The Official New Mom Thread

[Strawberry Lemonade]

Tasha - Glad to hear the yard sale went well. Yard sales tend to bring out the crazies, I've noticed. You'll have to post Kylie's pictures if you can! We have an appointment for next Saturday at Target for Lucas's holiday picture. It's also his first "professional photo shoot". I just hope he grows into his pants by then.

bellacam - Aidan looks like he's enjoying that Bumbo! I was seriously considering getting one for Lucas, but I thought it might be to late. I'm hoping he'll be sitting up on his own soon.

Vald - Lucas will only roll over *sometimes* and even then it's only front-to-back. (I'm still trying to get him to do it in front of my mom because DH and I are the only ones who have seen him do it so far.) Try enticing her with a toy, but they seem to do it only when they really want to.

Tkyes - Poor Tyler! I hope you find something that work on that rash of his.

I'm still sick, but Lucas seems to be feeling better. He was actually still sleeping when I left for work this morning and I still have to check in with DH to see how he did. Hope everyone had a nice weekend!

 

[Inside Ball]

Sorry

 

[Inside Ball]

Sorry again

 

[Inside Ball]

Hi
Sorry I haven't posted for a while but hi to every one and hope all well. We have just returned from Disney very good time by all but what with jetlag and 3 children to get back into a routine I am knackered does anyone else never seem to have enough time ???? Sorry for moaning have holiday blues at the mo.
2sweetangels I don't know if you can buy it in America but here (u.k.) we have a herbal cream called Bachs Rescue Cream and it is great for all sorts of dry skin problems esp cradle cap.
Does anyone have any advice about getting babies to sleep through the night I know she is only three and a half months old but I need some sleep any advice or tips would be great Thanks

 

[2sweetangels]

Hi
Sorry I haven't posted for a while but hi to every one and hope all well. We have just returned from Disney very good time by all but what with jetlag and 3 children to get back into a routine I am knackered does anyone else never seem to have enough time ???? Sorry for moaning have holiday blues at the mo.
2sweetangels I don't know if you can buy it in America but here (u.k.) we have a herbal cream called Bachs Rescue Cream and it is great for all sorts of dry skin problems esp cradle cap.
Does anyone have any advice about getting babies to sleep through the night I know she is only three and a half months old but I need some sleep any advice or tips would be great Thanks

I never heard of that cream, Ill look around. My DD will be 3 months on wednesday and she still won't sleep through the night, I am gonna start her on Gerber food carrot's first and hopefully she will have a full belly to make it through the night without waking up for a bottle. I already gave her rice cerel, but that didn't seem to work. I was blessed with my 1st DD, when she was 2 1/2 weeks old she started sleeping through the night on her own.

katelyn 1.17.04
Hayley 8.16.05

 

[T16GEM]

On the subject of sleeping through the night - I think that DD would probably go through if we left her to, but our nurse at the hospital told us not to let her go anymore than 4 -5 hours without waking her to feed. I must admit to having left her for 6 hours because I NEEDED SLEEP!!! but I don't do that regularly, she will be 4 weeks old on Friday, how long did you leave yours and did you wake them to feed in the night if they didn't wake themselves?

This thread moves so quickly and I haven't had a chance to read back yet - I wil get there eventually!

Shelby is growing so quickly she had put on 10 oz in a week when she was weighed last week - the health visitor is coming to see us tomorrow to weigh her again so I am excited to see how much she has gained this week. They told us that a BF baby should put on about 5 oz in a week and a bottle fed baby about 7-8 oz. I am supplementing breast milk at the moment and DH is feeding with formula during the night which I think explains the big gain! We have told the HV that we are just giving Shelby 1 bottle during the night but we are having to give her top ups at most feeds as I don;t think that I am producing very much milk although she likes to have suck (I'm not sure if she gets milk and then just stays there for comfort though) we had to tell them this as they said that we had to make the decision about breast of formula but we have decided to do what works best for us and Shelby.

DH annoyed me sooooo much this morning - he wasn't due in work until lunch time so we all had a lie in, I fed Shelby and then she wouldn;t go back to sleep so I spent an hour getting her back to sleep, then I went back to bed myself, about 45 mins later DH's mobile phone rang and he started chatting away at (what seemed like) the top of his voice so the next thing was that Shelby was screaming again! I was most upset as it ruined my lie in, so I got up and hung up the washing instead!

 

[gwcollins71]

Hillbeans,

I haven't looked to see if you've already solved your colic/carrier dilemma. When Lily was uber fussy (the first 2 months) the only thing that worked was a sling type carrier. I wanted a Maya wrap but I got a free Nojo baby sling. It's kind of dorky looking but she'd settle right down and just suck on her binky and look around. I kept her really tight against me and kept her swaddled at the same time. Even now, when she's fussy, she'll settle down in it. She's just too heavy to use it all the time now.

The sling itself is kind of bulky as the edges are padded, but it held her securely. I would hold it if I was bending over just in case. I think the thing I liked the most about the sling was that people wouldn't just start poking at her like they would if I was out holding her. I actually brought her to open house in the sling and our other back to school nights at the beginning of the year. It was that comfortable.

Anyway, I also have the Bjorn (also free) and the Snugli (the cheap one as I didn't want to pay a lot in case she didn't like it). I like the Bjorn better as the straps are more padded. I am heavy and it works as long as I'm not wearing a sweater or jacket. The Snugli is a little bigger but the straps aren't as cushy.

Hope the info helps.
Gretchen

 

[gwcollins71]

Hello Im Amy, I guess Im not considered a NEW mommy since I have a 22 month DD, but I do have a new baby. I gave birth to my 2nd DD 8/16/05 so she is almost 3 months already. Its not easy taking care of 2 children that are young, but I manage.


Amy
Katelyn 1/17/04
Hayley 8/16/05

Welcome Amy!

Just a silly question... Where in Chicago are you. I just moved out to Plainfield in 2004. I'm a Chicagoan through and through. i grew up on the Northside and lived a stint in Wrigleyville.

Gretchen

 

[Tasha+Scott]

Okay, ladies! If you joined the exchange check your PMs when you have a chance. I have drawn names already so I went ahead and PMed you your person's info. Any additional questions feel free to PM me.

The following should have a PM with your person's info. in it:

2sweetangels
SL
Alice
Gems
lissawynn
bellacam
justhat
DisKim
Gretchen
Minnesota!
Hillbeans

Have fun shopping ladies!

 

[2sweetangels]

Welcome Amy!

Just a silly question... Where in Chicago are you. I just moved out to Plainfield in 2004. I'm a Chicagoan through and through. i grew up on the Northside and lived a stint in Wrigleyville.

Gretchen

I live right in the city. I was born and raised here. I also grew up on the northside of Chicago. I love Chicago, I left once and lived in Phoenix,Az for 2 years, but I ended up coming home.

 

[Strawberry Lemonade]

Okay, ladies! If you joined the exchange check your PMs when you have a chance. I have drawn names already so I went ahead and PMed you your person's info. Any additional questions feel free to PM me.

The following should have a PM with your person's info. in it:

2sweetangels
SL
Alice
Gems
lissawynn
bellacam
justhat
DisKim
Gretchen
Minnesota!
Hillbeans

Have fun shopping ladies!

Got my PM! Thanks for organizing the exchange Tasha!!

 

[lissawynn]

I have so much catching up to do! Jimmy is congested and is sleeping like crap. That means mommy and daddy are doing the same.
DH gave notice at his company yesterday after working for them for 18 years. They gave him a really hard time and told him he couldn't go to work for one of their competitors, even though he wouldn't be doing the same job there that he did for his old company. He finally got that resolved late yesterday after much aniexty for both of us.
School is sucking the life out of me this year. This seventh grade class is just not nice. I never experienced middle schoolers who were so nasty to one another (and even their teachers at times). I saw some of it when I taught 8th grade b/c they thought they owned the school, but this class just isn't fun to work with most days. They don't even have much of a sense of humor.
Sorry to be so negative. I need to snap out of this and remember I have a vacation coming in just a few days, so things aren't that bad.

 

[DisKim]

I just got back from the Keys on Sunday. I don't think I can possible catch up with this thread! Our trip was short but great! We packed in a ton of stuff. We spent alot of time on my uncle's boat. Aidan went with us once and seemed to like it. He didn't like when we stopped to swim because I kept him on the boat and I think he was feeling a little sick. My DD went swimming with the dolphins for ther 10th birthday present. She said it was the best day of her life. We went to a place called Theater of the Sea in Islamorada. What a cute little place! You can swim with dolphins, sea lions or sting rays. There are also shows and bottomless boat rides as well as nature walks. Aidan loved watching the dolphins jumped. He laughed and bounced up and down. His favorite part of the trip was hanging out in the hot tub (we had the heat down so it was like bath water). He thought it was great and would just float on his back or just splash. Our flights were awful. Our flight out was delayed for 3 hours. The flight back was on time but I think everyone on it hated kids. One lady saw me get on with Aidan and said, "I hope he doesn't scream." I wanted to smack her. Then, the man in front of me would give my 5-year-old dirty looks if he moved or talked. The poor kid got up to go to the bathroom and I thought that old man was going to murder him. I seriously thought I'd have it out with him before we got off the plane. I restrained myself because I don't like to act that way in front of my kids. Well, I have to go to cafeteria duty. What fun!

 

[lissawynn]

Tasha+Scott - I got my PMs. Thanks! I'm excited to buy for one of our little DISers.

Hope you're all having a good afternoon!

 

[Inside Ball]

TI6GEM I'm afraid if Aimee is sleeping i don't wake her even if it is more than 4hrs although I don't remember her sleeping that long although she does occasionally does of an evening.
2sweetangels I am going to try some fruit tomorrow and hope that helps her sleep but at the moment she has a nasty cold and doesn't want to eat anything, have been trying rice for the past week or so and like you it made no difference.
i don't know about anyone else but over here they say you shouldn't start on solids until 6mnths. I decided on 3mnths though that is what I did with the others.
DisKim I know what you mean about people on planes its almost as though children have no right to travel. We have just come back from Orlando you should have seen peoples faces getting on a plane for a nine hr flight with a 3mnth old !!!
lissawynn hope things get better have a good vacation.

 

[llij]

Hi Everyone -
Just wanted to pop in and say "hi"! I'm feeling much better finally. Yea! I'm still moving very slowly, but I am on the mend. I really appreciate all of your well wishes. Thanks!!

DisKim- Glad to hear that you had a great trip! Sorry to hear that the flight was bad. I remember the days when I had a baby on the plane and people's reactions.

SL - I hope that you feel better soon!

Lisawynn - I hope that Jimmy feels better soon. Sorry that school has been tough this year.

Gems - As far as sleeping through the night and waking to feed....with my dd's I use to let them wake me up and it seemed to work out pretty well. If Shelby can sleep for an extended period of time in the evening than that is wonderful. It sounds like she is growing well so that is great too.

Inside Ball - I hope that you had a great trip to Disney!

Valerie - I wish that I could give you advice about rolling over. I can't seem to remember what I did with the girls. It has been too long for me since I had a baby.

Bellacam - I love the bumbo seat that you have. A friend gave me one for John and I can't wait to use it.

Tykes - I hope that Tyler's rash is better.

Tasha & Scott - I am so glad to hear that the yard sale was a great success!

I hope that everyone is doing well! I'm sorry if I forgot anyone. I gotta go, John is getting fussy!
Take care!

 

[Alice28]

Hi Moms!

I got my PM Tasha- thank you and I have to start keeping my eyes out for something extra cute. Do you all think if I get Gymboree you will automatically say, "ALICE28!"

Sleeping through the night- HA! Joking aside, sometimes it just takes longer than you think. My neighbor who bugs me said something at her shower of, "I'm gonna get this kid to sleep through the night in the next week or so" and I just wanted to laugh out loud. He's two weeks today. Apparently her angel daughter slept from 11-6 at 3 weeks old. It happens, but not often. Most peditricians say somewhere between 4-6 months to start on solids. I always started a little rice cereal maybe at "almost" 4 months- like 3 1/2, and then started the fruits and veggies after 4 months and never had a problem. I think 6 months is a better guideline if you have food allergies in your family.

Long plane rides- have mostly had good experience, but a few bad ones and man people can be nasty. I'm glad you had fun in the Keys though, and it sounds like your DD will NEVER forget this birthday! Very cool!

Lissawynn- I'm so sorry your class is being a bunch of buttheads. And that Jimmy isn't sleeping well either. I hope his congestion clears up soon.

On that note, I hope you feel better soon SL.

Just going through the motions here. Have all my Christmas shopping done for my kids (well, except for an after Thanksgiving run for Molly at Gymbo of course! ). And I have it wrapped too! I bought my oldest son's party favors and stuff today at the party store. His 8th bday party is a week from Saturday already!

DH emailed me a picture of a Persian rug he can get for $200- it's gorgeous. Probably at least $1,000 here in the states. And he can get it shipped home for free! Isaid to go ahead and get it.

I don't know much else- hope everyone has a nice evening. I told the boys I would take them to BK to get the new Star Wars toys and a watch! They're excited!

 

[Hillbeans]

Gretchen - Thanks for your information. The colic is getting a little better, when he takes a good afternoon nap, then the nights are tolerable. I use the Baby Bjorn sometimes, but other times, i'm stuck with going for a short car ride to calm him down (when it's a bad night). He'll be 2 months old on Friday, so i'm hoping he starts to outgrow it.

T1GEM - my son wakes up every 4 hours (or earlier) to eat. He's always hungry, and is probably around 12 or 13 pounds already. If you feel more comfortable, i'd wake her up, and do a dreamfeed of sorts before you go to bed, maybe during her first 2 hours of sleep????

Gems - 4 months is about right to start solids (cereal). We'll probably start around then also.

Tahsa + Scott - thanks for organizing the exchange - it will be lots of fun.

Bellacam - I love the Bumbo seat you bought. I saw them for sale in the "Right Start" store at our mall and may get one in a few months.

LisaWynn - Liam is so congested in the evenings as well (i'm sure he's getting all the germs from my older son who sneezes on him any chance he gets ). Last night we had a bit of the phlegm/throwing up ordeal, but it seems to have cleared up some of the congestion. Gross.
I hope Jimmy is feeling better soon.

DisKim - i've often said the same thing about traveling to and from Orlando, Florida. No kidding, there are kids on the plane - it's ORLANDO! Try not to let it bother you, because there is nothing you can do about it. Some people just don't like children very much, even ones who are behaved like yours. Apparently, the passengers on the plane didn't want your children to breathe or move for 3 hours I see much worse behaivor from adults on plane trips if I do say so myself.

We're going away next week. The first two nights we're staying at the new Great Wolf Lodge in the Pocono's with my brother, SIL and her kids. It's going to be great fun going to the water park with the older kids (except for putting on a dreaded bathing suit with my pasty white post-pregnancy body). Hopefully the baby won't cry too much or we'll be going for lots of walks at the hotel. The next 4 nights, we're going to the In Laws for our annual Thanksgiving visit. When we get back from our trip, we're going to make a push to have Liam in his room (and crib) every night going forward - the co-sleeping in the same room is just keeping us all awake at night. What age did you put your little ones in their rooms for good at night?? I have to admit, i'm a little nervous about it for some reason - our bedrooms are close to each other, so i'll hear him when he wakes (and screams). I don't know if i'm just worried about him being lonely, or SIDS or what - - but we'll give it a try and get in a pattern for December so when I go back to work in January we're in *some* sort of nighttime routine.

Have a great night ladies.

 

[llij]

Hillbeans - Have a great time at Great Wolf Lodge. I think there is one here in Williamsburg, VA. Some of my friends are trying to talk us into going for New Years. Tell us how you like it! I don't like the thought of putting on a bathing suit either. I feel like I will be swollen forever.

As far as putting my little ones in their rooms for the night, it varied for us. We didn't put my oldest DD in her room until she was three months old. It was a hard transition for us at first and there were a few nights with the baby crying. My youngest DD went into her crib when she was three weeks old b/c she absolutely hated her bassinet. She loved her crib so it all worked out well. So far John is so-so with his bassinet. Many nights he ends up sleeping on top of me since he loves to be held. He is still so tiny that it makes me nervous, but he sleeps so well when I hold him. I'm not sure when we will transition him to his room. Good luck with the sleeping and let us know how it goes.

 

[katerkat]

Robin - we've been looking into rugs, too. DH can get really nice ones for very cheap at one of his deployment locations, so we just need to pick out colors and such...and train my white cat to stop peeing on rugs.

I started solids at 6 months. It was nice because he was really ready by then and he never refused a food. There's some he likes less than others, but he's never rejected eating all together.

He also went into his own room shortly before 6 months. It was a lot harder on me than on him! I still check on him at night but he sleeps through the night in his own space very well.

I went with the "don't wake a sleeping baby" theory for eating. He started sleeping 6 hour stretches at night fairly early, and was going 10-12 hours by 2.5 months old. We haven't had any trouble with his weight gain or anything -- though I was mighty uncomfortable when he started sleeping longer! When he did start sleeping 10+ hours I put him on an every-4-hours schedule during the day, because otherwise he wouldn't ask to eat often enough.