January Baby Bears 2017 ~ 48 Momma Bears: 21 Blue, 17 Pink

[Angel5000]

Happy Mothers Day! DH took care of Melody and watched my niece so my sister and I could go get a massage, and now he's picking up sushi for us. I'm excited about that!

RE: mother in law.... Thanks everyone, we are doing alright but it is a rough time. DH is doing okay, he was raised by his grandparents and was not as close to his mother as he was to them. When he lost his grandparents a couple years ago that was the equivalent of losing his parents for him emotionally. We were just building a really good relationship with his mom in the last couple years though so this has been a hard blow. Last year on mothers day we told her she was going to be a grandmother (we announced really early to our parents) so today (Mothers day) is a bittersweet day. My first mothers day as a mom, but without her is hard. I'm just glad she was able to finally get her wish to be a grandmother, if even for a couple months.


Lite - Oh yeah, Melody is slim. Both DH and I were slim as kids so I'm not surprised, but I was never tall! Those genes definitely came from DH. Sleep regression does not sound fun at all! I'm afraid Melody is getting there too. Spent a few days only waking up once (yay!) and then the last few nights waking up every hour or so. Good luck to us!


Ally - Poor Isa! I hope the steam in the bathroom helped! Nasal drops helped Melody with her congestion a little (not a lot) but the NoseFrida was our best investment (despite how adamant I was that I wouldn't use it, but after 5+ friends told me to get it I caved). I hope he's feeling better now!

Ali - Wow! T is getting big! 17.5lbs already?! I can't believe he's in size 4 diapers! M is still in 2s! Good luck with the unpacking. That's always the part I hate about moving! How is starting T out in the crib at night going?

OMG I'm so glad your DH found the missing child. That must have been terrifying for the family! I can't believe the police wouldn't come check on a kid who was found sleeping in a store with no family around. Ridiculous.

I really want to start M on solids but her doctor wants me to wait until 5 months. I think I'll go ahead and follow her advice, even though I think she could do it now if I tried. Maybe toward the end of the month I'll try some rice cereal and/or oatmeal with breastmilk. I keep getting told by friends/family that she'll sleep better once she has some solid food in her but I don't know if it's true or just a coincidence.


Newbie - Wow! 90th percentile for head!? M is 99% for height but only 10% for head! Tall baby with a small head. Was his head that high of a % when hew as born too? Sounds like he's getting ready to move though! So close to crawling!

Slammer - CONGRATS on the sex! Woohoo! I agree, condoms suck. The only thing I like about them is the lack of mess.

I'm glad you were able to change your telework days to make things work out. That sounds like it'll be a lot easier for your DH.



Lite - Sounds like V is the type of kid who does get overstimulated easily and just needs lots of quiet time. My niece is very much like that, even at 6 years old. My sister has been working hard on teaching her how to self-soothe and handle overstimulation, recognize when she's overstimulated, and remove herself from the situation. They went so far as to create a "quiet room" (the closet under the stairs actaully ) with calming lighting, bean bag chair (good for kids with sensory processing disorders) and a weighted blanket. Of course you can't do all that with V now but as she gets older it might be helpful. They're only just now figuring out things like this for my niece and they were saying they wished they had known how to help her when she was younger. They thought she was just a difficult child, not realizing it was a sensory overload issue.


Pompey & Lite - when Melody gets worked up she does the same thing: red as a tomato, stiff and so hot! She'll get so worked up I start to strip down some of her clothes because she's so hot she's sweating through the clothes! Usually happens in the carseat for us, because she hates it, and so now I put her in the carseat wearing just a onesie, no matter how cold it is, or she way overheats herself. She does it when she's overtired too, and gives NO signals! I had to start tracking her times and then put her on a fairly strict schedule for sleep. No matter how awake/happy/ok she may seem I start to put her down for a nap between 1.5 - 2 hours after she last woke up because ifs he gets to about 2 hours she can go from being super happy and playful to angry overtired in a matter of seconds and then be impossible to calm for hours. This seems to work for us most of the time.


Pompey - M just started actively reaching for toys yesterday. I swear it happened overnight. Sounds like Jamie is meeting his other milestones, just not the physical ones. Will he do tummy time on your chest? Where you just lean back and relax on the couch or something and he is resting on your chest? That's how we did 90% of M's tummy time early on because she hated being on the floor alone. Have you talked to your doctor about him being a little late on the physical side?

 

[newbie2013]

I feel awful. I think I have mastitis. I have a fever, aches and pain in my left breast. I haven't slept and my baby is screaming for food every 2-2.5 hours. I can't pump enough for him. And I feel awful that he's so hungry. My obgyn has not responded to my message from this morning. I just sent a message to ds's doctor asking what I can do for him. I'm almost in tears at work and will probably go home. I just wish there was something I could do for my baby he's so hungry...

 

[Ally2015]

slammer- hope he stops the night pooping, hopefully stopping the magnesium tabs will help. I feel like that a bit when we dtd, it's like how long will we really have and i just expect him to wake during it, which has happened quite a few times now haha.

ali- how sad about the little boy! maybe T is sleeping more due to teething? or growth spurt? well done on the 5 hours in crib! we will get there... i can't believe how hard it can be to get my baby to sleep next to me in a crib! Your nights sound a lot like mine, i have isa in the bed, wake up and realise it's been 2 hours or so, and i was supposed to put him in the crib haha. Then i do, and it feels like such an accomplishment.

lit- aw v sounds so difficult, and such a sensitive little girl. But honestly, i don't think any of us would say our babies have really good sleep. Isa might have longer stretches at night but i still can't get him to spend the whole night in the crib and he catnaps in the day which is just so annoying. The mums i walk with all seem to have babies that sleep through the night and all in their cribs...

pomp- yes perhaps Jamie is the same, i wouldn't worry at all! every baby is different like you said! Isa sometimes shows interest in toys, but mostly he doesn't. Didn't get a mamaroo, only picked up some clothes and a coupe of books. I need something else for him to play in though, some sort of the seat. The one he has he is now too big for and he tries to get out of it.

vrogers- thank you for the sweet message, happy mothers day to you all we already had mothers day in march in the UK. So lovely to know you all.

angel- i feel isa just started overnight reaching for toys too, it's amazing how randomly they just start doing things! Sounds like your dh has experienced quite a lot of loss in the last few years, poor guy! the steam helped, but he is still a bit blocked up which is affecting his sleep somewhat.

newbie- oh no my love! massage the left breast and any lumpy feeling out and drink lots of water. Mastitis is the worst , i had it twice and would not wish it upon anyone. Could you supplement him with some formula?

afm- had a nice chilled weekend with dh, didn't pick up much at the baby fair, just some muslins, books and clothes, it was all really cheap so that was a big plus.
I have my period and it is painful, so i didn't go for my monday morning walk with the other mums. Tonight i am going out to a film screening with a couple of friends, dh will watch isa. DH will need to put Isa to bed. Got lots of chores to do, really need to clean the bedroom, and i have a bunch of stuff i want to sell, so going to ebay it!
Isa's cold is much better but still has a little bit of one. He is loving solids, he has some in the morning and at lunch time.

 

[newbie2013]

Ally, his doctor told me to start him on fruits and vegetables, but I'm not sure if that's the best option. He's only 4.5 months and has been exclusively breastfed. My gut feel is that it is too early, although he is incredibly interested in food. He watches with intense interest when he sees us eating and often reached out for some. Maybe we'll try him on some banana tonight (since that's all I have in the house that would be appropriate).

What do you think? Solids or formula?

 

[Ally2015]

Ally, his doctor told me to start him on fruits and vegetables, but I'm not sure if that's the best option. He's only 4.5 months and has been exclusively breastfed. My gut feel is that it is too early, although he is incredibly interested in food. He watches with intense interest when he sees us eating and often reached out for some. Maybe we'll try him on some banana tonight (since that's all I have in the house that would be appropriate).

What do you think? Solids or formula?

personally, i would say solids. I started Isa when he hit 4 months, and he was exclusively breastfed most of that. He also took a huge interest in food. So in the last 3 weeks he has been having solids, the first few days i gave him two tiny spoons of baby rice pudding. Now, 3 weeks in, he has a baby yoghurt in the morning, few spoons of something puréed in the afternoon and maybe a couple more spoons in the evening. Banana is a good shout, Isa loves it and its very sweet.
But do what you feel is best, perhaps formula will suit him more. Trial and error. Go with your gut

 

[AliJo]

Newbie - It's not too early as long as your baby is ready. You definitely can wait if you feel that it is best. I don't give T much. Just a few spoons of solids at a time and just once a day if that. Breast milk or formula provides their needs till 6 months but after that they start to need a little more. I did the same with O and by the time he was 6 months he was having solids 3 times a day. You can always try and see and if you're not ready after that wait.

As for giving formula or solids.. I don't know. I don't feel a baby being started on solids is going to eat enough solids to keep him satisfied especially something that doesn't sit on their stomach. Formula may be a better option. Or.. you could get some formula and mix it in with cereal and see if that helps. Try doing an ounce that way. If he's really fussy you'll want to give him a bottle or nurse him first then try the cereal otherwise it's most likely going to fail.

Ally - Glad Isa is enjoying solids so much! Also glad his cold is clearing up. Hope you enjoy your time out with friends! I can't imagine ever getting the time to go do anything with anyone for a long while.

Yes, he's definitely taking to the crib really well. I am going to try to get a little more strict on myself because I want the crib to be the norm and not being with me. Although, I absolutely love snuggling him and sleeping with him, but with O in the bed it's just too much. At this point T will be easier to curb than O will be. Going to be getting his room set up soon and we'll start working on him sleeping in there.

Angel - With O his doctor at the time kind of seemed annoyed that I started at 4 months. I just did what I felt suited him. My new pediatrician didn't even bring up solids so I didn't either ha. 5 months would be a good starting point. I'm sure she could handle it, but you do what you feel is best!

Lite - I don't know what the gift is. He won't tell me. It's taking forever because it's something off of Etsy I guess. I like to get creative for his gifts. I kind of want to do a superhero themed one this year, but the way I want to do it will get kind of expensive and the boys have to cooperate. They have those things you can buy that are all "You're stronger than Hulk, braver than Batman, etc" but I want to take pictures of the boys in costumes with the sayings next to them. I'm kind of looking around to see if they have clothing sets that are a little cheaper.

AFM - Finally got the swing moved over. I just used it to get T down for a nap with no screaming! YAY! He's been screaming before practically every nap. I think that's his form of the 4 month sleep regression. He usually does fight them now, but night time hasn't been a problem after I get him to sleep.

I actually stopped using the swings all together because he wasn't liking them. The mamaroo he liked but he would start kicking his legs so hard he would make it wobble and strain it. I used the swing while we were doing our major move and he slept almost the whole move in it.

 

[slammerkin]

AliJo - Wow, what a sad circumstance regarding that boy your DH found! It's so terrible to think about children that find themselves in such circumstances.

I'm not sure when to switch Jack to size 4 diapers. The 3s fit him fine, but are not lasting through the night without a leak most of the time. It seems outrageous to be going up in diaper sizes so quickly!

It's so hard to judge speech and development in kids, especially when you're not around many other kids to compare. I feel like DD's pronunciation/enunciation is light-years ahead of most kids her age. When I hear other kids her age talking sometimes they are way hard to understand and they're much older than O! I wouldn't worry much yet. DD just seems to be good with speech naturally - some kids are that way. Watch Jack be delayed with it!

Sorry T has been cranky lately! We all lose our cool sometimes. It is freaking hard work!

LOL at the drawing! Seriously how I feel whenever DH heads to work.

That's awesome you got T to sleep in the swing. The mamaroo has been sitting unused for a long time now. But the rock n play is working for naps (put down already asleep).

Literati - aww I'm sorry V was hard at the bday party. It must be so exhausting! It's a bad situation of hating going out because she gets overstimulated, but then you'll be miserable if you never get out of the house yourself! I really hope she gets easier in the coming months.

Pompey - poor Jamie with his screaming fits! That's the worst when they get all hot and sweaty. That's how Jack can get in the car and I feel so bad.

Since you've seen how Anabella was slow with physical things, but quick with speech then I think I wouldn't be worried about Jamie yet.

vrogers - Happy Mother's day to you!! Update us on how you are.

Angel - that's awesome you went for a massage. Hope the sushi was good!

Solids never helped my DD sleep better, but she was so bad nothing would have helped, lol.

Newbie - Oh my, I hope the mastitis clears quickly! I hope you went home. You should rest and recover. So baby Z was screaming for food at daycare, or when you are together? It can be hard to pump enough! What does his feeding schedule look like? Is this a new thing for him to seem unsatisfied? For both of mine I have done 3 oz bottles about every two hours while I'm away. Some women do smaller bottles more frequently. I would be confident you have enough milk for when you're together if you've made it this far, but if you can't pump enough for while you're apart then I would lean more toward using a bit of formula at this age. It might be hard to get enough solids into him to help him feel full.

Ally - Interrupted sex is no fun! Sorry you have your period and it is painful. I am so NOT looking forward to when mine comes back. I feel like you should be able to turn off your periods once you are done having kids!!

AFM - Mother's Day at my parents went pretty well. Jack slept part of the way there, but then traffic and DD coughing woke him up. For the last 20+ minutes he would cry, calm down, DD would cough, and he'd start to cry again. Not like I can tell a 3-year-old to stop coughing because it scares her baby brother! DD had a great time playing with my 12-year-old niece. She has zero interest in her male cousins. It's kinda sad because they want to play with her too! They both slept a bit on the way home but too many bumps in the road woke Jack and then his crying woke her. F long car rides with a baby!

DD has come to my bed the last few nights with a cough. Last night I slept in the glider with Jack, just to avoid her potentially waking him with her coughs. And he went all night without pooping! Hoping he's back to normal now.

Hoping to maybe get it on with DH a time or two this week.

 

[Ally2015]

ali- thanks, he does seem to love his food. I definitely agree- try to make the crib the norm, and sleeping with you just now and then. It will be easier to curb baby T's sleep than O.

slammer- glad mothers day went well. And yah for Jack not pooping. And haha i hope you get the time for dtd. I am waiting for my period to finish

afm- isa had an awful night last night, he was so uncomfy and wriggly. He wouldn'y settle in crib so i put him in bed with me and still he seemed to uncomfy. His sleep was so light, but i did notice him sucking his dummy like there was no tomorrow! Maybe it was his gums. Right now he has been asleep for an hour and a half and still going strong.... what a long nap! Im worried he won;'t sleep tonight now haha. All i did differently was give him an extra 30 mls in his bottle...

 

[Literati_Love]

Slammer - you are quite right about it being a bit of a catch 22 with it being so hard to go places with Violet, but I would certainly go crazy if I never went anywhere! I am sure it will improve at some point. I know my dd1 handled stimulation way better after the 6+ month mark.
That is too bad your DD's cough kept interrupting Jack's sleep so much! I hope she feels better soon. Glad your Mother's Day went fairly well. Long car rides with babies really do suck!

Newbie - I am also curious about when Z was crying for milk and did this just start? But yeah if it's just during the day and you simply can't pump enough, I might try topping up with formula to save your sanity. The amount of solids they are actually going to eat at this age would be unlikely to satiate him if he really isn't getting enough milk! It also isn't as nutrient-dense as breastmilk or formula.

Ally - sorry Isa had such an awful night. Yeah, I am the same with a lot of REAL LIFE people I know having babies who magically sleep all night in their cribs. There are definitely crappier sleepers on here, but it appears I don't know too many of them in RL!

Ali - that's great T went down in the swing without a fuss for you. Swings are such a lifesaver when they actually work. Violet really liked hers from age 1 month to 3 months. Since she hit 3 months, I haven't been able to get her to sleep in there again! Makes me so sad. I do think it's from the current wonder week/leap 4 (which lasts 5 LONG weeks) and I have a faint hope that once she's done with this horrible fussy period that she might fall asleep in it again? But who knows. She might have outgrown it already.

Angel - sounds like you definitely go through something similar with M when she is is overtired! V also gets boiling hot from it and I sometimes have to put her down somewhere just so she can cool off and calm down.
My dd1 was like M in that you could predict a certain awake time and then always put her down for naps after that time had passed. It worked like a charm! After I figured that out, she rarely got overtired anymore. I assumed that would be possible with all babies, so imagine my surprise when V turned out to be the least predictable baby ever! She still has no sort of predictable 'awake time' she can handle. Depending on how long her nap was, how long she slept the night before, how many naps she's had that day, and just her random general mood, her awake time that she can handle without getting overtired ranges from 30 minutes to 2 hours and 30 minutes! It's absolutely ridiculous. I can SORT of predict it as long as she has properly long naps, but if she wakes up prematurely then all bets are off. So confusing! She also has no sleep cues that I've figured out yet. With my dd1, if she ever rubbed her eyes she was almost guaranteed to be ready for a nap. Violet, on the other hand, rubs her eyes from the moment she wakes up until she goes back down again whether she's tired or not! Sometimes it means she's tired, but sometimes she's not tired enough yet. Ugh! So for the moment I still don't have V's sleep quite cracked haha.

AFM - had a very down day on Monday and was definitely feeling a bit defeated by how difficult V has been lately. Today was definitely better. I woke up feeling down, but I forced us out the door to my sister's where we had lunch and a nice visit, and it really helped me cheer up. V was also a bit less fussy, which helps! I have had very little time in the same room with DH since probably last week sometime, so I am looking forward to this long weekend (this coming Monday is a stat here)!!

 

[slammerkin]

Ally - Sorry to hear Isa had a bad night, but wow, what a nap! I hope he still slept well last night.

Literati - I feel like people must LIE when they talk about their baby's sleep. Or maybe what they say about their baby sleeping through might be true at the time they say it and then things go to crap. I have to hope, lol. Not that I wish crap sleep on anyone, but I just can't believe these unicorn babies who sleep so well. This chick on my FB recently said that her daughter didn't sleep through the night until 2yo, but I could swear she made out that she was a champion sleeper from the get - always posting pics of her sleeping here there and everywhere.

Man, that is hard that you can't find V's sleep/wake rhythm. I felt the same with Jack early on - couldn't tell what the heck he wanted and when. He has settled down a lot, and I am a lot happier now that he has longer awake stretches and it's reasonably clear when he's ready for a nap.

Glad you had a good visit with your sister to cheer you up! I hope you get some quality time with DH this weekend.

AFM - another night without Jack pooping, yay! He slept really well last night actually. I ended up sleeping through my alarm, ugh. Was an hour late to work. DH said he did 6 poops from 6am-9am today though, lol.

I picked up a free baby scale from someone yesterday. I'm excited to be able to track Jack's growth more closely. Not that I am worried, it's just crazy/fun watching him grow so fast. I love his little leg rolls.

Still not sure if DD has been actually sick, or just having allergies. She's never had allergies before, but she's had an on-and-off runny nose for weeks now, and the pollen has been really bad. Just the cough was new. I gave her a dose of Zyrtec yesterday and she seemed to be less snotty, so maybe it is mostly allergies. Though I am feeling a little sick now myself. Hope it doesn't ramp up into much.

I took the kids to the playground on Monday night and Jack had his first real ride in a swing! He loved it. Couldn't sit up properly, but did great leaning forward over the front of the swing. Here's a pic.

 

[Literati_Love]

Slammer - that will be fun to be able to keep track of Jack's weight consistently now! Let us know what he weighs next time you check! What a cute picture of him in the swing! Thanks for sharing.

Yeah, with Violet I usually know when she needs a nap, but I just can't necessarily predict it ahead of time, if that makes sense. And then when we go somewhere with more people/stimulation than usual then that's when it gets dicey. She is a tricky baby though. I am glad Jack is having longer awake times and that it's much easier to figure out when he needs a nap!
That's too bad if your DD does have allergies. It is so hard to tell sometimes!
Perhaps you are right about people lying about their babies' sleep. I am sure some people stretch the truth and of course even amazing sleepers have regressions and whatnot so it's not like they don't go through periods of crap sleep. Just seems like I got the short end of the stick on baby sleep. I know you did too!

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

Hi all, seems I have been awol. I have tried so hard to read back but I wont be able to reply to it all. I have just sat down on the PC to reply thinking it would be "faster" but now it keeps freezing. If I lose thos after typing it, I will not be pleased! LOL

So sorry to hear some of you have had some nad and frustrating days and I hope they pass soon. I am feeling SO much better on my anxiety tabl;ts. In fact, I suddenly woke one day and realised a feeling had gone. A feeling that I was not even aware I had!? I didnt always feel anxious or sad but anyway that feeling has gone and even looking back 4yrs ago I felt like it but just didnt know. I feel like a different person. We have had some stress with my ex being an arsehole but we have not let it affect us but the kids have been very upset that they will not be seeing their dad. Well, I say that, Only one is actually bothered, My son is not fussed. Guess who has to pick up the pieces from it all!?

Such is life I guess. Saying that we seem to be in a better place from it, Brought us closer so to speak.

In April I turnt 30! Mypartner had a week off work and we went to scotland. We live in Suffolk so it was a fair old drive. We left at 5am and stopped every 3-4hrs to change and get Vi out. We arrived in Scotland at about 8.15pm and I have to say the children exceeded my expectations. NO moaning at all and out of the whole journey Vi only moaned the last 20mins? Honestly not a peep the rest of the time. Her and my toddler were just unbelievable. It was stress free!?
We stayed in a guesthouse and had a double bed, Bunkbed and a bathroom. Vi had a travel cot at the end of our bed. It was cramped with all bed in same room but really cosy! That evening we had dinner with my aunty and uncle who live in Fort William where we stayed. It was getting quite late, so we all went up to bed and barely unpacked. I think I made up a few bottles and washed up the dirty ones but we all went to sleep at 10ish and not a peep from either of the kids till 7.30am! I got up at 6 and had a shower and that was my birthday so I got to choose what we wanted to do! We went to Loch ness! Anyway cant really bore you all with a day by day guide but Vi was in the sling on DH chest every day, we went up mountains and waterfalls and I just cant believe how easy it was taking them, Vi was so good and it was freezing so she really was inside my DH coat for the most part! She slept really well in Scotland. I think she slept all night without a feed apart from the last night when she had a extra bottle. We went to the Isle of Skye and now I want to live there.

So the trip was a real positive and real confidence booster that a baby did not have to change our adventures. I have to say I was not expecting to be distressed, But I really was. It was so pleasant.

Viley (what we call her now!) is now rolling front to back and back to front. I downloaded the wonder weeks app yesterday and apparently she is now out of a leap but I didn’t notice one? So hoping that we missed it haha.

I do not follow any routine at all but she has seemed to mnake her own. She is flexible if we go out and will just nap in the Car or pram. I don’t have set times. When she gets moany I put her in her pushchair in the kitchen and she just goes to sleep. She is my most easiest baby ever. Honestly! I don’t wanna be THAT braggy mum, but she really is. My 3rd was very clingy so I do know how it is. She is now a very independent 4yr old so they do grow out of it. Gosh I bet this is so boring. I just wanted to catch up properly so I can start posting more regularly now. I am not on FB due to the issue with my ex but I am using instagram.

Vi has about 4 bottles of 6oz in the day though usually she will mess around with one of these. Most days seem to go the same so I will do last night as an example of our “norm”.
At about 3pm she napped on my MIL for about 30mins
Then she was happy on the floor while we chatted
About 4.30 she had a bottle
Then played again.
She napped at about 5 in the pushchair for 30mins
I went out at half 5 to parents eve and when I got back she was just having another bottle at 6pm and then we bathed her. She stayed on her playmate for 40mins while we had dinner. Sometimes I feel a bit bad leaving her there, but if she does not moan I guess she is happy. She loves to just lay down!
Then I think she fell asleep just after 7?
We leave her on the sofa until we go to bed. The lights on and all the kids noises do not seem to bother her and we are pretty noisy but she does not wake really. Mas brother came over about 8-10 but VI was still on the sofa and didn’t even flinch with the noise. We take her to bed when we go up about 11ish and she slept until 4am in her moses and then had a bottle. If she wakes I bedshare but she does not always wake. I never try and put her back in the moses as I am so lazy.

We have not started weaning yet, When she is extra hungry I just guess a growth spurt. I am hoping to wait till 6mths and do BLW again. Fingers crossed.

Sorry to have bored you all xxxx

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

omg why are some words links! I am just going to add some pics. Hope you do not mind

 

[newbie2013]

Hi midnight! Sounds like v is doing great! What an adventure in Scotland! I lived there for a while so I can picture exactly where you were. I have no doubt that it was freezing! Living there for two years of exactly why I live where I do and am currently feeding my baby in my underwear and air conditioning!

Thankfully, the mastitis seems to have almost gone. I haven't been able to see my doctor yet but I'm on antibiotics and don't need the painkillers anymore. I'm continuing to massage and make sure that breast is completely drained at every feed. Hopefully it will clear completely soon. It has been a rough week, but I've learnt that it is actually much quicker and easy for me to feed z at work rather than pump, so as long as I ask available during the day, I'll try to do that. I'll also try to keep a freezer stash of at least one feed so that if I'm not able to feed him, he won't go hungry! Only five weeks to go and only once more week left before Ramadan when we work one hour less, soon he'll only eat twice a day at work then.

I was in the day care room and there's a baby there who was born in October who was laying on a mat on the ground on his back, hardly moving... Then there was mine, on the mat next to him rolling about, flipping over, trying to crawl... How different the two babies are! It will be interesting to see how they both develop over time.

 

[vrogers]

So sorry I didnt get on when I said I would, it has been so hectic and exhausting here! I've missed coming on here, I think about you ladies all the time! L is napping on my lap so hopefully I have time for a post now.

Newbie- I hope you're feeling better, I feel so bad for you. The first night we brought L home she was starving and my milk hadn't come in yet but I didn't know that, so she just screamed all night. It's SO hard seeing and hearing them in pain like that. I would definitely do solids or formula, whichever you think is best and are most comfortable with. I hope whatever it is passes very quickly, I can't imagine how painful.

Ali- ah I'm not the only one having nap problems! L is the same right now, she fusses and cries when I try to get her down for naps, I've tried everything but the second I put her in her sleep sack she loses her junk. Maybe I'll have to start trying a swing like you, since what used to work for naps isn't. I hope this doesn't last long for us, it's so exhausting!

Slammer- I'm glad you had a nice Mother's Day! Hopefully you are able to get some alone time with dh, it's been awhile here sadly haha
Look at little jack in the swing, he is so cute! Looks like he's having a blast!

Ally- I hope you've both been able to get some better rest! It does sound like teething from what I've heard.

Literati- you're a great mama and doing a wonderful job! I hope V settles into a better mood and you get some well needed time with dh!

Midnight- it's so good to hear from you! I'm so pleased that your anxiety tablets have helped, but sorry about your ex. Sounds like a nice and relaxing trip with your family.
So glad Viley and you are both doing so well and that she is your easiest baby! I'm sure after a clingy baby you deserve the stress-free and ease for the most part.
Also, you did not bore me, I love coming on here and reading how everyone is doing and it's nice to hear from everyone no matter how often we are able to get on here! Please do add some pics, we need some more

Afm- L had a spill off the couch a week ago. I wanted to kick myself because I had noticed she started pushing with her legs even in her swing and it made me nervous. I had her on her lounge pillow on the couch (if I need to pump and she needs to eat it's easy to have her on her pillow beside me) and went to grab a bottle from the next room. I even glanced to make sure she was ok. Was putting some gas drops in her bottle and heard a thud, everything went flying out of my hand and it felt like I was in the other room in a couple steps. She was on her tummy crying, and I cried too. Thankfully she ended up being fine, called her pediatrician (who personally called us back within 5 min, I was impressed) and she told us what to look out for. It has scared me enough that if I have to leave the room for any reason she goes on the floor on her play gym.
We had her 4 mo appointment today (little late) and she weighed 13 pounds and some oz, don't have the papers in front of me. She's on the smaller side weight wise but growing well, and is quite long, I want to say 24 inches? She got her shots and I had dh hold her and I held her hand and of course I cried along with her. That cry they do while in pain is the absolute worst, I told dh it hurts my soul. We had to wake her up earlier than usual to feed her before her appt and then she got poked and just wanted to sleep, so she is now completely passed out on my chest. Would really like to pump and grab some food but she's extra cuddly and I just can't put her down!
One last thing, her naps have gone to crap which is the main reason I haven't been able to come on here. There was a month or so where I actually got her to nap in her crib, she would go down for her nap within about 5 min. Now she puts up a fight and just cries, doesn't want to sleep anywhere. When I do anything that she associates with sleep, she will immediately cry. This week has been especially bad. She will then fight it for so long that she becomes over tired and therefore even more grumpy. It's a mess! Hoping it's just part of the 4 month regression and passes soon, I need her naps like she does haha

Sorry this update has been so crappy, will make more of an effort to come on here at least in the evenings so I don't keep falling behind and missing people's updates! Hope everyone is having a good Thursday

 

[vrogers]

Newbie- oops, was writing my post while you posted!
So glad the mastitis seems to be letting up, sounds like you have a good plan too.
That's crazy how baby Z is ahead of a baby born months before him, they really do develop so differently!

 

[Literati_Love]

Midnight - yay, thanks so much for updating! I was just thinking the other day about how you never get on here anymore. Sorry about the mess with your ex, but glad the kids are handling it okay. Wow, your V sounds like a dream baby! Definitely not like my V (although of course she is very happy and delightful - just not easy). That's good you have an easier baby this time. Your trip to Scotland sounds just delightful! I'm glad the kids cooperated so perfectly for it.

Newbie - so glad the mastitis is clearing up! I am glad you can actually feed Z at work! That would be awesome! I would definitely think feeding him directly would be a lot faster and work a lot better. Yay!

VRogers - sorry L's naps have gone to crap. Violet always fights sleep too, so I know exactly how hard it is. Hopefully she improves soon. It definitely could be part of the 4 month sleep regression.

That is scary about L falling off the couch, but it sounds like she's probably fine! Don't feel too bad. These things happen! Hugs!

AFM - today I went to the Thursday fitness class even though it was my last week of my Tuesday class, but I was too tired to go on Tuesday and then I noticed at 11 pm yesterday that there was a slot open for Thurs, so figured why not.

I ended up admitting that I co sleep and then immediately regretted it and felt terribly judged and insecure. To be fair, no one made any sort of snide comment, but I am very insecure and especially sensitive about the topic of sleep because I find people are very judgmental and most people don't have as horrible sleepers as I do. Anyway, after feeling extremely embarrassed for a few minutes, I ended up getting paired up with that girl again (who last time I thought I could potentially become friends with). Despite my co sleeping confession, she continued to make nice conversation with me and we got along quite well. Found out a bit more about her so that was nice. It is very hard for me to open up or be vulnerable at all so meeting new people can be hard for me, but I figure I might as well be real with people, and if they are honestly so judgmental that they won't be friends with me if I do things differently, then I might as well find out now! Next week my Thursday classes start, so hopefully that will be good.

 

[AliJo]

Lite - So you're moving over to Thursdays? Maybe you mentioned it and I didn't notice! I agree, if they're going to judge you for your choices then it's best to find out early on rather than later. A stranger who I'm not friends with at all isn't going to bother me if they don't agree, but if I started to become friends with them that would suck! You probably made more people feel relieved than anything. I think it's probably pretty common for people to fall asleep with their babies at some point or another and since they like to make it seem like it's the worst thing in the world to do they probably felt guilty. My aunt makes me feel crappy for it and I kind of laughed on the inside last time I was around her. I was talking about how T was napping in his pack n play really well and she made the comment on how her newest grand baby (5 weeks younger) does as well "But she's slept in her crib since day one" line flew out of her mouth. Not the first time I heard it. I laughed on the inside because the father was just talking about how she was a bad sleeper and how the mom was getting up and holding her to get her back to sleep and what not. Then to top it off the baby wasn't sleeping at all once she was put down so I'm thinking "Yep, crib since day one really helped...." T and O have been different enough that I really truly think that some babies just will not sleep well without that comfort. O would wake within 15 minutes of me being away from him no matter where he was. T on the other hand sleeps well without me right there. Sorry, long rant!

T's swing is up to 25lbs but length wise I don't know. I won't be surprised if he outgrows it length wise first. I actually felt kind of bad with him sleeping in it. He didn't look that comfortable! He only did it that once so far, but he enjoys it from time to time.

Vrogers - How is the pumping going?

Poor L taking a spill! I get feeling bad, but don't beat yourself up too much. It happens and it will probably happen again at some point. They're so quick sometimes and unless you play out every situation in your head every time you set down crap can happen. I admit I have a lot of paranoid thoughts. Like when we moved in there was a mirror at the end of the hall. I demanded it be took down as soon as we moved in. Hubby took it down and put it right back up because when they painted they didn't paint behind it. I told him I don't give a damn, take it down. I can paint it and I don't care if it's ugly for awhile. It would be much uglier if O went running down the hall and hit it. Then around corners I don't want anything for him to run into. Nothing that might fall can be near T on the ground. Like if I'm vacuuming and stop for a second I won't leave it near him at all. Cords are kept in check. I feel like a crazy person sometimes! He still gets hurt a lot, but I worry about the things that can be real bad. My hubby is much more laid back and I'm sure he thinks I'm crazy sometimes even if he won't admit it!

Yeah, her sleep regression sounds a lot like T's. I'm glad it's limited to naps for me, though. It does really suck since I'm trying to get everything unpacked and organized still. Slowly coming together, but those screaming sessions can take up a lot of time.

Newbie - I'm glad the mastitis is clearing up! That's awesome you can go feed him. I wish I could T. It would make DH's days so much better.

It's definitely interesting! It's been interesting to see the differences with the baby born a few days after T and then my cousin's baby. My little man is so much more alert and active compared to both of them. Even though my cousin's baby is 5 weeks younger he was much more active and alert than she was at that age.

Midnight - You're pictures didn't show up! Hopefully you can add them.

I feel bad when I'm leaving T to entertain himself while he's content as well. I try to remind myself that it's okay and it gives him more time to learn to self soothe. It's the only time I get anything done. He gives me plenty of time for us to enjoy each other's company since he often refuses to be put down.

That trip sounds amazing! Glad you enjoyed it and that V did so well!

Slammer - Oh my gosh look at that big grin! I love it! I should put T in the swing next time we go to the park. I kind of just had a weird feeling when I said that. Like we were back at the apartment ha.. I'll kind of miss that small park. It was never busy, clean, safe for little ones, and in a quiet area.

I'd love to track T as well! It's fun seeing them grow in every way.

I give O allergy medicine when he's sick because it does help dry up some of that congestion. Sounds like it might be allergies, though. Maybe get an air filter for her bedroom. Might help some. Also, wash all her bedding if you haven't recently.

AFM - So, something out of the blue. My coworker who's baby is only 3 days younger than T said that if I had any extra breast milk she'd gladly take it because she is hoping it will boost her baby's immune system. Well, I have a lot of milk from early on that DH wasn't using and some with a lot of colostrum so I told her I could give her some of that. I didn't want it to go bad and he little one is sick a lot so I figured what the heck. If it helps, awesome. If not then I guess she just got some free milk! Told her I'd give more as my saved milk goes up. She was feeding her but was put on antidepressants that she couldn't breast feed with.

I'm sitting here with O. T has been asleep in his crib for almost two hours. Two hours I have lost thanks to this toddler of mine! Nothing out of the normal for me.

T continues to scream at me when trying to get him to nap. Little bugger. He might be a little better, but definitely still screaming! Still doing awesome in his crib! He slept with me the last two nights simply because I missed him after working 12 hour shifts. Told my DH that he didn't sleep in his crib at all and when he asked why that was my answer. Even though I was sleeping it made me feel better.

So, yesterday about an hour before I'm to be done with work.. tornado sirens went off! JOY.. not. We had to get everyone out of their rooms up to the dining area. In a LTC facility this sucks. Thankfully it didn't hit town, but one did drop outside of town. I was running down to get a resident and calling my hubby to make sure he was getting the boys down to the basement. Storms and tornadoes don't bother me (some of you probably think I'm crazy for saying tornadoes don't bother me! ) but I was a little worked up because I wasn't with my boys. Anyways, Iowa is kind of in tornado alley so it's not that uncommon for tornadoes to show up. It's not as bad as Oklahoma, but still. We're all crazy here and go outside to see if we can see a tornado when the sires go off. I have yet to see even a funnel cloud. We did have one pass above our house once when I was younger. Damn near ripped the door off. Terrified my dog and he was afraid of storms for as long as he could hear them. It finally touched right outside of town. Crazy how many near misses there are. One had gone through a field next to my stepmom's place once. Didn't realize it till after the fact. The storm before the storm that caused the sirens to go off caused her big tree to be knocked down. Iowa weather at it's finest.

Anyways. I need to see if I can't get this boy to sleep. He's staying up too late!

 

[pompeyvix]

AliJo - That's great you're able to help your co worked with the breast milk! hopefully it will help with her baby's immune system.
Oh goodness, I' be terrified if I heard a tornado siren go off! I guess it's what you're used to and we have nothing like that here. It sounds like there is rarely any huge problems, touch wood.

LL - I am glad the Thursday class worked out well and you connected well with the lady from last time. I wouldn't worry about telling other people how you sleep/bedshare, in my opinion if other people were to judge or have a problem with it then it's their problem and not yours and surely wouldn't be worth being friends with anyway? If it comes up in conversation I will tell people that I bedshare with my 4 year old and 4 month old (well kinda, Jamie is in the cot next to the bed with the side down) and so far, no one has batted an eye lid. When I was working, a colleague of mine kept trying to tell me I should get Anabella moved to her own room and it's 'not normal' and kept trying to give me advice. I smiled and nodded along and ignored everything she said! She probably judges me but I couldn't care less.

vrogers - It happens to us all, so try not to feel to bad. When Anabella was a baby she fell off our bed and it's quite high. Jamie fell of the sofa when he was a newborn and to this day I still don't know how. It's an awful feeling, but she'll be absolutely fine
It is awful when they have their immunisations isn't it Jamie had his yesterday and it was awful hearing his piercing screams as it was being done.
Sorry L's naps have gone to crap. Perhaps its the 4 month sleep regression?

MF - Welcome back! Have been wondering where you have been and if everything is OK. Sounds like you had a lovely trip to Scotland for your birthday. Sorry to hear things are difficult with your ex... are your kids never going to see him anymore?
Sounds like V is a dream baby!

Angel - I am sorry to hear about your MIL It must be a hard time for you all.
I am glad Jamie isn't the only one who works himself into such a state sometimes! He hasn't got so red , stuff and hot for a few days, but I am sure more times like that are coming!

newbie - I am glad the mastitis has almost gone, that must be such a relief! LOL at Z being so active and on the move compared to the baby who was born a few months earlier I think Jamie will be like the baby who was born in October, he seems quite happy just laying down bless him!

slammer - I love the photo of Jack in the swing, it looks like he is enjoying himself! I've put Jamie in one of those satellite swings , but he didn't seem to react at all!
I hope your DD doesn't suddenly have allergies. That would be such a pain.

AFM - Jamie has his 16 week imms yesterday which I was dreading. Apart from screaming the Dr's surgery down, he has had no after effects which I am so pleased about.
He is starting to be able to self settle for naps again If we are at home, I can now put him on our bed with a blanket, dummy and soft toy and (most of the time) he will take himself to sleep. Sleeping out the house is never a problem, but sleeping at home has been a chore lately. However, he is 4 months on Tuesday and may go through the sleep regression, so I am not getting too relaxed about it all yet.
His night sleep has improved too. Last night he only woke once for milk.
Still no further forward on grasping/playing with toys etc. He sucks on his fists like there is no tomorrow and will look at toys and will hold them (for a short time) if he is given one. He is still such a sociable baby though and giggles, laughs and smiles a lot especially in the bath or if we are doing songs with movements together.

 

[Literati_Love]

Ali - yes, I switched over to the Thursday class for the next 6-week session! Come to think of it, I might have actually forgotten to mention it on here, so you probably didn't miss it.
I agree that I don't much care if someone I don't know judges me, but once we start to become friends I care a lot more! So I guess better to be open right from the get-go.
That is dumb about your aunt's comments. Also definitely doesn't seem to have helped that baby to have been in the crib from day one! I know it sure didn't help with my dd1. Every baby is SO different and it's hard for people to understand that some of them are just born 'bad sleepers' if they haven't had one themselves. You are lucky you only had the one kid so bad at being put down for naps/sleep. I was really hoping I would get lucky this time, but of course I ended up with an even lighter sleeper than the last somehow! Oy. Hopefully Violet improves sooner than dd1 did. Blah.

Pompey - I agree that people who would judge on sleeping arrangements aren't really worth being friends with anyway! I am glad you ignored your colleague's stupid comments. Don't people have anything better to do than to tell other people how they should raise their kids? Blah.

I'm glad Jamie is back to self settling for naps at home. It seems like everyone's babies' sleep is improving except mine! Oh well. I have been through this before so at least it is no shock to me. Still sucks, though!
I hope Jamie starts grasping toys soon so you don't have to worry about that. Glad he didn't seem too affected by his shots after the fact! I hope you manage to avoid the 4 mo regression as well.

AFM - my dd1 was invited for a play Date today so I totally just sat around with Violet watching tv and hanging out on my phone for the last couple hours. Violet was sleeping and I have to hold her so I couldn't have done anything productive anyway. Dd1 will be home soon but hopefully I feel a bit refreshed from the break (and hopefully she has worked off some of her energy - but that never really happens).