Weekly thread, Aug 8-15 - Page 6

[OneWithTwo]

i'll probably never get to breastfeed jennings

and I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't crushed and crying

[jsh7809]

Originally Posted by erickalynne

i'll probably never get to breastfeed jennings

and I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't crushed and crying

s, I hope that's not true... but at least you're there for him every step of the way, breastfeeding or not!

Sophie: I got one from a friend, and was really happy because a. I'm a sucker and wanted the "cool" toy, and b. she LOVES it. Right now she wants to put everything in her mouth, but for awhile there it was only my fingers or Sophie. She's so into it that I ordered another rubber toy by the same company that has, basically, a big ole nipple on the top. Since this girly won't take a paci, I'm thinking this might be close?

Wiggles: it's been better the past two nights. She's generally a really good, deep sleeper at night, so I'm hoping that this is our version of the 4 month sleep regression, just wild and crazy muscles kicking out at night. She still wiggles but seems to be less out of control/ waking herself up less. She still wakes to nurse 2-3 times a night but is back to falling right back to sleep. And I've been keeping her in bed with us from the 4 am nurse on, so we are just getting lazier and lazier - this morning we didn't get up until after 10am! I can't believe it but she was willing to keep falling back to sleep with me. I feel kind of guilty, but I also really need a lot of rest, so it's kind of perfect. DH is a night owl, and DD is only falling into a deep sleep for the night between 9 and 10 (no matter what we try) so I'm thinking maybe she's just not a morning person? I hope so - we are certainly not!

I realize it can, and will, change at any point, though.

Carseats: good to know, thanks for the info. I have been leaving the bucket seat in the car for the most part but now that she finally stays asleep in it when she falls asleep , I do have to bring her inside in it to keep the nap going sometimes. It is back-destroying to get in and out of our sedan but as long as she gets some kind of nap (still only 30-45 minutes each time), I can deal.

Her new thing is wiggling her legs around until she can kick the crossbar things of her playmat gym, while grabbing every toy and lifting it up to her mouth to chew on. It's amazing how quickly these developments happen! She's still not really rolling over much, but it's not because she can't - she's perfectly willing to roll to her side when there's a toy she wants, or a boob to nurse on, there.

[rhiOrion]

L loves making out with sophie (video)

And, Jess, we also have the nipple-headed mushroom man

[Peace+Hope]

lauhgingfox, i wish charlie would sleep in the carrier, but he only does if we are briskly walking... and i've never put him in a bouncy so i don't know if he'd like it. and no one lives near the reunion site except my 95yo grandmother, and her being 95 dictates our meeting place! thanks for responding, and about the sippy cup thing. i think i'll try ours again, it is hard but doesn't have a valve.

jenfl, you mentioned used, but i don't want to get ANYTHING that i don't plan on getting good use out of. definitely have good resale shops near me though. that's why i asked about the mini cosleepers, because they have some used near me. yay for your night out!

gtg, s on the sleeping. gee, it's really getting to me . so sorry to hear about your husband freaking. isn't there still a chance his other position will be reinstated? i just saw an article about NC getting a bunch of federal $ for education. d reading your blog post

ivymae, i would rather travel w/ our carseat i think. good thing since i'm going to the boonies in MS, and there's nothing there to rent!

carita, i just found out there are air mattresses at the house, so even if we don't have a PnP, he won't kill himself if he rolls . WOW that your dental work will be so cheap!!

sewcrafty,

ericka,

snoopy, omg, 4 months and rolling! thaks for all the ideas for napping on a trip. i was really worrying about his mobility, but i think i'm just going to use what i can find there like you guys did. it's really great to hear specific moms not needing contraptions. oh, i do hate buying equipment! and i can't abide buying stuff that is only going to be useful for a short period of time.

dhinderliter, that is NUTS, travelling with all that stuff!

nikirj, ooooh, i wish i had woods behind my house. i did growing up, and i miss that. i really, really like your idea of pillows underneath the sheet. i'm gonna give that a try here before we go, just to see.

rhi, do you think you are getting more germs from L being in daycare? sorry you are sick . i like taking elderberry syrup when i'm sick too. so yummy, and syrupy, and full of good immune boosting stuff...

triony, wow, great stats on T! i'm totally into the rolled up blanket or pillow under the sheet. i think i'll just try stuff close to when we travel to see what works best.

jsh, you could just leave the bucket in the car, that's what you'll be doing with the convertible right? i'm wondering about when charlie will be too long too. the one we have is up to 30 lbs, but he seems approaching being too long at 4 mos.

pepper, i remember you showing us about the pillow thing. what size bed do you have? i'm almost out of room as it is in our queen. i may eventually feel like i need a side rail, i just want to watch him and see what he does as he gets more mobile.

ivy, you said "It's like their muscles need to keep practicing while their brains are shut down." TOTALLY

omg, charlie cried for about an hour the last two afternoons. then FINALLY sleeps. today he got more and more hysterical, and i tried everything. eventually gave him a massage and he fell asleep. but he's just now waking up, 30 minutes

[rhiOrion]

I'm not sure if it's daycare or not. Though I know that is the stereotype. But I got sick a lot while I was pregnant, too. I really think pregnancy completely wreaked havoc on my immune system. The nurse at the birth center who I talked to this morning said to up my vitamin D and to start taking multi-vitamin again, and a B complex vitamin. And echanacia when I feel something coming on.

Elderberry syrup. I knew there was something else.

[snoopy5386]

So i know I can post here and not be judged.....I don't know what is going on with me today and lately....if it is PPD or just baby blues, or just a bad week, but today has just been awful. I'm currently with both kids at Chick Fil A while DH is at a work dinner just so I could let DD1 go to the play area and I could just get away from her.
I've just been feeling lately like I can never get anything done - anytime I make a dent, by the next day we are back to square one or worse, I feel like I spend every day running at a breakneck pace try to get stuff done or get somewhere, we are constantly late for everything no matter what time it starts, and I never feel like I can relax and enjoy my kids and my life. And I'm not talking about anything beyond the daily running of a house - cleaning up toys, doing dishes, laundry, basic cleaning and clearing out the clutter and papers that seem to multiply while I'm not looking. I feel stressed and I've constantly got this ball of stress in the pit of my stomach an I feel like I'm stuck in this endless slacker cycle. By the time I get both kids in bed it is often 9-10 pm and so then I end up staying up until 12:30-1:30 am to get things done/have time by myself. Which means that when DD1 wakes up at 7:30, I get up, get her some breakfast and turn on the tv for her and go back to bed because I am so tired. I get up with the baby around 9/9:30 and will play/interact with both of them, but often go back to bed with the baby while DD1 watches more tv and then we're finally up and starting to get ready for the day. DD1 is watching tv or asking/whining to watch tv all day. I end up putting it on for her when the baby is napping so I can have some time alone or I can get chores done without her tearing up the house. I love DD1 to death, and she can be sweet, caring, imaginitive, well behaved and just wonderful sometimes and other times she can be mean, nasty, whiny, and just horribly misbehaving. I know part of it is being 4 and part of it is having a new baby disrupting her life, but she really drives me nuts. She never stops talking, is constantly asking for things or whining (either actual words or just these really annoying whiny noises), doesn't listen, has to be asked multiple times to do anything and everything, demands to get her way all the time, talks back with attitude and has been seriously resisting doing things for a while.
Some examples (and a lot of this is me just venting):
Today at DD2's 4 month dr's appt she would not stop talking the entire time we were there and would not let me and the doctor talk. She was constantly interrupting, whispering to me, etc. And the doctor worked very hard at involving her in the conversation, asking her questions too, but she still would not let him talk to me.
After the doctor we went to the bank - we get inside and she asks for a drink, I calmly tell her her cup is in the car and she'll have to wait. No matter how many times I tell her this, she continues to whine and ask for it, all the while hanging on me and pulling on me and telling me how thirsty she is until I finally lose it and yell at her.
On Wednesday our moms group went on a tour of pizza hut where you get to make your own pizza. She wanted to go, was very excited about. We drive 20 mins, get there, she realizes she forgot something that she wanted to bring (which was never mentioned) and starts flipping out and says she wants to go home. We sit in the parking lot and I'm arguing with her about going and doing the tour - how we just drove all this way, etc. She finally relents, we go and she has a great time. Stuff like this happens all the time and it drives me nuts. She is constantly changing her mind about going somewhere and gets miserable and demands to go home - which I won't do. It wastes time and gas and isn't fair to me or her sister.
She's gotten very shy lately and her reaction when strangers talk to her (like at the checkout at the store) is to scream and whine and make noises and hide behind me. We've talked many, many times about this, but she continues to do it.
With her friends - she loves them and wants to play with them all the time, but can behave horribly - taking away toys and telling her friends they are special and they can't play with them, yelling at them, telling them what they can and can't do. When disicplined her reaction is to scream and cry and carry on and cause a tantrum that will last upwards of 30 minutes.
She won't cooperate with bedtime - every request from getting pjs on to brushing teeth ends with DH or I yelling at her after we've asked her nicely a 1/2 dozen times to do it.
She is a huge over-reactor, she just overreacts to everything and anything, every tiny injury or hurt feeling ends with her screaming and yelling and takes anywhere from 10 mins to hours for her to get over.
Today I'm just losing it with her and she can tell. She's been asking to snuggle all day and I've been doing it but my heart is not in it and frankly I want to throw her through a window. It's taken all I've had to not scream at her at the top of my lungs or hit her (we don't hit) today. Of course, even now, she won't cooperate. We're at Chick Fil A and she won't go into the play area without me and is instead standing next to me making whining noises. Every time she touches me I want to flinch away from her and it is taking all that I have to not do so.
Earlier today I had both of them in bed with me, DD1 snuggling next to me and DD2 sitting on my belly smiling at me and instead of feeling great I felt horrible.....and this makes me so sad.....DD1 started making whiny noises (which she sometimes makes when she is loving on you) and I was gritting my teeth trying my hardest not to scream at her. I told her I needed some time by myself and her reaction was to run away screaming and crying. I put DD2 in her crib and went outside to just get away for a bit and got a whole 3 mins before DD1 came after me. That's when I decided we'd come here. Her crying and whining is just playing on me today like it never does and I just can't take it. She'll be in preschool 5 1/2 days a week starting Sept 10th and it can't come soon enough.
And poor DD2. She has been so wonderful just sitting in her carseat this whole time, sweet girl. I also feel like I am constantly giving her the shaft to try and get things done or tend to DD1. She spends so much time being put down and fussing until I can get to her. I try to hold her as much as possible, but it's not the same as it was with DD1 (which of course I know it can't be). I just find myself wishing she would sleep more so I could get more done without feeling guilty for ignoring her. I've said so many times "It's just for today", but it has been so many days. I knew it was bad when she is sitting here smiling at me and I can't muster a smile to send back to her........
So basically I feel like I am failing both of my kids.....
And of course this coincides with DH's super busy period at work which just started where he basically works 9 am - 9 pm or later 6-7 days a week....Every year I take DD1 (and now this year DD2) back home to visit with family/friends during his busy time. We leave next Thursday and I'm both looking forward to it and dreading it, especially now with 2 kids and dealing with bedtimes and behavior and moving around - we're staying at 4 different houses over 8 nights......
Well DD2 is starting to fuss now, so I'm going to take them both to the park until DH gets home from work.....

[nikirj]

((((snoopy)))) that all sounds like completely normal 4yo behavior. And yet, I KNOW that feeling. I'm sorry that you're dealing with it right now. If it helps any, I totally hear you and reading your post, I can remember in a sort of whole-body kind of way what it is to be where you are. And I got through it and I (and my children) survived.

Do you have any friends with similar-age children? They were my lifelines during this stage, it made it SO much easier when other people knew exactly what I was going through.

[jenfl]

snoopy -- I'm in a similar place with my 3 year old, but it's not quite as bad. But I totally understand, even that feeling that you're bordering on swatting them (we don't hit, either). I hate that. And yet. I've hollered at her a number of tiems recently, which I've only done a couple of times before.

She fights everything, even with warning that something is coming up. She fights using the potty! She refuses to leave the house and then refuses to leave wherever we went. She fights any fun thing I try to arrange. She refuses to clean up, even when warned clean-up is coming.

It's just constant butting heads, and I can't see my sweet little girl under it all sometimes.

I don't have any suggestions, just commiseration. That's so rough to be doing it basically without your DH. Do you have any other support system?

[Pepper44]

Ah snoopy I have those days and weeks too! My dd1 is also 4. My dh, dd1, and pets can destroy the house much faster than I can clean it with the baby. Dh is no help. I have the same ball of stress running in circles feeling often. And apparently age 4 is hard. The non stop talking really really gets to me sometimes. I've been reading dd1 short chapter books while dd2 naps in my arms and that's helping a bit, when she'll listen. Dd1 has been playing lots of computer games-- PBS kids, nick jr, starfall, Disney. She also learned how to navigate netflix instant play on the ps3. I figure this is only one period of her life...next time I do this she will have a busy little sister to distract her while I'm busy with a new baby.
Excuse typos, I'm using my phone.

[Carita]

((hugs)) snoopy

p&H - DH had the best insurance and still has it til the 31st, so I'm trying to get everything possible done before then LOL

vent - phone mamas - MDC has a mobile "skin", but i really don't care for it much. i keep selecting the wrong thread or forum and the weirdest thing happened - I couldn't see this forum! i thought we'd been disbanded!!!! i searched the q&a and seesm mdc refuses to list on tapatalk despite it being rather easy to do so and i am super bummed! anyone else? i have this great new Droid my dad gave me and no way to use it here *cry*

[laughingfox]

snoopy
I was feeling really down and having a hard time interacting with DD1, and taking sam-e has really helped me out. I don't know if you've tried it yet or not, I had a really hard time justifying the cost, but I'm glad I did.

afm- I've been wanting to switch to glass bottles for a while. I just don't trust plastic, YK?
Oddly enough, the only glass bottles without internal plastic components at BRU were the $2/bottle Evenflo ones, not $10/bottle BornFree, not $6.50/bottle Dr. Brown.
For some reason, I find that very amusing (and very lucky, since the others were way out of my price range anyway).
I hope she takes them.

[sew_crafty_girl]

I haven't tried the mobile Mdc. I'm here through safari on my iPhone

Haven't posted much as I'm on holidays this week with DH at home and busy with family

We chopped off my ponytail today. That's the advice my hairdresser gave me and she'll fix it when lice is gone. Now to face my real life friends who i swore to I'd never go short Ivy, my son got the lice since he was on vac here. We weren't diligent enough about the fabric couch in the basement.

Today I passed on all the baby stuff Anna is done with *sniff*.

[Carita]

scg, if you are on safari, scroll down to the botton & there is a drop down menu & you can choose mdc mobile. it ditches the ads.

[OneWithTwo]

s snoopy

C is 4 and some days.....some days

[snoopy5386]

Thanks everyone. Last night DH finally got home and I dropped DD1 off with him to do bedtime and took DD2 with me to run some errands. By the time I was done I felt a lot better. Of course then I got home and got into with DH about parenting DD1.....I just gave up and went to bed. Today's been better. I still had a few moments with her this morning, but overall much, much better. We went to farmer's market, the park and the library and now are back home. DH is at work until 6:30ish, just have to survive till then. I don't know what was up with yesterday but it seriously ranks up there as one of my worst days as a parent...I've
Laughing Fox - I've not tried Sam-E but I'll look into it and give it a shot. Right now I'm taking a multivitamin, iron, vitamin C, a B complex, fish oil, Vitamin D and Acidopholus. I feel like I'm swallowing a medicine chest every day already, so what's one more pill?
Ericka - so sorry about Jennings.........nothing I can say to make it better.
So Yesterday was Kelsey's 4 month appt. She is 16 lbs 5 oz and 27 inches long. She's up almost 3 lbs and 3.5 inches in 2 months! Morgan is only 38 inches tall, she'd better start growing soon or her sister is going to surpass her!

[loveneverfails]

My husband = the best husband ever, even with the 5am booty call tendency. He let me sleep with the baby until 10:40 this morning.

[laughingfox]

Originally Posted by Carita

scg, if you are on safari, scroll down to the botton & there is a drop down menu & you can choose mdc mobile. it ditches the ads.

I must be sleep deprived. The first thing I thought was "Why would anyone be on the internet when they're on safari? Shouldn't they be watching for lions and stuff?"

Well, DD2 isn't digging the Evenflo nipples. Am thinking of giving the Kleen Kanteen sippies a try, if I can bleed the budget a bit more. They're compatible with Avent nipples, which means they should take MAM nipples, too. I love the idea of one product I can use as a baby bottle, a sippy cup, and eventually a big-girl water bottle, instead of buying more plastic bottles and plastic sippy cups down the road that have limited usability, and steel seems cool, since it's both not-plastic and not-breakable.
..but ouch, they're pricey.

[loveneverfails]

You know, if we stay up through to September, I might even write up my birth story and post it in here.

[Peace+Hope]

rhi, feeling any better? sucks to be sick on your weekend, but maybe better than being sick at work. i'm sorry if i offended you by mentioning daycare. my SIL's kids are around other kids a LOT at church, preschool, school, and they are sick sooo much. i just thought more exposure to kids = more sickness.

anyway, i wonder if there's some connection b/n an allergic-type reaction to pregnancy (colistasis and maybe pre-e) and the immune system? i've always been so healthy too!

snoopy, . aren't you the mama who loves outings and the rest of your fam doesn't? that must be extra stir-crazy for you. i don't know how i'm going to handle the endless chatter when we get there...

definitely feeling like i'm not getting much alone time lately around here. my mom and dad have been here 1 week, and my mom is such a chatter box! sometimes i resort to the smile-and-nod treatment with her. she doesn't seem to notice most of the time .

on the fun side, we all got up at 6am and went blueberry and blackberry picking this morning! charlie was awesome, hung out in the ergo and took it all in, and slept too. we gave him some blueberry (no skin just the goo from inside) and he didn't push it out, went from curious to frowny to smiley to omg-this is sour! his first "solid" food

then, the weirdest thing, he slept most of the way home and then for 3 hrs!!! the last time he took a nap like that was over a month ago! i don't get it, i have him in the ergo almost every morning for an hr when i walk. not complaining though!

[snoopy5386]

For those who are taking Sam-e, everything I find says it's not safe for breastfeeding, that isn't hasn't been tested. Have you found other info? Or are justifying it somehow?