Martha, Martha Show Us How!

[Feanaro_s_Wife]

Well they are little worker bees, but with all the other worker bees and the mom/dad to help it’s not that big a deal. BTW, my children tearfully plea to take care of the babies. I have been accused of not sharing. This is a habit we formed years ago because for our first 5 children, the oldest wouldn’t have been able to do much at the ripe age of 7 effectively anyhow.

Yes, but it seems like they are worker bees in a way that teaches them to be responsible and want to help out the family…NOT mini-maids and nannies. Nothing wrong with kids helping out, i just don’t think it’s right to make them into mini-adults.

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malia

 

[Rob_s_Wife]

Yes, but it seems like they are worker bees in a way that teaches them to be responsible and want to help out the family…NOT mini-maids and nannies. Nothing wrong with kids helping out, i just don’t think it’s right to make them into mini-adults.

malia

Exactly.

 

[annb]

Do you feel like you have enough time to spend with each child? What about dh who is at work all day? Do your children feel like they get enough one-on-one time with mom & dad?
My dh’s main objection to having a large family is not having enough time with each child.

 

[Rob_s_Wife]

Do you feel like you have enough time to spend with each child? What about dh who is at work all day? Do your children feel like they get enough one-on-one time with mom & dad?
My dh’s main objection to having a large family is not having enough time with each child.

I think so. If the kids are decent and healthy, then whatever time they are getting must be enough to get the job done. Obviously if a child is going through a rough patch, they need a bit more focus to get through it. I don’t think that has anything to do with family size. It’s just common sense.

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Also something to consider, one-on-one time doesn’t have to be all on the parent’s shoulders. My kids each have 7 other people nearly 24/7 to share life with and be close to. If for some reason mom or dad can’t be there for them, they will still have several someone’s to turn to.

 

[Jennifer_J]

Martha,

Before the Great Crash of '06 one of the things you posted were some poems you used to announce a new pregancy. I have need of one of those poems, could you post them again? Baby #6 will be here in July and I need a non-confrontational way to announce it (probably in our Christmas cards)

Thanks and God bless!

Jennifer

 

[Rob_s_Wife]

Martha,

Before the Great Crash of '06 one of the things you posted were some poems you used to announce a new pregancy. I have need of one of those poems, could you post them again? Baby #6 will be here in July and I need a non-confrontational way to announce it (probably in our Christmas cards)

Thanks and God bless!

Jennifer

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Here you go and congratulations! These are not my creations, but they are public domain with permission to modify to suit individual needs.

Seventh
I know I’m number seven,
but the fact you can’t deny –
is that God, Almighty Giver,
is the Author of my life.
My soul is no less special,
and my spirit no less great
than those that came before me
be they one, or six, or eight.
So many eyes are blinded
by the whispers of this world –
to them, there is no miracle
in a human life unfurled.
A baby’s just a plaything,
a burden, or a chore,
and we must proceed with caution
to prevent too many more!
Only a fool would trust the Lord
to give as He desires
and live a life of trust in Him…
whatever that requires.
A new car may be exciting,
a new house may be a prize,
but my new life is better
than any thing that money buys.
So all the world may roll their eyes
when seven they now see –
but I can’t wait until I meet
the fools who welcome me.

*Expecting Again
*We just can’t wait to tell. . .
Come October our family will swell!
Yes, it is true. . .
Number 7 will soon debut.
Please join us in our glee,
As we anticipate so happily
This blessing from the Lord above,
And please welcome this little one
with lots and lots of love!

 

[MooCowSteph]

Martha, how have you gone about nightweaning. Did you ever try? Did you do child-led weaning? We want to let her nurse as long as possible during the day, but I’d like to get her to sleep about an 8 hour stretch at night. How did you encourage them to go back to sleep w/o nursing? Do you think nightweaning can cause early weaning all around? I’d like to nurse her for a long time, if possible, so I don’t want her to day wean. Did you ever worry about the babies being able to go nack to sleep on their own or did you just figure that was something else they would learn in good time? I worry and plan too much…

 

[Rob_s_Wife]

Martha, how have you gone about nightweaning. **… **Did you ever worry about the babies being able to go nack to sleep on their own or did you just figure that was something else they would learn in good time? I worry and plan too much…

**Ha. You must be a mom then. **
This advice given to KittyKat previously might be of help.
**Quote:
Originally Posted by KittyKat forums.catholic-questions.org/images/buttons_cad/viewpost.gif
ds is about 13 months. He does great with his cup of milk. Thankfully he has started to get very attached to Daddy. He nurses at naptime to calm down. Those are his big times, and daddy is at work then. Next baby will learn to take naps without nursing(I hope).

**

At that age, you can “cut bait” without worry. I’d give a hearty lunch followed by the only nap of the day. Put a blanket between you and rock him until he goes to sleep. No conversation or tv or anything. Just say it’s time for naps and if he doesn’t stay in your lap to sleep, put him in bed. Don’t give attention, read a mommy-aged book, close your eyes, and hum.

**

I’d change it from a hearty lunch to a hearty late bedtime bf-ing plus some solids of some sort. (cereal or crackers come to mind) If Daddy can do it, that’s often easier. Sleeping patterns can vary greatly at this age. 10 mos may mean he can go to sleep at 9 or 10 and stay down until 6 or 7 or the time frame might be smaller or there might be one feeding in there somewhere. When not activily nursing, place in his own bed and leave the room.

In other words, you may not get a full 8 hours, but you should start to see bigger gaps between night feedings if you start a routine now.

I don’t know if weaning at night would lead to full-weaning. I think it depend on the baby. If they seem to feed best for long stretches at night, then I would think it would. Most of mine had their longest nursing times at night.

Hope that helps some.
**

 

[MooCowSteph]

Thanks for the tips. DD isn’t a big night nurser - just a nip and she’s back to sleep, usually 2-3 times per night every 4 hours or so. Thanks again

**Ha. You must be a mom then. **
This advice given to KittyKat previously might be of help.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KittyKat forums.catholic-questions.org/images/buttons_cad/viewpost.gif
ds is about 13 months. He does great with his cup of milk. Thankfully he has started to get very attached to Daddy. He nurses at naptime to calm down. Those are his big times, and daddy is at work then. Next baby will learn to take naps without nursing(I hope).

---

I’d change it from a hearty lunch to a hearty late bedtime bf-ing plus some solids of some sort. (cereal or crackers come to mind) If Daddy can do it, that’s often easier. Sleeping patterns can vary greatly at this age. 10 mos may mean he can go to sleep at 9 or 10 and stay down until 6 or 7 or the time frame might be smaller or there might be one feeding in there somewhere. When not activily nursing, place in his own bed and leave the room.

In other words, you may not get a full 8 hours, but you should start to see bigger gaps between night feedings if you start a routine now.

I don’t know if weaning at night would lead to full-weaning. I think it depend on the baby. If they seem to feed best for long stretches at night, then I would think it would. Most of mine had their longest nursing times at night.

Hope that helps some.

 

[Rob_s_Wife]

Reading this after all these years sure is is a blast from the past!

 

[Litcrit]

Hey, you’re here! I’ve been thinking about you! How old is Bridget? How many kids do you have now? How have you guys been?

 

[Rob_s_Wife]

Hey, you’re here! I’ve been thinking about you! How old is Bridget? How many kids do you have now? How have you guys been?

**B is having FHC this year! And the “10 year old”? Um yeah. He just graduated, has a job, going to college and just changed his FB status to “in a relationship” and his big brother has graduated, going to college and has a well paying job.

Current “baby” #10 is going to be 3 years old soon.

Life happens way too fast.**