feb 2003 mamas/babies?

My dd was born 2/26, so she is almost 8 months now too. She's not crawling yet, definitely into toys and pets, and protesting when they're out of her reach! She likes to stand, leaning against the couch, but doesn't seem to think she'll fall over, so I feel like I've got to "spot" her (hardwood floors all around!). She was like that with sitting independently too, which she did just before 5 months--she seemed to have no fear of tipping over, and never tried to hold herself up with her hands or anything. Little daredevil...

She loves walks, balls, dolls, kisses, did I mention pets?? , books, hanging out with her moms--she's not so into getting her nose wiped or me leaving the room. Sigh. She seems to like avacado, and loves the ritual of eating (wearing the bib, getting the spoon in her mouth, sitting in her chair), though anything with any texture makes her gag. She's learned some signs: nurse, diaper change, and dog are the ones she does. And lots of saying "ma-ma" too, all the time! And growls--she's really into growls these days...

So much fun!

We're doing pretty well here.

Grace was born 2/21/03, so she's almost 8 months old already. Where did all that time go?

She just got her second tooth through last week, so she's much happier now than she was two weeks ago. Still cranky, though. She's learning to crawl, but needs the proper incentive to go forward. She'll go after a sitting cat, or after a fishy keychain I have (she likes the clasp). If neither of those incentives are available, she just rests on her tummy and fusses.

Still no solids to speak of here. She's tasted some apple and liked that well enough, but when I made applesauce, she wouldn't eat it. Just wanted to play with the spoon. I figure she'll get into it eventually, though. I'm not rushing things, as we have allergy problems in my family.

She wakes several times a night to nurse, but I don't have a clue how many - she latches on with minimal help from me, so as long as my shirt is up, she nurses at will. I like it that way. Lots more sleep!

I have a frustrated kiddo on my lap now, should attend to her needs (if I can figure out what the heck she's upset about).

My little foster daughter Julianna Rose (we call her "Oso" for some reason, which is bear in Spanish...) was born February 27, 2003. We brought her home on 3/3/03, when she was 5 days old. She was drug exposed, so she's a little more delayed developmentally than your babes, but she's coming right along! She is barely sitting up alone right now, but she rolls everywhere. She eats graham crackers, biter biscuits, and pretzel sticks- anything she can grip in her fist. She also seems to love cooked carrots, and that's the only soft food she will try. She is working on saying "Dada", she copies DH when he tries to get her to say it! Nowhere near saying Mama, but that's ok since that was my DS's first word! DD is formula-fed, and she still eats about every 3 hours- we are counting the days/weeks/months 'till she sleeps through the night!!!

Luke and Jaz were born 2/18/03, so they too are about to hit that 8-month mark. They are excessively active, have been hands-and-knees crawling for 3 months (Luke), and 2 months (Jasper), and will probably be walking before long. Luke actually took his first three steps a few nights ago. We were pretty shocked. Luke was pretty proud.

No solid food being eaten over here. But lots of solid food has been spit out. I suppose they will eat once they can feed themselves.

LOTS of bfing. . . every 2 hours during the day (more often on bad teeth days), but thankfully has slowed some during the night. They usually go to bed around 8:00 p.m., wake up when we come to bed around 10:30-11:30, nurse, and then sleep until anytime between 2:30 and 5:30, nurse, and then sleep until 7:30-8:30. I have pretty much mastered tandem nursing while lying down, so I am getting a lot of sleep!

Love to hear about all the other February babies!

Lex

We're not doing much on solids over here, either. I tried feeding Grace some mashed up avocado (mixed with breastmilk) today, and she hated it. She really wanted to take the spoon herself, but was more interested in chewing on the handle. She just squished the chunk I gave her. She has had several tastes of apple... she prefers to gnaw/lick on one I'm eating - if I give her a piece of her own, she tries to crawl off with it.

We've tried the baby safe feeder, but again, she's more interested in the handle. Oh, well. We'll get to it eventually... she can't be EBF until she's an adult, LOL.

She is cruising a lot now... she made a couple laps of the coffee table in the three minutes it took me to run up to the bathroom. Fast babe! I fully expect her to be walking before she's any good at crawling.

I was lying in bed nursing her this afternoon and she rolled over onto her tummy while nursing. Pretty darn cute, but I'm hoping it doesn't become a habit. I don't want to have to worry about her doing it at night and taking off on me.

Lex, I'm having a hard time picturing how you tandem nurse your guys while lying down. If you manage to do it while lying on your back, I am in awe. I get so sore lying on my side... my hips are still out of whack from pregnancy, despite frequent chiropractor visits.

KidsAtHeart, I am in awe of you, taking a foster child only three months younger than your bio child. It must be quite the experience... I bet they're getting to the age where they can (sort of) entertain each other. If you don't mind me asking, are you planning to adopt her and the older girl? If I'm way out of line, please let me know. We've talking about doing foster care when our children are older, and I'm always interested in hearing stories.

I should go rescue my cruiser before she gets into trouble.

jessikate: I do tandem nurse them lying on my back at night. It is not the most comfortable position, but I REFUSE to sit up in the middle of the night, and so far my nipples haven't gotten sore. I lie on my back, but tilt a teensy bit to one side. Jasper nurses on that side (and since my boobs are enormous, it's basically like I'm side-lying nursing as far as he is concerned). Luke nurses on the slightly raised up side, face-plant style. He kneels while he nurses. It's only a problem when he decides to get really into it and starts bouncing from his knees :. But that rarely happens in the middle of the night because mostly he's still asleep. (But when I'm trying to nurse them both down for a nap, he can be quite --not so fun for the nipple!).

mom2tig99Nroo03: The sign for nurse that I've see most people use is actually the sign for "milk." It looks sort of like what your hand would do if you were milking a cow. The baby version basically is like opening and closing a fist repeatedly.

Lex

Samantha had a bad start to the whole solid food thing so I am taking it real slow! Right now I would say that she gets about a dozen Cherrios in the morning (when her big sisters eat breakfast of course) some of my banana or apple at lunch and a small bit of whatever veggie/rice we are having for dinner (non-alergen stuff). That all sounds like a lot but I would not think she gets more then 3 tablespoons worth the whole day. I think I am just going to let her continue mouching until she is a bit older before we start "real" meal times.

On another note, is my Samantha the only Feb baby left who is only moving via rolling? She does not crawl and can only stand for a few seconds holding onto the table. For that matter she can only sit by herself as long as she is not distracted, otherwise she tilts over.

Is there any other 7-8 month olds who are not moving/cruising out there? Is Sam realy just behind the curve?

Come on! She can not be the only lump left :LOL

MM

Julianna doesn't crawl, but she rolls everywhere. She can only sit up by herself for a few seconds. My 10 mo old DS just started crawling last week! I'm learning that every baby has their own little pattern of learning, they do things on their own time.

We are not going to adopt either of our foster DD's. They are both native American, so they can't legally be adopted by a non-tribal family, without a bunch of crazy red tape. Jul's parents are in jail, so Child Protective Services will probably be severing their rights soon, and she will become a ward of the tribe/state, and considered in "long term foster care". Crystal's parents live on the reservation with no electricity, running water, etc, and they can't adapt to take on her multiple medical ailments. (She's on a ventilator, oxygen, heart monitors, etc.) So, we'll take care of the girls until they are 18, and then Julianna can do whatever she wants, and Crystal will go to an adult group home, where they can manage her health needs. Just wanted to fill in whoever it was that asked about it!

Since Zach is crawling now, I think Julianna is catching on- she's been rolling a lot more lately! She rolled herself over to one of the houseplants and tried to grab at it. She's not even close to understanding the word "no"! I am so scared, LOL. Its nice to have mobile kids and all, but I'm not ready to chase two at the same time, and Crystal! I applaud the mama of twins!

My baby was born Feb. 1st and he is a total delight. I love this age!

Manitobamommy- My first son didn't crawl *at all* until he was about 10 months old.

Reid has been working on crawling since he was about 7 months but it's only been in the last week that he truly perfected it and now he is everywhere! It's scary because my older son has his toys and projects everywhere and of course they are all choking hazards(he's four so I don't have to worry about him).

I'm pretty overwhelmed with having two, but I must say the second baby is so much easier. I just don't worry about anything with him.

Good to hear from everyone!

Stephanie, mom to 4 yr old Neil & 8 month old Reid