Valentines Babies, 2013!

[Kellen]

Dragon - That is awesome that Gunnar rolled and that Lily is finally laughing for you. Sorry to hear about the fiasco of the plane trip. I can guarantee that Atlanta is miserable this time of year. So glad we moved away from there! And the airport is the worst one I've ever been to. If you need to go anywhere you have to take the darn underground train and it takes forever.

Teagen discovered her thumb yesterday. Before now she has been content to suck on her fingers, but now that she has her thumb there is no going back. She almost settled herself to sleep without nursing because she was so in love with her thumb. She has also started waving her hands around and trying to mimic the baby sign language we are all learning.

 

[DragonflyWing]

That's so cute! It's funny that you mentioned baby sign language...I was just looking that up yesterday so we can start teaching the babies some basic signs. They actually have some words and gestures they have made up to communicate (they both say "ungee" when they want to eat, Gunnar says "ning" when he wants his pacifier, Lily rubs her hands together when she needs to be changed, etc)...so I think baby sign language would work well with them.

Lily suddenly figured out how to roll both ways last night! I even got it on video Less than a week after Gunnar rolled, isn't that weird? We haven't really been trying to teach them or anything, they just did it spontaneously.

 

[Kellen]

That is awesome. Congratulations to both of your little kiddos. Teagen loves her Baby Signing Time. In fact we have to play the CD's in the car or she will cry (she is not a fan of the car seat), but once the music comes on she is a happy camper.
For a while she was saying "rang" whenever she wanted to eat, but hasn't done that for a few weeks. Now when she watches the signing DVDs she tries to move her fingers and hands to mimic the signs. She almost has "milk" down, which is opening and closing your fist like you are milking a cow. Even my parents and grandmother have picked up some of the simple signs and use them with her.

 

[wamommy]

Congrats on the rolling over, Gunnar and Lilja! Max has not mastered that... he always gets his arm stuck under him as he rolls and can't make it all the way over. The poor guy turns red from frustration until I pull his arm out and help him over.

Baby sign has always intrigued me. I've thought of looking into it, but never have. How do you guys like it?

USA ladies, any plans for the 4th of July? I'm supposed to see my godmother, my niece and my nephew. I just talked to them and TWO of them have a cold... fabulous. I'm expecting us all to get sick, but I can't back out now since the entire rest of the family cancelled. I don't want it to be the 3 of them sitting on the porch with sparklers! I've honestly always disliked the 4th. I have really, really sensitive ears and fireworks kill me. I also have a phobia of fire, so the bottle rockets being shot onto my roof all night terrify me.

 

[DragonflyWing]

No plans here...just relaxing at home. This weekend we're driving 2 hours to DH's cousin's place for a "cousin campout" with all the little kids. It's also going to include a surprise "murder mystery" birthday party for DH's sister. A lot of the family is staying from Thursday-Sunday, but we're just going to go for the day on Saturday. I don't think it would be very practical for us to stay overnight with the babies considering all the stuff we'd have to bring, plus my pumping schedule. I'm a little nervous about the 4 hours of driving- I hope the babies don't have a meltdown in the car.

Gunnar is still in the midst of his sleep regression- every morning he wakes up screaming between 3 and 6am and won't go back to sleep. And DH still hasn't learned- he stayed up until 4:30am this morning and then only got 1.5 hours of sleep before Gunnar woke up. Now he's super grumpy because he's exhausted.

We moved Lily into the crib in our bedroom so Gunnar doesn't wake her up, and that seems to work fine. Last night she went to sleep at 10, and slept through until I got up at 8:30. I think she woke briefly when I got up to pump at 4, because I heard her moving and she stuck her little hand out between the rails, but she didn't make a peep, and went back to sleep on her own.

 

[helena]

I have a plan for 4 July - it is my eldest' 5th birthday so it's all presents, play and a Chinese resto for lunch (his favourite) and a dinosaur themed party on Saturday

Busy busy here, school is now on summer break so I have all 3 kids all day every day..hence my surfing time is much reduced.

Loving the thumb sucking, wish Kiara would get that!
And the rolling twins! Excellent. We are almost there but K hasn't taken that final push yet. She gets one leg over, head tucked in, but isn't doing the final push.

Ok, off to bed now as I am exhausted and have been baking dinosaur cakes and making dinosaur egg piñata all evening.

Will read and write more soon. happy 4 July all xxxx

 

[Kellen]

No plans for the 4th here. We are far enough from town not to hear the fireworks, but close enough that we'll be able to see the rather expensive show that they have been fundraising for all summer. I'm not a big noise fan and sparklers scare the heck of out me... However, the following day we have a family trip planned to Costco and a great seafood place about 45 minutes away.

Teagen has been constantly waking at 3am and demanding to come to bed with us. When DH brings her to the bed she doesn't want to nurse, she just wants to snuggle and goes right back to sleep; however, if we try to put her back in her crib she will cry. Tonight I'm thinking we might try a little CIO. It is obvious that she knows she will get picked up and brought to bed if she fusses so I'm over it and she needs to learn how to sleep by herself. We'll see if I can handle it... DH is also over sharing the bed and not getting to snuggle me without a baby between.

Helena - the dino birthday party sounds fun. And it is only a few days before Bastille Day so you'll be getting fireworks pretty soon. A couple of years ago DH and I were in New Caledonia for Bastille Day and got to watch some fairly impressive fireworks.

Wamommy - Good luck with not getting everyone sick! I'm sorry that the rest of your family isn't able to make the festivities. Poor little Max. I can only imagine how frustrated he is. Teagen gets so mad that she can't crawl yet.

 

[Kellen]

As for the baby signing it is awesome. We have "Baby Signing Time" which came with 4 DVDs, 4 CDs that have all the songs from the DVDs, 4 board books, and 4 sets of flashcards that go along with the DVDs and books. It is really quite simple and common sense. For example, the sign for "food" or "eat" is putting your hand to your mouth. "Drink" is tipping your hand to your mouth like when you take a drink of water. The songs are super catchy. This morning Teagen was asleep so instead of talking DH and I were able to sign that I wanted him to get me a "drink" of "water" before "driving" off to work. DH has also been able to effectively communicate with a deaf person at work thanks to the sign language. So all in all I'm sold. Teagen signed diaper again to me today and almost milk so it is catching.

Off to bed we go... wish us luck with not immediately bringing her to bed with us when she cries in a few hours.

 

[Kellen]

We tried the CIO method last night... and it worked. I swore I would never be one of "those" parents who put their child down and let them cry. Thankfully Teagen only fussed for around 4 minutes before she gave up the ghost and went to sleep on her own. Tonight she refused to nurse to sleep and wanted her crib I am glad she wants to be independent and self settle, but I also miss the snuggles as she drifts to sleep.

On a very random note: the world would be childless if pregnancy were left up to men. DH has heartburn and is currently laying on the floor with a pillow and bemoaning his pain.

We can barely see the fireworks from our house, but we tried! It was too windy to be outside anyways. Tomorrow we're hosting a BBQ for my parents and grandma (a whole 100 yards from their house!). But we have a nice outdoor patio table, chairs and umbrella set up with a BBQ.

And here is a picture of Teagen and I in our patriotic clothes. Her outfit only lasted about an hour as it was really too short to snap (my mom bought it a month ago, it was a 6-9 month). Then, after she woke up from a nap, she exploded her diaper front and back! I guess that is what happens when she discovers that avocados are amazing.

 

[helena]

Lovely picture Kellen! You look great.

This is my family, yesterday. On one of the very rare calm meals out (usually someone is tantrum ing ) https://i685.photobucket.com/albums/vv218/helena1977/Snapbucket/th_F634F59E.jpg
It was to celebrate my sons 5th birthday. And was the first time Kiara had eaten solid food at a restaurant so much fun her sitting up with us as a fully involved member of the family.

Nothing wrong with a little bit of CIO in my book. Controlled. 4 minutes is nothing - you were lucky

 

[DragonflyWing]

Great photos, ladies!

The twins had their 6 month checkup on Wednesday. Gunnar is 16lbs10oz (50th percentile) and 26.5 inches long (25th percentile). Lily is 14lbs2oz (20th percentile) and 25 inches long (12th percentile). The doctor was slightly concerned with her length, because it has dropped down on a bit on the chart, and her head circumference was also in the 12th percentile...so I have to stop in in a month or so to make sure her growth hasn't stalled.

They got their 6 month immunizations, and it never gets any easier to see them in pain. Gunnar stopped crying almost immediately, but Lily was overdue for her nap, so she was half-asleep when the nurse gave her the shots, and it really scared her. She got so upset...she let out a blood-curdling scream that had the doctor running back in because she thought the nurse did something wrong or she fell off the table or something. I didn't even know she could shriek that loudly.

They both had fevers yesterday and took longer naps than usual. Even though they obviously weren't feeling great, they were still really smiley. It was nice to stay home and spend time with them.

 

[wamommy]

What great pictures, ladies!! Kellen, you look so healthy and rested. Teagen is looking great, too. Helena, what a beautiful family! Our kids are all so close in age, it's a shame we aren't closer together for a play date

Dragon, I'm so sorry to hear the twins had a rough time with their jabs That's so tough, isn't it? You can't exactly explain to them that it's for their own health and safety. Luckily I don't think they remember much at this age.

Our 4th was interesting. We went to my Mom's beach house on the coast of Washington, but it was 60 degrees and SO windy. We tried to go down to the beach and everyone got sand in their eyes and froze, so we quickly came back inside. We tried to do fireworks in the driveway but the wind kept knocking them over and putting out the fuses! My kids' cousin was there, too, and she's notoriously mean to my kids, which is super awkward. I never know how much I'm supposed to step in and intervene and how much I should let them work it out. I get a little angry every time my 3-year-old runs to me crying because something mean was said... but all I can do is try to use it as a teaching opportunity and try to help my girls understand why we don't say mean things or hurt other people and how it makes US feel.

We just got back an hour ago and my 16-year-old stepdaughter just brought a list down for all of the things she needs for camp tomorrow (she leaves for a week). Oh my gosh... it's a ton of stuff. It's amazing how nice she is to us when she wants something!

 

[Kellen]

Helena - That is a beautiful family photo. It looks like you were all having a great time eating out. I hope that the dino birthday was fun for everyone. Congrats to Miss K for being a big girl and getting to eat with everyone else.

Dragon - Poor twins! Jabs are no fun for anyone. I hope that Lily checks out okay in the future and is just growing at her own pace. From your previous posts it sounds like she is cognitively advancing leaps and bounds.

Wamommy - Cousins and mean words are no fun. Unfortunately I had to put up with that all the time growing up. We moved from CA to MO and I was not well received by my cousins there. Thankfully your little one will tell you, I kept it from my mom until I was in my teens. How is Max sleeping at night? I hope that he is being good for you and getting into a routine. And thank you for the compliment.

CIO is going okay. It is hard at first because she gets to mad. It isn't that she is lonely or wants a person, she is mad that we aren't immediately doing what ever it is that Teagen wants. DH has to come hide in the bedroom with me (there are not too many places to escape to in the RV). Tonight - so far - was the worst with it taking her 15 minutes to re-settle herself and fall asleep. Last night she slept from 7:45pm-6:30 in her crib with a minor fuss at 4am that she settled herself.
Taking a page from Helena we got her a lovey. Well, actually, it is a Taggie Blanket. She loves it and uses it to help soothe herself to sleep. She'll finger the taggies and suck on the corner. It is nice because it was inexpensive and I'll be able to replace it once she wears it out. I'm actually thinking of getting a couple identically ones now so if this one gets dirty I can give her a clean one without a fuss.

 

[helena]

That's a good idea Kellen - buying a few. I tried Kiara on a little blanket lovey but she kept putting it over her face then gets in a flap that she can't work out how to get it off. She does it all the time with her dresses if she is laying on her back in a dress. Se will pull it up, suck on the skirt, put it over her whole face, find it funny for ten seconds and then panic that she can't remember how to move it off herself. It is kind of funny..mean mummy! Hehe.

 

[helena]

She rolled! A least from back to front. She was so shocked and as she we over the second time she gave her head a tiny tiny bump. But oh my did she scream. Definately a drama queen. So very different to my boy babies. Bless her.

And she is eating soooo much. She has two course meals now. And had her first toasted bread the other day. Just a small finger of toast, but she was very very happy sucking on it. I really get the impression she wants real food and not just fruit or veg ..she needs filling up. Yesterday she had blended home made sweet potato wedges. A hit! And tonight it was blended spaghetti bolognaise I had made for my boys, without salt. Another hit!
And she had Greek yogurt for desert, again a big bit. Such a foodie baby. I would like to try her on egg soon but I think they say to wait until 12 months? Wll google..

Kiara has a kind of birth mark on her back. It is actually bright red, shaped like a flower (funny how we nearly chose the name poppy). The doctor said it would fade by the time she is 7 or so, and it is in fact just blood under the surface.
But recently it had started looking a bit damaged, a bit brown or scab like in the middle...am a bit worried but typically my doctors is shut this month I think (here a lot of places shut down over summer as everyone returns to their own countries). I will google it I think...

 

[wamommy]

Hurray for rolling over, Kiara!! She's officially on the move

Max hates bananas... I mean, really hates them. As soon as they were in his mouth he made the largest, saddest, frown and then burst into tears. I caught it on tape... the funniest thing ever. Helena, I'm a mean Mummy too. At least I must be, because I find it terribly funny, too!

Kellen, Max is improving a tiny bit with sleep. He still wakes several times a night, but the stretches of sleep have gone from 1-2 hours to 2-3 I'll take it!

We caved and bought an exersaucer. We had one for Danica (DD#2) but sold it when we thought we were finished having babies. I found the exact same one on Craigslist in great shape but dirty, and spent all afternoon cleaning ever bit of it. Max LOVES it!! He concentrates so hard and touches each toy. I think it's helping him not flail so much.

 

[SierraJourney]

Wamommy, we also just bought an exersaucer- Camden loves it too although he's a bit small for it and I have to stuff a blanket around him. . Is Camden the only baby that hasn't rolled over at all?! So excited for all of the rollers- I can't wait until Camden gets rolling!

We're still exclusively breastfeeding... we might start cereal in the next couple of weeks but wanted to start foods as close to 6 months as we could wait. He's doing great so far.

Camden has gone on a serious nap regression.... now only napping for 20 minutes only twice a day. Ive tried everything it seems. I'm not sure what to do?

 

[Kellen]

Sierra - We are pretty much still EBF. Teagen really only gets tastes until she is able to sit and support herself. We nurse to sleep for naps and I have to lay down with her or else she will wake up. Afraid I'm no help in that department.

Wamommy - They do make the funniest faces when trying new foods and cry for silly reasons. Tonight Teagen headbutted DH in the nose... then she let out a big cry. Silly baby.

Helena - Huzzah for rolling! Kiara is getting to be such a big girl. How is her sitting skill coming along? I hope that there is nothing wrong with the birthmark and that it is just naturally darkening.

So far CIO has been fairly successful. Putting her down last night was the hardest so far because she wasn't as sleeping, but we are keeping with a 7:30 bedtime. She cried for 20 minutes (we set the timer for 5-10 minute intervals to make sure she was okay). Once she fell asleep she slept until 4:30 when she fussed a bit, but we discovered in the morning that her heater didn't kick on and I think she was a little chilly. So at 6 when the alarm went off DH brought her into the bed and we did a family wake up routine... she then promptly fell back asleep until 8:30.

I feel proud of myself. My house is clean! All the laundry is done and put away. All the dishes are clean and put away. The floor is vacuumed and mopped. I actually cooked a full dinner and wiped down the counters. I feel like we are now starting to get into a routine. Also talked to one of my SIL today. They live 30 minutes from my in-laws. She offered to have us stay with them any time we go to visit because she was worried about Teagen being exposed to secondhand smoke. I am pretty excited about that. She and I get along really well. Our husbands are only 364 days apart in age (did I mention my MIL only stopped having children after she had a girl as #6? I'm married to #4).

 

[DragonflyWing]

Yay for rolling, Kiara! That's great

DH texted me on Friday to tell me that Lily had said "mum." I was so sad that I had missed it, but I didn't need to be, because it's her new favorite sound! I spent the whole weekend running to her every time she said it, and now of course she's using it against me . Whenever I walk away from her now, she screws up her face in concentration and says "mmmmmmmMUM! mamamama mum mum mum mum!"

She seems to like the way it feels to say the "m" sound.

 

[Kellen]

Dragon that is awesome! Congrats to being the first "mum" here. Cute that she has already learned to associate you with the sound and is using it to call you.

This morning Teagen woke up and decided that "guh" is her new favorite sound and that it can be added to "ahh". So if we ask her a question it sounds like she is responding with derision. "Teagen do you like this shirt mommy is wearing?" "GAH!"