The Official New Mom Thread Part 2

[floridafam]

Robin,

I can draw the exchange names whenever you all want, I'm just waiting for information from GEM.

Would all of you exchange mommies like your names by this weekend? I think everyone who is going to participate has already sent me their information.

I'm also looking forward to the Christmas/Holiday exchange that will include some of our newest mommies here.

So, PM me if you want to get in on the Fall/Halloween exchange.

I'll be back later to get caught up.

 

[gottalovethem]

You don't hear from me for weeks and now I post three times in one day ... major vent ahead. . . . .



I am SOOOO MAD. I got a letter today from my dentist stating that our professional relationship is terminated because I cancelled my appointment and I have cancelled in the past WTH??????? Aren't they the ones I pay money to? I called Thursday to cancel an appt. Tuesday, not my fault they are closed on Friday and Monday. Give me a $%$#@# break. I am just fuming that they could treat people like that.

I didn't like them that much anyway, but finding a new dentist is a royal PITA, especially since I think there is a shortage of them is this area. The annoying part is that I still have to see their office, as it is across the hall from the kids' dentist.

vent over, gotta feed the kids lunch. Thanks for giving me a place to rage.

 

[justhat]

Hi everyone! We got back from the beach last night. Aside from the drive there and back, the weather was great. Madison had a great time in the mini waterpark area at the pool, and it was great to spend time with just her for the first time since Henry arrived. Of course, he came with us, but my mom watched him sleep in his stroller while Madison and I went on the waterslides and in the lazy river.

Henry is stirring and it's been 3 hours since he ate so I know it's a matter of minutes. Be back later.

 

[DisKim]

Today was a much better day. My kids were all pretty good. I had a couple of wiseguys in my last class (just typical freshman stuff). I covered a class fro a friend and my heart went out to her. That class was AWFUL. I don't have anything like that. I'm glad the first day stuff is over. Tomorrow, they get right to work. I'm all business. Aidan is doing very well. I'm soooooo glad I switched to my old sitter. She feeds him healthy food every day and it is so nice knowing he gets lots of individual attention. There are 4 full timers and one part time. One of the full time kids is leaving at the end of Septmeber. I hope she gets a replacement though because I know they need the money. DH said there was a ton of drama getting Emmy off to school. She didn't like her new shoes and a security tag was left on her new outfit so they had to do a last minute outfit change. Alex had the wrong room number on his letter. Thank goodness DH walked him into school because his letter had the handicapped room number on it. Alex wouldn't have known what to do. There is another Alex in his class so my Alex is going to have to be "Alexander" all year long. Well, I'm going to wait for Emmy to get off the bus.

 

[Alice28]

A quickie as I really need to get to scrubbing my downstairs floors.

Target- oh my gosh. Their dollar spot had the greatest Halloween and fall trinkets! Disney Princess too! I can see a lot of little DIS toddlers getting goodies from Target for this exchange! Fun stuff. I held back because I thought it wouldn't be appropriate if I get a young baby in the exchange. They had cute stuff in the baby section too- little hats, PJs, booties. I went because I needed paper towels and something I was HOPING I wouldn't have to buy- another bottle for Molly. We're down to one and she's always throwing it somewhere. She's getting better with cups- she knows how to do it, but she still wants her ba-ba of warm water with a splash of juice for bedtime, or a bottle of milk if she's cranky in the late morning/later evening. Oh well. I keep telling myself the boys were still NURSING at this point- it's OK for her to have her little oral fixation. And Sam liked his bottle til 2 1/2 I think. I just won't bring it to the doctor's checkup tomorrow- it can stay in the car. I don't need a lecture.

I went to the DMV to transfer the title of the truck and emailed the insurance agent. DH told me how it will need new shocks; uh, yeah. It was like Goofy's Bounce House in there! But Molly got to be in the front in her seat since it has no airbags, and it's just the little bench seat in the back- too hard to get the carseat back there. She thought that was way cool.

DH teases me as well about the snackies I buy for the house, but if it's cookies, he's the first one there munching them. I'm more the chip fiend.

SL- I will try and take a picture of the lights later- I doubt disneyshopping.com has them anymore as they were on quite a clearance when I bought them in July. They're kind of craftsman style, with a silouette of Mickey on 3 sides. Very cute.

GLT- about your DH's comments about kinder rest time...how are 5 year olds supposed to learn all day if they don't have a little down time?

FF- YES PLEASE, I would love my exchange name by this weekend!

Kim- I guess I see your DH's point about finishing up his classes, but I would hope he makes DARN sure he's all finished up by March, like he says. I know it's hard, but maybe it's better to wait one more school year for the kids, and make the transition to move next June or July? I don't even know what the going rate for licensed teachers as tutors is, but when I did it 10-11 years ago with just my BA, I got $12 an hour. I was ecstatic at the time for that. I would imagine for someone with your education and experience it would be like $20 an hour? At least?

lissawynn- that sucks about your indigestion. Are you at least not feeling as queasy?

OK, the floors are staring at me. I feel like I am such a bum some days. I had a heart to heart with DH last night about feeling exasperated with money and that maybe I should work parttime and he was like, "You're not seeing long term here- we're fine...as soon as this car is sold, we're golden." I tend to do that- get all freaked cause the checking account is low this week....but we are selling a $13000 (at least) car sometime this month. I told him I felt guilty for spending money on myself like at the spa, and on the nice clothes for the kids, and he just said, "I know you need to treat yourself; I will never pass judgement on you for spending money, because I know you never go overboard. If you feel guilty, then you need to get over it, because we're fine."

Nights like last night make me feel like I have a really great guy. For the most part, we really even each other out, which is nice. So I asked him again, "It's ok that I go a little hog wild at Gymboree this Friday? Molly literally only has 2 pants, 4 tops and 2 dresses so far for cool weather." And he said, "Sure!" He did point out that i could buy them clothes at Target and that might be a little saner, but then he said he appreciated that I sold her clothes for 30% of what I paid for them on ebay, so that makes it ok.

It's just hard sometimes for me still, after not working for 3 years, to feel like I can spoil myself. Because I don't have my 'own' money that I brought in. But DH is really good at acknowledging that I contribute a lot by staying home with the kids; plus we're fortunate that my parents like to help us out once in awhile- he said he considers that 'my income.'

OK, nuff blabbing...I'll try and catch up better with everyone at M's naptime.

 

[T16GEM]

Hi all,

I have had a pig of a day, I ended up coming home at 11.30 from work as I couldn;t take it anymore, basically to cut a long story short since I told my employer that I am pregnant for the 2nd time they have been making my life hell. Today my line manager bought our new department manager round to introduce him to everyone and he met each person individually and they shook hands, had a little chat about them and which jobs they work on and how long they have been with the company etc, when they got to me I was on the phone (business call) and he just said "Oh that's Gemma" and that was it, no hand shake, no chat nothing, just that comment. I was so upset I feel like they don't like me anymore since I told them, also I don't know if I have said anything to you before about this, but since July none of my co-workers have spoken to me. Today I just got so upset that I couldn't stay there for the rest of the day so I decided to come home, DH was on his day off from work so he was here and Shelby gave me a big messy sloppy kiss and that made me feel better, but I guess that doesn't help the fact that I am effectively being bullied at work - but what do I do about it??

Sorry for moaning on. Gotta get it off my chest.

Robin - Great news that DH will let you spend up at Gymbo!
Kim -I am glad that today has been better for you - being a working mom is HARD!
GLT - Can you find another dentist easily? What a nightmare.
Bellacam - Sorry that your weather was bad, good that you got some time with grown ups though!
Lissawynn - are you still feeling bad?
Hi Dizagain! Another new mommie YAY!!
SL - Thats great that they sent the part for the slide, I bet Lucas is really pleased!

I hope that everyone else is good and hi to the mommies I missed

Speak soon

gems

 

[lissawynn]

Gems - I am so sorry that your co-workers are being s**t heads. Is there some kind of agency where you can report them for discriminating against you?
I hope you're feeling better since you got home.

DisKim - I'm so happy that you have a great group of kids. I am all business, too. They've been working since last week. Sorry Emmy couldn't wear the outfit she wanted. It's a good thing your DH took Alex to school and got him settled in the correct room.

Alice - Jimmy is still sucking on the same newborn binky that we brought home from the hospital. He's only allowed to have it when he's sleeping, though. I haven't told the dr. about that, but my dental hygenist gives me heck about it. I should never have told her.
I saw the fall/Halloween stuff at Target last weekend. I was SO tempted to buy exchange stuff. I'm rather excited by this exchange, too.

justthat - I'm glad you had a nice trip to SC and got to spend some time with Madison.

GLT - I can't understand how a dr. can turn away patients. That doens't make a heck of a lot of sense to me. I have seen signs that drs will charge a fee if you miss an appointment, but they need to be flexible for a parent who is caring for three small children.
My DH likes to give me heck sometimes about Jimmy eating junk food. He's particularly antsy about the amount of Goldfish the child eats. I can tell you that yesterday was the first day in a LONG time that I've given him any here at home. Also, Jimmy really enjoys Apple Jacks and Fruit Loops. They are now being made with a lot less sugar than when I was a kid. He's eating about a cup of them a day and drinking a glass of milk with them. If that's the worst thing I do to him as a parent, he's lucky.

When my sisters and I were little, my mom refused to buy us cereal with marshmallows. She would, however, buy us Captain Crunch, Alphabets, Apple Jacks, or give us her Bran Chex with about two tablespoonsful of sugar on them. Explain that logic to me. Yeah, she used to make us drink Tang, too. I'm just gagging at the thought of it. When I went to college, the first thing I ate for bfast for almost an entire semester was Lucky Charms.

floridafam - I would LOVE my name this weekend! You rock for doing this.

dizagain - Sounds as if you got everyone off without a hitch. I've never heard a kid refer to some kind of food as a "side item". That cracks me up.

Btw, thank you all for asking how I'm feeling. I am feeling a lot better, but this indigestion is as bad as it was with Jimmy. I am a 2 a day Zantac girl. I would go through labor 20 times over if I didn't have to feel this crappy. I only say that b/c my labor was pretty easy from what I've heard from other people.

I made beef veggie soup for dinner. DH is on his way home now. Our builder called to see what's going on with our addition. The woman at the bank told DH we all but have the $$$. I guess we just have a few more hoops to jump through.

I'll try to get back to you all later, but if not, have a great night!

 

[fabumouse]

GLT - you are *so* right about sleeping when the baby sleeps. That is where I went completely wrong with the first child and kept doing too much while she slept thinking "this is my chance!!" and then was exhausted each morning. I'm much better this go around - I have dropped of DD5 at school the last two mornings and then fed Madeleine and conked out for a nap with her. And I think getting your kids' favorite foods is the best thing you can do for their lunches.

About your dentist - that is just crap. If you don't show up to appointments you've made, that's one thing. But if you cancel appointments more than a day ahead of time, then you've fulfilled your part of the moral obligation. There are swarms of dentists around here and I cannot imagine any one of them getting uppity about cancelled appts.

Great to hear your DD's school went great yesterday. My DH says the same kind of stuff without thinking about where it might lead us. For instance - we were having an issue with a horrible brat at her last school, who hit my DD in the face two days in a row. My DH said to her - the next time it happens, you punch him back TWICE and if there's a problem with you doing that, tell the teachers they can talk to me. So - the next day, guess what DD says to her teachers????

Dizagain - LOL about your Carson having to be pried out of the girls' hands! We've been having such an issue with "playing" with the baby. DD5 wants the baby to watch her play computer games, watch her videos, play with every single toy she owns, it's exhausting!!

Robin - I don't know how old Molly is, but my DD5 gave up her bottles at 2.5 but she was pretty attached to them until then. I also have a number of friends who still breastfeed at night with 3 year olds. So I agree, why say anything to your pediatrician, and anyhow, what I do in those situations is stare with no expression. I really do NOT like lectures from people whom I'm paying for professional services.

And your situation sounds a lot like mine. I also feel a little out of sorts that I'm not bringing home money right now, and I do have a hard time when I make financial decisions - like, trips to WDW, vs. repaving the driveway (which desperately needs it), that I know DH would make differently. And your DH's response makes me think he's a pretty cool guy.

Gems - I am so frustrated for you. I'l try to minimize my politics - but your experience is really, really common. As I've said - I worked for the Dept. of Labor (as an attorney) and when I announced my pregnancy, I got tons of support from the "Regional Solicitor" meaning head boss in my office - but almost none from any of the attorneys who supervised me. Which meant that my daily experiences were akin to yours "you'll be able to work on the interesting cases once your child is in school" kind of nonsense. And without concrete action on their part (e.g., you've been demoted, or there is a way you have and can continue to document the "bullying",) there is almost nothing you can do about it. You can complain to your internal personnel office, or the EEOC and at least make a point, if you have the energy.

Justhat - welcome back! Glad you had a good time at the beach.

Hey Lissa.

 

[DisKim]

Gems - That is awful that your coworkers are treating you like that! That is total discrimination against a pregnant woman! I would have left work too! I'm glad Shelby was able to make you feel better.

GLT - I can't believe your dentist did that!!

Robin - If I were to do homebound instruction through my school, it's about $35 per hour. I could probably work through DH's school too and I think they pay a little more for hourly work. It's not steady though and it often entails going to tutor pregnant girls who live with their boyfriends and about 6 other people in a motel room in Seaside. Of course, not all situations are like that. Many others are on homebound for fighting, injuring teachers, etc. Very few are actually sick. I'm staying put for now. My classes are good and many seniors took me so they could have me as a teacher again. I can't turn my back on them. I had another one going to add my class today. Like I said, it really helped to meet my students. I am a very fortunate teacher. All my classes are upper level. Any other teacher would kill for my schedule.

Of course, my throat is hurting now. I hope it is just from talking all day and I'm not getting sick. I just filled the calendar with all my stuff as well as the kids'. It is going to be a crazy month!

Emmy and Alex had great days at school. Emily said she felt a lot more popular in her new school. All the elementary schools are together now so she gets to see the girls in her GS troop. Alex liked his teacher but he hates the fact that he is in transitional first grade. He wants to be in a regular class. I think T-1 is better for him in the long run. He is a math whiz, but he is behind in reading and writing.

lissawynn - Your soup sounds good! We have a butcher near us that makes tons of prepared foods. DH stopped and got something from there. It works out great and it really is no more expensive than if I made it myself.

Fabumouse - I find it ironic that your coworkers would treat you poorly at the Department of Labor . If a pregnant woman is not treated well there, where will she be?


Would you believe Aidan has been napping for an hour? I guess he is beat from getting up so early and taking an early nap at the sitter's . I better go wake him for dinner.

 

[nucpharm29]

Well, here I am, dinner's made (and hot at the moment)--and guess what, DH is still at work, Emma is asleep on the couch, and Matthew is just throwing stuff off his highchair. So much for a family dinner!

Gems--so sorry to hear you had such a crummy day. The only person who made me feel less than a real person when I was prego with DD was my district manager--mainly she was snarky b/c I was going to quit and she would have to find another full-time pharmacist--BooHoo! That's why she gets paid the big bucks. I hope you have a better day tomorrow!

Oh, and I don't remember who asked, Dizagain maybe, but a nuclear pharmacist makes the radioactive pharmaceuticals for a variety of issues--Mainly scans, such as heart, lung and bone--but we do some cancer treatment drugs as well.

DisKim--glad that your day went a little better today. You sound in better spirits--here's hoping the rest of your week continues to get better.

Alice--your DH sounds like a great guy--everytime I ask DH if I can spend $$ for the kids clothes he wigs out--ie me going to Gymbo this week and spending $20--he was all interogating me as to why I needed to spend it--Geez it was just socks and undies! Then he'll come back later and appologize!

GLT--how cruddy of your dentist!

I'm sitting here watching TV while typing and anyone else think it's weird to see Katie Couric doing the evening news--I'm so used to see her being the upbeat, perky girl on the Today show, that I'm finding it a little hard to take her seriously (and believe me I'm all for women taking men's jobs over)Guess it will just take time! WEll, Matthew is throwing more stuff off the highchair, so I guess he's done! have a great night everyone!

 

[lissawynn]

Hey everyone. DH has Jimmy at his parents' house and I'm trying to recover from dinner. The soup was good, but I used too much tomato paste and the indigestion has kicked in. I'm going to bed soon. DH said he'd put Jimmy (who took a 2 hour nap when we got home) to bed.

DH spoke to the contractor. He IS going to be working at wacky neighbor's house, only he's not adding a 2nd floor. They're just doing some remodeling. He wants to get started on our place soon, so DH is calling the bank tomorrow to find out EXACTLY when we can get the $$$. The contractor promised us (and will put it in writing) he'd be in and out in 8 weeks.

DisKim - Again, I'm happy you had a good day with your kids. I hope the next 179 go as well.

nucpharm - I watched the CBS news last night to see KC and was maybe "underimpressed". I liked her better on the Today Show. Maybe it was the people she anchored with or the morning format? ET reported she was only on camera for a little more than 4 minutes. Not bad for $15 million a year.

fabumouse - When this baby arrives in Feb., I am totally sleeping when he/she sleeps. I didn't do enough of that when Jimmy was born. I spent many a day walking around like a zombie.

I'm headed to bed. Night all!

 

[floridafam]

Hi Mommies,

Just a reminder to PM your info for the exchange if you haven't already done so.

I can't find my original post with the cut off dates in it but I'm going to try and get you your names this weekend and then I'll set a mail out deadline.

I'm excited about the exchange, too.


I'm exhausted and am gonna relax and go to bed.

See you all tomorrow.

 

[llij]

Good evening ladies!

Quick study break here……


DisKim – I’m glad to hear that things are a little better for you and that the kids in your classes are good. You sounded so down in your posts and I was really worried about you. I hope that you and your dh can work something out about the move b/c it really sounds like a great opportunity for you all. Keep us posted on what is going on and come here to vent anytime. I might have missed this, but how is your brother’s girlfriend doing?

Robin – Your dh sounds like such a sweetie! That is great that you two balance each other out.

J&D – Where are you? I hope you are doing ok!

Nucpharm – I wanted to see Katie Couric on the news last night, but I was in class so I missed her. She grew up not too far from me here in Virginia.

Justhat – Welcome back!

SL – I forgot to tell you, but I love the dress you showed us! That is beautiful and perfect for a fall wedding. How is work going? I hope they move your desk soon.

Lissawynn – Sorry to hear about the indigestion!

GLT – Glad to hear that your dd’s first day went well! Oh and Holy Moly about the dentist!! That is so unprofessional of them!

Dizagain - It sounds like today was a much better day with getting the girls off to school. I totally understand where you are coming from b/c my dd’s can be dramatic at times in the morning trying to get ready for school. That is so sweet that you had to pry Carson out of their hands! Oh and I’m with everyone else that you need to take it easy! With three kids (especially with two older ones) it is hard to get back into the swing of things so be easy on yourself.

Gems – I’m so sorry that your co-workers are being a pain in the rear. I experienced the same thing when I was pregnant with one of my bosses. It was a mess and I actually called the EEOC for advice on how to handle the situation. Thankfully, it got better and I hope that your situation does too!

Floridafam – Thanks for organizing the exchange! I’m very excited about it!!

Hillbeans – Good luck with the soccer this fall with Kevin! Has he played before? Meagan and Katie play and it totally rules our schedules in the fall and the spring. My dh has do some creative juggling with their soccer schedule this Saturday since I will be in an exam and will miss their first game. I hope Kevin has a great time!!

Tasha – Good luck with school and thanks for posting the birthdays!

Fabumouse – As far as the Kirkland diapers, I only buy them b/c they are cheaper than all the others. I have to say that I am not that impressed with them at the moment b/c we’ve had lots of issues with the tabs tearing off or pulling away from the diaper. I might be switching back to Pampers or Huggies soon.

Hi to Tamie, Val, DisneyPhd, Ginamarie, Ryan840, BNBmom, Bellacam, Zalansky, and Joats!

Well, I’m exhausted. Tuesday’s are my killer days since I leave the house at 2:00 for school and don’t get home until 10:00 at night. I am a zombie on Wednesdays, but I still need to get some work accomplished. Even though this schedule is stressful, I love my classes. The professors and students are great too. I do have one professor who is a little too enthusiastic with the workload. He gave us our assignment list last night and I have 41 assignments for his class. Is he trying to kill me? Some are simple, but there is so much busy work that I question as to its overall effectiveness. The guy is nice though and he is really trying hard to convey his knowledge of teaching science.

The girls had a good first day of school and it was so strange to not meet them off the bus yesterday afternoon. Thankfully, my mom was here to do it and they were happy to see her.

Well, my time is up so I better do some laundry of something to clean this messy house. Everyone have a great evening!!!

 

[Alice28]

I have had a crappy afternoon. Molly wouldn't nap! I half expect an ear infection brewing as she has a really runny nose and is congested. But she has her 18 month check up tomorrow, so we shall see. She is driving me up a WALL!

Gems- I can't believe your coworkers and boss are treating you like that! I know here in the US you could call some number for discrimination, but I don't know if the UK has protection laws like that? Hang in there!

lissa- sounds like things with your house are moving along! Hopefully the bank will give you your money in the next few days!

Kim- I'm glad you have a good crew of students this year. That will make things more pleasant for you.

GLT- that is outrageous about your dentist! I would be so angry!

Jill- I'm glad your professors are good- that makes for happier students. I remember one day my last semester at college having a Thursday like yours- I think I had 3 morning classes, a later afternoon class and then an evening class. I lived close enough to school that I could leave in the middle of the day, but sometimes I just stayed and, man, was it a long day. I applaud you and your DH for making it work the way you do with the kiddoes.

Fab- YIKES about what your DH said to your DD about the bratty girl! Although I can see my DH saying the same thing.

Hi Justhat! Glad your trip went well! I bet Henry is getting big!

Well, I guess I need to clean up dinner. I am ready to just escape. If DH hadn't worked a 12+ hour day (he left at 4:30 AM to take care of an issue with someone on graveyard shift....) , I would take off for the mall for an hour. But I can tell he is more tired than I am, so I'm staying put.

Have a good night everyone~~~~

 

[gottalovethem]

lissawynn - If you don't mind, I'd love to see before and after pics. We have a capecod and are thinking about adding more to the upstairs and extending the back and I'd love some ideas and feedback as to how the process works. Great about it only taking 8 weeks, that's wonderful!

Jill - I'm so glad you like your classes. That makes it worthwhile! Of course a degree at the end doesn't hurt either

Robin - sorry you had a crummy afternoon.

Gems - When I was pg with DD I was working for a horrible company. They were continually mean to me, even before I was pg. When I was pg things got worse but they hung on to me because I was heading a big $$ project. As soon as the project was over they fired me, along with a few other people, citing eliminating the position. The real reason, they didn't want to deal with me taking time off. They did end up paying me a few months extra salary, but it's amazing how some businesses see having babies. On the other hand, when I was pg with DS (DD was 18 months at the time) the company I worked for was our local school district and they were WONDERFUL. Of course, that position was also eliminated (due to budget cuts) so I lost that job too. Apparently I am not mean to be pg and work at the same time --
ACtually, I think there's a shortage of dentists in the area, at least there were 5 years ago when I found this one -- yes, I've been there five years and they still pull this garbage....at any rate, I'm asking around and will maybe make some calls next week (I HATE going to the dentist, so this gives me a whole new reason to procrastinate )

I'm sorry things are so bad for you. Maybe after the baby is born you can quit and stay home? Either way, good luck to you and we are here if you need to vent.

justhat - glad your outing went well!

nucpharm - nice of you to make dinner, to bad it wasn't a family meal, but at least you made the effort! It aggrevates me when stuff like that happens.

fabumouse - so I need to know, what did your DD say and what did the teacher say to you. I KNOW my DH would say the same thing, as words similar have already come out of his mouth. These men, sometimes I just wanna lock them in a closet

FF - the exchange will be great, thank you for organizing.

Diskim - glad today was a better day. Here's wishing tomorrow is a great one too!

We enjoyed the nice weather this afternoon. Day #2 of K went well. DD still took nap time, though DH said this evening that he wants to write the teacher a note about that I tried to communicate that a rest time for a 5 year old is totally appropriate as I had the option to only put her there 1/2 day, but blah blah blah. We'll see what happens. I can't imagine him actually sitting down and writing a note, but who knows. I said that if he wants DD to look at books during that time instead then that was fine with me.

Oh, get this -- I was making brownies today and my neighbor and her little boy were outside. DS and I went outside to chat while Leif was sleeping. I went back inside to check the brownies, the timer went off so I took them out and put them on the oven. Leif woke so I grabbed him and headed back outside. Well an hour or so later as I'm icing the brownies (I REALLY wanted iced brownies) I realized that they were not cooked all the way through. It was liquid in the middle! I couldn't believe it. I wasted the brownies, icing and all the ingredients. Ick!! Thought this story may make someone laugh.

I still have to make DD's lunch. Have a great night!

 

[Ginamarie]

Dizagain- You’ll learn to adapt to doing things with a baby around. For the first couple of weeks after Olivia was born I was also really tired and felt like I couldn’t do anything, but it got easier. Of course now it’s starting to get tougher again since she’s starting to move around on her own and knows enough to get mad when I stop paying attention to her. So I have to adapt again now!
I don’t have a handy husband either. I love him dearly, but mom and I are the ones handling all the repairs, painting, electrical, etc. at the house.

DisKim- Sorry that your school district is going through a tough time right now. SIL was without a contract for just about all of last year until their renegotiation was done. It’s pretty insane what they make teachers go through sometimes. I’ll say a prayer for your gf.

Alice- I’m glad the BB girls caught on too! It was pretty funny seeing Boogie’s face after Will left the house. I’m kicking myself for having not bought those Mickey porch lights back in July. I was sitting out back yesterday and noticed how rusty and old the two porch lights look on the deck. Plus, like Dizagain’s porch light, one of them is missing a bulb.

GLT- Glad your kids did well at school. DSis(8) insists that her teacher told everyone to call her “Mrs. Stinky”, because her last name is actually “Stinka” or something like that. I’m not sure I believe that story, but she’s sticking to it.
I can’t believe your dentist dumped you! Seriously I’ve never heard of such a thing. My dad once bit a dentist and even that dentist kept seeing us.
Sorry about the brownies!

T16Gem- That’s terrible that they’re giving you a hard time at work. I know in the US there are laws that prevent employers from treating pregnant employees differently. I mean I’m sure it happens, but at least there’s an opportunity for recourse here. I’m not sure if it’s like that in the UK.

Lissawynn- My mom wouldn’t let us have marshmallow cereals either when we were little. Of course now that she’s on kid #5 they get away with a lot more than when I was younger! Glad you’re doing better with the MS though!

Fabumouse- Yeah, when I was 5, my dad told me the same thing about bullies. So one day there were two boys who were bullying me and I warned them that I could just beat them up if they didn’t stop poking me, and… well there were two little boys crying to the teacher a few minutes later that I’d punched them. The funniest part was that the teacher didn’t believe I did it because I looked so innocent and preoccupied by my artwork.

Jill- 41 assignments sounds just awful! Lord help me if I get a lot of work from my class. I just don’t know when I’ll have time for it.


OK, now that I caught up with you ladies I can barely keep my eyes open. It was a long day at the new house today. The master bedroom is now painted and just needs some more touch up. I really love the pale green we picked, though all this painting is a LOT of work. I also put together the entranceway bench we got from Disneyshopping and moved about 50 boxes around. I’m pooped! Dad was nice enough to pick up a couple of pizzas for mom and I since we were in no condition to go out (all sweaty and covered in paint). Then we came back to the old apartment and I had a long hot shower.

Olivia didn’t nap ALL day. She got about 20-30 minutes of rest all day and fell asleep for the night during the car ride home (luckily I changed her into PJs at the new house before we left). I’ve never known a baby who refuses to nap before, and she’s only 5 months. Does anyone have experience with non-napping babies?? She will do everything in her power to keep herself awake, crying, rubbing her eyes, kicking her legs, etc. I’m not looking forward to being alone with her all the time next week, needing to get the house in order, writing motions, and having her screaming her head off because she refuses to sleep. I’m starting to think the new neighbors will report me to Child Protective Services when they hear all the screaming this kid does sometimes.

OK, off to bed. I have to be in court in the morning and I may start snoozing when I need to be talking to the judge.

 

[DisKim]

Jill - Thanks for asking about my brother's gf. She went to the hospital, but they would not give her an MRI because she does not have insurance. My understanding is they cannot turn a patient away without treatment. He said they did bloodwork so that is supposed to be treatment . She has been tested over and over again for epilepsy so I know it is not that. I'm glad your classes are going well. Hearing you talk about them makes me want to go back myself .

ginamarie - Just hearing you talk about painting makes me tired. I don't know why but I can't stand painting. It just seems like it takes forever and it's so messy. I really have to paint my 2 upstairs bathrooms.

GLT - Icing unbaked brownies is totally something I would do too!

lissawynn- It must be so exciting to be getting work done on your house. I would love to make some changes to mine.

I was having back to school nighmares which woke me up at 4 am this morning. I was dreaming that I was late for school and I kept looking at the clock and I just couldn't get dressed. Everything I took out was dirty or wrinkled and I couldn't find any underwear in my dream . Well, I better get some breakfast before I have to wake Aidan up. I really hate doing that to him. If things start going well for DH with Emmy and Alex, I might start having him take Aidan in the morning too. When he complained about Emmy's drama yesterday morning, I told him he wouldn't have had to deal with it if I was home. I'm so vindictive .

 

[floridafam]

justhat,

Glad you had fun at the beach. I'm sure Madison loved some one on one time with you. It's always nice to have those moments with an older child after a new baby joins the family.

DisKim,

I'm glad yesterday went well. It's nice to know your students appreciate you. I'm sure that makes the days easier. I hope you and DH can work something out for next year.

I can't help but think of the situation DH and I were in when I read your posts. We had a lot of the same issues. Keep us posted if you decide to make a move in the coming year. I was so nervous about it but it's just been great!

lissawynn,

Have a great day at school! I agree about the before and after pics. If you want to post any pics of your additon as it is done, I sure wouldn't mind. I'm always looking for ideas.


GEM,

I'm sorry your co-workers are like that. I would say something and let them feel bad. Don't worry too much. You sound like a good person. They need to get a life.

Don't forget to send me your exchange info if you want to participate in the exchange.

fabumouse,

Hi there.

nucpharm,

I'm so glad you received the lamp shade.


gottalovethem,

That's so funny about the brownies. It's easy to forget things when you're a Mom. I made brownies last night, too. Want me to send you one?


Hi to everyone. I know I've missed a lot of people.

REMINDER-MAKE SURE TO GET ME YOUR EXCHANGE INFORMATION BY TOMORROW. THE DEADLINE HAS CHANGED TO TOMORROW SO WE CAN GET OUT THERE AND START SHOPPING.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Good morning ladies! Well, I got my oldest baby off to middle school (sniff!) and my second one off to fourth grade. We got through the first day of school outfit drama, followed closely by the first day of school hair drama. Something tells me the middle school years aren't going to be quiet!

We visited the school yesterday, and Jocelyn's nmain teacher was really nice. He has a DD Celeste's age, and seemed glad to see us, knew Jocelyn would be gone every Friday--jsut seemed on the ball. She'll have him for homeroom, math and science. We also met her social studies/language arts teacher--again, seems like a real nice lady, so I'm real happy that Jocelyn is going into middle school with a great attitude and good teachers. The only down side was, her rolling backpack won't fit in her locker, so she's using an old one for now.

Speaking of rolling backpacks, Robert needs a new backpack, too, but no more rolling ones for him! He rolls it through everything, gravel, snow, etc., and the bearings on the wheels are shot, one shoulder strap is gone--I wish DH had mentioned this before today! What kills me is, his an LL Bean, so it's well-made, it just can't handle more than a year of little boy, I guess. I'm going to see if I can order him a new one online later today--we have an LL Bean credit card, so it's free shipping and free monogramming, plus they give $10 coupons if you charge a certain amount, and I think I have a couple. I know DH would just as soon let the kid suffer, but he looks like a poverty case!

Luke went to the doctor yesterday, and is up to 14 lb. 12 oz. and 26", which puts him squarely at 25th percentile. Definitely an improvement over last visit, and doing great! He didn't even cry when he got his two shots, my big boy!

Oh, I can so relate the to DH's saying the wrong thing to kids that get repeated! For the record, glt, they do rest time in K (usually only for the first part of the year) because some kids aren't used to any kind of structure like you get at school. Plus, all day K is tough on some kids until they adjust. We have it here, and they only started it a couple years before Jocelyn started K, so I looked into it quite a bit--K isn't required in this state, so I had the option to keep her home. But one advantage is, they dont' have to cram stuff in so badly, and can give the kids a bit of a break instead of rushing them. BTW, Jocleyn really thrived, and I'm sure Lindsay will, too--she has to have discipline for her gymnastics, and sad to say, that alone will likely put her in the top group at school since so many kids have zero prep. Not that she isn't smart, too, but some kids come in, and you wonder if they've been under a rock for 5 years, since they don't recognize any colors or letters.


Oh--on the bullies thing, I told Jocelyn she can't start a fight, but she can finish one. She's the smallest girl in her grade, but the bus bully is afraid of her! It cracks me up! With her, the biggest thing we have to watch is, she knows that words can be weapons, and she likes to use them--she told the bus bully his epidermis was showing, and he got all red! She asks the high school kids if they masticate! Ah, the joys of raising gifted kids...

Kim--I hope you're having a better day today. At least you've got great students who like and respect you. That's real nice.

Jill--Good luck with class. It sounds interesting.


Gina--Gee, moving sounds worse than I remember it! Of course, we moved 8 years ago, and we still have boxes that aren't unpacked. I'm thinking we should just donate them...

I have to run, Celeste is getting whiny. Tough day for her. Hi to everyone I missed!

 

[Strawberry Lemonade]

Hi everyone! I was so busy at work yesterday because they finally moved me. It's a much quieter area and I even found out one of the guys I'm in with is quitting. That makes like 4 or 5 people who have quit in the past month alone.

floridafam - I like the idea of moving the exchange up. I'll probably have to get mine out early since I'm going to be away for the first 2 weeks of October so it'll be nice to have a little more time to shop.

glt - Your dentist dropped you because you cancelled an appointment? That's so weird. I hope you can find a new one.

ginamarie - Glad your house is coming along so nicely.

DisKim - I'm glad to hear yesterday was better than the day before. I hope today's even better. Your comment to your DH sounds like something I would have said.

llij - Glad you are enjoying your classes.

Gems - I can't believe everyone at work is treating you so poorly. Is there anyone you can complain to?

Sorry I missed a bunch of you. Clearly my memory isn't what it used to be. I'm having a low key day with only a trip to Target on my list so I hope I can check in later. Bye for now.