Parenting Check-In (July 7th)

Jazibel · July 2014

Good Morning Everyone,

Congrats to @Beloveddvirgo0209 on welcoming Averie!!

How was your weekend? Any new accomplishments, challenges or celebrations?

QOTD: Eating out with your LO(s) - tips, tricks, frustrations?

If you would like to be added to the roster please let me know.

@KH826 – Will born 6/4/14

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

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

@Trisholio – Proud foster parents to M born 2/6/12 and K born 8/22/13; and pregnant expecting a third daughter in September 2014.

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

@Stringy813 – M born May 2013

@Filmfanatic82 – Charley born 3/15/14

@Mamosry – R born 2/25/14

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

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

@Sarahtrpt – C born February 2014

@CageyMack – W born 3/16/13

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ATXmommas · July 2014

Hello everyone! My LO is 7.5 months and I'm just amazed at how quickly he is learning new skills. I've mentioned before that I thought he would be hands-and-knees crawling any day now. That day was this weekend - it is so cute! And amazing to see him master this skill he's been working on! He also started pulling himself to standing out of nowhere. Other than that, I've also noticed that he seems much more attached to me recently. Up until recently, He never seemed any more attached to me than anyone else. But he's starting to reach his arms up when he wants to be picked up or crawl to me and hold on to my legs until I pick him up. I admit, it makes me feel pretty special.

It's been a week since his tubes procedure and I'm a little baffled. His right ear was always his "bad" here - always infected. Since the procedure, his right ear hasn't drained anything but his left ear is still draining. I'm going to call the doctor today to make sure this is normal.

I feel like his top teeth are going to pop through within the next couple weeks. His bottom two came within a couple days of turning 6 months and I've convinced myself that the top two will come right around 8 months. I haven't noticed any stronger teething symptoms than normal, so I really have no basis for my guess other than since his bottom teeth came at the early end of normal, so will his bottom two.

Eating is still fun. He loves feeding himself - some of his favorites are zucchini, squash, tofu, black bean patty, watermelon, tomatoes, and cucumber, but he'll eat pretty much anything. Today is the first day I sent solids to day care. Up to this point, we've mainly given solids only in the evenings, but we've started offering food at least twice a day on weekends. I think he's ready for a solid meal during the day. I'm a little nervous about sending solids to daycare since we do BLW, but I talked to his caregiver last week and this morning and she seems really open to it.

QOTW:
We're pretty new at waiting solids in public, so it's a little crazy. Sometimes I have food prepared, other times I just ask for sliced tomatoes or cucumbers or just give him something from my plate. On Saturday Z accidentally put a glass bowl of sliced tomatoes too close to Ash and the bowl ended up in the floor in two pieces. Oops. Yesterday I gave him watermelon and some tempeh bacon at a diner and he did pretty well. Then at the end of the meal, he started to eat the table. He's going to have an amazing immune system one day.

P.S. I'm taking the opportunity to be pretty detailed in my updates because I've done a crappy job at documenting milestones outside TB. My plan is to go back through all my check-ins so I can document in a book at the end of the year.

mwagner25 · July 2014

@themommymonster‌ congrats! What a huge relief to be done with the move. We are in the planning stages of our move to Minnesota and I am stressed out just thinking about it.

We are doing alright here. We are in major teething mode but still no teeth yet. Now the top look like the might come through before the bottom. I think Ash and baby C already have cut some teeth right? (@ATXmommas and @herbabymomma) I use them as a guide since they are close to Oliver in age. He has been running fevers for the past week but only low grade until the past 2 days. Now we are giving Tylenol for the fevers. I have been at work the past few days when he has been running fevers and have huge mom guilt that I am not at home snuggling/nursing/comforting him. He also just started pulling on his right ear so I am thinking a trip to the pediatrician might be in order tomorrow if he is still febrile. Thankfully I have tomorrow off. He is a pretty good sport and tries to be happy despite the fevers and teething but ugh teething sucks!

Anyone have their little one get teeth later or have the top come in first?

QOTD: We love taking Oliver out to eat right now. He is at the stage where he will happily sit and eat finger foods so going out to meals is fun. We just brings finger foods (in case there isn't anything on the menu that we would want him eating) and toys.

ATXmommas · July 2014

@mwagner25‌ - when Ash was in the acute teething stage, he wouldn't eat anything and one night just a couple days before they cut through he vomited in the middle of the night. Not spit up - he projectile vomited. He also had really weird poops. I don't know if symptoms for his top two will present in the same way, but looking back there were so many signs that the teeth were on the verge. I know every baby is different, but I'm thinking I will know when the top two are ready because the symptoms were so clear the few days beforehand.

I was going to ask if anyone uses or has used the amber necklaces for teething and what you think about them. I've considered it, but haven't gotten one yet.

JGY · July 2014

@mwagner25 Gabe was a late teether. He got his first two (bottom) at almost exactly 8 months. I was convinced he was going to walk before he got any teeth, it seemed to take so long. He avoided that by 1 month. Good luck!

@ATXMommas we tried an amber teething anklet, but it didn't seem to have much of an effect. Also, our DCP wouldn't let him have it on while there for fear other kids would pull at it, it would release, and would end up in their mouths. Fair, but annoying. Let me know if you try it and if it seems to work!

@belovedvirgo0209 Congrats and welcome!

@themommymonster I'm so happy the move is done for you. The kiddo must LOVE all the new space.

We spent the weekend in Indy with S's family. Per usual, it was awesome. I just love them all so much. But G has really reached a challenging stage and it comes out with even more strength when he gets out of routine. He's very demanding, loud, whiney and clingy. It's constantly "Up, up, up" and then pushing to go back down. Our flight out was okay, but our flight back was a disaster last night. We specifically booked bedtime flights because we've had luck in the past, but it was a no-go this time. We were that family ... screaming flailing kid, nursing was unsuccessful, we even tried videos and games on the iPad, NOTHING was going to calm that kid down. I was mortified and exhausted. And now I'm terrified because I have to fly twice as far, by myself with G, in a little over a month. God help me.

In happy news, we found out that the Children's Museum in Indianpolis is AWESOME. I highly recommend it to anyone who lives there or is even just passing through. We have a good one here in St. Paul, but I was blown away by the Indy one.

QOTD: Eating out has always been a bit of a challenge for us ... initially G was so unpredictable in his eating/sleeping schedule that we never really knew what to expect. Now he's just so hyper-mobile and active that it's really tough to get him to sit still long enough to actually make it through a meal. We bring food, activities, games, and nothing seems to enable us to get all the way through. But we did try a brunch buffet last weekend and that was moderately successful. We were able to have food for him right away, and then stagger our own meals so one of us could help feed him (or run around with him) while the other ate, and vice versa.

This question really leads me to my ongoing frustration ... parenting our kid is really effing hard right now. We know that we have really active child. We were both the same type of kid and we know our own parents struggled mightily with each of us. But when are we going to get to a point where we can start having some control? We feel isolated and alone with no family close, and no friends who have kids like ours. Our parenting "Toolbox" is empty and we are struggling for time in the day/night to get in some reading that would help to better equip us. Ugh. Right now it often seems like we're just trying to get from one day to the next rather than really enjoying this time with a great (but super challenging) kid.

mwagner25 · July 2014

@ATXmommas‌ I noticed a diaper rash starting last night, which I think may be due to teething but since I have been working I am not sure what his poop is looking like. He is not wanting to eat (unless he has Tylenol on board). We haven't tried the amber necklace but I have given him a Popsicle a few times when he won't take anything else. I don't love the sugar content and we get organic ones... If I wasn't working so much I would make some frozen fruit pops myself sometimes it is the only thing that he will happily take.

mwagner25 · July 2014

@JGY my nephew sounds like G, super active always into things. I know it was trying for my sister also and still is (he is 3 now). I don't have any advice and am sorry you are feeling isolated. If there is anything that parenting has taught me so far it is that there is never an easy "fix" every new development seems to require lots of work and energy. Hang in there I am sure you guys will figure it out.

JGY · July 2014

@Mwagner25 - thanks for the kind words. Just writing all that out gave me the motivation to go online and see what the library had in the way of ebooks. Of course all the titles I'm interested in are checked out, but that's okay. One step at a time.

CageyMack · July 2014

W is just as cute as a bug's ear, but hardly napped at all this weekend. It was so frustrating! We did manage to go to a fireworks show at the beach and out to a dinner with friends at their house. Yesterday I gave up on Nonapsville and headed to the beach. Best idea ever.

QOTD: We are taking W out to eat with us again; there was a short time when it was too crazy. We had breakfast this weekend at a local place, and it was pretty successful. I brought a bag of little toys, including a magnetic airplanes thing, plus a little metal wind up toy and a couple others. We sat outside and W watched the people's dogs. He gets to eat whatever he likes best when we go out, so pancakes with syrup (a boy-howdy treat) kept him busy. Fast service, a savvy waiter, and we were good to go!

Here is yesterday evening's wise choice:

Filmfanatic82 · July 2014

@ATXmommas -- That's awesome you guys are doing BLW with your LO. We are planning to do it with Charley and are itching to start letting her explore food. How's has it been with getting out at restaurants? Any strange looks / reactions?

@Themommymonster -- Congrats on the move!

@JGY --- Hang in there. Charley isn't a handful yet, but can relate with feeling isolated. I used to babysit a very very active 3 year old and found that tons of physical activity helped. We would play any sport we could and did tons of playground / backyard time. Granted, it's exhausting but it seemed to help with the extra energy and prevented him from acting out too much.

This past week has been a whole lot of firsts for us. We took Charley down to FL to visit my parents and survived not only a plane ride, but a 3 hour airport delay as well.

Also Danielle took the whole week off of work which is a rarity and I can't begin to describe how nice it was to have her around the house for a few days. She really got to spend some quality time with Charley which was much needed for both of them.

QOTD: We've been eating out with Charley since she was a few weeks old and so far it's been great. For the most part, she is super well behaved and rarely has a meltdown. We just plop her carseat down in a free chair and let her be part of the meal with everyone (see pic below for an example).

The only frustration I have is when people randomly get annoyed with Charley being in a restaurant for no real reason other than the fact that she's a baby. We live in Brooklyn which is extremely kid friendly and 9 times out of 10 there are at least a few kids in any restaurant/ bar you walk into. I can understand being annoyed if she was wailing or running wild and we usually take her outside asap if she gets fussy, but I don't fully understand why it's an issue with people if the child isn't directly bothering them. But then again, I've always been a kid person so I've never had an issue with it

redrockmama · July 2014

@Themommymonster So exciting about the house! Congrats!

It was nice to have a 3 day weekend with our little family. J got a lot of time with Matthijs. Oh and it's pronounced Ma-tice. It's Dutch, he is named after my great grandfather. We got his pictures taken, but we were pretty disappointed with the editing and how few pictures we got. I think I will just buy a nicer camera and take them by myself from now on.

M is nursing a lot better. We go in for another weight check tonight. I'm hoping we get good news and I can stop pumping.

QOTD: We went out with some friends Saturday night for dinner (last minute decision). He slept through it until he got hungry when we were leaving. J said she thought people were judging her for having a newborn out, but I didn't notice.

Pinkspark · July 2014

Hello everyone!

We had a pretty boring weekend. Bad weather plus two REALLY burnt out mommies made for a lazy weekend. Mr. Man is getting used to the boots and brace more and more everyday which is a blessing for us! Little Lady still doesn't like consistently taking her bottles, so we're off to see a feeding specialist for that this week!

QOTW: Doesn't really apply quite yet.. but I will say that whenever I had my niece out and about, we made sure she was well-rested and had snacks and distractions on hand!

ATXmommas · July 2014

@JGY - I'm sorry you are in a rough patch. It sounds very challenging and I wish I had some sage words for you. I've only heard anecdotally that diet changes can help with hyper behavior, but I know you recently had to modify G's diet significantly, so not sure if it would apply. If nothing else, you have folks here who will listen and offer support!

@Filmfanatic82‌ - BLW has been great for us! We started a teensy bit early - like a week before he turned 6 months. He definitely wasn't that interested at first, but he is so awesome at feeding himself now. It's a lot of fun to watch, and I just love the ease of it - he eats while we eat and we don't have to actively feed him before, after, or while we're eating.

And, no we don't really get any funny looks in public. Most people think it's cute (cause it is!). When I was explaining to his teacher this morning what food I left him, she asked me if she needed to cut it into smaller pieces - I said nope, just give it to him and he can do the rest. She seemed pretty excited about it! I can't wait to hear how it went!

ball.and.chain · July 2014

Please add me to the roster! B born 6/28/14.

Haven't been bumping much. I read on my phone while bfing sometimes but don't have much time to post/respond. I'm working on writing out my birth story but it's looong and I obviously don't have a lot of time to devote to it.

S went back to work yesterday and I miss her SO much. Her mom is here for the week and has been super helpful -- our house is clean, and it's great to have another set of hands for all things baby. But it's not S and I feel like we get so little time with her in the evenings. I also know adjusting to work with so little sleep has been hard for her, and she misses B a lot. She is a fantastic mom. OTOH, I seem to be coming out of the baby blues a lot and I think we are making progress with our sleeping and bfing routines. B is super healthy, had already gained an ounce at his first pedi appointment, and is a great eater (and pooper!).

I sustained a nerve injury during delivery that limits mobility in my foot, so I have a limp and started PT today. Nerve injuries are slow to heal and can sometimes take up to a year to heal totally, but my PT thinks that we are looking at more like 3 months with the possibility of progress in less time. My case is mild and very limited in that it is only affecting the top of my foot, so I'm hopeful that she is right. But it is one more thing to deal with on top of a newborn, and it's been frustrating.

Does anyone have experience with introducing bottles prior to 4 weeks when you are still trying to bf? I'm finding that the pressure of being 100% responsible for 100% of a person's food is causing me stress, and S and my MIL are encouraging me to start pumping so that they can feed him in my place sometimes, just to give me a bit of a break here and there. I have my pump but I've read that you shouldn't start bottle feeding until bfing is well-established, at 4-8 weeks. He's a great nurser but I don't want to screw everything up by starting too early. He's only 9 days at this point!

QOTW: If we were to eat out right now, he'd be strapped into his car seat. Hasn't happened yet though!

redrockmama · July 2014

Hey @ball.and.chain I had heard and was pretty adamant about no bottles for 4-6 weeks as well. It was really important to me that breastfeeding work and work well. Then, M lost a ton of weight and was a lazy murder so his ped had me start pumping and giving him bottles after he nurses. He has gibe back and forth just fine. I know all babies are different, but as long as he is nursing well you should be fine to give him a bottle earlier.We gave hm his first bottle at 11 days.

Filmfanatic82 · July 2014

@Wallace323 -- Yes we do! We live in Windsor Terrace near the Greenwood Park beer gardens.

Haven't tried the Brooklyn Children's Museum yet but I've heard great things about it. The Prospect Park Zoo is also a great place to go. They've got an awesome petting farm that allows the kids to get up close and personal with a ton of animals.

ATXmommas · July 2014

@ball.and.chain - We started a bottle at 3 weeks upon the recommendation of my pro-BF/natural momma/doula child birth instructor. The recommendation was based on the fact that he would most definitely need to take a bottle by the time I went back to work at 12 weeks. We never had a problem with him refusing the breast. In fact, I still think he prefers the breast to a bottle. For the most part we gave him a bottle every 2-3 days just to keep him used to it, but there was a brief time that he received 5-6 small bottles per day when, like @redrockmomma, I was having to pump after most nursings and feed him the expressed milk to encourage weight gain. That was around 4 weeks.

So, I think you can introduce a bottle whenever you feel comfortable. Are you thinking about pumping in lieu of a nursing session? Not skipping a session all together? Because you are still in the stage of establishing your supply, which is primarily hormonally driven at this point, you should pump any time he takes a bottle - and that probably won't feel like a break (but, maybe it will to you). Even if you have oversupply, I wouldn't skip a nursing/pumping session - there are other ways to deal with that that I'm not very educated about because that was never my problem. That said, this is all based on the reading I've done over the last few months and there may be other folks with a more hearty supply than me who were a bit more relaxed about it with no negative repercussions.

Nursing is definitely the biggest commitment I've ever experienced and I've trained for a marathon in the hottest summer on record in Texas!

AmandaG47 · July 2014

@ball.and.chain‌ - unfortunately I don't have time to post because the girls are keeping me busy (over 4 months already and doing great!) but wanted to say we introduced a bottle before 4 weeks... Probably around week two and neither baby had any trouble at all going between me nursing bare, my wife with inverted nipples using a nipple shield and a bottle. They were also both very good nursers, and continues to be

btw congratulations!!!

clairmeij · July 2014

All is well, if incredibly busy, at our house. Alarico is this <> close to walking. He is saying 'ya!' (yes), 'hi!', 'doddy' (doggy), and this morning, 'hi titty' when one of our cats came down...that had me grinning. He's still in the 10th percentile for weight and now the 50th for height. His first birthday was a fun day. In between watching our little guy get big, I just got offered a new job and we're going to sell our house and move. In the meantime we'll commute the 1.5-2.5 hour drive each way. For a boy that disliked his car seat with a passion, the Next few weeks will suck. Any ideas on keeping him happy welcome!
He's a pretty good eater overall. In a restaurant the other day a lady was talking to him and I heard her tell her husband that she hopes that her future baby was as well behaved and easy to take out as A. My mummy pride was popping out of my chest!!

only1leia · July 2014

@mwagner25 Where in MN are you moving to? I am in Duluth.

I don't think I've checked in on the parenting posts, but if someone wants to add me: Makenzie was born 8/21/13.

It's hard to believe she is going to be one next month!! The last few weeks have been insane with learning new things. In the past 2.5 weeks she has learned to say up, ball, uh-oh, and more and she took her first steps July 4th! I'm so proud of her! It's late, but I wanted to share since the last couple weeks have been big in our house.

trisholio · July 2014

I am a little behind on my check in, but Mondays have become a little crazy for me lately.

We had a great weekend with friends and family. We took M and K to the fireworks Friday night and they loved it! It was nice because we literally walked a block from my moms house to the high school and sat in a field and watched them. Then we waited out the traffic at my moms and didn't have to sit in a car with tired kids for a long time. I was especially worried about K being startled by the loud noise, but she did great! K also is taking multiple steps at a time together, it is so cute!

We had extended family in from out of town over the weekend and they got to meet the girls for the first time (and also meet my new nephew). My grandma also got to see them on Skype and just thinks they are the most beautiful girls on earth, I would have to agree ;-)

QOTD: We don't eat out often, but we have taken the girls out quite a few times. We make sure to have extra toys and snacks and do not go out during nap time. So far they have done pretty well, knock on wood :-)

ball.and.chain · July 2014

@redrockmama, @ATXMommas, and @AmandaG47 -- thank you for sharing your experiences! Now that he isn't cluster feeding, it's been a lot easier for me and I think I can probably make it a bit longer without going over the edge.

But it's nice to know that if I do feel like I need to introduce the pump sooner, I won't ruin my good little bfer! I washed all my pump parts so they are ready to go whenever I am.

2brides · July 2014

JGY said:
This question really leads me to my ongoing frustration ... parenting our kid is really effing hard right now. We know that we have really active child. We were both the same type of kid and we know our own parents struggled mightily with each of us. But when are we going to get to a point where we can start having some control? We feel isolated and alone with no family close, and no friends who have kids like ours. Our parenting "Toolbox" is empty and we are struggling for time in the day/night to get in some reading that would help to better equip us. Ugh. Right now it often seems like we're just trying to get from one day to the next rather than really enjoying this time with a great (but super challenging) kid.

This age is really hard. They want independence and freedom all.of.the.time - even during times when it isn't safe/convenient. You aren't going to get "control" for a while - but you can avoid situations as much as possible where it sets you and him up for failure. We had to stop going out to eat for several months when our kids were that age. No one was interested in sitting for a meal, everyone wanted to walk, everyone wanted to see what happened when you drop food/toys on the floor. We were frustrated by the (normal but annoying behaviors) and they were frustrated by sitting still for so long. So we just ate at home where meal times could be shorter and they could get up/walk around the house once they were done. We found we could alter expectations around 2y or so and between 2-2.5y we started using short time outs/removal of toys for short periods of time to reinforce the behaviors we expected. We went on vacation when our kids were G's age and the whole time we looked at each other thinking, "what did we do!?!?"

But it gets easier. Much much much easier.

I promise.

Carter passed his swim test yesterday. He has procrastinated taking it for a year (though everyone knew he was more than capable of passing it!) Finally his swim teacher at camp gave him no choice yesterday and he passed easily.

QOTD: thankfully, now going out to eat isn't a big deal in our house. but we are constantly working on looking the server in the eye, speaking loudly,clearly,and politely when ordering, asking for drink refills when you want them, etc.

JGY · July 2014

@2brides - THANK YOU! That was more helpful than you could imagine. I read a lot about people instituting time outs around 17 or 18 months and I think "Are you crazy? That's 2 months away and that would NEVER work!" I know every kid is different, and it's nice to hear about a timeline that seems more reasonable to our situation.

Congrats to Carter!

@ball.and.chain we started giving G a bottle in the evening at around 4 weeks. He was not a great nurser, but the bottle didn't seem to have any negative effects. I was also terrified because I didn't want to disturb the breastfeeding relationship, but it really was a non-issue. Go with your gut.

@ATXmommas - YES, dietary changes can be very effective, and luckily S is super educated on that stuff. We already own a number of books that discuss dietary alterations for addressing many different behavioral issues and I trust S to help guide us through if necessary. But right now, G gets almost ZERO sugar other than what is naturally occuring in the fresh fruit he eats, and he is totally off of wheat (those seem to be the major problem-ingredients), so it will be interesting to see what other kinds of changes we will need to make. Anyway, thanks for chiming in. If and when we do decide to follow this type of a plan, I'll be sure to keep the board updated on our progress/findings.

Jazibel · July 2014

Checking in late this week. I've been reading posts and hope to be able to write more a little later today.

Traveling is crazy but its going really well at the same time. Sleep seems to be erratic (last night Owen was up from 1:30- 3:45 and Kaden from 5:00 - 5:30) but having EV here to pitch in is helping a lot. Both boys have done well on the drives so far. Having lots of snacks and toys for Kaden (and even a dvd of a movie) helped. And I brought a hand pump in the car and pumped while Owen was sleeping so when he woke I just leaned over the back seat to give him a bottle. The drive home will be the real test because its 9 hours (rather than 5 to LA and 4.5 to Vegas). I'm definitely nervous but keeping my fingers crossed.

@JGY - I totally understand about the active toddler. There are days when I want to pull my hair out (like this morning). And Gabe sounds even more active than Kaden. I have to second everything PP wrote. It does pass. We're able to reason with Kaden more and more, and use "either you walk and hold Aya's hand (EV) or you can ride in the stroller" options. It's definitely helping because he can exercise his "will" and independence within very specific boundaries. Of course this is a more recent development. Before that we basically chased him around and tried not to yell "nooooooo" too much. ;-)

@ball.and.chain - we waited until 6ish weeks to introduce Kaden and he kind of struggled to accept the bottle. This time we offered it between 3-4 weeks. I think closer to 4.

QOTD: Ummmm its madness at times. Yesterday while waiting in line at a buffet EV and I took turns running around with Kaden in a big empty conference room in Paris casino/hotel. That way he was tuckered out by dinner. It's funny how parenting is sometimes an individual "team sport" especially with two. We bring toys, food, etc. and sometimes its okay, and sometimes its super stressful. I'm getting better at juggling nursing, eating and feeding Kaden at the same time though (and so is EV).

trisholio · July 2014

herbabymama we have rough days on Mondays too. Its an adjustment for me and the girls not to have my wife around. I have no advice, but know you are not alone :-)

ATXmommas · July 2014

Thanks for the feedback, HBM! I need to get the necklace. LO was super clingy last night - pretty much cried the entire time we weren't holding him (very unusual), including during dinner. I had some frozen pineapple chunks, so I gave him a frozen chunk, which he seemed to enjoy on his gums for about 2-3 seconds at a time before he started crying again. He also didn't let me "brush" his teeth/gums this morning, which he usually loves. These teeth better come out soon!

ATXmommas · July 2014

herbabymama said:

The teething is really challenging... Frozen fruit chunks are a good idea! For those of you parents who have had Los with ear infection - how can you really tell it is the ears? I understand some fever and ear pain goes with teething, and I've taken LO to dr twice thinking it was an ear infection and it was just teething... Also LO has started swim classes so it makes me even more concerned about ears. How did you know this was the problem?

With our LO, I learned to tell that he had an ear infection whenever he had a watery eye or eye gunk, which usually just presented on one side. He did not always have fever with his infections, not was he necessarily fussy with each one. He seems to mess with his ear a bunch, and I'm not convinced that its always related to infection. Anyhow, for his worst ear infection, little guy was very feverish, fussy, and lethargic - was like a noodle and just wanted to be held and cuddled.

As for swimming, the pediatrician and ENT both told us not to worry about swimming. Ear infections are in the middle ear and completely unrelated to water. Ear infections caused by water (i.e. swimming ear) are outer ear infections. Ear infections are not caused by or made worse by swimming (or exuberant bath time). We are continuing with our swim lessons; we just have to use ear plugs now that he has tubes.

If C had made it this long without an ear infection, along with the fact that she is not in group child care and thus exposed to all the germs, hopefully it's not something you have to worry about. Not all of his infections have been terrible to deal with, but he's had a couple that have been a doozy!

mwagner25 · July 2014

@only1leia‌ we are looking at the southwest suburbs of minneapolis, but I have family in Duluth.

@herbabymomma we took Oliver to the pedi today bc he was running fevers and pulling on his ear. Turns out he was just teething, no ear infection. It's really hard to tell between the two.

And I am in the same boat when it comes to nursing in public. Oliver will not use the cover and pops on and off as he gets distracted. I have nursed a couple of times now in public without a cover but I am still uncomfortable with it. And anyone who is looking is likely to get a full boob shot.

Jazibel · July 2014

@HBM - when Kaden got ear infections he developed a really high fever (over 101) and the fever also seemed to come back even after treating with pain/fever medicine. Also Kaden would be sensitive if we pulled on his ears.
I noticed with teething that Kaden gets more fussy around bed and naptime. He's teething molars right now (2 years of teething!!!). I've loved the amber necklace (we lost the last one so I need to replace it).

When did your LO(s) teeth come in?

JGY · July 2014

@herbabymama - Yup, it's really hard to tell the difference between teething and ear infections. For us, because Gabe had so many of them, we did start to pick up on a few unique things. The most unique was that he would spit up. G was never a spitter-upper, so this was my "Tell." The other major symptom for us was major sleep disruption, not to be confused with the less major sleep disruption that happened pretty much every other night.

And (also to @mwagner25) I will join in the party of over-active nursers. I sometimes call it yoga-nursing because Gabe will get himself into the most ridiculous positions. And you can forget about a cover. That was one of the reasons why the plane ride on Sunday was so incredibly awful. Plus he thought it would be absolutely hilarious to jam his finger up my nostril, and then turn around and cram it into my mouth. I was able to break through my frustration and actually laugh at that one.

Jazibel · July 2014

@herbabymama - okay, I was wondering because Owen is drooling so much I thought maybe it was pre-teething? But I guess I'm jumping the gun. I'm going to find two new replacement amber necklaces - I miss ours.

KH826 · July 2014

So I never checked on this week, since we were still in the hospital and things were kind of crazy...

Well we are home now and Will had his follow up/one month check-up with the pedi today. First of all, we saw a different pedi at our practice (we had actually seen him twice before -- he was the dr that saw Will in the hospital after he was born, and then he came to see him in the NICU a few days later). We have decided we like this dr better than ours. He is older and probably a little more old school, but we just sort of jive with his personality. The pedi at this practice that we originally picked is a woman who is the same age range as my wife and I and she has a stellar resume. I would have never guessed that her colleague we saw today would be a better fit, but I think we are going to switch.

Anyway, Will got a totally clean bill of health. He is now 23 inches long and 12 lbs! AKA: huge! Lol
Pedi says he is 93rd percentile for height and 88th percentile for weight (but only 45th percentile for weight based on his height). Dr asked if we knew how tall our donor was. I said only 5'11''.
I am 5'7'', but my father is 6'4'' and my paternal grandmother was 6 ft.
Anyway, looks like we may have a tall boy! Pedi says he is measuring the size of a 2.5-3 month old. Ha!
He also said his "head control" is above average fir his age -- which doesn't surprise us based on how well we pulls his head up and supports it on his own.

Anyway, I was relieved to have a positive visit. Hopefully our little stint in the hospital is no indication of anything to come and just a bump in the road that is now behind us.

I hope to update next week about mundane things like sleeping and gassiness!

QOTW: we have not yet eaten out with Will. Not sure when we will. Like everything else, the thought of it makes me nervous, but I am sure it will be no big deal once we actually attempt it...

Want a personalized experience?

Parenting Check-In (July 7th)

Re: Parenting Check-In (July 7th)

Choose Another Board

Search Boards