February 08 - Bring Out Your May Flowers! - Page 19

[flapjack]

Allyn, it could be one of those national things but only one of my kids has ever crawled before they walked. Isaac was a bottom-shuffler, and Alex was cruising within days of getting an unsupported sit down. I've always been told not to worry if a kid doesn't/ isn't
We're there with the sleep issues things though. I'm blaming a combination of pain and the recollection of mummy, even when he can't see me Poor sod.

[loraxc]

Hey Teeny--I'd try putting her down for bed earlier. Mr. O gets highly cranky like that if we keep him up too late. He actually likes to go to bed around 6, although I have a hard time managing that (prime time for 10 zillion other things). Lots of babies this age do well with a really early bedtime.

DS doesn't have very good head control at all, but I assume it's because he's such a skinny minnie. I can tell he's "all there" behind the eyes--he's super alert and inquisitive--but he's more like a 2-3 monther physically. I'm not worried about it except that I really want him to keep catching up on weight.

[birthmommom]

loraxc...after reading your post I wouldn't worry so much just yet...after he gains some weight and strength he will get there...

how are you guys doing by the way?

[eilonwy]

Teeny, I agree with Loraxc; BooBah used to do that as well (the others all went to sleep when they were tired, miracle of miracles ).

[Teenytoona]

Hmm maybe that is so, Lorax and Rynna. She usually falls asleep around 7 or so. But then she wakes up around 8ish and by 830 it's crying time. I"ve tried laying her down when she does the 7 pm sleep, and she wakes up if I'm not sleeping with her (which is hard to domost of the time). If I'm holding her, she wakes up anyways at 8ish. Hmmm Maybe I will try the bedtime routine (song etc) at that point 6:30 - 7 ish and see if that will help eliminate scream sessions.

[nausicaamom]

Just popping in real quick as I hear Mr. Man letting his dad know on no uncertain terms that it's mom he wants.

Pretty much status quo here - have a boat load of doctor's appointments next week for Alex and if I ask someone to shoot me in the next few days it's because Michael is on Prednisone for for URI that won't go away -- it's like he's become bipolar, more bipolar than a four year-old already is.

must dash - TTFN!

[jaxinsmom]

Originally Posted by Writerbird

EG has great head control and likes to sit on my lap to help me type. He hates tummy time. He has zero interest in toys or holding/patting anything besides my hand, daddy's hand, or my breast. He will watch a mobile for a few minutes, and he will happily kick the toy bar for his bouncy seat for almost ten minutes. He loves having stories read to him, and recognizes two of them, greeting them with squeals. He can roll from his back to his side with no trouble. He rolled from his belly to his back over a month ago, but has not done it since.

And my little dude was born on the 9th, so he's not nearly as "advanced" as some of the babies here.

I only worry about his progress when I read this thread

This entire quote is Nellah (right down to being born on the 9th )! She's not interested in any toys I try to give her, but will happily gnaw on a finger for EVER!

too funny

[jaxinsmom]

So, dh brought Nellah to the Dr. today for a check up.

She went for her 3 month at the end of last month and she had dropped from the 75th to the 50th for weight. Our dr wasn't too concered as she is healthy and happy.
Well, today we found out that now she's down to the 40th...: ( her birthweight was 8lbs 15oz and today she weighed 13.2).

I find that very odd since she eats a lot...the only thing I can think of is that she sleeps on average 10-12 hours a night ~ so my dr suggested I wake her in the night and feed her. Jackson still doesn't sleep thought the night on a regular basis and he's 3ish...I really thought I hit the jackpot when she started sleeping through the night at 2 months ~ and now I have to wake her. Oh well, I suppose if Im up with Jack it's not really that big a deal.

I have my University Graduation ceremony in 3 weeks and I'm going to be accepting my degree wearing Nellah -- I was a bit unsure at first, but then I thought about it and it makes the most sense; she won't take a bottle and the ceremony is between 9-12 which is smack dab in the middle of when she usually eats .... so wish me luck! I'll post a photo when I get back

Anyone else put their dc down to sleep while they are still awake??? I've just started doing this, and Nellah seems to be able to amuse herself to sleep -- but it feels weird, Jackson ALWAYS needed to nurse to sleep. Different strokes I guess.

[AlwaysByMySide]

How did I not know there was a thread going on? Good grief, I feel so out of it!

It's nice to catch up with everyone and see how all of the babies are doing!

Blake is another one that isn't so much into tummy time or toys (three babies, and not one of them ever liked that baby gym thing that they lay under and swat at the hangy toys...think I get the hint now!), but he LOVES to be sitting up and checking things out. I broke down and bought him a Bumbo, because the only other thing that was working was big sister's stroller that is meant for baby dolls, and then she got the bright idea to take him for a stroll around the house when I went to do the laundry, and, well, it's just easier to move him from my lap to the Bumbo seat if I need my hands free for a few minutes. (Nothing happened to him during their little walk, and she even put a "helmet" on him, in the form of a plastic bowl.) He now hates the sling, but loves being up in the Ergo, I guess because there's more to see!

And the kid is constantly covered in drool. Oy with the drool.

We are getting to the point where we have a loose sort of routine going on with the naps and whatnot, which is nice. I love this part when they get settled into the routine of wake up, nurse, hang out for an hour, nap, etc. I don't understand why the Babywise people feel the need to put their kids on a schedule...mine always worked themselves out on their own.

The other day, I sang "I love you more today than yesterday" to him, because it just randomly came on the radio, and it has now become his favorite song. The first few notes come on, and the kid is grinning from ear to ear.

And now I'm subbing to this thread so I can stick around with everyone!

[AlwaysByMySide]

Originally Posted by jaxinsmom

Anyone else put their dc down to sleep while they are still awake??? I've just started doing this, and Nellah seems to be able to amuse herself to sleep -- but it feels weird, Jackson ALWAYS needed to nurse to sleep. Different strokes I guess.

Blake will nurse to sleep, fall asleep in the Ergo, or in the car, or in the swing. He'll amuse himself if he's not moving for about five minutes before he wants some attention.

He "goes down" for naps in his swing.

[JeremiahsMommy]

Originally Posted by firecat

you know, I really slacked on tummy time for awhile...maybe once/twice a week for almost a month because he hated it so much it wasn't worth it to get him all cranky. One day I decided to try it again and he seemed to have improved a lot on holding his head up and began searching back and forth and smiled at me. So ever since then I have been doing it more, but I'm not fanatical about it or anything. I think as long as you carry/wear them a lot they are still developing those muscles. I also think the other reason tummy time is said to be so important is because there are people who would just let baby hang out in their infant seat all day and get serious flat head . But that's just mho

Hi jeramiahsmommy! I grew up in Cary... I miss NC so much sometimes (we are in CO now) !! It was a great place to grow up - parks, museums, etc. My dad still lives there so we visit when we can.

Okay - here's my funny story about tummy time: At ds 2 month checkup the pedi asked how much tummy time he got, and I lied and said about 10 minutes a day (I honestly couldn't remember the last time I'd had the kid on his stomach). She went on and on about how she could tell he was getting enough tummy time - he was so advanced and holding his head up so good - and his head looked so round and all of that... So I'm with you that their muscles develop just as good (or better!) if they're just being held.

Now he loves tummy time, of course - as long as he's naked and has lots of toys to look at and reach for. He actually prefers it to back time, but his favorite "alone" time is still in his johnny jumper. He'll stay occupied in that thing for 20-30 minutes at a time! I start missing him WAY before he misses me! :-)


(And we are so lucky to have so many great things for kids here! NC is such a great place to raise a family! How's CO? My dad lives near Cripple Creek, 1 hr West of Colorado City - he said it's way too cold, and is coming back to NC!)

[JeremiahsMommy]

Originally Posted by loraxc

Hey Teeny--I'd try putting her down for bed earlier. Mr. O gets highly cranky like that if we keep him up too late. He actually likes to go to bed around 6, although I have a hard time managing that (prime time for 10 zillion other things). Lots of babies this age do well with a really early bedtime

I'm so glad to hear that! Jeremiah goes to sleep about 6-ish when I'm home (I work until 8pm a few nights a week, so it's always about 9 by the time I get home and put him to bed those nights - dh has trouble getting him to sleep without the boob!). I was actually kind of worried about putting him to bed so early - I felt a tad guilty for letting him sleep the evening away. I know that doesn't make sense, but you know how that mommy guilt is - so illogical. Anyway, I'm so glad to hear that he's normal and that I'm not over-encouraging this sleep thing!

[JeremiahsMommy]

Does anyone have any suggestions for a *simple* wrap or sling for babies this age? I have a gypsy momma wrap that I love, but it's purple and hard to wrap, so dh doesn't use it at all, and I only use it when I know it's going to be long enough to make the wrapping worth it.

I would love to find something easy to pop him in and out of for around the house, quick runs into stores, etc... He's outgrown the Snuggli already (we're up to 16 pounds & 12-18 month clothes!). He holds his head up great and sits on my hip like a champ - it just kills my arms. I was thinking about getting a sling and having him sit in it on my hip like I've seen moms with older babies do. Do you think it would work? What do you guys use?

[justmama]

discovered something about myself and my relationship with my kids tonight. i micromanage. trried and tried and tried to get Grace down from 7-7:45 tonight. she wasn't having it. didn't want to nurse, didn't want her thumb, didn't want to be held, didn't want to be put down. she was absolutely beside herself and that's not like her. she's a good baby who loves attention and nursing and being held and if that won't soothe her, there's something wrong. finally I got po'ed and said, "fine you need to give mama 2 minutes to put your sisters in bed. laying on mama's bed with your babydoll(it's a beautiful wahm organic bamboo waldorf style simple "knot" doll) won't hurt you and I can help you to sleep in a minute." Put her down and she fussed for literally ONE MINUTE. And all was quiet. Wish I would have though of just simply laying her down in bed and leaving her there 45 minutes before. She simply needed her own space to decompress, suck her thumb, and put herself to sleep. And she's been up there for 4 hours sleeping peacefully in bed with her thumb and her baby. Go figure!

[JeremiahsMommy]

Originally Posted by AlwaysByMySide

We are getting to the point where we have a loose sort of routine going on with the naps and whatnot, which is nice. I love this part when they get settled into the routine of wake up, nurse, hang out for an hour, nap, etc. I don't understand why the Babywise people feel the need to put their kids on a schedule...mine always worked themselves out on their own.

I went to the Babywise website the other day, just out of curiosity, and they had this whole section defending themselves against claims that their system causes failure to thrive. Their argument that it was actually AP parents that are in danger of FTT babies because we DON'T feed our babies on a schedule, so how do we know when they're hungry?

Lol - has anyone here ever forgotten to feed your baby because you weren't looking at a clock? So rediculous!!

[flapjack]

justmama, Yeah, we get that too.
Jeremiah'smommy, I would go with a ring sling or a pouch and sit him in buddha style for now (head between your boobs, facing forwards.) I don't feel comfortable with River on my hip in a ring sling yet. We did just get a babyhawk, which is great and he likes both ways round, or facing forwards in my wilkinet

AlwaysByMySide, nice to see you

Jenn, I sent you the virtual humane-killer already. I just wish I was close enough to do something.

jaxinsmom, Isaac dropped down the centiles too- actually, all of my kids did to some extent. I wouldn't worry. She doesn't have any eczema or anything like that, does she?

[jaxinsmom]

Originally Posted by flapjack

jaxinsmom, Isaac dropped down the centiles too- actually, all of my kids did to some extent. I wouldn't worry. She doesn't have any eczema or anything like that, does she?

small patch on her chin, why?

JeremiahsMommy, I've been wearing Nellah forward facing in my sling which is a blue celery. It's pretty versatile and dh wears it too.

justmama, it's very hard not to micromanage imho. especially when you have two, and they're little and we feel the need to give them constant direction. I have found myself giving too much direction as well, and had to make a conscience effort to back off -- comes with the terriatory I suppose

[AlwaysByMySide]

Originally Posted by JeremiahsMommy

I went to the Babywise website the other day, just out of curiosity, and they had this whole section defending themselves against claims that their system causes failure to thrive. Their argument that it was actually AP parents that are in danger of FTT babies because we DON'T feed our babies on a schedule, so how do we know when they're hungry?

Lol - has anyone here ever forgotten to feed your baby because you weren't looking at a clock? So rediculous!!

If I know it's not a messy diaper, the first sign of hunger (sucking, nuzzling, fussiness, you name it), the boob comes out. If he DOESN'T suck on that, I know it's something else. So I guess I'm playing, how do we know when he's NOT hungry?

And I never know what time it is during the day. We could be outside for four hours, and I would have no idea, because we're having such a good time. I'd have to have an alarm set to remind me when to feed!


As far as baby carriers, I've found I'm faster with the Ergo than I ever was with the pouch sling. I tried sitting him up in the pouch sling (because this kid has some sort of fascination with sitting up) and he was still too wobbly and wiggly. I've used it enough now that I can get him in it while simultaneously pushing a cart into a store, if I have to. (It was raining, so I was moving as fast as I could with two kids!) I have a Moby that worked well in the early days, but it's too much of a pain to have to get all of the parts spread out the way they are supposed to be and whatnot, and took me 10 minutes to get settled into them. (Although I DID just discover the Tibetan carry, and I am going to give that a shot sometime soon!)

[operamommy]

Hey chicks! New thread:

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...1#post11360081