Jan/Feb 05 chat - Thread #3

[branwen]

Oh Michelle- that sounds painful.    Vent away!!!!  :wink: What happened to your back?- only reason I ask is because I have chronic issues myself.  I've been doing physcial therapy for it since June and the one thing they told me was do not lift or carry the baby!!! And if you must always rotate how you carry every time. I know it's almost impossible but I took their advice and even put her in the stroller for everything I did over the summer.  They gave me instructions on how to pick her up from the floor etc...if you want I can PM you about it?  I'm not sure what therapies you've tried.  Chiropractic care has also been helpful on and off for me...and a TENS machine?  Do they have those out there?

[diyasmom]

Branwen: Great to hear from you! Gorgeous pics of Eirwen! I saw her clapping hands in justpress and it is so cute!
Sarah: Glad that you joined us. I am glad that one more paci weaning buddy of mine has joined the group! Joseph is so adorable in that new avatar! I think that he is feeling cold too. Try throwing his bathtowel in the dryer just before taking him out of the tub so that he feels warm.
Christine: You look great and so are your sisters! Beautiful family! That is how I feel now when I get dressed up! I went for a hair cut and after getting my hair styled, I felt like I had 10 cups of coffee:)

Deb: It takes a long time for them to get used to finger foods. So, don't give up. The insight from the other lady in the group makes sense. You are doing really great with two kids. So give yourself some levy!
Michelle: I can't even imagine how hard it will be for you now! That must be so painful and hard. Could you try hiring a teen babysitter just for a few hours so that you can atleast overlook everything while you rest? Just a thought!
Us: I gradually moved her to 4 hr feeds for 2 of them. I am thinking on working on the next 2 from today! Our second naps are a complete mess. If I try to do the third nap, it is hard because we want to go for a walk at that time only! So, putting Diya to bed at bedtime is becoming harder. I am sure that it will get better!
Vidya

[E&J's mommy]

Hi there,

Well not much going on with us now. Just wanted to check in, otherwise I will get into the habit of just reading and not contributing. We also have the "thick foot" problem. I finally gave in and started putting slippers on Jordan to go anywhere. I really couldn't pay $25 for Robeez and the slippers work great since when we go to my Mom's he doesn't slip on the hardwood floors. I am proud to say that Jordan has slept through for the past 4 nights. Not really sure how it happened. He bunked with his Grandpa the first three nights and with us last night (still in his crib, just in the same room), so the true test will be tonight in his own room by himself. And wouldn't you know, he starts sleeping through and Erin (3 years old) starts showing up in our bed at 3am because of monsters. We let her in the first few times but last night led her back to her own bed so I could get a decent night sleep. Anyhow, we are now approaching the 1 1/2 hour mark for Jordan's nap so he should soon be stirring. I will check in again soon.

[julieb]

Deb:  You made me panic for a minute, thinking I was feeding Asher 10 oz per meal!   :lol:   But I looked it up on google and it says 1 US ounce = 2 US tablespoons.  So I guess tbs are just measured differently elsewhere!  :wink:
Your revelation was so interesting!  I'm also a second child so it really makes me think how I'll be when we have another.  I'm also glad your DH is going to a couple sessions.  I think that is so important and supportive!

Michelle:  so sorry to hear!!  That's gotta be so frustrating!  May I ask what it is about your back?  I've been seeing a chiropractor for the last month and it's already helped so much!  I hope this gets better and passes for you quickly!

Branwen:  So true about rotating the baby!  My chiro has been telling me this lately because one side is chronically bad.  I've been trying to get used to the other side, but it's so hard!

Hazel/E&J's mommy:  Glad to know Asher isn't the only one with fat little feet!  :wink:

So I didn't win powerball.     Some goober in Oregon.  :lol:

And Asher decided to wake and play at 3:00 AM last night.  :roll:   Thankfully he went back to sleep but woke crying at 5:00 AM!  :evil:   That was the WTS time for the last three days, though I didn't do it this morning!  ARGH!  So I created a new and even earlier habitual wake up time?!  I wondered if he was cold so I gave him a blanket when I settled him back down.  It's this fuzzy and silky one that he likes to use as a luvie sometimes.  I could hear him talking to it on the monitor!   :lol:   But at least he wasn't crying and he went back to sleep eventually until DH's morning shower woke him up.  :roll:   I can't win.

[Jaime]

forget to mention before - WELCOME Sarah & Joanne! 

Michelle - (((((HUGS))))) vent here anytime.  that has got to be rough. 

Deb - thanks for all your words on 2nd children - think i needed to hear that (again!).  i sometimes feel guilty too that luke doesn't get to do the things jaina did, but i just don't have the time that i did with her.  i also need to keep reminding myself that he is a different kid - a totally different person, with different interests, milestones, etc.

Branwen - good to see you again.  love the pix of Eirwen.  9 months!  :shock:   when did we get to this point!!!  it does not seem possible.  oh... and to show how silly i am... the way everyone's described Ft. Collins, it sounds like Everwood (on tv).   :oops:  any truth to that?  regardless, everyone i've known who moved to colorado loves it... i know we want to see it someday!

Christine - to echo others - you did look gorgeous.

Us - we were doing well with naps.  today i got stuck at work and luke went down 15 minutes late - and is awake 30 minutes later.   :evil: not exactly crying, though, so i don't want to go in.  i hate that - i wish they would either cry or not.  then i can either soothe them or sleep - but this limbo stage drives me crazy!!!!!   :roll:  :lol:

[Kinlagh's Folks]

My history:  Spondylolysis and spondylolysthesis is what I was diagnosed with in 2000.  It is something I was born with and nothing can be done to improve it.  I am a grade 2 of 4 severity and they'll only operate if you're a 3...which I guess is a good thing.  So it's something I'll just have to live with. 
What it is:  I was born with two vertebrae not attached (no facets on either side) which means they were kind of just floating with only ligaments and muscles holding them in place.  So over time, they found their "home" out of alignment.  One vertebrae is pushed in (towards my belly) and the other above it is pushed out (towards my back).  So if you run your fingers down my spine, there's an indentation followed by a bump.  Does that make sense? I just hope it doesn't pass on to Kinlagh.
So because of all that, I often have lower back pain & sciatica and therefore overcompensate and end up hurting my upper back (shoulder blade area) or my neck.  But if I didn't take care of my lower back, it would give out.  So it's a bit of a double edged sword.  One only regular massage therapy and occasional physio can take care of. 

Today:  Ended up spending the day with my girlfriend at her place which would have been better had Kinlagh not decided to have a spell of stranger or separation anxiety and needed her mommy anyway.  So as much as my friend tried to help, Kinlagh fought her most of the time.  So we decided to take the kids to the mall to give the moms a break but that didn't work out great either. We stopped for dinner in the food court and Kinlagh ended up grabbing my tray (with a full plate of my supper) and tossing it to the floor.  Oh well, we tried.  Hopefully dh can stay home tomorrow.  If not, friend's son will be in daycare so she offered to come here to help out.  I think Kinlagh would be better in her own home.  We'll see. 

And because we were "off" today, she didn't have a second nap and she fell asleep on the car ride home so had a 6:00 catnap which I'm sure will mess up bedtime.  But what can you do?

Sorry for the long story.  But you guys are such great listeners.  And I just needed to tell the story so I don't yell at dh when he calls asking how my day was!!!   :evil:  :evil:

I'm off to have my junk food supper and a glass, oh who am I kidding, a bottle of nice red wine!   :shock:

[Leah's Mom]

Oh Michelle, please know that we are thinking of you!!!!! I hope you soon feel better. Have a bottle of wine, you deserve it!!!! Take care of yourself!!!!!! Thinking of you and sending vibes your way for a quick recovery! Only wish I was closer to come by and help you out. Wouldn't it be great if we all lived close? We woulnd't have to explain our ways to each other. We would be able to just drop our children off and we would all know what to do!!!! I think we all probobly even know each other schedules! 

[Deb_in_oz]

Michelle - i hope your back (and the rest of your body) improves soon - i cannot imagine doing this if i was in that much agony. i have pain in my hips (similar to ligament pain i suffered when PG) and struggle to walk some days but i can push through it and manage with tylenol... i think if it is bad enough to lay you out... i can only imagine so sending you supportive hugs and a free pass to vent whenever needed  :wink:

Jaime - how do we let go of the guilt ? i feel like i am never doing enough for olivia and that she will miss all her milestones because of me ( that is my big battle  :cry: ) i know rationally they all get there in the end but i feel like i am doing her a DISSERVICE if you KWIM?!

Julie - ok i looked up the TBS thing and it is the most retarded thing ever.  a cup everywhere = 250ml, a teaspoon everywhere = 5ml but a TABLESPOON in Canada, US, New Zealand and UK... = 15ml and ONLY in Australia for some reason a TBS = 20ml so our tablespoons are 33% bigger than yours

so now how much is everyone in US/Canada.... feeding their 8-9 mo old per meal?? i am not even sure how to convert that all to oz. now. i was told that at this age they need a minimum of 1/2 cup per meal as a goal and by a year that increases to 1 cup per meal.  what is the guide in North America??

Us - well the DF weaning continues and is not great, but i know it could be worse and is a transition.  last night she refused it at 9:30  :shock:  and we tried again at 10pm and she only took 60 ml (2 oz)  :shock:  and slept until 0610 which i know is good that there was still not a peep overnight but we are creeping so far backwards and there has been only tiny movement forwards in terms of increasing daytime intake.  today at least she ate more at breakfast, but it is not like she wakes and takes a big bottle - she is crying from hunger and then only takes 100ml or less (3 1/2 oz) then has solids and then i offer more bottle around 8 or so.

good news is that even though she is waking earlier and needing her morning nap by 8:30 instead of 9-9:30 she is making up the sleep and increased her am nap to 1 hr 30 so we are back on track for the day and last 2 days have been good in spite of pre-6:30 wake ups.

other good news - she seems to have "clicked" with her cruskits and now can pick up pieces and get them to her mouth and suck/eat them so we are on track.  not able to pick anything else up yet (ie fruit pieces) but if i put in her mouth she eats chunks of banana, papaya, cheerios, etc PATIENCE i know 

[julieb]

Deb:  Sorry to rock your tablespoon world!   :lol:   Who knew?!  :wink:
Anyway, not sure what the official guide is, I've just been comparing to other babies his age (and his cues).  Since I still view the BM most important, I don't care how much he eats as long as he's not spewing it all back up after every meal and still sleeping through the night!   :lol:   But that 1/2 cup reference makes sense right now because 1/2 c = 4 oz = 8 US tbs and that's about what Asher's been eating.  That comes out to a little over 6 Aussie tbs.  And it appears that 1.5 Aussie tbs make up 1 ounce.   :roll:   Good luck!!
Have you tried coating the fruit pieces in dry cereal?  If she's not frustrated though, I'd just let her keep trying.  You'll be surprised how inventive they can be.  Asher manuevers the pieces up the tray until he can grasp them!   :lol:

Well, we're going to a pumpkin patch tomorrow.  I'm so excited.  We went to the zoo last week.  It finally feels like we're a family since we're starting to do family outings!  Silly, I know, but Asher hasn't been very portable to this point.  It still messes up his routine for the rest of the day, but we're usually back on track by bedtime, so I haven't minded.

[Tammy: Ethan & Kaden's Mom]

Julieb - I am right there with you in regards to doing some outings!  My sis and nephew are visiting (from Ft. Collins Branwen!   :wink: ) and we are going to the pumpkin patch this afternoon, and a hayride!  Oh, and a petting zoo!  My nephew is 20 months, so it's fun for him.  Ethan, eh, he could kind of care less!  He likes animals though.  Sometimes I feel like I'm trying to rush through the "baby" stage and get to the stage where we can do fun outings together.  I try not to though.  And I agree, it will usually mess up his day as well, but every once in a while, you just have to go for it!  We plan to go today, after his afternoon nap, so at least if he's cranky, he'll be outside, which is always a good thing!   :wink: 

Deb - who knew about the tablespoon conversion thing?  Isn't that weird?  Anyway, right now, Ethan is eating about 6 oz. baby food at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Breakfast and lunch I fix 4 oz. fruit with cereal mixed in, which probably makes it around 6 oz.  Dinner is 4 oz. veggies, with some fruit afterwards, usually about 2 to 2.5 oz.  His formula intake has decreased too, but that will happen as he takes more solids.  He is offered 28 oz a day, and usually takes anywhere from 20 to 25, depending on the day.  We cut out the df finally, and haven't looked back.  He still isn't starving at breakfast though!  Usually only takes 4 to 5 oz. of formula (along with his 6 oz cereal).  Hang in there!

Leah - I wanted to also tell you that your pictures were great!  You look awesome!  Me, I still have about 15 lbs. to lose... :oops:  :cry:   It's so hard.

Michelle - I'm so sorry you have to deal with your back!  That totally stinks!  I hope you get back to feeling normal soon!

Us - Naps on Thursday were a horrible mess because I had to wake Ethan up from his am nap to go pick up dh from the airport.  The rest of the day was a nightmare!  Even though he was tired, wouldn't sleep longer than 30 min. on his pm nap.  Yesterday was good though.  Ethan was actually decent at my folks yesterday while visiting with my sis and nephew.  We were over there from about 4 to 7.  May not sound like a lot, but he woke up from his nap around 2:30, so... you can get the picture!  He actually let us eat dinner in *relative* peace!  And he likes to chase after his cousin... crawling of course!  It's so cute.  I think they will be pals when they are older and can actually race around after each other!

Well, it is time for someone's nap, so better go.  Have a great weekend ladies!

[thitz]

Christine, I like the flower picture with Leah, it looks like she has your eyes:)

Heather, you're so funny about worrying about the veggies puffs :wink: .  Glad to see you back:)

Michelle, that's sounds horrible about your back.  I hope you start feeling better soon!
 
Tammy, it's wonderful when they cooperate when you're out visiting.

Debra, I hope your support group keeps going well.

Everyone, thanks for the congrats on dh's job.  Its been very hectic around here because he was offered another job too .  So now he's taken the second one because it was a little more money and only 20mins from home (instead of 45mins.).  Also we had to buy a car because our old van wouldn't pass the emissions test.  So we've been dragging Emily around to used car dealerships.  We brought it home yesterday.  This was a priority because there was no way I wanted to be stranded at home with no car with dh at work...Eeeks!  So we're more than broke until that first pay check comes in :oops: .  And when we went to leave one dealership just at 2:00pm (Emily's nap time), our car wouldn't start!  Oh my god...somehow a miracle happened and I managed to get Emily  to sleep while we were parked in a repair garage to get the battery replaced and this is with Angel (our dog) growling at all the mechanics going by!   

Have a good day/night everyone!  Tarri

[julieb]

Went to the pumpkin patch today, but can't get Asher down for his PM nap now.   :?   I tried rocking (worked before), but now DH is rocking and it doesn't sound like it's going very well.   :roll:

Had quite the reality check this morning.  AF is back.  Makes sense since Asher's been sleeping through the night for about 1.5 months.  I'm so sad  though!  I'll miss this 1.5 yr of freedom!  But what makes me really sad is the reality that my little baby is growing up.  He looked so grown up in his t-shirt and jeans this morning.  Like a little boy.  And he'll prolly be walking within a week or two.  I'm so sappy!  I don't know if it's the hormones getting back to normal or just this stage.  Now I know why so many of my friends started getting the 2nd baby itch when their LOs turned 1.  :cry:  :roll:

[Deb_in_oz]

just wanted to announce that we have crawling forwards - finally more than 2 paces forwards - we'll see how it improves.  right now she is also trying to stand and if i hold her up she will "walk" without any assistance - just hand holding. who knows what she wants to do - 

[a_astorga]

Hi,

My name is Amanda and I'm from Costa Rica, I'm 25 years old and married to a Canadian. My son's name is Giorgio and he's going to be 9 months on Nov 1st. He was born premature 1 month so I guess he's really 8 months. Today I saw his first tooth!!

[Deb_in_oz]

welcome amanda - what beautiful eyes georgio has. we have the exact same exersaucer as you - small world!