@camichael84- E often NEEDS 2 blankets.. One for his mouth, and another to hold onto and switch into his mouth when the first gets too soggy. BLECH, but so damn cute that I'm not even considering phasing it out
@AnnaS930 Same with the finger paci for us. It's adorable, and she's not going to do it forever, so I'm going to let her have two as long as she's taking them.
The anatomy scan yesterday was awesome. And, of course, the sex(es) of both babies are sitting in envelopes at home just in case DH changes his mind and decides that he just can't wait until they're born to find out. The kids truly enjoyed seeing the babies wiggle around and seemed to be in awe. Both babies are healthy and measuring a little bit ahead, currently weighing in at 8 oz and 10 oz. And both were head up with their legs stretched out straight (which explains those crotch kicks - ouch!). We had the ultrasound tech pay special attention to all 4 little feet due to the fact that DS was born with a clubbed foot. (Perfectly fine now and you'd never be able to tell outside of the fact that it's a little smaller than the other foot and has scarring from the surgery.) With DS, they found his clubbed foot at around 20 weeks, so I figure there's still a chance of it happening with one of these two but the likelihood is definitely less. They'll take a closer look at the brains and hearts in a month but so far everything is great.
Oh, and DH ALMOST got to feel "A" kicking for the first time. I called him over just 2 seconds too late. But that just means that it's getting close to DH and the kids being able to feel them consistently! Yay!
@UnwritteN12- That is FANTASTIC news all around!! Any chance you want to mail those envelopes to Maine? I'll keep my lips sealed and send them back all taped up, I promise! hahaha So excited for you guys!
I spent most of last night with my shirt up and hands on my belly - seems the warmth of my hands always makes the babies move around a bit more, wasn't sure if I felt a few movements on the outside too.. but I didn't say anything. Not ready to share yet.
@Sporty1216 Glad to hear the crib transition went well for you last night! Honestly, sometimes I wonder a bit if it actually works better when children are slightly younger. My sister transitioned my niece right before she turned two and had no problem whatsoever. My niece barely noticed the change and still treats her bed like a crib (doesn't get out of it...just cries if she needs something.) She also can't open doors so even if she does get up, she just entertains herself with books or toys until she's tired. I've heard similar stories about kids around 2ish. My child, on the other hand, just transitioned at about 2.5. At this point, she can open doors and has a keen understanding of everything around her. The transition was not smooth...we're still working on smoothing it out two months later. She can open doors so instead of entertaining herself in her room, she stands at her open door and screams her head off. (Not in a sad way, in an "I'm testing my limits and being stubborn" sort of way.) She tries ever stall tactic in the book, etc etc etc. Not saying your child won't do the same in a few months...but I think having the physical transition "complete" before the limit-testing, independent, stubborn developmental stage starts can only help matters!
@PSUBecky23 and @camichael84 The weight loss while BFing was amazing!! I thought it worked that way for all women so I'm a little sad for you guys! Honestly, I didn't even realize how much weight I was keeping off until I started weaning. My metabolism dropped but I didn't change my eating habits and all of a sudden I had gained twenty pounds! Hoping to repeat the high metabolism part this time around but be a little more conscious of things when weaning to avoid the sudden weight gain!
Oh and @PSUBecky23... I'm with you 100% on the "threenager" problems. I read your posts all the time and think, "How familiar..." I love DD with all my heart and think her intelligence, independence and resolve will take her to great places as an adult...but as a child, it sure makes it hard to parent! She's constantly pushing boundaries and testing limits and pushing my buttons just right. I feel like all I ever do sometimes is scold her. Then we have other moments where she's sweet as pie and extremely loving and funny. Ahhhh, the joys...
The talk of them waking up and opening the doors in the middle of the night has me the most freaked out about transitioning to bed. We have levers instead of knobs, so McKenna can already open the doors. There will be no containing her at all once she is in a bed. I'm just hoping when we do it, it goes as smoothly as going from the PnP in our room to the crib in her room did, and she sleeps through the night with no problems.
Hard to say how the breastfeeding/weight loss went for me. I breastfed for 10 weeks but was having anxiety and no appetite for most of that period, and ended up dropping about 50 pounds - 10 beyond the 40 I had gained while pregnant. I stopped BFing and started therapy/medication soon after and forcing myself to consume 2000 calories a day (lots of Boost/ensure and other garbage just to get calories) and was able to gain back the extra weight I had lost (plus a few pounds). So I had a lot of factors mixing into the weight loss/gain, but the breastfeeding certainly wasn't holding any weight on me.
Fitbits can take breastfeeding into account and burns maybe 300 calories a day if I remember correctly? So that was helpful during my healthier periods (the first 6 weeks or so) to know how much to eat to slowly lose some of the weight.
@camichael84 we put a baby gate outside of Reese's door so even though she can open the door, she can't get out. She calls and yells for us but at least she isn't suddenly appearing in our bedroom or roaming the house at 2am.
We use a baby gate outside of Emmett's doorway for now to keep the dog out of his room when we got up to bed at night. We keep his door open for now otherwise his room gets really hot (has a lot of baseboard heater and thermostat is right outside of his door), but will have to get used to it being closed before this baby comes
@KimmySchmidt- Thank you, that's extremely helpful. I should buy it now, and maybe the reverse psychology will have this kid sleeping through the night immediately? Make the brezza useless (which would be the best $150 ever spent even if it sat in the box, am I right??) Lol, I think I'll keep it in the back of my mind.. we really need so little for this babe, maybe a fun new gadget will be a good splurge if we do the formula switch early on!
I get what you mean about feeling like you need to buy stuff for a second baby. I used a borrowed ergo for #1 and I think I'm going to get a tula. #splurge.
I know I'm way behind, but this is what I have been doing for my babies. I borrowed almost everything for my first baby, and with each baby I make one or two big spluge purchases. Last time I got a new swing. I think this time I'm getting a glider.
@AnnaS930 - Don't tempt me! I'll send you funds and let you shop according to the sex(es) too! Someone should be able to do something useful with the information, lol!!
@camichael84 - That thought was always terrifying to me to. The idea of them going downstairs and getting into something (even though we baby-proofed like champs) was horrifying. I did feel better though when we put a locking gate at the top of the stairs that screwed into the wall. And it was one that was a little trickier to open so they certainly couldn't do it themselves. I slept a little better.
We need to install a locking gate at the top of our stairs soon. The bathroom is right at the top of the stairs, and walking from his room to the tubby in the evening he tries to dive down the stairs. Daredevil baby
Any of you mini-crib-users sidecar it to your bed for co-sleeping? I've been trying to figure out if that would work. Probably I need to go to a store and take measurements. But I'm hoping it might be an option and would love to hear experiences if anyone has any.
I did not side-car it but I did have it right next to my bed. The one I have, the mattress comes up very far so it's just a few inches from the top of the crib. It's also at the perfect height where I could easily reach over and lift baby out without getting out of bed. I wish I had a picture to show you, but I didn't take one when I had it set up like that. I loved using it like that.
can't wait till friday's doc appointment to hopefully find out the gender of our baby!!
My son (16 months) is just developing so much daily. Today my husband said we need to fix this chair, let's get the screwdriver. My son doesn't follow my husband to get thee screwdriver and sorta disappears. He then comes back with his screwdriver to help daddy. and when he was done he went and put it back in his tool box *proud mommy moment*
unfortunately one of the men i work with came in without a shower and reeks!!
@erinmarie86- my little man is coming up on 16 months and in a big developmental boom like yours - it's SO much fun. We are also noticing him understanding us more. For example - I told my parents when they were over "oh yeah, Emmett has a bat mobile ride on but he never rides on it, just pushes it" Emmett runs off to the other room.. and sure enough comes scooting in on it a few minutes later saying "Hi mamaaaa! Hiiiiii!" and his language is just taking off. This is such a fun stage (I say that about every stage.. but they really are all better than the last)
@AnnaS930 kids just amaze me. My son definitely understands us so much. We don't even talk in simple sentences and he'll go do something...like throw away his trash or get a towel to clean up a spill because he saw me do it. ah i just love it!! I can't wait to see what he'll do next. He still isn't talking much though and i feel like he learns a word and then forgets it...but i'm sure that will get better with time.
@erinmarie86 Your random #3 reminded me of this...
I seriously almost left the house this morning without brushing my teeth! I just simply...forgot...! Like, how? Luckily, just as I was about to put my coat on, something triggered my mind and I thought, "Did I brush my teeth this morning?" Nope, no, I hadn't... So I had to coerce my two-year-old back upstairs (about a ten-minute process in itself) so I could brush. Where has my mind gone? Lol!
My big girls (4 &2) are eating lunch outside. It's really too cold for this, but instead of coming inside they just brought a bunch of blankets out and are eating underneath them. It's pretty silly.
@JennM205 i would take rank breath over rank BOA right about now, at least then i'd only possibly smell it while talking to the person...instead of a constant aroma around me...ew, i might have to find a different area to work today.
@UnwritteN12 I did, thankfully. I've been lucky in that my hypoglycemia is easy to manage, but that was scary last night. Now I'm wondering if I've just never had it tank quite so badly before.
I don't have a glucose meter since my doctor thinks that I'll be fine as long as I recognize and treat a crash quickly (and so far I have been), so I never know my exact numbers, but I'm rethinking that now. There's a difference between feeling sick because you haven't eaten and feeling like you're possessed.
@MojieJo- Pregnancy is a whoooole new ball game (and twins!). That easy management might be completely different these days. Take it easy and take care of yourself!!
I think I may have to get myself a glucose meter. The last thing I need is this turning into an emergency because I'm used to being fairly relaxed about the whole thing and don't have anything other than symptoms (which are obviously changing) to tell me whether I'm having a minor dip or a major crash.
Would be best to get to know your numbers and when to act (while numbers are going down) versus once they have already tanked. Try to get used to, Ok I haven't eaten in a couple hours, I really need a piece of fruit, or some sort of complex carb to hold be over to the next meal, etc.
My random/TW (twatwaffle) for the day is my dad's doctor. He had a biopsy last week and they called this morning to say they got the results back and he has to come in on Thursday to get them. We already had an appointment scheduled later for the results, but the doctor was specific that he had to come in earlier and at the open time slot they had. They didn't tell us why or what the results were just said, "be here at such and such a time for the results." They didn't even give us an 'is this an ok time for you?' No, we have to be there at that time. So needless to say my entire family is freaking out and wondering what the results will be. I'm hoping it's something that can finally diagnose what's wrong with him and can be treated so that he can start recovering, but the next two days will be rough.
@annas930 Thank you for the advice. I'm going to try to get more on top of this.
As you can tell, I've been pretty slipshod about it since I've never been told to do otherwise. But I need to be more careful with it, especially when it's not just my health at risk anymore.
@LakeR2014- That's so hard. If you want to see people immediately about results then shift things around and get them in sooner, not 48 hours later... that's a long time to be playing the "what if" game in your head. I'm sorry you all have to wait and I sincerely hope it's something definite and treatable that has been discovered.
@AnnaS930@erinmarie86 My daughter is a couple months older than yours, but I love this stage, too. It amazes me the things she mimics, understands, and figures out. She will do things that I didn't realize she'd ever noticed us doing, and it makes me so proud. I just love her happy, silly little personality and being her mommy.
As for talking, I'm starting to become concerned her pacifier is holding her back. The pediatrician wants her to have 5-10 words, which she does, but she mainly gibbers and she does NOT say 'momma'. She calls DH "Da", and she'll point to me if you ask where mommy is. She even says "nom" (for food or when eating). So I have no idea why she's not saying it. The pediatrician wants to wait until she's two to worry about delayed speech, but I can't help but think about it.
@LakeR2014 I'm sorry you're going through that. I hope you can keep your mind off of it for the next couple of days and everything is okay. I'll be thinking of you and your family, and hope you keep us updated.
@camichael84 - I had some early speech concerns with my son because he had chronic fluid in his ears and one of the pediatricians said that could delay his speech if he was hearing noises as muffled. I reached out to a speech therapist friend to get some ideas from her. Here's a big ol' copy and paste, maybe you'll say "Hey, I do all of those things!" or maybe give you a few ideas. Luckily my little guy's language seems to be on point with his ear tubes now inserted for 3 months.
I will add I think the best luck we've had with teaching words to my son is withholding an object/action until he says the word. If he wanted to get onto the couch we'd tell him "Say UP! UP!" and he'd whine and claw at us, and finally utter something close to "up!" and we'd pick him up and celebrate repeating it over and over. Now he says it clear as day. Similar with "ball" "cup/baba" for his milk, etc. Maybe that's really obvious, but it's worked well so far even with a few tears along the way.
Birth to 2 Years
•Encourage your baby to make vowel-like and consonant-vowel sounds such as "ma," "da," and "ba."
•Reinforce attempts by maintaining eye contact,
responding with speech, and imitating vocalizations using different
patterns and emphasis. For example, raise the pitch of your voice to
indicate a question.
•Imitate your baby's laughter and facial expressions.
•Teach your baby to imitate your actions, including
clapping you hands, throwing kisses, and playing finger games such as
pat-a-cake, peek-a-boo, and the itsy-bitsy-spider.
•Talk as you bathe, feed, and dress your baby. Talk
about what you are doing, where you are going, what you will do when
you arrive, and who and what you will see.
•Identify colors.
•Count items.
•Use gestures such as waving goodbye to help convey meaning.
•Introduce animal sounds to associate a sound with a specific meaning: "The doggie says woof-woof."
•Acknowledge the attempt to communicate.
•Expand on single words your baby uses: "Here is Mama. Mama loves you. Where is baby? Here is baby."
•Read to your child. Sometimes "reading" is simply
describing the pictures in a book without following the written words.
Choose books that are sturdy and have large colorful pictures that are
not too detailed. Ask your child, "What's this?"
and encourage naming and pointing to familiar objects in the book.
*When playing, add language to all your actions. “The car is so fast!” “Look at the big, red, fast car”
@camichael84 my daughter wasn't a big talker at the age of your daughter. My pedi had no concerns because apparently at that age it's more important that they understand what you're saving. When she turned two, it was like a light switch was turned on and she had this huge leap in ability to talk. And she hasn't shut up since
My big girls (4 &2) are eating lunch outside. It's really too cold for this, but instead of coming inside they just brought a bunch of blankets out and are eating underneath them. It's pretty silly.
So cute!
*************************************** FORMER USERNAME:@runningisrad
@JennM205 --That's interesting regarding the timing of the transition! I'm encouraged that, as of right now, he runs into his room, jumps onto the mattress, and snuggles in. I think he loves it. He's currently having his first nap on the mattress and it's going great. I like, too, that I can just lie down next to him for a moment and help him drift off. We were still rocking to sleep and lying next to him is WAY easier.
We also have a gate up outside his door, just in case. We have an old house and the doors don't shut well, so we have a gate inside the closet door too. So far, except for when he walked to the door last night that one time, he seems to not fully realize that he can get off the mattress. When he wakes up, he just sits there and yells for me. Haha. I'll take it.
@UnwritteN12--congrats on the great scan! I bet your kids loved it! How fun that they got to be there.
another random/rant...am I the only person who wants form fitting maternity clothes so i can show off my bump and not look frumpy?! i just looked on gap's website (they are having a sale) and it's all frumpy loose/flow crap that i think just looks hideous. I'm proud of my body and the changes and the bump...and i want to show it off!
@AnnaS930 Thanks! I do most of the things you listed, but it is a good reminder and did give me some new ideas, too. We've tried withholding an action/item to get her to say the word, but that has been our biggest fail. I give in too easily and just give her what she's wanting after a minute or so. She's just so stubborn, too. Like she'll say "Cici" for her paci if she's not wanting it, but will cry and refuse to say it when she does want it.
@PSUBecky23 It bothers me so much that she won't say 'momma'. I'm home with her all the time, and it just kind of breaks my heart she won't say it, even though she shows a clear preference for me. But I try to remind myself there will come a day where I'm going to wish she wasn't saying it. Lol.
@erinmarie86- completely agreed. I wear all form-fitting maternity, I don't want to throw a tent over this bump. I get so excited when Gap emails me about sales, then I look at the maternity and think "that hardly looks good on a model.. that would be HORRIBLE on me!" especially their dresses.. yuck!!
@erinmarie86- completely agreed. I wear all form-fitting maternity, I don't want to throw a tent over this bump. I get so excited when Gap emails me about sales, then I look at the maternity and think "that hardly looks good on a model.. that would be HORRIBLE on me!" especially their dresses.. yuck!!
I'm the exact opposite. I don't like form-fitting maternity clothes. Yeah, I'm excited about the baby but it's not all that I am. I'm still me, and when I'm not pregnant I don't wear form fitting clothes. I also think that form-fitting clothes lead to people making more comments about your pregnancy or touching your bump. I don't think that form-fitting clothes look very good on me. However, some people look really good in them.
@LeahKnits- I wear pretty form-fitting clothes when not pregnant, so it's not a huge change for me, but I do put away flowy blouses when pregnant. Also, I'm a pregnant AW and really enjoy people looking at and making comments about my bump!! Touching, eh.. I'm not crazy about it, it's awkward, but it doesn't completely throw me off.
Re: April Randoms Thread
The kids truly enjoyed seeing the babies wiggle around and seemed to be in awe.
We had the ultrasound tech pay special attention to all 4 little feet due to the fact that DS was born with a clubbed foot. (Perfectly fine now and you'd never be able to tell outside of the fact that it's a little smaller than the other foot and has scarring from the surgery.) With DS, they found his clubbed foot at around 20 weeks, so I figure there's still a chance of it happening with one of these two but the likelihood is definitely less. They'll take a closer look at the brains and hearts in a month but so far everything is great.
Oh, and DH ALMOST got to feel "A" kicking for the first time. I called him over just 2 seconds too late. But that just means that it's getting close to DH and the kids being able to feel them consistently! Yay!
I spent most of last night with my shirt up and hands on my belly - seems the warmth of my hands always makes the babies move around a bit more, wasn't sure if I felt a few movements on the outside too.. but I didn't say anything. Not ready to share yet.
@PSUBecky23 and @camichael84 The weight loss while BFing was amazing!! I thought it worked that way for all women so I'm a little sad for you guys! Honestly, I didn't even realize how much weight I was keeping off until I started weaning. My metabolism dropped but I didn't change my eating habits and all of a sudden I had gained twenty pounds! Hoping to repeat the high metabolism part this time around but be a little more conscious of things when weaning to avoid the sudden weight gain!
Fitbits can take breastfeeding into account and burns maybe 300 calories a day if I remember correctly? So that was helpful during my healthier periods (the first 6 weeks or so) to know how much to eat to slowly lose some of the weight.
I know I'm way behind, but this is what I have been doing for my babies. I borrowed almost everything for my first baby, and with each baby I make one or two big spluge purchases. Last time I got a new swing. I think this time I'm getting a glider.
@camichael84 - That thought was always terrifying to me to. The idea of them going downstairs and getting into something (even though we baby-proofed like champs) was horrifying. I did feel better though when we put a locking gate at the top of the stairs that screwed into the wall. And it was one that was a little trickier to open so they certainly couldn't do it themselves. I slept a little better.
I seriously almost left the house this morning without brushing my teeth! I just simply...forgot...! Like, how? Luckily, just as I was about to put my coat on, something triggered my mind and I thought, "Did I brush my teeth this morning?" Nope, no, I hadn't... So I had to coerce my two-year-old back upstairs (about a ten-minute process in itself) so I could brush. Where has my mind gone? Lol!
I don't have a glucose meter since my doctor thinks that I'll be fine as long as I recognize and treat a crash quickly (and so far I have been), so I never know my exact numbers, but I'm rethinking that now. There's a difference between feeling sick because you haven't eaten and feeling like you're possessed.
● IUI #2: BFP - early M/C
● IUI #3: BFN
● IUI #4: BFN
● IVF/FET #1 (2 transferred): BFP! TWINS!
● FET #2 (1 transferred): BFP! BOY #3!
● Natural #1: BFP - M/C @ 8 weeks
● Natural #2: BFP - M/C @ 5w5d
I think I may have to get myself a glucose meter. The last thing I need is this turning into an emergency because I'm used to being fairly relaxed about the whole thing and don't have anything other than symptoms (which are obviously changing) to tell me whether I'm having a minor dip or a major crash.
● IUI #2: BFP - early M/C
● IUI #3: BFN
● IUI #4: BFN
● IVF/FET #1 (2 transferred): BFP! TWINS!
● FET #2 (1 transferred): BFP! BOY #3!
● Natural #1: BFP - M/C @ 8 weeks
● Natural #2: BFP - M/C @ 5w5d
As you can tell, I've been pretty slipshod about it since I've never been told to do otherwise. But I need to be more careful with it, especially when it's not just my health at risk anymore.
● IUI #2: BFP - early M/C
● IUI #3: BFN
● IUI #4: BFN
● IVF/FET #1 (2 transferred): BFP! TWINS!
● FET #2 (1 transferred): BFP! BOY #3!
● Natural #1: BFP - M/C @ 8 weeks
● Natural #2: BFP - M/C @ 5w5d
As for talking, I'm starting to become concerned her pacifier is holding her back. The pediatrician wants her to have 5-10 words, which she does, but she mainly gibbers and she does NOT say 'momma'. She calls DH "Da", and she'll point to me if you ask where mommy is. She even says "nom" (for food or when eating). So I have no idea why she's not saying it. The pediatrician wants to wait until she's two to worry about delayed speech, but I can't help but think about it.
I will add I think the best luck we've had with teaching words to my son is withholding an object/action until he says the word. If he wanted to get onto the couch we'd tell him "Say UP! UP!" and he'd whine and claw at us, and finally utter something close to "up!" and we'd pick him up and celebrate repeating it over and over. Now he says it clear as day. Similar with "ball" "cup/baba" for his milk, etc. Maybe that's really obvious, but it's worked well so far even with a few tears along the way.
Birth to 2 Years
•Encourage your baby to make vowel-like and consonant-vowel sounds such as "ma," "da," and "ba."
•Reinforce attempts by maintaining eye contact, responding with speech, and imitating vocalizations using different patterns and emphasis. For example, raise the pitch of your voice to indicate a question.
•Imitate your baby's laughter and facial expressions.
•Teach your baby to imitate your actions, including clapping you hands, throwing kisses, and playing finger games such as pat-a-cake, peek-a-boo, and the itsy-bitsy-spider.
•Talk as you bathe, feed, and dress your baby. Talk about what you are doing, where you are going, what you will do when you arrive, and who and what you will see.
•Identify colors.
•Count items.
•Use gestures such as waving goodbye to help convey meaning.
•Introduce animal sounds to associate a sound with a specific meaning: "The doggie says woof-woof."
•Acknowledge the attempt to communicate.
•Expand on single words your baby uses: "Here is Mama. Mama loves you. Where is baby? Here is baby."
•Read to your child. Sometimes "reading" is simply describing the pictures in a book without following the written words. Choose books that are sturdy and have large colorful pictures that are not too detailed. Ask your child, "What's this?" and encourage naming and pointing to familiar objects in the book.
*When playing, add language to all your actions. “The car is so fast!” “Look at the big, red, fast car”FORMER USERNAME: @runningisrad
We also have a gate up outside his door, just in case. We have an old house and the doors don't shut well, so we have a gate inside the closet door too. So far, except for when he walked to the door last night that one time, he seems to not fully realize that he can get off the mattress. When he wakes up, he just sits there and yells for me. Haha. I'll take it.
@UnwritteN12--congrats on the great scan! I bet your kids loved it! How fun that they got to be there.
@PSUBecky23 It bothers me so much that she won't say 'momma'. I'm home with her all the time, and it just kind of breaks my heart she won't say it, even though she shows a clear preference for me. But I try to remind myself there will come a day where I'm going to wish she wasn't saying it. Lol.
I don't think that form-fitting clothes look very good on me. However, some people look really good in them.