The new "New Moms" thread!

[Tiggerlover91]

So these past few days have been kinda stressful around here. I was having a lot of backpain, so went to the doc, only to find that there was blood in my urine (not visible, but evident in a culture). Today I had an appointment with a urologist, and they confirmed blood in my urine and are sending me for a CT scan of my upper/lower abdomen, cytology of my urine (to look for abnormal cells), and a cytolo-something (can't remember the technical term) on Sept. 30th where they take a camera up my urethra to check for abnormalities (sounds oh-so-fun!!). They said with my history, and being so young, it could simply be a cyst or kidney stones, but that they need to be thorough because tumors and other abnormalites present as the same way. GREAT. Like this is what I want to worry about 3 days before I go to Disney!!!! I am trying to stay positive and not think about it too much. But, I am a naturally anxious person, and a worry-wart, so it is hard. Hopefully I can keep busy packing and then enjoy my trip regardless of what happens!! Any extra prayers and thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!!

Kelly~~~right now, why don't you just focus on that FABULOUS trip you and the family are going to have at Disney and concern yourself about what might be wrong with you upon your return. Hopefully it's something very simple that will fix itself soon or can be fixed soon....AND not cost you a buttload of money! Keep positive, have a blast in one of the happiest places on earth and take TONS of pictures. Brady walking now should be a blast while you're there. Get those "first" moments on camera lady! Best to you and you're in my prayers...but know this....He already has everything all taken care of!

 

[7beasley]

Kelly -- sorry you are going through that stress...it is most likely nothing -- but I know you will be nervous until you are told its nothing. Try to not let it interfere with Disney -- when you are there - get swept up in the magic and have fun with DH and Brady...stay positive - all will be okay!

Tiggersac -- congrats to you!! What great news. How many kids do you have now? I hope you have a smooth non-eventful pregnancy!

Hi to everyone!

DVC - love the halloween pix!

Michelle - what is a Podcast cruise? Glad to hear Will has his first tooth sprouting. Also - did I tell you that me and Will share a birthday and I always loved that my B-day was so close to Halloween -- it was the best!!

**************
Just wanted to say that Izzy's first trip to the beach last weekend was GREAT!! She loved the beach -- she played on the sand (and ate some of course) and loved the water - she got knocked over by a wave at one point and we figured a major freakout would happen but she just rolled over - got to her knees - sat up and kept playing! We were at the beach/Hampton from 11am-6pm and she did great. We left the beach around 315pm - got changed at the car - grabbed an early dinner (my girl ate some meatballs), walked the Boardwalk and she rode some of those little rides you find outside of a grocery store - and liked them - and then went home! It was a perfect day!

Kelly -- you leave in 2 days!! Yeah!!! I can't beleive we leave 2 weeks from Sat - I am SO excited for Disney. My inlaws are watching our dog and they are making a big deal about it and have now decided to stay at our house all week with the dog rather than take him to their house -- I don't know what the big freakin deal is - he's a dog...so - whatever - they will be at my house (apparently staying in our room!!) for a week! UGH!!

In other news - Izzy, DH and I all have colds -- at least we are getting them out of the way now before Disney!

Lastly, my DH's company got bought out by someone so his benefits are chaning in January - we just found out that there is a working spouse penalty of $190 per month in an extra ins. premium if the spouse works and elects to go on DH's coverage -- so that sucks! We are asking my firm to pay for it since me not being on their coverage saves them about $600 a month!

Have a great day all!
-Nicole

 

[DMickey28]

Stacy - CONGRATS!!!! We are planning on starting TTC around Christmas time maybe.

Kelly - I am sure that it's nothing crazy. Try and relax and enjoy the vacation. i am very much a worrier as well and I just need to focus on something else ...

 

[DVCsince02]

DVC - love the halloween pix!
-Nicole

Actually that was last week!

 

[kellyf2626]

Thanks ladies for all the support!! It really means a lot to me. Today I had my CT scan. I spoke to my doctor tonight and she said she will try to have the results tomorrow, but most likely she won't have them until after the long weekend. She did say that the urine they sent out for cytology came back with no abnormal cells. So, she said that was good, and to enjoy my vacation and not worry. It made me feel a lot better when she said that. I mean, she's the urologist...so I figure if there was something bad, she would have to tell me!!

TiggerStac - CONGRATULATIONS!!! How exciting!! You'll have to keep us posted the for the entire journey!!

Back to ironing.....yes....I am one of those obsessive packers that irons stuff before she packs.

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Hi everyone! Wow, I have a lot to catch up on...my goal for the day will be to go back and read the pages I've missed in the last couple weeks!

Kelly, I'm glad that today's results look good, and I hope you'll be able to forget about it and just enjoy your vacation.

We had a good trip to MN, and it was great being back "home" for a week. I'm SOOO glad that we stayed with my dad and that Dsis and her fam stayed with DB and his fam. Wow. Talk about different parenting styles! DB has 2 boys, one is 2yrs and the other is 4m, and he and DSIL apparently believe that if they say "no" they will crush their DS' spirit and prevent him from fully expressing himself. So everything is about asking their DS2yr what he wants and then negotiating with him. Now I'm all for giving kids choices and occasionally giving them control of some things, but this was out of control.

When it was time to go somewhere, they don't say "C., it's time to go." They ask him "C, do you want to go out to dinner?" and when he says no, they then begin a long negotiating process until they have persuaded him to join us. It took them over an hour to convince their 2 year old that it was time to go to dinner, and it held up the rest of us so that my diabetic husband was incredibly cranky and becoming disoriented because he had low blood sugar and they kept telling us it would only be a few more minutes so DH didn't get a snack. After 45 min. I said that we were leaving and they could meet us at the restaurant and we would even place an order for them. We had to hit a drive-through on the way to the sit-down restaurnt to get DH a quick snack and boost his blood sugar, because if the 2yr old had seen DH eating anything he would have wanted something to eat, too.

Drove me nuts all week! By the end of the week, we just told them where we were going and when we were arriving there, and told them to give us a call when they got there and we'd meet up with them then. Worked much better!

Owen had a blast at the MN Ren Fest. I swear the boy was practicing flirting with everyone we met! We looked for a cute costume for him there, but didn't find anything in his size.

Halloween is turning into family politics time with DH's side. Every year our friends have a big Halloween party where they turn the front of their house and their yard into some big set. Last year was Pirates of the Carribean, and their house became the Black Pearl. One year it was the Moon of Endor from Return of the Jedi. This year it's a superheroes and supervillians theme, so we decided that I'd go as Kim Possible, DH would be Ron Stopable, and Owen would be Rufus, the naked mole rat. Not quite superheroes in the traditional sense, but it works.

Well 2 weeks ago and a family event, DSIL gave us a dragon costume she found at Carters and told us it's for Owen to wear for Halloween this year. DMIL then says "but I already bought him a pumkin costume to wear!" And I'm thinking "Hello, mother of the baby here! Shouldn't I get to choose his costume?!" So they started debating which costume Owen would wear and when, and meanwhile DH and I are trying to explain that we always dress up in the theme to match our friend's house and we help hand out candy, and that's not going over very well. Yikes!

Okay, this got a little long...

It's the first day I've had off from my childcare work in a while - business is picking up and more of my friends are dropping their kids off for a few hours while they run errands, take and older child to school or after school lessons, etc. It's nice to have the income, but life has gotten so much busier!

Hope you all are doing well and your little ones are delighting you more every day! I'm looking forward to reading everything today and catch up on all your news.

 

[Pollito916]

After deciding to take the month off of TTC....you know what they say, when you stop trying. I just had a feeling (I've been more exhausted then normal the last few days). So I got a test on the way home!!

Congratulations Stacy! Have you figured out your due date yet? I see you're going on a cruise soon, hopefully morning sickness hasn't set in yet!

Brady is going to be Winnie the Pooh. I got his costume last year when all the costumes were on clearance at The Disney Store. I am hoping it will fit him!!

Brady will make a cute Pooh - I always loved the Pooh costumes for babies, but I feel like it doesn't really suit Alex's personality, and will definitely be too hot for AZ.

Just wanted to say that Izzy's first trip to the beach last weekend was GREAT!! It was a perfect day!

In other news - Izzy, DH and I all have colds -- at least we are getting them out of the way now before Disney!

Lastly, my DH's company got bought out by someone so his benefits are chaning in January - we just found out that there is a working spouse penalty of $190 per month in an extra ins. premium if the spouse works and elects to go on DH's coverage -- so that sucks! We are asking my firm to pay for it since me not being on their coverage saves them about $600 a month!

Nicole - glad you all had such a good time at the beach. We haven't taken Alex to a beach yet, but I would really like to. The nearest one is about 3 hours away, so hopefully we can squeeze a quick trip in soon.

I hope you are all feeling better soon so you can enjoy your trip to Disney. We thought Alex had a little cold b/c he has had a runny nose, but now I think it's just teething.

Today I had my CT scan. I spoke to my doctor tonight and she said she will try to have the results tomorrow, but most likely she won't have them until after the long weekend. She did say that the urine they sent out for cytology came back with no abnormal cells. So, she said that was good, and to enjoy my vacation and not worry.

Back to ironing.....yes....I am one of those obsessive packers that irons stuff before she packs.

Sorry you are going through this right before vacation, but it looks like the results will be good. Hopefully you can get the results before you leave!

Too funny on the ironing, I rarely iron even after unpacking, just hang stuff in the bathroom during a shower to steam the wrinkles out.

We had a good trip to MN, and it was great being back "home" for a week.

DB has 2 boys, one is 2yrs and the other is 4m, and he and DSIL apparently believe that if they say "no" they will crush their DS' spirit and prevent him from fully expressing himself. So everything is about asking their DS2yr what he wants and then negotiating with him.

I'm thinking "Hello, mother of the baby here! Shouldn't I get to choose his costume?!"

I'm glad you enjoyed your trip back to MN, though your DB & his wife sound slightly crazy. Seriously, negotiating with a 2 year old for an hour on whether or not to go out to dinner?!? I don't think so. It's "get in the car, kid, we're going to dinner." If the kid is being beligerent, one or both parents stay home with him. The end.

Sorry if I offended anyone on here that believes in giving their child these kind of choices, but it just doesn't make any sense to me.

And yes, you should be the one to choose your baby's halloween costume, especially the first one! Sorry you're running into so many troubles with the family right now. They all need to sit back and realize who the parents are, and those are the only people that get to make the decisions!

Sometimes I wish DS had more than 1 grandparent in his life, but it's stories like that that make me glad I don't have to deal with those kind of issues all the time!

 

[beckmrk04]

I'm glad you enjoyed your trip back to MN, though your DB & his wife sound slightly crazy. Seriously, negotiating with a 2 year old for an hour on whether or not to go out to dinner?!? I don't think so. It's "get in the car, kid, we're going to dinner." If the kid is being beligerent, one or both parents stay home with him. The end.

No kidding! I'm totally with you!

It is a parent's JOB to let kids know not everything is a choice, not everything can be negotiated, and not everything can go your way. And you can do that without being mean, without crushing your child's spirit, and all the while, giving them lots of love, attention, affection, and discipline.

Seriously, people like this always end up with rotten kids. And then the kids think that they can negotiate with everyone, or throw a fit every time things don't go their way.

And yes, you should be the one to choose your baby's halloween costume, especially the first one! Sorry you're running into so many troubles with the family right now. They all need to sit back and realize who the parents are, and those are the only people that get to make the decisions!

Why do grandparents do this? I tell my mom- hey- you got to do this 3 times. This kid's mine.

 

[kellyf2626]

So ladies, tomorrow morning I am OFF!! We are still packing tonight and getting things together. Yikes! Just soooooo much stuff!! I am not a great flyer, so the anxiety has set-in about getting on the plane tomorrow. I keep feeling like a bad mother because I am putting my son's life at risk. I know....crazy talk....DH thinks I'm nuts!! Say a little prayer at 10:45 eastern time....that's when our plane takes-off!

We are thankful that Gustav has decided to steer-clear of Florida, so that is good. Now we are just hoping that Hanna does the same!

We will have our computer down there, so hopefully I will be able to pop online and say hi! Thanks to DVC free internet now!

Love you guys!! Talk soon!!!

 

[ashjohnson80]

Ellery and I have had terrible colds this week. I think I caught it from playing with the kids at the inflatable playground place last weekend. Ugh. Finally starting to feel better.

Congrats on the weight loss Becky, that program sounds neat, even though I totally do not even want to know my BMI. I'm in denial. I really need to get my butt in gear though.

 

[beckmrk04]

Kelly- have a GREAT trip! (and don't worry, you'll be fine )

Ash- I swear, nothing has motivated me like this software!! I just purchased it (I was doing the free trial). It's only $40- which is a lot cheaper than doing Weight Watchers (I have tried that a couple of times and never could stay with it- I don't know why it's different now).

I do have a couple of goals, though- 1) lose weight and look FAB in WDW next year (ok- at least lose weight...) AND 2) lose the weight before I get pregnant again: I have read that being overweight can contribute to hyperemesis (because you store excess estrogen in your fat cells and more fat=more estrogen=more sickness). PLus, I just want to be healthier and be able to shop in any store I want and know that they'll carry my size.

I want to be able to chase Vaylie around without being all winded.

And my BMI pretty much sounds like I should be dead. I don't put too much stock in BMI though- it doesn't take body shape, genetics, muscle mass, or age into account, so it isn't the most accurate gauge.

 

[exwdwcm]

Ash- feel better soon!

KELLY- have a great trip!!! i'll keep you in my thoughts on the tests, but don't worry about them now- it sounds like it isn't anything to worry about according to the first test- so go enjoy your vacation!

BECK- keep up the good work!

BETHANy- welcome back! sorry to hear about the crazy 'kid negotiating'. that would have driven me totally insane. DH would have no patience for that.

NICOLE- glad Izzy had fun at the beach- post up some pics!

hi Denise!! how are you doing? how is Mo!?

STACY- congrats! what exciting news and great timing for you.

JEN- adorable costumes- love the pirate one! If only Will was big enough to fit into a cute elaborate one like that. it won't be long for you- do you have a costume for your new son to be?

Well stressing out. I got the offer letter on a new job today - Director of Marketing. It's a title jump for me and a different industry (from defense/night vision to medical cosmetic devices like smart lipo machines). DH isn't on board with me taking the new gig though. So I am stressing over whether to take it or not. I interviewed 3x this week with them and they think I am going to accept. I told them i needed the weekend to discuss with DH. Pay is only $5k more than what I make now.

In fact, they didn't even get in the salary range I gave them- they offered $3k under my low range. They are small, but stable (15 years) and just don't have great benefits- minimal medical, no dental, small 401k. I currently have GREAT benefits- vision, dental, medical, 401k (i would lose like $3k since not vested if i leave), dependent care savings (get day care tax free- which is at least $1k a year). Plus i get 3 weeks vacay, week of sick time and work from home when i want. My boss isn't responsive and is in PA (I am in TX). My co is in PA, I office with a sister division in TX with 4 others from my company. So I work independently which is nice. But i have lost motivation at the current job. I am not learning anything new or growing. I basically came back from maternity leave and my boss (and good friend) had quit while I was gone. I basically inherited her job, plus her other employee who is in PA. But no title change or salary boost. So I just don't know. The future of our division is unclear too- if we don't hit our numbers, we might have some issues next year. It's a tough one. Benefits are so important these days. And what if we want to get preggo again? tough decision- any thoughts or advice? I would like to move on to something new, but then again, I have it okay where I am- i just feel like it has allowed me to get lazy somewhat. Which sounds okay, but really i like a challenge. what to do, what to do. I've emailed my old boss to find out what she thinks too, since she knows the current environment of my job etc. Sorry to rant on- just thought someone might have some advice.

 

[DVCsince02]

Michelle,

No costume for the little one yet.

I'm glad you got the job offer but I know how you feel about being hesitant on taking it. Could you talk to your current boss and explain you have been offered another job? Maybe it will incent them to give you a raise? I know you are bored, but you have it pretty good and that is hard to find.
What ever you decide, good luck!

 

[ashjohnson80]

We've got a tooth breaking through! I saw it this morning. My little toothless wonder is about to be toothed. LoL.

 

[Villain-lover]

Yay for Ellery and her new tooth!!!!!!! Sam & Zoe have proven to be late teethers too...they are 9 1/2 months and it was 2 days before they turned 9 months that I noticed a white spot on Zoe's gums. She now has two half teeth! Sam has one that is like almost halfway through.
-------------------------------------------------------

On other news the twins are eating finger foods a little better, but it is slow going. We give finger foods after each baby food meal and theya re better at getting it to their mouths better. Still some gagging going on, and Sam just is lazy about feeding himself I think....we'll get there eventually!

 

[beckmrk04]

Yea Ellery! She looks cute in her Eeyore costume!

Vaylie is finally getting the other side tooth on the bottom... SHe's only had three teeth down there forever.

Meredith- Sam and Zoe will get it eventually- and really, it's soooo much easier when they can do it themselves, but then again, it's soooo much messier. Mixed blessings.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Warning: rant follows.

Why, WHY do I keep opening the stupid political threads? I KNOW better. But still, dummy me, I keep clicking. Must back away before brain anyeurism explodes.

I just do not understand why people can't disagree politely, without bashing and smearing each other, not to mention the candidates. Oy. Everyone isn't stupid and uneducated just because they don't hold your same political views!

Ugh. Rant over.

I love you girls- no fighting, no meanness, just honesty and support and encouragement. If only the whole world could take a cue.

 

[Jen_in_NH]

Go Ellery! Just wait until she decides to show you what she can do with that tooth....

Meredith - the finger foods took us forever. He could find his mouth fine, but then he realized the dog was next o him...

Becky - I hear you about the political threads. It's enough to drive me to the Budget Board permanently!

Jen

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Ash, I LOVE the pics of Ellery in her Eeyore costume! You really got some great pictures of her.

I'm soooo wishing I was planning a trip to WDW, too! I'm living vicariously through all of you who are going!

The funny thing is that I've become the resident expert on DLR trips for all my friends here, even though I haven't been there myself since I was in 2nd grade! Guess I just spend waaaayy too much time reading and researching and thinking about it. I've helped 3 friends plan their trips there so far, and now another friend just emailed me and said they're going in a couple months and could I give her any tips. Oh well. At least they all bring back Disney loot for me as a thank you!

Becky, I totally hear you on the political threads. I usually manage to ignore them, but every so often I just get curious and then so frustrated by everyone being so darn mean! DH and I have mostly different political views, so I'm used to a little debate, but I don't get why people turn it into a personal attack. (Our friends like to joke that DH and I might as well not vote since we almost always cancel out all of each other's votes! )

 

[ashjohnson80]

Yeah there is no way that costume is going to fit her in another 2 months. I bought it for her when I was pregnant and right now it comes up to her knees. So I at least wanted to see i on her. I think I'm going to do something more girly for halloween anyways. Maybe snow white, I'm not sure.

Becky- I agree about the political threads too. They seem especially nasty this year. I don't like talking about politics. People get so mad and you never win anyone to your side. I guess I get enough of that living in a place where 98% of people's political views are the complete opposite of mine.

 

[beckmrk04]

Bethany- That's funny about you and DH canceling each other out. At least you two can be at peace with that! DH and I are on the same page politically. Which is great because I'm right.

Ash- I work in an industry that isn't exactly supportive of my political views either (I tend to be pretty liberal and bankers- generally not so much). I like to shake it up a little though.

AND (drum roll)- I am down 4.2 pounds. I'm pretty excited- it's a start anyway, and I haven't felt unmotivated yet! I have made peace with the fact that it's going to take quite a while to get where I want to be.

AND (OOOH, I FORGOT!!): I am a celebrity! (Ok, not really). But, if you go to Wal-Mart, and buy a copy of "All You" magazine- I am pictured and quoted on page 95. Really! The picture is about 1/8th of an inch square, but I'm in there! Cool, huh?