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Good to hear from you Jess!
We have been having nighttime play session here too :( 3 in a row... Wednesday was 2:30 am - 4am (and then awake again at 4:50!) Thursday was 4am - 5am, so not too bad (but mucked up her routine that day ) and last night was 3am - 4am.
Plus she is still waking at other times as well, just that those other times she is easier to settle, feed & back down. But the nighttime play sessions are full on party time!
Very glad today is Saturday, DH got her up this morning... he said she was climbing on me & pulling at my face & I didn't even stir... I am tired, lol. I worry about what happens if I'm in bed with her in the morning after DH has left for work & I'm that tired that I don't wake.
I try not to bring her into bed with us for that reason but she has been coming in around 4 - 5 am... also I worry about her going off the bed. I have watched her crawl to the edge & go to dive off it :o - if I hadn't grabbed her she would have gone. And then she went straight back to do it again! She did go one morning while I was asleep, didn't hurt herself TG but scared herself... clearly too young to learn from it :lol:
On the plus side, her daytime routine is working beautifully, she is getting easier & easier to settle. So on the days I'm not working I can catch up on either sleep or housework...just not both :lol:
And of course she is sooo much fun atm... it's such a gorgeous age!
I am noticing her becoming aware of strangers, she's not scared or shy but she definitely reacts differently..strangers don't get her biggest & best smiles. And she has started reaching & lunging for the people that she wants (only family, usually me or DD1)
We are thinking about how to deal with her getting around now...shge has been mobile for a while but she is venturing further these days, we will have to think about stairs soon.
Well I've drivelled on enough! Sorry for the mega-post :redface: Hope everyone is doing good :hug:
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i started to reply days ago, got interrupted & forgot to come back :redface:
thought i better post something though to stop our thread disappearing into the depths of the 3rd page!!
jas - how are those night time play sessions going? cheeky little miss!
jess - good to hear from you!sounds like you've had a really busy time!
miss e - how are you going? hope you're visitor-free again for at least a little while. i agree on the crawling etc interrupting sleep. and pulling to standing alll the time...argh!
ss_storm - how are you & hayley going?
lovelycate - thank you for those tips - i can't believe how long it's taken me to come back & say thank you! i saw your FB post - so zac is as big as a 12mth old? :lol: these boys!! i was going to say as well about the sitting, that i think it's fine until they're over 9 months even? not sure but i think i read something like that the other day. there's one boy in my mother's group who can sit but really doesn't like it & won't do it much. she asked the MCHN & they said that was fine too.
we had our 8mth appt with the MCHN earlier this week. corey is 10.25kg (omg, we've broken double digits :o) and 73cm long. i told her how sociable he is (babbles away to anyone & everyone when we're out etc) & that he's a busy little man with the crawling & investigating and before i said anything she said "i'll bet he's not the best sleeper"... :lol:
we tried putting corey in his cot on wed night. didn't go well. probably the wrong timing because he's on the tail end of a cold & i think there's a wonder week at 36 weeks. he's 35 weeks but has always seemed to be that one or two weeks early with the WW stuff. anyway, he was asleep but woke as soon as we put him down. DP finally got him to sleep & he slept for 2.5 hours. but after he woke & i fed him he woke again as soon as i went to put him down & got hysterical. DP took him straight out but he wouldn't calm down & he got so upset he threw up. after 50 minutes of not calming down, even when being cuddled, i fed him again & put him back in our bed. :redface: we'll try again next week.
he's a gorgeous little person though & they're so much fun to be around now. i love that at bathtime, after i've undressed him, that he crawls into the bathroom to DP & stands up at the bath bouncing & desperate to get in.
sorry for the super lonnnng post. hope everyone else is well & having fun with their babies :)
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sarah - I did exactly the same thing. I think I started to reply the same day you posted, and kept getting sidetracked...
have you had any more attempts at putting Corey in his cot? I was remembering that one of the things I did with Zac was to give him some play time in his cot so that it didn't have all negative associations. I'm sure that's probably the wrong thing to do though ;-)
Zac is possibly a tiny bit heavier than Corey now, and 76cm! good lord. They may not be great sleepers, but god they're gorgeous!
jasp - I hope your nights have settled down a bit!
jess - I don't know how you find time to post at all, let alone think! It must be mad managing such a big family!
missE - hope everything is going well for you
ss_storm - thanks for the info. I have given Zac cruskits a lot recently, and he just loves them. There's also the Baby mum-mum brand that has rice crackers that he loves, but I don't like to get too much pre-packaged stuff like that (two crackers to a little packet) if I can help it. Good for packing in the nappy bag though.
We introduced some meat recently, which has gone down really well :-)
Zac's fourth tooth has been causing a bit of strife over the last few days, but has finally broken through, so hopefully he will be a bit happier. I was reading something yesterday that said all the things that are commonly associated with teething (like temperatures, irritability, nappy rash etc) are not caused by teething. What the? So there's just millions of coincidences? grrr
I hope everybody is doing well and that we get the rest of the gang back on line!
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wtg zac!! i can't believe how fast they grow. 76cm! he's not far off half my height :lol: i don't understand some of the things written about teething either - it's all so confusing! i figure they're all unique & there's no way anyone can lump them all in the one basket. they develop similarly but what might worry or work for one, doesn't for another. something like that anyhow!
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well I tried to post last night but hit submit and got a database error...so my whole gigantic post - gone!
Jasp - hope Arlea's night time antics have settled down? Takes you back to the early days where they have day & night mixed up doesn't it!
Sloane - Hayley is exactly the same length as Corey, 73cm! She is 9.45kg, got her weighed and measured last Friday. Bath time sounds so cute! Hayley loves the bath too, she went on a splashing rampage last night and I got soaked. Luckily the sides of our bath are higher than a normal bath so the floor didn't get too wet!
Cate- lol I find it a bit hard to believe that the teething 'symptoms' are all just a big coincidence! Seeing as once the tooth/teeth pop through they are back to their normal selves again! We have no teeth yet (still!) but the last couple of days she has been getting quite cranky and has an annoying whinging noise she makes. It's so loud, i can't even describe what it sounds like. Hopefully if it is teeth bothering her they will make an appearance soon.
Hayley is doing well, commando crawling all over the floor. Have to watch her a bit more closely now, she nearly ended up disappearing under the oven the other day! Lol. Got her weighed and measured last Friday, she's 9.45kg and 73cm long as I mentioned above, so still at the top of the growth charts but not quite as far up as she was last time! I originally went to see the nurse because I was worried about a flat spot she has on the back of her head. She was absolutely fine when she was younger so I didnt know why she was getting one now as she spends far less time on her back.
Anyway the nurse said it was fine and is nothing to worry about, just her head getting its shape. Apparently it's only in the first few weeks they are concerned about flat spots developing which I didn't know.
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Hi everyone, sorry I have been a bit slack with the posts of late. Glad to hear everyone is doing well.
Sarah I hear you on the sleep problems, I just bought the No Cry Sleep Solution on Saturday. I was all excited and ready to get started with it, then that afternoon Ash's nose started running :wall: It is a good read though and from what I can tell has some good tips, definately worth a go I say. It does actually say that play/happy time in the cot is a good idea to help them feel better about it, so good suggestion Cate.
Storm I'm glad to hear the flat spot is nothing to worry about, I think I actually have one on the back on my head LOL! Ash is booked in to see the MCHN for his 8 month check up on Friday, I'm really interested to see how much he has grown. Love the commando crawling, it's so much fun watching them make their way around isn't it.
Cate I read the same thing (in Baby Love I think), all sounds like a load of crap to me though because Ash definately has lots of symptoms when he's teething. TBH I don't think I've actually looked at that book again after reading that. Anyway I hope Zac and you get a bit of a break before the next lot come through.
Jasp hope Arlea is giving you a bit more sleep now, mind you from your FB post the other day it doesn't sound like it... I hear you on the stairs, Ash has just worked out how to get up them so we have gates everywhere. It is a PITA because our place is three levels, but I guess it's just what we have to do for the next couple of years.
AFU Ash has his first cold :doh: I think we've done pretty well to get to this point without one, but it has been a nightmare. The poor little mite's nose is running like a tap at the moment and he is having terrible trouble sleeping. Last night was a nightmare, he didn't sleep any longer than 35 minutes at a time and at 12am it took me 2 hours to finally get him back to sleep. I tried bringing him into bed with us, but he just won't sleep with us, I think it is because I usually bring him into bed in the morning and he thinks it is playtime. I wish he would sleep with us though, it would make it so much easier to settle him if I didn't have to get up, rock him back to sleep and then try and put him down in his cot without waking him. Oh well, hopefully it doesn't last too long. But if anyone has any tips for helping him through it I'd very much appreciate it, I've got a vapouriser, have been putting Vics on him and tried the nasal spray but none of it seems to make much difference.
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miss e - snap on baby love - that's where i read about teething as well. i don't mind some of the book but the teething stuff really threw me! that's such a shame about ash's cold as well :( i've read the NCSS a couple of times, just need to start putting some of it into place i think! hope you got alot more sleep last night & that ash is feeling better.we're just on the tail end of corey's 2nd cold. don't know there is much else that you can do other than what you've already been doing?
ss_storm - the commando crawling must be so cute. it's so nice to see them being able to get around instead of being stuck in the one place!
afm, daytime naps have gone a little haywire yest and today. so far today hr's had a 35m & a 28 min nap. i thought sleep cycles got longer, not shorter :lol: oh wells!
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ss-Storm - Hayley sounds absolutely gorgeous. I love the commando crawling! I dressed Zac up in all his camo gear the other day and took photos (and a video - man he's going to love me at his 21st) hehe. Hayley sounds like she is quite long and slim?
MissE - poor Ash, poor you! hope he is feeling better now. Sometimes when Zac is hard to get to sleep we just sit and talk to him or read a book out loud - doesn't matter what, just a nice low, calm monotone. Seems to work...
Sarah - snap on the sleep cycles! Zac's daytime sleeps have gone completely bizarre over the last few days. He will be clearly very tired, showing all the signs, but just will not go to sleep! The other day he was up for 5 hours before we had to go out and he slept in the car, yesterday I managed to feed him to sleep for the morning nap but then I just couldn't get him to sleep at all in the afternoon. Pretty much the same again today. I don't know whether it's teeth or what...
Does anybody have a highchair that they recommend? We've got a second hand Steelcraft one, which is quite good except that the shoulder straps start about 2 inches below his shoulders... And it's a cow to clean, but that seems pretty normal :-) Would appreciate any tips though.
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cate - i'm not sure what brand our highchair is - it's a handmedown from friends. i think it's a mother's choice...it's okay but soooo many people seem to recommend the ikea chair because it's so easy to clean. we're also using one of those booster type seats now that sit on a normal chair. corey loves being at the table with us but maybe not always practical? i wouldn't mind an ikea one but can never be bothered driving to richmond! :redface:
i'm wondering how everyone else's babies are playing at the moment? by themselves for short or long times? do they want you there alot - for eg, sometimes corey wants to sit on me while he's playing - like he just wants to make sure i'm not going anywhere! yeah, just curious really! corey will play with his toys by himself for a bit & is happy to play for a little while if i'm doing things like tidying or cleaning around him but at other times he wants me there with him. pretty normal i guess!
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Hi everyone
So sorry I haven’t been around – life has been manically crazy as usual! I have had a read and you all sound like you are going really well. I am so glad!
I can’t even remember when I last posted… so forgive me if I go over old ground… we have moved to Melbourne (yay!) – which has been rather hectic! But great! The move went ok. Jacob was a bit unsettled for a while but I guess we also took the opp to move him into his own room and cot… so its to be expected! He also started at crèche which is going ok (and I am back at work 4 days a week – yes I am a crazy woman)… the only issue is that he simply wont take a bottle AT ALL! He occasionally will drink EBM from a cup – we are trialling every bottle and cup to see what he will do… I keep expressing at work 2 times per day and have also been going up and feeding around mid day if I can… so it’s a bit exhausting! He def wont do the formula so expressing is what it will have to be… but man oh man it is hard esp when he doesn’t drink it! He seems to want a cup with no lid – but then spills it! Aaah!!! Today he is trying a straw cup! I wouldn’t worry too much but he also is not keen on solids… like 1 –2 tsp a day max when I puree things… so I do worry about his intake. I think BLS will work better for him as he is quite independent and seems ot want to feed himself… so we are trying that and he has had sandwiches at crèche the last 2 days and I am cutting up soft fruits and veg for him too… I am v worried about choking though so we are treading carefully…what do you all give as finger foods? (he has no teeth at all, but he gums things like crazy!). if he ramps up the food a bit I will relax a little about the milk… I guess a feed just before I drop him off and when I pick him up and keeping trying in the day will be ok. But at the moment he then feeds ALL NIGHT! Sorry for that massive post – it is all front of mind atm!
How are the sleeps going for you all – his day sleeps are ok (he has 2 or 3) but nights are horrendous… he has never ever slept through the night and he has around 3 feeds every night. Is anyone else experiencing this? I am a little unsure what to do about it (if anything – or do I just go with it???). my DS1 was an awful sleeper but grew out of it around 18 months so on one hand I just think go with it.. then the fatigue kicks in LOL
J isn’t crawling yet (are all your bubs) – but againi have low expectations (DS1 started at 13 months!). he is rolling around like mad and getting into everything so I think he will do it sooner or later… and I think when he does it will be on for one and all! He is a great babbler though and gets so excited with all his toys etc. what toys are your kids into? I am thinking we need to get some new ones for J so keen to know what they all love!
I have the Ikea nigh chair and I love it – it is simple, easy to clean and v cheap! I would recommend it to everyone (it is also easy to take down and take to ppls houses etc if you need to). Usually at ikea they are near the check outs so you can sneak in that way and dont have to do the whole loop (I did that, it was a 10 min trip all up!).
Anyway sorry for the selfish post – will keep up from now on I hope! xxx
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I think DD is getting a cold. She has a snuffly/runny nose and isn't very happy at all. Luckily I picked up some Little Fess yesterday afternoon because she was a little snuffly all day and I thought better to get it now just in case I need it! She hates it though, had a battle just trying to it close enough to her nose so I could squirt it in, and even worse with the little sucker thing trying to suck it all back out! Lol. So was a bit of a scream fest in our house this morning. She's under her playgym at the moment...thank god she still loves it! I think her teeth are bothering her too, she has been grumpier than normal the last few days.
Cate - i have a Steelcraft one, one of the new ones. I like it and is fairly easy to clean. But I have heard people rave about the Ikea ones!
MamaPan - good to hear from you :) We are doing a bit of both BLS and pureed (more like mashed though, has a bit more of a lumpier texture than purees), sometimes she doesn't mind me spoon feeding her but other times she doesn't want a bar of it! I too worry about her choking but so far she has done fine, although she has given me a few scares her coughing manages to bring it back up and she either spits it out or mashes it up a bit more (she still doesn't have any teeth either). She doesn't eat a lot, but at this stage it's still just about exploring food rather than how much they actually consume (I think most of hers ends up crumbled up and in her lap...we had vegemite covered socks yesterday! Lol).
Better dash she's starting to get cranky now...time to take the dog for a walk I think!
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hi mamapan, it's good to hear from you!
BLS - we're like ss_storm & doing a bit of both. we do vegies & fruits (esp melons) as finger foods. cruskits are very popular too. i've started giving DS some meat as well as a finger food & that's been going okay. banana sandwiches are good too - corey mostly pulls them apart but he seems to enjoy them!
sleep - you're definitely not alone with sleep. corey usually wakes 5-6 times a night (that's after i go to bed - usually once before then as well). we've had one night where he had two wake ups only (i felt soooo rested the next day, i was in shock!) but that's almost 3 months ago now. he used to sleep for 4-6 hours for his first sleep each night but hasn't done that since he worked out how to roll at 3 months. he expects to feed back to sleep most times. we co-sleep (and DP is in the spare room) to try & cope but it's still tiring. i have no idea how you're managing with 2 LOs & working 4 days a week as well! obviously i would like more sleep but i'm like you & don't know whether to try & actively do something about it or let it go for now & hope things change on their own. sorry - no real help from me but sending some :hug: your way & letting you know that i really understand where you're coming from.
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Sloane - they are exactly the same on the sleep - that just what J does too...and he wants feedingat each wake up (so he isnt actually up for that long each time) too... he haasnt done those long stretches of sleep for ages now... occasiobnally we get 2-3 wakes up only and i dont know what's hit me. idont know what to do as he does know how to self settle as i dont feed to sleep at the start of the night (unless he just falls asleep) and duringt he day. i am happy to juist ride it out most of the time but i must admit i am getting sooooo tired and run down with work, DS1 also etc etc. and i have been going to bed at 9.30ish - so i have no life! i also dont feel like i can go out at night (even though my mum is happy to babysit as i will def have to come home to feed him).. and my life is in disorder as i am basically too tired to do much after work... (ironing, cooking etc). aaaah whinge over but thanks for the understanding! i have a MACh nurse visit next week so i might ask there 0- though i think i know what she will suggest....
i usually bring him intoour bed sometime b/n 3 and 5 to get an hour or 2 with less interruption....
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Hi everyone... sorry I have been reading & not posting.
Cate, hope Zac is feeling a bit happier now that his tooth is through? We still don't have any yet, every time she gets a bit whingy I am looking in her mouth, lol. Highchairs I have no idea what we have, it was sold to me for $20 by a lady I work with, it was her grandson's, lol, it's ok, I don't love it but it will do. And yeah, a total PITA to clean!
Storm, I hope Hayley feels better soon. Arlea hated the Fess spray & sucker too! Fingers crossed it clears up quickly. Sounds like she's growing well too!
MissE how is Ash? Hope his cold clears up quickly. Stairs...:doh: this is the first house we have lived in with a baby and stairs and I'm not loving the combination! We can't put up gates either, have tried but there is nowhere to brace it properly.
Sloane how have the daytime naps been? 28m & 35m :o that's hectic. Playtime - Arlea has been getting a bit clingier with me in particular, but she seems to prefer someone there with her when she plays. If she's left to herself she usually heads off exploring - ie, up the stairs, out to the laundry or trying to climb the couch! She will play by herself soemtimes but being mobile is much more fun atm.
Mamapan good to hear from you..sounds like you have been busy! I don't know how you have been managing :hug: Sorry to hear he's still not taking EBM, must make things very tough for you.
Finger foods - I can't remember if I went back to post in your other thread? anyway Arlea loves broccoli, zucchini, she gets lot of them as they are quick to steam, cruskits, chopped up chicken, chunks of steak or chop bones, mashed potato & pumpkin. Peas too, it's so cute watching her eat one pea : ) and this week we have had blueberries which were a huge hit! I halved them for her & she wolfed them down. Oh and banana, she would happily eat one a day with breakfast.
As for sleep, big hugs, no advice, Arlea is still waking 2-4 times a night, twice is a good night, usually she will wake every 2 - 2.5 hours. She seems to have more milk overnight than through the day and I think she would quite happily ditch her milk for solids but she's too young...I'm just kind of waiting it out until she's a bit older. Different to your situation though, J sounds like my DS2 was. All I can say is this too shall pass -hopefully soon!
AFM, I am struggling a bit atm to keep on top of everything, I am so tired, work and housework, kids sport etc. There just seems to be so much to do all the time & never any time to do it in!
Arlea is in FDC three days now while I work which I feel guilty about, but it mean better quality time at home as I won't be constantly struggling to catch up on paid work, I can focus more on Arlea. My boss is very understanding and I has given me the option to have every second Tuesday off work if I need to catch up on things at home, I can take Arlea out for an extra day at home which will be good.
Hopefully I will get on top of everything soon :crossfingers: I guess we jsut have to settle into a routine or something...
Sorry for the whinge :redface:
Oh, and we have BIL living with us ATM, he has been here since January...it's a bit crowded.. he has a boy just 8 days younger than Arlea, very cute to see them together :)
PILs are coming today to visit for the weekend, I really should get off here & clean this place up!
It took me an hour to sweep the other day, she is so mobile now & into everything! and she loves the stairs :rolleyes: in fact she loves climbing everything.
Hope everyone is doing well :grouphug:
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Hello everyone! Just wanted to let you know that I am still alive. I have briefly read over the last month of posts!! Seems like everyone bubs are doing so well! Been busy at back at work 3 days a week now and every weekend we have had a wedding or get together or lunch or something!! I have been seeing posts on fb and also here so have been some what seeing how everyone is going!
Seems like there are lots of crawlers! Way to go! I can't believe we are 8 months! Sam is 8 months tomorrow and it is amazing!
He is almost crawling. Understands that if he pushes he can move forward to I think in the next few weeks he will be off. He is so intersted in everything. I took him to play group with a friend the other day. Lots of older kids there but he loved watching them. They have the baby group on a Wednesday from 1.30pm-3.30pm which I thought was a pretty silly time. Sam is sleeping then and I work on Wednesday anyway.
Sam is doing so well. Sleeping still from 6pm-6am at night, down to 4 breast feeds a day and eating everything in sight. I can't believe how much he eats. He is still only 8.5kgs but eats a full banana, yoghurt and porridge in the morning and similar big meals during the day. Not sure where it is going!! It is amazing starting to see them learn and understand about the world around them. He is terrible with other people. Starts crying if anyone says hello to him unless he is in my arms but I think that will pass!
Mama pan - I have steelcraft high chair, it is great as the tray can go in the dish washer which is handy. Just have to watch their little fingers.
Jasp - so now what you are going through with work. It is hard going. I had to go back 2 days when he was 3 months as we run our own business and my husband wasn't coping on his own. It is so hard juggling everything. Just make sure you look after yourself. I keep saying to myself, it is just work and you know what, at the end of the day Sam won't be this little again and I just have to do what I can to enjoy every moment with him and if that means work suffers a bit so be it. It is hard though, just look after yourself!
Wish I had joined a mothers group now as it would be nice to have some local people to hang with and for Sam to play with. I have a few friends with kids but everyone is always so busy!
Mamapan - I have no help on the sleep. Sam has always been a pretty good sleeper so I have no advice. I just feel so lucky. I think the next one will be a terror though I am sure!
Miss E - hope Ash is better now.
Anyway, hope to get back on here sooner rather than later!
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hi!
jetta - good to hear from you. It sounds like Sam is a good eater - he has more for breakfast than I do!
jasp - yep, Zac's a lot happier now that the tooth has well and truly arrived, but I suspect there are some more not far behind... Your life sounds manic - I don't know how you manage! I hope having your PILs was ok?
mamapan - your nights sound exhausting. I hope you got some answers from the MCHN? Afraid I've got no suggestions, but big hugs to you.
Sarah - your nights sound hideous too! Have you found that as Corey's gotten more aware and engaged that the co-sleeping isn't working so well? I find now that if I bring Zac into bed with me he wants to chat and play for ages, even when he's clearly very tired...
ss_storm - I hope that cold was short-lived? poor wee thing - and you!
re sleeping - for Melbourne-ites, I went to the Koo Wee Rup early parenting centre sleep school thingy (a one-day session), and I've had friends rave about Rosebud, which is a two-night one. The biggest thing I learnt from it is recognising the different types of crying. I hate to hear him cry at all, but now I can tell when I put him down if he is just making 'noise' (ie he's p'd off and letting me know, but not distressed) or if he is genuinely distressed. If he's distressed, then I go in and either try to settle him or get him up (depending on time of day and how long he's been awake). If he's just letting the world know that he would rather be up and playing, then I leave him alone, and usually within 5 minutes or so he's out to it! That, and giving him more food during the day, seems to have really helped us.
AFM - we're going pretty well. Zac is a real tonka of a boy :-) I had to get some size 1 bodysuits yesterday because the size 0s were far too small... I reckon his body is quite long in proportion to his legs IYKWIM so he is still in 0s for pants.
Melbourne ladies - we should organise a meet up! PM me and we will see if we can come up with a day and location that works :-)
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Just a quick one while Hayley is having some raisin toast in her high chair! Her cold is still here...I went to the dr's on Monday and he said her chest sounds fine. She had a chesty sounding cough and I was worried about it turning into a chest infection or bronchitis or something nasty. A week later though and it's still hanging around, I don't think it sounds as 'wet' but it is definitely still there. Not sure if I should take her back to the dr today. I went to the chemist this morning and they said there's nothing really I can give her except keep using the nose drops, which I haven't done since the weekend since she cried so much she power chucked three times all over me!!
they aren't allowed to sell baby dimetapp for bub's under 2 years now, so to my mum you aren't always right about everything! Lol
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ss_storm - poor hayley :( corey had a cold recently & it really hung around for ages. i think it was almost 3 weeks of snot & a cough...but it did go so hopefully hayley's will go soon :) i hear you on the dimetapp - i saw my SIL using it on her 1yr old so i thought it might be good, asked my MCHN about it & she said no way & it's not meant for under 2's.
cate - i'd love to catch up, will PM you. zac sounds like he's growing like a little trooper!
jetta - sounds like sam is so close to crawling! how exciting!
jas - how are you chicken? hope things are going okay, feeling swamped is such a downer :( how was the visit from your PIL? and i keep meaning to say - i love the photos with AR & SJ on your facebook. SJ looks like she is a very doting big sis :)
