***December Snowflakes 2012 Parenting***

[ImSoTired]

scooby it looks like such fun! I can't wait to take Cait swimming. The weather has been cool here so far and the pool and pond waters are still cold imo. I want to get her a float like you have though, where did you get it? Hopefully we'll go soon. I hope Cait likes it as much as Camden. I love that the monkey is wearing the doc band now! lol. Our ortho said we could burn the harness when she's finished. DH has his heart set on the idea already, haha. Camden is just gorgeous as always.

As for the carseat I'm going to continue shopping around. Right now we have a pickup truck with a full bench back seat. It really isn't all that roomy which is why I was thinking a small one. But we do intend on getting an SUV probably early next year or sooner. I kind of want one that's all in one so I won't have to get another but I'm unsure. Also MIL always gets one for her car too and I'd like it to come out and go in easy in case I need to move it to my mom's car or something. I have time though because Cait has 2 1/2 inches and 6 lbs to go on the infant seat but I don't want to keep lugging the infant carrier around now that she is sitting better and doesn't need the seat as a carrier.

Bean, Cait's hair is Auburnish in the sun but she also has a lot of blond in it. It's actually gotten much lighter as she's gotten older. I've posted her 3 mo pic and a 6 month to compare. So ever though she has hair I still have no clue what color it's really going to be. Everyday it's a struggle to comb Cait's hair and she moves her head so much it often gets knotted Not fun. Also yay for visitors and vacation time!

Chloe that's definitely a nice looking car seat and well in my price range but I'm wondering if I should get one that can eventually face forward as well. At least for our car. Cait is sort of tiny and I feel like she'll be in it for a while anyway. Maybe I'll get that one for our extra for MIL and my mom's car as it's a decent price? I feel like I have so much research to do!

 

[sigh]

IST - SHe is beautiful! My sister uses this car seat and loves it so I was looking at the same one. I think she used it rear and forward facing. https://www.amazon.com/Graco-Ride-C...qid=1371823085&sr=8-3&keywords=graco+car+seat

Bean - yay for more holidays! Thats great!

scooby - wow! We haven't taken Ellie yet... I'm not sure how she'll feel about it.

 

[toothfairy29]

Scooby and IST what pretty little ladies!!

What carseats are UK ladies thinking of upgrading to??

Also can anyone recommend UK stroller/buggy?

We got a travel system from mamas and papas. He's supposed to be able to fit in the car seat until 12-15 months bit there's no chance of that as he is so tall. The base is very big and bulky and difficult up get in and out if the car also and that's without the buggy seat clipped in as we mostly use the carseat clipped into it.

 

[ImSoTired]

I like that car seat sigh. Hmmm I really have some choices to make.

 

[ImSoTired]

IST, i too am in search of a small seat. I dont know if i want one that can go front and rear facing, along with a booster, or just a rear facing one like this for nowhttps://www.amazon.com/Safety-OnSide-Protect-Convertible-Bedrock/dp/B004EBUX8K/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=30617VZ5ZA7JK&coliid=IGY4AK5ZAY8WA I think they are supposed to be rear facing until they are 2. Oh, and Gabby also has hair envy!

juless, welcome back! Tessa is still a cutie!

Chloe, I just found that carseat on sale at walmart for $65. It's only the pink flowery one though so it's cheaper on amazon if you want the black or gray. It also can face forward which is great and a lot of reviews says it is easy to install so this will most likely be our 'floater' seat for the grandma's cars.

 

[daydream]

Scooby - my SIL has it and they really like it. They actually just got that instead of doing an infant carrier for their daughter. Works great for them. I just like that I won't have to buy another seat until he's in a booster.

 

[scoobydrlp]

IST- I got the float at a consignment sale for cheap, it was a great deal. I've seen them at Walmart and target for around $30, but they were on sale at Walmart a week or two ago for $20. I do think its worth the price though, she's very comfortable in it, and I'm pretty sure she will still be able to use it next summer

 

[Chloe597]

Thanks, IST! I may head over there. We want one carseat for each car + grandparents. And Gabby's massive weight gain has slowed so it doesn't look like she'll be 40 lbs any time soon Buying 2 $200+ carseats plus one for the grandparents would get pricey!

Scooby, love the pics! Such a cute water baby. And I'm glad you were able to find an Ergo. I was so excited to find mine at Marshalls I'm glad they are still available!

So Gabby has had a cough for 10 days now, and it only appears to be getting more congested, but its not hurting her sleep, and she isn't wheezing or having trouble breathing. Think I should wait it out, or call the Doctor? She had a cough when she got her vaccines on Saturday and the Dr listened to her lungs then and said no pneumonia or ear infections, and that they typically wait 2 weeks for coughs to clear themselves up, unless there is a fever, which she doesn't have. I'm not sure what to do. she coughs so much in the mornings.

 

[sigh]

Honey & Jules - SOooo cute!!

Tooth - YES Ellie has been doing it too!! She fake coughs and laughs... sometimes does a combined laugh/cough and in the mornings when she wakes she fake coughs while playing with her feet. lol

Scooby - Yay awesome! I haven't found an ergo yet... still checking every now and then at my local tjmaxx and marshalls.

So I think we have a major development here . Ellie has been yelling "mumum" (In my indian language, we use this word for food for little kids) during her feedings. At first I thought it was a coincidence but she's been doing it all week, only when she's being fed or about to be fed. Yesterday I pointed to her bowl and asked her what it was and she said "mumum" and then a few minutes later I asked her what she wanted and she said "mumum". Here's a video from a few days ago when I thought it was a coincidence but I'm pretty sure she knows what she's asking for, which means we have our first word! Of course my child's first word is food related lol : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byHHrykFjDw

 

[ImSoTired]

Sigh oh my goodness she is so smart and talkative! Not to mention beautiful and adorable! Cait talks about that much in a whole day! I love when the dog is there waiting to see if any food was going to come his way. haha. Awesome video!

Scooby I'll be looking for a little float like that for Cait, thanks.

Chloe I'm thinking the same way. I don't want to spend 200+ on each car seat. I think I'll get one expensive one and one cheaper one. The safety 1st one is perfect for moving around as it's lighter weight.

 

[scoobydrlp]

Well I just couldn't wait any longer and tried some real food today with Camden. I gave her a few cucumber slices and a few steamed carrot chips. She never actually ingested any of it, but she spent a good while gnawing and sucking on them! Several pieces ended up on the floor so the dog and cats were happy. She was able to chomp a little chunk or two of the carrot off and did a little gagging, I watched very closely to be sure she wasn't choking. Fun times!

https://i1340.photobucket.com/albums/o725/scoobydrlp/100_2667_zpsefc4cdbd.jpg

 

[Kelly M]

Oh such cute videos and pics! Love it!

We bought this car seat a couple of weeks ago: https://safety1st.djgusa.com/en/djg...n--one-convertible-car-seat---dorian-cc068bwo

I like it but wish my car was bigger as we have to recline it all the way back since C still falls asleep in the car literally every time we go anywhere and I don't want him all slumped over and asphyxiating. It's very adjustable and easy to do so which I like. It was only $100 at walmart and goes up to 80 lbs rear and forward so we should be able to keep it for a while.

C's dr. upped his dose of zantac yesterday. I'm hoping this helps him sleep better. He was only up 3 or 4 times last night (which is a good night for us) so I'm hopeful. We are going camping tomorrow night and i'm nervous how tired I will be as camping without a baby is exhausting alone.

 

[bbygurl719]

Love the video sigh. Angel has started clapping now. Our babies r getting so big already. I want my little 4lb 8oz baby back... lol.

 

[kellycontrary]

I havent been on here for weeks so Im trying to catch up on all the posts!

Its just amazing how big all this christmas babas are now...solids, crawling, talking...I love it!

Connor says dedededededed....so im pretty sure his first word is going to be dada! typical!

We started on solids about 6 weeks ago because hes a big baby - 91st centile and 18lb 11 at last weigh in 2 weeks ago! However, we are struggling a bit with constipation. Hes a little bugger for taking water, and ive had a few suggestions such as pure orange juice with water (still doesnt like) bicycle legs and tummy massage. Ive also tried giving him a carton of the ready made stuff a day too. Today he was constipated (horrible to watch) followed by a runny explosive poo so off to the docs tomorrow. seems ok now!!
It might be that we were told to cut down by one bottle now hes on 3 meals a day but he just wont have it he still wakes in teh night for the bottle. the best we have got out of him is 8pm - 4am.

The difference is amazing....5 days & 6 months pics

 

[sigh]

IST - LOL yes my dog ALWAYS manages to photobomb somehow and he's always hoping she'll drop something. i can't wait until she starts eating cheerios (They are his favorite lol). Ellie only talks when she's in the highchair (MUMUMUMs and AHHHHHHHS), When she's pooping (usually when she wakes up or is in the car seat... lots of BABABAs and WAWAWAs) or when she's with my parents (general random babling noises). The rest of the day she just looks around with the occassional ooo or ahhh and recently lots of fake coughing and razzing. I can't wait for her to start conversational babbling!
scooby - Ah so cute! Looks like she's enjoying it!

kellyM - goodluck with camping! I hope he feels better soon! My cousin's baby is 8 month and finally off zantac so she sleep trained him and he's sleeping through the night. He's a big boy too and would get up every 2 hours to eat. She did the elimination diet and found he had sensitivity to cows milk so she quit dairy for a few months and said it helped a lot.

bbygurl - wow clapping! She's a smarty!! I know what you mean... I get teary eyed thinking about the day Ellie was born and how small she was (although she was a huge baby lol)

KellyC -Hi!! :wave: Connor is adorable!! Look at those teeth!! How did he do with teething? I'm so afraid Ellie won't be able to sleep when the teeth come!! He may surprise you and one day say "Mama" before the "dada" Have you tried giving him prune juice for the constipation? (Ask your doctor) My dr told me I could give the baby a spoon of prune juice... I haven't tried it yet though.

Have you ladies taken any infant cpr/first aid classes? I'm afraid I won't know what to do if she chokes or something. For the US ladies - Babiesrus has monthly free infant cpr classes sometimes in store so I might try to go to that.

 

[ImSoTired]

Scooby, so cute! That's what Cait does with her food, but she did eat that cookie I gave her which constipated her I'm pretty sure so I gave her some baby food prunes and she's been pooping a lot ever since. But no more constipation! Also I found that walmart and target both have the floats for 15-20 dollars! I'm going to try and pick one up today because it's supposed to be 90 degrees here tomorrow! I'm excited to take Cait swimming!

KellyM Good luck with the camping! I couldn't imagine taking Cait camping yet.

kellyc as sigh said, prunes will work but I think a little will do it. I think they usually have a runny one after constipation anyway and since you've said Connor had one he's probably over it. I hope he feels better!

I hope you are all well!

 

[Honey.Bee]

Sigh - Wow! What a chatty thing. I'd claim that as Mama!

Scooby - She looks ready to me! Don't worry if Camden doesn't eat much at first. It's all part of the learning game. Her dexterity is really good too if she can pick up a cucumber slice.

KellyM- you are brave! Glad C is doing better. I love the fact that you and I celebrate 3 wakenings as a good night!

Bbyg - clapping? Clever thing!

Kellyc- We had the same problem when we first started Ava on solids. Yes, prunes do work, pears are also good and keep offering water with all your meals. We also found that too much baby rice wasn't good for constipation, so maybe limit that to alternate days. Ella's do a puree with prune in it - we found their super smooth purées were great in the early weeks. How are you finding brushing those teeth?

Tooth - this is our make of stroller
https://www.whwatts.co.uk/view_image.html?image_id=9037&product_id=13216
I still like it for getting round and about (it takes a fair bit of pounding, the seat can face either way and it has good shade in the sun. Also reclines or sits upright). I've heard that lots of people like a basic mclaren buggy if you are looking for something lightweight. As for car seat, we have a brittax isofix for when Ava is bigger.

Well, we have had an interesting few days. The night before last was the night from hell. Ava was screaming every 30 mins or so from 1-5 am and I could not settle her. She has had a heavy cold and was congested so I thought that was what was going on. She wouldn't lie flat so I resorted to having her in the sling and walking round the house. Anyway, yesterday I noticed loads of gunk on her right ear/cheek and it turns out she has had a middle ear infection and the drum has now perforated. My poor bear she's well on the mend now and has some antibiotics. Last night she slept like a dream (for Ava ) and so far, so good tonight. I now wonder how long she has been uncomfortable? No wonder she wanted some cuddles in the night.

Hope you are all well x x x

PS Is everyone using multivitamins for their LO's? I didn't even know we were supposed to until the HV mentioned it last week!

 

[Chloe597]

Honey, sorry to hear about Ava's ear infection! Does the perforated drum make it extra bad? Sounds pretty awful... And my Pediatrician didn't mention a multi vitamin, she just said to continue to give her vitamin D. Said its not as crucial if baby is thriving and especially now that it is summer. Which is good because I totally dropped the ball on that one like a month ago. But i take a multi every day, and i am BF, so i dont see why D wouldn't transfer?

KellyC, pears and oatmeal would be good to feed a constipated baby. I hope he gets regulated soon!

KellyM, i hope the zantac dose increase helps. Did you find a lower dose to help from his usual sleep issues? I can't recall how long he has been on zantac?

bbygurl, that's great about the clapping!

Anyone transition to a sippy cup? I'm not sure how to do so.

I gave Gabby a bath in the kitchen sink today for the first time because we have a tiny infant tub, and after scrubbing it super clean, we put her in, and what does she do? Poops! this is the second time she has ever pooped during bath time. so we had to drain it out, hose it down, wash it, hose her down, and put her back in. What an ordeal!

Gabby also had hummus on pita bread for the first time today. didn't eat the bread, but LOVED the hummus, and sucking it off the bread. Give it a shot with your LO, girls! here is a pic of my little hummus face

 

[sigh]

Honey - LOL I tried to claim it as Mama but she does it when DH feeds her. It's kind of funny... she yells it when we aren't feeding her fast enough. Poor Ava!! I hope she heals soon! Glad she's sleeping better!! Is she liking the antibiotics? Ellie made yummy noises when we gave it to her LOL. I've been told to give Ellie vitamin D drops but I stopped at around 4.5 months because they were making her tummy hurt and giving her gas. I now just take her out in the sun for half an hour or so but I may try the vitamins again soon since she's a little older now.

Chloe - Right now I just give Ellie a little water in a sippy cup for her to play with so she gets used to it. She doesn't hold it high enough and gets frustrated when the water doesn't come out. Eventually when she gets the hang of it I'll start putting milk in there.

 

[ImSoTired]

Honey I hope that Ava is feeling better. Ear infections can be awful. Our pediatrician has had Cait on a tri vit (A,C,D) with fluoride since 3 or 4 months of something. I'm not entirely sure. She takes it pretty well as it tastes sort of syrupy and sweet.

Chloe we have given Cait soft top sippy cups. She knows what she's supposed to do with it but see isn't good at it. I put a little water in it while we eat dinner so she feels like she is eating with us. And that's when I give her a little piece of food here and there. I've never thought of giving Cait hummus, I may try. Gabby is adorable and lol about the kitchen sink. It never fails that they poop at the most inconvenient times.

I'm excited about taking Cait swimming tomorrow. I hope she enjoys it. We went to target and got her a floatie like scooby has. I also got some decent video of Cait's sloppy crawling but I'm not sure I know how to post it. Maybe I'll look at it tomorrow. I need to get to bed because the baby is asleep and I'm not sure if she'll be up numerous times tonight.

hope you are all well!