Hellobee Boards

@Mrsdaredevil: so happy for you and Willa! Boo clocks! Yay happy babies!

@calsmom: Thanks, I did! Lotsa shopping and DH tidied up the house and made lunch. He's working his way out of the dog house quite quickly! Cooper is so long!

@winniebee: Yes, its definitely true. Even though there's days where you want to pull your hair out, they'll do something cute or funny and it erases it all!

@lisa1783: As long as the baby sleeps is right! But I do feel like a new person today, the day's outlook is much brighter! I saw the Nuk version of those feeder things today and alllmost got them. I'm thinking I might when LO is up for a little more texture. My biggest nighttime obstacle is LO wanting to comfort nurse too. If its been 3 hrs I'll feed her but there's not way for those 1.5 or two hour wake ups she needs anything.

@Goldilocks1107: Yes exactly, I had lots of fun at TJ Maxx and definitely took my time. I came home to a clean house and lunch ready though so I think he got the message. Have fun bra shopping, I need to do the same... all my underwires have been rebelling lately and jabbing me Not a good sign.

@Mrsdaredevil: Good job! I think you're totally right. Sometimes we just need to trust our Mommy instincts. Every baby is so different and we know our LOs better than books and the internet!

@Cvbee: I know I couldn't believe it. I dunno if it was the first time she's done it, but its the first I'd noticed. She was having some naked/air time on a towel and up she went. She was down again as quick as she was up though. That's really nice for your Dad. I think everyone needs a little companionship so that's great he's found someone to make him happy! Your BLW feeding is so cool, the thought of a LO eating a spear of broccoli is hilarious!

So, this morning was the first morning that Sawyer didn't wake up crying or clawing at himself in weeks! I am so so happy. Last night we did a cool oatmeal soak and wash with Aveeno baby wash and massage with eczema cream, and I think that helped. His sleep was a bit better as well, 4 hours, 3 hours and 3 hours! I think we will try leaving his arms out with a mitten sleeper tonight and see how that goes. He slept SOOO much better with his arms out before the eczema became an issue.

Regarding the eczema indicating food intolerance, I am aware of the link, and I have talked to our doctor about it, but he thinks that it is more likely a genetic issue. I have issues with eczema, and have since I was a kid, mostly due to weather changes, and excess heat. I am hoping that his issues clear up a but in the fall/winter. I also react strongly to detergents/fabric softeners, so I am obviously very cautious with Sawyer. Unfortunately the treatments I use on myself aren't safe for kids/babies.

My goofy kid is so excited that he can roll both directions, he despised tummy time for so long, but now when I put him on his back he rolls to his belly right away. He sometimes gets mad because his arm gets stuck under him, but I am letting him fuss and struggle to free it, because he will learn better by doing it himself.

In light of this new movement, me and DH are thinking about baby gates. We just need one, and unfortunately it will have to go right in the main area of our house, and they are UGLY so we are considering building our own and staining it to match our wood work. This site is our inspiration (http://blueantstudio.blogspot.ca/2006/08/homebrew-baby-safety-gate.html).

@Goldilocks1107: Thank you so much for offering, I will probably take you up on it (I can pp you for the shipping, because it is probably a lot cheaper than the buying the aveeno stuff). We had a good night/morning, so I am hopeful! I hope your upped dosage helps. I have been feeling a bit of anxiety lately, which is totally unlike me, and I have a new appreciation of you ladies who have been struggling with it.

@LAGS: 5 hours sleep would be glorious right about now!

@calsmom: I live in a small city, so there are no pediatric dermatologists here, it would be about a 3 hour drive (to my home town), if we can't get a handle on it soon I might ask for a referral.

@lisa1783: Yeah, we tried aquaphor at the beginning, one of the many things I have tried (LOL). I think the Aveeno stuff might be helping finally.

@Mrsdaredevil: Your new approach seems to be working great! I hope you continue to have success. I always try to co more off of cues than the clock, because it seems assinine to me that all babies cycles/internal clocks are the same, because all adults certainly vary!

@cvbee: That is great that your parents are getting out there! My parents are one of the few in my social group that are still together, and those whose parents have moved on always seem so much happier than those who are alone (and therefore are much less needy to their kids/my friends).

@winniebee: I love Old Navy's boy stuff, I just bought him a cute little sweater from there, I can't wait for it to get a little cooler for it to be useful.

Oh, I just realized I have pics to share!

Here is Sawyer admiring his new fish:

These aren't the usual high quality pictures of Sawyer, because I took them with my iPhone, although DH is planning a fish tank/baby photo shoot this weekend.

@Goldilocks1107: my therapist gave me "the pregnancy and post partum anxiety workbook" and it's very helpful. I think you can get it on amazon for $14.

Um, so, my usually 45 minute napper just slept for 5 hours this afternoon! I'm almost concerned. Better go feed him since he hasn't eaten for so long!

@winniebee: how was your ladies night?!

I just got back from mine and it was awesome. Found out one of my friends is pregnant!! That makes FOUR ladies in my group of friends - it's soo exciting!

I had DH take a picture of me before I left, firstly because I kinda dressed up and that never happens, and secondly because I am back to my pre-baby weight!!! Woot woot

@MsMini: OMG soooo cute. DH just said last week he wants to buy DS a fish lol!!

Oh and I love the baby gate idea!! We had a wooden baby gate and I don't think it's ugly. I don't like the plastic ones though.

@duckduckkristen: Wow! My LO always sleeps best the nights after he naps really well. I hope it worked out that way for you, too.
@Coco Bee: You look amazing!
@winniebee: I hope today is better than yesterday!
I am sitting around while DH sleeps in (I've been up for 5 hours). G is not super fussy today (I did have to bring him outside when the 2 firetrucks and ambulance came again, the 3rd morning in a row). I am alternating playing with him and trying to relearn to crochet. I really want to make an owl but I think I may be stuck with washcloths for a while...
@winniebee: How old are their #1s? The idea of #2 scares me right now. Congrats on the prepreg clothes!
I feel very ... funny looking in my prepreg clothes. I feel like they make me look too young even though they were fine last year. Even when I fit them again (almost there...) I am not sure I will be able to avoid a shopping trip.

@Mrsdaredevil: aww thanks... haha I think I do too!! lol guess you can't see in the dress. But the thighs and hips of my old jeans still don't quite fit.

@pastemoo: I just got my Ergobaby carrier yesterday and I am completely in love with it also. It makes me wonder how I survived without it. Before if we had short distances that wasn't worth the stroller, we would have to lug our LO in his carseat but since the two of them together weighs about 30 lbs, it was just getting too impossible. It feels so amazing to be able to have him close to me but use both hands - it's like a whole new world has opened up!

@MsMini: he is soooo adorable. He looks so cuddley - I bet everyone who meets him just gives him a million hugs and kisses.

@CalsMom: I was wondering about the 28 inches. I was like "WHOA! Super baby!"

@DuckDuckKristen: I'm wondering how his nighttime sleep went also. My LO had a really long nap in the afternoon yesterday also and it was a struggle getting him to sleep that night. He usually sleeps at 8 with a dream feeding at 11 and sleeps until 5:30 but last night he wouldn't go to bed until 12:30 and woke up at 3:30 and 6. I always struggle with what to do when he has really long afternoon naps - on one hand I love the extra free time and I figure he must need the sleep but then I also wonder if I should be keeping on a regular schedule.

@CocoBee: I love your outfit! Totally understand about how great it feels to just feel pretty and girly again - not like an exhausted mom.

Before Owen was born, my husband and I looked into daycare options. However, daycare in Boston is just sooo crazy. There's a Bright Horizons across the street from my workplace that's $2700 a month! That's more than my mortgage and monthly car payment combined! We also looked at a few other options and just thought Owen would be too young for daycare until he was about 6 months and then we would put him in one so we didn't go on any waitlists for the affordable ones.

Right now my mom is living with us taking care of him. She goes home on the weekends which is about 3 hours away. Of course we definitely appreciate the help she's doing along with the long travel time but it's also stressful with her living with us. She's very old-school Chinese and has her ideas about how to take care of a baby which sometimes clashes with ours. Also she keeps taking over our kitchen and reorganizes it which drives us crazy because we can't find anything.

Any other moms having family look after their baby now that you're back at work?

@pastemoo: the spacing will be 2 yrs between one friends kids and the other like 20 months. I was the last of my friends to have a baby....

@lisa1783: Daycare around here is crazy! There is one in WA square where T will be going that is only 475/wk and 100:day if part time. I'm taking an extended mat leave ao he will be going when 5.5 mos.

We have a roller! (tummy to back). Put him on his belly on his blanket and left the room and my hubs started screaming! I thought something was wrong! He repeated a few mins later sp we got it on film.

So even though we aren't technically sleep training I've decided to let Tyler cry a bit at night - he is waking 5x a night and I was going to him every time but now am not. I wait until he has been crying for 5 mins. Lo an behold last night 3 of those times he went back to sleep. Also is now in his crib 11 hours instea of 10 which is better. This week I may try a form of CIO for naps as suggested by the healthy sleep book. His naps are just terrible unless he is in his swing so I really want to worn on that.

Well, we decided to spend a lazy weekend around the house, we didn't get much done, and it seems that DH is a negative influence on Sawyer's naps. He tries to help me keep him asleep, but I think Sawyer wants to be with DH when he is home, so he doesn't nap as well.

I have noticed though, that Sawyer likes to snuggle into his play blanket when he is on his belly, so we are trying a nap on his tummy. He settled down for the nap about 10x faster than he has been this weekend (during the week naps are so easy). We will see if he naps for any longer this way. I am nervous about having him on his belly, so I am checking up on him 100 times, even though he is strong and has good rolling skills, so he could roll over if he needed to.

If this works well, I might be temped to try it at night, if I can get over my nervousness.

@pastemoo: I think the gate will be on our to-do list either next weekend or the weekend after. We decided to enjoy a lazy weekend this weekend. I have noticed my taste in clothes has changed quite a bit in the last year. Luckily my same sized shopaholic Mom with a penchant for designer labels had a closet purge recently, so I had a low budget (free) closet refresh.

@Coco Bee: You look great! I love your dress. I am not a fan of plastic or the metal gates out there, especially since the gate will be one of the first things you see when you come in our house.

@duckduckkristen: It sounds like you had a much needed break this weekend. Also, awesome that Liam behaved himself.

@winniebee: Yay for rolling! It is fun to watch them get new skills! Sawyer LOVES to roll around now.

Decided to do a pumping session overnight. I should do this more often again for 3 reasons.
1) clearly when Nico wakes up too much he is not actually hungry so this could cut down on overconsumption.
2) it forces me to let him CIO a bit...I just fed him to sleep, but now that I am pumping he woke up but I cant get him because I am hooked up to my pump!
3) my stash is so dwindling

@pastemoo: I am going to wait til Nico is max weight for the car seat and am hoping that he slows down on growth. He's probably 18 pounds now and carseat is good til I think 22. Would love if we could hold out til Christmas sales.

@MsMini: too adorable!!! i said i wanted to get G a fish...DH look at me like i was crazy!

@duckduckkristen: oh man a 5 hour nap! we had a 4 hour nap(along with 2 1 hour naps) once...we were so scared he wasn't going to sleep, but he ended up sleeping for 10 hours that night.

@winniebee: yay for rolling!!!! G was rolling for a little bit, but now he's stopped and is more interested in doing his little crunches to try and sit up.

@pastemoo: haha in real life i always feel like G is huge! everyone always says 'how old is he?' when i say 4 months they are like '4 months! OMG, i thought he was at least 6 months" makes me feel great about my giant baby haha

@winniebee: yay for progress! :o)

We think we figured out what the whole sleep issue was with G...we started him on the cereal and i gave him it with his last bottle those 2 nights and we think it upset his tummy because i haven't given it to him since and he's slept really good for us. G reached for the cat today(thankfully the friendlier of the 2) and has been getting really excited when he sees him. it was like if he could have, he would have crawled over there to get him. he put his hand on the cat and was smiling. it was really cute.

@Goldilocks1107: Happy 2 years! Sounds like things are coming along really well---glad for you. Flu shots already? wow. I'm up in Canada and we won't get flu shots in here for a while yet, to the best of my knowledge. Love that Audrey is so tall like you!

@sarbear: awe! I love baby-cat interactions. I have a very unfriendly cat, so I keep a close eye on the interactions. But when we go to my Mom's house, Nico gets to have all the cat he wants. Her cat was the runt of the litter and my Mom used to also have that cat's brother, who beat the runt-sister up all day long (sad, yes, but she didn't seem to really mind), so she is super duper submissive and lets Nico pull on her fur as much as he wants, and she licks his hair! Awe. Now I want to go visit my Mom. (2.5 hours away)

@winniebee: I'm going to turn our May Babies into nudists.
So glad that sleep is progressing for Tyler. Nico won't nap if there is ANY action happening and then when he gets overtired i can nap him but it's short....he just can't miss out on the fun! So this weekend when we either had guests over or we were out, he did minimal napping, and then when we came home he had GIANT last naps. (Made for slightly later bedtimes, but I didn't mind).

So last night ended up getting bad. Nico woke up at maybe 4am (and I hadn't gotten back to sleep after pumping because my mind was awake). I was going to ignore but then I heard him poop, and he still has a rash from the other night when I heard a possible poop at night and didn't change the diaper, so I HAD to change him (still feeling guilty from then). But we were all out of overnight doublers (I'm buying more this week...or maybe will buy MsMini's overnight diaper solution), so I decided to change double-stuff with a BG newborn insert (as recommended by BG). I changed him in the dark and brought him back to bed to nurse to sleep. But the diaper leaked pee!!! I guess with the extra stuffing I didn't get a good enough fit, as it was clearly not 'full'. So that P'd me off and then Nico wouldn't fall asleep and I was mad from being awake so long, so I put him in his crib drowsy but awake (but with wet pajamas, mind you) and went to sleep on the other side of the bed, where there wasn't pee. Then I listened to him talk and sing and not sleep for a LONG time. Then he was complaining and crying. I wasn't sleeping. Now I was mad. I figured it might be the wet pajamas. But this time I turned on the light for the diaper change and just put him in a regular BG with no double-stuff (well it was after 5am by now anyway), and put him in new pajamas and side-lay nursed him to sleep (which is relaxing for me but I can't sleep like that). So I'm pretty sure I was up last night from 3am-6am. Sorry that was such a long rant but it was a long night for me. But despite all the interruptions, Nico woke up at the exact regular time this morning: 7:30am (grr).

Edit Add: Nap #1 is going on two hours; babies know how to balance out what they need. And I agree with @winniebee that if baby wakes up from a nap crying, then the nap needs an extension.

@MsMini: A friend of mine built their own baby gates too and were really happy with the end result. Sawyer is so sweet, great idea with the fish tank! Oh and very glad to hear he's doing better with the eczema.

@pastemoo: That's so funny that you met little G's doppelganger! And a big plus to meet a real May mommy!

@winniebee: Hope you're having much better days now!

@Coco Bee: That's so exciting to have so many friends along for the ride. I wish I had a few more to share motherhood with.

@duckduckkristen: Wow that's a lot of sleep for Liam! I'd do just about anything for just a two hour nap at this point. That's great that he slept so well after too!

@winniebee: Yay T! So exciting!!

@pastemoo: We were given a Britax Boulevard from a family member that they used for their LO. I was kind hesitant to use it at first, but its from family and isn't over the age limit yet so I'm thinking it'd be silly not to use it. That said, LO is still doing well in her bucket so I'm not planning to switch yet.

@winniebee: Tyler is on a roll! He's been a busy boy transitioning from R&P to crib, rolling and soothing himself to sleep... you guys are doing so great!

@sarbear: ISn't it funny to watch them interact with pets? Apparently they're the funniest things around!

@Goldilocks1107: A is really close to Audrey in her weight/measurements... well except for height! I feel like A is so long but Audrey has almost 2" on her! Happy Anniversary and I hope the new doses make a difference for you!

@cvbee: Sorry you had a such a rough night. Its so hard when you just need that extra bit of time come morning after a bad night and yet they're up at their usual early time Hope you can nap today!

@winniebee: How cute! Your little roller...it only gets crazier from here on haha

@lisa1783: Oh my goodness...precious!

@cvbee: That's horrible :(...sorry about the crap night :(. At least he's making up for it with a good nap. I agree with extending the nap if the baby wakes up crying.

@LAGS: Happy babies make the days much better! Maybe awesome sleep will soon follow?

Cooper tripod sat for the first time earlier today. Mommy is very proud!

My husband and I love the mornings when we go into Cooper's room together to get him up. The look on his face is so funny! He is so happy to see us. I can't get enough of our little man!

I phone interviewed for a position last week. I've been kind of looking for a job, but I was undecided. It went very well, and I am sure they will call me in for an in person interview (the HR woman kind of told me they most likely would lol). After it sunk in, I decided that I am not ready to head back to work. I think I need more time.

I also chopped my hair off on Saturday! It is between my chin and shoulders. It's much easier to manage!

@MsMini: and @lisa1783: It took Nico a bit to like the Ergo too, but now it's what we almost always use, and he's gotten into biting the strap and seems to enjoy it now. He even napped in it for the first time yesterday while we were hiking.

@MsMini: yeah it was rough, but the extra-long naps today are making up for it. I'm not napping but it is giving me the relaxation I need. And the leaky diaper motivated me to order my hemp inserts this morning. Ordered from Caterpillar Baby (Canada!), which I've never used before. Thanks for your AMP tips from the other thread. Today I changed the rise in it and was 'really' careful about the placement of the insert (used a fuzzibuns too) and it did much better. I also changed the rise on my HHs and my FBs and CBs. I never really think about the rise, and have been having a lot of leak issues with all of them lately. The rise change fixed my HH problems.

@calsmom: yay for tripods! yay for haircut! (I'm gearing up for one too.....and keep changing my mind about how much, but I am leaning towards what you did.....show us a pic!!!) I agree that the morning faces are the absolute cutest. Mine also does a funny scared/confused face every morning when he hears the velcro being opened on his Halo swaddle (we swaddle arms-out now). He's heard that sound every morning since he was a newborn: you think he'd stop being surprised, but nope, it gets him every time! The face is too funny.

@LAGS: Your first pee leak? Whoa. Nice. I've only had one or two poop leaks but I have probably had at least one hundred pee leaks. Why it took me all the way until today to order hemp inserts for my overnight diapers is beyond me.

@lisa1783: Owen is sooooo cute! I want to touch his fluffy hair and give his meaty arms a squeeze. Adorable! Remind me again how old he is?

Got to get geared up for yoga soon. It has been over a month since I left Nico with Daddy. I know. I'm bad. It's just been a rough month and I thought leaving him would make it worse, but tonight's the night.

ugh... I am so mad. my period came back today. yuck. with cramps too. double yuck. Not too happy about that
I think the bigger issue is that now I know I'm "fertile" again, and definitely do not want to be!!
I'm wondering if it's because DS started solids, or if it's because he is sleeping better (but not STTN)??

@MsMini: did you get your diaper??!

@calsmom: Cobi is the same way!! Either DH or I get him and bring him back to our bed to "play" for half an hour and nurse. He loves it - it's so cute.

@lisa1783: I LOVE that chevron blanket. Did you make it?

@cvbee: aww sorry about last night- but can I just say how adorable it is that he lays in bed and talks/sings to himself?!! teehee.

@pastemoo: Yup! I've been researching convertible carseats for awhile and I am in love with the Diono Radian. Not the cheapest option (but not too $$) but for carseats I won't compromise. It has amazing reviews all over the internet, and I love that it's slim since we have a car.

Sooooo I'm afraid Cobi will be crawling SOON. like really soon. This pic is what he is doing right now... and has been doing all weekend.
He gets up onto all fours and rocks back and forth, slowly scooting his knees forward, he then falls over because he hasn't learned to move his arms yet... but oh it is coming. I'm so scared!! I was hoping he'd hold off until we move to our new apartment (Oct 1) because of the carpets here... but idk if he will!!
Oh, and in the next pic - you can see his two bottom teeth - so cute (and sharp little buggers!)

@cvbee: I'll take a pic tomorrow. Today is my cleaning day and I'm looking a bit ratty haha.

@Coco Bee: Wow! Look at him on all fours! He's about to bust a move!

Sucks having AF back. Mine was horrendous, and I was miserable the entire time.

@LAGS: Eww...poop leaks! That's so disgusting when it happens. Cooper had one that went upwards in the front vs the back. Hubby had that one, so it was fun to hear about instead of having to change it myself

I think I will take some more time before I head back to work. I miss getting out of the house and doing things without the baby, but I am not ready to be away from him for hours a day.