The Official New Mom Thread

[floridafam]

Hi everyone,

Kona had to have her first shots today. She's so tired! We had to find a new pediatrician because her other one went on early maternity leave/bed rest.

She weighs exactly 20 pounds. She's so chubby!

I guess we have to move up to the next car seat. Are there any brands any of you Mom's like best?

tamie,

What a cutie!

Alice,

Same goes for you. We sure have a lot of cutie pies around here.

I just love everyone's pictures.

Another question for all the mommies,
What age did all of your little ones start using their exersaucers?

I hope everyone is doing well.

 

[Minnesota!]

Hey all -

All these babies are ADORABLE!!

SL - Love the name of your little man. My Lucas turned 1 on 6/22!

Kona sure is a chunk! How old is she? My son was 18# at his 2 month appt. I love chunky babes :O)

Tamie - adorable pics of Tyler! Love the ones with the ladies (your moms???). So sweet, and I am sure he will love those when he gets older. Are they expensive? I have a membership with Sears, but it expires in September, so I might be on the hunt for a new place. Although all 3 locations are a little far from home.

Alice28 = your children are gorgeous!! The boys look like spitfires :O)

Lucas is doing well. So huge - was 27#5 (I think??) at his 1 year. And 32 inches tall. He is walking like crazy (started walking "for good" meaning no more crawling on June 17). He is saying "meow" "oh oh" "daddy" and "up". Very cute. We started him BACK on formula last week. It is the stage 2 stuff. The milk was really messing with him tummy (so constipated he was bleeding when he would push). And soymilk was no better. Now that he is back on formula, he is my "regular" boy again. We will start reintroducing dairy in a month or so. I am just glad he isn't in excruiciating pain anymore.

I will post his 1 year pics shortly..

Also - he got a hop and pop at 6 months (like an exersaucer). Outgrew it before a month was up, but he did well in it..

 

[Minnesota!]

 

[castlegazer]

Britax car seats are my absolute favorite.

 

[justhat]

Minnesota, Lucas is adorable!! And he's so big! Madison is 31 in. and just about 22 lbs. now at 16.5 months. Glad to hear the formula is helping him out-that must have been horrible for him to be in such pain. It's great that you figured out a solution though.

DisKim, our Baby Bjorn is black, so I had the same concerns but Madison stayed cooler in that than she did in her stroller with the clip on fan. The light blanket I draped over the back of the Bjorn was white so I think that's what helped her stay cool (I got these very thin, cotton receiving blankets at Target-they had pastel prints on one side and were white on the other side). The only problem was for me, not Madison, and that was that I was even hotter and sweatier than I would have been, but honestly I didn't really notice cause she was rarely in the stroller so it just seemed like normal hot to me since I didn't really have a comparison.

Floridafam, how old is Kona? Madison started using her exersaucer around 4.5 months. She was able to sit on her own a week before she turned 5 months, so she was more or less able to sit up in the exersaucer without a problem when she started, and then within a couple of weeks she was sitting well on her own anyway so she was fine in the exersaucer.

We have 2 Britax carseats that we got when Madison was about 9 months old. For convenience, I highly recommend the Britax Roundabout. It's so easy to install properly and very easy to tighten the straps once Madison is in it. It's also very comfortable for her, she used to scream hysterically everytime we put her in her infant carseat and as soon as we switched her to the Roundabout she loved the car and would fall asleep everytime we drove somewhere. Had I know that I would have switched her seat months sooner. The other seat we have is the Britax Marathon, which we got because it has a higher weight/height limit (Roundabout is 40 lbs. and I think 40 in. and the Marathon is 65 lbs. and I think 48 in.). It's a great seat, and Madison loves it, maybe even more than the Roundabout since it's roomier, but it's harder to tighten the straps once she's in. It installs just as easily as the Roundabout, but because it holds to a higher weight the tightening mechanism is different and a little bit more annoying. Not hard, just annoying-what I mean is you have to keep pulling the strap, then it stops, then you pull, it stops, etc. The Roundabout you just pull till it's tight and you're done, so it's quicker. The reason we have one of each is that my husband has a Ford Focus so we didn't think the Marathon would fit in there, but I have a Ford Explorer so it was no problem in that car. With that said, we just ordered another Marathon for my mom's car so we don't have to keep bringing a carseat to her house everytime we visit (we take the train usually, so it's much easier to travel without it). We did it because we'll be able to use it longer so it seemed more practical.

 

[Gwene65]

An 18 pound baby at 2 months?!! Wow.

Meadow is really coming into her own personality wise. She is a little priss and she has little mannerisims that she does. She seems like a different baby.

I put her in her exersaucer everyday for about 5-10 minutes so she gets used to it. She will be 5 months on the 24th of this month. She isn't quite sure what to do, so she just looks around.

She still can't get the hang of eating though. It has been 2 weeks and she still pushes the cereal out of her mouth with her tongue. But we'll get there.

Thats all for now. Hope everyone is having a great day and that all the babies are still beautiful and healthy.

 

[floridafam]

Thanks for all of the car seat tips. I guess we'll start looking this weekend.

Kona is 13 weeks. She wants to sit up all the time when she is laying down or sitting in her bouncy. Maybe we will give the exersaucer a try in a month.

 

[Strawberry Lemonade]

Alice28 - Great photos. Your family is beautiful.

Minnesota! - Your Lucas is adorable!

Just wondering...how late is too late to send out birth announcements? My Lucas is 3 weeks old and I finally got around to printing out some announcements (I had made them myself before he was born and just had to insert a few pics). Do you think it's too late to send them? Most everyone I would have sent them to saw him already.

 

[Alice28]

Alice28-very cute photos too! All your kids are so adorable! And I can't believe you got all 3 to look cute at once-very impressive!

LOL- afterwards I was so stressed out I wanted to go across the street to Chevy's and get an XL Margarita! It was NOT easy getting them all to cooperate and pose. My oldest would get it right away, but by the time his bro and sis were ready he was bored and had this forced grin on his face.

I think Flash is new and isn't in all markets yet; they are able to do some many poses/colors cause it's digital. On any picture you like they can make it sepia, BW, color; they can zoom in on their face; add borders; add words. It was so crazy all the options!

Exersaucer- I've already dragged it out....I think as soon as they can hold their head up very well and are bearing weight on their legs when you hold them, it's ok. I have the old exersaucer on the deck and my MIL bought Molly one of those stationary Johnny Jump ups....Sam had one that hung in the door jam and he LOVED it, but it sure messed up the wood in the door jam. I put her in it for maybe 10-15 minutes a day or so and she thinks it's so-so.

Kona is a big girl! Wow! I bet she is just darling though....

Lucas is very cute! (Minnesota!)

I don't think it's too late to send out birth announcements...go for it!

Car seats- good to know about the Britax. I still have the two we had for Josh (he graduated into the booster) but they were nothing to brag about. I may get a new one for Molly.

Glad the poop issue was resolved! Poor gramma! LOL!

Tasha- I'm sorry the school thing didn't work out; I also believe that there is a reason for everything and it will work out when the time is right.

 

[floridafam]

I forgot to mention...

One of the vaccines Kona was due for was Prevnar. The ped said it was optional. Does anyone know anything about this particular vaccine?

She said it was for ear infections, meningitis, etc. My kids have never had a problem with ear infections.

I thought I'd ask around about it before I decide if she should have it or not.

 

[Alice28]

I forgot to mention...

One of the vaccines Kona was due for was Prevnar. The ped said it was optional. Does anyone know anything about this particular vaccine?

She said it was for ear infections, meningitis, etc. My kids have never had a problem with ear infections.

I thought I'd ask around about it before I decide if she should have it or not.

Yes, this was a new one for me too with Molly. The doctor explained it & I went ahead and had it done. She said the cases they see with ear infections has gone down about 80% for kids who have had the vaccine. My oldest had so many ear infections (and he was a breastfed baby), I thought the vaccine would be worth it to spare Molly that whole ordeal...Joshua has only had 2-3 ear infections (he did not get the vaccine) but geez louise....Sam must have had about 14-15+ between 9 months and 4 years. He was 1-2 ear infections away from having to get tubes put in at one point. Molly had no weird reaction afterwards, so I guess it was a-ok. For us anyway.

 

[gwcollins71]

Hi ladies! I have a question for you. I taught summer school for a week in June. One student's mom begged me to take her daughter even though she didn't have the money for tuition ($200). She made arrangements to pay me $25 a week for eight weeks. She signed the paper that stated if tution wasn't paid, her daughter wouldn't receive a grade and would be retained in 8th grade.
She hasn't made a payment since June 20th. I called her the Thursday before the 4th of July, and she assured me that she would make a double payment on the 5th. She never sent any money to the school.
I'm going to the school later this afternoon to talk to my principal. The secretary sent letters with grades for those students who paid their tuition, and I think this mom is assuming her daughter passed and that's it.
What would you do?

Yikes...

That's a sticky situation! I'm assuming that you work in a private school. The school should have a policy, shouldn't they?

Honestly, though. The Mom sounds like she's trying to skirt the issue. We had a lot of parents when I taught in Chicago that wouldn't send their children to summer school even though it was required and then expect them to be placed in the next grade automatically. Go figure why some of the students have the issues they do???

Good luck with the situation. I don't want to be in your position right now. I am a firm believer with middle school students having to deal with consequences. Perhaps the student and the mother need to understand this too. Can the mother still continue to pay so her daughter can pass?

Right now, I or the school's designee would send a registered letter to the parent reminding the mother about the policy. That way you're covered if the mother claims that she didn't know.

Good luck and let me know how it turns out.

Gretchen

 

[ahutton]

I bought my Misty Mate (that is really what it is called) at a sporting goods store, I believe it was REI. It looks like a thing of bottled water in an insulated bag with a strap, but it has a hose that comes out of the top with a small clip that we attached to the canopy of the stroller. I think it was $10, maybe less. You put water in it, pump up a little pressure and it runs for 30 minutes or so. Then we refill at a water fountain. We found at WDW we were rarely in the stroller much longer, especially outside. I probably filled it 2 or 3 times? We always parked the stroller covered in the rain and used the snuggly, much easier to keep the baby dry. It is also great for many of the rides.

 

[lissawynn]

Hi everyone! I'm dealing with computer issues here so I haven't been online much today. When I did try to post this afternoon, nothing happened. Ugh! I'm hoping the issues with our wireless router will be solved tomorrow. If any of you are handy with computer issues, please PM me! The Verizon people aren't as helpful as they could be.

Update on the summer school tuition...I received another $25 dollars yesterday. I'm still owed $125. I called the mom yesterday and was told I would receive payment that afternoon. They are now 2 weeks behind in the payment schedule they set up. I have to talk to my principal tomorrow. This is getting ridiculous.
In worse news, I went for my annual eye exam today and ended up spending almost $500 on new glasses and contact lenses. I haven't been in almost 2 years, and my insurance won't pay for my exam and a portion of my glasses/contacts until the end of Oct. I really didn't have much of a choice. The new contacts he prescribed are $10 a box more than the others I've been wearing forever. I just can't win. That money could be much better spent.

You all have some cute kids! Mine isn't too shabby either . I'll have to post his first "real" photos when I get them back. I didn't splurge for the online option. I spend more than I wanted anyway.

 

[tkyes]

hi everyone!

baptism outfit - i got tyler's at baby gap. it's just a white linen shirt and tan and white striped pants. i didn't like any of the traditional baptism outfits for boys that i saw at the stores.

i like the pictures we had taken at Flash - i'm not super excited to have the package though. i don't really like being commited to 4 more sittings, i kind of wanted more variety. at least i have 2 years to use the sittings so i can break up the pictures at other locations too. i think i'll do his 6 month pictures in just a diaper or naked i want to show off his rolls. i think Flash is pretty expensive. i feel bad because my MIL isn't going to order any of Tyler's pictures because they are too expensive.

Minnesota - lucas is getting soooo big! how adorable. poor guy with the milk thing - ouch! i hope it works out when you try it again.


Question - how do you know when to go up a size on the bottle nipples? size one on the Avent nipples says 0 - 3 months, but i know 3 months isn't a magic number - how do you know when?

 

[Minnesota!]

I think we switched from slow to medium flow when Lucas would start crying when feeding because he wasn't getting enough fast enough. We never went to fast flow, though. He would gag on it.

 

[Alice28]

Yes, Flash is pricey; $25 per 8x10 and $20 per 5x7. That being said, I thought that at the store I went to, their photographers were very courteous, professional, patient and good at what they do. I cannot tell you how many times we have left Sears and or Picture People completely tired/crabby/po'ed or disappointed with the session. Picture People has darling props, but I think they are $18 a sheet and are very hit or miss on how good of a photographer you will get. They also TAKE FOREVER in their "One hour" promise. Our Picture People has been a ghost town since Flash moved in.

I agree with Minnesota on the bottle nipple- if Tyler seems to just want more, faster, try switching. If it's too much, you can always go back.

You know where I haven't been in forever? Babies R Us...any good sales or cute clothes there lately? Anybody been? Maybe I will go there on my next diaper run just to check it out. I want to check out the Britax car seats too.

Anyway, I am off to bed. Why is it I am DEAD tired from about 1-5 PM and then I get a second wind at 9 or so. I NEED to be in bed, not on the computer! At least Molly stayed up til 10 tonight, so I am hoping between the breastmilk, the formula AND the cereal w/ applesauce she ate between 7:30-9:30 that she will sleep until 4 or so. I hope. 5 would be a god send.

 

[gwcollins71]

I am so excited! Lily finally slept in her own bed last night. We put her in the bassinet at 11. She woke up to be nursed around 2:30 and went back into the bassinet without a fuss. She woke up when Daddy left for work around 5 and she's still sleeping in there. I've rolled it out here by the computer though... I can't stand having her away from me.

Gretchen

 

[DisKim]

gwcollins - It sounds like Lily is doing great at night! Congrats! I hope she keeps it up for you.

ahutton - Thanks for the info on the misty mate. I'm going to look for one.

Flash isn't as pricey as the photographer I used. He did a sitting in my home and I ended up paying $400 for a package . I get alot of photos with that including a frame and a photo book on a cd. I just couldn't let those beautiful pictures go. Needless to say, I will never call that photographer again.

Aidan had his 3 month checkup today. He weighs 14 pounds, 7 ounces and he's 25 1/2 inches long. What a big boy! He had two shots but I gave him tylenol right away and he was fine. I think he just liked the taste. The doctor said he'd start him on solids next month. I thought he'd start him today. I even bought a box of cereal. He started both of my other kids at 3 months. He said the doctors are holding off now. Have any of you started your babies on solids yet? He also made me realize that I really need to get Aidan on a schedule. The poor kid has no routine since we're always running around with the other two.

 

[Tasha+Scott]

The doctor said he'd start him on solids next month. I thought he'd start him today. I even bought a box of cereal. He started both of my other kids at 3 months. He said the doctors are holding off now. Have any of you started your babies on solids yet?

I had thought about starting Kylie on solids but her pediatrician says to wait until she's 4 months. Honestly I think she's ready now b/c she can do everything they say she should be able to do to start solids. She holds her head up fine, sits up fine (w/support), and stares at Dh's and my food while we eat (which makes us feel guilty, lol!) And she can handle the big one pretty well too: not pushing all of the food out with her tongue. I know this b/c I caught my dad feeding her a little bit of his icecream cake (just the icecream part though!) off of his spoon when we were there for his b-day. At first she wasn't sure about it but after 2 bites she loved it! She even tried to grab the spoon! She probably only had 4 bites in all and that is the only "solids" she has ever had but it was enough to confirm in my mind that she's ready whenever we are. We are holding off for now anyway though. I am trying to wait till she's 4 months as recommended and will wait till she's atleast 3 months if we go any earlier.