Hellobee Boards

@.twist.: yaaaaay for sleep! and I decided I was done with pumping over a month ago. I can now go all day at work without having to pump, and just packed away my pumping stuff. I can still nurse, but I can tell they're getting less full.

I made turkey meatballs for E a few days ago, and they were a huge hit :). Need to update my thread about them thanking everyone and showing the end result.

@MrsB2012: @.twist.: I've had a pinterest board for her first birthday since...before she was born lol. I think it'll be at mom's house now, since we're still moving full steam ahead on moving into her place (pray that the house sells quick when we finally get it on the market!). I'm hoping it'll be a nice day and we can have most people outside.

So, the theme is strawberry lemonade. Just nice fun happy colors, pale yellows, corals and raspberry pink. I want to have some sort of alcohol for the adults (DH and I don't really drink, but I do like fruity drinks); maybe Mike's Hard Lemonade or something mixed (moscato strawberry lemonade, strawberry margaritas, or something). Maybe a lemonade "stand" with different non alcoholic lemonades.

Undecided on the food; definitely will be making E's cake. We might do BBQ (except I think that will get expensive quickly, and put a lot of pressure on DH where he may not be able to enjoy the party). I made an easy baked chicken fajitas recipe last night that I thought I might be able to produce in bulk. Or there's always catering from wegmans.

I have a pin of cut fruit in waffle cones that I think would be super cute. I want to decorate with flowers in vases filled with cut lemons. Containers of bubbles as favors for the kids.

@.twist.: ya I'm just crazy

I've tried some other cake recipes but haven't had success; I think I want to try this one next:

http://www.simplebites.net/first-birthday-party-ideas-recipe-apple-spice-cake-with-maple/

@.twist.: YUM!! that chocolate icing looks so lovely (and so easy!).

the only problem with the cake I have above is that the frosting has strawberries and I'll have to see if she's allergic to them beforehand. But I like the less sweet ingredients of the cake part. I guess I could always use blueberries and make it more purpley

Haha! I've got nothing planned for a first birthday except that it better be nice out because I love a BBQ!

So, for those of you that have gotten AF back, was the first one horrendous? I've been bleeding so much that I wonder why I haven't fainted...

@Grace: I actually expected AF to be bad the first time, but it wasn't bad at all. I got mine back in December. Sorry your first one was rough!

I am planning to have a small family party, and maybe go to the zoo.

My LO had pretty low iron at his nine month appointment, so we have been giving him iron supplements. I hope it gets better soon.

He is now 29 inches and just under 20 pounds, which is actually a drop in percentiles. Lately, he has been constantly mistaken for an older baby/toddler.

I can't see us weaning anytime soon. LO has not decreased his nursing and breast milk consumption at all, and is still pretty low on his solids consumption. LO also comfort nurses a lot. We are on an every three hour schedule, but I know he hangs out there longer than needed. I am pumping less than LO is eating while I am at work, but I hope my stash is enough to make it to one year. I really don't want to have to pump more. I plan to quit pumping at a year, but probably will keep breastfeeding while we are together for longer. We just started table food, so now it is hard to see how much he is eating, but I think it is more. He really likes feeding himself, especially puffs. I give him whatever we are eating, just in small bits. We are doing two meals a day of table food and one of purees. LO still does not have any teeth.

LO has been cruising really well (holding my hand, holding onto the wall, with his push walker) that I was expecting him to skip crawling, but he surprised me by crawling.

LO is finally napping in the pack n play, but it is pretty hit or miss on weekends. Apparently he naps great during the week for DH.

I have no sign of AF, but I am on the minipill, which suppresses periods, especially while nursing.

@.twist.: that's awesome! Glad you're starting to feel back to normal! Is it easy to tell if you're drying up? Aside from not feeling 'full'? I always wonder how my supply is as I only bf 3x / day but B seems ok with it.

@mdf106: 20 pounds already! Doesn't it feel like yesterday when our babies were like 8 pounds?! Cruising already that's awesome!

@delight: What other milestones do they look at for 9 months? We had our last appt at 6 months and then don't go back for a year.

I tried to weigh B at home, it looked like she was 18.5 pounds. I have no idea how long, but I think she might have long legs as all of the pants are always so short on her haha. I'm getting really excited for her birthday. We're going to do a butterfly theme. That's all I know. We only live in a condo and have a crappy backyard so I'm not sure if we will do it here or not. My mom has a massive yard which would be perfect but her house is for sale so we will have to see if she still has it.
B only just started to army crawl these last few days. She doesn't ever try to pull herself up or cruise.
We're off for a family walk! hope everyone is well!

Oh man I feel like I've been such a slacker on this thread! Does anyone else have a baby who likes to move around non-stop? The only time DS sits still is when he's eating lol. Things are going good around here. DS has been STTN and those newborn days/sleepless nights are all a blur and seem so long ago! I can't believe our babies will be one soon!

@.twist.: Yay for DTD without pain! That is huge! I can't believe you've been dealing with that for so long. Glad things are better!

@delight: I'm also starting to think about TTC again late summer/fall. Part of me is excited and the other part thinks I'm crazy! lol

@delight: I'm going back at the beginning of August- and I'll hopefully keep the morning and night feedings, I just am at a loss for how to get there!

@.twist.: No such things as TMI girl! But yay for no pain!!! I’m still experiencing some discomfort upon entry so the OB gave me some cream to put on nightly to help with the elasticity. Haven’t started yet, but will soon!

@delight: @Skipper2010: Another momma here thinking about TTC later this year… DH wants the kiddos close together in age. Like y’all, I’m kind of excited but part of me is flipping out. DS still doesn’t STTN so do I really wanna bring another baby into the mix?? Then again, I have a really sweet spot for newborns so…

@mdf106: Congrats on the new home!! We recently moved as well and unpacking wasn’t fun. Thank goodness for awesome parents who took it on while I was at work. I just told them where I wanted everything and they took care of it!

Still no AF for me here. I’ve started weaning from the pump and am only pumping twice a day now; and on some days, I don’t even nurse him to sleep. I’ll give him a bottle from my frozen stash. We still comfort nurse MOTN when he won’t settle back down after waking up from a sleep cycle, but those are quick and unlatching 8 out of 10 times after a minute or two doesn’t bother him. I can tell my boobs are starting to dry up because I can go 6 hours and only get 8oz total. Part of me is excited to no longer pump, but part of me is sad to know that my baby boy is growing up. We’ve started supplementing his bottles with WCM if I don’t pump enough for his bottles at daycare the next day at the recommendation of the pedi. He’s also started drinking less milk since he’s eating more and more solids. He’s having breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, and dinner in solids. He’s not a picky eater and will eat anything you give him! Love that, and hope this continues into toddlerhood when they sometimes decide something they always loved is now icky.

DS crawls and pulls himself up. He’s eh about cruising but can if he wants to. His crawl isn’t your traditional crawl either. His left leg is up and flat footed like he wants to stand while his right leg is still tucked under. He’ll “crawl” with his left leg and drag his right leg. He gets where he wants to pretty quickly, but I always giggle watching his “crawl”.

Since he’s learned to crawl and pull himself up, his nighttime sleep was terrible for a couple weeks where he woke up every flipping hour or even more frequent occasionally. It’s a lil better now, but still not STTN. Sigh. Thank goodness he's an easy going baby during the day, but momma's tired and wants to sleep man! lol He’s an active sleeper where he rolls like crazy everywhere and will crash into the side of his crib waking himself up so he’s sleeping in the play yard now, but that’s not as comfy and cushy as the bed so when his legs slam over on the cardboard bottom, he wakes up. Sigh again. I’ve brought him to bed with me a few times, but one night during his rampage rolls, he fell off the bed. Cue panicked and super guilty mommy feeling.

@Alivoo01: well remember by the time you start TTC, get pregnant and have the baby, LO will be a lot older. He may be STTN by then! L was STTN for a good month or so but we are back to 1-2 wake ups. When it's 1 wakeup it's not so bad cause she goes back to sleep easily.

@MrsB2012: here are the 9 month milestones. It is the Nippissing developmental checklist designed to help monitor child development.

By 9 months does your baby....
-Look for a hidden toy?
- Imitate facial expressions?
-Turn to look for source of sound?
-Understand short instructions? (Wave bye-bye, no, don't touch)
-babble a series of different sounds (bababa, duhduhduh)
- make sounds or gestures to get attention or help
-sit without up port for a few minutes?
-attempt to move my crawling or bum shuffling or pivoting on tummy?
-stand with support when helped into standing position?
-pass an object from one hand to another?
-pick up small objects with thumb and first finger?
-bang two objects together?
-play games with you? (Peekaboo)
-reach to be picked up or held?

Ok that's all that was on the 9 month checklist. My doctor just told me to work on sitting cause she can't do that very well yet.

Hello bees! I've missed you. Hard to believe the August 2014 mommas are getting close.

Our house is on the market and gotten some great interest (except the last two realtors, who completely didn't return our calls after asking for showings ¬_¬;; ). Thank god the hours of fixing and cleaning and packing are behind us. Now it's just a matter of maintaining, which we're getting pretty good at.

E just had her 9 month checkup, and did great until the questions about mobility ;).

Dr: so is she pulling to stand?
me: ha! no
Dr: hmm, crawling?
me: nope!
Dr: rolling?
me: well, she ends up on her belly at night in the crib, but it isn't like she's rolling across the room or anything.

She basically stays where we put her ;). She does what cherrybee's baby was doing in her videos (air swimming), so I hope crawling is ahead of us soon. At least she sits very well now, and does all the fine motor skills (mostly involving shoving food in her mouth. So Much Food..!). She was 18lbs 4 oz and 28 inches long. Girl has not met a food yet she doesn't like. I'm beginning to be afraid she's like me and has no off switch

I'm nursing in the mornings and evenings, but go all day at work without pumping. Not sure how much she's getting any more. Like you girls, I feel much less full now. Looking forward to wearing real bras again!

She's sleeping from about 7:30pm to 7 or 8 am, and always on her belly now. Oh, and we have two teeth :). I think I may have convinced her to drink from a straw cup today. Hard to tell with water.

@.twist.: awesome! and no such thing as TMI here ;).

@mdf106: @Alivoo01: congrats on the new houses! isn't moving with a baby exhausting?

@.twist.: Yahooooooo! So happy that things seem to be healing finally!

@MrsB2012: Congrats on the new house! I'm glad it's working out well.

@mdf106: Not a baby at the next appointment?!?! Wha???

@Alivoo01: Oh dear, he fell out? I assume he wasn't hurt and you can tell him he was trouble from the get-go. Mine still isn't STTN either. Mostly, I just think it will never happen, but two nights ago she slept from 7:30 - 4:30, nursed and then slept until 8! I was glorious. Then it went back to two wakeups. Such a tease.

@delight: Ugh, LO isn't going to pass everything either. She doesn't babble. She will say ba or ma or ga once in while though. She does not imitate facial expressions. And I think she understands some instructions, but I'm not sure. As for reaching for me, I think so, but she's usually using her hands (crawling, cruising etc), so there's not much opportunity for it. Her 9 month appointment is next Friday, so we'll see how she does.

@StrawberryBee: Good luck! I hope it sells quick!

As for Paige, she's moving around like crazy, crawling, pulling up, criusing. Her newest skill is being able to get down again - thank goodness. I don't have to worry about her falling so much anymore. We're doing a lot more finger food and starting to just feed her from our plates. It was cool that I only had to make one meal tonight. No babbling yet, which is concerning, but I've heard that super mobile kids are often late. We also got her a spot in a daycare for Sept 29. That is huge - the wait lists here are two years long, and this place is near our house and a centre and seems really good. The only bad thing is that we have to cover 6 weeks of child care. My mom is going to watch her for 2-3 weeks and DH will take 3-4 weeks vacation. And we have an adventure in a few weeks. We're going to Edmonton to visit family. Hopefully she does ok with the plane ride and the 2.5 hour road trip!

@skipper2010: Babies will often focus on one area if they find it interesting. As for running after her, she gets nervous if she's too far from me, so although she gets into stuff, she usually stays in the same room as me. Going around and around and around the ottoman, for example. She also hates being strapped down, so stroller trips are short. She likes the shopping cart, thank goodness and it's finally warm enough for the park.

Pre-preg weight yes, body - no. I think that will be hard. There is a weird pooch below my belly button. Loose skin? Don't know how I'd get rid of that.

@skipper2010: pre-pregnancy weight - yes, but shape - not really. I've got a nice mushy belly and if I sit down, hello!! DS isn't a fan of the stroller either unless we're moving!

@Grace: Sounds like an exciting adventure! We're taking a ten hour drive to the beach in about a month. That should be interesting ;). Glad you were able to get into the daycare you wanted!

@skipper2010: pre preg wait...ahahahahahahaha-no. My body is storing EVERY BLESSED CALORIE. I'm hoping that when I wean it'll help, because god help me if I gain more. I can't even fathom gaining more.

There were never any bikinis in my past, but I'm hoping at least the tankinis will fit :/.

@MrsB2012: what type of carrier do you use? I have the bjorn and he does like that, but I find that it hurts my shoulders.

@MrsB2012: thanks ill look into those!

@skipper2010: Have you found a carrier that works better for you yet? I think I might start trying to get into the wrapping. I think I'm going to look for a wrap to try, but I'm not sure if I would actually use it and they're so expensive!

I put it on the milestone board, but I'm so excited, B finally got her first teeth! We had 2 pop up this morning, at 10 months old haha. They're funny teeth to get first, both upper, the ones beside the centre ones.

Her sleep has been the shits for the last 2 months, I don't know what's going on. ( Teething? for that long though?) She screams and screams and screams when I put her in her crib. I tried to do the sleep training where I go in after so many minutes and extend it, but she gets hysterical when I go in. If I stay out, most the time she just yells, and cries on and off, but it's way worse when I go in. I don't know what to do! I know she can self sooth because she was STTN from 1 month-8 months. Anyone find anything that helps? I'm open to any ideas!