The Official New Mom Thread Part 2

[Ginamarie]

J&D- Dancing with the Stars was pretty good last night. They have a good cast this time around.

Nucpharm- I bet Emma looked pretty funny trying to samba!

Lissawynn- You’re so close to the ultrasound now. I remember being so excited to see Olivia’s ultrasound! I also think Tucker will be voted out tonight.

Tykes- sorry Tyler is sick.

Alice- that’s too bad about your friend’s DH. My dad has pretty bad diabetes and I worry about him all the time. I hope he’s able to recover soon. Have fun at Target! I’ve been there twice in the last week or so, so I have to stay away from there for a little while.

So DH is home today and we’re getting a lot of random things done. We went to the DMV and to Town Hall to get a parking pass for the train station. We visited my MIL at her job, picked up DH’s new glasses and now he’s unpacking while I give Olivia a nap. She’s sleeping, but only if she’s on my lap and holding my shirt. I tried putting her down before and DH got to hear firsthand her Wrath of Olivia Scream.

I have mixed feelings about going to class tonight. Hopefully it’s interesting and not too sleep inducing, because I’m TIRED! We still need to stop at BJs and the new library (to get our new library cards). DH is unpacking things in the kitchen and I'm afraid I won't be able to find anything.

 

[nucpharm29]

Alice--yeah, $145 would be great, BUT I think she's trying to avoid paying that much b/c she won't need the fulltime care--I was thinking about 60-65 per weeks, which is around $4 per hour. Any extra $$$ would be nice, would make a nice Gymbo account!!

 

[justhat]

I really have to clean up the living room while Henry is sleeping and Madison is entertained with her own baby swing and not his for a change but I thought I'd make an attempt to retype what was erased before.

Alice28, I've been praying for your friend-that must be terrible to watch her husband be so sick. And I'm sure she doesn't need the added stress of his family if they're jerks. And for your mattress, just in case things do work out with that house!, what they did for us was fold the mattress in half and tie it up so it didn't open up on the stairs. Then they just carried it up like that, set it on the bed and untied it. I know that won't work with a real mattress cause it would ruin the springs and have a permanent bend in it, but you've got one of those temperpedic types too so it would be fine. Btw, how do you like it so far?

Tasha, I had to laugh after Kylie carrying around her chipmunks like Madison and Nick. Little do you know what you're in for as she gets older and personifies them! Madison's teachers told us last spring that the way she treats Nick they knew she needed a sibling. Right now Nick is in his swing, right next to Henry in his. Glad to hear school is going so well for you.

Tamie, glad that Tyler's bump isn't anything to be concerned about but sorry about the ear infection. Hopefully the meds will work on both soon. I know how nice it is to have a day away from your kids so sorry your aunt bailed today. Aside from the engorgement I had on Sunday, it was great to not be a mom for awhile. Woulda been better with my husband there, but I'll take what I can get.

Jill, I'll watch John for free a couple days a week to save you that daycare fee. Aside from the 10 days in November I'll be home all the time so it's really not a problem. I'm guessing it's easier to put him in a daycare since you can drop him off really early in the morning whereas I couldn't get to you till around 8:45-9 after I take Madison to school, but really, if you don't want to pay that I don't mind at all. I worked at a daycare in Friendship Heights before Madison was born and the prices were insane. For the kids John's age it was around $1300/month.

Lissawynn, I'm as excited for your ultrasound as I was for mine! Maybe it's just cause your pregnancy reminds me so much of mine with Henry that it's like reliving it. I can't wait to hear what you're having!

Fabumouse, funny you should ask about the rash cause I was just going to tell you I think you're right about the wipes. When we went to the beach I took a pack of wipes with me, and not the kind I normally use (which is Huggies extra-sensitve/newborn), they were Pampers, but some sort of scent was on them. Anyway, sure enough, he got a rash at the beach and I really think it was the wipes. So we're home and using just water again and he seems to be fine. And I know you'll appreciate this after all the discussion of people later on the OMTB birth list list passing you by-the mom of a friend of Madison's was due with her 3rd baby on 8/8 and we were talking about how bad the summer would be and hoping our kids would be early. Well I saw her yesterday with her daughter, Willa, and she was born 8/9 and said something about how unfair it is that I had Henry before her baby since he was due 3 weeks later.

Nucpharm, hope you stayed accident free! How nice is it to have Emma trained now! I told Madison she has to use the potty at school tomorrow cause I know that's why she had an accident. She won't use the potty when she first wakes up (who knows why cause I'm sure she has to go) and then doesn't want to go at school cause the fire alarm went off last year when she was on the potty and she's still afraid. But then that means that when she gets home at 11:30 she hasn't peed since the night before. She did make it into the bathrrom today but not onto the toilet in time. Oh well. Sorry to hear about that nice chunk of change spent on the tires. Who would think some rubber could cost that much!

I know I have more that I missed but Henry is starting to stir and I have tons of cleaning to do before it's time for his next feeding. I keep thinking about how nice the house will look if I can get everything put away and keep it that way. Not that it will ever happen, but I guess I can dream!

Oh, I forgot my complaint of the day. My husband just got his holiday schedule (you request either Christmas or New Year's off, but like a Disney room, it's just a request) and he will be working Christmas. I'm so bummed about that cause I'll literally be here myself with the kids cause my mom is going to London on the 26th so she can't come and his family would never come. He's trying to change it so I'll be praying that he can. Right now he's got the 27-1 off but he's hoping for the 21-26 instead. Supposedly they give priority to people with kids, but I guess he somehow slipped through on that one.

 

[lissawynn]

Ladies, I'm stopping at Target after my appt. to do a little shopping for my buddy. I rarely get there without Jimmy in the cart, so I'm treating myself to some quiet time.

nucpharm - I pay my dad $30 a day to watch Jimmy. He is kind of retired and needs the $$$. I would much rather have him there than in a daycare. I do often buy him milk, juice, Goldfish, etc. for Jimmy. My friend at school pays about $125 a week for her baby's daycare. I think the cost goes up when they're over 1 and start eating lunch there.

SL - Sorry your post got sucked into the black hole.

Alice - I would love to go back to bed after giving Jimmy to my dad, but that would make me really late for school. My DH is not a fan of DwtS. Something about it enchroaching on his masculinity. He's a dork.

ff - Your banana bread sounds great! I was making bb once and dropped the "wet" ingredient bowl on the dry bowl. The wet bowl smashed and I ended up in the emergency room to get 7 stitches in my little toe. The worst part is that I broke my Nonnie's Jadite bowl that is really expensive to replace, if you can find one. I was seriously pi$$ed about the bowl.

Ginamarie - I'm thinking all of Jerry Springer's fans are going to vote for him and keep him on DwtS forever!

justthat - I am hoping for another little guy. My MIL keeps insisting I'm having a girl b/c since her daughters started having kids it's been girl, boy, girl, boy, girl, and boy. Jimmy was the last baby. I keep counting my BF's baby (she is married to MIL's sister's son) as the next girl. Apparently she doesn't count b/c she isn't from one of her kids. I keep telling DH if his mom mentions it again, she's gonna get slapped(j/k...although...)

I've gotta get home, let Duke out, and get changed all in 10 minutes. Have a great evening!

 

[floridafam]

nucpharm,

I have seen the pens at Target. I got him one and then someone at work gave him one so the kids use the other one. Yes, they know who Stewie is. I'm a bad mommy. My Dh talked about Kona being Stewie for Halloween-I don't think so. He also says "Oh Mother, I come bearing a gift. I'll give you a hint..it's in my diaper and it's not a toaster."

I think that daycare situation sounds ideal. I would gladly watch a child for that pay plus I'd love it. 2 days a week is perfect. I say go for it.


Robin,

What did you make in the crock pot? I have to go add the potatoes to my roast. DS was begging for roast again so I picked one up this morning.


I did say to Dh a few times that I could get a job over at the Disney resort here but he says no way. He said it would be totally different working there and that I would probably have a fit. He's probably right. I love to vacation there but I don't know if I could deal with all the people. I know some girls at the kid's school who work there and they could tell stories forever.

Be back lat er.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Good afternoon, everyone! I swear, I thought my life would get easier once school started up, but so far, that hasn't been the case. Celeste sobbed hysterically all morning, as soon as she realized she had preschool today--she was fine when I picked her up, ahd a great time, but to hear her carry on, you'd think I was dragging her in to yank out her teeth or something.

So, after I dropped her off, Luke and I went to the grocery store. That went fine, but the poor kid, several times today, I put him to sleep and he was up again 10 minutes later. He's sleeping now--the cat woke him up earlier, and I got him down yet again, when Jocelyn came home. So, I've had about 10 minutes, total, of quality "me" time today--and that was eating lunch. Ooh.

Alisa--I hear you on wanting another boy. Why wouldn't you, when you're so crazy about the one you already have? But girls are nice, too.

You all are making me want to go to Target--it's a bit of a haul from here, and I've been waiting for my rewards card form them. I have the credit card, and you get a card worth 10% off all purchases. So, I go down and stock up on diapers and so forth, which ar eon sale this week. Plus, like the rest of you, I can't seem to walk out of there without spending at least $100. I like Target SOO much better than Wal-Mart, but Wal-Mart is a lot closer for me. If they put a Target out by where I do my regular errands, I'd be in heaven! And broke. But I'd be so happy!

justthat--consider celebrating Christmas on a different day. The kids are young enough that you can get away with it. That sucks that your DH has to work. Maybe celebrate early, so your mom can be there? Or later when DH has time off. Really, it'll bother you more than the kids.

FF--That's too bad about making the teacher cry. There was no way for you to know. I'm sure she doesn't blame you in any way.

Oh--I have one for you guys that came up yesterday. Would you let your older child (in this case, DD11) go to a friend's house after school if the only older person who would be there was a high school aged brother of the the friend? Jocelyn was all mopey because I told her she could go only if a parent would be home. I have nothing agains tthe friend or the family, but my experience is, the teens will let the younger kids do whatever they want, so long as they don't bother the teens. To me, that's a recipe for disaster. Plus, I don't think the teen would be as careful about watching the girls as a parent would--it's not their job to watch my kid. So anyway, Jocelyn was all sulky, but I don't think she's mad anymore since we had a contact emergency this morning, and she's still worked up about that (and her eye is still sore, and she didn't even wear the contacts today). But anyway, pardon the digression.

 

[justhat]

Lissawynn, I was sorta hoping for another girl just cause it would have made my life a bit easier, for clothes and other girl stuff I own (we only have 2 bedrooms so that was a big part of it too), and everyone told me it was a boy. Clearly they were all right. But my cousins have that same pattern as your MIL's family, girl boy, but the last baby (who was born in March) was a boy, which meant boy boy. He broke the mold! So here's hoping your baby does too!

FF, Madison knows who Stewie is too. My husband has the whole Family Guy dvd set and sadly Madison loves to watch it with him. I'm just hoping that never leaks out at school.

 

[tkyes]

ff - you are really on the ball! You are just a cooking machine. I'm so jealous of all the days you say "I made.." Maybe when I have more people to cook for I'll start doing that. I would eat too much of what I made if I did that now. Congrats on the smaller pants size!

lissawynn - Have fun shopping at Target kid free, it's so much more peaceful.

justthat - That stinks about your husband's schedule! How awful! That's very cute that Nick is in the swing with Henry.

sl - Sorry your post dissapeared, that's the worst!

alice - Sleeping in a little extra sounds heavenly. You deserve it!

nucpharm - That sounds like a great opportunity for some spending money!

I got sick of being in the house so Tyler and I went out for lunch and did some shopping. I picked up my exchange gift!! What is our deadline again for mailing that out?

I told DH that tonight might be a good night for father/son bonding time. I'm just bummed about losing my mommy day (kinda dumb since I survived before I had one). I was really looking forward to the me time. Plus Tyler's still super cranky and I just need a break.

Talk to you all later.

Tamie

 

[justhat]

I forgot the reason I came back online-to say that Madison is strapping Nick into the Baby Bjorn. She can't quite figure it out, but she's trying.

Back to feeding the boy!

 

[Alice28]

FF- I made beef stroganoff in the crock pot. Yum, yum!

justhat- good idea about the mattress! And too funny about Madison and the Baby Bjorn- too cute! Glad you discovered what was causing Henry's rash!

ETA- we LOVE the mattress. It's a dream!

SL- How irritating about the missing post! That seems to be happening a lot around here lately- grrrr....

BNB- I couldn't make it out of Target for under $100 today either. BUT, I want to vouch for myself and say I spent $34 on diapers, $45 on a vacuum and $30 on a game to put aside for Josh. So, not too much other piddly junk since I spent $130. I did get quite a bit for my exchange buddy, but still need a couple more things. I went to the 'good' Target, but they didn't have a lot of the Halloween stuff out yet like the 'eh' Target! WTHeck! I was so bummed. So I need to go back before it's time to send out (like that's a problem, lol) and go to my favorite candy store to get the Mommy some treats too.

ETA AGAIN- I don't know about letting Jocelyn over to the friend's house. I know my neighbor is supposed to be watching his niece and nephews and he's always goofing around inside, not watching them play outside, or hanging with his friends, and not paying attention. DH andI finally talked to his parents about it. I know there are lots of teens way more responsible than my neighbor, but I would lean towards "no."
Tamie- hope you get some downtime this evening! I hardly ever go anywhere without at least one kid, and I really should do that more often. I am getting a haircut on Saturday, and I'm going to a Pampered Chef party tonight, so that's some mommy only time at least.

Alisa- another boy would be so easy, wouldn't it! Esp because they will have been born around the same time of year- all of Jimmy's clothes will be the right season for baby brother. Sam and Josh had opposite season birthdays, so shucks, I had to buy a bunch of new stuff for Joshua that first year or two. I was really bummed out by that.

OK, I need to go try out my new vacuum!

 

[floridafam]

Tamie,

Jealous, of me??? Awwww. I just have really gotten into baking the past few years. I think it makes me feel good when I hear DH ooohing and aahing over stuff I make. His Mom is a really good cook so I wanted to at least give it a try and see if I could cook like she does.

The deadline for mailing packages isn't until Oct. 13th so you all have plenty of time.

I keep buying things and setting them aside for my buddy. I do the same things for the kids for Christmas and then I forget what I bought and open the closet and say "where did all this come from?"


justhat,

How cute about the Baby Bjorn.

Today has really been a great day. Everyone is happy and I'm hoping Dh has some good news to report when he gets home. I'll fill everyone up at dinner and then they can go to bed nice and early. It's been 10:00 around here lately before anyone gets to bed and that is just too late. Maybe I can squeeze 5 minutes of cuddle time in with DH later.


buzzandbelle'smom

That' a difficult question to answer. I probably wouldn't let her go but I tend to be on the paranoid side.


zalansky,

Yes, you can come over for dinner. There's plenty. BTW, did you feel the earthquake the other day. I don't remember if I asked you already but I'm really curious. DS felt it way over here on the other side of Florida.

Be back later.

 

[DisKim]

Hi everyone!!

lissawynn - I can't wait to find out what you are having. You must be so excited!

nucpharm - Sitters in my area charge about $30-35 per day.

justhat - I'm so sorry your DH has to work on Christmas. I would be so bummed.

I am so proud of myself. I've cooked every night this week. I'm going to try to take the kids out to eat tomorrow night to celebrate my first paycheck of the school year . I say "try" because Emmy's horseback riding makes it kind of hard.

Alex starts soccer today. His practice is from 6:45-7:45. It think that is ridiculous for 6-year-olds to be out that late.

I really don't have anything interesting to say. I'm back in the swing of things, my students are wonderful and the kids are adjusting. I'm much happier than I thought I would be. Aidan is thriving with the sitter. She says he eats like a little piggy. Today he ate all of his lunch and then ate the sitter's son's lunch (he's a senior in h.s.). He seems very happy. I heard my old sitter is up to 10 kids now. I really think I made the right decision.

Well, I better put some laundry away and start dinner. This cooking thing is getting old quick . It won't last now that I'll be getting paid.

 

[gottalovethem]

Diskim - don't feel so bad about the late soccor, we have swimming at 6:35. DD and DS have class, Leif and I will watch (hopefully) and then I have to rinse them. Should be interesting as we haven't had to do that since Leif's been moving around so much (and now he's walking).

Robin - WTG on losing the weight. We crockpot a lot here too. Makes life a little easier. Today it was a pork roast and it came out yummy! How's the new vacuum.

FF - great job on going down a pants size! I love baking too, but because I can eat it the kids are starting to enjoy it more when there's home-baked goodies, which is nice. Since the temp dropped from 80's to 60's overnight I have been cooking up a storm.

bnb - that's such a hard call on jocelyn going to the friend's house w/o a parent. My experience with teen boys lately screams out no-way. It's just such a hard call. Good luck.

gems, tkyes, bellacam, hillbeans, ginamarie, disneyphd, nucpharm, SL, zalansky, fabumouse and all other mommies, HI.

DD and DS are pretending htat they are having a garage sale. I guess I'm rubbing off on them. There are three moms/families that are doing a garage sale this weekend at our house -- this time we are running an ad and are promoting it all better. Hopefully I'll make some decent cash, especially since I've been bidding up a storm on ebay

OK, gotta make the kids clean up their garage sale so we can go. Maybe I'll have time to read and write this evening. Take care ladies!

 

[tkyes]

diskim - Woo hoo on the dinner! Good work! That's got to be so reasuring to see Aidan doing so well with the sitter!

glt - Good luck with the garage sale. How did you end up doing last weekend?

ff - Yes, jealous of you I need to find some good crock pot recipes and try that out occassionally.

speaking of recipes, has anyone tried out the recipes from their exchange person?

I got some from Robin, I made the stirfry right away and it was really good. The lemon cake was to die for!!


Tamie

 

[joats]

Hey Ladies~

Jace fell at daycare today and busted up his lip pretty badly. His lip is so swollen he looks like a different child. It was bleeding a lot and there is a hole on the inside of his lip. Poor thing kept pointing to his mouth during dinner. I gave him some tylenol. I just hope it's a little better for him tomorrow and not worse. This by far has been our worse "boo-boo".

SIL came last night to watch Jace while DH and I went to have his MRI. The results were not in yet as of today, but should be in tomorrow. DH has been feeling a bit better but still bed/couch bound but more walking around during the day and less pain.

I missed BB last night as we didn't get home until after 9. I thought for sure that it was going to be a 2 hour finale and I could watch the second half...I was so ticked off when I turned on the TV and it was Rock Star Supernova. I'm so bummmed I didn't get to see it...sounds like it was interesting, although the thought of Mike Booger winning anything makes me want to hurl. He is such a loser.

DisKim: Glad you are doing well and that Aidan is thriving at the sitters.
FF: Hope you get your cuddle time with DH.
Robin: to your friend. I hope that you new vacuum SUCKED
Tamie: Sorry to hear about Tyler being sick. Hope you got some "Me" time.
BNB: I agree with you about the lack of adult supervision.
Lissawyn: I hear ya about wanting to prove your MIL wrong. Hope you had fun at Target.
GM: How was class?
Justhat: That stinks that your DH will have to work Christmas
Nucpharm: Sorry, I don't have any advice on home daycare other than my friend in Massachusetts pays $100 for 2-3 days per week. But I think that is pretty cheap.
A big Hello to jill, zalansky, J&D, Val, Hillbeans, Fabumouse, SL, Tasha, Gems, GLT, dizagain...
Anyone heard from Bellacam or Cabmom lately?? I can't remember when they last posted.

I'm pages behind and I need to get going on my nightly tasks. I was up too late last night and I want to go to bed early.
Have a good night. Tomorrow night is SURVIVOR...so I probably won't post but will check in to read. I will catch up with you all this weekend.

 

[Alice28]

Joats~ you are too funny, my friend. Yes, my vacuum totally sucked and it was awesome. Just a little lightweight, but for some reason my mega-vacuum wasn't working on the new carpets. It probably needs a new belt or something. But I wanted one for upstairs anyway, and I had to empty the canister TWICE cause it was so full of lint from the new carpet! Yikes!

I'm so sorry about Jace's lip- Molly did a doozy the other day, but no hole in her lip, just blood and a bruis. They're definitely at the 'trippy' stage. She will trip over a 1/4 of a piece of crayon, I swear.

GLT- you are a garage sal'in fiend! I hope you rake in the bucks this weekend!

I remember Bellacam checking in with us that she was going off the coast of Maine, I think for Labor Day weekend? Her due date is going to be here before we know it!

ETA- I keep forgetting things- Justhat- I hope that your DH gets to have Christmas off afterall. Although DH was gone last Thanksgiving and Christmas, I did have my parents to spend the day with. That would be lonely for you if he's gone all day...

I tried the cheesecake recipe SL sent me- yummy yum yum! Can't go wrong with little cheesecakes!

FF & DisKim- glad you both had such positive days! That's awesome!

I went and paid for the boys' soccer leagues today, so soon I will be joining you all in late practices I am sure.

Well, I need to check on Sam. He is taking FOREVER and a day to do his homework. I try so hard not to interfere, but I just want to throttle him when he doinks around. The teacher gave, gosh, 11-12 pages of homework this week, and it wasn't all quick pages either. I thought that was a LOT. And it's due on Thursdays, not Fridays, so they only have 3 nights to get it done. In 2nd grade he would have about 5 pages to do, plus his spelling test. I'm going to see what she does next week and then ask her about it. I think 1 or 2 hours of HW a night is quite a lot for a 3rd grader- am I way off base?

 

[llij]

Hi Ladies!

As usual, I am way behind on this thread and I hope to catch up tomorrow.

I just saw Robin's post about Sam's homework and I just want to comment on it since it was a topic of discussion in my research methods class last night. Personally, I think an hour of homework is way too much for a third grader! So no, you are not way off base. My professors were speaking about it last night and they tend to think that too much homework has been given out to students in the past few years and it doesn't have a positive impact on the students. Apparently, educational research on the subject backs this up according to them. Now, I'm not talking about older grades just elementary students who have been inundated with homework. We discussed this at length so it is funny that you brought it up, Robin! Good luck to Sam!

I'll go back and read how you all are doing and post tomorrow! Have a great evening!


ETA: I almost forgot! Ginamarie has her first class tonight, doesn't she? Good luck Ginamarie! I'm thinking of you!

 

[zalansky]

I popped on to wish everyone a good night and sweet dreams!

FF - Yes you did ask and bad me - I forgot to answer....we did not feel the earthquake the other day. But DH's first comment was great, now our homeowners insurance will go up some more because of earthquakes!

Nitey night.....

 

[DisKim]

Tamie - Yes, I made your pasta recipe, the marinade and the dessert. They were all awesome .

FF- Add me to the list of being jealous of you. My problem is not being able to think of what to cook.

Jill - Can your professors give my kids' teachers a memo about the homework? Actually, it hasn't been too bad yet, but it has been in the past. I'm a high school teacher and I only give homework if I feel it is worthwhile. Most of my homework entails reading the novel or working on an essay which is usually due at the end of the week.

Robin - My kids take forever to do homework too. I know that feeling of wanting to throttle them. Emily did her spelling homework wrong last night. She had to type her list and put each word in a different font. She took her time and did each in a different color too and the teacher told her she had to do it over because she was supposed to type the words three times each. I felt so bad for her that I copied and pasted them two more times each instead of making her do it over . I tell ya, we teachers make the worst parents of students. I wouldn't want to deal with me.

GLT - At least I'm not alone with all the activities. My friend and I were out there like zombies tonight. We were both up since 5 am and we were getting eaten alive by bugs. They didn't release the boys until 8:10!

OK, I'm going to go lie down and watch How to Catch a Predator. These guys are such idiots.

 

[llij]

Ok, I’m back! I’ll try to catch up as best I can!

J&D – I haven’t found a mother’s day out program around here. I bet they are around though! We do have a ton of preschool programs but they don’t take kids until they are a little older than John is now.

Tasha – Woo hoo on your grades and having the hightest GPA in your class! I empathize with you on the amount of work you are doing. Keep up the great work!!

DisKim – I’m glad that today was better and you are back in the swing of things! LOL too about getting a memo from my professors about the homework! I think my professors are trying to instill in us the value of not overloading our future students with homework. My oldest actually has a former classmate of mine for a teacher this year too which is kind of neat. So far, Meagan has had very little homework.

Joats – Aww….poor Jace with his lip. It sounds like a doozie of a cut!

Fabumouse – Oh gosh, I think Manhattan and San Francisco have the Washington area beat by a mile on the cost of living. Ouch! It is expensive to live in those two places! Tuition for in-state schools is great in Virginia. Very affordable, so I’m hoping my kids pick an in state university to go to. Unfortunately, I was a dork and decided to get my Masters at a private school called Marymount University. They charge 3X as much as our in state schools. While I love my professors and classes, the tuition can be a little painful at times. BTW, where did you get your law degree from? I hope that your allergies ease up for you soon too!

Robin – How is your friend’s dh? You all will be in my prayers. The house you posted is so beautiful! I bet you can work something out to get the mattress upstairs.

Zalansky – I’m glad that you enjoyed the focus group! I used to moderate focus groups in my former job. It was always fun to pose questions to people and get their perspective on an issue.

Lissawynn – Ok, you had me cracking up with your comment on the bug cocoon! Sending warm wishes your way that the temper tantrum stage is over soon for you! I can’t wait to hear what the sex of the baby is too! Oh before I forget, my fall break is the week of October 9th. I can’t wait until it is here!

Tamie – I’m sorry to hear that Tyler is sick. I hope he gets better very soon and that you get a break. I hate to admit it, but I haven't had a chance to make the recipes Ryan840 sent me yet. I was either recovering from surgery and then things got so crazy that I've been using Let's Dish meals. I will say that she sent me some awesome recipes and I will definitely try them at the end of this semester!

Floridafam – Congrats on going down a pants size! Don’t feel bad about your ds’s teacher crying. You didn’t know. I remember after losing my first baby, a friend of mine said something to me at a wedding which triggered me to bawl like a baby. She felt bad too, but really it wasn’t anything she said and I actually felt better after I cried. I hope that your son’s teacher will have her dreams come true this year. How was your dh’s exam today?

SL – Good luck with getting everything done!

Nucpharm – Good luck with the home daycare. I think the going rate in my area is $8-10 an hour. Good luck to you!

Justhat – You are so sweet to offer to watch John! I really appreciate that, but I would hate to impose on you especially since you have a new baby. I have to say that I was rather despairing the other day about this whole situation and then my neighbor told me that her old nanny is looking to watch babies. I’ve known her nanny for years and she is very sweet. Her daughter is John’s age so I think I will leave John with her for a few days a week. It will be a win win for both of us, I get to study and she will get some income since she really wants to start watching kids again. Again, you are so sweet with your offer and it meant a lot to me that you offered.

I hope that Joey can get his schedule changed so he can spend Christmas at home with you! Too cute about Madison and the baby bjorn!

Gems – How is work going?

BNBmom – Tough call on letting Jocelyn at a friend’s house without adult supervision. I’m not sure I could do that yet. You are right, it is a recipe for disaster. I hear you about the ‘me’ time you are getting, or should I say lack of ‘me’ time. John barely napped today and when he did, the phone rang or doorbell rang. It was crazy here today. I hope that tomorrow you get a little more time to yourself.

GLT – Too cute about your kids pretending to have a garage sale! I hope your is successful!

Ginamarie – Let us know how your class goes!

Hi to everyone!

School was good last night, but on Wednesdays I am usually beat. My commute was better yesterday b/c a good friend gave me a shortcut to get to school. That should shave 20 minutes off my commute which make a huge difference! I also toured the daycare facility yesterday and it was really nice. I think I will go with them next fall when I student teach. Thankfully, I found another solution to my daycare dilemma and will be putting John with my neighbor’s old nanny. She is a sweetie and I found out that she is looking to watch an infant so she can make a little money. Things are falling into place pretty well!