35+ TTC 1st Graduates!!! Come on Over!

[Mommy's Angel]

Hey ladies!

NOW I remember what I missed last post. Anna, SO excited about the potential buyer. Praying everything runs smoothly, they get funded and you get pre-approved and find a new home swiftly.

Oh how I agree we both need to go to counseling together. lol As the old saying goes, "misery loves company". As sad as it is that we don't get along with our parents, it's good to know we're not alone.

Angela, I LOVE the nursery theme. That was going to be Amelia's 1st birthday theme but it was getting too complicated with our moving so I made it a retro type party.

Oh dear. Ethan running with toys. Lord help me! I'm trying just to let Amelia do her thing and not keep her from learning and becoming the child she needs to be. She's quite the explorer though already at 9 months and that's how she ended up cutting her finger on Doug's Soda can. She was quick. He said, "I guess I'll have to pour in a red solo cup now". Yup! We're now at the stage of kid-proofing. I'm not so concerned about our new home yet. We'll be living on one floor for the most part and I'll have a baby gate at the stairs. The stairs here are dangerous and both myself and the dogs have fallen down them. The slats aren't at code either. I'll be happy to get out of here!

How nice of you to give away the doll house and the canopy bed. I bet those girls LOVE it! Your also giving me something to think about with have a second child. Something I never figured into the mix of things is not have time with two so getting everything done is important. I'm sure you'll get it done in the time you need it. I appreciate you sharing your new journey with us!

So Steph and Anna, what are you both eating to lose weight?? Any ideas on some quick meals you like?? I'm having a REALLY HARD TIME with Doug's vegan lifestyle. I'm using egg whites and the vegan cheese sucks! I need egg whites with at least one egg and for crying out loud, I'd rather have REAL lowfat cheese than crappy fake stuff. I don't mind the veggies and whole grains...but it's depressing without some kind of meet and cheese. I'd like to make some eggplant stuffed with low fat ricotta and skim mozzarella. It's healthier than it would be isn't it?! Not every lifestyle works for the same people. I just don't think this is working for what I need right now. Weight loss but without feeling flipping deprived. ((sigh))

Any tips you ladies can give would be helpful. We're joining a gym the 1st of August and it has a nice pool with all kinds of classes, free weights (which I plan to do) etc. They even have daycare while you work out. What do you ladies think of daycare in a workout facility (you can be honest)

Well, That's all for now!

P.S. I have my laptop always...I guess that's my excuse for being long-winded most of the time. I won't admit that I've been long-winded since childhood. :wink:

 

[MissMuffet08]

Hi Rebekah - On the food idea, my hubby has a gazillion cookbooks so we pick menu items out of there. Since it hot as all get out over here, we have doing a lot of chicken on the grill and then adding it a salad or eating it rice, etc. I am still trying to do WW and a friend of mine gave a good idea. She said that now since all fruits and veggies are 0 points to eat the ones that fill you up a lot, but for every meal eat at least 10 points (along with all the fruit and veggies you can LOL). That way, you feel fuller, and eating at your point range.Not sure how much longer I will officially do WW just because it gets costly after a while. And I start to getcomplacent with WW and seem to eat the same thing every week. But I made a goal of 10 pounds by September. I think that is doable. I am hoping for more, but I feel good with 10.

As for daycare at the gym, I am for it. I ahve one at my gym. I haven't taken Katelyn yet, but plan on it. I think it is fine. I do want to check it out first though.

I am always at my computer for work, so that is probably why I ramble on and on LOL.

Tomorrow is Friday YAY!!!

 

[rottpaw]

Morning girls!

More from me later, but please keep HappyAuntie in your thoughts and prayers this morning. Her frozen embie transfer is today, assuming all goes well with the thaw.

Thanks!

 

[HappyAuntie]

Morning girls!

More from me later, but please keep HappyAuntie in your thoughts and prayers this morning. Her frozen embie transfer is today, assuming all goes well with the thaw.

Thanks!

Thank you for this. (And BnB needs a "happy crying" smiley for moments like this!)

The transfer went well this morning - both embies survived the thaw. One has a small area of cell death, which is not unusual and dr assures me the embie as a whole is completely fine... honestly I'm so scared of twins that this news kind of helps quiet that anxiety for now.... Anyway, the full story is in my journal if you care to read it. I'm long-winded as usual, so get comfy if you do decide to come over!

Love you ladies. Hope you all have a good weekend.
xoxo

 

[rottpaw]

Morning girls!

More from me later, but please keep HappyAuntie in your thoughts and prayers this morning. Her frozen embie transfer is today, assuming all goes well with the thaw.

Thanks!

Thank you for this. (And BnB needs a "happy crying" smiley for moments like this!)

The transfer went well this morning - both embies survived the thaw. One has a small area of cell death, which is not unusual and dr assures me the embie as a whole is completely fine... honestly I'm so scared of twins that this news kind of helps quiet that anxiety for now.... Anyway, the full story is in my journal if you care to read it. I'm long-winded as usual, so get comfy if you do decide to come over!

Love you ladies. Hope you all have a good weekend.
xoxo

You are very welcome and we love you too! Now go put those feet up and relax all weekend!

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Morning girls!

More from me later, but please keep HappyAuntie in your thoughts and prayers this morning. Her frozen embie transfer is today, assuming all goes well with the thaw.

Thanks!

Thank you for this. (And BnB needs a "happy crying" smiley for moments like this!)

The transfer went well this morning - both embies survived the thaw. One has a small area of cell death, which is not unusual and dr assures me the embie as a whole is completely fine... honestly I'm so scared of twins that this news kind of helps quiet that anxiety for now.... Anyway, the full story is in my journal if you care to read it. I'm long-winded as usual, so get comfy if you do decide to come over!

Love you ladies. Hope you all have a good weekend.
xoxo

Now go put those feet up and relax all weekend!

Waiting patiently with LOTS of hope in my heart that THIS is it!

 

[MissMuffet08]

Glad the procedure went well Happy Auntie. Praying for you and I hope that you had a great weekend. Please keep us posted!

HUGS!!!!

 

[rottpaw]

Wow we are super quiet this week! I think everyone is crazy busy - I think Rebekah is still moving, and I know Steph is on her way here to Atlanta. AFM, I am buried in organizational projects around the house, since it's so hot and humid I can't bear to go outside!

I hope everyone is doing well!

 

[newmarriedgal]

Hi Ladies!

finally a quiet moment!

HA - I hope all is well, praying for you! and hoping you will come over soon.

I think of this site often and when I sit down to type, I read the posts and have missed so much that I start to type then get called away by Mr. Poppy! Not that I mind much because he is such a love, but sometimes I feel isolated! I miss you all.

I went to that mom's group I mentioned awhile ago - the first week was great, there were 4 other women there, 2 of them had 5 month olds as well. Nice group of ladies. Last week when I went, there were many more ladies, the "regular" crowd, so to speak and it was very different. When I got there, I sat next to one of the women who was there the previous week (she was the only one from the previous week) and one mom who had a 2 month old. I said Hi to everyone else, expecting to introduce myself and get to know them but they all IGNORED me. I was shocked. They all have 10+ month olds and obviously knew each other for a long time. The ring leader there was such a snob too. The only time she spoke to me was when I was telling the 2 moms I was sitting with that Poppy HATES his bath, literally screams bloody murder, and she very loudly told me that I obviously am doing something wrong, I probably have the water too cold and I should be testing it. SERIOUSLY???? I had so many unkind words floating around in my head, but I just smiled and calmly said "no, I know how to give a bath, he just has hated getting a bath since birth, even in the hospital". She shrugged and said that no baby hates the water unless something is wrong. I ignored that and focused on the 2 moms around me (a third came later with a 12 month old and was kind but quiet). The mom from the previous week left about 20 minutes after I got there, she said to me they were too clicky for her and felt left out so she was out of there. So I was disappointed and not sure I will go back unless the 3 other women from the first week are there. This week they want to go to a pond, but it's too far for me and no shade and with the EEE scare around that area, I'm not going.

Poppy is growing like a weed and a very happy boy. Still spits up copious amounts, baby omep not helping but is happy. Sleep has been going great, sleeps about 8-9 hours a night with no waking. Of course, we are trying to get rid of the swaddle still, so we pulled out one arm and for 2 night he stirred without waking a few times, and this past week we pulled out the other one (but put the other one back in as this arm out is the one he uses the most). Again 2 days of slight stirring but still going good. Last night it was so darn hot (we have had a 90+ heat wave since last week) that I couldn't bear to swaddle him as he was sweating on us while feeding. We have an AC but takes a long time to cool off. So we went cold turkey last night and he woke up a few times but put himself back to sleep. Only 2 times did I need to give him the paci but I never picked him up. So he doing very well. We will swaddle his little chest with both arms out for a few days tonight and then go cold turkey again.

he is eating fruits and veggies now but the teething is so bad sometimes it hurts him to finish a bottle so I give more cereal to get it into him. I can see the tooth buds so they are almost here poor thing.

everything else is going very well, just busy. Friday was Charlie's bday, so we celebrated all weekend, I just kept baking! muffins, cheesecake, blueberry cream pie, waffles, eggplant parm, beef tenderloin! He ate like a king and he deserves it!

venting time.....We had another party at his sisters the saturday after the 4th of july party that she also had. We are about 30 minutes away, the others about 5 minutes. So I offered to bring a dessert and she said she was all set. Ok, no problem, it was hot anyways. Well she calls Charlie on Thursday and says she wanted the steak tips we had catered for our christening (the restaurant is 5 minutes from us) and we need to go get them. The party was at 2pm on Saturday. She calls friday night around 10pm saying she wanted us to get the tips at noon, and come right down as we need to help her set up. Um, ok but we do have a baby to bring as well and it hard to get out on time but we managed. On the way down, she calls again and says: you have to stop and get ice for the coolers. I mean come on now, you knew you were having a party, having to get ice should not have been a surprise emergency. She always does this. So we get there expecting to help setup and everything was done. Then she says, Oh I guess you didn't have to come this early. So we had to sit alone for 1.5 hours until people started coming (she hadn't even showered yet). I was annoyed, to say the least. Then the first people to get there were her daughter's friends, one of them saying: ooo the baby is here, I want to hold it. "IT". that annoyed me as well and it was in the 90's so I was hot too. I didn't really know this girl so I was uncomfortable with her holding the baby (she seems flighty) and she turns to his sister and says, oh can I hold it? Not to me, who is the mom and holding the baby, and the sister says, sure, TAKES the baby and hands him to her. I was MAD and I think she realized that. If not, she did when I took Poppy back because this girl was trying to pass him to another one of her friends who said she didn't know how to hold a baby and she was trying to teach her.....Over a GLASS coffee table. I said no and time to come back to mommy. Then his other sister took him to walk around and I said very firmly, NO DIPPING TOES INTO THE POOL. First of all, he is a load, so no bending over with him, second he hates his bath, he isn't a fan of water! Well, wouldn't you know it, I turned to answer someone who asked me something and I hear a howl. Yep. bending over, toes in the water. I didn't say anything, just walked over and took him out of her arms. Poor thing was crying and shaking. She just laughed and said, well one day we just need to throw him in and he'll figure it out. After a while I put him down for a nap in the car seat and stayed in there with him. The one hosting the party came in and asked if he was asleep in a loud voice and then asked me to get him up because there were people who wanted to meet him. I said no, he needs his nap. honestly, they have no consideration. After 6 long hours, I told Charlie we were done, and he agreed and we came home to blessed quiet.

Munchkin is waking up. He is so cute.

Many hugs to everyone else, Angela, LOVE the nursery theme. Rebekah, so glad about the move!!! Anna - YAY on the house!!! Any news on PurpleLou?

Beth

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Hi everyone! It's 5am and I can't sleep. A lot on my mind but nothing significant enough to post. At any rate, with everything happening in Colorado I wanted to find out if our dear sweet any was personally impacted in any way and give a shout out to all those in the state who are grieving the loss of innocent lives. Anna, I hope your doing okay.

Beth, sounds like you had a couple of negative experiences both at dh's family party and with the cliquey mommies. Do you have numbers of the ladies you had your fist meeting? Maybe you can start your own with them.

Thanks Angela! Yes, we started cleaning and we're deep cleaning the kitchen today with my mom. (hopefully I get sleep) I have to say that I'm not happy that the people didn't even clean a little bit in our home. No sweeping, wiping counter not even wiping under sinks, etc. It's disgusting. I've had to go room by room and clean so I'm not overwhelmed. It was just a bit disappointing because I have NEVER left a rental like that when we have left and I don't intend to with the rental we have now. I mean at least do a basic wipe down for crying out loud! Now I'm finding myself cleaning two homes instead of one.

We're tackling some DIY projects. Putting new doorknobs and locks on and even replacing a door (not on frame).

Latest news is yesterday we received a letter saying Doug is almost 30 days late on his mortgage payment. I was LIVID! I won't say who the bank is, but they bought the mortgage and I'm not sure if they were trying to force an extra payment from us on purpose? Or just overlooked the closing contract altogether. The new bank hasn't made a good first impression as we were trying to take care of this issue and all we got were young sales people "trying to collect a debt". We called the original loan officer who directed us to their accountant after saying this bank was WRONG. Doug called this morning and got two people from India (outsourced) who didn't understand what the heck was going on. FINALLY the accountant gave the other bank person the information they needed and it's not said that we will be cleared by next Thursday. Doug said he wanted it documented and to make sure this isn't going to affect his credit. We couldn't believe it because we hadn't received any letters up until the letter stating we were late. Mind you, this is our first payment and had we gotten something like that we would have payed it....Thank goodness I got our paperwork out because I KNEW we signed the contract with the 1st payment being August 1, 2012. I was right. I just have heard shoddy things about this bank. NOT a happy camper that we have them for our mortgage company. ((sigh))

On a fun note, Doug has a 4 day weekend off the next couple months on his weekends off. We're looking forward to time together. We're not moving officially until the end of the month and are taking the time to paint and fix whatever needs it. Sitting in the living room with my inlaws, we had the doors open and it was letting some nice breeze in with birds chirping. VERY quiet and lovely. I think we're going to like it there. I already noticed we have blackberries growing over our fence. YAY! Freeze some and make some jam/jellies with the rest. woohoo.

Went to OBGYN appointment and I have to say I'm a bit concerned. 1. my weight has gone UP again. ((sigh)) but that's not what's concerning. I've had lower back cramps. I got them before I was pregnant with Jackson too but when I was being tested, I found out I was pregnant with him. This time I'm not pregnant BUT the Dr. brought up some kind of issue pertaining to not getting a period and the lining which can be cancerous.

It scares the life out of me as I just had Amelia and I want to watch her grow to get married and have her own children. I'm trying SO hard to get healthy and am praying this is just a normal issue for me maybe due to the heart shaped uterus tipped to the back.

So, I have blood labs this week and the following week I have a sonogram to check the lining and make sure there is no cancer. PCOS carries risk of ovarian and other girly part cancers. It's good to have preventative care. Nobody has done this with my last concerns. Of course I was found to be pregnant so maybe there was no concern for them. I'll take it one day at a time and won't fully freak out. It seems normal for my body, I was just hoping the lower back cramps would let up some.

Enough from me. How is everyone? It has been quiet. I miss Jules, Viv, Charmaine, anyone hear any more from hearty? Chris and Chris? Carole? I love having you ladies to talk with. Steph I love hearing updates from you, Anna, Beth, Angela, CJ and anyone else I missed...your all just so sweet. I'm glad we have this connection!

Twinks and HA, I think of you and the other ladies often! Your journey's mean so much to me and I'm honestly still praying for great things for you all.

Well, I pray you all have a lovely weekend! Time for me to get off the internet before I wake baby bear WAY too early!

 

[rottpaw]

Hey ladies!

WOW, it is quiet on here! I hope it's because everyone is having fun with those little ones! I'm sorry I have been quiet as well - I started out a few weeks ago trying to get just a couple small areas of the house (like the mess of digital photos we've taken over the last few years, residing on my also-messy computer!) organized, and that small endeavor has morphed into MAJOR nesting mode! I get bored with lengthy projects easily, so am having to learn to break things into manageable, bite-sized projects and work on them a bit at a time. I'm a lot more productive (and don't burn out) that way, but I'm a very impatient person, so it drives me NUTS to work on things so slowly and have things drag on for weeks. I am pleased to report I've made major progress on a number of organizing projects, though, so I'm happy about that!

Beth, I'm glad Poppy is doing well but I am SO sorry about all these crazy people you keep having to deal with! I have not even been able to find a mom's group to join, though I would love to, but things like your experience keep me from looking harder. I know a lot of those groups can be that way and I am not a person who tolerates that kind of thing well, so I would get annoyed very quickly! and I am SO sorry about what happened at the party! I will never understand why people insist on doing htings like that. My mother did something similar at Ethan's 1st birthday party and it made me so mad! I had told her and told her that he could not eat solids (textures) yet, and so I was just planning to let him play with his smash cake and take some pictures without trying to force him to eat it. So the next thing I see is - you guessed it! - mom trying to shove a forkful of cake into my then-crying baby's mouth! I couldn't believe it! Never mind he could have choked! Sigh. About the reflux and spitting up, it sounds like he is one of those that is just going to have to outgrow it - and don't stress, he WILL outgrow it! in the meantime, just keep reminding yourself of that!

Bek I hope you guys are getting settled in the new place and enjoying it! I am so sorry that the previous owners left a mess for you. That sucks and is SO rude. When I move I try to leave the house the way I would like to find it. No one needs to walk in on moving day and find a mess that has to be cleaned before they can even open the door! We've been blessed that the last three houses we've moved into have either been left in excellent condition by their prior owners or (in one case) were new...I hope you guys are able to get it cleaned up quickly and start enjoying it! You'll have fun planning Amelia's party, too! I think fall would be an awesome time for a birthday, and it's my favorite season!

All of our other girls - we miss you!! I know everyone gets so busy and it happens to me too. Please pop in when you can!

AFM, went to my OB checkup today and all is well for 22 weeks. We get another scan at 25 weeks to recheck the kidney issue, then at the end of August I go back to my OB for a recheck and the dreaded GTT. Bleh! This pregnancy is just zooming along in so many ways... I can't believe I'll be almost 30 weeks next time I go to my OB! So far, so good, just feeling a LOT bigger than I did at this stage last time, and starting to have some hip/joint issues and a LOT of heartburn earlier than I did last time. Dr. says that is all normal on the second pass. Meanwhile, the nesting projects continue full force!

Otherwise all is well here. Hugs and love to everyone!

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Angela, I've been wondering how you've been dealing with all this higher than normal heat with your pregnancy? Glad your on track with your pregnancy and looking forward to hearing more in the upcoming weeks.

We're not in our place quite yet. We are paid up until the end of the month at our rental so we're taking the time to clean and replace things. Doug has put in a door on his own the first time, some knobs and locks, we're painting, etc. It's been HARD because baby bear is clingy and doesn't want to be out of our arms which means I come up with ideas but my poor husband has had to follow through. lol

Amelia is also teething again. We have two teeth actually in but she's a BEAR. Today's heat is NOT helping. NOTHING is helping to soothe her. I finally was able to give her another dose of infant tylenol and she's "somewhat" better but boy do I miss our happy little baby girl. She's also testing the waters too. What is starting to annoy me is that if she needs a nap and starts to scream my mom and sometimes Doug goes right after her. This leaves her MORE tired and MORE cranky. I feel kind of underhanded at times. It's more my mother than my husband. I had a talk with him just telling him that when he does this I feel like "I'm" the one that's the bad guy and I feel like she hates me. A bit overemotional I suppose.

So, today I hoped I'd be able to get the sofa stuffed and finished. I am enjoying every minute of baby bear even with her moods because I know this is a gift. I feel like there's very little time in each day lately.

 

[pablo797]

hello!!!! Dear friends!! To calm any fears we are all well. We live pretty far from the shooting, but it is still so sad. I've said it once amd i'll say it again, the mountains are full of crazy people. Maybe it's the altitude.

anyway... HA everything crossed!! I just have a feeling it's your time. I hope all is well and you are resting and relaxing. Many hugs!!!

MA, crappy of old owners to trash the place! We have pretty much repainted our entire condo and scrubbed it from head to toe. I am sorry for the scarry doc appointment. I hope it turns out to be nothing. I will be thinking of you. Sorry baby bear is clingy, Jo has been the same way lately. So hard to get anything done!!

Angela,could you really be 22 weeks!!! Wow time is flying!! I am glad all seems well but sorry for the hip pain and heartburn. I remember both well and don't miss it. Good for you getting projects done. Go nester go.

Beth, fricking snobby women! Why do we do that to each other! I am so sorry. I wish we all lived closer ao we could hang. I was with a group of women this spring and we talked about the mommy competition. How some women project a sense of competition when raising children, making others who have kids that don't sleep through the night, or don't crawl sooner, or kids that spit up feel like their doing something wrong, or not being good moms. What is that?? It's a need to feel superior that stems from a feel of infereority, but really?? We're all trying to do our best and every kid is different. I just hate it when women turn on other women! So unnecessary. And as for the sister in laws yesh nightmare. I know it's easier said than done but girlie I think there will come a day when you will have to lay the law down. Some people take advantage and take advantage until you put the law down. They push and push until you push back. And consequences be damned. I know easier said than done and it's not my family, but I just hate to see you upset. And these people seem to constantly upset you. No easy answers. So many hugs and best of luck. On a happier note so glad Poppy is doing so well. What a great mommy you are!!

AFM, well house is still under contract and i'm starting to let myself think that maybe this will go throug. So i've started looking at houses. We got pre approved for a ridiculous amount of $. Turns out DH gave the lender the wrong income info. He over estimated by about $15,000! Men. So I emailed lender this am with correct income amounts. Shouldn't make much of a difference as we would never buy a house for the original amount we were approved for. We could never affored the mortgage. The good news is that there are several homes we should be able to afford. So it's getting exciting. Also applying for financial aid for daycare, moving, working full time, and looking for a new place to live,my plate is full. On top of everything Jo was really sick last week with cold and ear infection. When it rains it pours. But life is good and no complaints. Everyone is now healthy and happy.

so wow long post and from my phone too. Excuse typos. I would go back and pfoor read but when I do that I loose posts. So hugs to all!! Anna

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Good to hear from you Anna!

I've been wondering about the contract on your house. Sounds like it's going well. Praying you find a home and the process goes smoothly and swiftly.



Last night was a horrible night for Amelia. She won't let me in her mouth but I'm willing to bet she has a new tooth in. We were up at 3am and 6am before she woke up at 730am. Her naps have been far and few between. Yesterday she had one and today after struggling for an hour she went down. You can usually tell when she's tired. She honestly needs the stability her nap provides. Somehow I have to get my mom on board with not coddling her when she's testing things. Even today, I kept putting her down while telling her it was nap time. She'd pop up like poppy pop-up and start laughing. I decided NOT to make this a game. I let her be until she got more grumpy and put her down again telling her it was nap time. She fussed and then went down. She's testing the waters to see what we'll do. If she has everyone coming to coddle her she's going to play on that like she did when I kept trying to put her down. It's become a game.

Goodness. I'm learning so many things. I thought this would be the easy part. Haha

On a positive note, she is now starting finger foods. I cut up some tiny pieces of banana and she is putting them in her mouth. She's been also putting the dissolving yogurt and cereals in her mouth now as well. Which brings me to my next questions.

What are you ladies using for finger foods? She's 9 months now. I'm just wondering what's safe. She has this sucking thing but I'm trying to get her to chew. Steph, what did you use with Katelyn? I know you had similar issues with her eating as well.

All in all I'd say we're on track. Her birthday is the end of Sept. I wish I could have all of you girls over. I feel as though we've all become such good friends. You all would be our ideal play date group! I have an idea for the cake and can't WAIT to bring it to our cake decorator. I hope she won't have a fit with the work. lol My Aunt has 2 Cricut machines and said she help us with invitations, pinwheels, and other decorations. I have to now come up with ideas for favors.

Angela what did you give for Ethan's favors? I'm going to "try" to keep this light as you did. It's a retro theme. Hopefully simple and easy. Not sure Im going to give baby bear a whole top tier cake. Is that bad?! I figured I'd get a 3 tiered cake and everyone including the kids can have a slice.

I wish I could determine the weather for that date. I have ideas but they will depend on outside or inside. Ugh! Why can't I just think simple and put hats, balloons, some food and some cake out?? I need to stop over-planning.lol

Speaking of over-planning. I seem to have all these GREAT ideas for the house as I said in my post above. Only deal is that they end up being these HUGE projects! Now I planned to rip up the carpet in what will be OUR room. I figured it would be easy since the floor below is hardwood. Well, pick up the carpet and there's padding which will most likely be glued (why do they do that to an existing beautiful wood floor?) and then there's the tack strips across the floor which will take awhile to get out. THEN we're looking at scraping the glue off, sanding , staining and polyurethaning the whole darn thing which won't take a day as I suspected but about a week. We move in next monday and wouldn't be able to accomplish this until Friday. ((sigh)) I LOVE how I come up with "easy" ideas.

 

[rottpaw]

Anna so good to hear from you and I'm excited to hear things are looking positive on the house front! I'm sorry about the cold and ear infections... That is no fun! Ethan went through a rash of sickness about Jo's age and it drove me nuts!

Bek, for favors I did individual bags for each kid based on that child, because we only had about 8 kids and their ages were widely spaced. So for younger kids I did things like bubbles, crayons and silly straws and for older kids I did cars 2 frisbees, paint by numbers etc. I got everything at party city, not sure if you have that chain where you are? For finger foods I started Ethan with table foods, and our dr said start with soft and squishy things and avoid hard edges or crunchy foods. So I started with things like watermelon, banana, broccoli (just the floret parts), sweet potato chunks, American cheese or cheddar cheese pieces, pieces of bread, and pasta shapes (everything cooked till soft and chopped up finely). Oh, and rotisserie chicken which he LOVES. I freeze it and thaw in microwave as needed. He also loves grilled cheese sandwiches. Gradually we have increased his bite sizes and now he can eat pretty good sized pieces and slightly harder things like life cereal. He also eats and enjoys the plum baby organic puffs of various colors.

 

[pablo797]

hey girls, thanks for the hellos!

MA, I too need to start Jo on more adult finger foods. According to daycare we're behind. So thanks for asking the question. I will try banana, soft cheese and some meat. She ate some small pices of meat last weekend. Glad to hear the house is coming along so well, but holy cow the floor will be a big project! We are debating on buying something that needs some work, more house for the $$. Or buying something that's move in ready. Good luck with the projects and amelia. Jo to has started testing. Hard to be mad at them when they're so cute. Jo would get up in the middle of the night and want to play. Much more fun to play with mom and dad than sleep. Finally had to let her cry it out. No play time. Good luck!!

Angela, hope you are well. When is the next scan??

Beth, I feel as if I got a little preachy yesterday. Sorry. I just get so upset when a friend's feeling get hurt. Espically someone so obviously so sweet as you. Plus I think it struk a nerve. A couple of weeks ago I went to a daycare BBQ, trying to meet some of the other moms, for Jo's sake if no other reason. Anyway not a single person talked to us. It was really clicky and everyone just ignored Jo and I sitting on the grass. I smiled, made eye contact, but nothing. Finally I said F this and packed us up and went home. So lesson learned,but it was crappy and I felt like highschool all over again. Blah! So anyway, sorry if I over stepped my bounds. It's your life and i'm sure you'll do what you need to. You are an awesome mommy!!

AFM, hired a new realtor to buy a house and DH agreed to look this weekend. Fingers crossed all goes well. There's one we really like, but it may be under contract. It's listed on line but there's no sign in the yard. Plus we're at least two weeks away from closing on our house. May see if we can make an offer and go under contract and get the process going knowing closing is dependent on our house closing. We'll see what happens. Wish us the best.

hi to everyone else! CJ, how's the new babe? Steph are you in Atlanta?

Have a good Wednesday!! Anna

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Wow! I thought our closing process was stressful. Your only 2 wks from closing and don't have a place yet. Holy Cats!

As for us, Amelia had some stage 3 mac n cheese with butternut squash from tyler florences baby line. She LOVED it! She's been having the dissolving yogurt and cereals and puts them right in her mouth. I've had to work on the water drinking but now she's doing that with a sippy cup. Still working with her on holding it herself.

Today I tried elimination communication and it worked. Amelia poo'd on the big girl pottie. lol I saw her pushing and ran upstairs to put her on the pottie. I figure it will work better when we're actually on one floor at the new house but she did it! 9 months and she poo'd on the pottie. Hopefully this will give her a regular instinct to poo on the toilet. We'll buy a baby toilet this weekend.

On another note. She had temper tantrums something AWFUL! She just doesn't like to nap or sleep for that matter. If I don't literally put her down for a nap, she just won't. She's irritable and whiney when she doesn't get a nap too. Even when she doesn't nap she doesn't go to sleep until 10pm. Past few days she's waking at 3am and 6am. This morning she was up by 830 but sat there with Doug watching her since 6am hoping she'd just go back to sleep.

Is it the heat? Teething? What should we do?? Anyone have ANY ideas? When I try to lay her down and tell her it's "Naptime" she keeps sitting up and laughing (I try to chuckle under my breath" While it IS funny, (though I don't laugh in front of her) it's tiring. I'm running out of ideas. Am I just putting too much effort into this? If she doesn't want to nap at all during the day and doesn't want to go to bed until well after 10pm should we just leave her alone and let her fall into a new schedule again?!

 

[rottpaw]

Anna, our next scan is in about 2 weeks. SO excited to see our little guy again, and praying all is well at that point! I'll also schedule a 3D a few weeks after that, probably around 28-29 weeks. Yay!

Bek, we too have LOVED the Sprout baby food line (Tyler Florence's foods). Ethan loved many of those and to this day, will ONLY eat those sweet potatoes. He will NOT eat any sweet potatoes I make LOL!

On the napping/sleeping, I know how frustrating it is when they won't sleep but are then cranky due to lack of nap. Ethan is a pretty excellent sleeper these days and I am SO thankful for that! I know it may not last once he is out of his crib and can get up and run around his room, but for now I am so thankful he generally loves his naps and sleeps well. I would say the biggest thing that helps with sleep (in our experience) is the routine aspect of it. No matter when he gets up in the morning, I try to put him down at 10:30 and if it takes him an hour to fall asleep, that's fine. Same in the afternoon (but I'm a little looser with that time, depending on when he gets up from the first nap). But having a sort of structure and routine to each day seems to help him know when it's time to sleep. I WILL say he was not able to nap in his crib till about 7 or so months... he would only nap in his swing... maybe Amelia will get to where she is comfy in her crib. I suspect your current situation with all the moving and stuff is something she can sense. It may be that the she is picking up on the unsettled feeling and will calm down as soon as your house is back to normal. Ethan seems to pick up very easily on my emotions and he will soemtimes be uneasy if I am stressed, etc. Hope that helps some!

And I am AMAZED you've already started potty training LOL! We haven't even touched that with a ten foot pole and I probably won't try till after we get this little one here and settled into sleeping thru the night. I just feel like I've got all I can handle right now. But I am SO impressed you are starting with that!

Anna, I too wish we could form our own playgroup and we all lived closer! I detest snobby women and can't stand when people behave like what you experienced! That sucks! I haven't found a playgroup here yet but would love one... I just literally can't figure out where to find one. Sigh. Atlanta is so spread out that, even though I have a number of close friends with young kids, I don't have anyone close enough to get together regularly. Each of those friends is about 45 minutes away!

Ah well. We are having a fun week here with a lot of home repairs. Our microwave has been out for almost 2 weeks now (gets fixed Satruday) and THAT has been fun in terms of feedings... then our AC went out Sunday and it's been limping along all week (thankfully not the one upstairs, where we sleep, but the one on the main floor where we spend all our day). They are replacing that today. Extremely $$ but I am thankful that we CAN get it fixed. This heat has been ridiculous!

Okay better run and get some lunch for myself before little bear wakes! Hugs to all!

 

[Mommy's Angel]

Hi there!

Angela, I'm trying to keep her schedule. 10pm at night and a small nap morning 4pm nap for afternoon. She had cat naps in the morning but she screams for hours and keeps sitting up. Would you leave her sitting up in the crib and fall asleep on her own or would you suggest something else?

Tonight she was SO tired she went to bed at 8pm. In all honesty if this is going to be her schedule, I'll be fine waking up earlier. Doug even has been waking up earlier. We just are looking for some normalcy. Hopefully we'll move past this. I'm guessing your right. I also think she needs her own room without interruption. I've already gotten things situated in her room at the new house. We're justing waiting for the crib to go over and set up. I think she'll be sleeping in her pack n play Sunday night. ((sigh)) I feel SO guilty that maybe all this change is interrupting her sleeping pattern. Hopefully once we're at the new place she and us will have a settled feeling.

Potty training. We'll see how it goes. Right now it's the elimination communication. Just trying to teaching her when she gets that poop sensation that she can go in the potty. She can't walk yet so I'm not expecting her to up and be trained anytime soon. In fact, I'm trying to get my husband on board. He's a bit slower to sense when she's pooping to run upstairs with her on the potty. I think that's why the new house will also help her out. Everything in time. I'm going to be flexible and see how she does. I keep thinking that this may become a nightmare coming State Fair time. lol I'll actually have to put her on the potty and it's ALWAYS packed at the New York State Fair.lol

I "sort of" have a playgroup. Turns out my husbands coworkers who are nurses and have all had babies have become our playgroup. In fact, Amelia has been invited to her first birthday party in August with a little boy turning one from our group. Doug's nursing unit is an awesome group. If he can't be home, I'm happy he's with a family of friends at work.

On the $$$ updates. OH how I hear you! We have to have tree's trimmed, some ducts put on, rip up the tub surround and replace it with most likely tile and replace the fixtures and I think we're going to have to have the water treated since we're on a spring.

I'd imagine the air being off is a pain while your pregnant. I can also understand why Ethan isn't potty trained right now. It'll happen when he's ready.

How is everyone?

 

[rottpaw]

Bek do you use a rain machine or noise machine for when Amelia is sleeping? That helps Ethan tremendously. I found that when he was little (3-4 months) he would just scream and scream if put in his crib to nap (so he napped in his swing for months), but by the time he was about 7-8 months, I had him in the exersaucer one day while I was showering and he started to pitch a fit, and he seemed tired, so out of desperation I put him in his crib while I finished getting ready (mostly so he would stop screaming in our tiled bathroom and shattering my eardrums!) and to my amazement, about ten minutes later he was sound asleep. From there, it was a routine after about three days. She is about ten months now, right? I think that's plenty old enough for a bit of cry it out, but I would say always make sure she is dry when you put her down, isn't hungry, and has some stuffed animals or blanket (if you are comfortable with this at this stage) to snuggle with. Ethan will actually run to his crib and ASK to get in so he can play with his stuffies! He will sometimes play for an hour or more before he falls asleep, but he rarely fusses during that time. He has learned that he can play with his stuffed animals or just lie there if he wants, but I make sure his rain machine is going anytime he is going down to sleep. The other thing I do (that I know not everyone can or wants to do) is I NEVER put him in his crib unless it is to sleep. So for example, I never put him down there just for a minute, etc. and once he is in there I never go back in (unless something is wrong, like he's tangled up or something). So he sort of has the idea and the routine down, understanding that when he goes to his room it's to sleep. I also keep his shutters closed in his room so it's kind of semi-dark. I would say try picking a specific time when she almost always seems tired, and work from there. Feed her (even just a snack if you think she might be hungry or thirsty), change her, maybe read a story then take her to her crib and turn on her rain machine and turn out her lights... put her down, tell her "nap time!" and then let her be. I always close Ethan's door (not sure how much of this you can or want to implement while in the midst of a move, but just to tell you what I do). So he has sort of a little cocoon in his room where the sleeping conditions are ALWAYS the same... if that makes sense. He is to the point now that he actually TELLS us when he wants to go up for a nap!

I hope some of that helps, sorry if I'm just rambling!

Having the AC out was definitely a nightmare. Now the downstairs one is fixed and we REALLY need to see about getting the upstairs situation corrected (it's awful upstairs in the summer and that's where we all sleep!)

Anyway, I'm off to the eye dr. while my mother in law is here for the weekend (HOORAY for HELP! LOL!) Love you ladies!