WEEKLY RAMBLE/CHAT for JAN 31st - FEB 6th - Page 2

[ithappened]

Name: Linos and Addie
Baby's age: 7weeks1day
Milestones/Updates: We had our first post-birth '6 week' check up today (a week late but whatever.. He is 24 inches long and almost 14 lbs at 7 weeks!!! He had his hips checked and we told the Doctor we're heading to Bhutan in September to trek with DS.. which she took surprisingly well
Thoughts: Hopefully this doesn't jinx things but everything has gotten much easier the last 2 weeks. We are really getting used to being parents and everything is starting to feel manageable now . DH is really responding and doing 110% amazing now that DS has started to smile and react to him Its made me a lot less stressed (wow that sounds co-dependent).. I also went on the first PP run which felt comfortable and I came home after 30 mins feeling amazing and able to handle everything again.

Oh and DS got his passport in the mail today so he's officially a dual citizen!! and our trip last week to Vienna (6 hours away) went off without a hitch, DS is so easy to travel with..

[Tattooed Hand]

Originally Posted by lalemma

I need exercise to feel sane. I don't even care if I never lose the baby weight, man!

I can go for walks with her on the days when it's not too cold, but that's less than half of them... and some days i'm just too tired or have too much work.

my yoga class is too long (3 hours door to door) and no one but DH can keep her happy/asleep for that long. she's refused bottles, screaming, from MIL and now my aunt when i was only gone 2 hours and they couldn't keep her asleep/happy and got desperate. I suppose that's good because I am so worried about nipple confusion (having had it myself because I had too many bottles too soon and stopped BFing at 2.5 months). But I'm going to have to get good at taking her for walks, doing some yoga at home and slowly coordinating with DH working yoga class into my schedule first once and then (down the road) twice a week, until maybe eventually I can move it back up to 3 times a week, which is good for my sanity.

[lalemma]

Yes - the door-to-door thing is totally annoying. When my husband was here, I tried to go to the gym, but the longest I could realistically expect him to be okay without wanting to eat meant a measly 30 min on the treadmill. And pumping enough milk to leave a feeding's worth of milk in a bottle would mean pumping three times, and I'm too lazy.

Ah, well. It's February, and winter doesn't last forever. I never thought I would want a stroller (I don't have any philosophical objections, they just seem cumbersome) but now I am kind of fantasizing about a jogging stroller, come springtime.

[Tattooed Hand]

Name: Mana/Rassa

Baby's age: 8 weeks tomorrow

Milestones/Updates: Her ezcema is slowly flaking off (after applications of olive oil). Her gas is over all less but still more on some days than others. Her poo is mostly yellow now though (instead of green). She seems to be really prefering me and DH and still needs to be held all the time (or sleeping cuddled up next one of us). I have managed to get her to stay in the bouncy chair for 10-20 minutes at a time now that she is acknowledging the existence of mobiles. She's drolling and chewing/sucking on her hands. And my nipples - ouch! We went to a LC last week to work on the bad latch issues we were having after allergies, head cold and unknowingly having thrush for 4 weeks. Of course when we were there, she did everything perfectly and the LC looked at me like I was nuts. Great. At least I got reassured that she is getting enough to eat... she was 9lbs 8 oz a week ago, up from 5lbs 14 oz at her lowest weight. On Friday, at our 6 wk PP visit with the midwives, she was 9lbs 12 oz. So at least that's OK.

I am not sure if we are thrush free, but things seem alot better. I did managed to "burn" us with the last application of Gentian violet - she was going through a growth spurt and kept wanting more boob and I had to switch sides and she just got more in her mouth than previous applications. there is a scabbed over line around the rim of her lips and she acted like it hurt to nurse the day after. I felt like such a bad mom! One of my nipples also seems to get a bit burned and now it really hurts to nurse her on it... great.

We go to a homeopathic ped tomorrow (not her regular one, though I might switch even though it would cost more and it's harder to get to) to consult about allergies, thrush, etc - I have so many questions and she's just had so many things piled on top of each other that I want to talk to someone who is going to take the whole picture into view.

Thoughts: I'm feeling really good about using the money I would pay to a nanny to get support for house work and to focus my energy on R. She just has alot of needs and is very sensitive and I don't see why she and I should be miserable because no one else can do what needs to be done for her.

Her sleep is totally hit or miss. Some nights she sleeps better than others. Some nights I get more sleep than others. I'm resigned. But I'm a bit cranky, which made it hard to deal with my MIL last week. But I was nice and I am so proud of myself...

As for DTD, since we've had guests in our tiny apartment for 5 out of the last 8 weeks, we've not had privacy. Add sleep deprivation and all of R's issues in and there has been no time. Frankly, I feel zero interest in terms of lust, though I would like to be close to DH. I asked DH and he said he'd like to try after everyone leaves, but hasn't been too bad off without it. He says he wants sleep more than sex, which I totally agree with. Most of the time I feel really lucky that he's so devoted to R and takes this partnership so seriously. And that he makes me feel so hot physically without crowding my space (and ladies, I haven't dealt with my leg hair since week 37 of pregnancy). I guess I just wish he was a litle more available to me emotionally. But battening down the hatches that way is how he gets through stressful periods.

I better not get AF because I bled for 5 weeks and that's like 5 months of periods in the bank. It just would not be fair to get it any time soon. We're totally using BC right off the bat (condoms) because all you have to do to the women in my family is look at them funny and we get pregnant. too many have gotten pregnant way too soon and I don't want to deal with that.

[Awaken]

gave DS my iphone to play with so I could type and drink some tea for a minute I'm desperate!!

Thrush : Have you all seen Dr. Newman's Candida Protocol? http://www.drjacknewman.com/help/Candida-Protocol.asp It's step-by-step, what to use, at which dosage, in which order. I hope those with issues start resolving soon and you're more comfortable!

What been on my mind is, at 7 weeks I still feel like everything is out of control and a total mess. I can barely ever cook, and unless someone brings us food (which at some point soon, I'm sure will end!) we eat frozen dinners. The house is a mess. I'm getting way less sleep now than I did when she was first born, so physically and emotionally I'm so much worse off than I was at the beginning when I was just excited to have a new baby and a girl. The daily reality of 3 kids, preschool commuting, homeschooling, and the bazillion responsibilities that I have, all on a few hours' sleep a night is just wearing me down. And Dh and I barely have a relationship right now, because of his work schedule he gets home late, in time to put the kids to bed, and by the time he's done, it's time for ME to go to bed, or he falls asleep with DS so I don't see him at all until he's on his way out the door in the morning.

I feel like at this point, I should be more "together". I know, in the scheme of things, 7 weeks is not long at all! But it seems like "everyone else" has it together at this point, is sleeping better, having more of a life with their partners, settling into a routine....and I feel like things are so out of control and crazy.

The great thing is that the baby herself is wonderful. No issues with nursing now, she is sweet, and basically comes along with us whatever we do. She does have fussy times, which makes it hard to put the kids to bed when she's crying and frantically nursing, and cries in the car a lot which is really stressful, but overall, she's the least of our issues!

[evinmom]

Mary Do you think you might have PDD? Maybe not everyone has everything together like you think they do. I certainly didn't at 2 months with DD. I could barely function then and was much worse off than the first month when she actually slept. This time around I have absolutely NO expectations of myself. We have not gone back into our regular homeschooling routine yet. Part of me feels like I should, but I'm really trying to take things slowly. DS1 is only 7 so it's not like college is around the corner or anything. It won't hurt him to take it easy for a few more weeks (or even months). Some nights I sleep fairly well and wake up ready to face the world. Other mornings I don't want to get out of bed. I have started cooking again, but definitely not making gourmet meals. We are still eating a lot of frozen foods. DH is also still handling a lot of the household responsibilities. My in-laws were in town this past week. At 2 months PP, I think they were already expecting me to play hostess. I didn't. Instead I just concentrated on babycare. DH was distracted with having them here so all meals ran 3 hours late. Whenever the kids would complain about being hungry, I sent them to ask DH. If I was hungry, I fixed myself something quick. Sorry, I don't feel like I should be here to entertain anyone right now.

[carmel23]

Originally Posted by Awaken

I feel like at this point, I should be more "together". I know, in the scheme of things, 7 weeks is not long at all! But it seems like "everyone else" has it together at this point, is sleeping better, having more of a life with their partners, settling into a routine....and I feel like things are so out of control and crazy.

The great thing is that the baby herself is wonderful. No issues with nursing now, she is sweet, and basically comes along with us whatever we do. She does have fussy times, which makes it hard to put the kids to bed when she's crying and frantically nursing, and cries in the car a lot which is really stressful, but overall, she's the least of our issues!

no, no--give yourself a year, mama. A full year, and then check to see if things are together. Seriously, because as soon as the gas goes away, its time for teething, and then its growth spurts, etc.

I don't expect to be together in any sense until the baby is a year-old, and then I've read that the postpartum period really lasts until baby is 2.

So as long as your baby is happy, growing, and your big kids are getting where they need to go, etc. then you are doing alright, mama!

And have you read 'the baby is the lesson,' over at the homeschooling board about how when you are hs-ing with a baby, the baby is the lesson? When we had to take my oldest ds out of school and hs for a bit, that really helped me. hang in there!

[carmel23]

Originally Posted by evinmom

This time around I have absolutely NO expectations of myself..

seriously, lower your expectations if you are habitually disappointed

[Tattooed Hand]

Originally Posted by evinmom

Mary Do you think you might have PDD? Maybe not everyone has everything together like you think they do. I certainly didn't at 2 months with DD. I could barely function then and was much worse off than the first month when she actually slept. This time around I have absolutely NO expectations of myself. We have not gone back into our regular homeschooling routine yet. Part of me feels like I should, but I'm really trying to take things slowly. DS1 is only 7 so it's not like college is around the corner or anything. It won't hurt him to take it easy for a few more weeks (or even months). Some nights I sleep fairly well and wake up ready to face the world. Other mornings I don't want to get out of bed. I have started cooking again, but definitely not making gourmet meals. We are still eating a lot of frozen foods. DH is also still handling a lot of the household responsibilities. My in-laws were in town this past week. At 2 months PP, I think they were already expecting me to play hostess. I didn't. Instead I just concentrated on babycare. DH was distracted with having them here so all meals ran 3 hours late. Whenever the kids would complain about being hungry, I sent them to ask DH. If I was hungry, I fixed myself something quick. Sorry, I don't feel like I should be here to entertain anyone right now.

I meant to ask you how that visit went. Except for their ridiculous expectation that you be hostess, did it go OK?

Awaken - I am SO not together. You are not the only one.

[cloudbutterfly]

Count me as another one who doesn't have things remotely together yet. I'm sitting here in my pj's at 5 pm, just realizing that maybe I should brush my hair and teeth before DH comes home. At 10.5 weeks PP, all I do is sleep, nurse, change diapers, do baby laundry and play with Nimbus. DH does all the cooking and cleaning and brings me food and water when he's home. All other meals are hit or miss, mostly miss. All the time I spend with DH is when he joins us on the couch to watch TV through the all evening cluster feed. But sometimes he'll be busy with taxes every evening for a week or something and I'm pretty much alone, which gets me down after too many nights in a row. We're starting a weekly new moms group next week, and I'm dreading having to get us out the door in the morning, not to mention the requirement to eventually host one of the meetings at my house (yikes!). And I just have the baby to deal with...I'm trying not to think about what it'll be like to try to manage this with a toddler in tow next time around.

I second the lowering expectations advice...it's the only thing keeping me sane. I often feel like I should have work out how to get a few more things done in the day, or leave the housemore ever, but then I remember that keeping things calm and consistent for Nimbus is way more important than stressing us out trying to do more.

I've been getting a little exercise by stretching and moving a bit while we do tummy time. It occurred to me that his crib railing is a lot like a ballet barre. . It's amazing how much a little stretching helps.

[Truckerdoo]

Originally Posted by nina_yyc

The money thing overall is getting kind of depressing

WORD. I am freaking. Our health insurance premiums are up; our car insurance is up; our electricity bill is huge; and my income is down b/c I can only work PT w/ baby. Am really nervous for the coming year!

[SilvanaRose]

Originally Posted by cloudbutterfly

Count me as another one who doesn't have things remotely together yet. I'm sitting here in my pj's at 5 pm, just realizing that maybe I should brush my hair and teeth before DH comes home. At 10.5 weeks PP, all I do is sleep, nurse, change diapers, do baby laundry and play with Nimbus. DH does all the cooking and cleaning and brings me food and water when he's home. All other meals are hit or miss, mostly miss. All the time I spend with DH is when he joins us on the couch to watch TV through the all evening cluster feed. But sometimes he'll be busy with taxes every evening for a week or something and I'm pretty much alone, which gets me down after too many nights in a row. We're starting a weekly new moms group next week, and I'm dreading having to get us out the door in the morning, not to mention the requirement to eventually host one of the meetings at my house (yikes!). And I just have the baby to deal with...I'm trying not to think about what it'll be like to try to manage this with a toddler in tow next time around.

I second the lowering expectations advice...it's the only thing keeping me sane. I often feel like I should have work out how to get a few more things done in the day, or leave the housemore ever, but then I remember that keeping things calm and consistent for Nimbus is way more important than stressing us out trying to do more.

I've been getting a little exercise by stretching and moving a bit while we do tummy time. It occurred to me that his crib railing is a lot like a ballet barre. . It's amazing how much a little stretching helps.

That sounds exactly like me (today does not count lmao). I'm sitting here in my PJ's and most days DH has to help me when he gets home from work. I wish we lived a little closer, we have a lot in common lol

As for me and Orin, we are doing well. Today was a total exception to the I-don't-get-anything-done-in-a-day because I got an enormous amount of stuff done and dinner smells unbelievable.

Orin rolled over from his tummy to his back today, I was wondering if he was ever going to do it. He looked stunned like 'wth just happened there...'

My parents are coming for a really short visit this weekend and I'm so glad. Just overnight but at least they get to see Orin again.

DH says he is planning something for Valentines and my birthday (my 2 most favorite days lol) and I can't wait to find out what it is. I love romance

I feel like I'm writing in point form today but I guess my mind is just all over the place. I feel like I got so much to do. I've turned my house upside down and I feel like I was before I went into labour lol.

[ears73]

yeah, count me in as a 5pm pj wearing tired and teary-eyed mamma too...

[cloudbutterfly]

Originally Posted by SilvanaRose

That sounds exactly like me (today does not count lmao). I'm sitting here in my PJ's and most days DH has to help me when he gets home from work. I wish we lived a little closer, we have a lot in common lol

DH says he is planning something for Valentines and my birthday (my 2 most favorite days lol) and I can't wait to find out what it is. I love romance

No kidding! So close and yet so far. We usually go over to your side of the mountains once a year to go wine tasting for a weekend...I'm hoping to fit a trip in inbetween babies because I really missed going last year.

When's your birthday? I'm turning 30 on Valentine's Day! The scary thing is that I'm not freaked out about it because 30 seems like an okay age for someone's mom to be.

[thelocaldialect]

Name: Jessica and Annika

Baby's age: 2 months and 3 days!

Milestones/Updates: Annika has really good head control and is good to "sit" in our laps. In fact, she really hates being in a cradle hold these days, she gets super annoyed really quickly -- she's gotta be upright. She hasn't rolled over yet, although she can get to her side from her back, probably because she isn't a big fan of tummy time. I am trying to encourage tummy time more though and give her more floor time in general than I did with DS, who didn't start crawling until about 11 months due, I think, to lack of floor time.

Thoughts: I am sort of depressed that it is February already. I have to go back to work at the end of the month. DH is a SAHD so Annika will just be staying home with him, which is good, but I'm also sort of jealous. At this point she's very attached to me but I know that will shift a bit once DH takes over as the primary caregiver. I am also worried about what this will do to the breastfeeding situation. I couldn't really pump with DS, it just never worked, I could get like nothing out of my breasts and there was no LLL or anything like that in Kunming where we were living, so I reluctantly went to formula when I went back to work. This time I've been working really hard at the pumping and got a much better pump, but I am still worried that I won't be able to keep up. I'm gonna keep trying though.

Aside from the work stuff, which I am trying to avoid thinking of for now, we have been enjoying being lazy and not doing much. Spring Festival is coming up soon and we'll probably go out to a temple fair next week. Temple fairs are a lot of fun, lots of traditional performances and games and activities for the kids, kind of like a carnival. I'm looking forward to us having an activity to do together and get out of the house! On Spring Festival we'll have a feast with just the three of us. Normally we'd be going back to DH's hometown to be with family but didn't really want to travel that far with Annika so young, plus our finances are a bit stretched at the moment. Spring Festival in Beijing is pretty crazy though, people go absolutely nuts with the fireworks, and last year this huge skyscraper burnt down because of idiots setting off fireworks downtown. When the time comes I'll have to post pictures.

[ithappened]

sort of off subject but anyone need/want a Bravado Essential Nursing Bra Tank in black size 36 D/E? I bought it, had it shipped to the EU but waited too long to return it (I never even wore it it was too big) so now I am not sure what to do with it.. figured Id ask the girls of DDC

[Tattooed Hand]

Can I just mention that I hate all my nursing tanks... I'm annoyed that I do because I don't like baring my midruff to nurse (I bought nursing shirts from motherwear instead) because it's cold and my midruff is still pretty hairy from pregnancy. They just feel too constricting (even when I got biggers ones) and they look like bondage gear.

[doclegs]

Another Momma here, sitting in my pajamas and still heating up frozen dinners. And I only have ONE! I figure if I brush my teeth once a day, I've had success that day. It's still early!

[ithappened]

oh yeah, I am still in my PJs- its 3pm here and we're at the end of our freezer meals we made in November. I have no idea what to do now that they will run out this week. .

[evinmom]

Originally Posted by Tattooed Hand

I meant to ask you how that visit went. Except for their ridiculous expectation that you be hostess, did it go OK?

They left my house a wreck, but there were no confrontations or MIL breaking out in tears so I guess we should call the visit a success. I think it helped that I had no expecatations whatsoever for their visit. I didn't expect them to help out so I wasn't upset when they didn't do much. It was a nice surprise when FIL loaded the dishwasher for us after a meal. I think they are wary of overstepping boundaries again so I didn't have any issues with them hogging the baby. Given that Everett was often nursing or needing to use the potty, they only held him in short spurts which is how I like it. I didn't get any grief over cloth diapering, breastfeeding or even elimination communication. Just a little grief about him not using the crib. The first two I figured they would have gotten over because this is baby #3 who would be raised that way. I was pleasantly surprised by their positive reaction to Everett using the potty. Not sure what they will say about it behind my back, but they acted impressed he was eliminating that way and even took pictures of it. I am bolder than I was 7 years ago which I think made a huge difference. I had no qualms about expressing my feelings on anything taking place in my household and the in-laws got the hint quickly.