The Official New Mom Thread Part 2

[nucpharm29]

Morning all!

Jill--I was wondering if your Let's Dish place has entrees to go--so you could run by and pick up a few dishes to feed your party folks. Our place here suggested just calling and letting know what you would need, and then would put it together for you--you just run by and pick it up--but besides that I also second or third the lasagna

gems--sorry shelby didn't sleep well in her crib for you; I'm sure it is just a phase and she'll get through it. Sounds like work is going a little better for you.

SL--I agree with FF that you are not "one of those families"--we've all had those screaming kids; I can remember one time that we were in Chili's and Emma was pitching a fit over the chips and so I had to take her out side and sit on the bench until she calmed down--and now with 2 it's definitley an experience going out to eat

Robin--that cake recipe sounds so yummy!!! I want to try it today--however, no time to run to the store--maybe later this week

fabumouse--maybe you could bring the baby with you to the open house and only stay for a little while?? I would hate to leave my newborn with a sitter for that long.

hillbeans--hope you feel better and that the rest of the family doesn't get sick

Well, today we're trying something new at our house. I've made a schedule for the day for Emma and myself and we're going to try to stick to it. I think she needs a little more structure to her and I haven't done anything about it yet. I think she's ready mentally for preschool, but with her bday being in December she has to wait another calendar year to start. So wish us luck!

I'm heading today to pick up my $$ from the consignment sale, made around $135!!! And then if the kids are well behaved to mail out my buddy gift! never imagined a trip to the postoffice could be so tiresome!! Have a great Monday all!

 

[justhat]

I only have a minute cause Henry caught Madison's cold and he is not liking anything other than being held upright, hence my absence this weekend. Right now he's in his swing but I hear the complaints beginning. I just read this last page so I want to say 2 things first.

Gem, Madison never slept through the night. Well, okay, around 19 months she started to, but even then it was still a chore to get her to sleep so that outweighed sleeping all night. Then we moved and we were back to waking up every night, not wanting to sleep in her room, etc. I was terrified about the baby coming and her not sleeping, etc. Well for the most part it has worked out fine. Now that school has started and we're back in our routine Madison is asleep in her own bed by 7:30 everynight and generally sleeps all night. When she doesn't she just climbs into our bed. Not that I want that, but I'm so tired I don't even notice till I get up to feed Henry again and then I carry her back to her bed and she's fine. But that's very rare anyway. The thing I should add though is that we moved her bed into our room and that is what made all the difference. After she fell down the stairs I was afraid of leaving her down in her room and having her climb up and fall again. Before Henry I'd sleep on the couch so that if she woke during the night I was on the same floor as her but once he was born no way that way happening so we just moved her to our room for convenience and all is well. So when your little guy comes, if Shelby isn't sleeping well still don't stress too much, she's young and you need to do whatever you have to to get rest and stay sane.

And btw, I posted almost the same concern as you when I was pregnant and Nucpharm told me she was worried about that too but that when Matthew was born Emma slept well and it really reassured me knowing that there was hope. (Sorry if I'm inaccurate nucpharm, but I think that was the gist of what you told me.) And she was right cause Madison has only gotten up once or twice since Henry was born.

Fabumouse, I would take the baby with you to open house at Kailey's school. Our open house is this Wednesday and my husband will be home but I'm still not sure about leaving Henry with him. It's not till 7pm and Madison goes to bed then so really he'd only have Henry (who also goes to bed around then and sleeps till around 1am so not much work either) but I still might take him. Last year there were plenty of moms with infants at the open house so I wouldn't worry about it at Kailey's school. Will she take a bottle at all? If so, it might be nice to leave her with a sitter just for the time away. That's the big reason I want to leave Henry home Wednesday night, but I'm just a little concerned cause my husband is sort of afraid of babies and with Henry being sick not sure how he'd handle that.

Also, see if you can bring the baby for some volunteer activities. At Madison's school they specifically invite babies to certain volunteer activities where the baby wouldn't be in the way so Kailey's school might have some stuff like that too. It's never anything exciting like the baby-free activities are, but still a way to get out of the house and help at school.

Alice28, I agree that it would be best to have your basement looked at first cause why throw in all tha tmoney if it would be cheaper to just move. I'm one for larger living space and smaller bedrooms too, but with 5 bedrooms I think you'd be okay even with a small living room cause you could make one a play room and that would rid the house of kid stuff. Well, at least till they drag their things all over the house!

Henry has reached his limit. I think I'll go shower with him to get some steam into his nose. I tried to post a photo of the wedding I was in, but I guess it's not working cause I only got a red x. If anyone wants to see them, here's the link wedding photos . Then you go to "online proofs" and the password is ilana+david .

 

[zalansky]

Good morning

justthat - I tried to get into your wedding photos but it would not let me with the password. I don't know what I am doing wrong???

nucpharm - way to go with your consignment sale! Did you only sell clothing or toys too?

 

[dizagain]

Morning! Carson got up to eat at 4 and decided it was play time, so what can you do? He played while I made lunch, etc. and then we snuggled and I slept for about 45 minutes before I had to get up with the girls. Hayley started choir today which is twice a week at 7:45, so I had to get out with Carson for the first time early. We both went in our pj's as I had no time to shower. He's s till sleeping, so I cleaned the kitchen and now I deserve what may be my only break today...

Alice28 - I hear you about the neighbors! My house is the bus stop for three buses and it's CRAZY in my front yard each morning. Today the 5th andf 6th grade boys were chasing DD and friend with worms and the friend would NOT stop screaming at the top of her lungs. Never mind that two of my neighbors have newborns as well as us! Good luck with your renovating/moving decision - that's very hard.

Jill - WOW! I have never cooked for so many before I must admit. I'd go with lasagna too or maybe a make-your-own mexican buffet with all the fixings ready to go. You're brave!

Strawberry Lemonade - Join the club! It's awful when they go crazy in public, but my DH would be so proud of you for leaving! Next time will be better...hope you got your food!

BuzznBelle'smom - Congrats to Jocelyn! That's so fun...what show is it? In Texas, Hayley was a "big fish" and got lots of big parts at our small theatre...here in the "big leagues" she's ensemble every time and misses having lines, but it's still the joy of her life! Have fun!!

Fabumouse - Take the baby with you and don't worry about it...I don't! I know even at middle school parent night there were plenty of strollers. I know it's hard not to volunteer much, but by next school year it will be easier and you cacn just drag Madeleine along - plenty of other siblings are always around.

Gem - Good luck with Shelby and sleeping...I know what that's like and it will surely get better!!! Hannah was crawling in our bed until ( ) last February on occasion when we finally kicked her out for good and now she gets in her sister's bed!!!!

justhat - sorry about Henry's cold. No fun! The girls both had one the last few weeks as school started but Carson managed to stay clear. I say leave him with DH to go to parent night even if you only stay a little while...they will both live. Hannah was always so fussy I never left her even though I had left Hayley with DH alot...I still think I should have left them together more often. So far, DH has helped A LOT with Carson and I usually go out with the girls to shop a little on the weekends and they've done ok so far! Oh and I got in to the picture site - pretty dresses!!

J&D - thanks for the formula recall info! I use Similac and even though I usually use powder, I have several cans of the prepared stuff and I checked them - they are ok.

Well, Hi to everyone else! The boy is waking up and it's been a record 5 hours since he last ate! Have a great day!

 

[bellacam]

Hi mommies. I popped in to catch up but don't have time to reply till later. Hope everyone had a good weekend. We had a washing machine disaster and I am off to my moms to do a weeks worth of laundry! Catch up later!

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Good morning all! We'll see how far I get before Luke gets fussy--He's awake in his crib, but not making a lot of noise.

Fabumouse--I've brought Celeste as a baby to open house, and plan to bring Luke this week for both the middle school one (Jocelyn) and grade school (Robert). Although they frown on you bringing older kids, nobody minds a baby, and I've just nursed them right there as needed. DH will have the other three kids at Robert's baseball game, so I actually think I'm getting the easy road! As far as volunteering in school, our school had a strict policy against bringing a sibling in--some schools don't, though, so you should at least ask. One thing I was able to do was help out "behind the scenes". Teachers have volunteers cut out shapes for craft projects, do the book orders, make copies--these things aren't quite as fun as working directly with the class, but you're still helping out the teacher, which is nice.

Oh, Jocelyn's play is "The Secret Garden". I've heard it's good, but I've never read it--shame on me!

Gems--I think justthat had a good suggestion on putting Shelby's bed in your room, if possible, or even a sleeping bag on the floor. She's still pretty young, and with a new one, sometimes it's just easier to save the battle for another time. Whatever you find works for you, just go with it.

Robin--I think Joshua and Robert were twins separated at birth! It never ceases to amaze me the lengths Robert will go through to get more Playstation or Gameboy time! He cracks me up, but frustrates me, too.

Well, I have to go--talky boy is getting loud.

 

[Alice28]

Hi gals-

Fab- I know what you mean about helping at school. I did not volunteer the last two years for in class stuff- his 2nd grade teacher requested no siblings as it's too distracting. I did volunteer to work on the classroom's scrapbooks though, and the teacher was quite appreciative of that. I agree that you can also ask if there is anything you can do for her that's not in the classroom, like photocopying, punching out diecuts, cutting paper, etc. At the school I worked at, there were always moms with little ones in the teacher's workroom doing that sort of thing.

Diz- how annoying to have the bus stop at your house! At least you can keep an eye on your own kids though. Our stop is only 2 blocks down the street, but it's down a hill, so I can't see my kids unless I stand at the crest of the hill. With Joshua I walk him down there every day at 10:50, but Sam goes down with a neighbor friend on their own.

Oh GREAT.....DH just called. We are getting our Subaru Outback detailed today, to post tonight in Auto Trader to sell....the car we have never had ONE PROBLEM with and the frigging %$#@@%*(%$#@U*( check engine light just came on!!!!!!!!!!! D****T! DH is not happy. I said I'm sure it's something really minor, just take it to the dealership when you come home today or I will take it tomorrow. I swear, the 3-4 times we have sold cars, something like this happens right when we go to sell it. It's only 4 years old, and like I said, never had a single problem with it and it only has 50K miles on it (and half of those are freeway miles from driving to CA and back 7-8 times in it). He just had the oil changed at the dealership on Saturday. Pray it's nothing serious!

Sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh......we are so counting on that car bringing in at least 13K to us in the next few weeks.

OK, back to moms.

Hi bellacam! I hope your washer emergency isn't too expensive to fix! We noticed yesterday our ice maker went belly up. I guess I need to call someone, or have my dad take a look.

Gems- I am so sorry Shelby isn't giving you more sleep! I want to say my kids didn't get into a *consistent* good sleeping thru most of the night pattern until 9-10 months. From about 6-9 months they would sleep at least 6 hours in their cribs, but would often get up around 2-3 or maybe 4 and start hollering. I would just bring them in bed with me so I could continue to sleep (but I was still nursing at that point, so it was kind of easy just to lay down and nurse them back to sleep). I hope she turns the corner for you soon! I'm sure you are exhausted!

And yes, we are still sort of contemplating moving. Sort of. We sat down again last night, and we probably have 100K in equity in our home, and for 75K we can do everything we want to do to our home to really make it the way we want- new paint, the basement, new porch, new kitchen cabinets and countertops, new linoleum in the bathrooms, new shower stall and bathroom fixtures...we both are in agreement that we would rather stay here and remodel than move, but I want to get a contractor in here to tell us if all that is doable for that price. We have 3 things that really keep us in this house- we live on a dead end that NEVER gets traffic except the folks who live her; we have a view of the hills and downtown Portland from our backyard; we have neighbors who we trust, even though some of them are obnoxious at times....I know they aren't crack heads or child abusers. And the one set of neighbors have become some of our best friends.

Kim- I hope you were able to relax last night and get some energy restored for another week!

Hillbeans- Hope you all are feeling better. How is Kevin doing? Is he still loving Kinder? Amazing that Liam is almost 1!!! I forget, are you guys done at 2, or is the door open for another child?

Well, I am a little groggy- I know I haven't probably responded to everyone, but I had yet another round of migraines this weekend. At least it had been 2 weeks since the last round instead of the 1 week it's been lately. Had one Saturday evening, got a shot...came back last night in the middle of the night so DH gave me another shot around 7 this morning. I laid there for 15 minutes (it gives me this really odd tingly sensation all over- it's a blood vessel constrictor so it's kind of weird) and then had to get up to get Sam ready. I've been running laundry, but I'm still sitting here on the couch, kinda dopey....I am enjoying the quiet, as Molly and Josh are still in dreamland. I should hope so with Molly- she never napped yesterday the little stinker, and she ALWAYS takes at least a 2 hour nap.

 

[floridafam]

Hi Mommies,

It's been a pretty busy morning here so far. I woke everyone up for school early and got everyone set. I then started my day off with a blueberry bagel and a Chai. Do any of you drink Chai? It's SOOOO good!

Kona and I had to return stuff at the mall and we also went to Target. FYI-my Target had their school supplies at 75% off today!!! They said they weren't supposed to do it until tomorrow. I bought almost all the school supplies the kids will need for next year and only spent $50.

I made the mistake of going in Bath and Body Works at the mall. They had so much cute Fall and Halloween stuff.


Robin,

We have the exact same luck with cars. It never fails. Something went wrong with our Jeep at the dealership the day we picked up our Tahoe. Let me know how Auto Trader works out for you. We are going to get the Tahoe detailed and list that on Auto Trader, too.


fabumouse,

Don't feel bad. I don't do much volunteering, either. They don't want the baby distracting class plus volunteering isn't really encouraged out our schoo. They preach about parental involvement and then do everything they can to discourage volunteering in the classroom.

I took our middle DD to DS's school when he was in Kindergarten and I volunteered. She just sat at a table and drew or did a craft.

Don't feel bad. Does she go all day? Maybe you could have lunch with her one day a week or something.

I'll be back to catch up later. I'm going to try and mail my package today. Isn't it funny how the Post Office is so hard to get to with little ones????

 

[Alice28]

FF- I will let you know how Auto Trader goes. We are also going to post on Craigslist and see if that brings anything. I sold a little Hyundai that we inherited from my grandpa after DH went to Iraq. Got NO response from Craigslist on that, but sold within a week after I listed on Auto Trader.

I'm just stewing about the car now. What could it be? I hope it's something like the air filter needs to be replaced, but they just checked it on Saturday!

I can just see the darn dealership saying, "Oh, nothing is wrong with it" turn the light off, and then have the light come on when someone is test driving it. That happened to us with a Ford we had before we got the Outback. The darn light would come on all the time and the mechanic couldn't find anything wrong with it! So of course when we went to trade it in at Subaru, the light came on and we only got $3000 or something pitiful like that for it. Then again, that car was over 6 years old, almost 7 and it was a Contour, which were not the greatest of vehicles.

I went in Bath and Body the other day too, but didn't get anything. They had really fun fall candles and lotions and such.

OK, well the little munchkins are up, so it's time to really get cracking. It's a rainy, dreary day. I tried pulling a bunch of viney weeds yesterday that are taking over my path to the front door from the driveway. I was hoping to finish today, but I don't exactly want to sit in the rain. Although maybe they would be easier to pull out with the soil wet. I need to mop the floors and vacuum upstairs though. And then start putting laundry away- that's the worst part, isn't it?

 

[floridafam]

Robin,

If you just had the oil changed then I would say it has something to do with that. Some light always pops on when we have our oil changed. Can the dealer run a quick computer check on it and see what comes up? They may just have to reset something or punch in a code to make the light go off.

OR.....maybe they left something off after the oil changed. We had the oil changed in the Tahoe shortly after we bought it and the dealership forgot to screw some cap on the oil pan back on tight and we lost a bunch of oil and a light came on.

 

[nucpharm29]

FF--I love Chai too! I think the Tazo brand is my fav bagged Chai--a dear friend of mine made me some homemade loose leaf Chai, and it is sooooo yummy!!!

Alice--sorry to hear about the car troubles. Always turns out that way, right? It was like when we were trying to sell our house, and what do you know, the furnace doesn't work! I think it's Murphy's law or something!

zalansky--I sold mostly clothes. I did sell an inflatable baby tub and a portable bassinet, but besides that it was clothes. We sold about 75% of our stuff--and amazingly the boys stuff sold better than the girls-I suppose it was b/c there was so much girl's stuff there.

Hey, I don't know if I'm like way behind the times, but I found these 2 great websites for free coloring pages and crafts for kids (I'm desperately trying to find stuff for Emma to do on rainy days, besides tv) So here they are if anyone is interested. (The one with coloring pages does have Disney ones!)

www.dltk-teach.com

www.coloring.ws

 

[zalansky]

FF - Ok, I am thinking about a two night trip to Vero Beach in October and need advice. I am very attracted to getting an Inn room since it would only be for two nights and ALOT less points than a one bedroom. We'd have to stay a Sat & Sun night so DH would only have to take one day off work.
Do you think we'll feel too cramped?

We have 155 points left in this use year - a one bedroom would be 61 points and an Inn Ocean View would be 33 points. Also my mother in law (God Bless her) says it will be too cold for Vero in October.

What do you think? Any advice? Also you are not alone in eating bakery badness this morning. After my journey into the land of "I LOVE CHEESE DANISH" at Boardwalk, I decide to pick up two cheese danish at Publix yesterday as a treat for myself. After all, I have PMS and I deserve it anyway. So I dutifully ate my Raisin Bran this morning and then proceeded to come home after taking Connor to school - brewed my coffee and remembered my cheese danish and promply devoured one. I have decided that cheese danish is highly under rated.

Nucpharm - thanks for the links to those sites - I'd never seen those.

Alice - Sorry about the car troubles. Also, I think you'll do better on Autotrader anyway. Good luck

fabu - I have not been volunterring at Connor's pre-school either so here's another vote for don't feel bad. Thank goodness his school has the parents bring a special snack on Fridays and they count that as "parent volunteer time" because I've been bringing something every week.

Gems - sorry about Shelby's sleeping issues. As you may recall I went through it myself with Cameryn and it was very tough. I think it may have even contributed to my sleeping problems I have currently. I hope she starts sleeping great again ASAP!

Bellacam - Have fun doing all that laundry today.

Jill - How are you today???

Hi to all the moms I missed. justthat - Still can't see those pics. Bummer!

Well ladies, I've gotta run. I am neglecting the children, they are circling me like wolves wanting my attention. Hope you all have a wonderful day!

 

[Alice28]

Robin,

If you just had the oil changed then I would say it has something to do with that. Some light always pops on when we have our oil changed. Can the dealer run a quick computer check on it and see what comes up? They may just have to reset something or punch in a code to make the light go off.

OR.....maybe they left something off after the oil changed. We had the oil changed in the Tahoe shortly after we bought it and the dealership forgot to screw some cap on the oil pan back on tight and we lost a bunch of oil and a light came on.

You know, I bet you are right! I bet a cap didn't get screwed on all the way or something. DH only drove it a bit yesterday, so probably it sensed something was wrong on his drive into Portland today. I hope!

Nucpharm, yes I think it is Murphy's Law when it comes to things like that! I'm glad you sold most of your stuff! Way to go!

OK, I really need to go get dressed now. Got a bunch of laundry put away and the upstairs vacuumed- I like doing housework in my nightie for some reason. I'm truly a slob sometimes! But I need to get Josh on the bus in 30 minutes and then go to the PO.

 

[lissawynn]

Hi ladies. I have no time today to read or post. I gave the first chapter test of the year and have been trying to get them graded. Also, tonight is open house, or as I like to call it, teacher on trial night. DH has to go back into work tonight at 11, so he'll be gone tonight, most of the day tomorrow, and tomorrow night. I think we'll get to see him on Wednesday.

I have a terrible pain in my right side by my ribcage. I don't know if it's a combination of my bra and cami, but I'm in pain. My Tylenol is in the car, so I have nothing until 3.

I hope I can catch up later!

 

[floridafam]

zalansky,

You should know better than to listen to your MIL.

October is PERFECT at Vero!!! That is always when we went to Vero while we lived in Michigan. Perfect swimming/beach weather during the day and nice cool sweatshirt/campfire weather at night.

Go for the inn room. It will be plenty big enough. Get an ocean view, though. The rooms are bigger at Vero then at the other DVC resorts (at least most of them) We prefer the corner rooms. They may not be direct ocean view but they are even bigger. There are even 2 ocean view rooms with King beds and a sleeper sofa but they are hard to get and it is the luck of the draw.

I wish you could be there on Halloween. They really have a fun time. They have trick or treating throughout the resort and all kinds of costume and pumpkin carving contests. Then they have a DJ by the pool at night and they serve donuts, cider, caramel apples, etc.

Have you ever seen any of my Vero pictures? I'll try and find them and post a link.

 

[llij]

Hi Ladies!

Just a quick pop in before I need to scoot. One of my friends just e-mailed me this and I remember someone posting it on here before. I thought you might like to see it again.

> "On Being Mom" by Anna Quindlen
>
> If not for the photographs, I might have a hard time believing they
> ever existed. The pensive infant with the swipe of dark bangs and the
> black-button eyes of a Raggedy Andy doll. The placid baby with the
> yellow ringletsand the high piping voice. The sturdy toddler with the
> lower lip that curled into an apostrophe above her chin.
>
> All my babies are gone now. I say this not in sorrow but in
> disbelief. I take great satisfaction in what I have
> today: three almost-adults, two
> taller than I am, one closing in fast. Three people
> who read the same books I do and
> have learned not to be afraid of disagreeing with me
> in their opinion of them, who sometimes tell vulgar jokes that make me
> laugh until I choke and cry,
> who need razor blades and shower gel and privacy,
> who want to keep their doors closed more than I like.
>
> Who, miraculously, go to the bathroom, zip up their jackets and move
> food from plate to mouth all by themselves. Like the trick soap I bought for the bathroom with a rubber ducky at its center, the baby
> is buried deep within each, barely discernible except through the
> unreliable haze of the past.
>
>
> Everything in all the books I once pored over is finished for me now.
> Penelope Leach, T. Berry Brazelton., Dr. Spock. The
> ones on sibling rivalry and sleeping through the night and early childhood education, all grown obsolete.
> Along with Goodnight Moon and Where the Wild Things Are, they are
> battered, spotted, well used. But I suspect that if you flipped the
> pages dust would rise like memories.
>
> What those books taught me, finally, and what the women on the
> playground taught me, and the well-meaning relations -- what they taught me was that they couldn't really teach me very much at all.
> Raising children is presented at first as a true-false test, then
> becomes multiple choice, until finally, far along, you realize that it is an
> endless essay. No one knows anything. One child responds well to positive reinforcement, another can be managed only with a stern voice and a timeout. One boy is toilet trained at 3,
his brother at 2. When my first childwas born, parents
> were told to put baby to bed onhis bellyso that he would not
> choke on his own spit-up. By the time my last arrived, babies were put down on their backs because of research on sudden infant death syndrome.
>
> To a new parent this ever-shifting certainty is terrifying, and then
> soothing.Eventually you must learn to trust yourself. Eventually the
> research will follow.
>
> I remember 15 years ago poring over one of Dr. Brazelton's wonderful
> books on child development, in which he describes three different sorts
> of infants: average, quiet, and active. I was looking for a sub-quiet
> codicil for an 18-month-old who did not walk. Was there
> something wrong with his fat little legs? Was there something wrong with his tiny little mind? Was he developmentally delayed, physically challenged? Was I insane? Last year he went to China. Next year he goes to college.
> He can talk just fine. He can walk, too.
>
> Every part of raising children is humbling, too.
> Believe me, mistakes were made. They have all been enshrined in the
> Remember-When-Mom-Did Hall of Fame. The outbursts, the temper tantrums, the bad language, mine, not theirs. The times the baby fell off the bed. The times I arrived late for preschool pickup. The nightmare sleepover. The horrible summer camp.
> The day when the youngest came barreling out of the
> classroom with a 98 on her geography test, and I responded, What did you get wrong? (She insisted I include that.) The time I ordered food at the McDonald's drive-through speaker and then drove away without picking it up from the window. (They all insisted I include that.) I did not allow them to watch the Simpsons for the first two seasons...What was I thinking?
>
> But the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make while
> doing this. I did not live in the moment enough.
> This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in
> photographs. There is one picture of the three of them sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4 and 1. And I wish I could remember what we ate,
> and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and
> how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.
>
> Even today I'm not sure what worked and what didn't, what was me and
> what was simply life. When they were very small, I suppose I thought
> someday they would become who they were because of what I'd
> done. Now I suspect they simply grew into their true selves because they demanded in a thousand ways that I back off and let them be.
>
> The books said to be relaxed and I was often tense, matter-of-fact
> and I was sometimes over the top. And look how it all turned out. I
> wound up with the three people I like best in the world, who
> have done more than anyone to excavate my essential humanity. That's what the books never told me.
> I was bound and determined to learn from the experts.
>
> It just took me a while to figure out who the experts were.




Sorry about the formating! I was in a rush (not exactly following the advice in the writing )

Everyone have a great afternoon!

 

[zalansky]

Jill - I always love to see that!! I have gotten it in emails in the past and it is always great to see it again and remind myself to live in the moment. Thanks for sharing it!!!

FF _ I might have seen the Vero pics. My memory is shot. Do post them again! I am going to book the room now and will deal with the consequences later with DH os booking an Inn room. Since the baby sleeps in the playpen we should be just fine. Its only two nights for goodness sakes!

 

[floridafam]

zalansky,

There's a pack and play right in the room. Kona slept in it when we went over there for a little R&R a few months ago.

IMO, Vero is the best!! We always have so much fun there. They also have a character breakfast on Saturday mornings. I think the characters are Goofy and Donald Duck. The Sunday brunch in Sonya's is wonderful.

I'll look up the pictures tonight on our Mac. I'm scared to turn it on since I fried it a while back.

jill,

Thank you for posting that. I love reading it.



I've got a question for you mommies regarding EAR WAX. Kona makes so much ear wax. It shocks me sometimes. I have to clean her ears almost every day. Are your babies like this?

 

[dizagain]

Jill - love that!

Alice - sorry about your car! How frustrating - hope it's just a glitch from the oil change!

floridafam - I'll have to go to Target - was just there over the weekend but didn't even look at the supply area. I've been avoiding B&BWorks like the plague...I have two lotions left from my stash from the last big sale - I go too crazy in there!
Ok...well, I just got frustrated and removed the window panes from the side lights by my front door!!! Do ya think DH will notice??? The stupid things were broken in three places (the people before us must have done it in their move out because they were all scotch taped up) and I have just had it. Anyway, I tested the top of one and they just pulled out so I kept on pulling. I cleaned the windows but there's still some sealant stuff I need to take a razor blade to. Do they sell the sheer curtains for these already made? Are they easy to hang? Anyone know about such things?...DH and I are not handy people at all but we can handle simple stuff. I like them open like they are now, but I already feel like I'm being watched. Not sure why little window panes make such a difference, but they do! Anyway, now I feel like attacking the ugly curtains in the living/dining room, but I'd better wait until I have a back-up plan for those as then everyone really WOULD be watching me!

Gotta go - cranky boy. Big sisters home in a minute and I promised to take them for haircuts which of course I don't feel like doing. Oh well - can't back out now!

 

[dizagain]

Oh Floridafam...must have posted around the same time! About ear wax...Hannah has always had issues. When she was very youn , the doctor would clean them out at every appt. because he couldn't see in there. Not fun for anyone...always had a bunch of hard "pebbles" down in there. We actually got sent to an ENT doctor several times to get them super cleaned out because the stuff sort of got stuck in there. Sorry this is such gross reading! Anyway, once she got to be about 7 or so, doctors quit mentioning it. Hope Kona's aren't too bad! Hannah is still afraid of me touching her ears! Oh yes - and as she got older, it would hurt sometimes just to touch the outside of her ears, but she'd hide it from me so I wouldn't take her to the doctor! Good luck!