Chat Mon 6/8- Sun 6/14

[fairymom]

Starting out the new thread!I have empty arms.

DH took babe to work w/him (just to get his check) but it feels so weird! I've never had a dad wanna take lo anywhere this early before- alone that is! I just had to let go and trust. He'll only be gone about an hour and I fed C right before they left but I feel so strange not having him here.

And Saturday while at my mom's she asked if I was expressing BM yet or when I may start! She wants him to herself too. I said I don't have a pump so not till I have one.(can't hand express- my supply is so well regulated)

I hope everyone had a good weekend- and if not good at least better than other weekends.

[nancy11]

Zack figured out the bouncy seat. He generally was not amused, but he now appears to understand that kicking it makes things happen. I'm waiting for the first real giggle. He's come real close a few times.

I'm dying for more free time and I love watching him figure things out and get excited.

[emmaegbert]

Hearing how your kids like them, I think I need to get a bouncy seat- going to look in second hand shops over the next week or 2- I'm planning to take Phoebe with me to an internship for a month this summer, 4 mornings a week. I think it will be good to have an option other than the wrap. I never had a seat before but I just kept my son in a sling or wrap if we were out.

6 weeks tomorrow. I am going to celebrate with a yoga class (if I can get out of the house long enough). I decided that I'll hold off on trying to start running until Phoebe has more head control. Maybe not till 6 months, but at least until she can sit up.

Today I have to fax yet more paperwork to the state health insurance folks for Phoebe. I guess that means isn't actually covered yet. I also have to drum up some quarters to do laundry (at least it gives me an excuse for a walk to starbucks down the street) and clean the house, and by the time I accomplish this, I am sure it will already be time to go get DS at school. Sigh.

On the upside- I slept from 10 to about 4AM w/out interruption last night! I should be feeling like superwoman today.

happy week everyone!

[FischK]

DS clusterfed again from 2.30 to 6. To make things worse, I had a fight with DH at 4 in the morning after pointing out that he is actually free to sleep while DS eats and that it should not be too much for him to soothe or console DS when we put him back to bed. In the end, I totally broke down and cried. I have no strength left for cranky partners.

Now, we're getting ready for DS's 1-month appointment. Crazy how time flies.

Since many of you are experts on slings and the like: Any recommendations for hot climates? We're going to NC next month and the moby seems to hot.

[ShineliketheSon]

Originally Posted by FischK

Since many of you are experts on slings and the like: Any recommendations for hot climates? We're going to NC next month and the moby seems to hot.

I just ordered a cotton gauze wrap from wombfruitwraps. It's supposed to wrap just like a moby but is much cooler...I havn't gotten it yet to say. I did try a mei tai that seemed to be much cooler as you aren't wrapped so much. A friend of mine has the mya sling and she says it's really cool.

Originally Posted by emmaegbert

Hearing how your kids like them, I think I need to get a bouncy seat- going to look in second hand shops over the next week or 2- I'm planning to take Phoebe with me to an internship for a month this summer, 4 mornings a week. I think it will be good to have an option other than the wrap. I never had a seat before but I just kept my son in a sling or wrap if we were out.

On the upside- I slept from 10 to about 4AM w/out interruption last night! I should be feeling like superwoman today.

happy week everyone!

LO likes the bouncer as long as the vibrating isn't on, DD1 wouldn't go in it without vibrating...they are sooo different!

I got lots of sleep sat night and was sooo full of energy, upbeat and just a more fun person to be around yesterday....then not much sleep last night and I'm dying allready this morning.

Originally Posted by nancy11

I'm dying for more free time and I love watching him figure things out and get excited.

It's so cool when they learn something new! DD1 got LO to smile at her this morning by touching her cheek and saying "tickle tickle" they both loved it!

There were storms here, tornado watches, I hate those, so of course I didn't sleep much at all and LO squirmed so much. She nursed ALOT and then spit up a ton this morning. To keep her somewhat asleep I just laid down the burp rag and laid on it so I could stay close to her...should have moved her... I got up and was soaked with spit up and also drenched in milk as I didn't put breast pads back on....I NEED A SHOWER!

[Murph12334]

ds hates our bouncy seat. well he pretty much hates it all but the sling

i have a demo to put on tonight with my sca group, fun fun. Babe will come and be in the sling.

I am going to my first camping sca event with ds this weekend. Should be interesting! Dh doesn't come so i''m leaving dd with him.

[Sasharna]

LO has discovered his ear and loves to tug on it. So cute to watch! Still doesn't appreciate toys. Auntie gave him a large, crinkly Lamaze toy and he cried out in terror when he first saw it.

He didn't nap at all out of my arms all weekend. Both days, a loud noise messed up his morning nap and everything else about his typical patterns fell apart from there. Luckily his first nap today was great. Yesterday I had a couple points where I was afraid the no nap thing was going to be his next stage or something. Fingers crossed, it isn't!

I am thinking of buying some material to make a no-sew wrap. I really need to master a back carry so I can get a few things done on the days when he needs constant contact. I'm not sure what fabric would be right for this though... I need it to be fairly cheap. Any ideas are very welcome.

Is anybody doing back carries in a mei tai yet? I want one of those, too. I'm laughingly remembering a time when I thought the Bjorn and ring sling were going to be sufficient. DS1 just didn't tolerate the only sling I had at the time, so I'm a newish babywearer still.

For those who nurse on demand, are your LOs still pretty attached to the breast all day? Mine (at eight weeks) is still kind of like a newborn. He is either sleeping or eating, with brief periods of "face time" every few hours, where he wants to look at us and smile. Normal?

[goodmomma76]

miss k doesn't like crinkly stuff at all! It's the noise that gets her, she likes to look at bright stuff, and rattles are good, but anything crinkly equals a sad face and crying. And that includes any sort of bag that chips or cookies might come in...lol

She still spends a good part of her day sleeping...I can't believe she will be 10 weeks on Wednesday...I just had to count again to be sure!

She's with my mom now while I work for a couple of hours. I don't much care for it, but I needed some time to get some things done.

Anyone else feel weird about setting the baby down to exercise? I have been doing this for a few days, and she watches me or sleeps in her bouncy chair, but I feel weird about it. Like I should be holding her, but usually she's asleep....

[nancy11]

Originally Posted by Sasharna

For those who nurse on demand, are your LOs still pretty attached to the breast all day? Mine (at eight weeks) is still kind of like a newborn. He is either sleeping or eating, with brief periods of "face time" every few hours, where he wants to look at us and smile. Normal?

Even with bottle feeding, Zack is like this. It's getting better, as he goes longer periods without eating now, especially at night, But daytime is still up for grabs and he is almost always wanting to eat. Smiles abound when the bib appears.

[bodhitree]

We just got back from the cardiologist's office. Good news! Judging from the sound of her heart murmur, the doc thinks the hole is getting smaller. ::: She is also gaining weight at an appropriate pace and is now up to 12 pounds even. We're going back again in 2 months for more tests, and if those show that the hole really is shrinking, then she can stop taking her medication.

I think I figured out why she's been crying more the last couple weeks: not enough naps. She stopped falling into a deep sleep after nursing and would wake up as soon as I moved her (which I was doing right after she was done nursing because I didn't want to get spat up on). Yesterday I tried to make sure she got at least two solid naps, and she cried much less. It seems like I should have figured that out sooner, but oh well.

Re: setting the baby down to exercise, well, I have to set her down to do other stuff too, so I just try not to worry about it. I love holding her, but I can't hold her every second, and I'm usually right there near her bouncy chair, so I figure she's fine. I know it's better for her to have a happier mama, and if I'm getting exercise then I'm happier.

[wobblykate]

Originally Posted by Sasharna

Is anybody doing back carries in a mei tai yet? I want one of those, too. I'm laughingly remembering a time when I thought the Bjorn and ring sling were going to be sufficient. DS1 just didn't tolerate the only sling I had at the time, so I'm a newish babywearer still.

For those who nurse on demand, are your LOs still pretty attached to the breast all day? Mine (at eight weeks) is still kind of like a newborn. He is either sleeping or eating, with brief periods of "face time" every few hours, where he wants to look at us and smile. Normal?

I'm definitely waiting on the back carry. She's not quite big enough to stick her legs out the leg holes comfortably in the front hold, and I would like her to have a little more control of her body. I may wait until she can sit up on her own.

On the nursing, if I'm holding her, it's what she wants to do about 85% of the time. If dh is holding her, more like 75%. She's going a lot longer without feeding, but then she still cluster feeds at night time and will have a nice long feed in the middle of the night when we're both asleep. I left her for the first time this weekend with my mom. DH and I had a show to play. We were gone like 3.5 hours. She refused the bottle for my mom, but self-pacified on her fist and went to sleep. Then she chowed all night long. Right now she's been looking at the shadows on the ceiling for about 20 minutes while I ate my breakfast. She likes to talk to them . She was a bit fussy last night, tho. She wasn't crying but she wanted to sleep with her face in my boob, so she wouldn't settle down.

[bodhitree]

Originally Posted by wobblykate

Right now she's been looking at the shadows on the ceiling for about 20 minutes while I ate my breakfast. She likes to talk to them .

Have I mentioned how much River loves staring at the blinds? The vertical blinds in our living room are like her best friend. She will stare at them for a long time, completely fascinated. And the other night DH brought her to me in bedroom because she was crying. I held her up on my shoulder and rocked her a little, which enabled her to see the miniblinds. She stopped crying and got this look of recognition on her face: "Blinds! There are blinds in here too! How comforting!" She also noticed the ceiling fan in the kitchen the other day. It wasn't moving or anything, but apparently it was really, really interesting.

[Murph12334]

Originally Posted by Sasharna

I am thinking of buying some material to make a no-sew wrap. I really need to master a back carry so I can get a few things done on the days when he needs constant contact. I'm not sure what fabric would be right for this though... I need it to be fairly cheap. Any ideas are very welcome.

For those who nurse on demand, are your LOs still pretty attached to the breast all day? Mine (at eight weeks) is still kind of like a newborn. He is either sleeping or eating, with brief periods of "face time" every few hours, where he wants to look at us and smile. Normal?

I bought 5 yrds of muslin that works great (is very breathable) and cheap - i had a joann's coupon for however much off a regular price item - they tend to have it every week on the back of their flyer (which you can get in their stores).it ended up being a litle under 7$ for the whole thing. And it makes two because I divide mine in half so i have 2 5yrd pieces

and my 6 weeker is like you described as well

[emmaegbert]

Murph12334 what is SCA?

re Crinkly sounds: my son HATED sounds like that at first, later loved them. When he was an infant though we had to be super careful not to crinkle any paper or plastic if he was sleeping- he would writhe in discomfort and often wake up screaming. This was a kid who could (still can) sleep through the vacuum.

re blinds: YES! Phoebe LOVES them and so did my son. Vertical and horizontal. (we live in really ugly institutional-style housing, which is to say all our windows have cheap off-white blinds on them, and are bizarre sizes that make curtains really hard. Nice to have a reason to appreciate the blinds...)

re nursing: Phoebe is nursing a lot less already. But she does "cluster feed" and there are times in the day where she wants to nurse every 45 minutes or so. But then she sleeps for several hours and no asking to nurse. Gradually more "awake" time that isn't eating too, she is starting to spend a little time on the floor on a blanket and seem happy.

Who here does EC? I am thinking of going to the EC park day tomorrow in town and finding out more. Not sure I can commit to doing it full-time but I am encouraged that you can be a "part time" ECer and I am contemplating doing it when we are at home. We basically did that w/ DS starting around 18-months since he HATED to be dirty or wet- we did diaper free at home (well, at first we also did a bunch of coverless fitted dipes too) and just lived with some pees on the (carpeted) floor. But that was an age where he was taking himself to the potty. I didn't think of it as me doing it, you know? It seemed to come from his desire to be dry/clean.

[AFWife]

EC: I'm kind of starting it. Mostly just trying to figure out his schedule and cues and develop cues for him. I'll be better about it when DH gets here I'm sure...

Nursing: All DS does is eat and sleep during the day. I get a few hours of face time and smiles in the morning and right before bed. (lol and in the middle of the night during diaper changes)


We're still having flea problems here. Pretty sure they're in the yard with the outside cats...therefore, they keep reinfesting in here. Ugh, thankfully the baby is not being affected. I, however, am a huge itchy mess.

The countdown to DH is now less than 48 hours! Yay!

I caught a smile on video the other day! When I post it to the blog I'll let you guys know. I got lots of smiles and coos this morning. (We had a nice conversation about how adorable he is ) He likes to talk to the window and lights whenever he sits by himself.

[Peony]

Yawn. Tired here. Julian sleeps well the first part of the night, until 2am but my 6y doesn't sleep well until then so I'm still up. He never sleeps well after that though, just wakes up constantly but doesn't want to nurse plus he always seems to produce his entire day's worth of farts from 2-6am.


Today is the ONE day in two weeks that I have no place to be so I'm attempting to get my house in order while 2 out 3 children follow me around messing it back up again. Never ending fun.


I attempted to leave Julian the other night for an hour to get my hair cut. He was fine, but Dh was not! He was utterly panicked by the thought of having all 3 children by himself so I ended up having to take the baby with me. I had even expressed, had a bottle of milk all ready to go, had lined everything out for Dh but he freaked out. I think that if men had to do most of the child rearing that the human race would of died out by now.

[wobblykate]

Originally Posted by bodhitree

Have I mentioned how much River loves staring at the blinds? The vertical blinds in our living room are like her best friend. She will stare at them for a long time, completely fascinated. And the other night DH brought her to me in bedroom because she was crying. I held her up on my shoulder and rocked her a little, which enabled her to see the miniblinds. She stopped crying and got this look of recognition on her face: "Blinds! There are blinds in here too! How comforting!" She also noticed the ceiling fan in the kitchen the other day. It wasn't moving or anything, but apparently it was really, really interesting.

i find eden will stare at any light, but windows are her favorite. We have bamboo blinds and she loves them as well as the windows with miniblinds, so i think it's the newborns' instinct to move toward the light .

Okay, anyone else experiencing this? I made the mistake of telling my dh that lo slept for a two hour stretch in the afternoons....now he has a million things he wants me to do and baby is, of course, not co-operating. I've tried to explain to him that I don't have time, but he's like "you said she sleeps for two hours you should be able to get it done." I feel like he doesn't believe me when she won't sleep longer than 30 minutes. I know he's frustrated and jealous that I'm the one home with lo, but seriously, he wouldn't last a day. Every little fuss and he hands her back to me. If she starts to cry and he walks in to hand her to me and I tell him to comfort her because I'm going to finish doing x before I take her, he acts like I'm being a mean mama. Last week he practically accused me of being lazy and lying all in the same breath. We were having band practice at our house and I hadn't managed to get the living room picked up before he got home. I asked him to pick up a coupkle of things while I was feeding baby before people arrived. He refused and said I had all day to do it if I wanted it done, and then went to sit on the computer. ALL DAY MY ASS! thanks for letting me vent. I've got a million things to do and wouldn't want to be lazy and sit on the computer all day!:

[inky leeuhhh]

Originally Posted by Peony

I attempted to leave Julian the other night for an hour to get my hair cut. He was fine, but Dh was not! He was utterly panicked by the thought of having all 3 children by himself so I ended up having to take the baby with me. I had even expressed, had a bottle of milk all ready to go, had lined everything out for Dh but he freaked out. I think that if men had to do most of the child rearing that the human race would of died out by now.

i have tried to leave dd 2x, but dh chickens out. bah.

[momma2be_k]

Originally Posted by bodhitree

I think I figured out why she's been crying more the last couple weeks: not enough naps. She stopped falling into a deep sleep after nursing and would wake up as soon as I moved her (which I was doing right after she was done nursing because I didn't want to get spat up on). Yesterday I tried to make sure she got at least two solid naps, and she cried much less. It seems like I should have figured that out sooner, but oh well.

my LO has gotten into the habit of frequent shorter naps.... what magic wand did you wave to get yours to take 2 solid naps? do tell! lol

[MelW]

Last night we had the luckiest night ever- both kids fell asleep during bedtime stories. And they didnt' even wake up from the flash when I took this photo. I so wanted to leave them there, but can't trust that Neela wouldn't roll over on Nora.

My husband will take the baby or our 3 1/2 year old, but doesn't want both together. And he usually votes for me to take the baby We've had two evenings out, but both times went after Neela was in bed so that the babysitter only had to deal with the baby. I use my husband as the litmus test- if he won't do it, I wouldn't ask anyone else to. Daytime could be fine with both kids, but nobody except me has the guts or the skills for dinner/bath/bed with both during Nora's fussy time.

I'm lucky that my husband knows how tough it can be to get things done. He's amazed at what I can accomplish in a day