Jan/Feb 05 Babies chat!

[julieb]

Branwen:  I am sad!  I will miss you and Eirwen!!  :cry:  But I very much understand!  I felt like I needed to tuck myself away from all the other "gerber" babies when I was trying to deal with Asher in those hard early months.  Take care of yourselves and drop us an update every once in a while if you can!

JulieG:  Some days I think there's more coming OUT of Asher than what goes in.   :roll:   He poos 5-6 times a day.  3 of those are before he even makes it to his morning nap!  :shock:   Must be all that ruffage!  :lol:

[Jaime]

blah....i am so depressed.  all these napping shenanagains have resulted in nightwakings!  luke was up 4 times last night.  :shock:

i just wish i could figure out what is going on with him.  he now wakes from every nap screaming and nothing i can do seems to extend the afternoon nap.  he just screams at me and thrashes around if i pick him up, if i lay him down, or if i just stand there quietly next to him. 

i suspect teething cause he keeps chomping on his fingers... but see no signs in his mouth.

i suspect his body has hit a growth spurt & is getting used to more solids, so his digestive system may be a bit unsettled.  he has had 2 poopy diapers within an hour of waking up.

i know separation anxiety has hit with a bang.  so i try and alternate between lots of cuddle time with disappearing/reappearing, but all the crying when anybody walks away is really getting to me.

i know i just need to ride it out but all the time & effort i've had to put into sleep training this child (and dh hasn't) is getting to me.  just needed to rant.  :wink:

[dkjokisch]

We're back, and let me just say our trip was dreadful.  We accomplished the main goal which was to introduce Maya to her namesake (dh's grandmother), but she hardly napped at all (and NEVER more than 45min), and was waking multiple times per night due to overstimulation during the day and simple exhaustion.  There was alot of "on-purpose" parenting.  Dh and I are wiped out.  We both agree it was the worst vacation we've ever had.

There were some positives (Maya did remarkably well with the crush of adoring relatives), but all in all, we are thrilled to be home.  We won't be going back anytime soon.

It looks like I've got alot to catch up on.  I'll try to read up and post back about our trip and everything else tomorrow.

[julieb]

Why is it, the ONE day that would be okay for Asher to wake early, he sleeps in?!  Murphy's Law rules my life.  Decided to try to go to church this morning, which means I have to wake him before 7 am in order to fit in a (short) morning nap before we go.   :?   It's as if he knows!

Jaime:    HUGS!!!  I was at my wits end a week ago too.  Asher was doing a lot like Luke.  Then I noticed the white spots of teeth coming!  Finally there was a reason!  Hope it passes quickly!!

Deborah:  Good to see you back!  Sorry it wasn't relaxing!  Isn't it funny when we get back from vacation and feel like we need to go on another just to recover from the last?   :wink:   We're planning a trip to Disneyland in December for 3 days.  I think it'd be okay with just the three of us.  But most of the family wants to go because it will be Asher's first time.  Can you say, "mass chaos"?  That will be REALLY interesting (shouldn't have told anyone we were going!  :lol: ).

[thitz]

Schae, I'm sending you good luck with your job search!  Dh is also searching and it looks like we might get a job offer.

Deborah, that sounds like a tough vacation.  I hope you all recover quickly!

Jamie, sounds like your having a tough time.  Hang in there!  It always seems super terrible when you're in the middle of some bad days but you'll survive.

Christine, that's awesome that Leah's napping a bit better.  Have fun on your girls night out!

Michelle, glad that Kinlagh's sleeping is going better.  I'm dreading the standing stage.

Branwen, if you're reading, I'll miss you too.  I'll send you a Pm.

Us, we had an okay day.  Went for a boat ride cause the weather was beautiful.  Gave Emily some peas in her high chair.  But she couldn't pick them up.  She's not used to having anything tiny within reach so it will take some practice.

Good night everyone!  Tarri

[HeatherC]

Jaime-I think we're in the same boat.  Kelsey has reverted back to 30 minute naps.  And, JulieG, a poop always wakes her from the first, and I just don't know about the second-probably overtired.  And she always has a poopy diaper in the morning, and it's major!   I'm about to give up on the teeth.  They still aren't appearing, and I can't see what I thought was them earlier.  She's still very crabby, but that's all I can think of.  She's practically over the runny nose, but I think that caused the nap problem.  Oh, and sep. anx, yes, we're there, too.  Dh doesnt' understand why I have a problem.  She's fine with him, but I can't seem to walk away for a second.  That's why he doesn't feel so torn down like I do right now.

Deborah-sorry about your rough time.  Hope things get back to normal.

JulieB-glad things are going better for you. 

Us-well, I'm still a bit down.  These poor naps are just ruining my happy little girl, and I'm feeling bad for not being able to cope with it better.  I got out today, because I was going to go mad if I didn't.  I actually saw a movie in the theater!  It was enough time for me to really miss her.  However, dh is not understanding and that makes me really sad.  It has nothing to do with him, or Kelsey, it's just the emotional rollercoaster that I'm on right now.  Plus, I'm feeling really bad for Branwen, and I want her to be alright.  I broke down in tears to my mom, but we were interrupted and didn't get to really talk.  However, she assures me that things will get better and this, like all the crying in the beginning, will be a distant memory.  So, chin up, and lets "re-start" tomorrow!

[julieb]

Heather:  BIG HUG to you!!  I hope tomorrow is better.  You know, I don't think you're crazy about the teeth.  I've heard from several people about teeth appearing and disappearing.  All of Asher's teeth start out as a white dot, sometimes I can even feel the tip, then they go away for a few days as the gums swell around them and reappear later.  I actually asked a dentist about this because I thought I was seeing things, but he confirmed that it was normal!   :?

[Daniel's mummy]

Heather - I can totally relate to what you were saying about the emotional roller coaster you feel you are on.  I LOVE Daniel so so so so much but then there are days when I just feel really fed up and hacked off that I just have to stay in all day and don't even get to talk to anyone.  The other day my dh got in from work and I was feeling really down.  It was only then that I realised I literally hadn't seen or spoken to anyone all day :x   (other than Daniel!)  It really takes it's toll after a while doesn't it?  My dh does try really hard to understand but it's just difficult for them to appreciate how hard it is to be in our shoes.
I guess that's why I enjoyed my 'day off' the other day when my sister and her hubby took Daniel for the whole day.  Just not having to think about all his needs constantly was bliss.  I did a lot of 'spur of the moment things' just because it's so difficult to do those normally now.
I'm glad you got to go out to see a film anyway.  It does make you miss your lo and enjoy being with them agian that little bit more.
I read a great book recently called 'The sixty minute mother' by Rob Parsons.  A short very easy to read book about being a mum.  Would recomend it to anyone.  Just helped me to refocus a little and take stock of life.

Julieb - I know just waht you mean about ds always wanting to sleep in when you want them to wake up and then vice versa.  We go to church every week and the service  starts at 10am.  Like you this means getting him up and then back to bed for a short nap all before about 9.45 (when he'd usually only just have gone down for his nap!).  He seems to cope so well though.  And he is so loved at church that it seems a shame to miss it!  I think actually he has more friends than me :shock:  :lol:
Oh, I love the new photo - very sweet.

Us - Not much to report really (!) other than we are having a nightmare now trying to brush Daniel's teeth.  As soon as he sees the brush coming anywhere near him he clamps his mouth colosed and that is it :evil:   Once we manage to prise his jaw open he then sticks his tongue out so you can't get even near his teeth.  Oh well.  He has his first appointment with the dentist in a couple of weeks so we'll have to see what they suggest.  Has anyone else taken their lo to the dentist?  When my dh phoned up to make Daniel an appointment the dentist was really surprised that we hadn't already been!!!  He said the sooner the better - just to get them used to the place.  Makes sense I guess.
Daniel has his 8month check up this Thursday so that should be fun. 

Hopping everyone has a good day

[herbst99]

Hi all - Seems like NAPS FROM HELL is the topic
I have been having such a hard time with Lise also - she is napping x3 times a day for 30min each and it is a STRUGGLE to get her down - Usually I would put her down - lovey and dummy - handon her back and she sleeps. But BOY have she changed!! (nighttime still good - keep your fingers crossed it will stay that way!!)
I can FORGET about trying to extend and I am EXHAUSTED trying to cope with this super cranky  baby. Anyway - needless to say EASY is out the window!!
Also ... I have been a bad mom - We went away to my family's holiday house for the weekend. Took Lise's large carry cot as it is easier than the camp cot. Last night I got her to sleep at 7:00 - I had put the carry cot on the bed as it is easier for my back. So of to sleep she went and I had left the room. 10min later I hear this HEARTSTOPPING cry and - YES she had crawled out and fell nfrom the bed and was on the floor!!! I was soooo shocked. She's FINE except for some carpet burns on her nose!! I feel so bad! I except that these things will happen but ooh boy - I don't like it.
Anyway -
Michelle the babies utilize this reflex to maintain posture and basic functional movement. We still have this reflex as adults!! You can search the net for more detail or pm me and I will give more info.
that is that from us.
Bye for now

[Deb_in_oz]

Nikki - how is the DF reduction plan going?  we are going to try to start in a couple of weeks as Dh is loathe to continue any longer.  he wants to start going to bed at 10 or earlier.

Julieb - i would definitely let the morning nap naturally shorten and afternoon one lengthen as this is the normal progession as they get closer to 1 nap.

Heather - i am sorry you are having a rough time with naps and touchiness. i don't have anything except a hug to offer - i hope things improve!! i think it is important for you to get out soem more.  i have started really making an effort and when olivia first started cutting her naps to 45 min i realised that i could stay at home and struggle to try to extend or i can accept that 45 min is ok too (or 30 for you) and get out with her for MY sake - just leaving the house can recharge you to fac the next nap cycle.

Schae - i really hope you get the job!! i know what a difference it will make in your life and wish you all the best! let us know when you hear...
BTW we have a cap of 1GB!!! the next plan up is quite a bit more for unlimited and we only really need that when Dh works from home a lot or we do a lot of webcam family "visits"

Tarri - glad to hear you are doing so well! after a bumpy nap time you deserve it (we all do but you know what i mean...)

jaime - hugs to you too - has anything improved yet with Luke?

Deborah -welcome back!  i wish you could have had a better trip - i know how exhausting that is!! you need to schedule your next break as just the 3 of you!

Hazel - i am so shocked that your dentist thought 8 mo was late to be coming in for the first time - alex is 27 mo old and has never been to the dentist.  no one has ever mentioned to me that it was necessary at this stage... will have to look into it.

Us - well we are having a mixed time.  naps are better some of the time - lately she has herself extended morning nap a few times  to 1 1/2 hrs (today i actually woke her up from 1st nap at 10:20  :oops: so we could get to the beach because i had expected her to do 45 min and it was getting hot and i worried she woudl need lunch if we did not get there soon...)

my big problem is food - i cannot seem to figure out the right amounts of food / timings so that she gets everything in.  she has cut right back on her bottles (the other day was so bad that 5 1/2 oz / 160 ml was her biggest feed of the day and she woke at 9:30 hungry before Df and because we fed that early she woke at 6 the next morning!!)
 she just seems to prefer solids now and i can't figure out how to get her to have both solids and milk.  i have tried doing solids first and then waiting anywhere from 1-2 hrs to do bottle.  i have done bottle / solids / bottle; and yesterday we tried dropping the 11am bottle hoping if she ate lots of solidfs at 11 and then had bottle at 3 she would be happy (we ended up having to give her bottle at 1:30 because she would not go down for her nap without more food)

any suggestions???

[herbst99]

Debra DF cutting back is going OK - We are now at 125ml at 9:00 ... down from 200ml ...
What has happend the 3 times we decreased amount and made the time earlier was she woke up at 2/3/2 am .... but this was just a quick settle - could be just a coincidence also.
Tonight we will decrease to 8:30 and 100ml so - keep thumbs crossed
Lise weighs - 8.8 kg = around 19pounds
She now eats - 4 bottles of 200ml plus DF 100ml and 3 meals of 2-3 tablespoons. I hope to get her bottles down to 800ml untill she is 8 months and will then increase food and introduce meat, diary etc and then decrease bottle to 600ml. She is UNFORTUNATLY an eater like her mom and will eat untill I stop giving her food so I cannot really offer any advice! Just remember when chosing between BOTTLE and SOLIDS -  bottle will rule untill 1 year - so rather have her get her formula than solids. (hope this makes sence!)
Nikki

[Deb_in_oz]

thanks Nikki.  the problem is - even if i dont give solids she does not increase the bottle.  she will take 4 oz or less then have a break and then i have to offer it several times to get a total of between 5-6 oz (140-170ml).  she had, up until last week, been taking between 5-8 oz but now rarely goes over 6. i feel we have taken a big step backwards. 

solids she will gobble up 3-5TBS / oz per feed and sometimes could devour more (minimum she takes is 3 TBS usually 4)

[dkjokisch]

Well, I have alot to catch up on, but first, some Happy Maya News...

She is now waving at people who wave at her.  (She's actually been doing this for awhile, but I think she was just flailing her arms at times, not intentionally waving.)

She actively participates in peekaboo - if I lay a blanket or a burp cloth on her lap, she will hold it in front of her face until I say, "Where's Maya?"

She is actually trying to crawl.  She hasn't managed to get up on all fours yet (or even move by dragging herself - she gets caught up on her own legs), but she has finally figured out that there are interesting things outside of arm's reach.

Vidya - Loved the photos.  Sorry to hear about your scare.  I hope all is well now.

Christine - If you're interested in making your own baby food, check out http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com

Jaime - I read Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child too, and I agree with Julie's assessment.  However, I did find some useful tidbits, like keeping the first awake interval short when you're first trying to establish a nap schedule.

JulieG - We are in Jacksonville, Florida.  We moved here last summer when dh finished grad school.  Maya's favorite CD is Beach Boys, Songs of Summer.  In the car one day, I discovered that "Kokomo" can calm her down from the hysterical screaming state.  We also have Muppets and TMBG.  Our public library has a pretty good selection of music (and DVDs - you can't beat free movies), so I have been checking out kids stuff to find one she likes (and we can tolerate).  There's a John Lithgow one that was pretty good.  I think I was called Singing in the Bathtub?

Michelle - Maya doesn't have eczema, but I am prone to the broken blood vessels, so I presume she got it from me.  I have several of the starburst pattern ones on my legs.  They got really visible when I was preg.  Hope your week went ok without dh.  My dh is going to San Diego in a few weeks for a conference, and I dread the thought of no one to talk to for three days.

On the walker thing - Following up on what Branwen said, I don't want to be alarmist, but per our ped (and another doctor/mom friend), the reason they no longer rec them (beyond the safety issue) is that the babies can "walk" without seeing their legs and understanding how the whole balance/motion thing coordinates together.  They don't learn how to balance themselves, and for some kids, it will delay walking on their own.  That said, we got a walker as a hand-me-down, so we just took the wheels off and call it her stander.

Deb - Let me ponder the food thing.  Maya's been going through a weird phase too.  She has about double her solids intake over the space of a few days.

Will have to post back later about our trip...

[Leah's Mom]

Julieb- LOVE your new avatar! I struggle with the church thing too. Our service is at 8:30 and I usually put DD down for a nap around 9. Any advice?

Jaime- Yes, I put lots of effort into sleep training too, and DH "claims" he doesn't know how, that's why he can't help. MEN!

Heather - Hang in there. Remember some days are going to be rough. We had a horrible WEEK two weeks ago where the sitter couldn't even lay Leah down for a nap becuase she would scream. Now we're doing well again. It's so up and down with these kids! This will eventually be a distant memory. Go back and read our posts in the locked thread. I did one day and had a good laugh! None of us were getting more than 20-30 minutes at that point!

Hazel- I am SO bad with brushing teeth,  :shock: I need to really get better at it! I forget all the time!

Nikki- Now you can join the club!  :wink: Leah fell off the bed a few weeks back also. Isn't it such a heartstopping event? You feel like such a terrible mother, but you're not. It happens to lots of people, see!

Deb - We're having the opposite problem, DD wants her bottle now and doesn't want purred food, only finger food. She'll refuse solids, but down her bottle an hour later.  :? I really need to drop a bottle as she is still getting 5 bottles a day: 5,9, 1, 4, and 7. So after she has her 4:00 bottle she isn't hungry for supper at 6. We offer her bottle 1 1/2 - two hours after solids, except at night. Solids at 6, bottle at 7. Hasn't Olivia always hated the bottle? Have your tired to put milk in her sippy cup? I keep thinking about how in 4 months we can get rid of the bottle. Kind of scary!  :shock: Leah only takes 6 ounces at each feeding too. How many onces a day does she take? How much solid food is she eating?

Deborah - Our sitter has a walker that she took the wheels off of also! I don't have a walker, but my mother does and Leah uses it when she is there. It is contained in the kitchen and she can't get anywhere else.

Anyone know the total number of ounces of formula and solid foods our kiddos should be eating right now?

[julieb]

Deb: I'm reading a 4 to 3 bottles thread on the solids board, I think.  Some people dropped the 11, switched to 3 at wake, 1:30 ish and bed -- basically breakfast, lunch, dinner.  Sounds like she's ready to drop a bottle and by the sounds of the other moms, it takes a couple days to get on track.  When we drop, I have a feeling it will be the 4 pm BF instead.
BTW, I don't think people do the dentist here in the US until 2 or 3 yrs.

Christine: No advice since I'm sure you can't get her to sleep in!   :lol:   Ours is at 10:30, and I put Asher down at 9:30.  But I have to wake him by 10 in order to BF and drive to church.  So I woke him early and put him down at 9 in order to have an hour nap.  I figure he takes short naps (on his own) and manages to hold his own for 3 hours, so why not when I wake him?  :wink:   But I didn't give him teething tablets and he woke on his own anyway after 50 minutes.  He did really well yesterday.  Poor guy, I actually think I see another tooth on its way, that makes 5 teeth he's trying to cut all at once!  He's been such a trooper considering!   
I've read they should be taking in around 24-32 oz right now.