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@Coco Bee: we own a condo - it's 2 levels but small - we will be moving when T is around 14 months but until then we are and will be cramped for space!

Thx everyone. I don't know why everyone else is wreckish lately but for me it's lack of sleep, night wakings, and the feeling that I've paid my dues and it's hard to swallow that sleep is getting worse, not even close to better. Last night was up 5x. That said I feel very fortunate to be on an extended maternity leave (not sure how those of you at work still function....and enjoy my days with him so much. I think I need to start writing more upbeat posts!

Oh, milestone....Tyler stopped screaming dyring tummy time! He eventually gets mad but now lays with his head propped up for awhile first and seems to be rocking a little from side to side.

@lags: too cute love her bow!!

@mediagirl: welcome back! It's always fun to see LO get back into their element at home! I hope you enjoy your last bit of maternity leave.

Oh and new rule: if T wakes before midnight my husband will respond. He gets up for work at 5 and is in surgery half the day so he can't get up frequently but suggested I wake him when T gets up before midnight. I also usually get a break on the weekend nights but since DH was working this weekend I didn't have that. Next weekend I will.

@LAGS: yay for decent sleep! And yup M laughs regularly now. Sometimes she'll start laughing by herself to get us to laugh. But daddy is still the best at getting a long belly rolling laugh out of her. M has never just fallen asleep randomly!

@cvbee: Oh I needed a new haircut for ages. Once it started falling off in clumps I went and chopped it off. It's much more manageable after the chop!
BTW what makes you think the sleep issues are due to teething pain? I've been meaning to buy a amber necklace for her but keep forgetting! Thanks for the reminder!

@winniebee: no rolling yet either from M. I'm not too worried. She's doing the rocking thing and I know one of these days she's going to roll out of nowhere.

@calsmom: awww so sweet about Cooper reaching out to the dog. How did your dog react??? I feel like the first time M reaches out our dog will freak out. Like holy shit she touches now too??? haha

@Coco Bee: you know what's funny is M does nto roll yet but man can she move herself around just by scooting on her back! She is SO active I fear when she starts crawling! Just think of it this way, a small apartment means less you have to run to catch him! hhaa

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Well, M's sleep still sucks. She teases me with some good nights. Like last night she actually let me put her down in her crib except for after the 5am feeding. But the night before I literally slept all night sitting up. I think that's what spurred last night's attempt at CIO. Um yeah. I am officially definitely NOT cut out for CIO. She is way too strong willed and I can't see her cry.

@winniebee: That's what's really worn me down too. A used to be a great sleeper and we've regressed so badly. She gave me a few good nights which I'm now thinking was just to temporarily restore my sanity before she went back to her usual hijinks.

That's great that Tyler is enjoying tummy time now! If he's rocking around now I bet it wont be long, exciting!

@pastemoo: Have you felt a difference with the bit of extra sleep you've been getting?

@regberadaisy: I'm not cut out for CIO either. So much so that I know I'm creating bad habits like going in and rocking her to sleep over and over again, but just can't help myself because the alternative makes me feel too guilty. My LO does the back scoot too. I have to be careful now because if I leave quickly I'll come back and she'll have herself wedged under the coffee table or something.

We had another rough night of sleep and I'm convinced I need to work on A's naps if I ever want to get a better nights sleep out of her. I started sleep boot camp part way through the day yesterday and am continuing until I get her on track. I feel ridiculous how back and forth I am on her sleep. One day I'm firm that she'll sleep how she wants to sleep, the next day I'm guilty feeling its my job to help her find a healthy sleep habit.

I got her down at 6:30 last night and had high hopes because she didn't treat that bedtime like a nap. She slept until 11 which was good but then only 2 hour chunks after that. My biggest mistake was when I went in at 6:30am to her smiling, I got her up for the day. She was moaning and eye rubbing by the time we made it to the living room to play and against my better instincts I let her stay up a bit... I did put her back down at 7:30 though but she only slept until 8:10 and woke up super grumpy. Again, you'd think I'd have learned, but I got her up and she's back down again napping. I'm going to make sure its a decent length if it kills me.

Does anyone else have the issue of their little one waking and being tired within like 15 minutes? I know my LO is overtired... its just so hard getting things back on track. I'm hoping at our 4 month appointment tomorrow (omg A is 4 months today! Crazy!!) my Ped will have some advice or reassurance.

@cvbee: I do housechores every morning during Tyler's morning nap (the only substantial one of the day). But, I have to clean bottles and pump parts so I do that. Then throw in laundry, empty diswhaster, pick up generally. We have cleaning people that come every other week and I wish they came every week. Because Tyler is a little demanding and my husband works long hours, there's no way I could keep up with deep cleaning routines.

@regberadaisy: You poor thing - M needs to give you a break since you're a working mama. Huge kudos to you for doing it all....

@LAGS: Yeah, Tyler shows all the signs of being overtired. He yawns sometimes like 10 minutes after a nap. This morning I tried to put him back down at 6:00 a.m. but he was talking to himself and clearly up. So I got him up for the day and then put him back down at 7:15. He slept 40 minutes (in his swing) then woke up crying so I rocked him back to sleep and he slept til 9. By 9:45 he was fussing and acting overly tired again so I started putting him back down again and by 10:15 he was asleep...even though he hasn't eaten since 6 (I offered the bottle and he was too tired to take it...) I'm all over the map with sleep, too. I thought the early bedtime might be the solution but it backfired terribly last night (in bed before 7, up at 7:15, 7:30, 9:15, 10, 1:30, 2:15, 5:45....) I am trying to be vigilant about naps today (putting him down early...) and then hoping that an early bedtime gets things back on track. I'm just not sure what else to do. Tyler was sleeping longer and better when he was going to bed at 9:30 p.m. Granted it was a month ago, but still.

@LAGS: I plan to go by his cues, but have him awake no longer than 90 minutes between naps. So, if he appears tired earlier, will put him down earlier. I'm going to my sister's this afternoon (also on maternity leave) so I'm sure the car ride nap will screw things up, but I also refuse to sit home battling naps all afternoon like I did yesterday.

Just got the results of Penny's stool sample test. It looks like I will br joining some of you in dairy free land. Booooooo. I seriously love cheese, so I know that will be toughest for me. Any tips from you dairy free moms that have been doing it for a while?

@bpcmarj: Ick. Sorry to hear about the allergy! It seems like it is a very common one for little ones to have.

@cvbee: White noise is a lifesaver! I saw the thread where most people are saying 'hell no' to the sleep sheep. We use that along with a fan. We love it, but it would be nice for it to not just go for 45 minutes. That's cool you have a white noise channel there!

@winniebee: I'm so sorry to hear what you went through yesterday with the hubs! I'm glad to hear that you two worked out a schedule.

Have a nice time getting out of the house today!

@cvbee: So far all I've done today is laundry!

@LAGS: Energy? What's that? lol...I'm so jealous that you got some deep cleaning done! I feel like I can never keep up anymore!

Is A having a better day?

@regberadaisy: Our dogs loved it! One of our dogs, Scooter, was shaking a bit because he was so excited that Cooper was petting him! Scooter has been attached to Cooper the day we brought him home! It's just now that hand to fur contact has taken place lol.

The CIO is so difficult! Parents need to find a method that works best for them and their kids. The issue is finding the solution...that seems impossible these days! It's funny that before having kids, I was all about the CIO method. I've only tried a modified CIO so far with Cooper, which used to work until he started moving all over the place. I can't listen to my little guy cry forever! A minute of him crying seems like an eternity!

I'm being a horrible mother (insert sarcasm). My son is fussing in his crib because he woke up at the dreaded 45 minute mark. His pediatrician and I both agree that 45 minutes is not a sufficient nap, but getting him back to sleep is impossible these days.

This thread is insane, I can't keep up. I have been so tired and grumpy lately sometimes I just don't feel like posting.

I am officially back at work! It wouldn't be so bad if my DH didn't have such a hard time with W. She literally does nothing but scream the whole time I am gone. She refuses bottles, and starts becoming hysterical the moment my DH walks into her nursery with her. She will not let him put her down! Yesterday when I was working he was able to get her to fall asleep in the
swing, but only slept for 20 minutes. I was gone for 7 hours and she only took half an ounce the whole time I was gone! I am starting to think that parenting is getting harder and harder.

That's all I have to say now.

just got back from G's 4 month check-up. he's doing great, just need to work on tummy time since he's not supporting himself with his arms like the doc would like. and he's not really interested in grabbing for things either. both of which i knew, so i wasn't surprised. she said he seems really 'chill and laid back' and she sees this with a lot of babies with this personality.
he's 26.5 inches long and weights 6lbs 12oz. i'm not sure how that changed since his last appointment, can't find the sheet. we are gonna be starting him on solids since he's been rejecting bottles and is not at all interested in them. he reaches for our food and watches us the entire time we eat, so the doc said that it's ok to start, she said he seems ready to go! which i'm happy about, hoping that it helps with his spitting up...tired of stained clothes!!!!! does anyone have any tips or tricks for getting spit-up stains out?

Btw, Cooper went down at 8:30 last night and slept better than ever. I would love if this was his consistent bedtime!

@Mrsdaredevil: oh no, I'm sorry! Give them both a couple days to work into the new routine!

@cvbee: I know - I always check first thing!
Why the EVOO? I'm going to nurse first thing when we get home so hopefully that solves it. If not I'll have to wait till after we get home from dinner with friends before doing the hot water bottle. Owie.

@sarbear: yay what a big boy! Solids already, awesome! Have you tried Shout?

@regberadaisy: I have no idea and maybe it's just a superstition of mine now, but I read about it somewhere and all 3 times, my clog didn't come out until I did the olive oil. Might be a fluke but I now make sure it is part of my recipe.

I think our sleep reset day is going well so far. He was up for 1hr 45min this morning then napped for 2hr 15min!! Then he was up for 1hr 15min and wanted to go back down for a nap, and went down with minimal effort. I will keep following his cues but not letting him stay awake for more than 2 hours, and hope we continue to get good sleep.

@cvbee: Thanks! Naming was such a challenge between working in NICU for so long and DH's pickiness! I was worried about it might being mastitis, but I have no sore/red/hot spots on my breasts at all, but I am keeping an eye on it.

@winniebee: @regberadaisy: thanks for commiserating! It was because of her bloody stool. They tested ot for microscopic blood and it came back positive. The nurse sort of laughed at me when she told me over the phone to go dairy free! Like a good luck with that attitude. Oh well. I am hopeful it will help:)

Hoping everyone gets some sleep tonight. Penny, like everyone else has been awful. She will sleep with me most of the night so I can get a little but our bed is CRAMPED!! Ugh. Hope for better tonight.

@cvbee: ok I'm def trying that after M goes to sleep. I've pumped 4x today and nursed twice since. Still hurts like a b!

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Ladies, I've been taken down to part time. Won't go into details here since I started a thread about it. But we're looking at it as a blessing in disguise.

@cvbee: G loves the vacuum, too. I try to vacuum 2x/week but hadn't in a week or maybe more. Yuck!
I keep thinking G is teething, too--and he loves the frozen washcloths and cold teething toys but he probably isn't teething.
LOL @ what would the pioneer lady do. This is why I don't have a jumper/walker/exersaucer/activity mat. I have a swing and that's pretty high tech for me, and it was a gift. I wasn't planning to get one (though it is pretty wonderful to have. I still think I wouldn't know I was missing anything if I didn't have it). We also have an infant tub (a gift as well) and I wasn't planning on getting one of these either. I mean, come on, I cloth diaper and didn't even think to get a wet bag till someone gave us (this week) some Amazon.com money to spend on the baby.
I am also trying to follow G's cues to naptime/bedtime.
I do NOT do chores during naptime. I only sleep or sometimes read if I think it'll be a 15 minute nap. I do chores WITH LO. I put him on a blanket and vacuum and move him with me as I change rooms. I cook and do dishes with him on a blanket in the kitchen. I put all our laundry directly into the laundry as it is soiled, and usually start it in the evening, move it to the dryer at G's bedtime. I only dust in the 30 minutes before someone comes over (hahhaha!).
I'm kind of a neat freak, so my kitchen is almost always clean before dinner comes out of the pot/oven (again, while LO is watching from the floor).
I can't wait to get a carrier that I can carry LO on my back. My grandma said she would buy it for me! YAY! I want the "options" one that can be different fun colors for me, and black for DH. So excited for that present--no matter which style we get.

@winniebee: So glad your husband is taking a feeding--that rocks!

@regberadaisy: What style haircut did you get? What was it like before baby M?
I'm glad the part time is a "blessing in disguise." Still, that's pretty rough. Good luck with your job and finding full time after you get to enjoy M a little more. How hard will it be to collect unemployment?

@LAGS: Yes! The extra sleep rocks. And I have a backup of some meds that my psych gave me just in case (and, of course, I'd make an appointment and go it).

@Mrsdaredevil: I'm sorry. It's tough to go back to work! I dream about it every night. I want the money but I know it would be very tough for me.
Don't worry about keeping up. Every once in a while I drop out for a week because I can't keep up. You can still let us know how you are without keeping up. I like to know how you're doing.
Don't worry about DH--"worry is interest paid on a debt you may not owe" my mama would say. DH will learn--just like we struggled to figure it out, he will, too. It will come.

@sarbear: I only wear cheap nursing clothes so I have no cleaning tips other than an oxyclean soak on occasion. I also do cold wash only, and I wash laundry daily or every 2 days sometimes.
You meant 16lbs 12 oz, right? I bet my G is the same size as your G. Glad to see I'm not the only one with a giant baby. My G's 4 month check up is next Friday. We'll see.

@LAGS: For overtired cues... I usually leave him in the crib and stroke his face and nose and sing to him (with paci in) until he sleeps again. It can take forever but it is working for me.

@regberadaisy: Oh no! Is that rock hard thing how you know you have a clogged duct? If so, I've gotten it 4 times already. I just thought I was engorged again. How badly does it hurt?

@MsMini: Sorry the trip messed up S's sleep--I hope it gets better quickly. And I hope you get well soon. I agree that you should get checked just in case it's mastitis.
@winniebee: OH! Congrats on the 1lb/week. That rocks!

@bpcmarj: Oh no! What tough news. I know there is a lot of soy cheese and all but it's nasty. The fake sour cream is pretty good though and great for cooking with. If you check out the Jewish section in the grocery store look for "pareve" stuff (it means no meat and no dairy). Then you can still have chocolate. I actually have a lot of experience being dairy free because I used to keep kosher and in any given meal where I ate meat I could not eat dairy. My friend makes these amazing dairy free chocolate cookies: http://brightpalate.tumblr.com/post/29491081024/chocolate-cookies-olive-oil-sea-salt
Maybe get a kosher cookbook and follow the meat or pareve sections? Then you are sure to avoid dairy in your cooking and know it will still be tasty. Another trick for baking--use coffee instead of milk in cakes and cookies.

so... officially 9 lbs to go and feeling so frumpy. I went out with a friend and I felt ugly because all my clothes are over washed so the colors are washed out, the fabric is thin... I look like I belong on "What not to wear."

@winniebee: haha i had actually wished i put more tummy time in before the appointment because i KNEW she was going to say something! but of course when we came home(and after his 2hr nap, poor baby didn't like the shots) he was grabbing for his toys on his play mat...little punk! but still hated every minute of tummy time! lol DH and i used to take 'shift work' at night. he'd 'get him' until like midnight/1am and i'd be on call after that. now it's whoever hears him(which is usually DH because he's a lighter sleeper than me...haha oops!)

@pastemoo: haha yeah 16lbs. he's a chunky thing :o)

@pastemoo: @cvbee: @regberadaisy: we do laundry(especially his) like every 2 days and in cold water. i usually rinse out his clothes when i take them off if he had an exceptionally bad spit up day. i think it's the formula. i don't care about the plain onesies, but it's always the nice clothes that get stained! i'm gonna have to look into a stain remover

@winniebee: I hope your day with T went well. I think that was a good idea to get out with him, you have to keep some normalcy! We failed miserably yesterday

@cvbee: Ahh see, I was totally clueless! I had never heard of that before.

@bpcmarj: Oh no! Sorry to hear you have to restrict your diet.

@calsmom: My day with A was a crap shoot. It started the day determined to get her nap better and it was probably one of her worst napping days to date. Go figure. We're in the same boat as you where getting her to stay asleep for a long enough nap is becoming a huge challenge. Oh, and go Cooper with the sleeping, yay!

@Mrsdaredevil: I'm so sorry things are so difficult. I don't blame you for not posting. Hang in there. I hope this isn't 'too soon' while you're in the thick of Willa's troubles while at home with DH, but maybe it will help him gain a little perspective on your long days at home with her? Sending good thoughts your way.

@sarbear: Have fun with the solids! we're going to continue with them too! We haven't had spit up stain, but for poop I've just always pre-treated with a natural stain remover and washed. If there's still a little there I don't dry it, apply some more stain remover and wash again. So far it works most of the time.

@regberadaisy: Hoping that things stay stable at work for you from here on out!

@pastemoo: I'm jealous of your clean kitchen. We've been soo bad at dishes since our kitchen reno... we haven't yet installed a new dishwasher... we're lazy butts. I've realized I need to do something similar so long as she's calm. I've been stroking her head the past day and it seems to really soothe her. Soo funny you mention what not to wear... I was considering nominating myself haha

@Mrs.M57: Its amazing how our LOs are so amazing and yet so challenging all at the same time. I'm with you in the being 100% responsible for LO's care. I've done every night waking save for a couple in her first weeks home and handle all the dirty work. Sometimes it makes me frustrated with DH because he gets the smiles and fun time while I get screamed at and spit on. Ugh. I hope you hang in there. Hopefully as they get a little older and a little more independent things will get easier for us.

@sarbear: Just to add, we use Shout's free or natural version... whatever they call it. We wash on cold too and it still seems to work.

@LAGS: I didn't know that Shout had a free and clear version. I just bought a huge refill bottle of the regular Shout yesterday. I think I will go ahead and keep it and get the free and clear next time we run out.

We're not making solids a part of our daily routine either. No need to at this point!

What a big girl!

@sarbear: Dang! 16 lbs! Nice!

@Mrs.M57: Which jumperoo do you have? I'm on the fence about getting one, but I know C would love it.

Being a mother is the hardest job ever! You are doing a wonderful job at giving your daughter what she needs! It's healthy to vent. We need to do it, or else we would all go crazy lol

@MsMini: I hope you had a good night's sleep!

@regberadaisy: I saw that thread about you going taken down to pt. It looks like you received some great advice! It does seem like a blessing in disguise for now. I do agree with the ladies that it would be wise to look for another job just in case!

@winniebee: Those super short naps need to stop! Goodness...20 mins is a mere catnap. Was last night's sleep any better?

Cooper now loves to grab my cold water bottle and put it in his mouth. This morning I was taking a drink and it went all over me bc he grabbed onto it! He's so funny. He also loves to scream!

I put him down for his nap without a paci, and it didn't make a difference. I figured it wouldn't, bc it falls out as soon as he flips over on his belly. I'm forever paranoid about him getting caught in the crib slats! When we check on him before we head to bed, he's often in the corner with his arm hanging out. It makes me feel very unsettled, so I always move him to the opposite end of the crib lol

I just ate too much lunch, and I feel ill. UGH. My appetite is shrinking. Finally! I still have a bit of weight to lose. At this point, I will be thrilled if I lose 8 more lbs. I'll be happier with 13. I'm horrible at taking walks in the morning. I need to get better at this, bc it is already so hot outside. 80 feels like 90 in this place. Gross.