The Official New Mom Thread Part 2

[J&D]

There is a .05 click at Sunshine, and the MyPoints backpack can be found by clicking on the search link at the top of the page.

Jill- Happy 10 month b-day to John!

Gotta run!

 

[Strawberry Lemonade]

What a nasty day. It's so cold and rainy. Consequently, the mall was mobbed, but the photo session went well and I was able to exchange Lucas's clothes. If anyone would like to see the photos, you can go to http://www.portraitsimple.com then click on Portraits Online. For the studio, click on Westfarms then click on Sal Vernali 8/27/06. The last four digits are 4310. For the contest, we chose the first photo in the last row. We thought it was an interesting angle and might help set us apart.

joats - I think you're right. I may have posted the Glam Shot before. That would explain why when I asked DH to scan it in he told me he did already. I just thought he was reading my mind. LOL.

bellacam - Glad you had fun on your date night.

floridafam and zalansky - I hope Ernesto misses you both. Please stay safe.

llij - I love your WDW picture!

lissawynn - Glad to hear from you!

DisKim - Good luck with the GREs this year. I love how so many of us are going to school!

val - I love your pictures! Glad Katrina's fever went away.

hillbeans - Welcome back! Great pictures - looks like you all had so much fun.

justhat - How's Henry's rash doing?

fabumouse - Sorry I have no words of advice on nursing. I hope you find something that works for you.

Will anyone be watching the Emmys tonight? I think DH and I are going to order in some Chinese and make an evening of it.

 

[floridafam]

SL,

Those pictures are so cute. I love the middle one in the second row-he looks so grown up. I like the one you chose for the contest.

 

[Alice28]

I am going to attempt to catch up- I have an edge of a headache so I may forget some!

SL- those pictures of Lucas are great- I finally decided that it's not only his eyes that are so expressive, his eyebrows are too! I think his eyebrows set him apart- most babies just have little straggly hairs- I know Molly does anyway and so did my boys. I hope you win!

Joats, Val, Jill- great pics! I loved the one of you Jill at WDW as a girl- so fun! I think my parents have some slides of me in 76 and 79 at DL....maybe I can get her to transfer them, as I know she bought a slide scanner thing.

lissawynn- yes, I think it's very strange your DH isn't just given the darn guns. What the heck is that about? I don't get people sometimes.

FF and Z- I am PRAYING the hurricane misses you guys completely. That must be stressful and scary. Please check in often with us.

Hillbeans- great family pictures! Looks like you all had lots of fun- I'm so glad! Nothing like a great family vacation. I wish we had one planned, but we're still not solid on when we want to go to Hawaii...March or June. I want some dates!

The BBQ was sort of a let down. All really nice people, but the food was, well, eh. I'm used to any family spreads we do, or friend spreads to be ALL OUT. This was quite half-done IMHO. Overdone meat, the people who brought their side dishes were truly uninspired- I made this HUGE macaroni salad and other people just brought a bag of chips or a bag of carrot sticks, etc. I went so hungry and left hungry....oh well, I'm glad I got to meet his coworkers and the kids had fun with a slip and slide and water guns. Oh, and this is what I remembered I hate about late summer picnics- YELLOW JACKETS SWARMING everywhere! It was scary- I went by the meat before we left, and there were tons of them crawling around (and the hostess even had those little net tents to put over the food- they somehow got in there!).

Anyway, I got to go to the grocery store by myself while DH stayed here with the kids, and now I'm chillin for an hour before we go to my parents for another BBQ. I'm sure this one will be different.

 

[tkyes]

sl - Very cute pictures! Tough choice Love your Glamour Shots picture. I noticed a GS at the mall the other day too. They are trying to change their look and make it more family oriented.

alice - Sorry to hear the BBQ was a let down. I totally know what you mean about going to parties that are blah. We go all out and have tons of food too and you sort of expect everyone's parties to be like that. Love the shower invites. Would your shipping be cheaper if you just got a few pieces like the invites, balloons and one set of napkins? Then you can find some solid orange and pink things to match? I buy one pack of patterned napkins and one pack of solid, then stack them every other, same impact, much cheaper.

ff and zalansky - I really hope the hurricane misses you. How scary to have to sit and wait and wonder.

bellacam - your date night sounds like a lot of fun! I love nights like that.

hillary - Welcome back! It looks like you guys had a great time. I love your pictures and yes your hair is really long! It looks great!

jill - LOVE the old Disney picture, how fun!

lissawynn - Good luck finding something to wear. That in between clothing stage was frustrating for me.

val - Great pictures! Glad you had fun at the fair. I love pigging out on fair food too!

fabumouse - Good luck with discreet nursing

joats - Sorry sending flowers was so much! Enjoy the bday party for the 3 year old, cake sounds great! Thanks for sharing your picture too!


We stuffed ourselves silly at the fair. It was fun to go with no kids. We'll do totally different stuff with Tyler when we go on Thursday.

I need to get working on some growth charts. Bye!

Tamie

 

[fabumouse]

Robin - well, with a unique name like Mannix, you'd think I'd remember him no matter what year he was in, but, I don't. Shane sounds familiar - it is indeed a small world. Adorable plates and napkins! Sorry about the picnic - I have friends who underfeed everyone at their parties and I've never understood. DH (the chef in the house) always takes a beautiful and large dish and the other guests lunge at it like famine victims because the host/hostess have provided a few shriveled carrots for an appetizer.

Bellacam - ITA! Problem is that I'm stuck with him. Some days he's okay and I think, why am I so harsh on him? Then he starts talking about some guy who shot his girlfriend in front of her kids - while my DD5 is RIGHT THERE and I think, I'm going to lock him in the closet until I can catch a flight back home.

Man, have you NO FILTER???

Valerie - this is mean, but I didn't want him here at all while I have a newborn. He's the only grandfather I know who will change a baby's diaper, and for that I'm impressed, but I *knew* he wouldn't be of any help otherwise, and I knew I'd be hormonal and so it would pi$$ me off.

IL's leave on Tuesday. I will probably cry when MIL leaves. But it's probably time for me to figure out how I'm going to do this without her here.

I LOVE everyone's photos. I think the chances of me finding one are slim - but we are cleaning out the guest room for Madeleine soon - and the photo box is in there, so who knows?

Joats - thanks for the tip on the bras, I'm going to order one now. And London is SOOOOO ludicrously expensive, so I'm not too suprised at your difficulty with the flowers.

Jill - love the stretchy dresses! Remember how they used to make those horrible itchy indentations in the skin??

Lissa - thanks for the welcome! I love that photo of your son.

Justhat - my chest actually looks a bit frightening right now, at least to me. It got bigger than with my DD5 or maybe I have more mirrors in my house now, but I look . .. freakish. I'll be interested to hear how the rash goes - my best friend did what I did and her daughter only had a minor rash once, related to some yeast infection or something, and she's 4 now. And yes, the stretch marks and flabby belly are part of the desire not to completely expose myself to the world. I like the idea of nursing tops, but I haven't really liked any I've seen. Do you remember where you got yours? I think you're right about the blanket - and even worse, I saw ponchos that had winnie the pooh in pastel pink and blue all over them! If that doesn't scream for attention on an adult woman's body, I don't know what does.

I BF'd my older daughter for 2 months (she had severe reflux and threw up at every feeding so we had a rough time) - but I was rarely out in public with her because we lived in Manhattan and it's so smelly and chaotic (no flames, please - I LOVE Manhattan, just not for babies) that I took her out for about 10 minutes at a time. The one time I had to feed her in Central Park, my MIL kept throwing a blanket over me and I finally threw the blanket back at her because I couldn't see anything!

 

[tkyes]

fabumouse - Try www.babystyle.com for some nursing tops. They have really cute clothes.

 

[Strawberry Lemonade]

Good morning! Not too much going on here today. We're supposed to go to DH's company picnic tonight so I hope it doesn't rain.

Alice28 - Lucas is a little over 1/2 hairy Italian so it's only a matter of time before those eyebrows grow into a unibrow. Sorry your first BBQ was so lame. I hope the second one was much better!

tkyes - Glad you had fun at the fair. Ours sells bags of mini donuts and I'm just dying for some right now.

fabumouse - Good luck shopping for nursing clothes.

Have a great day, everyone.

 

[DisKim]

SL - Those pictures of Lucas are so adorable. I really should be getting more pictures done of my kids. It's just so much work to photograph all 3.

DH was so angry this morning. He has 92 sick days banked so he decided to take one today and get some stuff done around the house, relax, etc. He was all nervous to call his secretary because she is such a busybody. Well, when he called her she was all in a huff saying that he had no choice but to come in. Everybody was already looking for him to set up the lecture hall to videotape something, etc. It's unbelievable! He is not allowed to take one stinking day! He really seemed like he was going to go postal this morning. I tried to calm him down. He is really laid back and sweet all the time but if someone really gets under his skin, he'll just flip out.

Well, I was going to go in and set up my classroom today while DH was home but it looks like that won't be happening.

I have a question for all you scrapbookers. I've been working on a scrapbook for my WDW trip. I bought the acid free glue. The problem I'm having is it doesn't stick! Everything is coming off the page. I have them in protectors, but it would be nice if the pictures stuck to the page. Do you think it is just bad glue or am I doing something wrong . I'm a total newbie with this stuff. I love how I start these things a week before school starts.

 

[Alice28]

Kim- I'm sorry your DH's work is so stupid about a sick day! That seems like something he could dispute with a union if he is in one; or even just his boss. Sounds like the secretary thinks she rules the roost.

It sounds like you may have gotten a bad glue stick. Or some scrapping adhesive works so that it's temporary- with the idea if you want to move something around, you can lift it without ripping it. But it should still stay where you put it. I personally like the little tape runner adhesives, but sometimes they can be expensive ($8-10 for the contraption, and then $4 or so for each time you need to refill it).

SL- LOL about the unibrow. My second BBQ was much better, thanks. My parents know how to cook great food; DH and I pigged out on brisket, corn, melons, potato salad and rolls. Yummy.

Fabumouse- we are the same way about parties. Although we don't do it often anymore, when we entertain, not only do we buy a lot of food, we buy good stuff. It's not necessarily gourmet, but it's what I know people like. What I found strange about the party yesterday, was I guess the person who was supposed to bring the snacks/chips, didn't show up til almost the time we left. So there was none of that stuff out at first, but a full bar, drinks, etc....but no nuts, chips, dip...esp with kids there, I thought that was odd. Oh well, like I said everyone was nice. It was a little weird; I didn't realize this til after we left, but Bob was the boss of everyone there until his boss showed up; but everyone was older than us! (I think some people more our age were showing up later). His boss and his wife are really nice- he is from W. Virginia and he just had this great, booming voice and was kind of a good ole' boy. It was a little funny cause the party was in Washington, and the kids think it's such a big deal to go to another state just for a get together.

Z- I was thinking about how you were sad about your babies growing up. I saw a pictures of Molly with Sam the other day, while glancing thru the pics on DH's laptop that made me sooo wistful. She was 4 days old. I just got so sad that I am done with that itty bitty baby stage now; I don't want a new baby, but I wish I could hold my kids again when they were that little. Does that make sense? The thought of a new one puts me over the edge, but time sure goes by quickly. Here's the picture:

Tamie- I think I am only going to order 2 packs of invites, 2 packs of small plates (about 12-13 people will be here; I'll do plain colored plates for the appetizers/finger food and the baby girl plates for the cake) and 1 pack of napkins. And the banner. I was going to take them to Party City to match for tablecloths, plain napkins, plain cups, etc. But I think the total for that was still just $15-16, but over $7 for shipping. I am still going to do it, but I was just a little shocked. Glad you had fun at the fair! Sounds like it was fun for the adults.

Well, I got up with DH so I could have some quiet time this morning. Last week before school starts. Not sure what we're going to do today, other than lay low.

Have a good day everyone!

 

[floridafam]

Hi everyone. I'm going to attempt to get caught up.

We just made another run to the store. I'm not overly worried about Tropical Storm Ernesto but our power goes out around here when someone sneezes so I want to be prepared. It looks like it may strengthen back into a hurricanes so we are going to keep an eye on it.

DisKim,

I can't believe your DH couldn't take a sick day. I would have been upset, too.


nucpharm,

I'm sending your box out this week. I've been extremely busy so I just wanted to let you know in case you were wondering.


Strawberry lemonade,

I had a good laugh about your unibrow comment.


fabumouse,

I was also going to suggest babystyle for nursing tops but Tamie already did. Great minds think alike.


Here is who has signed up for the exchange so far:

J&D
Alice28
Buzzandbelle'smom
justhat
nucpharm29
vald1977
gottalovethem
llij
lissawynn
Strawberry Lemonade
DisKim
ginamarie
tkyes
floridafam

PM me if I have accidentally left your name off the list.

I have never participated in an exchange. I'm going to put all the name sin a hat and draw them out. Should I just throw the info in an envelope as I draw it then I can't see who gets what buddy?

Were you mailed the info for your last exchange or PM'd the info?

Is it okay if I still participate in the exchange?

I'm off to clean up a little.

 

[Alice28]

I have never participated in an exchange. I'm going to put all the name sin a hat and draw them out. Should I just throw the info in an envelope as I draw it then I can't see who gets what buddy?

Were you mailed the info for your last exchange or PM'd the info?

Is it okay if I still participate in the exchange?

I think it would be fine if you saw who had who; although maybe you would want to be surprised as to who had you? I think I would look just to make sure everyone was accounted for.

J&D and Tasha just PMed us our info.

Absolutely you should participate, you nut!

 

[Ginamarie]

Tykes- We have a big state fair, but I’ve never gone. It’s about four hours from my house. I’ve been to the Minnesota State Fair a couple of times and that was just HUGE!

SL- I love the Mickey costume. Oh, I love the Glamourshot too!

Fabumouse- I do the blanket over the shoulder thing. It took me a couple of times to get used to it, but I’m pretty good at it now. If Olivia starts moving her head around I sometimes tuck my head under the blanket with her. It’s not the most inconspicuous thing in the world, but I avoid flashing people, which is good. If at all possible, I take her to the car to nurse too.

Alice- DBro is getting a little better about wanting to go to WDW again. Like most little kids though, he gets fixated on one thing sometimes and it’s hard to get him to associate WDW with anything other than “scary fireworks”. We’ll keep working on it, and we have until December.

Jill- I didn’t really know any kids with fears of loud noises until now. None of my siblings were afraid, but my little BIL was. My MIL suggested earplugs, and is actually bringing some on vacation with us, even though he seems to be better about things now (he’s 7).

Hillbeans- Glad you had a good time in Ocean City. My best friend was just down there with his family a couple of weeks ago and had a great time as well.

FloridaFam/Zalansky- I hope the bad weather steers clear of you!

Well the weather didn’t hold out for us, but we wound up having a great time anyway. It was very intimate having Olivia as the only baby, so we had the Church to ourselves. She was a little cranky right beforehand, but drank a bottle and went to sleep, and she slept right though the ceremony, even as they poured the water over her head.

The party was beautiful. Since we set up tents in the yard and driveway, there was enough room for everyone to sit comfortably without getting wet. A couple of guys stayed in the garage part of the time drinking beers anyway. The food was phenomenal, and we wound up having a lot leftover, so I know what we’ll be eating this week The cake was also delicious. Everything had a great time. We took a lot of pictures, but DH hasn’t uploaded them yet (hopefully tonight).

I can’t believe we’re supposed to close this week. I still have so much to do! Wish I could write more, but I have to get back to work.

 

[DisKim]

ginamarie - I'm glad everything went well.

robin - I didn't think it was a temporary glue but that might make sense. I'm new to all this stuff.

I just got back from setting up my classroom with Emmy. It was HOT in there! Also, there was a big puddle of water from the rain in front of my room. My friend stopped by with her son and the poor kid slipped in the water and bumped his head. The assistant principal overheard me telling her she should sue the school. I guess that's why she called someone to clean it up right away.

Floridafam - I would probably just put the names in a hat and pull them. I can't see how it would work out if you didn't know who was exchanging with who. Also, of course you should participate!!

 

[lissawynn]

Hi ladies. I've made it through the first day of school and I'm beat. Now I have to get home to meet the appraiser for 3:30, then go the the grocery store, and pick Jimmy up at my dad's house. I could really use a nap, but I know that won't happen. I will, however, be in bed by 9 tonight.

I'm sorry I've been so out of the loop. I hope once school starts I'll have some time to post and catch up during my prep period.

I hope you're all having a great day!

 

[llij]

Good afternoon ladies!

Just my luck…I’m starting up my grad program tonight after a year sabbatical and I woke up sick this morning. Not good for having to sit in classes tonight and tomorrow and pay attention! Poor John has a bad cold forming too so he isn’t exactly a happy camper today. If I make it through these next sixteen weeks in without losing my marbles it will be a miracle!

Floridafam – Yes, you should definitely participate in the exchange!! We all appreciate your organizing it too!

DisKim – Ouch about your friend’s son hitting his head! I hope he is ok. How irritating for your dh too that he couldn’t even take a day off of work.

Lissawynn – I’m glad that your survived your first day back at school!

Ginamarie – I’m glad to hear that the Christening was beautiful and the party was a success! I can’t wait to see pictures! Good luck with all of the packing and closing this week.

Robin – The picture of Molly and Sam is precious! I sometimes get misty eyed over the thought that I will never again hold a newborn of mine. The kids just grow up too quickly!

SL – Those pictures of Lucas are great! I hope that he wins the contest!

J&D – Thanks for the heads up on Sunshine!

Fabumouse – Yes, those lovely ‘70’s sundresses itched me like crazy. That is why I always wore a t-shirt under them. Good luck finding nursing tops! When will your MIL be coming back again?

Tamie – Good luck with the growth charts! I’m glad to hear that you had a wonderful time at the fair!

Tasha – How is school going for you?

Well, I need to go and get a million things done today while John is napping. I’m not sure how much I will be able to check in. (Frankly, I’m scared to death about trying to balance family and school since I’ve never been full time with a baby. I was part time when the girls were both in school and that was tough.) I will try to pop in as much as I can to see how you all are doing! I'll need a study break and catching up with you all will be it!

Hi to Joats, Gems, Ryan840, BNBmom, Val, Hillbeans, Zalansky, DisneyPhD, Gretchen, Nucpharm, Bellacam, Justhat, Cabmom, GLT and everyone!

 

[DisKim]

Jill - Good luck with everything! I'm sure it won't be easy being in school full time. Hopefully, I'll be joining you some day . BTW, I'm hoping to find a master's program in marriage and family therapy which is not too far away. I haven't seen it offered online which makes sense, I guess.

lissawynn - I'm glad you got through your first day back. How are your students? I only had one year where the students were bad the first day and only about 2 kids in the entire class even made it to the high school. Only one graduated. Good luck with the appraisal tonight.

 

[Alice28]

lissawynn- phew, you got through your first day! I bet you are VERY tired. I hope all goes well with the appraiser, and that your bank loan goes through soon.

Jill- my hat is off to you for going to school right now. You and all the other moms taking classes right now. Yay for you! I hope you feel better soon!

GM- wow, the christening sounds like it went great! I can't wait to see pictures!

All of a sudden, my back is hurting. I'm paranoid it's my kidney, but it doesn't hurt when I sit down, just when I'm walking, and it's not quite the same pain.

I have a joke for you, that DH heard on the radio on Sat. I hope I can pull off a knock-knock joke online:

Knock-knock

Who's there

Control freak NOW YOU SAY 'CONTROL FREAK TOO'!





I know way too many control freaks, myself included at times....my mom just about fell off her chair when he told it last night at dinner.

 

[floridafam]

OMG!

EVERYBODY HERE IS FREAKING OUT!!! You should see the lines at the gas station and at Publix.

I just went to the store again and forgot to get stuff for the grill.

It's not even going to be that bad but if we are without power that is going to suck. We aren't big hot dog eaters but I should have gotten some hot dogs for the grill.



Robin,

I hope you're not having problems with your kidney. Keep us posted.

I'll be back later.

 

[floridafam]

Robin,

I need some ebay advice if you have a second. My auction is due to end on Wednesday. There is a chance we will not have power. Do you know what I should do?

I don't want to look like an idiot on my first auction. Do you have any suggestions?