Summer Sensations! (due May/June 2013)

[raelynn]

Walker - I've been nervous about having to leave baby too! Luckily hubby works at home so he'll be with baby but I'm hoping to see if I can switch to part time after baby gets here.

 

[No Doubt]

I know. We are gonna start looking soon. I have a couple in mind that I want to see first. I guess people could do it on one salary cause one would stay home with tue kids...? I don't know how people did it then still to be honest. But I'm freaking out. I'm taking extra time off to stay home longer.

 

[No Doubt]

Rae I wish I could work from home. Hubbs said he will work a few days from home. I'm hoping the other days we can have an in home baby sitter. But if not then day care it is.

 

[lilbabywalker]

Right now we both work full time for nonprofits. We love what we do, but one nonprofit salary would be tough to live off of if I quit my job. The DH has talked about looking for a better paying job but I also want him to be happy and not feel like he's selling his soul just so I can stay home! Still, what I wouldn't give to be a SAHM. Maybe I could work part time some evenings?

 

[almosthere]

walker-I started talking to my mom about all this! Unfortunately I think I will not be getting maternity pay, so I am missing only a month or so of work because I teach-so summer is off and it will basically be a baby anyway yay =) well spring hehe so I luck out there to get my 3 months with baby-but then I will have my mom watch baby 4 days a week. DH works Sunday-Thursday, and I do monday-friday, so we kind of luck out in beign with the baby 3 full days a week compared to two...one full day with daddy, one full day with daddy and mommy, then one ful day with mommy, yay! LOL I wish it was more, but DH and I will have to work full time-especially to pay for our ivf embryos that are frozen and to pay for the new house and baby! It sounds stressful, but we can all get through this, everyone else does!

 

[lilbabywalker]

Maybe if we both work from home one day a week, and have my mom come out once a week (unfortunately, they live an hour and a half away), we could get by with only having to do day care twice a week or so . . . It's not so much the money I care about, but missing so much of those first, most important years of of our baby's life.

 

[almosthere]

No, I totally agree-but unfortunately money is a factor for us since we can't afford to be out of work for too long...if I had a choice I would be with baby full time and not work ever!! LOL

 

[almosthere]

By the way-no doubt-LOVING the tree!!

 

[MissAnnabelle]

I am staying home with baby. Hubby does okay and we are not big spenders. We don't really vacation and own everything we have besides our mortgage, so I think we can do it. I know someone who is the majority breadwinner in her family and has 3 little ones and it was cheaper for her to pay the weekly salary of the woman she liked at the daycare to just come to her house and watch her little ones. Daycare is really expensive and I don't make enough money to justify it because I would probably be working to pay for daycare and missing out. On top of that I don't have any family nearby to rely on - just DH's side, so I wouldn't really have anyone to call over to help.

 

[TwoRdue]

Im the same as you MissA, I will at least be taking the first year off as I dont want to miss anything and this will prob be the only chance that the OH and I have at having a baby so I want to spend every moment I can with him/her

 

[lilbabywalker]

I just wish so badly that that was an option!!

 

[GettingBroody]

I would love to stay at home full time but it's definitely not an option finacially for us either... Luckily the maternity leave is quite good here so I will be off until the mid/end of Jan. Then if possible I might look into taking unpaid leave to take me up to the midterm break at the end of Feb or if we can manage it until the Easter hols. After that.... Our parents do live nearby but I wouldn't like to ask them to give up all their free time to mind the baby - I feel they worked long enough so they should be enjoying their retirement now, if ye know what I mean? If they offer to take the baby one day a week or something then that's different but I won't be asking... But crèches are so expensive! I think I'd prefer to find someone local who minds children in her own home. That's the way we were minded when my mum was at work and I think it's much nicer to be minded in a family setting than in a crèche where the baby is just one of many. Who knows how things will work out though...!

Natalie - good luck with your scan today!!

 

[Christie2011]

I love the cardigan and tree!

I'm still getting up to pee just as often as I was the first tri and no leg cramping (yet anyway).

I'm going to look into getting a nanny when I go back to work. I have an infant at home already (I adopted him almost 7 weeks ago) and with 2 infants, a nanny will be cheaper than daycare. Right now my sister watches my baby, but she has 2 kids of her own (one just turned 1 this month and the other is turning 5 next month) so watching 3 babies will be a bit much. A full time nanny will cost just a little more than the cost of putting one infant in daycare, so it's a better deal. Grandparents live too far away, though I'm trying to convince a cousin to move in with me so I can pay her to be my nanny. So far all she's doing is thinking about it. I don't think that's going to happy and I"m not thrilled about hiring a stranger to stay with my kids, but being a single parent, I'll have to.

 

[snowflakes120]

I get 6-8 weeks of maternity but only get paid 60% of my pay. Blah. May is going to be a big life changer for us. Hubby graduates from Engineering College and we are hoping he will get an awesome paying job. He already has 7 years experience in the field - just hoping he lands a job with a great new company that pays what he's worth. I may or may not stay home - it just depends on what happens with him. If not, I have a day care that is rated high near my house. My friend that is due in Jan. is using them as well.

I am officially out of 1st tri! If you divide the 3 trimester exactly even. Yippeee! I managed to gain 1.5 pds. Still in my usual pants and very easy to hide the pregnancy. Some of my regular pants are a bit tight by the end of the day but not bad yet. MIL said I am still tiny when she came to visit. Which I know is true. Hoping to have a tiny belly bump around Christmas when my parents come to visit.

 

[Christie2011]

My mom is not quite convinced that I am pregnant since she says I'm still little and everyone I've told is telling me I don't look pregnant. I guess I'm the only one who can tell I've put on weight. Which is a good thing since I don't plan on going public (only close family for now) until mid January. Then I'll go Facebook public and probably start letting the word out at work.

 

[lilbabywalker]

I'm having another freak-out day. I crunched my numbers and it looks like I'll only be able to take paid time off till July 22nd, about 8 weeks. My job doesn't have maternity leave, so I need to use all my paid time off, then take unpaid leave, which I don't even know if we can afford.

I just want to cry. We bought a modestly priced house within our feasible budget, a small, modest car, and both have full time jobs, and yet I can't afford to stay home with my new baby more than 8 weeks? WTF?

Seriously on the verge of tears right now.

 

[No Doubt]

Walker it will be ok hun. You guys will figure it out I'm sure. Do you think maybe you could put a little more back while preggo? Don't let it get you down just yet.

 

[Christie2011]

I just found out that I'll be covered for 60% of my salary under my company's short term disability plan. Has anyone else looked into that? It's better than taking unpaid leave and at least that way I'll be able to take more than 2 weeks (all the vacation time I'll likely be able to save up from now until then). I'm also holding on to my tax return monies to cover the short term disability difference. Hopefully I'll be able to work out at least 4 weeks.

 

[No Doubt]

Omg my little person is looking so cute in there. I will have to post pics when I get home, but the lady said everything looks good. She was so active jumping and punching any kicking. She started out laying on her belly then I went pee and she flipped on her side. Then the lady pushed with the probe a bit a she flipped on her back. So exciting!

 

[No Doubt]

I'm covered 100% 6-8 weeks depending on natural delivery or c-section.