The Official New Mom Thread Part 2

[floridafam]

Loretta,

Do you know what kind of pain meds he is taking? My brother was taking Oxycontin and it was EXTREMELY constipating that he had to be hospitalized twice from the constipation. He was getting his meds through some sort of permanent IV in his chest or something.

It does sound good that he is talking and discussing things. It got to a point with my brother where he would be in his recliner and his mouth would hang wide open and I don't even think he knew we were there.

I understand his reasoning behind not wanting Hospice. I think almost every cancer patient goes through those emotions. What about a home care nurse, someone to help you and your sisters in caring for him?

I'll be thinking about you. The holidays are just rough. You need to look at your family and beautiful children and that will help. I had a good cry the other night. My one brother that is gone always loved Christmas and it sucks that I can't have him or my other brother here.

 

[gottalovethem]

I gotta go get Leif but just saw a message about DIS being down from around 5 p.m. this evening for the next 24-48 hours.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1304094

Anyone say withdrawal???

 

[zalansky]

FF - my sister keeps saying he is on Pecrocet but I am fairly sure it is Darvocet because I saw them on the counter the other day and yes - he is starting to have issues with constipation. He has a colostmy bag so that makes it even harder. And you're right, I thank God for my DH and kids because they keep my mind off this and make me smile. When my mom died I was single and childless and thatw as very hard. My sister does have home health aides coming daily and her husband also will arrive today from NY to stay two weeks. So things are looking up for her there. Her husband is a great guy.

 

[Ginamarie]

Alice- Nice deal on the gymbo stuff. The swimsuit is really precious! Gymbo gets through their lines really quickly, don’t they? I feel like I was just drooling over the Peruvian Doll stuff, and now you can’t even find the main pieces on clearance.
I wish I could have competed in that Love Boat challenge. One of the few things I’m really good at is making parody songs like that.

Dizagain- we had the same problem with hospital bills. For some reason we got one from a collection agency a couple of months ago the same way. DH told them he was confused and thought everything was already taken care of, and they haven’t called or sent any letters since. Very strange.

BNB- Great news about Jocelyn’s dance recital.

DisKim- I’m really sorry about Emmy’s school issues.

Lissawynn- Congrats on sleeping in the new bedroom. That must have felt great after everything you’ve been through.

Zalansky- Sorry to hear that your dad isn’t doing well. If you need anything, you know we’re all here for you, and praying.

Icebrat- I’m sorry Tes has been testing you so much. Two year olds can be tough to begin with, so after all she’s been through I’m sure she’s going to be extra tough! Keep doing what you’re doing though and she’ll learn. Most kids that age are mischievous, but they’re not stupid. They catch on at some point (once they’re done being bratty about it).

GLT- I have the swiffer wetjet and I really like it. Mine is the newer version of the machine, since I bought it early this year. It does the trick for every day cleanup and little spills. My only gripe is that I wish it had some kind of lock because the kids LOVE finding it and spraying the cleaner all over the floor.

I’m on roller skates today dealing with one of my new clients. I have to meet her for a Lemon Law issue and then we’re going to take some pictures of the accident scene for her personal injury case. I still feel like dirt and every time I cough you can hear it/feel it in my chest. I’m just praying that Olivia’s cold stays in the sniffles range and doesn’t get as bad as mine.

She’s been a pill since we got back from vacation. She won’t sleep in the crib for more than half an hour, so she’s been in the bed with us again. I’m afraid about setting a bad precident with that, so I need to be a little more hard headed with making her stay in there. She also screams every time I leave the room now, worse than before. I have to leave her in the crib in the morning to shower and it’s 15 minutes of CONSTANT screaming from her until I show up next to the crib again. My mom has taken to calling her “the screamer.”

I still haven’t wrapped any Christmas gifts. Thank goodness we only have a few things for the kids and that’s it. DH is getting two pairs of jeans and I’m not even wrapping them, just sticking them under the tree and that’s that. I’m supposed to see the surgeon about my head in about two weeks and I’m starting to freak out about it.

OK, need to run to meet with my client. Wish me luck girls, it’s going to be a LONG afternoon. With any luck I can start posting my trip report tonight. If I don’t start it soon, I may never get around to finishing it.

 

[DisneyPhD]

Ice, I am trying to think back to my social work days (trained as a school social worker, but worked in mental healthy hospital setting.) Still I worked with kids. I think Tess would qualify and you can self recommend so if you are interested you should be able to do it. She sounds very smart and on track developmentally, but her history and current adjustment would put her at risk. She would quality for an diagnose of "Adjustment Disorder". I don't think she will need long term help as some in the her class would, just until everyone adjusts. I would at least look over your county/city program and see if you are interested. My nephew qualified when he was 2 because his mother died, and his father has bipolar. He only went for 2 years.

Here is some links I found. I can't remember where in Fla you are, Tampa is it? Anyway start with these. Schools are out for the holidays, but call Jan 2nd.


http://www.early-intervention.org/

http://fl.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=FLDR_TampaBayCDCs

You can find more from these sites and by doing a search for Fla Early Intervention program if you are interested. It is ages zero to 3 years old. There is a different program for ages 3 to 5 and then from ages 5 on the school system is responsible.

 

[icebrat001]

Ice, I am trying to think back to my social work days (trained as a school social worker, but worked in mental healthy hospital setting.) Still I worked with kids. I think Tess would qualify and you can self recommend so if you are interested you should be able to do it. She sounds very smart and on track developmentally, but her history and current adjustment would put her at risk. She would quality for an diagnose of "Adjustment Disorder". I don't think she will need long term help as some in the her class would, just until everyone adjusts. I would at least look over your county/city program and see if you are interested. My nephew qualified when he was 2 because his mother died, and his father has bipolar. He only went for 2 years.

Here is some links I found. I can't remember where in Fla you are, Tampa is it? Anyway start with these. Schools are out for the holidays, but call Jan 2nd.


http://www.early-intervention.org/

http://fl.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=FLDR_TampaBayCDCs

You can find more from these sites and by doing a search for Fla Early Intervention program if you are interested. It is ages zero to 3 years old. There is a different program for ages 3 to 5 and then from ages 5 on the school system is responsible.

Thank you! I will make some calls right after the holidays!

Yes you are correct in your assumption, I am in the Tampa area,

Icebrat- I’m sorry Tes has been testing you so much. Two year olds can be tough to begin with, so after all she’s been through I’m sure she’s going to be extra tough! Keep doing what you’re doing though and she’ll learn. Most kids that age are mischievous, but they’re not stupid. They catch on at some point (once they’re done being bratty about it).

That made me laugh

GLT - I know, isn't it horrible that the DIS is going to be down, I am seriously going to die, what am I going to do, hang out on the Nest all day?



She also almost attempted to jump down the entire flight of stairs, I thought I was going to have another heart attack, as if two aren't enough.

 

[fabumouse]

Since the Dis is goin' down - and then there's Christmas, and then we leave for a week of vacation, I wanted to take the time now to say

Thank You Dis Moms!

You have been so welcoming and I appreciate all your support and comraderie over the last few months. Have a great and FABULOUS new year.

 

[floridafam]

I forgot the DIS was going down tonight.

Have a MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone and a Happy Hanukkah (I hope I spelled that right.)


My Christmas present arrived today! A BRAND NEW drain field for our septic tank. WOW. Our whole front lawn is dug up and now we have to sink a bunch of money into sod.

The kids and I went to Borders books this morning because I had several different coupons that had to be used and $22 in holiday savings (free money from my Borders card.) The kids each had a gift card and I had 2 from Sunshine.

We bought over $300 worth of books for $30. The manager let me use all of my coupons-a birthday one, 10% off for spending over $50 there last month, 15% off one book and my holiday rewards. Plus, all books were buy 4 get 1 free. We had oodles of stuff and the kids were so happy.


For those of you who shop at Coldwater Creek. Their entire website is 50% off right now. Use code web50. There is a thread about this over on the budget board.

We are having a nice quiet Christmas here. I'm getting ther groceries early tomorrow morning and staying home for the rest of the day.

Have a wonderful holiday!

 

[dizagain]

Hey! We took the kids to see Santa this morning - no line at all which I thought strange. Santa was so funny - he told Hayley to let him guess what she wants for Christmas...an ipod and clothes! I'm sure that's what all pre-teens/teens want! Then we ate at Olive Garden so I am about to bust! DH says he isn't going to call about the hospital thing until after Christmas but that HE wants to do it - grr.

icebrat - You're doing great!!! Stay consistent with her! I think looking into a program for her would be a terrific idea. You do need to check out the moms group - I know what you feel like with a new place and no friends. I've been in Chicago (from Texas) for a year and a half and I only know a few neighbors and moms of the girls' friends - none of whom are "friends". I still chat with three Texas pals frequently but it isn't the same. Hoping I'll do better in Memphis since my attitude will be better and I'll have Carson.

Ginamarie - good luck with your client today! I'll bet Olivia will settle back down - I'm sure it is even harder for her to get back in the swing of things than it is for us. I remember traveling with Hayley when she was barely 15 months old for 14 days....I hate to say this but she never slept in a crib again. She slept on a mattress on the floor until we got her a toddler bed. BUT Olivia is younger and if I had to do it over again I would have let Hayley scream until she got used to her bed again. Good luck!

zalansky - I know this is a tough time for your family. Try to enjoy the magic with your kids - what fun ages they are!

glt - hope the Christmas trip works out for you! DH was just telling me today that the weather should be fairly nice for the weekend -hope so! I have a Swiffer Wet Jet and could not live without it. I had the original one for a few years and just got a new one - it's much better. It is addictive, though, and kids LOVE the thing so you'll have to hide it. I have light gray tile downstairs and white in the bathrooms and it does a decent job. ( Of course, the grout in between the tiles magically changed colors when DH bought some heavy duty stuff last weekend!)

Sl - glad you are doing better!

lissawynn - wow, you slept in your own bed!!! Hope your sister can take Jimmy for you and that your DH lets her....you need the time to settle in and just breathe.

Ok, break over. Hope everyone has a wonderful day and an awesome holiday if the DIS is really down.

 

[floridafam]

icebrat,

Sorry you are having such a rough time with Tess. I think time and caring people watching out for her will help a lot but I agree with DisneyPhD's suggestion about early intervention. It's too bad she's been exposed to so much in her childhood.

lissawynn,

WOW!!! You slept in your bed. That must have felt so good.

 

[Strawberry Lemonade]

Just want to say Happy Holidays to everyone! With the DIS going down in an hour or so, I won't get on again before then. With this being a holiday weekend, who knows when I'll have time to visit once it's back up.

(oh, who am I kidding...I'm sure I'll be on as soon as it's back up. )

zalansky - Sorry about the issues with your dad.

gm - Hope you feel better for Christmas!

glt - I hope you can get your holiday plans worked out.

 

[nucpharm29]

Hey all! Just wanted to post quick and let ya'll know that we made it just fine. It rained the ENTIRE trip! But nobody had any major meltdown or barfs the whole 14hrs.! But I must be off to recuse Nana from my kiddos--she has been babysitting today--got to hit Gymbo (gotta feed the addiction) got a shirt and jeans for Matthew and a top and panties for Emma all for $18! And then got myself a new pair of shoes (not at gymbo of course! )Have a great weekend all!

 

[Tasha+Scott]

Loretta~ I am so sorry! There are no words. I just hope your dad makes it through the holidays. It must be total hell for all of you right now. I hope your dh and children will make this Christmas brighter for you.

ff~ I am so sorry that this is a rough time of year for you too. It has to be rough having lost 2 brothers already!

GLT~ Oh, boy, I sure hope that your soon-to-be-EX will behave himself and not ruin Christmas for you guys! Keeping my fingers crossed!

Lissawynn~ How awesome that you finally got to sleep in your own bed! What a nice early Christmas gift!

DisKim~ Poor Emily! I think she is at such an awkward age. That also means POOR MAMA! Let us know what you decide about the dog.

Robin~ I think Molly looks adorable in that bathing suit! I entered the audience challenge and rewrote the lyrics. My lyrics are pretty good, I think, but I don't remember the theme song well enough to know how my lyrics flow with the music. Oh, well, we'll see what happens.

SL~ Glad you are feeling better. How sweet about the ornament and the gift for Lucas!

nucpharm~ Glad you arrived safely and without incident!

dizagain~ They had a little "interview" type thing with our mall's Santa for the local news the other night. The top items that the older kids ask for around here include iPods, MP3 players, PS3, XBox, dirtbikes, 4wheelers, and things like that. And for the 4-5 year old range, he said the #1 item was cell phones! Can you imagine? I used to ask for Barbies, dolls, My Little Ponies, etc. My brother did ask for a robot that would clean his room once though!

fabumouse~ We're glad you found us and we love you (and your sense of humor!) too!

icebrat~ I think you've received excellent advice already. I really think it must be harder to suddenly take in a 2 year old than to have them from birth. At least you learn together from infancy on up when you have them from birth. A 2 year old already has their own ideas, routines (or lack of!), etc., and it must be very trying to adjust to everything. I do agree that routines and maybe an early intervention daycare would help a lot. Daycare has made a huge difference for Kylie. Not only does she love it but she has learned a lot since going there too. Routine is very important in our household too. I mean, we're not strict to where things have to be done at the exact same time every day but we do the same things in the same order most days. We also try to stick with a bedtime (around 7:30) unless we're gone late or something. It really, really helps with this age. Good luck! It will get better, I promise! I hope Tess enjoys her first Christmas with you guys!

DisneyPhD~ So great to see you! I have been known to say the same thing about it's a good thing 2 year olds (or in my case 19 month olds!) are so cute!

GM~ I hope you feel better soon and that Olivia stops being a pill. We took Kylie to WDW for her 1st b-day and it seemed like she went from baby to toddler within 2 weeks of us getting home. She stopped taking naps with me (which I sometimes miss! ), stopped using the bottle, and started walking. Can't blame Disney for that so much as she was just growing up, but still...it seemed like it all happened right after WDW. I loved the changes but it took some adjustment for me too to realize she wasn't quite a little baby anymore. She's MS. INDEPENDENT now but she's still my sweet baby girl! I actually really like this age.

BnBsMom~ That's great about Jocelyn! Brag away...we're all guilty of doing that about our kids on here...as well as venting about them from time to time!

Jill, Justhat, J&D~ I hope you guys have a great time! Hopefully you guys will get to meet up at some point.

Hi Tamie, Hillary, Gems, cabmom, Bridget, Ryan, joats, vald, and anyone else I missed! I am so thrilled that I finally got to do a decent catch up post! Nothing much going on here. We are all healthy for Christmas so far so that's a relief. I am glad we had the bug last week instead of this week. I hope everyone else is healthy for Christmas and your little ones too. I am so looking forward to Christmas this year as Kylie understands a lot about it now and it promises to be even more fun than last year with her was.

Anyway, I know the boards are going down pretty soon and we will be gone through the holiday weekend so I just want to say I love you ladies and I hope you have a very wonderful Christmas and that Santa brings all of you what you want!

 

[joats]

Loretta:

Way too much to do, just wanted to pop on and wish you all a
very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Hope you all have a wonderful holiday.

Ok, back to cleaning and wrapping!!!

 

[dizagain]

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!! Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday with your families! I am off to take lasagna out of the oven....DH postponed dinner by a few minutes until the end of the Bengals game...

Santa's on his way!!!!!

 

[zalansky]

What a Christmas gift! The DIS is back up!!!

I have been lost without it. What a uber-dork I am.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

 

[floridafam]

Hi Mommies!!!

I hope everyone is having a good Christmas Eve. I'm pooped but in a pretty good mood. The presents are wrapped, the kids are in bed and my tummy is full of lasagna.

Robin,

I'll be looking for your post tomorrow. I'm so CURIOUS about your present!!

 

[icebrat001]

Happy Christmas Eve! okay back to work, can't program this friggin dora knows your name doll!

 

[DisneyPhD]

Merry Christmas everyone. We managed at my brothers house tonight, tmw everyone from DH's side of the family is coming to our house. We are not prepared at all. Let's just wing it and see how it goes. At least DH and I got the house tidied up and the presents out and wrapped.

Hope everyones Christmas is peaceful and joyful!

 

[Alice28]

Happy Christmas Eve, all! I missed you gals!

I am exhausted...I shared with Holly, Jen (J&D Jen) and Loretta my saga via some desperation emails, but Sam got bit by the neighbor's dog yesterday. Totally unprovoked. The dog will be put down this week according to the neighbor. Police were called too. I was beyond angry, let me tell you. This was the set of neighbors with the umpteen cars and treadmill in the street....Sam was just playing gameboy with the grandson and out came the dog and CHOMP right on Sammy's arm. The doctor didn't seem concerned about rabies, (the dog was quarintined 3-4 months ago for biting someone else, and they test them at that time to make sure they are not rabid, so if he wasn't then, I guess he's not now). He did get his antibiotics extended though.

To top that off, Molly was acting funny and spiked a fever last night of 103.1. DH took her to the ER at 1:30 AM and they had to cath her, get chest xrays, strep swabs, urine analysis, blood draw and IV...the whole 9 yards. They could find no infection of any sort, just dehydrated, so she got 500ccs of fluid, the poor baby. Needless to say, DH and I are running on empty, and hopefully my MIL won't care that the house is not perfect. It's mostly clean, but not 'company clean'. She'll understand. We're just killing the next hour til we can put them to bed (the boys) fill their stockings and go to bed. She did have two soft poops today (she was badly constipated for the first time in the history of my children....I had never had one had that problem) and has drank 3 full bottles, plus the IV since 8 or so this morning. I think that's the normal amount of fluids- 24 ounces plus the IV. She still is running a fever though, but within 30 minutes of her meds she perks right up and is my regular Molly. I just know I will make myself get up tonight at 1 or 2 to check on her and give her more tylenol if needed. As we've discussed before here, fevers are scary.

So my friends, if you have a moment, could you sent NO FEVER prayers, vibes , pixie dust, whatever to Miss Molly, that she is fever-free on Christmas.

Hope everyone has a very MERRY Christmas Day tomorrow!

Oh- and J&D says Merry Christmas too- she was mad the DIS wasn't up before she left & wanted me to relay the message since she is going to NOLA and then WDW!