Family Forum / Pregnancy / Pregnancy / March 2004

I love it when you post these Mary!

We're doing great, still bfing at 9 months.

I'm feeling very broody now, but we've thought and thought and planned and
planned and it looks like it will be 5 years til we can try again. I'm
planning to make sure I really enjoy this baby, and look forward to the
fact that pregnancy will be easier without a toddler to look after.

Still reading this newsgroup and I expect I will be for some time to come,
helps me learn I guess!

Thanks for not calling us "old" - lol.

We're okay.  Finally over a nasty stomach bug and pink eye.  Ugh, what a
germy house for about 2 weeks.

Charlotte, 5.8 yrs old, still into gymnastics, loving kindergarten.  Very
into My Little Pony and Strawberry Shortcake.  Talk about Memory Lane  :)

Patrick, 4.3 yrs old, still into Thomas the Tank Engine and Buzz Lightyear.
He still goes to his 3 morning a week playgroup and thank goodness the
teachers have a new attitude.  They are actually teaching.  He counts well,
does his alphabet, things he wasn't interested in before at all.

Lewis, 2.2 yrs old and LOUD.  He's finally putting 2 words together. But he
SCREAMS a lot. He's just loud.  He's good if given 2 choices at telling me
what he wants.  It's not frustration screaming.  He's also a flusher, like
Patrick <eyeroll>  He looks like Charlotte but is a lot like Patrick.

I answered how I am in the July due date thread.

Do husbands get a mention here?  ;)   He's home, for now.  'Nuff said  :)

And we are here still - http://www,mcgehees.com

Sophie
#4 due 7/18/04

Maddy is 10 months old on Saturday and still nursing lots. We are doing
very well, aside from some sleep issues. I have to return to work in 2
months which I'm not happy about but we can't afford for me to stay at home.

She still isn't quite crawling yet, or what *I* consider crawling. She does
the commando crawl but has not yet mastered the hand and knees crawl. She is
just starting to pull herself up on furniture. She has a ton of toys but is
interested in everything BUT those toys (paper, boxes, computer cords) so I
can't take my eyes off of her for one second. She is a petite girl and
weighs only 16 lb 10 oz but is around 29.5 inches tall. She actually gained
a whole 7 oz in one week last week which is quite a lot for a baby of that
age. She eats pretty much what ever we eat and she certainly does love food.

Here are a couple of pics of my beautiful girl....

http://community.webshots.com/user/nadeneann

--
Nadene

    It's soooo not right that Genevieve is eight months
old today!  She's having a grand old time.  No teeth yet,
and she still goes backwards more than forwards with
crawling, but it's abundantly clear she's trouble looking
to happen.  Didn't "they" say that girls are supposed to
be easier than boys in the early years?!  I think this
one's going to give us a run for our money.  She's still
happy as can be.  She barks--mostly at the dogs, sometimes
at the cats (can't understand why they don't bark back)
and sometimes at people.  She just figured out how to
clap, so she's all gung ho about that.  She *loves*
playing with toys.  That still amazes me.  She still
doesn't like babyfood, but thinks Cheerios are *fabulous*.
I think she's going to be like Colin and just hold out
for real food--boy, does she wish she had some teeth!
    Colin is still a bristling bundle of attitude,
and he's going through a major daddy phase (I don't count
for much right now ;-)  He was horsing around and knocked
out his two front teeth, but fortunately they were baby
teeth and were getting ready to come out anyway.  He's
getting a little scary at chess (he's playing 4th and
5th graders now, though he's in 1st grade).  His
sportsmanship is getting a *little* better, but it's
still pretty suspect.  We keep working on it ;-/  He's
such a spunky kid, and nothing stands in his way when
he's out to accomplish something!
    Adrian is also doing well.  We had him evaluated
for learning issues and the results of that were interesting
and helpful.  They also turned up some attention issues,
which I suppose I knew about but was in total denial over.
We're working on those.  It seems to have helped him
significantly just to know more about what's going on
with himself, and I can see him struggling to control
himself better (though he doesn't always succeed).
He's just so adorable with Genevieve, and she lights
up whenever he comes around.  He's really coming along
amazingly well with piano.  It's a challenge sometimes,
because he grouses about anything he can't flat out
sightread (says it's too hard and he'll *never* *ever*
get it), but when he buckles down and actually learns
the piece, he plays with great technique and artistry
and loves it.
    All in all, it's the usual hectic life around
here.  I *thought* I was making progress, until we
had company one weekend and then were sick for most
of a week.  Now, I'm waaaaaaay behind and wondering
if that's the light at the end of the tunnel or
an oncoming train ;-)  I'm much more optimistic now
that the weather's warming up and the sun is peeking
out, though! ;-)

Best wishes,
Ericka

I'm really very tired but that will pass as I get used to things.
Isabella is a very easy baby. The relatives are gone (per my request)
because Katerina and Joshua couldn't handle them anymore (nor could I
for that matter). My kids thrive on routine and predictability. That
went out the window when the relatives started looking after them and
their behaviours changed for the negative. Sigh.

DH was unable to take time off right now but he has been able to be a
bit flexible in his work schedule. He comes home for lunch about 11:30
and goes back to work about 1:00. After we put the kids down for the
night, he'll go back to work about 9:00 pm and come home about 11:00 pm.

Isabella is getting the hang of nursing in the side-lying position and I
am now able to sleep on my side (incision was hurting before) so I am
getting more rest. I've just a lot to catch up on.

Isabella is gaining weight. She was born on the 12th at 8 lb. 4 oz. On
the 17th she was 7 lb. 9 oz. On the 23rd, she was 8 lb. 6 1/2 oz.  I
haven't had her checked since then.

She is such a darling. Rarely cries. She doesn't need to be burped
often. She just loves her booby, though. In the first two weeks she must
have nursed about 12-15 times a day. Now she stretching it out a bit
more.  She has her times when she cluster feeds; first thing in the
morning and in the evening.  It's worth it though because she sleeps a
good 3 to 4 hours in a stretch at night.

The twins absolutely adore her. Joshua loves to look at her and nuzzle
her head. He's always asking to hold her but when he does it's only for
a minute or 2, then he's done. In the beginning he wanted to stick his
finger in her nose all the time (yes, he's at that stage) but now he
knows he's not supposed to.

Katerina will hold Isabella for as long as I let her. She just can't get
enough of "baby Bella" and is completely enchanted with her. She'll come
and tell me when she's stirring and she will tell me "Baby Bella Mommy
Boob!"

Both Joshua and Katerina have asked to nurse but it was more of a test
to see if I would let them. They only tried for about 15 seconds.

I know I'll feel better when the lochia stops. Bleeding always tires me out.

Hunter is almost 5.  He loves preschool and is very excited to think about
kindergarten.   He just finished swimming lessons and he is very proud of
that.  He has been not such a great shopping partner lately and I'm not sure
why this has changed.  He is into numbers lately and is enjoying his first
'chapter' book - Charlottes Web.  I made him a chore list so he's feeling
like a big boy :-)

Luke is almost 3.  He is out going and very independent.  He looks like a
little boy now and no longer a toddler.  He loves all his animals and
babies.  He loves to sing his ABC's (he does great if I'm singing with him
and looses track alone) and sits and 'reads' his books a lot.  He can count
to 10.  He adores any activity that includes balls!  He whines a lot though

I'm just waiting for summer to get here.  They have been going outside a lot
more but it is easier in the summer.  They are so wild in the house if we
can't spend all that time outdoors!

--
Nikki
Mama to Hunter (4) and Luke (2)

<snippage>

I'm an occasional poster who skims...

I don't know if I've ever formerly introduced myself, but if I have it was a
long time ago!  I found this group when I had my second daughter Iris, three
years ago.  I lurked mostly then.  I've been hanging around since!

My name is Joy, and I have three children.  Rose is five, and she was a born
at a hospital due to PIH (was planning a homebirth).  My other two babies
have been homebirths.  Iris is three, and Spencer will soon be one.  I have
learned a lot from this group (and mkb and even mk).  I would love to have
one more, but hubby isn't really keen on the idea.  Three is sufficient,
says he!

I'm enjoying following people's progress as of right now, though.  I feel
like some of you are friends, despite the fact you don't know me! :)
Anyway, here I am.

Joy

Rose- 5
Iris- 3
Spencer- almost 1

I honestly can't believe I belong to the "new moms" group now!!!  It's been
almost 4 weeks since Will was born and I am honestly starting to have very
positive feelings about the birth.  I have begun to realize that the "bad"
part of teh birth was only about 20 minutes out of the whole thing.  Not bad
considering I was in labor for at least 30 hours.  I actually think I will
write a birth story soon for the group, as soon as I have time:-)

I am definitely enjoying being the mom of a newborn again.  The only problem
I am having is my two year old trying to figure her boundaries out again and
I don't like not being able to meet her needs as much and as quickly as I
used to.  I miss being able to pick her up whenever she wanted, etc.  I even
had to stop sleeping with her because DS would keep her awake.  I feel like
I have let her down in some ways. Not entirely!  Just some.

I am feeling different about my relationship with DH but am hoping it is
just the post-partum readjustment thing.  Will get into detail as the need
arises:-)

Physically I am feeling great except that the lochia is still lingering on.
I hate wearing pads!!!!  The only other thing is that my breasts leak so
horribly they soak my t-shirt through when they really get going.  I even
bought some Lana wool Ekstra nursing pads but they still leak through!!!
Very frustrated and embarrassed to out in public because I am afraid of
leaking.  I guess I just need to pack an extra shirt for myself in the
diaper bag.

Anway, I imagine this is long enough!  I hope to continue to reply and post
as often as I can!  I love this group...very therapeutic and helpful.

Kat
Mama to Maggie 11/03/01
and Will 02/10/04

We're busy, busy, busy! Life with 3 kids never slows down!! ;)

Kaylie is still my easy child. She's 8.3 yrs, still tiny, really tiny. We're
getting "are they twins?" comments a LOT about her and Noah and it's
starting to annoy her. I think it's only the beginning, unfortunately. We've
been having a hard time finding big girl clothes for her that fit properly
and her classmates  baby her (i.e. pick her up and carry her, etc) and she's
older than most of them. It's been a little difficult to deal with but so
far, not too bad. She's still heavily into dancing. This week we have an
Irish step rehersal for next week's recital and then her big St Patty's day
festival. And April 3rd is her first overnight dance competition. We made
the hotel reservations last night. Kind of scary for me as a parent to be
doing this already!! My husband is going along, and the baby (he still wont
take a bottle) but my parents are going to keep Noah for us. She's doing
exceptionally well in school, straight A's in everything, reading at a high
level, etc. No problems at all there, thankfully.

Noah is well, the middle child for sure. He's giving me a hard time lately
with all kinds of fears about death, religion, you name it. And he cries so
easily. He's terrified of bugs but he wont let me kill anything, not even
flies or it breaks his heart. He wont eat meat now either. I think he's just
destined to be a vegetarian Buddhist like his Aunt, I dont know. He takes
his martial arts class once a week and loves that. His teacher just babies
him to no end, not that I blame her. He's just so lovable, sensitive but
still has that boyish streak in him as well. He's not at all what I'd call a
"typical boy" by any means. He just isn't into trucks, cars, dirt, things
like that but he loves to help me cook, cuddle his baby boy doll, having his
hair done! LOL. I love it :)

Xander is pretty easy but he has his moments. I'd put him in the middle of
Kaylie and Noah as far as difficulty goes. He still doesn't sleep through
the night. Im down to 1 feeding a night however and my awesome husband gets
up the other 2 times to rock him for me so Im getting quite a bit of sleep
now :) He just started cereal and he's doing sooo much better for me now. A
little on the young side but he was definately ready. He was pulling the
spoon out of my hands and putting it in his mouth. He ate the whole bowl at
his first feeding and hasn't slowed down at all. No spitting out anything!!
He loves it. He's sitting alone, rolls all over the place, finally growing a
bit of reddish blonde hair and has the biggest blue eyes. We get comments on
them all the time. He was 14lbs 2 oz at his last checkup and 26 in long.

Im doing okay I guess. Tired still, not sure why. I have the winter blues
big time. Im so sick of the weather. Just feeling blah a lot. Thinking about
baby #4 as to when and if we will have more or adopt, things seem so up in
the air. We need a new house and so we're putting away every penny to save
for that. We've been contemplating relocating to Canada as well so who
knows. Just very stressful lately.

The picture page is still the same too, though Im working on an actual
website that I hope to get up and running soon. Anyway, here's the link, Im
pretty good at updating it weekly.

http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/firedancer623/my_photos

Kari
mom to Kaylie (8) Noah (4) and Xander (5 mos)

I'm pretty much a lurker now.  Things are tough ATM with Jaden not
sleeping (was up every 2 hours tonight) and DH working all the time.  I
know others have coped with worse though so I'm trying to just muddle
through.  This should hopefully be DH's last Saturday working (for a
while anyway).

Julie is nearly 3 and has winter cabin-fever combined with a little new
baby related attention-seeking.  Sigh.  But otherwise we are managing to
have some fun, still playing Hi Ho Cherry O and baking muffins.  Her
birthday party will be at a parent-child art activity center and the
kids will each get to paint a T shirt to take home.  Should be fun.

Jaden is 6 months now, an absolute delight, when it's not a time I'd
rather be sleeping.  He seems so "old".  I don't quite know how to
describe it but just the way he looks and the expressions on his face, I
get the feeling that when I'm not looking he's sneaking off to study
differential equations and read The Age of Reason or something.  He's
rolling both ways but not using rolling to get anywhere yet, thank
goodness.  Started rice cereal 5 days ago and he's loving it.  He's up
to 17 pounds and 28 inches tall.  Not much else to report here.

Look out... at least a partial vent post coming. I am so tired. DH
worked just about every day and night in February. He had 2 days off,
which were sleeping off night shift kind of days, only to go in early
for day shift the next day. Unfortunately, it was during this time I
came to realize that Aaron probably has more going on than just being
developmentally delayed and needing more time to catch up. We also had
a very rough patch of behaviour. We spent about 10 days with him
literally on the brink of a major fit over EVERY little thing. I had
some panic attacks too. I spent Valentine's Day bawling my eyes out to
an equally exhausted dh. Then things leveled off and at least now I
dont' feel dread the moment my eyes open in the morning. All of this
is related to being worried about Aaron and the stress of dealing with
him by myself when he is such a piece of work!

We just had an appointment with the Ped and I voiced my new concerns.
Aaron was in fine form that day, made a liar out of me! He looked
right at the dr and said, "hello dr!" He even sat in his lap! But all
the stuff I told him, the repetitive speech, the obsession with
candles, the almost complete lack of imaginative play, the rocking on
his hands and knees when he goes to bed at night.... well, there is
enough there to have the dr thinking he might mild PDD, an
autistic-spectrum disorder. He was not ready to commit to the
diagnosis because if Aaron does have it is so mild it is hard to tell.
We are also still having lots of clumsiness and difficulty with using
his hands. So we are starting private Occupational therapy and,
depending on what the OT sees, might go see a psychologist who is an
expert in PDD. I am really glad we got the OT referral, which was my
main goal of the appointment. On a positive note, Aaron is pretty well
bladder trained during the day, and we have occasional poops in the
potty too! He loves his regular preschool and seems to enjoy other
kids, even if he does tend to linger on the outside of the group. His
teachers all tell me he is so sweet they wish they could take him
home.  Too bad he is not that sweet to us!

Madeline is doing great. 14lbs, 6oz and 25 3/4 inches. She is such an
easy baby, and very smiley. I get a grin the moment I approach her in
the crib every morning. She is on the verge of rolling over, reaches
for toys, and can do a pretty good push-up while on her tummy. Gosh
she is just beautiful, in a completely different way than her brother.
He is all fair skin and sandy hair, while she is olive-skinned, black
haired, and dark eyes. She does have a sebaceous gland cyst right next
to her eye. It started out looking like a pimple got bigger and
stayed. It's been there for 2 mos now, and looks like it will have to
be removed by a Plastic surgeon at some point. No hurry, as long as it
is not growing.

That is the not-so-short version of life here. Any input from folks
with PDD kids is greatly appreciated.

Amanda