June Angel Baby Mommas Hoping for Rainbows!!

[vegasbaby]

Hi ladies, just thought I'd pop in to see what everyone is up to. Pretty quiet on here lately.

Not too much going on with me. Went to have my IUD inserted Tuesday only to find out my cervix was too closed. Tried again Wednesday after taking Cytotec, but still no luck. Super painful experience all-in-all. So it's back to progesterone only pills. Boo.

The girls are great. Grace is cutting her second tooth so her sleep has regressed a bit. She got pink eye last week, but luckily we caught it early so it didn't really bother her. The worst part was trying to get the drops in her eyes. It was difficult even with two people trying to get the job done.

I think I may have mentioned back in January that I have a friend whose son has cancer. Well, he passed last week. Six years old. Still makes me sad to think about it. Melissa, he had the same cancer that girl you follow on Facebook has. It's supposed to be super-rare, yet here are two children with the same terrible disease. Hope your little girl turns out to be the exception and survives.

Jen: we need an update! How are you feelng? Are you feeling lots of kicks yet? Have you started on the nursery?

Stef: how are you feeling? How's the job search going? I've seen people offer up free-lance web design on Etsy. Have you considered giving etsy a try?

Angel: are you still working at that daycare? I've been thinking about those kids you talked about. How are they?

Meli: so are you in party planning mode yet for Xzavier's b-day?

Jasmine: I saw your photos on FB the other day. Loved seeing you and your adorable girls.

Phantom: where are you in the surrogate process?

 

[StefNJunk]

Vegas, did Cytotec cause you a lot of pain? When I used it to complete that miscarriage it was like 8 hours of labor... horrible.

Poor Grace! Pink eye sucks! Glad you caught it early. I can imagine getting the drops in her eye was difficult... it's hard enough getting Sienna to hold her head still to wipe her nose, lol.

So sad about your son's friend... I'm not sure what to say except cancer fucking sucks.

I'm feeling much better, first tri sickies are all gone. I hadn't considered Etsy, I'll have to check into it, thanks for the idea!

AFM, got my first stranger commenting on the belly tonight. We stopped at a casino on the way home from Blake's mom's (for his bday dinner and Sienna is staying the night there). We were standing by a blackjack table and the dealer said, "How are the three of you doing over there?" I said to Blake, "Did she just say three?" Lol. He went and sat down and she said, "So it's going to be three of you soon?" and points to my stomach. So apparently it's pretty obvious!

Sienna had her 9 month appt on Tuesday. Up to 28" and 16 lb, 14 oz. She's also saying hello, not sure if I told you guys that already. She's falling asleep on her own for naps, but still screams if I put her down to sleep at night without holding her until she falls asleep. It only seems to bother her when it's dark out.

Not much else going on here...

 

[vegasbaby]

Stef: hooray for feeling better! That blackjack dealer must have felt pretty confident that you were pregnant, but I think it would have been funnier had you told him you weren't pregnant. I'm sure you are barely showing, so I'm surprised anyone would be brave enough to say anything.

The Cytotec barely gave me any cramps. I read up on it and it appears that it isn't very effective if you aren't actually pregnant. Something about the pregnancy hormones helping it along. I had remembered your experience and was afraid to take it, but other than some mild cramping it was no big deal.

 

[angel2010]

It has been so quiet in here lately! Sorry I have been gone. I feel like I have had so much going on. Carter loves school!! I am still getting used to the routine of it though. I am still working at the daycare, but I am dropping to only 3 days a week in the next couple of weeks. It has just been too much for me. Those kids have not been coming. I am not really sure what is going on. They are still trying to get them taken from the home and unfortunately they don't feel the need to keep us in the loop. I have also had a huge health scare. Three Thursdays ago I was working the in morning by myself. There was one 18 month old there so far. I had had blind spots in my vision since I got there at 6:30am. Then at 7:30, I had a super scary episode where I couldn't speak properly. I could still say stuff, but I went to say something to the toddler and I couldn't. Then I looked around and started trying to say things I saw and couldn't say some of them: desk, dinosaur, cradle and trampoline were a few. It was so scary and Jeff didn't answer when I called, so I called my mom and was freaking out crying. So we went to the er later and I was referred to a primary care doctor. I had an app for the following Monday. Nobody seemed to be taking me seriously. I knew these were signs of a stroke, but the didn't even seem to consider it. They just kept hanging on to the fact that I have had migraines in the past. They figured my symptoms were in connection to a migraine. I kept telling them that I didn't have a migraine that day. Anyhow, I finally got the doctor to set up an MRI and an ultrasound on my carotid arteries. My ultrasound was normal, but my MRI was not. I don't get to see a neurologist until 10/8, but reading the report and doing my own research, it looks like there is a very good chance it was a small stroke.
Here is what my results said: Several tiny areas of increased signal intensity were scattered throughout the white matter of both frontal lobes.
Then it goes on to say: Consider gliosis related to previous ischemic or infectious insult

So gliosis has something to do with scars caused by MS or stroke, which is an ischemic insult. So I am pretty worried that I actually may have had a stroke at 28. A stroke is usually caused by a blood clot. My carotids were clear, so I am not sure what the next steps will be.

Vegas, sorry about your cervix. Are they planning to try again? Also, sorry to hear about your friends son. After becoming a parent we become so empathetic. I can't imagine losing one of my children. That really stinks about the pink eye, glad you caught it early.

Stef, that really is a great price for that package. Have you convinced him yet? I am glad Sienna has been doing better with sleeping, at least for naps. That is so cute that she can say hello! I love all her pictures! She is so tiny! She is a month behind Emma and about 2 pounds lighter. I always think Emma is tiny, I can't remember Emma's height stats for some reason right now.

I hope everyone else is doing well.

 

[StefNJunk]

Vegas, I really SHOULD have acted offended before actually admitting to it, lol. The dealer was actually a woman, so I'm thinking she may have seen some sort of signs that tipped her off (e.g. I was drinking a bottled water in a casino, etc.)

I'm glad Cytotec didn't cause you the same pain, but sucks it didn't work at all for you.

Angel, oh my god, that sounds scary... I hope they find out what's wrong! Be sure to let us know when you hear anything.

Still haven't convinced Blake of the early ultrasound, but I'm thinking I might just wait. His mom has been to the gender ultrasounds of all three grandkids so far, and if we do the early one, she won't be able to make it because she's having a hysterectomy a few days before we would be going.

I'm loving Emma and Carter's pics, too! I just want to bite Emma's little cheeks and play with all her hair. She's such a beautiful little girl! And Carter, so handsome.

A friend of ours has a daughter who is 5 months younger than Sienna and 2 pounds lighter, she's definitely going to catch up to her soon! I'm actually surprised Sienna hasn't put on more weight with the switch to formula. Still BFing, just not much at all now, supply is dwindled to almost nothing... lucky if it's maybe 6oz a day. I do plan to keep BFing even though there isn't much, just to get her the little bit of extra goodness I can.

So Sienna had sleepovers at Blake's mom's house the past two Saturday nights and loved it. So glad she's getting over the "need to be with mommy and only mommy" thing. Last Sunday when we came to pick her up she wanted attention from Blake for a few minutes, then she wanted to keep playing. Felt a little dissed

I'm still having a hard time working her up to 3 meals a day. The more she eats, the worse tummy aches she gets at night. Screeeeaming pain type tummy aches. Gas drops or Maalox usually get rid of them, but I'm not sure why 3 meals is causing them to begin with (it does happen with no new food, so I know it isn't caused by a food allergy or anything). Not sure what to do there...

 

[vegasbaby]

Angel: OMG. How scary. I'm sorry you have to wait so long to see a neurologist, but I'm glad you made them give you an MRI. I'll pray you get a good report from the doctor and test it never happens again.

Stef: that's awesome that your MIL takes Sienna at night. I'm sure you need the occasional break. Not sure what could be causing the tummy issues. Have you considered eliminating foods with gluten? I give Gracie a probiotic every day (it's a powder I add to her bottle) and I feel it helps with digestion.

AFM: Grace had a big weekend. She cut her second tooth, learned to go from lying down to sitting and started to crawl. My big girl!

 

[StefNJunk]

Vegas, I hadn't considered eliminating gluten, the problem doesn't seem to happen if we only do one or two meals, just if there's 3 or 3 + snacks. I feel like she's not getting enough food, though. I guess she's doing ok since she's staying within the same weight range as always (25th-ish percentile). I'm trying to work in more food during the day again... just going to have to pay attention to what exactly she eats those days, I guess... does seem to happen more when she's at Blake's mom's, where I don't always get to monitor what they feed her.

Go Grace! Sienna still hasn't gotten her first tooth, lol.

So I decided to take a bump pic today, 15 weeks. White shirt is this pregnancy, red shirt is with Sienna at 15 weeks.

https://i.imgur.com/YqAHrkT.jpg

 

[angel2010]

Stef, Wow! That is definitely a big difference in bellies! Your belly is always so cute! What does your dr say about her tummy issues with 3 meals? My ped also says lots of people recommend probiotics and really love them. We got a bottle when Emma was tiny and fussy, but didn't see a difference. we didn't stick with it though and looking back I think she was just a fussier baby with a touch of reflux. That is really great that your mil keeps her though! My mom hasn't kept Emma over night yet, but I think we may ask her for a night or two in October while we take a small getaway a couple hours away.

Vegas, Yay to Grace's big weekend! And to her second tooth!

Afm, nothing new. Next week I go down to 4 days and then from them on it will be 3 days a week. I am unbelievably relieved! I have started planning Emma's birthday party and am super excited. She already has a few presents in the closet. We may just get her a few more. I have also started my Christmas lists. I love fall and the holiday season!

 

[vegasbaby]

Stef: what a cute bump. Ok, so I do see where that dealer must have felt pretty confident you were pg, because you are for sure showing.

Angel: i still can't believe our babies are going to be one soon. This year has flown by. What kind of party are you having for Emma? I have also started Christmas shopping. Better to spread it out than to panic at the last minute.

AFM: home with Grace today as she gas a fever. It was 101.5 this morning and has spiked to 103.6. Ibuprofen and a doctor's appointment is scheduled for tomorrow. Other than her taking a super-long nap, she seems perfectly fine.

 

[StefNJunk]

Angel, I didn't think to ask the dr at her last appt. Thinking about calling and asking the nurses, but we're going to work back up to 3 meals a day one more time and see how it works out first. Hopefully it's just something she needed to grow out of. I may try probiotics for her, is there a baby specific kind you guys have tried?

I say go for it and take your getaway in October! You deserve it.

I can't believe it's soooo close to birthdays, either! I'm excited... what are your plans so far? I love the fall and holiday seasons, too, but I hate shopping... I want to snap my fingers and have all the pretty decorations and presents wrapped and all that... lol.

Vegas, I figured that pic would show why the dealer was confident, lol. And that wasn't at the end of the day when it's a bit bigger from food babies.

Hope Grace's fever has gone down, and glad it doesn't seem to be bothering her!

 

[angel2010]

Vegas, could Grace's fever be teething related? It seems like people are split on whether they believe teething causes low grade fevers. She certainly had more than a low grade fever though! Hope it goes away quickly!
We are planning an "Autumn" theme party. Carter's first party was a "Moose and Zee" theme. I don't know if you remember them from Nick Jr when our oldest kids were about 1. He loved to watch them in between shows. Emma doesn't care about tv at all though.

Stef, the time has flown!! It makes me so sad. And then that post I shared last night.

 

[vegasbaby]

Stef: I use Baby Bifidactyl unflavored probiotics that I get from Whole Foods in the refrigerated section of their vitamin aisle. It has dinosaurs on it so you can't miss it. I mix 1/4 teaspoon in one bottle a day. There is a 100 day supply in one bottle.

Angel: yes, I do remember Moose and Zee. This will be the first year I have a real party with other kids for Charlotte. So far I'm thinking of doing a My a Little Pony party and taking the kids to a farm with ponies. As far as Grace goes we will have a cake and some neighbors over to help us celebrate.

So the fever got even higher, 104.3, but did cone idem with ibuprofen. Turns out she has her first ear infection. They seem to be pretty common when babies are teething so it's par for the course. Fever is back to 101 this morning and I'm hoping this will be the last day of fever.

 

[angel2010]

I know, the birthdays are coming so quick! Has Natasha's LO had his yet? If not it should be very soon. Then rest will be here before we know it! We are just planning to have it at the house. We will have snacks, drinks and cake. I will have a fall display in the front and a display in the back by the garden for people to take pictures at. We will also have apple bobbing for the bigger kids. That is all though.

Vegas, sorry the fever is still hanging around. I hope the infection goes away quickly! A My Little Pony party sound so fun!

 

[StefNJunk]

Angel, I know I saw Natashia post that she's planning Lucas's bday party, but I don't think it said when.

Vegas, how is Grace doing?

AFM... yay! finally convinced Blake he wants to know if this one is a boy or girl sooner than later! He was wanting to wait until the midwife does the 20 week scan... yesterday I said we need to know what this one is so we can go about either getting rid of Sienna's old clothes or getting them ready to use again, and he said, "I know, will Ultrasona have any appointments this week?"

He's going to ask the midwife at our Thursday appt if she'll do it, and if not, I got a Saturday appt with the place with the awesome package (if she'll do it Thursday, we'll just cancel Saturday).

I knew he couldn't be patient that long while I'm over here being impatient!

 

[angel2010]

Yay!! We will know so soon!!!


Jen, I need to hear from you!!!

 

[jenkb123]

I’m sorry I’ve been MIA again. Thanks Angel for checking up on me. Work has been busy and I have been keeping up with reading everyone else’s posts, I keep meaning to post myself but obviously haven’t done it.

Things are going well. I am 26 weeks now. The time seems to be flying by!! We start our prenatal classes tomorrow. They go for nine weeks (two hours every Tuesday evening). We are going to a cloth diaper seminar on Wednesday. My husband has already picked out the brand of cloth diapers he wants to get. He had them researched before we were even pregnant. They give us a discount if we buy on the day of the seminar. Did any of you guys use cloth diapers? The brand he likes is called Apple Cheeks.

I have been feeling pretty good for the last 10 weeks or so. Mainly just tired, no real pains, heartburn, or other problems (knock on wood). I feel pretty lucky so far. My next midwife appointment is on Sept 16. It is actually with my sister (weird huh!!). She is on my team (there are three midwives on the team). I have seen my primary midwife for the last two appointments. They like you to have at least one appointment with everyone on the team so you know everyone. There are two midwives (or at least a midwife and an attendant) at each birth. I expect it will likely be my sister and my primary midwife at our birth.

I am starting to feel more frequent movement. I found out at my 20 week scan that I have an anterior placenta so it hasn’t been until recently that I have been feeling lots of movement. It is weird to watch my stomach jump around and twitch from side to side.

Hope everyone is doing well. I am at work and my 2:00 appointment just showed up so I will try to respond properly later this week. Hopefully I will have a slow day at work. This is another crazy week in the evenings. My husband’s birthday is today and we are supposed to go out for supper with his parents, we have our first prenatal class tomorrow night, the cloth diaper class Wednesday night, and I am going to a concert with my mom on Thursday night. I’m tired just listing it all off!!

 

[vegasbaby]

Jen: hooray for almost being in the third trimester! Can you believe it?! That's awesome that your sister is part of your midwife team. I didn't use cloth diapers. Thought about it, but wasn't confident my front load washer would be able to clean them properly. As busy as you are preparing for baby and filling your social calendar the time will race by and the next thing you know you'll have your baby in your arms.

Stef: I'm so excited that you'll know (and hopefully you'll tell us) this baby's gender by the end of the week!

AFM: Grace is on the mend. She's also on the move. Crawling so fast and trying to stand. What happened to my little baby?!

 

[StefNJunk]

https://i.imgur.com/EAXYAQG.jpg

 

[vegasbaby]

Hooray, Stef! Since I just saw your post on FB, I figured I should check in on here. Sure looks like a boy in that image! Let the name game begin! What are y'all thinking?

 

[angel2010]

Jen, Congrats on third trimester!!! How did your appointment go? Have you finally started buying things?

Stef, lovely picture! I am so excited for you! Boys are so fun. They love their mommas!

Vegas, glad Grace is better. You forget how hard the crawling stage is until you get in it again! It is amazing how fast they can go!