The new "New Moms" thread!

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Jenny, I swear Owen says and recognizes Mickey Mouse, too, although it sounds a lot like "MoMo" right now. But he consistantly says it when he sees Mickey in a book, on tv, on my shirt, etc. DH says "the indoctrination has begun" and rolls his eyes, but I know he thinks it's cute, too!

Jen, I'm sure whatever you decide for work will be fine in the end, but I hear you on how hard it is to make a decision on these things. Several years ago I had what was my absolute dream job - but it was summers only and the pay was beyond wretched. Wish I could have kept it.

Denise, I'm glad things are looking better.

Becky, sounds like the weekend went well. I'm glad Vaylie loves her kitchen! Maybe someday we'll have room (or get rid of more stuff so we have room) for a nice kitchen set like that for Owen. DH cooks all the time, so I'm sure Owen will want to be "just like daddy" and play cook, too. He's going to grow up thinking cooking is a dad's job...I'm sure his future wife will thank DH for that someday!

Meredith, your March of Dimes walk sounds really cool! One of my college friends was a March of Dimes poster child back in the 70's, and I've always been interested in the organization since then.

Welcome, Kara! I have great awe and respect for all single parents - I do not know how on earth you do it! By the way, how do you pronounce your name? My niece is named Kara, and her name is pronounced "car-ah" as opposed to "care-ah". I think both are pretty!

~~~~
Okay, so sorry if this is TMI, but my PMS and AF are totally different post-baby and it drives me nuts! I loved the 9 months with no AF while I was nursing, but when AF returned, all my old PMS symptoms were gone and I have new symptoms. Like I used to get a little very light spotting for a couple days pre-AF, and now it's just like wham! there's AF all of a sudden and it's like the floodgates opened out of the blue. And I used to get a little weepy for PMS - just a little tearing up with a sappy commercial, etc. Now I get irrationally irritated and angry at all kinds of little things. Every single one of my pre-baby PMS/AF symptoms are gone, and I have totally new ones...except for horrible cramps that I get for the first 2 days. Those (of course) have stayed the same. Lovely.

 

[Pollito916]

Becky - Alex likes Monsters Inc, too, just not quite as much as Cars. Too funny on Vaylie asking you to turn on the kitchen!

Denise - good luck with the job apps! Doesn't food service pay significantly more than retail? Back when I waitressed I usually averaged $20/hour, but retail is usually around minimum wage, no? If it makes you lose your temper, it's probably not worth it though.

Welcome kgle! My son just turned 2 too, so definitely not a new mom. Though sometimes I want to be again!

Kelly - you guys have been hit hard with the snow this year! I can see why you're dying to get outside! And it reminds me why I moved out here!

Meredith - Congrats on getting involved in the MoD! My company is a national sponsor of MoD, so I have been involved with it or walked in it for the past 5 years. It's been a great experience. Alex and I have done it every year since he was born, but I haven't signed up yet for this year. Everyone I know is having so much trouble financially, that I can't imagine trying to ask for donations right now. It makes me feel horribly guilty either way, asking for the donations, or skipping the walk.

Jen - how fun that Christopher is trying to talk, that's such a cute time! Good luck making a decision with your job!

Jenny - Good boy Noah recognizing Mickey already - that's very important! Did you ever find out why he was throwing up at daycare?

Bethany - have you tried talking to your doc about the problems? Maybe some bcp would help regulate that.

****************
Alex had his 2 year check-up today, and was 35" and 25lb11oz. Not sure how accurate any of that is though, b/c he was screaming and moving around the entire time. He was ok in the waiting room playing, but as soon as he got in the examination room, he started freaking out. And it got worse when the nurse asked us to take off his clothes. He was screaming, "No, shirt on, shirt on, no!" It was so pitiful.

He got one shot for Hepatitis A (I think) which the doc said he wouldn't have a reaction to, but he went down for his nap more than 2 hours earlier than usual (actually fell asleep on the couch watching Cars!) and slept for 4 hours! Man I miss the days when naps lasted that long, but today I was worried since he usually only sleeps around 2-2.5 hours for naps. He did wake up once 2 hours in, but he was just wimpering and crying and wasn't sitting or standing up, so I gave him Rupert and he stuck his thumb in his mouth and went back to sleep.

Then this evening he was running a low fever and didn't eat any dinner. He drank milk and juice and asked for a cracker, but I had to refuse b/c he has been skipping dinner too much lately b/c he is snacking. I gave him some tylenol, and put him back to bed early, and he didn't even complain. Poor little guy, I hope he's feeling better tomorrow!

 

[kgle]

J
Welcome, Kara! I have great awe and respect for all single parents - I do not know how on earth you do it! By the way, how do you pronounce your name? My niece is named Kara, and her name is pronounced "car-ah" as opposed to "care-ah". I think both are pretty!

~~~~

Its care-uh Although, the boys back in high school used to call me car-uh incessantly. Never knew why!

And no awe needed here I honestly think I have it better sometimes...Rylan's dad and I have a GREAT relationship but I have him full time so I get to call all the shots! Some days I cannot imagine having to share him with someone else I am blessed though

Welcome kgle! My son just turned 2 too, so definitely not a new mom. Though sometimes I want to be again!



****************
Alex had his 2 year check-up today, and was 35" and 25lb11oz. Not sure how accurate any of that is though, b/c he was screaming and moving around the entire time. He was ok in the waiting room playing, but as soon as he got in the examination room, he started freaking out. And it got worse when the nurse asked us to take off his clothes. He was screaming, "No, shirt on, shirt on, no!" It was so pitiful.

He got one shot for Hepatitis A (I think) which the doc said he wouldn't have a reaction to, but he went down for his nap more than 2 hours earlier than usual (actually fell asleep on the couch watching Cars!) and slept for 4 hours! Man I miss the days when naps lasted that long, but today I was worried since he usually only sleeps around 2-2.5 hours for naps. He did wake up once 2 hours in, but he was just wimpering and crying and wasn't sitting or standing up, so I gave him Rupert and he stuck his thumb in his mouth and went back to sleep.

Then this evening he was running a low fever and didn't eat any dinner. He drank milk and juice and asked for a cracker, but I had to refuse b/c he has been skipping dinner too much lately b/c he is snacking. I gave him some tylenol, and put him back to bed early, and he didn't even complain. Poor little guy, I hope he's feeling better tomorrow!

Thanks! I definitely wish those days where he just ate, slept, and pooped would come back...sometimes. Especially when terrible 2s kicks in. Although I have to say- there IS a light at the end of the tunnel! Once he started being able to speak more clearly and once I started understanding him better- the tantrums subsided. Sort of

Sorry about Alex Hope he feels better soon! He's pretty tall for 2!

Although...I think my friend's son, at 18 months, was 36 inches tall! He is well over 40 now and he is the same exact age as Rylan.

 

[jennyL]

We had our ear recheck yesterday and Noah's ears are all clear. He is also back up to 22 lbs fully dressed so he's put some of his weight back on which is good. The doctor isn't sure why he was throwing up at school last week. She thinks it could be a combination of an icky stomach due to the antibiotics and then getting himself worked up when DH left. He's going through some major seperation right now. So we shall see. He went yesterday and they said he did good. They ended up holding him alot but otherwise he was ok. he also had a big boy moment. They moved him from naping in his crib to naping on the floor mat and he did great. If he stays on the mat he can bring his lovey in for nap time so DH is taking that today. Per codes they can't have anything in their cribs but they can on the mats so we'll see how that works.

I have a mole being removed today so he'll be there longer then normal. Lets hope that it goes as smoothly as yesterday.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

Denise - good luck with the job apps! Doesn't food service pay significantly more than retail? Back when I waitressed I usually averaged $20/hour, but retail is usually around minimum wage, no? If it makes you lose your temper, it's probably not worth it though.

Thanks. And yes food service is WAY higher than most retail, but again, I've been fired from 4 food service jobs and enough is enough. It's not worth the peace and serenity of my family. Also depending on your experience depends on where they start you an hour. Since I've worked customer service for well over 20 years, I just won't except anything under $8. That's just about $1 more than minimum.

 

[beckmrk04]

Good morning ladies.

Well, Vaylie has come down with a cold or some sort of illness. She's sneezing, coughing, nose is running like a faucet, and her poor eyes are watering and she has rubbed them raw. Then she cries, "Eyes hurt! Eyes hurt!" I tell her to stop rubbing them, but she won't, so I finally had DH help hold her so I could put some Aquaphor on her eyelids to help keep them moisturized, but I don't know how much it helped. Poor little thing. I hate it when she doesn't feel good.

Pollito- Vaylie is the same way at the doctor! I am hoping that since we have been playing "doctor" a lot, maybe she'll be better (we go for her 2 year check-up on Thursday).

kgle- welcome! And yeah- the title of the thread is misleading, since hardly any of us have a kid under 1 anymore. Oh well- we like each other!

kelly- Have you tried using any sort of BC? That usually helps. I know women's periods can change quite a bit after they have a child. I don't really know what mine did because I went back on BC right away, and I didn't get a period for 4 months because of nursing, then I got the IUD shortly after that and haven't had a period since. Although- I am getting that removed on March 27th! I'm relieved. I think I am going to go BC-free for a while, just to make sure my body gets back to normal. I'll chart and use other preventative measures for a while. Or, I'll just tell DH no unless you want another baby. That would scare him away for a little while.

kelly- (shhh... I've been thinking about another stroller too. I'm STILL looking at the Baby Jogger City Mini, but I do need to find something- the BOB is awesome, but for quick trips it's a little much) Oh, and we're still watching "A Charlie Brown Christmas"- don't they understand that the season is over?

jennyL- glad Noah's ear check was all clear! And that's great that he's doing well out of the crib. I can't imagine Vaylie laying down and not running all over. We're still trying to figure out when we'll move her to a bed.

Jen- the whole work thing makes me crazy. It's so hard to make decisions, and I hate missing time with Vaylie, but I do like getting out of the house and we need the money... Good luck with your decision.

 

[7beasley]

Good morning ladies.

Feels like a Monday to me -- due to the big snow storm here yesterday (got about 12+ inches) both me and DH had a snow day yesterday so its hard to get back in the swing of things now!

Bec: First - happy (belated) birthday to Vaylie -- I can't believe Ms. V is 2 years old!! Time flies. I am glad she liked her kitchen. I hope she is feeling better soon - nothing worse than a cold right after your birthday...poor little thing. Good luck with the no BC -- I think its a good idea to get your body back to normal re hormones/BC for a bit before you TTC again!

Kelly: Great Walmart finds!! They have super reasonably priced clothes there. My only gripe about their stuff is it shrinks in the wash. Last summer I found a ton of adorable "earth/recycling" themed shirts for Izzy - they were $1 each so I bought 10 - each one was a pretty pastel color and it said little phrases about flowers, the earth, mother nature, the sun....anyway - the first time she wore each they were great - but after the wash they all shrunk/faded and I chucked them all....since then - I am leary about spending too much money at Walmart on clothes -- Target clothes I am a BIG fan of though! Not to be a downer on your great finds - sorry - they are cute outfits and Brady will look adorable (as always) in them! Plus - they don't look like t-shirts which is why I think the things I had bought shrunk - normal clothes like what you got should be fine!

As for strollers Kelly - we use a cheap umbrella stroller from BRU -- it is neon orange and was like $20 -- I usually use my Graco but if we want an umbrella I use that -- I am not sure whats a good nicer umbrella stroller. I hear McLarren and Jeep are good though.

Amber: Love the pix of AK and Spencer -- I am so jealous - I wish we could go to WDW!!!

Krelie: Hi - How is Caleb doing?

Tiggersac: - Hi - good to hear from you - how are you feeling - this new baby's arrival is getting really close - are you ready? You must be so excited. Do you have a name picked out yet?

Bethany: That consignment sale sounds awesome - I wish we had something like that around here. I am sure you get some great finds/buys. Sorry for your crazy AF/PMS stuff...weird that the baby changed the symptoms -- I know what you mean about no AF warning - I have the same problem and I hate it!

DMickey: Have a great time at WDW - Pop is fun - we stayed there before -- and that's a really good price -- when are you going? Has Alex been to WDW before?

Pollito: Cute about the Cars kick -- believe it or not - I haven't seen that one. We did however watch Monsters, Inc. over the weekend because Becky got me thinking about it. At what age did Alex start to really get into and want to watch the Disney movies? We aren't at that stage yet apparently because movies are only holding Izzy's attention for 5 minutes -- I can't wait for that to change though. Alex is a tall kid. Sorry the doctor's appointment was so stressful - its hard when they hate the appt so much. Cute story though about the no shirt no shirt! I am sure he will be feeling better soon...poor little guy.

Denise: Good luck with the applications. I hope you find something that makes you happier/less stress! On the bright side - you are probably enjoying the extra time with Mo right now so that's great!

Kgle: Welcome!! Glad you could join us. Unfortunately, none of us are really "new" Moms anymore -- I think the youngest kiddo among us might be Amber's Spencer who is almost a year....Your upcoming WDW vacation with DS sounds great -- where are you staying - is he super excited?

Meredith: Good for you re the March of Dimes walk!! I hope it goes great and you raise a ton of money!

Jen: That sounds like a great job opportunity for the summer - I think you should pursue it -- short term it will be hard and busy and stressful and you will miss DS and DH but long term it will be great and open some other opportunities up for you -- I think you should go for it -- its only 3 months in the summer -- I think if you don't you will regret it. Good luck!! How is Christopher feeling? That's great about him talking!!

Jenny: Hi - cute about Noah and Mickey. Glad his ears are clear now. Good luck with the mole removal - those things are nothing to fool around with!

*********************
Izzy is feeling better - her last day of meds is tomorrow. DH and I are on the mend as well. My doctor's office ( I saw a different doc becuase my doc was out) gave me antibiotics - yay! So I am feeling better now too.

Question for you guys: What do you do to keep your kid still on the changing table/while changing them.

Izzy simply refuses to lie still now - she keeps twisting and turning - trying to sit up and trying to flip over - it makes changing her diaper not only difficult but sometimes gross!!

We have toys we try to occupy her with - we even have toys that are just for the changing table - lately she likes to brush her teeth so we give her the toothbrush only if she lays on her back on the changing table - but its still a battle.

Any thoughts?

Have a great day ladies!

-Nicole

 

[k_reile]

Hi Kara---I'm Kara too!! You don't hear too many people with that name. I remember growing up and they had all the nick nacks with your name on it...and if I found Kara I had to have my mom buy it...and we only ever found like 2!! I probably have the youngest at 5 mos.

7Beasley-- Caleb is doing good. I think he is having some type of cold. He is congested in the morning, but other than that not much coughing and no fever. He is not fussy...so that has to be good. My MIL watches him during the day and she has been making sure its not RSV or anything...doesn;t really seem to bother him.

I too am thinking about an umbrella stroller for when we go to disney in Feb 2010. We have a Graco stroller now which we love...so easy and comfortable to push. BUT i am afraid it will be too heavy to lug around when we would have to take a bus. DH said it will be fine but he is also the one who is going to have to carry it around. I thought of getting an umbrella stroller...but I want one that is comfortable to push, still be able to lie down in and I want cup holders (for adults) and storage. So am thinking about just taking the Graco.

On better (somewhat) news...Caleb slept in his crib in his room for the 1st time last night. And when I say slept...we still had to get up a couple of times during the night...but I think it will be an adjustment that he will have to get used too. I was kinda sad to see him in his room but then again I know its time and I want my sleep back and I think Caleb will sleep better eventually too.

Hope you all have a great day!

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Bethany - have you tried talking to your doc about the problems? Maybe some bcp would help regulate that.

Yeah, I thought of that, but unfortunately I've had really bad experiences with bcp. Turns out I'm highly sensitive to meds in general, but for some reason the hormone-based stuff just messes me up. I get tons of side effects, so being on bcp is worse than the pms. I tried all kinds of different bcp for a few years and finally had to stop because I was so miserable on it. Wish there was a non-hormone based med to fix the pms, but in the mean time I'm just trying to be more aware of the mood swings and use some self-control instead of snapping at DH or Owen.

I hope Alex is feeling better today, poor guy. So far Owen has been good at the Dr., but I'm guessing he'll start getting less happy about it as he gets older. At least his shots happen in a totally different office area, so he doesn't associate the dr. with that. We'll see...he's got his 15m appointment in a couple weeks.


Jenny, I'm glad to hear Noah is doing better. Wow, such a big boy to nap on the floor mat! Hope he's good today, too.

Becky, bummer that Vaylie is sick, and so soon after her birthday. Poor girl with her sore eyes.

Nicole, Owen is the same way - a totally wiggle butt on the changing table. The child would flip right off if we didn't hang on to him or strap him down. I tried changing him on the floor a couple times, but that was worse because a) he would crawl away fast as he'd flipped over, and b) I'm getting too old to get up and down off the floor very easily!

So we mostly use books these days to keep him occupied. We let him choose one or two board books (nothing too big - mostly Sandra Boyton these days), and then he "reads" those while we change his diaper. I have most of the books memorized, so sometimes I can "read" them to him as he turns the pages.

Sometimes we play peekaboo with an extra diaper, and sometimes I have to hand him a "new" toy to look at. Once a week I grab a few of his toys and put them away in an empty wipes dispenser, and then if he's too wiggly for books or peekaboo I let him grab a toy out of the box to play with on the changing table. Since he hasn't seen it for a few days, it's new and different and usually holds his interest long enough for a diaper change.

On better (somewhat) news...Caleb slept in his crib in his room for the 1st time last night. And when I say slept...we still had to get up a couple of times during the night...but I think it will be an adjustment that he will have to get used too. I was kinda sad to see him in his room but then again I know its time and I want my sleep back and I think Caleb will sleep better eventually too.

I was sad when Owen moved into his own bed in his own room, too, even though I was so happy to get better sleep. I missed his snuggly little self, but he was just getting too wiggly and wasn't sleeping as well anymore, so none of us were getting good sleep. It took him a few days to really adjust to the new bed and new room, and I was still getting up to feed him or comfort him a couple times a night for a little while, but gradually it got to just once a night, and then all of a sudden he was sleeping through the night!

 

[jennyL]

Jenny: Hi - cute about Noah and Mickey. Glad his ears are clear now. Good luck with the mole removal - those things are nothing to fool around with!

Tell me about it. I had a melanoma in my arm about 6.5 years ago so I go every 6 months now for a look over. Every couple of years they want to remove one and look it over. So far no more melanomas however there are some that are precancerous so they remove some more and take another look. That is what I have today a second removal for a funky mole as I like to call them. Of course I'm laying the ground work for not working tomorrow but it will all depend on how I feel in the morning.

On to better news Noah is still at school. Woohoo lets see if we can go the whole day without a call. I've been watching him on the cameras and he seems to be playing more today and being held less so thats always a plus.

 

[kgle]

kgle- welcome! And yeah- the title of the thread is misleading, since hardly any of us have a kid under 1 anymore. Oh well- we like each other!

Thanks!

Kgle: Welcome!! Glad you could join us. Unfortunately, none of us are really "new" Moms anymore -- I think the youngest kiddo among us might be Amber's Spencer who is almost a year....Your upcoming WDW vacation with DS sounds great -- where are you staying - is he super excited?

Haha isn't it sad that even though our kids aren't little babies anymore but we feel like such seasoned moms??

I am so excited about this trip. I have family near Orlando so we get to see them as well and they haven't seen Rylan since he was itty bitty. We are staying at Pop Century. I was going to do CSR but decided to save a little bit of money and downgrade. Rylan is definitely getting excited! Some of the girls on the PTR board are going during the same time as well and we have been sending gifts to the kids. He has received 2 presents from Mickey so far and he keeps saying how he is going to hug Mickey and that Mickey is going to go to the beach with us. I think he is going to have a blast.

Hi Kara---I'm Kara too!! You don't hear too many people with that name. I remember growing up and they had all the nick nacks with your name on it...and if I found Kara I had to have my mom buy it...and we only ever found like 2!! I probably have the youngest at 5 mos.

Hey Kara! Its always cool to meet someone else with my name. At my old job I had a couple of incidences where a customer would call and get so excited when hearing my name since they had the same name lol. I totally used to do that too! I would always search and search for things with my name on it and hardly ever found it (and if I did it was Cara). I feel bad for Rylan since nothing has his name on it either lol!


____________________________________________________

Anyone ever hear of an allergic reaction to jelly beans? We had some yesterday and a couple hours later, I noticed that he was getting a really weird red rash on his face and under his eyes (like circles under his eyes but red). It went away within another couple hours but I just thought it was so odd. That was the only change in food he had, I don't believe he has ever had jelly beans before.

Ahh his birthday is coming up in just about a month. We were going to do Handy Manny, but I wanted to make his cake again and couldn't find a good cake to make. So I convinced him to do Blues Clues. mwahaha.

This is the cake I made last year:

And I wanted to do something similar with Blue this year. Wilton has a cake pan for that, so now I just have to quit being lazy and buy party supplies!

 

[7beasley]

Jenny - sorry about the Melanoma -- you are/were young to get that huh?

I had typed up something about Melamona but then deleted it because I did not want to scare you. My dad was diagnosed June of 2004 with Stage 2 melanoma and ever since then I am hyper-vigalant about getting checked and wearing sunscreen and I make everyone around me be hyper-viglant too.

My dad is great - no reoccurences or anthing more since June of 2004. Glad you are doing great too.

It was weird because after my Dad was diagnosed I made everyone I knew go get checked -- and my FIL went to get checked in July 2004 and had a weird pimple like mole removed - a mole that you would probably not have thought anything about since it was kind of red and looked like a whitehead/pimple -- and doesn't the darn thing come back as melanoma as well!

My FIL was also a Stage 2 - and was removed and he has had no trouble since - thank god - but as it turns out - if not for my dad's diagnosis - he would not have gotten checked - that wouldn't have been found - and things could be mighty different today!

I too go every 6 months for a check as does DH since kids of parents with melanoma have a 12 times greater risk for the cancer. Needless to say Izzy NEVER sees the sun without tons of sunblock -- and for the summer - she has one of those special sun bathing suits from Coolibar that looks like a wetsuit with the sun protection built in - only her feet and hands and face are uncovered and those are all greased up with sunblock.

Here is a pix of her "wetsuit" from her first beach outing last summer.

We are careful now in our family!

Glad to hear you are okay!!!

-Nicole

PS: Bethany - the books and "special box" of toys are a good idea -- I will try those - because I am at my wit's end now with her wiggling antics.

Kara - Great cake - you are very talented!

 

[jennyL]

I think I've researched and heard most things about melanoma so not sure you could shock me but others probably. I was on the young side only 27 and being fare-skinned I can count the number of times I've had a sunburn on one hand. My mom is a red head so we've always been sunscreen people. We take every precaution now but I do believe that you can still get it. After I was diagnosed my whole family went in and we are all pretty moley, ferckly people except my one brother. He had one mole on his back and the dermo said it had to come off just to check. LOL He was not happy and it was normal so now he has no moles. You should see my skin sheet it looks crazy since I have so many and they all fall outside the ABCD rules. I also see a dermo specialist that has done digital imaging of my skin so that helps with the is that the same is it different questions alot since we can see what it looked like from my base appointment. I see the specialist once a year and my regular dermo once a year but off 6 months so I'm seen every six months.

Noah has red hair and fair skin so we also have to be very careful with his skin too. I just got him a new wetsuit for this season since he has outgrown last years.

 

[kellyf2626]

Bethany - That sucks about your different PMS symptoms. That is just no fun. I have found that after having Brady, mine are also much more pronounced but still manageable.

Pollito - Brady is also getting very leary of going to the pediatrician. As soon as they call his name to walk down the hall to the room, he looks at me with this fearful face. It's cute and sad at the same time. Brady also ran a low-grade fever after getting his Hep A. He always runs fevers after any shot, so I was expecting it even though is ped said the same thing about it being non-reactive.

Jenny - Sorry to hear about the mole and all you have been through regarding skin stuff! I had a strange spot looked at on my leg about 5 years ago (which everyone told me was nothing), and it ended-up being precancerous. Since then, I have been going every year. I went through a really bad tanning addiction phase in college where I would go like 3-4x a week. What was I thinking?????? Young and stupid I chaulk it up to be.

Becky - I knew you would understand my stroller fetish. I also love the Baby Jogger City Mini....that is on my short-list for sure!!!

Nicole - Glad that everyone is feeling better! As for where we change Brady, we still always use the changing table. I find that he is even more skwirmy on the floor, since he knows once he is up he can run and escape! Once, he was on the changing table and tried to wriggle his way off....so I let him "control fall" where he kinda fell but I had him the whole time. The feeling scared the crap out of him, and he has been pretty good ever since. We also sing songs, play with diapers, etc... to keep him entertained. He loves doing the buckle that comes on the changing pad - he will do that over and over again. Oh - and the pic of Izzy. She is soooooooooo freakin cute!

k_reile - Yay for Caleb sleeping in his crib! We used our Chicco stroller (big like the Graco) on our first trip, and it was so big and bulky. Even DH complained about it. So then we got the Pliko P3...it folds-up like an umbrella, but has a snack tray and full recline. I do like it, but think I could go even smaller. It definitely still suits my needs.....I just have stroller issues...lol!

Kara - Love the cake you made!!! I could NEVER make something that great!

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

So lately Brady has been attempting to escape from his crib. He will lean waaaaaaaaaaay over, head and arms over, feet up! Today I decided that something needed to be done, because the kid was going to throw himself out. He is in a crib that has a stationary front, so no option of moving it up. I decided to turn the crib around, so that the front is facing the wall, and the tall side is facing front. It looks really strange, but I think will buy me lots of time! Here is a pic.....

 

[beckmrk04]

kelly- what a good idea!! And yeah- you knew I'd commiserate on the stroller. Just gotta talk DH into one. Ooooh, and speaking of baby-gear fetishes- I have been thinking that now that Vaylie is older I need to get either 1) a smaller diaper bag or 2) a bigger purse. I need something for quick jaunts that I can stick a cup, wipes, a couple of diapers, and some snacks in. SO- since I looooove my diaper bag so much (A Fleurville Mothership ), I checked www.fleurville.com for something different (the Mothership is just that- huge!). And they have what they call "Seconds"- where a bag didn't quite pass quality control so they sell it dirt cheap. So, they had a GREAT black and white print Mothership for only $45!!!! Which I don't need, but they are reg. $150, so I would save it for the next kid- I don't care, I loved it. But, I looked at it while I was on lunch and when I got home from work, they were sold out already. BOO. So, long story short, the search continues.

jenny and Nicole- scary on the melanoma. I need to make a dermatologist appt. I've been meaning to forever, but never get around to it. My former supervisor had melanoma too (and basal cell, and squamous cell...). She has to be checked every 3 months. Ok. Thursday, I am going to find a dermatologist and get a check. I have lots of moles, so it's a good idea. I used to tan, too, but now I am very vigilant about sun screen and slathering Vaylie up, too.

kgle- that was cute! I love to decorate cakes too. I was kind of lazy this year and baked Abby Cadabby cupcakes. I need to upload the pics of Vaylie's birthday.... Last year I did a cake that looked like Candyland! I loved it.

 

[Jen_in_NH]

Becky - I remember the pictures of that cake. It was incredible.

I'm starting to think about what to do for Christopher's birthday. He loves cars, trains, and fish, so any of that may work. I'm thinking that I would rather have cupcakes, as it's a lot easier to figure the carbs in a cupcake than in a slice of cake. I'm also planning on making Knox Blocks with sugar free Jello - 0 carbs, so he can eat tons of them if he wants.

 

[beckmrk04]

Here are the cupcakes I madefor Vaylie's party this year. I'll try to upload some pics later.

 

[k_reile]

Becky - I remember the pictures of that cake. It was incredible.

I'm starting to think about what to do for Christopher's birthday. He loves cars, trains, and fish, so any of that may work. I'm thinking that I would rather have cupcakes, as it's a lot easier to figure the carbs in a cupcake than in a slice of cake. I'm also planning on making Knox Blocks with sugar free Jello - 0 carbs, so he can eat tons of them if he wants.

I was just on the kraft website looking at the jello products. They have an online store where they have a jello mold for race cars. ITs a car anyways.

 

[7beasley]

Good morning ladies!

Bec -- I love the cupcakes - what a great idea to do cupcakes - and a super good idea for the cupcake holder - is that 2 plate stands on top of each other? You are very creative. As far as a small diaper bag -- for that I have been using a small backpack from LL Bean - it works well to hold a few things -- but I am also a big fan of just putting her snacks and toys in my purse and I keep some diapers and wipes alwasy tashed in the car for just in case.

Jen -- the jello idea is a good one. The cupcakes too - maybe you can make a low sugar variety of cup cakes.

Kelly - what a GREAT idea re the crib -- Izzy has been standing on her bumper lately and lifting one leg - she is not quite ready to get the leg over yet but she is getting close - which worries me - because if we drop the crib to the lowest level I won't be able to reach over to get her in or out ( I can barely reach her now...) -- How do you get Brady in and out? From the side or do you just pull the crib out to put him in and then push it back -- getting Izzy out when she is standing isn't a problem -- I am more talking about putting them down in a laying position or carrying them to bed...so details - because this is a GREAT idea. (PS: thanks for your sweet comment about Izzy's pix - we think she is pretty cute too...)

-Nicole

 

[k_reile]

Here are the cupcakes I madefor Vaylie's party this year. I'll try to upload some pics later.

now I really want a cupcake!! Trying to eat my protein so I do not want sweets (my real downfall)