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Merry Christmas everyone!

Merry Christmas to everyone! We have had an awesome Christmas so far.

S hasn't had any teeth pop through but he's definitely on the way. He's drooling like crazy and his hands are always in his mouth. He loves his Sophie giraffe and also like to suck on her face. He is almost 20 weeks and weighs 14.5 lbs. he isn't rolling back to front yet but has been rolling front to back since he was a month old. He's almost sitting up by himself. He loves to stand and loves to play in his Step and Play piano. I'm planning on waiting till 6 mos to start solids as he isn't really showing any interest.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season!

Gah I am so behind...time to catch up! Merry Christmas to everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful day. Today was SO much better than Thanksgiving because we were at our own house so we were able to keep M on her schedule and she was in the best mood all day. It was so fun watching her "open" her presents and she loved putting the wrapping paper in her mouth.

I read through the last few pages so here's an update from my end:

PP hair loss--I don't know how I even have any hair left! Between the amount that falls out in the shower and the amount that M rips out every time she pulls my hair I can't believe I am not balding!

Giggling--M has been giggling for a few weeks and it is seriously the cutest thing ever. She giggles more for DH...she is totally a daddy's girl already (except when she's hungry!).

Teething--she is definitely teething as buckets of drool fall out of her mouth every day. But I don't see any teeth about to pop through and she doesn't seem to be in any pain, so I am thinking it may still be awhile before we actually see any teeth.

4-month sleep regression--Unfortunately we're still dealing with this. She's still waking up 2-3 times a night. The good news is we've stopped nursing to sleep for naps and nighttime so she goes down really easily for both. She normally chews on her hand and stares at the Foscam for a few minutes then passes out. I wish she didn't have the wakeups, but she nurses for 5-10 minutes then is right back to sleep, so at least she goes down easily after each one.

Other milestones--She's not rolling back to belly yet but I know she wants to. She can roll onto her side and have her legs and hips over, she just needs to be able to get her head and chest over. She's been tripod sitting for the last week, and she's gotten really good at it! She can usually sit with him arms out in front supporting her for a few minutes at a time. I think it'll be awhile before she can sit unassisted.

AF--I am happy to report that I still haven't gotten AF. It's been amazing not having to deal with her for over a year now! I am happy for her to stay away as long as possible.

Solids--We're not planning to start until after her 6-month appointment. I am in absolutely no hurry to start...partly because I am in denial that my baby will be eating real food soon!

I am loving all the holiday pics. Everyone's LOs look so cute in their holiday outfits. My parents and brother came over for Christmas lunch and we decided to put M in her Fisher Price booster seat for the first time so that she could sit at the dining table with us...OMG she was so excited and proud of herself. I teared up a little because she's growing so fast, but seeing how happy she was made me happy. Every day I think about how lucky I am to have a happy, smiley, and most importantly healthy LO. Ok done with the sappy stuff here is my big girl:

Lurker from the Nov board here...I like to see what my LO will be up to in a few months! All these Christmas pictures are adorable

@BabyMats: ummm my son is 6 weeks old today and I think I have baby fever too haha. It's crazy But it took us 13 months of TTC and then 9 months of being pregnant, so I've essentially been trying to get pregnant or actually pregnant for the past 2 years! It's hard to change that mindset I guess. We'll probably start TTC for #2 when LO turns one.

No AF yet, although the minipill could be affecting that.

I have some baby fever, but do not plan to TTC until DS is about two. I can't imagine two under two. I could maybe be talked into a 2.5 year spacing by DH. I actually never had baby fever before TTC the first time.

LO did pretty well. He was a little low on naps, but appreciated all the people to hold him. He has started waking up earlier, which seems to be a habit now, but his sleep is still good enough that I should not complain.

@BabyMats: haha, think you're crazy for thinking of trying "once LO turns one?" No, we're basically NTNP now haha, but AF hasn't returned yet ( I know that doesn't mean it can't happen.) I technically don't have to go back to work until July 28th, but my maternity leave runs out at the end of May, though it might get extended a few weeks. I'm thinking of going back to work in Feb or March so I can start working on my next mat leave. We want our first two close together then maybe take a break for a couple years after the first two. I miss being pregnant!

@.twist.: haha! Oh man! What a 180 from one day to the next on the solids! How's he doing now?

@babymats: G is such a busy body!! C is also sitting up alone for longer periods of time, but not extensively.

Oh no on catching HFM!!! But hooray for working part time, more quality time with G!!!

Sleep training has been a miserable fail for us. We tried a couple times, but he always gets sick a day or two after we start sleep training. Then we went on vaca and now I think his teething is bothering him because he’s not like himself at all the past two days. And he screams like a madman.  We’ve tried giving him Hyland’s teething tablets, and they don’t really seem to help him. Maybe I need to give them more frequently? How did you go about sleep training G?

We’re thinking about trying for LO #2 once C is 1 also, but you’re way ahead of me already bc you’re already DTD. We tried a few times way back when, but haven’t tried again since. No energy to, it didn’t feel comfortable the last few times, and DH isn’t the best at helping out so I’m not always in the mood to either. Poor hubby, but he gets plenty of uninterrupted sleep so I don’t feel TOO bad for him. Haha!

@JamieLee: S sure did get a big ole stocking!! Lucky boy!

@Lawbee11: Aren’t baby giggles/laughs/smiles the best???? They give me the warm fuzzy feelings every time and I get smile from ear to ear!

And that’s such a cute picture of M! I love all the pics you post on FB also!!

@MrsB2012: Just bc AF hasn’t made her return yet, doesn’t mean you can’t get preggo! There’s plenty of bees on here that it’s happened to! Plus, for me, I had EW CM awhile back followed by some spotting a week or two later, but no full on AF. Some bees mentioned I might have ovulated but not enough to get things going for AF… Eek! I missed being preggo also. I really hope pregnancy #2 (when the time comes) will be pretty on par with pregnancy #1!!!

Yikes I fell behind! Holidays have been busy! I'm glad they are over and am happy to get back to my normal, every day routine! I hope you all had a great Christmas!!

@greenebee: I'm sorry that BF didn't work out for you but I'm so glad he's doing well with the formula and is a happy little guy! Our 4 month sleep regression last one week, in that she was up 4-5 times a night, but she still hasn't been sleeping as great as she used to!

@.twist.: reading your thread makes me excited to try solids! I think I will skip cereal and go straight to real good but I haven't entirely made up my mind! I'm sorry you have been feeling blue Maybe it's just the holidays winding down?

@Alivoo01: that sounds like an awesome vacation! It's great that LO was such an amazing traveller. I'm taking L to Florida in February and hope she's just as good!

@BabyMats: I totAlly have baby fever . We will probably start trying once she turns 1!

As for us, we ditched the swaddle three days ago (except for naps) and it's going ok. The first night was terrible, the last two nights she had trouble falling asleep, waking up every 30 minutes, but then once she was asleep she slept a solid 7 hours before needing to eat. I think my days of L STTN may be over for awhile but they were nice while they lasted.
We also have a little problem with rolling. When she first started rolling she could only do tummy to back. Now she's a pro at doing back to tummy and forgets how to go tummy to back! So now she flips over on tummy and just starts crying! This happens repeatedly. It's hard to even put her on the play at cause she just gets so upset! I know she's going to do it in her crib now that she's not swaddled and we will have to go in and turn her over. I don't know why she suddenly can't get herself from tummy to back!

I'm useless at keeping up. So glad everyone had a great holiday!

Has anyone NOT been able to DTD yet? I had bad 2nd/3rd degree tearing, lots of stitches, infection afterwards, and its crazy painful to try and DTD. Its been four and a half months...we're going a little nuts.

LO started rice cereal a few weeks ago, but I think it might be tough on her tummy. She's had wicked gas pains the past few days, so we've stopped giving it to her. She seems to be gaining weight anyway, so I'm not too concerned (we started at 4 months because of slow weight gain).

We moved her to her crib in her own room last week, but she's only stayed there a few times. When she WILL sleep there, its for 7 hour stretches, which is great. But more often than not, she wakes up screaming bloody murder, mad that we left her alone. We might have to start sleep training soon.

How is everyone else doing?

As for me, I tried the No Cry Sleep Solution this past weekend, and DS goes to sleep in his crib just fine, but can't seem to stay asleep. Ugh! He's definitely waking up out of habit now because at 1.5 hours, he's up! Getting up and down to soothe him is soooo difficult. I'm like a zombie and with each additional getting up, my head and body feel heavier and heavier. How do you ladies do it??

We've tried the CIO method, but he escalates in anger, tears, and screams the longer I leave him be. He also accumulates a TON of boogers which turn into congestion. How do you keep congestion and boogers at bay? I've pulled some mighty large ones out this past weekend and I'm thinking how in the world did it get so big?!

and to further the whine-fest, I got through another day at work, didn't get a chance to pump more than once (at 12:30, two hours later than normal). I get out to my car...and the battery is dead. After being in the shop to fix the lock, oh...yesterday.

Full boobs + exhaustion + freezing car (10 degrees) = complete meltdown. My mom drove me home (I wouldn't let DH take E out in this weather) and he drove back with her to jump it.

@sarbear: Thank you!

@BabyMats: I don't think you're crazy but we will definitely be waiting a little longer. I think once he's 1.5 or 2 we would think about trying. My MIL actually said to me a little while ago, "if you got pregnant how, they would be a year apart." I was like, you shut your mouth!

@Alivoo01: sounds like your vacation was a success! I would love to get away for a bit with just DH and S, but it's not in the cards for us this year...maybe next year! I was about to try the No Cry Sleep Solution but then S got sick so now we're just trying to get him well again.

@.twist.: glad to hear solids are going well. Sorry you're feeling so down. Are you in a cold climate? I find I always get down in the winter.

@greenebee: sorry that breastfeeding didn't work out, but your little man is happy and healthy so it's all good. S has been on some formula since the beginning and I still have trouble with the idea of it, but it's for his best interests.

AFM, we're in the throes of something here. Since the weekend, S has been miserable. He is crying for the better part of the day, he won't nurse, and at one point he wouldn't even take a bottle. He keeps moaning like he's in pain. I took him into the ped to rule out an ear infection and hand foot mouth (the friends we saw at New Years found out their little girl had it the next day). Doc said it's an unspecified virus. He will only sleep either laying on one of us or snuggling in the big bed. So DH takes the first half of the night with him on the couch and then I take him to bed with me for the rest of he night. I also have to lay in bed with him for naps. We're all so exhausted and I'm so frustrated and broken hearted that there is nothing I can do to help him. And I'm worried that this will be the end of our nursing relationship because I can't find time to pump to keep up my supply because if I put him down he just screams. Ugg...hoping this will pass soon.

@.twist.: We introduced a food yesterday at 5 months one week because she was making me feel so guilty staring me down every time I was eating. Avocado! She LOVED it! I have a mega sweet tooth, so I'm trying to keep to non-sweet foods in hopes that she won't develop a taste for them and reject veggies. I just kind of mashed it up because I was scared, but I think we plan to do BLW for the most part.

@Sapphiresun: lol @ decrepit tampon. Too funny!

S is five months today and I picked up some oatmeal cereal at the grocery today. I don't think we're quite ready but I wanted to get the organic cereal and our little town grocery store doesn't carry anything like that so I want to be prepared. I'm also investigating baby food makers. I was looking at the beaba babycook. It steams and purées in one machine and since I don't have a good processor, it might help me with my goal to make my own baby food. Any opinions?

S seems to be doing much better today. He definitely has hand, foot, and mouth disease though. The blisters showed up in his feet this morning and he's got some spots on his hands and around his mouth.

Is anyone else using an amber teething necklace? I was super skeptical but he was so miserable and we weren't sure if it was teething or sickness so I picked one up. I'm not sure if it's just a coincidence but but within a few hours of putting it on him he was so much better. Like, he was cry/moaning a good portion of the day Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning and since yesterday evening, he is only crying at his usual times - hungry, bored, tired, etc. my husband keeps calling it the hippie necklace. I'm now a believer though!

@skipper2010: We keep going back and forth about the helmet because our Dr. actually told us not to get one and just do tummy time and it has been improving a little - but the thought of him having a flat head when he's older because we didnt' get the helmet haunts me. I don't know if the rash means he's allergic, I was wondering that myself, but he shows no other signs of an allergy so I can only assume that it's his skin adapting to a new substance. We're introducing one food at a time for a full week, so far this is all he's had.

@Sapphiresun: we started swimming lessons this week! LO loved it too! She didn't cry when I dunked her. I think I'll continue he weekly swimming lessons for awhile!

@Modern Daisy: I'm sorry you have to get a helmet for LO. I hope it helps. Can't believe you've started solids already! Where have our babies gone!? I'm starting in February after our trip to Florida. She'll be exactly 6 months.

I was planning on starting with sweet potato or squash and skip the space reals but still need to do some research! I lot of my friends' babes got really constipated with rice, but I know it's a good source of iron.

.@StrawberryBee: L has the same problem of having a hard time initially falling asleep. It's so tiring having to keep going to her every 30 mins because the only way I can get her down is to nurse her. I have started putting her down awake now and some nights she will fall asleep after some crying but other nights it takes 3 or 4 attempts. Sorry your naps are so crappy that must make for a long day!

@Alivoo01: I don't know how you do it in the sleep department! We haven't really has to sleep train over here. She went through a couple rough weeks at 4 months but now seems to get up only once, once she falls asleep. My best friend's little guy wakes up every 1.5 hours still at 6 months. I hope sleep training goes well for you.

AFM, AF showed up this week. I was expecting it though because I noticed some EWCM and had a positive OPK. However that was only 5 days before AF started so looks like an irregular cycle. It's only the first one though so I'm not concerned yet!

@StrawberryBee: Yep, she can sit up on the floor, but that's a little less consistent, and she'll do a header if she forgets and tries to lunge for a toy or something. In a chair though, she can sit up perfectly.

@JamieLee: We're leaning toward BLW, but I'm still so tempted by the Babycook. We've been doing purees right now and I don't have a food processor. Avocado I just mushed with a spoon, and I made sweet potatoes today. Just baked in the oven, then a buzz in our magic bullet.