Parenting Check In (10/13)

ball.and.chain · October 2014

Good Morning Everyone!

How was your weekend? Any new successes, challenges or milestones to report?

QOTD: What is one skill (e.g. how to do something) you can't wait to teach your child?

Parenting Roster:

(Please let me know if you would like to be added)

@2brides – G & C born 5/18/06, other Mom is L

@Themommymonster – C (DS) born 2/18/09

@Mystjava – Little Bear (LB) born 3/31/10, other Mummum is Shawn

@winstan1 – J (DS) born 9/10 (currently 3.5 years old)

@Trisholio and @trisholiosboi – Proud foster parents to M born 2/6/12 and K born 8/22/13; baby Adalyn born 8/29/14

@jazibel – Kaden born 7/13/12 and Owen born 5/2/14, other parent (Aya) is EV

@newmompeanut – N (DD) born 2/12/13, other Momma is B

@CageyMack – W born 3/16/13

@JGY – Gabe born 3/24/13, other Mama is S.

@Stringy813 – M born May 2013

@Clairmeij – Alarico born 6/28/13, other mama is V

@Wallace323 – J and L born 8/8/13, surviving triplets born at 31 weeks

@Jrtmom – Henry born 8/15/13, other mama is L

@ATXmommas – Sebastian (“Ash”) born 11/21/13, other Momma is Z

@mwagner25 – Oliver born 11/27/13, other parent is L

@herbabymama‌ – C (DD) born 12/10/13, other Mama is K

@Sarahtrpt – C born February 2014

@AmandaG47 – Twin girls born 2/22/14, other Mommy is J

@Mamosey‌ & @Karlamo‌ – R born 2/25/14

@shameless370087‌ - Anthony and Sati, born 3/9/2014, Other mom is S

@Filmfanatic82 – Charley born 3/15/14

@2momsinCA‌ - B & O born 5/27/14

@KH826 – Will born 6/4/14

@redrockmama – M born 6/19/14, other Mama is J

@ball.and.chain – B born 6/28/14

@Flygirl1228 – Twins 7/25/14

@KLeigh1‌ - S born 7/25/14

@shelly2314 - Elise and Olivia, born 8/19/14, wife is M

@2MamazInSeattle‌ - S born 8/21/14

@rkbo‌ - Amelia born 9/22/14

ball.and.chain · October 2014

Confession/FYI: I re-ordered the parenting roster so it goes from first-born to most-recent, because I am a little anal that way. So if you can't find your kid, he/she might just be in a different place.

ATXmommas · October 2014

ball.and.chain said:
Confession/FYI: I re-ordered the parenting roster so it goes from first-born to most-recent, because I am a little anal that way. So if you can't find your kid, he/she might just be in a different place.

Thanks!!! Confession: I'm anal too and I tried to do this one time, but I was mobile and it was a disaster, so I gave up.

JGY · October 2014

ball.and.chain said:

Confession/FYI: I re-ordered the parenting roster so it goes from first-born to most-recent, because I am a little anal that way. So if you can't find your kid, he/she might just be in a different place.

ILY for this, Untaggable @ball.and.chain!

2brides · October 2014

LOL. And now I feel old since my kids are the oldest (at least without younger siblings.)

ball.and.chain · October 2014

2brides said:

LOL. And now I feel old since my kids are the oldest (at least without younger siblings.)

But age-wise, I think you are younger than a few others (e.g. @2MamazinSeattle who has an infant! -- I'm only tagging her bc I know she won't be mad at me for calling her out as old ;;) ). We're all over the place.

KH826 · October 2014

Will is 4 months old (18 weeks)!

We had a good, but busy weekend. I am tired!

On Saturday we drove down to my in-law's (an hour away) and we went to a 1st bday party for a family friend's little boy. We saw lots of people we hadn't seen since Will was born, and he got passed around a lot. It was good but overwhelming and tiring. Then we left the party and went straight to J's cousin's house... she had her second baby 3 weeks ago, so we went to go meet the baby, and we stayed to visit for a little while. Then we took my MIL back to her house and drove home. Got home around 6pm, ate dinner, took care of Will, went to bed totally exhausted.

Sunday we went out to lunch at Panera and then went to the grocery store (our little weekend ritual). Then we went home, unloaded groceries, gave the boy a bath, did some laundry... we had Kohl's cash to spend, so we put in an online order and got Will some PJs, socks, a hat & mitten set, and a Christmas present (we got him 'My Pal Scout' - I'm excited!)... then we met our friend and her husband for dinner... didn't get home until 7pm last night... then it was jammies, feeding, a little floor time, then bed time. The weekend went super fast, and I am a tired Momma today.

So, other than the usual weekend craziness, here is what Will has been up to:

* Did some more tummy to back rolling yesterday - yay!

* He has discovered this new high pitched squeal that he does, and now he does it alllll the time! My wife calls it his pterodactyl noise. It is pretty cute, but the dog isn't a fan HAHA

* Things Will currently loves: sticking his toes in his mouth; sticking anything in his mouth, really; getting kisses on his tummy and then belly laughing; tripoding on the floor in an *almost* sitting unassisted position; jibber jabbering to himself in the car (apparently he no longer sleeps in the car, there is too much to look at and he needs to narrate it all to us!)

* Things Will is not so much a fan of: when his bottle is empty; getting his nails clipped; sitting still -- we have a real squirm worm on our hands already!

QOTD: I can't wait to teach him about music, and teach him to sing and dance! I think he is going to be a pretty big ham, based on his current personality, so I think it is going to be lots and lots of fun!

ETA: added Will's age at the top -- I always forget!

JGY · October 2014

Good Morning Everyone,

Well I am definitely hitting a point with G and with life where I feel outmatched and overwhelmed. I need more tools in my parenting tool-box than I have now. I know that I need to be able to read in order to get those tools, and I just can't seem to find/make the time to do that reading. I'm frustrated and sad and feeling pretty alone.

As I've spoken about before, G is a SUPER active little guy. He's everywhere all at once, and there's nothing gentle about him. I watch him in groups of other children, and there is a profound difference in his activity level. These days he's throwing everything he gets his hands on, then once it's on the floor, he kicks it. He's constantly throwing himself on and off of things (most of the time we're there to catch him). It's exhausting.

In addition, Gabe is not good at making eye contact (yes, I'm worried, but kind of at a loss of what to do there ...) and shows no other signs of listening when I try to talk him through/out of things. I know he understands a lot of what we say when he does listen, but I have no idea when that is.

To add to all of that, S's work schedule is such that she still leaves at 5am but now doesn't get home until after 6pm. So that means that all dinners for the week have to be reheat-ready and I try to get that done on Sunday afternoons. G is still in a big Mommy phase (read: not Mama), but is not predictable or careful or obedient enough to have in the kitchen with me. Yesterday it was all just too much, and I nearly lost my $hit.

On the bright side, my in-laws are coming to visit on Thursday and I'm incredibly excited to see them. They've been highly active in the lives of all 4 of their grandsons, so while I'm certain that our parenting philosophies differ quite a bit, I'm confident that there is still much to be learned from them when it comes to working with my little guy.

QOTD: I've already started working with G on catching balls. He's actually pretty good at it. With his high energy level, he's going to have to get involved in sports if we have any expectation of him being able to sit still in a class. So I'm pretty stoked to be his practice buddy for whatever sport he shows an interest in. I was a gymnast through High School, and we have G signed up for tumbling classes starting in November. I'm really excited to help teach him some of those skills too.

ball.and.chain · October 2014

B is 3m and 2 weeks. He is sleeping on me currently but is due to wake for a bottle at any moment. I feel like I'm on borrowed time -- let's see what I can do.

First -- @JGY, I'm sorry you are having a hard time! I have no experience with active toddlers but you have my sympathy! I hope you are able to add to your tool box soon.

B is doing great. My aunt, who is a mom of 3 and grandmother of 3 and lover of babies, has been staying with us this weekend (she lives in CA) and keeps saying how smiley and happy he is. I just assumed all babies were like this at his age but I'm glad if he's above average in something, it's happiness! He gets very unhappy very quickly when hungry, and sometimes when he is overtired and can't quite get himself to go to sleep, but in both cases he can be soothed pretty quickly. And honestly all of the smiles make up it! I am loving this age (compared to newborn) but also looking forward to 6m and 1y and seeing him learn to do things like crawl, walk, talk, eat, etc. I don't think I could love this little guy more.

QOTD: My wife is a trained chef and we both love to cook (and eat). We enjoy cooking together and I look forward to it being a family activity! B will not grow up to be one of those guys who can't cook. I also look forward to teaching him to read. And I know my wife is really looking forward to teaching him how to play sports.

KH826 · October 2014

@JGY - I am so sorry that things are tough right now. I also do not have any advice to offer, as I am not there yet... but I would like to offer my support. You are an awesome parent, and I know that you have, do and will do anything for G. I really hope that you discover some great tricks to add to your toolbox soon, and that you (selfishly) share your wisdom with the rest of us! I am sure this phase is super challenging. Thinking of you and sending you support!

2brides · October 2014

ball.and.chain said:

2brides said:

LOL. And now I feel old since my kids are the oldest (at least without younger siblings.)

But age-wise, I think you are younger than a few others (e.g. @2MamazinSeattle who has an infant! -- I'm only tagging her bc I know she won't be mad at me for calling her out as old ;;) ). We're all over the place.

I know. I was kidding.

Jazibel · October 2014

Kaden 27 months

Owen 5 months

@JGY - totally feel for you!! We have an active toddler who definitely has his moments. It sounds like little G is exceptionally active. I know how exhausting it can be when the kiddos are always 3 steps ahead with what they are into. And turning "safe" toys and activities in dangerous ones by being creatively inventive. (Like turning books into Frisbees or jumping off the couch). I've found creating organized activities for Kaden sometimes helps, and creating a "schedule" for the day. We also just get out of the house a lot. Playground everyday, etc. If you want to start a separate thread maybe we could come up with some ideas to help us moms of toddlers :-)

Also Kaden has decided "not listening" is sometimes better than listening. I read an article somewhere that said that "boys" supposedly have a harder time listening. No idea if there was scientific proof but it made me feel better - at least for a moment.

We had a great weekend also super busy. I brought our mini-van in to the dealership and was excited to find my "starting" problem was only a loose battery and free fix. On Saturday afternoon we had our friends with their now 6 week old son visit. Kaden and our male friend (who is a 25 year old dad - responsible but still energetic) played a bunch which was great. Sunday our in-laws came over for brunch. EV made mushroom turnovers and apple, kale,bacon egg scramble. It was delicious. I was up late Saturday night so by the time our in-laws left we took a family nap.

Kaden has been in his big boy bed for almost a week. It's going pretty well. He still wakes about 1x a night but I think its a bad pattern he adopted when he was sick and woke up uncomfortable and congested and then got hot tea and snack. Trying to wean him off waking.

I'm working on sleep training Owen and transition him to the crib. The first night he slept in there for 40 minutes, the second 2.5 hours, last night 4 hours. Fingers crossed he continues on this track. He seems to wake hungry at 2:30/3am no matter what and that's when I bring him in our bed, but I'll try to put him back down into the crib soon.

Other than that Owen's rolling over and enjoying his tummy time, he scoots a lot and we find him a foot or more away from where we left him.

Kaden and I went to a pre-school last Wednesday where adults attend with the kiddos. He did great and had so much fun.

Today we're off to hang out with a couple of friends and their kids.

I have an in-person job interview tomorrow (I've had 2 conference call interviews). I'm nervous and excited and terrified that I don't have childcare set up in the event I'm back to work soon. I've been trying to find options on-line. There's a daycare literally around the corner. I don't think its the highest rated one but it might end up being a temporary fix while I look for the perfect solution. One top of everything a friend and I are going to be partnering to start a catering business. So in my spare time I'm re-working our marketing strategy and establishing all the basic operational necessities.

rkbo · October 2014

Good Morning!!

Thanks for adding me to the roster!

Amelia is doing great. She was taken off the CPAP machine this weekend and is only on a nasal cannula now! That was a great surprise to walk in and see her on Saturday. She has orders to have her picc line removed, we will see if that was done last night when we go see her today.

She has been gaining weight like a pro. She is now up to 3lb 5oz and is doing great in the nicu.

DW and I barely remembered on Friday night that our 1 year wedding anniversary was this past Sunday. Oops, guess we have been preoccupied some

We will go out to dinner this coming weekend to celebrate.

Bonus PIP's: K, Amelia and I on our 1 year wedding anniversary yesterday. DW is holding her. And pic #2 was taken on Friday.

KH826 · October 2014

@rkbo - So very happy to hear that Amelia is doing well, and that is a great family picture! I think of you and your little one often. Please continue to give us updates, and of course photos!!!

JGY · October 2014

@rkbo - Happy Anniversary and it's so good to hear that Amelia is making good progress.

JGY · October 2014

Thanks for all the kind words everyone...

@ball.and.chain

S and I chatted and we agreed to sit down and go through the online Autism screening tool together this evening. When we had our 18-month check-up with the Dr., they forgot to give that questionnaire to us in the waiting room, so S filled out while I was holding G down for shots. But I'm his primary caregiver and we're thinking perhaps we would have answered some of the questions differently. The Dr said all looked good, but when I complete the assessment online it comes back with a "Medium" risk level, and suggests immediate evaluation.

Anyway, just to pile onto my great day ... Monday is the day that I go home at lunch to walk Duncan. When I got there, he was standing in his crate because he'd pooped (the d kind) all over the place. Poor baby. And what a mess!

Last thing weighing on my mind - I got a totally passive/aggressive email from my Mom and Sister today referencing concerns about Gabe and screen time. Now I love my family dearly, and 99.9% of the time they are awesome! But I just did NOT need this today. For the record, we do have the TV on in the background quite a bit, with adult-type programming (the news, sports, etc). Gabe shows absolutely NO interest. Up until recently, he's shown no real interest in anything having to do with screens. The only way we know this is from the rare occasion that we tried to turn on the Sprout channel at 3am when he refused to sleep for hours on end and we were both losing it. Well now he's taken a huge interest in Elmo (through books) and when we needed 5 minutes of peace this weekend we decided to see what he'd think of an Elmo video. He loved it. So what did we do? We hid the iPad and decided this would be a special treat thing. Call me crazy, I don't think my kid is at risk of becoming a vidiot now.

End rant.

Thanks for listening, peeps. I just really, REALLY needed this group today. Tomorrow I'll refocus and start giving back.

ATXmommas · October 2014

@JGY - Hugs, lady. I'm sorry you are having a tough time right now. You may not have all the answers now (do any if us?), but you are a loving and conscientious parent who will get through this.

@rkbo‌ - so glad you updated and happy anniversary! I love your family pic. I'm glad A is doing so well. What a strong little girl you have!

Ash is nearing 11 months old. He's doing well. Still taking a few steps at a time, but has to be in the right mood. We had a tough day/night yesterday, which I'm 95% sure is attributable to teething. He refused dinner (solids) on Saturday night, which is very unlike him. He is typically shoving food in his mouth with both hands. He ate a teeny bit of solid food on Sunday morning, then promptly threw up, which is his telltale teething symptom. He was in good spirits, so we want out for a run, then lunch. He ate a little food, then threw up again at the restaurant. Oy. We hurried home and he stayed a pretty sleepy, fussy baby for the rest of the day. He went to sleep ok, but woke up frequently. Crossing my fingers that tonight is better.

Tons of baby talk, but no real words yet. Honestly, I don't expect any real words for a while. Yesterday morning he was saying, "mamamamamama," when he woke up and I pretended he was calling for me, but I'm certain there is no intention behind it.

I talked to a nurse at the pediatrician's office this morning to get some feedback on transitioning to plant based milk. I don't think she has ever dealt with this before, so she said she would check with doctor and get back to me. I'm really hoping to start mixing milk with BM next week when he turns 11 months. I'm still pumping 3x/day and it's going ok (have my good and bad days), but I'm ready to start weaning from the pump. Would love to be done pumping by early December. I'm up for morning and night nursing for a while - probably up until we start TTC again because I'm pretty sure Femara is contraindicated during BFing.

QOTW: I too would like to share my love of cooking with him.

redrockmama · October 2014

M is almost 4 months old (6 more days!)

The weekend was good and busy. Nothing too exciting happened. Last Wednesday we got an amended birth certificate for M, which was amazing. J was so happy and emotional she could barely sign the form. We still need to celebrate somehow.

M is still "talking" a ton. He has soooo many stories to share. He is still in 0-3 month clothes, but about to grow out of them. He still hates tummy time, so we just don't do it. He suddenly likes to stand all the time and we joke that he will skip crawling and go straight to walking. Napping is still a challenge, and I think i just need to give up the idea of him napping without being held. The the nanny can do it, which makes me fell terrible and happy at the same time. I hope it's just a phase and what he needs right now...but not forever

QOTW: Everything

ok...a couple things, backpacking/camping, basketball, gardening and cooking

ball.and.chain · October 2014

redrockmama said:
Napping is still a challenge, and I think i just need to give up the idea of him napping without being held. The the nanny can do it, which makes me fell terrible and happy at the same time. I hope it's just a phase and what he needs right now...but not forever

We also can't get B to nap without being held, but he does it just fine at daycare. I like to believe it's just because he loves us so much...

ball.and.chain · October 2014

@JGY, are your mom and sister criticizing you for letting G have any screen time? I'm sorry, but even if he was parked in front of the TV all day (which he clearly isn't), it's none of their business. I know it's your family, but try not to let it get to you.

FWIW, we have the TV on a lot in the background when B is around. I'm not as much of a TV person but S is, and convincing her to turn it off because of B is basically not going to happen (obviously we will have to be more careful about the specific programming when he is old enough to know what is going on, but I don't think The Voice is going to scar him for life). Now that his vision is good enough to see that far, he has started noticing the TV and will just stare at it like he's watching it. I told S it makes me feel guilty because I don't want him watching it but she pointed out that we grew up with TV and did just fine. We still talk to each other and B a lot, and I think part of the issue with TV is when it is replacing regular family interaction.

And I'm sorry you have concerns about autism. I hope nothing comes of it, but I can understand how that would be scary.

redrockmama · October 2014

ball.and.chain said:

redrockmama said:
Napping is still a challenge, and I think i just need to give up the idea of him napping without being held. The the nanny can do it, which makes me fell terrible and happy at the same time. I hope it's just a phase and what he needs right now...but not forever

We also can't get B to nap without being held, but he does it just fine at daycare. I like to believe it's just because he loves us so much...

We say this too, that he just saves up all his awake time for when we are home.

2momsinCA · October 2014

@jgy I'm sorry you are having a rough time with G right now. I have worked extensively with many toddlers just like him. I did early intervention (behavioral) for 2 years and many of the kids I worked with totally grew out of that stage by the time they entered kindergarten and went on to need no services or special attention in school, but it did take some very structured interactions/therapeutic play time type intervention. The earlier you identify the symptoms of what may evolve into autism the earlier you can intervene and I honestly believe it makes a world of difference in the long run. That is NOT to say G has autism, but when a child is at risk at all, even a little, I would err on the side of caution and early intervention- especially if it's play-based- definitely cannot hurt a typically developing or typically behaving child.

@rkbo I'm SO happy Amelia is doing so well! Whoo-hoo to nasal cannula!! I was so happy when we made that step. You will be thrilled with the cannula is gone too (soon!!) also the pic line- gotta get rid of that! I hope you've been able to do lots of kangaroo care. Has she started nippling at all? It sounds like she is making wonderful progress and I bet her NICU days are numbered. Happy anniversary! I remember it was Kelli's bday and our anniversary while we did our NICU time. We honored those days by going out to dinner then immediately headed to the hospital to hold our babies for several hours. It was hard to be away from that place but it felt good to do nice things for ourselves occasionally.

ATXmommas · October 2014

@redrockmama‌ - congrats on adding J to M's birth certificate. I love that!

2momsinCA · October 2014

The boys are still asleep.. I think I have time to post more...

They are 4.5 months and I guess 2 months adjusted.
They have been fabulous lately, just little sweeties. Maybe this is the calm before teething? I don't know. They have their cranky days and their sleepless days and times we think are "wonder weeks" but for the most part they are both extremely smiley and giggly and making lots of adorable coo's and various sounds. They *just* both started to attempt to reach for and bat at toys too. Sometimes they will have conversations with us- going back and forth with their vocalizing. Also, I know by typing this I am jinxing it- they both sttn regularly now in their RNPs in our room. Always a solid 6 hours but often closer to 9. It starts late though between 10 and 11pm. It's awesome but I still get up every couple hours to pump, ugh.

Also about pumping I took the plunge and I'm on day 2 of domperidone. Can't tell if there's any change yet, probably too soon. My freezer stash from their NICU time is being chipped away and most of what's left is from when I still ate dairy. We use one or two 4oz bottles a day from the freezer so I'm just about keeping up and we don't use much but its something.

QOTD- I can't wait to teach them about appreciating the general beauty and fun of traveling and being outdoors/in nature. We love hiking and (use to) love camping and it would be awesome to share those types if activities with them. We can't wait to take them to New Zealand, the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, Yellowstone, the list goes on and on...

KH826 · October 2014

ball.and.chain said:

redrockmama said:
Napping is still a challenge, and I think i just need to give up the idea of him napping without being held. The the nanny can do it, which makes me fell terrible and happy at the same time. I hope it's just a phase and what he needs right now...but not forever

We also can't get B to nap without being held, but he does it just fine at daycare. I like to believe it's just because he loves us so much...

Will also rarely naps anywhere other than "on a mom" as we say.

On the weekends, we can sometimes get him to take shorter naps in his car seat or stroller if we are out and about and J isn't wearing him, but that is rare.

J says she has been trying to get him to take one longer nap in the afternoon at home in the swing, but it is very hit or miss. During the day he just sleeps longer, more comfortably and more soundly when he is on one of us.

It's strange because he STTN in his RNP in our room at night, but day time naps are a whole other story. What is that about anyway?!?!

rkbo · October 2014

@2momsinca We do kangaroo care every day. On the weekends we go a bit longer. I held her for 3 hours on Saturday and it was quite wonderful! Her picc line was removed Sunday night! We have not introduced the nipple yet. They say that we will start that at 33 weeks. Today her gestational age is 31w6d, so basically, we have a week and 1 day before they will start to introduce the nipple. She has been taking the pacifier happily though!

I have a question for all breastfeeding/pumping mommas out there. I have been beating myself up lately in regards to pumping. How much is normal to be getting now? I started pumping the day she was born and I am only getting about 10-11oz per day and today is day 22. I have recently just started power pumping 2 days ago, so I don't know if that will up my supply at all. She is currently at 23ml per feed and will be at 28ml by tomorrow if she continues to go at her current rate. I don't know what her next goal will be once she hits 28ml per feed. I am really hoping not to have to supplement with donor milk or formula if at all possible. I will certainly take donor milk if I have to, but I am also really trying to supply her with enough of my own. Any suggestions on what I can do to up my supply? DW and I have decided to wait and use Domperidone as a last resort type option. I have been eating oatmeal cookies like crazy. (BTW, trader joes has cookies equivalent to lactation cookies) It has been extremely hard for me to get up for the middle of the night pumps. Lately I have been sleeping through them, although it seems that my first pump of the day at 5am makes enough milk to supply what I miss throughout the night. I usually get 3-4oz on my first pump of the day if I skip my MOTN pump.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!

ATXmommas · October 2014

@rkbo - others moms who have exclusively pumped will probably have much better advice than me, but my recommendation is to pump around the clock for now. For one, itty bitty babies eat around the clock. Also, milk supply is supply and demand. The more milk you remove, the more milk your body will make. I know you are exhausted and it sucks to pump in the middle of the night (I had to for a short bit), but you would be getting up to feed her in the MON if you weren't pumping. When I had to pump in the MON, I had everything set up and ready to go by my bed, including a storage cooler for the pumped milk. If you need to pump more than once, you can throw the pump parts in the cooler to use again or keep two sets handy so that you don't have to wash parts in the MON. Keep water and a snack nearby. And entertainment. Lots of entertainment. Anything to make it more convenient.

Also, what type of pump are you using? Do you have a hospital grade?

Exusively pumping has to be tough. Great job on doing what you are doing so far. I hope everything works out.

rkbo · October 2014

Thanks @ATXMommas

We are currently renting the Medela Symphony from the hospital. We get 3 months rental included in our insurance and will get another 3 months approved when the first 3 are up. After that they will pay for partial of a single non fancy pump. I will most likely buy one of the other top medela double pump products because I will need to keep my supply up.

redrockmama · October 2014

KH826 said:

ball.and.chain said:

redrockmama said:
Napping is still a challenge, and I think i just need to give up the idea of him napping without being held. The the nanny can do it, which makes me fell terrible and happy at the same time. I hope it's just a phase and what he needs right now...but not forever

We also can't get B to nap without being held, but he does it just fine at daycare. I like to believe it's just because he loves us so much...

Will also rarely naps anywhere other than "on a mom" as we say.
On the weekends, we can sometimes get him to take shorter naps in his car seat or stroller if we are out and about and J isn't wearing him, but that is rare.
J says she has been trying to get him to take one longer nap in the afternoon at home in the swing, but it is very hit or miss. During the day he just sleeps longer, more comfortably and more soundly when he is on one of us.
It's strange because he STTN in his RNP in our room at night, but day time naps are a whole other story. What is that about anyway?!?!

Well I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one, I thought maybe we just had a really finicky little guy, but maybe it's just normal for this age.

JGY · October 2014

Flygirl1228 said:

I'm not sure what is wrong with Quinn. She has been spitting up a TON the last few days. She'll start crying after her bottle and then I'll be trying to burp her and she will spit up a ton! This is new? Also at night, she wakes every night around the same time and be fussy for two hours. That is very frustrating. I tried grime water and gas stuff and nothing seems to work.

Ear infection? For G, his "Tell" would be that he started spitting up along with sleep disturbances that were out of the norm. Just a thought ... good luck!

ATXmommas · October 2014

rkbo said:
Thanks @ATXMommas

We are currently renting the Medela Symphony from the hospital. We get 3 months rental included in our insurance and will get another 3 months approved when the first 3 are up. After that they will pay for partial of a single non fancy pump. I will most likely buy one of the other top medela double pump products because I will need to keep my supply up.

Gotcha. I think that's a good plan. I didn't skimp when it came to all things lactation!

JGY · October 2014

Flygirl1228 said:

JGY the night thing isn't new. She has done that almost every night since birth. The fussiness and spitting up has been going on for about 4-5 days. Do you still think it could be an ear infection? I keep thinking reflux. But it's just getting worse? I was thinking reflux cause she eats laying down at night and that keeps her up 2 hours. Now it's slipped into day time? I don't know. Oh to be a first time mom.

More likely it is reflux, if the night waking isn't also a new issue. Sorry that you're dealing with all of this, I remember and send you all my sorries. And I only had 1 kid to contend with!

JGY · October 2014

@stringy813 and @winstan1, thank you both so much!

Stringy - we do everything we can to exhaust him physically, especially on the weekends. Multiple trips to the playground per day, etc. But I'll admit I'm starting to panic since the winter will be on us before we know it. I'm not super wimpy and I'll take him out in the cold, but there are some days where it just isn't possible.

I think my largest concern right now is with the not looking/no eye contact stuff. I can't tell if it's a problem or not. And it's really hard to know if he's hearing us, when he doesn't make eye contact. Your question about daycare is a good one, and I'm eagerly anticipating our first parent/teacher conference next week. I'll post an update once we've had that.

Winstan - I really appreciate you sharing your experiences with J. Those two sound like peas in a pod. And I kind of laugh and grimace at the same time because while some of the things J has done are hilarious (and super creative), I also know how frightening it can be to walk into a space and see your child balanced precariously atop something they should not be on!

We do talk about feelings a bit though I think it's still really going over his head. I tell him he's not allowed to hit when he's angry or frustrated, but he can stomp his feet. I think he gets that stomping is an acceptable alternative to hitting, but he still doesn't really get the context at all. Whatever, it's still early.

Anyway .. thank to both of you. Sometimes the most important thing is to not feel alone.

KH826 · October 2014

@winstan1 - you should totally write a book. Seriously. Your wisdom and witty remarks are so refreshing! Thank you!

JGY · October 2014

@winstan1 - you are brilliant. And you just confirmed a few things that I have long suspected about our dog, too!

Please to move here and train my dog and me (and the kid will then take care of himself)!

Parenting Check In (10/13)

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