The new "New Moms" thread!

[k_reile]

Hi...I need help to find out what I am doing wrong!

For the last 3 weeks Caleb (now 4 mos) has been waking up hungry about 2:30-3:30am. So we started cereal. Worked for one night. Started putting it in the bottle bc at night he can be tired and cranky and not wanting to eat from a spoon. Wakes up during the night. Dr at last appt said to give cereal now in the am and solid veggie at lunch and dinner feedings. Worked for one night.

What we are now doing is:
1st feeding :when wakes up bottle 6 oz (i just give him bottle here on weekdays because it takes too long to get the cereal and bottle down when I have to get to work)
2nd feeding: Grandma gives him 4tsp cereal manually and a 6 oz bottle
3rd feeding: Half of stage one container veggie (currently green beans) and 6 oz bottle
4th feeding: Rest of veggie and 6 oz bottle
5th feeding which is betime feeding I had been putting 4tsp cereal into a 6oz bottle

What am I doing wrong because he wakes up everynight wanting a bottle. I just have been keeping the formula in a container and a bottle filled with water everynight in our bedroom so I don;t have to go downstairs. Last night he woke up at 2:30 am and 5am---ate both times

Do you think manually feeding him 4 tsp cereal and giving him his bottle will keep him fuller?? My MIL (who keeps him during the day) and I don;t think he is ready for 8 oz each time bc he still spits up quite a bit after 6 oz. When do they normually take 8 oz?? )I am soo tired that everything is piling up and not getting done. I even had last wed off plus a long weekend and I did nothing around the house I was soo tired.

Also he is on Similac Isomal (the soy formula)...do you think switching him to the regualar formula will keep him fuller (we have the go ahead from the doctor but just haven;t because he is used to the soy)

DO you have any answers/stories.
Thanks!

 

[DMickey28]

Argh ... Milk prices. I buy Alexander Whole Organic milk. One gallon = $5.97 = 5-6 days. I buy our 2% milk at publix for $3.47. I want to put him on regular whole milk but I feel guilty! I don't know why. I don't want to drop down to 2% yet because he still drinks a whole 8oz and instant breakfast mixed in at bedtime. Otherwise he wakes up in the middle of the night starving.

Speaking of which k_relie - I don't not have any advice on Caleb. As you can see above, my monster, still drinks a ton of milk and we only recently got of formula by switching the last bottle to a large glass of carnation instant breakfast. He's a horse and I have run out of hours in the day to feed him regular food so this is what I do. Otherwise he is up at 4am starving. I never really had an issue with him spitting up in the first place so he was drinking 8 oz at a sitting pretty early. I know by 4mos he was taking at least 8oz if not 10. Seriously ... I had to get bigger bottles for a while there around 4-8 months because he was eating so much. I wish I had more/better advice for you. Good Luck ...

 

[Jen_in_NH]

DMickey - I was doing the organic milk thing for a long time too. I finally had to stop - it just got too expensive. I found that one of the stores around here has their brand of milk with no hormone added / no hormones for the cows (can't remember how the label reads) For the price, I had to change. Given my choice, I'd still be doing the organic one Something just feels better.

 

[Villain-lover]

Hey ladies! Here is the link to some recent pics of the twins from my facebook page. They include a couple of pics of Sam's stiches. He gets them out on Thursday. He will probably hate it since he hated to be restrained! You guys take care!

Oh, on the milk issue..we always buy from Wal-Mart since it is cheaper! They are going through a gallon every few days.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=8174&l=2d689&id=1614252816

 

[DMickey28]

Aww .. I can't believe how big the twins are!! I love the picture when they are holding hands. Poor Sam and his stitches.

I think Walmart touts their brand as hormone free too. I might have to switch to that soon. The Organic is killing my grocery bill now that he's off the toddler formula.

We are having a cold front come through in the next few days. I am soooo excited!!! I just got Alexander's box of Gymbuck/Gymboree clothes for the spring but I will happily wait a week to dress him in those in favor of jeans and sweaters for a few days!!

 

[Villain-lover]

Thanks Dmickey! We are probably going to drop our bedtime bottle in a couple of weeks (15 months). I want to get to our checkup first and just see how the weights are. I may end up doing milk/carnation instant breakfast or maybe pedialyte before bed. I think the instant breakfast will be cheaper though. I feel like they bothe ned the calories before bed since we are at that stage where meals may be hit or miss.

 

[beckmrk04]

Evenin' Ladies!

Oh, the Melting Pot was SO good last night. I wish that place wasn't so expensive. BUT- they just came out with a cookbook that has all their recipes plus some in it!!! I am going to order it ASAP! I have to recreate the cheddar cheese fondue- I freakin' love that stuff.

k_reile- you aren't doing anything wrong- that's just how babies are. Seriously. They go through phases where they wake up all the time. Or, he may be getting ready to hit a big growth spurt and he just needs the extra bottle right now. Maybe when he wakes up don't immediately grab the bottle- see if you can soothe him back to sleep without it first. He may just be expecting it now. But, maybe he is really hungry. With Vaylie, I never put cereal in her bottle but I made the last bottle of the night bigger (maybe 6 oz instead of 4, or whatever). I tried to fill her up right before bed. It worked for us. I know it's hard being sleep deprived. But, really- neither of you is doing anything wrong! Hopefully it's just one of those crazy baby phases and it will be over before you know it.

Dmickey- I think I am as excited to have you POAS as you are! Someone needs to be preggers. I can't stand it.

JennyL- good luck with the milk challenge! I hope everything goes ok!

Re: milk- we still buy whole milk for Vaylie. I'm going to ask the ped about making the switch to 2% or skim at her 2 year check. I don't know- we really don't drink milk so I don't care what we buy- I just use it for cereal and to cook with. I feel like Vaylie needs the fat still, though- she's so tiny! And I rarely buy organic anything. Unless it's on sale. I hate that it is so much more expensive.

Jen- I think all toddlers have been switched to "Melt Down Mode" recently. Vaylie has been crazy. So has my nephew.

 

[Villain-lover]

Becky, how much does Vaylie weigh? Zoe is 19 lbs right now..long & lean. She constantly floats between 10%-5%. I wonder if Zoe is built kinda like Vaylie. Have Drs ever been concerned about Vaylie's weight? They are not concerned about Zoe..she has stayed on her own pattern of growth, but was just curious.

 

[beckmrk04]

Becky, how much does Vaylie weigh? Zoe is 19 lbs right now..long & lean. She constantly floats between 10%-5%. I wonder if Zoe is built kinda like Vaylie. Have Drs ever been concerned about Vaylie's weight? They are not concerned about Zoe..she has stayed on her own pattern of growth, but was just curious.

I think V is about 25 lbs (I can't get her to stand still on the scale and I keep getting an error message! ). At 15 months she was 21 lbs and barely in the 25th %.

And her dr. has never been concerned- she's got a consistent growth curve. Doc said she's just a dainty, petite little thing. Zoe does sound like she's built like Vaylie- Vaylie's in the 50th % for height, but she's light as a feather. Her cousin is only 3 months older, about 3 inches taller and 7-8 lbs heavier! He is solid!

(OT, Meredith, but I pulled V's baby book out to check how big she was at 15 months, and now I'm seeing all kinds of things I never filled in. *sigh* )

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Just a quick post - we're all sick here and poor Owen is miserable. He's had a fever all afternoon, and I'm about to do one last check. If it's still up we're taking him in to urgent care. I've been alternating ibuprophen and tylenol all day, and he was still at 102 (ear) at 4, so the advice nurse said to give him some more tylenol then, wait an hour, and if it's still elevated to bring him in at 5. My poor baby. He's slept so much today, and when he was awake he just wanted to be held. I read him stories until my voice was nearly gone, and I let him watch Blue's Clues and Backyardigans and Little Einsteins just to get him to drink some more fluids. I'm really worried about him...

crossing my fingers that his temp is down...

 

[Jen_in_NH]

Bethany. I hope Owen's doing better.

Meredith - they are so stinking cute! Good luck with the stitches.

re: weight. Christopher is finally back up to what he weighed at 1 year. He pretty much stopped gaining weight after that, then was losing weight when he started walking. The doc had said it was no problem, and was keeping an eye on it. He said likely the weight loss was the first hint of diabetes, but until he got sick, no one ever would have picked up on that.

If anyone's looking for some good clothes sales, the Children's Place clearance online is pretty good. I just got him some sweaters and fleece tops for next winter pretty cheap.

 

[kellyf2626]

Jenny - Good luck with the milk! And that's great that Noah has figured out the sippy cup! Brady used to do the exact same thing...tip it back too far and fall over! Too funny!

DMickey - Can't wait to see the result of your next test!!!! Brady is still drinking 8oz before he goes to bed....he needs it too. Especially lately because he has been so fussy with meals, so he needs to be "topped-off" to get him through the night. I can't believe I am still lettting him have a bottle at 18 months old....but he just doesn't drink the same amount from the sippy!

Denise - As DMickey said, vent as often as you would like! That is why we are here!!

Jen - Brady is being a real pill lately too. He was such a crank today...whining all day, throwing stuff, and just out of sorts. I was counting down the minutes until bedtime!!! Ya - we get that brand of whole milk that doesn't have any hormones. Is it Hannaford? I forget....

k_reile - Hmmm....I don't think it's anything that you are doing wrong that is making Caleb wake-up at night. He could be going through a growth-spurt. The only suggestion I would make is to give him 2-3 tablespoons of cereal with a fruit or veggie at breakfast and then again at dinner, with bottles in-between. Brady used to wake-up sometimes for that 3am feeding, and would suck-down an entire bottle. My ped would tell me that he was more doing it out of habit, and not because he was actually hungary - even though he was drinking the bottle. For a few nights I would go in, check him, but if everything was ok, let him fuss until he went back to sleep. Sometimes that meant crying for 20-30min....but after a few night of this....he wasn't waking up anymore. Good luck and KUP!

Meredith - The twins are so cute and getting so big!!! Love the pics!!!

Becky - Sounds like you had a great time at the Melting Pot! And I totally agree with "Melt Down Mode"...is it a full-moon or something?

Bethany - Sorry to hear that you are all sick and that Owen is feeling so bad! Please KUP!! I hope his fever comes down and he is feeling better tomorrow!

*********************************************************

Ok...I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited!!! DH and I booked an adult-only Disney trip for 8 nights in May!!!! We had been talking for a while about going this spring - especially since we are hoping to get pregnant this summer - for a last "hoor-ah". We are going down with my brother and his girlfriend, who are huge Disney fans and DVC members as well. It should be an AWESOME trip. We are staying at the Boardwalk and plan to eat, drink, and relax as much as we can! We are still going in September, so I don't have to feel guilty about not bringing Brady this trip. People think we are CRAZY for going to Disney as our getaway trip...they just don't understand! My parents are taking Brady for the entire time. I actually think they are more excited about having him then we are about going to Disney!

On another note....Brady was AWFUL today....the second he went to bed, I poured myself a nice, big glass of wine!

 

[DMickey28]

Jen - I am glad Christopher is back up on track all around. That's great!! I DO NOT NEED to hear about a sale at TCP. I just got our box of Gymboree stuff but heck, we are leaning heavily towards moving home in the summer so I'll need more cooler weather clothes!!!

Meredith - We started with the pedia-sure but it was WAY TOO EXPENSIVE. The difference between generic and brand wasn't that great either. That's why we went to Instant Breakfast. I get the big box at BJ's.

Becky - I will be sure to let you know as soon as I get a BFP. I don't know when we will tell IRL and I don't even know when I will tell DH, I want to surprise him. So I will need to scream it out here ... please keep me in your thoughts the next few days. I feel really good about this month but I hope ... Oh ... I bet V is too light for the regular scale. Alexander will stand still on our scale and it still won't pick him up and gives error messages.

Bethany - I am sorry you guys are sick. That stinks.

At our ped appointment Alexander was just over 34lbs with a empty diaper, shorts and t-shirt on. Yikes ... I am going to estimate he is about 38inches, he was 36 1/4 inches at 18 months and he had a height growth recently. Everything I have read about the growth of babies/toddlers is that as long as they are on the same curve and stay consistant with their own growth they are doing great.

 

[Villain-lover]

Sorry you guys withth cranky kiddos! Mine do pretty good,but Sam is really hitting that tantrum phase quickly. He is particularly fond of throwinghimself down on occasion when someting is not going his way. We were leaving the gym the other day and he still wanted to play. He dropped to his knees to throw himself down. I told him NOT NICE and said we had to leave. Scooped him up and we were out of there. Zoe is totally go with the flow about stuff like that..guess she just wants to go where Mommy goes!

Bethany..you guys feel better!

 

[kellyf2626]

Oh ... I bet V is too light for the regular scale. Alexander will stand still on our scale and it still won't pick him up and gives error messages.

A home weigh-in tip! We have a regular scale that Brady won't stand still on either. So.....we weigh ourselves, and then weigh ourselves holding him....and then minus our own weight!

 

[k_reile]

Kelly--Yeah for a disney trip. DH and I last stayed at the boardwalk. We loved the proximitey to Epcot. We were there for free dining and the beg of food and wine festival. We loved drinking around the world. Our next trip we are going with my parents and brother/sil/newphew (2). We want to stay at the beach club bc kids will love the pool/less bus options to get around but really we like to walk to epcot or espn for a drink and since we will have grandma and grandpa with us it will be easy for DH and I to get away a little bit.

thanks for the suggestions. We came home and he had the rest of the green beans and 8 oz bottle. He took a short nap and then woke up around 9 and wanting to have his bedtime bottle. I fed him 4 tsp cereal and gave him a 8 oz bottle and he ate 5 oz before falling asleep. Lets hope he sleeps through the night...if not I think I will have to wake up daddy (who is a heavy sleeper and seems to never hear him) Caleb is still in our room. Mommy needs her sleep!

Good night!

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Well we went in to urgent care, and I'm glad we did. Owen has a double ear infection - both ears!! The dr. said it's still in the early stages, but that's why he's got the fever and it isn't coming down with tylenol. She's started him on antibiotics, and said to keep an eye on him because right now there are several antibiotic resistant bugs making the rounds in our area, so if he isn't showing signs of improvement in 2 or 3 days or takes a turn for the worse we're to bring him back in. Poor baby is just miserable. Normally he's a wiggly curious boy and bringing him to the dr. is one big adventure for him, but tonight he just wanted to sleep in my arms and cried every time he woke up. We had to get him to eat something with his meds once we got him home, and he was very unhappy about it. I hope this helps him, and soon.

We were quite the family at the dr office - all 3 of us sniffling and coughing away.

We're supposed to go out for dinner tomorrow night with the in-laws and some friends from out of town. I'm not sure about it now, but we do have a good baby sitter and it will be for less than 2 hours, so I don't know. We'll see how Owen's doing, I guess.

 

[kellyf2626]

k_reile - We LOVE the Epcot area! Our past few trips have been at the Boardwalk. My brother had actually booked AK Kidani Village for the trip first, but then we all decided that since it was an adult-only trip, we would all prefer to be near the Boardwalk and Epcot....more adult options of things to do. When we go in September we have to stay at SSR, and none of us are *too* thrilled. We have developer points from purchasing at AKV this past September, and they have to be used there. I am sure we will have fun regardless and I have heard nice things about the resort. It just isn't our first choice....but hey...it's Disney! It will be great!

Bethany - Awwww....poor Owen. Is this his first experience with ear infections? When Brady got his first one a couple months back, the poor kid was just miserable. It took about 36 hours on the antibiotic for him to appear even somewhat better. But, his fever came down a lot after about 24 hours, so that was good. I hope the medicine helps Owen quickly, and that you and DH feel better too!!!

 

[DisneyGirl4188]

k_reile, no real suggestions, but Spencer still wakes up at night. I breastfeed and we didn't start cereal or solids until 6 months. He does tend to wake up more when teething or going through a growth spurt.

Kelly, congrats on the vacation!!

Meredith, love the pics!

Bethany, I hope you all get better quickly.

 

[7beasley]

Hi guys...this thread has been hopping!

Glad to see that for the most part - everyone is doing well - nothwithstanding some crabby and sick kids!

Sorry its been so long since I've posted - I am reading every day though and keeping up!

Jen I am glad Christopher is doing better!

DMickey - my fingers are crossed for you for a BFP - I agree with Bec - its time for another round of pregnancies -- we have our fingers crossed for May/June! And the online psychic sounds awesome!! I love that stuff.

Kreile - sorry - no advice on the hunger issue -- someone said they give their kiddo instant breakfast mixed into their bottle at night -- I thought that was a great idea - I am going to file that idea away for future use!

Michelle -- Hi -- glad to see you and Will are doing great!

Pollitto -- you will know when the time is right to TTC again -- how is your work travel schedule - are you still traveling alot?

Bethany -- I am so sorry to hear poor little Owen has a double ear infection - poor kid! Hope he feels better soon.

Jenny -- Noah's party pix were adorable -- sorry to hear about his mild allergy - sometimes kids outgrow a milk allergy!

Becky -- Hope Seasame Street live was fun and the Melting Pot sounds delicious. You must be very proud of yourself for organizing a part of your kitchen - way to go! I *love* to organize - love it love it love it -- I wish I could quit my lawyer job and become a professional organizer/wedding planner! Seriously - that is my calling. By the way - I loved the pix of Vaylie - she is simply adorable!

Kelly -- Happy Belated Birthday. Your pix from the wedding are beautiful - you look pretty! And great news about the adults only disney trip - we did that last Sept for our anniversary and had an awesome time. Super cool too about Brady's casting calls...I would love to do that with Izzy!

Amber -- I love the pix of Spencer in the hamper - what a ham!

Meredith -- poor Sam with his stiches - - the restraining them during medical procedures is the worst -- when we had to hold Izzy down while they took out her tooth it was awful!

Denise -- Mo is getting so big. Sorry for your stress right now re the whole Jewish babysitter/Kosher thing -- perhaps you could talk to Charles and try to convince him that the baby sitter does not have to be Jewish.

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As for Sippy cups -- we use the Nuby ones with the handle and also have been getting some with the straws lately -- I got some cute animal ones with straws at the Christmas Tree Shop last weekend.

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As for Milk - ugh - I hear you on how expensive it is and how fast we go through it. We try to buy our milk at Walmart or Sams but we have a Honey Farms on the corner so in an emergency we go there and it is about $1.50 more expensive!! I have lately been putting Izzy's evening bottle if she doesn't drink it back in the fridge and giving it to her in teh morning rather than throwing it out (like I had been doing!)

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I hear you Kelly and Bec on the weight stuff -- I hate weight. I feel like I am constantly dieting -- I need to try to lose 40 lbs before I get pregnant again too...I just ordered the books (a 3 book series) "Eat This Not That" - there is an everyday food one, a supermarket one and one for kids...so we will see. I also found a treadmill routine that is 20 minutes 3x a week that mixes up speeds and inclines which I am trying -- again -- we'll see. I am hoping that prior to my Frozen Embroyo Transfer IVF the doc will put me back on metformin for my pre-diabetes sugar levels...that seems to help with weight loss and will probably help with the IVF in May/June.

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So - what do you guys think of the Octopulets mom? 14 kids under 8 years of age -- it is outrageous!!! As a mom who went through IVF - I cannot believe that the doctor would transfer 8 embryos!! Seriously - how irresponsible is that. Our clinic won't transfer more than 2 and they really push you to only transfer one! When we do IVF again I think we are going to transfer just one. We have 4 frozens (Meredith: I checked with the clinic - and you are right - they usually freeze in groups of 2 but if you don't have alot of frozens (like us) they freeze singles -- so we have 4 singles frozen)!!

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Bathfitters is here now putting in a new shower stall over our old one downstairs ( our old one was leaking so we weren't using it) -- so that is exciting -- it will help when we put our house on the market soon!

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And last but not least -- Ms. Izzy is clocking in at 31 1/2 inches and 26 pounds. She is doing great. She is a happy little kid. She has a molar coming in on the bottom now too. And lately she has been talking up a storm - we have been teaching her eyes, nose, mouth and when you ask her "where are mommy's eyes" she'll point to your eyes etc...we have also been teaching her "what does the cow/doggy/duck say?" and she makes the noise -- it is **so** cute!!!

Have a great day ladies. Sorry for my long post -- I won't wait to post so long next time!!

-Nicole