February 09 mamas - they're not babies anymore! - Page 3

[Everrgreen]

Originally Posted by Mal85

Gillian, how does it feel to have him riding in front of you? Do you think it throws off your balance at all or make it any more difficult to turn? I would love to get Owyn a seat for the bike, DH and I used to ride bikes all the time and I'd love to get back to it. I've looked at another that goes on the handlebars, but I'd think it would be weird to turn like that.

When I first saw the bike all assembled with the seat I was nervous about it. And when I first put Royce in the seat it felt so heavy and awkward. But once I got going and got comfortable with it I was fine - just like riding a bike (sorry I couldn't resist!) My knees have to be out a bit further than normal to avoid bumping the seat. But the seat doesn't impact turning or anything like that. Now that I've had a couple days of practice it feels completely normal

I haven't seen a seat that goes on the handlebars - I would definitely think that would be awkward! I really like having the seat on the front though, it feels safer having him right there between my arms and be able to see him. And I imagine as he gets older he'll point to things and want to talk. Right now he just sits quietly and takes it all in.

[Mal85]

Thanks for the info! I was looking at either the one you got or this one: http://www.amazon.com/iBert-Safe-T-F...9039714&sr=8-1

Good to get a firsthand account!

[Thursday Girl]

ltb, glad Eliza is feeling better. I so feel you on looking forward to the next things. I am glad we are done with the baby stuff and can fully move on, knowing that there will be no more. I am looking forward to going to work or school (birth assistant, midwifery school), and then just doing things w/ kids! adventures.

Mal, that is exciting about the job possibility. when i went to work when the first was a baby (11 months) it was pretty hard, but at the same time it was nice. I felt like working 5 days was TOO Much, like i just didn't see her enough. I'm not sure what i would work now, when i go back that is.

i should load up the bike trailer and put the two littles in. It would probably help my oldest to have someone fast to keep up with so she has less time to psyche herself out. She's got her training wheels off and does fine, but then she gets all freaked out and makes herself fall. We don't use the helmets in the trailer b/c it makes there heads push forward and sort of look down. if they were on a baby bike seat I'd have them use a helmet though.

[Nillarilla]

Gillian - I got the same brand of helmet at Costco today in pink. With the back cinched in with that spiderlock mechanism it fits perfectly!

[mckittre]

Well, right after I mentioned that Katmai wasn't talking yet, he said his first word today! "Moon" I might have wished it was "mama" or "dada" (both sounds he uses non-specifically), but I'll take "moon". And if you count signs, he has almost a dozen words, I guess.

[LionTigerBear]

Originally Posted by mckittre

Well, right after I mentioned that Katmai wasn't talking yet, he said his first word today! "Moon" I might have wished it was "mama" or "dada" (both sounds he uses non-specifically), but I'll take "moon". And if you count signs, he has almost a dozen words, I guess.

Ah, congrats! What a great first word! He's original and a nature-lover!

[newmothermary]

Originally Posted by mckittre

Well, right after I mentioned that Katmai wasn't talking yet, he said his first word today! "Moon" I might have wished it was "mama" or "dada" (both sounds he uses non-specifically), but I'll take "moon". And if you count signs, he has almost a dozen words, I guess.

I agree!

Moon is a fabulous first word!!! Miles says "dada" and "ma" pretty non-specifically. He's pretty spot on with "dada" though.

Miles took a shower with dh and it was great! He went from liking baths to not liking baths to being ok again. Weird.

Here's Miles last week during our little "nature" walk lol. (we're in NYC)
http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r...y/DSC_2440.jpg

[Everrgreen]

Mal - no problem! I had looked at that one too, I thought it attached like the weeride, but from the photos it does look like it's closer to the handlebars. I decided against it though because it looked like it would be a pain to get his feet between the handlebars and the seat. And I like that the weeride has the little piece for him to put his hands on or just for protection if I have to stop suddenly.

I made the mistake of looking up the weeride on Amazon - it is only $50!!! I paid $150 for mine at a local bike store in town. Everything in the US is soooo much cheaper And I'm pretty sure this seat is made in Canada which makes it even more confusing (and annoying!)

I also read the negative reviews about the weeride and thought I would comment on them here. If you think your LO is likely to fall asleep during bike rides the seat will not be comfortable for them (although I find it confusing that so many seem to have this issue, Royce is totally alert and looking around, I can't imagine him falling asleep while biking!). Also, you will not be able to straddle the bar while stopped, and will need your seat to be low enough to touch. Some of the reviewers found this completely unacceptable, but it doesn't bother me at all Oh, and my bike is a fairly cheap off-the-rack type women's bike (I bought it at Dick's Sporting Goods when I lived in the US) and the seat attached with no problems (although I didn't do it, the store I bought it from assembled it for me, but they did so very quickly).

Originally Posted by Nillarilla

Gillian - I got the same brand of helmet at Costco today in pink. With the back cinched in with that spiderlock mechanism it fits perfectly!

Hmmm... I don't think my helmet has a spiderlock mechanism. It's just a basic helmet with straps. It does fit fine with his bandana on though, so it's okay

Originally Posted by newmothermary

Here's Miles last week during our little "nature" walk lol. (we're in NYC)
http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r...y/DSC_2440.jpg

He is sooo cute!! And he looks so happy to be hiking along with Mama

[Thursday Girl]

Mary what a great picture of you two.

moon is a great first word. It is one of Josie's first words. she actually called it "apple" which is what she called nursies/nipple, so then we told her it was the moon so then she started calling it apple moon. we were camping w/ a bunch of hippies, so we decided her hippie name was Apple Moon, and if we had been the type to let the child name herself she would still be Apple Moon, which i really actually like, but my husband is a tad bit too conservative for that. LOL. (sorry moon just makes me think of that story everytime.)

I am tired and it is only 3. we(my dad and I) have been scraping the paint off the front of my house and have now primered half of the front. I wish i could just relax for a bit, but we have a birthday party to attend.

[mckittre]

Courtney, the "apple moon" story is very cute. I've been taking Katmai out to look at the moon every night now that he's shown such an interest - it's very cute to see him excitedly pointing at it and saying mmmoon mmmoon.

Actually, Katmai seems to have had a language explosion this last week, though most of it's signing. He's literally been learning a sign or two each day, which is amazing (all done and kitty today, mouse yesterday, bird the day before, etc...). I'm glad I stuck with the signing, it's so fun being able to communicate with him. Now I just need to hurry up and learn more myself!

He's also starting to walk a lot more - maybe 6 feet at a time occasionally. It's like he needed to be traveling to have this developmental spurt? I swear we give him plenty of stimulation at home, but it seems like his two biggest developmental spurts so far have come while traveling.

Biking sounds like so much fun. I've never taken Katmai, but have a helmet for him already, and plans to get a trailer for the summer when the snow is gone at home.

[mamamillet]

Oh My I have a climber! Anyone else? It is so challenging to keep her safe these days. Willa is also nursing less and less which makes my sad. Her brother nursed well past his 3rd b-day so I really hope she is just slowing and not quitting! Willa is also learning signs quickly...so exciting! We are finally getting better sleep...now that she has 16 teeth! I find myelf thinking of another but we are so NOT in a position right now and I really don't want 2 under three...oh well.

[AKislandgirl]

nak
did you guys read the article in this months mothering about the mayan massage? I checked more into it since I've had so many problems with infertility. Turns out there is a practitioner in Anchorage and they do the self care workshops! I'm so excited to try this! It gives me hope that I may not have to do all of the medications this time around (or maybe not so many rounds before they work!). Just had to share that!

[Everrgreen]

AK - Yeah, that was really interesting! It took me over a year to conceive Royce, so I would also be interested if I were going to try again. The one part I read was talking about how having an out of place uterus can cause very strong cramps during your period and when I was ttc I had the absolute worst cramps of my life. I can remember the one day thinking I was going to have to go to the hospital because I couldn't even move. Plus I would get nauseous But, during all my periods since Royce was born I have had NO cramps. I'm not sure if maybe the pregnancy fixed whatever was wrong, or maybe my cycles are still anovulatory and so I'm not having 'real' periods. I'm curious about it though!

mamamillet - 16 teeth!! That's crazy! Royce has 7, but I think he's teething again. Definitely not a climber, although he does like going up stairs. Oh, and I guess he likes to climb all over me for cuddles

Royce is not getting into signing at all. He is starting to recognize them though, for ex. if I sign something (and say the word), he will smile for yes or shake his head no. And he does sign 'milk' for nursing, but only when he is nursing, not when he wants to nurse. I'm going to keep at it though, I've gotten into the habit of it now

In exciting news: ROYCE IS WALKING He actually took a couple of quick steps last week (the 18th) at a park, but he was so excited about the park and he didn't even seem to realize what he had done. But today, his daddy was over for a visit and I was walking him towards him (he was holding my finger), and I slipped my hand away and he continued walking into his daddy's arms - probably 4-5 steps!!! SOOOOO exciting!! He wouldn't do it again, but still - we're getting there! Both times he did it he was distracted by something exciting, so I think it will be a while before he actually decides on his own to just walk somewhere.

[AKislandgirl]

I'm loving all the news on the walking/talking/signing front! Our babies are getting so big! We were out walking the dogs yesterday on one of the local trails. Fiona walked a good bit of it, stopping to touch the moss and collect treasures of sticks and spruce cones. I loved it! I've been waiting for this! She also decided to sit down in the mud while wearing her new wool skirtie when we went to the end of the road to collect the mail on Saturday. Great!

I have an extra kiddo here today. Fiona is trying hard to keep up with the big boys. Pretty cute to watch! Something tells me she is going to take a long nap today!

[Mal85]

Gillian, that's pretty much how Owyn started out too. She did it when she was wrapped up in excitement or distracted by something else. It didn't take her long to go from that to full on walking, maybe 3 or 4 weeks. It is exciting!

Just lately, Owyn is walking more like a pro. She's been walking since the holidays, but she's usually pretty clumsy and falls down if she tries going too fast or gets too excited, but lately she's been staying on her feet a lot better. And even walking backwards!

She is definitely turning into a climber. Just last week, she learned to climb onto the couch and is now trying to climb on every. single. thing. She climbs onto the patio furniture outside and up onto the dining room chairs. She tries climbing into our bed, but it's too high up for her so far. I bet it doesn't take her long though. Now, if only she'd work on climbing off of these things so we could avoid the falls!

Well, I turned in an application for a job. I'm not sure they'll consider me. It's as a branch manager at a library and I've never worked at a library before, really haven't even used a typical library since high school honestly. But, we'll see how it goes. I'm not sure when I should talk to the parents I baby sit for. I'm afraid of saying something too soon and losing them and then not getting the job or any job for a few months. I can't afford to lose the income, ya know. Maybe I should just tell them I'm looking so it doesn't come as a shock if I get something?? Ugh, not a conversation I'm looking forward to. I hate letting people down.

[Nillarilla]

Mal I know if I was one of your clients I would appreciate the heads up.

Cordelia's talking!!! She said "Bad dog! Lie down!" Clear as a bell yesterday and then when the dog didn't listen she pointed at the ground and repeated herself. It was hilarious!!! I wonder how many times a day we say that?

She's still not walking on her own but she walked all around the yard pushing a play lawnmower on Saturday.
She has made up her own sign for nurse which is nothing like the actual sign which I did teach her repeatedly. She kind of cups my boob with both her hands and looks up at me and wrinkles her nose. It's cute. She will sign for drink and more.

[mckittre]

Gillian: Congratulations on a little walker! And keep with the signing - it's very impressive how fast it goes when it finally "clicks". Katmai did nothing in return for a long time, then just a few, and now suddenly can sign at least a dozen words. Make sure to try and teach interesting signs too. Katmai will do "more" and "all done", but almost all of his signs are things he thinks are interesting (rather than things I think are useful) like animals and toys. He still hardly ever uses "milk". I think he doesn't want to talk to ask me for things, he wants to talk to tell me things, if that makes any sense.

Mal: Good luck on the job!

Nillarilla: That's quite an impressive sentence for a little one. Too bad the dog won't listen!

I'm lucky Katmai's not much of a climber yet. Particularly lucky since we're traveling and staying at many non-baby-proof houses.

[LionTigerBear]

Just got my first period postpartum. I am not a fan. :P I feel nauseous, tired, crampy.

Now I really need to buckle down, get a check-up, and set a date to get my tubes tied. Time flies.

I'm a little worried about getting my tubes tied, since there can be some serious side effects for some women, but more worried about getting pregnant again-- because of how hard each of my pregnancies and postpartums has been. Oh, and back labor. The idea of getting pregnant again literally traumatizes me-- adrenaline reaction, throwing up, feel hysterical, etc. So tubes tied is better.

Anyone had their tubes tide? Probably not yet, huh? Sigh.

[Vegan Princess]

LTB: My best friend and my mom had their tubes tied. Neither made it sound like it was a big deal to me. My mom had it done right after she had me (even though it was a vaginal birth) and was home in, taking care of 3 kids right after. But if it freaks you out so much, couldn't DH step up and get snipped instead? It's the least he could do after you went through so much with your pregnancies, etc.

Gillian: Yay for the walking!!! It took about 3 weeks from Makenna's tentative steps to totally walking. She's getting so fast now - DH wants to slow her down. LOL.

Nothing big to report here. Makenna is fully walking and so cute. I'm excited to be able to take her to toddler activities and now we can really enjoy the parks. My mom will be here this weekend and I'm so excited for her to see how much she has changed since early February!

Cindy

[LionTigerBear]

Originally Posted by Vegan Princess

LTB: My best friend and my mom had their tubes tied. Neither made it sound like it was a big deal to me. My mom had it done right after she had me (even though it was a vaginal birth) and was home in, taking care of 3 kids right after. But if it freaks you out so much, couldn't DH step up and get snipped instead? It's the least he could do after you went through so much with your pregnancies, etc.

The thing is, in the very unlikely but small chance that DH should remarry (should I die, or should we divorce), he really might want to have more kids. I'm the one who is definitely done. Which is fine with him, if I want to be definitely done that's fine with him and he can live with that. But with a different partner it might be a different story. He is only 26 and he's just not ready to say "definitely no more kids no matter what happens" yet. And I support that.

Thanks for mentioning your best friend and your mom. I know it's only anecdotal but it still makes me feel better.