The Official New Mom Thread Part 2

[lissawynn]

I just need a moment to whine. I am TIRED. My body is exhausted and I don't know how I am going to manage at work for another 6 weeks. I don't sleep at night (was WIDE awake at 4 this morning) and am ready to drop after lunch. I have no idea how I'm going to take care of Jimmy at night and get anything done at my house.
I just want to curl up in a ball and sleep.

I have a drs. appointment tomorrow and need to tell them about my swelling feet and hands, shortness of breath, and all-over lousy feeling these last few weeks. I have tried to be a trooper and suck it up, telling myself that it won't be that much longer. I just don't know how I'm going to make it until Feb. 9.

Thanks for listening. I have to get back to work now.

 

[Alice28]

Alisa- see what your doctor says. With both of my boys, I had to start maternity leave about 3-4 weeks sooner than I wanted to, due to high BP, exhaustion, swelling, etc. I know financially it can be tough, but you have to do what is best for you and the baby. I just want you to be mentally prepared for your doctor to say, "You need to go on semi-bedrest and stop working." I did not expect that with my 2nd! (I did a self-imposed early leave with my 1st- I was in so much pain I couldn't stand for more than a few minutes without my groin feeling like it was going to split in two).

Pregnancy is no picnic! Maybe Annabel will come at 38 weeks and you will only need to deal with this for 4 more weeks.

 

[Strawberry Lemonade]

My appointment is tomorrow morning since the dr isn't in today. I'm so out of it today. I'm in some sort of fog and I still have a lingering pain behind my left eye.

 

[tkyes]

lissawynn - Oh you poor girl! I can't even imagine how exhausted you are. I'm so sorry. Definitely mention it to your Dr.

alice - Sorry about the car seat, I've done that before too. Pain in the rear. Sorry you and DH got into a big fight. Sorry dh got rear ended too, that's scary. I'm glad everyone is ok and the damage is minor. DH still needs to bring his truck in to get fixed after he got dinged a few weeks ago. That's great that your parent's got a nice big check, good surprise!

j&d - Sorry your trip had some dissapointing moments for you. Ouch on Jenna's tooth! I hate crowds! Welcome home though

sl - Not another headache!! I hope the Dr. can help. Do you have any over the counter migraine stuff? Try some caffeine when you take a pill too, it opens up the blood vessels and gets things there faster (at least that's what a pharmacist told dh)

z - that's nice that your sister is staying longer.

val - wow, that's a long time with the nair! I know I tried it years ago and it didn't last that long for me. I need to shave every day though.

glt - you are nicer than I am picking up your ex!

diskim - I'm sorry to hear about your friend's FIL, how sad.

gm - I think I have to pass on the Vday exchange. I think I'll wait until we do an Easter one.


I am going to make my wax appt. for next week when Tyler goes to daycare. I'm so nervous, but I really need to do it. I would have to shave every day and for me that would equal major rash which would me no swimsuit. I know I'll be in a suit every day.

My mom is working from home today and she's picking up chinese and bringing it over for lunch.

gotta run!

tamie

 

[Alice28]

SL- sounds like a migraine to me. I often get them behind my left eye, or right above my left eye. I feel totally out of it, sometimes I feel like I'm going to throw up, the headache isn't a 'regular' headache where you just feel like a pressure vice is on your head- it's more like an icepick is at a very specific point in your brain & it's torture. I often just walk around in circles, wandering from here to there cause I don't know how to deal with the pain.

I'm so sorry you can't see the doctor til tomorrow...

 

[DisKim]

At Walmart I buy a box of Huggies and there are 104 diapers in the box, for $19.79 (roughly) without any coupons. On Amazon, the diapers are $29.99 with 144 diapers in the box. I'd need to order 4 boxes to use the $30 discount. Which brings me to 576 diapers from Amazon or 456 diapers with Walmarts price. So I'd be getting 576 diapers from Amazon at $89 or if I get them at Walmart it would be 456 diapers at $80 plus tax. So I definitely come out winning with Amazon. It looks like I'd basically get a box for free? We have no space for the boxes but I will find a place for them! And I guess I could order 2 boxes of size 3 and 2 boxes of size 4.

I cracked up when I read this. It sounds like one of those horrible word problems Emiy brings home from school. You know.... the kind that I tell her to go ask her father about....

lissawynn - Oh gosh, I know that feeling. It's horrible. I was pretty much feeling that way when my OB forced me out on bedrest. I left work kicking and screaming because I am a planner and it was against my "plan" and I was worried about finances. Somehow, the money worked itself out and it was the best thing the doctor could have done for me (and Aidan, of course!). I hope you are able to sleep tonight and that you feel better soon. The last weeks of pregnancy are just awful.

OK, I should not be here. I have to go type up a report for the "powers that be". It's going to be some of my best b.s.

 

[lissawynn]

Robin - I even asked my union rep if I would be eligible for sick bank days if the dr. told me I had to leave before my scheduled day. Unfortunately, I can't do that. I guess that would leave the door open to every pregnant teacher (there are three of us in my building now) to ask for an early, paid leave.
DH is very supportive of me staying home as soon as I want to, but it's not an option unless the dr. gives me the go ahead.
I'd have to use my whopping 5 sick days and then start on my FMLA leave. I have 12 weeks of that to use, but it's all time off without pay AND it counts against my retirement. I'm going to have to either buy back the time I took off w/o pay or work longer than I would want to work to get my retirement.

I just feel lousy and want a good night's sleep. I don't see how that's going to happen any time soon.

 

[Alice28]

SOG came through with some quotes for me for overflow. They weren't that great. WL was $280 + tax = $315. I *think* we are paying $365. So I asked my mom what she thought, since she and Dad are paying for the majority of the room at the WL for us, and she said, "Let's just stay with what we have." If we booked with SOG's overflow, I couldn't do the dining plan.

And, according to a CM over on the restaurant boards, I will not be able to do my fudging, which is fine. I felt funny about it anyway. They now credit adult and child credits separately at table service. So, the boys will have 2 TS credits each leftover. I think the last day we are at WL, we will go to Kona Cafe for lunch and DH and I can just pay OOP for our meals. Then I will ask guest services if I can switch the boy's last table service credit to a counter service credit, and get them a counter service for dinner before DH and I go to CA Grill. That works out just fine.

Now, to go rack up some more credits on Sunshine. I am debating using some of my ebay winnings to buy some Disney Gift cards for the trip- Super Members get 6% back on Disney purchases this month. I might! We'll see how high stuff goes.

 

[llij]

Good afternoon moms!

I’m very behind here so I apologize in advance if I miss anyone.

It has been a crazy day here. John is sick and there is a good chance he might have chicken pox. He woke up this morning covered head to toe in this horrible rash. He had his appointment with the neurologist this morning and while I thought it might be roseola, he said it looked more like the chicken pox. Yikes and Oops for bringing him out! My dh doesn’t know if he ever had the chicken pox so I need to keep those two apart. I called the nurse though at the peds office and she said to bring John in tomorrow if it doesn’t get better. Never a dull moment here!

The appointment with the neurologist went well. John is definitely delayed in his gross motor skills which is nothing new here. He will need PT and the Dr. will continue to follow up with him. He was concerned about John’s flat head and has ordered a CAT scan for that and blood work for the hypotonia. I’m waiting to hear back from the hospital on when he can have the CAT scan. They need to coordinate with the OR since John will be put under. This is all déjà vu to me b/c this is the exact same path we were on 10 years ago with Meagan. The Doctor did express concern about Meagan’s issue of her muscle pain and he is going to see her next week. It is obvious that we have something genetic going on with three of my children having the hypotonia and I think that after all of these years we will finally be able to diagnose what the issue is. I’m not too worried about all of this since we’ve been down this road before and the neurologist is very thorough and wonderful. Like I said before, never a dull moment around here!

On another note, thanks for the well wishes and prayers for my mom’s friend’s son. We don’t know the funeral plans yet. I’m just so heartbroken for the parents. I can’t imagine their pain.

GLT – How are you doing? I hope that everyone is on the mend in your house. I’m glad that you were able to use the gift card. I’ve still got the stuff for the kids and was hoping to get it out today, but it might not get out until Friday at this point.

Gems – I’m so sorry to hear that you are feeling awful! I hope that the next few weeks fly by for you so Flumpy will be born and you will feel better again. Hang in there!

DisKim – I’m so sorry to hear about your friend’s FIL. They are in my prayers. How did school go today for you?

FF – Congrats on the E-bay sale! That is amazing!

Ginamarie – A Valentine’s Day exchange sounds like fun!

Val – I’m glad that you are feeling better! How was work today?

Cabmom – How are you doing?

Joats – Jace is such a sweet guy! I love it when you post pictures of him. He is adorable!

Robin – Sorry to hear about your dh being rear ended. Congrats to your parents on their money! Also, Happy Anniversary! Your plans sound great and I hope you have an amazing weekend.

J&D – I’m so sorry to hear about your trip! I noticed that the crowds were picking up the day before we left. I hope that Jenna feels better soon too.

Lissawynn – Sorry to hear that the nasty stomach bug hit your house too and that you are feeling so bad. You have had a rough pregnancy! Maybe the doctor will have you stop working a few weeks early. You sound so tired and I feel for you! Get some rest if you can.

SL – I’m glad that the video was a smash hit. I'm so sorry to hear that you have another migraine.

Nucpharm – Glad that you made it back safely from your trip. Good luck with the babysitting today!

Zalansky – Good luck with the diaper deal! I need to look into that!

Hillbeans and Justhat – How are you guys doing?

Tamie – You will have to fill me in on how the waxing goes. I’m a big chicken in that department.

Dizagain – Is your house on the market yet? How is everything going?

Hi to all the moms! I better run. John is up from his nap.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Good afternoon all! I'm back in the land of the living! I won't comment on the 10 pages of posts that I missed, but I did read them all.

We had a nice weekend in CT (the Groton area, someone had asked). I always have a good time with my sister, bless her heart, but I really think she inherited some mental illness from our mom. She has 19 cats and 2 dogs, and frankly, her house smells like it! And she's a lousy housekeeper on top of it, I didn't even want to put Luke on the floor. The cats pee everywhere--even right by the back door, and they didn't clean it up, just put newspaper on top of it. Yuck! But, she is the kindest soul you could ever meet--she can't bear the thought of cats going to bad homes, so that's why she has so many.

I got to spend a few hours with my best friend, which is always fun. She gave me a bin of Luke clothes, plus some for Celeste, so I don't think I'll use my Gymbuck--can't justify it. So, if anyone wants it, PM me, it's yours.

Luke is finally getting back to normal after this trip--he slept lousy in the hotel, and started biting on Sunday! Yikes! He's stopped now, and this is the first time since Friday that he's slept without one of us holding him the whole time. My money would be on teething--he has one of his top teeth in, other one's on its way--which may be what Olivia is going through also, for Gina.

We also visited DH's brother and his family, which is always nice. Celeste LOVES her TMX Elmo.

I have to go--Jocelyn has an orthodontal appointment, and I have to make that cat litter cake for Robert's scout meeting today. Back to the usual grind!

But hey, Happy New Year, and now I can say, "We're going to WDW next year!"

 

[floridafam]

lissawynn,

WTH??? Your FMLA counts against your retirement? That sucks, to put it bluntly.

You don't get 6 weeks of Short Term Disability? Sometimes I wonder how they expect anyone to go into teaching with some of the pay and benefits that are offered.


DisnyPhD,

DS loved the movie. He and DH went out to lunch after the movie and had a whole day out. They both had so much fun.


Robin,

Sorry you and DH got in a fight. Sorry he's got the car seat. I hate it when that happens.

I can't believe that he was rear ended. I'm glad everyone is alright. Did the kid that did it apologize to him?


SL,

I'm sorry about your headache. Do you have any idea what may have triggered it? I hope the Dr. can do something for you.

tkyes,

Good luck with your appt. I wish I had the guts to get it done. There was a lady at the Vero Beach pool a couple of weeks ago that coud have used one. It was so bad, I wanted to walk over and hand her a razor.

I'll check back later.

 

[floridafam]

jill.

Sorry John has to have a scan and may have Chicken Pox. Please let us know how he's doing and how his scan goes when he has it.

 

[nucpharm29]

all-righty--2 of the 3 kids are napping, and thankfully Emma is the one still awake. So, I don't feel terrible Dis-ing while she's having her "quiet" time. And, now I know these pics are a week late, but here are some of our Christmas pictures

Emma with Santa at Nana's house (yes, she hires a santa every Christmas Eve)

Matthew with Santa

Even I had to sit on Santa's Lap!

The whole fam (minus one dbil and of course DH's dad and GF)

 

[nucpharm29]

And a few more, if I may.....

Emma and her pile of gifts!!!!

Our family pic on Christmas Eve!

Alissa--wow, can't believe your leave counts against your retirement--something doesn't sound at all kosher there! Hope you can get some answers from your doctor. I remember spending the last few months of my pregnancies on the couch at night b/c I couldn't sleep.

jill--sorry to hear that JP might have the chicken pox. We think Emma had them last year, even with the vaccine! OH well! Glad to hear that you have such a good neurologist, hopefully he'll be able to get to the bottom of whatever is causing all the problems.

alice--sorry the about the carseat fiasco--I've done that too! Sounds like you got hte dining plan thing worked out! That reminds me that I need to call DVC and add those extra days to our ressie--don't want to be without a room! Sorry about the fight with DH--I've been there, done that! Hope it gets resolved quickly--and I forgot your anniversary is a January one as well, ours is the 6th!!

bnb--glad you had a good time in CT. ICK about the cat pee though!

Well, I better go--think I hear one of the little ones squirming around!

 

[Alice28]

Jill- I am SO sorry John may have the Chicken Pox! Ack! I hope the doctors can quickly diagnose what's going on with John & Meagan and you can move forward from there.

Tamie- you are a braver woman that I am. DH still wants me to get a wax (a Brazilian ) and I'm afraid. I even have that gift card and they do waxing there....I'll think about it. Hope your appt goes OK!

Nuc- GREAT pictures of you and your family! What a haul Miss Emma received! Happy Anniversary to you~

Kim- so, did you come up with the most fab b.s. ever? (I thought that was funny!).

And speaking of Fab- where is she? Are you out there Fab?

Dh and I reconciled quickly after I posted that he had to hang up. Why is it that our spouses, who we love more than anyone else, can also make us say the most terrible things? Long story short, he drank too much, I blew up and said some terrible, hateful things, he slung a few words back at me, I got even nastier, we went to bed. Well, I paced for 30 minutes last night downstairs and then I went to bed after he fell asleep. I think my DH is near perfect except he just drinks one too many if there's liquor in the house. Most may think nothing of it, and that I'm overreacting, but it's a long story/history. He wasn't even doing ANYTHING to me- he was just sitting, watching TV, and I glanced at the bottle and realized how much he had drank and starting laying into him. It was stupid.

Anyway, I'm so excited the boys go back to school tomorrow. They need some structure back in their lives!

 

[llij]

The hospital was quick! They called me right back and John will have the scan next Tuesday at 9:00. Meagan had an MRI when she was about John's age and had to be sedated for that in order to get a clear scan. John will get the happy gas for this one and I'm sure it will all go smoothly.

Nucpharm - I love your pictures. You have such a beautiful family. Emma and Matthew are growing up so fast!

Robin - That is good to hear that you and dh made up. Don't feel bad about the fight though, I think we all say things that we don't mean to those we love. From your posts, it sounds like you and dh have a pretty strong marriage.

FF - Thanks for the good thoughts. I meant to ask you how Kona has been doing lately. When does she go back in for a check up?

BNBmom - Welcome back! You need to post a picture of that cat litter cake. Didn't Joats make one like that awhile back? I thought it was hilarious!

DisneyPhd - Have a great trip!

Everyone have a great afternoon!

 

[DisneyPhD]

Well we are mostly packed (a few things here and here, last min stuff left.) But for the most part we are done. The kids are making me crazy. I wish we could put them to bed now! We do plan on making them go down early tonight (7 or shortly before instead of 8). Still I think 4:00 pm is a tad early. We do have to wake up before 5:00 to get to the airport by 6:00, but we are just going to pick up the girls in their P.Js and have them change at the airport again.

I remembered the girls princess costumes this year. I hope to get some good shots.

I did something dumb though. Some people came to my door (I think JW, but I didn't even ask.) I just wanted to get rid of them and I thought I had a good excuse. They commented that it looked like a toy box had exploxed in my front room and I said we were busy packing to go on vacation. How dumb is that. I feel like a fool. I think it was most likely harmles, but I have to think more before I talk.

 

[Hillbeans]

Oh Jill - you've been through so much with little John - I really hope everything goes well next week. I'm a little unsure of how the MRI fits in with the hypotonia so forgive me for my ignorance. Are they doing the MRI to find out something about that or something else? How is Meagan feeling these days BTW? It sounds like it's crazy in your house! You poor thing. I hope that it's not chicken pox but I guess if it is at least it should come and go relatively soon.

Nucpharm - That's cute that your MIL rents a Santa for Christmas Eve. What a great idea! It looks like Emma got a ton of presents, and I love your new family photo.

Alice,Tamie - Here is the thing about the Brazilian that I didn't like - TMI ALERT - the only part of it that really hurt was the low inside part in the front and on the sides. I don't think a regular wax hurts much if you have an experienced technician and the wax isn't burning hot. A good bikini wax can last 7-10 days so it's definitely worth it. I get them done before every vacation and occasionally during the summer.

DisneyPhD - Have a wonderful Trip

Alice - sorry to hear about your fight. Hope things are better with you and DH today.

Buzznbelle - Glad you had a nice trip. I am currently cat sitting for a friend and it's only for the first time I realize that the 3 indoor cats in her house really make a mess. I had to sit down to clean out the litter box and I was covered head to toe in hair - and I had to clean up about 5 hairball throw-ups - yuck! I would never say anything to her about it, but she really needs to get her carpets professionally cleaned.

Alissa - Hope you're feeling alright - that stinks about docking your retirement for maternity leave. What a bum deal!

SL - Hope your doctor's appt goes well tomorrow. That sounds very painful.

Gotta go, more later.

 

[llij]

Hi Hillbeans - Thanks for asking about the kids. Meagan had an MRI as a baby to check her brain development since she was severly delayed in her gross and fine motor skills. At least that is what I remember as to the reason for her MRI. She also had a ton bloodwork, an EMG (yuck) and a muscle biopsy. The doctor is very conservative and started from the least invasive to the surgery (biopsy).

As a baby, Meagan had so many specialists that we lost count. She had an ENT (tubes twice for multiple ear infections), a cardiologist due to being born with holes in her heart and a geneticist and neurologist due to the hypotonia. The geneticist was also for Dave and myself since I lost my first dd due to Turner's syndrome. Being new parents, Dave and I were in a daze for the first few years of her life due to her medical issues. Thankfully, Katie only had the hypotonia and some bronchial issues due to her having RSV.

Overall the kids are very healthy today! As far as how Meagan is doing now, she still has the leg pains. We brought lots of Motrin with us on our WDW trip and some of those disposable heating pads. They seem to work and she is pretty good about getting Motrin at the onset of her pain. I will admit that I am a little worried about her muscle problems now, but I am confident we will figure this one out.

John is having the 3D CT scan to check brain development but also b/c the doctor didn't like his flat head today. I'm guessing that an MRI or CT scan is standard procedure for him based on what we did w/Meagan. He did tell me that wants to double check his brain to make sure that everything is ok and that nothing 'closed off' due to the back of his head being as flat as it is. I'm sure it is ok and the doctor is just covering all the bases just to be sure.

I know that it sounds like we have a huge medical saga going on in our home with Meagan's history and then John's cleft and all, but I actually feel that I have pretty healthy kids. Yes, there are some issues but I know everything is going to be ok and am grateful for the great doctors and hospitals in our area. I'm also thankful that I have kids at all with my history of miscarriage and recently finding out about how badly diseased my uterus was. I remember when I used to get down about all of Meagan's issues one of my best friends would remind me how I badly wanted a child no matter what. I would take what God gave me and He certainly gave me three miracles.

Gosh, I realized that I rambled on and I apologize. Sometimes it is good just to write out what is on my heart and mind. I appreciate your asking and sorry for the long response.

On another note, I am in awe that you got a brazillian! My husband would love love love it if I did!

DisneyPhd - Have a great trip!!! Don't feel bad about what you said. I've caught myself saying something about being gone and then wished I hadn't. It is tough when you are busy and trying to get everything together.

 

[DisKim]

Jill - OMG!! I hope John is okay! Poor little guy!

nucpharm - What great pictures! You have such a beautiful family. Matthew and Emma are just adorable!

lissawynn - I'm relating so much to your posts today. The maternity leave for teachers is just awful. We shouldn't have to think that way. I've never given much thought to the whole retirement issue because I guess I've never planned on retiring from teaching.

FF- Yes, the maternity for teachers is horrible. In NJ, we have no state disabiltiy or maternity coverage. Basically, you use your sick days. In most districts, you can only use 30 days. Of course, you have to have 30 days banked. You wouldn't believe what the planning that most teachers I know have put into having a child becuse we have to plan the sick time. That's why my kids are all so far apart in age.

Robin - Oh, my bs was wonderful. I was also supposed to hand in examples of student work and lesson plans with my report. I refused to do it. They are out of their minds if they think they are getting any of that stuff out of me. I have better things to do with my time than put stupid paperwork together so they can make themselves look good. OK, work vent over. Sorry.

I'm sorry you and your DH had a fight. I almost always feel at fault when we fight too. It's always a matter of my picking on Dh going too far.

DisPhd - You must be getting so excited for your trip!

Bnb - 19 cats!! Ewww! I can't handle animal stink. I chase our puppy around with doggie cologne constantly.

Ugh! My post was just interrupted by the dog jumping all over Aidan. Thank goodness he is fine. There is not a scratch on him. He was just trying to get someone to play with him.

ETA - Jill - I just saw your post. You have such an amazing attitude! I agree that the doctor is just being cautious. Aidan had a flat head just from lying on his back so much. Alex had that too. BTW, you are right, you have 3 healthy, beautiful miracles.