Feb '08 Mamas - Happy New Year! - Page 2

[Teenytoona]

Happy New Year all, just checking in. I"m feeling really blah today, as DD is taking up all my space in the bed causing me to get little sleep and a neckache. Also I'm probably getting some sort of flu and AF arrived this morning (not usually a big deal lately, but this one is more cumbersome than they have been lately). Sorry to be whiney, I know there's alot more going on here than my troubles. to everyone having a bad go of it.

DD goes to sleep very well, it's still the staying asleep thing that is tough. If she manages to sleep outside of our bed, she stays asleep for quite a while, but it gets crowded with the three of us. We were getting her a toddler bed (from my sis), but she hasn't bought her new one yet for her little boy, so we're still on hold. Mattress on the floor doesn't work out well, as it's just too darned cold right now. She sleeps the best on the downstairs loveseat - but that seat is so well loved that it's not always available. Ah well....

DH's and my "legal" anniversary is one week from today. He's reportedly planning an outing, but I have no idea what. Which is hard because we need to set up the babysitter, unless he's plannign that out.

[ema-adama]

Maybe a bath is not a good idea then.... although we still bath together and it is chilled out.

I am at a loss with his sleep. He fights it and will toss and turn nursing and not nursing for an hour quite easily. It has crossed my mind something is bothering him/making him uncomfortable. His naps are all over the place. And I serisouly dread the going to sleep thing, and have started putting it off. I just don't have it in me to lie there for so long waiting for him to sleep. Naps too. If he doesn't fall asleep, I leave it. And then he falls to sleep at 4pm and wakes up at 6 and won't go to sleep until 10. It is doing my head in. I reallly want to have the eveing with Adi, or by myself. But I am not happy with leaving a toddler alone to fall asleep.

ETA: teeny I missed you.

[Dea]

Megan, I'm sorry you're having sleep issues. We're pretty lucky, Trixie asks for a bottle and bed and she goes, either Adam and lie with her and she goes to sleep. We wait for her to cue when she wants to go to bed though, since I'm a believer in letting her set her own schedule. So could you let him tell you when he wants to go to bed and follow that? I know you want some time for yourself, but he might surprise you, he might want it at the same time, but on his own cues.

lauren, PISA? what's the A? I'm such a novice when it comes to pumps, it was all decided for me last time and it worked out well for what I needed. I'm also worried about how strong a regular pump is, I used hospital grade with Trixie and are the ones you can buy as good? I'm starting to worry 'cause I would like one before I go into labour because I do not want pitocin!

[HeatherRenee]

I'm sorry Dea, I didn't see your post about pumps!!

I am a pumpaholic.. LOVE them, and have tried most. My favorite is the Ameda Purely Yours. I'm not sure what your price range is, but take a look at their site..

Ameda

I found it was the most comfortable, and it actually got a lot more milk out then others I had tried.

good luck hun!

[eilonwy]

So yesterday I got a call from the GI practice saying that I needed to make an appointment for "as soon as possible" (which turned out to be Wednesday). I'm hoping this means that they found something correctable on the CT. After all, they wouldn't tell me to make an appointment right away just to say, "You need more tests," or "You're fine," would they? Anyway, here's to easily-solved problems. The puking has gotten SERIOUSLY old. To be brutally honest, I'd cut off a foot to get my hands on some nebulously-legal anti-emetic. It'd help with the pain and miseries, too, if only I could find the stuff. Life is seriously unfair.

Anyway, I've got to make sure Mike fed the kids so we can get some schoolwork done. If nothing else, tomorrow I can hopefully get some painkillers.

[ema-adama]

Rynna

Dea - what cues does Trixie give you when she is tired and willing to fall asleep?

I have the no cry sleep solution, but I don't have the presence of mind to actually sort out and pinpoint what is going on.
My problem solving skills have taken a serious nose dive.

Today thankfully DH was here to help with nap time. Hillel fights and fights and then when he falls asleep he sleeps for 2 hours straight. I am just so tired. I kinda just thought it was always like this. But maybe it doesn't need to be quite so hard

[smokeylo]

Megan, I really liked the NCSS for Toddlers book and it has helped us a lot in terms of Robin's sleep problems. It's still not perfect by a longshot but has improved dramatically. A regular schedule has been a big factor -- she naps around noon every day, and then goes to bed about 6 hours after she wakes from nap (usually around 8 pm).

I've found lately that Robin is getting good at tricking us into helping her stay awake by asking for things, wanting one of us then the other, wanting a blanket then rejecting it, etc. She seems to have a lot more going on mentally and is more easily distracted. A few nights ago, I left her alone on our bed after nursing her and said I'd send her dad in. We waited to see if she cried, and she didn't... and now it's 3 nights in a row she's fallen asleep on her own! I am wondering if my/our presence became more of a distraction than a help in terms of relaxation.

For the record, she takes a bath every night and I do think it helps her relax, but I can see how it might backfire for some kids. We do bath time, then turn on lullaby music and nurse for about 10 minutes. Then I get up and hope she falls asleep on her own... otherwise, Dad takes over.

Dea, PISA = Pump In Style Advanced. I have also heard good things about the Purely Yours. I got great results with my PIS after getting nothing out of the Avent Isis a friend sent me (hand pump that's well reviewed). They are pricy but I think if pumping is going to be a big part of your life, you should invest in a pump that has a great track record.

[PlayaMama]

megan- what time does hillel get up in the morning? linnaea was doing the exact same thing until i stopped nursing her to get her sleep in a little because i was so tired from the stay up late schedule.

she'd wake at 7 and i'd nurse her back to sleep until 8:00.

when i finally got up with her at 7, she'd nap at 12-12:30 and sleep at 8:00. it was really the only consistent thing i've found that works.

dea- i loved my avent hand pump. i had the mechanized part too but the hand pump was what worked the best for me. like, 6 oz each side when i was first figuring out flow.

rynna- fingers crossed it's easily solvable and not too invasive! i can't wait to read your book.

in news for us, linnaea has started pee'ing on her potty! sometimes. i wish it were summer so she could just be naked but it's too chilly without clothes. i just sent off my first application to Oregon State University and i switch between feeling like i'm never going to get in and like they're totally going to take me. ugh! i can't get the letter soon enough.

[Dea]

Hi!
I can't remember how asked what Trixie's go to sleep cue was, she asks for a bottle. She only gets one before bed, nap and in the middle of the night. But she knows that if she asks for one it's bed time. She can ask and I'll say "it's time for bed?" and she'll agree. This normally happens around 9ish at night and 11amish, even though she wakes at 8:30am.

I had my midwife home visit today. It was nice! Trixie was on full on display mode and was extra cute. Now hopefully I'll go into labour soon!

Thanks for the pump info, it's helping!

[Mommy2Austin]

So baby is kind of transverse/breech (I had both midwifes digging into my abdomen to figure baby's placement...I'm pretty sure based on movements she is head up and maybe a little to the right.)

So now I'm going through the lovely list of options:
1) Chiropractor with the hopes baby will turn
2) Prayer
3) If baby doesn't turn I'm stuck going to the hospital...

So now I'm hurting really bad from all the palpitation and bummed. This kid just doesn't want to give me a break.

[eilonwy]

vibes to you, Sarah Lynne. I've got to say, it feels weird to me not to be pregnant right now. I can hardly believe that it's been almost two years since Bear was born. Almost two years since I ceased to be a pregnant and/or nursing mother. Still not really sure how I feel about that. I don't want more kids, but I'm still really bummed out that Bear didn't get to nurse as long as his siblings. I never ever imagined that. :cry

Bear's been ridiculously cute today. He pretends to make himself cups of tea with the plastic kitchen set that Mike's sister gave Bella for Christmas. Actually, he does everything with it-- he cooks, he cleans up, he sorts... it's just too flipping adorable. He's going through a demanding phase along with this-- "I want __ _____!!!" in a voice that somehow comes across as condescending. "I want a bottle!!" "I want to fly!" "I want a cookie!" and so on and so forth. At least when I sarcastically say, "You're welcome" after handing him something, he says, "Thanks mama. Sorry." I melt every time, the little dude just pwns me. He continues to grow like a little weed, and to draw on everything in sight. He actually drew a REALLY fabulous person (like, I thought Boobah or Bella had drawn it), but as it was on the wall... In any case, I'm a big fan of his art.

I'm kind of nervous about what the doctor is going to say tomorrow. I don't even know what to think.

[Dea]

Rynna,
We got Trixie a kitchen for Christmas and she spends half of her day playing in it, mostly playing tea party, it's so cute! She'll make me some tea and bring me a cup, then make me some soup and bring me some. I love how their little minds work!
Bear's art sounds awfully cute, but ack... hopefully it comes off the wall! Just a little Picasso at work, eh?

I went and bought a pump today. I'm really excited. I want to bust it open and try it!

[ema-adama]

I think we are getting the sleep issue sorted. Carrie, he was waking up at 8 am after late nights, late naps etc. It was a horrid cycle. Anyway, two mornings of waking up at 7, and he is napping at 1pm and last night was asleep at 8pm - which is way better than 10pm. I'm aiming for asleep by 7:30 - it would be brilliant. He is also fighting less and I am not quite so strung out. He has had 2 1/2 hours naps both days - so he was really tired. Thanks Rynna for picking up on that. And

Dea - on your pump. Let the contractions begin

Sarah Lynne - for you that your LO turns.

[Teenytoona]

Sarah Lynne, I'm sure you already know this, but have you checked out the spinning babies website? There's this crazy upside-downish sort of thing that they talk about that's supposed to help baby placement. I always said I needed to do it with DD, but never did. Also, if crazy upsidedownedness is not your cup of tea, there's always lots of time on hands and knees, cat/cow (yoga positions) and proper sitting. But that's all on spinning babies too.

I was about to sound off on the Lansinoh pump, which is the Ameda Purely Yours in purple disguise... I liked it alot (I mean as much as one can like a pump), it worked mighty well for me, I used it for about 11 months, 10 months of intense weekday pumping.


Carrie, good luck on your application! How exciting.

Rynna, I hope that's a good news easily solvable type of thing too.

This weekend DH is taking us out for an anniversary weekend. I'll be away from DD for 2 nights. I reckon she'll be just fine without ah-ah except maybe at night. They're staying at my mom's so they're in capable hands. I just reckon I might need to bring the hand pump that I kept for an unknown reason.

How funny that everyone's kids are making tea! Mine too. She got a little set and she brings me a cup with a spoon (she stresses if the spoon falls out), and we have cup after cup of tea.

For a cheap night of sibling fun, I highly recommend the glow sticks that you can get at Target for a dollar. Probably full of all kinds of gunk, but wow, did we have fun last night - TV free and all (which the big kids always whine about - they like their movies).

Just a rhetorical comment - the weather channel has issued "a winter weather advisory." Which makes me laugh - no kidding, this is Cleveland, OH... in January... how much more wintery can we get? Should we expect anything but winter? Why not a summer weather advisory, heh, now that would be funny in January!

[PlayaMama]

sarah lynne- i've got my fingers crossed for you, turn baby turn!

dea- so which one did you get?

megan- i've totally found 7 to be the magic number. that and running her around outside really early. it's like magic, today she was asleep by 11:45 for nap. the only other option that occasionally works is keeping her up until 6:30 at night and hoping she sleeps through the night. that can sometimes backfire where she's awake at 10 and good to go until 12 or 1, i loathe those nights.

teeny!!! remember those pickles?!? well, i had one jar left in the back of the pantry, it was the only one i put a little vinegar in and it didn't mold. anyway, we had some today and they are YUMMY!! i'm going to do that every year because they're like bubbies but so much cheaper.

is anyone else dealing with the, "i do it myself!" stage still? it's driving me NUTS!!! even if it's just picking something up off the ground, she wants me to put it back and let her do it, which i do, but jeez, give it a rest already!

[Dea]

Hello!
I got the pump in style advanced... I was so desperate to get one that I went to BRU and got one. I just do not want to go into labour and not have one... it was pretty much my one and only thing that I feel I need.

[slgt]

Dea - hope the PISA works well for you. I got a new PIS and was very, very pleased with it!

Rynna - any news from the doc?

Sarah Lynne - I think acupuncture is another fairly persuasive technique for turning le bebe. My ob practice says that they see the highest success rate of all the techniques.

Teeny - DD also stresses if the spoon falls out!

Ok, off to lie on the couch while reading to DD and hope I don't throw up again. Isn't the nausea supposed to end at 12 weeks? Eh? Ha, ha, ha.

[eilonwy]

Apparently the test was normal. I have a new pill to try for three weeks, and if that doesn't work I get another test. This SUCKS.

[Mommy2Austin]

Originally Posted by Dea

Hello!
I got the pump in style advanced... I was so desperate to get one that I went to BRU and got one. I just do not want to go into labour and not have one... it was pretty much my one and only thing that I feel I need.

I know what you mean I like mine a lot and hope it works when I go back to work!

Originally Posted by slgt

Dea - hope the PISA works well for you. I got a new PIS and was very, very pleased with it!

Rynna - any news from the doc?

Sarah Lynne - I think acupuncture is another fairly persuasive technique for turning le bebe. My ob practice says that they see the highest success rate of all the techniques.

Teeny - DD also stresses if the spoon falls out!

Ok, off to lie on the couch while reading to DD and hope I don't throw up again. Isn't the nausea supposed to end at 12 weeks? Eh? Ha, ha, ha.

My problem with acupuncture is finding someone to do it here. I live in BFE...

Originally Posted by eilonwy

Apparently the test was normal. I have a new pill to try for three weeks, and if that doesn't work I get another test. This SUCKS.

I wish they would stop toying around and figure out what the *bleep* is going on with you...

[mishaj]

Long time, no post!

Wow! Congrats to all the expecting mamas! I haven't checked in for such a long time, it was so nice to read everyone's news!

Dea- wow- baby will be here any day now- how exciting- I hope you get your beautiful homebirth experience and that Trixie loves being a big sister.

I am envious reading about the ease at which some of you gals get your little ones off to sleep. I am struggling to make bedtime an under two hour ritual. We, too, are dealing with the requests for just one more-book-drink-drawing-game-toy. If I leave and let DH handle it, she sobs to the point she hyperventilates and will not fall asleep till I turn up and then it takes her another 1/2 to settle down. Augh!!!

On a positive note, we've been out of diapers since 11 months and down to maybe one pee accident every other day. She has gotten worse at telling us since getting older and more independant so we are having to rely on timing and visual cues (squirming, holding herself) When she has a miss, she tells me mid-stream- Oh mama, I'm already late! Cute, but frustrating when it is on my new rug!

Lots of love to you mamas and here to to everyone's health and wellbeing in 2010!

Mj