General chatter while we wait (and commentary on the "pull out method")

[pacificlove]

Food victories really only happen on meat or the "junkier" dinners of pizza or fajitas or nachos for example. If it looks different then the day before I usually have to force some into the mouth before he realizes that he actually likes it.
I also give in to his demand for ketchup, food is more acceptable with ketchup apparently. No victory much for veggies except fries, green pepper and cucumber.
Fruit: apple is a big yes but others are hit and miss. Yesterday I started making fruit smoothies which he loved. Fruit smoothie contained: blueberry, strawberry, grape, peach and nectarine (from a frozen bag of mixed fruit). In the next day or so I will experiment and add something green in there....

Gigs, would Lev eat bratwurst?


Eyebrows: I do pluck, but that's it just so it doesn't look like a giant brush up there. Not saying I am good at it. Honestly I don't understand why someone would pay for someone to pluck it all only to have them painted back on for hundreds of dollars (like my mil who has serious $$ trouble for example).

 

[shaescott]

CB that’s true, just a bit of extra curl can open up the eyes. When I put on mascara they curl up without an eyelash curler but that only lasts a little while, they drop back down in like an hour. They’re not super straight out, they have a slight natural curl, but not nearly as much as a lift would give them, where they’d be like J shaped.
Re: Vaseline, is that safe to put on eyelashes? I’d worry about it getting in my eyes. My eyebrows are sparse at the ends, though no lighter. So you can tell I have a brow but it looks like I plucked random hairs or something cuz it’s so sparse compared to the rest of the brows (which aren’t thick by any means). I can’t seem to find a pencil that applies thinly enough for me to draw individual eyebrow hairs on, and filling them in with powder makes me look too intense.

Gigs I did look into lash serum. Unfortunately the highly rated ones are extremely expensive. You probably get a decent amount of product but there’s no guarantee it’ll work, whereas extensions or lifts will definitely do *something*, though it might be more or less than you wanted. I’ve only plucked my eyebrows once and I was very conservative with the plucking since you can’t hit undo. So it wasn’t really a noticeable change.

Flueks hm odd about the spotting. The zoo sounds fun! Glad your DH is doing well post-surgery.

PL I’ve considered getting them waxed or plucked by a professional just cuz they’re better at picking a shape and not messing them up, I’m clueless. But I’m not gonna paint them back on.

I kept starting to fall asleep while writing this so if there’s typos or random weird words I apologize, I realized I’d written daffodils at one point, no clue how that happened but I caught that one.

 

[PrettyInInk42]

Gigs - Ya, I'm not too worried about the house. Though it would be nice to get the ball rolling sooner rather than later. What brand is your stroller?
Sorry to hear you're still dealing with the hair loss and Myles' crazy sleep schedule. FX things get better soon.

Jez - I work as a t-shirt printing press loader. So, there's a lot of pivoting, moderate bending, crouching down, and a decent amount of walking. Plus being on my feet 8 hours a day. And cuz of the machinery we use, there's no way to cool the production area in the summer. We just open the large garage doors and pray for a breeze. lol
Ya, when it comes time, we'll use a realtor. And I still need to find a good mortgage broker.
Glad to hear you're placement is done. What's your next step now?

PL - Yay for a dinner time victory. I still can't get Alex to eat meat when he's not at daycare, except McD's chicken nuggets. :/

Flueky - Good to hear that your DH is doing well and AF is staying away.

Re: Paw Patrol. Alex had never watched it and I have no plans to show it to him. lol

AFM, uterus is feeling higher, still finding the HB, and haven't really gained any weight yet. And I'm starting to think about the logistics of driving to FL again (in Dec) with a 2 yo and 2 mo. It's gonna be fun. lol

 

[claireybell]

Shae, do you guys have ‘Avon’ cosmetics over there or online? My friend was an Avon rep & they would sell these pencil sticks for eyebrow/eyeliners called ‘Glimmersticks’ they’re like pencils but smidge more stickier & the pencil bit itself is quite thin & it lasts all day i find, they have them in light blonde colours so great if your quite fair

Prettt im so excited for you in the coming wks you’ll be feeling the first movements awww

Urhh so ive got my period cramping the lot! Trying to put Hayden the boob on abit more so i can get the hormone boast & maybe bleeding will ease off, hes been awful feeding lately & i know thats why the bleeding has started urhh! Typical as we are going to the RaceCourse this Saturday pffft!

 

[kittykat7210]

Probably not getting pregnant this cycle, I’ve started to get fertile CM and me and Lewis havent BD’d for 4 days, but I’m also not going to see him for a week! So that’s that, not this month I hate wasting months knowing there’s no chance!!

 

[gigglebox]

Kit where did he go? No chance for a meet up?

Pretty remind me when your next scan is? I think the stroller is babytrend.

Cb booooooo! Sorry af has arrived! I hope it eases off by saturday.

 

[Flueky88]

Pacific I also pluck my own. DH thinks it's weird because he doesn't think girls need to pluck or wax their eyebrows. Oh and not in the sense that he thinks they look fine but he thinks their eyebrows look like that naturally. So strange he thinks that.

Shae thank you. I'm chalking it up to pp weirdness for now.

Pretty I'd probably pass on that drive this year. S cries for 35 minutes straight and that's the longest drive I've taken. Then again your baby may love car rides.

CB sorry for AFs untimely arrival. I hope it's not too heavy Saturday.

Kitty I'm sorry this month is a waste. It definitely sucks waiting for another cycle.

 

[pacificlove]

Pretty, we have 5 hours of travel now to see family. 2 of those hours are spent in ferry lineup and ferry ride. So we try to run off some energy on the boat before 3 hours drive. We usually end up having to take a break after 2. Although we've been able to push the entire 3 hour drive too just depends on how naps go. If you get them used to travel/car rides from a young age, I don't see a problem.
Even the newborn phase: just make sure they are fed right before and they just pass out as soon as the car starts to move.

Kitty: no way to meet up for some sexy time?

 

[Flueky88]

Pacific it never mattered whether my NB girls were just fed. They both would wake up from the buckle clicking. It usually results in instant crying. It really makes travel a pain to hear a baby cry constantly. I apparently just hit the lottery of babies that hate car rides. Just my luck.

 

[gigglebox]

Maybe they'll grow out of it Fluek. 1&2 were the same as babies but became great travelers. My secret with Myles is to prop a bottle in his mouth with the help of some receiving blankets. He usually falls asleep, even if he's just had a nap.

 

[Flueky88]

V got somewhat better at 6 months and now that she's forward facing she is well behaved in the car. I only have 9 to 10 oz of milk pumped. I'm saving it for my mom when we go to see end game. The rest when I take V to the dentist. Anything left for the sitter. I'm hoping I have more pump output when it's replacing a feeding. In any case I'm hoping S follows suit on car rides.

 

[needausername]

Hi everyone, so I done my normal disappearing act when AF arrived. I usually do that Because Often our work patterns mean we don’t see each other when I’m fertile so I don’t want to torture myself.

Anyways, last month my body acted mega weird, threw out lots of creamy CM when usually I’m dry as f*** down there. My period was basically spotting but all the tests were negative.

Since then, the CM decreased but remained creamy and evident when I wipe. And now I’m cd32 and no sign of period. Normally it arrives day 26-29.

Took a cheapie last night and it was negative. Going to do a cheapie now and then get a proper one for tomorrow. Won’t test beyond that but I will go to the GP incase my body is being extra cruel and I’m heading towards menopause super early.

 

[gigglebox]

Needa do you track ovulation? How old are you to be worrying about menopause?

Fluek how much do you get during a pump session?

I am completely done pumping/breastfeeding. We are now jist finishing off my freezer stash. It's sad but also a relief. The biggest thing though is I no longer have to deal with feeling ill. I can't remember if I mentioned it but I was getting waves od nausea at let down (despite my little production it always happened -- after some research I have a suspicion I have an oxytocin sensitivity for this and other reasons).

 

[gigglebox]

Shae are you actually online this early?! Go to bed!

 

[Flueky88]

Needa I used to disappear too when AF hit. I called it AF blues as I was dissapointed we didn't conceive and was too hard to think about ttc.

Gigs I get 1 oz typically and it's usually 30 to 40 minutes after BFing. I did read from kellymom and other sites that 0.5oz to 2 oz is completely normal from an ebf mom so I don't feel so bad. I don't think I have low supply as she's gaining almost an ounce daily. So I have some hope I'll produce more when I'm pumping to replace a feeding.

I remember feeling sad about my milk drying up and V not getting any bm. It was also a relief though like you said. I'm going to talk with ped on Wednesday about possibility of having to introduce formula and what he recommends. Hoping I only have to buy one can or tub a month. It's so expensive! It's probably one of my biggest motivators to keep on. It is much easier now than the beginning.

Oh S is giving me 5 hour stretches now. Typically from 10 to 3 she sleeps. Eats til 4 or a little after and wakes again around 7. Swing will work if S is content/fed and alert. If she falls asleep after feeding the transfer wakes her and she starts crying. The swing won't soothe her, at least yet. I'm pleased it keeps her content for a bit when she's awake.

 

[gigglebox]

I love my swing! Well, baby loves it. Also it turns out he's rather happy in a carrier I have that I was trying to get rid of. I have a boba (similar to the ergo) that Levin loved but Myles hates it. I have another (baby trend maybe?) that lets their legs hang that Levin hated but Myles loves, go figure! Glad now I never was able to sell it.

Regarding formula, I highly recommend Similac with the silver top. I'll take a pic later if you'd like. It's GMO free which is important to me but more importantly, it doesn't have sugar as its second or third ingredient. When I was reading lables and doing research I was blown away by how much formula has sugar in as a main ingredient! Not cool! I feel like that sets up kids for failure on sugar addiction. I don't want my baby taking in so much sugar!

Just my opinion though...but I'm kind of crunchy au naturale when it comes to my kids...

Which you wouldn't ever know when you see how much chicken nuggets and hot dogs I let them eat. Which reminds me, Myles is now basically a vegetarian. He absolutely will not even ear hot dogs for me anymore. He is however now on a nut kick. So at least he's getting protein somewhere?

Pl I may have to try your octopus hot dog trick.

Next battle: getting Levin to stop shoveling food in his mouth. He was choking on a cheese stick yesterday because he tried to eat the whole thing at once...this is like the third time he's choked on food this way. He doesn't learn! Des choked one time trying to eat too many gold fish crackers at once and it scared the crap out of him. That was it!

Levin is my "spirited child" for sure.

Also forgot to mention but Myles is squealing now and it's the cutest thing ever!

Also Levin is starting to speak in full sentences (versus just two word sentences). On Monday he said his first one: "I want to go outside!" , clear as day. Which is funny because the first two words he put together weeks ago was "go outside" lol. This kid loves the outdoors!
Then Thursday I was cleaning something in the sink while he was in his high chair. He says, "Whaddaryou doin Mom?" And I look up and he's just staring at me inquisitively with his face coated in yogurt

Sorry to blab so much! I have time to kill. I'm in my car in line waiting to be let into a gated community for a community yard sale! I am so excited. I freaking love yard sale-ling.

EEE THE LINE IS MOVING!

 

[PrettyInInk42]

CB - Ya, I'm excited. Sorry about your AF and feeding difficulties though. :/

Kitty - Sorry that this cycle looks like a no-go.

Flueky - Only time will tell, I guess. Alex did pretty well the first time, but he was also 2 months older. I used to sit in the back seat with him and lean over to BF him as we were driving. It seemed to work out well, but I couldn't help with the driving as much as I wanted and SO has a habit of getting drowsy at the wheel on long car trips. FX we can make it work though.
Good to hear that S is sleeping longer now.

Gigs - Sat. June 1.
I don't recall you mentioning you were feeling ill, but my memory is kinda garbage. There is definitely a convenience to BFing, but also a relief when it's over. I'm looking forward to when I'm done next time so I can start doing intermittent fasting and really drop some weight.
I feel your pain re: your kid not eating protein. Alex seems to like nuts too. I just make sure SO is watching him closely while they eat mixed nuts together. And that's cute about both your boys vocalizing more. We're nowhere near full sentences, but the way he says certain things is so cute/funny. Milk is "n-yilk", diaper is "die-pee, one, two is "ah, doo" and when we ask him something (like "you want kisses from dada?") and he shakes his head and very sweetly says "no", omg. lol. That and "oooh, nooo" just melt me. He definitely says "wow" and "bay-beeee" really well.

AFM, business as usual. Finally got my taxes filed (deadline is April 30 in Canada), so that's a big weight off my shoulders. I'm thinking of checking mine and SO's credit scores online (on a site that won't make the number drop), just to kinda see what we're working with before we see a broker. Otherwise, just gonna have a chill weekend and probably hit up a park cuz the weather's supposed to be pretty nice.

 

[DobbyForever]

Skimming but just just wanted to add we were a Similac baby as well. He started on their Neosure when he was low birth weight, but at 6weeks that started giving him gas and reflux cuz of a dairy sensitivity so I tried a few formulas but the only one that worked out was Similac Pro Sensitive. I signed up for their mom mailing list so about once a month I got a $5 off coupon and when you use them (linked to your account) you get a free thing every so often.

 

[DobbyForever]

Been skimming but just so physically and emotionally drained. You know you’re f*ed when you go on vacation and come back needing a vacation sigh. I swore in A’s general direction for the second time in the last two months. (He woke up at 4 and I was so tired and muttered omg why it’s f*ing 4am). It’s not like I’m screaming profanities at him but he’s in the room and obviously I’m frustrated and I feel like s* that I can’t keep it together. And at work I actually laid on the floor during recess (ok my library with pillows and a rug not flood) while my student helpers worked and they were like um wtf lady you tell us to go home if we can’t stay awake

 

[shaescott]

Gigs lol it was 2 am, I couldn’t sleep cuz I’d napped earlier and my cat sat on me and wouldn’t move for a solid hour