Hey there, mamas!
I was an infrequent (okay, almost never) poster but often lurker on the original DDC. Life was a bit traumatic during my pregnancy and it seemed easier/safer to stay offline, but I still craved the camaraderie of other pregnant women. I'm sorry I wasn't around to get to know you ladies better.
I came here looking for the group because I thought you might be talking about gifts for your little ones in a few weeks, and I was looking for inspiration.
But I read through all of the responses (so far) and had to add my own info, as well as congratulate you all on your journey so far. Your babes sound wonderful, and extra congrats to all the mamas who are pregnant again.
What are the big birthday plans?How are you handling birthday + the winter holidays?
(*sigh*) DS was born on the 25th, so I am staring down the barrel of this dilemma every year for the rest of our lives . . . and I do not know what to do. I think after this we're going to do half-birthdays, which is also somewhat problematic because June 25th is the day after a big holiday for our family and will regularly intersect with a big community camping weekend. But, what can you do?
This year, we will be heading to DH's family's celebration on the 25th, but I am going to try to make the 24th a special one for our immediate family and a couple of close friends--the women who were at DS's birth (and preceding days of labor). Fire in the fireplace, pajamas on, some cozy food & beverages--we were cocooned together in a snowstorm for days leading up to his birth and the week after, so it feels like a time to pull in close and reminisce.
How's life adjusting and settling in for you with an extra member?
Life has been crazy, hectic, and absolutely wonderful with DS in it. His big sister is madly, completely, head-over-heels in love with him and has been since the day he was born. The feeling is absolutely mutual. Our biggest challenge has been the fact that she wants to pick him UP all the time, and the size difference is just way too small for that.
During my pregnancy I was helping take care of my dad in the end of his life; we moved into a new house when I was 36w pregnant; DS was born, had a cold by the time he was 6d old, and we both developed a wicked case of thrush when he was 3w old; my dad died the day before DS hit 4w. It was a rather roller-coaster start to his little life, and one thing we noticed was that from the moment he was born he has been a total ray of sunshine. Not to say that he never cries (the boy can HOWL!) or sleeps wonderfully (he sleeps like a baby) or is an "easy" baby (he has his challenges, like almost all babies) . . . but he has been a joyful little soul, and a source of joy for everyone around him, since the beginning. When he was newly born, he was laid back and uncomplaining about all the driving to doctor's visits and then hospice for my dad. When he was sick (I had thrush on my nipples that hurt like crazy, but this poor boy had it in his mouth AND major diaper involvement that looked awful), he was as patient as could be about all the topical treatments and the weeks of healing. He's just a smiling, happy, agreeable baby that gives out a lot of shining love to everyone who holds him or interacts with him.
Any medical issues?
We've had several colds (DS got that first one at six days old, courtesy of DD) and a bout with the flu. Other than that (and the agonizing bout with thrush in the beginning), we've been fairly healthy. We are very blessed.
Are we walking? talking? problem solving? starting trouble?Walking: he cruises holding on to furniture (or adult hands) like a champ, and will stand unassisted only when he is holding onto a surface and then gets distracted by things he can pick up--he'll fill both hands and just stand there, seemingly unaware that he *IS* standing on his own. We figure once he notices that, it will be a quick leap to his first steps.
Talking: he says "mama" for me. He also uses the "ma" sound for other things, but clearly knows that it means something with me--a couple of weeks ago he was quite congested from a cold and was saying (what I thought was) "BA ba ba ba ba" from his carseat behind me. I was playing along, and repeating his words, and he kept getting more insistent. When he got frustrated, I tried changing it to "MA ma ma ma ma" and he sat silent for a minute and then giggled and started playing again. I felt bad that the poor little guy was so stuffed up that he couldn't make himself understood.
Other than that, though, he is a babbler and a pointer and a SHOUTer. (We've been calling him Dino Baby for most of his life because of the noises he makes.) He KNOWS what many signs mean, but seems to have absolutely no motivation to use them because he is so good at getting his point across by pointing and bellowing.
Ah, well; at least the signs help
us communicate with
him . . .
Problem solving: ohhhh yes, it has been really interesting to watch him figure out how things work. He has a level of focus that his sister did not have at the same age, and so we will watch him repeat a process over and over with a very serious, studious expression on his face. It's priceless.
Starting trouble: He is a delightful baby with a definite knack for finding the least appropriate item to play with/eat in a room and going STRAIGHT for it. At a Halloween gathering indoors, he was crawling around on the floor and picked something up. My husband asked for it, and DS handed it over (he IS great about that, thankfully; he will hand over anything he picks up if you request it), and it was a live bee. Months before that DH had broken a glass in the kitchen and we had kept the area clear while we picked up, swept, and cleaned the area. Less than an hour later I saw DS pick something up and start to put it in his mouth--asked for it and received a small chunk of glass that had escaped DH's attention when he was cleaning.
I now know better than to plan his party so close to the holidays--everyone is leaving town! Next year, earlier party!
Oh, and our anniversary is the 27th, so add in Christmas and New Years and we'll be about partied out for the year!
He says mama, dada, dog (dod), duck (dut), light (dit), and to my dismay, NO. That just started this week. Ugg. He signs dog and all done. We love watching him problem solve! Just this week he figured out how to turn on the light switch. He's been able to turn it off for a couple weeks, but now can flip the switch up as well. Aww.
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