Sept 04 mamas welcome to November! - Page 18

[lynchmon]

Originally Posted by sistermama

I just stumbled across this in TAO - Help an MDC mama for Christmas I can always figure out how to help someone else, even if I'm broke too! If you decide to help, could you post links in any other fourms you frequent?

Thanks for letting us know about the help a mama thread. I'm new and probably wouldn't have even found out about it. It's such a good idea!

[adventuregirl]

nak

just made it thru all the posts, but out of time for any real posting...

hello and so great to hear all the updates!

must go deal with the disaster that is my house.....

lovies,

[sistermama]

Jen - have you seen this fabulous creation? They are sold at Gypsy Mama as well. If I lived somewhere cold, I would definitely get one.

[chrissy]

i am just feeling like such a failure at mothering noah these days. each day it seems to get worse rather than better. i used to love stayng home with him but right now i can't stand it. he whines, he begs, he throws tantrums, he doesn't listen. today he hit lilah. i seem to have totally lost my patience with him. and i know in my head that this is his reaction to liah's arrival and he needs me now more than ever but i am totally failing at using that knowledge to help him through this. i don't know what to do. i bought 'the happiest toddler on the block' since i've heard so many good things about the baby one. i like it some and am going to use some of its ideas. one is massage. we tried this tonight and i think he really liked it. please let tomorrow be a better day.

jen, what a fabulous gift from your mom!

pam, i will check out those lists. i'm so sorry both your boys are sick. we are just about to size up in diapers too. my girl's thighs are huge!

sarah, is HABA a special brand? i'm going to order lilah a couple of wooden rattles and toys too. i was looking at the ones in the rosy hippo's catalog.

heatherb, poor iain too!

oh, noah is ready for bed.

[sistermama]

Chrissy - search for HABA on ebay. I like their stuff because it seems well made and like it will last. I've been using some stuff from Happiest Toddler (mainly special time and toddler talk). I also have the book "Easy to Love, Hard to Discipline" (I find the title horrible, because I think it implies that I am too "soft" to properly discipline my child, but that is not what it is about at all.) I found out about it (called conscious discipline) because it is the approach Jack's school uses and they offer free classes for parents. It has been helping some, especially since half the book addresses parental behavior (ha, ha says the screaming shrew). I got mine from the library.

I have also started pretending that I'm telling Lucy "no" and that I can't do something for/with her because I need to be with Jack. For example, she can be just laying somewhere totally fine, but I will carry on a pretend conversation with her, in Jack's hearing that goes along these lines: "What Lucy? You want me to play with you, etc. I'm sorry but I can't right now, because I am going to play with Jack now. We can play together in a little bit." Or I'll say, "I'm sorry Lucy, but you will have to wait your turn, it is Jack's turn now." I'm hoping that it will make it a little easier when he has to wait for something he wants (as in ME ME ME! - I call it the "Mommy show" all day and all night!)

Don't know if anyone else is watching Desperate Housewives, although I'm SURE I'm not the only one! I thought last night was really good because it pointed out how important it was that we share our true stories as mothers, the good, the bad and the ugly.

[chrissy]

Originally Posted by sistermama

I have also started pretending that I'm telling Lucy "no" and that I can't do something for/with her because I need to be with Jack. For example, she can be just laying somewhere totally fine, but I will carry on a pretend conversation with her, in Jack's hearing that goes along these lines: "What Lucy? You want me to play with you, etc. I'm sorry but I can't right now, because I am going to play with Jack now. We can play together in a little bit." Or I'll say, "I'm sorry Lucy, but you will have to wait your turn, it is Jack's turn now." I'm hoping that it will make it a little easier when he has to wait for something he wants (as in ME ME ME! - I call it the "Mommy show" all day and all night!).

that's a great idea!

[lynchmon]

YES! I'm watching Desperate Housewives. I love that show!

[HeatherB]

I surely hope it gets easier for you, Chrissy and Sarah! We've definitely had our ups and downs. Thankfully he's doing better lately, but I still find myself totally overwhelmed pretty regularly (Iain screaming, Gabriel clamoring for attention...)

I think one of the biggest things that has made a difference for Gabriel is having time with just me. He can go crazy vying for attention when all of my time is spent on Iain. Drives me insane! I'll be constantly telling him, "get off your brother," "sit down," "not right now," "no more kisses," etc., etc. I don't always make it a conscious effort, but sometimes nights like tonight happen. I ended up taking both boys in the bath, so at first it was just me and Gabriel and then added Iain. Gabriel started acting out, so I got us all out and wrapped up, ready to put Gabriel to bed. DH was really tired so he opted to hold Iain (who was also looking tired) while I got Gabriel ready. We ended up spending a while getting ready leisurely, including an after bath lotion massage, etc. It was nice for both of us to have some time together with no one else needing anything! And he was perfectly behaved (okay, he was a little frustrating with teeth brushing! :LOL), even though he'd been quite something else earlier. I've asked Gabriel on several occasions if it's hard to share Mommy, and he always answers yes, very seriously. I dunno if it really does, but seems like it helps him to know I understand it's hard for him.

Christmas - I'm so excited! I talked to my sister earlier and she was asking about gifts for Iain. I told her my not-too-exciting ideas, and she suggested some wooden toys and a soft doll/teether. It sounds perfect! I always see wooden toys and those little dolls and love them, but haven't figured out which ones are best (or why) and what to get him. So now I don't have to worry about it. I'm still not sure what to get him from us, though... It might be easier if I actually had time to talk to DH about it!

Does anyone know of places that carry small playsilks? Kind of 10-12" square? I was thinking of getting those to give to the boys and keep in the diaper bag for entertainment while we're out.

Jen, I say go for all the little exciting things! And take lots of pictures! We took Gabriel to cut down a tree on his first Christmas, and granted he was 9 months old then, but he still didn't remember it. This year, he's old enough to understand (pretty much everything, it seems!), and we can tell him that this is what we've done every year, and now take Iain along. I really can't wait! I totally agree about not being able to stay home all the time. I don't have to deal with the cold, but I just can't sit inside with the baby all the time. I love to have them out and exploring the real world. I remember a friend who actually didn't let her baby leave the house for six or eight weeks (per doctor's recommendations ). When she finally came to our playgroup, she said to him, "This is the world - these are people." It seemed so sad that in all that time he'd never been out of his house! Anyhow, do what you feel is best. And have fun!

Pam, we've been talking about getting rid of cable for months! I'm SO tempted to just up and do it now. We pay a ton for basically nothing. There's so often nothing on. Though when we do enjoy it, we really love it. So I need to get rid of it now when I haven't had time to sit down and watch at a time when there's anything I like! :LOL Anyway, congrats on doing it! You're encouraging me in the right direction!

Savannah, I somehow had missed your posts on your anniversary! Congrats! What a great DH! And you surely do deserve it - what an awesome gift you've given your family in this last year!

I had to take Iain's temperature rectally today. He's got a slight fever, and the doc's office wanted an accurate reading - though since I didn't have the correct kind of sheaths for our digital thermometers, it was hard to do! The last time I did it was the only one when he fussed, thankfully! But it looked like he was bleeding a bit. Agh! Hopefully he'll be feeling better tomorrow and we won't have to go through that again... They suggested we bring him in for an ear check, but since he's not on our insurance right now, and he just got an adjustment at the chiropractor (including his ears, which he HATES to have adjusted), I'm opting to wait. Hopefully it'll all clear up just fine without interference.

[Mom2baldie]

Chrissy & Sarah,

I can totally relate to what you girls are going through with Noah and Jack! I feel like I am being a horrible mom and totally ruining Paityn! She used to be/still is so sweet, but I have so much less patience these days. I used to be able to stay calm and talk to her about what she is doing but now I just immediately get very irritated and be a bitch to her. And I know Im doing it, but its like I dont know how to stop or something... She SO doesnt deserve it! Riley is being a total terror also and constantly tries to get Paityn in trouble by telling her to do things he knows she isnt supposed to do. I just want to run away! I really just think that I need some "me" time but thats not going to happen anytime soon. My dh isnt helpful with the kids at all and I have no family that seems to be interested in watching them either.

HeatherB,

As for Christmas, I am getting Naiya an ornament and a doll, even though I know she wont be playing with it for quite a while. I also got a doll for Paityns 1st christmas (she was almost 11 months old.) That will probably be it for her. I know that our family will be getting her clothes for the spring/summer since we have none. I made a list for them and specifically put no dolls or stuffed animals so I hope they abide by it.

Paityn is going to get a dollhouse and a few other little things... What are all the other 2-3 year old siblings getting? Im very interested to hear. I found Paityn the CUTEST ornament online of a little girl holding a baby and was able to personalize it with blonde hair and have them write Paityn & Naiya 2004 on the back. I LOVE all our ornaments - its my absolute fav. thing to shop for every Christmas.

[JenInMpls]

It's interesting to hear of all the babies getting soft dolls for Christmas, I bought fabric to make Tristan a crib doll last week. It never occured to me that I could give it to him as a Christmas gift, it does say in the book that you should put it in the crib starting around 3 months old! I thought it would be perfect for him because he's always grabbing his burp rags and putting them in his mouth. It's a very easy pattern, essentially made like a Halloween ghost you make out of tissues - a round, stuffed head and a few flannel or silk squares. You sew some wool stuffing into a little pouch, stuff it into the center of the squares, tie off a round head and knot two ends of the top layer for hands. Infinitely chewable and totally washable. When baby starts looking for eye contact you can put on some dots for eyes with a Sharpie.

We had a horrible night last night, Tristan took a nap on my lap from about 8:30 - 11:30 (I napped too! that's not the horrible part) and then was so stuffy that he only nursed halfway (but drained both breasts...) and then couldn't get to sleep because his nose was so plugged, especially lying down. Since he drained me so nicely I couldn't express any milk for nose drops, and we tried saline and it made him scream. We couldn't suction anything out, either. Around 3 I ended up taking him into the bathroom with the shower running making steam and was able to express enough to put 3-4 drops in each nostril and then was finally able to fall asleep... until 5:45 when he woke up unable to breathe again that time he only wanted to suck to clear his nose, and fell back asleep, and woke up again at 10. Now it's 11:15; I know that Jo called in to work, I don't know if she called in sick for the whole day or late. Perhaps I should ask sooner rather than later.

Well, Steph just called to go for a walk, and I think it would do both Tristan's sinuses and me good, so I'm going to go get dressed and go... take care and thanks, women, it always feels so supportive here

j

[greenbeing]

Hi ladies! I just wanted to pop in to say hello! I haven't read any posts other than those on this page-must go catch up!!

umm, Jen, I never thought of putting breastmilk in the nose. I'll have to try it. Miles is a bit stuffy from it being sooo dry here.

sarah, that is a cute poncho!!!

I think we're getting Miles a couple HABA toys and an ornament. I'm hoping our families do not go overboard, especially with the plastics.

[msrog]

We will likely receive clothes for the babies and way more plastic toys than we could ever use. We already have a houseful of toys Nicolas doesn't even look at. (Especially since we got him a Game Cube for his birthday this summer). OH, well.

Those soft dolls sound cute and simple. We received little square blankets with fuzzy animal heads, they sound like the same concept, except no knotted hands. I guess I'll start putting them with the babies to see how they like them.

Nicolas is in the other room entertaining the babies with a puppet show. Pretty cute. I'm starving, so I guess I'll go eat some more turkey and mashed potatoes. (Will it ever end??)

P.S. I haven't seen Desperate housewives, nor have I any desire to. The ads insult my sense of decency, and I hate that they promote it when my kids are still in hearing/viewing distance. Same with Sex in the City. Grrrr. I'm sure the shows are funny and fun, but it seems like so much of our culture is gradually being dragged into the gutter by "harmless" shows like that. I've been helping www.onemillionmoms.com's email campaigns to get the advertisers to stop supporting indecent stuff.

(That may have offended some of you. Sorry. Didn't mean to jump onto my soapbox... hee hee. And I definitely don't claim to be perfect.)

I've managed to pick up enough small pocket/AIO dipes and Medium diapers and covers since beginning CDing that I've got THREE LOADS of diaper laundry that need to be assembled/put away and I still have diapers to use. Wow. William doesn't fit most of the smalls anymore, but I haven't packed them up yet because McKenna still barely fits them.

[Cuddlemama]

We're here! We're still alive and kickin'.

For the list:

Anna Christine was born on 9/2 at 5 pounds 15 ounces.

Our little Banana is growing very well, finally. She'll be 3 months on Thursday and she's almost exactly 10 pounds.

It may not sound like much to those of you who had big babies at birth, but she's doubled her hospital release weight (which was still her weight at 2 weeks old).

Anna is sleeping through the night. She goes down nursing at about 10 and wakes to nurse again at about 5am. After her 5am nursing, she sleeps in again till 9-10am.

The bad news about that is the fact that Anna used to do a great deal of her best nursing at night. My supply has gone down and she's taking 4 ounces of formula per day again. I'm just too overwhelmed to pump, so I've reconsciled myself to the fact that she may get one feed of formula per day till we start solids.


Anna isn't interested in toys at all yet. She's primarily just a sleep-nurse-snuggle and babble baby. She's started saying baba da (combination of chinese and english for daddy) and moo mooo (her lovely way of asking to nurse) on a reliable basis. My Emily (almost 5) started speaking around 3 months as well, so it didn't shock me too much. Nate was 2 YEARS before he spoke much, though, so I was ready to accept whatever schedule she set for herself.

Any other babes want to stand or bounce all the time? Anna has no patience for being on her tummy or back. She wants to be held sitting upright whenever she's not nursing, and she prefers standing to sitting.

Holidays....geez, I dunno really. We do three gifts for each child plus the stocking. Emily asked for arts and crafts, one of those new mooshy pillows and some makeup (she loves roll-on glitter and flavored chapstick. Those are considered makeup to her). Nate is getting some pretend tools, a mooshy pillow of his own, and a rescue heros set. We're not really anti-plastic here. We do try to stick with toys that engage the children's imaginations or encourage learning.

Anna, thus far, has a teether, a set of baby-sized pooh and friends toys and a light-up Minnie Mouse. I'll be making a couple of taggie blankets and a blankie doll as well. She's getting more than 3 things primarily because we don't have baby toys anymore, so she's got nothing of her own.

~L

[mum2tori]

Tori has been a bit of a handful lately. She also been leading Jack into trouble. She'll tell him to do things she knows they aren't suppose to do, it's like she wants to get him into trouble too. I think she does it so he'll be in trouble since he rarely does stuff that he isn't suppose to... unlike her. I have found myself yelling at her too often. : : Several times I've considered selling her. Just kidding. I really need to re-read 1,2,3 Magic... though I need to FIND it first. :LOL I know the box its in is under a big stack.

We've had a big set back in potty learning with Tori for the last week. First week we were here no accidents. But this past week she's been having them several times a day. I know it's all the changes with the move but it is so annoying when she wets right after I've asked her if she needs to go and she's told me no. Luckily they've only been wet and not stinky! She's going through pants like crazy. :LOL

Christmas presents:
Aidan is getting a baby bunting doll from Joy's Waldorf and a couple of Haba wooden teethers and rattles. I have't figured out what to tell family to get him yet.
Jack is getting a Heavy babydoll from Joy's Waldorf. I was getting it originally for Tori but she only seems to like her Goete (BittyBaby) baby doll 'Baby' (such an original name :LOL) that I gave her when Jack was born. I'm giving it to Jack so maybe he'll leave Baby alone, he's always walking around carrying her and Tori gets upset.
Tori was getting the Heavy babydoll but now I think I get her something else. I need to go through my tubs of toys for presents and see what I can find. I think I might put her 'art' stuff together for her.

Hopefully David will have time to build the train table that he was going to build last year... don't ask why it still hasn't been built. If he gets the table done, I'll pull out a bunch of the Brio train stuff that I've been acquiring for them and that will be the "Santa" present. I'm hoping that by Feb when its Tori's birthday (she'll be 4), David will have built her wooden kitchen set (I have lots of wooden food for that packed away).

[Luminosea]

Hello Ladies!
It has been a tough few days here. I started my new job this week and I've just spent the longest two days of my life away from Drew He was kind of freaked out that I wasn't home on Monday but hubby says today was better. I'm also really nervous about my milk supply decreasing, so I have been drinking mother's milk tea and pumping every chance I get. After this week it won't be too bad because I'll be only working 3 days instead of 5.

sistermama and chrissy

Cuddlemama, my boy likes to be sitting up a lot more too. He probably gets a better perspective that way.

I just figured out what everyone means by, "baby wearing"! How cool! I am going to order some material tonight so I can start wearing Drew. Hubby is excited to start baby wearing also, because Drew loves to be hugged. We have a snuggli but it really starts to hurt my back after awhile and it is hard to do things like dishes with him in the snuggli. The baby wearing looks more friendly.
Those HABA toys look so adorable. I am finding out about all kinds of neat things from you mamas

[JenInMpls]

I started the December thread. Hard to believe that it's nearly a year since finding out I was pregnant. 11 days from today I was in the clinic for an insem. Wow.

Meredith I got the breastmilk in the nose thing from someone here, I guess it's not only always the right concentration and temperature but it's also antibacterial. At any rate it loosens stuff right up in his nose.

Had a great day today except that Tristan's doing his best to teach Oscar how to scream unnecessarily! I think he was tired.

Opinions about taking baby out in cold weather? Is their skin way more sensitive and frostbites easier/faster? Looking for facts, having a hard time!

I'm ready for bed after last night, phew.

j

[Jodie]

2months 5days :)

We're still here. For the list Kaia Morgan born 9/25/04 8lbs 10ozs and 19 and 3/4s inches long.

DH is laying in the bed with her now getting her to go to sleep. I think they're both out now. It is so sweet to see them sleeping in the bed together.
Kaia has been stuffy for it seems like forever. We run the humidifier in the bedroom. I also do the breastmilk in the nose thing. I try to put milk in her nose and then suck it out before she goes to bed and when we get up in the morning.

I don't think we will be getting her anything for Christmas, but I think the grandparents may go crazy. I gave them a list and asked for wooden toys and cotton clothing,no characters. The big thing on the list was a rocking chair, we would love to have one.

Well I quess I should see what else I can get done with this rare free alone time.
I hope everyone stays well.