July/August 2008 New Moms

[veschke]

Why wait for next week? Hope everyone is doing okay! I know we've been nuts-busy this month -- we were out of town, and then my mom was visiting, and then his parents were visiting, and this weekend is booked, too, and we haven't had a single moment to look for a house or do much of anything else, though I did finally make a menu plan again this past weekend and carved out fifteen minutes to make bread. Oh, and everyone but me had a cold over the weekend (for once, I escaped it).

Anyway, things are coming along. JJ just got his third tooth, and you can see the fourth under the gum, so he'll have the entire front set in a few more days. He has been pretty fussy with all of this going on. He's rolling all over the place, loves standing up, and wants to play with all of his sister's things (and the cats, much to their consternation). He's babbling a lot, and I could swear he's saying "mama" and "dada" but that might just be me. I can't believe he's almost 7 months already. We're doing the solids thing, but he's still waking up a lot at night, so I don't know if we need to give him a bigger dinner, or what. He's going in tomorrow to get his helmet fitted to correct his flat spot. We'll spend a week getting him used to wearing it, and then we're in it for the long haul, which I hope won't be too long. It would be nice if we could get this over with before his birthday.

Speaking of birthdays, Lydia turned 4 while my mom was visiting. She was showered with presents (and cake), but it was a pretty quiet celebration. She was up at six that morning and I spent the entire day braced for an overtired meltdown, but she did okay. We had the neighbor boys up for cake and that was pretty much it aside from family; I figure that next year when she's in preschool we'll make more of an event of it. She went in for her pre-preschool checkup yesterday, and she's gained a little bit of weight. Our pediatrician wants her to see a specialist though, because she tends to walk on her toes a lot. It's always something with one of them....

Meanwhile, the parents are hanging in there. There is an up-side to having a ravenous locust for an infant, in that I'm now two sizes smaller than I was when he was conceived. Going to be a rude shock when he stops nursing. It's been a challenge staying hydrated. Work is humming along pretty well. Hard to concentrate with so much other stuff to do, though. And of course, no motion on the house thing, because we have no time! We're going to have to sit down and figure out when we can do this. It's a little tough since the places we want to look are closer to the city, so of course they're pretty far from where we are right now. With the drive and the kids and getting lunch or something somewhere, it can easily eat up most of a day.

OK, that was a novel. How's everyone else doing?!

[2HUNGRY!]

Thanks for starting! I kept meaning to start a thread but then it was almost August!

We've been crazy busy too with all sorts of visitors. It was stressful to say the least. This weekend we're doing our fist road trip to Cleveland. Any tips? DS is only 2 months so I'm hoping he'll sleep for most of the car ride.

We have his 2 month appointment this week. I have to ask about his belly button which is bulgeing out in a crazy way. I'm afraid he might have a hernia. Other than that we're doing well.

I hear you on staying hydrated. This heat is killing me pumping wise.

[SusanPC]

Hi there, it's been quiet here this summer!

We are doing well, Maddie is 11 weeks tomorrow. Had her 2 month appt. last week and we split up her shots. She had 2 last week and 2 yesterday, plus an oral one last week. She did well.

Maddie consistently sleeps through the night 7-8:30 to 7-8ish. It's great but she does NOT want to nap during the day. The DR said she is super alert for a baby her age and that daytime napping is often a problem with these kids.

We had her in the pool this past weekend and she loved it. Were in there for like 45 minutes...she loved floating.

I am getting sad that my maternity leave ends around Labor Day. We have daycare lined up but now are interviewing nannies too as I am not sure about leaving her in a daycare. My DH travels constantly for work and it may be too hard in terms of coordination. Of course, staying at home sounds more tempting than I ever thought it was.

We are staying busy with a weekly mom's group and another friend who had a baby 4 days after Maddie. A theater here has mom's morning movies, so we are trying that out this week.

Other than that, not much new on this front. Just trying to get back into the groove of exercise/eating healthy....I've gained a few lbs in the last couple of weeks and I know it is b/c I am eating everything in sight.

PS--2Hungry, in terms of supply, I started taking fenugreek and have noticed an increase in supply as a result. Just a thought....

[SusanPC]

PS--2Hungry, we did a drive to Myrtle Beach when Maddie was about 7 weeks old. It was really fine, she slept most of the way. And, I pumped bottles so we could feed her on the move. She took them fine in her carseat. There were 3 of us in the car so someone was always in the back seat with her to giggle her seat if she woke up and fussed. We stopped more than usual too and I'd change her, walk her around and nurse her if I felt like she was hungry.

Good luck and have fun!

[veschke]

This weekend we're doing our fist road trip to Cleveland. Any tips? DS is only 2 months so I'm hoping he'll sleep for most of the car ride.

We've traveled with the both the kids when they were young, though not quite that little (I think they were both 5 months before their first out of town trip) and had no trouble. I would just suggest giving yourself a little extra time, since one does have to stop more often with little ones that need to be changed and fed (I have nursed a baby in just about every rest stop on I-90 from here to Erie ). And make a list ahead of time of things you need to bring so that you can just go down it when you pack and not worry that you left some essential baby-item behind.

[ACooper]

Thanks Veschke for kicking us off. Good luck with your house hunting.

2Hungry I hope you enjoy your trip. I'm always afraid of leaving something at home or behind.

Susan - Enjoy the rest of your days at home. I'm sure you'll find a good daycare or nanny to help take care of the little one.

As for us, Madeline had her 6 month check up this week. She's a big girl at 17 lbs 8.5 oz (90%) and 27" (97%). She has no interest in rolling over - she really dislikes being on her tummy - but is now sitting up unsupported. We've started solids and she will eat oatmeal, green beans, carrots & sweet potatoes. Now every time I feed her, she always takes a tiny first bite to figure out if this is a new food or a familiar one.

Our challenge right now is getting her to go down to sleep. Once she's down, she sleeps through the night consistently. On the rare occassion that she does wake in the night, she can put herself back to sleep. It's just the initial going to bed that has become a problem - but even that is not consistent. It's usually a few times a week. We do have a standard nighttime routine. I just can't seem to isolate the trigger. The doctor is advocating CIO, but that just feels wrong to me. When we have tried CIO she just seems to get more worked up and it seems to take even longer for her to settle down. The one thing I've had some success with is to lie her down on a blanket in the floor of her room and sit near her until she goes to sleep & move her to her crib later. Any other ideas?

[Couperine]

Things are going well here with David - he's 3 months now, and he is wonderful. He tracks movement really well now - he adores his mobile and all slow-moving ceiling fans. He's pretty cool with being on his belly, so we're just going to keep working on it - it's a nice change since DS1 acted like he was going to die when we put him on his belly. He sleeps from 8pm to 2:45am, then wakes after we get dressed in the morning around 7am, and I'm very happy with that schedule. I'm not setting daytime naptimes since my schedule with Ethan varies so much.

I'm holding steading at the same weight I was a month after delivery - I just can't seem to get in gear with doing WW again since I'm sooooo hungry. I don't really want to cook either, so it's a double whammy.

I took my boys on a 6 hour solo drive to my parents a few weeks ago, and I was surprised by how easy it was - we stopped halfway through for bathroom, gas, and food. BF'ing is even easier this time around; I wouldn't have done it on a bet in public with DS1, but I BF David in a restaurant booth last week.

ACooper - sounds like your baby is training you on how to put her to sleep, not the other way around. CIO can be hard, but it puts you back into control and gets your daughter used to coping with putting herself to sleep - a skill you will want her to have for your own happiness. We have a routine at night where I feed and change David at 8pm, rock him, and then 5 minutes after stopping, regardless of how awake he is, I put him into his bassinet and tell him goodnight. He cried a few times, but he's able to cope with being put in bed both asleep and awake since we've set this pattern. It's nice to have regular time at night just to be myself rather than Mommy.

I do have to admit that CIO is easier for a second baby since I know it worked with DS1 - I don't have the guilt and frustration I had with DS1.

Susan, I've been taking Ethan and David to the dollar am movie on Wednesdays. I wear David in a Baby Bjorn and cover him with a blanket, and he sleeps the whole time. Movies can be loud, so I also use the blanket to muffle his ears. It's nice to get out to a movie!

I did manage to make some muffins for breakfast this morning, so it's time to eat - have a great weekend all!

[aprilbride]

Hi everybody....sounds like everyone is doing well:-)

Mia is 5 1/2 months old already..where does the time go? She's such a happy and laidback baby and loves being on her belly, especially when sleeping. We started to introduce solids, so far she seems to like her rice cereal, squash and peas. She's also getting her two bottom front teeth! I don't remember when DS got his first tooth, but this just seems a little early to me. I can already feel them poking through!

We've rented a two bedroom condo in San Diego for 4 days starting next week and will be driving down. I'm excited! DS is really looking forward to checking out Legoland and the beach and we're hoping for a few relaxed, and much cooler days:-)

Claudia

[2HUNGRY!]

Thanks everyone for the tips on travel. We leave tonight! To tell the truth I'm more worked up about dealing with my in-laws than the actual travel. When they were here earlier this month things did not go well. Apparently babies do not cry unless their mother is doing something wrong.

Ryan had his 2 month today. I was so sad when he got the shots. The look on his face when the needle first went in was awful. Oh well, they're over now. Also, he does have a hernia but apparently it will heal itself, so I was worried over nothing.

ACooper -- The book Healthy Sleep Habits Happy Child has some hints for changing from going to sleep with your child to putting her down awake. I haven't read that part yet, but I know its in there.

Susan -- DS is super alert as well and naps were driving me crazy until I put up a room darkening shade in his room. Do you have one? It makes the room so dark that he can't see anything to get flipped out by. Count me in on dreading going back to work after Labor Day. Do you get fenugreek at Whole Foods or something?

[SooCookie]

delurking...

Nancy (or any other moms of two out there!), not to hijack this thread, but how does CIO work when you have an older kid to worry about? We did CIO with my DD to get her to STTN, but worry that CIO with the new baby will keep her awake. Did you have any issues with that?

Sorry for the diversion. Back to the new baby chatter!

Michelle

[valchemist]

gosh, everyone is checking in, so I guess I should.

nelson is doing great. happy kid! he had his 6 month check up a couple weeks ago and was 24 pounds and 30 inches. off the charts. but the doctor says it is proportional and he isn't at all concerned. he started sitting up unsupported about a month ago. he loves to make NOISE with his toys. he has 8 teeth now. let's see, what else. oh, we just started him on cereal a few days ago. he likes it alright, but isn't exactly thrilled with it. mainly just a big nurser. not doing well at night, but none of my kids have, so no surprises there.

we could never do CIO in this tiny house with two other kids. no way, no how. that's ok, I am not a CIO person anyway, so it is a good excuse for me not to have to do it!

[Couperine]

Michelle - The only thing we've really had to do CIO with is going to sleep at night. I was exhausted from letting him stay up til he fell asleep, so I'd hit the wall. He sleeps in our study on the first floor which is directly under Ethan's bedroom on the 2nd floor. I always put Ethan to bed before David if it's my turn or DH does Ethan while I put David to bed, so Ethan is distracted. I think David cried it out 3 nights - 15 min, 5 min, and then 3 minutes. I still have a computer set up in one of the other upstairs bedrooms, so for the first night, I went in there spent time on the computer so I couldn't hear it as much. I have to admit it was easier to stick to my guns this time though especially since I was doing something else.

Ethan totally did not care about the crying - David was about 6 weeks old at that point, and he was well over the baby noise issue. David sleeps through hours of cars crashing, bad guys being captured, and various other loud boy things, so it's not too surprising that Ethan can ignore the noise too.

Hope this helps - I think location really helps us because when Ethan's door is closed, you cannot hear David crying unless he's extremely peeved, and his sleepy cry isn't a loud one.

[Delanl]

Hi everyone!

Its been a busy summer, getting settled back into work and establishing a routine with Kylie. She is 5 months old now and doing great. She can roll over and she rolls everywhere! If I leave her for a few minutes on a blanket on the floor, I never know where she is going to end up. It seems like she wants to crawl too, she is pushing her little butt up in the air with her legs. So cute. She is grabbing at everything and everything goes straight to her mouth. She loves her toys, its so much fun watching her grow and learn new things. No teeth yet, still drooling like mad though. She smiles and laughs constantly, she is such a happy baby.

She's doing great with my MIL and besides the incident where my MIL gave her water (!) to help her get rid of the hiccups, everything is going smoothly on that front.

I took her to the pedi last week for a shot and I weighed her when the nurse left the room and she was 16 lbs., 3 oz.! She is growing like a weed. I am still nursing, but only at night. Sleep has been a whole other issue. We have a bedtime routine at night, which she does great with. She's usually asleep by 8:30pm. But still wakes up several times during the night. Which has been really hard on me with work. I think we are going to start her on rice cereal this weekend, so I am hoping that will help with the night waking. Even though everything I've read says that's a myth.

Question about introducing solids, do we offer the rice cereal with every meal or just once a day? I've been doing a lot of research, but can't seem to find the answer to that.

Glad to hear everyone is doing well and all the kiddies are happy and healthy!

-Leigh

[veschke]

Even though everything I've read says that's a myth.

Really? I hadn't heard that. I have bumped up JJ's cereal intake this week and he's sleeping better than he was before that.

Question about introducing solids, do we offer the rice cereal with every meal or just once a day? I've been doing a lot of research, but can't seem to find the answer to that.

For both of mine, we started with once a day, moved up to twice as soon as it seemed to be accepted. Small amounts and very thin, to begin with.

[valchemist]

leigh and veschke,
yes, I have heard a lot about how the "cereal before bed helps them sleep" is a myth. of course, it is a myth if it doesn't work for you, and the real deal if it does. as with anything, I guess. doesn't work for us, but glad it works for you, rebecca. certainly worth a try, leigh.

we have been giving nelson water in a sippy cup for close to a couple months now. not a lot by any means (he wouldn't want a lot anyway). but just to give him practice with a cup. he seems to like it a lot.

[veschke]

leigh and veschke,
yes, I have heard a lot about how the "cereal before bed helps them sleep" is a myth. of course, it is a myth if it doesn't work for you, and the real deal if it does. as with anything, I guess. doesn't work for us, but glad it works for you, rebecca. certainly worth a try, leigh.

Good point -- I guess it would depend on why they're waking up!

[Delanl]

leigh and veschke,
yes, I have heard a lot about how the "cereal before bed helps them sleep" is a myth. of course, it is a myth if it doesn't work for you, and the real deal if it does. as with anything, I guess. doesn't work for us, but glad it works for you, rebecca. certainly worth a try, leigh.

we have been giving nelson water in a sippy cup for close to a couple months now. not a lot by any means (he wouldn't want a lot anyway). but just to give him practice with a cup. he seems to like it a lot.

Yup Val, definitely a myth for us so far! We started on Saturday and since then I think she's been waking up more! Not sure how much she is really getting though since she has a few spoonfuls and then either starts grabbing the spoon or blowing bubbles on it. Too cute.

[2HUNGRY!]

Hi everyone.

We survived the trip. I was even brave enough to leave him with my in-laws while we went to a baseball game. He was crying when we left so of course I cried all the way to the game! Dealing with the in-laws was okay. They wanted to lance his belly button and give him all sorts of things because they didn't feel he was pooping enough, but since they didn't actually do any of these things I guess its okay.

What is with people wanting to put hot hot blankets on my baby when its 95 degrees out? Ugh. The poor thing is sweating up a storm and they kept putting blankets on him and asking me why he wasn't wearing socks.

We're working on getting him to sleep in his crib at night. He doesn't seem to mind it but me and Daddy wake up 10 times to check on him (the cat checks on him too which is kind of funny)!

[Kerri]

I took her to the pedi last week for a shot and I weighed her when the nurse left the room and she was 16 lbs., 3 oz.! She is growing like a weed. I am still nursing, but only at night. Sleep has been a whole other issue. We have a bedtime routine at night, which she does great with. She's usually asleep by 8:30pm. But still wakes up several times during the night. Which has been really hard on me with work. I think we are going to start her on rice cereal this weekend, so I am hoping that will help with the night waking. Even though everything I've read says that's a myth.

I also would recommend you check out Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, but it is just going to tell you to try an earlier bedtime. You move it back gradually until about 7pm or so. Starting solids was also a myth for us.

2hungry - My baby hasn't worn socks since his first week! Too much trouble. Glad to hear that your trip went well.

[Delanl]

Hey all!

Kylie is doing better with sleeping, thank goodness. I think it just might be the cereal! The past two nights she slept from 8:30pm to 5:00 am, woke up for a bottle and then slept again for two more hours! Woo! I think that is the most sleep I've gotten in six months! She is definitely getting better at eating, when she sees the spoon coming, her mouth is open and ready. We tried barley for the first time tonight and she did great. Next up is oatmeal and then onto the fun stuff!

Made the mistake of stopping at a Carter's outlet today on the way back from the boardwalk. Oh boy. I could go crazy in there. They have the cutest stuff! I loaded up on winter clothes for Kylie and got some really cute stuff for my nephew who was born this morning!

How is everyone else doing?

[2HUNGRY!]

Delanl -- That's a great night's sleep!

Not much is going on here. We're just enjoying the rest of the summer before I go back to work in September. I took Ryan to Sears today to get some portraits done in his Baptism outfit. We actually were able to find DH's from 34 years ago and that's what he's wearing. The pics came out great. This is the 2nd time I brought him and I always feel a big sense of releif when we get out of there! Sears has come a long way since my youth as far as pictures go.

I'm trying to not feed Ryan too much during the night in an effort to get him to sleep through. To my surprise its working! He sleeps now from about 8 pm to 3-4 am. To this insomniac that feels like a full night's sleep!

TMI question: should I even bother keeping my pre-pregnancy bras? They look so small now!

[Kerri]

[QUOTE=2HUNGRY!;1404591
TMI question: should I even bother keeping my pre-pregnancy bras? They look so small now![/QUOTE]


Um, yes. Sadly, there is a good chance they will be too big once you are done breastfeeding.

I think I posted on this thread earlier, but nothing about me and my now 9 week old, Andy. Things are going good, well, as good as can be expected. Sleeping is getting better. He sleeps for around 7-8 hours in a stretch at night...wow, that feels great! He was pretty stubbornly going down between 10:30-11pm, but we have finally got it moved back a couple of hours to 8-9. The last week or so, he hasn't really been napping during the day much/at all. I mean, it seems like he is tired, and towards the end of the day, he is REALLY tired and cranky, but just won't sleep. I have tried soothing him to sleep, I have tried letting him CIO, but nothing works. At this point, I have just decided to wait it out for a few more weeks and trying to establish naps then. This has been extra frustrating because we just spent a few days at the beach with my parents and I think everyone was getting fed up with my cranky baby.

Other than that, he is fitting into our family nicely. We have his 2 month appointment on thursday, so I am interested to see how big he has gotten.

[Couperine]

2Hungry, your breasts will likely change size before you are done BF'ing too. Definitely keep the old bras - I am already back into non-nursing bras that I wore while pregnant. My preferred pre-preg bra is easy to push out of the way to BF, so I wear whatever I pick up from the drawer.

As for us, David is almost 4 months old. He sleeps from about 8pm to 5:30am most nights - definitely a delight to have adult time and then a good stretch of sleep as well. David is reaching for things, smiling and cooing (some neat dinosaur squacks as well), and he's moving his legs up a lot - pretty close to rolling over now as well. He's in love with ceiling fans, the Tiny Luv mobile (thank you thank you 15 minute playtime), and recently I got him the Gymini play mat with the dangling toys, and he likes that too. He has to compete with our kittens for toys sometimes, but it's rather fun having kittens and a baby. David doesn't really have the set nap times that I had for Ethan - I think I'm more relaxed about it since I need to do things with Ethan and David doesn't seem to care when or where he sleeps during the day.

I've hit the dreaded hair loss phase - I could not believe how much hair was in the tub this morning. I shed all day long, and I have to keep my hair pulled back or covered while I cook to keep hair from getting into things. I'm not getting it cut off this time, but having long hair falling all over the house is more noticeable. Lots of vacuuming.

I hope everyone is well and getting as much sleep as you can!

[Delanl]

2Hungry-agree with the others to keep your pre-preggo bras. Kylie has pretty much weaned herself, aside from an occasional late night feeding. So I am back in my old bras and think I am even smaller than before! Which I didn't think was possible! Sigh.

Couperine-I went through the same thing and thankfully around month 5 it stopped. Keep lots of Drano on hand!

Kerri--I'm sure you've tried everything to soothe Andy, but the swing really helped lull Kylie to sleep. Just a thought!

Hope everyone is having a good week!

[2HUNGRY!]

Thanks everyone for talking me out of throwing away my bras! I am on a major cleaning out phase right now and they almost went!

Nancy -- the ceiling fan is major entertainment around here too!

[SusanPC]

Hi ladies, sorry I have been MIA. DH was out of town all week and I am dead tired....I love Maddie to pieces but she is a lot of work

Nancy--I totally feel for you on the hair. Mine is below my shoulders and falling out like crazy....looks like an animal died each time I take a shower and I keep seeing long hairs on Maddie after we cuddle, I burp her, etc. Yuck. And, count us in on loving the fans and ceiling lights around here! Glad to hear David is doing so well with interaction, etc! Are you all settled into your new home?

2Hungry--Glad you survived the visit with the in-laws. Isn't it you that has to dress up matchy matchy with them? Did they force that upon you all this time?

We are good except that my DH has been constantly traveling. I feel bad for him he misses her when he is away. (He's up bathing and giving her a bottle for some Daddy time). So, I quit my job today and am in a little in shock that I did it. I've been super career oriented and often have defined myself by work.....but we couldn't work out a mutually agreeable arrangement and I didn't want the nanny to wake her up in the AM and get her ready for bed, and with my work schedule that would end up being what would happen I just know it. So, that is a weight off my chest...although I don't know when my official end date will be.

Question, for those BF, how long will you go? We are at 14 weeks...and I may meet DH for a weekend after the tail end of a business trip to San Fran in a few weeks....and we are going away for 4 days at the end of Sept...wonder if I should slowly start introducing a bottle once a day and see how she goes? I am pumping AM and night, but often I use those bottles when out and about and when DH or my parents want to give her a bottle, etc. so my freezer stash is not so hot....maybe 48 oz and she generally takes 5 oz bottles when she takes a bottle....so it won't last long. Sigh, I feel like a failure to even consider formula...?!?!

[Kerri]

First of all, here is a picture of my little Andy Pandy at the beach this weekend. I told him he will LOOOOVE the beach next year.



I was on my way to bed, but I really wanted to post for poor Susan! So many things I wanted to reply to you on. Congrats on quitting your job? No, I understand. I am a SAHM. It isn't really me, I miss my job, I miss working, but like you, I just had a huge problem not with day care, but with how long my kids were going to stay in day care. Big hugs to you in this major life change. Just a heads up, if your DH travels, it makes it hard. I think your parents live nearby, be sure to make/let them help when he is gone.

Also, formula is fine. (says the BF mom who doesn't use it. Sigh. I guess I have a problem with it too, but Andy doesn't like it.). But seriously, I never understood who these people are who have these huge stashes of BM in the freezer. Especially since I stay home, I just don't have time to pump and feed. Formula is fine. It is so freeing. I would reccomend not giving up the BF completely if you are going to stay home. BF is so easy! But giving formula so you can go to kindermusik or to lunch is FINE.

Delanl - Thanks for the tip on the swing. You were so right. We didn't have one at the beach, but since we been home, Andy gets a little fussy, I put him in the swing and he usually takes a good nap. I know, he needs to nap in his crib, but I am just not ready.

I hope I am making sense. I really should go to bed. We had a bad night last night because of a bad side effects to Andy's 2 month shots. I am a microbiologist, and definately pro-vaccines, but it was pretty bad, and am thinking of maybe spreading out his next set. Any thoughts?

[Delanl]

Susan-I felt the same exact way as you did regarding introducing formula. Unfortunately, since I had to go back to work and had no where to pump, I really didn't have a choice. In the beginning, I had enough in the freezer to give her one full bottle of breastmilk a day and then nurse at night and in the morning. Gradually my freezer stash disappeared and now she has pretty much weaned herself from the night and morning feedings. It was tough for me at first, in fact I just packed away my nursing bras and got all teary-eyed! But she is doing great with the formula, and I am so proud and happy that she was breastfed for six months.

When we started introducing the formula, I would substitute one of her afternoon feedings with it and she had no problems at all. Gradually, I introduced another bottle, etc. So by the time I did go back to work, she had no problem having 3-4 bottles of it a day. You may want to try that and see how it goes. Whatever you decide, please don't feel guilty! Any amount of time breastfeeding is better than none. Maddie will be fine on the formula and is a very lucky little girl!

Kerri-Yay! I am so glad the swing helped! I am so sorry to hear that Andy had a rough night. My DH and I had a very tough time with making a decision on vaccinations. I know they are important, but we are NOT comfortable with the amount given in one visit. So we delayed any vaccinations until 3 months and she only gets 2-3 each visit. It means more visits to the doctor's, but its worth it to me. Definitely talk to your doctor, ours was fine with spacing them out.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

[veschke]

Hi, guys! Wow, everyone's been busy. We just got back from a week+ away from home, on vacation in NH and then visiting DH's parents in Maine. It was a great time, but not very relaxing with two kids. Little JJ did not sleep very well--it was pretty cold in the cabin at night, and I don't think he likes the feel of the PackNPlay as a sleep surface. He was up and down the whole time we were there. Slept better last night now that we're home, thank goodness.

Other developments, I think he's also getting a couple more teeth in. He likes to use them, too--he's always nipping us on the shoulders if one of us is carrying him. I also have bruises on my arms from his grip. He's creeping all over the place and is obviously thrilled to be doing so. He's also decided to develop some stranger anxiety, just in time for my MIL to come baby-sit him this weekend. We'll see how that goes!

Today I'm working from home so I can try to get a few things done and not spend any more time in the car right now--we have no food at all, the place is a mess, etc.

The question about the bras made me laugh. They'll probably fit again someday. Seems like everyone has been dealing with some challenges this month. My husband and I are always telling each other that we're sharing an adventure. You never know what's going to happen next, just have to do the best you can with what you've got!

[2HUNGRY!]

Susan -- I feel you on the job thing. I go back in September and I am so torn. Like Kerri said, its not day care that bothers me, its the amount of time in day care (and the fact that I will maybe see him for an our a day). So, I feel for you. I have no tips on the formula, but good luck whatever you decide. We have had to give it since day 1 because of his jaundice when he was born, and I felt terrible about it, but he's fine. You really just have to do the best you can and not beat yourself up about it.

Yes, that was me who had in-laws who tried to control what we wore (and pouted when we didn't happen to pack whatever randon thing they came up with for us all to wear -- white hats, feet pjs, cardigan sweaters, etc). That all ended though when I kind of blew up at them for giving me a talking to for not packing a head scarf to go to Polish Mass the when we visited this Spring. FYI, I've known these people for 15 years and our wedding had been the only time we had all gone to Church together let alone to a service that requires special head gear. They have moved on now to trying to control what we eat and they almost peed themselves when we ate regular packets of ketchup rather than the sugar free stuff they prefer. But then they also got upset when I wouldn't take DS out at 10 pm to a questionable neighborhood to get ice cream at some place where they sell it by the ounce. Whatever. They just want to control.

Kerri -- What an adorable picture. I'm sorry your baby was cranky at the end of the day. Ryan does the same thing. I've read its common in babies to fuss arund dinner time and its been true in our case. It makes it really hard though when family is around and they want you to eat dinner with them and stuff. Ryan is getting better now though so hopefully your plan to wait it out will work. Also, room darkening shades helped us a lot because he seemed to get flipped out by being able to see all of his toys etc in his room.