July 2010 DD Club~Jan/Feb Chat - Page 6

[craft_media_hero]

Hi everyone! I haven't checked in with the group for a while, but I wanted to pop in and see how everyone's doing.

T is a chunk! He's is around 21lbs. Very unlike dd who was extremely petite and a slow weight gainer (which is fine!). I've noticed that his weight gain has actually slowed since he started solids, which he's really into. He loves his food! He and dd share hot cereal every morning--she is the honorary baby feeder in the house as he laughs and eats so well when she feeds him but he is kinda half-hearted about it for me and dh. He eats everything except cheese and the like, though I have been adding milk (raw!) to the kids' cereal in the am and haven't noticed any problems. He refuses a bottle which is a major pain! Getting away to work or any other kind of babysitting is really nerve-wracking cause he is still iffy on whether he'll eat solids or not, and he hasn't really clicked with the idea of sippy cup either. 

Little man started crawling a couple of weeks ago and just moves across the house so fast! He started pulling himself up and has made it up a step or two of the stairs. I really really am hoping that he'll hang out in the crawling stage for a while as it's so good for right/left hemisphere connections and all that--I'm definitely not pushing the walking/standing, but he really loves to be vertical.

He says mom, momma, and dada, lala for sissy. I have noticed him kind of repeating word sounds but just mimicking. He uses his hands a lot and makes this little "come hither" sign, so I think we might start doing baby signing.

I swear he makes the pssss noise when he goes pee in his diaper! Though it sounds more like thsss--he goes peepee on the potty pretty much every time I set him on it--it's so cute! He holds his little penis and looks down and lets it go with this look on his face like he totally knows what he's doing. So I'm glad because we had tried offering EC potty opportunities when he was itsy bitsy and it just didn't really consistently happen, but now he goes and really enjoys sitting on his potty and looking at books, etc. No pressure, just fun and saving on diaper changes.

Sleep is a joke. 3 wakes is a good night, it's really more like 5 or 6---night is like one long nursing session with hour long sleep breaks. It's really horrible, lol. I'm just trying to deal. I don't think there's anything we can do differently as long as we're co-sleeping and nursing, so . . . ? One thing that I've noticed helps him sleep for longer is if I nurse him up really full but don't let him fall asleep on the boob (like nurse sitting up downstairs) then bring him up to bed in the dark and lay him down awake--he'll usually crawl around and play and talk to himself and pull my hair for about a half hour, but he'll eventually fall asleep on his own, and then he seems to sleep a longer stretch and wake less frequently that night. Though I can't always do this coz he'll cry for the boob and then fall asleep on it *shrug*

Anyways, love and happy restful sleep to all of you!

[MJB]

Originally Posted by ArtsyHeartsy 

Wow!  She's doing a lot!  How fun, and exhausting! :)  since you mentioned weight I am starting to wonder if I should be concerned with dd, she is 15lbs and I think 10oz, not gaining very quickly...she is so small compared to other kids her age.  What's odd is that both dh and are tall, I'm 6' and he's 6'4" and not skinny, so she looks even smaller when we carry her!  I don't know where she gets it, I know DD1 was small too but she wasn't this small.  She eats so much too!  She eats a lot of solid food when we offer it...I just don't know if I'm giving her enough breastmilk, she rarely seems super satisfied.  She does when she gets a formula bottle though (pumping isn't really working for me) ...she goes into sleepy mode with a bottle.  I planned on bf'ing her for as long as she wants, but I'm afraid that won't be much longer at this rate!

That was pretty much where I was a month ago; she was never satisfied with nursing, eating tons of solids, and we were giving 8-12 oz. of formula a day but she still wasn't gaining. I got domperidone to try to increase my milk supply and after taking it for two days she was totally done taking formula (hasn't had any since) and slowed way down on solids. She's gained over 1.5 lbs. in a month! I thought she would be totally weaned within a couple months but now she's back to 90% boob (she still loves food, but doesn't eat a lot at a time anymore). I never used formula at all with my boys and they nursed until they were 5 and 2.5 but my milk supply just disappeared this time. 

[expat-mama]

That's wonderful that the domperidone worked so great for you! Edie must be happy as a clam with all the new mama milk.

My DS still still nurses a lot but I really have to work at fitting it into the day especially now that he really wants to just go, go, go. I find he gets the most milk when he first wakes up, when I'm nursing him down for naps and when he wakes from naps. He's also the calmest at these times! He weighs about 22 pounds now, but he doesn't have fat rolls, he's just THICK. We think he's going to be muscular and tall like his dad- he's got humongous feet.

He loves food too...I don't know when to stop feeding him- it seems like he could eat and eat and eat. I give him little snacks throughout the day- cheese, bits of rice cakes, and fruit and he eats a ton at meal times. I wish there were some guidelines on how much solid food to give little ones.

Funny about opening all the books looking for pictures! Konrad loves his books...they are really his favourite toys. He likes to help us turn all the pages (with his hands and feet!) and for most of his books he listens so well that he knows when to turn the pages. Lately he is really into the few pop-up, lift-the-flap, and touch and feel books he has. There is one where the touch and feel places are really hidden in the pictures and he knows where they all are now and loves to just sit and flip through and find them all.

His other favourite toy is his dad's guitar. He can strum pretty well now- we kind of hope he is getting a feel for music and that he'll take to lessons really well in a couple of years.

Another thing- his hair seems to be growing like crazy lately! Just a couple months ago it was pretty wispy, now it covers his scalp pretty well and it's getting long. Has anyone cut their LO's hair yet? I don't want to cut it for a while.

[somegirl99]

DS still nurses about every 2 hours during the day (except for naps) and every 3 hours or so at night right now.  Seems like a lot, but he's still not eating very much in terms of solids.  The last couple of weeks he has had fun with apple or firm pear slices though, I give him ones he can grab and gnaw on.  A bit ends up in him, most of it on the floor for the dogs (they are not complaining).

I need ideas for other foods for him to try...he is averse to anything mushy/slimy, doesn't want anything on a spoon or in a mesh feeder, and I'm currently doing an allergy elimination diet for eczema and diarrhea, seems to have cleared but I haven't figured out the specific culprit yet - I'm off tree nuts, peanuts, soy, citrus, sesame, and gluten (plus I'm vegan so no dairy or eggs).  Not sure what to try next.

He is a little bookworm, loves to go through a big stack of books in one sitting, and loves books and toys when he is on the potty.  Like expat's DS, he loves the lift-the-flap and pop-up books and "helps" with those as well as turning the pages.  He has fun playing the piano too, he sits in my lap and bangs on the keys.  His favorite thing is going outside though, he is happy as clam enjoying nature or watching the dogs walking, and especially likes a back carry with me or the nanny, although we finally tried out the jogging stroller (baby shower gift) for a run and it went pretty well as long as we get him outside right away.

Expat, we haven't cut hair either, and his hair is crazy long when stretched out.

We are in the process of going to 1 nap a day...usually 2 naps keeps him up past 10:00 at night, but sometimes 1 nap is not quite enough...the other day I had to give him a 12 minute "power nap" on my shoulder at 5 pm. 

[Love Wins]

Originally Posted by expat-mama 

Ohhh! I love that wooden activity box, Love Wins. I've been looking for something like that, but no luck here. Where did you get it? Which company makes it?

Thanks!  We got it at Target, but I know Amazon and Target.com have them also.  It's called a Zany Zoo and we love it!

Originally Posted by ArtsyHeartsy 

How is everyone doing with other caretakers when/if you need them?  DD still screams when she is with anyone else (besides dh), which is rare, but it's just sad, is this just part of AP? 

DD is just coming out of the separation/stranger (or familiar family member) anxiety stage.  She wouldn't even go to her dad if I was in the room!   But I do think it's personality.  DH & I are both super outgoing, and she is a ham and a little actress in front of everyone.  She charms everyone and smiles and even gives kisses, but up until now, she only did those things in MY arms.  She would flirt with everyone in the store, then they'd get close to her and she'd freak!  She's doing a lot better now, and in the last week has started crawling up to strangers.
 

Originally Posted by ProtoLawyer 

And, with 100% of precincts reporting, my husband has defeated his opponent handily, 56-44.

Woohoo! Congrats Proto!!
 

Originally Posted by somegirl99 

BTW I finally got around to posting a video of one of DS's new favorite games - pulling on a dining chair.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl7xGU6vvrE

That is really cute!
 

Originally Posted by thommymama 

I haven't post here before but DS was also born in July and thought I'd reply because the recent comment about talking reminded me of a funny story. 

Welcome!!  Glad you stopped by! :)

Originally Posted by ArtsyHeartsy 

since you mentioned weight I am starting to wonder if I should be concerned with dd, she is 15lbs and I think 10oz, not gaining very quickly...she is so small compared to other kids her age.  What's odd is that both dh and are tall, I'm 6' and he's 6'4" and not skinny, so she looks even smaller when we carry her!  I don't know where she gets it, I know DD1 was small too but she wasn't this small.  She eats so much too!  She eats a lot of solid food when we offer it...I just don't know if I'm giving her enough breastmilk, she rarely seems super satisfied.  She does when she gets a formula bottle though (pumping isn't really working for me) ...she goes into sleepy mode with a bottle.  I planned on bf'ing her for as long as she wants, but I'm afraid that won't be much longer at this rate!

I've wondered the same thing...even though DD isn't small, she started in the 70th-90th percentile for everything, and has now dropped to 20th-40th.  DH is 6'2" and a huge, athlete, muscle guy and I'm 5'8", with a great metabolism, but I just expected to have a bigger baby - since DH & I were both off the charts. I don't know, sometimes I don't feel like she nurses enough - I offer frequently, but she only wants a little (doesn't empty both breasts) every 3 hours or so.  We do solids maybe once a day, so I don't think that's it, and since we're home most of the day I don't think it's a distraction issue.

Maybe my milk doesn't taste good or maybe I don't produce enough??
 

Originally Posted by MJB 

That was pretty much where I was a month ago; she was never satisfied with nursing, eating tons of solids, and we were giving 8-12 oz. of formula a day but she still wasn't gaining. I got domperidone to try to increase my milk supply and after taking it for two days she was totally done taking formula (hasn't had any since) and slowed way down on solids. She's gained over 1.5 lbs. in a month! I thought she would be totally weaned within a couple months but now she's back to 90% boob (she still loves food, but doesn't eat a lot at a time anymore). I never used formula at all with my boys and they nursed until they were 5 and 2.5 but my milk supply just disappeared this time. 

Very interesting to here about domperidone!  I'm so glad it worked for you guys!

Originally Posted by somegirl99 

His favorite thing is going outside though, he is happy as clam enjoying nature or watching the dogs walking, and especially likes a back carry with me or the nanny, although we finally tried out the jogging stroller (baby shower gift) for a run and it went pretty well as long as we get him outside right away.

Expat, we haven't cut hair either, and his hair is crazy long when stretched out.

We are in the process of going to 1 nap a day...usually 2 naps keeps him up past 10:00 at night, but sometimes 1 nap is not quite enough...the other day I had to give him a 12 minute "power nap" on my shoulder at 5 pm. 

We love going outside too! It's amazing how a busy little body inside can be calm(er) outside.  The snow just melted here, so I'm sure we'll be out a lot more often!

No haircut, but she has some long scragglies that DH wants to chop. 

We still do two naps, sometimes 3 if the other two were short.  She goes to bed anywhere from 8:30-11pm.

India is really becoming a contributing member of the family - keeping us entertained for hours.  She is the center of attention whevere we go (demands it), loves other kids and babies but is really aggressive and demanding of them, so we have to watch her.  She says Mama, Dada, hi, signs 'more' and is starting to point to things....like the light, Dada, her doll.  She waves hi and bye, and has started to give kisses to people besides us when asked.  She claps her hands and dances nonstop and whenever she hears me sing or play piano, she scream until she joins me and sings and plays with me! :)  She pants like a puppy and sticks her tongue out with a big cheesey smile.

She is into absolutely everything.  All drawers & cupboards, climbs on everything, and has figured out how to take those little protective outlet covers (2 different brands)!  She's been standing on her own for periods of time for about 2 months now, but she's not interested in taking steps.  She just sits herself back down, and crawls to what she wants faster than I can walk.

Ultimately, she is a big Mama's girl.  Melts my heart, but I feel like I can't leave the house because she won't sleep for DH - just screams.  She *has to* fall asleep holding my hand, laying in her own bed.  If I leave her in a sling, NO, she stays awake.  If I try to nurse her to sleep, NOPE, she has to be in her bed, with me holding her, hand.  Very sweet, very tiring.  She sometimes STTN, but mostly, she just wakes once, so my heart goes out to those of you whose LOs are having sleeping problems!

It's nice to catch up - until next time!

[eh bien]

I've been following this thread but it's my first time posting.

DS is 9 and a half months and loves being read to. He's not crawling yet but can scoot backwards on all fours. He can roll from one side of a room to another but when on all fours, he usually just rocks or lays back down on his tummy.

He's got 3 teeth on the bottom and it looks like both of his eye teeth want to come through. He's been really warm today and fussy so I'm sure they will cut any day now.

Today he's been saying dadada a lot, whereas before it was just once in a blue moon - just all of a sudden he's decided to start speaking!

He weighs just over 21 lbs but I'm not sure of his length.

He still nurses a ton and nights are no break. I try to just roll with his flow but I do miss a good night's sleep.

I'll be pumping to build a freezer supply but I'm just not sure what the future holds. I desperately wish to be a SAHM but unless I win the lottery I'll have to go back to work in a few months.

Well, I guess that's all for now... looking forward to reading about how everyone else's LOs are doing.

DS is amazing, I love every minute with him. I feel very lucky.

[expat-mama]

Welcome to the newcomers!

 Can you believe it's already MAY? Our LO's are approaching their first birthdays...so exciting! Anyone already making party plans? We are! DS's birthday will be the second week we are back in canada for our summer holiday. So we are having a big BBQ with friends and families and their LOs too- I'm super excited about it. It'll be the first time we're back in Canada since DS's birth so everyone that hasn't visited us here (most people) will be meeting him for the first time at his bday party!

I already know what we are getting him too- a Rody horse, a sand and water table, a cool bath toy from yookidoo, and when we get back home in Sept. a fish or two because he loves them.

DS has been doing lots of new things lately- he started clapping last week, so cute! And he understands his signs but doesn't really sign back yet- for example he will drink water or reach for his cup when we sign water and reach for a book when we sign book! He's also sleeping better- thank goodness!!! I think we might finally be passing through this stage of terrible sleep...knock on wood. He has started waking a lot less at night and totally stopped nursing ALL morning. He has even slept till 6 and even 7 in the morning after waking for the day at 4 or 5 pretty consistently for the past couple of months. He doesn't want to really play with any of his toys anymore- he just wants to STAND up all the time. So we put his toys along the couch or on the coffee table so he can stand and swat at them. It's the same with most of the books, sadly. He is not really sitting still enough to read with me as much as he used to- he will stand and be read to though! And the touch and feel and lift the tab books are still holding his attention. I've ordered a few more of those.

Oh- gotta go! I smell poop...

[Terrilein]

Welcome new moms!

expat - we are planning on bbq party in a park on the Rhein which has a huge playground. We haven't decided on toys yet. We live in an appartment and just don't have a lot of space. Plus ds isn't really interested in toys or books. He likes playing with real things.

Our sleep issues have gotten worse. I didn't think things could get worse, but they have. Not only is it not possible to get him down for the night befor 10 pm - he wakes within half an hour - he has started nursing all night long and waking me up with his antics - crawling all over me, biting me, etc. I feel and look like a train wreck. When does it stop????

[LittleBirdy]

expat - so glad to hear your LO is sleeping better!!  do you think it was because of anything you did or did things just get better with time?  My DS is still sleeping pretty poorly.  I'm coping mostly by expecting him to wake frequently so when he does a longer stretch it's like a treat.  but i sure would like to get some longer stretches soon - particularly for the part of the night before I'm in bed.  Nursing him back to sleep ever hour from 6:30 - 9:30 (who am I kidding, I give up at the 8:30 waking) is tiring!!

I have also been thinking of DS's first birthday party!!  We are doing a backyard bbq at our house with just family.  I'm really excited though, cause my mom & grandmother will be up (they live several states away) so DS will have both sets of grandparents, plus 2 of his 3 great-grandmothers at his party.  No idea on toys.  We are moving into a new (small) house so I'm trying to be very deliberate in toys we buy for him.

He finally started crawling last week!  He is SO MUCH HAPPIER now that he can get around.  It's awesome.  As long as DH or I are nearby, he'll explore on the floor for like an hour.  And when the cat walks by, he starts giggling and takes off like a rocket after him.  (The cat gets the craziest look on his face - "wtf, this thing can MOVE?!"  It's awesome.)  He is just starting to clap.  Still no real words but lots of babbling, and I do think I heard a "kitty" come out of him the other day - no shock there, he's loved that cat from birth.

Hmmm... let's see... he has 2 bottom teeth and I think his top two are starting to break through.  Will eat just about any vegetable, not so keen on fruit, no fan of yogurt but adores goat cheese!

How is everyone else doing?