The Official New Mom Thread

[lissawynn]

Just a quick pop-in before heading to the library. My students are finishing their research today, so I'll be out of my classroom.

SL - Your situation sounds terrible. It's my worst fear of leaving Jimmy with DH's family for any extended period of time. It's never going to happen. I hope Lucas calmed down and recovered!

Talk to you all later!

 

[justhat]

Okay, so after all that talk I did about Madison loving school, sure enough she cried this morning. There was a reason though. We usually park someone on the street, walk to her school, and she gets handed off to whichever one of the asst teachers is doing dropoff and they walk her into the class. Today, since I had to bring snack, I pulled up to the dropoff line and parked there, so her asst teacher helped me unload the car, including Madison who definitely did not like being removed from the car by her teacher instead of me. Then I had to go inside the classroom to carry in the food and so that confused her too and there were a lot of tears, ending with her teacher holding and hugging her so I could leave. I guess they really do thrive on consistency cause this small break in the routine really threw her off schedule.

Oh, and let me explain why snack cost so much (not sure if anyone really cares, but since I realized that $90 sounded like a lot of money since you're probably thinking crackers or something). Snack is a big thing in her class, the kids prepare it themselves and spend a lot of the morning working on it. They bake some sort of muffin or biscuit everyday, slice cubes of cheese, cut pieces of fruit, and have some sort of bread product. So I had to buy blocks of cheese, crackers, tortillas, and mini bagels, baking supplies (both muffin mixes and then flour, milk, baking soda for the biscuit recipe they use), gallons of water (can't drink DC tap water cause most of the city still has lead pipes-they're actually redoing that street now but are holding off on the school till the summer), and then lots of whole fruits-I got oranges, apples, bananas, and cantaloupe. So that is why is cost a lot and I am thrilled that I only have to do it once this year. Of course, being a room parent I more than made up for that by paying for the dessert for the class social and drinks for the holiday breakfast.

Well the laundry is all finished so now I don't know what to do with myself. Maybe I'll rank the list of hospital options we have so I can go over my choices with my husband tonight. Of course getting him to make his list is a different story....

 

[Hillbeans]

HI Everyone,

I've got lots of pages to catch up on from this weekend which i'll do tonight, but I just wanted to post a few pictures that I have of the Christening and Birthday Party:

Kevin's

Liam and I

Another pic of Liam and I

Myself, Rick and Liam (it's a little blurry)

The birthday party yesterday was lots of fun. We had 10 kids there. Funny thing, and I know other posters have mentioned this before, that two of the kids brought their siblings along (?). It worked out alright because one guest didn't show up but I did think it was odd that parents whom i've met once or twice in passing at school brought their other kids to a party - even one of the presents was signed from both kids (one in my son's class and one from her 2nd grade sister).

I'll try and catch up with everyone tonight.

 

[DisKim]

Justhat - Wow, that is an intense snack. At my kids' preschool, they were given some cheese puffs on a napkin and juice. That sounds cool though. Kids just love to prepare their own food. It must be a great preschool. I can't believe the way people responded to you on that other thread.

Hillbeans - Happy birthday to Kevin. I'm glad the party went well. I'll have to look at your pictures when I get home. My work computer is ancient and won't download them.

SL - Poor Lucas!! It sounds like he was just a plaything for everyone. I hope he's feeling all better today.

To those of you who have experinenced morning sickness. I feel so bad for you. I had 3 and was lucky enough never to experience it. I've had friends who come to work and get sick and then teach. I just don't know how they are able to do that.

Well, I have cafeteria duty in one minute. Have a good day everyone!

 

[bellacam]

JustThat - That snack program sounds amazing. Much better than animal crackers and juice!

Hillbeans - Glad the Christening and party went well but I can't see the pics either.

DisKim - How lucky to escape MS! That is the only part of having a second child I am not looking forward to.

SL - I can't imagine how upset you were at Lucas's situation the other night. Your post and the replies got me to thinking about how we feel about who we leave our kids with. I have no problem leaving Aidan with anyine in my family and most oftern it may be overnight. However, we have never left him alone with any of my in-laws. I am very uncomfortable with him being alone with them. DH parents are my grandparents age and it has been along time since they were around babies. I wondered though, is it just me being biased towards my own family? Do most moms feel this way?

 

[llij]

Hillbeans - Great pictures of the birthday party and Christening. You all look great!

 

[Hillbeans]

Not sure what's up with the pics but they work again now. They're on Kodak easy share, so i'm not sure if they'll stay or not.....

Thanks Jill!

 

[Alice28]

Holy Cow, you all have been BUSY!

SL- I totally understand your anger and frustration- I would have been flipping my lid.

Great pics Hillbeans!

Jill- glad your daughter had a fun birthday!

Here is a pic of DH, Molly and I at the party-

Anyway, I will try and catch up more later!

 

[lissawynn]

Hi all. It's finally my break from the library. I did forget to go observe the new teacher I'm mentoring, so I have to try to get that done later today. I swear, when I'm away from my own desk and calendar, my mind goes to mush. I'm just happy I only have one more period in the library. The times drags on in there.

bellacam - I feel the same way about leaving Jimmy with my in-laws. I just don't like the idea of him being with people who have no idea of his schedule, likes, dislikes, etc. Before Christmas, I had to drop off food at another teacher's house b/c she was having a party and I wanted to give her time to get ready. Anyway, DH took Jimmy to his parents' house to visit his sisters. When I walked in Jimmy was screaming his head off and was clearly scared/unhappy. My FIL didn't want to give me my son! He told me he was alright and would stop crying. I pretty much took Jimmy from him and told him what my son needed was his mother. Jimmy doesn't know them very well and was scared about being passed around from stranger to stranger. I was kind of ticked off about the whole thing.

justthat - Your daughter's snack is a neat idea. It gives kids the knowledge to make better food choices. I'd hate to have to clean up after them, though. I had terrible morning sickness with Jimmy. I spent the first three months of my pg lying on our sofa and doing little else. I never threw up but felt like I was going to all day long. I hope I don't feel like that next time.

DisKim - Hope cafe. duty went well!

I think VB should give me some kind of kickback for doing such a good job selling their bags to you all. I really love them and find them to be functional and good-looking.

Back to the library in a few! Have a good day!

 

[lissawynn]

 

[lissawynn]

Question for those of you whose children had ear infections...
I'm afraid Jimmy still has or has another ear infection. He's been tugging on his ear again. We were at the drs last week and received another antibiotic. Jimmy took the antibiotic and still seems to have some kind of discomfort with his ears.
I called a family dr today to see if she could take a look at him, but she isn't taking on new patients until March. We really don't have a regular dr b/c DH and I try to tough it out when we're not feeling well (unless we're really sick).
I don't know if I want to take him back to the ped. if they're just going to prescribe him with another antibiotic. At this point I'm not sure if I trust their judgement concerning this problem. This has been an issue since Jan. 3 and it seems as if everything they've done hasn't made the ear infection go away.

I'm not going to post this on the families board b/c I don't want people calling me a child abuser b/c Jimmy wasn't seen by a dr. first thing this morning.

 

[llij]

Lisawynn - My oldest had chronic ear infections from 4 months old and on. She eventually ended up getting tubes (2 times) which was the best thing we could have done. She was on so many different antibiotics that she would develop a resistance to them and they would no longer work. It sounds like the antibiotic that they prescribed Jimmy isn't doing the trick. If he is still having problems in a few days then maybe they can prescribe a new antibiotic. (I know that isn't what you want to do though.) Does he sleep ok at night? If he is acting like he isn't feeling bad then maybe the doctors might let it resolve itself on its own. I'm lost on how they do things nowadays but it does sound like Jimmy's medicine didn't take care of the problem. I'm sure they handle things so differently than they did 10 years ago and I hear that they don't always prescribe antibiotics for ear infections like they used to in the past.

Another idea might be to call an ENT since the peds haven't helped out too much. Anyways, good luck to you guys and I hope Jimmy feels better soon!

Alice28- The picture of you, DH and Molly is great! Thanks for sharing it with us!

 

[tkyes]

lissawynn - I might go back in or see an ENT like jill suggested. It's worth a shot. Another thing to consider might be a chiropractor. I don't know a whole lot about it, but when I did a search on ear infections when Tyler had one, a lot of stuff came up about that. I read a couple of stories where kids had chronic ear infections. They were adjusted and never had one again. Our neighbor is a chiro. and if Tyler gets another ear infection I might just talk to him about it.

justthat - that's quite a snack! It sounds great!

Hillary - I'm glad everything went well. For some reason I can't see your pictures. I'll have to try again later.

alice - great picture! I'm glad the party went so well!

SL - What a horrible story You stayed more calm then I would have. Poor Lucas! So far we don't have any nightmare inlaw stories. I think my MIL is scared of me, and I'm totally ok with that! Especially if it means she won't try the stuff with Tyler like she would with her other grandkids.

diskim - Sorry you didn't have the greatest night out. That's too bad about your friend!


I took out the suitcase today and started putting stuff in it for our trip! I have no idea what I'm going to wear though. I've been thinking so much about Tyler's clothes that I haven't thought about mine!

Here are a couple of 9 mo. pictures of Tyler.

 

[zalansky]

Just popped on to see what you all are up to and I don't have time to read through all the posts....but Hillary I can't see your pics either! Darnit....but I am glad everything went so well for you this weekend.

Love those pics of Tyler, his face is priceless, he is too darned cute for his own good!

Alice28- looks like you guys had a great time at Dh's party. Thats a good pic.

Our weekend was a semi-bust...we did go to Animal Kingdom Saturday, but for those of you who were envious, don't worry! The wait for Expedition Everest was 2 HOURS LONG!!! Needless to say, we didn't wait. It was SO crowded we decided to leave after one ride and some walking with our "invisible stroller". We tried to get dining ressies at Boma, Chef Mickeys and even Cali Grill. All booked. So, we drove home and dropped off the kids with the in-laws and we went out to eat alone! I told DH we will just go another day first thing in the morning. It looked like a very cool ride and people were giving reviews.

Cameryn's christening went ok, nothing eventful....we hardly got any pics because we had to stand up there along with the godparents and no one bothered to take pics, they filmed instead. Oh well. Hakuna Matata. There were 2 boys and 2 girls getting baptized yesterday and the other baby girls name was Cameron too. She had a GORGEOUS gown on, it must have cost several hundred dollars. Put our BRU dress to shame! I hated Cam's dress when I put it on her, which I didn't do until I got to the church and by then of course it was too late. Oh well again, water under the bridge. Hope everyone had a great weekend.

 

[Inside Ball]

JustThat Snack idea sounds great no nurseries I know of have any ideas like that.
tkyes your pics are so cute
Lissawynn sorry none of mine have ever suffered with ear infections.Your health system seems really strange in comparison to ours.
bellacam I have the same feelings I never have any worries about leaving the kids with my family but when its the in laws I am always nervous.
Zalansky Must be great to live near Disney, i'm sure Cameryns gown was cute.
I am going to try and work out how to post some pics.

 

[DisneyPhD]

Hi inside a ball, havne't seen you around in a while.

It has recently come to my attention that some people have felt ignored by how fast this thread moves. I don't want anyone to feel that way (and I know the other mommies don't either.) So Hello and Welcome all mommies! So please don't anyone feel ignored, just keep posting even if not everyone responds to every post! It just moves too darn fast around here!

 

[DisKim]

DisPhd - Oh goodness, I try not to ignore anyone! I'm sorry if I have! I have no short term memory (3 kids). I forget most of what I read by the time I start to post! Luckily, my long term memory is great!

Hillary - I still haven't gotten to see your pictures. I thought it was because of my computer at work.

zalansky - I'm glad the christening went well. I wish you could have gotten on Expedition Everest. I'm dying to know what it's like.

lissawynn - I was going to say the same thing as Jill. I think Jimmy might need tubes. His ears should be clear by now. I agree that Vera Bradley should give you kickbacks for all of the interest you've drummed up on this board.

tkyes - Tyler is just adorable. I love the one where he is standing and giving a model look to the camera. How much does he weigh? He looks about the same size as Aidan who weighed in at 23 pounds at his 9 month check up.

Alice28 - Great picture. I love Molly's outfit! I'm glad the party went well.

 

[lissawynn]

Insideball - You'll get no disagreement here about our health system. If only we had universal coverage for everyone. Life would be so much easier! I think you all have the advantage over us on that issue.

zalansky - Glad to hear the christening went well. Jimmy was baptized in the same outfit as DH. It took some careful cleaning but our drycleaner made it look amazing. You wouldn't have known it was almost 36 years old. Too bad about EE; I can't wait to ride it in July.

tykes - Tyler is SO darned cute! I love the over-the-shoulder pic is awesome! What a little doll! Thanks for the info about the chrio. I used to go to get adjusted once a week and it did wonders for my neck and sciatic nerve. I don't know how receptive DH would be to Jimmy going.

Jill - I don't know if he's got another ear infection or not. He's been sleeping very well, but he's grabbing his ear a lot. His eye was kind of yucky this morning, too. I'm going to give it another day or so to see what happens. He has no symptoms like he did right after Christmas (eyes glued shut with gook, no sleeping, crying). Our school librarian's DH is a retired ENT. I might ask if he can just take a look at Jimmy so I know where to go from here.

Alice - Great pic of you, Molly, and your DH. It must be so wonderful having him home. How's your Tribaca working our for you? DH was telling me that he loves our Tahoe and never wants to get rid of it. I may have to settle for drooling over your car.

One of my colleagues is on her way to pick up our dog crate. She got a German Shepherd today and needs to crate train him. Our GS is wonderful with Jimmy. I am so wishing we could get a puppy, but now is not the time. I think our old boy has enough going on with Jimmy moving all over the place.

I got my order from Land's End today. I love the bathing suits! They are so comfy! I can now skip the horrible pre-summer tradition of trying on suits in harsh dressing room light that magnifies how pale and flabby I really am! I also like my boots and sandals. Great deals!

 

[llij]

Hi Mommies!

DisneyPhD - I saw that thread where some people mentioned that they felt ignored on this thread. I felt bad b/c I know that no one intentionally leaves anyone out. It is just that this thread moves too darned fast. I actually have a pad of paper and a pen so I can take notes! That was nice of you and Hillbeans to invite the ladies to come back on continue to post. Anyways, if I ever leave anyone out, I apologize in advance b/c I don't mean to do it.

Lisawynn - It sounds like you got some great deals from Land's End. I need to go check them out. It is always so depressing trying on swimsuits so if I can get something good online then I am all for it. I hope Jimmy gets better soon. Like Tamie mentioned, I've heard about using a chiropracter too for ear infections. I've heard it works great!

Inside Ball - I will agree that our health care system is a little messed up. Don't get me started on insurance coverage. If I don't have to deal with our insurance company for the rest of the year it will be great!

Zalansky - Bummer that you didn't get pictures of Cam's baptism but that is great that you got video. We always seem to get one or the other but never both. One day John Paul will be complaining that we have no videos of him. I bet Cam's outfit was beautiful! Sorry to hear that you didn't get to ride Expedition Everest. How long does it take you to get to Disney?

Hillbeans - I can still see your pictures.

Justhat - The snack does sound neat! I would love to go and see all the little ones preparing it. It sounds like fun!

Bellacam - My IL's live far away so no problem about them watching the kids b/c well, they can't. I actually think it is better that way for us. The only person I really trust is my mom b/c she spends so much time with us that she knows the kids really well.

Hi to everyone else! I hope I'm not forgetting anyone! Have a wonderful evening.

 

[joats]

Hey there Mommies. It has been weeks since I've posted. However, I do read everyone's post every other day or so. My problem is that the thread moves so quickly and so due to lack of time I don't post because I can't reply to all, then the next night I have even less time and so on and so on. I have been keeping up with all your celebrations, frustrations, losses and events. I didn't realize how long it had been since Tykes wrote about not hearing from me (thanks Tykes).

Long story short from my end: Jace got 2 more teeth. The top ones were a lot more difficult for him to get thru. We had Jace tested for my hereditary blood disorder and unfortunately he does have it. Right now his level of anemia is not too bad, but if it goes lower, he will need blood transfusions. It is our hopes that he will make it w/out any bad anemia until the age of five when he can then have his spleen removed to basically "cure" the disease. DH is getting relocated to the same town where I work. Since it is 45 minutes away, we are thinking of selling our house and moving up near work so that we can have more time with Jace.

There is not enough time in the day and I am so envious of all of you SAHM's on this board. And to those of you working and posting regularly - I don't know how you do it all! Please know that even if I don't post, I am reading and thinking about you.

I'll have to have DH put up new pics of Jace.
Off to do my nightly chores. Have a good one!