The new "New Moms" thread!

[beckmrk04]

just a quick question - has anyone heard from AshJohnson lately? She was so down for a while, and I don't remember seeing her around her for a month or so. Any news?

Jen

I was thinking about that today too, and I checked out her Etsy site. I just left her a message on Myspace.

 

[Pollito916]

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.

Thanks Becky! Any particular type of lotion you have found that helps?

 

[Pollito916]

Becky - nice try with your DH and another baby! Did you go to the doctor yet? I hope you're feeling better soon.

DMickey - sorry about the BFN. I'm glad you were able to find out the source of Alexander's blinking, and glasses aren't so bad. Good luck to your DH on the job hunt - I hope you guys are able to settle down somewhere you will be happy. As for never getting $$ back on taxes, is your DH's income commissions at all? If not, I can't really think of a reason you would always owe $ since you don't work outside the home, right?

Stacy - nice to see you back and glad you're doing well with # 3!

Bethany - it's good that you were able to get to the doctor and get some meds.

Amber - Alex was (is) the same way about walking everywhere. And the bigger he gets, the more he resists holding our hands, which is just not cool in crowded places, parking lots, etc, etc....

Jenny - good news on the milk

Nicole - yay on the Coach purse! And good luck on the new house, that sounds exciting!

just a quick question - has anyone heard from AshJohnson lately? She was so down for a while, and I don't remember seeing her around her for a month or so. Any news?

Jen

I was thinking the same thing yesterday - if anyone hears from her, please let us know!

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

Well, I got DS's flu. I started feeling sick at work on Friday afternoon, then the drive home was absolutely miserable. I threw up less than 5 minutes after I put Alex to bed. So DH stayed home from work Saturday morning to take care of me & Alex, then when he had to go to work at night, my mom came to get Alex and took him back to her house for the night. I had to go back and get him Sunday morning, b/c my mom started feeling sick. It's just no fun at all. Luckily Alex doesn't seem to have been affected nearly as bad as anyone, and I have started eating a little again, which helps with the weakness and exhaustion a little. It's just going around the country right now isn't it?

 

[Tiggerlover91]

just a quick question - has anyone heard from AshJohnson lately? She was so down for a while, and I don't remember seeing her around her for a month or so. Any news?

Jen

Wow. That's right, she hasn't been here in awhile. Since last year as a matter of fact. Gosh, I hope she's okay.

 

[beckmrk04]

Thanks Becky! Any particular type of lotion you have found that helps?

We just use Aveeno. She still has a couple of small rough patches, but they are going away. And make sure to put the lotion on as soon as he gets out of the bath, when his skin is still damp. That helps lock in moisture.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is going to be so nice outside today, and I want to stay home sooooo badly. This darn "I-need-a-job" thing gets in the way of all my fun.

 

[DMickey28]

DMickey - sorry about the BFN. I'm glad you were able to find out the source of Alexander's blinking, and glasses aren't so bad. Good luck to your DH on the job hunt - I hope you guys are able to settle down somewhere you will be happy. As for never getting $$ back on taxes, is your DH's income commissions at all? If not, I can't really think of a reason you would always owe $ since you don't work outside the home, right?

Actually last year, over 2/3rds of DH's income was bonuses and commissions. However they also tax those MUCH higher in the first place. He is in sales. Usually he has a decent base salary but with this company he has a very low one. Thanks for the good luck in the job hunt. We aren't going to seriously hunt until April/May because he usually finds stuff fairly quickly and we have a lease here we can't walk away from. Hopefully we can move and get settled sometime this summer. Yes, I dont' work outside the home and have NO income!! This is the first full tax year that I didn't have any income though. 2007 I had a bit and STD.

 

[7beasley]

Hi Guys

Well - add Izzy to the list of cold/sick/flu -- she was super crabby last night and she slept really late this morning - I finally had to go in and wake her since I had to get to work and she was bright red, clearly had a fever and seemed to have a bit of the chills...took her temp and rectally it was 101.6 -- poor kid!!! So I had to call out of work and I am home with her - I just made her homemade mac and cheese for lunch - its cooling now - hopefully she will like that!

I'll check back soon.

Hope all of you and your kiddos are feeling better!

-Nicole

 

[DMickey28]

Aww ... Poor Izzy. I hope she feels better soon. I am sorry everyone is so sick. For ONCE Alexander does not have the sniffles or a cough. That seems to rarely happen lately so we are happy.

 

[ashjohnson80]

Hey guys. Sorry for not stopping by and checking in. We've been going through a really hard time here.

Last month my husband got cut back at work again and we were having a really hard time from week to week just for normal stuff like buying groceries, taking Ellery to the doctor, things like that. He was out of work until around the 20th of January and even then he could only get 2-3 days a week. Well, last Thursday he got laid off. So right now we don't have any income at all, just unemployment and no insurance or anything like that. Neither one of us is dealing with it very well. Every day is just like... what are we going to do????

I'm trying to get into a program that will let me get my teacher certification while teaching. I have to pass a couple of exams that I'm planning on taking next month and then I would need to find a job as a teacher. If I can't find a job by June 20th I have to reapply next year. In the meantime I'm trying to get a job as a substitute teacher. I've just been trying to get the proper paperwork together including reference lists and the big thing is I need to get a TB test. I went by the health department to get that done today but for some reason they aren't doing them this week so it will be the end of next week before i can turn in my applications.

I also feel really torn about where to leave Ellery when I'm working. I would prefer that she stayed with family, especially until we can get health benefits again, but my mom may have to have knee replacement and DH's mom has already had that and can still barely walk. I just wish I knew what to do, kwim?

Ellery is doing really great, though. She is funny and happy and the only thing that makes me smile lately. She's started barking a lot though, lol. She mimicks any animals that she hears, dogs, birds, whatever. She has also got some of the funniest dance moves. It looked like she was doing "the sprinkler" the other day.

But anyway, that's why I haven't been around lately, just having a heapful of crap to deal with.

 

[DMickey28]

Ash. I am sorry you are having to deal with all this crap. If there is anything we can do please let us know. We are here for you! I don't know where Boogerville USA is but if you are at all close by me, I'd be happy to watch Ellery for you sometime. I doubt that you are in S. Florida but if you are ... let me know! If there is anything else you need, PM me.

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Ash, I'm sorry you're going through all that. Wish I could watch Ellery for you! I'd do it in a heartbeat if we lived near each other. I don't know if there's anything I can do to help, but I wish I could.

Hang in there!

 

[kellyf2626]

Ash....so sorry to hear about everything that has been going on. That is great that you are going for your teaching certification, though! Good for you!!! Glad to hear that Ellery is well!!

 

[beckmrk04]

Ash, seek out any help you can find. If you have creditors, contact them NOW. Trust me- we have been there and done that and we ruined our credit because I was too afraid to even call them. I stuck my head in the sand which is apparently *not* the thing to do.

Lots of people are in this situation right now. But, you know what? You'll get through it. You are much stronger than you think you are. And while I *know* it is hard to leave Ellery with anyone else, she will be ok. FInd someone that your gut feels ok with and go from there. If you decide to find something different later, do that. Look into state programs to help you pay for the cost of childcare. The most important thing is that you love her and treasure ever moment you have together- she will not hold it against you that you had to work to keep a roof over her head, kwim?

I know how stressful it is to lose your income, but I also know that we learn and grow and get through it, even when things seem crazy or hopeless. And I don't know if it helps you or not, and I never was particularly religious, but I believe in God and I have learned to ask God for help; I ask God to show me what I need to do; I ask him to worry for me because I am all worried out. It's something that's new to me (the whole talking to God thing), but it has helped me a lot.

Come here and talk if you need to. Vent. Cry. Laugh. Brainstorm. Most of all, remember that this is your situation right now. Not forever, just right now.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

Hey guys. Sorry for not stopping by and checking in. We've been going through a really hard time here.

Last month my husband got cut back at work again and we were having a really hard time from week to week just for normal stuff like buying groceries, taking Ellery to the doctor, things like that. He was out of work until around the 20th of January and even then he could only get 2-3 days a week. Well, last Thursday he got laid off. So right now we don't have any income at all, just unemployment and no insurance or anything like that. Neither one of us is dealing with it very well. Every day is just like... what are we going to do????

I'm trying to get into a program that will let me get my teacher certification while teaching. I have to pass a couple of exams that I'm planning on taking next month and then I would need to find a job as a teacher. If I can't find a job by June 20th I have to reapply next year. In the meantime I'm trying to get a job as a substitute teacher. I've just been trying to get the proper paperwork together including reference lists and the big thing is I need to get a TB test. I went by the health department to get that done today but for some reason they aren't doing them this week so it will be the end of next week before i can turn in my applications.

I also feel really torn about where to leave Ellery when I'm working. I would prefer that she stayed with family, especially until we can get health benefits again, but my mom may have to have knee replacement and DH's mom has already had that and can still barely walk. I just wish I knew what to do, kwim?

Ellery is doing really great, though. She is funny and happy and the only thing that makes me smile lately. She's started barking a lot though, lol. She mimicks any animals that she hears, dogs, birds, whatever. She has also got some of the funniest dance moves. It looked like she was doing "the sprinkler" the other day.

But anyway, that's why I haven't been around lately, just having a heapful of crap to deal with.

HEY ASH! So good to hear from you.

So sorry you are having a rough time. Have you tried to apply for WIC and/or FOOD STAMPS? They will make a huge difference and considering neither of you have income, I don't see you getting turned down. Good luck with the teaching, I hope all goes well. I'm working on my degree in elementary ed myself and when Charles and I move and I'm further along, I'm going to put in work to substitute til my student teaching comes along. Please keep us posted and remember, someone bigger has everything under control. He's closed one door for you, but trust me...another one is open, you and your hubby just have to find it, see it, and walk through it. Keep us posted lady!

And by the way...if you were in Northwest FL, I'd try to watch Ellery for you when I could. I'm in school and I work, but I'm sure we'd figure something out. And isn't it FABULOUS in our worst of times how our little ones just brighten our days??

 

[beckmrk04]

No activity ladies? I'm disappointed.

OT- I am having this weird, bad pain in my back, like I pulled the muscle that goes from my shoulder to my neck. Except, when I woke up this morning, I was fine- nothing hurt, it just started all of the sudden in the shower- I haven't pulled anything or done anything weird or intense to make this pain start. It hurts whenever I turn my head to the side, and the pain is in both shoulders, on either side of my spine. It doesn't hurt if I don't move. SO, guess I'll have to walk around like a stiff robot today. I don't know what the heck is going on!!!

 

[moburg]

Ok, I'm a "New Dad" and was hoping to get some advice/suggestions. Hopefully there are some more experienced parents in here too who can help.

Our DS is just over 5 weeks old now. With very rare exceptions, he only sleeps well during the day. Night time is a huge fuss fest, with maybe hour long naps. We certainly do not expect him to sleep through the night, but even 2 to 3 hours would be nice. Even when he does stay up and/or is fussy most of the day, he still doesn't sleep well at night.

My wife and I have a system now where we both get sleep, me more than her, but she gets 3 or 4 hour blocks when I can take him and feed him a pumped bottle in the middle.

The problem is going to start in another 2 and half weeks when my wife goes back to work. How do we get him switched over from sleeping primarily during the day to sleeping primarily at night? Again, we are not expecting 4 or 5 hours at a time. 2 to 3 hours at a time would be an improvement.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

No activity ladies? I'm disappointed.

Get yourself checked out Becky. Doesn't sound too good to me. I came home last night after working and put out 9 bags of leaves the young girls across the street bagged for me! I paid for that immediately! However, sleeping off the pain in my mid back helped. Hope you feel better soon!

 

[Tiggerlover91]

Ok, I'm a "New Dad" and was hoping to get some advice/suggestions. Hopefully there are some more experienced parents in here too who can help.

Our DS is just over 5 weeks old now. With very rare exceptions, he only sleeps well during the day. Night time is a huge fuss fest, with maybe hour long naps. We certainly do not expect him to sleep through the night, but even 2 to 3 hours would be nice. Even when he does stay up and/or is fussy most of the day, he still doesn't sleep well at night.

My wife and I have a system now where we both get sleep, me more than her, but she gets 3 or 4 hour blocks when I can take him and feed him a pumped bottle in the middle.

The problem is going to start in another 2 and half weeks when my wife goes back to work. How do we get him switched over from sleeping primarily during the day to sleeping primarily at night? Again, we are not expecting 4 or 5 hours at a time. 2 to 3 hours at a time would be an improvement.

Hi! Welcome!

Unfortunately, I don't think there's much you can do in that area. As far as sleeping, babies do it when THEY want to. I was very blessed to have a son who slept well day and night. The first 3 months of his life he had me up about every 2 1/2 hours at night starting at 10pm or so when he went down. Around 4 or 5 months, that changed to about 3 1/2 to 4 hours and finally at 6 months if you can believe it, my son was sleeping through the night!!!!!!!!! I stopped breastfeeding at nine months! He was gumming me and that wasn't a pleasant feeling!
Maybe one of the other ladies has some good advice for you, something I'm missing maybe! Best of luck to you, congrats and let us know what happens.

 

[DMickey28]

Ok, I'm a "New Dad" and was hoping to get some advice/suggestions. Hopefully there are some more experienced parents in here too who can help.

Our DS is just over 5 weeks old now. With very rare exceptions, he only sleeps well during the day. Night time is a huge fuss fest, with maybe hour long naps. We certainly do not expect him to sleep through the night, but even 2 to 3 hours would be nice. Even when he does stay up and/or is fussy most of the day, he still doesn't sleep well at night.

My wife and I have a system now where we both get sleep, me more than her, but she gets 3 or 4 hour blocks when I can take him and feed him a pumped bottle in the middle.

The problem is going to start in another 2 and half weeks when my wife goes back to work. How do we get him switched over from sleeping primarily during the day to sleeping primarily at night? Again, we are not expecting 4 or 5 hours at a time. 2 to 3 hours at a time would be an improvement.

Unfortunately I also think this is just how babies are. My DS did this pretty much until he was about 8-12 weeks old.

Have you changed where he is sleeping? Where is he sleeping?

We started off with the classic pack n play next to our bed move but that didn't last long. Dh snores!! We moved to putting him in his room within the first few weeks and I slept on an extra bed in there. He would start out in the crib and then I would pull him into bed with me to feed him around 2am. We would then co-sleep until morning.

We tried him sleeping in the swing, in the bouncer, in the bouncer IN the crib ... everything. Eventually we sucked it up, got the Angelcare monitor and put him on his tummy. From that point on he started sleeping a few hours at a time. He also liked vibration so anything that vibrated would keep him asleep. He also NEEDED to be swaddled at first. He outgrew the hospital blanket swaddle and I bought a Swaddle Me at BRU. He wiggled out of that one so we got the Miracle Blanket one online and that was AWESOME!! Obviously we did not swaddle him and up him on his belly, the swaddle was earlier when trying to figure out what would work!!

How big is your son? My DS was not a huge baby at birth but has grown like a weed since then. He gained 5lbs even the first month on strictly breastmilk. It was not long before I had to supplement with formula and then thicken with cereal to get him to eat enough. Even though I could have handled the demand phsyically and given him enough milk, emotionally I could not and had to make the transition to formula. At one point, by the time he was 6 months old or so he was drink 12oz at a time. He's still a big toddler!

Good Luck ... Some of it is par for the course with a newborn but you can try different things to get him comfortable. I could never figure out how the pack n play next to the bed worked out for some many people. It just didn't work for us. Ds was also sleeping through the night from 3 months until 8 months when we traveled a lot and screwed him up!!!

 

[7beasley]

Hi Moburg and welcome!

I think its pretty common for newborns to have their days/nights reversed - until the baby gets a little bigger there is no much you are going to be able to do to reverse that trend.

How much does the baby weigh? I know this is an old wives tale but I can tell you we did it with my Izzy and it worked for us...as soon as the baby is at least 10 pounds - hang him upside down by his feet for a few minutes -- I know this sounds really certifiable crazy but this was told to me by my MIL and told to her by her MIL and we did it and it worked -- its supposed to reset their internal clocks -- but you have to wait till the baby is at least 10 pounds.

Other than that - the only other things I could suggest are that you treat day and night very differently -- during the day keep music on or the tv and talk around the baby (in other words - don't be silent and have the attitude of sshhh the baby is sleeping) - keep lights on and make noise - the baby will still sleep through that but eventually your DS will realize that day sleep is different from night sleep.

Then, at night, make sure the house is silent and dark - when you get up in the night to feed or change the baby - keep the lights super dim and don't really talk to the baby - stay as quiet as you can and then put him right back to bed -- basically - you want to the baby to start to distinguish between day and night.

The other thing though is that at this age - babies need to eat every 4 hours or so -- so unfortunately, until he is about 3 months or so - he will need to get up frequently at night. By the time I went back to work, my little one was about 11 weeks old and by then, I was able to feed and change her about 10pm before I went to bed and she would sleep until about 4am which was a 6 hour block of time and pretty good -- I would get up with her at 4am and then I would get about another 2+ hours of sleep before work -- that worked pretty good for me.

There is also the crying it out method so DS can learn to self soothe - I am not sure how young you can start that though - others here may have more insight.

I would say that by about 4-5 months you might find him sleeping "through the night" which for every baby is different but generally means about 8+ hours.

Take heart though - this not sleeping at night will pass.

Some of the ladies here have had more expereince than I have with a fussy sleeper and I am sure they will chim in.

Good luck!!

By the way - what is DS name?

*************
Hi ladies!

Bec - sorry to hear about your shoulder.

Ash -- welcome back - good to see you but sorry to hear about all that is going on. I agree with Denise - I would look into some federal help like WIC/food stamps and stuff. Also - don't worry about going back to work and Ellery - she will be loved and well cared for whereever she goes and I know you will find someone great to watch her. She needs you working now and financially supporting her more than she needs you around as a SAHM!! You guys will be okay - our thoughts are with you!

Hi All...hope you are all well!

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

Izzy is still wicked sick - today is day 3 of the fever -- it reached as high as 104.5 the other night -- now its down around 102 and has been there since ysterday afternoon - - saw the doctor - said there is nothing to do except wait it out. Poor kid. I missed 2 days of work and DH is home with her now!

-Nicole