The new "New Moms" thread!

[k_reile]

I personally think the octuplet mom is crazy! Not only going through in vitro...but being single and living with her parents in a small home. Though I did hear that there were not 8 embroyos implanted...don;t know how many but they split.

Can you imagine having 14 kids under the age of 8?? And I am tired with one!

I am glad to hear of your kids in the 2 yr ranges heights. Our next trip to Disney will be probably when Caleb is about 28 mos and was wondering if he would be tall enough to hit some height requirements (40"). I asked my brother how tall my newphew (2.5) was and he guessed 36 inches but I don;t think that is right...but who knows. But I do think Caleb will be taller bc DH is soo tall and he is already 26 inches at 4 mos. Then again, we might go when he is 16 mos and wondering how tall will make no difference at all (for the height requirement anyways)

Caleb did wake up about 4:30am. I just let him fuss and kept on giving him back his pacifier to get him to go back to sleep. I know i was still awake at 5am and he was slightly fussing. I then woke up around 6am and he was asleep and was until I woke him up at 7:30am to get ready for the day. Maybe I just need to be firmer and let him fuss and maybe (hoping) that he will start sleeping through the night again.

 

[DMickey28]

k - I am a personal fan of the Fuss It Out method. I don't let him cry and cry but fussing is ok. Mine moans to himself for about 5 minutes straight before conking out. Sometimes he'll be up at 5:15 and just moaning and fussing. I WILL NOT get him unless he cries. Usually he is back to sleep within the hour and not up until 8 or 9am!!!!!! He needs the sleep, just because he doesn't know it yet!

 

[kellyf2626]

Ya...that Octuplet mom is NUTSO!!!! There are just so many things wrong with what happened. First, the doctor is at fault for transferring 8 embryos - completely unethical and puts mom and babies at risk. So, he/she should lose their license. I guess he/she told the mom she should selectively abort if all 8 took. GOOD GOD - like that should be an option???? Second, if a women who has 6 kids comes and wants to go through the IVF procedure, I think she is in need for some counseling first IMHO. Clearly she is addicted to having children. Third, as another crazy, mitigating factor....they are all from a sperm donor?!?!?!?! Ok....so bad enough if you were married, had 6 kids, and found a crazy doctor to transfer 8 embryos......but from a sperm donor???? Some freakin college kid who donates sperm for extra cash now has 14 kids with the same women!!! Anywho....I find the whole thing sad for the children because they didn't chose this and now are in the media and clearly have a wacko as a mother. Now she wants deals from Oprah and stuff?


k_reile - That is good that he fell back asleep even though he was up early. Maybe keep trying that and see if it works!

Nicole - Thanks for the birthday wishes! DH reads me the "Eat this not that" section from Men's Health each month....the books must be very interesting because I am always amazed at what it tells you! So cute how Izzy is labeling body parts and making animal noises!! This is such a fun age (most of the time! )

 

[beckmrk04]

First off- I can't even imagine what the octuplet mom was thinking, nor what her doctors were thinking. Especially since more and more details are coming out and making this story even more outrageous. I mean, if you have PLENTY of money and you can support 14 kids all by yourself, have at it. But, it seems that this isn't the case here. I don't begrudge people the chance to be parents: single parents, straight parents, hetero parents, gay parents, whatever- through whatever means they can utilize. Being a parent is one of the most amazing experiences humans can have. But this is just irresponsible. Her own mother thinks she's crazy and is threatening to leave once her daughter gets out of the hospital. But, of course, she's probably going to cash in (or at least thinks she will). Everyone wants to talk to her, although I imagine the #1 question is going to be: "What the HELL were you thinking?" And to the doctors who transferred a LITTER: "What the hell were YOU thinking?" Not to mention the fact that taxpayers will be the ones picking up the tab for 8 babies' stays in the NICU. Which, if it were a freak occurrence, I don't think anyone would even mind- but this was pretty much premeditated as far as I'm concerned- I mean, if you transfer 8 embryos, you have to know that you could potentially have EIGHT babies. And she'll get to do it for free. I had one kid and it took me a year to pay off the medical bills (after my good insurance took care of the vast majority of it!!).

Whew.

So. That's what I think about the octuplet mom.

 

[beckmrk04]

Bethany- sorry you guys are sick. We are too. I stayed home today- I have had a headache, cough, sore throat, the works. I'm getting ready to drag my fanny to Walgreens for some OTC meds. I called the doc and that's what they said to do- try it for 7 days, and if it doesn't work, then they'll see me. Good. Hope I haven't coughed a lung up in that time.

Nicole- good to hear from you! Re: weight. I decided I am going to buy a treadmill, even though my house is abysmally small and I hardly have the room. But, the weather here in IL is so unpredicable and I will talk myself out of walking outside if it's cold, rainy, snowy, too hot, etc. Plus, I ordered the book Body Clutter which should be here today- it seems like a good book. Written by the FlyLady. Which I am loving. I am getting my house decluttered and organized little bits at a time. Baby steps. Feels much easier and less overwhelming this way. I wish I could hire someone to help me learn, you know? Some people are born organized. I am not one of those people. Glad Izzy is doing well! It is so much fun when they start talking. Vaylie does something new and cute every day.

k_reile- I am tired with one too!!! I worry about having TWO children, much less 13 more.

Dmickey- I'm with you on the "fuss it out"- sometimes I think if I had just left V alone she would have fell back asleep on her own. I let her CIO sometimes, too, when she was just overtired and refusing to settle down. Usually only lasted about 10-15 mins, and she was out.

kelly- YAY for a WDW trip! I'm jealous.

Jen- I'm glad Christopher is getting back up to where he needs to be. And now I have to go check Children's place. I love the store- they always have great sales.

 

[Pollito916]

DMickey - I hope everything goes well with Alexander's appts, let us know how it goes!

Jenny - How is everything going with the allergy test? I totally lauged out loud at the picture of Noah walking around with his sippy cup tipped back so far he falls over!

Jen - Alex does the same thing with grabbing food off out plates when he has the exact same thing on his own plate!

K reile - it doesn't sound like you are doing anything wrong, probably just a hungry boy! Hopefully it's a growth spurt and it will be over soon.

Becky - Alex has been in the 25% for weight since after 6 months, but his peds haven't been concerned since he has been consistently gaining weight and on the same point on his growth curve.

Bethany - that stinks that the whole family is sick, I hope you're all feeling better soon! It's hard enough to take care of a sick baby, and even worse when you are sick yourself!

Kelly - Yay on the Disney trip! And I don't think anyone on this board will think you're crazy for going to Disney to get away. We used to do the same thing with weighing Alex when he was younger, but now he likes to imitate us, so he will stand still.

Nicole - I still travel about the same, 1 week every other month or so, never over weekends. It never seems like a lot to me, but I do miss him when I'm gone. I'm glad to hear Izzy is doing so well - they learn so fast at that age! When are you planning the IVF?

**************

 

[Pollito916]

Wow, some of you pay a lot for milk! I don't like to pay more than $2.50 for it can sometimes find it as low as $1.99 a gallon.

I think Alex is just about 35" and 27 lbs. I actually got him to stand still on the scale long enough to get a reading. He is super skinny, so we keep giving him the whole milk. He's so skinny that we buy the size 2T pants at Old Navy or Children's Place because he needs the length, but then we pull the adjustable tabs in 5-6 notches on each side!

I agree with the rest of you on the Octopulets mom - 14 kids is a lot for anyone, but 14 kids under 8 years, for a single mom, living with her parents, that is unemployed?!? I don't think anyone should be denied the right to have children in whatever way they choose, but this seems a bit excessive. How can she possibly expect to care for that many children? And what was her doctor thinking implanting 8 embryos - how can he/she justify that many?

I'm still crazy busy with work, but finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. We should be wrapping this project up by the end of next week and go back to a normal schedule.

On Monday night, Alex woke up about 1.5 hours after he went to sleep, and he was whimpering very pitifully, not just screaming for his blanket like usual. So I went in to check in on him, and he was rubbing his stomach and saying, "tummy hurt, tummy hurt," so pitifully.

So I took him out of the crib and brought him to the family room to hold him for a little bit. DH came home early and we were just sitting there, when Alex threw up all over the couch. Poor little guy had never thrown up before and was crying and shaking. So we brought him upstairs and let him sleep with us again. He was fine by the next morning, so I couldn't think of what it could be.

Then I remembered that on Monday afternoon when he was washing his hands, he licked the soap bottle, so that's probably what made him sick. Little weirdo has been into licking things lately. He walks up to me all the time, says, "lick?" then licks my arm, leg, the table, etc. Then he says, "Alex! No licking!"

He's also started saying, "I'm gungry (hungry)," which is sort of nice, but sometimes so annoying, b/c he will start yelling it louder and louder if he doesn't get food right away. Life with a toddler is definitely not boring!

 

[jennyL]

Morning ladies. So far we are off to a good start. We gave him milk on Tuesday night and after taking a couple sips and then looking weirdly at the bottle he finished it up. He does have redder cheeks then he had recently but we aren't sure if thats the milk or a just because so we're watching it. He has also had some yesterday morning and last night. I'm thinking if we have any issues it will be this weekend since the milk will have worked its way through his system and that is all he'll have since he'll be with us the whole time.

I hope it keeps up this way and next week he can explore the world of cheese and other dairy products. I'll still take it slow but it opens up a whole world of new foods.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

I just have to share this with you ladies.......





I LOVE TURBO TAX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Didn't cost us a penny! Did it LATE Tuesday night after coming home from work, the electronic file was accepted on Wednesday and my refund is due next Friday...THE SAME DAY HUBBY GETS PAID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hubby and I made about $3000 MORE than the following year, BUT got back about $300 MORE than last year. Me making less helped in that area. I would have liked a bigger refund...BUT I can't complain about hubby making more money throughout the year.

 

[kellyf2626]

Pollito - Poor little Alex throwing up! He must not have known what the hec was going on. That's great that he at least verbalized what was wrong to you when you went in to see him! I hate playing the "what's wrong with Brady" game...it's just so hard to figure out why he wakes up some nights crying...I feel so bad! The licking stuff is pretty funny....Brady will randomly lick the slider or the area rug in the carpet....weird?

Jenny - Sounds like the whole milk thing is off to a good start! Brady took to it no problem, and if milk is not an issue - cheese and other dairy stuff should be ok for sure. My ped said that the dairy enzymes are far more broken down in cheese, yogurt, etc.. as compared to milk.

Denise - That is great about your tax return! I have no idea how much or even if we will get money this year. Our taxes are super confusing and we have an accountant to do them since we own an insurance agency, I self-contract for work, etc... I am hoping we at least get back a little bit to use toward our Disney trip!

*******************************************************

Well ladies, I will be gone for the entire weekend! DH and I are leaving today for a trip up to Bretton Woods until Sunday. My mom came this morning and picked-up Brady...it feels so weird not having him in the house. It's soooooooooo quiet!! Should be a fun adult-only weekend. I am just excited to sleep-in for THREE mornings! One our friends may bring their 2 month old....but as long as it's not my kid...I don't care! Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

 

[DMickey28]

Kelly - Yeah, Have fun. Sounds so exciting. I am ready for a night away!!

Denise - Great on the taxes. I did a rough draft of ours but we are going to owe so I backed away. I can't figure out why DH's company didn't take out as much this year as last year but he made almost $13K more. Ouch.

Bethany & Becky - I hope you guys are feeling better.

Pollito - I am glad that work will be settling down soon. I hope that Alex is doing well now. Alexander got the stomach bug back in October and it was the most horrible thing. He would get so scared when he would throw up. Ick.

Becky - I am so jealous you are actually following fly-lady! I need to. I pulled all the crap out of our closet this AM and am in the process of organizing and putting it all back. I am tossing a bunch of stuff. Unfortunately that means I have not gotten to the rest of the house at all so the kitchen is a mess, as is the living room. Oh well, at least we will sleep in peace!

****
10DPO with a BFN. Argh ... I know it's still early and I still have a shot this month but I feel so down about it. We have been TTC for 4 cycles so far and nada. This month felt so different. I started having major cramps this AM and felt like AF was going to come. I don't get PMS or anything before her, only with or shortly after her arrival. Do/Did any of you chart? I check CM and CP and my CP is MIA right now. I know that can be a good sign but still ... I am taking NPC and wondering if that is giving me the symptoms of either AF or PG. I am going to take it through 14DPO and the stop if no BFP and no AF. I am almost out of tests ... HA. I want to go to Target and get more but I know I will just use them. I am waiting for an order of Internet Cheapies to hold me over until the weekend!!

 

[Jen_in_NH]

DMickey - I hate the whole waiting part. I finally gave in and decided to test in the am - it's been about 7 weeks now (but that's not odd in my world)

Kelly - have a great weekend! Bretton Woods is incredible, and Channel 9 says the weather should be good this weekend (so we'll probably be buried in snow )

Jenny - god luck through the weekend. Hopefully everything goes well!

Denise - I know what you mean about TurboTax. I did ours last weekend, and we should get it next Friday!!!

Nicole - Hi there! nice to see you again

Pollito - poor Alex It's so hard to watch when they're sick. It was killing me when Christopher was in the hospital so much because he would always want to curl up on one of us, and we were forever waking him up for blood draws and other lovely stuff. First he feels lousy, and now we can't let him sleep!

k_reile - I'm also worried about height for our next trip. He's 35" now, but asn't grown in a dog's age. The doctor keeps telling us that now that he's on insulin and everything else is straightened out, he should start catching up on his height and weight. I'm hoping!

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

The antibiotics are definitely working and while Owen still has his cold symptoms, he's acting more like his usual self and doesn't have a fever. It's so nice to have my wiggle boy back, no matter how much trouble he is! It was a little scary when he was so lethargic and just wanted to be held. Poor bug is still tired - he's taking 3 naps a day instead of 1 or 2.

We still went out for dinner last night, and have found a new babysitter! We tried him out on a friend's recommendation - we figured we'd just be 3 blocks away so it was a good night for a trial run with a new sitter. He's a college student who has taught swim lessons for years and has been looking for babysitting jobs to supplement his other income. He did an awesome job of communicating with us and was super responsible - he asked us for Owen's dr. info and other emergency contact stuff before we had a chance to give it to him, and asked us about allergies and house rules. He even sent us his resume and some references to check! The boys seemed to like him, and he gave us a detailed report when we got home. Since he's a certified swim instructor, he's got all the first aid and CPR training, which was extra reassuring.

Now our neighborhood friends are all anxious to get his contact info, too. Good babysitters are a hot commodity! One of our friends even told me she'd bring me coffee every morning for a month if I'd share my new babysitter with her!

 

[Pollito916]

Denise - good news on the tax refund! We can't do ours yet b/c I am still waiting for 2 of the forms, my employer and DH's employer back in IL before we moved. I think we should be getting $ back too, so I am anxious to get them!

Kelly - Silly boys licking things! I don't get it, but Alex thinks it's hysterical! Have fun on your weekend trip!

Dmickey - sorry about the BFN, but you're right it's still early. Crossing my fingers for you!

Jen - It's hard enough seeing your baby sick at home, it must have been heartbreaking when Christopher was in the hospital! I'm glad he's doing so much better!

Bethany - How exciting finding such a great new babysitter!

**************

Alex seems to be doing much better with the stomach, there hasn't been any more throwing up, but now he has kind of a rash on his stomach. It's not very red, but you can really feel it when you touch him - it's very grainy feeling My sister is a nurse and looked at it yesterday, but she doesn't know what it is either. He also has a lot of dry spots on his arms, so I'm not sure what that's about. I put Aveeno on him after his bath last night, so hopefully that helps.

 

[beckmrk04]

Alex seems to be doing much better with the stomach, there hasn't been any more throwing up, but now he has kind of a rash on his stomach. It's not very red, but you can really feel it when you touch him - it's very grainy feeling My sister is a nurse and looked at it yesterday, but she doesn't know what it is either. He also has a lot of dry spots on his arms, so I'm not sure what that's about. I put Aveeno on him after his bath last night, so hopefully that helps.

Vaylie has the same thing (I know- imagine that. ). She was diagnosed with eczema last year and the Dr. said most kids outgrow it, but it is generally triggered by cold/dry air. Vaylie has it right now on her stomach and a couple of patches on her arms and legs. Best things to do: lukewarm bath- no bubbles, lotion lotion lotion, and if all else fails, V has an Rx called "Elidel"- it's a steroid cream that clears it right up. But we rarely have to use it.

 

[beckmrk04]

Denise- that's great about the refund! I'm hoping to get our taxes done today so I can see some $$ too!

Bethany- you have a manny!! (Sorry- couldn't resist; I keep thinking of that "Friends" episode). That's GREAT though! It is so hard to find someone with such great qualifications! And I'm glad Owen is feeling better. Luckily, Vaylie hasn't got whatever DH and I have. We're feeling a bit better though.

DMickey- I've got my fingers crossed for you! And the FlyLady thing? Totally helping me. My house is still a work in progress, but I don't feel quite as overwhelmed about it- it's all about the Baby Steps. My DH is even onboard. He has been helping to make sure the dishes are done and the sink is shiny every night. Just that makes such a big difference. And when I was TTC- I bought a ton of tests at the dollar store! I'm sure the clerk thought I was crazy. But- I was sick of spending major $$$ for BFNs.

 

[k_reile]

Caleb slept in his craddle for the first time last night since he was three weeks old. He still woke up a lot but we held of feeding him til about 5am when he would just not go back to sleep. Course he is sleeping in his car seat now but that is because we just got back home about an hour ago and he is still sleeping from the car ride.

Glad some of you are seeing tax return $$. We most likely will owe since I cashed in savings bonds before Caleb was born. OH well maybe next year.

 

[beckmrk04]

Well, I did my taxes. The good news is that we made almost $8,000 more this year than last year!!!

The bad news is that I'm only getting $771 back. Now, I know I shouldn't complain because we did better through the year and we don't owe anything. But we were used to getting around $1800. *sigh* Oh well.

I told DH we'd get more if we had another baby, *wink, wink.* He didn't go for it.

 

[DMickey28]

Becky - I am sorry you aren't getting as much as you hoped back!! We are pretty excited because we only owe $202 this year. Last year we got money back but we owed before that for a few years. $202 is a drop in the bucket compared to previous years!!

K - Where was Caleb sleeping before? I bet after a few nights you'll get to see some pattern in his sleeping.

Pollito and Bethany - I am glad they are feeling better.

Jen - Did you test?

*******
12DPO - BFN. I am out. No AF but my temp is dropping so I am not hopeful. Oh well ... on to next month. I am hoping to be able to not be as obsessive about it but I don't know if that will work!! It works for the first 10 days of the cycle but that's it. I finally got my Internet Cheapie pregnancy tests but I refuse to buy anymore expensive ones. Did you know that some of the girls get so obsesed that they are doing blood serum tests at home??? Found that out this AM. I can't promise I wouldn't do it either but seems a bit much!!!

Did I mention that DH has decided to look for a new job? He is feed up with this one and thinks he can be much happier making at least as much if not a bunch more money back in his old industry. We would love to find a job back in the NE but we have expanded our search to from Chicago down to Dallas and east. We would love to go back to Chicago or Indiana if not Boston. Who knows ... I am just ready for this rollercoaster of a job to be over sooner rather than later!!

DS is still sleeping ... should really be getting him up because our friends are coming over at 6pm to babysit tonight so we can go out for an early V-day dinner. We are going to our favorite restaurant and I can't wait!!!

 

[k_reile]

DMickey---he was sleeping in his car seat for the acid reflux. Now that he does not have any problems with that and since he is no over both colds he got in a row...it was time to make the transistion. Practice makes perfect and before long we won;t hardly remember him sleeping in the car seat (though it is hard to forget )