The new "New Moms" thread!

[DMickey28]

Yeah Brady for walking!!! That's awesome. We wonder when DS will walk. He is cruising the furniture very confidently and can stand with just his hand touching lightly for stability. When we try to walk with him holding his hands he doesn't want to!!

I wrote a whole other thread about starting solids and Kelly's Brady then my internet went down!!

DS has been eating solids for a few months now. We moved to fruits and veggies for a while. Oh ... As far as I could tell there was no difference between Stage 1 and 2 other than portion size. Stage 2 also mixes different fruits or veggies together. As long as the LO's have tried each fruit or veggie on it's own there is no reason they can't have those blends. I did and still do stay away from any of the desert ones for some reason!!

As far as readiness for self feeding and finger foods is more developmental than age. Some say babies should be crawling with bellys off the floor but I can't figure out what that has to do with it ... it's not like they eat while crawling! Also if they start grabbing the spoon when you are feeding them. The pincher grasp is another one, if they have that down. DS started with small pieces of chicken breast or thigh and really well cooked veggies like carrots, peas and green beans. Now he will hardly let me spoon feed him anything. For some reason the only thing he will let me spoon feed is the Gerber Chicken Noodle dinner ... I have made most of his food but bought this for convience when we go out or something. Now he won't take the fresh ground up chicken and veggie mix from me but he will that stuff. It's actually not too bad, it's one of the few that has little filler stuff/junk in it. The ingredients are pretty straight forward.

DS is currently eating fruit/oatmeal and waffles or pancakes for breakfast, yo-baby yogurt, fruit and some of whatever I am having for lunch. He loves grilled cheese and tomato soup!! For dinner we do veggies and a protein, he'll also have whatever we are having as long as it's not too seasoned or spicy! He also gets a sippy cup of 2/3 water and 1/3 pear juice each day. He usually drinks a few ounces of it.

He also usually has cheerios or goldfish on his tray when I am feeding him because it keeps him from grabbing the spoon if I am trying to feed him.
Not sure if anyone wanted to hear all that but there it is!!!

 

[kellyf2626]

Thank you guys for the info about solid foods. I think I will start trying out some soft, mushy things and see how he does!

Some pics of Brady in his walker...

And a video of him in action! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQM0FMUhgvc

 

[ashjohnson80]

Same thing happened to my girlfriend Ash! She thought her daugher had baby acne, and turns out she was allergic to the formula she was giving her. She had to switch to some very expensive formula....I forget the name....but it was made for kids with specific allergies. I think Enfamil makes it....

Yes it starts with an "N" but I can't remember the name. My pediatrician gave me a sample of it. I never used it though. I tried to keep breastfeeding by taking all of the milk and bread out of my diet but that didn't really work so well. So I tried soy and everything is going really good now.

Those pictures are great!

 

[Jen_in_NH]

kelly - cute pics!

DMickey - sounds like bath time is a blast! This will be the one time I'm happy Christopher hasn't figured out standing - he can only move as far in the tub as he can slide on his bum. I love the pic - he looks so proud of himself!

The walkers and jumperoo things look so cool. We wanted to get one of the jumpers for Christopher, since he loves anything that bounces. But hen you read the weight limits (usually 25 lbs), he's too heavy for them Too bad, he would have loved them. He likes to be in the exersaucer, stand up, and then fall back in it. The first few times, he nearly gave me a heart attack. Now I'm better....

As far as solids, he'll eat some chunks of bread or pancake, and will try pasta. Things that are slippery don't last long. he hasn't got the whole pincer grasp thing completely down, so it needs to be something he can get his hand around. Although our dog loves any effort he puts into it - particularly when food starts falling everywhere

So, Christopher has his 9 month well-baby next week. i think I'm going to bring up a few questions about all the developmental milestones. He does not crawl, and hasn't quite got the pushing his bum up in the air. He will stand, but only if we hold him and balance him. He can't get from laying to sitting on his own, and getting from sitting to laying usually involves toppling over. Part of me says it's no big deal, and the other half of me is paranoid that something's wrong. i think I worked too long with kids with all sorts of developmental issues, and now I see those issues everywhere. Hopefully the doc tells me there's nothing wrong.

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Hooray for a new "new moms" thread!

I love hearing everyone's stories and seeing all the pictures!

DMickey, the girl I used to nanny for went through a phase where she didn't want us to feed her with a spoon and kept grabbing it and making a huge mess. Her parents said they were tempted to tie her hands down at meal times, it was driving them crazy! We tried holding her hands, but of course she'd just scream and turn her head away and we'd still have a mess on our hands. We started just giving her finger foods with no sauce (pasta, peas, diced cooked carrots, chicken, etc.) and then tried to teach her how to use the spoon herself with a little bit of applesauce or yogurt at each meal. The funny thing is that she didn't want to use the spoon herself, but she wanted the food, and wanted us to feed her, but she wanted to grab the spoon. It was crazy. Eventually she stopped grabbing for the spoon, but still wasn't using it herself and let us feed her again. So weird...

Owen is mostly over his first cold, although he still coughs a few times a day. Now we're dealing with bad gas and irregular pooping - he'll have plenty of soaked diapers, but no dirty ones for a couple days, and then he'll have 5 "super poops" (as DH has dubbed them) in one day. DH has started calling "code brown! code brown!" when he needs help with an especially messy diaper. We've noticed that Owen gets really fussy the day before a "super poop" day, so we've got some warning that it's coming at least. Poor baby gets so gassy, too, that his new favorite position to sleep in is what we've dubbed the origami baby pose because it looks like he's folded in half:

I took a bunch of pictures of Owen on his 6-weeks-old birthday, and these are a couple of my favorites. Our 6-month old kitten, Alton, likes to clean Owen's head and ears, and this was Owen's response:

Owen has started smiling, but so far I haven't been able to get a good picture of his best grin. This one caught the start of his smile, though:

Today (Friday) we're making a crazy overnight trek to Fresno to see a couple friends of mine from WI who are visiting another friend on a last minute trip. It's a 3 hour drive in typical weather/traffic conditions without a baby, but we're leaving after Dh gets home from work, so we're going to hit some rush hour weekend traffic and the forcast is for rain. It's going to be a long drive, I'm afraid, and the crazy part is that we're just staying overnight, having breakfast with everyone in the morning, and then heading back home before lunch! Yes, we're crazy, but I haven't seen these WI friends in 2 or 3 years, and of course they want to meet Owen. Hopefully Owen will cooperate on the drive and traffic won't be too bad. It just takes one accident, though, to snarl everything up and bring traffic to a standstill on this route.

 

[kellyf2626]

Bethany - Owen looks so grown up! Brady does the same thing when the dogs lick him....he opens his mouth?? Funny...wonder why they do that? That is hysterical that he will sleep all bent over like that!! It's amaxing how flexible little babies are. I am still in awe when Brady can get both of his feet into his mouth! Oh - and I was never any good of getting pictures of Brady smiling. I would always miss it!

Jen - Yes, I would agree that it's worth mentioning those developmental things to your ped, although I wouldn't be suprised if they said to wait and see what happens. My girlfriend is an OT, and she said that more kids than you think have "low tone" and need more practice than the average kid when reaching musuclar milestones. She swears that ever since the whole "back to sleep" movement that, while obviously necessary in preventing SIDS, it has pushed back development due to less tummy time - meaning less time practicing "pushing up" and building those arm and leg muscles. (Obviously just her opinion! ) I hear ya about being worried about milestones...being a speech-language pathologist, I am constantly analyzing Brady's speech - is he babbling enough? Is he making enough sounds? I could go crazy!!

 

[left210]

I have just a few questions for you new Mommies. I am pregnant with my 2nd child but they will be 7 1/2 years apart so things have changed alot as far as product choices. I am trying to decide on bottles and breast pumps. Any suggestions on what you have found that works well? I rented a breast pump from the hospital way back then but man it was painful everytime I pumped. Are there any better options now? I was reading about the Avent dual pump but don't know anyone with first hand experience. I used Avent bottles last time too but are there better options out there now? Thanks for some info.

 

[Pollito916]

Hi ladies! Glad to see we got a new thread up and running, I was wondering what happened to the old one.

Welcome to all the *new* new moms that just found us!

DS turns 1 in 2 weeks, and I can't believe how fast the time has gone by and how grown up he is. He started walking before 10 months, and now he is practically running laps! He also climbs up the stairs and just this week figured out how to go back down again.

DMickey - DS eats about the same as your son, and is the same way about grabbing the spoon, and used to pull his bibs off. I found some bibs at Babies R Us that have a hook closure instead of velcro, so he can't pull them off. It used to make him really made, but now he got used to it, so I can even use the velcro ones again and he won't pull them off until the end of the meal. I have also found that putting some food on his tray to grab with his hands will keep him from grabbing the spoon, or giving him his own spoon to hold.

Jen in NH - That's too bad they don't make the jumperoo bigger. That has been one of DS's favorite toys, and a life saver for me at times! DS's cousin just turned 1 this week, and he is very similar to Christopher, but not nearly as big. He is kind of small for his age, except his head, which SIL thinks is the reason he is kind of behind other babies. Their doctor says he is fine, and that hitting milestones late is frequently hereditary. He didn't start crawling until after 11 months, but has always been good at sitting for long periods and playing quietly.

DS would never sit for long, and never plays quietly. He just recently started playing with a toy for more than a few minutes, but still spends most of his time running laps around the kitchen and singing. He is quite a handful, but also quite a joy!

 

[kellyf2626]

I have just a few questions for you new Mommies. I am pregnant with my 2nd child but they will be 7 1/2 years apart so things have changed alot as far as product choices. I am trying to decide on bottles and breast pumps. Any suggestions on what you have found that works well? I rented a breast pump from the hospital way back then but man it was painful everytime I pumped. Are there any better options now? I was reading about the Avent dual pump but don't know anyone with first hand experience. I used Avent bottles last time too but are there better options out there now? Thanks for some info.

Congratulations!!! We used the Dr. Browns bottles and the Medela Swing breast pump....both were FANTASTIC!! The Dr. Browns were excellent for Brady - they helped with his gas tremendously! The Swing was a great pump - it is electric, does one side at a time, and was very comfortable. It was also extremely portable and small, which was nice.

 

[kellyf2626]

Pollito - I can't believe Alex is 1!! Wow time flies!! What are you doing for his birthday party? Do you have a theme? I hear ya about the Jumperoo...Brady will stay in his for HOURS if I let him. He loves all those play things - Exersaucer, Jumperoo, now the walker....he would stay in them forever. He's so funny....he will play with one toy, then move on to the next one - just go down the row of toys on each item, inspecting them and trying to get them all in his mouth. He especially loves if they have a tag!!

 

[Disney Ron]

I have just a few questions for you new Mommies. I am pregnant with my 2nd child but they will be 7 1/2 years apart so things have changed alot as far as product choices. I am trying to decide on bottles and breast pumps. Any suggestions on what you have found that works well? I rented a breast pump from the hospital way back then but man it was painful everytime I pumped. Are there any better options now? I was reading about the Avent dual pump but don't know anyone with first hand experience. I used Avent bottles last time too but are there better options out there now? Thanks for some info.

Just an FYI...regarding researching bottles, you may want to research BPA!

There are a lot of articles regarding concerns about BPA poisoning from baby bottles(Avent & Dr. Brown). Here is one article: http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/features_julieshealthclub/2007/08/baby-411-author.html

I have a 15 month old and I used Dr. Browns when he was an infant before this info came out. I have to say they were great, but BPA concerned me so I switched him to Gerber after reading about this.

I don't mean to confuse you, I just wanted to make sure you had full knowledge.

Mrs. Disney Ron

 

[TiggerStac]

We had Brady's first birthday party today...am I wiped out!! We just had family over, but it was like 25 adults and 6 kid (including Brady and my cousins 2 month old).

It was great...but I have to say, I need to make trip to Walmart to exchange a ton of things!! Either my family thinks like me or the selection isn't all that great for kids. Hubbys dad, who we haven't seen since the summer, brought over christmas presents, as well. Well, he got him a tonka ride on (already got for xmas), mega blocks (same exact ones santa brought) and one other thing he got for christmas. He brought my other DS the transformer helmet that was his #1 request for christmas that Santa bought. Then my cousins daughter got the playskool pop up ball thing...my brother got this for Brady for christmas, He got 2 other walk to rides and 2 ride ons. He already has 2 ride ons. Its just too funny...they all know exactly what he likes and got what he likes (but already has). So, I'll have some $$ to spend at Walmart. I don't think I have any gift receipts, but I know that the things from my father in law came from there. I hate how strict some of the stores have become w/returns, TRU, need a reciept, but BRU, you don't, go figure.

Anyways, party went great, Brady is fried!! Way too many people in his house. All patriots themed party. Everyon wore Pat's gear, as well, it was great. I'll post some pics after I upload them.

Brady is definately the opposite of many kids when it comes to eating. He is very particular. Not messy at all!! We give him cake...he picks frosting off and puts in his mouth. He hasn't tried grabbing at the spoon, yet. But he prefers finger foods, except for his yogurt.

 

[ashjohnson80]

I have just a few questions for you new Mommies. I am pregnant with my 2nd child but they will be 7 1/2 years apart so things have changed alot as far as product choices. I am trying to decide on bottles and breast pumps. Any suggestions on what you have found that works well? I rented a breast pump from the hospital way back then but man it was painful everytime I pumped. Are there any better options now? I was reading about the Avent dual pump but don't know anyone with first hand experience. I used Avent bottles last time too but are there better options out there now? Thanks for some info.

Congratulations! I started out with the dr. brown's bottles too but they leaked a lot and I think the shape of the nipples was causing some confusion, so I switched over to the playtex drop in's and we've done a lot better on those. Ellery seems to have a much easier time feeding with the wider type of nipples, they look more natural. I used a Medela Lactina pump that my sister gave me (and bought a new kit for it online), I'm not sure if they still make it, but it worked great although she said it was pretty pricey.

 

[7beasley]

Hi guys!

Can I join?

Izzy is 15 weeks old now -- she is getting so big! She started eating rice cereal about a month ago and is doing great. I have returned to work full time (which as alot of you know - is hard!) but she is in good hands during the day -- she stays with my mom 1 day, my MIL one day, daycare 2 days and 1 work one day from home. We seem to have gotten in a good routine.

She had her first cold last week (very traumatic for mom- not so much for Izzy) and she is doing better now -- just in time to enjoy her first Superbowl. She eats like a little piggy -- she gets between 7 and 8 oz of formula 5x a day plus her cereal at night. She just recently "discovered" her hands which provides endless hours of enjoyment both from sucking them and just watching them move around. So funny! Next week is her christening.

I am glad to have found you guys! I love seeing all the pictures of your adorable kids! Keep them coming.

Here are some of Izzy:

 

[Pollito916]

Kelly - Alex LOVES tags, or anything that feels remotely soft and silky. As soon as he finds something silky, he plops down and starts sucking his thumb, just stroking it. He was actually stroking an empty Target bag this morning! His favorite is one of those Carters blankies with a teddy bear head attached, that is velvety on one side and silky on the other. He loves that thing, and would take it everywhere if I let him.

Beasley - Izzy is adorable! That's the same name we've chosen for our next child, since DH says he'll *let* me have a girl next time. It's also his deceased mother's name, so it is very sentimental for him. His brother also wanted to use the name if they had a girl, so now DH says we have to beat them to it.

TiggerStac - Sounds like Brady had a great first birthday and has a lot of family that loves him! DH's family got DS a bunch of clothes for x-mas that were too small, and I could tell by the brands that they were from Target, so even though I didn't have a receipt, I went to return them. I was so disappointed in the new Target return policy without a receipt - Only 2 returns per person per year without a receipt, you have to show your ID and the limit is $20 or less! I had to use up both of my returns for the year just to return 3 pairs of pants and 2 shirts! Just ridiculous. What do they think people are trying to scam?

We took Alex outside to play in the snow for the first time this winter, since every other time we have had a decent amount of snow, one of us has been sick. He did not like it. The snow was too deep for him to walk and he hates wearing his mittens b/c he can't grab anything. He was not a happy baby! (Ignore the Target bags on his legs - since this was his first and probably last time this winter walking in the snow and his feet grow so fast, we didn't want to spend the money on boots!)

 

[kellyf2626]

Brady is all set for game day today!! Go Pats!!!

Pollito - That is too funny about Alex and the Target bag!! Those pics of him in the snow are awesome!!

7beasly - Izzy is absolutely adorable!! Love the pics of her in Patriots gear!! Another Pats fan...maybe her and Brady should meet up!!

Tigger - Another birthday boy!! Sounds like Brady's b-day party was a blast, and that you will have lots of store credit to buy him some fun stuff!! We had some returns from Christmas, and I am saving the store credits for when he is a bit older because we have sooooooooo many toys for right now. I think he will want more "older" toys in a few months or so - and then I can go on a shopping spree!!

left210 - Disney Ron brings up an excellent point about BPA. We used Dr. Browns bottles for a while due to Brady's excess gas and fussiness. But, as soon as he could handle it, we switched to glass bottles. We actually used the Dr. Browns inserts (4-oz inserts in the 8oz glass bottle), and it worked perfectly! Now Brady can handle the regular nipple, which makes for less parts to clean!!

 

[Disney Ron]

Brady is all set for game day today!! Go Pats!!!

7beasly - Izzy is absolutely adorable!! Love the pics of her in Patriots gear!! Another Pats fan...maybe her and Brady should meet up!!

Love seeing all the kids in their Patriots gear! kellyf2626 our DS has the same jersey on as your little Brady.

Go Patriots!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mrs. Disney Ron

 

[TiggerStac]

Brady is all set for game day today!! Go Pats!!!

Pollito - That is too funny about Alex and the Target bag!! Those pics of him in the snow are awesome!!

7beasly - Izzy is absolutely adorable!! Love the pics of her in Patriots gear!! Another Pats fan...maybe her and Brady should meet up!!

Tigger - Another birthday boy!! Sounds like Brady's b-day party was a blast, and that you will have lots of store credit to buy him some fun stuff!! We had some returns from Christmas, and I am saving the store credits for when he is a bit older because we have sooooooooo many toys for right now. I think he will want more "older" toys in a few months or so - and then I can go on a shopping spree!!

left210 - Disney Ron brings up an excellent point about BPA. We used Dr. Browns bottles for a while due to Brady's excess gas and fussiness. But, as soon as he could handle it, we switched to glass bottles. We actually used the Dr. Browns inserts (4-oz inserts in the 8oz glass bottle), and it worked perfectly! Now Brady can handle the regular nipple, which makes for less parts to clean!!

Kelly...our Brady's match today. My oldest is in the new silver jersey I got him. I got a silver one for Brady, as well...but it's too big.

 

[ashjohnson80]

I am loving these pictures! Brady in his jersey- adorable! DH had a Brett Favre jersey for Ellery in case the Packers got into the superbowl, but they didn't. It's so big though, she can proabably wear it a lot better next year, lol.

Here's a picture I took of Elle earlier today rockin' her fauxhawk.

And this one is from last week

 

[Jen_in_NH]

Hi everybody!

So, Christopher has no interest in his first Superbowl game. We were going to go to one of my friends houses to watch it, but he decided not to nap today, so I'm staying home with Sir Crankypants. But at least I know why he's a bit of a crank - his 3rd tooth just came in, and it looks like #4 isn't far behind. Now he's chewing on everything he can get to his mouth - particularly the dog's tail. good thing we have a very patient dog!

I love the baby pics! Keep putting them up!