The Official New Mom Thread

[Alice28]

I'm feeling a bit more sane now; thanks for the good thoughts ladies!

The good news was simply that he will be able to call tonight; I doubt it goes any further than that...he wasn't going to be able to call until next week, but then they gave them the day off tomorrow, so he can get to a phone.

I still haven't gotten to the store to buy that beer/wine cooler, etc. I hate that OR has state run liquor stores and NO minors are allowed in the store. That would look really good if I leave my 3 kids in the car so I can go get me some booze. I mean, I can buy beer/wine/coolers in the grocery store, but not rum, vodka, etc. One of the very few things I miss about living in CA!

Molly has been a fart the last few days- sleeping horribly both at naps and nighttime. I have decided I think she's teething again. Her nose started running and she's drooling like a faucet. So, maybe her two upper teeth will make an appearance soon.

I'm glad you had a better day Gretchen. I cannot imagine not being able to use a copier when you need to. What a pain! Glad you found the secret code!

That's about all I know! Tomorrow my eldest has no school, but middle has preschool...so I told Sam that I would take him to Target and we could look at all the things on his "wish list" for his birthday next month. I have been DYING to go to Benihana, but have no one to really go with....I talked Sam into going there for his bday dinner. Aren't I sneaky? We went there for my birthday in April when DH was home and I was all, "Remember the cool balloon hat I got, and how they sang??? Wasn't that so awesome?" He's so impressionable still and he was all, "YEAH! THAT WAS SO NEAT! I WANT TO GO THERE!!!!!!!!!" Score one for mom! My son doesn't even really love that kind of food- he likes it ok, but he'd much rather just go get a burger somewhere. Anyway, he's turning 8 and kind of past a big party with all my friends and grandparents- we're having a friend party for him at the house, and then going to Benihana with my parents and my best friend and her DH and son.

 

[zalansky]

Alice28, glad to hear you're feeling better, I would have been a basket case and I would have headed off to the liquor store too! Thank goodness he is okay. I like benihana too and they make bdays festive!

 

[justhat]

Alice28, that's so scary to hear about your husband. Thank gosh that he and everyone else are safe now!

Hillbeans, Madison was fussy at night from about 2 weeks till around 6 weeks. She'd cry everynight for about an hour or so and then go to sleep. It was around 9pm that this would happen. The best part was that at 6 weeks she'd still do the cry for an hour thing, but then when she'd fall asleep at 10 she'd sleep till 7am! Well, some nights she'd wake at 3am for a feeding, but that was fine with me. So I was willing to deal with the hour or so of fussiness if it meant lots of sleep afterwards. Then shortly after she got into that pattern she stopped the crying for the hour and would just go to sleep. So the crying tapered off at 6 weeks, and ended completely by about 8 weeks I guess. Oh, and she was breastfed so not sure if formula or a change in my diet would have made a difference.

Zalansky, I love your new photo! That's so cute, and I love how Cameryn is reaching towards the camera!

 

[Alice28]

Hillbeans~ regarding the fussiness (I seem to have a knack for taking this board off topic, so I'm trying to redirect myself! )---I remember Molly's pediatrician telling me that babies go through a growth spurt around 5-6 weeks and are EXTRA hungry and fussy. Maybe he's having an early spurt & is just extra hungry? Maybe you should try a different formula if he doesn't get better; check with your doc as to what might be a good choice. I have had good luck with the Good Start, but every baby is different. I started Molly on the Enfamil the hospital gave me to supplement her with; then my milk finally came in and I just bought he Good Start with all the free coupons I had. Now she won't take any other kind of formula. I still breastfeed, but I also give her about 2 8 ounce bottles a day too.

You sometimes never know what causes a baby's fussiness. I swear, Molly has been the easiest overall of my three, but the last 48 hours or so, I'm ready to leave her with my mom and dad- she is such a CRAB POT! I think she must be teething again (like I said).... they can turn on a dime on ya. She's been sleeping poorly, not eating food that well, etc. So I'm also watching her closely to make sure it's not an ear infection.

 

[bellacam]

Alice28, Glad to hear everyone is safe, or as safe as can be.

Hillbean, Aidan had a rought first two weeks till I had to start supplementing with formula. Poor thing was hungry and not getting all he needed from me. He is doing great now. I would call the Dr about maybe trying a new formula if that worked for your first son.

A couple questions about teething - when do babies typically start? what here signs? I ask because Aidan has turned into a little drool machine and his "latch" has gotten very hard, almost like a bite. He also is constantly gnawing on his hands or whatever else he can get near his mouth. I thought this came much later. He will be 11 weeks on Monday.

 

[justhat]

Madison started 'teething' at 6 weeks old. What I mean is that she drooled excessively (had to wear bibs all day, everyday) and gnawed on everything she could stuff in her mouth (primarily her fists). Everyone said "oh look, she's teething, I bet she gets her 1st tooth soon." Right. She was 10 months old when the 1st teeth came, so we had a long teething process. After the 1st 2 teeth she calmed down a bit with the teething stuff, then started up again a couple of months later but didn't get anymore teeth till she was 16 months old. OTOH, my friend's baby got his 1st 2 teeth at 6 months and now at 10 months he's got about 6 teeth in there.

 

[Tasha+Scott]

bellacam~ Kylie started doing all of that starting around 6-7 weeks. She is over 5 months now, still drooling and chewing on everything in sight, but still hasn't gotten any teeth!

 

[DisneyPhD]

Alice28, Glad to hear everyone is safe, or as safe as can be.

Hillbean, Aidan had a rought first two weeks till I had to start supplementing with formula. Poor thing was hungry and not getting all he needed from me. He is doing great now. I would call the Dr about maybe trying a new formula if that worked for your first son.

A couple questions about teething - when do babies typically start? what here signs? I ask because Aidan has turned into a little drool machine and his "latch" has gotten very hard, almost like a bite. He also is constantly gnawing on his hands or whatever else he can get near his mouth. I thought this came much later. He will be 11 weeks on Monday.

Both my DD's popped their first tooth shortly after 12 weeks. (bottom front 2) The good news is those are hidden under the tounge when they nurse and don't cause problems with that. It is the top ones (not the 1st two, but the ones on either side of that) that can really be a pain in the (you know what) for nursing.

Good luck, we survived it. Really once the tooth cuts through it isn't as bad as building up to it.

 

[Strawberry Lemonade]

Lucas has been drooling and gnawing on anything that passes near his mouth for a few weeks now. I think I posted about it a few pages back, but I can't remember... My short term memory is shot. We've been letting him chew on frozen washcloths and if we hold a teething ring to his mouth, he'll chew on that. He can't do it himself yet. I think I asked if anyone had any other ideas for relief - if so, please let me know.

Alice28 - to you and your family. Benihana sounds like fun. We don't have one around here, but we have Japanese hibachi restaurants and they are a blast.

Gwcollins - Hope your work situation gets better.

Hillbeans - I also think maybe it's a growth spurt. There are time when we just can't keep Lucas full and he's super crabby. It should pass.

 

[Hillbeans]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement! I did call my Doctor just to talk over what Colic is and to discuss the formula issues which put my mind at ease. Last night, we only had one longish crying spell (incidentally it was at 9 pm - as many here have said before is the witching hour) which wasn't really bad at all. Liam seems to be doing better with the Enfamil Gentlease, so hopefully we'll escape what I thought was the beginning of Colic.

Justthat and Tasha - I hope your little ones get through the teething alright, I know sometimes they just wake up the next day with a tooth and then you say to yourself "so that's why there were so upset yesterday".

Bellacam - 11 weeks may be early for teething, but it can happen that early.

Hope everyone has a great weekend! I just hope and pray that it stops raining here in NJ - we've had a whole year's worth of rain in 6 days.

 

[lissawynn]

Teething - Jimmy has been drooling and chewing for months and months. We don't have any teeth yet. I'm frustrated b/c he isn't really interested in baby food any more, but he can't have small bites of our food without the teeth. I'm hoping they show up soon.

Alice28 - I hope things are getting better for you and your DH. As much as I'd like to club my DH sometime, I don't know what I'd do w/out him. When your hubby comes home and takes you and the boys on the adventures, I'm sure life will settle down for all of you. You're a much stronger person than most.

Jimmy is finally crawling! He was rolling as his form of transportation, and this week he made the jump to crawling. He's also taken to climbing on DH and me. I'm thinking he's going to be pulling himself up on our coffee table and ottoman soon. I think the babyproofing is going to have to begin.

On a different note...one of my cats has taken to using our basement as his personal litter box. I think I know which one of the two it is, but I can be sure since I haven't caught him in the act. It went from urine on my laundry baskets (with the clothes in, no less) to poop in the mat right outside of the kitty boxes (I keep 3). I'm going to put the suspect in the dog's crate for a few days with a litter box and food to see if the messes stop. If he straightens out, great. If not, I'm afraid I'm going to have to have him put to sleep (which I REALLY don't want to do). I feel bad for him b/c he was born with a bent foot, and I wouldn't want to give him to someone else for fear he wouldn't be treated well, but I can't have the messes continue. Let's hope he gets himself together.

Hope you're all enjoying your weekend!

 

[katerkat]

Russ started chewing and drooling at 11 weeks - we're now at 7 months without any teeth sightings!

Robin - I'm sorry about your DH! Mine was scheduled to come home at the end of the month, but he has a kidney stone and they won't let him leave until he passes it. Argh!

Oh, Lissawynn - does Jimmy hate the mush baby food or all baby food? Russ hates the mush, so we've been giving him Cheerios and less-pureed versions of fruits and veggies. He has no teeth but he's doing well with the chunks. He adores Cheerios.

 

[tkyes]

hugs to you too katerkat! i hope your dh passes that stone soon (OUCH!) so he can come home. i bet you're so anxious!

congrats on jimmy crawling lisa! how exciting!!!!

hillbeans - hopefully liam continues to get better.


tamie

 

[DisneyPhD]

Hi mommies. Lily still isn't walking yet, but OMG is she on the move. She scoots so fast you wouldn't belive it. Today she actaully climb upstairs byselfe (in under 1 min.) DH was wacthing her and I was upstairs helping my 14 year old niece get ready for homecoming dance. DD yelled and I looke dand there she was on the top step. 13 steps total. Not bad for a baby that doesn't even walk yet.

Then she did the basement stairs byherself too (this time DH was spotting her.) She is fast.

She is standing by herself good too.

It is funny because every kid is so different. Her big sister had been walking for 6 months at this age and talking in full sentences. I must say I like my Lilypie just the way she is though!

Alice28, how is DH doing?

 

[justhat]

Katerkat, I hope your husband is feeling better soon-especially so tha the can come home on time!

Lissawynn, like I've said before Madison didn't get any teeth till 10 months. But she also hated baby food too. Like you I thought she had to have teeth in order to start chewing actual pieces of food, but I found out she didn't. I started with Gerber Puffs cause they basically dissolve on the tongue and she was fine with them. She was about 8-9 months when she first tried them. Then we gave her other soft foods in very, very tiny pieces. We'd rip up pieces of bread for her that were so small my FIL called them crumbs! Gradually we went to bigger pieces and more varieties of foods. Another great one for us was the Gerber Graduates veggies. They're super soft and basically mush up in their mouth right away, so no chewing problems. By a year she was basically done with mashed baby food and would only eat the Gerber Graduates or real people food. And she only had her 2 bottom front teeth then.

The reason I tried giving her food was that someone here on the boards posted something about how even once babies get teeth, they generally get the front ones first anyway, which you don't use to chew/mash up food. If I had waited till she got molars before I gave her anything other than jarred foods she would have been 16 months! So maybe try giving him some tiny pieces and see what he does with them.

 

[Tasha+Scott]

lissawynn~ Congrats on Jimmy crawling! How exciting!

katerkat~ I hope your Dh gets to come home soon! I know you and Alice must be going crazy and I can't wait till both of you let us know that your Dhs are finally home!

Well, this week has been interesting! Dh's company was recently bought out. That was a good thing though. We are now eligible for pretty good health and dental insurance (that is much more affordable than what the old company offered before!) which will go into effect on Dec. 1. He will get more vacation time and more sick/personal days, a good 401K plan, and life insurance. And another plus is before he was only allowed to take his vacation time between April 1-Sept. 1. Now he can take it from March 1-Oct. 1 which is a nice change since it means more variety in when we can take our vacations. It also means that we can now go to MNSSHP one year which I can't wait to do! So all in all, I am excited about this change! The only downside is that it messed up Dh's pay periods which means he didn't get paid this week as he originally was supposed to and it will be next week before he gets paid again. Oh, well. It'll all be back on track after next week anyway.

Another thing we have discovered is that it seems that Kylie all of a sudden either has separation anxiety or stranger anxiety or perhaps both. She won't let anyone hold her except me or Dh or she screams and cries and just acts plain miserable! She wouldn't let MIL or FIL hold her and made sure that dh and I never left the room! Poor thing even reached her arms out to her "dada" when his mom was holding her! Then, a friend of dh's tried to hold her earlier and she went crazy! Ey yi yi! I know that this is common in babies and that it can happen around this age but still! We are supposed to see my mother on Monday in the first time in over a month and I hope she won't be afraid to let my mom hold her! And she is supposed to get her 6 month/Christmas pictures made the end of this month so I hope this phase won't affect that!

But there have been some exciting things going on here too. She is now almost sitting up on her own. And today she raised up onto her knees several times and is trying to crawl! I couldn't believe it! Dh and I were just in awe! She's so young still so we were surprised. She isn't crawling yet though or anything but at this rate she will be by Christmas (possibly sooner)...just in time to get into all the presents and into the tree!

As far as baby food, we started Kylie on it almost a month ago, I think. The first one she tried was green beans and she loved them. Now she only eats a few bites of anything we give her. And she isn't crazy about cereal either. I have tried mixing fruit into her cereal too but it doesn't seem to help. The only baby foods she has really shown much interest at all in is green beans and sweet potatoes. We have also tried sweet peas, carrots, applesauce, bananas, and pears. She tolerates a couple bites of those at best. And she doesn't eat much of the green beans or sweet potatoes anymore either. She doesn't like oatmeal cereal at all and prefers the rice when I can get her to eat it. However, she loves sitting in her highchair and wants to play with the bowl and spoon. I have tried giving her a separate bowl and spoon to play with while I feed her but it doesn't really help. I think she is going to be another that is not crazy about mushy baby food. Oh, well, can't say that I blame her! We're going to try it for about another month and if she still isn't showing much interest in it then we will try doing the Cheerios or the Gerber puffs or something. She will be close to 7 months so maybe she will respond better to those.

Have a great weekend everyone!

 

[Alice28]

Real quick cause I'm so tired---

DH is fine; exhausted working 14 hour patrols, but made it thru the elections safely.

Yay Jimmy for crawling- Molly is scooching, but not on hands & knees yet.

Katerkat- that sucks they're not releasing your DH til he passes the stone. Can't he just fake it? Yeah right, lol; I'm a kidney stone gal myself and that is vomit-inducing pain.

to us all.

 

[Strawberry Lemonade]

Alice28 - Glad your DH is safe.

Katerkat - I'm a kidney stone sufferer too. I hope your DH makes it through that ok. It really is worse than childbirth - and now that I've gone through both, I can say that and mean it.

Lissawynn - Congrats to Jimmy!!

DisneyPhD - Good for Lily!

Tasha - We're dying to go to MNSSHP too. We're hoping to go next year. How cool that the change in your DH's vacation period will let you go.

Lucas is going for his 4 month checkup on Tuesday. I can't wait to find out how much he's grown. He's filling out his 3-6 month clothes quite nicely and we're going to have to move him to the next size diaper when we run out of his current size. I'm pretty sure the Dr will give the go ahead to start him on solids.

Hope everyone is having a nice weekend. We were supposed to go to a pumpkin patch but it's still kind of soggy outside even though it FINALLY stopped raining. I think we'll try to go next weekend. At this rate, we may not get pumpkins before Halloween.

 

[vald1977]

Hi everyone ,
Robin and Katerkat,
Sending prayers for your dh's .

Lisawynn,
Congrats on Jimmy crawling . How exciting!

Tasha,
I don't know if you remember but I have a friend who had a dd very close to the time Kylie was born (Chloe was born 4/27) and she is having the same stranger anxiety issue. She even screams when my friend leaves the room for a minute. She doesn't want anyone else holding her at all but thankfully does okay with her daycare. Hopefully it will pass for both of you.

SL,
I think I remember that you are in CT also right? The rain has been unbelievable! We had a couple of dry hours yesterday and were able to take the kids to get their pumpkins and to pick some apples. I love taking pictures at the pumpkin patches. Well, while we were there it started pouring rain again so I didn't get many picutures . Today is the first time I've seen the sun in I don't know how long!

DisneyPhd,
It sure sounds like Lily is getting around just fine even without the walking .

Hillbeans,
We also had the same issue with a real cranky period in the evening. Actually, Katrina is back to doing that every night for some reason. I hope you are able to get some rest soon .

Justthat and Tkyes,
Just thought I would say hi .

Things are going pretty good around here although Katie-bean has gone back to having a fussy hour every night. She is still not sleeping through the night either . I think part of the problem is that she will only eat 4 oz. bottles still. Everytime I try to give her 6 oz. at a time she never finishes it. But she has about 7-8 bottles a day to get enough formula. I don't know how to get her to eat more at each serving so she can have less bottles overall.

My friend (Chloe's mom who I was talking about earlier) and I did our annual shopping trip last weekend. It's something we have been doing for about 10 years now. Every Columbus Day weekend we take off early in the morning and shop, shop, shop, all day and get home around 10 at night. It's always SO much fun. We end up loading the car full to the brim with all our Christmas shopping. Next year we decided we're taking her DH's truck !

Anyway, I got almost all of my kid's Christmas shopping done. Boy, I am really feeling the cost difference between one kid and two now . I think I will end up spending around $300 by the time I am done. Usually I can get away with about $100 - 150 when it was just DS. I don't know how you all with more than two do it. DS is getting a new bike (awesome deal - I got it for $27.99 fully assembled), Fusion Crew, remote controlled dinosaur, and a Doodle Monster for his big presents along with a few small things also. Katie is getting the laugh and Learn table, the roll arounds school bus, a Johnny Jumper and a Cabbage Patch Kids baby for her big presents. I just couldn't resist the Cabbage Patch Kid even though she is way too little for it. It had her birthday .

I'll share some three month pics a little later. Hope everyone has a great Sunday !

 

[KristiKelly]

Teething - Jimmy has been drooling and chewing for months and months. We don't have any teeth yet. I'm frustrated b/c he isn't really interested in baby food any more, but he can't have small bites of our food without the teeth. I'm hoping they show up soon.

DD#1 didn't get teeth until she was 10-1/2 mo old. She did fine with baby food but started eating from the table at 11 mo. even though she only had her 2 front bottom teeth. I just cut up bites really, really small. She did fine.