The Official New Mom Thread Part 2

[gottalovethem]

Hi. I think I only have a minute. Leif is supposed to be napping, but instead he's yelling and wants out of the crib. He's been there 1/2 hour, that's pretty long of a try .. . he was quiet enough before that I thought he'd fallen asleep.

No big plans for us today. It is a crisp fall day. A walk in the woods sounds nice, but I may wait til the leaves change a bit more. The Children's Museum has some special activity today, so we might check that out.

Yesterday we went to a couple garage sales, found Leif a pair of Carter's snow boots and a cute 3-piece outfit w/ jacket, still with tags. We also went to the Farmer's Market and then made it home just before the rain.

OK, all's quiet again, I'll try a little catching up. . .

robin - we haven't been to one of those inflatable places lately, but my older kids can't get enough of that stuff. Of course with a baby in tow, the running could be exhausting! I am so proud of you for all your exercising and workouts! Way to go And just saw about your car, way to go! That rocks!

ginamarie - hope Olivia slept for you and that you got to watch survivor

dizagain- ewww what a mess! DD and her friend splattered water ALLLLL over our bathroom from ceiling to coating the floor the other day, and they were only in there a couple minutes before I went calling for them. Amazing how sometimes dh has no clue what's happening, that's happened to us before too! Hope things are clean and shiney now. Sounds like you had fun shopping.

tkyes - you have totally got me hooked on stride rites for Leif. Love the way the bottoms are so flexible!

justhat - ick about the flies. We have fly season here in Wis. and flies can be found everywhere from homes to restaurants. Yesterday my van got infested with bees while I was filling the tank at a gas station. No idea how it happened but it took like 15 minutes for us to get the bees out and I was using one of Leif's stuffed animals to help me! I hope the fly problem is solved soon.

diskim - glad you and dh got to go out and chat. Endless shrimp sounds yummy! Maybe you and I can cry together I broke down pretty hard last week too. I think we all do try to get too much done, it's nearly impossible. Especially with school and activities and a million other things. It's endless. hugs to you. Sorry to hear about your aunt. I will send thoughts and prayers her way. When is your b'day? It must be close to mine, Oct. 5.

SL - sounds like you had quite the busy day yesterday! I hope you get your errands done. Your trip is just a week away! very exciting.

bnb - do boys even ask girls to dance anymore? I think it's mostly the group thing, so you should be safe I'm sure Jocelyn will have a great time, and be well behaved! I can't even imagine what it feels like to have them so grown. Lindsey woke up to potty right before I went to bed and I had her lay with me, I just wanted to cuddle with her, I can't believe she's as big as she is! BTW, she wore the white leo yesterday with a dance skirt. She loves all of them. She wore the black one to class on Tuesday.

joats - maybe you need to head back in the tub yourself and use some yummy smelling soaps to cleanse your nose. Sorry you feel icky from it. I scrubbed my tub this a.m. with good ol' comet. Must be that kind of day

hillbeans - how was Liam's b'day? I hope he and you had a great day.

tasha - funny about deal, no deal. The kids and I enjoy watching it too, but no yelling here

J&D - hello

gems - hope you are feeling better

nucpharm - i hope you are having a nice weekend away. Sounds like you sent out a great package, reminder to me that I have to get working on mine

val - i hope you are having a great trip, can't wait to hear all about it

bellacam - hello!

lissawynn- hi. hope your ms is doing better and the meds are working (I am off on pages, so sorry if you addressed this already).

zalansky - buy anything good at the outlets, the coupon sounds like a great deal! Like your new sparkly name

ff - hi! sounds like the exchange is going great so far!

ryan - hi

Hi to everyone I missed, fabumouse, and others I am sure! Gotta get dd from Sunday school

 

[dizagain]

Us too!!! Hayley's first ever "rec night" is next Friday as well!! She's going with a group of friends and then sleeping over with them so I won't hear about it until the next morning. I volunteered for the next one so I can see them in action - Hayley gave her "consent ' as long as I stay away from her!! I'm really thinking that there won't be any serious dancing going on...hoping they go for the movie or open gym instead!!! Let's make a date to worry together next Friday!!!

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

dizagain--Yeah, I'd be glad to commiserate with you on this whole rec night thing! Just hearing some of the music that's out there now, I feel as old as the hills! That's nice that you can chaperone--at least you're physically present, even if you have to spy on your DD so she doesn't know you're watching (oh, and by the way, Mom--could you wear a wig and dark glasses? I don't want my friends to know you're there...). Jocelyn plans to leave early--she and a few friends are going to NYC the next morning to see Beauty and the Beast on Broadway for one girl's birthday, and then sleeping over Sat. night, so I may not get the straight skinny on this whole thing. I'm not sure there's going to be any real "partner" dancing, but then again, it's 6th-8th grade, so maybe for the older kids? My hair is definitely getting grayer by the second...

 

[Ginamarie]

Hey moms! Just popping in quick while family watches the football game. Luckily we were able to get a bunch done this morning despite Olivia's non-napping.

Joats- I actually thought it was a boring episode until they got to tribal counsel. We replayed Jeff's face a couple of times after the "I fell in love" revealation, because he looked so shocked.

Yes, I ate the leftover pasta from the other night for breakfast this morning. It was that good. I did let DH have a taste of it. I think I'm going to make some tacos tonight with ground turkey. Weekends go by WAY too fast.

 

[T16GEM]

I am having a bad week! I have mailed my exchange package to my buddy - I think I said that last week and I realised that I have left out some of the goodies! So my buddy will be getting another package soon! I am such an idiot some times! I guess my mind has been elswhere this week! Sorry to my exhange buddy!

Shelby and I are much better today, she was back to her old self! I am so pleased to say that we have only used 4 diapers today - yesterday and Friday we used about 25 in two days - poor baby.

Kim - I think I transferred bacteria from the peel to the fruit when I used the same knife to cut the flesh as the peel so that's how I got the infection. So sorry to hear that things aren't looking good for your aunty.

Robin - Yay on booking you holiday to Hawaii! I would love to go their some day

Joats - Jace is a sweetie! It's a shame that he is scared of Grandma, I know what you mean though sometimes Shelby looks at my Nan like she's an alien! But she loves Shelby to bits!

Justhat - I hope you find out where the flies are coming from!

GLT - di dyou go for your wlak in the woods? That sounds nice.

BNB - I dread Shelby's first dance, I know that my DH will be awful, I hope Jocelyn has a good time though!!


SL - not long till your trip now huh!!

Hi to everyone else that I missed!

I meant to say that Shelby's sleeping habits have greatly improved, we have been putting her down between 8 and 9pm and she has her bath, her bottle in her crib and then drifts off (usually) after about 15 minutes, I am hoping that we can get her to sleep on her own rather than DH or I having to stay in the room until she sleeps but this is a great start!! She has had a couple of nights where she has only lasted till about 2am in her crib and then coming in with us but some nights she has managed until 6 am I was soooooooooo impressed! Now we have just to try and get the crib out of our room gradually before the baby arrives and we will be

Speak soon

gems

 

[llij]

Hi all!

We survived the sleepover, but just BARELY! I literally got 2 hours of sleep b/c 3 girls refused to go to bed and didn’t go to sleep until 5 a.m. I was this close to calling parents at 3 a.m. to come pick up their kids. Overall, the kids are sweet kids but last night 3 of them were way out of control. Some of the girls were so exhausted and in tears b/c the infamous 3 wouldn’t let them sleep. We ended up bringing Katie and 4 of her friends up to her room so they could sleep. Dave and I rotated going down to try to keep the others in line. I have no idea what got into them. They were yelling, screaming, running up and down the stairs and slamming doors. They were also trying to scare the pants off of each other which didn’t help things. This morning all the exhausted kiddos were bickering with each other and trying to play the blame game on who kept up whom. I was so mad last night and my normally docile husband had to raise his voice a few times. You should see our basement. It is trashed. When I told the parents what happened this morning, they were mortified and apologetic. I honestly never had this happen before and I tell you it will be a long long time before we have another sleepover here. I feel like I am punishing my own kids because they didn’t do anything wrong. Heck, my kids are far from perfect but they were upstairs when the infamous three were causing the ruckus. I will say that if they ever do what some of the kids did here last night they will never ever have a sleepover until they are old and gray. It must have been a full moon last night b/c I am still scratching my head on this one. Of course, I’m exhausted today and I have a presentation and a paper due on Tuesday. Ugh. Shoot me now………. Katie’s actual birthday is this Friday and I tell you it is going to be low key. Stick a fork in me, I am done.

Hillbeans – How was Liam’s party? I hope he had a fabulous first birthday!!!! I can't wait to see pictures!

Robin – Congrats on selling the car! Good luck planning the Hawaii trip! Can I come too?

Val – You are probably enjoying Disney by now, but I’m wishing you a fabulous trip!!!!

Ginamarie – Yeah about your brother moving close to you!

Gem – I am so sorry to hear how sick you and Shelby are! I hope that you are feeling better soon!

Floridafam – How are you doing?

Zalansky – How were the outlets? I hope you got some deals!

Ryan – Oh what a pain about the box springs not fitting up the stairs! How was watching your cousins last night?

Dizagain – How wonderful that you got a chance to sleep in. You deserve it! Your girls sound so much like my girls especially when you described the bathroom incident.

Justhat – Good luck with the cleaning! Usually this time of year we notice more flies trying to get into the house. It is gross and I’m not sure why they try to get in. I hope that you can get rid of them.

Joats – No exciting plans here today except recovering from the ‘trauma’ of last night. Sorry to hear that Jace is scared of your grandmother. John gets scared of people easily sometimes too and it breaks your heart when the people feel bad.

Tasha – I’m so glad that the daycare situation worked out for you! Hang in there with school too! I’m thinking of you!

DisKim – Prayers being said for your aunt! I have a dear friend who had small cell lung cancer. Is that what they think your aunt has? I will storm the heavens with prayers for her and her family. Please keep us posted on her condition.

SL – It sounds like you had quite the busy weekend too! I’m sorry to hear that you allergies are so bad! I hope you feel better soon! Good luck finding the luggage!

BnBmom – Wow, Jocelyn’s first dance! You have some good tips there for her and I’m going to write them down for when Meagan has her first dance next year. Aack! The girls are growing up way to fast for me!

GLT – A walk in the woods on a crisp fall day sounds so lovely! Did you ever get a chance to do it?


Hi to all the moms!! I hope that everyone had a fabulous weekend and I will catch up with you later!

 

[floridafam]

jill,

What a night for you. I can't believe those 3 girls behaved that way. I hope they didn't keep John up all night.

GEM,

I'm so glad to hear you both are feeling better.


ginamarie,

Those turkey tacos sound good. I will have to try that sometime.


buzzandbelle'smom,

I hear you on the music. I am amazed at what is out there today.


Robin,

Congratulations again on the sale of the car.


We've had a slow day here. I went to the grocery store and we've all been lazy ever since.

I did book a WDW trip today. We have the date for the 1/2 Ironman at Fort Wilderness next May so I booked a 3 night trip to the WL. My Dad lets me use this incentive card he has through his employer and that should pay for the whole thing. I booked the Presidential Suite! We always end up with some cruddy room right by the elevators so I went whole hog. That will be our Anniversary trip, too. I wanted the Vice Presidential suite because it is cheaper and has a huge balcony but it wasn't available. I might as well live it up.


We haven't heard back from the septic company. Isn't that odd?? They made it sound so urgent.

It sure has lit a fir under me, though. I've cut way back on shopping and really gotten on track with everything else so we can be prepared as possible when the time comes for a major expense like that.


I'm glad the exchange is going so well. My buddy should be getting their package soon. I mailed it out last week. I can't wait for the Christmas exchange.

Have a great night!

 

[Strawberry Lemonade]

BnB - We were up in the Albany region yesterday. We passed through Albany to get to DH's cousin's town and I remember it being not far after that. The town is called Rotterdam Jct. Good advice to Jocelyn about the dance. I can't believe they don't even call it a dance anymore. I was talking to my cousin last night and she told me they don't even have Home Ec. in school these days - it's basically the same course but they call it Family and Consumer Science.

joats - Let's see...what can I buy for $2. At the gas station, that'll get me a pack of gum and a candy bar and I'd probably still have to shell out a few cents for tax. I hope that cleanser smell has gone away by now. Maybe burn a candle in the bathroom?

glt - Hope you had a good time at the museum. Sounds like you got some great deals at the garage sales.

dizagain - Good luck getting ready for your DD's dance, too. Going in a group should be fun. There's safety in numbers.

ginamarie - Mmmm...tacos sound good. We don't cook on the weekends so DH is picking up a pizza for our dinner.

Gem - Sorry you're having a bad week. I'm glad to hear Shelby's sleeping habits are improving.

llij - Ugh, you poor thing! I can't believe those girls were acting like that. I hope you can manage to get some work on your paper done.

floridafam - The Presidential Suite sounds fantastic! Enjoy it and I hope to see some pictures!

We bought our luggage and some more stuff for our trip. I'm freaking out a little now because of the food issue. Namely, Lucas doesn't really eat anything besides canned ravioli and I don't want to pack 20 cans of it. I wish cheese were more portable because he eats a lot of that too. I guess this is going to be an adventure.

 

[Alice28]

Jill- I would have throttled those girls for acting that way! You have way more patience that I do! I'm sorry you had such a long night.

Kim- I will definitely keep your Aunt in my prayers. It's scary when they're just not quite sure what is going on. Glad you and DH were able to get out and talk about the job situation. It's always nice to have some time away with your spouse. I'm sorry you were feeling so stressed with the house and such- I am sure it is quite the juggling act working full time and being a mom to 3. I know it was hard for me a few years ago, and I was only working 28-30 hours a week with just the 2 kids. Being a mom certainly is a 24/7 job, no doubt about that.

Gems- so glad Shelby is feeling better and not blowing through so many diapers a day! And that she is sleeping better too! Happy Happy Dance for Shelby! I guess you had a moment of pregnancy brain regarding mailing the packages- I get those all the time and I'm not even pregnant. I guess it's just 'frazzled mommy brain' for me.

FF- Weird that the septic people haven't got back to you yet. I know what you mean about buckling down with the finances. We were just crazy people this summer and now that we can pay off some bills etc., we are going to start saving and investing again. As soon as I get that car money to pay off the credit card, I am calling up the Hawaii hotels to make our reservations (requires a one night deposit at each place). Wow on booking the WL suite! That will be something! Take pictures!

GM, joats- I thought Survivor was boring too until the end. I was like, "Is this guy for real?!?!?! What a nut!" I hope they go back to having two challenges per episode soon. It's kinda draggy with just 1 game. Yay for Yul!

Diz, BNB- I can't say I'm envious of you gals dealing with your daughter's first rec night. I'm sure I will be paranoid too.

GLT- what did you end up doing today? Children's museum? Walk in the woods? It's a beautiful day here- in the 80s, yet still with a cool, fall like breeze. Supposed to be like this all week. Probably our last hurrah of warm weather til next April or May.

diz- how incredibly nice of your DH to bring you donuts and tell you to go back to bed! Sounds like a relaxing morning!

BNB- I hate packing up the cute baby stuff too; or rather I usually pack it up for a few months and then sell it on ebay. It's hard though. I have a few things saved from each child that I intend to frame in a shadowbox someday.

I was able to accomplish a lot this morning, as DH stayed home with the kids. I got a bunch of errands done, which is so much easier with no children! They have some cute shoes at Target for baby girls for only $8. Got those and some feminine supplies as I am quite sure Aunt Flo is on her way. Also got a book on Oahu so we can start planning.

 

[DisKim]

I am BEAT!! I feel like I accomplished a lot today though. I cleaned out Alex's room which was a pigsty. He was very apologetic but it really wasn't his fault. Aidan loves to play in there and he tears everything apart. I also cleaned out my family room closet, did laundry, decorated the house for fall and made spaghetti carbonara for dinner. I am superwoman. Tonight, I'm going to sit on the couch with a cup of tea in my hand and watch Amazing Race. While I was busy doing all of this, DH brought up the 4th child thing again. He really lives dangerously. He's lucky I didn't castrate him then and there. The older Aidan gets, the less I want another. Besides, he's out of his mind if he thinks I could have any more children and keep up a full time job.

FF - Congrats on booking your trip . You MUST take pictures of the presidential suite. I'd love to see it.

Jill - I'm so sorry the sleepover turned out so awful. Emily has been asking to have one for her birthday. Last time she did it, I only let her have 2 girls sleep over. I'm not as nice as you .

gems - I'm glad Shelby is sleeping better for you. BTW, how are you and Shelby feeling?

GLT - My birthday is October 2nd. We're both Libras! How old are you going to be. I'll be 34. I never thought I'd be that old. I still feel like I'm 20. I guess that's a good thing.

Thanks for all the prayers for my aunt. I'm totally stressed over it. They are going to have to break her rib and collapse her lung. That's no joke. On top of all that, she has terrible asthma so I'm really afraid of complications. I just want it to be over. Their oldest daughter is in her first year of college and they aren't telling her that the operation is this week. I don't think that's a good idea but I'm keeping my opinion to myself. If I was her, I would want to know.

dizagain and BNB - I'm going to have a heart attack when Emmy goes to her first dance. I like that they call it "rec night". Good luck!

Well, I need to wrap up the laundry, iron and vacuum. It just never ends .

 

[floridafam]

DisKim,

I will keep your Aunt in my prayers. Please let us know how she's doing when you get the chance.

It sounds like you got a lot accomplished today.

 

[gottalovethem]

We did go for a walk in the woods, went to DQ, drove by Lake Michigan, went to another park and played. It was gorgous out, a great fall day, probably in the 60's. The kids had fun and I did too. I am soooo tired though. I really think I'm coming down with something. My muscles have been achy for days and today I'm starting to feel a little congested, ick!

DisKim - to me, this year is a big #, I'll be 35 eeks! I think that means I'm officially mid-life, and lately I feel like I'm in crisis, so hey, there you go

Robin - How exciting about your Hawaii trip. That is on my before I do die list. I'd love to go there. Be sure to take lots of pics to share with us! I was at Target today today too, but only bought diapers and cake mix (DS asked for cupcakes and who am I to say no ). Of course, now we need to actually make them.

SL - maybe Lucas will surprise you and eat all kinds of foods. Good luck. Glad you got your luggage!

FF - the presidential suite can I come? Congrats on booking the trip!

Jill - I'm with Robin, throttling the girls sounds good to me. I am sure I would have screamed at them! I have no patience for that stuff, especially when I'm tired. I'm glad you survived and hope you get some sleep tonight.

Gem - I'm sure your exchange person would never have known if you didn't include something, but that was very nice of you to send a second package! I still have to buy my goodies I hope you are feeling better and can get back on track this week. Blame it all on pregnancy brain!

ginamarie - pasta for breakfast sounds divine to me!

dizagain - funny you and bnb are going through the dance at the same time, glad you can support each other!

Bnb - I think I'd be turning gray too!

dh is making dinner -- about time! It's been a while since he's cooked for me. The kids are having pizza and we are having shrimp. yum! Hope to chat again later!

 

[joats]

GLT: THanks for awesome suggestion. I drew up a nice vanilla bubble bath and soaked for about 45 minutes and read a magazine. It was so nice. Is 35 really mid-life? Oh geeze, I guess I'm due for my crisis! I hope that you are not getting sick.

Gems: Glad Shelby used less diapers today. Poor thing the past few days. for her sleeping habits improving.

Jill: The kids stayed up that late? I agree you must be pretty patient. I would have been ripped! I hope your basement isn't too bad..did they ruin stuff or is it just messy?

FF: Congrats to you on booking the Presidential Suite at WL. I am so envious!! You must post pics upon your return. I would call the septic company again. That is strange you haven't heard.

SL: Glad you got your luggage. I'm sure Lucas will have all kinds of neat things to try on your trip. He may find new foods he loves. I hope that goes ok for you. It's so frustrating when they won't eat (see below as I am battling this issue)

Robin: I also like Yul. I like his tribe best, but Cao Boi would drive me to drink! He's to chatty. Glad you got a alone trip to Target!

DisKim: My goodness, I agree, you are superwoman! Wow, you sure accomplished a lot. Pls keep us updated on your aunt.

Hello to anyone I missed: fabumouse, GinaMarie, Zalansky, Tamie, DisneyPhD, BNB, Bellacam, Lissawyn...

After my wonderful bubble bath, DH and I took Jace to the mall to get him the next size Disney shoes (the fake Robeez). They were on sale for $7.99. I also preordered The Little Mermaid and Cars. We also went to the bookstore and got Jace a few new books. He's really into books these days. He likes to sit in our laps or in his little chair and read them. He loves to kiss all the animals in them.

Oh I forgot to tell you all that the other day DH said he wants to have another child. He's hoping we could have a little girl too. I've been starting to get "baby-fever" too. We definitely wouldn't start trying until a year from now (I refuse to go to WDW pregnant and not be able to ride the rides so it will have to wait until WDW) but at least we are on the same page.

I'm getting so frustrated with Jace's eating habits. He hardly eats a meal. He picks, refuses, throws it overboard. Somedays he'll eat great and a ton then other days, hardly anything. I've read that this is normal at his age. I am hoping some of you with older children can advise me if this is true or not. It's very frustrating though. If I make a dinner and he refuses, should I offer something else, or just let him not eat? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Well, off to clean up my dishes and fold laundry. Back to the grind in the am.

 

[Alice28]

I'm sure we've commented on this before, but I'm chuckling how many of us are right at the same age- I'm 34 too.....sometimes I do feel quite mid-lifee- like what the h*ll happened the last 10-15 years? What? I'm a mom? To THREE? Huh? I'm 30-40 pounds overweight and have lots of gray hairs? What are you talking about? I'm still that silly 17 year old deep inside, right?

 

[justhat]

SL, my uncle lives near where you were yesterday. Funny cause they're not ones to run a vacuum before we visit either. We're thinking about visiting them when I head to NJ next weekend, but I don't know if I want to do the 1.5 hour drive to their house after driving all the way to NJ so we'll see.

DisKim, I would agree that having another kid is never what comes to mind when I'm going insane with cleaning. Of course in my case, my husband has about 3% responsibility of our kids, if that, and he would be totally okay with not having anymore, as though he has to do so much with them. And your husband sounds similar in doing so much with his job and not as much at home, though you've got the opposite problem from me. I've been praying for your aunt and I really hope her surgery goes well and that it does turn out to be benign.

Jill, so sorry to hear about the antics at Katie's sleepover. I remember having one like that I think for my 9th birthday and my mom had to end up putting the 2 girls who acted like tyrants in another room so the rest of us could get some sleep. I hope you're able to recover, though I know if it were my it would be a very, very long time before those kids slept over again.

Alice28, what military places are you staying at in Hawaii? We stayed at the Halekulani (I hope I spelled it right) last November and it was next to this military resort we stayed out when I was 5yo (my dad was in the air force in case I didn't mention that ever). Of course I can't remember the name of the military resort at the moment, but right near the Halekulani if that helps. Enjoy the planning! And I'll definitely pick up all the free stuff I can in DLP. We're going in late July/early August but it was not when we wanted to go for the reason you mentioned. We wanted a June cruise, but for a couple of reasons that didn't work out so we're going on the July 18th 10 night. We get back to Barcelona on the 28th and plan to leave for Paris that day, stay there a few days and fly home from Paris. It's going to be me, my mom, and the kids cause Joey can't take off next summer cause he switches hospitals on July 1st. It'll be the longest my mom and I have been alone together since I finished college so wish me luck!

FF, your next WDW trip sounds great! You'll have to take lots of photos of your room to share with us. And maybe since you haven't heard from the septic company yet that's good news that it won't cost you too much.

Gems, congrats on Shelby's improved sleep! I hope she continues on that trend for you and that the moving of the crib goes smoothly too. I'm glad you're both feeling better now too. I know from experience that food poisoning while pregnant is the worst!

Dizagain, your "spa night" fiasco sounds like it was pretty cute, despite the mess. Of course, that's my opinion cause I didn't have to deal with the mess or waste of shampoos! Nice that you got to sleep in today though.

BnB, wow, Jocelyn's first dance. That's one of those things that I wish could never happen to me! I know I'll be graying along with you when the time comes. The birthday party in NYC sounds like fun though.

GLT, the bee incident sounds terrible. I would have freaked out. I'm not big on bees or spiders. I hope things have calmed down for you now cause you're a great mom so try not to be too stressed about the little things!

Joats, I'm with you on hating grocery shopping. I refuse to do it myself now cause it would mean going while Madison's in school (which I consider a waste of my 1 kid time) or taking both kids which is less than ideal. Of course that means we can only go 4 times a month cause my husband only gets 4 days off a month. And we can't go after he gets out of work cause that's anywhere between 5 and 10pm and we have to park by 6:30pm to be guaranteed to get a space (we have to park on the street). So tomorrow morning Madison better not want much milk cause we're almost out and she doesn't like chocolate milk, though we're almost out of that too. I can walk to a grocery store for stuff like that, but when I got back from Target today it was raining. Also, they're more expensive than where we do most of our shopping so we only go in emergencies.

Vald, I know I missed you, but I hope you're enjoying your trip right now!

Lissawynn, your ultrasound is tomorrow right? I can't wait to see what you're having!!!

Tasha, I know you're not planning to have another baby right now, BUT, Madison is the same way with other kids (you may have seen my posts of concern recently) but she loves her brother so much. I had the same thought you do, that she would have a terrible adjustment cause of how she acts with other kids, but it was a seamless transition. She has never expressed any jealousy of me holding or feeding him (which is a lot during the day cause he likes to cluster feed-nurse every 45 minutes to an hour and then nap for 4 hours). She never complains or seems upset when she has to wait for something cause I'm busy with him, and most of all she loves to help me do everything with him. So I wouldn't worry about Kylie and a new sibling too much cause she just might surprise you!

Well the fly mess has been cleaned and there's only the 1 lone fly we couldn't kill yesterday left. My husband thinks I made a bigger deal out of it than it was, but to me it was so disgusting. Those of you who said you've never seen fly excrement, neither had I. In fact I didn't even know they produced any waste cause they have such a short life. And it's so small that I never would have even noticed it except that when I killed one of the flies I noticed very, very tiny black specs on the wall where he landed. They were the size of dots made with a finely sharpened pencil. But once I saw the one spot, then suddenly I noticed it in many other places too. And yeah, they were pretty much just in that one room, but what's weird is that there is no door to that room so it's open to both our bedroom and bathroom and the stairs but the flies didn't really go anywhere else. We didn't find anything smelly or dead so my only explanation is that they came in through the slider to the deck when Madison plays with her water table outside. I try to keep the screen shut but she sometimes comes in/out and leaves it open so maybe they came in then. There's a big tree right over the deck so maybe flies like trees? Ugh, well, at least they're essentially gone now cause it was the most horrifying problem ever. What really kills me is that we probably have the cleanest house in DC cause my husband is such a germophobe. I admit to some germophobe tendencies myself, but he is extreme so not only do I clean but he'll come home and reclean everything a few times a week. Of course, he's exposed to so many germs at work I'm not sure what he's afraid of at home.

I think I'll get Madison in bed now so that she's definitely asleep by the time AR starts cause I don't want to miss that. Henry has been going to sleep around 7:30 with Madison and only waking up at 2 the past few nights so I'm excited. He must have Joey's sleep genes cause I was never the early to bed type. And even Madison, once she started sleeping longer periods around 6 weeks she did not go to bed till 10pm. So I plan on a peaceful hour, then I'll finish cleaning up their closet and head to bed.

 

[justhat]

Joats, I just read your post about Jace's eating habits and as a mom to a former poor eater I have to comment. Madison went through a phase from about 20 months till 25 months where she would only eat pasta, oatmeal, or rice. It was terrible. We resorted to mixing jarred baby food veggies into her oatmeal just to get some nutrients in her everyday. Our solution (which I guess worked cause now she's back to eating pretty much whatever we serve) was to just go with the pasta and rice thing. I didn't make her a separate meal if I had already made something else, but I would incorporate pasta or rice into a lot of what we ate. And if I couldn't or didn't feel like eating another starch then we'd just make her a separate dinner. I was opposed to this at first, but she's so skinny we felt like it was wrong for her to not eat (which was what she did if we didn't make something she liked). She grew out of it and is now perfectly happy to try new foods and eat dinner with us. And now that she's back to "normal" we don't make her an alternative meal anymore. If she's unhappy with the food she's given then she's out of luck and after awhile she changes her mind and eats it (but that never happened during the "pastarice" phase-she'd just starve herself). Good luck, he'll get over it!

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Hi again! I have a few minutes while I supervise tub time--Jocelyn needs "consultation" on washing her hair, so I have to stick close.

Kim--I can't believe your DH brought up another kid while you're so stressed. You must be making it look easy! But I think each of us has our "number" of kids, whatever that number is--and when you're there, you know it. I've been told that 4 is no harder than 3, and I must say that Luke is as mellow as they come, but it's not like you can put in a request for a mellow one like ordering a Big Mac.

FF--That's great on the Presidential Suite! I'm so jealous--I'm still thinking about our trip in '08 and get so depressed about how much it will cost. But then I think I'm being too cheap and I should lighten up. We'll have to see. Sigh! Have a mimosa for us while you're there!

SL--Rotterdam is right near us, maybe 30 minutes away. In fact, the "mountain" where DH ski patrols is Maple Ski Ridge, which is in Rotterdam. I put it in quotes because it's very small--a good family-friendly place for the kids to learn, but not like the serious mountains up north (Gore, Whiteface) or out west.

Gems--So glad to hear that you and Shelby are feeling better, and that her dleeping habits have improved. The sleep thing will likely be two steps forward, one step back, but it sounds like you're headed in the right direction.

Jill--I would probably be ready to throttle those girls at the sleepover. It sounds like maybe next time, you should have fewer girls. Live and learn, I guess! Jocelyn had a sleepover back in June for her birthday, and a few of the girls decided to stay up all night. Unfortunately, Jocelyn was one of them--we had them all sleeping in the rec room over the garage, with a monitor on so DH was downstairs on the family room couch. he and a few girls got 2 hours of sleep, but fortunately, they didn't keep the whole family up. Then after everyone left, Jocelyn fell asleep on the rec room floor for the entire day--too bad she was too zonked to appreciate the "corpse" that was there after her party! Man, it makes me tired just thinking about it.

Robin--When are you going to be in Hawaii? I haven't been in years, but I'm sure you'll have a great time. It's kind of funny--Oahu is a regular city with smog and traffic jams. Also palm trees and miles of beautiful beaches, but DH and I joked that the country hicks were in the "big city" for vacation. My FIL died there in 1990 and we haven't been back since, but it's one of the places where we "must" take our kids someday--MIL/FIL had all these plans to retire there and own a mac nut farm, and they never got to, but Hawaii is still part of my children's family history. So, someday.

joats-that's great the Jace loves books. We always aimed for a lifetime love of reading, rather than pushing our kids to read, and they all love books, so it must be working! BTW, picky eating is very typical for toddlers. Babies triple their weight in the first year, but slow their growth significantly in the second--try to keep that in mind. Also, they have enough communication skills to say "No", and they like to make their own choices. Celeste still does this at age 3--she wants pancakes, no cereal, no a Toaster Strudel for breakfast--you get her whatever she decides on, and whatever a sbiling has looks better, so she wants that! And she won't touch it if it's too hot/too cold/looks funny. We don't tolerate a whole lot of this, of course, but still she tries. Just try not to cater (easier with 4 than with one, where catering isn't so hard).

 

[Ginamarie]

Jill- Sorry the girls were so much trouble for you.

FloridaFam- The turkey tacos were tasty. Yay for you booking a trip at the WL. I love that hotel. I wanted to stay there on our upcoming trip, but we went with a moderate hotel to save $. Next time though, I’m going to WL! The presidential suite sounds heavenly.

DisKim- Wow, you are superwoman today! I’m hoping to watch AR tonight too. I have the DVR set to tape it though just in case. I’ll keep praying for your Aunt.

GLT- Hawaii is on my “before I die” list too. It’s just such a trek and an expense to get there from the east coast. DBro was going to go to Hawaii for his honeymoon next year, but with the house purchase it looks like they’re going to the Caribbean instead.

Joats- All that talk about a bubble bath is making me want one too now. The baby fever though, not so much! We know we want another one, but not for a couple of years. Every once in awhile though I debate how long we should wait though.

OK, I’m hankering for something sweet so I’ll catch up some more later or tomorrow.

 

[Alice28]

Hawaii~ We are going for 10 days in March- the 21-30th. That's our Spring Break. We just called today for the cabins on the beach and they are already sold out, so we need to extend our stay at the Hale Koa. It's a resort right on Waikiki near the Hilton Resort. The cabins were at Bellows AFB on the other side of Diamond Head. Oh well on those!

This will be my 4th time to Hawaii, but my first to Oahu! I was a bit backwards I guess, and have been to Maui, Kauai and the Big Island (Hawaii). I haven't been in 10 years though. I went to Maui when I was 12, Kauai for 8 weeks as a nanny when I was 19, and Kona/Hawaii with Bob on our 2nd wedding anniversary in 1997. I have heard that Honolulu is basically just a huge city like San Francisco, but I am still looking forward to the beaches, the weather (after a gray, wet winter it will be heavenly), the shopping and just relaxing. I'm sure we will head to other parts of the island as well. And for sure we want to go to the USS Arizona to show the boys some history.

Anyway, DH just came home from the store! Our store we like to shop at had ribeyes on sale for $4.77 a pound. DH said there was a mob scene at the meat counter. Glad I wasn't there!

 

[justhat]

Really quick cause I'm watching AR, but that's where we stayed when I was a kid, at the Hale Koa. I was guessing you meant there, but I know Hawaii is a pretty big military state so not sure how many accomodations they have. I don't remember much about it since it was 20 years ago, but my mom said she wishes we had stayed there again last year instead of the Halekulani (which is on the other side of the Hale Koa than the Hilton is). If we ever go back with my mom that's where we'll stay, but otherwise we won't qualify. Our biggest complaint with the hotel we were at was that there was practically no beach! That's what we were in Hawaii for! Anyway, since I guess you haven't been there before, from the pictures I have and my mom's description you'll love it!