[expat-mama]

Hi July Mamas,

Our thread disappeared so I thought I'd start a new one!

How is everyone? Are we all gearing up for those first birthdays? I'm pretty excited about it all. I just cannot believe it's been almost a year already. Amazing... It was around this time a year ago that I started getting HUGE and unwieldy, couldn't get comfortable in bed or stop peeing.

DS is changing every day- last week he started saying "mama" and "dada" and this time we really know he means US! So exciting! And it has become really clear just how much of what we say he understands- quite a bit! He is really good at recognizing signs now and all the familiar things we say to him.

He is getting really good at cruising along the furniture and "walking" with some help (holding his hands/arms). His play is getting very interesting and varied- he seems to be on the verge of playing "pretend" with his stuffed animals and likes it when we act out scenes with them and with puppets. He likes to kiss them and pat them, talk to them and also to beat the crap out of them! He is so into containers now- putting things in, taking them out, banging them around, stacking them up etc. It's fascinating to watch him, really. As always, he is a big fan of his books and we just got him a big stack of new ones as I was getting tired of reading the old ones. I do love reading to him and one of the things I'm soo happy about is that I can see how much he loves books- this was so important to me. I can really see him being a big reader in the future and that makes me ecstatic.

He's also got a bunch of new teeth coming through- one popped out on the bottom beside his middle two and I can see his front top two just below the skin of his gums- so those'll come through soon I think.

DS has lots of hair now- it's pretty cute and it curls all around his ears and the back. He's going to be a handsome devil for sure, with those eyelashes and lips!

He's eating everything in sight and still nursing a lot. He's almost 11 kg.

The other day we spied some men unpacking some kind of giant electronic components outside on the street and they were leaving these GIGANTIC (bigger than refrigerator) boxes on the curb. We snapped a couple of them up along with a few smaller ones. They are super heavy weight and just amazing boxes so we are using them to build a big playhouse for DS- kind of an early birthday present I guess. DH has gotten really into the project with me- and this is going to be a serious playhouse! It's two stories (on the outside) and really big on the inside. We have almost finished contruction and are about to start decorating. I'll be sure to post some pics when we are finished!

We are heading on a 14 hour plane trip back to Canada - just me and DS first, then DH comes 2 weeks later. I'm really panicked about the flight- as I will be alone and DS will be on my lap. It was just way too expensive to get him a ticket when he could fly for free.

I'm so jazzed about our vacation, but not so much the plane trip. I'm going to be pumping the mdc mamas for tips and tricks for flying alone on such a long flight with a babe.

How are the July babies and mamas doing? What are your birthday plans? Everyone excited for summer?

Here are some snaps of DS!

 

[somegirl99]

Thanks for the new thread expat! K is looking so adorable! Isn't it amazing how much they have grown??

This week I'm busy being a single mom while DH is away for work. It's odd because I used to travel a lot for work but this year seems to be his turn, he's got trips scheduled every month it seems (including a possible one during DS's birthday). It looks like I'll have to have my first overnight business trip in August, unfortunately. DH is planning on taking those days off as he's not expecting to get enough sleep. So it's looking unlikely that we will get a proper vacation, bummer.

DS is doing great. This is such a fun age, isn't it? He is so interested in the world around him, giggles a lot, loves to play, loves to read, and loves watching the dogs. He is definitely going to skip crawling. He rolls everywhere and will cruise a bit if we place him by furniture although we don't have much that is great for pulling up on. He definitely lets us know when he wants to practice standing and walking though. He loves going for walks outdoors, it's amazing how his face lights up.

Still quite a bit of stranger anxiety, and he still gets upset in the car if he is alone in the back seat, so it is stressful to take him places although I have been trying to do it every weekend to keep him used to it.

We have 6 (well really 5.5) teeth here, he seems to have taken a little break on new teeth although I'm expecting more soon. He eats apple and pear slices (only firm pears though) and gnaws on raw carrot sticks. That's it. Everything else we've tried just gets thrown to the dogs (he loves watching them eat) and he can't stand anything mushy and doesn't want a mesh feeder. No luck with a sippy cup yet but I keep trying.

He does pretty well at understanding what we say or sign (although I seem to be the only one still signing), but no recognizable words yet, still babbling away. He is really chatty now.

Bunch of pictures all with me...guess DH has been grabbing the camera a lot.

 

[Terrilein]

Finally got a moment to post. We're doing ok over here. I'm really exhausted with the solo-parenting, constant neediness of both my kids and the all-night nursing, non-sleeping baby. So, short update on ds: Fritz got his first tooth 2 days ago and wow, today he's taking his first steps. Actually, dd said he was already walking between the furniture last week.Ever heard of a baby walking before getting his teeth??? Anyhow, I expect him to be walking within the next 2 weeks. Sheesh. There goes babyhood.

 

[expat-mama]

Wow, somegirl! M looks so big now too! Ahhh his curls are just too sweet. You know he looks like he could be the handsome brother of 2 cute little girls I know here- they are Maori from New Zealand! If it's not too personal, can I ask what your and your DP's backgrounds are?

Everyone is always asking me about K- a lot of people think I'm his nanny

! His hair goes from light brown to blonde and because of his eyes people always ask my husband if his wife is Asian! I think it's kind of funny though. DS will have quite a mouthful to say when explaining his background as he gets older, even moreso than I did!

I read on another thread- I think you said you had a NINE hour stretch of sleep the other night! LUCKY! I hope that means your DS is making big sleep progress. Now if only K will follow suit...

Terri- Fritz is walking and getting his chompers- hooray! Maybe he will sleep better now?

 

[somegirl99]

Thanks expat! He's quite a mix, I am half Caucasian and half Asian, and DH is half Caucasian (Eastern European) and half Indian.

Yeah, a 9.5 hour stretch the other night, I was so amazed! And unfortunately that same night one dog woke me at 2 am to go out and pee, 4:30 am to go out and poop, and the other one at 5:45 am to pee. I was none too pleased, to say the least.

Recently we've been down to just 1-2 wake ups at night, which is fantastic, with consistent 4-5 hour stretches. He's been getting up a bit earlier in the morning (6-6:30 instead of me waking him up around 8) which I'm totally ok with.

I think it is a mix of changes we've made that have helped, plus him getting older. He actually does not nurse to sleep anymore, when he is done he pops off and then either needs to burp or to use the potty again, or he wants to lie on his mattress and cuddle his teddy bear and roll around a little until he falls asleep.

I really hope K starts sleeping better for you soon.

Terri, wow, lots of changes recently, I also hope that means he will soon sleep better as well! Post pics when you get a chance.

 

[expat-mama]

Cool, somegirl- that is quite a mix! One that rivals my DS' for sure. My mom is french-canadian (caucasian) and my dad is zimbabwean. DH's family is polish-ukrainian and english-scottish. All that genetic variety sure makes for some cute kids, eh?

What were the changes you made besides putting M on a floor mattress? How did you manage to get him to not nurse all the way to sleep?

We have K sleeping mostly in his crib which seems to help a bit because he rolls around so much now he was waking himself up in our bed knocking into us. He does really well for naps most days in his crib. I miss having him in the bed with us a little bit, but I knew the day would come when he would sleep on his own (even if he is still in our room).

DH wants to try putting DS's crib in his actual bedroom- he thinks DS wakes up more when we are in the room since he sleeps better in the first part of the night when he is in our room alone. I think he just sleeps better the first part of the night! I think he would be too freaked out to be alone in his room for the whole night...or maybe I would miss him too much? I dunno... either way, I don't think we are ready for that just yet. But I'm willing to try other things.

 

[Terrilein]

I thought babies were supposed to stay in their parents' bedroom - in their own crib or whatever - until at least 12 months of age due to SIDS. Anyhow, it sounds like K is sleeping really well now. Tell you DH that there's no hurry to move him and that some of us would kill to be able to put our kids down and have them sleep like K. He shouldn't push his good luck!

Quote:

Originally Posted by expat-mama

We have K sleeping mostly in his crib which seems to help a bit because he rolls around so much now he was waking himself up in our bed knocking into us. He does really well for naps most days in his crib. I miss having him in the bed with us a little bit, but I knew the day would come when he would sleep on his own (even if he is still in our room).

DH wants to try putting DS's crib in his actual bedroom- he thinks DS wakes up more when we are in the room since he sleeps better in the first part of the night when he is in our room alone. I think he just sleeps better the first part of the night! I think he would be too freaked out to be alone in his room for the whole night...or maybe I would miss him too much? I dunno... either way, I don't think we are ready for that just yet. But I'm willing to try other things.

 

[LittleBirdy]

Hi everybody! Can you believe our LO's will be having their first birthdays soon? Anybody else SUPER excited that they're not huge and pregnant this summer... I am!

Baby M was a slow-to-start crawler but almost immediately started pulling up & cruising and is starting to occassionally stand unsupported.

I can't believe he'll be walking soon! Where I live the winters are long so we only have just started to get outside more. We've discovered DS hates the baby swing but thinks swimming is pretty fun as long as he's clinging to mumma the whole time. No words yet, still just babbling but I think he might be saying "kitty" (comes out like "ithy").

He's still waking up a lot. We've been trying to occassionally soothe him back to sleep without nursing. Singing seems to work. In a few more weeks I'm going to work on transitioning him to a crib, because he's getting really wiggly. I'm sort of terrified.

Sooo.... not that I am.... but anybody thinking about the next baby yet??

 

[mamakaikai]

Helloooooo!

Wow it's been a while for me! I've been reminiscing about last year this time, as my baby's first birthday approaches, so I decided to come and see if I could find my ddc mama's and sure enough! Here you are! So good to hear from you!

My little girl has been well and developing quite the strong personality! She's a feisty girl compared to my mellow firstborn, but she sure knows what she wants and how to get it. Which is great. But it kinda meant that the baby stage was really short lived for us. She's been walking since 9 1/2 months ~no I'm not kidding! she's a bit crazy I'd say! She's got a few words now, mama-papa-sister-dog-yeah-yum and bum. the basics. Ha! She's still barely eating though which I'm not too sure what to think about that. She's rolly polly and huge so everyone tells me she's clearly not wanting...but I wonder why she is not interested in food. She still pretty much nurses exclusively at 11 months. I'm at home with her so it's a non issue logistically, but the whole iron thing and well ya know, she should be eating no?!

Also, her sleeping is terrible. naps are ok. But she fights sleep at night and I really don't get why. She's also a lite sleeper and wakes freaquently at night...and is up for the day at 6am!

It's *finally* summer weather where I am. It seems like this winter/spring has taken forever and a day. I think babycakes loves the feel of the grass and sand between her toes and she loves the water. I can't wait to bring her to the beach! We're planning on a family camping trip in one of the national parks. I hope her opinions on that are positive!

So great to see all the babes pictures! I'll have to load some pictures up and post a couple of Stella.

 

[somegirl99]

Expat - Actually, for several months now he will often go to sleep for naps without nursing, but this is a recent change for nighttime.

I remember the first time it happened, he was maybe 3 months old? We were used to swaddling him and either nursing, walking, bouncing or rocking to sleep. Anyway, one morning I noticed he was getting tired and fussy, so I put him on the bed while I grabbed his swaddle blanket and prepared to nurse him, and realized a second later that he had fallen asleep, so I just swaddled him up and put him in the co-sleeper. I was amazed that maybe he didn't always need us to be actively doing something to get him to sleep. After that we started to try letting him fall asleep on his own first (we have to be right next to him), and only if that was clearly not working would we try something else. He usually prefers to cuddle with his teddy bear while falling asleep and sometimes needs a binky.

Anyway, the changes we made recently were:

- separate mattress for him next to me (he gets very upset waking up in his crib at night, although he naps fine in it during the day)

- putting him to sleep straight in his bed instead of starting in the crib and then moving when he woke up

- A number of different things related to comfort (diaper, temperature, humidifier, bedding) and a different white noise that IMO is more pleasant than our previous one. We use lullabies when going to bed which is followed by the white noise.

- DH has been doing the nighttime routine a lot of the time which has helped him get used to falling asleep without nursing

- when he wakes, instead of nursing him right away, I take him to the potty. Unfortunately he's not a big fan of this right now (although he doesn't mind going to the potty first thing in the morning or after naps) so I usually take him off right away and put on a fresh diaper as he is usually wet. Then I turn the lullabies back on, we go back to the bed and nurse (me sitting up, him in my lap). When he is done I put him down in his bed. If he is ready to go back to sleep he will grab his bear and go to sleep. If he is still upset it is usually because he has to burp, has gas, or has to pee, so I usually take him back to the potty which helps him get those out. Sometimes I need to do some more burping bouncing him on the ball. Then I put him back in bed and wait for him to go back to sleep with his teddy bear (and occasionally his binky). It sometimes takes a little while but it's not too bad because I can just lie down next to him and fall asleep while he is falling asleep. Sometimes when he wakes up it takes us up to 45 minutes or so to get back to sleep if he is really burpy or gassy. The short wake-ups are maybe 12 min (including the potty visit).

Anyway the separate mattress made things tolerable enough for me (more restful sleep) that I was able to do the nighttime pottying, which I think helps in two ways:

- gets him more comfortable so there are less things (being wet, having gas, etc) disturbing his sleep

- it's not quite as convenient for him to nurse anymore, so he is less likely to wake for it. Reminds me of myself actually, sometimes I wake up a bit hungry, but it's too much of a pain to get up, make some food, eat it, brush my teeth, go back to bed, so I would normally just go back to sleep (unless I were pregnant and desperately starving).

Those are the main things I can think of, I hope something in there is of help.

Quote:

Originally Posted by expat-mama

What were the changes you made besides putting M on a floor mattress? How did you manage to get him to not nurse all the way to sleep?

 

[somegirl99]

Oh, one more thing, we have been keeping a daily log of his wakings and it helps a lot to know what changes help as we can go back and look through several days worth. It might sound like a lot of work but it's really not, I just fill in a small chart in the morning to the best of my memory.

 

[andromedajulie]

Hello everyone - I am hoping it's okay if I jump into this thread even though I wasn't with you all when pregnant last year! I have a friend who is pregnant now and I just keep telling her, just sit in front of the a/c and don't even bother moving. Boy that was a long summer!

My LO will be 1 on 7/27. She is at this moment getting her 7th tooth (we had a 3 month break since the first 6)!!!!! So that has been tough, and she's been teething molars for sure. She has stood for about a second on her own a couple times, and is mostly crawling but trying to cruise. She is currently waking 2-3 times in the night, so I am hoping that the year's end will bring some sleep improvement for us all. Just this week she started saying "duck" and - I think - "done". She loves food & loves to eat. She has a really great disposition and laughs all the time (this is really wonderful for me, since my older DD was colicky and miserable for 18 months). She has been sick a lot, not really sure why she keeps getting stuff, since her exposure is pretty limited, but she recovers okay. The other day she was in the pool for the first time and loved it. She has a lot of separation anxiety, and is not really able to stay with anyone other than me or my husband, which is getting kind of hard. Oh - and she's completely discovered the experience of being thwarted - we are seeing little tantrums!!

The last month or so it's just been so hard for me to believe that my baby is almost gone. She's really becoming a person.

 

[expat-mama]

Welcome, Julie! We've got some tantrums and fits here too occasionally- luckily they are easily dealt with with distraction and hugs... I fear that will not be the case in the future!

Mamakai- my DS is up EVERY day at 5...sometimes quarter to 5. Ugh. He's happy enough if I bring him out to the living room where his books and toys are and I can lay on the couch and doze or catch up on emails like I'm doing now (it's 5:30 here). At least it's not dark anymore at this time!

Also, I've got the opposite "problem" as you- my DS eats and eats and eats- I don't really know when to stop feeding him because he won't stop himself. I was reading online that people give snacks 3 times a day and I usually only give him one snack or so. Maybe that's why he seems to eat soooo much at mealtimes?

He also still nurses around 5-7 times during the day and a few times at night too!

Somegirl, we kept sleep/wake/nap journals for a while when we tried to do the no cry sleep solution. It never seemed to make much sense to us- no discernible patterns or reactions to changes we made or differences in DS. DH and I kind of have a recap whenever a night goes exceptionally well or badly we kind of think back about the day before- what was different? Especially when the night goes well we try and try to figure out WHY but never really can.

I would really, really like to get DS to fall asleep without nursing as I think that would help immensely with his night wakings and getting him to not wake so fully or as often. The thing is, during the day 3 of our main nursing sessions are before nap time and then bedtime. And he only nurses 2 or 3 other times besides that during the day. I'm not sure when I would nurse him otherwise- I mean I'm sure I could fit it in somewhere- but then along with the time it takes to put him down without nursing...my whole day would be putting DS down for naps and bed and nursing. It's just so easy to get him to sleep with nursing... we've done it so long, I don't even know where to start otherwise. I think it would be a horrible mess of DS getting overtired because I can't get him down. DH does the whole bedtime routine too- then hands him off to me to nurse him down. But after he goes to bed at bedtime, DH is on the clock and puts him down by walking with him or playing music for every waking until we go to bed. I usually don't have to nurse him unless he wakes up really upset and can't be calmed by DH. So I know that it IS possible to get him to sleep without nursing- but usually it's when he's already been sleeping and is half gone already.

I think one of our issues is the dryness here. I drink a lot of water at night and I think DS may be waking up dry and thirsty. I don't know if I could get him to take a bottle of water into bed with him and drink it when he wakes. A sippy cup may require too much coordination in a sleepy state. When people suggest night weaning him as he gets older, I really hesitate because I know he may be getting thirsty- it really is unbelievable dry here.

Really interesting about putting M on the potty! That sounds like quite an ordeal, but whatever works, right?

I wish K would take a binky or had more of a cuddly relationship with any of his animals. He has a rabbit, a bear and a giraffe that he loves to play with- they get him all riled up though, so not the best sleeping companions.

 

[chattyprincess]

Oh my word! such big big babies!

Chloe is going to be 11 months on June 10th and has been walking since 9 1/2 months...so a longer baby crawling phase then her big sister thank goodness (big sis walked independtly at 8mths 1 day...and she didn't get her first tooth until her first birthday!)

She has 5 1/2 teeth the other one is slowly slowly coming in, says mama, dada, baba (her sister) dog, and loves to push around her little push car!! Now to only teach her to stop eating dirt/rocks/sticks/bugs and all the other crap on the ground and we will be good. lol.

She is eating like a champ as long as she is eating what we are and not trying to fed it to her. Silly baby. Her new favorite trick is kicking a ball around, future soccer girl for sure!

Its finally nice and warm here this week, high 70-low 80!!! so we have been out gardening and in the parks alot. We sold our house and are renting and the rental garden was a disaster, a week later and all the weeds are out, flowers and veg are in and we are good to go!

 

[Terrilein]

Well, it looks like Fritz can't really make up his mind on walking. He's all on-again/of-again. On the other hand, he's igured out how to climb up on our sofas and coffee table today. I think I'm in big trouble.

 

[livelovelaugh]

It was so nice to see this thread - especially as our babes get so close to 1 yr old and I feel more and more distant from pregnancy and newborn days. It feels like yesterday...but at the same tie it feels lile forever ago. So great to see and hear updates of your babes and their wonderful progress. This first year is just amazing, isn't it?! Wow, how fare they come!

DD2, N., is a dream. #3, and she goes with the flow...people stop us all of the time and ask if she is always this happy..."yup, pretty much!" A very sweet little sould, this one...I like to think it is because she got her natural, peaceful VBAC. : ) Anyway, she is very happy crawling and no signs of her wanting to walk . Love to tiptoe around if we are holding her hands, so more of that lately, but basically she just wantes to get down and move on all fours as much as possible, pull up, get up on those knees, etc.

Been a crazy, crazy year for us. DH's cancer came back (originated as testicular 6 years ago...3rd recurrence), and he is just now finishing 9 weeks of intensive chemotherapy. Not fun with he babe and the two older ones not completely understanding why daddy can't play, etc. Prognosis is excellent, so getting through the terrible treatment has, hopefully, been the worst part...hoping cancer is gone from our lives for good now. Crazy, crazy winter and spring.

So, N. is the light that came between radiation and chemotherapy to treat, of all things, testicular cancer. We were told that we had a 1-2% chance of conceiving when we found out we were pregnant with her. Our little miracle. All things considered, life is pretty darn good!

 

[expat-mama]

Oh my- what a sweetie, Livelovelaugh! I'm terribly sorry to hear about your DH's cancer- but glad to hear that things are looking up. It HAS been a crazy year hasn't it- so long since we were all pregnant, and still so short somehow. I too cannot believe how big and lovely all our little ones are! It's just so wonderful and amazing.

My DS is SCREAMING all the time now...like shrill, your ears ring afterward kind of screaming. UGH!

I'm really not sure what kind of reaction I should have to discourage it, or if it's even worth trying to get him to stop. I had an awful headache this morning and breakfast was just 30 minutes of straight screaming! He's having a ball when he's doing it. I may just start to carry around earplugs or something...seriously. So far, I just cover my ears or try to act like it's neither good nor bad. Or I talk softly so hopefully DS will quiet down to try to hear what I'm saying. YES, I am the woman in the grocery store with the screaming and giggling baby in the Ergo who you can hear 6 aisles down. Crikey!

Also, DS's new favourite game as of a couple days ago- FETCH! It started because he really likes giving things to us- when he has something he shouldn't if we hold out our hands and say "please" he will easily hand it over. This turned into me pointing at things and having him bring them when I say "please" and then we tried throwing things, balls, toys, etc. and DS loves to crawl quickly over scoop them up and bring them back! He'll play for a really long time doing this... I hope it's normal for my son to like doing dog tricks...

 

[atpeace]

Aww, I've missed the witty banter and chatter on our DDC...I haven't been around much in the past year since we've been enjoying my maternity leave so very much. I'm going back to work (at a new job!) on July 4th, so my "vacation" is coming to an end. Very bittersweet...it's been a lovely year.

Raymond is turing 1 on June 27th (re: birthday party plans: just having family over for a big meal and yummy dessert/cake with strawberries picked by us, as is our tradition at the end of June). He's crawling and cruising, but no talking yet, other than babbling. Seems to understand a great deal though, and LOVES to point and vocalize when he gets excited. Expat, I hear you on the joy about DS liking books...that is so important to me as well. Andromedajulie - we're having some tantrums here too! It's very new to me, since DD has NEVER thrown a tantrum (she's very logical and easy to explain things to, and when she doesn't like something she just pouts and says "I'm never playing with you again" and leaves the room), so I'm not sure how to deal with them. Ack!

Big sister loves him, and he loves her. It's a joy to see them playing together, especially since I know these days of getting along are not going to last very long (I have a younger brother). She calls him Raymey, Raymbow, and "bubba", which gets a bit embarrasing when we're out in public (I'm sure people think we really named him "bubba"). He's started going to daycare for a few hours each day as a transition, and surprisingly is LOVING it. Eats, sleeps, and plays like a gem (I have no idea how they're able to get him to do that!), and we're very pleased with the centre.

livelovelaugh, that stinks about the cancer recurrence! I can't even imagine how tough that must be. That's really great that the prognosis is so good though, what a relief.

Lovely pictures, those of you who posted. I'd love to see all the babies! Here are two recent pix of Raymond. The first is him posing with a daffodil chain my mom made at a playground, and the second is his 11-month couch picture (we take a couch picture of him surrounded by the same stuffed animals on the 27th of each month, to track growth...we did it with DD and it's so fun to look back on).





As for future babies, NO THANKS! We're done.

 

[somegirl99]

Bumping to get more updates and pictures.

livelovelaugh, what a roller coaster you've been on!

So we have finally had a few words here..."hi", "moo", and "flip flop". All have been said more than once in response to me or DH so not just random babbling sounds. Interesting choice of first words.

 

[expat-mama]

Interesting first words indeed!

Exciting though isn't it? What led to "flip flop"???

K has added "jack" (more like "dack") and "box" (more like "bok bok bok") to his repertoire. Jack Rabbit Slim, or Jack, is his bunny whom he is growing increasingly fond of lately.

We are back to absolutely crap-ass sleep.

I'm really struggling these days again.

Here are some pics of the playhouse we made for DS. He really loves the flowers (tries to eat them though) and the mailbox on the side (he puts things in and takes them out...you get the idea!). You can see him sneaking out the door with Jack in tow. The darn thing is so big, we can't get it out of the spare room we have it in. It looks like it's in there for good and that will be his new playroom I guess- we need to clear our living room of all his junk anyhow!