Jan/Feb 05 Babies chat!

[Deb_in_oz]

Us - thanks for all your feedback on the naps.  will try to work on finding her right awake time - this morning she woke at 6:49 and i put her down at 8:55 and she only slept 30 min  :evil:  i am leaving her in there as she is juust doing lots of tired talk and if i am going to keep her on any kind of track for the day then she needs to stay in there until almost 10am. 

Michele (and julieb) - i have noted the awake times you mentioned!! glad to hear Kinlagh is ok!!!

Nikki - olivia has 5 bottles and her intake is betwee 170-270ml per bottle (lately at the bedtime feed she can take up to 300+ ml  :shock: ) and she eats between 2 1/2 - 4 1/2 TBS of solids x 3 feeds.  she was 8.6kg at 6 mo so i have no idea what she is now !!

got to get this nap thing sorted out!!!!!

[HeatherC]

Hazel, welcome.  I look forward to getting to know you and your dc.  Thanks for joining our chat. 

Girls, if you add the other thread that is now locked, we're around 100 pages!!!!

Michelle, bless your heart, as us southerners like to say.  I'm sure you were scared, and I'm glad she's okay.

Nikki, Kelsey has 4 bottles/ day, of 6-8 oz each.  She does about 8 oz total of solids per day.  I'm not sure of her weight right now.  I'm guessing she's between 17-18 pounds and 26-27 inches.

Julie,

Holy separation anxiety, Batman! 

  That's too funny.  I think the same thing must of been going on today with Kelsey because she never took a second nap.  Just cried every time I put her down.  She was up from 12:20-8 pm.  :shock:  Funny thing is, so was about as happy as I've ever known her to be today.  :?

Me, I'm off to watch a movie I rented.  Oh, and I think I found a costume I like for Kelsey.  Will post pic when I get it.  Have a great night!!

[branwen]

Hi everyone!

I will try to remember all the posts but bare with me, it's a stressful time

Hazel- Welcome, please join in! Your angel baby sounds delightful.  It will be great to have you around to remind us of all the lovely things about babies!! :wink:

Michelle- that is so scary about the peaches.  I'm just so glad she is ok.

Heather/Deborah/Deb- re: naps.  I hear you!  I am also trying to find the right awake time.  With the teething sometimes she goes 5+ hours and then is delirious- SEIROUSLY- laughs at nothing and is so jittery and shakey and of course crying if I try again to get her to sleep. :cry:   The past few days I have even taken to nursing her before naps.  :oops:  This was partially because she was off her schedule because of no naps and would then be tired at feed times, etc.  Also it seemed to calm her down and get used to the sucking so when she made the transition to thumb it didn't hurt so bad.  Also, after dropping the catnap she now wants it back and we have on occassion had a 4pm nap because due to teething she has not been able to make it past one cycle.  Sometimes I get a 1.5 hr out of her but it is rare.  So we've actually been doing 3, 45 min naps.  That is what happened today.  Today I must say was much better and I only gave her 1/2 dose of motrin...YAY!

I am not sure set naps times work yet for Eirwen- I have experimented with this and we are good for about a week and I think I am in nap bliss and then the pattern breaks because she has gotten overtired one day or isn't tired enough depending on pervious experience. :?

Nikki- Eirwen weighs 18 lbs 3 oz and is 28 in. She bf 4 times per day (aprox 24 oz) and gets an additional 4 oz from what I mix in with solids. Eirwen is eating about 12 oz of solids per day :shock: 

About the yogurt- it is by Stoneyfield Farms and is organic. all natural.  It says the sugar is all natural too but is 16 grams.  I'm not sure what that means exactly.  I think it is more "rich" than sweet because of the whole milk.  Now I wish she didn't love it so much , but I guess I'd rather her be hooked on that than some other things :wink:

Us/Me- Meds were played with a bit.  I'm in an adjustment period, not sleeping too well but I will wait it out a week and see how I feel.  Kind of bumming about the house, we've only had 6 showings and no bites and it is SO CUTE!  But must be clear headed- it's only been a week!

Happy Eirwen News- Eirwen has named everything "Ack".  It is so cute.  It is said like a word not as a "baby sound".  She says it when she sees the cats, me or dh or anything she is interested in.  If I say it back to her she busts up squealing!  It is adorable.  She also woke up today with more hair- it's going to be curly like mama's.  So sweet!!

[thitz]

Nikki, thanks for reminding us about reading their tired signs.  I think I'm getting so wrapped up in extending Emily's A time that I'm keeping her up too long too fast :oops: .  Emily drinks 5 bottles of about 6oz a day and 7.5 tbsps rice/oat cereal, 2 cubes fruit and 2 cubes veg.  I think she weighs almost 18 lbs.

Branwen,  that's so cute about Eirwen saying 'Ack' .  Emily does these squeally noises now and her latest is going 'mmmm' as she pulls her bottom lip into her mouth (reminds me of your 'tooth face' video).  But I think any kind of words are a long way off for her.  And hang in there with the meds and house stuff, these things usually take a little time.  Are you waiting till you sell your house before you look for a new one?

Nap issue moms, I've had the same problem for over a month now   :evil: .  I always get a good morning nap (1.5 hrs) but then usually a 45 minute afternoon nap and I have a hard time getting her to take a catnap.  I've played around with her A time between naps without any consistent success.  But if she does a 1.5hr afternoon nap then we skip the catnap.  If not I can sometimes get her to take a 20mins catnap.  But either way she's wiped out by 6pm.

Us, what activities do you guys do in the late afternoon before you lo's dinner?  Emily is really fussy and irratible at this time and without the catnap I don't know how to get her in a calm state for 1/2 an hour other than a stroll or car ride.   I resorted to 15 mins of TV for the first time (which I feel guilty about) but even that didn't calm her.  I wonder if a baby video would be better, but really I don't want to use TV.

Happy Emily news (I'm going to follow Branwen's lead and add a happy section to all my posts) She has rolled from tummy to back 3 times .

Have a good day/night everyone, Tarri

[thitz]

It's me again.  I was reading the oct/dec mom's chat and got the idea to give her a teething biscuit (baby mum mum?) just before dinner to keep her occupied.  This would probably be as bad as TV!

And I had to share that I practically had to force Emily to drink just 2 oz for her dreamfeed. 

Goodnight Tarri

[sedona314]

Hi everyone:

Sheesh, I'm trying to catch up on everyone's posts but I keep falling behind.  Okay here goes:

Michelle, whew, glad Kinlagh is okay, that must have been so scary. 
Julie - too cute with the costume. 
Everyone:  I loved all the pics, please keep them coming.
Diya's mommy, she is gorgeous and looks like both of you!

I am forgetting about a zillion things I wanted to respond to so please forgive me.

Okay, regarding naps and food:  Matty isnt able to stay up more than 2 1/2 hours between naps and often gives tired signs right at 2 hours.  I thought at 7.5 months he would be able to go longer, but he's not ready.  He is also not ready to give up the five oclock nap or the dream feed. He is still downing 8 oz at 11:00 DF so I guess we're keeping  that a bit longer.  Its a bit tough because sometimes I get home late from work and I want to go right to bed but have to stay up for his late feed. But he's worth it!

Finger foods:  I am scared of the finger foods and choking!  how are you guys doing that?  I bought those little Gerber dissolve in your mouth thingies and I tried a few and it took like a minute to dissolve, so I wont give it to Matty.  Who said they tried the Gerber wagon wheels?  Arent those dangerous?

Another thing, I think I am the grandma in the group.     Is anyone here over 35 like I am?  or even close?  I hope you all don't mind a "senior" mommy in here (only in age, not experience).

Hugs to everyone

Julie G

PS:  Matty is still Spirited but he is so much easier to care for now.  I really think he was having a lot of tummy troubles until about a month or two ago.  I am sure now that the reflux was really tough on him.  He is such a happy pleasant baby now!  I would say textbook maybe.

PPS - How do people NOT follow easy?  I think we would be lost without the nap and feed schedule.

One more thing, Our anniversary is Nov 2 and we almost got married at the end of Oct.

[sedona314]

New Pictures!

[Schae]

Julieb: lol lol lol @ the mama's boy comment!  :lol: I think Asher has your face shape too (from the avatar pic). Shame man, Asher needed a cuddle? That's so sweet.

Hazel:Hi and welcome to the chat! Look forward to hearing more about your angel child!  :wink:

Deb: Did you enjoy the wine? Yum! Good luck with the nap issues. I don't really have much advice, as I'm happy when Luka naps for an hour.. he really fights sleep. And even had a 40 minute nap the other day and refused to be put down, and was happily awake for 3 hours after that.  :shock:

Michelle: :shock: that is so scary about the peaches! I'm glad she's okay. Are you okay?

Nikki: Luka has 5 BF a day (including the dreamfeed), so I guess it's 4 feeds now that we've dropped the dreamfeed. He has solids 3 times a day, and at 6 months he weighed 7.92kg, so I'm guessing he's at around 8.2kg or something like that.

Branwen: I hope Eirwen's tooth comes through soon, it sounds like you and her are really struggling. And good luck with selling the house. What's the housing market like in your area? That is SO cute about 'Ack'... aww!

Tarri: In the evenings, because Luka has dropped his catnap, we go for a walk in his pram. It seems to calm him down. He doesn't sleep, just calms down enough to have dinner and a bath. I think TV would stimulate him further, and since he's already tired, I wouldn't want to overload his senses with more sensory input (I read the same book Nikki does)

JulieG: I have given Luka toast cut into 'soldiers' as fingerfood. He knows how to 'chew' and there haven't been any choking episodes (knock on wood). I've also given normal bread, and pieces of fruit. Lovely photos btw!

Us: Luka has slept through for the last 2 nights!   
The day before yesterday, it was just Luka and I in the house. He was a bit niggly late in the afternoon, so I decided to move everything up by half an hour. He got supper at 6pm instead of 6.30pm, and had a bath at 6.30pm. By 7pm he was asleep.

He woke four times, twice I had to resettle him, but I only said 'shhh' no patting or singing  :wink: the other two times he sent himself back to sleep.  I decided to give the dreamfeed a miss and see what would happen. He woke at 5am. This morning it was 6am. 

Needless to say: I'm chuffed. But I didn't sleep  :roll: Got up at every sound he made, only to find him sleeping. :lol:

[Deb_in_oz]

Branwen - very cute about "ack!!" sorry about everything else that is causing you stress- PM me anytime.

Tarri - congrats on the rolling! about the DVD or TV - i find that for Olivia she likes DVDs and sometimes chills out watching BEinstein with alex. other times she gets all giddy, either way she is no worse off and it gives me a break and she is "doing" less.  i usually put her on alex's little sofa by the window so she can look outside instead if she prefers. i don't have such a hard time with her when she is overtired / awake.  the problems always come when i go to put her to bed or sometimes at the feed if she is exhausted

Schae - i am so thrilled about Luka's sleeping progress. i hope it continues!

Julie - I am 33! although some days i still feel 28 and others i feel 100! i still have to do the math to figure my age when people ask (2005 now, born in '72...  :lol: ).  Glad to hear Matty is doing well.  isn't it funny how their temperamnets change?  i don't know if you noticed on my signature that Liv is now Spirited / Textbook / Angel - almost equal parts - most of the spirited stuff is still to do with her evil napping! but she goes down on her own and sleeps through the night - she just does not want to sleep too much in the day  :roll:

Us - still in nap hell and am sad to see so many of you there with me.  this morning she took 45 min to go down for first nap and (i had gone grocery shopping and left her with jeff) she was up 20 min later and screaming and crying.  he figured it was teething or some other discomfort so finally gave her panadol and when i came home 10 min later she cried even when i smiled at her  :cry:  when the meds finally kicked in she was happy again.  she is eating really wel but day sleep is terrible.  she did 1 hr 30 for 2 nd nap at least but then we had to be out this afternoon for stuff for our residency application (had to be fingerprintred at the police station to arrange background checks on us in Thailand, England and USA) so we did not get home until after 6pm so no catnap!!  she already has awake times similar to what you recommended Michelle and others who mentioned 2 1/2 - 3 hrs...  I am nt sure if the problem is that some days i work off of amount of awake time, others i stretch her to get to at leats 9am regardless of awake time, others i see she is desperate for sleep and put her down in 2hrs or less.  what to do?

Me - i am in a similar boat to Branwen and have reached another rockbottom this week/end.  I thought it would get better after geting my period but it has gotten worse.  Friday and Saturday were terrible and both Dh and I are on the verge of a nervous breakdown - he is under stress at work and helping me, i am stressed about olivia's naps and am exhausted and can tell my meds are not helping now.  at least we got the residency stuff sorted and now can wait a month or so for next step in process (and more stress) Saturday i really lost it - Dh and i were yelling, i used a lot of 4 letter words in the house and on the phone to my mom (her advice was "if she won't nap you can't make her so don't drive yourself crazy" to which i "pleasantly" replied in a looud voice "she is not 25 bloody years old - she cannot decide what the hell she wants to do.  she NEEDS to sleep!" you get the idea. i know she was tryingto support me - but giving up on the naps seems impossible for me to do KWIM?.  i ended up hysterically crying on my bed to Dh and told him i am afraid i am back to square one... He did not think it was that bad and iknow he feels bad because some of the reason i got more stressed was because he was cracking under the pressure and said he needed me to help with the residency stuff because he couldn't do it all...

sorry to vent so much - today was better for me - i got out to IKEA with a friend and bought some cool things - i seem to be using retail therapy for the first time in my life lately and bless his heart Dh has not told me off yet - i had best cut it out though!! at least i got a little break.

[sedona314]

Debra:  Sorry to hear you are going through a rough spot.  I think its totally normal and thats what this board is for.  When I know that you guys go through this stuff too, it makes me feel better on the days when I start "hysterically" crying!  Hang in there, it will get better. 

Matty is being very inconsistant with his naps too. WE had started doing really well but the teething is just going on and on and he sleeps anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours!  The weirdest thing is that on the days that I work, he usually sleeps the two hours!!! My sitter says thats normal and he knows when Mommy is home.  I honestly dont know what is normal, but am so happy he is at least sleeping through the night.

Schae:  So happy for you that you got two nights out of the little guy!

Everyone:  I am still keeping a full log and find it very helpful.

Julie

[Leah's Mom]

Hmmmm, must remember that I am NOT young anymore and even though I stay out late, DD still gets up early! As most of you know, I had my sister's shower and Bachelorette Party at my house yesterday and last night. Well, we had a great time last night, headed out to the bars (pubs for some of you!  :wink: ) around 9:00. I came home around 1:00 and found out later the rest of the crew stayed out till 4:30!!!!!!! Glad I left when I did! Even so, I drank a little too much. This is probobly the first time I have drank since before I was pregnant with DD (almost a year and a half!) Needless to say it only took a few drinks and I was sick last night and this morning.  :oops: Here's a few pictures I took of my family. I will read through the posts and respond later, just wanted to share!!!!

[Daniel's mummy]

Hi all,
Thanks for the welcome.  We have been away this weekend and it was lovely to arrive home this evening and excitedly turn on the computer to read all your messages.   

I saw this list of things a few pages back and thought I'd use it myself to introduce my ds to you all.


Cuteness - Sooooo cute
Rolling - yep - started tummy to back rolling at 4 months but only recently started back to tummy rolling.
Crawling - Nearly!  Kind of rolls from side to side as he tries to push himself forward.  Still, he manages to (eventually) get to where he wants to be.
Breast or Formula - First 3 weeks was breast but since has been a formula babe. 
Solids - Is on 3 meals a day.
Sleeping thru the night - 'angel baby alert' :wink:  slept through from about 8 weeks!
Naps - 1.25 hours in morning and same in afternoon (usually)
Sitting unassisted - Sat at 6 months
Teeth - Is on number 8!
Dreamfeed - Gave that up at around 5 months.
Morning wake up time - anytime from 6-7am.
Bedtime - between 7.30 and 8pm
Favorite toy - LOVES books
Favorite Activity - Just loves amusing himself.  We have always made a point of making sure he can happily 'play' on his own and trying not to interfere too much and he just loves it now.  Will sometimes sit or lie for about an hour playing with his toys.
Lovie - Has a cuddly sheep that he rubs all over his face as he falls to sleep.  Is soooo adorable.
Excema - No
Reflux - No
Back or Belly sleeper - back (but seems to be turning into a side sleeper).
Swaddle - Did do til about 4 months.
Paci - Weaned himself off it at about 5 months.
Sucks thumb - No
Weight/Height - At 7 months he weighed 22 lb!!! :oops:  and he's about 73cm.  He was a whopper at birth at 9lb 2oz (I am only 5 ft 2 - ouch!). 
Eye/Hair color - GORGEOUS blue eyes and sandy hair.
Work or SAHM - SAHM
Name & origin - Daniel (Bible name that we both loved)
I'm a - Boy
My Birthday - 29th Jan
BW Type - Textbook but turning into more of an angel every day.
First, second, third child of how many? - First of four :?   (We'll see.  I was sick from 8 weeks right through to 42 weeks and I'm not keen on doing that 4 times!)
Ticklish - Belly laughs when we tickle his thighs!


Oh I love my baby.  Writing all that info on him just reminds me all over again how much I love him.  And my hubby.  We married 3 years ago and I love him more now than ever.

Other info - I'm 28 years old.  Have a degree in psychology and then trained as a primary school teacher.  Taught for 3 years.  (Can't remember what other info I was meant to give!)

Will post some more piccies soon.  The one here was taken 2 months ago when I was a bridesmaid for my sister. 

Hazel

[herbst99]

Daniel's mummy What a beautifull picture - It seems like you had your bad times while you were pregnant and now have an angel baby to make up for it!!
Leah's Mom I am dying for a girls night! What fun. Many of my friends work in the UK and are all coming home for xmas so - we have already planned a BIG night out! oooh I sometimes wish I could be irresponsible for 1 night and then - just one look at DD and I just want to stay home!!!
Branwen Oooh cute! I cannot wait for lise's first word. We are trying to enact "signing" throughout the day but I haven't been very consistent :oops: Will get better I know!
Tarri Re the TV or DVD - I have only recently bought the Baby Einstein DVD. Unfortuanatly my spirited babe won't sit and look at the TV aven for 5min!! Usually "crawling" (more like a leap frog!!) on the floor infront of the TV. I find that some baby baroque music does calm her. I usually switch of the TV after 5pm (no soaps for me anymore!!) as I find that the backlight and the sound is just to much (even for me!!) at that time of day!!!

I am nt sure if the problem is that some days i work off of amount of awake time, others i stretch her to get to at leats 9am regardless of awake time, others i see she is desperate for sleep and put her down in 2hrs or less. what to do?

I probably would continue with reading her cues ... Just be carefull not to mistake her "I need a change of scenery" cues as tired cues!! I find this very difficult at times I must admit!!

if she won't nap you can't make her so don't drive yourself crazy

We all try our best to make them nap - or just to continue past the 45min mark!! and link 2 sleep cycles. But I must say - at times I also just give up and realize that today is going to be a day like that and try and go with it!! I am thinking of you!!! Lise is doing the no nap thing with her afternoon catnap - and I know she has to nap - otherwise she is cranky BUT - after 30 min of "complaining" from her - I just GIVE UP!!! and try and go for a walk with her instead. This seemed to work OK for the last couple of times.
Us Had some pics taken this saturday - a baby model agency had a special offer (I think they don't have enough "baby" models!!!) for having pictures taken - they then get to "represent" your baby to the industry (not that we are trying to "get into" the industry!! I think some parents really abuse their kids - saw a few at the studio and it broke my heart!!). Was a little bit of a drama though. Made the appointment for 10:00 and decided to play around with our easy routine. Lise woke at 6:00 and I got her up where I would usually leave her for a little while. Fed and played and then to bed at 7:30 hoping she'd sleep till 9:00 when we had to leave - BUT NO LUCK. WIDE awake after 45min. She napped in the car for 15min. Got to the studio and it seems that it doesn't matter if you have an appointment it is first come first served!! Oh man!!! Lise is VERY hyperactive which worked out well for the pictures but it was soooooo tiring for me! But I think these ones came out cute!!
I hope you all have a great week!

[thitz]

Hi Everyone

Hazel, welcome!  I really like your family photo, you all look so happy and in love with each other

Debra, I wonder why she has a hard time settling to sleep...is this just a recent thing, since the teething started?  If so I would give in and give medication earlier.  If not I don't know what to suggest.  So far I have a really easy time getting Emily down except for the catnap.  Does she have a way to self-soothe?  Emily uses a blanket that I throw over top of her (yes right over her head) and she grabs it with her hand and snuggles it into her face.  Also I'm sending you a PM.

Happy Emily news  She copied   me when I tapped both hands on the fun tube twice she did the same back.  And I said really happy like 'good girl' and tickled her chest and got huge giggles.  She also giggles all the time if she sees me take a toy away when the dog trys to get it or take it away when she's trying to get it.  Awesome stuff

Tarri

[Jaime]

only have a few minutes, so this will have to be fast - i will just say that i cannot stand road trips!!!!!  and least not with 2 so young!!!!!  michelle - i hope your weekend went better than mine! 

branwen & debra - (((((HUGS))))  sorry you're both feeling so down.  please vent here all the time if it makes you feel better!  we're all here for you.

welcome hazel!

nikki & julieg - those are adorable pics!

christine - i know exactly what you mean... baby still wakes at 7am no matter what!  :roll:  :lol:

happy luke thing - he's started clapping his hands!  he was just imitating me or dh, but he's doing it more lately.  so cute....