The new "New Moms" thread!

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Bethany - I also dress DS like a little man!! He wears Khakis, Jeans, Polo shirts and hoodies along with a few t-shirts. Most of his clothes come from TCP, a few staples from Target, Gap and Gymboree. I also have a bunch of stuff from the Talbots clearout. I buy everything at least one size larger so all the stuff he has now he has been wearing for at least 6 months and not outgrowing it anytime soon. All his "Christmas" clothes are 2T or 3T so they should work for next year!! I just spent $150 at Gymboree with the 30% coupon this weekend and got $75 in GymBucks for January. I don't think I have spent more than $10 on any one piece of clothing in the long run ... it works out well.

Isn't it fun to find bargains and still have the little guys look like little men? I just love Owen in button up shirts with the top button open and the sleeves rolled up, or in sweaters. He's so adorable! I do dress him in some overalls, but I like to have cute matching shirts underneath, and I love dressing him in earth tones over bright primaries or pastels. It's true, my favorite colors are earth tones so that's some of it, but also with Owen's coloring (light red-brown hair, brown eyes) he looks so much better in earthy colors.

Alexander is 18.5 months old and WE ARE STILL ON THE BOTTLE!! He is doing toddler formula and I don't know how to get off of it. We tried at 18 months for about 10 days and he just couldn't do it. He eats a ton anyway and we couldn't really get him to eat more in a day to make up for the bottle. He gets it just before bedtime and if he didn't get it he would wake up at 3am starving. I don't know how to get off it .... HELP ...

Sorry I can't help...we haven't crossed that bridge yet (although DMIL thinks we should have Owen on sippy cups by now... ). The only thing I can think of is to keep trying and hang in there!

I'm having problems getting Owen to eat instead of filling up on formula right now. He refuses to eat more than 2-5 spoonfuls of anything I feed to him and just wants to feed himself, so we do tons of finger food. Anything I think is soft enough for him to chew with his 3 teeth we cut up into little bits for him to feed himself, but sometimes he'll only eat a couple tablespoons of finger food and then chugs 4oz of formula and screams for more. Othertimes he'll eat as much as 1/4 c. and only drink an oz or two of formula. It isn't the food, because one day he'll eat a ton of cheesy garlic pasta or peas or whatever, and another time he'll only eat a few bites of the same food he chowed on earlier. He still gets a bottle before each nap and before bed, but he sometimes only drinks a couple oz, and sometimes he wants all 8oz.

I don't know...I don't worry about it too much because it seems like it evens out over time, but I'm a little concerned that when we make the switch to milk at 1 yr. he won't be getting enough nutrients from what he's eating.

 

[beckmrk04]

DMickey- Vaylie was used to the bottle at night too, so we started doing a snack at night of yogurt and a cup of milk. That way she had a full belly before bed. I even warmed the milk for a while (I always warmed her bottles). Then we brushed teeth and read a story and off to bed.

Maybe try some sort of filling snack before bed- like a Fiber One muffin (I'm currently hooked- I make a batch on Sunday night and eat them for breakfast or as a filling snack all week). Plus, they full of fiber and the Apple Cinnamon ones are really good. Or cheese and crackers.

Vaylie still usually has some sort of snack before bed- some milk and yogurt or fruit.

 

[beckmrk04]

I don't know...I don't worry about it too much because it seems like it evens out over time, but I'm a little concerned that when we make the switch to milk at 1 yr. he won't be getting enough nutrients from what he's eating.

That was my worry when I went to the doc for Vaylie's 1 year appt.

OUr ped has 3 kids under age 6, and she was like: "Welcome to toddlerhood." SHe basically said don't worry about it until the kid is 5 and you can reason with them about what they eat and how much.

 

[exwdwcm]

hey guys- sorry I have been MIA- it's been crazy at work- literally working my tail off! I am finally getting caught up. I was in Chicago for a plastic surgery meeting and staying right across from Grant Park on election day, luckily i got out of town before they shut down all the streets!

We've had so much go on since i last posted- from halloween to Will's first bday! Halloween- he was a pirate and we just went to 2 houses. He didn't wnat his pirate hat on, but he was cute.

my sister holding him

Then we had his birthday party on that saturday after halloween. it went great- he was super fussy though- he had all four top middle teeth coming in. i got out his small little cake and we sang happy b-day- then i was trying to get him to play in his cake.....well he decided to projectile vomit instead.......it would not stop either, he just kept on puking. so no cute cake pics.......but still memorable. he felt a lot better after that though. lol... we had just started him on regular milk a few days before and maybe his tummy was still adjusting, plus the teething. anyways- everyone just died laughing when he puked everywhere....it was so funny, but poor little man just didn't feel good until after he got that out. he got some great gifts and had a good time- and then i hopped on a plane hours after his party for work.

and we jsut got his day care pics in---

He also took his first steps on his birthday (10/30) at the doctor's office in the waiting room! he took like 6 at a time. he is really starting to walk well now. we bought him some good walking shoes too.

So we've been busy. i can't believe it is almost mid november already. wtih work so busy, the time has simply flown.

i'll try and catch up on all the posts and reply and check in on everyone tomorrow- but just wanted to say hi and post some quick pics of my angel!!

i hope everyone is doing great.

 

[DMickey28]

DMickey- Vaylie was used to the bottle at night too, so we started doing a snack at night of yogurt and a cup of milk. That way she had a full belly before bed. I even warmed the milk for a while (I always warmed her bottles). Then we brushed teeth and read a story and off to bed.

Maybe try some sort of filling snack before bed- like a Fiber One muffin (I'm currently hooked- I make a batch on Sunday night and eat them for breakfast or as a filling snack all week). Plus, they full of fiber and the Apple Cinnamon ones are really good. Or cheese and crackers.

Vaylie still usually has some sort of snack before bed- some milk and yogurt or fruit.

We tried that too ... a drinkable yogurt thinned out with milk. We moved up dinner time so that he would be hungry for the snack. I think I might have to try the muffin or something. I was going over what he eats with my friend and there really isn't room in his day for more food!! I guess that could explain why he is over 3 feet tall already!!

 

[exwdwcm]

wow- everyone's kiddos are so cute for halloween!
Well Will weighed in at 25lbs for his 12 month visit. he is 31.5 tall- both are like 90th percentile. his head is still off the charts. lol

POLLITO- the house looks so good- love the grocery cart pic!

BETHANY- your costumes were so cute- just perfect. i love the
'wayne manor', how cool is that.

BECKY- Vaylie is so big and i love her cute little hair too- she just looks like such a big girl now. i want your buffalo chicken wontons recipe!!

DMICKEY- Alexander was too cute in his costume.

BEKKIZ- welcome and your boys are just adorable, so handsome! I have a "Will" too- we call him William or Will.

DZNYLOVER- how cute is your little Tink!!

NICOLE- i love Izzy as Yoda- i'll have to send that one to my DH- he loves Star Wars. I hope DH is home soon! hang in there!!

JEN- Christopher is so cute in his cow outfit too. how was the weather up there for halloween?

ASH- love Ellery's cape- you are so talented. i can't even sew on a button!

DENISE- Mo is so big- how tall is he- he looks so tall. while i wasn't a huge fan of either candidate, i am happy that it was a history making election and think it will be great to have a role model to show everyone you can be anything you want, no limitations, no matter color, race, religion etc.

MEREDITH_ that stinks on the ticket. boo!!

 

[ashjohnson80]

I'm picky about how I dress Ellery too. It drives me crazy when my mom will change her clothes and put on something that doens't match, even if we're not going anywhere. I get a lot of her stuff from consignment sales, clearance, wal-mart, but I'm really picky about what I buy. And I love a good sale. Like Wal-Mart had Wall E t-shirts on sale for $1 the other day so we found a cute purple one. And being able to make clothes helps too.

 

[DisneyGirl4188]

I also like to dress Spencer nicely. He wears a lot of polos (just like his Dad). Most of his clothes have dinosaurs on them (it's his "theme").

We do a lot of shopping at Kohl's, because DH gets a discount. His socks even have to match his outfit.


We had a long night last night. His nose has been runny and he has trouble breathing. He woke up a ton and then threw a MAJOR fit when we suctioned his nose.

 

[DMickey28]

I'm picky about how I dress Ellery too. It drives me crazy when my mom will change her clothes and put on something that doens't match, even if we're not going anywhere. I get a lot of her stuff from consignment sales, clearance, wal-mart, but I'm really picky about what I buy. And I love a good sale. Like Wal-Mart had Wall E t-shirts on sale for $1 the other day so we found a cute purple one. And being able to make clothes helps too.

My mom will miss match his PJ's and it drives me UP THE WALL. She has finally picked up on that because when we came home from our cruise, we walked in the door at about 8am and he had on mis-matched PJ's. My mom quickly said that she just changed his bottoms out because he woke up wet!!! I think I am OCD about some things like that. I am also SUPER picky about the blankets and sheets on the bed.

We had a long night last night. His nose has been runny and he has trouble breathing. He woke up a ton and then threw a MAJOR fit when we suctioned his nose.

DS woke up once last night but woke up this morning with a runny nose. I just got him down for a nap ... usually he goes down between 12-1pm. I put the Vicks in the humidifier. He doesn't let me get near him with the suction but he is learning to blow his nose which is cute. Except when he grabbed the bottom of my t-shirt (one of DH's old white ones) and did it.

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Ladies, I just scored a major bargain!!! DH may not be so pleased, but oh my goodness....

I got a Peg Perego P3 in very good used condition for $40!!!!

There's a thrift store about 10 blocks from our house that I walk to with Owen occasionally in search of a bargain or two. A lot of the stuff there is okay, but every so often they have a major deal on name brand things. Today I put Owen in the Moby wrap and out we went, and there in the front of the store was this stroller. It's in very good condition - needs a little bit of cleaning and there's one cover bit on the left handle that is missing, but otherwise it's fine. The tread on the tires is still very good, too, and it was just $40! I've been looking on craigslist and ebay at these, and I've never found one for less than $100.

I've been wanting one, but DH said that he couldn't see spending $100+ on a stroller when we already have a) a Graco that the carseat snaps into, b) a small umbrella stroller (no basket), and c) a jogging/trail stroller. I told him that I'd be happy to get rid of the Graco and the umbrella stroller if we got the P3, but he wasn't convinced so I agreed that it was a major purchase and if we both weren't on board with it we should say no. So now I've found this one, and hopefully DH will be okay with it. If not, I'll just have to sell it on craigslist...and I can probably even make a profit on it! But I'm hoping he'll at least agree to a test walk with it so he can see why I like it so much better than the umbrella stroller we've been using.

 

[beckmrk04]

Bethany- that is awesome! And that is a GREAT deal. Guys don't understand the stroller issue. Maybe because we're the ones pushing them most of the time.

I wish we lived in a more populated area. I can't walk anywhere from my house. Unless I'm itching to visit a particular cornfield.
~~~~~~~~~~~~

So- OT, but I'm concerned about my nephew. This weekend we noticed that he was limping a little. Weird, but whatever- at this age they fall literally all the time and he is a VERY active, rough-n-tumble sort of kid. So, yesterday, SIL called and was like WWYD? I said, watch it and see if he keeps it up and if so, take him to the doc. I was kind of like- what can they do? If it's a sprain or broken toe not much can be done anyway.

Well, I guess it got worse because they took him to the ER yesterday. X-rays didn't show anything from what I understand. So, SIL called the ped this morning and they sent them to the children's hospital in St. Louis. ? And I was wondering why they would have to go there, but I figured maybe they had better x-rays for kids or something.

Well, they left around noon and now he's got IVs and they've done more xrays and bloodwork. It's 7:20 here, so they've been gone a while, but I'm wondering how a limp turned into IVs and bloodwork?

I'm worried and I wish SIL would call, but I'm sure she has her hands full. Plus, she told me earlier that her phone was about dead. So, all I have heard is what she told her mom who told my MIL who told me. I'm trying not to jump to any conclusions, but it just seems odd.

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Becky, I hope you hear something soon. I think not knowing what's going on is so hard to handle. I don't see how a limp could lead to so much, either. But I guess it's good that they are being thorough, at least. Hope he's fine and there's nothing to worry about!


DH says that I'm starting to collect strollers the way I collect bags. (He's always calling me a bag lady.) I'm not into designer bags or anything, but I love having just the right bag for every need. So I like to have a black purse and a brown one, a brown dressy purse, a black dressy purse, and of course a large assortment of bigger bags for travel, coffee shops, shopping, diaper bags, etc. etc. I've never been able to convince him that my collection of 20-some bags isn't an insane number. So now he says he's afraid I'm going to keep collecting strollers...I said that I'd stop with this one - we'd have 4 and each one has it's own function, and I'd even get rid of the Graco once Owen is out of the infant car seat. He's not convinced. He's also worried about putting "his boy" in a used stroller. He's agreed to go for a walk next weekend to try it out, and if he doesn't like how it handles we'll get rid of it. I did point out that I could probably sell the P3 and the Graco on craigslist and have enough to get a new P3 off eBay, but he's still skeptical.

 

[beckmrk04]

OK- Update on my nephew. Apparently he has inflamation in his hip and they *thought* it might be septic! Luckily, that is not the case. They aren't sure why he has inflamation, but he just has to take motrin and go back to the doc in a couple of days. WHEW!! I am so relieved. I was just worrying about the worst case scenarios.

Bethany- I like bags, but I could do with one or two. A dressy and a casual. And I tend to always buy black. I'm trying to branch out though. I would like to have one really nice designer bag. But, oh well. My heart won't break if I never get one. And the strollers- I got my BOB and love it (so does DH!!). But, now I need something a little smaller for everyday sort of trips. I had a Graco and I sold it- I hated it.

Michelle- for you!

Buffalo Chicken Wontons- you can prepare them and freeze them uncooked. Then take them out of the freezer and deep fry them.

Now, I kind of made this recipe up (partly based on an appetizer they used to have at Ruby Tuesdays and partly based on a Buffalo Chicken dip recipe I liked), so bear with me- I don't measure things, I just toss it all in until it looks right and tastes good.


Cook and shred 2-3 large chicken breasts (I boil them- it's easy). Mix them with 2 packages softened cream cheese and either your favorite hot wing sauce OR- I make my own with butter and Frank's Red Hot sauce. You will probably need about 1 1/2 cups of sauce (sorry- I just add it until it looks right).

Mix all of that and refigerate it for about 1/2 an hour. Drop small spoonfulls onto wonton wrappers. Moisten the edges with water, then press out the air and seal them. You can freeze them at this point or go ahead and fry them until golden brown. I serve them with ranch, blue cheese dressing, and more hot wing sauce for dipping. I have made them for a few different functions and people always love them and beg me to make them again.

 

[Jen_in_NH]

Bethany - the P3s are awesome! He'll like it, trust me. I found one on Ebay for $25, and DH thinks it's great. We've stopped using it as much, and now just have a Maclaren Triumph.

Becky - hope your nephew is doing well.


As for dressing Christopher, usually he's a jeans and shirt kind of kid. I like the preppy look, DH is more into the camo stuff. He's got a few pairs of nasty old sweats for playing outside, or if I didn't finish the laundry in time, but usually he's pretty well dressed. And I'm totally OCD about PJs must match. That's why I usually have 1 piece stuff.

 

[Villain-lover]

My Babies are ONE today!!!! I have toddlers now!!!!!!!! What a hard year but soo much fun too! I am so proud of our little family and especially proud that DH and I made it through the first year with twins that are happy and thriving!!!!

We have had a fun morning of playing so far. We are of to Wal -Mart for some new shoes, then after nap we will be going for a ride in our new wagon!!!!

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

My Babies are ONE today!!!! I have toddlers now!!!!!!!! What a hard year but soo much fun too! I am so proud of our little family and especially proud that DH and I made it through the first year with twins that are happy and thriving!!!!

We have had a fun morning of playing so far. We are of to Wal -Mart for some new shoes, then after nap we will be going for a ride in our new wagon!!!!

Happy Birthday ato Zoe and Sam!!!

 

[ashjohnson80]

Happy Birthday Zoe and Sam!!!!

I don't collect strollers or bags. I'm too poor. We have one chicco umbrella stroller and I have the black vera bradley diaper bag that I wrestled a woman for at the outlet sale when I was pregnant and an old corduroy purse from somwhere like 1998. I can vaguely remember when I used to have bags and shoes... back before the layoffs, downsizing, and all of the other crap we've had to go through in the past couple of years. Seems like we also used to eat more than one meal a day too... Speaking of which why am I not skinny yet?

Becky- glad that your nephew is o.k.!

I made the coolest video slideshow for Ellery's birthday that I finished yesterday. It starts out with the positive pregnancy test and ultrasounds photos and my growing belly and goes through now. I wish I could put it on my blog or something but the file is friggin huge.

 

[beckmrk04]

My Babies are ONE today!!!! I have toddlers now!!!!!!!! What a hard year but soo much fun too! I am so proud of our little family and especially proud that DH and I made it through the first year with twins that are happy and thriving!!!!

We have had a fun morning of playing so far. We are of to Wal -Mart for some new shoes, then after nap we will be going for a ride in our new wagon!!!!

Hapy Birthday Sam and Zoe!!!

 

[beckmrk04]

Today might be the day that I go crazy.

Vaylie woke up with a horrible attitude and has been rotten. I have to admit- I'm not at my most patient, either, because I woke up at 5 am with a brutal headache and I didn't get much sleep and work is stressing me out. Plus, dnephew was in the hospital yesterday and my sis got bad news from her job and is having a tough time and it just seems like all the poo hit the fan yesterday, and I'm having a tough time.

Plus, DH is working today and he normally calls on his breaks but I haven't heard from him and I really need to vent about this crazy little tyrant that has invaded the body of my sweet little girl.

I think we both need a nap. Maybe we'll go to wal-mart to get out of the house.

-I forgot- I have a hair cut today. Well, at least I'll have cute new hair to go with my crappy mood.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

So I JUST thought of it today, but for Mo's birthday, we are going to the zoo! His birthday is Thursday Dec 4th, but I want to have the party on Sunday the 7th. Dec is still fairly comfortable enough to go to the zoo especially during the beginning of the month. We'll have cake and ice cream at Grammy's house(babysitter) after the zoo and I think that will be really exciting! The zoo does parties, but that costs too much money and considering we eat kosher it's pointless to spend the money. So anyone who wants to eat there can and I'll just bring snacks for me and Mo and we'll be good til we get to Grammy's for cake and ice cream. I'm not sending out any fancy invitations just word of mouth as I only want a few certain select people there anyway. I'll keep you posted and takes lots of pictures! I CAN'T WAIT!!! I know he'll only be one, but he's VERY observant for his age and I think the train ride will be so much fun for him!