Starting a Nov. '09 group?

[Jewels06]

Is anyone interested in starting a group for Mom's who had babies in Nov. '09? I haven't seen a group and I'm not sure if we need a moderator or not since I'm new to these boards. I also haven't hit my 50-60 so if we do I'm not sure if I could lead it but I thought we could try to get something started. Any takers?

Julie

[miami mommy]

I'm interested in joining!

[Path2Felicity]

Me too!

[Jewels06]

Okay great! I'm sure we'll get even more takers when we get a group, Path2Felicity it looks like you've been here the longest - do you know what the rules are about starting a new group and if we have to have a moderator or if the group leader has to have their 50/60? Thanks!

Julie

[jess152]

I was a member of the Nov DDC...which now has a Facebook page. I don't know how often people are posting there, but I'd like a group here to join. I miss my DDC mamas and hope everyone's well.

How are the babies? Mine is round and fat and lovely and snuggly. I am wrapping him and co-sleeping and nursing and just really loving having a baby this time around. I think #2 is so much easier because you know what you're doing!

[Jewels06]

Okay well I guess we can just keep this as our official page until April and then we can start a new one for the month. So how is everyone doing with their little ones? DS is FINALLY getting on a semi-normal sleep schedule and DH and I are thrilled! Our next hurdle is to try and get him to take naps in bed instead of in his swing but I think I'll be waiting until this schedule becomes routine to mess with anything. In the meantime I'm trying to introduce a lovey to signal sleep times I think that might help with the transition.

Felicity - How's it feel being a first time Momma? It's been a lot harder that I imagined it would be but I think that's probably normal.

Miami- I used to go to school not far from you in West Palm Beach - I miss it there when the winter hits and here in VA we don't even get snow that often if at all on the east coast so the colds not even worth it to me unless there's snow, oh well.

Jess- I've actually been thinking with DS that the next time around should be easier since I've figured out how to handle most things the first time around. How has your oldest taken to having a baby brother? I kinda want our next one to be a boy so that DS can have a buddy, I think that would be fun.

Alright well I'm off to our local Cherry Blossom festival! Hope everyone's having a fabulous weekend!

[Xavismom]

I would really love to join too! Count us in for sure

Poor DS is already teething early. Anyone else going through this right now? I've been able to see the tip of the tooth for over a week now, but its taking its sweet time breaking through. Other than grumpiness from his tooth though, he is such a mellow and happy little guy. And huge, he has 3 rolls on his ankles, and I am obsessed with his soft chubby little hands

[Path2Felicity]

Jewel- I know I've been here the longest but unfortunately I don't know any of the rules Sorry

I can look into it!

Being a first time mom is much harder than I thought. We had a lot of issues with food sensitivities. The first couple of months was spent with DD vomiting and me crying. I finally switched pediatricians and am REALLY happy with the results (if anyone in the Philly area is interested in seeing a holistic doc who is very, very good... I recommend Dr. Daphne Goldberg. She is also trained in homeopathy). It turns out that DD was sensitive to foods I was eating. I had to go on a Total Elimination Diet to figure out exactly what was causing the irritation and we're still working through some of the foods. But citrus fruits, tomatoes, and apples (weird, I know) are definitely out for us, along with the typical allergies like milk, eggs, wheat, etc (though I don't know which ones she is ACTUALLY sensitive to since I just eliminated them all... will add them in one by one all in due time).

Anyway, yes. I've lost all my pregnancy weight plus 10-15 pounds. I mean, I'm not a tiny person, but I guess I didn't want to lose weight this way. Oh, well. The results are so worth it- she is doing much better and gaining weight like a champ Has anyone else experienced food sensitivity issues?

On a brighter note, I never had any problems with latch or developmental milestones or weight gain. DD is almost 17 pounds and 26.5 inches. It's getting harder to carry her everywhere, but I'm sure I will get used to it as she gets bigger and bigger. She is almost sitting up by herself and belly crawling.

Xavismom- we are going through teething now too. Drooling a lot, and LOTS of congestion which is so weird. She also developed her very first diaper rash which I hear is normal due to the excess drool swallowed that can be irritating to the lining of the intestines, causing more acidic urine... or something. But it went away and it was really minor. So that's always good. Have you tried any remedies? We just used Hyland's Teething Tablets for the first time last night and she slept for almost 10 hours straight!!!! That has NEVER happened yet, and I was SUPER engorged, but man... it was great. I just can't wait till the rest of this tooth pops through... poor girl is so irritated all the time.

Jewel- Cherry Blossom Festival is this weekend? My husband and I used to go every year, and this year, I didn't even know when it was. haha. Oh, motherhood!

[Xavismom]

Yes, we have the hylands tablets! The Razberry teether is a huge hit too, DS cant get enough of it.

I'm the opposite of you and am still carrying about 10 extra pounds I was hoping it would just come off naturally since we eat a very healthy diet, but its being pretty stubborn. I cant wait for warm weather so DS and I can get out and get moving! I bought a membership to our zoo for us, and we are going to do swim classes when he hits 6 mo.

[miami mommy]

My DS has tons of food sensitivities, too. It's driving me nuts! I've cut way back on dairy (he seems to tolerate a little), I've eliminated soy, peanuts, eggs, and chocolate. I think I may have to cut out turkey, too. Since I've eliminated so much, I'm not eating enough calories and I'm down 10 lbs from my prepregnancy weight. I really don't want to lose anymore. I am hoping that the food sensitivities will go away (please someone tell me they do!) then I will get my ice cream and chocolate back and I'm sure I'll plump up again.

DS has been teething since ~7 wks old. The dr showed me the canines bulging under his gums back in December. I can now see bumps where 12 teeth are sitting, ready to come out, but they still haven't emerged. I give him the teething tablets and gum-omile oil and he chews frantically on his teethers and Sophie the Giraffe.

Other than those issues, he's doing so well. He sleeps pretty well for a baby (first stretch is ~5 hrs, second is ~3, then ~1-2). The best part is that his personality is coming out and it's so easy to make him laugh. He likes being tickled and he has an adorable laugh.

Jewels- I love Florida this time of year! The weather is perfect. I'm not looking forward to summer, though, especially the mosquitoes!

[jess152]

Originally Posted by Jewels06

Jess- I've actually been thinking with DS that the next time around should be easier since I've figured out how to handle most things the first time around. How has your oldest taken to having a baby brother? I kinda want our next one to be a boy so that DS can have a buddy, I think that would be fun.

Second time around is wonderful! I am enjoying it so much more! Helps too that I didn't have to recover from a c/section.

I was so hoping to have another boy and was so thrilled when he was a boy! Our first DS was so much fun, it's going to be great having two. Big brother doesn't pay too much attention to little guy, but once he starts actually doing stuff, I'm sure they'll be great together. I am enjoying the spacing too. They are almost three years apart and it's huge; the older one is completely out of diapers, can use the washroom now without my help, etc. I can't imagine having two 'babies' you know? It's been good.

I can't believe there are teeth coming already for some of your LOs! Wow! Poor little things, no kidding, grumpy!

And the chubby hands and dimples everywhere are so lovely. I told DH today it makes my uterus twitch to see my LO sleeping. He's worried about what that means!

[Xavismom]

I love hearing the second time round is wonderfull!! I always thought I would just have one child, and so did DH... but now we think perhaps two.

I really honestly would like children spaced out pretty far, like 6-7 yrs+, but I'm 32 now, and I dont know if I want to have my second at 39. So you are liking a 3 year gap Jess? That would put me at about 35 for a second LO... hmmm

Chubby LOs with dimples ARE lovely

[aerobrandi]

I didn't post much on the DDC but I lurked a lot. My little guy is growing like a weed and getting so active. His sleep is totally random though. The past few nights I've been up six times with him but earlier in the week he had a night with a 7 hour block of sleep and a night where he slept the whole night! I don't mind getting up two or three times, but when he wakes up every hour and a half it kills me to go to work the next day. We're pretty sure he's teething though. Still better than when he was colicky though! DH is working 2nd shift and I work 1st so we do the tag team thing. Our little guy gets lots of quality time with both Mommy and Daddy and that's been great. My husband is such a great father. I fall in love with my husband, our little guy, and being a Mommy more and more each day.

I'm still holding onto about 8 lbs of my pregnancy weight but I really haven't cared too much. I'm just finding a way now to spend quality time with our LO and workout after work. He loves watching me on the treadmill while he plays in his bouncy chair, he just giggles and giggles. But I worked out up until a week before I delivered so it must bring back fond memories.

[jess152]

Originally Posted by Xavismom

I love hearing the second time round is wonderfull!! I always thought I would just have one child, and so did DH... but now we think perhaps two.

I really honestly would like children spaced out pretty far, like 6-7 yrs+, but I'm 32 now, and I dont know if I want to have my second at 39. So you are liking a 3 year gap Jess? That would put me at about 35 for a second LO... hmmm

Chubby LOs with dimples ARE lovely

I was 33 when I had my first. I know everyone's different, but I had a great second pregnancy, lots of energy, even at the ripe old age of 36 and chasing a toddler, and really loved being preggo. Don't rule out #2 just yet...!

[jess5377]

Hi everyone!

Nov 2009 DDC member here. I've missed you.

Ada's well, as of a couple of weeks ago she's gone from sleeping big huge stretches to getting up a few times in the night to feed. It's okay, but I'm hoping it's a phase and she'll return to her beautiful 9-hour sleep marathons.

[MommyMad]

Another November 09 mom here.

I didn't post as much to the DDC board, but lurked often enough.

Life as a mommy has been great. I could not have asked for a better LO. In spite of the 3 day labor, followed by a c-section, 5 day NICU stay and then so many issues trying to breatfeed, he still remains even tempered.

At 12 weeks he started STN on his own. At the 4 month mark he went through a growth spurt and eating every 3 hours around the clock. Now that is over, but teething has started. He does try to sleep, but wakes a few times at night for the pacifier. We give him the pacifier and he's off to sleep again. When it's been terrible, we've had to apply the Hylands teething gel and a couple of times we've had to give him a bit of Children's Motrin when he's had a temperature and was just miserable.

We're waiting for LO to show signs of readiness before we enter the land of solids.

Glad to see everyone here.

[lava]

count me in!

Brief update on us (though I didn't post too much before, I was there!):

Oliver is big and chubby and happy. We say he's "so happy he can't stand himself" because he will smile or laugh and curl up and cover his mouth with both hands and look away--like a little kid that's trying not to show how excited they are--been doing that for a while.

He sucks his thumb--never had one do that before, so I'm still kind of amazed. He apparently was a prodigy--he was finding his thumb occasionally by 4-6 weeks and is now finding it regularly. Despite this, he eats a LOT. As a matter of fact, this weekend he's on a growth spurt apparently--he's been nursing almost nonstop for 2+ days and nights. We started him on rice cereal and rice "rusks"--not rushing him, but (all 4 of mine were this way) he's very interested in food--as a matter of fact I can't hold him while we're eating without him screaming if we don't give him his "grusks" (the kids call them that) to gnaw on and/or feed him cereal.

The older kids (10YO dd, 4YO ds1, 3YO DS2) still think he's the best thing since sliced bread. (I just have to watch the boys because they seem to he's a toy sometimes and may get rough with him unintentionally.) DD gets a little put out when I ask her to play with him or hold him while I (pick one, finish cooking supper, use the bathroom, change the 3YO's diaper, etc.) but if she's not being grumpy she enjoys making him laugh and smile too. They're all in awe that he responds to them so happily.

DH got a vasectomy as we'd planned and got the all-clear (now if I could just get Oliver to sleep more often! ), so no more pretty babies for us. Makes me kind of sad but it's good to end with such a happy baby that all the older kids enjoy so much. (I really expected the boys to be jealous and there's not a bit of that.) 4 by 40 was always my plan, and so much in life doesn't go according to plan that it's nice that this one thing did.

I was planning on selective/delayed vax, but Oliver actually hasn't had a single shot. He's had these "episodes" since birth (less frequently but still happen) that look like infantile spasms but ? what they are. Unfortunately, dd also had an unwitnessed syncopal episode about a week after we spoke to the pede about these, and I think because of these being so close together (and DS1 has epilepsy--EEG documented, darn it!), they're now questioning our truthfulness (or just dd's?)--but anyway, they brought up before I could that he shouldn't get any shots until these are diagnosed and we haven't been back since his nonproductive EEG because I'm trying to get one on video. I want to be able to say "see, this is what I'm talking about."

Oh, and he's teething--whereas my other 3 all got their middle bottom incisors first at 7 months, he's getting all 4 of his canines now (first tip erupted at 4 months), so we call him our vampire baby.

Also, someone above mentioned spacing and age. Having my 1st two 5.5 years apart and #2 and #3 13.5 months apart, and now #3 and #4 a little over 3 years apart, I do think I like the 3-4 years best. #1 thought was pretty darn jealous of #2 after being the only child so long. #2 wasn't old enough to be jealous of #3 but I felt guilty because there was never enough of me to go around for 2 that close together. #4 is "everyone's baby" part of that I'm sure is because he's the youngest of course, but I think part of it is that the others are old enough to be a little independent.

A mama above mentioned having another and spacing--to each her own, but for my part I will say that #1 was born a month before I hit 30 and #4 was born a week before I hit 40, and there was a huge difference in how my body handled it. I can only imagine how well (and I've seen it) a 20YO would bounce back from having a baby! Aside from the increased risk of birth defects as we and our eggs age, and the older we'll be by the time our babies are grown , I can tell you from my experience that our bodies handle it better when we're younger and when we space them out a bit.

And he's awake (and hungry) now--been asleep for 2 whole hours, which is the most he's slept this hungry weekend Oh, he's also rolling really well and inchworm-style "crawling" (not really crawling but getting places). My others weren't quite so mobile so early--we cosleep (although we have an Arms' Reach, he really doesn't ever make it in there--it's more for looks with visitors and holds a lot of unfolded laundry!) and if I don't go straight to him when he wakes up (I'm actually typing this as an edit after he's back asleep) I'm afraid he'll go straight off the bed--he's come close! Not sure what to do about that.

Can't wait to hear everyone else's updates!

-lava

[Xavismom]

Its great to hear more about spacing, and age! I have kind of a skewed perception of it because of where I live I have to remind myself pretty often that it is perfectly normal and average for me to have a first baby at 31, because here people think its quite odd. DH and I have been together for 7 years, and everyone always assumed we were infertile, and it made me bonkers! Its pretty normal here to get married right out of highschool and start having children, so I've been getting 'when are you going to have a baby' since I was 19 yrs old.

I think its amazing how many of our LOs are teething!! I forgot to mention we also are using an amber necklace. Anyone else here using one? And I need to look into finding a sophie, I think DS would really dig it.

Wish all you Mamas were closer to me so we could have playdates. Most of my friends have kids that are around 9-11 yo, and all of them are very mainstream and think I'm pretty nutty

[Jewels06]

Happy Monday ladies! My how our group grew over the weekend! How exciting! Welcome everyone! It is a dreary/rainy Monday here on the east-coast, which stinks because I was really looking forward to a walk with DS, oh well I guess we'll have to wait until Wednesday for clear skies.

Felicity- My DS is also almost 17 lbs.! And it IS hard carrying them around, that car seat gets heavier and heavier! But I am glad he's growing so well, the fat rolls are so adorable, especially around his thighs! He looks like a little Michelin Man My sister and niece went through the elimination diet as well, unfortunately they never did find out what she was allergic to. She still has really bad constipation, she only goes to the bathroom every 3 or 4 days it seems like. But I have heard stories of the diet working. Once they get older I know you can go to a holistic allergist and they do this thing where they have you hold different viles containing different things(wheat, pollen, ect.) and you try to raise your arms and if you're allergic to the item it takes your strength. It sounds strange but I know people who have used it and it totally works!
The Cherry Blossom Festival was this weekend for out area, I think the one in D.C. is in a couple weekends. This was one of those weekends where I told DH we needed to get out of the house or I was going to go crazy. It was nice, they weren't in full bloom yet though, probably a couple more weeks. Thanks for offering to find info, if you do find anything just let me know where I can look and maybe by April we'll have it figured out.

XavisMom- I have a feeling that DS is teething as well. He's usually a very even tempered and happy baby but lately it seems like something is bothering him and he has been drooling like a faucet! Swimming classes sound like fun! I didn't know you could start them that early! I would love to do that with DS, I took lessons when I was little and I think it's so much safer for them to learn early on!

Miami- Yay for Sophie! We have her as well and DS just tries to devour her! And when he's hungry look out, he seriously tries to take one of her legs off! I know what you mean about FL summers! You just don't go outside until dark and then you do have to watch out for mosquitoes! We have a horrible time with all sorts of insects where we live. We live right by the beach and in a wooded area so they are all over the place! Last year when I was pregnant I was constantly cleaning everything all the time, I just couldn't stand that we were going to have a baby in a bug infested house (it wasn't really that bad but to a pregnant lady it was not livable). DS is also laughing more regularly and it is the best! DH really can get him going sometimes!

Jess- That's the age difference we're hoping for as well. I think it will be much easier that way as well. My sister has 2 girls and the oldest (who is about to be 3) wasn't potty trained when her sister came last July so my sister is just starting to see progress with that. 2 babies would be very hard, there was a girl in my birthing class that had 4 at home all under the age of 4 and was now having #5 AND her DH is in the Navy - I really didn't know how she was still standing, that would be a lot! LOL, what does it mean when your uterus twitches? I know what you mean it does tug at you when you see your LO sleeping.

Aerobrandi- I know exactly what you mean about the erratic sleep patterns. I thought I had gotten DS on a schedule last week and it still doesn't seem to have settled in. I think the worst part is just not knowing when your next long block of sleep is coming. I also know what you mean about falling in love with your hubby, you see a whole other side of them when the baby comes and I love it - I know I've fallen more in love with him since DS has been born.

Jess5377- Wow 9 hour sleep marathons! That's amazing!!

MommyMad- 3 day labor!! Mine was 36 hours and I thought THAT was bad! Was yours a homebirth as well? My LO has already started signs of being interested in solid foods and I'm wondering if we should start introducing, I know they say between 4-6 months but I wasn't sure.

Lava- My DS also looks away, mostly when I show him his reflection in the mirror. And he is also starting to suck his thumb, which I also find amazing that they do that this young. My Mom said I did it pretty much right out of the womb though so maybe I shouldn't be that surprised. LOL, I love that you use your arm-reach for laundry, we have a bassinet and that's what we use that for, lots of laundry. We co-sleep as well but before DS was DH was all for it but I wasn't. But after the very first night I couldn't do it, I tried to put him in his bassinet and he cried like why are you leaving me in here, and that was that. I couldn't leave my baby. I seems much more natural to me to have him in the bed. But I do have to watch him now, last night he turned onto his stomach in his sleep for the first time. I'm a stomach sleeper as well and I wondered if he would start that, he sleeps like me in every other respect - he's more of a light sleeper (with DH it's like waking the dead), he has all the cute sleep positions with his arms (which I do as well) and he likes to stay up and not miss anything (and we're working in that).


AFM - Well it looks like we're off to a great start. Does anyone know how the forums work here, I'm new and wasn't sure if we needed a moderator or not. I can try, I've never done it before, and I wasn't sure if I was able to or not before my 50 posts 60 days. Does anyone know about that?

Looks like we have a lot of happy LO's. DS is also a very happy baby. His sleep patterns are still not on a schedule yet but he's closer than he has been. He was doing a midnight-2.am. bedtime and slept off and on until noon-2p.m. the next day. Now he's closer to 10p.m.-10a.m. Now I'm just trying to figure out how to get him to take naps in the bed rather than the swing, any advice?

Well it's nice to meet everyone! I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you Momma's! TTYL!

Julie

[Jewels06]

XavisMom- You posted while I was typing. I know what you mean about wishing to be closer to some like-minded Moms. I'm in the same boat. I think a lot of us can relate to people thinking we're strange. If you ever move to the east-coast we'll have to try You mentioned an amber necklace, what is that?