Sept 04 mamas can you believe it's already JUNE? - Page 6

[JenInMpls]

T is much improved. Unfortunately, his mama (that'd be me) has come down with the dreaded HFMD too. Lucky for me I've "only" (ha, ha) got fever, headache and a slight sore throat. And I can't find my tin of homeopathic remedies. It is AWOL. Grrr.

Mummy Jo is staying home today. I must concentrate on getting better and she must concentrate on staying well. We have a wedding to go to on Saturday, and I'd like to go to the end-of-year closing ceremony on Weds at my school.

ok, must rest. send healing thoughts. I can't believe this! But I bet I will still be as nonchalant about finishing up his food with his spoon. Maybe. We'll see. And I'm not a germ freak, either! I always figure it's good for a young immune system to have to deal with germs.

But not these germs!!! :LOL

ok... I'm starting to disconnect here. xo, j

[Almamiel]

Hope you feel better soon, Jo - glad Tristan is feeling better! Mieke had to coxsackie virus too last week when she was so sick - thank god none of the rest of us (especially the baby!!!!) came down with it.

Kristin --sounds like you had a rotton weekend - sending healing thoughts to your family, too!

One of my closest friends is having a baby RIGHT NOW - scheduled c-section (short nuchal cord, footling breech) - I'm so excited to hear from her dp!!!!

[sistermama]

Jen - that just sucks, sucks, sucks. Hope you get better quickly. I know your kiddies would be excited to see you.

Kristin - how are you all doing? Did you get some rest? Jack talks about Owen and Zooey all the time.

Savannah - where have you been? Is everything going okay for your move?

Stacey - where are you going on your trip?

Jack started camp this morning - without even a good bye for his old mom. Nice (better than the start of preschool last August, lol) but still sad to see him get so "grown up."

Lucy's got some awful looking bite on her forehead. Looks like might be a spider bite.

[Yo Becca]

Pass the bad mommy award this way

I'm Keeping my neice (2.5) today, and she has been chasing my cat around ("Want to pet her! Can I hold her?") and Robin has been chasing both of them. She has learned how to go down the step b/tw kitchen and den, so she's all over our play space - we stay in the den/kitchen/breakfast room for playing purposes, b/c other areas aren't child safe. Well, I was cleaning in the kitchen and realized I could hear Martha and the cat, but not Robin. THen I saw an open door to the rest of the house....I followed the sound and found Robin a)upstairs, b) putting a nightlight in her mouth, c)that came from an outlet that doesn't even have an outlet cover. :
She climbed up the stairs BY HERSELF (14 hardwood stairs) before I even realized she had escaped. Bad, bad mommy!

Hope all are getting better. My neice has a bad cold, with tons of snot, and we just got healthy, so I am being a freak today about handwashing, sanitizing, etc.

Good health to all!

[Almamiel]

:LOL , ybecca - they're fast little boogers at this age, aren't they!

[RaeInBC]

Hi all:

boy YoBecca, those stories about Robin (yes, she is adorable) freak me out! I can't believe she climbed 14 stairs. Dash can't climb anything. He can't even get into sitting position by himself. On one hand, I wish that he was meeting his milestones more quickly--I don't really know why, I guess it's just a sense that he "should" be, well and I suppose that it is exciting. On the other hand, I am happy to have a happy little fellow who is taking it easy (and keeping my life that much simpler.)

I'm sorry to hear about illnesses striking you and yours, Jen and Kristin. Dash hasn't really been sick, but I'm not looking forward to that particular milestone. However, I've got some mysterious illness, resulting in diahrea (Sp?) and nosebleeds. I'm hoping it will just blow off.

Jill: Hey, it is a big small country. I went to the university of Waterloo for grad school, so we've lived in two similar parts of the country. I lived there for 5 years. It's a nice area, but I was getting homesick. We're travelling to Toronto at the end of June for 10 days to visit dp's family and other friends. AND, I've been to Melfort, but just travelling through. My great-uncle lives on the family farm between Rosetown and Biggar, and we've got lots of family connections in Elfros (get out the magnifying glass to find that one--it's between Saskatoon and Yorkton). My step-father's family is from near Carrot River.

all for now,

take care everyone!

[HeatherB]

Hoping everyone is on the mend in Jen and Kristin's homes!

We're home finally! We had a good trip and the boys are SO glad to be home! Iain was all smiles as soon as we got in the house. It was like, "Whoa, look at all this room - and all this familiar stuff! I'm happy now!" He'd gotten pretty upset at the end of the trip back, but finally fell asleep when we put on Kutless. Works every time! :LOL It was really cute to see them happy to be here and playing again.

So... I got an Ergo! We stopped at one more parenting store in Glendale yesterday, since it wasn't far out of our way. Turns out they've never been open on a Sunday before, and this time it was for a 25% of everything in the store sale! So I got a steal on the Ergo and now have a few days to practice with it before I take the boys to Houston. I finally got it pretty comfy, but then of course had to take it off and give them their demo back. I need to practice some more as I have to be able to do it on my own.

Any tips from Ergo wearers on getting such a little guy in and out independently? It's not nearly so hard with Gabriel!

Well, I have a TON to do now that we're home... I still need to find tickets to Houston. Hope everyone has a great day - and feels much better!

[hjohnson]

Becca we have a gate across the bottom of our stairs because David can get up them in a minute! It is amazing how fast he is. I have a feeling it won't be long before he is walking.

[MamaAcorn]

NAK

Hoping everyone is feeling better.

Our only car broke down on Saturday, so it got towed this mornign to the shop. I'm waiting to hear what's wrog with it and how much it will cost to fix. Our neighbor was kind enough to drive me to a car rental place on Saturday to pick up a rental in the meantime. It's making me wonder if maybe I'm quitting working too soon.

Today, we met the API group at the park, played on the playground, explored the creek, and then had a tie-dye party outside. It was soooo much fun! We dyed a shirt and a playsilk for each of the boys. I can't wait to see how they come out!

Summer sure has hit NC! Hot, hot, hot, and so humid! Ugh! Those pictures of the gathering were great! I wish I would have remembered to charge the batteries for my camera!

Pam

[JenInMpls]

The 3 get-the-baby-in-the-ergo methods my friends and I use:

1. lift baby up and over head onto back; reach back through Ergo with one of your hands while bent forward with baby lying on your back on his tummy. help one foot through and into place; hold baby then with that hand and help other foot into place. Gently bounce baby down into carrier. If you are flexible enough, reach behind you and lift up on flap that hangs down in back to make sure it's up under baby's arms. (I personally am not flexible enough to do this.)

2. Put baby in ergo with ergo in front; slowly and carefully slide around to your back while you hold the shoulder straps up with your hands.

3. For all of the mamas who do pilates and have incredible ab strength: Put open ergo on floor or ground. Place baby on ergo on his back. Gently lie on baby and fasten straps. Off you go! (This is one I *really* cannot do, but I have seen it done!)

Das wär's,

j

[JenInMpls]

Originally Posted by sistermama

Lucy's got some awful looking bite on her forehead. Looks like might be a spider bite.

actually, sarah, it was me. i stole into your house under cover of darkness and nibbled at lu's forehead. :LOL

and now, the good news: T nursed!! only on one side (I think lying on the other side still hurts somehow), but he chugged down nearly 10 oz at the breast! I guess he was really hungry!

he produced a poo today on par with some of his meconium dipes when it comes to nastiness... bleah.

j

[leomom]

Sarah,

I'm going to CHICAGO My favorite city.

Thank you guys for posting to my pumping thread! I bought one of those microwave bags today at Target.

Jen, so glad T nursed.

I think Kate may be constipated...she's never been one to poop every day (usually every 2-3), but today she seemed to be straining and trying to poop...and by the end of the day, all she had was a little rabbit pellet halfway out..sorry to be so graphic. :LOL Any thoughts? She eats blueberries almost every day and hasn't had bananas in about a week...she's been really digging apricots, oatmeal, peas, avocado, breadsticks, and BLUEBERRIES most of all. Could any of these be causing constipation?

[JenInMpls]

Originally Posted by leomom

I think Kate may be constipated...she's been really digging apricots, oatmeal, peas, avocado, breadsticks, and BLUEBERRIES most of all. Could any of these be causing constipation?

I seem to recall blueberries being the berry you should eat if you're having diarrhea...

from mothernature.com:

Blueberries. Finally, the blue-beary facts on [diarrhea]. "It may be an old wives' tale, but one reason bears are so angry at certain times of the year is that they're gorging on blueberries, which make them constipated," says Sgt. Squier. "They get real severe cramps. One Alaskan trapper told me you can hear the bears' stomachs growling from quite a distance. I know I gorged myself on blueberries in Vermont and I couldn't go to the bathroom for three days. The old-timers say that if you take a few dried blueberries along on your trip, five or six of them will cure diarrhea."

soooo... kate, lay off the blueberries!! :LOL

Pears are a good source of fiber... and how about some flaxseed?

jen

[leomom]

Uh, oh! We've got real problems because she blueberries and is luke warm on everything else!! She's not crazy about pears or even bananas!!! Guess I'll just have to stop offering them until she's eaten a little of something else. Funny, I thought blueberries were chock full of fiber?!? Thanks for the info Jen!

ETA: She's eating the dried blueberried from justtomatoes.com at that! No problems with the runs here! :LOL

[lucysmom]

another ergo tip: like Jen said #3, but with ergo & baby on bed, not ground -- much easier on abs!

[Yo Becca]

HeatherB - I'm jealous of your ergo! But I'm picking up my maya wrap tomorrow!

Jen - COngrats on Tristan turning a corner! Hope you are feeling better too!

Stacey - maybe you could mix the blueberries with a high-fiber porrige - like brown rice, oatmeal, millet, etc. Or try beans! RObin has become a black bean addict, and she's a pooping machine. Of course, she loves pears too.

Pam - sucks about the car. Seems like we are forever having car issues around here too.

Rae in BC - My nephew is 3 days older than Robin and he just started crawling. I think it's personality - he's really laid back and chill, for the most part. He's starting to get annoyed when htings don't go his way these days. But Robin has a fairly aggressive personality. SHe's happy and good-natured, but very driven. It can be very, um, difficult. I'm still not ready for all this mobility. We can;t put a gate at the bottom of the stair s(they curve for 3 stairs, then have newel post for three stairs, there's no walls until the 7th step) So we have get serious about finding ways to block her path.

Sistermama - aww...camp. That sounds so summery. It made me flash forward to Robin going away to camp...I always was so jealous of kids who wen tot camp and I had to stay home withmy stupid parents *sigh* Hope Jack has fun!

[Marimami]

All "p" fruits help with constipation--pears, peaches, plums, prunes. Try some of them perhaps.

I didn't know that about blueberries. We tried them for the first time last night with no problem with mooshy poops today. LOL

Mari threw up a little in her crib this morning after her early morning bottle. DH was with her, and she's been fine otherwise and no fever. I think it's her teeth. She is teething like crazy. We had to bring her to the dentist last week to check out her teeth she was born with and he showed us about 5 places where the teeth are visible under the gums and just ready to pop out.

I hope they do soon because she is getting really annoyed with her food lately. She likes her finger food to be in long skinny strips, like spears so we are trying to do that more. But, she just doesn't get enough in her tummy on her own and is still hungry and then just grabs the spoon from us to eat on her own.

She has just gotten soooo strong-willed and independent in the past week or so. I'm not sure if it's her age or if she is finally feeling comfortable with us that she can show it like it is. It is really cracking us up though.

She really needs to figure out how to pull herself up because that is really ticking her off! LOL

She has a little sandbox that she seemed to have fun in this weekend, and Daddy set up her little pool today. It's been hot in NC lately.

Wel, gotta get back to work. Bye for now.

Holli

[banana girl]

Greetings!

Hello everyone! Sounds like there's alot of us mamas going through the ringer lately!!! Jeepers Jen!! Sounds awful! I was reading aloud the description of symptoms from that page you linked.... everyone here was grossed out. Poor Tristan. And the mama whose husband perforated his eardrum..... blyleckhhh!!!!

We are doing pretty well, Mielle has been doing all right... the goose egg has stuck around longer than i like, but she is being her usual self again.
She's so darn active these days it's getting crazy keeping up with her. Bedtime has been very challenging lately, she seems to get all riled up and crazy before bed and has a hard time calming down. Her Papa has been rough housing with her at night, tickling and giggling and kissing her till she squeals with laughter.... it seems to help tire her out, but.... she now seems to expect "tickle time" and gets all excited in advance of the actual playtime.
Hummmm....

Hope everyone heals well and has a great week, I've got way too much to do to stay online any longer. Love to all!

[AugustineM]

Hi All!

New Pics of Thor if you want to check them out.

Mari's Mama (and others) -- Yes, personality sure does seem to be shining through at this age. It seems like every day Thor becomes a little more intent on letting his desires be know. There are certain things he loves (like in the photos you see him playing with the ceiling fan cords) and certain things he hates (like being dressed).

OMG. Dressing and diaper changes are like torture to him. I can't figure out why he hates it so much... I feel bad for dressing him and put if off for as long as I can.

A question about CDing. I started a couple months ago and like it a lot. The only thing is, twice Thor has gotten a red rash on his butt like a sunburn. It feels warm to the touch. He never got a rash with disposables... I'm wondering if it is a reaction to detergent? I wash the dipes twice, once in cold and once in warm. I use All Free & Clear, mostly just in the cold cycle. My DH thinks maybe they're not getting clean enough and the rash is due to urine/poo still in the dipe? I'm not sure what to make of it. It usually goes away after a day or so, when I let his bottom air dry a lot and use sposies a couple times. But that seems sillly -- I'd like to just cure the problem.

Well -- baby's asleep, I better be too...

[Yo Becca]

What a shocker that butt was! I LOL. Very cute pix, Ashley.

About the CD'ing...does it seem like diaper rash? I use the same detergent, but I only wash once on Hot (with a cold rinse) and have never had a problem with diapers not getting clean. I think the hot is mainly to get out stains. If you think the issue could be irritation from the wetness, you could use diaper liners. (Like the gerber liner or Kushies? ones) They're like a heavy tissue you put on the diaper to "catch" poop. When they poop, you throw it away, but if they just pee, you can wash them w/ the dipes and air dry (at least you can with the gerbers). They keep the baby's skin a bit more dry. Or, you can go buy scrap polar fleece for cheap, cut it to size, and use it as a washable diaper liner - it wicks away the moisture and worked for a girlfriend whose DS has a sensitve butt. But most babes I know who get diaper rash get it more with disposables....hmmmm

I gotta go to bed. It's 1:30 - I've been up writing an email to my best friend - trying to mend a rift that grew to big until thankfully she took the first step to bridge it. I don't think I could have figured out what step to take first. Being a mom means prioritizing the baby first, and it has made figuring out friendships hard for me, although I also feel I need them more than ever. I'm trying to reconnect with an old friend - she came over yesterday and spent the day. SHe is a crunchy AP mama - although she's never heard hte term, I bet, just parenting by instinct - of a 5 yo son. But it was so hard for us to connect as adults and also tend to our flock - her DS, RObin, and my neice was over. Very disjointed.

Jen - we went to the evil empire (wal-mart) and grocery store on our marathon errand running, and I was so worried about Robin sucking on the shopping carts. My mom got sick when she came to visit last week, and we assumed it was RObin's and my cold. Well, my dad called today and said she's still very sick & went to the Dr.. My first quesiton - Is it Hand, foot an dmmouth disease?

Oh - she also perfed her eardrum and was bleeding out the ear. My dad and I agreed not to discuss it - we both have a panic disorder relating to gross medical stuff.