February 09 mamas-a new home here? - Page 3

[newmothermary]

Glad to join you all!:

Miles was due in March but came in Feb with a bang!

Naps are getting better, thank GOD!
Mary:

[mamamillet]

Naps go pretty well here. Willa typically wakes between 7 and 8. She is then up for an 1.5-2 hours and down for her morning nap which is about 1.5-2hours. Then she is up for usually around 3 hours and down for her afternoon nap--again about 1.5-2 hours. She will also take a shorter evening nap and the goes to sleep about 8:30-9. She stays asleep for about 5-6 hours and then is usually up every 2 hours to nurse until she wakes. Overall its pretty good. Outings will change up her napping as she loves to sleep in the car. Last two weeks were kinda wonky cause she was teething---and now that her tooth has pooped through she is sleeping good again!

Co-sleeping and thumb sucking: We do co-sleep and Willa LOVES her thumb. She will come off the boob and suck her thumb back to sleep. Its kinda nice not being used as a pcai like DS did. She refused a paci early on.
Willa "talks" all the time. I swear she says "hi".

[Mal85]

Owyn "talks" up a storm! Don't think I've heard any actual words, sometimes when she's fussing it sounds like she says mama, but I think she's mimicking more than anything. She tries to copy everything everyone does. Last week my daycare baby found her feet, so Owyn spent all weekend trying to get ahold of her feet. My daycare baby sucks her thumb, so the last week or so Owyn has been trying really hard to get her thumb. She's used to the paci though and her thumb is pretty small, so once she gets it she's just not sure what to do with it.

Bedtime is getting better. I keep crossing my fingers it'll stick. I'm afraid to leave the house. She had been taking a short catnap at around 5 or 5:30. But she is always ready for bed by 8, but that little catnap was screwing with her. She wasn't tired enough at 8 and would treat it like a nap, waking up around 9:30 and wanting to stay awake for a couple of hours. So, we've nixed that late nap. She takes two long naps during the day and sleeps around 11 hours at night, sometimes more. So, I feel like she's still getting plenty of sleep (minimum of 15 hours in a 24 hour period). She's done well with it. I just spend a lot of time playing with her in the evening and it keeps her happy until we start our bedtime routine. It's worked the last 3 nights... I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

I'm also so happy I finally figured out my Moby! We put it away because she hated it in the beginning. I've been using the Babyhawk, but lately she'll only tolerate it when she's sleeping. She doesn't like facing me in a carrier. Now that she's holding her head up really well, I put her in the Moby facing out and she LOVES it. She gets so excited when I start to put her in it, she'll flail her arms and legs and start smiling. We've been taking a long walk in it every evening and she adores that. She talks to the trees and the road and anything else she sees.

I really do miss my tiny newborn baby, but she is getting to be so much fun as she gets older! It makes me so excited to watch her keep growing and see who she'll become.

[Nillarilla]

Mal I thought of you yesterday. I had a cousin's 7 month old for 5hrs. It was sooo tough with both babies. He is really sensitive/high needs and when he was crying she was crying. He cried a. lot. I was burnt by the end of the day. My 3yr old would take toys from the 7 month old who would burst into tears which would make dd cry so I would pick up both babies and then the 7mo would get madder and try to bite and slap dd. He was also teething and going through separation anxiety bad. Every. time. I left the room he would scream bloody murder. I don't know how you do it every day. I couldn't get either one down for an afternoon nap because the other's crying would keep him/her awake. It really made me realize that my daughter is not high needs at all. My son was super duper easy and she is pretty easy going too now that we have a routine and we can 'communicate' a little better.

[Mal85]

Lol, ya it's not easy with all these babies! I have to say I'm really lucky, though. I've got a great bunch of babies. They nap well and are all pretty content to entertain themselves when I'm tending to another. The 4 m/o I have likes to be held a lot, so I just save her for last when it comes to naptime, so she gets a little extra one-on-one time. The 9 m/o is who really wears me out! He's learning to walk and is just into everything and loves to grab at the little ones! I take it by shifts. I know if I can make it through 2 hours, they'll all be sleeping again soon and I get a break!

[Queen of my Castle]

Originally Posted by DreamsInDigital

.

He does take a paci and we do co-sleep. He just sometimes really wants to suck but doesn't want any milk. It doesn't mean we're not connected. Be careful before you judge. Some babies just have different needs.
.

My babies have all taken soothers (not been thumb suckers though) and I believe it's because they wanted to suck but not get milk. Ramsey would get so frusterated trying to suckle but getting milk. Evangeline had just such an intense sucking need; she wanted to suck all. the. time. Axel, well, whatever.

Naps: we do pretty good around here, but I sure am not paying as close attention as I did with the other two! Ramsey will sleep longes either in the swing or in his bassinet.
He has two longer naps- 2-3ish hours, one morning, one afternoon, and shorter 1/2-1hr naps throughout the day. I can tell when he misses one; he gets cranky! All my babies have had high sleep needs (like me) but I can tell they need it. I know lots of babies sleep less; but I think you can tell if they need more.

Ramsey is changing so much right now! And I'm hitting the 'gosh, I'm so in love with you!' stage too- my boys it seemed to hit a bit later. He's so cute and adorable, so social and energetic. Someone on facebook mentioned their babe was 'busy', Ramsey is! So active. He's starting to grab and grasp things, chewing of course. He's really loving his exersaucer.

[AVeryGoodYear]

Maia has learned how to stick out her tongue, courtesy of her Daddy... too funny!

[AKislandgirl]

That is the cutest picture!

[starling&diesel]

So cute! And what a gorgeous head of hair on that little beauty!
Esmé has discovered her 'growl' ... she cracks herself up with it, and loves if someone imitates her.
So, exercaucers ... now is a good time? Worth the investment? Queen, would you recommend one? We're trying to avoid many of the trappings of infancy, but always like to have a place to put her every once and a while. Right now she's digging her baby gym, but I think she might like the saucer better as she loves being upright.
Opinions to help a first time mama out?

[monkaha]

We put Anthony in the exersaucer today for the first time. He really liked it... for a while. Then he really didn't. He's a late Feb baby though (25th), so I'd bet yours would like it, especially if she really likes being upright. Check yardsales, craigslist, freecycle, for one, as they have a fairly limited lifespan for each kid (but if you have room to store can be used for a few kids).

[LionTigerBear]

That tongue picture is too cute!!

My kids have all loved the exersaucer-type toys. We always got them free, though, both times we had the boys. This time we don't have one (DD likes her cousin's when we visit them, though) so I don't know if we'll buy one or not. The biggest con (after the cost) is finding a place to put it. They take up so much space! We'll see!

[Nillarilla]

My son loved his exersaucer and dd is just now starting she still kind of slumps to the side in it so I don't think she has the trunk control for it but she grabs at the toys and bounces a little.
Any tips on keeping babes this age cool in the heat besides ac? It's so hot here and my kiddos don't like the heat. Although dd is tolerating it better than ds did.
This stage/age is my favorite. I am falling head over heels for my daughter. She greats me with this happy smile all the time. She laughs at her brother even though he's poking and prodding. She snuggles in when she's picked up it's so lovely.
Ah gawd they are advocating CIO on the Mom Show. Breastfeeding's the next topic. Last year I sent a huge email because the doctor/ped on the show advocated bottles and only EBF for 6months and didn't know the WHO advocates bfing until 2. He's way more cautious when talking about bfing on the show now.

[AVeryGoodYear]

Thank you for all the kind words re: my baby's tongue picture... it cracks me up every time I look at it, so I'm happy it brought a smile to other people as well.

Maia isn't really laughing yet. She'll giggle once in a GREAT while (literally once every few days maybe) at something, then we won't hear it from her again. I think maybe we just aren't providing her with something that provides her with that much "joy", which kind of makes me feel guilty, but... ah well. She'll laugh when she's good and ready to, I figure.

Insofar as dealing with the heat, it's hardly been warm enough here (Southern Ontario, on the lake) to worry about it, but on the warm days we have had, I just undress her down to her diaper and spend most of the day sitting on a blanket on the floor with her and playing there, vs. having her in my arms or in a carrier all day and sharing our body heat. Our apartment only catches the morning sun though, so it doesn't get too hot in here.

[Everrgreen]

Originally Posted by Nillarilla

Ah gawd they are advocating CIO on the Mom Show. Breastfeeding's the next topic. Last year I sent a huge email because the doctor/ped on the show advocated bottles and only EBF for 6months and didn't know the WHO advocates bfing until 2. He's way more cautious when talking about bfing on the show now.

That show can be irritating, I guess just because the 'guest moms' can give any advice they want, which often makes me cringe. But I still used to watch it sometimes :. Now we don't have cable/satellite, so I don't watch it anymore.

And no worry about the heat here! It's not even 20 out! (that's 20 celsius for all you Americans )

I don't have an exercauser. I guess it could be useful/fun for Royce. I'd consider getting one but they are all so big, I just don't want one in my living room!

[starling&diesel]

The space issue is why I'd rather not get an exersaucer, but maybe we will give it a try ...
As for heat, it's been 35 celcius here, so we're COOKING.
We go for a short walk with the sling in the morning before it gets too hot, then we hang out at home for the worst part of the day with the fans on high (no a/c) and then go for a stroller walk later in the day.
I keep her in a t-shirt and diaper or nothing but the dipe ... do we need to be giving them supplemental water at this point? DD doesn't take a bottle or cup, but we could try.

[Pogo0685]

I have an exersaucer for my son when we are at work so I can get some work done and he loves it, it is rather big though, but without it I was getting nothing done.

I have often also wondered if I should be giving water to my DS, its always in the 90's here already, and only getting hotter.

[luv]

Bolding mine

Originally Posted by Vegan Princess

I am reading "Goodnights" by Jay Gordon and it's all about co-sleeping (which we actually don't do anymore but she is still in our room). Anyway he says co-sleeping babies don't suck their thumb as much bc they don't need to comfort themselves. I'm thinking I'm going to side car the crib and go back to that. I end up co-sleeping in the mornings and really love the cuddles. But I think we all sleep better with her in her own bed.

I've also heard 'if you dont nurse enough they will suck their thumb.' I dont believe either saying.

DD1 sucks her thumb. She still nurses 3 times a day and co-sleeps on and off. I think she just needs to suck more than other babies.

-luv

[monkaha]

If you guys are breastfeeding, you don't need to give extra water. If you're using formula, I don't know, but bf definately no. The amazing thing about bf is that it changes composition thru the feed-more watery at the beginning, more fatty towards the end. They'll get all the fluids they need if you're nursing on demand. And they need the calories from the milk, don't want them to get full on water and then not eat.

I had 2 babies in the AZ desert, so I researched this to death. Just make sure YOU are drinking enough water.

[LionTigerBear]

Originally Posted by luv

I've also heard 'if you dont nurse enough they will suck their thumb.' I dont believe either saying.

DD1 sucks her thumb. She still nurses 3 times a day and co-sleeps on and off. I think she just needs to suck more than other babies.

-luv

She's only nursing three times a day?!?!?! And she's three-four months old? Oh my goodness, she needs to be nursing more than that!!! Wait, unless she's also bottle-fed. Are you pumping or supplementing? My baby nurses approximately 8 times during the day, and then two-three times at night, and that is significantly less frequently than she used to nurse a month ago. Each of my babies has been the same way.

[Mal85]

Owyn has slowed down on her nursing a little as well. I think my supply has finally evened out, it's always been a little much and I think she had trouble getting to the hindmilk. She seems to be doing better with it lately, although still spitting up like a champ. I'd say she nurses, on average, 5 times throughout the daytime hours and 2-3 times overnight.

I actually tried going without nursing pads the other day. I don't seem to leak at night when she eats, so I thought we'd give it a try during the day. That was a no go and a big mess, lol. Will I ever be able to go without those darn things??