March/April Thread #3

[Erin M]

Hannah - I really know what you mean about feeling like you "have" to go back to the kids when you're a teacher.  I'm having a hard time expressing it in words, but your post totally could have been something I wrote.  Anyway, I think you just have to adjust the way you do things now.  I always used to stay at school a few nights a week until late to get things done, but at the same time, I'll be the first to admit that I spent more than one prep period happily chatting away with others.  My friends at school who had children worked through prep periods, ate lunch at their desks, and accepted the fact that not every lesson was going to be as stellar as it always was.  That being said, loads of hugs to you!

Traci - Anyone who worries about their child as much as you do is clearly cut out to be a parent.  Cole is very lucky to have you.  And no, I don't sit on the floor with Katie all day playing with her toys with her.  She plays by herself quite often, or I let her crawl around in a safe spot while I do other things. 

We have a humidifier for Katie's room - as long as the windows aren't getting condensation on them or as long as you're not seeing water on the walls, don't worry about it.

We found out Katie was a girl at 18 weeks as well - we were convinced (well I was actually) that she was going to be a boy.  As a special ed teacher I've always had more boys and always had more of a rapport with boys, but I do adore my little princess now. 

The sad news of the day - I put my watch, my wedding ring, and my engagement ring in my pants pocket during Katie's bath - got baby puke on it right before the bath and threw everything in the wash (forgetting about the watch and rings).  This morning, I go to get a bib out of the dryer and my wedding ring fell out - found my watch, but my engagement ring is nowhere to be found.  DH and I took the entire dryer apart, checked everywhere, and it's gone.  I've been rather teary today.  I know it's just a thing, and not a person, but it was a rather special thing.  *sigh*

I'll try to catch up with everyone later at chat.

[Nikki~Nathan&Danielle]

Traci, I don't sit and play with Danielle for her whole activity time either.  I let her do her own thing while she's happy and then play if she wants some attention.  I do make some active play times with her, but more often than not she's observing what Nathan's doing.  I'm in the same room (our house is open-plan) and I'll talk to her and stuff but it's also nice for her to have chill-out time on her own too.  Oh, D still doesn't have any teeth yet and the only finger foods she's on are soft cooked veges, brocolli, I'm a bit of a wuss with stuff like that.

Erin, what a bummer about your ring!  Is it trapped in the S-trap pipe of the plumbing?  You can often just screw them off and that's the place where things get collected.  Hope you find it.

OK, better go have a shower and we're off for a family drive and go buy some xmas presents this morning, D's going to have her nap in the car I think.

[albertasweetpea]

Oh my gosh this thread moves fast...you blink and you miss a lot!!
:shock:

Ankie - what kind of cheese do you give Arwyn?? I had thought of giving Molly cheese but wasnt' sure where to start?? Does Arwyn have teeth yet?

Lisa  - what kind of cup does James drink out of?? I really liked the Nuby to begin with but I agree with Traci, now Molly just seems to like to chew on it instead of suck. I would prefer her to transition straight to a regular cup anyways and just keep the sippy cup for when we are out.
BTW, I giggled at the thought of poo on the floor and your DH dry heaving!!

Traci - thanks for adding me to the christmas card list. I have watched this thread with interest and see that all you guys have such a great rapport going, I want to be part of it!!

Hannah - big hugs to you if you still need them. If not, save em for another day!

Erin - so sad about your engagement ring.   :cry: Short story for you...DH and I got married on October 1st, 2005. About a month after we got married it had snowed here and he and a friend were tossing the football around outside being goofballs (as only men can do). Later on he headed out of town and called me on the cell phone to tell me he couldnt' find his ring. I was like "oh sure, you are off out of town with your buddies and you conveniently lost your wedding ring!!"   :roll:  LMAO
Long story short, my son found it outside on our front lawn under about an inch of snow!!  He was so relieved!  Hope you find yours too.   :lol:

[Carter'sMama]

I just got Carter down for a nap after 3.5 hours of awake time.  He normally only goes 2.5hrs but we were out running errands and then he still had to have his lunch!!  :oops:  Bad mommy!  He went down really well but just as I was leaving he did a huge jolt - arms and legs went flying the air.  I have seen one of those since he was really young!!

There is so muc going on ... where to start??!!

Erin:  I am so sorry to hear about your rings.     I hope it turns up somewhere and soon.  You are understandably upset, engagement rings hold a lot of meaning.  Keep us posted!

Judy:  I did hear about the snowstorm but we haven't got anything here yet.  Just really dark out and a few flakes flying around.  It's quite pretty actually!

Richelle:  We did find out that Carter was a boy at 20 weeks.  Everyone gave me a hard time about it saying "It's your 1st one, it doesn't matter what sex it is"  Which is exactly why I wanted to find out what it was. I wanted to make sure I had everything I needed!!  I am not going to find out for the next one because frankly, either way the baby will be using all the stuff Carter used!!!  I say that now but I will probably want to know when the time comes .. I am the worst when it comes to surprises.  DH doesn't even hide xmas gifts in the house anymore cause I'll find them!

Nancy:  We had girls names picked out but couldn't decide on a boy's name for a long time. If it was a girl it would have been Madelaine or Grace (I loved the name Hannah or Abigale but DH didn't).  As for boys, it was going to be Jack (after my Grandpa) but my cousin had her baby first ( a month before me) and used that name.  Then it was going to be Carter or Mason (mom's maiden name) but Carter won out because it had the word Car in it  :roll:   That's DH's reasoning anyway!!

Traci:  We have a hunidifier here (Vick's I think) and we were wary about it using at first too.  We ended up putting it in our room the first night and shutting our bedroom door so we could see what would happen.  We did add salt to the water like it says because we weren't getting very much steam with just our regular tap water.  It warmed the room up a little but comfortably so.  Carter actually slept better with it in his room and it helped with his cold immensely.  As for staying with him until he is asleep ...GUILTY!  After I put him in his crib, I rub his belly for a few minutes until his eyes close and then I sneak out.  I can't leave with him awake.  It only ever worked once where I put him in completely awake and left the room.  He gets too worked up.  And, I totally agree with you on the growing up to fast thing!! DH and I were watching him yesterday drinking out of a cup on his own and eating one of those Farley biscuits and couldn't believe how "big boy" he seems!  Time does fly ...

Hannah:  Hugs to you!!  I have to go back to work in Feb unfortunately and I am dreading it.  I am also having a very hard time finding daycare for him.  I would love to have someone come into my home or have a family member do it but everyone lives over 4 hours away.  I just keep telling myself that it won't last forever (just until I have the next baby  :wink: )  My work is not at all family friendly (my boss couldn't have kids and has no respect for people that do).   One of my biggest fears is that Carter won't miss me as much as I miss him  :cry:  :oops:
We'll all get through it, we're tough!!!!

I nedd food ideas everyone!!  I mostly make all of Carter's food (food cube method) and I am getting bored with his menu.  I want to try something new to spice things up but I don't know what to introduce.  I am doing a 4 day wait rule between new foods because of his allergies.  FYI**  My ped said that if you have a blue eyed blond baby they are at a much greater risk for developing allergies than other babies (I forget the %) even if parents have no allergies.  Then if they have allergies they are very likely to have excema and if they have allergies and excema then 9 times out of 10 they will have asthma :shock:  :shock:   Uh oh, ppor Carter, he has 2 out of the 3!!  Anyway, back to food ... so far he has had the following foods:  Oatmeal, barley cereal, apples, plums, peaches, mango, pears, prunes, bananas, kiwi, grapes, peas, carrots, green beans, squash, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, chicken, arrowroot and Farley cookies and that's it.  I was thinking of trying spinach ... has anyone done anything with spinach yet, or maybe brocolli?  I need some ideas!! 
TIA
See you all at chat!!!

[Olivia's Mommy]

Traci--it's obvious you love your son and you were cut out to be a parent!! I don't sit and play with Liv the whole time she's awake either. Right now she is lying on a blanket on her floor, looking at a book and squealing with delight. I am in the next room on the computer. She is perfectly content a lot of the time to be able to roll around and explore on the floor. Since her room is baby safe, I let her play on the floor in there a lot of the day. Our upstairs is small, so I can get some things done while still listening for her and pop in on her every few minutes. I do make regular play times with her where we just sit and play together, but if I had to do that all day I'd go insane!!! I also used to stress about Liv's sleeping...still do when it goes wacky. DH tries to remind me that it will pass, as they always do. But I usually stress myself out trying to figure out what in the routine is different that is causing her to do this. I've had to learn to just try to go with the flow as much as possible, and I've found that when I can learn to relax, I enjoy Liv so much more. I don't mean to sound like I'm telling you what to do, just sharing what works for me and hope it's helpful.

Roz--yeah for Sol and signing! We've been working on it with Liv for a couple of months now (probalby not as consistently as we should). I told DH today, I don't think she's EVER going to sign. But your story has inspired me to keep it up! Thanks!

Erin--so sorry about your ring...hope you find it. It sounds like you have a great attitude about it...just a thing, not a person. But I know how bummed I would be if I lost mine. Good luck!

[solnme]

Erin - so sorry about the ring.  You have every right to be upset about it.  Never got one personally.  We decided I'd get a nice one after 5 years and used that money to take a 3 month vacation in South East Asia.  2 years to go!  But I might try and get my ring and use another baby as the bribe.

Traci - you are a great Mom!  Sometimes activity time consists of me lying on the floor reading the paper out loud (edited version of course) while Sol crawls over me.

Lots of different foods being eaten!  Haven't tried any met yet but brocolli was a hit.  For the jambalya and green paella,  I pre-cook the rice until mushy, sautee the veggies and add a cup of low-sodium chicken stock. Then I add the pre-cooked rice and let the flavours simmer for 5-10 mins.  Then put it all in the food processor and a blend till just a little chunky. 
Before I was just mixing stuff like carrot & sweet potato or squash and pear.( he loves this one) DH bought this book called Blender Baby Food by Nicole Young a nutritional advisor.  Some good ideas that I tweek.

okay, time to save a baby

[Olivia's Mommy]

Are all your LOs eating finger foods already? Liv isn't all that interested in them. She does like the Veggie Puffs by Gerber, but she hasn't figured out how to let go of it once she gets it to her mouth.

[Colesmom]

My ped said that if you have a blue eyed blond baby they are at a much greater risk for developing allergies than other babies (I forget the %) even if parents have no allergies. Then if they have allergies they are very likely to have excema and if they have allergies and excema then 9 times out of 10 they will have asthma

OMG Cathy-you have just described my nephew to a T!  Cole is blonde and blue-eyed so thanks for the tip!  I had been getting lazy with waiting after new foods.  You've done a lot more than me though :oops:  Cole has had: rice, oatmeal, barley, carrots,sweet and white potato, squash, broccoli (tops only), zucchini, banana, apple, pear, avocado, peas.  gosh, not much eh?  I really got to get this kid some more food.  Lack of sleep doesn't help the creativity much though.  You may want to try avocado...loves it mashed on it's own, with EBM, or with banana mixed in too.

Thanks for the support girls.  I just spent the most wonderful 45 minutes with him.  NOt sure if it's teeth or cold but he is so cuddly today (but also playing independently).  He just had a great feed then hung out in my lap babbling to me and I copied his sounds and giggles.  he loved it!

Erin-so sorry about your ring.  I would be devastated if I lost mine.  Just a thing...but I love my ring.  good luck, i'm sure it will turn up.  DH couldn't find his ring after a golf game last year.  we went to the club house to put a notice up and DH went to the first tee.  he had put it in his bag with his tees and balls.  duh.  he remembered opening that pocket at the first hole...went back to where he'd set his bag down and there it was.  PHEW.

oops, i wrote this over an hour ago and didn't hit submit!

Judy-i just came back from walk.  wind was wicked but sun was shining.  now it's cloudy and the flakes are starting to fall.

girls-i might me in chat early.  if anyone is interested let me know (8est)

[Arwyn's mom]

Traci... you are a great mom. Yes, stress about sleep gets really irritating and if it's not one thing, it's another. I know that I can always find one thing or another to worry about or wonder if it is the right thing to do, YKWIM. You love Cole to bits, you comfort him when he needs you, you spend the wee hours of the night holding him... he knows you love him. You don't need to spend every minute of the day playing with him to show him that.

I don't spend every minute with Arwyn either. Most of the time, she is quite independent. Heck, my DH lets Arwyn follow him around in her walker when he is getting ready for work so that I can have some extra sleep. Not exactly "playing" time, but Arwyn loves it.

Michelle... welcome! I didn't realize that Molly was in the same age range as our los! I give Arwyn mild marble cheese. It is just the kind we eat. I think it is a blend of mozzarella and cheddar. Anyhow, she loves it. She is refusing "her food" (unfortunately, I have a freezer full!) and prefers to eat whatever mommy is eating, :roll: which of course, she can't have. She has two bottom teeth and she seems to be able to "chew" things pretty well.

Erin...  :cry: I hope your ring turns up. Yes, it is a thing but a very special thing.

Nancy... when Arwyn started eating finger foods, she didn't know how to let go either. DH sat in front of her, watching and telling her, "let go" and then using his finger to push it out of her tiny fingers. Within 2 days, she got it. Now, with every new food, she needs to learn how to "let go"... we just started cheese and she has difficulty because it breaks and stuff.

Roz... got try some new food too. I think I am going to bite the bullet and cook dinner for DH and adapt some stuff to Arwyn. I can't believe I haven't made a "proper" dinner in over 8 months! Bad wife! Poor DH is living off frozen food! Yeah for signing, Sol!! Arwyn just doesn't do it... she prefers to whine. :wink:

[B&BMommy]

Traci - (((Big Hugs)))  to you sweetie, hang in there...you are a great mommy to Cole, I've seen it first hand when we have been out together. Please don't doubt yourself.  As for not playing with Cole the whole time he is awake, you are not alone. I am the same way with Brady. If I played with him the entire time he was awake, I'd never get a thing done....(not that my house shows I do any house work lol) but honestly, Brady and I have play time, and then he also had allotted tv time, in which he watches some treehouse or Baby Einstien, educational stuff, and he has floor time, exersaucer time etc...depends on his mood and day. But when we have play time, its just him and I, then I allow him to play by himself as well, and he is quite content to do so.  I hope this helps, again, you are not a bad mom, you are great, and doing all you can!

Cathy - I didn't know that about blonde hair blue eyes....I just seen the quote....Brady is blonde haired blue eyed, so I'm now a bit concerned, given I have food allergies myself,,,,

Erin-so sorry about your ring, I hope it turns up for you.


Well, back from up north. Went to stay with my sister for a bit and now my parents are back from their trip, which is easier for my sister now too. Went up unexpectedly, so I didn't get to post what was happening.  So once again, lots of catching up to do....you girls move fast. Missed all of you too, funny how you can not know someone personally, only by online, and yet they become a part of your every day life...thats how you girls are to me....My sister seems to be doing better, so I'm hoping all stays that way. Its been stressful

Brady tried cheerios and baby mum mums for the first time yesterday. Did well with the baby mum mums, not so much with the cheerios, hates them.  As for food, Brady has so far had, squash, sweet potato, carrotts, green beans, wax beans, pears, blueberries, apples, bananas, chicken, rice cereal, oatmeal cereal, peaches, peas, brown rice, hmmm, I think thats' it so far.... I won't be offering green beans again for a bit now. Maybe when he's a year old, we've tried them twice, and both times he has had bad...gas pains and colicky like symptoms, don't think they agree with him, so giving them a rest for now.

Well off to get caught up, I haven't seen dh in a few days, so I may have to spend time with him tonite, and not make the chat, but I'll do my best to do both.

Have a good nite everyone.

Holly - Mom of Brady - Our Touchy/Spirited/Textbook Little Boy - Born March 20 2005

[solnme]

Traci - BTW, the boob is doin great!

[becca24]

Hi Everyone,

Richelle - the gas is the same as the dentist gives you. It is supposed to help you relax. It works at the dentist but they are kidding if they think it helps with labour pains. Which is why hitting myself in the head with it seemed to help more  :lol: I have a habit of making everything into a funny story. I hope everyone doesn't think I make light of two many things. It is just my way of coping really. I sometimes get upset because I lost control toward the end of Halle's birth.

Hannah - here is your hug from me ((((((H))))))) !  I was supposed to go back to work in September but extended it to January. Now they won't let me return part-time so I am resigning. I will probably look for a part-time job when we get back from our Western Australia trip in April. So much good advice from everyone. You should do what your heart tells you to do though.

We found out baby's sex too. I didn't care if we found out but DH wanted to know so I let him. I think I have posted this before but I wanted a boy because I LOVE the name Hamish. So we decided to call her Hannah but SIL boyfriend has a daughter named Hannah. Then we decided on Lydia but DH told a few people at a bbq and one of his mates said "What, clamidia??"  :roll: (sp?) so that name was out. I also loved Mia but that is way to popular here at the moment. I saw Halle Berry on oprah on my due date and it got me thinking. DH loved it so he said 'That's it'.  I am sure I will have Hamish next time !!!  :shock: I can't believe I just said that.

Michelle - Halle eats cheese too, just plain old tasty cheese. I grate it up and just put it straight onto her tray. She loves feeding herself with it.

Traci - a hug for you too ((((H)))) you are a great Mum so you shouldn't doubt yourself.

Judy - your house sounds crazy but also a lot of fun your girls to grow up in. They are going to be such happy people !!

WELL HEELLLLOOOOO to everyone else (anyone love plunkett & maclean)

[sophieandhannah]

Thanks again to everyone.  I am really feeling so much better...today anyway.  You ladies sure do deliver   I really appreciate the advice/experiences and hugs.  Thanks for taking the time to speak to my needs.  For now, I am basically trying to focus only on the week and two days until break....then I can reevaluate.
A friend came over for lunch which helped too.
Traci, no hijacking worries...btw, I think if I were not going back to work I would be feeling quite simialr to you.  In fact there are still days that I kind of dread the time between her last nap and when dh gets home from work.  Sometimes I get a little cabin feverish or something even if I've been out all day.  I used to let Sophie watch baby einstein in the morning while I pumped...but now that I am no longer pumping in teh morning, I save it for the afternoon when I get a little coo coo and need a break.
I definately do not play with her all the time either.  In fact, right now she is at my feet while I type. 
Also, I am still obsessed with her sleeping.  That will get better though.  Once he starts sleeping better/more etc. you will have more time for you.  You have almost no time just for you right now and you so need that. 

I will try check in the chat early...depends what time dh gets home/what Sophie's doing at that time...5 hmmm it's kind of dinner time, but we'll see.

Hannah

[Arwyn's mom]

Some new pictures of Arwyn... what was that comment about "growing up fast"? I can't even really remember when she was newborn and couldn't as much as lift her head up!

[FrasersMum]

Hi Everyone

Cute pics Ankie!  Aren't these kids just into everything!

Huge HUGS Hannah!!  Going back to work is SO HARD.  I went back when Fraser was 14 weeks because we didn't have any other option.  Leaving him when he was so little was really hard, but so would be leaving him for the first time now with the separation anxiety happening.  So would leaving him when he is 1 - or 2 - or 3 - or.....  It's a brave new world for us as Mummy's that is a constant challenge on how to deal with the day to day.  It's still hard for me every day that I leave him but we all get through.  I would like to mirror everyone else's great advice - do what is right for you.  It sounds like you've got the nuts and bolts sorted out.  We will all be thinking of you on that hard first day.

We didn't find out that Fraser was a boy until he arrived.  In fact, I was certain I was having a girl (Charlotte Rosie).  I think I went into shock for about 3 days after he was born     But SO THRILLED (really didn't care either way, just had this "feeling" that was obviously way off!)

Oh, the gas - yes, I had some while I was waiting, waiting for the epidural guy to come and deliver.  I agree, it does stuff all!  Although I did speak some dribble because of it  :roll: and DH was there trying to reason with me  :lol:   Very funny in hindsight!

Erin, has your ring turned up?  I second Nikki's suggestion, try the s-bend.  Fingers crossed for you.

Hope to see you all at the chat - will have to see how my Saturday pans out  :lol: 

Bye for now!