The new "New Moms" thread!

[ImarriedGrumpy]

We just got back from Owen's 6mo. appointment, and he's officially off the "naughty" list (as DH has been calling it) for being small! He's now:
W- 15lb 3.5oz (15% - up from being 3% at 4mo)
L -26.5" (59% - up from being 26% at 4mo)
HC-17.01" (38% - stayed about the same %)

Dr.M says he's doing great, and she mostly approves of our food plan for feeding him ground up versions of what we're eating. She said it obviously agrees with him, and the fact that there's some added oil in homemade stuff and no preservatives or fillers in it (like some babyfood) makes it better for him. She also has been really supportive of our modified vaccination plan, and said to just tell her when I want to do each vaccine and she'll put in the request for us at the injection clinic so they will let us do it our way. We only did one shot today, but poor Owen bled a lot from it this time. As usual, DH and I were more upset than Owen, although he's got a little soreness at the injection site.

 

[beckmrk04]

I know this is a new moms thread, but I thought maybe you would be the best group to answer my questions. My DH and I just found out we are expecting. I am only 4 weeks along, so I haven’t had my first appointment, and I have a million questions. I thought maybe you guys could help me with a couple of them that can’t wait for the appointment. First, this is our first, and I’m 36 years old, which automatically makes it a “high risk” I guess. I don’t want to be overly cautious or concerned, but I do want to be informed and healthy. So my questions are:

A lady here at work said I shouldn’t vacuum or mow the lawn (push mower) during the first trimester. I think it sounds crazy, and my mom said they didn’t change a thing when they were pregnant – if they wouldn’t have vacuumed, the house would be a disaster I usually just push the front lawn, and we want to mow tonight. I enjoy it….. is mowing okay?

Also, my DH and I fish tournaments together. Now I know being in the boat is fine, but with tournaments, you fish whether it’s sunny, rainy, calm or windy, and sometimes the waves get big (3 or 4 foot to 8 or 10 foot). I have no concern with the up and down, but sometimes if the lake is churned up, and the waves are coming just “right”, you can take some bumps and get banged around a little. How much of this can you take?? How big or hard can the bumps be safe?

One more thing – I read you shouldn’t eat bacon. I had BLTs two nights in a row. Is this true, or one of those over cautious things??

I might have to stop reading until my appointment when I can get all the information straight from my doctor. In the meantime, can anyone give me their experience or knowledge on the above questions?

Thank you!!! I’ll try not to bother you with too many annoying questions.

OK, first of all- Welcome and congrats!!!

Second of all, plenty of (if not most) 36 year old women have had perfectly healthy babies. I don't think it makes you automatically high risk.

Third, I'm not a doctor, but I think I have read enough about pregnancy, childbirth, and all related subjects to qualify for a PhD. However, here's my (non-medical) opinions.

As far as pushing the mower- go for it. As long as you aren't overdoing it or overheating, it will be fine. And vaccuuming? Um, I couldn't think of a single reason not to (other than I just hate to vaccuum). But, if you can convince your DH that it's off limits, then you are smarter than I, my friend.

Bacon- eat it while you can. Chances are, in a couple of weeks the mere thought of bacon will send you to the toilet (unless youare one of the lucky ones!). My OB told me that if I avoided everything I "wasn't supposed to eat" while I was pregnant, the only thing I'd be able to eat was chocolate. All things in moderation. I've heard that some people avoided peanut butter for fear of inducing nut allergies in their babies. Me? I ate peanut butter and jelly before bed every night in my third trimester. I also when through a Wild Cherry Pepsi phase. I'm normally a Coca-Cola girl, but I craved cherry pepsi fiercely. And since it has caffeine, I worked it out: you aren't supposed to drink more than 300 mg of caffiene/day, and that translates into around ten cans of Coke/Pepsi. So, I figured I was good if I stayed at 2 cans a day or so.

Fishing? I don't know about the rough waters and bumping and whatnot... But, many women jog throughout their pregnancies. I can GAURANTEE you won't feel like active fishing in rough waters in your third trimester, and that would theoretically be the worst time to be jarring yourself, so I think as long as you feel like it, proceed with caution.

And finally, it can be easy to get sooo caught up in "what to do or what not to do" but really, it's common sense for the most part. The majors are no drugs/alcohol, no mountain climbing or rugby, and relax- you'll start worrying the minute your baby leaves your belly.

 

[kellyf2626]

OK, first of all- Welcome and congrats!!!

Second of all, plenty of (if not most) 36 year old women have had perfectly healthy babies. I don't think it makes you automatically high risk.

Third, I'm not a doctor, but I think I have read enough about pregnancy, childbirth, and all related subjects to qualify for a PhD. However, here's my (non-medical) opinions.

As far as pushing the mower- go for it. As long as you aren't overdoing it or overheating, it will be fine. And vaccuuming? Um, I couldn't think of a single reason not to (other than I just hate to vaccuum). But, if you can convince your DH that it's off limits, then you are smarter than I, my friend.

Bacon- eat it while you can. Chances are, in a couple of weeks the mere thought of bacon will send you to the toilet (unless youare one of the lucky ones!). My OB told me that if I avoided everything I "wasn't supposed to eat" while I was pregnant, the only thing I'd be able to eat was chocolate. All things in moderation. I've heard that some people avoided peanut butter for fear of inducing nut allergies in their babies. Me? I ate peanut butter and jelly before bed every night in my third trimester. I also when through a Wild Cherry Pepsi phase. I'm normally a Coca-Cola girl, but I craved cherry pepsi fiercely. And since it has caffeine, I worked it out: you aren't supposed to drink more than 300 mg of caffiene/day, and that translates into around ten cans of Coke/Pepsi. So, I figured I was good if I stayed at 2 cans a day or so.

Fishing? I don't know about the rough waters and bumping and whatnot... But, many women jog throughout their pregnancies. I can GAURANTEE you won't feel like active fishing in rough waters in your third trimester, and that would theoretically be the worst time to be jarring yourself, so I think as long as you feel like it, proceed with caution.

And finally, it can be easy to get sooo caught up in "what to do or what not to do" but really, it's common sense for the most part. The majors are no drugs/alcohol, no mountain climbing or rugby, and relax- you'll start worrying the minute your baby leaves your belly.

Nice reply Becky!! I agree 100%!!!! And welcome and congrats Fishbone!!

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Becky, you've said it best! I totally agree!

Congrats, Fishbone!

 

[beckmrk04]

DH and I went to yard sales this morning. I got a Little Tikes playhouse for $10!!! I was pumped. We don't really have any outdoor toys, and those things can be so expensive! We saw a similar one at Toys R' Us today for about $170, and the one we bought today looks great- just needs a good wash (which shouldn't be a problem since they are made of plastic).

I also bought a brand new, still in the box electric fondue pot for $5 (which still had a shred of Christmas wrapping paper on the box!! Apparently, they didn't put "fondue pot" on their Christmas list). And since I'm obsessed with the Melting Pot, but it's way too pricey to go very often, I have to figure out how to make the Cheddar Fondue at home.

Success!

AND, I'm super pumped: I don't know if I've mentioned it, but my Dnephew Landon has been in early-intervention therapy for language delay, but for the first time the other day, he said "ball." He's 18 months old and he hasn't uttered a single word before this, so it was so exciting, even more so for my BIL and SIL!! And while we all were at Toys R Us today, DH and I heard him say it!!!!

He was diagnosed with a communication disorder, so it's been very rough on SIL and BIL- they've been juggling work and therapy appointments for Dnephew, but now there is definitely a light peeking at the end of the tunnel, because if he can learn to identify objects and say the word, then he may not necessarily have a communication disorder- he may just be a bit behind in language development. That's what I'm hoping! He is such a bright and sweet little guy! It made my day to hear him say "ball." And Uncle Mark (DH) made sure to buy him a Star Wars toy set- we're trying to get him to "join the Dark Side." (SIL hates Star Wars ).

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

DH and I went to yard sales this morning. I got a Little Tikes playhouse for $10!!! I was pumped. We don't really have any outdoor toys, and those things can be so expensive! We saw a similar one at Toys R' Us today for about $170, and the one we bought today looks great- just needs a good wash (which shouldn't be a problem since they are made of plastic).

I also bought a brand new, still in the box electric fondue pot for $5 (which still had a shred of Christmas wrapping paper on the box!! Apparently, they didn't put "fondue pot" on their Christmas list). And since I'm obsessed with the Melting Pot, but it's way too pricey to go very often, I have to figure out how to make the Cheddar Fondue at home.

Success!

AND, I'm super pumped: I don't know if I've mentioned it, but my Dnephew Landon has been in early-intervention therapy for language delay, but for the first time the other day, he said "ball." He's 18 months old and he hasn't uttered a single word before this, so it was so exciting, even more so for my BIL and SIL!! And while we all were at Toys R Us today, DH and I heard him say it!!!!

He was diagnosed with a communication disorder, so it's been very rough on SIL and BIL- they've been juggling work and therapy appointments for Dnephew, but now there is definitely a light peeking at the end of the tunnel, because if he can learn to identify objects and say the word, then he may not necessarily have a communication disorder- he may just be a bit behind in language development. That's what I'm hoping! He is such a bright and sweet little guy! It made my day to hear him say "ball." And Uncle Mark (DH) made sure to buy him a Star Wars toy set- we're trying to get him to "join the Dark Side." (SIL hates Star Wars ).

Way to go, Landon! That's awesome! I'm so glad you got to be there to hear him say "ball"!

Sounds like you really scored some deals, Becky! I LOVE yard sales, but DH is not so fond of them. One day he made the mistake of saying we could spend Sat. morning however I wanted, and I told him that we were going to yard sales. He was not so amused.


I swear Owen's sleeping patterns (or lack there of) are going to drive me insane!!! He was awful for the first 3-4 months, but then we seemed to be getting somewhere and he was on a fairly regular schedule for a good 5-6 weeks, and even seemed to be moving towards sleeping through the night. He did sleep straight through once - for Mother's Day - but hasn't since then. And now in the last few weeks he's turned back into random sleeping boy during the day, and even worse he's decided that instead of sleeping 8:30pm-1:30am, nursing, then sleeping 2am-7:30am, he's going to sleep 8:30-12:30, then 1:30-5:00, then he's awake until 7:30, then up from 8:30-10:30, and then manages to get back on a "normal" nap schedule. Wouldn't be so bad, but I'm so freakishly tired that I'm grumpier than DH!! CIO was working just fine, and now even with a modified form of it he's back to screaming so long and hard that he makes himself sick, so that gets us nowhere. Sigh. I keep reminding myself that someday this child will be a teenage boy that I will have to fight to get out of bed in the morning...

 

[beckmrk04]

Bethany- I commend you on your efforts in the sleep struggles. I am the kind of person that needs her sleep: hell hath no fury like a Becky with too little sleep.

Vaylie has been a good sleeper (like her mama, I guess), so I don't really have much advice to give. Just a - someday we'll all look back and miss these days, even the bad ones.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

Hi ladies!

I'm a little tired today so therefore makes me irritable. Mo wouldn't eat breakfast and I got irritated with him. I have to remember he is easily distracted and I just have to wait and feed him when I know he's really hungry...he stays more focused then.

So anyway, here's a pic of Mo and daddy on Father's day! Hubby is wearing one of Mo's gift on his head!

 

[kellyf2626]

Great pics Denise!

Hope everyone had a great Father's Day!! We just had a cookout at our house - DH's mother and boyfriend and my parents and brother came over. Oh - and DH's mothers boyfriends daughter and her 7 year old son....ugggghhhh....not expecting to deal with an ill-mannered 7-year-old all day. Walking around the house eating his hamburger and drink (told him 3x to sit at the table....hello....why wasn't his mother telling him this?!?!) and at one point he even went over and opened my refridgerator/freezer looking for food!!!! Oh - and we have this huge play-yard area gated in area with an alphabet mat and tons of toys in our family room. It was closed (Brady was taking a nap) and this kid just walked over and opened the gate and started playing with the toys. Ok....maybe it's just me....but if it were MY kid, I would have asked the mother if it was ok that my son go in and play with the toys. YKWIM? O well....DH enjoyed the day, and that was what was important!!

OH....and the finale of the night was when my neighbor decided to lite-off fireworks for ONE HOUR from 9pm - 10pm. Their son graduated from high school on Friday, so I guess they decided to have a combo Father's Day/Grad party yesterday. Fine...whatever...cars up and down the street (3 parked half on my nice lawn....nice). And the fireworks start....not just "pop-fizzle" type of fireworks....I'm talking Wishes-style !!! So, about 30min into the "show", Brady wakes up screaming. I was soooooooo pissed. I mean, come on, on a Sunday night and not even a holiday?! I actually called their house (they didn't pick-up....not sure what I was going to say, but it was in the heat of the moment! ) The least they could have done was when she saw me last week give me a heads-up that this was happening. They know we have an infant.

Ok....rant over.....can you tell I had a long weekend?!

 

[ashjohnson80]

the fireworks would've made me mad too.

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

I'm a little tired today so therefore makes me irritable. Mo wouldn't eat breakfast and I got irritated with him.

Denise, I get irritated with Owen, too, when I'm tired. I always feel so guilty afterwards. Now I repeat to myself over and over again "I'm the grown up. I'm the grown up. He's a baby. I'm the grown up." Sometimes it helps, and sometimes I'm so tired I just lose it anyway....

The pics are great! Mo is getting so big!

OH....and the finale of the night was when my neighbor decided to lite-off fireworks for ONE HOUR from 9pm - 10pm. Their son graduated from high school on Friday, so I guess they decided to have a combo Father's Day/Grad party yesterday. Fine...whatever...cars up and down the street (3 parked half on my nice lawn....nice). And the fireworks start....not just "pop-fizzle" type of fireworks....I'm talking Wishes-style !!! So, about 30min into the "show", Brady wakes up screaming. I was soooooooo pissed. I mean, come on, on a Sunday night and not even a holiday?! I actually called their house (they didn't pick-up....not sure what I was going to say, but it was in the heat of the moment! ) The least they could have done was when she saw me last week give me a heads-up that this was happening. They know we have an infant.

Ok....rant over.....can you tell I had a long weekend?!

Oh, I would have lost it over the fireworks! Especially these days with Owen not sleeping well, if my neighbors woke him up I would be furious!


Our father's day was fairly quiet. Owen's sleeping was all random of course, despite all my efforts to get him back on a schedule. But DH got to do almost everything he wanted to. He really wanted to go out for Afghani food for dinner, but we didn't get to that, so I'm trying to convince him we can go tonight.

I'm very proud of myself - Owen had another horrid night of sleeping (or not), and I managed to stay calm and compassionate even though I'm seriously sleep-deprived. Small victories!

 

[Villain-lover]

question ladies....I bought a bag of baby carrots to cook for Sam & Zoe. What do you think is the best way to cook them so they are good and soft? I was thinking that I could bake them, what do you think?

I bought and cooked a whole bag of split peas yesterday to freeze for them! we have squash, Sweet potato, avacado, peaches, pears, banana, and mango in the freezer too! We also just started plain yougurt, which they seem to like with their fruit in it!

 

[Tiggerlover91]

question ladies....I bought a bag of baby carrots to cook for Sam & Zoe. What do you think is the best way to cook them so they are good and soft? I was thinking that I could bake them, what do you think?

I bought and cooked a whole bag of split peas yesterday to freeze for them! we have squash, Sweet potato, avacado, peaches, pears, banana, and mange on the freezer too! We also just started plain yougurt, which they seem to like with their fruit in it!

I took the carrots I bought for Mo and boiled them for about 10-15 minutes and then I pureed them. Be absolutely sure when you do that, that you DO NOT use the same water you cooked them in. Mine came out perfectly! Mo enjoys carrots more than beans. WOW...he's not my son!

 

[Villain-lover]

I don't much care for cooked carrot myself..but I do like raw carrots! I am the same way about fruit but worse..I hate cooked fruit. Thanks Denise!

 

[ashjohnson80]

I steam most of Ellery's baby food. Keeps the nutrients in that way.

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

question ladies....I bought a bag of baby carrots to cook for Sam & Zoe. What do you think is the best way to cook them so they are good and soft? I was thinking that I could bake them, what do you think?

I bought and cooked a whole bag of split peas yesterday to freeze for them! we have squash, Sweet potato, avacado, peaches, pears, banana, and mango in the freezer too! We also just started plain yougurt, which they seem to like with their fruit in it!

DH roasts any root veggies we make for Owen. He tosses them with a little olive oil (Dr. M says it's good to have a little oil in baby food because they usually need extra fat), and we add garlic and other seasonings to them as well, but that's part of our "get this boy used to eating spiced food" philosophy. (Plus Owen loves garlic.) Then he cooks them at a low heat uncovered in the oven, stirring them every so often until they are soft. We've roasted carrots, potatoes, onions, radishes, sweet potatoes, turnips, and califlower this way (sometimes several at once) and then grind them up. I sometimes have to mix in a little formula and/or baby cereal to get it to the right consistency.

We're starting Owen on plain yogurt this week, too. Yesterday I gave him a little taste of my mango frozen yogurt and his eyes were huge! He grabbed at the spoon and put it back in his mouth. It was too funny!

 

[beckmrk04]

Bethany- I'm going to have to try roasting the veggies like that, I think Vaylie might like them. And I think it's kind of hilarious that your DH wanted to go out for Afghani food. I never even knew that was an option (it certainly isn't an option here in the sticks!)

Denise- don't feel too guilty; we all lose our tempers- we're moms, yes, but we're human. It happens. The cool thing is that tomorrow is a new day.

I am really hoping to hear from that job this week. It was kind of funny Friday night- DH brought home Chinese food, and when I opened my fortune cookie it said, "You are soon going to change your present line of work." And everyone knows that fortune cookies are totally reliable.

And finally, my daughter did something I have been dreading for some time.

She pooped in the bathtub.

I was sitting in the bathroom and reading my Real Simple, and she was playing in the bubbles, having a nice long bath. SHe didn't even make any of her usual #2 noises. Then, I get up to wash her hair, and there it was. One poop, floating in the water.

I started screaming, "Mark, MAAAAAARRRRRK!!!!! Your daughter pooped in the tub!!!!!!!!!! OHMYGODWHATDOIDO??????? VAYLA, YOU ARE TAKING A BATH IN A TOILET!!!!!!!"

My wonderfully helpful DH comes in, gets totally sicked out, and says, "Not it- it's Father's Day."

Ah, the joys of Motherhood.

 

[Pollito916]

And finally, my daughter did something I have been dreading for some time.

She pooped in the bathtub.

Oh, no! I have heard stories about that and am hoping Alex NEVER does it. At least Vaylie wasn't playing with it like my friend's daughter.

 

[jennyL]

DH is terrified of that. We've recently let Noah take some baths in the big tub. I lay a towel down in there and barely any water but he loves it and just splashes away. Anyway DH won't do it since he thinks its more likely to happen in there then in the baby tub. Hmm I'm pretty sure the difference in tub won't be the issue but whatever.

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Bethany- I'm going to have to try roasting the veggies like that, I think Vaylie might like them. And I think it's kind of hilarious that your DH wanted to go out for Afghani food. I never even knew that was an option (it certainly isn't an option here in the sticks!)

Denise- don't feel too guilty; we all lose our tempers- we're moms, yes, but we're human. It happens. The cool thing is that tomorrow is a new day.

I am really hoping to hear from that job this week. It was kind of funny Friday night- DH brought home Chinese food, and when I opened my fortune cookie it said, "You are soon going to change your present line of work." And everyone knows that fortune cookies are totally reliable.

And finally, my daughter did something I have been dreading for some time.

She pooped in the bathtub.

I was sitting in the bathroom and reading my Real Simple, and she was playing in the bubbles, having a nice long bath. SHe didn't even make any of her usual #2 noises. Then, I get up to wash her hair, and there it was. One poop, floating in the water.

I started screaming, "Mark, MAAAAAARRRRRK!!!!! Your daughter pooped in the tub!!!!!!!!!! OHMYGODWHATDOIDO??????? VAYLA, YOU ARE TAKING A BATH IN A TOILET!!!!!!!"

My wonderfully helpful DH comes in, gets totally sicked out, and says, "Not it- it's Father's Day."

Ah, the joys of Motherhood.

Yikes! Becky, your description of it cracked me up!!

I'm waiting for Owen to top the poop extravaganza from my nanny days:

(disclaimer - don't read the following if you have a sensitive gag reflex...)




One day when I went to get up little G. I discovered she'd pooped during her nap, then woke up and quietly played with her poop like it was finger paints! She'd smeared it all over herself and the pack-n-play...it was all over her face, in her hair, caked in her ears, all over her arms and legs and was soooooooo gross!!!! I told her parents I needed hazard pay after that! They agreed, and gave me a gift certificate for a manicure and pedicure, deciding that a facial might bring up bad associations...


So now I'm wondering if Owen can top that one, and praying he won't!!!!!!!!!