mamas of nov/dec 02 babes - Page 3

[kerc]

wow ya'll have big, beautiful babies. Erin is probably about 12.5 lbs...she's a skinny little one. And she is one of the oldest babies on the thread. We had a milk supply issue for about 1.5 months and she's still catching up. But she finally has a little chub to her little arms and legs. I don't know how long she is because i can't find a yardstick or measuring tape.

edited because i forgot i had more to say!
....dd is just NOT a napper, but I have to say she has gotten better in the last month that we've really been trying a routine. yesterday for instance, she took a 2 hr nap in the afternoon and about a 30 min nap in the am at daycare. I think now that she's more active she wears herself out more. I also find that it takes her WAY less time to get to sleep at night when we try to put her down at 7 than at 830 (last night was an 830 night due to a party we went to. urgh).

I'm :roflmao because dd and dh are still in bed - he's playing with her and it is just one of those moments you don't want to interupt. I think he is using a sock as a toy to try to keep her occupied so he can lay down a bit longer.

[*solsticemama*]

At 4 months ds weighs 20 pounds and is 28 inches long.

Does anyone else have issues with strangers touching their baby? The other day I was in the health food store and some woman poked ds in the belly like he was the Pillsbury dough boy. It was one of the rare times when I had him in the stroller. When I have him in the sling it discourages this but there's still the occasional person who can't help but reach out to stroke his beautiful round cheeks. I never know quite how to handle it because basically they all mean well but at the same time I don't really like it. It feels rude to say, 'don't touch my baby" but it is how I feel at this point.

He's napping right now hence the bit of time to write this post. Be well everyone.

[PiesandAbrosmama]

Hi everyone New!!! Hope you are all well. I am also a mommy that gives birth at home
All these issues with sleep and bf. I guess I'm kinda lucky in that both my kiddos go down in there nursery at 8pm every night. Now that being said we are a cosleeping fam just not for the first have of the night. I'm not sure when that happend or how ds came to fit right into the routine but it's such a gift! We never had to cio, but my dd and ds are ussually all in my bed by 2am. DH and I really need that time early night for ourselves and each other. I hope you all can find balance between doing whats best for babe and doing whats best for YOU!!! We all want to be there for are kiddos and shower them with support and love and security, but how can we constantly be giving if we are never able to fill back up are selves? We must remember that being good mamas means being good to our selves and realizing we only have so much to give before needing a break so we can be refreshed and helpful. Sorry if this seems to be going on but truely I say you can't be much love and support if your not feeling love and support from yourself.
Ok so family is all sick, again. DD had the flu again(had it begin of March) Will this sickness ever end? Thank the Lord I'm still healthy,but I'm so tired of my poor babes being so sick and in pain!I really hope that we can get back on track. I stopped by health food store dd is taking ech, vitamin C, a special kid zinc formula. WE have special stuff for the ear inf that happend this week the list goes on. Well I'll be praying for those little one's to perk up and hope all you mama's can find some much needed rest

[lilyka]

Oh my goodness the measurment was right. I have the shortest fattest baby on the planet. If I really stretched her she owuld get all the way up to 25" but really it was closer to 24 1/2" . Well she has been concentrating on fattening up so maybe she will hold her weight steady and she will grow u p. That is how my oldest dd grows and they have beenso similar in every other way. maybe that is why she is delayed in her motor skills. Too much chub to move. Anymore and she won't ever be able to crawl. Her little short arms and legs just won'e be able to reach the floor when she lays on her chubber tummy.

woo, she played with toys a little today. She still won't grab thingsbut she does try. It is like she just can't mover her fingers. wierd.

[tea olive]

sarah i second your post, you said it so well!

my kids are all oversized means they are heavy and people expect more from them since they look older. there are definitely cons, i truly wish they were smaller though i know i am glad they are healthy and obviously growing. remember, ruby started at 9 lb 4.

ruby mei has had a few days of no naps and it is hard. generally she rests in the morning and in the afternoon. she is always the first one awake. reed never napped after age 2, he will fall asleep in the car on occasion. he wakes up no matter what in the morning so i really look for that window before he's cranky and revs back up to overtired to get him down. clay now at 2 might take a nap in the afternoon but then he's up til midnight. they are all getting up around 7-8. after three kids i can really see that they are tired after about 4-5 hours awake and get them to chill out. and they don't play alone happily. so they are in my brain constantly.

so two are morning people and one is a night person. both me and dh are night people. it's just what kind of people we happen to be.

as for the strangers, you could at least get a warning. everyone is different about touching though. you could say, "oh, he is sick, i wouldn't want you to get sick" and that might teach them a lesson for next time.

[kerc]

Originally posted by PiesandAbrosmama
We must remember that being good mamas means being good to our selves and realizing we only have so much to give before needing a break so we can be refreshed and helpful.

can you move to duluth so that i can see you on a regular basis? I need to be reminded of this idea often.

We are thinking we should bag the weekends and just make every day a weekday. Erin is SOOOO much happier on the weekdays. i think the schedule (have to be at daycare at 8 for instance) helps.

But given that she is now finally napping, we did get in a little time.

[mamameow]

I just found this forum and wanted to jump in and say "hi!"
My dd was born Nov 19 02.
I am happy to have found some babies around my dd age.
I've have to run now but i''l be back!

ap mama

[tea olive]

ruby mei was born nov 19 2002 too!

[D.W.'s Mom]

thanks

Thanks Kristin for the kind words. Things have kind of calmed down. My poor baby had an ear infection that the garlic mullein drops wouldn't help. We are now on our second antibiotic. It was a rough week.

MacMOm, I looked at your website, what beautiful girls! I really hope that if I have another child I have a girl! Yours are an inspration.

It's nice to read and see that other moms have problems with the sleeping thing! Don't you sometimes feel like an addict in need of a fix? I fantasize about renting a motel room, just so I could go and sleep a full 8 hours! My husband is a wonderful father and takes lots of night shifts, but I can't sleep through the baby's cries or coughs. So I am awake anyway.

Does it get easier as they get older?
D.W.'s Mom, 12/06/02

[lilyka]

Ava had her first wagon ride today. She really had fun and her sister loved "helping her" It is so nice out. It is hard to settle down and do anything.

[PiesandAbrosmama]

Ok so last Post family had sinus thing but I was fine. . .this weekend we all got the flu!! Can this be anymore exhausting? My family is never sick. . .then this year happens! I was just wondering if any one has very sencitve toddlers? It that I mean my DD is so allergic like to almost any foods in a reaction to her face and her behavior. We are now on an alert as to what is going in and out of her body. Seems like to me that she is not able to handle anything not completely in it's natural state like mac and cheese that kind of thing even though I use Anne's natural mac and cheese. So anything processed. Any ideas? She breaks out into this severe rash on her face and she just flys through the roof almost like people would say she has add(I know she does not).
Let's see Abram has been so talkative!! Dada, Gaga that type of thing. So cute and all the time. I just knew he has going to be my little communicator. So into faces and voices. He also is crazed about food!! I was thinking that if Abram was Emma right now at this point I would be getting preg with him in eight months! That really made me realize just how close in age they are. I can't believe were vastly coming 6 months!! My baby is so big. I'm around all these newbies and I'm thinking this just can't be Abram is a Tank! Well Mama's you all take care

[tea olive]

wheat and dairy are usually te first thing to check.

[*solsticemama*]

Yesterday I woke up exhausted. Ds nursed 5 times that night but it wasn't so much that as an inability to sleep on my part. I dragged myself through the day and in order to get him to sleep in the afternoon took to the freeway for an hour and a half since I wasn't up to slinging him and just hanging out or walking. Today i feel better despite that last night he nursed 8 times. I need advice. Is this a phase? Is he getting enough milk from me? He's a big boy--20 pounds at 4 months. Is he nursing so much because he's right next to me? Growth spurt? Anyway I'm totally grateful to be able to nurse him but I'm starting to wonder if he needs more milk than I can give. Somehow I think not, I think my body is probably built to meet his needs. Casina I know you said your guys were big do you have any experience with this? And any other moms who've been there.

[mamameow]

skydancer - perhaps your ds is nursing for comfort rather than nourishment
dd often nurses more at night than during the day (every 3 hours during the day and every 2 hours at night usually)
its like she just needs reassurance that i am right next to her - i've tried a couple times to get her thumb into her mouth instead of my breast but she won't go for it - so it remains that she gets booby as often as she wants at night
on a semi-related note
during the day she rarely naps more than 1/2 hour at a time unless i am beside her - then she'll go for about an hour and then want to nurse to stay asleep
3 - 1/2 hour naps in a 12 - 14 hour day

meow

[tea olive]

yes, my kidlets nurse much and at night, they nurse better at night cos they are feisty during the day. especially if they are busy learning a new physical skill. even 5 mth ruby crashes out with minimum breastage and half wakes during sleep to seriously nurse. the boys almost exclusively nursed at night after one. when it gets where i can't handle i can put some space like putting someone between me and nurser at night.

remember it may just be a growth spurt which is to increase your supply. plus learning spurts make them more needy. i'm sure your babes are healthy chunky so please don't sweat about you having enough. somehow i have enough for the 18lb baby and the almost 30lb two.

[tea olive]

meg, i was thinking about the sleeping.....and there are some things i wish i had known before kids. first, know the difference between rem and deep sleep. i think dr sears' nighttime parenting goes into detail. deep sleep has a regular deep breathing.
when the babies are in deep sleep then you may lay them down or sneak away, which is something i also had to learn, which is as calmly as possible, lay them with your body on top of them, count to ten, slowly get up and put your hands on belly and count to ten, lift them and hover over and count. or some kind of variation.

tonight i did something i have been doing that i never figured to do with previous two, which is holding her still. she was down for bed (usually set her down asleep from sling) but awoke crying for a burp since i had nursed her on her belly since i was nursing ds2. after she felt better i layed her down and she kept nursing and unlatching over and over so i put face away from me, her back curled against my belly and gently held down her leg, holding the thigh and pressing on her elbow. she twitched for awhile but doesn't cry but does try to nurse again. which sometimes i give her another shot to see what's up. and went to sleep after about five minutes. and of course i have to will my body to feign sleep.
their will to move and situp and grow up is so strong i think their bodies stay active and twitchy and are tired also from all the new exercise. and the repeated nursing actually keeps her awake. of course i have no idea if this can apply to any babies besides mine but i do wish i had known this for the first two!

and you might want to try getting baby to bed earlier. i finally know that morning kids get up no matter what time you get them to bed. and that at night there is a window for sleep when they are all sweet and cuddly, and if you miss it they get revved up again and then fight hard to sleep. it's taken me almost five years to learn that, i'm a bit embarrassed to say.

[mcimom]

isabel is up on hands and knees and scooting. she will eat anything i offer her and cries for whatever i'm eating.

can we say growing up too fast?

[jmjello]

Can I join in??

Hi! My DS, Byron, was born 12.26.02 (weighed in today at 16# 12oz.) How fun it was for me to read these posts and see that there are others out there *loving*!(at times)/living through (at times) the same things we are! Today I came in to see my DH with tears in his eyes because out baby was growing up sooo fast! It's fun to see them start to discover themselves and all they are capable of, but man, it's hard to pack away those tiny little clothes that he's outgrown!

so .. I have two questions..

1) the hair thing .. I will eventually stop shedding, right?

2) the allergy thing .. will a food allergy make a child seem a little .. umm.. active? DS doesn't have a rash or anything, but I am really wondering if dairy isn't causing him to spaz out at times. an earlier post made me think about this..

Looking forward to hearing more about you and your babies!

Jenni

[kerc]

i just don't get the whole too tired to fall asleep. DD just WILL NOT nap today. URGH. very frustrating because we did the same thing yesterday. Luckily dh is home to make me feel a little better. We are going to take her on a little run later today and hopefully she will zonk then. Leave it to me to have the baby who won't sleep.

dd went to the doc on wednesday -- she's a whole 12 lbs 3 ounces. She's a skinny little baby. The nurse said she was something like 23 inches long, but I measured her and she was 25 inches. I'm going to try measuring again today and see....the doctor is no longer worried so much about her weight although he did suggest adding a second solid food "meal" each day to assist.

I'm getting nervous about leaving Erin on Wednesday. I know we will both be ok, but darn it is hard to leave her.

[*solsticemama*]

He's sleeping right now and has been for about an hour and a half! He fell asleep in the sling while we were out and woke briefly a few times particularly when I put him the carseat to come home. I thought he'd be up till bedtime but nope he went back to sleep and is dozing as I write.

I've been nursing him more frequently during the day and he's always up for it so I'm going with his need and even trying to anticipate it. He's back to his regular 4-5 night nursings.

Jmjello--the hair thing is really out of control chez nous. It's everywhere and I'm grossed out. I get at least one good brushful whenever I brush, and sometimes two . I don't know when it will stop, it's going on five months now. But when it does (hopefully) grow back I'll probably have a little mohawk for awhile as the hair grows in .

We're getting a new carseat today as ds has outgrown his infant one already. Gee it goes by so fast. I was thinking back to those first days and how overwhelming and miraculous it all was. When I look at those early pictures of my little one and see his tiny hands and the vast spaciousness in his newborn eyes I feel I missed out on being totally present to the miracle because I was so busy learning the new rhythms.

Motherhood is pretty miraculous isn't it?