ect. I always thought that was a neat idea.

Cheryl
Cheryl

[nori]

Cheryl...what kind of scooter Garrett get? I always thought it was for older kids....maybe I'm thinking something wrong?? Enjoy your parents' visit!

Joanne...thanks for the link. I actually checked that site before but didn't realize there's a candle there. And I think that candle is in the big picture....one in the center, next to the cake, with elephant (?) holding "1" sign??? It's pretty cute. Maybe I can get that, put it on one side of the ark and use animal crackers for the rest??? It might work.:) We haven't set the date of party yet. His birthday is on Friday, so maybe that weekend...Saturday or Sunday? It'll be a small party, and we'll invite very close friends only. I hope Noah will be happy throughout the party, but who knows?

Lara...thanks for reminding me of the animal cracker ideas!! Haven't had much time to lurk on Pregnancy thread, but hope you're doing well.

We're hosting our friends' surprise birthday party tomorrow night. It'll be a potluck, and I'm in charge of main dish. Since they're not so adventurous about food, (plus some kids...) I made lasagna and pasta casserole to bake tomorrow. Other people will be bringing side dishes, birthday cake etc....it'll be fun! I bet he'd be surprised. He is a single guy and we just invited him for "casual dinner". :D

Oh, and we better start packing for our trip.:o

[JoanneOR]

I'm really annoyed!! Caitlyn's physical therapist is supposed to come between 11:30-12. It's 2:00 and she hasn't shown up or called. I tried to call her and her phone goes right to voice mail. I understand things come up, but I expect a phone call at least. I had some errands to run, but I've been sitting here waiting for her to come. Annoying!! Plus, Caitlyn is just about ready for a nap and I don't want to put her down and then have the therapist come. OK, I feel a little better now.

Nori, you have to post pictures of Noah with his cake! Have fun at your party tomorrow!

I'm sending Colin's and Caitlyn's invitations out today for the 16th. I ordered a Spiderman bouncy thing for the kids. Hopefully it won't rain. I'm not going to tell Colin about it, he'll be so surprised.

Nori, I got Colin a scooter for his birthday. They do have ones for little kids now. They have two wheels in the back. It says it is for ages 3 and up. Spiderman, of course!

Cheryl, that's great that your parents are visiting and spoiling Garrett. That's what grandparents are for! Well, not all, of course. I know we have some unusual MIL's here!

OK, I'm going to assume she's not showing up. Caitlyn and I are going shopping and to the post office.

[BeckyM]

Hi Everyone!

Sorry I've been a bit MIA lately. I was sorta stressing out about the playgroup here, and I was busy getting everything ready. Thanks for asking about it! It did turn out really well. Counting Katie and myself, we had eight mothers and nine babies here (one woman has twins). Everyone seemed to have fun AND to enjoy the food. I ended up making that Nectarine Chickpea Couscous Salad, substituting white sugar for the honey in the dressing. I also made the Tomato Basil Tart from last summer (thanks for the suggestion, nori!) as sort of the vegetable thing. I had a big fruit salad and that cake I mentioned, then I also put out some pretzels for the moms and a bowl of dry Cheerios for the kids. I got lots of compliments on the food (especially the cake and the salad), but I ended up with lots of leftovers. That's okay though, because we can eat them all week!

nori -- Noah's birthday cake sounds really cute. I agree the animal crackers sound like the perfect thing to go with it. I hope everything turns out like you want it to and that Noah enjoys the party. I'll have to start thinking about what to do for Katie's birthday party, since it's only two months away. Ours will probably be really small, but I'd like to have a cute theme or something. Maybe I should search for a cute cake I could make, and build a theme around that.

Joanne -- I would be annoyed too if the physical therapist didn't show up AND didn't call. Whenever something like that happens to me, I get mad, and then I worry that something awful happened and feel guilty for assuming they were just being irresponsible. Hopefully it was just a mix-up. It certainly is irritating when your schedule gets all messed up though. On another topic, I had to laugh when you mentioned that the scooter you got Colin was "Spiderman, of course!" Our neighbors have a three-year old boy, and he is really into Spiderman too. He climbs up on their swingset pretending he is Spiderman, and he always wants the Spiderman popsicles. I didn't realize Spiderman is such a big thing these days! I hope the big craze when Katie is that age isn't anything too obnoxious.

MrsReber -- glad to hear that Casey's insides are working better and that your whole family is benefitting from more fiber! Just think what healthy colons you'll all have!

We are now getting ready for our family vacation to Montana. We leave Friday evening and don't return until August 12th. I am really looking forward to it! The only bad thing is that there are forest fires in the area where we'll be. We had been planning to do a lot of hiking in Glacier Park, but the whole west side of the park is closed right now due to the fires. It's disappointing, but there are all sorts of other beautiful places in that area for us to spend time outdoors. I just hope it isn't so smoky that we won't want to be outside. I personally am praying for rain, but it doesn't look like that's likely.

We're still figuring out how we're going to get all Katie's stuff on the plane, but I think we'll manage somehow. We decided we definitely want the umbrella stroller for going through the airport since our flight there is so late at night. We'll have a layover during the time Katie would normally be sleeping, so I figure she may be able to sleep in the stroller (it reclines a bit) much more comfortably than in the backpack. We'll either carry the backpack through the airport with us too, or maybe we can fit it in a big duffel bag and check it with the rest of our luggage. I'm busy doing laundry now and trying to figure out what all to take. It's especially difficult because the weather in the mountains can change so drastically. It has been real warm there lately, but we can't count on it staying that way the whole time we're there.

I almost forgot to mention Katie crawled for the first time Monday! She was trying to get to my shoe, and she crawled three or four "steps" before flopping back onto her stomach. She has done it a couple more times since then, but she is still mostly rolling or army crawling. I know my parents will be really excited to see her crawl.

Oh, and DH came home last night with a surprise. He came in the house wheeling a jogging stroller. We had been talking about getting one, but we hadn't done any research or anything yet, so I was rather surprised. It turned out he saw it for sale by the side of the road on his way home from work, so he decided to stop and check it out. An older couple had bought it when their granddaughter and her little boy were living with them for a while. Apparently she only used it a few times, and they have since moved out, so the older couple doesn't have a use for it anymore. It seems to be in pretty good shape, and they were only asking $50 for it, so DH bought it. It doesn't have quite all the features I would have wanted if we had bought a brand new one (the main thing is that it has a three-point harness vs. a five-point one), but for $50 I think it was a good deal. Katie is a bit on the small side for it now, but she does fit okay, and I know she'll fit in it for a long time. So we now own THREE strollers for ONE baby! I guess I'd better start jogging again!

Well, I'd better get back to my list of things to do. I've managed to cross a few things off today, but I keep thinking of more to add to the list. I just don't want to be up real late Thursday night and be stressed all day Friday trying to get everything done at the last minute!

Hope everyone has a great week while I'm gone!

Becky :)

[nori]

Joanne, I hate it when something like that messes up my schedule! It's hard enough to get some errands done with a baby, we don't need more "unexpected" event to work our schedule around.:mad: Hope you've heard from her by now. I don't know what I was thinking when asked you about the scooter. Somehow I thought you got it for Caitlyn.:o I'll try to post some photos after the party.

Becky, Yay Katie for crawling!!! Have fun at the Montana.

I wanted to write more, but Noah woke up from nap so I have to go!


....I'm back. Noah went back to sleep. It's been only 15 min. and I knew he was still sleepy.:)

Becky, glad to hear that your playgroup was a success! I have to try that salad...sounds pretty good. I'm happy that I could help you building up your menu. That tart is one of my favorite. I have bunch of basils to use up so I should make it soon. Jogging stroller is great! We got this jogging stroller with infant seat on top of it. (Val recommended here.:D ) So we've been using it from the beginning. One downside of it was it was too big to just go browse around the mall, for example. Finally we got an umbrella stroller so it'll be much easier. Anyway, jogging stroller will help you to get out and do some more exerciese, I'm sure.:)

We're heading to Colorado tomorrow and your concern about weather reminded me of packing.:rolleyes: I hope I have enough appropriate clothing for Noah. Hope it's not too cold.....

[MrsReber]

Hello! We're leaving for VA tonight! I'm so excited. I'm looking into building a modular home there. The company finally emailed me back some more information. I think it's do-able!!! Of course, it won't happen for a while unless I keep after DH on the issue. My sister is coming up to VA with her family and we're going to try to camp as much as we can. We do have a house to stay at if the weather gets bad. I hope the kids enjoy camping. Casey keeps crying about spiders. We may be in trouble!

Becky, that sounds like a great deal on the stroller. The jogging strollers can be quite expensive! We have a single stroller and a double stroller. DH, for some reason, thinks the single stroller is so much smaller than the double. He always wants to bring the single stroller for Brenden. However, and I tell him this all the time, once he takes the single stroller out, Casey wasts to get in it. She won't let me put Brenden in it at all! She climbs right in or screams at me if I attempt to put him in.

Yes, we will have healthy colons! DH calls my zucchini bread "colon bread". That's his generic term for any bread I make that's high in fiber.

Joanne, did you ever hear from the therapist? That's odd that she wouldn't even call.

Nori and Becky, hope you both have a great trip!

[JoanneOR]

Becky and Nori, hope you both have great trips! Nori, the weather will probably be refreshing for you, even if it's in the 90's there!

Becky, you'll love the jogging stroller. We used to have one and now cannot find it anywhere. We thought it was in the garage, but we've searched everywhere. Maybe we lent it out to someone, I don't know. It was great for taking to festivals or places where you'd be walking alot. It's much sturdier.

Yea for Katie crawling! Glad your playgroup went well, too. Are most of the babies Katie's age. It must be fun to see all of them crawling/walking around together.

I have no idea what I'm going to serve at our party. It'll be around 20 adults and 16 kids. I've got some time, though.

Well, the therapist did call around 3:00. She said she had a lunch meeting that ran late and her cell phone battery was dead. Then she tried to call from a pay phone and our phone was busy. She's always been so reliable, I did begin to get worried that something had happened to her. She wound up coming at 5:00 and spent alot of time with Caitlyn. So, it worked out OK. I just wish I knew ahead of time, then I could have gone out and did some stuff.

Caitlyn had a horrible night last night. She was up at 11, 12:30 and 4:00. I'm pretty tired today. I hope it's just teething or something temporary. I was visiting my neighbor with the new baby yesterday (so cute!) and he sleeps from 11-6 every night. Sometimes they have to wake him at 6 to eat. He's only 3 weeks!! The doctor said it's OK to let him sleep since he's gaining weight.

[BeckyM]

Nori & MrsReber -- hope you both have great trips too!

MrsReber -- it sounds like a great idea to build a modular home on your property in Virginia. I was just talking with DH the other night about whether we should think about vacation property in Montana. I would LOVE to have a place we could return to every year, but since we live so far away, it would be difficult to use it more than once a year. DH has mentioned property somewhere closer to here, but then I feel like we wouldn't get back to Montana as much if we had vacation property around here. Anyway, I think it sounds great to build something on your property so you'd be able to go there when the weather isn't as good for camping.

Nori -- where in Colorado will you be? I think you mentioned your trip earlier, but I've forgotten all the details of your trip.

JoAnne -- glad to hear the therapist finally showed up and that nothing had happened to her. It sounds like at least she spent some good time with Caitlyn. And yes, most of the other babies in the playgroup are around Katie's age. Most of them are a bit older, with the first one turning a year old in June. There is only one baby younger than Katie, and I think she's maybe around 6 months old now. It has been fun watching all the kids develop. Several of them are walking now, and they are so cute to watch! Sorry to hear about Caitlyn's rough night last night. I hope it was just teething or something that will go away quickly!

I REALLY need to get busy with packing, but I'm procrastinating. Can you tell? I hate making decisions about what to bring. I always end up over-packing, because I want to be prepared for any contingency. This time I need to keep reminding myself that we will have laundry facilities available, so I don't need a separate outfit for each day!

Becky :)

[nori]

I'm in the middle of last minute packing, laundry, etc, etc.

At noon, we have to bring Cookie to our friend's house so she can take care of him while we're gone. Then, around 3pm we leave here to pick DH up at his work then head to the airport. Noah is napping now.

Becky, we're going up to Ft. Collins. That's where DH grew up. His friend is getting married this weekend.

Joanne, sorry to hear about the rough night but it sounds like my ordinary night.:eek: Hope it's just temporary. I can't believe how it'd be 3 weeks old sleeping through the night! Must be nice.

MrsReber, have fun at VA!!!

Noah is up now, gotta go!

Have a nice weekend, everyone!

[JoanneOR]

Mrs. Reber, your trip to Virginia sounds fun. It would be nice to build a house there. We looked into buying a cottage when we first got married. We should have done it. Now everything is so expensive, we can't afford it.

DH and the kids surprised me at work today. It was nice to see them and most of my coworkers have never seen Caitlyn, so that was fun. They were going to see the Tall Ships over at the lake. I wished I could go with them. But, here I sit!

Becky, you'll love the jogging stroller. We had one but I'm not sure what happened to it. We thought it was in the garage, but we've searched everywhere and can't find it. Frustrating! We must have lent it to someone, but I have no idea who.

Seems like it will be really quiet around here for a few days! Hope everyone has safe and relaxing trips!