The new "New Moms" thread!

[Tiggerlover91]

Denise-cute pics of Mo!!! I wish Chase would enjoy being on his tummy. He screams bloody murder (and has since he was born) when he is on his tummy.

Oh Mo wasn't always that way Rebecca. It took time. For awhile he would only do a few minutes at a time and then would scream bloody murder! NOW....I can't keep him off his tummy! He now knows how to put his knees underneath him and rock back and forth til he moves. YIKES! Wait til he figures out how to get the arms in there too. I better get those fences purchased. Kitchen just isn't safe...with the cat food and litter box. Better get those safety plugs too.

 

[Pollito916]

Hi Ladies, adorable new pics of Mo & Vaylie! It sounds like Mo will be crawling in no time! And I know what you all mean about there being no time to clean. Lucky for me DH likes cleaning, so he tells me to take the baby and leave, and when I come back the house will be clean. I love that man!

We don't have any pets, but Alex LOVES them. Anytime we see one outside, going for a walk, or even on tv, he yells, "DOGGY!" And yesterday while we were outside he ran down the street chasing after one! My cousin's dog is named "Candy" so we were trying to teach Alex to say candy. He got it a few times, but then started combining candy with doggy, and now he calls her "Dandy!"

It's funny that V calls dogs, "gog" b/c even though Alex's calls real dogs "doggy," when the MMC hot-dog song comes on, he just says, "gog-gog-gog-gog" over and over.

 

[kellyf2626]

Love the pics of Mo and Vaylie!! And can't wait to see the pics of Noah at Disney!

Pollito - Brady's favorite show is MMC!! Whenever he hears the hot-dog song, he stops whatever he is doing and zones right in, bouncing and rocking to the music!!

 

[Jen_in_NH]

Love the pics girls!

As far as the pets, we have a dog (really, he might be part horse. He's huge), and 2 cats. We let all of them play with Christopher from the start. The dog is a big lump, and the cats are just as lumpy. He loves the dog, and will follow him anywhere. When Jack lays down near him, he will sit there for about half an hour just playing with his fur. He loves to pet his nose and paws. We keep trying to teach him to pet the doggie nice, but his version of nice is more like thumping on him. The dog couldn't care less, but I keep worrying he'll do it to another dog who won't be quite so nice.

The cats, on the other hand, keep a distance. He hasn't really figured out pet the kitty nice either And they don't enjoy being thumped, tasted, or poked. Go figure...

 

[ashjohnson80]

We have a dog, a lhasa apso. Ellery thinks he is hilarious and laughs at him all of the time. But I'm scared to let him around her. He has biten a few people, not anyone in the family and all guys, but it scares me.

 

[beckmrk04]

Ok- I got my "loaner" car. And honestly, I just have to laugh.

OK- the "dealer" I am having my car serviced at is a very tiny operation in a very tiny town. And I went in to get my loaner car, they handed me keys and pointed me across the street (where their "lot" is- it's like a big square of gravel), and I got the 1998 Dodge Intrepid! Complete with paint chips, no A/C, and 216,000 miles!!!!


I'd be , except it's so freakin' funny. And, it's not costing me anything, so.... I guess I can't complain. Too much.

I will be so glad to have my little 2004 Dodge Neon with no paint chips and working AC back!!

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Ok- I got my "loaner" car. And honestly, I just have to laugh.

OK- the "dealer" I am having my car serviced at is a very tiny operation in a very tiny town. And I went in to get my loaner car, they handed me keys and pointed me across the street (where their "lot" is- it's like a big square of gravel), and I got the 1998 Dodge Intrepid! Complete with paint chips, no A/C, and 216,000 miles!!!!


I'd be , except it's so freakin' funny. And, it's not costing me anything, so.... I guess I can't complain. Too much.

I will be so glad to have my little 2004 Dodge Neon with no paint chips and working AC back!!

Oh dear, Becky! I'm glad you can laugh! I always try to pick laughing over getting my undies in a bundle when these kinds of things happen...so much less stressful, and I always think it will make a funny story someday! Just think - you can make up stories about all the other people who have driven your car, or maybe stories about all the places it's been...

Any word on when you'll get your car back?

I've lived in a few small towns in the Midwest, and my mom (and all her family) is from a little farming community in IL, so I'm familiar with all those tiny community quirks. In one town in MN, the 4 car dealers each had ONE loaner car, so we all got to know what those 4 cars looked like, and we always knew when someone had their car in the shop. I like to think of those quirks as "character" rather than annoyances, although DH (aka Grumpy Pants) sees it differently. Which is why we live in the 10th largest city in the U.S. rather than a small town!

 

[beckmrk04]

I love small towns and loathe small towns. They definitely have their pros and cons.

Even though I have never lived in a city, I really am a city girl at heart. DH- not so much. He likes to visit a city then leave.

ANd I have to say- you can't beat the peace and quiet where we live. No annoying neighbors.

But, no food delivery, either...

Oh well- off to work.

 

[beckmrk04]

Hello?

Well, I got some exciting mail today. There was a blank envelope with my name and address hand written on it, so I opened it and it was a job announcement along with an application from our county health department for a Peer Counselor for Breastfeeding!!!!

When V was born, we were beyond poor, and I wanted to buy a really nice pump but couldn't afford it. So, I found out that our local WIC office rents hospital-grade Medela pumps out to anyone for $10/month! SO I booked it over there and talked extensively with the nurse/lactation consultant. She was really great, and she sent me this application!

I have been sort of frustrated with my current job anyway, and this would be more along the lines of something I would like to do (before I worked at the bank- my current job, I was a Volunteer Coordinator for a Sexual Assualt Response Team- loved that job but it was tooooo far away and paid way too little for the job expectations).

SO, I really want to do something with people- that doesn't include explaining for the millionth time why they overdrafted their account. Plus, this should be a bit closer to home,and with gas prices, that would be awesome.

I'm going to apply and I'm just kind of excited!

 

[Tiggerlover91]

Hello?

Well, I got some exciting mail today. There was a blank envelope with my name and address hand written on it, so I opened it and it was a job announcement along with an application from our county health department for a Peer Counselor for Breastfeeding!!!!

When V was born, we were beyond poor, and I wanted to buy a really nice pump but couldn't afford it. So, I found out that our local WIC office rents hospital-grade Medela pumps out to anyone for $10/month! SO I booked it over there and talked extensively with the nurse/lactation consultant. She was really great, and she sent me this application!

I have been sort of frustrated with my current job anyway, and this would be more along the lines of something I would like to do (before I worked at the bank- my current job, I was a Volunteer Coordinator for a Sexual Assualt Response Team- loved that job but it was tooooo far away and paid way too little for the job expectations).

SO, I really want to do something with people- that doesn't include explaining for the millionth time why they overdrafted their account. Plus, this should be a bit closer to home,and with gas prices, that would be awesome.

I'm going to apply and I'm just kind of excited!

You're a posting fool girl!!

Congrats on the job offer. I know how you feel about money. The first week of the month is always hard with rent. I've been watching the account very closely. I don't want anything bouncing right now. I had to move money from 2 of our ING accounts to cover us, but I'll move it back over once the majority of the bills are paid. Hubby gets paid tomorrow and that will be about $800 and we'll be good for a couple of weeks. My tip money helps to stretch the account along too. Hubby and I have been okay financially never really hurting for money, but there are a couple of months throughout the year where it hurts more than others. STILL waiting on our stimulus check though. Because we did a RAL (Refund Anticipation Loan) they're sending us a check. It was direct deposited, but oh well. We won't see that til the week of my birthday. It SHOULD be mailed on on July 4th, my b-day is the 11th! That WILL be a nice birthday gift from the gov't though!

So anyway, CONGRATS! I hope this works out for you and your money starts rolling in!

 

[jennyL]

Oh my goodness ladies. I have Noah in daycare since DH and I work all day. The place we wanted didn't have an opening when I started back even though we had been on the list since last August so we started at another school. We really enjoyed it there but the one we wanted called and its literally right next to my neighborhood and its cheaper so we moved him. Anyway the new place has the cameras in the classrooms and I got access yesterday so what have I been doing all morning but watching my little man. LOL he doesn't even move on his own yet but I've been watching the ladies play with him. I really need to get some work done but its so hard not to watch.

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Becky, that's great news! I hope the job works out for you!!!

Denise, I hope all the money stuff gets figured out for you soon!

Jenny, that's so great that you got the spot in the daycare you wanted. I'd be watching the webcams all day, too!


I'm convinced Owen is teething. He's drooling like a maniac, always has his fists shoved in his mouth or is chewing on anything in his hands, LOVES having his gums rubbed, and is super fussy and having a hard time sleeping. The boy was up every hour or two all night long. Ugh - I'm so tired after all that! He's completely messed up his schedule today with sleeping and eating and napping at odd times, he's fussy, and he's not sleeping well when he does nap. I've decided that I'm going to give him Tylenol before he goes to bed tonight and see if that helps. I've put all his pacifiers in the freezer and I've been giving him those at nap times, but they fall out of his mouth once he's asleep, and then he rolls over on them so they are under him and he gets cranky because he's sleeping on a pokey pacifier. It's a nasty cycle - he won't sleep without the pacifier, but then it wakes him up when he's laying on it.

I've ordered a WubbaNub, and hopefully that will help the whole binkey issue. We'll see...

 

[Jen_in_NH]

Bethany - good luck with the teething. Christopher was always fussy the night before the tooth broke. Usually some Tylenol did the trick, and he slept all night. I swear, he'd sleep through a bomb.

Becky - what a cool job! I wish they had something like that around here. I tried breastfeeding, but it was a disaster. Pumping only worked for about 3 months. I wish there had been someone around to talk to for ideas and such, but the lactation folks at the hospital weren't really helpful.

Denise - I feel your pain. We're stretching everything around here too. I miss the old days when if we needed some more money, one of us worked more hours. Not really possible anymore, you know?

 

[beckmrk04]

You're a posting fool girl!!

Don't I know it? Well- DH works evenings, and my sis is on midnights, so I'm beyond bored after V goes to bed. I guess I could spend the time cleaning, but isn't it more fun to DIS?



Money is the thing that gives me anxiety like nothing else. Things are better than they were though- thank goodness for that. But, we have to watch things VERY carefully. And still- if something unexpected comes up- we're hurting. But, it'll get better. It has certainly been worse!

jennyL- that is SO cool that you can watch the webcam! I can see how it would be addicting, though. But, I'm glad you got into the daycare you wanted.

Bethany- My biggest cue that V was teething was the night-waking. That's the only time she wakes up at night. Tylenol before bed was a big help (actually, we usually did Motrin- that seemed to work better for her).

Jen- I am excited about this job, too- I know so many moms who tried breastfeeding but it IS hard!!! And tiring! And the lactation consultant at the hospital was working for formula companies, I'm pretty sure. I wanted support and basically she was like, "Well, see how it goes, you can always switch to bottles." WTH? I mean, duh- I know that, but seriously, I expected a lactation consultant to be a bit more supportive of breastfeeding. Although- I guess she walks a fine line, since she doesn't want to make bottle-feeding moms feel bad. And I don't want to either, but I would like to offer support to women who want/need it!

So, we'll see. I'm going to send in my application. And if I get it- cool! If not, it wasn't meant to be.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

The ONE time I need the landlord to deposit checks like she always does, she doesn't! It usually takes 3-4 days for the rent check to clear, this time it cleared in 2 and I had 2 things come through overdraft!! I CANNOT believe that. It's like the money I moved from ING didn't even help. I guess if I didn't do it, her check and a couple other things would have overdrafted too. I cannot figure out what happened this time! Oh well, I'll be watching the account a lot closer. $66 gone to overdraft fees! Guess I better get my TIP money in today before 2pm. Not working Sunday REALLY hurt us financially. I made have only made $60 or $70, but that is EXACTLY what I would have needed for the two items that dropped down after the rent check. Oh well....

 

[beckmrk04]

The ONE time I need the landlord to deposit checks like she always does, she doesn't! It usually takes 3-4 days for the rent check to clear, this time it cleared in 2 and I had 2 things come through overdraft!! I CANNOT believe that. It's like the money I moved from ING didn't even help. I guess if I didn't do it, her check and a couple other things would have overdrafted too. I cannot figure out what happened this time! Oh well, I'll be watching the account a lot closer. $66 gone to overdraft fees! Guess I better get my TIP money in today before 2pm. Not working Sunday REALLY hurt us financially. I made have only made $60 or $70, but that is EXACTLY what I would have needed for the two items that dropped down after the rent check. Oh well....

Overdraft fees...

We have paid MORE than our fair share. And now I work at the bank, and you would not believe how much money the bank makes on those fees. I have seen people literally spend thousands each year on OD fees.

But, it happens. I still get them every once in a while when things are tight. In fact- I was praying not to have some this week, what with the car fiasco and all. I squeeked by.

I know it's hard though, and OD fees usually hurt exactly the people who can't afford them!

 

[ashjohnson80]

anyone know of a good umbrella stroller? i'm trying to find a place to stay at the beach the end of the month and i don't want the stroller to take up the whole car.

 

[Jen_in_NH]

anyone know of a good umbrella stroller? i'm trying to find a place to stay at the beach the end of the month and i don't want the stroller to take up the whole car.

I found a Maclaren triumph on clearance, and I love it. Not something I would have paid full price for, but the clearance price was pretty good. Maybe try ebay or craigslist?

Jen

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Blech. More naptime screaming from Owen. I can't figure out how to help this kid sleep lately. He did fine last night, but now today he's spent most of his nap time screaming instead of sleeping. If this keeps up I may have to just shut him in his room and go work in the garage where I can't hear him and just let him cry. It's getting really stressful for me and I'm starting to feel like I'm at the end of my rope with him. I'm trying to be a good mom, but there's only so many hours of screaming I can take and I'm about at my limit.

 

[Pollito916]

Hello?

Well, I got some exciting mail today. There was a blank envelope with my name and address hand written on it, so I opened it and it was a job announcement along with an application from our county health department for a Peer Counselor for Breastfeeding!!!!

I'm going to apply and I'm just kind of excited!

That's awesome Becky - good luck!!!

anyone know of a good umbrella stroller? i'm trying to find a place to stay at the beach the end of the month and i don't want the stroller to take up the whole car.

I'm not sure how much you want to spend, but the Maclarens are always good, but a little pricey. You could always get one of those really cheap umbrellas for like $20 at BRU. I have a Combi that I liked when Alex was small, but got really hard to push as he got bigger. It was super light-weight and folded up really tiny, but the pushing was such a PIA that I got a Peg Aria a few months ago, and I like it a lot better. Doesn't fold up as small, but a way better stroller, IMHO.

And I know how you all feel about money. We are constantly living paycheck to paycheck, and I just opened a new checking acct here & sent in the direct deposit information to my job. Can you believe that they actually miscoded the account #, so instead of receiving an EFT last Friday like everyone else, I just received a paper check by DHL yesterday. AND on top of that, when I first reported the problem to HR, they assumed that the money had been deposited to my old account, which it hadn't. Both accounts are at Chase, and both are still open, so that wouldn't have been a problem. They deposited the money in some random person's account that is one # different than mine, then wanted to wait to make sure they were able to get the money back out of that account before issuing me a new check. It is NOT my fault that someone in payroll or HR made a keying error that nobody else caught - I worked for my money, and I need it now! And I work for a very large company with offices across the country. I was so frustrated! As I'm sure you can tell from my use of all the angry smilies!

But on a good note, my mom and I just went to a local mom's group consignment sale, and got some really good deals on more toys for Alex that he doesn't need. It wasn't as big as the one I had gone to back where I used to live, and didn't have as much a variety of big ticket items, like strollers, furniture, etc. But we still got some great deals!

And yesterday was my b-day, so hubby & I went to Melting Pot for dinner, which was delicious! We were going to see a movie afterwards, but we were way too full and afraid we would fall asleep in the dark theater. So we went mini-golfing instead, which was lots of fun!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!