Janulicious July #3 - Page 22

[rubysmomjess]

wherw IS everybody today?

[catnip]

We're not giving up quite yet. Her wets are lower than usual, normal for her is 12-14 and we're doing 8-12. That's kind of where we were when this whole low supply thing started, I thought she was fine with all the wet diapers but when she is gaining well, it is alot more. If she's lost weight on Friday, we will go back to formula. If she has gained anything, then we keep going. Yesterday was only 8 wets. I wish I could catch a pee to see what the color looks like,but I have had no luck trying so far. They smell a bit stronger than they used to, but I wonder if that is residual effects from the solids experiment of a few weeks back. It's so hard to know. I just don't want my sweet baby to be hungry! She was acting all weird last night too. Most nights, she wakes up a once or twice, nurses and then goes back to sleep. Last night she was nursing, then fussing, and scooting around the bed then cooing, then snuggling, then nursing again, then stopping and snuggling closer and then went back to sleep. She did this a couple of times. Not a restful night.

Annie, I've tried to read the other Avalon books but I couldn't get into them. Let you in on a not so secret secret though... MZB didn't write the other ones. SHe was too sick. Her assistant Elisabeth Waters wrote them. (this from MZB's goddaughter, who I used to be friends with). I still haven't sent you your chocolate : but it seems to have bred... We're up to 12 ounces. If this box stays on my desk through another TJ's run you may get a full pound.

[Malama]

I'M HERE.... JUST (sorry) trying to be a good mama. to my fussy babe

and I read a couple of other mists books. I agree- they are NOT anywhere near as good as mists. interesting that SHe wasn't the writer. anyone read the most newest one?

[3_opihi]

Interesting that she didn't write the other mists. I was reading that in the prologue...I dunno, I still sorta want to read them, but I don't want to ruin the goodness of Mists...

Pam, Makai has a speech delay too. He didn't even start talking until after two, and he's sorta unitelligible most of the time. We decided not to put him into EI, after talking to the preschool teachers that will be working with him this coming year - they said they would work with him. He seems to be not talking much at all lately, for some reason. He's getting his molars, and I think he has regressed a bit....I think all kids just develop at their own pace, yk? I do sorta wonder about his hearing now, after everything that has happened with Violet, so maybe I should do that. I know that Kobe was like Kaitlyn - by two and a half he knew all the names of the dinosaurs, could count spell, ect...:LOL He was our little professor.

So, speaking of Makai - he seems to be in a big tantruming phase. Its really awful. He'll just scream and scream and keep getting himself more and more worked up until he gets what he wants - I mean he could go on for hours, people. I usually try to ignore it and give him some space to work out his anger, but it also hurts me to see my baby so upset, so then I run to nurse him...And I know part of this is happening because he doesn't soeak well, and he's frusterated that we can't understand him, or he can't tell us what he wants. Poor little guy. Kobe never did this, so I'm kinda at a loss for what to do.

[Pam_and_Abigail]

Annie, I just wanted to say that we got your card today, and the part about taking care of mama made me cry! I really needed that (cuz as I was walking down the drive to get the mail I was ready to leave for good...).
We also got one from Sheri! This is so exciting!
I also got a chinaberry catalogue this week, but still no longies...

[Bunches]

good morning mamas.... haven't posted in a day or 2... just caught up reading but Torin is awake so I may not have much time....
Annie - sorry about Makai..... poor little guy.... he probably wants to hold on to you as much as he can and nurse.... are you signing at all??
i was thinking of buying the bumbo for Torin since he can't sit up without support yet but they want 34 bucks for shipping!!
as for the bottle, T didn't really want it before i went back to work but then he adjusted fine after a little while..... I felt so guilty at first...... But, now, he just seems so happy and drinks all of the breastmilk I leave for him......
Still don't know if we are going to move in Sept/Oct back to the East..... dh's seasonal job could potentially end at the end of Sept/ he has sent applications to a few places so we are waiting to hear....... "the waiting is the hardest part"
Financially, we'd probably be better off staying put because moving is so expensive.... but in the long run, it might be a better career move for dh..... I hate being in limbo and not knowing what we are going to do.....
Torin is calling........

[3_opihi]

Karen, I'm glad your dad is doing better.

Andy - I would get the tough traveller. Sorry about the bad night. Do you think he might have eaten too much? Maybe had a tummy ache? Ugh, those are the worst nights....


About the jumping in thing - yeah, I kinda watch and let them do their thing. If somebody gets hurt, I just say, "well, if that's how you are playing then that could happen. Its nobody's fault." Of course, I don't let the baby jump off the couch I do let the boys hold her and stuff, though. I dunno what I'm trying to say here - I have this list hanging on my fridge - it has all the alternative sayings to the common "don'ts". For isntance, instead of saying "don't hit your brother" you would say "when you hit your brother, it hurts him and makes him feel sad", or "don't run in front of the swings" you'd say "walk carefully around the swings" I think when kids think they are going to be reprimanded, they kind of internally wince, and their minds and ears just clamp down, yk - and then they don't really hear anything we were going to say. I try to put a positive spin on things. It really works - I just wish I could do it ALL the time : I suppose it does make those little flip out moments a little easier to handle.

[LEAW]

Annie, could you post/pm/email me that list?

And as for the slow language - I'm doing this now (preparing, not actually implementing) - it's called PECS and it's the picture communication system they use with kids with autism who are nonverbal. Anyhow... you make pics 2" square (photos of real objects/people and symbols/signs for things like "want" and laminate and either velcro or magnet them to a cookie sheet, notebook, etc and then when there is something to say w/o words they can give you the right picture. Gonna do that w/signs too.

Mary - I've been dx'd and referred to a cardiologist - premature ventricular beats and supraventricular tachycardia.

Nada else here, had a great time and saw a lot of GD in practice w/ a 1 and 2 yr old and their 4 yr old sisters. Very cool to see.

I'd like to reply to all the stuff I missed but there is just no way, so I'm starting back in now, right here.

Lisa

[Bunches]

Annie - that list sounds really great and positive!
Karen- still sending healing vibes to your Dad......

[Bunches]

Lisa - wow! a diagnosis.... the good thing is..... with PSVT you can get yourself out of it sometimes... When you start feeling "weird" if you cough really hard you can stimulate the vagal nerve and cause your heart rate to go down......
Annie - could you email me the list too?????

[Bunches]

Pam - sorry about how you are feeling!

[3_opihi]

I'll just post the list up here Its actually meant for daycare workers, so some of the stuff might seem irrelavant to you all..Also, think about the intonation of your voice when saying stuff!

Say- Sit down when you slide
Don't Say - Don't stand up when you slide

Say- Dig in the sand (emphasis on dig)
DS- Don't throw sand

Say- Sit in the swing
DS- Don't stand in the swing

Say -Use both hands when you climb
DS- You'll fall if you don't watch out!

Say- Keep the puzzle on the table
DS- DOn't dump the puzzle on the floor!
Say- Climb down the ladder
DS- Don't jump off that!

Say- Talk in a quiet/inside voice
DS - Stop shouting!

Say- Turn the pages carefully
DS- Don't tear the book

Say- Be sure the ladder is safe
DS- Carefull! You might fall

Say- Walk safely around the swing
DS- Carefule! The swing might hit you!

Say- Wipe your brush on the jar
DS- Don't drip paint on the floor

Say-Drink your water
DS- Don't drink out of other people's cups

A good excercise that I like to do, is to think up other situations in my head, and then how would I say things. Now that I have a guide, I'm constantly catching myself.

[Malama]

Annie- sorry to hear about Makai's phase. I hate tantrums. they can be so challenging for parents..... so you said that he does it until he gets what he wants. so is he getting what he wants? i.e. is the tantrum leading him to get it? I guess that's obvious. but I do know a lot of kids who will scream and scream until they get what they want, and it just never ends. they just become unreasonable for everything.

Lisa- glad to hear you've got dx.... and it sounds like Mary has a good solution. cool

so now I'm not sure when I'm gonna go to LA> my mom said hold off on making reservations- she has so call me back with some info.... ugh. I feel on hold and I'm tired of sitting here worrying. the phone calls just aren't enough. sigh.... MY choice for living so far away.

[3_opihi]

Lisa, glad you got a dx. I wonder, can they do anything about it, or is it just something you have to live with?

Karen - yeah, when MAk screams, we usually don't know what he wants, hence the frusteration and screaming. It just goes on without end. I suppose what I mean when I say "give in" is that I just succumb and nurse him. I don't think that's bad though? Is that bad? I think he's just needing lots of love and reassurance lately.

I feel your frusteration about your dad . This is the same thing I went through with my grams last month. She is really more like my mom, than my actual mom - it was horrible not being able to be with her while she was so sick. She's in rehap too now, although its a very long road for her.

[catnip]

My house is driving me buggy. Ants. everywhere. We've tried boric acid, no tox spray, keeping clean, and bait poison. No luck. They were WALKING ACROSS THE WATER MOAT around the cat food. In the diaper pail. I'm going to screAM. I just threw out 2 pounds of premium cat food. And we have paper wasps. No clue how they get in, but there were 7 yesterday.

Then Kaia knocks over the bottle of EBM and the lid breaks. Only lost 1/4 ounce, but still... so then while I am picking lid-shrapnel out of the remaining pumpd milk, she pulls a glass off the counter. She's just thinking this is SOOO funny. So I went and grabbed the twelve year old next door to play with Kaia while I take a shower and find my lost sanity. All cleaned up now!

[Malama]

Annie- I wouldn't consider nursing giving in. In fact, I think one of the hugest benefits of nursing into toddlerhoood is being able to nurse them when they get so frustrated like that. I was more wondering if like he was crying cuz he couldn't have somethiung and then he stopped once he got it. that's different, IMO.
nurse away mama. mother's milk does wonders.

We have ants too. aren't they FUN?!?!?! We have cat food bowls that ants can't get into - http://www.dogcatsupply.com/store.php?scat=24&pid=272 they're called fool-a-bug. they work really well for us. some of our friends haven't had luck with them, but we've had them for years and they're great. of course cats DO like to pull the food out of the bowl and eat it on the floor- and the ants go all over those little pieces. now that I'm thinking of it we'll have to move the cat food soon. otherwise Luka will be ALL over it and it'll become a battle. I know. I've been there before.

[rubysmomjess]

Annie-R has tantrums too. Usually when she's not feeling well (teething, sick) ro she's learning something momentus (ie potty training). We went through this last weekend. And then it stopped. Since she's not nursing I usually sit by her and wait it out. Or the new thing is to go outside or sit in the clothes closet with her (not a time-out without us, timeout with us). Kind of gives her the chance to settle down and regroup with all the distractions of toys and shoes and whatever caused the tantrum in the first place. Ruby speaks very well but she still gets frustrated when she can't get her point across. Must be terribly hard for Makai.

Kathy I had to laugh in the BTDT kind of way of your desciption of your morning with Miss T. Life is hard when you want to do it yourself but you need to know your mom will still do it for you

I'm looking forward to my friday off. I have half my postcards ready to go. I might make the deadline!

[3_opihi]

We do the outside thing too, Jess. Usually, if he freaks out while I'm nursing Violet down, my mom will take him outside to look at the moon, or look for frogs. I swear, this kids must have been a pagan in his past life. Kid is obsessed with the moon...moon t-shirts, moon books, loves to look at the moon.

Michelle, you can try putting cayenne pepper in the spot wher ethe ants are coming in. That will head them off for a while.

Ok, must get OFF computer. I have been on it for WAy to long. Dh took boys to gym, and I've been sitting here goofing off. He's going to freak if he comes home and see's me sitting the the same spot, lol!

[LEAW]

Mary, hehe, yah, my GP said "try coughing really hard OR just dunk your face in a big bowl of ice water" to see if it helps Actually, I don't notice that much. I mean, I know when my pulse is way up (it was way up all during labor too) but it doesn't bother me. The PVB bothers me, and that's gotta be a meds thing.

Annie, just move over a bit from where you were before, put V on your lap, and say "honey, she nursed the entire time" and go :P at him. :LOL

So the cardio my GP wants me to see isn't on my insurance. Gah, gotta find another one.

Lauren and I took a walk a bit ago, and she totally crashed out in the MT on the way home. I untied it and put her down on the bed still wrapped up, she looks like the giant MT monster with her arms and legs sprawled out on top of the straps. Took a pic, can't find the cable to post it.

Going back to mom's for the night, but coming home in the morning. Dad came over today and pulled down part of the wall behind the sink. We needed to do that because the tile adhesive was just too hard to get off the wall. So now dh has a big gaping hole to put his plumbing and elec in place, and maybe we'll have kitchen soon! I'm seriously hoping to schedule Lauren's baptism for Sept. and have a party here after.. we'll see if we make it.

Oh Jeni, I had something *so important* to tell you yesterday and for the life of me I can't remember what. GAH! So I'm going to go back and read your posts from the last 3 days and see if that triggers anything.

Lisa

[pixiexto]

Originally Posted by rubysmomjess

Life is hard when you want to do it yourself but you need to know your mom will still do it for you

Yes!! Jess, you've hit the nail on the head ~ that's EXACTLY what they're doing at this age. Marvelous, the way you describe it. I know, it's simple, but sometimes the simplest things can escape you, kwim?

Lisa, good to hear you have a dx. Is it something to treat or something that just *is*?

Annie, with the toddler fury. Oh boy, talk about a lot of energy in tiny little bodies, huh?

Ah, DH is home! More later