British Bun in the Oven

[Jewel-8 21]

Stupid n00b mom question - when is she supposed to be off formula? All I've found are articles saying you can introduce cow's milk slowly after 1 year but nothing about when to cut it out completely. Obviously I can ask the pedi but figured maybe you guys knew.

Every baby is different. I might not be able to help much, but my 9 year old was breastfed almost exclusively so I put him on real milk right after his first birthday and just gradually kept giving him more. It was quick to turn to just night feedings and then I was able to stop breastfeeding completely around 14 months. Mostly because I was young and ready to start working full-time and partying on the weekends. Maybe I would have done things different if money hadn't of been such a huge factor though. Good luck!

[TracyTN 237]

Thanks, that does help. I was planning to start weaning her onto cow's milk after she turns one - if, of course, her doctor was ok with it. I love my doctor but I don't always know what to ask her about next steps when I see her. Luckily they give us an informational sheet about babies her age when we go for our routine checkups so that has helped us a lot.

[Empress of Groovy 373]

I second that emotion with the swing. Strapping her in it is fine but she's just constantly grabbing at her feet or leaning over so it really doesn't serve us much anymore. Funny how we spent nearly $130 on it and only got about 7 months use out of it. UGH! I see a garage sale in our future... I think you'll start finding the pack and play MOST helpful. Chas said Emily spent about 2 hours in it yesterday happily playing and talking away. He was grateful for the break.

I agree about the transformation, too. It's really fun to watch them start to experience and further explore their world. Things that didn't seem possible when all you did was hold her, feed her, burp her and wait for the next nap. Parenting is not for the faint of heart, believe me - I have learned that. It's a heck of a lot of hard work!!

Am SO glad Limita is getting more regular with her sleep patterns. 8-5/6 is more than a LOT of parents get so I think she's doing great. Having your evenings back is really nice too!! I bet she'll sleep in longer stretches once her tummy can hold more and she doesn't wake up so hungry. We've had to push Emily's bedtime back to 9. She is napping less so she tends to have a late nap (woke up from one at 6:30 last night!) - no way we could then expect her be ready for sleep again at 8. I kinda hate not having that hour to myself at night, but its what she needs so I'm happy to do it.

Elder stateswoman! But I guess she is!! 9 month doc appointment set for Monday, so we'll see how she's grown.

Stupid n00b mom question - when is she supposed to be off formula? All I've found are articles saying you can introduce cow's milk slowly after 1 year but nothing about when to cut it out completely. Obviously I can ask the pedi but figured maybe you guys knew.

Yes, I'm grateful that she is sleeping for 7-8 hours straight for the most part. If only I could manage to go to bed myself around 8, I'd get a full 8 hours! I'm such a night owl, even when I'm tired, I struggle to go to sleep by 10 p.m. Before Limita arrived, my normal bedtime was midnight or 1.

I've started feeding Limita a bit of mashed avocado and banana in addition to cereal. So far, so good. I'm planning on making some applesauce soon. I suspect she'll like it.

I'm really not sure about formula. I think the standard is to start introducing cow's milk at about a year and phasing out formula, as long as she's getting enough nutrients in her diet. I have seen toddler formula. In fact, I saw on one of the cans that it was for kids as old as 3. I was like, Wha? I guess it's for kids who are really fussy eaters, and their parents might be concerned about nutrition?

[TracyTN 237]

Oh I couldn't go to bed at 8 either and I'm no night owl. But at least you can spend time with hubby or just have time for YOU if you prefer. That's kind of nice.

That's what threw me too - the toddler formula. I guess I'll just see what my doc says at her year appt and go from there.

I hope Limita likes applesauce. Emily hasn't been a huge fan of fruits - I can get some bananas or applesauce down her but that's about it. She really likes her veggies. Squash is probably her favorite. Speaking of the little half Brit, she just woke up from an HOUR nap. Which is about 30 mins longer than she normally naps so I'm impressed!!

[TracyTN 237]

So this will be a repeat for those of you on my Facebook friends but went for Emily's 9 month appt yesterday. She is doing well with height and weight (75th and 90th percentiles, respectively). But since she is not pulling up or standing on her own, the doc wants her to get a hip x-ray to rule out dysplasia! Is it me or is that a little over cautious?

I mean we'll do it but geez. She JUST turned 9 months on Sunday, and only started sitting on her own (without toppling over) in the last 3-4 days. I was half afraid to mention that or they would really think she had issues!

THEN on the way home, we managed to drive directly into a thunderstorm that had a tornado warning on it. I KNEW it was tornado warned based on the sideways rain and how the trees were moving. She was absolutely squalling in the back seat - literally bawling her eyes out - and I was just trying not to get us killed over her shrieking. I drove for about 8 miles in it before I got to my mom's house, and they were taking cover in the bathroom when we got there. I was shaking so bad I could barely get the car seat out of the car. Honestly can say I've never been that scared in my entire life. Mainly because I was scared for HER.

[Empress of Groovy 373]

So this will be a repeat for those of you on my Facebook friends but went for Emily's 9 month appt yesterday. She is doing well with height and weight (75th and 90th percentiles, respectively). But since she is not pulling up or standing on her own, the doc wants her to get a hip x-ray to rule out dysplasia! Is it me or is that a little over cautious?

I mean we'll do it but geez. She JUST turned 9 months on Sunday, and only started sitting on her own (without toppling over) in the last 3-4 days. I was half afraid to mention that or they would really think she had issues!

THEN on the way home, we managed to drive directly into a thunderstorm that had a tornado warning on it. I KNEW it was tornado warned based on the sideways rain and how the trees were moving. She was absolutely squalling in the back seat - literally bawling her eyes out - and I was just trying not to get us killed over her shrieking. I drove for about 8 miles in it before I got to my mom's house, and they were taking cover in the bathroom when we got there. I was shaking so bad I could barely get the car seat out of the car. Honestly can say I've never been that scared in my entire life. Mainly because I was scared for HER.

Yikes, Tracy, that's so scary (the tornado). Was Emily screaming because she was scared of the weather? I have nightmares about tornadoes, and I've never even seen one. I do find them fascinating, tho.

I'm sorry about the hip worry. I think that in trying to rule out stuff, doctors don't know how much worry they cause. There's so much variation in when kids start doing things like pulling themselves up. When is the x-ray?

Mad-Ag is doing well. She's still a bit fussy with the teething. When does the discomfort stop? The two bottom teeth are clearly through the gum and coming in. I'm pretty sure there's nothing happening w/ the top teeth yet, but yesterday she was pretty fussy all day and drooling a lot.

[TracyTN 237]

She was either picking up on my stress or she was genuinely fussy (she wasn't overly happy even before the storm caught us). I love LOVE weather - I'm actually a trained spotter - but that's when I can watch it from a safe place, not driving through it with my 9 month old child. UGH! But that's why I knew the storm had to be tornado warned - just the way the trees, clouds and rain were moving. SO not good. And I also knew the worst place to be is in a car so I didn't really want to stop either. There were no shops on that stretch of road - just houses. I didn't want to stop at some random strangers house, esp. as they were probably not at home or in their safe place, so all I could focus on was getting to mom's.

I thought I might outrun it even enough so I could see better to drive and get ahead of it. But it was raining so hard, I was probably moving right along with it.

I have to call and schedule it yet. I'm not in the biggest hurry, esp. as we can't go just down the road to have it done. Chas will have to take her nearly to downtown Nashville which I'm not thrilled about. Will try and get her in next week. I've heard a lot of other mothers say their 9 months old aren't pulling up, either (some aren't even crawling!), yet their docs sounded no alarms. So while I'll get it done, it's sort of much ado about nothing to me.

Honey I couldn't tell you. Emily doesn't have the first tooth!!! LOL I didn't get mine until 10 months, according to my mom, so I'm not too surprised. I'm sort of shocked the doctor didn't want me to have her head x-rayed to see if there are teeth in there! LMAO!! So we'll let Lisa answer this one. Though I do know bottom ones come in first so she sounds right on target there.

Edited April 6, 2011 by TracyTN

[Fandango 1,440]

Hey mommies, I'm here! Sorry I've been a flake lately. Read all the updates and there's so much to comment on, I doubt I'd do it in this one post. For some reason, I can't sleep tonight, it's a bit ridiculous. Hubby and son are both sleeping soundly, and I'm wide awake, grr.

Tracey - sounds like your doc is a bit of a worrywart. I think the xray is a bit OTT, but perhaps (s)he is just the type to want to start ruling things out. Instead of just, oh say waiting and seeing? Maybe Em's just not 'ready' yet. Maybe this is just something to tease her about down the road (oh you were a lazy baby). I know my parents teased me that I talked wayyyyy early and walked a little on the late side. And whaddya know, I still love talking, and of course I'd rather be carried (if that were possible).

So I really wouldn't worry too much about it.

The storm sounded horrendous!!!! Glad you all are safe! I would have been sh!ting my pants if I were you, lol.

Empress - yay for teething! After Nick cut his two bottoms, he still was a little cranky and drooly. I expected him to be fine like the second he cut them, but that wasn't the case. And in the next week or so, nothing else cut. The crankiness eventually went away too.

Congrats to you both on all the little milestones you're seeing

Nick went to the doc yesterday - he's 7 mos old officially now! He got the last of his 6 mo jabs (we split them up), and he was really great for the dr. She was v happy with his progress. He's 21 lbs, and almost 29 inches long. He sits up on his own (if you put him in the sitting position, not that he can sit up on his own from a laying down position), he's almost ready to crawl - he gets up on his hands and knees and rocks back and forth, he's about to cut one or both of his top teeth any day now, he remained standing on his own for about a minute (hanging onto a shelf) the other day, and today, when I left him sitting in his crib, I left to get something, came back in, and he had pulled himself up to a standing position!!!!

I'm sure like me that you two have thought to yourself 'oh when (s)he can hold his/her bottle it'll be easier' or 'oh, when (s)he gets a little older, he/her will be easier to manage'. And now, I look around my house, looking at all the ####### I need to baby proof, and I'm like

what was I thinking?

Edited April 8, 2011 by Lisa C

[TracyTN 237]

Yeah, I'm not overly concerned about it. I think she (the doc) is being overcautious, but if she's that way about this, that tells me she will be about other things that might be more important, so...! That's a good thing all around I suppose.

I am impressed w/ Nick!! Gosh! Emily really is behind - no standing whatsoever. But we did lower her crib anyway because she peered over the edge of it the other night which made me edgy. That was smart about splitting up the shots. We did them all at once at the 6 month but she did fine with them. That meant none for 9 months which pleased me.

I actually just said to Chas last night, 'Won't it be easier when she can talk?' But then, like you, I thought of all the new ways that could manifest itself into chaos.

[Fandango 1,440]

Yeah, I'm not overly concerned about it. I think she (the doc) is being overcautious, but if she's that way about this, that tells me she will be about other things that might be more important, so...! That's a good thing all around I suppose.

I am impressed w/ Nick!! Gosh! Emily really is behind - no standing whatsoever. But we did lower her crib anyway because she peered over the edge of it the other night which made me edgy. That was smart about splitting up the shots. We did them all at once at the 6 month but she did fine with them. That meant none for 9 months which pleased me.

I actually just said to Chas last night, 'Won't it be easier when she can talk?' But then, like you, I thought of all the new ways that could manifest itself into chaos.

Yeah, I think we are kidding ourselves with thinking it gets easier.

Don't pressure yourself into doing that mommy race that (I think) can come naturally. I stop myself from doing it with a friend's baby here, who is just a few months older than Nick. He sat up early, and I was like 'omG omG, Nick's not doing it' and then Scott's like 'Nick will do it when he's ready.'

We split up the shots because of all the concern about having them all at once, not because I felt Nick couldn't handle it...I wasn't terribly concerned, but at the same time, a little precaution never killed anyone. However, it's a total PITA because it means more appts w the doc, and as wonderful as she is, the wait in her office is astoundingly long.

[TracyTN 237]

No, I generally don't. It would just be nice to have her stand up so I could call the doc and say we can skip the xray. And I'm not surprised she has no teeth as I was late with them as well. Thanks for the kind words, though

[Empress of Groovy 373]

Howdy!

Well, I'm glad to say that Limita is 95% easier now than she was even a month ago (the 5% = she's now somewhat mobile). The burps are coming much easier and not accompanied by spitup each time, the spitup episodes themselves are fewer and further between, and indeed less voluminous, she can be distracted when she's uncomfortable, and (drumroll please) she has now slept three nights in a row without waking up before 4! Holy smokes! She did her first 11-hour stretch last night, 7-6. But because she woke up for small feedings earlier in the week at about 2, I know not to get too excited. Just kinda excited. Things are looking up!

I've talked to a few people about what stage is the hardest. My stepmother maintains that the "bigger kids equal bigger problems" adage is the most accurate, but my friend who has two teenagers (who must be the nicest teenagers in the world) still thinks that the sleep deprivation of newborn/early babyhood is the hardest thing. Because I don't function well at all on little sleep, and indeed get a little depressed and anxious when I'm really sleep deprived, I'm thinking that I'll look back on this period as the hardest (I hope!). I can handle a lot when I've had adequate rest, but when I'm wobbly from lack of sleep, something as simple as going to the grocery store becomes an ordeal. Of course, when Limita is 2 or 3 and screaming "No!" at everything, I can imagine longing for the days when she couldn't yet speak.

Lisa, thanks for the teething info. I do think it's the bottom teeth giving her trouble even though they've broken through. I was reading a bit about it, and from what I've learned, the angle can change as the teeth are coming in, so there's still gum irritation.

Tracy, we're going to the Coyotes game tonight. We're in the back row of the lower section. I can't wait. I haven't been to a hockey game since last season, when we lost to Detroit. In fact, we went to two games in that series, both losses. There are tons of Detroit fans here, and they are obnoxious. Re: Em, do you think she hasn't pulled herself up yet because she's a big baby? I know this sounds kinda silly and simple, but I was talking to one of the preschool ladies about Taylor (Mad-Ag's boyfriend). He's three weeks older than she is, which puts him at 6 months, and as of a couple of weeks ago, he wasn't rolling over yet. The speculation is that he's a big baby, and there's just more mass to move around, so his muscles would need to be a bit more developed to roll over as compared with a smaller baby. Not terribly scientific, but maybe there's something to it?

[TracyTN 237]

Tracy, we're going to the Coyotes game tonight. We're in the back row of the lower section. I can't wait. I haven't been to a hockey game since last season, when we lost to Detroit. In fact, we went to two games in that series, both losses. There are tons of Detroit fans here, and they are obnoxious. Re: Em, do you think she hasn't pulled herself up yet because she's a big baby? I know this sounds kinda silly and simple, but I was talking to one of the preschool ladies about Taylor (Mad-Ag's boyfriend). He's three weeks older than she is, which puts him at 6 months, and as of a couple of weeks ago, he wasn't rolling over yet. The speculation is that he's a big baby, and there's just more mass to move around, so his muscles would need to be a bit more developed to roll over as compared with a smaller baby. Not terribly scientific, but maybe there's something to it?

Oh wow - have fun!! We'll be at the Preds game so I feel ya on the hockey thing tonight! Mad-Ag going too? Em is and normally she is really good but last game - NOTHING made her happy and I didn't see much of the game at all to be honest. I think she was overtired - well, I know she was. It was an afternoon game and she didn't have a nap before we left the house. By the time she finally fell asleep on her daddy's chest (near the end of the 3rd period of course!), she had been awake for 7 hours. UGH!! As long as she gets a nap in before we leave at 5:30 tonight, she should be okay. Otherwise I am prepared not to see much game again. Sucks cos it's our last home game (regular season).

I f'ing HATE how loud the Dead Things fans are in our barn - literally makes me sick. But I get the impression that's just how it is across the league so at least we aren't alone in that. It's worse here because we're in their same division. I've also noticed that there are more Blackhawks fans this year, also loud. Guess the 'new fans' broke their ankles hopping on their bandwagon, eh? They're also in our division - yay rah!

YAY on the strides you're making towards sleeping through the night, too - that's great. Every step is a step in the right direction so that's great. I do tend to think you're right about what is the hardest phase. I hate not knowing what's bothering her. I know that when she can TELL me what's bothering her, I still may not be able to fix it every time but at least then I'll know what it is and can do whatever I can to try and improve the situation. Plus if she tells me she's tired, I can say then sleep when we get in the car or whatever. But now you can't tell her that so you just have to hope like hell she'll nap when it's convenient for everyone - otherwise, look out!

Hmm I don't know. My one friend has a baby 2 weeks younger than Em and several pounds heavier than her (same height). I don't THINK she's pulling up or standing yet either, but as she's two weeks younger than Em, that doesn't surprise me too much. But I never connected it to size. I don't think Em is too big, though she is in the 90th and 75th percentiles for weight and height - so maybe that's my momma delusional glasses coming on.

PS Its possible the Preds and Yotes will play each other in the playoffs...!

[Empress of Groovy 373]

So...it looks like we're in the playoffs! And playing the Dead Things! We're going to try to go to the game Wednesday (4/20) night. Tracy, to answer your question, we haven't yet been adventurous enough to take Limita to a sporting event. Actually, at the game Friday night, the people in front of us had a little baby in a car seat (which was a bit unwieldy). She was about 3 months old. Notice(how I think) I'm an expert at determining baby age now! We'll probably take her to a baseball game this summer.

Regarding size & mobility, I hope it didn't sound like I was suggesting that Em is oversized or something! I was just thinking that because she's bigger than most babies her age (statistically), that might go some way to explaining why she's not pulling herself up as soon as other babies. I was chatting w/ one of the infant room ladies at Limita's preschool Friday. Taylor is six months this week and still isn't rolling over, but he's sure trying! Also, an older baby, Kennedy, is almost a year old and isn't yet standing. She's also a big baby.

[TracyTN 237]

Honestly it's do-able, but it does make it hard to focus on the game. We, too, are in the playoffs vs. the Ducks. Our first home game is Sunday. Kind of hoping I can beg, borrow and steal to get a babysitter but may have to lump it and take her. I think the Dead Things are VERY beat-able so GO YOTES!!!!!!!!! (I'm kinda glad we can cheer for each other instead of against each other.

As I mentioned in the other thread, Em and I both have colds. I have been sick every month this damn year so far so I wish I could say I were surprised. I just cannot afford to take yet more days off so I'm suffering. She doesn't seem to feel bad - just has a full cough and slightly runny nose. I'd rather have it worse than her though, even though it makes for some really long days for me. Will just take me twice as long to get over it I guess.

No - I knew what you meant. I was just trying to reason out for myself whether or not she IS a little oversized. She is in high percentiles for both weight and height so I suppose she is technically. Maybe that's part of it. We've not yet gotten that x-ray done. Neither of us feel it's really necessary anyway, and Chas has to find time to run and do it (35 min drive one way). She stood on her own for several minutes the other day - he stood her up and she stayed up, looking at something on our coffee table (Chas with his hands behind her in case of a fall). So I really don't think there's anything to be concerned about.