The Official New Mom Thread Part 2

[Tasha+Scott]

DisKim~ Welcome back!

Gems~ Prayers for your neice. I will probably be up for a Christmas exchange, but I also don't understand the concept of a family exchange. I would probably do better to just send a gift to the baby in the family and not the entire family and would be okay with just Kylie receiving a gift and not dh and me. I'm not sure if I am understanding this right though. Just let me know what exactly a family exchange is and I'll see if I'm in or not.

justhat~ I love the new siggie pic!

Okay, ladies. I have a question and need some advice. Kylie woke up yesterday with a runny nose. She still has it but so far she has no other symptoms. No cough, no fever, and she seems fine. I have classes tomorrow and I have a quiz in one of them and really cannot afford to miss so soon into the semester. Would you just take her to daycare and tell them that she has a runny nose but is fine otherwise and to call me if it gets worse? Or would you simply keep her home? I am new to this daycare thing so I am not sure.

Kylie has only been sick one other time and it was right after first going into the church nursery last winter. She caught a cold but that was all. This seems about the same so I am thinking it is also a result of just beginning daycare and being around other kids. I know she will probably get sick this winter too (and probably with more than a runny nose unfortunately) so I don't want to miss school so early if I don't have to. They count attendance and I can't miss too many days before they drop me from the program! What do you guys suggest? TIA!

ETA: I guess I should mention that I of course hope she will be better by tomorrow morning though, but just in case she isn't...

 

[Alice28]

Tasha, if it is only a runny nose, and not green/dark yellow discharge, I wouldn't worry about sending her to daycare. Esp if she seems her usual self.

SL- I will need to look at the costumes again.

I'm kind of interpreting the family exchange as mainly getting a gift for the baby (toddler for some of us), but then maybe sticking in a small trinket for any siblings (like a lot of people have done in previous exchanges anyway) and maybe a little something for the Mom. I certainly don't think it should be some huge thing. And I think it would be fair for Moms with just one child to exchange with other Moms with just one, and those of us with 2-4 to exchange with each other? Then again, Gems is in charge, I don't mean to talk for her. That's just what I was thinking this was...

The carpet people came and went to fix the small edge that wasn't tamped down properly the first time. Thank god....I hate staying around the house waiting for people. I still don't feel well and look like death warmed over. I need to vacuum and maybe mop the kitchen and then I am done for the day. The boys have aqua camp again this week in the afternoons, so maybe I can catnap.

 

[Ginamarie]

T16Gem- I PMed you about the Christmas exchange. That sounds like fun.

Alice- I was really surprised about the dining plan changes. I guess certain restaurants are in too much demand now. It’s good for us though. We never qualify for the dining plan because we get discounted rooms.

FloridaFam- Sorry that you’re missing the kiddos. It will be nice when they come home from school with all sorts of stories though.

DisKim- LOL about the hot robot!

I’m getting quite a bit done today at the office, but it’s FREEZING in here once again. It’s the middle of summer and I have Olivia all bundled in pants and wrapped in blankets. I wonder if she keeps wanting to bf because the milk is warm!

It’s almost time to go home and do more packing. DH brought home two more stacks of boxes, so I’m set for awhile. Hopefully that will be enough. I packed up all the extra bathroom supplies yesterday as well as most of DH’s winter clothes and our candles. I also packed up a lot of my Disney stuff that I keep in the bedroom (my pin collection and my WDW snowglobe). It was like putting old friends in a box. I actually said “see you guys in the new house!” DH just found out that he has to work the entire week when we’re moving. Oh the fun I’m in for!!

 

[J&D]

FYI- There is a .05, .02, and .01 click at Sunshine!

Gems- Why don't we have a fall/Halloween exchange first so we can have another one at Christmas time? Maybe start the Christmas one at the end of October so you will receive your package by Christmas? Also, for families with more than one child, the organizers usually have the person sign up each child separately (if they have 2 kids they say they want to do 2 exchanges) instead of having one person send to all of the kids in one family, but you can do a family exchage if you would like.

I'll try and catch up later.

 

[floridafam]

I would be more than happy to handle the Fall/Halloween exchange but I have never done one before.

If someone wants to tell me exactly what to do then I would be all for it.

I would also love to be a part of the Christmas exchange. I'll PM my info to GEM.

So, if you have any suggestions as to the Fall exhange let me know-$ amount, date to send by, etc.

As soon as someone gives me some pointers on what to do, I'll start taking PM's and then draw the names out of a hat.

 

[J&D]

floridafam- Here is what I did for a previous adult exchange on the Rewards Board. Hope it helps give you some ideas of where to start.


Here are the details for the Fall/Halloween Exchange.
I will take names up until next Friday, September 17th. No late names will be accepted. I will PM everyone with the name of their pal soon thereafter. Each person that is interested needs to copy and PM me the following information:

DIS Name:
Real Name:
Address:
e-mail address:
Favorite Color:
Favorite Fall/Halloween Treat or Candy:
Favorite Fall Scent(s):
Favorite Fall/Halloween Activities:
Favorite Disney Character(s):
Hobbies:
Collections:
Do you celebrate Halloween?
Anything else your pal should know?

For this exchange you will mail only one package to your pal. In order for all packages to make it to their destination by Halloween, the deadline for this exchange will be Monday, October 18th. Let’s try to keep the price of the package under $15 (excluding shipping). Many, but not all, of the items sent should be Fall-or Halloween-related. Use the information provided by your pal to help you plan your packages.

 

[floridafam]

J&D,

You beat me to it.

I'll PM you soon. We're off to get the kids from school. I love Fall and Halloween so I think this is going to be a fun one.

 

[J&D]

floridafam- Sorry for the confusion. That information was from last year. I was just showing you what I had done. Hope it helps.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Good afternoon, ladies! I'm in for the exchanges--I'll try to PM you guys with the particulars before we leave Sat. I could go either way on the Christmas thing--something just for Luke, or something for each kid or the family, depending. I know that some people might find the perfect thing for a family or a little one and want to just send that--who knows? Any excuse to shop...

Kim--I'm sorry your trip wasn't all that you'd hoped for. The crowds scare me--we've always gone in Jan. with the kids, when you can just walk onto everything. Then again, we aren't taking up a collection to post your bail, so you musn't have killed any relatives, so I suppose that's a good thing! Please let me know anything special I shoudl keep in mind while traveling with 4 little ones--aside from my all-purpose tip of, "Gin helps." Oh, and do you by chance try the new character dining at Hollywood & Vine? I don't care for the counter service places at MGM and was considering seeing if we can walk into H&V for lunch. We're doing the Fantasmic dinner package, so it's not like we need a huge meal, so I'm still debating. Please let me know which places were particularly good or bad, or if yo post a trip report, I'd love to hear more.

Gina--Good luck with your packing. You'll have to unpack your Disney items first when they get there, so the new place feels like home!

Justthat--We really don't do anything special with regards to our boys. We do/did bathe them almost daily, which is good. We do it mostly to keep older sister entertained, as both boys had big sisters who love to help at tub time. When I looked into the whole "circ" thing, I got the impression that the problems you generally encounter when you don't do it, are a result of old-fashioned hygiene issues. You know, back when people bathed once a week or less.

Tasha--Could Kylie have allergies? They generally start showing up ~age 2, and you get a runny nose with no other cold symptoms. Just something to consider. I hope she's okay.


SL--The Mickey costume sounds cute, and you can layer it up or down, depending. One of my big costume beefs is, they can be so skimpy. One year, we actually had sleet Halloween night here! But people in the south can't do the fleece ones. Keep in mind, too, that Lucas may not want to wear all of it the whole time.

glt--I sent you a package today. It went third class because I'm cheap, but I suspect they go on the same darn truck as first class, and I generally think the post office is a scam. I would just stay the course with nursing Leif. I've found that I "hit a wall" with nursing, where around 8-9 months I'm just tired of it. But what seems to happen is, as the child gets more used to regular food and also is so much more active, they lose the patience for nursing. So, it becomes more of a comfort/wind down thing, not unlike a bedtime story idea, when they just want the closeness. So, most people who nurse toddlers aren't doing it 8 times a day or anything. Then again, Leif may be one of those kids who just LOVES his num-nums (as we call it)!

Hi to everyone else, I have to get some stuff done before the urchins descend on me again!

 

[justhat]

The Christmas exchange sounds like fun so I'll send my info off to you Gem! Either way is fine with me, family or just one kid that is. Great photos of Shelby from your vacation. She's getting so big. I hope your niece is doing better and that they can figure out what the problem is. Lots of hugs and prayers to her.

GM, looks like your packing is underway. I didn't forget about our bathroom, but Madison took all the movable decorations out to play with in her baby pool and I haven't brought them back into the bathroom yet so that's why I didn't take the photo. Most of the accessories (other than TDS stuff) we got at Target so they were cheap and easy for you to find if you want to add more stuff so that's why I want them to be in the pictures.

FF, yep, we'll be in VB. At first my husband wasn't totally sold on the idea, and he read stuff about how it's not very Disney themed so he thought it would be a waste to stay there. But we'll be in WDW the rest of the trip so I wasn't picking that resort for the sake of seeing characters, just for it's proximity, that I'm sure it's nice, and cause we can rent points and therefore stay pretty cheap. Once I told him that it will only cost us $80/night with points he was sold, especially when I pointed out how long it will take us to pay off the rest of the trip. He's skeptical of the whole point renting process, but I guess he's willing to try it to save money. So we'll be there 11/5-7 so if you're free I'll be up for a meet.

Tasha, I would send Kylie to daycare with just a runny nose. Having worked at a daycare and gone through a year of preschool with Madison, I can assure you that she will have many runny noses so if you keep her out each time she'll be home more than daycare. Of course if they're legitimately sick obviously keep them home, but I'd send Madison with just a runny nose. In fact, she pretty much had a runny nose everyday from the time she started school last September till it ended in June, then a new one started up during camp. So she literally would have been home the whole year!

Alice28, I hope that you can get some naptime in today. I feel like i get more illnesses than I should too. Must be a benefit to having young kids.

SL, your Mickey costume sounds really cute. I can't wait to see a picture of Lucas wearing it! Madison really wants to be Mickey too but I didn't realize that there were different versions of the costume so thanks for the heads up.

DisKim, welcome back!! Glad to hear that you enjoyed your trip despite the heat and crowds. I can't wait to hear more details about it-you're getting me excited for my trip, even though I've got to wait 2.5 months. That CM at Mama Melrose sounded really nice too. And I'm sure that experience made your meal more pleasant cause it's never fun eating with grouchy kids.

GLT, Madison nursed for 21 months and after about 15 months I just stopped answering when people asked if she was weaned yet. Really no one's business I think, especially when people make unwanted comments. It would be one thing to ask and then say "good for you" but to then berate you for it is uncalled for. People told me when she was 3 months old that I should be done soon cause babies shouldn't nurse when they're old enough to crawl or walk. Leif is fine and I think it's great that you're still nursing him and I think there are lots of benefits from extended nursing. I have to say that prior to having Madison I was not a fan of nursing past a year (though I would never have said anything to anyone about it cause again, not my business) but once she was born it just seemed natural to let her wean herself. She was down to 3 times a day by a year (naptime, bedtime, and 1st thing in the morning), twice a day by 14 months, and then just when she 1st woke up by 16 months and that one she held onto for 5 months. It's not even 9 months later and she has no recollection of ever nursing and thinks it's pretty funny that baby Henry eats from my "belly". So I guess she wasn't scarred for life.

The boy is rousing to eat so I'll try to upload so photos while he's feeding. It's amazing how fast those 2 hours between feedings pass.

 

[T16GEM]

Ladies, thanks to those who have sent their info for the Christmas Exchange, what Robin explained about the family exchange was what I was thinking, but I think the general feeling is that we will just do it to the babies, as most people that have PM'd me have only sent me the details on their baby.

Floridafam are you going to organise the Fall Exchange and then I will do the Christmas one? I think I will stick with the dates that I have given though. FF I will PM you my details later on.

Hope thats ok with everyone? Please let me know i there are any problems!

No more info on my DN today I am afraid, she is in the hospital awaiting tests still. I will keep you updated.

 

[justhat]

These are probably the pictures I'll use for his announcements. Once I get it all done I'll post a copy.

Henry's snowsuit, on Madison's Pooh themed bed at GM's MIL would love!

Madison, Henry, and my friend's 2 kids (who are almost 3 and 20 months)

Henry and my friend's baby-hard to believe he'll be this big in just 2 months!

 

[justhat]

Okay, not sure why some resized but not others. I'm working on it though. Sorry, still can't figure it out at all. It says they're resized on photobucket but only some actually appear that way.

 

[floridafam]

J&D,

I'm such a dork. Do you want me to handle the Fall exchange then??
Do you mind if I just copy the post you used for an example?

I'd be more than happy to. I really miss not having a real Fall down here. I want changing leaves, apple picking and everything else that comes with Fall.


justhat,

Those pictures of Henry and Madison are just SO CUTE! The announcement picture you took of Henry is just precious.

Right now, we are going to be here on your VB days. I think DH is going to go to his Ironman by himself, which is on the 5th. I'll let you know if something changes.

The VB resort has such a Disney feel to it, IMO. There are so many activities for kids, the campfire, the beach, etc. They also have a character breakfast on Saturdays with Goofy and Max.

I think you'll love it.


GEM,

I'm sorry they don't know anything more about your neice. She is still in my prayers. Just post an update when you can.


We just picked up the kids from school and they both had a wonderful day. We are going to have an early dinner and then DH has to go for a 4 hour bike ride. YUCK!

I'll check back later.

 

[Tasha+Scott]

Thanks for the quick responses everyone! I was thinking that it would be completely fine to send her with just a runny nose. God knows when I worked in daycare there was always a runny nose amongst my kids...usually several. But I am not used to being the parent so I just wanted to make sure. I just hope it doesn't get worse so that I will not have to leave school early.

BnB'sMom~ I had thought about allergies. I really don't know if it could be that or not. It is starting out the same way her cold did in the winter and she eventually got a cough and a couple other symptoms so I am watching to see. If nothing else happens then it very well may be allergies. We have a lot of pollen in our area but it isn't as prominent in Aug. as around April and May so I wouldn't think that would be the problem. I also am not sure if they could diagnose any allergies (that aren't food related) this young or not. Right now I really think it is the start of a cold but like I said I will be keeping an eye on it to see.

Gems~ Thanks for explaining! I wish I would have kept the names from when I hosted the Christmas exchange last year. I had them when J&D did the Easter exchange this year and let her have a copy so that people would get different names but I deleted it after that. I am sure people don't mind getting the same people again this year though if it happens. I know I don't. Btw, what is the spending limit for the exchange? And do you know when the send out by date will be? I am guessing it will be after Halloween or close to it, right? Anyway, I will PM you as soon as I get a chance.

ff~ I was not allowed to celebrate Halloween growing up so I am adamant that Kylie will get to so I will definitely be in for a Halloween one. Are we gearing this exchange towards the babies/toddlers as well? I will PM you after you post more info. about it. Or are we just going by what J&D posted?

justhat~ I couldn't help but smile at the pics of Henry with his wings! That is just too adorable! Oh, and you know how you mentioned how Madison has to have her socks a certain way? I am the same exact way! I used to drive my mom nuts about that. I still am particular about it. Maybe it's something about Pisces? Hmmm...

I still haven't decided what Kylie will be for Halloween this year but I guess I really should start thinking about that more soon.

Thanks again everyone! I am going to send a PMs to Gems and then I need to go study for my quiz. Procrastination is probably not a good idea for this program...darn it!

 

[Alice28]

Justhat- OMGosh- Henry is so beautiful. I was watching my soap earlier, and they had a newborn on, and I got THE TWINGE. And then I thought, "Thank God I have had this fixed already, so now I KNOW I can't!" Seeing newborns still gives me that longing feeling though- I love the pic of his profile on the Boppy.

BNB- You CRACKED me up with 'Gin helps."

DisKim- You cracked me up too, with your kids being the Disney Gestapo! I agree, Disney with 3 different aged children is VERY hard. It's the main reason we don't want to go back until Molly is 3. Well, I want to go back of course, but reality and the bank say WAIT TIL 08!

I was able to catnap for about an hour or so. I ate almost a pint of ice cream for lunch, as nothing else sounded good. Thank goodness we had some- DH had an itch for 31 Flavors last night so he got me some too. But my throat doesn't hurt quite as much as when I have strep, so I think it's just a virus at this point.

My mom called this morning- they're still having a great time, but they can't wait to come home and eat at home! They're sick of eating out, and my mom said garden salads just are not big over there, and they are craving green, fresh veggies. They almost came home a few days ago, as my dad pulled a tendon in his arm. But they stuck it out, and are coming home Weds. evening. I have the Gymbo "I Love Grandpa" shirt all ready for Molly.

Heads up to my Gymbo loving gal pals- Gymbucks earning starts again later this week. Some sort of sale is rumored for Labor Day weekend (either Red Hot Dot or extra 20% off purchase), Baby sale slated for Sept 7-?--that awesome sale where everything was a price point of $10 or $20. I have done serious damage at that sale before! And COF for later in September, supposedly when Gymbucks earning is STILL going on! (Gymbucks earning thru the end of Sept). I haven't bought any Gymbo for several weeks....I've been good.

Val- I hope your first day was GREAT!

Gretchen- We want to hear your WDW details!

Kim- what did you think of EE?

I wonder when Jill gets back?

Hope everyone else is doing great!

 

[Strawberry Lemonade]

I have a few minutes to post before DH's hockey game. Lucas is still sleeping which means he'll be so hard to put down tonight but he only slept like a half hour today and went to bed really late last night so I know he needs the sleep.

I also have to stop at the grocery store. Apparantly Mr. Picky can tell I bought a different kind of ham this week so I want to pick up the other brand so he will end his hunger strike. He definitely takes after me, not that I'm proud of that fact.

justhat - I LOVE LOVE LOVE those pictures of Henry as an angel. They will look great on a birth announcement.

Tasha - How's school going so far? I know everyone already weighed in, but I'd send Kylie to daycare as long as she didn't have a fever or was contagious. When I worked in one those were our only criteria for sending kids home.

Alice29 - Sorry you're still not feeling well.

ginamarie - Good luck with all your packing.

BnB - We probably won't get a chance to go to the character meal at H&V but if you do go, I'd still love to hear about it. Lucas is a Playhouse Disney freak.

floridafam - I'm in for a fall exchange, too. Let me know if J&D's info is what you want or if you're going to modify it.

I wonder how Valerie's first day of work went.

DH just came home - his hockey game was cancelled. He plays deck hockey with some friends and people from work on Mondays in the summer. I think this was supposed to be the last game, too. Season's over early.

 

[floridafam]

As far as the exchange goes, I think I'll add a couple of things to what J&D posted like what size clothing our kiddos are wearing.

Anything else you think I should add?

I think an anything goes exchange would be good-I mean I won't gear it toward the babies alone. Does that sound alright? For example, if I draw someone who I know has other children than an infant then I would probably put something in there for the other kids, too.

Would you ladies like it to be under a certain amount of money?

Just let me know and I'll post later with the info I need from you.

 

[DisKim]

Robin - I thought EE was awesome! It did make me a little sick though. I rode it twice ! I'm mad though because I forgot my coupon for the free picture in my room.

BNB - I didn't do H&V. I really hated that place when we last ate there. We did Mama Melrose for FDP and it was awesome. I wouldn't count on walking into any restaurant. They were booked solid. We ate at Ohana, Mama Melrose, 50's Prime Time, Crystal Palace, Le Cellier, Chef Mickey's (breakfast)and Raglan Road (supposed to eat at WCC that night but it got late and we couldn't make it there). I was very pleased with every place we ate. The service was excellent everywhere. The only place where the service was lacking was CP and Pooh ditched us. We had to tell the waitress that we hadn't seen him because Aidan was freaking out and wanted to leave. Aidan also freaked out at 50's PT. I had to leave and take him to the baby care center. He was screaming as if he was in pain. The baby care center in MGM sucks (for lack of better words). The cm's ignored me when I was trying to buy baby aspirin for him. I stormed out and went to first aid where they happily gave me a dose for free while I complained about the baby care center. Anyway, we went back and he was fine. He watched tv and ate happily. My favorite dinner by far was Ohana. The food was awesome. I had eaten there 3 years ago and didn't like it. We must have gone on an off night or something. The kids had a ball playing all the games. The Poly is our "happy place."

OK, here are some more details from my trip for anyone who cares to read them. I met up with my family. We actually had a nice time. The kids went on rides with my cousins in Epcot while I got to catch up with my aunt. The next day, we spent the morning fishing at POR and swimming (that was the only time we had time to swim) with them. Then, they left. On Saturday, we went to Typhoon Lagoon and I met up with my best friend from high school who I lost touch with for 12 years. She looked exactly the same even though she has been through hell and back these last few years. TL was awesome!! I've never seen it so empty. Crush n' Gusher was so much fun!

OK, DH is going to download the pictures now!

 

[fabumouse]

Hey everyone! I've been lurking for awhile, waiting to give birth to my 2nd daughter, Madeleine. I'm ready to move on from the mommies to be board and get some advice on breastfeeding, traveling with baby and what in the heck to do with this yeast-belly.

Hey Justhat - love that bee photo!

Thanks for the Gymboree update, Alice. I just realized that DD5 has no pants that fit her and Kindergarten is just around the corner.