The Official New Mom Thread Part 2

[TiggerStac]

Ok...I called the elem. school in my town today to find out if DS got into the Kinder. full day via lottery...well they go thru how they pull etc etc and tell me that he was the 13th boy picked. They pick 1girl, then 1 boy. Ok...then they tell me that they still don't know if they are going to have 2 full day classes next year or not and don't know when they will know. So I still don't know!! UGH... I spoke to my neighbor and she's in the other boat, there's no way that she is getting, she was the 43rd girl picked.

So, I still play the waiting game. Luckily I have him in a preschool now that has before/aftercare and so if they don't have 2 classes, he'll still have 1/2 day there and 1/2 day at K. What about the parents in my situation that will need to make arrangements if they don't get into full day!!

 

[Syrreal]

Brennan gained a whole pound this week! We're so excited.

 

[Syrreal]

Ok, we haven't had anything new in over a week....so I'll just add another update and ask how everyone else is doing this week.

We had an overall good week this past week. Ds got his two month shots and that was no fun (he was fussy for 2 days) but I did manage not to cry as he was getting them. I think it was because he had already used his "martyr cry" twice. Once when the Doc touched him b/c the doc had used hand sanitizer and his hands were cold from the alcohol evaporating, and once when I just laid him down on the table (which is padded and not cold at all), so when he used it while getting the shots it didn't affect me much. I did tear up, though. He also gained another pound which puts us at 10lbs 3 oz (at 9 wks) and in the 17% range. He still needs to gain more weight but we are slowly getting there.
Now we are working up to a Disney trip for mother's day weekend as paqrt of "Baby Tour 2007". It'll take us longer to get down to FL than if it was just Dh and I, but all the family is waiting to see the baby.

 

[Pollito916]

Hi Syrreal! Glad to see Brennan is finally gaining some weight!

Alex definitely doesn't have that problem - he was 13lbs2oz and 24" on Thursday! Those were my exact measurements when I was 4 months old! He also got his shots on Thursday. He handled them pretty well, but ran a fever and was a little cranky for about 36 hours after (along with runny diapers - eww tmi!). He seems better now, though. He also started sleeping through the night 2 weeks ago, and we had been getting 8-10 hours out of him each night, but last night he got up at 1 am. I hope it isn't starting up again.

How is everyone else doing? We need to get some new recruits around here! I know there are lots of new mommies from the Moms-to-Be thread that have delivered.

 

[Syrreal]

I wouldn't worry about it being a trend and just figure that it's related to the shots. Brennan has been consistently sleeping from about 8:30-4:30/5:00 for a few weeks now and then the day after his shots he didn't go to sleep until after 10 but then he went right back to his normal sleeping schedule. I think it also had to do with him naving the opposite problem of Alex and not going poo at all for a full day and a half. This was the 1st time he's ever done that and I don't know whether it had something to do with the vax or not. I guess I'll know if it happens again at his 4 mo appt.

Hmmm...maybe we should go advertise this thread on the moms to be thread

 

[cabmom]

Hello everyone and hello to all you new mommies! I wondered what happened to this thread and just found it on the first page to my surprise! Nice to see the new moms are keeping it bumped up!
I'll introduce myself to you new moms. I'm a mother to 4 boys 10, 8, 6 and 17 mths. I have post partum depression and am being treated for it. It's been a difficult journey, but one I'm sure will pass. I'm not going to have anymore kids, would love to, but no more. This post partum has thrown me for a loop.
I'm still off work and enjoying being with my boys. Dean is growing up way too fast. He loves being outside now that the weather is nice. He tries to dribble the basketball with the boys and loves to be picked up so he can dunk the ball in the net.
I've got my annual trip planned with my gf's to Orlando May 17 to the 21st. We rent a house in Indian Creek and relax by the pool. No one else that is going enjoys Disney like I do, so we'll probably just go to DTD. Anyone going to be down there then?

Anyway, would love to hear from some of the old timers here. Wondering how icebrat is making out with her daughter.

Take care everyone!

 

[Pollito916]

Hi Cabmom! I hope everything is going well with your PPD treatment. I had a friend go through it real bad about a year ago, and I know it can be tough. Wow, 4 boys! That's a handful, but probably lots of fun, too!

 

[Pollito916]

Syrreal - have you flown anywhere with Brennan yet? How do you do it? Do you carry him on or get him his own seat and use a car seat? Can the carriers (like the Snugride) be used on an airplane?

We're getting ready for our first trip with Alex in June and I am so confused! Do I bring his carrier & the snap n' go, or the lighter umbrella stroller? And we are staying with my sister who doesn't have any kids, so do I need his pack n' play too? I hope somebody here can help me! Any other advice for questions I haven't thought of yet would be greatly appreciated!

 

[becky_AK]

Syrreal - have you flown anywhere with Brennan yet? How do you do it? Do you carry him on or get him his own seat and use a car seat? Can the carriers (like the Snugride) be used on an airplane?

We're getting ready for our first trip with Alex in June and I am so confused! Do I bring his carrier & the snap n' go, or the lighter umbrella stroller? And we are staying with my sister who doesn't have any kids, so do I need his pack n' play too? I hope somebody here can help me! Any other advice for questions I haven't thought of yet would be greatly appreciated!

I should post on here more often. There is a lot of great information & it would be fun to meet other moms. Anyway, I have flown with my son several times already since he was born. We lived in Alaska for the first couple months so we flew quite a bit on Alaska Airlines. If the plane was not full they would let me take his car seat on with us & he could have his own seat without us having to pay for the seat. If the plane was full I would have to take him out of his car seat & hold him on my lap. He did pretty good both times. I liked it much better when he was able to stay in his car seat because I felt like he slept better & was a little less fussy. Most of the airlines also let you pre-board earlier then other guests since you are traveling with a baby, which is really nice because it gives you a little extra time to get situated before everyone else starts to board.

Hope that helps a little bit

 

[Pollito916]

I should post on here more often. There is a lot of great information & it would be fun to meet other moms. Anyway, I have flown with my son several times already since he was born. We lived in Alaska for the first couple months so we flew quite a bit on Alaska Airlines. If the plane was not full they would let me take his car seat on with us & he could have his own seat without us having to pay for the seat. If the plane was full I would have to take him out of his car seat & hold him on my lap. He did pretty good both times. I liked it much better when he was able to stay in his car seat because I felt like he slept better & was a little less fussy. Most of the airlines also let you pre-board earlier then other guests since you are traveling with a baby, which is really nice because it gives you a little extra time to get situated before everyone else starts to board.

Hope that helps a little bit

Thanks for the information! So did you use a convertible car seat or an infant carrier with a base? If you used the convertible, how do you carry that all the way to the gate? If you used the infant carrier, do you bring the base with too?

 

[becky_AK]

Thanks for the information! So did you use a convertible car seat or an infant carrier with a base? If you used the convertible, how do you carry that all the way to the gate? If you used the infant carrier, do you bring the base with too?

I have a car seat with a base. But I didn't use the base for traveling, I just packed it in my suitcase & only used the carseat. I'm sure I could've used the base on the plane but it just seemed too bulky to me.

 

[TiggerStac]

we used our infant seat for brady on the plane and packed the base. I got one of the strollers that is just a frame for our trips, instead of bringing the big travel stroller. I have had 2 strollers ruined by airlines, so I didn't want to chance it again. Worth the $50. I'll continue to use it until Brady is out of his infant seat. It has great storage underneath, but is just so much more compact!!

He slept the entire trip both ways from Boston to Orlando. He woke up for about 1 minute during take off on the way to Orlando...luckily he went right back to sleep. On the way back, he fell asleep when we were in the crown room at delta and didn't wake up until we were in the car on the way home!!

 

[Syrreal]

Syrreal - have you flown anywhere with Brennan yet? How do you do it? Do you carry him on or get him his own seat and use a car seat? Can the carriers (like the Snugride) be used on an airplane?

We're getting ready for our first trip with Alex in June and I am so confused! Do I bring his carrier & the snap n' go, or the lighter umbrella stroller? And we are staying with my sister who doesn't have any kids, so do I need his pack n' play too? I hope somebody here can help me! Any other advice for questions I haven't thought of yet would be greatly appreciated!

We won't be flying with him until late June. We're going up to Canada for a friend's wedding. If your trip is earlier than mine you'll have to tell me how it goes.

Next week we're driving down to FL to see the grandparents and great grandparents. It's going to be rushed though. It'll take us 2 days to get down to FL. Then we're staying 2 nights with the great grandparents. Then we're driving down to Miami to see my mom but while we're there we also have to get him his Brazilian passport and get his birth certificate stamped at the consulate. Then I have some other business to take care of while we're down there. We're spending 3 nights in Miami. Then we're meeting the inlaws at the world for Mother's day weekend and then driving back here. I bet we'll need a vacation to relax from this trip!

 

[Syrreal]

So, I just found out that DS LOVES the Wiggles. I turned it on yesterday just to put some kids show (instead of the Today show) on while I fixed his medicine and got ready to feed him and pump. He was in his papasan and just got all excited, moving around and stuff. Today I put it back on and had the same reaction. I guess it's all the music and bright colors. It's so cute, though. And while I don't want to use the TV as a babysitter or anything, it was nice to be able to get everything ready without him screaming (which he does in the mornings when he's hungry.

Alsom, yesterday I got his first real laugh! I was video chatting with my mom on the computer and had him on the floor so she could see him (he wasn't into being held right then). Well, I started making faces at him and he just started laughing and laughing (with real sound). I was glad that my mom got to see it since she lives so far away. I wish DH had been able to see it but he had been up till 7 am and was sleeping at the time.

 

[becky_AK]

So, I just found out that DS LOVES the Wiggles. I turned it on yesterday just to put some kids show (instead of the Today show) on while I fixed his medicine and got ready to feed him and pump. He was in his papasan and just got all excited, moving around and stuff. Today I put it back on and had the same reaction. I guess it's all the music and bright colors. It's so cute, though. And while I don't want to use the TV as a babysitter or anything, it was nice to be able to get everything ready without him screaming (which he does in the mornings when he's hungry.

Alsom, yesterday I got his first real laugh! I was video chatting with my mom on the computer and had him on the floor so she could see him (he wasn't into being held right then). Well, I started making faces at him and he just started laughing and laughing (with real sound). I was glad that my mom got to see it since she lives so far away. I wish DH had been able to see it but he had been up till 7 am and was sleeping at the time.

Isn't their laughs sooooo cute??? When my son first laughed my DH & I were so excited & kept trying to get him to laugh for the rest of the afternoon but he wouldn't have no part in that. He just looked at us like we were crazy parents & wanted us to leave him alone LOL

I think my son likes the Wiggles too. Like you said, I think it is the colors & the music that gets their attention.

 

[ahutton]

About carriers on planes - they will let you put the baby in one but not during take off and landing. They actually made me take a sleeping DS out of one when we started to descend. Something about FAA regulations.

When we've carried a convertible car seat I've carried it like an armor shield on my arm while pushing the stroller - that was the easiest way if you don't have a rolling suitcase you can bunge cord it to.

 

[Pollito916]

About carriers on planes - they will let you put the baby in one but not during take off and landing. They actually made me take a sleeping DS out of one when we started to descend. Something about FAA regulations.

When we've carried a convertible car seat I've carried it like an armor shield on my arm while pushing the stroller - that was the easiest way if you don't have a rolling suitcase you can bunge cord it to.

That's so weird about taking the baby out of the carrier during take off and landing. You would think the baby would be safer in the carrier. Does anyone else know why this is?

 

[Syrreal]

Becky_AK, it was adorable hearing him laugh and I've been trying to get him to do it again ever since. I got him to do a good laugh again today...and this time DH was out so he missed it again!

 

[Pollito916]

That's so cute Syrreal! Alex sometimes makes sound when he laughs, but other times nothing comes out. But his whole body shakes like a big belly laugh, even with no sound. It's so funny!

 

[justhat]

I haven't been on here in ages, but I've seen the carseat on airplane question come up so much on the family board so I think I can help with that.

You can't wear a baby in a carrier (Bjorn, sling, etc.) because in the event of a crash (on ground crash) the baby will act like a human airbag, coming between your body and the seat in front of you. That's why those Baby B'air vests aren't allowed to be worn during takeoff or landing either because they would do essentially the same thing.

You can't use the base for an infant carseat on a plane either, but because of where the belt buckle is. In a car the belt buckles on the side, but on a plane it buckles in the middle, so you wouldn't be able to snap the infant carseat onto the base because the airplane seat buckle would be in the way.

Infant carrier carseats (without the base) and convertible carseats can both be used rearfacing on planes for infants. The easiest way I've found to carry a convertible carseat is in a backpack carrier on my back. They sell car seat bags with straps specifically for this purpose. It's not enjoyable, but I've carried a carseat on my back, a baby in a Bjorn on my front, and pushed a stroller with my 3yo in it and an infant carseat hanging off the handles when flying alone with them so it can be done. There is also an attachment wher eyou can add wheels to the carseat and pull it like a stroller, but I've never tried it.

My best advice, if you plan to fly often, would be to buy a cheap, lightweight convertible carseat to use for travel purposes only. We have Britax seats at home (Roundabout, Marathon, and Decathalon-we've flown with the Roundabout and it's HEAVY!) but I bought 2 Cosco seats for travel-a Gotham forward facing carseat/booster for my 3yo and a Scenera convertible seat for my son now that he's outgrown his infant carrier. It makes life so much easier than lugging the Britax seats around.

And with regard to the stroller question-we have had our Maclaren Techno Classic broken twice on airplanes when we gate checked it. We then bought a cheaper, similar version that we usually take on planes, a Chicco C5. So I'd go with the snap and go frame rather than ruin a relatively new stroller if I had to make the choice.

Hope that helps-screaming boy!