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D.C. Area Babies
Time for a check-in
I love reading everyone's updates and I also want to AW a little bit :-)
This weekend some of DH's coworkers gave us a Sip n' See, which was really nice. J behaved for about half of it, but was fussy by the end. But that's ok--it was a lot of stimulation. It threw him off for most of yesterday, but today he's been napping like a champ.
But the real news is that I think he might be over the hump of fussiness! He has been happier and quieter and less likely to scream inconsolably for the last few days. It's wonderful. And yesterday we even got some big grins out of him--while he's been smiling for a couple of weeks, they've always been small and smirky vs. big and gummy. The ones we got yesterday were huge and it was so nice to see him look happy.
I'm starting to freak out about going back to work, but I know we'll get through it. I'm sure I will require a lot of online hand-holding, though.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Time for a check-in
DD is full on in the terrible twos. She is great 95% of the time but man, oh man, that 5% is terribly horrid. On the good side- it is so cute when she says, 'thank you,' or 'please' or just comes up and hugs us.
But, the throwing, kicking, screaming, running around like the house is on fire because we grabbed the wrong pair of socks is ridiculous.
And, yesterday we went to Kidwell Farms and she had a great time. She let a big cow lick her in the face and thought it was so funny. The place is free and it filled a few hours yesterday!
He cracked me up a few days ago when we were reading a book that had a picture of a plate with some food on it, and he kept trying to use his pincer grasp to pick up the food in the book. He tries to pick up anything off the floor and eat it. I've caught him trying to eat dog kibble, cracker crumbs, a jellybean, small pieces of paper, etc. I have never vacuumed so much in my life.
Good idea. I enjoy check-ins too. Our biggest development is that DD is talking up a storm. I'm blown away by how many words she's picked up over the past 2 months. She loves repeating everything we say. I also started doing doll play with her to try and prepare her for the new baby. She's really getting into it and she loves feeding the baby, putting the baby on the potty, putting the baby to bed, rocking the baby, etc. She's becoming such a little girl.
We also started time outs recently. We've only done it about 5 times so far but when we put her in the corner, she just sits there. I've been pleasantly surprised that she will sit there for the entire time out (we started with just doing 1 min). I need to talk with her DCP and ask if they do time-outs at daycare because it seems like she already knows the drill. Her poor little face looks so guilty too.
I'm finally starting to feel settled in the new house although I still have more organizing to do before #2 comes. My nesting instinct is coming in hardcore and I want everything to be perfectly organized but it's just not realistic so I have to figure out how to let some things go. My pregnancy has gone great so far and I'll be scheduled for a c-section in mid-May. Wow, I can't believe it's just right around the corner.
C has been very, very chatty lately. For a month or two I was slightly worried that he wasn't picking up words very quickly, but now he'll repeat pretty much anything. And he is generally very cute and funny.
We definitely need to work on consistent discipline. Right now, we are putting him in his crib for time outs (or to cool off when he gets really worked up), which I don't think is a particularly good idea but I also really don't think he'd willingly stay put anywhere else.
We also need to start thinking about potty training, but I'd like to wait until he is really talking and communicating. He knows what the potty is and will willing go any time we put him on it (thank you, DCP!) but I really have no idea what the next step is. I think it will be awhile before he can truly communicate when he has to go.
tomas has been a bit of a pill lately. he has wonderful days where he is so much fun to be around, but we also have days where I can't wait for him to go to school! he's so capable and grown lately, especially relative to audrey.
audrey is 6.5 months now and is so much fun! she's napping fairly regularly (morning and afternoon) and waking 2-3x/night to nurse. she has a little cold now, so i am up much more frequently listening to her cough. she's trying to crawl! rolling and scooting around and rocking on all fours. she is such a happy baby and makes the funniest faces at us (like she's already mocking what a ridiculous family she was lucky to be born into).
i'm supposed to be back at work FT today,
I'm here, but only because i haven't been able to get on my boss' schedule to discuss extending my PT schedule. i'm going to ask for M, T, F 9-3 and 8-10 hours at home during the evenings and on weekends (this would be only to complete assignments and manage my projects, so i won't have set hours). got some great advice from the ladies here last week and plan to use it all!
DS has been really adorable lately and is developing a wonderful little personality.
He's so smiley and happy all the time. He's perfected the army crawl and is really getting around and starting to get into everything. When we're out in public, he is always making friends. He stares at people until they look at him and smile and then he smiles back.
We've even had some progress with sleep training. I've reduced him down to one night wakening for nursing.
I'm still BF and we're integrating solids into his diet. I feel like we're a little behind in that area, because he doesn't eat much in the evenings. He gets oatmeal, fruit, and veggies at DC as well as 3 bottles. He likes some stuff and doesn't like other things.
Off to the beach
DS 7/18/2010
Handy 2.0 Due Early August
2011/2012 Races
12/17/2011 Christmas Caper 10K
2/11/2012 Have a Heart 5K
3/17/2012 DC RNR Half Marathon
4/22/2012 10M Parkway Classic
10/28/2012 Marine Corps Marathon
We've had our hands full over the course of the last week with both girls. As I posted last week, we took DD#2 to the ER last week because she had "nurse maid" elbow, which is basically a minor dislocation of the elbow. Something fairly common in kids under 2 and VERY easy to treat, but really freaky if you don't know what it is--she literally could not use her right arm! The next night, DD#1 woke up at midnight, vomiting. (That of course woke up DD#2 (they share a room)...it was a bit of a circus for awhile) Poor thing was sick multiple times from 12-3am and it turned out that half her preschool class had the same thing--a bunch of kids were out the next day.
About a month ago, we took DD#2 for a probing and irrigation of her tear ducts since they seemed to be blocked. Everything seemed to go well at the time, but I'm not sure the procedure worked ultimately since her eyes seem to still get pretty watery, not as bad as before, but it's still significant, so we'll need to call the opthamalogist this week and see what she recommends. I'm really hoping we don't have to go back and have her put in stents...
Aside from these little adventures (misadventures?), the girls are doing well. DD#2 is into everything and doesn't want to miss out on ANYTHING. If anyone leaves the house without her, she gets very distressed... She's "talking" more...though it still seems that every animal is a "gato" and every person is some version of "muh-muh" She's also developed quite the mischievious laugh. DD#1 seems to learn 100 things a day and her memory amazes me. At school they play the "50-Nifty United States" song that lists all the states alphabetically and she almost has the whole thing memorized. She's also really helpful with DD#2...and helpful generally...most days. The random, unexpected breakdowns always throw me for a loop. She can be really obstinant when she wants to be.
Great to hear about everyone else...and it's amazing how quickly time passes...I realized the other day that I was just starting back at work after DD#2's birth this time last year. To all of you who are heading back to work or getting ready to, good luck!!
About 2 weeks ago Sprout decided his "commando crawl" was far more difficult than regular crawling & he's been a speed demon ever since. Also, he's learned the joys of pulling up and does that every time he gets. He's even "walked" along the edge of the coffee table (like, both hands holding on, but slowing moving around the table). I'm terrified that he's going to be an early walker. Homeboy gets into *everything* and I'd like to put off the added speed that walking would give him for as long as possible.
He's been really sweet lately. Usually he's not a huge fan of being held & wiggles out of your arms so he can get on the floor, but for the past week he lets us hold & cuddle him all the time (not just when tired). Love it.
However, he's regressed a bit with the night-time sleeping. I think when my mom watched him while we were in London she'd pick him up & rock him at the first little sound.
He'll start daycare part-time next week & I am equal parts excited & sad.
J is fairly awesome, per usual.
He will dance any time music comes on, and he loves to look at pictures of himself on my laptop or camera ("bay-bee? bay-bee?"). He gives kisses and hugs, and is very concerned about us all being dressed properly. If he and DH are going out, he brings me shoes and keeps saying "coat? coat?" until I put one on, even if I'm staying home in my PJs.
He loves to read (even to himself) and is getting good at puzzles. He loves to color, and he loves his friends at daycare. And! He says "I love you." Granted, it sounds like "Ay-loo-oo" and Im sure he has no idea what it means, but still. It kills me.
I have to hedge a little of course - last week's ear infection/stomach bug SUCKED, with lots of night wakings and related . . . messes . . . but he seems to have recovered. He is also starting into that toddler phase where he really only wants to eat carbs. He will eat other things, but his preference is for "cracker" (=pretzels, cereal, animal crackers, chips, etc.). He is also throwing more tantrums, but they only last about 30 seconds and are more funny than anything. He HATES having his diaper changed recently - not sure if this is to do with residual effects from the ear infection, or just being a toddler.
My stepmom told me that her favorite baby age was 18 months, and I have to say I agree. It's so nice to be able to ask J what he wants and get a verbal answer. Or to give him a direction and have him follow it. Then again, looking at old baby pictures of him - ooooof. I miss that little smushy chubster.
TTC #2: BFP 12/17/11, m/c 1/7/12 and D&C 1/12/12
baby blog/cooking blog
We've had our ups and downs recently. Sadly, we lost our beloved cat who was our first "baby" and had been with us for twelve years. That has made us very, very sad, but we are moving forward.
In other non-baby good news, it has been a good few weeks professionally. I made the national news and got interviewed for stories in a couple of big newspapers, which was fun and exciting.
In baby news, DD has been typical toddler - awesome one minute, meltdowns the next. For example, she has been a joy when not screaming over not getting to wear her bunny shirt because it is in the wash. Her ear tubes are out of place and so we've had two ear infections in the past two months which are no fun. She's growing so fast which is a lot of fun for us.
DD turned 5 months yesterday. She is currently in a fussy stage. Part of it is a surge in reflux that I think is related to her working on sitting. While she started sitting independently for a few seconds at a time a month ago, she hasn't really progressed much since then. She kind of hates it--I think it puts too much.pressure on her belly. She is also starting to show some pretty strong teething signs (4.5 months earlier than DS). So, all in all, she is a fussy, spitting up, not eating, not sleeping mess at the moment.
We have our ups and downs recently.
DD is walking faster due to more confidence but she shows little safety awareness which can result in a trip or fall. If she falls in the morning, she can shake it off no problem. In the evenings, you would think she broke her leg the way she wails.
On the fun side, she understands sooo much now. I will ask for something and she will bring it to me. She hears a plane over head and looks up in awe. She shakes her head no with diaper changes or asking to change her clothes. It is adorable.
Feeding is our real challenge. And I think its more for me than her. Some days she eats well-- 3 solid meals with a good amount of milk also. Then there are days when I am lucky for her to finish 1/2 a banana. I am trying to keep the mentality that I present healthy options and she gets the choice to eat or not. The more laid back I am, the better she seems to do. So I have really been laying off "encouraging" her to eat.
My own personal hell right now are restaurants and church. She sits still for 20 seconds max and then starts climbing like we are at a jungle gym. It is literally exhausting for me to chase her around and try to let other people enjoy their meals or religious experience...
I will finish with a positive: She likes to watch me get ready. So the other day I handed her one of my makeup brushes & she brushed her cheek. She chuckled at the feeling of the bristles. Then she did it again and again, always finishing with a laugh! Such a great moment for mommy and her little girl!
DS turned 15 months last week and is FINALLY walking, he woke up like he has been doing it forever.....he stumbles a bit when he tries to change directions...haha watching him learn with shoes is definitely interesting, it reminds me of walking on sand with flippers...haha
he is also talking up a storm and super fun these days!!! I enjoy our daily "walks" to the mail box (we are in a TH so its a the other end of the row) He is so fun at this age:-) That being said I am ready to TTC for #2 but DH is not quite ready yet, hopefully soon!!
Vaughn is 3 months today and a delight. Over the past month we've gently worked through his napping resistance, at least at home, and he is a champion napper. Next up is how to get him to nap well when he comes to work with me, but I've got a plan in the works. He is such a smiley, giggly baby and I we are so fortunate that when he does cry, his cues are becoming more and more clear to us. Nursing is smooth sailing these days after a terrible initial 6 weeks, so that is worth continuing to celebrate.
I've been at work PT for a month and now I am back FT. We are still on track for no paid childcare, but it is requiring lots of adjustment and creative thinking. I still have some anxiety about making it all work.
My back and pelvis are still healing from PG and delivery and I am still in daily pain. The latest theory is that my severely separated pelvis is not coming back in alignment and so one leg is now longer than the other which is jacking up the SI joint in my back. I have been paying OOP to go to a chiro but I finally got insurance on board with paying for physical therapy. My drs still don't know how to address my pelvic separation, but at least we can work on my back.
More Green For Less Green
H is 15 weeks old today! We are having a blast with her - it's so amazing to see how much she's changed in 3 months. She is really noticing our animals when they pass by her, and is a champ at holding her head up and putting her weight on her legs. We still haven't gotten her to roll over yet but she's trying hard. She is enjoying using her voice now, but the cute cooing and babbling has gone away and has been replaced with a lot of screaming and grunting which makes her far less cooperative out in public.
The one happiest thing for me is that BFing has gotten so much easier in the past 2 weeks or so. The pain is minimal now and it is so much more enjoyable to nurse her that it had been. Giving her 2 bottles a day and nursing the other 3-4 feedings has really helped things.
The bad... I think we're either in the middle of the 3 mo growth spurt or approaching the 4 mo wakeful period a bit early. She used to STTN like a gem, and has starting getting up during the night. Plus she has been fighting going down for both her afternoon nap and bedtime the past week. She gets so wound up it takes DH or I 20 minutes to calm her down enough to get her to sleep. And we're still dealing with the fussy period in the evenings on top of it all. I hope the end for all this is in sight!
DD is almost 2.5, she tells us all the time "I'm growing up," and truer words have never been spoken! She is just such a person now! The other day she threw a tantrum b/c we wouldn't let DS sleep with her. I told her, he's a baby and sleeps in a crib (well, he actually goes down in a crib but wakes up screaming and ends up in our bed each night but I digress...) and she is a big girl and sleeps in her big girl bed, and she screamed "I'm a baby, too" - so we still deal with occasional regression.
For the most part, she's at a really fun age, we can discuss anything, we can do activities together. I am looking FWD to taking her places and doing fun stuff once it warms up.
DS is 10mo old and has started to wave, which is so cute. He's still not saying "mama," while DD was already saying a few words at this age. But I know boys and 2nd babies talk later. He does say "baba" (it's what we call my Mom) and "dada" although they are not necessarily aimed at Baba or Dada
He finds things he can push in front of him while he walks, so I think walking is coming soon. DD did this at 2 days before 11mo old. He also finally started drinking from a straw cup!
I'm still eBFing, and still with a shield, which is C.R.A.Z.Y. and b/c he eats a lot, I'm still pumping 3x a day at work, can't wait to stop! He loves all food and is eating tons of finger foods, he loves to feed himself and has yet to meet a food he didn't like.