March 2010 Babies, Happy 1st Birthday! - Page 2

[bubbagirl]

I love all the updates and photos! wow! I really can't get over the fact that a whole year has gone by... Brighton will turn one on the 14th. He has been such a joy and blessing to us.

Height and weight if you know it?

Last time we weighed/measured him at around 11 months he was a little over 25lbs and just about 30 inches.

What's babe eating/drinking?

About 2/3 of his intake is still breast milk, at 7 months he started eating blueberries (1 pint a day) /grapes/avocado (1 a day)/raspberries and since he has added apple/pear/plum/carrots/celery/cucumber/hummus/chia pudding and the past few days homemade pesto with seeds instead of nuts. From quite early on he has been having sips of my fresh made juice. He has a taste for things (mostly in the juices) I really didn't imagine a little one would. Lots of ginger in juices, grapefruit with jalepeno and garlic?, orange and celery, ginger kombucha, lime and lemon squeezed in water... I have been letting him drink from my glasses and at xmas time got a kleen kanteen sippy for him which he loves.

Sleeping?

He has been getting around 10 hours at night - he fusses in his sleep to nurse but never really wakes up. When I let him (if our schedule permits) he gets about 3 naps in the day, one a few hours after he wakes, one in the afternoon and one in the early evening. These can range from 10 minutes to 2 hours. Never are they all 2 hours :)

At night he is definitely becoming a bed hog, kicking and turning in crazy positions.

What's babe doing these days?

He is so curious about everything! He loves people and watching them. He is mostly observant when we shop and isn't really talkative around a lot of people. He is a riot and LOUD when he is around his immediate family (dh and I and my parents). He is crawling everywhere and can stand by himself for 10 seconds or so, but doesn't seem all that interested in walking just yet. He walks around things with his hands on tables, boxes etc but hasn't ventured away. He loves animals and is gentle with them. He waves hi and by and says it. He has been ringing some bells we have in the house for the last month or so, he just started running around in a circle/bouncing in his bouncer. He loves hidding behind blankets or curtains/clothes and playing boo - or peekaboo. He loves to wrestle and be tickled. At around 5 months he started to "get us" which consists of putting his mouth on us and shaking his head back and forth and making noise. We love it! He still does this.

He loves books and asks us to read books to him all the time. He is very into throwing things too, either to us or on the ground from a higher place. He also loves to pull socks off, his and now ours and waves them around like flags. He bops to music, especially loves fast music with a definite strong beat.

At my dads music shop he strums guitars and mandolins and helps bow a violin. He always runs for the golf club in the room and plays with it. He loves to find the heaviest thing in the room (that he can handle) and pick it up and wave it around. He has the cutest sweetest sounds and loudest most boyish noises I have ever heard. He seems really strong, especially his grip and has already broken (snapped in two) a pair of DH's glasses.

He's doing so much I can't really think of it all. He is just so much fun and we are so in love with him. Everyday it still hits us how amazing he is.

How's Mama doing?

I'm doing great. I had a few things to mentally get over re the birth (midwives making me feel like there was something wrong but nothing was - just their manner etc. I didn't have the uc I was hoping for and am still upset about it), but physically I recovered so quick. I was really fortunate and didn't have any trauma to my body at all. Breastfeeding has been a pleasure and my sleep has always been good. The one thing I didn't realize would affect me so much was how much less I would be able to contribute to regular life (other than taking care of the babe and the essentials).  I get in about 30min. of time a few times a day to get some things done and then as long as I can stay awake at night once he falls asleep. I generally don't mind but sometimes I get so frustrated and feel so useless to my dh, especially since we are a few kw from living off grid and have a lot of wood to cut, plants to tend to and animals to feed.

Even with all of that, I am esctatic that I am expecting again! I am just about 6 weeks into this pregnancy.

Any birthday plans?

I am going to either make a raw cake/cupcakes/cookies or a pie for close family and Brighton to play with. It will be just a special day as a family.

Everything else?

We are so fortunate that his health has been so good. Not a hint of being sick and through my breast feeding he had one 2 day bout with hives/rash from my milk and I figured it had to have been from the raw radish that I ate two days in a row. It was the only thing new in my diet and after I stopped eating it and it was through my system, his rash was gone. Poor thing, he looked so bad but didn't seem to feel it.

He has 6 teeth and counting - 4 on top and 2 on bottom.We were going to ec fulltime but he had really infrequent poop until he started solids and peed sooooo much. Almost every 10 minutes so it was really hard. I can get him to pee in his little potty and am going to start working on the pooping in there this spring/summer. He signs a bit with us and has had his own signs for things since he was born, so it is really awesome to see him pick up on what we are doing and saying, and to understand him as well.

He seems to be so interested in other little ones, I really need to find a good group of kids for him to get together with. Im in a rural area near a small town with a lot of working mamas and not sure where to look actually.

Looking forward to hearing from more of you mamas and see how all our March Miracles are doing.

[Right of Passage]

YAY! Happy birthday March babies!

Height and weight if you know it?

Not sure, Bram is wearing 18 month clothes, some 2T stuff.

What's babe eating/drinking?

EVERYTHING! Still nursing on demand  but he loves food too. He can out eat his 3 year old brother.

Sleeping?

STTN thankfully. But he has to be touching me, which is wonderful :)

What's babe doing these days?

Walking, babbling, chasing brothers and kitties. He's a very curious and happy boy.

How's Mama doing?

Good, getting baby blues here and there. Still unsure of furture baby plans, sometimes I want millions sometimes I am so done. Still studying midwifery <3 I have an amazing local study group all goingthrough the same school.

Any birthday plans?

We are having a small family birthday party on his birthday (3-13) at the butterfly pavillion with a gluten free, vegan chocolate cake.

Everything else? 

My husband lost his job about 6 weeks after Bram was born. It's been a long hard year and Bram has been such a blessed beacon of light along the way. Things are settling down finally. We moved again, in Novemeber again, back to the city into a bigger place. We are blessed.

[Deir]

Oh it warms my heart to read updates from you lovely ladies! So many times I leaned on you for support, laughs and encouraging words last year! 

Nora is tiny- maybe 17 lbs if we're lucky- not sureon height.

Still nursing of course and pretty good eater- her favorite food is frozen peas. We struggled with figuring out food issues early on but now I pretty much give her most things- no dairy except butter, kefir and yogurt and some sprouted wheat bread but no other gluten.

Her sleep is ok. Compared to my boys- it seems fine. She has a great routine and is asleep most nights by 6:30-up for the day by 6:30. Some nights she stays in her crib until 2 and then nurses the rest of night- some nights are worse some are better. I am not too tired though so I don't worry about it.

She is sooo cute and funny. Just today she started walking outside with  her little wagon and she was shrieking with joy and pride. SO priceless. She says  "Doggy" and "Daddy" although they sound the same but I know they're different! LOL

Unfortunately, I've been through the wringer. If you're up for it you can find my posts in health and healing. I've been sick for 7 weeks coping with a chronic illness. Scary.

At the same time- I am still really active- taking dance classes and walking and trying my darndest to enjoy this special time with Nora and my boys. I always get really skinny at this point in nursing so that makes clothes shopping fun. It is fleeting though-soon enough I'll have to conciously try to maintain weight. I am nnot kidding when I say I have seriously considered continuing to pump after Nora wean (whenever that is!!) just so I can eat carbs.

Anyway= So nice to "see" you again- I'll comment more when I get a chance! xoxo

[mum5]

bubbagirl, Congrats on your pregnancy!! So happy for you, and imo It's a good time:) If I had my way I would be pg right now:)

Dier, sorry for you're health issues. I cannot imagine what you are going through.

Ds 1st birthday went very well. The Carrot cake was a big hit, he got a very small chunk, was apprehensive at first then muched into it. I then tasted some, and boy, was the icing sweet! I didn't taste it before hand, and he has not had any sugary things as yet, so I am sure that was a shock to him, coupled with, "wow delicious!!!"

[wendy1163]

 hi all!  so fun to see everyone and all these grown up babies.

cora turns on March 21.

Height and weight if you know it? she has a check up this week, but I am guessing right around twenty pounds.

What's babe eating/drinking? still nursing 5-6 times a day, but all about solid food.  loves fruit, oatmeal, yogurt, beans and rice.  in fact there isn't too much she hasn't liked that she's tried.

Sleeping? oh goodness, depends on the day.  it was such an encouragement to read how all of you are doing with sleep.  I don't know too many people in real life that are co-sleeping, so I've been dealing with a ton of guilt that cora isn't sleeping through the night in her own bed and waking up singing cheerful songs every morning.  it is so refreshing to read that so many of you not only are still co-sleeping and nursing right through the night and are just as exhausted as I am, but that you are more than okay with that decision!  overall cora is doing well.  she starts out in her crib in her room, then joins us in bed around 2 or so.  on good nights she goes right back to sleep.  on other nights, we're up for two hours or so in the middle there.  naps are really hard for cora, and I am still trying to figure out how best to handle them.  on the good days, there is a morning nap about an hour after she wakes up and then an afternoon one the same time big brother sleeps.

What's babe doing these days? I am most excited that she has started signing "water"!  she also signs "all done" and "milk" and we are working on "more", "please".  cora is crawling with on foot on the ground, cruising along behind her little push car, trying to do whatever big brother does (he's two and a half).  teeth have been slow in coming, but she's got two and a half now.  she babbles and points and pulls out anything she can reach in the kitchen.  she has perfected crawling with her blanket in one hand.  she nods with more feeling than anyone I've ever seen.  peekaboo's a favorite, along with clapping and bouncing and waving.

How's Mama doing? I am doing so very good except for the exhaustion.  I've lost all the weight I wanted to, although I am still waiting to see where my boobs end up.  by the time I weaned my first I was pregnant with cora, so I never saw the sag I am seeing these days.  I am done birthin' babies for sure.  I am so glad I ended on such a wonderful birth and such a neat kid. 

Any birthday plans? I've decided to make cora a birthday wreath to wear every year, using whatever is blooming in our yard at the time.  I'm excited to see how that turns out.  a few family members may come up.  there will be some sort of sugarless birthday cake.  not too much planned beyond that.

Everything else? I am taking on lots of new challenges in the homesteading department.  we just got chickens and the garden is coming together and I am making more food myself than I thought I ever would.  so far I'm making all our bread, yogurt, granola, and some cheese, and all our daily meals, etc, of course.  we've found some great families in the area interested in the same lifestyle, so we order bulk food as a group and do work days in each others' gardens.  so neat to be finding community.  we started fostering a 16yo girl in  december, and she has been an amazing addition to our family.  I'd like to see that lead to adoption soon, but right now I'm focusing on just staying in the flow with it all.  we moved twice while I was pregnant with cora and then again when she was about six months old, so I am glad to be settled into life again and staying put for a while. 

here's cutie cora!  it was tough to find a shot of her by herself, the curse of the youngest child :)

[Snapdragon]

They change so quickly at this age, don't they? All of a sudden in the last week or tow, ds is all about climbing on everything! for a while crawling was the big thing but now he wants to climb and pull himself up. We actually are living in an apt with no staircase or I am sure he owuld be climbng the stairs. I finally pulled a cushion off of a chair today and he climbed onto it and then the chair. I want to get him something good to climb on inside but I am not sure what. Also, he had a total resurgance of EC-ing since my last post! He has peed and pooped many times in the toilet this week! So I guess he has learned somehting about it, and goes through stages. He is not walking yet but he is so much more active- I feel like I need to find places to bring him to get his energy out and climb.  Unfortunately, even when it is warm, there aren't any great playgrounds where we live. There are a few- and they are in nice settings but they changes them a few yrs back from nice old fashioned playgrounds to these modern plastic things that I really don't like and that I actually get shocked on! Depending on where we live i am gonna make a cool play ground in our yard and invite other kids over! But that is in a couple of years. For now I want  some kind of indorr slide or indoor climber or somehting where he can get some of this new found energy out!

[Snapdragon]

for some reason my computer wouldn't let me finish my post at the bottom of the last one so I will add it here!

What do your babies climb on in your house?

[gardenmommy]

COcoanib, I *love* the picture of your baby looking at the horse!  She is just precious!  

Ella-makes-3, I think I am happy with our family size right now, but that was true when we only had 2, too, so I suppose it's fair game at this point.  I don't really want to go through another pregnancy, and DH doesn't want any more.  However, neither of us wants to do anything permanent, so I guess that means we have to be open to another baby, lol.

[peacelove&camping]

we want 4 or 5, and eb's only the first, so we've hopefully got a ways to go :) i was kinda casually hoping to be pg by now, but conscious of the unlikelihood of it [i still haven't gotten a ppaf]. so we're trying with our fingers crossed i do not plan to continue bfing much past her birthday, so hopefully we can move along with our family this summer :)

[gardenmommy]

Exciting news!  Eleanor is walking!  She just stood up and started walking yesterday afternoon.  Not little steps, fall down, get up and try again, either.  She pulled up on the coffee table, let go, and walked halfway across the room.  DH and I decided that she's been secretly practicing, since she looks like an old pro.  She's been walking around all day long, just as happy as can be.  I think that the rules have just changed!

[cocoanib]

Originally Posted by gardenmommy 

Exciting news!  Eleanor is walking!  She just stood up and started walking yesterday afternoon.  Not little steps, fall down, get up and try again, either.  She pulled up on the coffee table, let go, and walked halfway across the room.  DH and I decided that she's been secretly practicing, since she looks like an old pro.  She's been walking around all day long, just as happy as can be.  I think that the rules have just changed!

Wow, so much for practicing!

Watch out, she'll be running by tomorrow!

Congrat's Elinor!

[gardenmommy]

HUSH!!  I am SO not ready for this!  Where did my little bitty tiny snuggly baby go?  Watching them grow up is so bittersweet.  But, I'm thankful she is doing everything she ought to be doing, and that she is so healthy and happy.

Originally Posted by cocoanib 

Wow, so much for practicing!

Watch out, she'll be running by tomorrow!

Congrat's Elinor!

[zannster]

Height and weight if you know it?

Ari will be a year on the 30th, and we haven't had any WB visits in several months, so I don't have anything official. She's roughly 20-21 pounds and ~27 inches.

What's babe eating/drinking?

Still nursing every 3-4 hours. As for solids, she'll try just about anything I eat, and she seems to like almost everything (eggs being the only exception). But she doesn't eat a lot of solid food yet - she just eats a few little bites here and there.

Sleeping?

Wakes to nurse maybe two nights a night, on average. But 5-6 hour stretches without are not unusual (thank you!). Naps are getting pushed later and later - I think she will start phasing to one nap per day soon.

What's babe doing these days?

She's walking! She took her first steps at 10 months, and now she's walking everywhere. This is so much sooner than her big brother walked. She's kind of small, and it's so cute to see such a little one waddling around (rather like a sumo wrestler gait).

How's Mama doing?

Ummm...struggling. Still not handling our move so well on some days (moved from Indiana to Seattle area last September). I had depression during pregnancy, and it's been hitting me hard lately, so I'm trying to decide what to do about it. I also spoke with a therapist who specializes in birth trauma, PPD and related issues...and she thinks I have a mild case of PTSD from the birth. I guess I figured as much.

Any birthday plans?

Nah, I think it will be small. Tradition in my family is to put the little one down on a sheet in a diaper and let him/her play with a small birthday cake. ;)

Edited by zannster - 3/21/11 at 1:58pm

[lizsky]

I love hearing from everyone and seeing these pictures of our ONE year olds!

Height and weight if you know it? almost 19 lbs, 28.5 in. 

What's babe eating/drinking? A mix of nursing and food off my plate.  

Sleeping? After 10 months of waking every hour, Laura is finally sleeping SO much better.  Unless she is sick/teething she is up 1-2 times a night. 

What's babe doing these days? Started walking around 11 months and now is running!  No words yet, but lots of waving...especially to strangers in the grocery store!

How's Mama doing?  The months of horrible sleep were hard and very isolating...but I LOVE being a mom, and I am especially enjoying it now that I have a little more energy.

Any birthday plans?  We had a small just-family low-key gathering.  I made a cupcake for Laura, but she was not interested.  However, she loved her birthday watermelon slices!  

Everything else? Have been dreaming about #2 for a while...some days I'm so ready to be pregnant again, but I also feel like I'm only just beginning to recover from the sleep deprivation...however, I'm not getting any younger and hope for 3 or 4 total so we'll see!  

[LittleLegos]

Love seeing the updates!  And all the beautiful babes!  I too can't believe I have a one year old now.  Time does go quickly!

Height and weight if you know it?  Not sure...but getting taller, I can see it!  She's over 20lbs and wearing 12-18mos.

What's babe eating/drinking?  Still my nursey baby, but likes food too.  Signs "eat" "eat" when she's hungry.  She joins us for 1-2 "meals" a day.

Sleeping?  She sleeps.  ;)  Seems to still like a few days in the day, but they are short.

What's babe doing these days?  She's into everything and very curious.  Starting to take steps, but only with encouragement.  Cruises very quickly as well as fast crawling.  Says some words and likes to sign too.  Seems she is picking up signs even faster in the last two weeks.  It's neat to see that.

How's Mama doing?  Doing well.  I've had blebs on and off and I only have one breast (breast cancer 4 years ago), so that's been a bit hard, but we just nurse through it.  I was surprised to get my period back last month...but we'll see if it's consistent yet.

Any birthday plans?  My older kids have birthdays around now too.  We'll celebrate all of them together with family.  Yesterday was the big day for her though, we had banana muffins and sang to her.  My present for her was a fabric card holder wallet I made with laminated pics to put in and out.  I thought it was fitting because all she likes to do is take cards out of my wallet!  :)

Everything else?  So looking forward to the spring.  We've had a few warmer days and love being outside.  I haven't visited the boards much, but I'd like to check in more often. 

Here's my birthday girl:  A year in review.

[Snapdragon]

Bump! thought I would bring this thread up again. how is everyone doing?

we are okay. Ds is great - I am just having a breastfeeding issue which saddens me:(  more on that in a minute- other than that we are good.

Ds is so sweet! HE is on a good schedule for naps and sleep. he is generally a happy guy, though not always. he is not walking yet but loves to crawl everywhere and climb up and onto everything!  he is very smart and loves to sing and make word sounds. He has about 10 words and is starting to repeat our word sounds often now which is adorable!

so, he loves solids- but I am not nursing him enough :(  today I thin kit was three times but they were short. And today was a medium day. I just get uncomfortable sometimes with various aspects and cut the sessions too short. anyway- so sometimes I give him organic whole cows milk- on those days where I sholud nurse him more but don't- and he always gets really full of phlegm from it! Anyway- I need to nurse him more but I am not doing well with that!

[gardenmommy]

Eleanor is also starting to repeat sounds.  She is SO cute!! She loves to be outside, and she's figured out how to maneuver down the steps and get out if someone leaves the door open.  I think perhaps it's going to be an interesting summer trying to keep tabs on her.  She played outside with my older children tonight, got completely filthy, and ended up in the bathtub, which she also liked.   I love to hear her laugh, and I love her sweet hugs and kisses.  She toddles up to me and hugs my legs, multiple times a day.  I just LOVE that!  I hope that each of the other moms in this thread are enjoying their babies as much as we are enjoying DD!

[MamaofLiam]

Hi! I'm new here, so this is more of an introduction than an update. I wish I had known about the DDC while I was pregnant , but I'm here now!  I think this is great and I want to be a part of it. 

Liam was born at home on March 13th. In attendance was my DH, lovely midwife, accupuncturist, and another midwife asst. It was the most beautiful experience! He was 7lbs 10 oz and 20 inches long. 

Height and weight if you know it?

Not sure on his height and weight atm, but I think he's just over 30 inches and around 23lbs.

What's babe eating/drinking?

A lot of breastmilk and some food here and there. He's a very selective eater and only recently started taking a real interest in food. His fav's thus far: sausage and mushrooms! Kind of weird, but I'm glad he likes something, yk? He has always hated puree. He also really likes smoothies! He drinks mostly out of our cups, but he also uses a sippy cup - he just prefers ours. He still breastfeeds a lot! 

Sleeping?

Sleep has been much better lately. We coslept with him in our bed the entire first year. After his first birthday we started doing the sidecar crib thing which has been working out really well. He's an active little sleeper and in a queen bed it just got too cramped and crowded. Now with the sidecar crib, I just pull him up to nurse (which is now 2-3 times a night) and put him back down when he's done. Sometimes I forget so he sleeps with us then. The only time our nights are bad are when he's teething or sick, and then he's nursing on me all night and I get noo sleep. We just got through one of those bouts, so here's to hoping this good patch lasts a bit longer.

What's babe doing these days?

Well... Liam LOVES to dance! I mean really loves it. He has always liked music, but we soon discovered he liked to dance after he started walking at around 9 months. He dances to anything, it's so cute and makes my heart melt. He does it all the time now. He spins, bounces up and down, throws his arms up & down, sticks his bootie out and pretty much just goes with the groove. He also loves to walk our dog Chiquita, and she's a pretty good sport with him. He's a pretty happy go-lucky little guy, with a great sense of humor. I feel so happy to have him in our life, and I just love watching him grow and develop. He's got 7 teeth now, and got the last 4 all at once around his first birthday (poor little guy) - that was really tough. Weirdly enough he also really likes the fire hydrant right outside our apartment building. When he gets up to it, he yells really loud - almost as though he is proudly exclaiming what he's found. Oh, and lately we've been doing a lot of wildlife spotting from our apartment deck/windows b/c he just started noticing the birds and bunnies that are sometimes out there. That's been a lot of fun!

How's Mama doing?

Much better! While I was pregnant I gained over 50 lbs and had horrible horrible acne - I really feel like I lost myself. Before I was pregnant I was pretty active and while pregnant I was completely inactive. Now that I'm active again and lost the weight I am feeling soooo much better! Starting in January I started to workout again and it has made such a difference for me both mentally and physically. I am fortunate that DH pitches in and watches the little guy when I workout. I feel like myself again, and that feels so good. On the other hand, I do have very tired days - esp when we've had bad nights. But overall I am doing really good now.

Any birthday plans?

We had a family birthday party with a jungle theme. We had a family friend who plays the African drums come and play and brought enough musical instruments for everyone to play. So it was a musical birthday. It was a blast!

Here's some pics of my little guy lately: