Hellobee Boards

Baby's Name or Initial: J
Birthday / Current Age: September 3, 4 months
Stats: At his 4 month appointment, he was 16 pounds, 25.5 inches, and continues to have a head in the 99th percentile!
Teeth: None, and no signs (confirmed by ped on Friday) except drool city over here. We had to invest in some cute bibs this weekend!
Eat: He's on about 90% BM, but he gets 2-3 combo bottles on weekdays, mostly because I'm hoping to not have to pump through September. We need to step up the bottles on the weekends but it's hard because it's so much easier to BF. He's a very distracted eater right now which is a fun time for all! we are holding off on solids for another month or so.
Play: He is obsessed with the winkel toy (creepiest name for a baby toy EVER), take-along tunes, and chewing on burp cloths. In the past few days, he is starting to get the hang of the jumperoo and exersaucer - a very welcome development!
Sleep: We started sleep training (Ferber) last Thursday and he is doing really well! I still feed him 1-2 times per night, but he's been putting himself back to sleep for other wakeups and we've even been putting him down awake at night and for naps! He's showing some signs of being ready to cut out a MOTN feeding so that's our next step.
Recent Achievement: Sleep training! I thought he'd respond well to Ferber given his temperament, but I have been so pleasantly surprised with how well it's gone so far. He really hasn't done much crying! He is getting really good at self-soothing via thumb sucking and cuddling his fox lovey. (The angel dear loveys are the best!) I was so happy about this because the child refuses pacifiers.
How are YOU doing?: Pretty well - my husband has been doing all of the Ferber checks so I've been much better rested over the past few days. My only real complaint is that I'm still hanging on to 5-10 pounds of baby weight. I don't mind from a numbers/looks standpoint, but I still have a bunch of pre-pregnancy jeans that will just not fit. I think I am one of those women who can't drop the weight while breastfeeding, sadly (or maybe I just need to give it more time).
Picture (if you want): I'll try to add one from my phone later! Or add me on IG (same username).

@LBee: J totally does the creeper look-around too! So creepy to see on the monitor.

Baby's Name or Initial: S
Birthday / Current Age: 3 months, Oct baby
Stats: At 2 months, 13.2 lbs, 21 in. I birthed a big baby and he's staying that way.
Teeth: none and no obvious signs
Eat: EBF with no problems. Doesn't like his bottles, but will eat from a bottle when I'm not around. Luckily I will be attending graduate school in the evenings and he won't need bottles most of the time.
Play: Loves to look around, but doesn't seem interested in toys. He does love his tummy time though.
Sleep: Started STTN at 10 weeks and does so most nights. At 13 weeks, we may be seeing a 4 month regression soon. (Hope not)
Recent Achievement: We seem to be getting a morning nap and a schedule arranged.
How are YOU doing? Doing great, starting graduate school in January, so I'll be away during the evenings (mostly when he sleeps)

Baby's Name or Initial: E
Birthday / Current Age: June 2, 2014; 7 months
Stats: Another big guy! 19lbs 11oz on Saturday (his weight gain has slowed down a lot in the last month though due to teething and illness)
Teeth: 2 in (bottom front), 2 just popped through and 2 more in progress (4 top front). it has been pretty rough, he seems to be pretty uncomfortable, though he looks so cute with those little chompers.
Eat: still mostly breastmilk. I nurse when I'm home and he gets 3 6 Oz bottles while I'm at work. We started solids (purees) at 5 Mos and it was going great. We did a little rice cereal, oatmeal, sweet potato, squash, pear, peas, banana and avocado. Then he got an ear infection, the flu, and started teething at the same time and started refusing food. We started doing some finger foods about a week ago and he'll eat a few nibbles but is more interested in tossing food to the dogs
Play: he is very social and enjoys being around lots of people. He loves any thing he can stick in his mouth and chew on. He also loves to try and jump when he's held in a standing positin. The top favorite toy is definitely these cool suction cups called pipsquigz, which are also great for chewing.
Sleep: A total disaster. He has been sick on and off for the last 3 months and it has totally destroyed his sleep. A good night these days is two wakeups to nurse and falling back to sleep. At least he usually falls asleep in his own at bed time. Naps are similarly terrible. I'm holding him for a nap right now because he woke up after 30 minutes in his crib. We have sleep trained for nights but it is no match ear infections and teething.
Recent achievement: he's started going from sitting (which he is a pro at), leaning forward and flipping onto his tummy... it's cool because ihe is not very interested in rolling, so I'm happy to see him getting more mobile.
How are YOU doing?: I'm really tired and I'm feeling really worried about a lot of things... back to back ear infections, DS not doing so well with solids and slowing in his weight gain, and daycare. He started at 6 months after out nanny moved away and he is not adapting so well. It doesn't help that he has had an ear infection or been teething many if the days he's there. He also doesn't sleep much when he is there. I'm hoping he will get into the routine once he is feeling better and going more regularly now that the holidays are over. Also being a WOHM is really hard. Sorry for the vent.
Picture (if you want): I'll post one in a bit.

@swurlygurl: she is so cute! is that a recent picture on the beach with sunshine?!? Im going to pretend that i am wherever that photo was taken. It is -18 degrees with snow on the way here.

@swurlygurl: I'm already thinking about #3 too! Though this month, my period was non existant for some reason, and I freaked! I think I need a bit more time. My two boys are 20 months apart and I really liked that age gap. I think I'll shoot for the same again.

@CakeLady: aww mama I feel you on the worry. Little C got sick immediately when he started daycare and I just felt terrible and blamed myself for being a WOHM (and for every other little thing that goes bad for him...) Hang in there!

@swurlygurl: We are already thinking about #3 as well, but I am nowhere NEAR ready to be pregnant again. Our 1st 2 were 3.5 years apart (not by choice), so I feel like that makes it scary for me to have 2 a lot closer together. I turn 32 next month though, and I'm ready to be "done" so we will see...

@CakeLady: I'm a worrier too. I have to say it does get easier as they get older. For me it did anyway. I could then see he was ok and healthy, so I figured I was doing at least an ok job.

Baby's Name or Initial: E

Birthday / Current Age: 8/11, 5mo on Sunday!

Stats: 3 weeks ago he was 12lbs 3oz, he'll get weighed again on Wednesday. I'm guessing around 13.5-14lbs now.

Teeth: I'm SO not ready for them! Nothing yet, but he is drooling a little.

Eat: Trying to EBF, but had to supplement with formula for a few weeks. Using donor milk now while building up my supply. Seeing an OT therapist in hopes of making it work.

Play: Starting to be aware of EVERYTHING. I think we need to get him some new toys, he may be getting bored of the stuff he plays with now. Debating on whether or not I want a jumparoo taking up space...

Sleep: He's been a great sleeper since birth. Putting him down isn't very easy, but he sleeps approx 10-6 (when we wake him up to eat. Sometimes wakes up once after being put down, but goes back to sleep quickly. We also need to swaddle wean, but the Merlin suit hasn't been so magical for us! He can't connect sleep cycles in it. We're trying it for naps right now though.

Recent Achievement: Figuring out how to put the paci back in his mouth if it falls out (or if he pulls it out).

How are YOU doing?: OK... Breastfeeding continues to be a struggle, and pretty much what I worry about all day.

Here is a pic of my not so little guy!

Baby's Name or Initial: F

Birthday / Current Age: May 27th (7 months)

Stats: 16lbs and 28in at 6 month appointment (my guess would be he's probably up another pound or so and another inch) He's a long skinny dude!

Teeth: Nothing yet. But LOTS of drool and he's just started really chewing on EVERYTHING.

Eat: We combo feed. I couldn't keep up with his intake when I went back to work at 3 months. He's probably 25% breast, 65% formula, 10% solids now.

Play: He loves his exersaucer! He'll entertain himself in that thing forever now, which is totally awesome when I need to get things done.

Sleep: He's always been a decent night sleeper. He currently goes to bed about 8pm and will wakeup between 6:00 and 8:00am. If he wakes up on the early end of that I usually feed him and sometimes he'll go back to sleep. I am not a morning person so starting our day before 7am is not an option for me

Naps seem to finally be consolidating. He'll take a 1.5-2.5hr nap in the morning, and then another 45min-2hr nap in the afternoon. We're trying to go from a 3 nap schedule to a 2-3-4 schedule right now and it seems to be going pretty well.

Oh and we LOVE the Merlin Sleepsuit. It was a godsend after we stopped swaddling!

Recent Achievement: We have forward progress on the crawling front (he's been moving in reverse now for a month+). He doesn't quite have the best coordination tho. DH and I decided he looks like a dude in an action movie who's been shot 20 times and is trying with all their might to crawl and grab a weapon.

How are YOU doing?: I'm good. I WOHM, and I FINALLY feel like we're hitting our stride. Does it usually take thing long?!

And in case this helps anyone else, here's a cheat sheet. (holy summer of boys!)

@Mamasig: - Leo - - May
@BadgerMom: - F - - May
@CakeLady: E - - Jun
@Meagan2014: Max - - Jun
@LBee: T - - Aug
@T.H.O.U.: C - - Aug
@swurlygurl: Keira - -Aug
@Mrs.Someone: - E - - Aug
@regberadaisy: A - - Aug
@erind425: J - - Sept
@Littlebit: Dylan - -Sept
@psw27: C - - Sept
@Pancakes: C - - Sept
@Mrs. Toad: S - - Oct

@Littlebit: I would go with the big Merlin. We started with the small one, but only used for like a week before switching tot he bigger size, and he was still not quite within their suggested weight/height thresholds yet. It still worked great.

@regberadaisy: Yep. We actually started solids a little early, probably 5ish months. LO was eating upwards of 32oz at his 4 month appointment so the Ped suggested with give solids a go. We started offering purees here and there when we had time and it was convenient, now we're up to three meals a day, purees for breakfast and lunch and finger foods for dinner. He's a big fan!

But he HATES the sippy cup. He doesn't get it AT ALL, and he gets mad when we try to get him to suck on it. Anyone who's been there done that have any advice?

Baby's Name or Initial: Max

Birthday / Current Age: 6 months

Stats: He was almost 18 lbs last time I had him weighted

Teeth: No yet but has been a drooling machine

Eat: Breastfeed, just starting Baby Led Weaning

Play:Loves to jump, or walk around looking at everything!

Sleep: He has been able to fall asleep on his own for a couple of months now. Still wakes 2-3 times at night to eat but goes back to sleep right after. Depending on when he wakes up he will do 2 or 3 naps, usually 1.5-2hrs long. So really no complaints!!

Recent Achievement: Just before Christmas he figured out how to roll from his belly to his back.

How are YOU doing?: It has definitely been a hard adjustment going from full-time employment to stay at home mom. Finally feeling like this is the new normal!

Picture (if you want): Our Christmas pic