August '05 Mamas...March Thread - Page 6

[ktmama]

Yummy, yummy babies, mamas! You mamas look great, too. I'm still working on that last 10 pounds. Nine weeks till my sister's wedding in Florida. I know there's nothing I can do about the thighs, but the tummy WILL respond!

And yes, that was me that asked about the co-sleeper. Mind if I ask about your evening routine? Do you nurse her down and then put her in at a certain time? Slide her in from the bed? I'm looking for ideas!

I posted a long winded speel about our nighttime routine a few weeks ago, but the abbreviated version is that Annabelle spends one on one time with dh while I cook dinner, then we all have dinner with her at the table. I then take her upstairs and get her dressed for bed while dd1 gets ready for bed and dh cleans the kitchen, then we come down and all read together. Then I take Annabelle upstairs and lay down to nurse her. She falls almost all the way to sleep, I unlatch her and pick her up, put her in the co-sleeper and swaddle her up. She stays mellow for that part and then drifts off.

That's on a good night, though. Sometimes she's sleepy (rubbing eyes and yawning), but has a hard time settling down (kicking legs and waving arms while nursing), so I swaddle her first, then nurse. I'm looking on craigslist right now for a rocker so I don't get in the habit of laying down with her at sleeptime to nurse. With dd1 this translated into laying down with her as a toddler (after weaning) to get her to sleep. HTH You might need to wait awhile for him to be sleeping deeply in the big bed before you transfer him to the cosleeper until it smells right and he's used to being in there. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

ETA - While I'm normally the one that puts the baby to bed, she can drift off with just rocking if she's with dh or Auntie.

[eastkygal]

It's been a while

Hey all.... it's been a while since I've been here last. I've had some rough days with dd. She's been weepy and sleepy - up all night and day. One day dh and myself were at a loss as to what to do to comfort her. I've been a bundle of nerves. She's started crying after the first two bites of her solid food too. She used to love it and say MMMM when she ate. She's been on solids since she was 5 months. I don't know what's up. Her nightime sleeping has been sporadic too. So not usual. The last two days have been somewhat better. I'm praying. I've been wondering if it is teething. She got her bottom two when she was 5 months and hasn't gotten anymore since. I got some Hyland's teething tablets, but I'm not sure if I should give them. I don't know! I'm at a loss! I feel so bad for her, but things are looking up.

Katinbugsmom - dd is very warmblooded. We even had to switch bedrooms for the summer because it was impossible to cool the room off enough for her. She was miserable and we like to never figured out what was wrong the night we brought her home until I noticed the heat rash. We keep our house around 65 degrees. She rarely wears a coat, but we keep her in a hat socks and a nice blanket -- all stuff that can be removed if need be. When we go walking on cool days if it is low fifties or below I'll put her in a onesie and her snowsuit to walk, and this keeps her the perfect temperature. She gets this from me and my dad's family. We are miserable most of the summer unless there's a cool lake nearby to swim in. Our favorite month is fall.

I hope everyone is well. If I ever get any time I'll try to post pics of dd. I'm weary of putting them on the net though. I trust the people on MDC, but not other places. How do you all see this? Is there a need for conern? I look forward to striking some conversations.

Oh, does anybody else have a babe that they think will walk before it crawls? DD is no where near crawling, and she hates tummy time, so I wonder if she ever will crawl. Just find this interesting.

[wsgrl84]

Hey mamas! weekend is here finally! I get to see DH during the day!

Hope ur pregnancy is going well hopefulfaith!! I think sometimes the receptionists are just being lazy that day, maybe thats why they are giving you a hard time when you called? just a guess...

MamaColtrane, very cute pictures! my DS has the same outfit minus the writing on the front. I just love how adorable they look with a hoodie on!!

Oh, does anybody else have a babe that they think will walk before it crawls? DD is no where near crawling, and she hates tummy time, so I wonder if she ever will crawl. Just find this interesting.

Yep eastkygirl, my DS does the same thing! He can't stand more than 10 seconds on his stomach, he'll start rolling over then over again then over again...I can'ttt catch him!

So I mentioned before that DS started loosing interest in his old toys. I think it's because separation anxiety is slowly kicking in. When I hold him, he's happy and smiling again.

Sometimes she's sleepy (rubbing eyes and yawning), but has a hard time settling down (kicking legs and waving arms while nursing)

Sounds like DS EVERY night! I seriously want to fall asleep before he does! So tired...

Does your babies still sleep on their backs? My DS started sleeping on his side/stomach now that he can flip. I usually leave him there cause it takes him FOREVER to fall asleep, but I do check if he's breathing still. Maybe he got it from me cause I love to sleep on side and stomach. I really don't want to wake him up!

So today me and DH saw this 10 month little baby girl sitting next to us at the diner and she was soooooo adorable! She was smiling at us, cooing and started waving her head no when her mom gave her some food. It just made me look forward to the future when my own DS will be 10 month old! Once they can do more stuff, babies only get more and more fun to be around!!

So doctor's appment is tomorrow morning, I'm not ready for 3 more immunizations, I don't think DH is too! Hopefully DS wont be TOO fussy.*fingers crossed*

Goodnight!

[EStreetMama]

EasyKYgal--go for the Highland's...they can really help and they certainly won't hurt.

Mamas...life is nuts. I'm going to see a counselor on Monday to try and get a grip. My work is also really stressing me out...today they put us on notice that we are to expect "surprise inspections" at our home offices to check for security issues. Can you imagine just waiting for someone to come to the door to "inspect" your personal property? Working at home is not all it's cracked up to be. I wish they'd just come tomorrow and get it over with. I don't need extra crap like this to think about. DH said "Well, let's see if they can get past the dog."

I am SUPER PMS-ing. My first period after the baby was nothing...this one is really bad. I've been cramping and feeling sick for 2 weeks already. Plus I found a breast lump. I can't get to the doctor until 3/27. I'm sure it's nothing but another little stressor in the back of my mind. I hope I start bleeding soon though.

Hopefulfaith...I would be tempted to scream at a receptionist who tried to give me medical advice about breastfeeding!! I sure hope she is a nurse. I wish you better luck with your OB office...I had many a teary afternoon after OB appointments until we switched to a midwife. Sounds like you are doing a great job with the research. Take a few moments before you go in or call and imagine yourself in a nice warm protective bubble that they cannot penetrate. Like your sweet baby in the womb!

Does anyone have goats? I just found out that I can have 3 pygmies on my double city lot. Then today we took a walk (in an unusual spring snowshower) and one block from my house, we found a yard with goaties!! We're going to go talk to their parents this weekend.

That's all mamas...I have to go back to my work computer. It's so easy to get distracted on MDC! Much more fun than working.

Owen is doing great. Just a sweet little yummy guy who wants to sit on the floor with his toys!

Have a great weekend!!!!!!

How are the RSV babies, by the way? Hopefully much better!!!!!

[eastkygal]

Whooo!

Adrienne - I think I will go for the Hyland's just to see what happens if nothing else. Sorry to hear about your troubles. I've been feeling kind of down myself. I'm out of my element in the city and I'm having a heap of trouble fitting in, plus other things!!! I wish you the best.

Receptionist must be giving crappy advice to people all over. One of the moms at Gymboree called because her dd was pulling away from the breast when trying to nurse etc... The receptionist said she was probably trying to wean at 7 months.... Okay.... UHHHH.... What do they think? I bet she wouldn't have said that about a bottle fed baby. I don't know.

About sleeping on sides and backs. I've read and been told by other mothers that if they can roll over both ways it is no longer a problem for them to sleep on their sides or tummies occasionally. DD sleeps mostly on her side. It is the only way she will go to sleep.

Well, my mother and grandmother is visiting me in the big city this weekend -- makes me a little nervous. Wasn't able to eat this morning, but hey. I guess I'll find a way to enjoy myself. Take a nice warm bath... etc... DD seems okay with them, though she is wary of some others now. She hasn't seen them since Christmas. She's scared of Gymbo the clown at Gymboree. I almost don't blame her there. I'm not much on clowns myself.

[~Megan~]

Is anyone else's child still spitting up a lot? dd was a spitter but it dramatically decreased at 4 months.
with ds we are still at several shirt changes for him and us each day.

[Cori Beth]

Colds! - Help

Hopefulfaith- Where on Lake Superior are you? I am now in Vancouver Canada, but I grew up in Michigan and spent two years teaching in The Keweenaw. I absolutely love Lake Superior . Our honeymoon was spent 10 days in the back country on Isle Royale. Oh, I miss it.
Damn, sorry to hear about the troubles of PTL and trying to make appointments, hope that all gets worked out. Frustrating, there's always something...
MyDD has a yucky cold, we've all gotten it. We gave her tylenol last night, but I don't want to give it to her again this evening, does anyone have any natural suggestions to help her sleep better? She has a tiny cough too. My mom wanted me to take her to the doctors, but I saw no good reason to do that since she has no temp. and most likely they will tell me she has a cold and to give her tylenol.
I love everyone's pictures, I need to figure out how to do that!

[CarenSwan]

to everyone having a hard time! Adrienne, I do hope that you have a good connection with the counselor. Sometimes it really helps me to have an outside perspective on the situation, and just to have someone ask those questions that I don't think to ask myself... The woman I've been seeing for the last couple of months has been moderately helpful... Nothing earthshattering, but she's kind and wise, and what else can I really ask for?

We're sick here, both Clara and I. She just cried for the better part of the last two hours, and I'm hoping she's finally given up the ghost for the night. I think it's teething, but she has a fever of about 101 and really hit her head hard too, so she's generally quite miserable. I think I'll be keeping her home from church tomorrow so that we can lay low and get better. I just hate to see her so miserable and writhing in pain!

[heldt123]

Johnathan is doing a bit better now. He's still coughing and congested, but in a better mood. Still having to pump because he is still only nursing about half as much or less than he does normally and won't eat off a full breast.

Yes, he still spits quite frequently...I keep bibs on him all day. He's been spitting less now that I realized he was eating too much. If I try to give him a bottle of EBM, he will spit up every last drop...can't imagine what I'd do if I had to bottle-feed him . I've been joking around that once he learns to crawl he can go spit on all the odd places he's missed!

Emily - That is crummy! s Hope you can get what you need without any more problems.

Caren & Cori- Hope your babies get better soon!

Kate - I've got an extra 8-10 left too. My tummy just didn't go down like it did last time, then again, with only one child, that actually slept sometimes, I had time to work on things....now I'm lucky to just get my teeth brushed! Well, I wasn't on MDC back then either....let's see...I could have done 100 crunches in the time it took me to write this post.....

[quelindo]

Originally Posted by mamao'two

Is anyone else's child still spitting up a lot? dd was a spitter but it dramatically decreased at 4 months.
with ds we are still at several shirt changes for him and us each day.

Henry is a spitter-upper. He used to be much worse -- I was be changing both our clothes multiple times a day for a while there -- and he tapered off right when he hit six months. However, he still spits up several times a day. He's definitely worse if I have anything with dairy or soy in it, which I had to cut out completely a while back, but I still sneak the occasional baked good with those things in it.

I'm wary of feeding him solids until he stops completely, though I'm not sure it's totally connected -- but how could it not be?

[~Megan~]

For some kids starting solids helps with spitting up. It does seem to help ds some. His spitting up is mostly related to overeating or being too active after eating.
So after he eats if he doesn't fall asleep I try to keep him in a slanted laying position. Sitting up puts too much pressure on his tummy.

[babycarrier]

Hi everybody! Hope the babes with RSV are feeling better.

It really is so comforting to come to read this thread and see how much of what goes on with babe is a developmental age; for some reason seeing others doing the same things makes it more manageable in my mind.

s to all that need em.

I won't pretend that I can remember names from questions and I'll admit up front that I didn't take notes but I won't let this stop me from participating this time I think I need to be more active chatting in here because you are all a great bunch of mommas and I really enjoy the journey we have all been through. I do read all the posts I'm just terrible at responding - Does anybody else type and then delete cause they feel like it sounds this that or the other thing but not what they meant? So, I'll give it a go.

I am a little nervous about posting kid pics also. I think I will try to get one of my boys up and probably won't leave the link for long. I would like to share them with you guys!

We are feeling overwhelmed at our home. Just a bit of everything; it feels like all of these other commitments and people needing energy. I just don't have it or want it. All Iwant is some alone time with dh and it seems when we get together we just butt heads. I don't know why. I'm having some post partum issues I think and I am not handling them well. I just get angry over trivial things; i think it is just misplaced anger. I'm going to check out the thread in working mommas about getting organized. I AM GOING TO GET A HANDLE ON THIS! Parenting two children is more difficult than I thought. I always feel like I'm shorting somebody on something. Enough about that.

Any mommas or partners artists or musicians? Looking for ideas on maintaining creative outlets.

Adrienne - an extra one for you. I'm thinking of making an appointment also.

Anybody else feel complete with the family size. I have an appointment for April 3 to have my tubes. I think it is stressing me out. Not the idea of being done but the thought of surgery. After lots of careful thought, I think it is the best plan for our family. Just feeling a bit moody, broody and nervous.

Nonny- I felt relieved when I learned that I could vax on my own schedule and get individual immunizations if that is how I wanted them. Just mentioning this because you sounded a little concerned about your babe getting 3 this week.

We are slowly eating more solids. Today mixed hummus with plain yogurt and he loved it! Have not seen him really enjoy anything like that yet. I was surprised at how yummy it was! Bananas, avocado, sweet potato - looking for other food ideas/recipes. Will be checking out super baby food cookbook.
We had two difficult nursing days but today seems to be better.

Interesting to hear that other little ones have trouble settling down. Jack flails his arm and rolls back and forth for a few minutes before falling asleep. It is so hard to not be able to comfort him when he is like that.

Loving co-sleeping with him, though I miss sleeping with dh.We were all in the queen but find that we sleep better this way. Everybody is a little more rested and it is such a short time of life. Ds falls asleep with dh and I come in at midnight from work and switch ds to the other bed with me. Ds1 finds his way in at some point during the night. Really pretty cozy.

We go through many changes of shirts also. Mr. drooly

[wsgrl84]

Doctor appointment went well...

Seriously mamas, I could be a pediatrician!! All I have to do is sit there and ask if the baby is hitting all the milestone, then feel his tummy, then reassure parents their child is normal then let the nurse do the fun stuff=shots. Thats all my pediatrician did!!: Grrrr.....and he is one of the better ones in the area too.

DS is in the 50th percentile on length and weight, but his head is in the 75th. Got a big head like his dad!!

I was a little worried about the shots because having 3 shots in a row is horrifing to me! let alone a baby! But DS did very good this time, he didn't have a fever afterwards or fuss. We even went to the zoo afterwards on a beautiful 65 degrees Saturday!! I'll post pics laaater!

bath time!

[eastkygal]

AHH scared and nervous!!!

I found out that there is a possibility of lead paint in our house! It's not confirmed. It was built in 1900 and hasn't been renovated since 1950. When we bought it we had all these naive hopes and dreams of fixing it up. We didn't even no about lead paint. We didn't know we would plan a family then either. It was our first time purchasing a home, and we had a low budget too. Now, we're out of money, and dh has no time to do the fixing and we have no money to hire the work out. We tried to get government help, but we are $50.00 over the income limit. What will the extra $50.00 do? AHHHHH! : I'm afraid to give dd room to explore. We've had her lead tested and she came out on the safe side. Dr. says nothing to worry about now, she is not in danger. Whew! Thank God! But, she isn't crawling or cruising. What then? The living room is completely renovated, so she will have that room, but I will be so paranoid! We think most of it is on the outside of the house, which means it is in the dirt. To think she won't be able to dig in the dirt! AHHH!:

Anyway, we are moving! This house can go to someone who knows what to do with it. I know this is best, and we have already found a house that is closer to dh work, and will be easier to maintain. It has more room and is really beautiful. It is in the country, but not back east. The area is pretty, and dd will have lots of room to play. We know no one there except for dh co-workers. Oh! Uprooting can be so scary. It seems we are always looking for a home. College put us moving 3 times. I hope this move is the right one. I know it will be in the way of health for all of us. We've never loved city life. I just hope I can find dd a play group. She goes to Gymboree here, but I know they don't have that there. What do you do in that situation? I want her to be socialized with her own age group! I posted under Tribes to see what anyone could tell me about my options. I'm just so nervous. I couldn't sleep last night. I'm sick to my stomach. Just to think in 2 months I could be getting used to a whole other place yet again. Oh my!

[Aeriane]

Hi everyone

Long time no post...oops! I've had a lot to contend with lately but mostly busy being Mom.

Let's see, Nathanael..well he's been sick twice with gastroenteritis, despite me cleaning like a mad woman and washing and purelling everyone to the hilt we still managed to pass that nasty bug around, some got it twice. Nathanael's on about the 45th percentile on the down syndrome charts, don't know where he'd be on the regular ones and it probably doesn't matter. He's almost 14 lbs now. He is trying to sit, but still slouches like a blob. It'll come. I work with him sitting tripod, though he blobs down and grunts, I put his hands on mine and he either falls forward or pushes up to a sit. We do that until he whimpers like a puppy..telling me he's had enough. He can now do 90 degrees when on his tummy but he hates it, and cries. I know I need to give him the tummy time but dang he hates it. Scrrreeeam and screeeeam.

He's a great sleeper though. He's asleep by 6 or 7pm (sometimes 8) and up by 6/6:30 which is fantastic because I need to be up by 6. yahoo!

I got out the high chair with a pad I have and I tuck a towel around him and have him try to sit up in that. He has a few toys and he's pretty enthusiastic for a while then he leans to the side and starts pitifully whimpering. I pull him back to sitting and he plays again then slowely falls to the side (despite being padded and tucked in with the towel). AFter a few times I take him out. It's great exercise to try to strengthen him.

Did I mention earlier he can sleep in a bed now? His trachea/esophagus area is finally developed enough so that he can breathe normally! yay!!

I'm going tomorrow to have some lumps removed that look like basal cell carcinoma. I'm hoping it's nothing but one is kind of funky so it's going. I'm plagued with a horrible exhaustion and depression I can't shake so I've had blood tests done on friday to check out my thyroid. I hope to get on top of it. I've lost 13 lbs since Jan 1, been eating great foods, doing yoga and pilates, really doing all the right things and I feel just awful so something's awry.

DH lost his job due to corporate downsizing. *sigh* It's a frightening time for me because 6 kids depend on him. He's paid until April 7th though he doesn't have access to their network any longer. The powers that be cut all these "non-essential" positions and meanwhile his dept doesn't know how they're going to survive without him, he plays such a critical role. He was the software engineer and developer for the dept. Anyway..if he doesn't find work within the network (and it's huge), by April 7 then they'll pay him almost $13,000.00 severance. So essentially we'll have 3 months of income while he tries to find another job. Meanwhile, we bought a house for investment purposes, to fix up and resell. Closing is April 3 and our lawyer thinks we shouldn't go through with it as we technically don't know how we'll pay the mortgage (though we plan on re-selling before 1st payment is due). It's a hot market where we are and we don't have too many fears of selling and will rent it out if the market bottoms out. But we don't have too many fears in that direction. Anyway..life is stressful and messy at the moment.

Good to read the posts and see how you all are doing. I've posted regularly on my T21 boards and I forget to get my tucus in here. Love ya all, Kitty

[Surfer Rosa]

Hugs to mamas dealing with ppd and sad-that's a rough feeling!! Hope the warmer weather marks a positive change for everyone.
Lots of changes here, it's interesting reading about everyone else's experiences, and seeing the similarities. I feel like there are so many amazing things going on, and yet, a lot of stress.
DD is doing so well, despite 2 colds in a row-she's almost crawling, pulling herself up, clapping, waving, chattering away...it seems like every day brings a new trick. She is so good-natured, and I feel so lucky to have her for a daughter. We introduced solids around 6 months, and she loves her barley cereal. She really likes squash (we've done acorn and butternut), and didn't mind avocado or yams (but wasn't crazy about them). We will try some fruit next, maybe bananas or apples. In the last few days all she wants to do is eat, but she is moving all the time now-she just wants to stand all the time, "walk", crawl, roll around. She is pulling herself up on whatever is around. I don't think she'll crawl for long, if she ever does, bc she seems so interested in being vertical. She's been sleeping really well too, (in general)lately. We moved her to her own crib/room (nursery attached to our room) at 6 months bc co-sleeping just wasn't working for anyone-we are all active sleepers. She made the transition well, but was teething like mad until 2 weeks ago-anyone else's babe have 7 teeth??? (Side note: for teethers-I totally second Hyland's-it worked better than Tylenol on DD!) Now that she's not teething, she's waking up just 1x a night to nurse (we got 2 nights of no wake ups-crazy! I still woke up a bunch of times though, to make sure she was okay) and going right back to sleep. When I go in to nurse her, she's always rocking on all 4's, and looking confused about how she got there, or maybe ticked off that she's not getting anywhere! She seems to sleep on her tummy a lot more now, which was scary at first, but she's been rolling for a long time now. As soon as I put her down, she rolls onto her side or tummy, and will only fall asleep like that now. We do have those nights too where she wakes up a bunch of times, but goes back to sleep with a cuddle and a few rounds of "You are my sunshine".
DH and I are having a hard time connecting-we're both so busy, and grumbling about wanting time together. When we do, we just seem to fight/get annoyed with each other-a very big change from our usual relationship. I think we are both just tired and feeling spread thin-he is doing some night classes as well as working full time, and adjusting to being a new dad. I hope that now DD is sleeping a lot better, our moods will improve. He gets grumpy when I want time to myself, seems to think I have that all day (!!!) with DD, and doesn't get it when I just want an hour or so to myself to read, take a bath, or just go out. ;(
On a side note, I took DD to the Dr a while back for her cold (hugs to mamas dealing with stuffed up babies, it is tough to not be able to do much for them outside of comfort and cuddles!) and he's so great-he referred to the present as "a post-antibiotic era" He isn't hassling us about vaxxing (we're delaying/selectively vaxxing) and is very laid back about prescribing. He's not quite 100% natural, but is open to it (when I mentioned some homeopathic meds I was using, he read up on homeopathy). I am sad that he's retiring in 6 years-I know it'll be difficult to find another doctor who is this way.
Anyway, I hope March brings a lot of goodness to you all, and I'm really glad I found this thread! Take care!

[Surfer Rosa]

re: Creative time

One of my goals for mat. leave was to get back into painting (I am an art teacher, but used to be an artist).
Just in the last couple of weeks, I've managed to get a solid, dependable routine in place in terms of daytime naps. I use the morning nap to get house stuff done, and the afternoon nap for sketchbook/painting time. It's only happened a few times, but it feels so great to come back to. I've let me standards for the house slide a little, and laundry seems to take a little longer, but I feel like I have someting that's "mine" again, you know?

[heldt123]

eastkygal - we have lead paint too. If you did have to stay there, just painting over the walls and keeping your house well-dusted will help. Lead paint is primarily dangerous when ingested through dust and chips. If your paint isn't peeling, you can create a barrier with an inexpensive coat of paint. Outside, you can get a sandbox and fill it with cleaned sand. Our house has lead paint in and out, but my son's lead levels were relatively low when he was checked.

Kitty - sorry you haven't been feeling the best. s

Fridgeart - that's great you have a nice doctor. I know a baby that has a cough like Johnathan's and is on antibiotics. I feel so bad for him.

[Kaitnbugsmom]

we're doing alright here. working on pushing herself up, leans over when sitting upright and pushes herself back upright Not intrested in crawling yet for the most part, though she is trying to pull up occasionaly, usually on chair legs or the entertainment center :shock

Me, I am struggling somewhat with SAD combined with some lingering PPD.. I am also struggling with the question of starting a WAHM business, and if so, what? We are considering a few things, candles, soaps, necklaces, but I'm nervous and concerned about if there will be a market or not... Dont' know if that's normal nerves or the depression though..

[eastkygal]

creative time

I'm a creative writer and my husband is an oil painter. To be honest, my creative time is suffering. I try to work during dd's morning nap, if she naps long enough. Sometimes, if I still have energy left I'll work after she's in bed at night. My house suffers when I'm trying to get in creative time. It's a mess now, but hey, priorities.

heldt123 - Thanks for the advice. The health dept. told us the same thing, and that is what we did in the living room, so she would at least have that room. Dh is working so much lately to keep us afloat, he doesn't have time to take on all the renovations we have to do. I think moving will be the best for us. I just dread and fear change sometimes.