***December Snowflakes 2012 Parenting***

[Beanonorder]

Sorry for those who have had sick babies! I'm absolutely terrified of having to take Amber in if she's really sick! I hope they are all better now.

Tooth, my friend had twins on the 13th December and she is having the most awful time with one of them and eating! He has basically been spitting everything back out at her. A few nights ago he ate a few teaspoons of gem squash and yesterday he finally ate some porridge mixed with pears. So its not just you. If Joseph is gaining weight then I would worry at all. My friend is struggling to get either twin to properly gain so that is why she is so stressed out about it.

Sigh sorry about the broken swing! Our bouncer chair broke a while back and I was so upset. Amber never napped in it but she enjoyed sitting in it when she was tired of being on the floor. We didn't bother replacing it because she wouldn't have been able to use it for too much longer.

So I finally did it - Amber is in her own room! She has been there for two nights now. The first night I woke up quite a few times and had to rescue her from pulling the whole mosquito net into the crib in her sleep! Last night I think I only woke up once, checked the camera and went right back to sleep! She did wake up at 5am looking for her dummy - I had to get up 3 times in 15 minutes! But then she went back to sleep til 6:45 so I got a 'sleep in'!!

Scooby - trust your instincts! Don't let anyway make you feel like you're doing the wrong thing. You'll just be resentful if you feel like you've been pushed into doing something that you don't really want to.

I was looking at the first post of this thread and there's quite a few ladies who have come and gone. I wonder how they're all doing. And even some from the pregnancy thread too! I'm such a curious bugger - I want to know how its going with everyone!!

 

[expatttc]

Hi ladies, back from a month in Australia. Our transfer is being delayed, so I wanted some time with Rosa where we can go out and play, take a walk, have some green space. All of that is missing in Moresby. We had a great time, and she was a champ with her 6 month check up and shots.

I haven't read back through, except for the last post by Bean, so hiiiiii, I'm still around and planning on being back online now that we're "home".

Rosa is still sleeping in 2 hour stretches through the night, that hasn't changed at all, in spite of the fact we introduced one (small) meal of fruits, veggies or cereal purees per day. She wakes to feed, and be comforted, but also is now awake around 3 or 4 am for about an hour stretch of 'awake' time. She's still in her own crib in our room; we can't move her as the other two rooms in our house aren't suitable -- one is always humid so can get mouldy, and the other overlooks the guards and generator, both of which can often get noisy at night. So. Any suggestions...the no cry sleep solution has not worked for us...I can't seem to get her off my breast, and she's now even fussing before naps sometimes. Still not taking a soother.

DH can't help at all - he's pulled his shoulder then wrist so can't even lift her or change her, cook, etc. so I'm taking it for the team.

Sorry to be back and be so bummed; we really need to move, the security is so intense here right now I just need to get ouuuuuuut. Yesterday I walked with her for 20 minutes in the stroller in our parking area, until one of the fires used for burning fields started sending too much smoke our way.

 

[Chloe597]

welcome back, expat! Sorry Rosa is not giving you must rest at night Sounds like you're being super mom over there tho, with DH out of comission. you rock!

Yay bean, for Amber in her own room! I hope it goes well for you. Sounds like so far so good!

So I feel like a horrible mom. Gabby was making some different noises last night, kinda like a cough choke thing, but after she made those noises, she made some other normal noises and went back to sleep, so I didnt bother to check on her. So i went in this morning to feed her, and she was awake and happily babbling to herself, but she was laying in her sweet potato vomit I probably left her like that ALL NIGHT! I feel so guilty that I didn't go in and check on her when i thought something sounded off. It was more for selfish reasons because i figured she would see me and want to be awake and I was already in bed half asleep. I did wait to make sure i heard her making normal noises. She sometimes makes weird noises that mean nothing, so while i thought it was odd, i didnt actually think anything was wrong. She was so soaked this morning, and we even had to give her a bath, as there were sweet potatoes in the back of her hair. The only thing we did different last night is fed her more solids, and very close to bed time. Usually I don't give her quite as much before bed, but she was just gobbling them up, I fed her until she no longer wanted to open her mouth to eat, which was the whole 1oz of sweet potatoes. THen i gave her the boob upstairs, although she didn't want much of that. She happily watched a projection image on her ceiling and fell asleep afterwards.

Question: How soon after you feed solids do you put your LO to bed for the night? Perhaps I need more time between the two, but its so hard with her not getting home til 6 and bed time being at 8. I would gladly stay awake longer with her, but she chooses her 8:00 bed time, not me. If i try to keep her up longer, she just gets really crabby.

 

[sigh]

KellyM - No advice here. Ellie would nap 38-39 minutes on the dot (I time it on my phone). She was taking 1 longer nap almost every day (about an hour or a little longer). Extending naps stopped working for us a few weeks ago. I'm trying to get her on a schedule for napping soon.

Chloe - Love the pic! Don't feel bad... it's happened to us before too. I felt bad because I have a video monitor and somehow didn't see it. We now give Ellie fruit with bm & rice cereal for breakfast, a veggie with rice cereal and breastmilk for lunch, and plain bm with rice cereal for dinner (if she want a second bowl which she usually does, I use formula). We try to keep her dinner bland to avoid any nighttime tummy sensitivity. She eats dinner 6:30-7, nurses 7:30 -8 and is in the crib between 8-8:30.

Bean - Yay Amber! bittersweet, isn't it.

Expat - The no cry stuff didn't work for us either I hope you get some rest soon!!


So we got the swing working but it makes a funny creaking and clicking noise. It's under warranty so Fisher Price will replace it but DH doesn't want me to put her back in there. She is sleeping 20-40 minutes TOTAL a day only because I rock her to sleep for the last nap of the day and hold her. She is crying SO much and hates the crib... I don't understand why but I'm by myself here and hearing her cry is horrible. I tried turning the projector on her ceiling today and she was distracted for a little while but then cried again. She is so tired... I just don't understand why she's ok with the crib at night but so opposed to it during the day. The swing she slept in is right next to her crib and we're using the same white noise and same blanket, same wind down routine... I know she can sleep without movement because she sleeps in a rock and play at my mom's house on Fridays. I can't take much more of this.

 

[scoobydrlp]

Yay bean! Congrats on moving Amber to her own room. It's always hard the first day or two. You're doing great!

Welcome back expatttc!

Chloe, sorry for your sweet potato incident. Don't be too hard on yourself though. I only feed Camden solids once a day usually, and it's about an hour or two before bed. She hasn't had any stomach upset from it so far.

Sigh, so sorry about naptime! I can't stand to hear Camden cry either, there's no way I could handle letting her cry in her crib, nap or not. I wish I had some ideas for you.

 

[Honey.Bee]

Bean - Wow! You've made the move! Sounds like it is paying off too. I'm hoping to move Ava this weekend now her ear is better. I have mixed feelings about it....

IST - Thanks for your kind words. If only Ava was as good at sleeping as she is eating, I'd be one proud Mummy!

Chloe - I can understand you must feel awful but it was not intentional. Don't beat yourself up I feed Ava her solids around 5.30, she has a milk feed at 6.30 before bed at 7pm.

Expatttc - How frequently do you feed Rosa during the day? I noticed Ava began to manage longer stretches at night when I moved to feeding her by the clock rather than on demand. (When I recorded it she was asking to be fed 1-2 hourly during the daytime - I hadn't even realised!). I also reduced Ava's naps from 4 to 2 over the course of a few weeks. That really helped. We now follow the 2,3,4 routine and I love it. I've also been putting her I'm the crib drowsy, not asleep, and helping her to settle with the fading technique. It's still work in progress but we're getting there and I hope you will too.

Lolly - Great weight! There's definitely serious eating going on!

Sigh - Keep strong. You got the night times sussed and you'll sort the days too Firstly, you are the one dealing with this day in, day out so forgive me for being blunt but I think it's your call, not DH's about whether you use the swing or not. Yes, you will need to move her at some point but do it when you are ready/have the energy to tackle it. Have you tried lying down with her for naps? I used to have to hold Ava for all her naps unless she was on the move but I've now got her sleeping by herself by lying down with her and then transferring to the cot when she is drowsy. I read that daytime sleep is learnt separately from night time which may explain why she manages at night, but not day? Good luck!

 

[ImSoTired]

bean that is great. I was so happy when we moved Cait but I missed her also. It took a week or so for me to feel completely good about it and now I'm just so happy she sleeps in her own room.

Welcome back expatt! Hope you get to move soon!

It sounds as though a lot of us are having trouble with daytime napping. Cait took 2 half hour naps today and she is tired. She just fights it so badly and then wakes after a half hour or 45 minutes. Only on very rare occasions will she sleep longer. I must say though that the last few nights she has slept really well at night so I guess I shouldn't complain. It's just that now when she is awake she wants to be crawling and I'm getting nothing done because I am watching her every move and chasing her all over.

Chloe you aren't a horrible mom. You just didn't think there was anything wrong or you would have gone to check and found the vomit. It's happened to us before as well. Don't beat yourself up over it.

Cait is now throwing tantrums when I try to redirect her attention from getting into things. I tried to baby proof as well as I could but can't move everything out of the house and I 'm just trying to move her away from some things hoping she'll eventually get the point that it's not a good place to play. When I move her away from the computer she throws herself back kicks her legs and cries. I guess we will just have to have nothing in our living room but couches? I felt bad the other day because I raised my voice a little and made her cry. Now that's an awful mom! I nearly cried just seeing her face! I feel like we're in the early toddler stage already and I'm always on my toes! I've got some body aches from not resting all day. Perhaps I'll lose some of these extra pounds?

I hope you are all well, and Happy early Independence day US ladies!

 

[ttc_lolly]

Well done for getting Amber in to her own room Bean! It's hard, but I'm enjoying getting my own room back finally and OH & I having our own space (although there's not much sexy time happening ).

Welcome back expat, sorry to hear Rosa isn't sleeping well hope it eases up soon so you can get some rest.

Millie has her tea (evening meal) between 5.30-6pm and then has boob or bottle around 8-8.30 and will feed to sleep or just go down on her own. I don't spoon feed a lot so couldn't say how much she's taking in, I just place her food on the tray and leave her to it until she's finally just playing with it or showing no interest at all.

I was also wondering about all the other original Snowflakes too - we had near 200 in total in the preggo thread, although only a quarter really posted. Has anyone heard from blu butterfly, 2016 or GenYsuperlady? They are just a few memorable ladies from the top of my head that I haven't seen or heard from in a while. I know 2016 was having some hard times with Flicka so would be lovely to hear how they're getting on.

 

[sigh]

Sigh - Keep strong. You got the night times sussed and you'll sort the days too Firstly, you are the one dealing with this day in, day out so forgive me for being blunt but I think it's your call, not DH's about whether you use the swing or not. Yes, you will need to move her at some point but do it when you are ready/have the energy to tackle it. Have you tried lying down with her for naps? I used to have to hold Ava for all her naps unless she was on the move but I've now got her sleeping by herself by lying down with her and then transferring to the cot when she is drowsy. I read that daytime sleep is learnt separately from night time which may explain why she manages at night, but not day? Good luck!

Thanks... I cracked and ended up putting her in the swing and she wouldn't sleep. My mom ended up finally getting her to nap in the swing while I sat downstairs and cried I work from 9am - 6pm so no time for me to nap with her. I'm scared of putting her in the swing now though because I read some stuff about sids risk when they sleep in the swing and also because she's trying to sit up in the swing... ugh I can't wait for the day when she realizes naps are a good thing... but that probably won't happen until she graduates from college. Not sure what I'm going to do tomorrow... I'm thinking maybe tackle one nap at a time? Start with the morning nap and once she gets that down move to the next...

 

[Kelly M]

Sigh, I think starting with the morning nap is a good idea. If I ever have to choose which nap C misses because we are scheduling something, I always choose his afternoon nap because I think it's easier when we start off the day with at least one good nap and then the rest of the day is easier as he's happier. I also heard that nap times are learned separate from the night times so that's probably why she can do nights but not naps.

Bean, congrats on moving Amber. It must be hard at first but I bet you'll all sleep better. C stirs at night and wakes me up so I wish I could move him but we are stuck together for awhile until we move houses.

Expat, sorry you are still having sleep issues and having to pull double duty with an injured spouse. Hope you get relocated soon to a better place.

Ist, you have a busy lady on your hands! It will make for some really fun times though too so keep that in mind. C is a rascal too and always wanting to move but he's not crawling yet thankfully. He's getting really good at scooting though so it's starting to get tough really quickly. Today I had to rescue him from his leg getting stuck under our recliner chair in the living room and put him back on the rug a thousand times so he doesn't face plant into the hardwood floor. The wild kids are so much fun though! I'm excited for when he can play sports and ride a bike and such because I have a feeling he's going to be super energetic and physical (if he's anything like his dad who is a mountain biker).

Well, C is calling for me. I think we are in for a rough night.....

 

[sigh]

Morning nap was a total failure. She cried on and off for almost an hour and I ended up freaking out at DH, then going in there and rocking her to sleep again and finally got her in the crib asleep. She slept for 4 minutes. She's down for her next nap right now and in the swing (which is now fixed). I gave it 1 week but I can't do this to her anymore. I think part of the problem is that I always put her to sleep in the swing by swinging it with my hand and singing to her and I'd wait until she was asleep to leave the room. I'm going to try to get her in the crib for atleast 1 nap a day so she gets used to waking up there during the day and try to get her to sleep in the swing without my swinging and singing to her for her remaining naps. I should've started this earlier but my Dr wasn't concerned about her sleeping in the swing so I went with it... suddenly she's 7 months old and still sleeping like a newborn.

Do any of you who are breastfeeding feel like LO is eating a lot less lately? We started solids almost 2 months ago and recently (in the last week and a half or so) I feel like she is eating less and not completely emptying the boob. She used to nurse for 30 mins (both sides) and now she's doing 15, maybe 20 (10-15 on one side, 5 on the other). I don't know if she's getting more efficient or if my supply went up or what but it's weird. I also pump after feeding her around 9 pm and again at 11 pm and the last few nights I've been getting around 4 ounces which is crazy because I used to struggle to get 1.

Happy 4th to the US ladies. Anyone else fearing the loud fireworks will wake up LO? lol

 

[Kelly M]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZU3Oak-0pg&feature=youtube_gdata_player Sigh, C's appetite and my supply are always fluctuating.

C's on the move and getting faster every day. Here's a clip of him scooting today.

 

[sigh]

Look at him go! Yayyyy C!!!!

 

[scoobydrlp]

Sigh- Camden is eatin way less over the past several weeks. Strange because we're BLW so she's hardly taking in any solids. But she's still chunky so I'm not too worried about her calorie intake.

 

[Beanonorder]

OK I've got a food question: what are you not giving LO or been told not to give LO? I know for definite cows milk and honey are out. But I've also read some say eggs but then at Amber's six month check up the doctor told me I should be giving it to her! I also heard sauces, seasoning and salt is out. But my friends nurse told her a little salt is ok but not to give them any fish or pork. I also read that fresh carrots are risky because they can contain too much nitrate (amongst other root veggies).
So far I've given Amber avo, sweet potato, butternut, banana, regular potato, pineapple, watermelon and rice cereal. I'm uncertain as to what to move onto next because I keep hearing different things! Its like being pregnant all over again!!

Amber is still doing fine in her own room. I do find I have to get up at 5 to get her dummy otherwise she wakes up fully. And I have to spend the night listening to static - so annoying. The monitor says its 30m and the two rooms aren't even 10m apart but we just can't get the picture clear. So now we're waiting for dh to get paid on the 10th so we can buy a new one.

Amber also has this rash over her shoulders, under her neck, a little on her arms and tummy and a bit on her head. It doesn't seem to be bothering her but it looks so uncomfortable. Its been pretty hot here so I'm not sure if its a heat rash, a reaction to the pineapple or something else. Anyone had anything like this? What did you do?

 

[ImSoTired]

bean we've been told no honey and no cows milk until a year. No peanut butter in case of allergies. No egg whites. The doctor told me to use my instincts and best judgement as far as all other foods go. I agree I wouldn't do anything with a lot of spices or salts and I'm not doing any meats until her system is adjusted completely to the fruits, veggies, and rice cereal. She still gets mildly constipated from time to time and I think it's a sign that her system isn't agreeing with all of these foods and purees. I'm just taking it a little at a time. I hope Amber's rash is just a bit of heat rash and it gets better soon.

Kelly,Carter is doing so well! He'll be crawling in no time! I do love that Cait is mobile and will be able to do things soon. It's just I'm still lacking some sleep and following her around all day is just extra tiring. I can't believe how quickly she can go and she is into everything! She is starting to put both hands up on the couch and I know if she were a little taller she'd be able to pull herself up. I'm not ready for a standing baby, I'm not even ready for my crawling one! They grow way too fast...

Sigh, we are having similar sleep issues. Cait's naps are getting even shorter and she is just miserable. She's even beginning to fight sleep in the swing. I have no advice for you but total support and sympathy. As I type Cait is whimpering in her swing as she refuses to sleep. I tried rocking her just as I do before I put her in her crib at night and she won't even close her eyes. I tried feeding her to sleep but as soon as the bottle was empty she was wide awake. I tried putting her down for her morning nap (I do 2,3,4) and she fought sleep for an hour and then only slept 15 minutes The chasing her and the crying because she won't sleep is wearing me down. I know how you feel! I need to finish reading the sleep lady book and see if it will help me at all (even if I have to let her cry more than the sleep lady lets on) but I find I have no time to read it! I really hope that the daytime naps improve for the both of us. I wish I had some advice to give you.

I have a ton to do but I have no chance to do it.BAH!

I hope you are all well!

 

[sigh]

Bean - we are also taking it slow. Ellie had eczema early on so I'm a little paranoid about her having allergies. So far she's had baby carrots (I made them fresh from organic carrots... didn't know about the nitrate thing?), squash, sweet potato, peas, apple, pear, and banana. Prunes is next on our list (probably later this week). We use purees, then add some breastmilk and rice cereal to it. My dr said the same thing as IST, to introduce things slowly (1 every 3-4 days or longer and if she's constipated or gets a rash she may be allergic. She may have a reaction to peas and bananas so I stopped giving her that until today (trying peas again to see if she gets constipated again). Here's a link on rashes - https://www.mayoclinic.com/health/baby-rashes/FL00090&slide=5
The pics are a little extreme but will give you an idea. Ellie's eczema was red and raised sort of like a heat rash. I took her to the doctor when it didn't go away after a day or so.

IST - Hoep you get some rest! Cait is probably excited to practice moving around! We are back in the swing and she is loving it. Took a 2 hr nap yesterday and a 1.5 hr one this morning and is asleep again right now. I have to swing her fast in the swing using my hand and sing to her until she falls asleep so I need to try to figure out how to stop that. My goal is to get her falling asleep by herself in the swing without motion in the next 1-1.5 months, then we should be ok to move her to the crib... hopefully.

I had the BEST few days despite the nap issues a few days ago. Day before yesterday we were playing on my bed and she looked at me and said "MAMMAMAMAMA" I was shocked... I'm not sure if she was referring to me but she kept saying it when she looked at me and I got teary eyed. I yelled for DH and he comes up and of course she sees him and starts with the DADADADADA. She hasn't said it since but it was awesome!! And last night, she was unable to fall asleep nursing (I think she was full). She unlatched and looked at me and we had a little talk and then she gave me a hug and snuggled me while I sat on the rocking chair in her room and smiled. She has NEVER snuggled me like that when she was awake. I think now that she knows how to fall asleep without boob she is no longer frantic for the nipple when she's tired. It was an amazing moment, one I'll never forget. AND even crazier, she woke up at 445 am and whined for 30 seconds, then babbled. I was ready to go feed her and by the time I got to her room she was back asleep! She slept straight from 9-645. I never thought I'd ever say this but I was a little sad that I didn't get my usual night feed with her. It makes me sad to think of how fast she's growing and how I soon will no longer have moments like this.

Also, since DH worked from home today and I had the day off and she slept, I snuck out this morning to Marshalls and found the Organic Ergo for $69.99! Thank you (I forgot who mentioned it here)!!

 

[ImSoTired]

Sigh it's great that you're doing better with the sleep thing. I too have to wean Cait out of her swing for naps. It may be easier than I think though... I wanted to do the dishes and I put Cait in her pack n play with some of her toys. She played happily for a little while and then started whining to get out. I finished the dishes but I had to pee so I went into the bathroom for 3 minutes and when I came out Cait had fallen asleep! She put up less of a fight in the pack n play than she did in her swing for her first 2 incredibly short naps today! The only thing is, she fell asleep on her belly so I'm watching her breath like a hawk. I've never had this issue before because she always sleeps in the swing or with her harness on (she cannot roll completely over with it on). Those of you whose babies can roll...do you correct them when they roll over in their sleep? Does it wake them? I'll have to deal with it all of the time when she doesn't have to wear her harness to bed any more. Will I have to get a video monitor? I'm absolutely terrified of something happening.

 

[sigh]

Ellie doesn't roll so I can't help you there but I can tell you what a relief it is to have the video monitor. I know it wasn't something we needed but the peace of mind of being able to actually see her fast asleep whenever is great. Totally worth it!

Yayy Cait! Maybe she was putting up a fight because she's ready to be out of it? Ellie is the opposite... my swing loving monkey

 

[scoobydrlp]

IST - Camden rolls in her sleep and I don't bother rolling her back over. Everything I've read says if they roll themselves then it's safe to leave them. Honestly as soon as I lay her in her crib she rolls either onto her side or straight onto her belly, it's her preferred sleeping position. She also seems to like sleeping face down in the mattress which I'm not crazy about, but if I try to move her she just goes right back to it. I love my video monitor, the picture is good enough that I can see the rise and fall of every breath.

As far as foods, I too am a little confused about what to and not to feed. I'm staying away from eggs, honey, and nuts, and don't plan on doing any meats until she's at least 7 months per her pediatrician who said that their bodies aren't able to digest meats until later, she recommended 7-9 months. I can't think of any veggies I'm really staying away from, she had asparugus today (BLW, so she just chewed the heck out of it but didn't really swallow any). I'm being a little more careful with fruits because both my dad and myself have sensitivities to several fruits. She has had banana, plum, and watermelon...I think that's all. I personally am allergic to fresh pineapple and kiwi, and am starting to have some sensitivity to fresh strawberries, mango, peaches, and certain tomatoes. My dad has swelling in his throat when he eats fresh apples, so that's super scary! I haven't done much with grains at all aside from rice cereal at the very beginning, but last week I did give her a strip of the end piece of whole wheat bread, which she enjoyed. On that same day I ate grilled pineapple (started fresh that we cut and grilled ourselves). The following day in the afternoon she ended up with a red spotty rash on her arms and legs only, nowhere else. I'm wondering if this could have been from the wheat bread, or possibly from my breastmilk after eating the pineapple? It took a good 3 days to go away, and the last 36 hours or so it was sort of raised red bumps. So strange!! I'm staying away from both of those foods for a while.