Jan/Feb 05 Babies chat!

[julieb]

I'm having a discouraging afternoon.      Asher's spit up has been sooooo bad the last two days.  I've gone through more than twice the amount of bibs and burp cloths as usual.  I can usually get away with doing a load of burp cloths once a week.  You know it's been a bad week when I do it twice.   :?   I often sit on the floor while Asher plays.  He'll  crawls over to say hi and climb on me.  Twice today he's come over and spit up all over me -- just in time!  Saved the carpet, I guess.  Not that it needs saving, it's already covered in spit up stains.  I stopped trying to clean the spots months ago.  There are just too many to sit there and blot with the Resolve.   I just wipe up the puddle (so it's not completely sopping wet if we step in it  :roll: ), and on we go.  It's so many, I wouldn't even begin to count.  20, 30 per A time?  Seems like every 5-10 minutes.  He smells so gross by the end of the day.  The bibs help, I can switch them out easily, but his clothes still end up catching a lot.  I tried just putting him in a diaper, but the dog hair seems to stick to wet skin more than it sticks to wet clothes.  He was even more gross that I gave him a bath.  When will this end??   :roll:  Thanks for letting me vent...

Deborah: Yeah, those are the stork bites.  Asher's haven't faded.  I'm not sure if they will.  Mine never did.  Me & my sisters all have one on the back of our necks, just above the hair line.  Asher has a large one there as well, covering almost his whole neck.  He also has a couple small ones elsewhere.  Glad Maya turned out to be okay!  We'll miss you while you're gone for a whole week!!

Christine:  Thanks!!  Most of the time, I can't believe all the stuff Asher's been doing this month either!   :lol:   He's still so little!  Well, not actually *little*, but he's just a baby!!  Makes me sad that it's going by so fast! 

[HeatherC]

Joann-Welcome!  So glad you could join our group.  We have a lot of fun and these gals are great support and encouragement.  We also love to celebrate our lo's achievements together.  I don't tend to outright mention BW just because it doesn't come up.  My mom and MIL know that I have the book and use it, but no one seems to offer an opinion either way.  However, I will say that most everyone finds it fasinating the way Tracy could have the "cries" broken down (1st book I believe) and how well they matched to Kelsey.  I guess I should have suggested the book to friends that have had babies recently, and maybe I still will if they ask for advice.  Oh, and congrats on a great birthing experience.
Christine-I love your new avatar!  Leah is soooo cute.   Kelsey is actually getting upset in the walker, but I think she's done this with everything at the first couple of tries.  I think she'll love it when she starts moving forward.  I got it because she seems discontent in the exersaucer and sitting on the floor.  She isn't crawling, but I think she really wants to.  She lunges forward, not even at a toy or anything in particular, just wants to go I think.  But she lands on her belly/face and rolls over.  She will not stay on her belly for any length of time.  However, she can sometimes catch herself with arms straight and kind of on her knees with her legs still tucked in, kind of like "indianstyle criss cross".  Does that make sense?  I just wonder, does she still lack the arm strength to support herself on all fours?  Sometimes while standing at the Leap Frog table, she'll just let loose and turn as if she were going to just walk off, not realizing that she can't. 
Branwen-Good luck with pu/pd.  I really think Eirwen will come through this real soon.  She just needs a little help getting readjusted.   She's a brilliant child and will figure it all back out quickly.  HUGS!!  Happy 8 months!!!
Deborah-I'm glad Maya's okay.  Did they do anything to remove the ear wax?  Kelsey always gets a ton of build up that I swipe away with a washcloth, but I can't get what's way down inside the ear.  Boy, she is a petite thing, isn't she?   :lol:
Julieb-I had no idea Asher's spit up was that bad.  I'm so sorry.  I don't have any advice or knowledge on the subject, but I hope it gets better for you both soon.  It is amazing that such a little guy does so much already.  It's wild how they change and develop sooo fast!
Us-Weird day.  She cried harder than she has in a long time, and I just couldn't figure it out.  However, she was very happy and fun when we met my mom for dinner, so that was a treat.  Kelsey has a stork bite like most others on the back of her neck, and she has a strawberry hemangioma almost at the crown of her head.  It only bothers me that it might burst if she were to hit her head, but her ped said it would clot and be fine.  Deborah-did you know they are supposed to disapper within 1-5 years?  Big time gap, I know, but my cousin had one on her back the size of a quarter or bigger, and you'd never know it now.  When did Maya's appear?  I think Kelsey was a couple of weeks old, and it started real small.  Now it's about the size of fingertip, probably like Maya's.
Since everyone has been talking about clothing sizes, I have a question.  After 9-12 months, the clothes are labeled like 12 mos, 18 mos.  Well, does 12 mos mean up to 12 mos or do they wear 12mos until they are 18 mos, or what?  Am I making sense?  For next summer, I bought Kelsey 18 mos, which would be next August, but she's also small, and wears a size for at least an extra month, so I might have bought too big.  I'm confused.

Gosh, sorry so long tonight.

[Tammy: Ethan & Kaden's Mom]

Heather - the clothing sizes are so annoying!  But 12 mos means 9 to 12, 18 means 12 to 18 mos, 24 means 18 to 24 etc.  Of course, I have no idea how big my guy will actually be next summer (meaning I have no idea what "range" he'll be wearing by that point)!  It stinks too, cause they've been having the great sales.  I just bought one size up in stuff.  I don't feel ready to buy 18 month clothes yet!

Us - we had such a bad day today.  Got up at normal time, ate a great breakfast, went for a walk, went down for a nap great.  Then when he woke up from his nap, he was a little cry-y, not terrible but not normal either.  Then he screamed his head off not wanting to eat his lunch, and he only at a couple of ozs. of his bottle.  Then he only ate 4 ozs. at his 3 pm bottle.  He ate a good dinner of solids, but again only ate 4 ozs. of bottle.  But he's just been very whiny today - I was ready for his bedtime about 4 pm!   :roll:  :wink:

My SIL called today to say that my niece has hand, foot, & mouth disease, which is really a virus.  But they were together over the weekend, so now I'm watching him like a hawk to see if he develops any bumps on his hands, feet, or inside his mouth.  So far so good, so please pray for him not to get it!  He already has a cold, I don't think I could handle something else on top of that!

I wanted to mention more to people, but I have mommy brain tonight, and am starving, so I'm going to run.  Have a good evening!

[HeatherC]

Tammy-I'll pray for Ethan not to come down with that.  Thanks for the tips on sizes.  I only bought next summer things because they were outfits (top and bottom) for $2!!!  And shirts or shorts separate for $1.  Couldn't resist.  They are from stores I could still return them for my money back within 6 months, so I have time to watch her growth and size needs.

[Deb_in_oz]

ok - i feel bad that i have not had time or energy to write responses to any of your posts since about page 57  :oops:  so wil try to write where i have anythign to say (D'oh).  we really do write a lot and it is a large group now  :lol:

Christine - i am glad you got to have some fun - and nice family photos.  ever since i got PG with alex i am a cheap date - 1-2 glasses of wine and i am getting drunk!!  With the pureed meat - you really have to make it with real meat - i assume you were talking about  a jar f food eight?  those pre-made meat purees are nasty!! i found when i did a puree with my own meat or chicken with some veggies together tehn it was not bad.

Hazel - i can't believe Daniel has 8 teeth!! that is impressive! we are still waiting for our first at 7 mo.  Love your photo at the wedding - that is lovely.  Your EASY schedule could work for us except olivia refuses to take more than a 45 min nap in the morning. i am trying hard to get her to extend to go down at 9:30 but 99% of the time she has to be in bed by 9 and thsat means i have trouble getting her to stay up past 12:30 (today i managed until 1pm and we will see the result)  she usually takes a 1 1/2 hr 2nd nap so i end up offering a catnap too (not always taken) so if i could get closer to your timings she would be better off.

Jaime - olivia claps too - is it not the cutest.  she claps her stackng rings, her hands, etc and is so proud.

Branwen - love the blocks photo - we have those too and i had been thinking of geting them out that very day and then saw your photo...  We switched to the sleep bag when i went to the clinic stay.  we did the loose swaddle for 1 day and then when she slept through the night unswaddled we never looked back.  from that next day it was sleeping bag every sleep.  she has a grobag and also a fleece one with sleeves. Glad to hear Eirwen is ok!!

Tarri - i am also waiting until closer to 8 mo for finger foods. i will see but am in no rush.

Joanne - welcome to our group!  what an amazing birth story!!

Deborah - glad Maya is ok - it would be terrible to fly with her if she had an ear infection - that happened to us before we toook alex on a trip once and had to run to the Dr the morning of our flight to get checked (we had heard it was "dangerous" to fly with ear infection and thought we were going to have to cancel - she was ok in the end!!)

Whew!! all caught up - i had been feeling bad that i was so focused on me and not replying to everyone - it was just moving to fast for my tired head!!


Us -  ok - olivia is rolling from back to tummy A LOT and i can't keep her still on the change table or in her cot.  it took 3 naps yesterday for er to figure out how to sleep on her tummy - posted about it on sleep board -  (slept 20 min after 1 1/2 hrs of settling and finally had to hold her down on her back, 45 min on her back for 2nd nap as she was so tired and then pooped and awake, 45 min catnap on tummy!!) she slept last night and this morning on back but is currently doing her 2nd nap and on her tummy - she settled herself that way!!!

she is really crawling backwards now - so fast! she is aiming to go forwards (has an object she is reaching for) but just goes further and further back away from it - she can actaully maneuver in a back circle to get there  :roll:  but cannot go forwards.

she started babling this week saying "babababa" and we have been encouraging the mama and dad thing now and she is mouthing the lip smacking "MMM" and trying to say mama (which would make me happy since alex said dada first)

both girls have terrible colds - snot everywhere - and coughing!! i am going thorugh tons of tissues - not fun!

olivia is still waking early (6:20 past 2 days) not sure how to get her back closer to 6:45 like before.  not sure if we shoudl bother with wake-to-sleep or assume it is all developmentally related and that she wil settle back down now that the rolling is sorted out  - what do you guys think?


it is almost 2pm and i have not had lunch so must dash off.  glad i caught up finally - thinking of you all and sorry for anything i did not reply to - i figure my post is long enough  :oops:

Oh - our typical day is:(+/- 15-20 min)
wake 0630
7am bottle / 7:30 solids / top up bottle (this is how she likes it)
sleep 9-9:45
11am bottle (if we are out oi will do solids here since she does not do public bottle very well, so will do it whenever we get home)
11:30/12 solids
12:30/1 nap 45 min or 1.5 hrs
3/3:30 bottle
4:30 catnap if necessary or wanted
5 solids
6:30/ 7 story (just started) and then bath
7/7:15 bottle and straight to ed

[Deb_in_oz]

ok i am back - i got to eat a quick lunch and then olivia woke and got herself in a bad spot and was screaming and crying - like 'who interrupted my sleep" :evil:   i got her calmed down but she woke alex up (instead of her usual long sleep she had less than an hour thanks to sister - when i went in she said she would not sleep any more so i hgad to get her up)  :cry:  and i could hear alex in her room while i was trying to shh/pat olivia - torn between going to her or staying with olivia.  when i tried to go to alex olivia woke and started screaming and crying. .  it took 5 minutes to get her to sleep    but i could not keep her asleep.  it took from 2:20pm - 2:45 but i finally got her there and she is still asleep at 3:30 so just coming up on 45 min. i feel ike i am dealing with a newborn again - i have not shh/patted like that since she was 2 and 1/2 mo. i have to say shh/pat is definiteloy easier with a tummy sleeper - but boy does it make me tired!!

i forgot to post other news earlier

1) good Deb news - i was accepted into a PPD support group starting next month - it is only 8 women and i had a 1 hour chat with the 2 facilitators - shoudl be great. it is 2 hrs on Thursday mornings and both girls will have to go to daycare so Olivia will have her first session in a couple of weeks - wish me luck!

2)olivia is having some sep. anxiety again. it comes and goes and she will suddenly cry if i leave her sight - other times she is fine.

3) she has started protesting loudly (for a week or so) if someone takes a toy for her.  and she has now started "fighting" with alex over toys.  if she wants a book alex is looking at she will "yell" at her and i will have to come over and make sure they share, etc  A little peek into the future?

oh cr@p she has woken again crying - i don't like that she wakes crying now - i think she just gets upset in the tummy position and bangs in to the cot - the whole time i was shh/pat her she was blowing raspberries, scratching the sheet, grabbing my arm, etc  :roll:

i

[dkjokisch]

Ok, I don't have much time (should be packing), but I wanted to check in one last time.

Heather - They did clean out the wax.  They used this flexible plastic thing that looked like a very tiny needle threader.  Maya was so good, though. She didn't squirm or cry at all.

I hope everyone has a good week, full of sleeping through the night and good naps.

[Leah's Mom]

Heather - Thanks for the comment about Leah. I think she's pretty cute too.  :wink: Leah's not crawling yet either, but she really wants too. I totally understand what you said about Kelsey's attempts. Leah will try to push up, then roll over instead. I think Leah lacks the strength to support herself. Sometimes I try and put her on all fours and once I let go she falls on her belly, then rolls!

Deb - Thanks for the advice about making your own meats. How did you go about pureeing (sp?) them? Oh, good for you to get into a support group. Plus it will be good for Olivia to go to daycare for awhile and meet other kids. Leah's seperation anxiety is also come and go.

Well, must go. Talk to everyone soon. Have a great weekend!

[Leah's Mom]

As many of you will find out in the Lounge, we had a terrible accident at our school this afternoon (right after I posted the last message). After our Homecoming parade two girls were (unsafley) riding on a truck and fell off. They needed to be airlifted out and it doesn't look good. Our sitter and Leah were following the truck and were the first on the scene. My sitter was the one who called 911. Just say some prayers for the girls. I will keep you all updated.

[Leah's Mom]

One girl died before making it to the hospital. The other is in critical condition: the base of her skull is cracked.

[Deb_in_oz]

Oh Christine - i am so sorry! and i saw your other post - i hope Leah is ok after the shock of the situation! what a horrible tragedy!

[thitz]

Christine, that's terrible about the two girls. 

Branwen, good luck with pu/pd.  I don't seem to have any success with it except at night.  The key to Emily's day sleep seems like good timing.  I now put Emily down for nap2 after 3.5hrs A time.   

JulieB, that sounds like a lot of spit-up!  Emily spits up and drools all the time but usually just a little bit at a time.  She soaks her bib and shirt every A time.  I don't have the carpet issue though cause she doesn't crawl yet.

Us, we had my parents up overnight.  And I think Emily might have remembered my mom from their visit 3 weeks ago.  I hope she keeps remembering her cause dh and I want to go out for an anniversary dinner in a month.

Emily is wearing 12 & 18 month size outfits.  They always look HUGE when I buy them but they shrink down to nothing and I only use warm water to wash them.

Happy Emily news, slept till 6:40am with me only going in once at 5am cause she had her head stuck against the slats.

Also, it seems like everyones lo's are crawling or trying hard to.  Emily isn't even really trying.  She doesn't like being on her tummy cause it makes her puke (I assume this is part of her acid reflux problem).  But I do get about 30mins a day out of her.  Also she has no interest in rolling either way even though she's done it a couple times.  Also she doesn't try to do anything from the sitting position either.  But she loves it when I walk her around the house.

Have a good day everyone, Tarri

[Jaime]

Ahhhh.... kids are asleep in bed & dh is on the phone with a friend - easily occupied for an hour or more... now i can catch up    

Christine - that is so sad about those girls.  am praying for the one who is still (so far) alive.  do you work in a private (k-12) school?  this must be so hard on all the families & faculty.  i can't imagine.

Tammy - praying ethan doesn't get sick too.    it stinks that you can pretty much only wait it out with pain meds.  fingers crossed!

Branwen - oh how scary!  glad you are both ok!  as for the obnoxious dude in the store - what a twit!!!  don't know if i would have given him a passise-aggressive glare or told him where to get off...

Julieb - was interested in what you were saying about setting the baby's internal clock to the times you want them to sleep.  i've kinda instinctively felt that was the case, but it's always nice to see professionals 'validating' mommy instinct.  do you remember where you happened to read it?  also, can totally empathize about not needing to save the carpet.... but since it seems to have increaed in volume suddenly, any chance he might have a little bug? 

Hazel - love the pic in the hat!  hope your professional shots come out well.  that dancing sounds hysterical! 

Deborah - loved the pic of Maya in her high chair!  she has such a great smile.  glad you got the "all clear" health wise.  i hope your trip goes well and you don't end up disowning some relatives.

Joanne - welcome!  wow, your birth sounds amazing (well, and a little scary to me anyhow!  :wink: ) but i'm glad (and in awe) that you got exactly what you wanted.  regarding BW... i have recommended the book to people who i think will appreciate it.  i will admit that i jealously guard the site - i've only told one friend about it - kinda like the anonymity - but she was one person who i knew would truly benefit.  my mom had never heard of tracy, but when #1 was born she happened to glance at the book and was in total agreement with just about all of it!  mil knows better than to criticize  :wink:  and never really offers advice cause she knows i don't do much of anything the way she did with her boys.

Nikki - can totally empathize with not wanting to buy another wardrobe.  especially when there's a perfectly good one in the closet that's not being used!!  maybe someday...

Heather - pulling up!  wow!  and the wanting to crawl - we're there too!  luke's getting better at getting his feet out so he looks like some kind of superman lying on the ground, but that's it so far!  and then he cries for help.  :roll:  someday!  re clothing sizes... it depends on the manufacturer.  carters 12 months means 9-12 months... but some others (circo sometimes does) 12 months means 12-18 months.  i'd check the lenth/weight recommendations & go from there.

Debra - now that i know what you're asking  :wink: .... i think olivia's sleep issues sound completely developmental.  crawling backwards!  wow!  what a big step.  bet that has everything to do with her wanting to sleep on her belly to.  i'd probably try riding it out & see what happens.

Tarri - yay on the sleeping!  you must feel fantastic!  luke doesn't roll either.  i'm starting to wonder if it's genetic - both my kids hated it.   :roll:   :lol:

favorite toys - luke likes to pull things out of buckets.  so whatever's in the bucket at the time.  he can sit there for half an hour (or more!) playing.  oh... and big shiny necklaces  :oops:  i hope i'm not setting him up for cross-dressing or anything, but we have these necklaces my mom brought from Gasparilla (think Mardi Gras without all the sex & booze).  she brought them for jaina but luke LOVES them.  hoping it's just cause they're shiny.

clothing size - luke can wear 6-9 in pajamas (though 6-12 or 9-12 fits better), shorts, and onesies, but shirts need to be at least 6-12 or his belly sticks out!  :lol:

separation anxiety - comes and goes around here.... thankfully right now it's going.   :wink:

Us - we are almost a germ-free zone.  turns out there were 2 stomach bugs - the mild one the kids had and then the evil one dh got.  and dh was nice enough to share with everyone - including me!  :x  oh well, lived to tell the tale.  though now i'm getting a complex about luke's eating - each time i try to feed him orange vegetables, he gets a stomach bug!  but he never acted sick, so i can't tell if it was a food allergy or germs!  i'm feeling so far behind on the solids cause they just seem to make him mr. pooper! 

oh, our schedule (ideally, mind you)
7am wake
7:30 bottle
8:15 cereal
9-10:30ish - nap
11:30 - bottle
2-4 nap (still working on this one - would like him to sleep more at this point, but he still sometimes wakes early)
4/4:30 - bottle
6 - dinner
7:30/8 bottle & bed

whew!  think (hope) that's everyone.  have a great weekend! 

[diyasmom]

Wow! A lot of us are now onboard! I have been reading all the messages and finally trying to get back to you all.
Nikki! I spend a lot on Diya's toys too and justify the expenses by not buying anything for myself. I bring her to bed with me in the morning too:) Even if she doesn't sleep, she just plays quietly between me and DH and I can get some extra snooze. That is the best time of my day actually because I get all the cuddles and kisses when she is kind of sleepy! Otherwise my DD is not a very cuddly girl! I loved your pics. BTW, how do you manage to take part in these researches. Would love to hear about that!
Juileb: I have read somewhere in BW forums that babies at this age sleep for only 11 hrs in the night! Too bad, I enjoyed the 12 hrs of sleep too! Diya sometimes sleeps for 12 hrs if she woke up at 5a.m for a quick feed. I would rather like her sleeping through. You could move his bedtime later by changing it 15 mins at a time. I have read that too somewhere! Wow! that is a lot of spitting up. Hope it gets better
Christine: That is horrible! Leah always looks beautiful and I like the way you choose her clothes
Joanne: Welcome! Though I don't have the guts, it sounds very interesting making me think differently for the next one:)
Branwen: It must have been awful because it happened while you were holding her. The other day I left Diya for one second to wash my hands and her lips were red in color and I had fed her prunes! So, when I check her mouth, her gums were bleeding from the top. It was scary even though it was not dangerous. I had called my husband and even though he is a physician, he got scared and he drove at 90 miles an hour for the 5 min drive and we both kept ice cubes on her gum for 1 hr! Seems that the bloody part called frenulum was affected when she bumped her face to the floor! Don't worry about her schedule too! Try to keep to the schedule as much  as possible without stressing about it! I did that when Diya was teething and now when I think about it, I think that I could have handled it better!
Hazel:That is a beautiful pic! I would love to get a pic like that in our small town but am afraid to sit in a tall grassy area bacause of snakes!
Deb: That is how Diya started crawling! Glad to hear about the support group!
Tarri! Diya didn't roll much either. She went to crawling directly while I was trying to teach her to roll in both the directions! Just try to put some toys out of her reach so that she will try to lunge forward while sitting! I have read that some babies skip crawling and go directly to walking.  So, there is nothing to worry about Emily!
Jaime: That must have been hard!
Deborah: Maya is beautiful and her smile is awesome!
favorite toys: fisher price learning home and all the wires and outlets in our house!
JulieB: Do you think it is better now that Asher is cruising or is it harder in terms of babyproofing if you KWIM?
Happy Diya news: She pulled up to stand yesterday and said Mamama today! When I asked her to kiss one of my closest friends, she understood that she has to kiss my friend and not me and she kissed her!
Our schedule:
7.30 Wake up and BF
8.30 Solids
9:10 Nap(mostly 1.5 hrs and sometimes 45 mins)
11:00 BF
12: Solids
12.40: Nap (1.5hrs or 45 mins)
2 BF
3 Solids
4 Nap ( 45 mins or 1.5 hr depending on the last nap)
5 BF
7BF(sometimes we skip this)
8.15 BF and to bed at 8.30

I am posting the link to our professional pics! Diya is looking great! DH and I were not happy with the way we turned out because of the last minute hurry! I am wearing a traditional outfit from India.

http://www.juliedodd.photosite.com/ramesh/?page=1

[HeatherC]

Christine-so sorry about the girls, and Leah getting upset by all the comotion.  That truly is a tragedy.  Keep us posted on the other girl.

Tarri-even though Kelsey will lunge forward, as soon as she lands on her belly she rolls right over.  I'm still not certain that she will crawl because she won't stay on her belly long enough to push up on her hands and knees.  She only rolls tummy to back.  She does like to stand, but lets go alot not realizing that she'll fall.  Right now she only wants to stand or have me hold her.

Jaime-glad you all are getting better.  I can't tell if Kelsey's runny nose and congestion are a cold or just due to teething.

Vidya-wow, pulling up, kisses, and mamama!  That's great.  And I love, love, love all the pictures.  Hope you get to keep them all.  What a beautiful family.

Us-Well, I guess I need some encouragement.  I lost my cool this morning with Kelsey.  She's whined since she woke this morning, except while playing with dh.  I know she doesn't feel well, teething, runny nose, as stated above.  But she will play some, but won't let me walk away.  She doesn't want to sit and play much anymore, and is all around just fussy.  I tried to go out and get a bite to eat at a restaurant my mom works at last night.  She cried and fussed, but thankfully mom could hold her for awhile so I could eat.  Usually she's fine at that time of day.  I'm having a pity party not being able to get out during the day b/c I'm a slave to her nap times.  I'm giving her motrin and the teething tablets, but she's still whining.  She doesn't have a temp.  But I yelled at her to stop whining, and of course that made her cry.  So I felt awful and just held and cuddled her and gave lots of kisses.  Thanks for letting me share.