Babies of Oct-Dec /04

[Jadynsmom]

Hi there guys,

Jillybeansmith - Welcome to the board Mimi & Sharon gave you some great advice on the long naps in the afternoon & also for getting rid of the 1am wake.  My lo also needs at least 3hrs, usually 4hrs, before bedtime.  So she takes her last nap at 1:45-3pm and is awake til 7pm which is bedtime.  Is he taking 2naps?  If you would like a sample of the routine, I will be glad to post my lo's, and I"m sure other moms will also be glad to share it.  I think we posted it somewhere in our thread but since it's soooo long I can't remember what page  :oops:

For the 1am wake, you can do what's called a 'wake-to-sleep' method.  It's in Tracy's last book.  Do you have it?  What you do is set your clock to about 12:45am & go into your lo's room & very gently kinda nudge him or gently move him about to where he wakes halfway.  This way YOU are waking him and not HIM waking up.  He should stir a little & go back to sleep.  If he wakes completely up, go ahead & do pat/shh him back to sleep.  Do you give him a paci to sleep?  If you do, you can put the paci back in to get him to sleep.  Does that make any sense?  Let me know if it doesn't.  Jadyn at the beginning always woke at 3:30am for about a full week.  I just patted her back to sleep without feeding her & gave her paci and she finally didn't wake any more.

Mimi - Wow!! Sitting up on her own!! I get so excited when I hear your lo doing things because I know Jadyn's about a month behind them.

With the long weekend coming up, dh and I will have to start childproofing the house and do a thorough cleaning.

  Hee hee.  I'm not looking forward to the thorough cleaning though.  I've got dust bunnies that are soo big that they are actually reproducing more bunnies. :lol:

Sharon - I'm so glad Ella's gaining good weight.  I love her picture on the bottom.  I hope her meds will make everything better for her.  Poor thing.  She's probably trying to communicate and can't so she's just sad or cranky.  Don't you wish they could just talk & tell you what they want?

Caljaccol - I bought my Lexi a Slip & Slide & have it on our yard on an incline.  I put sunscreen all over her and she goes & has a ball going down it!!  We did put up one of those portable pools for her to get in also.  Jadyn likes to get in & splash around. :lol:  So sorry for the pink eyes.  Poor things.

Allgirl - I bet it's so cute to watch him sucking him thumb.  I wish Jadyn would suck her thumb just once in a while.  She used to a little but these days, just chews any kinda toys or our shoulders.    I've always thought it so sweet to see babies suck their thumbs.  I guess she's going to be a non thumb sucker.

Had to work today and was gone for 5hrs and when I came home, Jadyn gave me the biggest smile!! Just melted my heart.  I have to work tomorrow too.  I hate leaving her but she's in good care with my girlfriend who has 3 kids and they had a ball today.

Gotta run.  Husband wants the computer.  He thinks I spend way too much time on here.

Kathy

[jillybeansmith]

Hi ladies...thanks for all of your advice...we have alittle work to do...we will be getting the book this weekend...I've gotten a lot of good advise in reading through some of these various forums...Prior to the 7 month mark he was napping about every 2 hours, but they were catnaps (45 minutes long or so)...Then all the sudden, it turned into 2 long naps...
Yesterday, he technically had 3 naps because he had a quick catnap at 11:00 am (like about 20 minutes), but then got grumpy quickly, so I had to put him back down...Also, when he is awake, he doesn't 'do' quiet time...it's go-go-go then crash...he's not much of a quiet time kid or a cuddler, he will wiggle right off your lap if you let him...he will bounce in his jolly jumper or exersaucer until he is red and sweating, then hollers when you take him out (same with bathtub, his preference would be to be in it for much longer than he should be, and hollers when you remove him and put clothes on him)...Would activity level attribute to his frequent and long nap needs, or are all babies little 'go-ers' at this age...All in all, he's a happy kid, and a very good baby, it's just the sleep thing that's out of whack.

Thanks, and I'll keep you posted on how we make out...we will be getting this book this weekend...it sounds like a 'bible' to a lot of people.......

Jill

[jillybeansmith]

Oh yeah...to answer a couple of questions...

He will not take a pacifier...we have to give him water or diluted juice to suck on to fall asleep...I go in and remove it once he falls asleep...he doesn't take that much of it, but seems to require sucking on something.  When he was really little he would use a pacif, but refused it at about 3 or 4 months old... The interesting thing is that for the 1 am waking, he will not take the juice or water....every other accidental awakening he will take it for a minute then off to sleep again, but the only thing that will settle him down at that time is the milk...

Yes, generally, he is taking just 2 naps, but sometimes he gets very cranky, and starts squealing for his bed, so sometimes he needs a cat nap (15 to 20 minutes) here or there...

Jill

[Jakes_mom]

Welcome jillybeansmith, it sounds like our lo's are a lot alike.  Jake isnt' a cuddler (unless teething) and is always trying to crawl off my lap (if he could)  For example, he just learned how to sit on his own and after 1 day, becuase he usually wants a toy out of reach, he flips from sitting to laying on his belly.  at first i was worried because i thought it would hurt but he doesnt seem to mind.  so now he does it immediatley.  i was so looking forward to some time of him sitting and playing on his own.  oh well  :roll:

Questions for you ladies, i have been trying to get rid of the dreamfeed and have been doing 15min increments for a while. he is now 4oz at 915.  we haven't had any problems until this week.  he has been waking at 530am to get up for the day.   do you think it is too early to skip df? 

One more question... do you ladies stay home all day with your lo's.  lately i have found when i go out during the day (even if it is for an hour) jake is all thrown off, his naps are short and then bedtime is rough.  if i stay home, he sleeps great.  Weird,huh!?

[cazao]

hello everyone. sorry i haven`t posted for a while...whenever i sit down to try georgia wakes up or falls over or does something..i think she knows  :roll: but i`m still reading and keeping up with you all. welcome jillybeansmith. you`ll get loads of support here. just wanted to let you know jakesmom about our experience with dropping the dreamfeed...we`ve just done it...tracey recommends waiting till 7 or 8 months. we cut down a little around 6 months but i wouldn`t recommend trying to reduce too much more because you`ve got the 6 month growth spurt to contend with and hunger may be the reason for the early wakings if they`ve coincided with you cutting down. once they hit 7 months you know they`re over that blip and the df becaomes much easier to cut (we got down to 2oz at 10pm and then just dropped it). anyway hope everybody`s doing well. we finally have 2 bottom teeth, after about a month of motrin and torment. then a couple of nights of peace and now i swear she`s working on some others...i give her homeopathic medicine or motrin and she sleeps, i don`t and she doesn`t. i feel terrible about medicating her all the time, but when it seems to work what can you do? now i hear her wake. wishing a good day to everyone....

[Mum to Ella Rose]

Hi all just a quick note...Kathy you were looking for teething biscuits... I found some at a health food store by that "Healthy Times" company. (they're American so you should have them) They're called Maple Biscuits for Teething. They have oat flour, molasses, barley flour, cold pressed safflower and/or sunflower oil and Vit.E. They're totally organic. Dd LOVES them! The only time she's been quiet in her highchair. :lol: You have to watch for pieces at the very end but mainly they just slowly get smaller as baby sucks on them. Just thought I'd let you know...

Hope you're all well.

Sharon

[Jadynsmom]

Thanks Sharon, I will have to go & look for those at a health store.  I know for a fact that she's working on her some more teeth coming out as lately she's chewing her paci to pieces (the hard part).  I worked the past two days and have the most horrible allergies, sneezing, runny nose, etc and I work doing makeup, so I HAD to take something.  I took Benedryl and OMG, I passed out 4hrs later and couldn't even tend to my little baby.  I think it might have passed in my milk to her because she woke screaming at 11pm, 3am, 4am and finally up for the day at 7am.  My poor husband had to bring her to me to bf then pat her & tried to console her because I was in bed and couldn't move a limb.  She's seems ok this morning, but I'm still out of it.  And I have to work again today & tomorrow!!

Cazao - welcome back.  Good to hear from you.  You said that there's a 6mo growth spurt?  I wonder if Jadyn has already past it or coming soon.  Hmm.  I really can't tell when she's hungry because she's never cried for food.  How am I supposed to know when's she's going through a growth spurt?  I wonder if last night was perhaps the doings of a growth spurt?  I did feed her every time she woke because I couldn't calm her any other way :oops:  I just thought she was hungry because I didn't do a df last night.  I had a late feed at 8pm.  Hubby let her sleep for 45 mins at 6pm!!!  I couldn't figure out what the heck to do.  She wasn't slelepy at her usual 7:30 bedtime.  I'm so foggy in my head from the stupid Benedryl I can't make anything work out in my head. :?

Jennifer - I'm sorry I can't help you with the df question.  I don't think I will be dropping it til she's 7mos.  She does so well that I'd hate to mess up a good thing.  Kwim?  I think once she does a little better with solids I will go ahead & drop it.  Right now her solids are so inconsistent.  This morning she ate 2cubes of apples but wouldn't take any barley cereal.  She gags with cereal & avacado.  I can't figure it out.  Oh well, I can't make her eat them, I guess.  I will keep on trying.

Well, gotta run so I can put my face on for work today.  I hate to put makeup on but since that's what I'm selling, I guess I HAVE to.  Today I'm freelancing for Bobbi Brown for about 5hrs.  I hope people aren't going to be too tough on me since I'm so out of it.  Does anyone else have a problem with medications really messing you up?  Is there another medicine I can take that won't make me so out of it? 

Hope you guys have a great Fourth of July weekend!!

Kathy

[cazao]

kathy...it`s only really looking back that i realise she went through a growth spurt. at nighttime it all got mixed up with the nightwakings due to her teething..i often fed her during the teething nights to get her back to sleep  :oops: ...but looking back, she was taking more milk from me for a few days than she was normally. but the main way i knew was she was eating tons and tons of solids during the day...one meal she ate 6 tbs of cereal, a whole jar of veggies and a whole banana...i thought she had that disease where you just keep eating and never stop....then after a few days of that kind of eating she went back to something more civilised. it happened towards the end of the 6th month so i wasn`t really looking out for it. whoops she`s waking...

[Gigismom]

hi guys
mind if i join in?  i have posted a few replies here and there in the last few days since i registered, but then found this and thought it would be nice to chat with and ask questions to other moms who have babies the same age. 
gianna was born 12-02-04.  she is mostly textbook,  a little spirited.  she has MAJOR stranger/separation anxiety...poor thing.  we are working on that.  she is sitting, scooting (sometimes), and that's about it.  we have been on easy since about 8 weeks.  she was always the 30-45 minute napper until last month.  one day she just started sleeping longer.  i also increased her awake time, so i think that helped.  she is currently waking at 5-5:30 am and going to bed between 6:45-7:15 with 3 naps of about one hour.  i would like to move her to 2 naps per day.  has anyone else done this at 7 months?  how did you do it?  i don't know if she can do it since her wake up time is sooooo early!  also, how long are your babies awake?  right now i am keeping her up 2/2.5 hours.  should it be longer?  i am just afraid of getting her overtired.
also, we are having some problems with night sleep.  she used to sleep so well, never waking.  now she wakes 3-4 times between when we put her down and about 10:30pm.  anyone else experience this?
well, sorry for all the questions.  if anyone has read this far, thanks!  i am so glad i found this, as i am a stay at home mom.  and we really do stay at home all the time becasue she can't nap anywhere but her crib.  sometimes i feel like all the walls are closing in on me!!  (but i am fortunate to be able to stay home with her, i wouldn't have it any other way!)

[Jakes_mom]

Welcome Gigismom, My lo is a little younger, born 12\25 but he too takes 3 naps a day. i am trying to switch to 2 naps but he always wakes too early from the first so he will be up too long before bedtime.  what i was told about awake tiime is... 2.5 till 1st nap, 3 till 2nd and 4 before bed.  now, for lo's like ours (who wake early)  we end up with an extra nap in there.  that schedule works for those whos lo nap longer then 1hour.  has your dd always wake so early in the morning.  ds is always up at 6-630 but sometimes he wakes beforeahand and i let him try and fall back asleep.  sorry, i dont have any advice about the night wakings.  look forward to sharing with you, this board is wonderful :wink:

Well ladies, things are going well here.  I am not sure if i mentioned that i had an interview this week, but i got hired on the spot :shock:  I was so happy because it is parttime, close to my house, in my career goals and pays better hourly then the job i had before!!! although i am now going through the realization that i have to leave Jake for a couple hours.  i didnt think this was going to be so difficult    :cry:   any advice, encouragement, i could use it about now.  For those of you who work, who watchs your lo's??

[Gigismom]

Hi jakes mom
thanks for the reply.  gianna has not always gotten up that early.  she used to sleep til 7 or 8, but her wake-ups have gotten earlier and earlier.  i do leave her in her crib until 6 though.  at least she plays quietly from her wake up until then.  i don't really know what to do about that either, but i am coping with the help of some coffee each morning.
i do work a few hours per week, and am fortunate enough to have my mom watch gianna.  she conveniently lives across the street!  it was still hard for me to leave her the first time.  i couldn't stop thinking about her the whole time and hoping she wasn't crying.  but she was fine.  i think it is good for them to learn that someone other than mommy can care for them and show them a good time.  i think it is actually harder on us mommies.   if you don't have friends or relatives who can care for your boy, have you considered hiring a nanny?  i was a nanny for several years before having gianna.  i took care of those kids like they were my own.  i still exchange pictures and phone calls with my "families".  there are lots of good nannies out there, if you don't mind a stranger working in your home.  if you go through an agency, you can get ones who are educated in early childhood education and are cpr/first aid certified.  with a nanny, at least your baby will be in the comfort of his own home with his own toys, in his own bed for naps, etc.  it might make the transition a little easier on him.  plus he won't have to share germs at day care.  just a thought.  good luck!

[lil'monkey]

She's CRAWLING!!!!!        Not very long as she take a break and sit up after 5 steps.  But dh and I are so happy.  My baby is growing up...sigh...


Welcome Lindsey.  We switched to 2 naps at 7.5 mos but dd has been wanting to drop the catnap for several weeks before that.  I just decided one day to go with just two naps as she had been waking up at 4-5 am during that time.  I think that once we were on two naps, she started to wake up 6-7 am which I can cope with.  Our awake time are 2.5 hrs, first nap (1.5-2 hrs), 3 hrs of awake time before 2nd nap (1.5-2 hrs) and 3.5-4 hrs before bed at 7 pm.  You can try to extend her awake time by 10-15 every few days to get to the length that works.  Don't worry about the wake up time in the morning for now.  I just go by the awake time to time her naps and after 1 week, she started to wake at 6-7 am with 2 naps.  HTH

Jennifer - I'm also anxious about heading back to work in two months.  My mom will take care of her but I'm afraid that dd will be a handful for her.  DD used to let other people feed her but for the last few months, she would not feed from anyone but me.  I don't know what to do other than hope and pray. 

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[Jadynsmom]

Ok Jadyn is definitely a clever little girl!!  She was over at my sister's today since I was working and I thought she could handle just a couple of hours there.  Well, it came to nap time and every time they took her to their bedroom to lay her down, she started screaming! :?  So of course my sister calls me at work, I'm in the middle of doing a makeover so I don't answer the first two calls.  The third time I answer, I hear her screaming in the background. :cry:  I ended up leaving work & rushing like a madwoman to their house.  By then, they had called my husband & got him on the phone & he got over there first.  He took her & laid her down in the same bed & she went to sleep   So I'm convinced that she's used to us putting her down and not anyone else.  I tried to explain to my sister that she goes down for her naps so easily, but she wouldn't believe me.  I think my little Jadyn knew that if she screamed they would take her out of the room, which they did.  She just stopped crying as soon as they took her out of the room and just looked at them like 'what'?  What a little turkey. :roll:  I hope her top teeth will come out soon so she will stop chewing everything everywhere!!  It' been a month since the bottom two came out.  I thought a month is when the next top ones come out?

Welcome on the board Gigi'smom!!  My lo started to drop her catnap at 5mos.  She just wouldn't take it & was so hard that I went ahead & dropped it and she did ok.  Are you giving her solids yet? How much is she drinking during the day? BF or FF? My lo's routine is very similar to the others for wake time.  I wonder if she's hungry at night when she wakes? WHen she wakes at night, are you feeding her or just patting her back to sleep?  Let us know and see if we can figure something out.

Mimi - Congrats on your lo crawling!! Is she crawling with both arms & legs? I bet it is sooo cute to watch her!!

Cazao - Thanks for the reply.  I guess my lo went through the growth spurt at the very beginning of me giving her solids.  She ate sooo well those couple of days and now, well, it's a completely different story.

Jakesmom - I'm soo happy for you on your job.     I know it's bittersweet since you have to leave him for a little bit.  I leave Jadyn with my girlfriend on the weekdays when I work & husband on the weekends.  I talked to my girlfriend about EASY & how important her routine is and she does everything that I write down.  I know I am very lucky.  It was so hard the first time.  I called her every hour.  She did fine and slept better for her than me!  I love coming home to her after work because she gives me these big smiles for me these days.

Kathy

[Jakes_mom]

Its good to know that we will make it through this transition.  We are also very lucky.   My sister will be watching Jake 2 days and my hubby on the other 3 days.  There are 2 hours on two days that i was going to use a friend.  well actually she is  my friends mother.  i dont know her as well as my friend.  what do you guys think?  i am nervous because i will have to drop him off there but on the other times he will be home.  She is really good with jake when i am around and seems to have fallen in love with him, i think that is the only reason why she offered to watch him. 

Kathy,  Jake does things now to get my atteniton.  it seems as soon as he turned 6mo he knew what to do.  When he was little, when he would start to cry it would always begin with this cough noise, so eventually we would rush over as soon as we heard the "cough".  Now he does the cough to get our attention (without a tear in sight i might add :roll: )  He also makes this grunting,\groaning\whining noise to let us know he is bored or wants to be held.  It is so funny to see him do these things at such a young age.

Mimi--congrats :lol:  :lol:  :lol: !!!! Have you baby proofed?  you will have to share all of the secrets and all of the funny stories to come.

gosh i write too much every time  :oops:

[Mum to Ella Rose]

BLARGH!!! I want to write so badly right now and don't have the time yet. Things have been so crazy! Welcome Lindsey... will respond to your Q's too. Mimi, good thing you baby proofed!!!! Congrats!  Jennifer and Kathy I sooo know what you mean! And Jenn I'm so happy for you and try not to worry too much. Things will work out. The only advice I can give off the top of my head is that intorduce ds to the mum's friend a few times in advance. Let him get to know her a bit and things should be okay...

Hope this made sense I'll write more tonight or tomorrow...got to run!

Miss you all!  :lol:

Sharon