Jan/Feb 05 Babies chat!

[Schae]

Lovely lovely photos! I can see where the gorgeous kids got their looks from?  :wink:
And Kinlagh looks so cute in her portraits!

Who mentioned CSI annoying them? I love that show! lol!! But even I can see that with some of their techniques they're taking real liberty with the truth.

We had the WORST nap day today. In total Luka slept for 1h45 the entire day, and he was up at 6.30am this morning (usually 7 or 7.30am). First nap went fine, 1h15 then he refused to go down for his afternoon nap. So, because he was moaning, we went for a walk in the pram, and he fell asleep. But when I tried to transfer him to his bed, he woke and thought it was playtime  :roll:

So, at 6.30pm while having supper, he just started screaming. And eventually fell asleep and is still asleep (it's midnight here). No supper, no bath.

Wow! I hope tomorrow is better.

Tammy, I've stopped going to the baby and mom class because of how cliquey they are... just have to wait for my friends to catch up and start making babies. I think I have a long wait though, as they all feel 24 is too young to start a family. Honestly, last year I would've agreed with them, but Luka has changed my mind. 

Here's our family pic, it's not the best one and it's very old, Luka was about a month and a half old.

[Leah's Mom]

Ah, everyone looks so great in thier pictures! It's nice to put names and faces together, it make me feel like I know you all just a bit better!

Michelle - Kinlagh looks beautiful, as always!  :wink:

Julieb- Thanks for the sizing infor. I think we might go with the chicken!  :lol:


Heather - You look exactly like one of my friends, it's scary!!!!! I had to look twice to make sure it wasn't her!  :wink: Thanks for relplying to my question on the 2nd foods. I too have not fed the deserts and don't plan on it now. Too much sugar! She already stays up too much! I too think what's going on with her is a tooth. We had a pretty bad day and an aweful night last night. I just wish she'd let me look in her mouth!

Branwen - Things were bad for three to four days last time with the teeth. But now I think we are getting more. Leah would not settle for a nap at the sitter's today. She did 20 min, 45 min, then took an hour catnap for me. (I guess that wouldn't be the catnap then though would it!) She is also crying constantly. Argh!!!!! I just want my little girl back! You, DD, and DH all have such neat names!!!!

Schae - Lovely family picture. Cute dog! Mmmm, maybe today was just a bad day for naps! We had an aweful day too!

**Alirght, so I have to know. Do any of you still "jot" down naps and nighttime sleep? Or as Tracy called it, keep an EASY chart? I confess, I still write down things, but just nighttime sleep, as we seem to have issues with that. DH makes fun of me, but I love to go back and see how she slept months ago!  It's a treasure to me! **

[HeatherC]

Christine-I keep charts when we have problem times, just to see if I can find a pattern.  I haven't done it lately, but I didn't keep them either.  However, I wish I had written down her different feeding/sleep schedules/patterns all these months to have as a reference for the next one.

[julieb]

Wow, we had a bad nap day as well!  When it rains, it pours, huh?  Then Asher went to bed early and woke up 50 minutes later screaming his little head off.  We couldn't figure it out for the life of us!  Tried teething tablets, PU/PD, nursing, suctioning his nose (thought he was clogged), singing, and DH.  He just screamed and screamed (even put my earplugs in!  :shock: ).  After I nursed him again, we just sat and I sang our nap wind down songs.  He just looked around the room, talking to the various lights (clock, monitor, etc  :roll: ).  Then I did our actual sleep ritual and he went down, played a few minutes, and back to sleep (a whole hour later!).  Goodness!  Cannot figure out what that was all about?!   :shock:

[Kinlagh's Folks]

Thanks for sharing the pictures.  Love to put faces to the names!

Christine - I don't write anything anymore besides food introductions and reactions.  But Kinlagh has been a really good sleeper so there wasn't really a need.

JulieB - Sounds like we had the exact same night last night.  It took us an hour to get Kinlagh to sleep too.  She was a mess and I don't know why.  Usually it only takes one (maybe 2) pat/shh but last night nothing was working.  Not even picking her up - which is usually our last resort.  I actually had to leave her room and wander the upstairs bedrooms to distract her enough to stop crying.  That's a first!  She woke up just fine today so I still don't know what that was all about!?!  This is such a guessing game isn't it?

Schae - It was me that hates CSI.  For those of us with forensic training, it's just obvious that alot is very unrealistic.  For example, the lab technician would not be trained to do the photography and assist with the autopsy as well.  But I guess then they'd need  a staff of 200.  But I guess that's how ER nurses and docs feel when they watch ER.   Oh the world of TV.

US - I remember someone mentioning they had a "book" of leave behind notes for when they have babysitters for the day.  I'll be needing something for when dh and I go to Miami without Kinlagh so would anyone be willing to share their sample instructions?  Mine is only a page and I know I'm missing a whole bunch of stuff.

[Deb_in_oz]

Deborah - that is fantastic news about Maya - that was a quick improvement!! what a little trooper!

Branwen - i am sorry things are rough - especially with all the teething! My appt. went ok - she wants me to try to do more relaxation exercises ("some" would be "more"  :oops: i really need to try it). i have another one in 3 weeks so we can see where i am "at". this past week or 2 has been hard and this week was not just about me but Olivia has been up and down as well - if she would only be consistent i coudl cope again. KWIM?

Tammy - it is always hard trying to join a goup when soem of the people know each other.  there is a great service in Sydney where you go to your local early childhood centre for regular baby checks, ask questions etc (all free) and they set up mother's groups for new moms with babies similar age (usually within 4 weeks of each other). since it is a local thing everyone lives within 10-20 min of each other etc. it means everyone is new to each other and new to parenting so you go through it together.  one of my girlfriends got lucky with hers and now almost 6 yrs later they have all moved all over the place and still meet up and are all on their 2nd or 3rd kids - they go on holidays together and everything - so cool!

Michelle - glad things are improving! i realise we don't have any family photos  :oops:  just the girls or one of us with them.  hopefully this weekend we can ask someone to takle a photo and i will post by Monday with it.

for your trip (lucky you!!) when we were going to be having olivia and had friends watching alex what i did to prepare my "document" (turned into 7 pages+): as you go through a typical day just write out a rough draft - note the kind of thing that come up, what type of activities you do in certain periods, preferences (ie - if you put food on the high chair tray or give her a spoon to feed herself, etc), bath routine, etc you can them read it over and twek yor comments.  it is like a visual guide through the day and let's the caregivers know what to expect (same way the lo does)

Tarri - fantastic news about the sleeping til 5!! sorry about the money situation - i hope your Dh finds a great job soon.

Christine - i hope Leah is ok - she is probably adjusting to the recent changes! she will probably get back on track soon. have fun this weekend with all your partying  :wink:

I write everything down (i did it for alex's whole first year) - i write sleeps and food and poops  :oops:  Alex's has been a nice handy reference and also cleared up my rose coloured glasses - i found all kinds of days in there where she was napping terribly or would not feed well.. i just forgot most of them - which is kind of encouraging since it shows you mostly remember all the good stuff.

US - have had a horrible few day sand am exhausted.  yesterday olkivia only took 2 x 45 min naps  :evil:  and then this morning she woke up at 5:40am (never happened before) so i am overtired!! thankfully i got her to catnap this afternoon from 3:30-4:15 but even with that she fell asleep on her bottle at 6pm (let her doze for 20 min so she would make it through bath and take more food) between the 2 "goes" she drank 300ml (?10oz).

i am a little stressed out and slightly down.  trying hard to pull myself out of it - took the girls to the playground again.  just tense and snappy again and i know it is largely due to exhaustion as i am not sleeping well (bad dreams).  won't go into it much right now as i am off to bed and will write again tomorrow.

[Leah's Mom]

I write everything down (i did it for alex's whole first year) - i write sleeps and food and poops  :oops:  Alex's has been a nice handy reference and also cleared up my rose coloured glasses - i found all kinds of days in there where she was napping terribly or would not feed well.. i just forgot most of them - which is kind of encouraging since it shows you mostly remember all the good stuff.

Nice to know! DH thinks I'm a little looney sometimes!  :roll:

Here's wishing everyone a better day today!!!! It seems like most of us had a horrible day yesterday.
----------Nap, Sleep, and Feeding Vibes for all! ----------------------

[branwen]

Nikki- I give Eirwen the yobaby yogurt!  SHE LOVES IT! Especially the pear kind.  The best thing about it- it makes her poop! yay! She has had no bad reactions to it and will eat about 2oz (1/2).  I am usually the one to finish it off- it's yummy!

[diyasmom]

Hi girls
I was MIA as usual. Preparing for the trip and unpacking just made it even worse. That and someone asked me if I was pregnant again:( I had a C-section and lost all my pregnancy weight but the flabby belly which I gained! So I am trying to squeeze in a 15 min workout now! It was good to see all the pics! I'll post one too though we don't have many just like all of you. Diya is doing great except for taking solids. She just doesn't want to eat anything more than 2 oz and sometimes refuses that too. Any ideas will be helpful. Whens he doesn't take solids well, she wakes up once in the night:( Her constipation also made it worse. Now she gets two tablespoons of prunes for every meal! She is going to hate that for the rest of her life! Diya is crawling very well now. She is trying to pull up to stand and is trying to hold the refrigerator and cabinets, my legs and what not! Congratulations to all the new moderators! With your busy lives, it is nice to see that you find time to help others. Kudos to all of you. BTW, what is  a super moderator? Sorry for my ignorance.
Age: 28yrs
Married for: 4.5 yrs(Got married on Jan 19)
Education: Bachelor of Engg in Electronics and MS in EE
SAHM: yes(couldn't find a job in a small town:( )

Deb: I hope that your day will be better today!
JulieG: It must have been hard for you to shuttle between a hotel and your home. Hopefully things are better for you now. Write us a line when you get a chance
Nikki: Lovely photo! Continue to do what you are doing now and it will resolve soon.
Tammy: Welcome to the group! It is hard to find friends to begin with. So, don't stress yourself about not fitting in a playgroup for babies of the same age with different kind of people. I have given up on finding a playgroup! The playgroup is always in my house and I end up cleaning the mess for hours and nobody initiates to have one in therir house after that.
Branwen: You look beautiful in your new avatar. Do you take B&W pics in your camera or do you edit your pics after taking them? DH is a big fan of B&W pics.
Michelle: Glad that things are going well for you now. Kinlagh looks so cute.I loved the pic where you and DH kiss Kinlagh. I copied it for one of my pics taken yesterday for a family portrait. We went to a Mom who takes wonderful portraits as a hobby. Can't wait to see them now. Yet to see the chicken video.
Tarri:Good luck with DH's job hunting. I loved your just press video.
Schae: Diya does that once in a while too. She catches up on her miseed naps the next day or sleeps longer that night. Luka looks so much like you. Do you hear that all the time? I am tired of hearing that Diya looks like her Dad. I keep telling everyone that she has my lips:) Gotta say that she got something of me right!
Christine: I used to note everything in an excel sheet too! DH told me that he will give up one of his bad OCD habits if I left that:) I gave it up only to write it down in a calendar(shhhh DH doesn't know that) when we have rough times. I tried the tip which you gave us for constipation and it did help:)
JulieB: That is an adorable pic of Asher. I can't wait to get Diya's costume. We don't have Halloween in India but I am excited about Diya's first Halloween. I might take her to a couple of friend's house just to show off the costume! Does cruising means he is walking? Sorry about the dumb question. What is the size of the ripe pears and bananas you give? I am scared that Diya might choke on them. Also, do you give that as a snack or as part of your solids diet.
Jaime: Glad that Luke is feeling better.
Deborah: I am sure that you must be happy about Maya's progress. Maya was one of the names which we chose for Diya.

[HeatherC]

Deborah-that's great about Maya's improvements.  I'm sure it's a great relief to you and dh.
Debra-I wish there was something I could say or do for you.  I'm terribly sorry that you are experiencing such a rough emotional time.  But it is great that you are seeking help.  Give the relaxation exercises a try. 
 Michelle-Debra had a great idea to write things down as the day progresses.  That's what I did when I was leaving my job, and it worked great.  I would try to remember not only what she usually does or wants, but what else she could also do or want.  That way, if anything less than ordinary comes up, your caregiver will be prepared.  Write down that, for example, it's okay if she doesn't finish all the food or doesn't finish all the bottle, etc. so that person won't freak out if something along those lines were to occur.  I remember my sister being worried b/c she couldn't get Kelsey to burp.   :lol:
Branwen-how's Eirwen doing today?  I remember that you had given us a lesson on how to pronounce her name, but until I heard it on your jusspress video, it didn't click for me.  Now I go around thinking it in my head b/c I just love it!!!   :lol:  I'm glad to know you tried the yobaby, I'm going to get some today.
Christine and who's our other teacher?  :oops: -how are your classes?  It's odd not to hear from you as often since you're off at work during the day.
Vidya-Kelsey only takes 2-3 oz per meal of solids.  Otherwise, she won't finish her bottles.  Cruising means walking around by holding onto furniture.

Us-just playing the teething game.   :evil:   I sent dh off for the teething tablets.  He mentioned that one of the peds recommended against them for the Belladonna in them.  However, I can't remember specifically what she didn't like about that ingredient, and seeing as how everyone is using them without complications, I figure it must be fine.
Hopefully we'll be off for a dinner out as a family tonight.  Kelsey just loves sitting in the highchair, and has such a fun time.  He's excited to watch her.  OH, and she just might crawl after all.  She's lunging forward from a sitting position, but so far only falling onto her belly and rolling over.  But, she has the idea of how to get somewhere, right?  And, she can pull herself up from sitting on my lap facing me by pulling on my shirt.  Too cute.

[diyasmom]

Forgot to add the attachment!

[Kinlagh's Folks]

Nikki - I forgot to mention...as far as tummy sleeping, when we had the issue, Kinlagh was not yet crawling.  We're still working on the tummy sleeping now that she's pushing up on all 4s in her crib.  She's still getting used to that new milestone which is causing us a few problems at naps and bedtimes.  So I'm sorry, but I can't really help with that one!

Branwen - Good luck with the teething.  Let's hope it was just a really bad day and things will be better today.  And don't worry about stepping outside every now and then.  We have to do what we have to do to keep our sanity!

JulieB - Good idea with the finger foods.  I just gave Kinlagh a few pieces of bread this morning.  She ate them fine, but could not pick them up and get them in her mouth.  Still figuring out those fingers.

Vidya - Did you smack that person that asked if you were pregnant?  I can't believe it!!!  Plus I'll never forget your anniversary (Kinlagh's b-day!)   :wink:   Also, I'm happy you used the squishy face idea for a pic.  We copied it off a baby card we received.  It's too cute.  And beautiful family pic!! 

Debra - {{HUGS}}.  Just like you were shoulders for me during my difficult time, we are shoulders for you! 

Us - We're having some teething issues today.  Either that or an eating strike.  She's refusing anything more than a few spoonfuls - and I'm trying to serve her favorites!  Strange.  So looks like it might be a Tylenol evening for us.
But all that teething is not stopping us.  We're heading to the mall to check out Old Navy and all the adorable costumes.  Plus I want to have a look at the new Robeez boots.  I heard they're great.

[Leah's Mom]

Vidya- Beautiful picture of your family!!!!!!

Heather - Jaime is a teacher too. I still pop in every now and then during the school day on my breaks and at lunch, when I should be doing other things!  :oops: Yay Kelsey on pulling up and almost crawling! Leah has figured out that she can spin circles on her belly and roll to just about anywhere, so why should she want to crawl, right!?!?! Teething troubles here too, ahhh! Have fun going out to eat! We've gotten into the habit of Applebees carside to go. Do you have Applebees in Tennesse? Car side to go is awesome, almost like fast food with resturaunt food!

For those of you who use yobaby yogurt, what is the company that makes it?

[julieb]

Asher's doing great this morning!  It's like the episode last night is a faint memory!  :roll:  :lol:

Michelle: I categorize the lists, naps, bedtime, food, diapering, etc.  I list the nap and bedtime routines EXACTLY.  I list tired signs, min & max times for A and S times, what to do when he cries/wakes during naps or after bedtime.  Eating times, how much, how to burp, what he looks like when he's full.  When to diaper and how (since we use calendula gel all the time).  I also list backup plans for when he won't stop crying with the usual methods (teething tablets, rocking, paci, etc).

Vidya: I was just thinking about you the other day!  Glad to hear from you!  On the constipation, have you tried using pears and peaches besides prunes?  That may give her more of a variety.  Asher also gets pears with every meal to keep him moving -- but he LOVES pears.  I haven't introduced peaches or prunes yet.  The banana and pear finger foods I give are cut into small chunks, about the size of a pea or half a grape?  And they're ripe enough that they're easily mooshed with his tongue and gums. 

Heather: Your pediatrician doesn't understand homeopathy.  When certain plants are eaten in HIGH amounts, they cause certain reactions in people (belladona causes fever, I believe).  But when given in EXTREMELY minute trace amounts, they actually trigger the body's own defense system to treat the same symptom.  A homeopathic dose of Belladonna actually reduces fever.  Coffea Cruda (coffee) causes high energy and sleeplessness.  But in homeopathy, it helps treat sleeplessness and calm racing thoughts.  I gave Coffea Cruda to Asher every night for a couple months when we were having a rough time with the teething and bedtime craziness.  Worked like a charm.  Homeopathic rememdies won't work or do a thing unless you are treating the appropriate symptom with the correct rememdy.  That's why sometimes, when I use teething tablets on Asher, they don't work because he's crying because of something else, not teething.  When using a correct rememdy, you should see results quickly, within 5-15 minutes.  You can give an initial dose, and if you don't see results within 5 minutes, give a second.  If you still don't see results 10 minutes later, it is misdiagnosed and something else is the culprit.  HTH! 

[HeatherC]

Julie-you're such a wealth of knowledge.  It was one of the 3 different peds we have seen with Kelsey.  We have settled on the 3rd and decided to stick with him.  His manners are more to our liking, and his knowledge is extrodinary.  It was another one that said no to the tablets.  The one we now see also sees my friends' twins, and they use the tablets, too, per his recommendation.