The Official New Mom Thread

[Alice28]

Add Molly to the group who are not crazy about baby food. She'll tolerate it, but I'm lucky to get her to eat a jar at one sitting. She likes to gnaw on crackers, the Gerber veggie puffs, Cheerios, etc much more. And she STARES at us when we're eating people food. It's kinda funny.

Tasha- I hope you are able to go to MNSSHP- I haven't been, but we got a sneak preview of the Halloween fireworks when we were there a few weeks ago- they were AWESOME! I'm glad your DH got a job with better bennies and such. Molly also can be a poop when I leave the room or leave her with my mom or dad (whom she sees 2-3 times a week). I'm afraid to think how she might be with her own daddy when he comes home. My boys went to a babysitter for 4 hours a day at about 2 months on....Molly is only with me and you can tell.

I went to Gap Outlet yesterday. Reminded me of why I love the Gap. I shopped there a LOT with the boys and then got on the Gymboree kick with Molly. I got SO MUCH STUFF for under $80. A embroidered sherpa coat for Molly for next year. A Christmas dress. Jammies for her and Joshua. Velour pants and a shirt for Molly. Hat for Josh. A CUTE pair of bear "Camo" pants for only $5 that I just HAD to get for my neighbor's son. Couple other odds and ends. I had seen a sherpa coat at Gymbo for Molly but at $69 I was like, "You've GOT to be kidding me!" $18 was much more like it at the Gap. I highly recommend taking a trip if you have an outlet near year- everything was at least an extra 20-50% off the lowest ticket price. Well, almost everything- I think one thing I bought was full price at $12.

Val- I hear you about the Christmas shopping for kids deal. I got a copy of a copy of a Toys R Us Friends and Family invite for tonight. I hope they let me in with it. 20% off the entire purchase. DS7's bday is next month too. I plan on spending about $300, which would get me $60 off. I try and keep it at about $100 per child for Christmas; not planning on spending that much on Molly, but you know how it goes. DS4 wants the Dora's house AND kitchen. My parents got him the house; I'll get the kitchen tonight. Thank goodness he wants something else besides Star Wars. I'm sick of Star Wars! DS7 is all into Bionicles, so I will get a couple of the bigger sets- one for bday and one for Christmas. And then I need to get a storage box or something at Target to keep all the pieces in- Legos are cool, but a pain in the rear with all the little pieces!

Dh called again this AM; he tried calling his mother, who claims she always has her cell phone on, and she didn't. (She's in Ohio this week). He was frustrated. It was just good to hear his voice. I was in tears this morning cause I just WANT HIM TO COME HOME. I'm tired of this. Not wigged out tired, not stressed out tired, just weary tired. Thanks for letting me vent here ladies- you must be sick of my whining.

 

[lissawynn]

Hi ladies. Jimmy is bouncing away in his Jumperoo so I get a few minutes to type. He's getting around so much I can't get much done w/o watching him. He is especially clever at getting under our coffee table to reach at DH's books. Then he smacks the top of his head on the way out. Not so much fun.

I bought Jimmy the Gerber fruit puffs last night in every flavor Target had. I also got him the fruit wheels. I will start trying him on easily mushable veggies. I did give him some very tiny bites of chicken this afternoon. He doesn't quite know what to do with it, but he gets it down. He still enjoys the baby food fruit, just not the veggies so much. He constantly stares at anyone with food. It is funny. He also mimicks our chewing motions. Too cute!

One of my good friends and I went out for some shopping and dinner last night. She is going through a really rough time with her hubby. She almost died while giving birth to their son about 2 1/2 years ago. She had some rare heart condition no one picked up on while she was pg, and she arrested while in labor. After weeks in ICU and a surgery to put in a pacemaker, she's finally back to "normal". She had to take 1 1/2 years off from her teaching job b/c she was too weak to work.
Anyway, I guess her DH told her about a year or so ago that he no longer had feelings for her. They've been together since h.s. (1992). He's been treating her terribly. He pretty much ingnores her anytime they're both in the house together, won't go anywhere with her, and says some pretty nasty stuff to her. She is at the point where she's tired of his crap, but doesn't want to just let her marriage go. She moved in w/her parents for 3 weeks this summer and they went to 2 counseling sessions (he didin't want to go back). He just doesn't want to try.
I don't know what to tell her or to do for her. She did have a good time last night, so I guess that's something.

Alice 28 - I redeemed my Gymbucks last night. I got an outfit for my DN and a friend's daughter. I got Jimmy a few things, too. There just wasn't that much I wanted to spend the $$$ on. I hope DH gets home soon. Hang in there!

Val - Congrats on getting your shopping done! I wish I was finished. I have stuff for 2 of DH's nieces, something small for Jimmy, and an outfit for my DN, and a friend's daughter. I'm not even close to being done, though.

SL - I can't wait to find out how much your little guy has grown. Jimmy had outgrown 3-6 stuff way before 6 mo. They get so big so quickly.

Tasha+Scott - Congrats on DH's new work situation. MNSSHP was a blast. You should definitely go when you can. I think we'll be taking Jimmy when he's older.

justhat - I'm going to start giving Jimmy bite sized pieces of our food. I'll probably still try some baby food here and there. I want to make sure he's getting enough to eat.

DisneyPhd - I'm sure Lily will be moving like mad soon. Jimmy rolled all over the place and still does. He does like his newfound crawling skills, though. He likes being able to see more stuff.

katerkat - Jimmy is not liking the veggies as much as he one did. He still loves the fruit. He likes Cheerios and enjoys throwing them on the floor for the dog. The dog likes it, too.

 

[justhat]

Lissawynn, I know about that fear that they're not getting enough to eat. I loved it when Madison would eat baby food cause at least I knew how much she was getting. but when she moved to real food she'd always lose pieces to the floor, highchair, clothes, etc. so even though X amount was missing from her plate, it didn't mean she ate that much. Of course, she's very thin to begin with so that made me worry more. Right now she weighs almost 23 lbs., but she's tall, about 33.5 inches, so I really wish she'd eat more. Now, if we let her eat as much bread as she wanted, she'd definitely weigh more, but she also wouldn't really get any nutrients in. It's hard making sure they're healthy! Oh, just a word of warning on the Gerber wagon wheels-they're very large and a little harder to chew than the puffs. They don't dissolve as fast. So if you're worried about him choking (which was my biggest fear when I started real food since she didn't have any teeth) then definitely save them till after you see he's comfortable with the Puffs.

I also redeemed my Gymbucks yesterday. I had a lot more than I thought, 7 of them. My mom gave me a $50 gymbuck and I 'earned' the rest myself. I thought it would be way too much to spend, but I got Madison's Christmas and Thanksgiving outfits, complete with the matching socks and sweaters (which I normally don't do), then some more winter outfits and some Christmas gfts for family. I was actually over my total so I had to take things out of my basket (I buy it all online since we don't have a store in DC so there's no tax). I ended up spending $176.01 and got $370 worth of stuff using my Gymboree Visa, free shipping, and Gymbucks so I was pretty happy with that.

During the Toys R Us sale last month, that green tag sale, I stocked up on gifts for Madison, my nieces, nephews, and cousins. So between that stuff and Gymboree I'm done with Christmas shopping! Well, sorta, I still have to get my mom, MIL/FIL, SIL, and BIL stuff, but we don't spend much on them. BIL is 17 so he's the hardest to shop for. SIL has kids and our rule is once you get kids you don't get a gift anymore (it was getting way out of hand buying tons of things for everyone every year). Problem is she won't adhere to that rule with us, so we end up having to get something for her, but I keep it small. And for the grandparents we did a picture frame with Madison's photo on one said and her handprint on the other last year, so it was cheap, but very cute and they loved it.

 

[Alice28]

Justhat- what did you get Madison at Gymboree? I only had 2 Gymbucks this time and got Molly some items from the Ballerina line. I thought that was really cute- some black velour overalls with onesie, some leggings and two tops to match it. And that was my $100! (Well, I spent $50). My mom bought her the dark burgundy velour romper with a squirrel on it for Thanksgiving. I saw a sneak peek of the next line- it's too BRIGHT for me, so I will be passing on it I think. (that's a good thing!).

Lissawynn- I hate to talk about it these days, but my husband was a real jerk about 6 years ago. To the point where he sounds like your friend's husband. He said he wanted out of our marriage, etc. Ended up he was in a deep depression over work issues. Had nothing to do with me. But it was also shortly after our first son was born too- I think that can send some men for a loop if they're not quite emotionally ready for fatherhood. I went to counseling solo a few times and finally told him, "You know what- I'm sick of arguing with you. If you REALLY think divorce is the only answer, then I will give in to you. But we're always going to have contact with each other all the time because of our child, and we're going to be a financial mess if we split." I also told him that marriage really wasn't about "love"- it was about a committment you make to another person in front of God, and that you are going to stick to that committment even when you don't feel in "love" anymore. I was calm about it when I said it too- not emotional or angry. That sent him for a loop- the next day he said to forget everything he said about divorce and from that point on we've worked really hard at making our marriage better than ever. The feelings of love come and go and I think that if you stay committed to each other thru the times of lack of love, that the love comes back 10 fold later on.

I'm not saying that things can necessarily turn around for your friend- it sounds like she and her DH have a long history together (same with DH and I- we began dating when I was 18) and it would be a shame to throw it away. I'm a believer that most marriages go through a dark time, and that if the couple can struggle through the to other side, it will make for a stronger future. I really feel for your friend. Now that DH and I have been through that, I really don't think anything can tear us apart. It's why we went on to have two more kids....and it's why that although this separation has been tough, we both are getting through it with our feelings for each other in tact. We know things can be much worse!

 

[Hillbeans]

Justthat - wow, you're already on your christmas shopping?? I guess i'd better get started, it'll be here before we know it, right? I already booked a photo session at Sears to get portraits done, but the shopping is something I need to start.

Lisawynn - sorry to hear about your friend and her marriage issues. It's sad after going through such a hard time together that for some marriages it just takes it's toll and you can't stay together. Look how many families that have children with disabilities break up due to the pressures of day to day life? It's sad. I hope things work out for her.

SL - I can't believe how big Jimmy is these days - how time flies!

Hi Tykes and Tasha, Alice and everyone else!

Have any of you ladies gone on any Mom's message boards (like sheknows.com?) I don't post on any site but here, but I often looked up the Due in October board just to see and hear other mom's due around the same time as me. Anyway, A woman posted a terribly unflattering picture of herself 2 weeks after giving birth without a shirt on in her bra - YIKES. What is wrong with people? Who the heck thinks it's a normal thing to do that sort of thing? I know most of the posters on those sites are women, but geesh - some people just have no clue.

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. I just got a few minutes to myself but i'm being called from the next room so i'll talk with you all later!

 

[justhat]

Well, if you really want to know what I got Madison...
For Thanksgiving she got the 'silk floral trim dress' from the layette Holiday line. We have a December wedding too so she will be wearing it for that too so I didn't mind the $42, plus the $32 sweater too much.
For Christmas (and NYE too-we'll be in WDW for both) she got the black floral baby girl dress, with socks and bows (which I never buy).
Then for other random stuff, the burgundy pants and a onesie with squirrels on them, and little cordoroy pants, cordoroy skirt, and 2 shirts from the Rocky Mountain line. The rest I spent on my niece and nephew (I rarely get my nephew much from there, but occasionally there's a cute find).

 

[DisneyPhD]

Yea!!!!!!! 100 pages!!!!!

Way to go Mamas!!!

I got the girls some really cute christmas dresses at cost co and they were only $15 each! Lily can fit in and old one of Anna's but it doesn't macth Anna's new one so for that price they both got one.

 

[katerkat]

Not wigged out tired, not stressed out tired, just weary tired. Thanks for letting me vent here ladies- you must be sick of my whining.

You can whine all you want! I'm only doing a 60-day deployment (plus however long with this kidney stone) with one kid - I can't imagine 18 months with three!

Thanks for the well wishes for DH. He was told it's as close as men can get to childbirth, so he asked for the epidural. They're still not budging on him coming home - you'd think it'd be easier for him to stay hydrated when not in, ah, warm conditions!

 

[ceiligh1]

Hello everyone,
I just found this thread and have enjoyed reading all of the previous posts. Everyone has been so helpful with questions and concerns that I thought I would ask one of my own. We have been swaddling our son at night, he has been unable to quiet or go to sleep without it. I know that at some point he will grow out of this and we have tried a couple times to put him to sleep in sleep sacks but he just fusses for hours if we do. At what point do babies start to dislike swaddling? He will sometimes take a nap in the daytime without it but for the most part for naps and at night he has to be swaddled. My DH is the only one who can wrap him tight enough for his liking, needless to say when he has to be swaddled for naps this is a problem. Does anyone have any ideas on how to get him to transition without hours of crying? Thanks so much.

 

[tkyes]

oh my goodness, i'm so far behind!!

ceiligh1 - babies will definitely work themselves out of the swaddling stage. i say, if swaddling works with him you'll have to stick it out. it won't last much longer. i guess you'll have to have dh give you lessons lol - we had certain blankets that worked better than others for swaddling. the waffle weave blanket is nice and stretchy and you can get them buddled really tight! good luck and welcome!!

i have no idea what tyler is going to wear for christmas. i'm still trying to figure out what he's going to wear for his 6 month pictures! i need to do some online searching. unfortunately i can no longer shop the Gap online. they don't support my browser anymore. i need to go download mozilla i guess!

we started tyler on oatmeal cereal last week - he loves it! much better than the rice cereal. he opens his mouth so well. this week i'm going to introduce either apples or bananas into his cereal. i have high hopes of trying to make some of his baby food myself. i'll probably end up saying it's too much work and give up. i figure it's worth a shot though since i'm at home. anyone ever do their own baby food? any advice?

hello to everyone and their babies

tamie

 

[katerkat]

i have high hopes of trying to make some of his baby food myself. i'll probably end up saying it's too much work and give up. i figure it's worth a shot though since i'm at home. anyone ever do their own baby food? any advice?

I do Russ's. It's easy! Really! (Though I may change my tune - I'm attempting a squash this afternoon!) Bananas are super easy. Just peel, break into pieces and toss in the blender or food processor. Spoon into ice cube trays, cover, freeze for a couple hours, then pop out the cubes and store them in the freezer. Some of the other foods you need to cook until very soft first. I use recipes from wholesomebabyfood.com.

 

[justhat]

We did our own baby food with fruits and some veggies at home too, but we did use the jarred foods when we went out or on vacation. The easiest ones you can do yourself on a regular basis are things like sweet potatoes, bananas, berries (we skipped strawberries for the most part till she was a year, but she did taste smoothies we'd drink with strawberries in them), peas, green beans, hmm, I think that is it for my list of things I did regularly. Other fruits and veggies, like squash, we'd buy sorta premade and then mash up. What I mean is, we'd buy things like cut up chunks of uncooked squash, which was much easier to cook and mash up than a real squash (which I was not ambitious enough to tackle so good job katerkat!). I think making our own baby food was a big help in getting Madison to eat table food right away since she was used to the different textures. Our stuff was always, hmm, grittier I guess than the jarred stuff so a little more like real food.

 

[Alice28]

Justhat- That fancy Christmas dress at Gymbo you bought is gorgeous. I ooo-ed and aaah-ed at it, but had no occasion to buy it for.

Tamie- I never made my own baby food. Good luck with it- I'm sure it's not that hard!

ceiligh1- Welcome! I agree with Tamie- if swaddling works for your baby, keep doing it. He will grow out of it probably in the next month or two.

I did a major haul last night at Toys R Us. The cashier was all, "Whoa...you've got to be Christmas shopping, right?" I laughed and said, "Yes, and it's my oldest son's birthday next month too." My mom and mother in law were anxious for me to grab some stuff for them too, and by the time I split everything up, I still need to buy a few more things for Sam for Christmas. Still for $267, I got Sam 3 major Star Wars toys, 2 major Bionicle sets, 1 regular Bionicle. Joshua got 1 Star Wars ship, the Dora Kitchen, the Dora minivan, and some food to go with the kitchen. Molly got nothing yet. Well, I bought her a couple darling things at Target the other day. I don't know if any of you liked the Amy Coe stuff Target has in their baby section- I thought it was DARLING. That designer has some toys now for sale at Target and I bought Molly the little radio and my mom bought her the duckies in a row. Anyway, I saved $70 at TRU.

 

[justhat]

Thanks Alice28! I didn't have to spend anything last year on Madison's Christmas dress because my mom bought her one so I figured I could spend more than normal this year-sorta averages out over 2 years, right? Plus we'll be in WDW for both Christmas night and NYE and we'll be eating out both times so I had to get her something cute! Also, last year for Thanksgiving she wore a blue and yellow Carter's duck outfit so again nothing spent there so I made up for it this year. I think it was technically a boy's outfit (blue pants and jacket with duck feet and hood, and white and yellow onesie), but I loved their duck line so I bought it anyway. She was just about 9 months old at the time and a very active crawler/pre-walker so the dress I planned to put on her (which she had worn a few times already that year to some weddings/parties) seemed like it would get in her way and be uncomfortable. The nice thing is that Madison can wear a size for a very long time, so I at least get good use out of stuff like this. Though the Christmas dress won't really be too appropriate after the holidays are over, but the Thanksgiving one she can wear for her birthday pictures too. Yes, I know, I am over-justifying my purchases, but I have to prepare for when the order arrives and my husband sees how much I spent!

Oh, and about the swaddling, Madison was swaddled till around 4 months, when she let us know that she didn't like it anymore. Up till then she was swaddled everytime she went to sleep (not always for naps, but definitely at night) and would instantly calm down once she was swaddled. After about 4 months she would get agitated when we'd swaddle her and was happy when she was free to move around so we stopped.

 

[joats]

Hi Ladies!
I have not been able to DIS in so long! I have read all of your posts. There is so much going on with all of you - struggles and successes. I wish I could reply to all of you but I'm exhausted and need to hit the hay.

I just wanted to check in and say hello. Work is going ok, but we have not yet gotten a routine on weeknights and I am scrambling to get to bed at a decent hour (therefore the lack of DIS ). Jace is four months today and cute and happy as ever. We started him on rice cereal this week at Dr's recommendation. I'm still trying to flex my work hours to get out earlier to spend more time with Jace.

I'm hoping to get a better routine and then be able to find some more time for me. Hope you all have a good one! Hopefully, I can check in again soon.

 

[lissawynn]

Hi everyone!
I'm teaching compare/contrast essays this week. I'm forcing my Disney obsession on my students, too. I'm using MK vs. Epcot as my example. They think I'm nuts anyway, so what's the harm.

Swaddling - We swaddled Jimmy with the hospital blanket we brought him home in (swiped is such a terrible word). It was larger than the other blankets we had, so it made it much easier. We did it until he began kicking the blanket off during the night. I think that was around 8 weeks. I can't be sure, though. I wasn't getting a ton of sleep back then, so things are kind of fuzzy.

I was awake and throwing up at 2 this morning. Every time I start my new pill cycle, I get sick. I went out and slept on the sofa for another 3 hours, then got up and ate something. I was going to call in sick, but I knew I didn't have the bug. I'm still kinda sleepy. Another can of Coke will cure that.

I have no idea what to buy Jimmy for Christmas. I don't want to sound awful, but I know our relatives are going to get him a ton of stuff, so I wasn't planning on buying many toys for him. I bought him a talking tool bench at Target a few weeks ago, and he really likes it. I don't have room for a bunch of stuff in my house, so I'm not sure what to buy.

Hope you're having a good day!

 

[Hillbeans]

Hi Everyone,

I've enjoyed reading about the Holiday dresses for the little girls of the DIS mommies - one thing I miss about having a boy. The clothes just are not nearly as cute as the girl ones!

LISAWYNN - hope you're feeling better today!

Liam will be 4 weeks old on Friday, and I have to admit to you ladies that I forgot how COMPLETELY EXHAUSTING these first few weeks are with a newborn. I seem to be on a daily cycle of laundry, boiling water and making bottles for formula, running the diswasher, diapers, no sleep, etc....I've really been trying to take care of myself (ie, shower and get dressed) however the second I put on something clean, i'm covered in spit up or drool.

I've been making a real effort to eat good and walk a few times a week with the weather being nice, but I really forgot how tiring it all is (also with the 4 yo, but he does go to the sitter/school P/T).

I can't wait for that first night where Liam sleeps 5-6 hours in a row! Right now, that seems like months away!

 

[Alice28]

lissawynn- I feel for you! I don't feel well this morning either. Remnants of a bad headache from yesterday. I hope your Coke clears it up. In fact, that sounds kinda good, but I don't have any in the house. Might have to run to the store and get one.

Toys for babies....I always struggled with this too. I mean, they're babies...they don't "get" it. Sam was only about a month old his first Christmas- I think I got him about 2 baby toys. And, like you said, family supplied a ton more. I am thinking of getting Molly a set of those Fisher Price Peek A Blocks- those look fun. Or more Sassy toys- she loves the ones she has.

Don't know much else. Need to head to the grocery store this morning and do some housework. Whoop-dee-doo!

Oh, and Hillbeans- that day will come when Liam sleeps a good stretch...I promise! I hope it comes soon!

 

[justhat]

Lissawynn, don't feel bad, I'm still not getting Madison much this year either. last year she was a day shy of 10 months so that was easy for me. She actually got 3 things, but both were kinda big (space wise and price wise). She got the Fisher Price Laugh, Learn Home and Laugh and Learn Table, and the Crawl and Slide Arcade. I bought all 3 with coupons so it wasn't that bad, but I felt like it was kinda a waste to spend a lot when they have no idea why. She was so sick on Christmas anyway (and was getting her 1st teeth) that she didn't care about anything at the time. A couple of weeks later though she loved all 3 of those toys and still does now. This year she's getting some smaller toys that I bought during the Toys R Us green tag sale, so basically nothing so great. She's getting her 1st PlayDoh set (bad idea on my part), 2 CareBear 'action figures', it's like a playground and a house I think, a few pieces each, and then a stuffed animal that you can write on with a special pen in the bathtub. I think there's one other item but I can't remember it right now. Oh, and she'll be getting some clothes too, one of the outfits I got at Gymboree that I forgot to post cause I can't remember specifically what it is.

 

[vald1977]

Thought I would share some three month pics of Katrina:

This is Katie and her buddy Chloe

Watching football with daddy

taking a nap with mommy

Sorry about the sizing. I just can't seem to figure it out . I sized all three of those photos exactly the same and obviously they aren't the same size.

I'm looking for a nice Christmas dress for Katrina right now. I want to get the kids pictures done in the next week or two and I can't find anything I like in my price range.

Hillbeans,
I hope you get some rest soon. 5-6 hour stretches should be right around the corner for you.

Robin,
The bus I got Katrina has the peek a blocks. They are really cute. Honestly, she is only getting presents because DS wouldn't understand that Santa brought him toys but not his sister .