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Happy Thanksgiving!

After yesterday, I am terrified of traveling for Christmas. My family was fine, but it's like my parents forgot how to have a baby in the house. Not to mention it was HOT because of the gas stove. Hyla barely napped. My parents don't have anywhere I can set her down, and it was really too hot for me to wear her, hold her, or sit her in the car seat. We ended up stripping her naked after dinner was over and laying her on her quilt. Everyone was super excited to see her, but my mother does not know how to be quiet. I had to cover while I was nursing and it was SO uncomfortable, even though I was using an AA blanket.

On the plus side, we had a good time, Hyla was super smiley when she wasn't screaming out of exhaustion, and while putting her to sleep sucked, her sleep was great. Now I have to prepare for Christmas, which means we are buying a pack and play and we have to team up to convince my MIL to not smoke in her house while we are there.

Hi Ladies! Happy Holidays! Just checking in to say hello. We're doing fine over here even though sleep stints are 3.5 hours at night if we're lucky. I just learned this EASY method that some of you are doing and I'm going to try it.
Since we're celebrating Thanksgivukah in these parts, I'm sending you a photo.
Also, I have NO idea what I'm doing with breast feeding. I feed her and she's fine, but if we stretch out feedings I worry that supply will drop. We're not really on a schedule -- feedings are every 3 hours or so. Sometimes Georgi eats and then after awhile starts literally, fighting the boob. It's funny and worrisome at the same time. Anyone else in this boat? I'm taking fenugreek and I bought some MilkMakers cookies and hoping for the best.
Also, I lost a bunch of weight -- about 15 pounds after she was born, but haven't lost ANY since. And have gained a couple. Is it common to plateau? Anyone else experiencing this? Maybe I should post on the board about this.

Here's what I've been up to! LO will have a bow to match every outfit!

Here is a finished one on her head.

@evansjamie: Yay for you getting back to running. I walk for awhile and my feet and legs hurt soooo bad. So it'll be easing back into it for me.
@jennimac: those bows are gorgeous!

@daniellemybelle: I will definitely be hiding out when we visit my in laws. I'm going to have a hard time getting the baby from my MIL though.

@daniellemybelle: yes! I started watching some YouTube videos and remembered when my mom would make them for us.

@TFrances: Awesome on both counts!

Just a tiny vent: Anyone's family or friends really bent on always figuring out what is wrong with LO? I feel like everyone is always saying, oh, she has gas, oh, she's hungry, etc. Sometimes babies just fuss! And I totally do not have the magic touch by any means, though folks hand her to me when she is upset as if I do. Ironically, I think the main reason she fusses is being overstimulated & overtired - which being held by a bunch of people in a loud room doesn't help with!

@daniellemybelle: My problem is people not handing her over when she is clearly overstimulated, tired, or hungry.

@daniellemybelle: I hear you! I would tell my family that she fights sleep and that's why it was hard putting her down at night. One night my dad put her to sleep and it took so long! He looked at me and said, "did you know she fights her sleep? That's why it took so long!" Uhm, I've been telling you that from te beginning. Or I'd say that's her sleepy cry and finally my mom or sisters would had her to me because they couldn't get her to calm down. Wouldn't you know that she put her head right down on my shoulders and fell right asleep. Hang in there! I hope you have a good trip!

@kjpugs: Oh I'm so sorry!

@kjpugs: It might go up more when you are off your period. Mine dipped when I got AF but seems to be back where it was.

Do you guys use any diaper cream with every change? Or just when there's a rash or irritation? We only use it when there's irritation but I noticed our nanny used it when she changed a pee diaper. Not sure if she felt she had to (it's right there) or if I should be (she has 3 grown kids so she does know what she's doing). Interested to hear!

@KJpugs: I only use it when I see a bit of redness/irritation. So far, that's only been once or twice... I've heard it's not needed and overuse can actually cause skin problems.

So we've had a night from hell. LO screamed all afternoon until her daddy got her to sleep. She woke up and ate and finally fell asleep again from 6-until I woke her up at!almost 9. Big mistake. I don't know if she was really tired or had a gas bubble somewhere or was so hungry she didn't even want to it, but we fought and fought about going to bed. We took a bath and that helped a little bit. She had a couple of burps, but nothing that seemed to explain her behavior. I'm hoping it is just an anomaly and she will be super pleasant tonight when she wakes up and tmrw.

@Jennimac: Yesterday was hellacious. Hyla refused to sleep.

@daniellemybelle: I hope S doesn't get sick. We take hyla everywhere with us but we keep her covered the majority of the time and she hasn't gotten sick yet.

You guys, my patience with my husband is wearing very thin. Every morning, I ask him to change H's diaper, and every morning he sighs and acts like it is a big production. Today I blew up at him, because this is the ONLY thing I ask of him regularly. He asked me if I was going to sleep in today, I said no because I am trying to get on a schedule of some kind before I go back to work, he made some snippy comment about reading a sleep training book, and I fired back about being the only one reading a sleep training book. I just...I need a break. I need him to pick up some of the responsibility. I live my life in 45 minute blocks of nap time because she won't sleep longer than that and I am at my wits end. Every time I try to talk to him about it, he gets defensive, but I am on call 24/7. I know I'm the feed source and the one with her the majority of the day, but when he comes home, he parks his ass on the couch and moans about his hard day and how tired he is. I have no sympathy.

I love being a mom, but something has to change and I am having a hell of a time making him see that.

@ladybee: Her sleep has been hell since Thursday. I am so tired. We are cosleeping, I'm the one doing middle of the night feedings, and I can't get her to sleep before midnight most nights. She is fighting the crib, I can't really blame her because my bed is way more comfortable. I told him I needed help today, that this can't go on if he expects me to go back to work, and he looked like I kicked him. I can't handle it, but maybe he does need to feel like shit if it means he's going to take on more of the load instead of deferring everything to me.

I'm going to be watching H like a hawk today to get her to sleep. I'm reading the no-cry sleep solution right now. Hopefully it helps.

@ladybee: and @evansjamie: I'm so sorry that things are sucking right now.

We did get some sleep last night. LO didn't really have a dirty diaper yesterday at all. Wet ones, just no dirty ones. Last night she finally went down around 11:30 pm. She fought it. She would cry and act like she was hungry, so i would try to nurse her and she would scream when I would lay her down to nurse, so we would sit up and try to burp. I got maybe two little burps--nothing that seemed like it would cause the cryin and screaming. Finally I decided she was just really tired. When she fell asleep at 11:30, she woke back up at 12:30. I fixed her a bottle of formula because she had just nursed and I knew she wouldn't have anything. She finally went down at 1:15 am and slept until 5:15. Then we nursed and she woke up and fussed every time I laid her down, so she slept on my chest from 6:50-9:15. Then we woke up, nursed, got a sweet smile and then she pooped. Never have I been so happy! She currently asleep after nursing on both sides. I'm hoping today will be a better one for us and for you guys!!!

@evansjamie: @ladybee: @TFrances: I'm with you guys, but we have a special situation.

DH works nights (leaves here at 12:30pm and gets home after 1am usually.) I work from home. So for child care, it didn't make sense to find a day care (why should I drive somewhere early then just go back home to work!?) so DH is watching her in the morning, then we have a nanny come at noon. He's off 2 days during the week so this means we only needed the nanny 3 days a week. Usually she naps at least a little so he can nap when she does. It all works out, but not without him being 1) really mean in the morning (he's miserably NOT a morning person) and 2) him complaining about it and then not getting ANYTHING else done, and using that as his excuse. I fully get that it sucks to get in bed after 1am and have to wake up at 7:45. However, I am the only one doing bedtime with E (even when he's home!) and the only one who wakes up with her at night (the compromise to him waking up early is he doesn't do night wakeups.) I end up getting to do the brunt of EVERYTHING else around the house, and if he does something it's because I had to pester him over and over to do it. It's really annoying but I try to be understanding- he works longggg days and is on his feet. And, he's awesome with E. He may be grumpy when I catch him in the AM but when he's with her he's a big teddy bear, and he takes such good care of her. He just doesn't spend enough time alone with her for longer periods to realize how demanding she is and how hard it is to get other things done. I think it's just a tough situation that we're both being worked really hard, but it's still really annoying when I am stuck washing every dish and bottle, doing all the laundry, sweeping, vacuuming, swiffering, feeding the dogs, walking the dogs, etc.