It's 2007, November '05 Mamas!!! - Page 11

[flyingspaghettimama]

QOC, While the previous hair was very hipster-cool, the the haircut is adorable. I love the little curls.

Little barrettes are so cute on long bangs. If she'll let you leave them in. I wish I could put barrettes on FSB...sigh...

Amy, I think you should update us on your sleep drama. I'm waiting for my next installment here.

[Queen of Cups]

Originally Posted by flyingspaghettimama

QOC, While the previous hair was very hipster-cool, the the haircut is adorable. I love the little curls.

Little barrettes are so cute on long bangs. If she'll let you leave them in. I wish I could put barrettes on FSB...sigh...

When I'm getting her dressed in the morning she points to her bows/barrettes and then to her head (asking for one), but usually pulls it out within a few minutes. Especially in the carseat, when she's bored. If I can keep her distracted, she'll keep on in for awhile, until she notices it. She also has a recent love of hats, and her favorite is one of DS's outgrown hats. So, as soon as she finds a hat to put on, the barrette comes out.

[DreamsInDigital]

Oh Winter has just developed some amazingly adorable behaviors lately. I am loving them. Now when he's hungry he will stare you down and sign eat eat eat eat and then walk over to the refrigerator and pull on the door like he's trying to open it. SO cute. He plays peekaboo and just grins like mad when he uncovers his eyes and you exclaim "peekaboo!" I feel like such a dork but this just makes me giggle so much. He dances when he hears music and he'll dance more if he notices you watching. He sometimes gets so overwhelmingly upset that he lays down on the floor crying. It breaks my heart. He says "Awwwww..." when he hugs my belly. He can follow a simple instruction like "Bring that to mommy" or "Put that in the basket." He doesn't always obey but he understands like you would not believe. He's started running down the hallway after his big brothers, he barely falls at all anymore. He's gotten so sure-footed. We went for a walk outside in hard-soled shoes for the first time the other day and he walked on the sidewalk and in the grass and pointed at everything. I love watching him discover the world, it makes everything seem brand new and so exciting. He doesn't talk much but he knows so much, you know? He's an amazing person and it's so hard to believe that he's barely been here a year. It's been a wonderful year, hasn't it?

[MelW]

Originally Posted by DreamsInDigital

He can follow a simple instruction like "Bring that to mommy" or "Put that in the basket." He doesn't always obey but he understands like you would not believe.
It's been a wonderful year, hasn't it?

It has been a wonderful year! I'm amazed by Neela's ability to follow instructions (when she wants to- I'm also amazed by her ability to tell me NOOOO). Yesterday she was underfoot while I was making dinner, so I gave her a plastic plate and told her to go put in on the table. She took five different things out and "set" the table for me.

Q of C~ I like the hair cut! I like bangs, but once it all grows out the longer hair will be nice

[spiritmomma]

QoC: I like the haircut. And we're in the same shoes here where Isa's "bangs" are ridiculously long and in her eyes, but I'm trying to avoid cutting them too. Sometimes she'll let me put a barrette in her hair, but it often gets removed too. I find that a little banana smear helps hold that hair back out of her eyes!

DiD: : Your post made me sniffle a bit. It has been a wonderful year. Aren't are kids just wonderful? And just think, you're just about to get a whole new experience with another wonderful child!

[barcelona]

I just wanted to pop in and say a quick hi!

and Hi FSM!

yay for the sleep successes, Amy!

Peacefulmommy, what a beautiful drawing. Thank you for sharing. I love the imagery.

Q of C, love the haircut! What sweet curls. I just cut Finley's hair this week too! I did cut bangs, which I have mixed feelings about. But I do think it looks cute overall. Only thing is, his is stick straight. The ends don't look as scraggly though. I'll post pictures on our site soon.

Fern, how fun about about the tiny one! So glad he's in your arms and getting your love and gaining weight.

To the mom asking for success stories on sleep without doing anything (can't find the name..think it's Mel?) ...well, I wouldn't call ours a huge success story, but I would say Finley sometimes sleeps through the night, most often wakes once or twice to nurse, and sometimes wakes three or four times. like fsm, it's never a big deal, is quick and easily solved with the breast, and I don't feel like my sleep is that disrupted, nor do I feel sleep deprived. And we have done NOTHING to help it along. So there is hope!

My sister in law was in town, so we were busy being hosts to her and trying to handle a delicate and awkward family situation (she's dating a man who left and divorced his wife for SIL, and also left his 4 year old daughter!!! ) It is hard to not be judgemental, but we really tried (it has been a year now), though it is also hard to hear her talk about him and the daughter nonchalantly. Anyway...
Also, am working on the investigation to find out where Finley has been exposed to lead. (don't know if i told y'all about that, but his one year appointment levels came back at 9, too high for me to be comfortable with...and they were rechecked six weeks later and came back at 8, still too high). It's not the water. Now, we'll bring in some experts to investigate the apartment.
ALSO, this has been nothing short of an awful week in terms of my husband's career. He had a major setback in his struggling/budding film career, and was fired from his day job yesterday b/c his boss is an asshole. It was just a day job, but still a major source of income, and it is still traumatizing. I'm trying hard not to fall apart and be supportive to him...and just take a deep breath and know that we will be okay and that these things aren't the end of the world.

Thanks for listening!

And yes, what incredible joys these little ones are. I'm overwhelmed with how beautiful Finley is and how blessed we are and how fun and precious this time is, savoring it.

[barcelona]

ps

DiD! Forgot to say, hi, and how true is your post...and also, how very excited you must be for the arrival of your new little one!!!! So soon!!! Enjoy these lovely weeks awaiting.

You'll be having a homebirth right? Will you have a midwife? Thinking of you and wishing you a wonderful birth.

[flapjack]

I was having a hard time trying to remain zen about my little girl, who loves me so much that she wants to be with me, holding me constantly. Thanks I feel better.

[*Amy*]

Yeah I had a perspective-keeping day today too; I watched Oprah, and she was talking about women in their 30s in America, and the hugely high numbers of women with fertility issues. It made me feel incredibly blessed to have this amazing child sleeping in my arms.

[DreamsInDigital]

Oh I know Amy. We're all so lucky to have conceived, carried to term and birthed our beautiful babes. I'm definitely feeling very lucky.
I'm 11 days from my EDD. Barcelona, to answer your questions, yes I'm having a homebirth with a midwife.
I'm totally not ready though. This baby can be a couple weeks late, fine by me. I haven't washed the clothes and diapers yet. I haven't gotten enough sleep yet!

[SoulJourney]

: Thanks for making me stop to appreciate my wonderful little man, y'all! It really makes my heart swell up with pride to even look at him. And ya know, if there's one thing in this world that I feel confident about, it's that I'm doing a damn fine job of raising this boy. Sure, we all make mistakes, but look at everything we are doing right for our children. We are one hell of a group of mamas, lemme tell ya!

BTW...that was Spiritmomma's wonderful artwork, not mine! I wish I could take the credit for it, though. I'm only useful behind the camera when it comes to art.

[Phoenix_Rising]

Originally Posted by Queen of Cups

I gave Ellie her first haircut tonight! The ends of her hair were really scraggly, and I think they look better now: Before vs. After

I'd still like to cut bangs into her hair, because its always in her eyes, but DH is adamantly opposed to bangs. Bleah. I can't help but be a bit offended, since I wore bangs about half the time he's known me!

I added some video clips of the kids to my blog - check it out!

I love the haircut!

Originally Posted by DreamsInDigital

Oh Winter has just developed some amazingly adorable behaviors lately. I am loving them. Now when he's hungry he will stare you down and sign eat eat eat eat and then walk over to the refrigerator and pull on the door like he's trying to open it. SO cute. He plays peekaboo and just grins like mad when he uncovers his eyes and you exclaim "peekaboo!" I feel like such a dork but this just makes me giggle so much. He dances when he hears music and he'll dance more if he notices you watching. He sometimes gets so overwhelmingly upset that he lays down on the floor crying. It breaks my heart. He says "Awwwww..." when he hugs my belly. He can follow a simple instruction like "Bring that to mommy" or "Put that in the basket." He doesn't always obey but he understands like you would not believe. He's started running down the hallway after his big brothers, he barely falls at all anymore. He's gotten so sure-footed. We went for a walk outside in hard-soled shoes for the first time the other day and he walked on the sidewalk and in the grass and pointed at everything. I love watching him discover the world, it makes everything seem brand new and so exciting. He doesn't talk much but he knows so much, you know? He's an amazing person and it's so hard to believe that he's barely been here a year. It's been a wonderful year, hasn't it?

I love peekaboo

Originally Posted by barcelona

Also, am working on the investigation to find out where Finley has been exposed to lead. (don't know if i told y'all about that, but his one year appointment levels came back at 9, too high for me to be comfortable with...and they were rechecked six weeks later and came back at 8, still too high). It's not the water. Now, we'll bring in some experts to investigate the apartment.
ALSO, this has been nothing short of an awful week in terms of my husband's career. He had a major setback in his struggling/budding film career, and was fired from his day job yesterday b/c his boss is an asshole. It was just a day job, but still a major source of income, and it is still traumatizing. I'm trying hard not to fall apart and be supportive to him...and just take a deep breath and know that we will be okay and that these things aren't the end of the world.

Thanks for listening!

And yes, what incredible joys these little ones are. I'm overwhelmed with how beautiful Finley is and how blessed we are and how fun and precious this time is, savoring it.

How scary about the lead stuff - make sure to update us on what you figure out! And with the job loss. Make sure not to do so much supporting that you don't take time for yourself.

KeaganRae started walking last week - he is soooooo steady it is amazing! Today he signed his first 2 word phrase - "more eat".

[Queen of Cups]

Re: Lead - do you buy any foreign canned goods? I had a friend who's son had a higher-than-advised lead level, and she stopped buying canned goods from other countries because she read that sometimes the solder used to seal them has lead that contaminates the food. (Her husband is asian, so they shop at asian grocery stores a lot.) It turned out to be a false high reading for her son, though, when she had another blood test done where they drew it from a vein (instead of the finger prick) it came back much lower, and that's supposed to be the more accurate way to do it.

[flapjack]

I buy cans from wherever they come from, but I'm vigilant about discarding dented tins. (To us, Coke comes in a can, peaches come in a tin.) Then again, the UK doesn't check lead levels either, so all of my kids could be seriously affected and I wouldn't know. The only tinned thing we eat regularly is Heinz low salt/sugar baked beans though.
DiD, I'm excited for you! I was looking at the June 05 Mamas thread for this month- the Heather's in labour one? Well, next month that's going to be us!!!!!!! (so hang on until February 1st, OK?) How's the job hunt going- has your dp found something yet?
Mel, I forgot to say, Isaac was waking upwards of 7 times a night at this age. He now sleeps 12 hours straight...

[barcelona]

oops--i'm the one who got mixed up with the names...i was thinking in my head about you, jaymi, but called you spiritmama. sorry! and peacefulmommy, if i'm remembering correctly, you're great with the camera, and the knitting needles!

Q of C thanks for the lead tips. the blood was taken from his vein both times, so i think that is the accurate reading. we never ever eat canned (or tinned) foods, actually, except if I rarely do black bean soup from the can instead of dry beans. i don't want to be overworked about it, but i also want to be proactive and careful. i think b/c we live in new york, with all the city fumes and yucks, it makes me extra paranoid. we might have someone come out and look at our apt to see if they can find the source.

and sending love to all the beautiful babies (and their beautiful mamas), appreciating the blessings we have.

yes, Did, i second the question about your DH trying to find work. am i remembering correctly that melw came and told us that he did find work and all was well? do fill us in. i understand your situation even better now, as we're in that boat...hopefully we'll have good news sooner than later.


btw, spughy, how's it going? hope you're feeling well and healthy and mastitis-free and that rowan is having a good sleeping spell.

and amy, i cannot believe how gorgeously brynn has adjusted to the falling asleep thing! amazing. are you still oh so pleasantly surprised and better-rested?

DH and i watched the first disc (there's two, it's long) of spike lee's "when the levees broke" about katrina. i highly recommend it. talk about putting things in perspective. and talk about one messed up government we have. :

ok, i'm off ot my job (i work two half days a week while alex (dh) takes care of finley) hope everyone's having a good friday and start to the weekend!

[spughy]

Hi everyone! Thanks for thinking of me barcelona - yes I am currently mastitis-free and Rowan is sleeping pretty well - last night she spent the whole night in her crib and woke briefly at 10 for a cuddle then at 1:30 and 6:30 for a nurse. So I got a good stretch of sleep in and didn't have to dump her on DH at all. We're getting there! And I'm so sorry about your dh's job That sucks.

My DH is creeping ever-closer to having his thesis done. A couple days ago he had only one chapter left to write, so I'm thinking he'll be done writing in the next couple of days, although he will probably revise until his advisor physically rips the darn thing out of his hands and yells "Enough already! Just submit it!" because DH is such a perfectionist. It's 200 pages long and was only supposed to be 100, apparently. :

Love the haircut, QofC! I long for the day when I have to give Rowan one, she still has very little hair.

I too feel very blessed to have such an amazing little girl. I realized last night that with her waking up less in the night I actually find it hard to put her back in her crib because I look at her sweet little face and feel her warm little body and it's just so beautiful and cozy and wonderful even if it's 1:30 in the morning and I desperately need sleep I still just want to keep cuddling her. But the times I've succumbed to that and just snuggled her into bed with me I've slept like crap and suffered for it so I don't do it. But I usually hold her a few more minutes than I need to anyway.

[flapjack]

Spughy, I think we're married to the same person. Steve spent 15 hours working on his first assignment for his uni course: 500 words long. Can we teach the toddlers to say "perfectionist?" I know what you mean about the snuggliness though.
I have a quote running through my head and I can't remember what it's from- something about "day by day, she grows in grace and beauty." That's my girl right now She's growing up so fast, and into such a lovely person. We figured out that the clinginess isn't actually separation anxiety, like we thought- she just worries when she's with a crowd of other children. The mother-baby yoga class, the toddler groups, we have cuddles all hour. At the park, with just her brothers there for company, she heads off across the field to chase seagulls without even a thought. Isn't that weird?

[MelW]

Originally Posted by flapjack

We figured out that the clinginess isn't actually separation anxiety, like we thought- she just worries when she's with a crowd of other children. The mother-baby yoga class, the toddler groups, we have cuddles all hour. At the park, with just her brothers there for company, she heads off across the field to chase seagulls without even a thought. Isn't that weird?

Maybe she thinks her brothers will protect her- is she only clingy when they're not around?

Neela is an escape artist. Whenever I try to get her trailer hitched to my bike, she runs away. It's a several step process: go outside, remove bike from storage unit. Retrieve Neela who is running away to the playground. Come back, remove trailer. Search for Neela, find her climbing up the stairs to play on the upstairs neighbour's balcony. Hitch it together, chase Neela down and finally put her in trailer. Once again, debate with self the ethics of toddler leashes :

[flapjack]

No- if it's just her and me she'll go, too. Some of this is down to the naptime angst. Some of it isn't (she does a LOT better in the afternoons, but that's no help because most of the stuff we're committed to at the moment is in the mornings.) I have a regional training day with the NCT next Saturday and she's going in the creche, but with Alex and Isaac for company. Hopefully, that'll go well.

[DreamsInDigital]

Oh yes I forgot to update about DP's job situation. He was offered a position on a different contract within the same company. The position itself is a demotion but he actually got a 75 cent an hour raise for taking it. He's still applying for a management position but at least for now he's still employed.

9 days until my due date!