Valentines Babies, 2013!

[helena]

Merry Christmas ladies! Xx

 

[Kellen]

Merry Christmas! The stockings have been emptied. Breakfast has been consumed. Now Teagen is napping.

 

[wamommy]

Merry Christmas, ladies!! I hope you all have a wonderful day.

The whirlwind is over here and I'm about to make brunch. The kids are happy! DH also gets some extra points today for getting me an Ergo carrier in the same pattern as my diaper bag!! Woooooot!!

 

[SierraJourney]

Merry Christmas ladies! Yesterday was super busy for us (aren't all holidays?!), but we had our small Christmas here--just DH, me, and Camden--- then we had my dad's Christmas in the morning and my mum's Christmas in the evening! On top of that, DH was sick, so stayed home in the morning. . . Camden and I are just getting over the sickness, so it was a lot of work to get us out and to both Christmases, but we made it! It was a lovely time and I can't believe how many toys Camden got from other people for Christmas! I'm now looking online for a toybin because he didn't have too many toys before, so we just left them lying around on the floor of the playroom. . .but now I need some sort of organization for all of these toys! Any suggestions on bins/boxes for toy organization?

Wamammy--I'm totally jealous of your Ergo! It's beautiful! I'm looking into the Tula toddler carrier for my next carrier. . . since Camden is now getting into "toddler-age", but I still want to be able to carry him. We'll see if DH swings for it someday.

Has anyone else switched from the infant carrier to a regular carseat? I'm thinking it's time to switch soon, as Camden is getting a bit long for his infant carrier. . . but I'm a little scared to switch! I love carrying him from the car in his seat. . .and I love the protection of it. Why does he have to grow!? lol

 

[Kellen]

Happy Day After Christmas!

Wamommy - That is an awesome Ergo. I still love using mine with Teagen. Sometimes it is way more convenient to have her on me instead of in a shopping cart or stroller. That is a beautiful pattern. Brownie points for DH!

Sierra - I was just thinking this morning that we need to find a toy box or chest for all of Teagen's toys. I am also planning to go through her toys and pick out the ones that are too baby-ish and don't get played with very often. We haven't used an infant car seat for a long time... At least since October 15th when it was stolen along with our car. We have an extended rear-facing car seat that will last until she is 40lb and then will front face until 65lb.

Teagen was a bit overwhelmed with all the "new" she encountered yesterday. DH tried to get her to rip into packages, but she looked at him with the face of: "You and mom tell me NOT to rip paper all the time and now you're trying to get me to tear it? I'm not stupid, Daddy." She was thrilled with her "Scout" puppy that we programed to say her name and play games with her. She is also pretty fond of her "Ybike" from my parents. It is supposed to be used as a walker from 12 months until the toddler is tall enough to sit on it and push it around with their feet. My long kid rides it like a bike and can scoot! She enjoys being pushed on it too.

Our sign language is exploding here! Everyday she shows us a new sign. A couple of mornings ago DH was tickling her and she turned around and signed "All done, game Daddy." I had no idea she knew how to sign "game". Then yesterday she really started in on the "Dada's". Anytime DH would walk out of the room she would cry for him. So I got to have a free day!

I bought DH a remote controlled helicopter. He has been asking for one for the past three years. Immediately after clean up he put batteries in it and took it outside to play with it. He is such a big kid! Teagen thought him crashing it was hilarious. I thought she was going to pass out she was laughing so hard.

Sorry to hear about all the sickness going about. I'm 50/50 on whether or not I was pregnant. I get waves of nausea, but nothing like I had with Teagen. I feel tired, but that could be because I'm still getting up 3 times a night with Teagen. My nipples are sore, but we are sprouting teeth. I've had cramps, but they could be round ligament types or they could just be signs of AF approaching. I guess we'll see next week if AF decides to show up. No use taking a test as it would be too early for anything to show up.

 

[SierraJourney]

Kellen--that's hilarious about the helicopter---I got my DH one this Christmas too!! lol He's been too sick to even open it yet but plans to take Camden to the park to try it out! lol

It's so exciting waiting to see if AF comes. How do you feel about the possibility?!

Me, on the other hand, know for certain pregnancy is no where in sight---I have had THREE periods in a matter of a month! (That's about a 4 day break! Argh! )

I think we'll have to look into a carseat like that.. . I want him to be rearfacing for as long as possible!

 

[wamommy]

I'm glad to hear your Christmases went well! It's such a busy, wonderful day, isn't it? We spent the whole morning at home and then drove the hour trip up to my Mom's house in the afternoon. We stayed there WAY too late, and by 8:30 when we left Max was asleep and my 4-year-old (who was sneaking chocolates off of the table all afternoon) was absolutely insane. Even once we got home and DH and I were about to collapse, the girls were still going strong wanting to play with their new toys!! Ahh... to be young again. DH and I stayed up until 2am on Christmas Eve putting together a bunk bed for the girls, so it was a very exhausting day indeed.

I have a huge toy box for the girls' stuff, along with several toy bins for the overflow, but nothing for Max yet. He doesn't have a ton of stuff, but the amount is growing. So far his toys are spread out around the house and piles on counters and shelves so the girls won't mess with his things. I'm thinking he may need his own toy box of "safe" toys soon, to keep all of the toys separate. I've seen those shelves with different color bins that pull out to organize toys on Craigslist for only $20 or so, and I'm thinking that may be the way to go.

Max wasn't a big fan of any of his gifts, unfortunately... The musical table is a bit too overwhelming for him and he got frustrated immediately. The only thing he likes was a remote control for babies (since I'm constantly taking the remote away from him) and I discovered he LOVES books. The expensive gifts from family and things I thought he'd love appear to be dust collectors, at least for now.

Sierra, we've been in a convertible car seat (rear facing until 35 pounds, forward to 70) since Max was about 7 months old. He's such a chunk, and our infant seat was only rated to 22 pounds, that we changed over pretty early. I also really like the seat he's in now. It got amazing safety reviews and is very comfy and roomy for him. It's actually DD #2's seat... so it's pink and grey. Poor Max!! He doesn't seem to mind though, and new covers are $75! That seems like such a rip-off. I do miss the ease of popping the carrier out of the car and straight into the stroller. It was nice not to wake Max when he was sleeping!

It's taken me an hour to finish writing this post. My girls are fighting over new toys and keep asking me to put together/take apart/cut tags off/find accessories... ugh. So much for a relaxing day after Christmas!

Kellen, keep us posted on the pregnancy signs! I know it's impossibly hard to tell AF signs from pregnancy signs, but I'll be excited to find out what happens!

 

[SierraJourney]

I was looking at those colored bins, too. . .but didn't know if they'd hold larger toys or just trinkets? I've never seen one in person, so I have no clue!

I was wondering if that musical table would be a good gift to get Camden or not. . . he doesn't have a lot of things in the playroom to stand up to, so I thought that might encourage it? He really likes all of his toys, but gets bored of them easily and I have to switch them out. I'll take it though!

I forget that Camden is still on the small side! lol He's not even 20 pounds yet (close, though!) and his infant seat goes up to 30 pounds. It only goes up to 30 inches long though. .. and he's 28.5. . . so I'm thinking it's close to switching. If you don't mind my asking, what carseat do you have with the good safety reviews?

 

[DragonflyWing]

We had a nice Christmas here. Slept in, watched the kids open and play with their gifts (they loved ripping the paper!). They got mostly clothes, but some toys too. My mom got them a little play laptop that spells words and sings songs, and a book that plays music and tells stories... and I got them a little playschool dump truck and a set of stacking/nesting barrels. I felt a little inadequate until I realized they like the barrels better than all the electronic stuff! They played for over an hour together on the floor and had a great time.

After that, we went out to a Chinese buffet for dinner. The twins were very well behaved and it was fun. The day went by much too quickly! I'm back at work now and wishing for the weekend.

Anyone have Christmas pictures? Here are some of ours from yesterday:

 

[SierraJourney]

Oh my gosh Dragon--those are darling pictures! What sweet kids! We were so sick that we really didn't take pictures.. . I think my mum snapped a few, so I'll have to get them from her. . .

 

[wamommy]

Dragon, how cute!! I can't believe how big the twins are getting. Look at Lily standing like a pro!

I think I have a couple of pics, but DH is loading music on my phone at the moment, so I'll have to post them later!

Sierra, Max is in the Recaro Proride, and my girls are in the Prosport. It's hard to find them in stores, but ebay and Amazon have them. The only consideration is that they're BIG, but that's part of what makes them so safe, I think.

Max's
https://recaropromotion.com/default.html

The bigger one (goes up to 120 pounds!!) for the girls
https://recaropromotion.com/performanceSport.html

 

[SierraJourney]

Thanks wamommy! I'm going to go take a look!

 

[Kellen]

Dragon - The twins are getting so big! Happy Belated Birthday to them as well. I can't believe that at this time a year ago you were in the NICU with them. It seems like yesterday that we were looking at pictures of them with tubes and whatnot and praying that you'd get to take them home soon. Congrats on having beautiful and thriving toddlers.

Sierra - We were thinking of getting the Maxi Cosi as our next convertible car seat. It is a bit pricey, but it has excellent ratings. As for another baby. I would love any child that we have, but at this time. No, I don't really want another baby. I would like to have Teagen out of diapers before we think about having a second one. I would also like to be a little more financially secure. However, we'll see what next week brings.

With Teagen I was 100% convinced we had conceived during the TWW and wasn't at all surprised at our BFP. This time I don't know my own mind. Half of the time I know I'm not, but then the other have I am convinced I am. Right now, for example. I am battling being terribly nauseous and the thought of eating anything makes me turn green.

Today it clicked with Teagen. She can walk. All by herself. It is seriously cute and kind of funny. She will take a few steps and then start going faster. Since she hasn't learned how to slow down when she starts to fall forward she launches herself straight out as far as she can go before she hits the ground and takes off at a mad crawl. I simply must video it and try to find someway to post it on here.

On Christmas morning DH and I woke Teagen up by singing Christmas carols to her. Now, bear in mind, DH can't carry a tune in a bucket. Once she finally woke up she looked at us and sort of crossed her arms in front of her. DH asked: "What sign is that?" I said I think it is "baby." She then proceeded to sign out "baby signing time" which is the name of her DVD's. Yep, parents singing got the boot in favor of Baby Signing Time... I felt loved.

 

[wamommy]

Kellen, I would LOVE to see a video of Teagen walking!! I'll bet it's so cute. I'm so impressed by her signing, too. It sounds like she has a really big vocabulary and definitely knows what she wants!

Max is still not crawling... lol. I'm a tad worried, but not too much. I think part of the problem is that I simply don't give him enough time on the floor to figure it out. He freaks out and screams after only a couple of minutes on his tummy, and probably only about 5 minutes sitting playing with toys. He always wants to be held or sitting up at the table with us. I suppose at some point he'll figure it out? This was never an issue with the girls... They were up and walking by now! ah well.

I made a list of baby names that I like. It's not complete... more of a brainstorm. I already told DH that I am choosing the name this time, since he cornered me into names he liked the last 2 times. Which ones do you like??


Girl:

Aveline
Fiona
Violet
Isla
Quinn
Lyla
Serafina
Vivienne

Boy:

Luca
Jack
Finn
Quinn
Leo
Atticus

I'm also looking for "virtue" middle names for both boys and girls, and so far I've come up with Serenity and Felicity for girls and Pax for a boy. We already have kids with middle names Grace, Hope, Faith and Love...

 

[helena]

I vote Violet and Leo I love violet but couldn't have it here as the french say it all wrong. We considered Leona for Kiara, A kind of girly Version of Leo.

 

[SierraJourney]

Kellen--yes, definitely post a video of Teagen walking! That's so exciting!!

What day are you testing/expecting AF? I'm getting antsy!

wamommy, for a girl, I vote Aveline! I LOVE that!! Fiona also---that's the name that DH and I have picked out for our girl (if we ever have one or another child, for that matter! ) We've had that name picked out before we were even pregnant with Camden. We could have girls with the same name! I love it.

It's funny because we also had the name "Finn" picked out for a boy---possibly our second (again, if we even have another child!) Sounds like you and I like the same sorts of names! However, Atticus is standing out to me because it is such a STRONG name---LOVE it.

All of your names are lovely, though----I think it's about time your DH lets you use them!


Camden has "second Christmas" with DH's folks yesterday. Got tons more toys and some cute clothes. He was thrilled with all of the new stuff and commotion. Cutie pie.

 

[SierraJourney]

Those of you with Ergo carriers----do you use it with your baby now still? I found a brand new one that someone is selling for $65--great price! I want to keep carrying Camden, but DH thinks I won't this summer because he'll be too big. The website says they go up to 45lbs.. . but realistically, have you stopped using yours or do you think it's worth the investment? Camden's carrier is almost too small for him now. . .and he has hated his stroller (haven't tried it in a few months though). . .so, I'm getting tempted to buy this Ergo!

 

[Kellen]

I still use mine and plan to for a while. DH uses it with T on his back.

 

[SierraJourney]

Thanks Kellen. I'm going to see if I can convince DH to let me get it.

I'm kind of annoyed. . .MIL has this habit of saying, "I want to come up and babysit---so you guys can have a date". Which SEEMS nice, but it just irks me that SHE tells us that she wants to babysit. I just wish she'd wait until we ASK her to come babysit. She wants to come up this weekend and watch Camden. . . but I really don't want to go out and I really don't want to have to clean the house for company again. We just spent tons of time out for the holidays, and I really just want a weekend by myself! I feel like it's just so inconvenient for me to have to plan to go out, get stuff ready for a babysitter to come over, etc.. . when I'd rather spend the weekend in my pjs watching movies with DH. I know I have problems with MIL anyways. . .but this really gets to me. . . And what gets me more is that I *know* DH wants to go out. . .so he'll probably say "yes". . . which I want time with him too. . .I'm just sooooo tired after the holidays that it seems like more hassle than anything. . . *sigh*

 

[wamommy]

If I could use my Ergo right now I totally would! I don't think they're rated for pregnant women... Whenever we go to the mall or the store etc, I end up carrying Max because he screams for me in the stroller. My left arm is SUPER strong from carrying him, lol... but I'd much prefer to have him in a carrier.

Sierra, have you told DH you just want to cuddle up in pjs and watch movies with him? I can totally understand being "peopled out" and not wanting to clean up again after the holidays. Stick to your guns and ask for what you need! You deserve a break.

Thank you ladies for your name opinions! It's so tough! It will be fun to choose one I like this time, because every name on BOTH of those lists was vetoed by DH last time. It's funny that you and I have such similar tastes, Sierra!

I'm actually quite sad today. My Mom sent me an email yesterday criticizing my parenting (it's complicated and a long story, but that's the gist) and I wrote back a seething email telling her she had no right to criticize me. We haven't had a "fight" in 15 years, so it's caught me a bit off guard. I just don't get it. Why now? It's so weird. She hasn't written back or called, so I'm guessing we both just need some cooling off time.