The Official New Mom Thread Part 2

[joats]

I don't even know what to say. Geeze, miss a day or two and everything changes. I hope that people feel that anyone is welcome on this thread. That being said, much like you would not go into a room with a group of people guns blaring without most people turning around and thinking ***?...I think the comments just came out of no where from someone unknown to the board prior and people felt attacked. I'm bummed as this is such a drama free zone for me. I too don't really post any place else because people get too nasty on the CB. I hope that this is over and done with. I also hope too that IceBrat you don't stop posting here or sharing your struggles with Tess and being a new parent. We all vent things here - that's what friends are for. All this being said, I do think that the posts were made with concerns for Tess and not done maliciously, but maybe not the way I would have gotten that ball rolling. Anyway...Enough time has been spent on this episode, but I did want to add my 50 cents as a member of this supportive board that I am grateful to be a part of.

Happy Birthday Connor! I hope your birthday was grand!!
Z:

Welcome Bengalbelle: Cute kids you have there!

KaterKat: Nice to see you again. I can't believe how big "baby" Russ has gotten.

Jill: OMG - John is crawling!!! That is amazing. So happy for you all on his big milestone!!

DisKim: I love all the pictures you have been posting. Ok, I think we need to start a shopaholics group on this thread. I'm still in the xmas shopping mode. I need a buddy to help me just say NO! I think you asked about the Sirius Satellite. We didn't put in my car yet - this weekend. THere is some special attachment for home also. That stinks that all you are getting is static. Truth be told, aside from Howard, I don't even know what types of channels there are....just give me my old 92.3 KRock gang, and I'll be happy.

Tamie: When do you leave for Mexico?? Glad you were able to get your Ipod Working again.

Justhat: Way to go Henry on rolling over!! Yippee

I know I'm missing a lot of you....I am just so far behind since there were pages and pages since I last posted.

Not much news to report here...just glad tomorrow is Friday. No plans for the weekend - I'm so glad to just relax.

Anyone have plans for NYE? I'll be happy if I make it up to 10pm The past two years, I haven't. I think DH & I will get take out and maybe play some board games or watch a movie. We're a bunch of LAME-Os!!

 

[floridafam]

Robin,

Glad you had fun today. Yah on the ebay stuff. I listed one of DH's wheels for his old bike yesterday and I'm hoping to get close to $200 mad money.

DisKim,

I love your pictures. Don't feel bad about going overboard. Some years we do and some years we don't. It looks like you and your family had a great Christmas.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Good evening all! I guess it was just as well that I was up to my ears in stuff to do today, I didn't have time to post. Gina, I thought you summed up my feelings the best--you are very eloquent. Probably why you're a lawyer! Icebrat, you do what you think is best for Tess. I know you've done a ton of research and continue to strive to do what's right for her. I don't think any of us, including you, thought Tess's transition was going to be easy and painless. I really felt like the "interloper" posters followed you onto this thread to harrass you. That may not have been what they intended, but as an outside observer, that's how it felt to me. But, back in my pre-kid days, I thought I had a lot more answers than I feel like I do now!

Anyway, we're heading down to CT tomorrow to visit relatives. It should be fun, but that's why I've been running amok today. At least we're staying in a hotel, so I dont' have to sleep on the floor at my sister's. Have I mentioned that she has 19 cats? My sinuses go into overdrive just thinking about it!

Jill--So glad you're back and had a great time. I'm not going again until 2008, either--but hey, in a couple of days, we can say we're going "next year", right? Great news on John's rolling over--and I can so relate to it happening and he falls on the floor and has 3 people watching him. Sooo familiar!

Justine--Welcome back to you, too. Sounds like you guys had a great time, despite Madison's tantrums. It's got to be hard on little ones with all the excitement and being off their schedule. Is your next trip the Med. cruise? I'm dying to hear about that one--talk about my "fantasy vacation"!

Kim--I tend to go way overboard at Christmas, too, and I think it's the same thing--my mother really hated Christmas--well, to be fair, the commercial aspects of Christmas. And we were poor growing up, so we would never have a tree, maybe a couple presents, that sort of thing. So, every year I try not to overdo, and I didn't do too badly this year, but they got plenty. One thing I do is, I keep a list of what I've already bought. I hide stuff in different places and start buying early, and with 4 kids, it's easy to lose track. So I keep a list, and it helps to remind me of what they're already getting. Oh, and I'm so glad the puppy is working out so well for Emily!

DisneyPhD--A "childfree" trip sounds so good right about now! And I have to agree--I've taken my older ones out of school for vacations, but three times a year is pushing it! And even though we had "permission", we had some issues--I got a nasty note about Jocelyn missing 10 days (total, including days she was actually sick), plus got yelled at by the principal one year because she was going to miss a week of test prep. I can't take her out any longer, so now we go in late August.

Tamie--Glad the iPod is working again. DH tried to teach his cell phone to swim in our pool and it had to be replaced.

bengalbelle--Welcome to the thread! We love pictures--post them often!

Robin--Our tree will come down 1/1. Yee-ha. I don't think the rec room will ever be the same. You can barely walk up there, and it's huge. I'll be hitting some consignment stores in my travels this weekend, I hope to score some vintage Gymbo.

Loretta--Happy Birthday to Connor! Time sure does fly, doesn't it?


I have to go--Luke is coming out of the tub.

 

[joats]

Anyway, we're heading down to CT tomorrow to visit relatives. It should be fun, but that's why I've been running amok today. At least we're staying in a hotel, so I dont' have to sleep on the floor at my sister's. Have I mentioned that she has 19 cats? My sinuses go into overdrive just thinking about it!

Where in CT will you be? 19 cats OMG !! I have 3 and it's plenty enough. Make sure you take an allergy pill! Glad you are going to stay in a hotel. Have a safe trip!!

 

[DisKim]

joats - You and I will be having a very similar NYE. I just like staying home and relaxing with the kids. It's nice to have time to play with them. We play games, make shrinky dinks and other assorted silly stuff and make ice cream sundaes. One year, we were in California visiting relatives on NYE and I really missed being home.

FF - I have to go to the mall to return stuff tomorrow. I'll check VS for those pj's. They are very cute.

BNB - I started out with my list of things I had bought for Christmas. Then, Black Friday hit and I totally lost track. I think I'm going to do all my shopping last minute next year. I actually think I would spend less.

Robin - I'm with you. I can't wait to get my tree down. Molly's new dress sounds cute!

Alex looks so funny walking around with his I-pod. He asked me to put Buffalo Soldier by Bob Marley on it. He is such an oddball. What kind of 6-year-old listens to Bob Marley?? I'm pretty sure his cousin was listening to it the other day.

 

[llij]

Good evening Moms!

Ok, brag moment here....(sorry!) Do you all remember that huge paper that I had to write a month ago? Well, I got the paper back in the mail today and my professor gave me an A+! He said in his 16 years teaching the research course that mine was one of the best papers he read. Yippee! That paper about did me in so I'm glad that he liked it! Ok, brag over. I was just so happy about that and I thought I would share with you all.....


Thanks everyone for the congrats on John crawling. He won't crawl now that we are home though, so I don't know what is up with that. Maybe it was "Disney Magic" that made him crawl. He gets evaluated by EI again on the 10th and I was pleased to see that he has decided to crawl while we were away. With John's gross motor development I will take what I can get. I'm sure he will attempt to crawl again in a few days. When we were in Florida, he crawled with his head down and he looked so funny!

BNBmom - Have a great trip! And yes, in a few days we can say that we will be going to WDW next year! I was thinking of you on my trip as I was trying to talk my dad into DVC resale. Sadly, my parents aren't interested but I'm thinking I need to check it out. Which resort did you buy into again?

DisKim - I tend to do it up big for Christmas here too. Since our trip was our gift, I gave the girls a few gifts before we left but it was weird to not have our normal Christmas gifts. Don't feel bad about it though. You are a great mom!

Joats - No big plans here for NYE either. We are going to see some college friends but I'm sure we will be in bed by 9! I'll join you in the LAME-O club! I'm too old to stay up until midnight!

Robin - I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you that you do well on E-bay!!!
I loved the picture of Molly in her bathing suit too! I also forgot to tell you tht your dh got you a wonderful Christmas gift!!

dizagain - Have fun reading Hayley's story! Does she like to write? I hope she does well in the AG contest!

DisneyPhd - I might have missed it, but that is great that you are going on a kidless trip to WDW. My dh and I are scheming to get down there on a quick kidless trip sometime.

Justhat - Thanks for the compliment on my mom. She would love to hear that! Sorry to hear about Chef Mickey's and the cranky CM! Before I saw you on the boat, Meagan was having a 'pre-teen' moment so I can relate to Madison's being overtired from the MVMCP. We should try to get together sometime around here! That would be fun.

FF - Good luck with your e-baying too!

Tasha - Good luck with your returns!

Lissawynn - How are you feeling? Congrats on sleeping in your own bed too! I want to see pictures of your house.

Hi to all the moms!!

 

[llij]

Ok, here are a few pictures from our trip.

John didn't like his meeting with Santa!

Family photo!

Baby Santa

The infamous Kitchen Sink!

Yes, we ate almost the whole thing!

Zalansky - That last picture was dedicated to you! Since you posted that great picture of yourself, (which I loved btw!!) I decided to post this one of me being a piggy.

Everyone have a great evening!


ETA: Robin - I forgot to tell you that 9 Dragons still has the fried rice and sweet and sour pork on the children's menu! The food there is so yummy and we really enjoyed our meal!

 

[Alice28]

Kim~ Shrinky Dinks!!!!!!!!! Where can I buy these! I *loved* shrinky dinks when I was a kid.

Joats- if you think you are a lamo for NYE, than I am an uber lamo. We will probably make a Costco appetizer run, make fondue and wontons or some other oddball combination, watch TV, and go to bed by 11. We had one or two NYEs where I got REALLY drunk and did some stupid things I regret. (This was before kids).

Jill- CONGRATULATIONS on the A+ and the compliment from your professor- that must make you feel so awesome! Way to Go! I can just picture John crawling with his head down, like a boy on a mission! How was the Yacht Club- was it really nice? What was your favorite meal? Favorite ride? FAvorite memory?

BNB- I hope you are able to find some great vintage Gymboree on your trip- have a good time in CT! 19 cats! Wow! I can't even hold one of ours for more than 10 minutes before I start getting congested.

FF- I hope you get some fun money for your DH's tire/wheel. Unfortunately, mine money will be to pay my Amex off, but that's ok. *Sometimes* I can actually be responsible with money, imagine that!

I got the tree down! And out of the house! I need to run the vacuum quickly, before it's time to get Molly up, so I guess I need to sign off for now. I still have Christmas stuff all over the place, but I can deal with that tomorrow, or tonight while watching some TV. I did a 2.5 mile power walk today with weights and I'm whooped. I am taking my 20 pound goal seriously. I just got a small Arby's plain roast beef sandwich for lunch, no fries, no sauce and a Diet Coke. I did snag 3-4 of Molly's fries though. I mostly want to lose the weight so that DH will also be motivated to lose weight- I'm really concerned about his health. I am built to be able to carry a few extra pounds....my BP is healthy, as is my cholesterol. His is NOT- he really only has a medium build, but is pretty big right now. Just send pixie dust that we can stick to this and lose some weight together and just be healthier. I think I can do it if I really buckle down on not snacking so much. I already got the exercise habit down.

 

[Alice28]

OMGosh Jill- the pics are GREAT! Thanks for sharing them! I love the kitchen sink ones- I would love to order that, just to see my boy's faces! (after I just blab about weight loss).

 

[llij]

Robin - The Yacht Club was very nice! I really love that resort. My favorite meal was our Christmas Eve dinner at Citricos. Yummo! I even got a drink called a Citropolitan which was smooth and tasty!

My favorite memory was CP on Christmas night with Gary Sinese! We had great seats right up front and it was spectacular as usual. Gary Sinese looked like he really enjoyed narrating!

My bummer moment was when I decided that I shouldn't ride Expedition Everest. We got fastpasses and I decided that my stomach was not 100% back to normal so it would have been risky for me to ride. No one else wanted to ride then, so we gave all of our fastpasses to another family. They were pretty happy so I was glad that someone else was going to enjoy it. I always say that I need to leave something for another trip so riding EE will be for my next trip.

John meeting Mickey was another favorite moment.

Santa made John cry, but he was fascinated with Mickey.

Good luck with the weight loss goals too. You and your dh will do great working at this together. You are great with the exercising so you should do very well! I'll send pixie dust your way for you and dh!

 

[floridafam]

Jill,

All of your pictures are great. It makes me want to go to WDW right now. We stayedat the YC a few years ago and love it!

 

[justhat]

Jill great photos!! I really liked how they had characters and Santa hanging around the resorts. BTW, out of your whole list I remembered that you were eating at Citricos on the 24th so I looked around for you but didn't want to seem like a stalker staring in the restaurant so I let it go before people thought I was weird. We were in line for Santa and Mickey in the lobby so I kept an eye out but no luck.

Alice28 - I am on a mission to lose weight too but looking at the at kitchen sink did not help me either!! Good luck to you and your husband in your efforts.

BnB - Have fun in CT! I have an allergy to cats so 19 would keep me far away from that house!

Joats - Add us to the list of people without NYE plans. My husband's on call on the 1st so he will likely be in bed by 9pm on NYE to prepare for no sleep on NYD. How one 'bulks up' in advance on sleep is beyond me but he seems to have it down.

I'm trying to upload my photos to the computer but it's not working so I think I have to restart. Like I should be wasting time when I need to do so much more with my house to make it look presentable for my friends. Shows you what a disaster it is cause this is a good friend so I shouldn't care too much about what it looks like, so all this work is just to get it decent!

 

[vald1977]

Hi moms,
Can I whine for a moment ? I still feel like poo. I thought I was doing better this morning but I feel awful again and all I've done all day is lie around. I've been sleeping like 20 hours a day since last Saturday. I need to go back to work tomorrow and my house looks like a disaster pit. My bf is supposed to come on Saturday and I just don't know if I'll be up to it. My one ear is still in excruciating pain and one side of my throat is still huge although at least it's not covered in puss anymore (sorry tmi) .I'm so tired of feeling sick like this !! I need to get back to normal life here!

Sorry to be a downer but I don't have many places where I feel I can vent. I'm so glad to have you ladies to talk to .

Congrats Jill on John crawling and on the paper ! I just loved seeing your pics.

Hi to everyone else. I'm sorry I don't have the energy to post to all individually. I'm absolutely exhausted although all I've done today is sleep so I don't see how that's possible . I really don't see how I'm going to get through working a 9.5 hour day tomorrow .

 

[Ginamarie]

Justhat- I’m sorry about Madison taking the keys off of your keyboard. DBro did something like that to my mom’s laptop about a year ago and she never got two of the keys back on. She was SOO mad.

Dizagain- I’m having a really hard time with Olivia and her nighttime schedule. Last night she fell asleep in my arms three times, and each time I put her in the crib she woke right up and screamed. DH was working until 2 am, so I wound up just putting her in the bed with me again. It was three hours plus trying to get her into the crib to no avail. Even if I do get her into the crib, by 3 am she wakes up and starts her nursing routine, where she wants to nurse in progressively shorter periods until it’s time to get up. DH is frustrated because she’s regressed so much, but I’m not sure what to do.

DisKim- Glad to hear that Emmy is doing well with taking care of the puppy! Too funny about Alex wanting to listen to Bob Marley.

BNB- I hope the trip to CT is painless. 19 cats is an awful lot!

Jill- Congrats on your grades!! My dad kept saying what a good deal the DVC could be since we keep going to WDW each year, and there are tax benefits to owning real estate. We just don’t have the money, but if we did, I’d really be considering it more.
Oh man, I wanted one of those kitchen sinks so badly, but the wait for a table was 90 minutes when we tried to get in.

Alice- I can’t believe you cleaned up all of your Christmas stuff already. We have a fake tree, so I’ll leave it up until after “Little Christmas” in another week or so.

Oh Val, I'm sorry you feel so sick. Do you think you could get more potent antibiotics from your doctor? It sounds like whatever you have isn't doing the job.

No NY plans for me this year either. We may go to my parents’ house for a small party. Otherwise we’re just staying home alone. I’m too wiped out lately to even think about doing anything late night based.

DSis(8) is sleeping over tonight, so I got stuck watching the Cheetah Girls 2 again. OK, I need to get ready for bed. DH is upset because he doesn’t think I did enough around the house this week. Plus, the new neighbors just arrived for the house across the street. It looks like there are three families (about 20 people) set to live in that little house. Oh, the fun never ends!

 

[floridafam]

val,



jill,

I forgot to say congrats on the paper. WOW.

Robin,

Congrats on the weight loss goals. I've been trying but without luck. Keep us posted on how you and Dh are doing.

I was pleased when I found out recently I lowered my cholesterol 30 points. DH's is a bit high at 208 which surprises me because he lives a very healthy lifestyle.


Hi to everyone. Anyone heard from lissawynn?

 

[nucpharm29]

Hey all! Well, our relatively "drama free" holiday trip ended today--the drama free part at least. FIL asked us to leave his house b/c we were making the cats crazy. Not a huge deal b/c DMIL was more than happy to have us back--but come on--kicking us out b/c of a cat???? His house is 7000sq. ft., seems to me that we could all have our own space--whatever, not getting caught up in it!

Jill--LOVE the pics!!! Seems like you guys had a wonderful trip. Yeah for John crawling and for your A+!!!

val--hugs that you start to feel better soon!

alice--I scored some more gymbo myself this week! Can't beat getting Matthew a whole outfit for $5 (shorts, shirt, and a hat) Unfortunatley, they didn't have any swim trunks in his size or I would have bought those as well.

bnb--Have a good trip--good luck with the 19 cats

kim--Shrinky dinks??? they still make those??? I loved those as a kid--I'll be keeping my eye out cuz I'm sure Emma would love them

joats--We're uber-Lame-o as well--we'll be driving home NYE and spending the night in a hotel off the interstate--Yippee!! Hopefully, it won't turn into last NYE when Emma got the barfs on our way home to WI!

dizagain--meant to say earlier that I thought about you when we drove through Memphis on our way up--we don't actually ever get on 55--just took I-40 across to Nashville--but I saw a sign for Collierville and thought about you (only 2 1/2 hrs. from me!)

bengalbelle--welcome!!!

justhat--congrats on Henry rolling over!

z--Happy Birthday to Connor!!!!!


WEll, I should go find my DH and then head off to bed--I've got to get a decent workout in tomorrow (my diet of cookies and beer has not been helping at all) Will chat later! Ya'll are the best!

 

[justhat]

This led up to my sig photo. It was a long night.

Dancing at Sesame Street Live!

One of my favorite skits, a parody of the BeeGees.

Madison on the plane after I surprised her with a Christmas gift, a Mickey Mouse DVD player. She fell asleep moments after this photo so she actually didn't use it till the flight home.

Henry sleeping in Kona Cafe. Wait till he learns how delicious their breakfast is and he'll regret ever sleeping through it!

Our spread. My husband was in charge of displaying everything after the kids and I went to WDW so my presentation would have been better, but whatever. Excuse the wrapping on some of the stuff. Madison bought this Mickey paper for Santa to use (she insists he wraps at our house) and Mommy only got 1 roll and Santa had to be creative towards the end so that's why things aren't totally wrapped.

On her way to the tree.

Poor Henry really got a crappy deal. Not only did he have to sit in the back while Madison opened everything, but he had to wait to have his 2 gifts shown to him before he could be fed, changed, and put to bed. Oh, and how annoyed am I that I spent $15 on that MMC dvd for shows that are on Playhouse Disney that I DVRed!!!!

Well it's time for bed for me. My friend just told me she and her boyfriend are sleeping here tomorrow night. So now I really feel like I have to clean up cause they'll have to have a place to put their stuff and put the aerobed.

ETA-Sorry about the size!

 

[lissawynn]

Morning all. I just wanted to pop in and let you know I'm still here. Jimmy has been sick since Tuesday night with a fever, runny nose, and watery eyes. He has been attached to my lap since then. I have gotten absolutely nothing done this week. My house is a wreck.
The contractor finally finished the inside of the house. Someone is coming next week to install our gutters, then we're done. Now DH needs to get moving on the new family room. BIL was here last night and they've formulated their plan for finishing the back of the house. The biggest obstacles we have is installing a door and new window. Since the original house is brick, it makes it tricky to put in new doors and windows. Most of the stuff is a custom order.

I don't have my wireless connection working, so it's been really hard for me to check e-mail and post.

I may actually get out of the house today with my sister, that is if Jimmy is up to it. I have several gift cards burning holes in my pockets and would like to get the things we need for upstairs.

I forgot to post that DH bought me a beautiful coat from Coach. I did pick it, though. The poor man has had no time to shop b/c he's been working on the house during all of his free time. The coat doesn't fit across my middle at the moment, so I'll have to wait to wear it. I also got my perfume, so I'm happy.

I hope you are all well! I'll try to catch up soon!

ETA - I have read through the last few days of posts and am glad I haven't had the time or resources to respond. The whole reason we have this thread is to support and encourage one another through this roller coaster of a ride called parenthood. Do I agree with everyone on this thread, no. Would I call them out on their choices, no. We all have different ways about getting through the everyday stuff and doing our best to see that our children are healthy and happy. We come here to share what works and ask for help/advice when things get off course.
I think icebrat and her DP should be applauded for their choice to take in Tess. The road isn't going to be easy for ANY of them. I also agree that both icebrat and her DP are capable of making the decision to seek outside help, in whatever form that may be, when they need it.
Yes, we get laughs from talking about shopping or paint colors, or whatever tickles us at the moment. By no means, however, should those kinds of things deminish our true purpose for posting on this thread. Many of us have been here from the beginning to support and encourage one another in all things that are going on in our lives.
I invite anyone out there who wishes to make snarky comments and pass judgement to start from the beginning and read through all 800+ pages that we've shared for almost 2 years.
If, however, you just want to jump in with a great bunch of ladies and share your motherhood experiences, welcome!

That said, I'm going to try to go back to sleep!

 

[DisKim]

I only have a quick moment here...

Jill - Those pictures are awesome!! It looks like so much fun!

shrinky dinks - I still have some from about 3 years ago when we got the shrinky dink maker. I got them at TRU. I have no idea if they still have them.

Val - Oh, I hope you start feeling better!! You have been so sick for so long!

justhat - Your pictures are so cute! I love the way Henry just seems to sit and take everything in. Madison's face on Christmas morning is precious!

lissawynn - I'm sorry that Jimmy is sick! One of my kids always seems to be sick over the holiday break. This year it's Alex but it just seems to be a cough and runny nose.

Have a great day ladies! I'm hoping to get out to do my returns (yuck!).

 

[Strawberry Lemonade]

Good morning! The situation with my paycheck still isn't completely resolved and the bosses aren't in yet for me to ask. At least they cut me a check earlier this week so I could deposit something while they figured this out.

NYE plans - We're going to my uncle's 60th birthday party until about 10:00, then heading home to put Lucas to bed and watch the ball drop on TV.

justhat - Great pictures! We bought the same Mickey Mouse Clubhouse DVD then ended up DVRing the episodes for free, too.

llij - Congrats on Henry crawling and the grade on your paper! Enjoy the rest of your break. My class starts next Thursday.

lissawynn - Sounds like your house is really coming along.

alice28 - Good luck with the weight loss.

DisKim - Bob Marley!

val - Sorry you're still not feeling well. Can the dr give you stronger antibiotics? The same thing happened to me this summer and I ended up having at least 3 prescriptions before something started to work.

gm - Sorry Olivia isn't sleeping well for you.

I've missed a good many of you, but some guy is supposed to be coming to fix the sink in our office and I have to make sure he's not locked out. Hope to catch up later!