October New Moms

[hrk]

Well I thought I would start the new thread since it is after all October 1st.
Mrs.Reber- Glad to hear Stryper is doing well. I hope you are able to recoup your costs from the dog owners, Iknow any emergency procedure for animals can be very costly.
BeckyM-Good luck with your first week of work. I know Katie will do just wonderful with Miss Jill and it will porbably be a great transition to daycare somewhere besides your home
Cheryl- Glad to hear Garrett loved the beach. That is DH's greatest fear is that Logan won't like the water/beach since we are such beach people aourselves, being divers and all
Nori, Glad to hear Noah is sleeping better, Hope this trned continues, I know I felt like a new woman when Logan started sleeping through the night.
Erin- Congrats on the pregnancy. Hope everything is healthy and just as wonderful as the first time around
Susan- Sorry to hear about daycare not going well. And sorry to hear Alex is sick. Hope he is feeling better soon. And he could really give Logan a run for his money in weight- both are big boys
Kim- Laineys cake was adorable. I told DH about it and showed him the picture.
Well we had quite the past four days. Rosh Hashanah was this weekend and we took Logan to services with us on Saturday. He really liked all the singing but wanted to be in my arms the whole time swaying- holding 17 1/2 pounds for two hours was impossible.
Then Saturday afternoon with a whole bunch of people coming for dinner we lost power. Turns out that when we had our cable modem installed they knicked our power lines. So luckily I have very nice neighbors who lent me their ovens, and yesterday Pepco finally got out there and we now have heavy duty jumper cables running from our house to our neighbors since it will probably be a month before they can get there to retrench new lines.
So on the good side of this DH wasn't able to work from home Monday and Tuesday so I got to stay home with Logan again for two days.
This weekend we also moved Logan into his big boy car seats and his first bottom tooth punched through and we noticed the one next to it is bumped up.
So now he is teething big time and his favorite thing t chew on seems to be the nipples on his bottles- oh well at least it isn't me
And today was his first day at daycare. DH and I took him together this morning and he was the first baby there so all these people were holding him. His teacher took him and rocked him and was talking to him in French which seemed to really make him smile. I on the other hand was crying. I hope he has a great day but as everyone else has said it makes me sad that I am not the one with him everyday.
So hopefuly today will go by quickly.
Hope everyone has a great hump day
Heather
PS- Logan is very used to falling asleep in the car, When we had his infant carrier we would just let him sleep in that in the house but we can't do that now. What do other moms do- he was so sound asleep yesterday I was tempted to roll down the windows and let him sleep in the garage, but I picked him up and tried to put him right in his crib but it woke him up- any ideas on how to keep him asleep?

[erinl]

Thanks, everybody! I'm feeling much better today. It'll all work out. I went to Costco yesterday and bought a huge bottle of prenatal vitamins. I left them on the table for DH to discover. Well, he was home for about 20 minutes before I finally said, "Are you even going to ask me about the prenatal vitamins?" His response, "Oh, I didn't see them." They were sitting on top of something I got for him. Oh well. He's excited.

((Heather)) The first day at daycare has got to be tough. I don't have any suggestions on moving a sleeping baby. I've been really lucky with Hanne. I can almost always get her transferred from car to crib without waking. I can even get shoes and jackets off of her.

Gotta go, I haven't been hearing much noise out of Hanne....

[RunnerKim]

Heather - I too mourned the transition from infant seat to convertable car seat for the same reason. I don't know if I just got better at it or she sleeps more soundly but sometimes I can now transition her (heck a couple of times I've even changed her diaper and put on her PJs without waking her up!) but not in the first month or so of the switch. Maybe try rocking him a little before putting him down in his crib? We find it helpful sometimes to hold our hand against Lainey's head after we put her down to keep herself from startling awake. i think we stilled used the infant car seat in the house for awhile after we switched too and that might help keeping him in the same position.

We've tried to find a way to use our baby monitor in the car (battery run) -- Wednesday nights I have a dog agility class at a barn in an isolated area and she was often asleep from the longish ride there and I felt safe leaving her sleeping in the car. She seemed to always wake up upon arrival though so I haven't worried about it but now that it's getting dark early again she might not wake up. Our car doesn't fit in the garage but if you can hear when Logan wakes up then I'd leave him there.

How horrible about your power going out! Glad you had neighbors that could help you out. I feel bad that I don't really know my neighbors - not well enough to borrow their ovens anyway.

Erin - that is so typical of DHs to not even notice the clue! Glad the joy is taking hold.

Kim

[MrsReber]

Erin!!! Congratulations!!! Don't worry about timing. There is never a "perfect" time to have a child. I, too, missed a wedding because Brenden was due around the same time. I was huge, in pain and very uncomfortable so we didn't go. It was also really hot out. That is so great, though! I'm really happy for you!

Nori, you're right, I take my kids to a Stride Rite store. I don't, however, go to the mall. The stores employ lots of kids who really don't know how to properly fit shoes on a child. I did it once and the girl had no advice to offer me. The store I go to is a small store that's been there for years and years. I'm very paranoid about shoes fitting correctly.

Thanks for the good wishes for my cat. He's improving, slowly but surely. Now I just have to duke it out with the dog owners. It's going to be messy, but I don't have much of a choice.

No advice on transfering a sleeping child. Brenden will fall asleep in the car and he normally goes right back to sleep when I put him in his crib.

[slknight]

Heather, Logan and Alex sound so similar - very big boys, cutting teeth already, just starting daycare, etc. Alex has his bottom two teeth mostly in. They cut through the gums about a week or so ago, and are almost all the way in. They look so cute!

He is doing much better now that he's had a few doses of amoxicillin for his ear. The major screaming fits have subsided. The hardest part was that he pretty much refused to nurse, but would take a bottle. I think it hurt his ear to suck too hard, plus he's pretty congested. So I had to pump a lot for a few days. He stayed home from daycare yesterday, but I think he will probably go tomorrow (he doesn't go Weds.)

I totally mourned the loss of the infant carseat. It was so easy and convenient! I'm still getting used to the behemoth that is the Britax Marathon. Fortunately, Alex usually stays asleep when I take him out.

Kim, I do actually have 2 different slings (including a really cool silk one from http://www.zolowear.com). I use them to carry him out to the mailbox, into the library or doctors, etc. But at 2 in the morning when he was screaming the other night, I didn't think to put him in it because they were both in the car! Now my back hurts.

[MrsReber]

Susan, we suffered through colds and viruses from daycare, too. However, to make you feel a bit better, they have done some studies that show children in daycare build up immunity more quickly. I think it evens out somewhere in grade school, but they actually feel that children in daycare are out sick less than kids who did not go. Interpret that as you wish, I find that Brenden was sick quite a few times last year, but seems fine this year. We'll have to see what happens as we enter the colder months. Don't feel like a bad mom for sending him to daycare. I go through that struggle myself so I can relate. It gives you time to focus on what you need to do and it gives Alex time to socialize. Then, when he's home, you can focus all your attention on him. Last year, when Brenden kept getting ear infections, I was so tired of hearing "oh, it's because he's in daycare". Nobody can prove that that was the cause. You get germs from going to the store or having people over your house so I refuse to acknowledge those comments. Besides, we can't keep illness from them forever, even though we wish we could.

[SueK]

Hi everyone -
No, I'm not a new mom (again) yet, but it appears I'll be able to join this thread this month. I'm not growing as much as I should, so after another sonogram and some consultations w/specialists today, they are leaning toward inducing me the week of Oct 13th. So....I may be joining you all soooner than I thought.

Sorry to hijack the thread....I'll be here lurking and reading up on all the new moms!

[nori]

Can't believe it's already October!!!????

Heather, what a bummer about your dinner. But sounds like you made it okay with your neighbor's oven. Good job!! I would have freaked out and wouldn't know what to do. Congratulations on Logan's teeth!! How old is he now? Sounds pretty early! Now you better be careful when nursing...when he bites, it HURTS!!!! I don't have any advice on moving him from carseat to the crib either. Noah would go back to sleep if he's really sleepy. If it's just a catnap, he'd wake up. We just try to do it as slowly as we can, not to over-move him.

Erin, your DH's reaction would be exactly mine, too. Glad to hear you're feeling better. Take care!!! Can you believe Hanne is going to be a big sister?!!

Kim, wow you changed her diaper without waking her up! How did you do that? Lainey must be a very good sleeper or you're so good at changing quickly!

MrsReber,I've read a bit about your situation on Other Board. What a mess!!!! I'd be a bit scared, too...but, again, you want to do the right thing. If they really don't want their dogs taken away, why don't they take a good care of them??

Susan, glad to hear Alex is doing better. I agree what MRsReber said.....you can catch germs from everywhere!!! I now try to wash his hands after we came home from outing. I don't know how much difference it'll make, but maybe better than not doing anything.

Hi Sue! When is your due date? I better go to Pregnancy thread to check it out. Hope everything goes smoothly. We're looking forward to have you here soon!


I have a question......do you give your baby multivitamin??? My doctor never mentioned it (other than iron supplement he was on for a while) but I just thought about it. He is eating pretty good, but not sure if he's getting all nutrients he needs everyday. Should I check on the doctor about it??? Do they have baby's multivitamin???

[JoanneOR]

Hi everyone. My life has just been a circus lately; no time to post. Work is crazy and not in a good way. Home is crazy, too, but mostly in good ways!

I know I missed a bunch on the Sept. thread, but I'm just going to start new with Oct.

Nori, I mentioned to Caitlyn's ped. that she doesn't really eat vegetables and she suggested she take a multivitamin. They are a liquid called poly-vi-sol. That's the brand name, I think. The bad part is it tastes horrible! I actually still need to get some. I used to give them to the boys and they hated it.

Heather, I know it is hard to leave your baby. I used to hate doing it with the boys. My DH works nites, so he is home during the day with the kids. Ian and Colin are in school half days and Jameson all day. It's getting really hard for him, though, since he's barely getting any sleep. We are thinking of asking our old babysitter to watch Caitlyn a couple days a week, so he can get some sleep while the boys are in school. I'm feeling really weird about it. I've never left Caitlyn with anyone before, except a couple times with a babysitter at our house. This woman is wonderful, though. I trust her totally and she just loves kids. I'm probably going to call her tomorrow. I know it's probably for the best, but it'll still be hard at first.

I don't have any advice for transfering a sleeping baby either! Colin was the only one I could really do it with. DH could never do it. I think it just depends on how light of a sleeper they are.

Erin, congratulations! I'm glad you are feeling better about it today! It takes awhile to sink in!

Sue, when was your due date? Is this your second baby? Welcome!

Mrs. Reber, I haven't had a chance to check the other stuff board, but I hope Stryper is still doing well.

Sunday is Jameson's birthday party. Most of the kids in his class are coming, so we should have around 22 kids. Hopefully most of the parents will stay.

Gotta run and get some sleep!

[SueK]

Originally posted by nori
. Hi Sue! When is your due date? Hope everything goes smoothly. We're looking forward to have you here soon!

My due date is November 1st. At my appt yesterday, though, I was still measuring at 33 1/2 weeks, instead of 35 1/2 weeks. They did a sonogram and non-stress test and she is fine, but they are concerned about why she hasn't grown since the last appt. So...they are planning to induce at 37 weeks at this point. Maybe the full moon next weekend will do the trick naturally!

[MrsReber]

My pediatrician has both kids on a multi vitamin. She wrote a prescription at Brenden's 12 month visit, but the pharmacy gave me the ones without iron. I thought that was weird (I believe I posted about it here). The doctor called on Monday to go over the blood test results with me and she noted that Brenden's iron was low. She said it's not at a dangerous level and since we're coming in on Monday for his 15 month visit, she'll just give me a new prescription then. Brenden has no trouble taking his vitamins. They must taste awful, though, becasue they smell really bad. The doctor switched Casey over to a chewable vitamin at her 2 year appointment. She loves to take vitamins now. Guess they taste good!

Hi Sue! Now we'll have three Susans on the new moms board!

Joanne, it sounds like a good idea to get a sitter so DH can get some rest. If she comes to your house, it won't be so bad since your DH will still be there. Good luck with the party. I sure hope the parents stay around. My friend had a Chuck E. Cheese party a while ago and most of the parents did stay. It almost doesn't make sense to leave since by the time you get home, you'd just have to turn around and go pick up your child again. That's how I'd look at it anyway.

The only thing I could think of as far as moving a sleeping child from a car seat is to keep talking to them calmly. When I pick Brenden up, I talk very quietly and in a soothing voice, telling him that we're home now and Mommy is going to put him in his crib so he can be comfortable. If it's night time, I don't turn on any lights and walk right to his room. I can change his diaper while he's sleeping, too! He's a much better sleeper than Casey ever was so I can appreciate sleep issues.

[cchhbb]

I posted yesterday, but I guess the gremlins took it.

I am a bad mother who let's their child sleep in the car if it's not too hot. We have an attached garage and the door opens into the kitchen. I'll roll down the windows and leave the door to the kitchen open. I'll just work on some things in the kitchen when he's sleeping. I also have a thermometer in the garage that I use to make sure that it's not getting too hot. I can transfer Garrett at night time, but he always wakes up when napping. I think the worst thing about Garrett growing up was getting rid of the infant car seat.

Joanne, I think things will be much better if your DH gets a little more sleep. I know I don't function well without enough. That will be great for you to get a sitter for Caitlyn for a few days. It sure will make some things easier on your DH. Good luck on the party.

Garrett hates his multivitamin. I mix it in his cereal as he won't let me get anywhere near his mouth with the stopper. When I was breastfeeding primarily, he had to get the drops with fluroide in them. Now he just gets a regular one.

I am still weaning Garrett. Due to my surgery, I want to have him completely weaned in 3 weeks. He is now down to 3 feedings per day. He would rather nurse than drink from a cup, but he's doing well. I just don't think he drinks as much from a cup as he does from the breast. I just dropped another feeding yesterday and boy can I tell.

I've got to run.

Cheryl

[RunnerKim]

Sue - sending you good birthing vibes!

Slknight - hope Alex is feeling better by now. Love my sling too.

Cheryl - I don't think that classifies you as a "bad" mom at all! I don't see how it could be considered unsafe. You can hear him, you know the temperature is okay etc. I think you're a good mother for making sure Garrett gets the sleep he needs. My pediatrician recommened moving to the sippy cup from bottle to help reduce how much milk is consumed - I imagine it's the same thing from breast to cup. I'm sure there's differing opinions on how much milk (particularly breastmilk) a toddler needs but I think its okay that he's not drinking as much. Sounds like you've (and Garrett) have been handling the weaning well. I know you're trying to wean by your surgery - it's later this month right?

Lainey has to get fluoride as it's not in our water. She's almost always happy getting the dropper, so it must not taste bad to her. Doctor left it up to us whether we got it with other vitamins or not. I thought we ate a fairly good diet (and she eats most of what we do) so I went without.

Wow Joanne - I hope some of the parents do stay. I'm sure most will but that's a lot of kids! What are you going to do about gift opening? that could take a long time...

I'm having really bad financial karma. Earlier this week our Discover card number was stolen. It appears to be some randomly hitting upon our number & experiation date and making a duplicate card in NJ (you know those Jersians ) so *probably* not identity theft. Then last night we manage to lose our checkbook! It's 9:30 at night and we're trying to pay for our dog agility class - which is at a barn in a rural/isolated area. Distinct memories of it being in the car. DH thinks he handed it to me. It's dark, it's late, Lainey is crying... Fortunately our bank is able to stop just the missing check numbers - I was afraid we'd have to freeze/close the whole account.

Supper club is at our house tonight. I have no confidence in my housekeeping skills and always feel insecure when people come to the house because I know things aren't super clean. A group will be in the kitchen and I'll see red sauce splatters on the wall behind the stove and just wait for everyone to politely decline anything made in our kitchen.

Kim

[JoanneOR]

Kim, hope the financial stuff works out. What a pain! I had an incident last year with American Express. I have no idea how or when my card was stolen, but it was. Someone used it at a Best Buy and charged $1,500. For one thing, I would never charge that much on American Express because I couldn't pay it in a month. I called and said it wasn't my charge; they investigated and said basically they didn't believe me and I had to pay. I didn't realize my card was missing until the charge. I asked for a copy of the receipt so I could see signature. They had spelled my name wrong. That finally convinced AE it wasn't my charge. There was no way I was paying it.

You sound like me with your house, Kim. I worry about the same stuff. My DH thinks I'm nuts and that no one will notice. He's probably right, but I still get stressed out cleaning when we are having something at the house. But if you think about it, do you notice stuff like that at other people's houses? I usually don't.

Cheryl, that doesn't make you a bad mom! Never disturb a sleeping baby unless absolutely necessary! I've left my kids in the car (with all windows open, not on hot days) sleeping and sat out on the front porch next to the driveway until they woke up. Makes for a more happy kid in the long run!

I haven't called the babysitter yet. I can't find her number, but I know my friend has it. We would actually be taking Caitlyn to her house. It's on the way to dropping off Colin at preschool. She's has all the baby equipment, high chairs and all that, plus tons of toys. I know Caitlyn would eventually love it there, but I know it'll be tough the first few times. Just because it will all be strange to her. I think next week I'll drop her off for a half hour or so to see how it goes and get them used to each other.

I'm sure most of the parents will stay at the party. I always stay when I bring my kids to one. I wouldn't feel right leaving them, but I've seen parents who do. If it's at someone's house I know, it's OK, but not some place like ChuckECheese! I asked my mom to come over to watch Caitlyn while we were at the party. I was going to bring her, but I think it'll just be too hectic.

OK, I've rambled enough. Think I'm going to get some lunch.

[MrsReber]

Originally posted by RunnerKim
Sue - sending you good birthing vibes!


I'm having really bad financial karma. Earlier this week our Discover card number was stolen. It appears to be some randomly hitting upon our number & experiation date and making a duplicate card in NJ (you know those Jersians )

Darn it! I'm just going to have to come up with some other plan so I can stay at home...... just kidding. I'm sorry that happened to you. My sister's "friend" who was even her maid of honor at her wedding stole my sister's identity. She bought a ton of furniture under her name. My sister never knew about it until the store called to see how she was enjoying her thousands of dollars worth of new furniture!!! Needless to say, that friendship is over.

Casey and Brenden had school pictures taken yesterday. I found out that they'd do them together so we asked them for 2 poses since I already paid for 2 packages by check. The teachers said they were so cute together and they think they're going to come out great. This is the third time we had pictures done and the first 2 times, the teachers told us "well, we tried to get Casey to smile..." so I'm hopeful that this time we get great pictures. They're pretty cheap- $28 for the biggest package. Casey sees Brenden every day on the playground now that he's in a different class. They're right across from each other. She loves to play with him outside. Now all the teachers call him "Yaggi", too. I'm waiting for Brenden to speak better so he can make up a name for Casey.

Our financial guy called today. He wants to present his plan to us next week. DH will have to refinance in order to free up some money, but this guy thinks that we'll have our money for a house in VA by the middle of next year if we follow the plan! We have to go for it. I was very excited to hear that! We can build it and not even have to live in it just yet. However, it'll kill me to have a beautiful new house there while we're living in our rotten neighborhood up here. It'd only force the issue. I hate to move the kids away from my mom, but even my mom said she doesn't want our kids to grow up here. It's changed so much. The most densely populated state in the country (and populated by dense people, no less ) Okay, NJ has it's good points, but they've been getting harder and harder for me to find.

We use vitamins with flouride, too, since we have well water. My sister's little girl had problems with her teeth and the dentist asked if they had well water. The dentist thinks that was a contributing factor. I know there are debates as to the benefits of flouride, but I think it's a good thing. I like to give them the vitamins, though, because they're not the best eaters. Brenden eats lots of food, but they both stay away from most veggies. Casey won't eat anything except peas and Brenden seems to change each day. They do eat fruit. I'm still not sure that they're getting the proper vitamins from food. I feel better giving them a daily vitamin. I'm a little less concerned about their eating habits. Don't get me wrong, I do provide healthy, well balanced meals. The trick is getting them to actually eat those meals. It's payback time. I'm dealing with myself as a child. My mom always warned me about that!

[JoanneOR]

Those pictures sounds nice, Mrs. Reber. And $28 is very cheap! The boys all have their pictures taken at school now. They usually turn out pretty good. I'm so bummed. I just went to The Children's Place during lunch and found this adorable dress for Caitlyn. I figured she could wear it to have her one-year picture taken and during the holidays. I tried to call this studio I have used a few times and they closed down! They were more expensive, but I loved the pictures they've taken of the boys. Last time I used Picture People for Caitlyn, but I wasn't happy with it. Now I have to figure out where to take her.

Your story reminded me of my first roommate in college. She stole my credit cards and went on a shopping spree during the summer. Needless to say, we don't keep in touch!

That's great about building in VA. What a nice thing to look forward to! Will you still work when you move there? How about DH?

[MrsReber]

Joanne, I'd love to be home with the kids so I would hope that if (when) we moved, I'd be able to stay home. It would be a challenge for us. I don't know what we'd do for work and we'd have to have some income. However, if the real estate market holds, we can either keep our house and rent it out or sell it and take them money and run! It's worth about twice what DH paid for it so we're in a pretty good situation as far as that goes. We could rent the house out now for twice what our mortgage payment is. This guy wants us to consolidate our car payments into the mortgage and we're both kind of hesitating. What the financial guy says makes a lot of sense, but we are both such cautious people that we're afraid.

Joanne, good luck finding a studio. I haven't done badly with the picture people. They've always been very accommodating. They took the pictures over that day when I didn't like them. Last time, the guy couldn't get the kids to smile so he suggested the other photographer take the pictures. That worked out very well. I have heard horror stories, though. My SIL goes to Walmart. She said they were the only ones to ever take good pictures of my neice. You just never know. It's scary to go in the first place. You never know if the kids will be in a good mood or if they're going to throw a fit.

[nori]

Thanks for your insights about multivitamin. We have an appointment in a week or so so maybe I can ask Dr. about this. I honestly am not sure how much he should be eating right now (at 13 months). He eats typically like this:

Breakfast: One square of graham crackers, 1/2 cup each cantalope (he loves them!!!) and bananas, water

Snack: Graduates Fruit Cereal bar, or cherrios

Lunch: Grilled cheese sandwich (more than half), grapes

Snack: Animal crackers, milk (oh maybe one drop, he spits most of them up....and demands water )

Dinner: Varies, but mostly what we're eating or some leftover he can eat. For example, tonight was curried kidney beans burrito from CL so when I was cooking, I took some portion of it before I added spices and mixed cheese in it. He loved it, ate about 2/3 cup of it. Plus usually some fruits, half-frozen pineapple, mangoes etc.

Cheryl, I'm trying to wean him and have been reducing the number of nursing. Since then, he's been eating more, I think.

Hmmmm, I should give him more veggies, huh??? I gave him the other day cooked mixed vegetable with butter and he liked it. It's a great finger food!

Joanne, sounds like you're going to have a big party on Sunday! I'm sure Jameson will have a ball! I'm impressed that your DH has been working at nights and taking care of kids during day!!! Although it mihgt be hard first, it'll be good to give your DH time to sleep. You mentioned about 1 year photo, and I have a confession to make. I haven't taken Noah to take his photo...at one point I thought we have enough cute pictures of him which we took with our camera, so I thought it's not necessary. But then, again, I feel like 1 year is such a milestone that I want to have professional take his picture. I better do it right now, if I ever want to do 1 year old picture...

Kim, sorry to hear about your credit card. So someone just guessed the whole numbers and exp. date to make a duplicate!!!? That sounds almost impossible to me, but you never know what those people can do. How's the supper club? We'll be hosting on 11th, that was supposed to be last month but we had to cancel due to our health condition. As for cleaning, I thought Joanne, had a good point....when you go to someone's house, you don't really notice those spots. Everyone's house looks pretty clean and neat. I've been using a baby excuse for untidy house nowadays. Well not always the baby's fault....

MrsReber, it'll be exciting if you can move to VA!!! After that neighborhood incident, I understand you really don't want to live there. Hope your advisor will have a great plan for you two!

Cheryl, I don't see any problem letting Garrett sleep in the car in that case! You're being careful enough for every detail. Unfortunately I can't do that around here...we only have carpool plus it gets pretty hot even in the shade around here. However, I've left him for a few minutes between the shopping trip to 2 stores when he was sleeping. I'd go in and put all groceries in the fridge, then rush back to the car and go to the other errand. That way, Noah can get some extra sleep there.

We're going out for dinner tomorrow night! It's about time to get out, just us. Luckily our friend was available to babysit Noah so I'm so happy. They have 2 kids who adore Noah so they'll have a good time.

Happy Friday!

[hrk]

Good Friday morning everyone.
Nori- Enjoy your night out with DH tonight. Can't offer any advice on the multivitamin as Logan is nowhere near there yet, but he was just put on Vitamin D drops cause of exclusive breastfeeding.

Susan- That is great news about the house in VA. Where exactly will you be building? Did the Goddard school tkae your kids pictures? I wonder if they do that at Logan's Goddard school as well.

Joanne- Best of luck with Jameson's party this weeknd. I am sure he will have a blast and you and DH will have one exhausted kid when all is said and done. Have you made any decisions about leaving Caitlyn in daycare? We also use the Picture People for Logans pictures and have been mostly pleased with how they come out. It is very dependant on the people taking the photos and I have started getting poeples names that I like and requesting them the next time.

Kim- How did Supper Club go? I am the same way about my house and cleaning when people come over, but recently most of the people we have over have babies likke us and we all commiserate about how we would have to clean 24/7 just to keep up with the clutter and mess. Maybe a treat would be to have a cleaning crew come in every once in a while. My parents treated me to one about a month ago and it was wonderful

Cheryl-
I let Logan sleep in the car in the garage the other day
It was his first day of daycare and he hadn't napped all day. He was asleep within two minutes of ebing in the car, so I opened all the windows and did stuff in the Kitchen where I could here him if he woke. He got a nice hour nap.

Susan- Alex and Logan sound very similar. How is daycare going, is it getting better. And we have the Britax Marathon too and I agree it is huge. But Logan likes it cause he can see out the side windows and the back of the explorer.

Well Logan has cut his second tooth and now is chewing on everything, except me, thankg goodness. He has been doiing well at daycare. We are really happy so far as every afternoon the teacher sits down and talks with me about how things are going and ways we can make things consistent between home and daycare. He is taking his bottles no problem, although I don't think anything will ever stop hime from eating The first day he would not nap, but that is because the were trying to rock him to sleep and then put him down. Does not work, as soon as he changes position he is awake. So I told them we put him down in the crib, he fusses for about5/10 minutes and then goes to sleep, so yesterday they tried it and he took a 2 hour nap. So it at least makes it have some confidence in the daycare and gives me more peace of mind during the day.

Hope everyone has a good weekend
Heather

[RunnerKim]

Heather - sounds like your daycare teacher(s) really listen and work with you. That's great!

Supper club went fine but I hate hosting. DH was making most of the main dish and of course it took him longer than expected so he was busy in the kitchen for awhile after people arrived. Lainey was not sure what to make of all the people in the house so was clingy and of course the 60lb dog was thrilled to have all these people here to see *her* All that said dinner was yummy and the people are a lot of fun to see, it just took awhile for me to be able to relax enough to enjoy their company. I whipped up the cheese crackers right before people came too and those went over well. The dinner came together really well, which doesn't always happen since the only theme is the next month's issue of CL. And nobody ran screaming for our house refusing to eat.

Susan - those pictures sound really cute. That's great that your daycare does them. That would be excellent if you could get your house built in VA. I've heard/read so much saying that property ownership (i.e., rental) is the best way to make money/increase your assets etc.

Joanne, I'm sure the first few days would be tough. You might think about having her go to her house everyday for the first week even if it's only for a few hours. It seems to make a big difference in how quickly kids adjust. A new boy just started at my daycare - about 19 months and never been to daycare before. The poor kid just screamed the first day (or slept from exhaustion). It's been rough for him (and the teachers!) but within the week it's gotten so much better (and it's easier on younger kids). Definitely spending time at her house with her will help too.

Nori - I'm glad you posted what Noah's eating. It's fun to compare and get ideas. Noah's prabably still getting a lot of vitamins etc. from breastmilk too. Lainey has started not wanting her dropper of fluoride It's a new prescriptions so I'm thinking it's yucky. Doctor asked if we wanted chewables this time -- isn't she young for that? but if they taste good i'd rather go that route, I don't want to fight with her and have to force this dropper in her mouth every day.

Her's Lainey's regular eating schedule (which of course varies greatly day to day):
Breakfast (around 7:30)
4oz yogurt
Fruit (Today 2 "ice cubes" of processed pear or 1/3 banana)
2" raspberry granola bar thingy that I made (didn't much of it this morning because she ate all yogurt and fruit).
Milk (1oz, not much at all)

Lunch (around 11 - 11:30)
Today, I filled a 1/2 cup container with pasta with red sauce. 1 cherry tomato and a couple of green beans. 2 strips of boring whole wheat bread. She may or may not eat her veggies. She always eats her starches.
Milk - just started giving with lunch (vs. a bottle about an hour later) expect her to take about 6-8oz.

Snack (around 3-4pm)
Handful of crackers (goldfish or graham) or if she has leftover bread from lunch etc.
Water (at home I try to keep a sippy cup with water on the floor for her and she drinks from it often)

Dinner (around 6-6:30 pm)
Whatever we're having unless it's a big salad or something that she really can't chew. Tonight is pizza and she'll probably eat a slice (plus maybe an extra pizza "bone") I'd guessitmate she eats about 3/4c of food for dinner total generally.
Milk - 5-6oz

Bedtime (around 8pm)
Finishing of the last can of formula - normally takes 6-8oz. Not sure if that will drop when we switch to milk/sippy cup next week.

Kim

[MrsReber]

Heather, each October our Goddard school has the same photographer come in and do pictures. It's cute to have the class pictures. We can see how all of Casey's classmates have grown. I find the teachers there to be really good about working with the parents. They're always willing to talk to us about how things are going. Before Brenden started there, I was sure to write up what he likes, dislikes, how he sleeps (only on his stomach), how he likes to eat (he has to feed himself or he refuses). We wanted them to know what we've been doing at home since we figured out all that stuff already. That really helps them out so they don't have to re-invent the wheel trying to get him to nap.

If (when) we build in VA, we'd build on our property which is in south central VA. It's about an hour south of Lynchburg, 90 minutes west of Richmond, or 45 minutes north of South Boston (pick your landmark). It's really out there, but we can see it getting built up more in the next few years as the sprawl from Richmond and Lynchburg continues to move outward. The big town nearby is Farmville. There are 2 colleges there and lots of stores. All the people in the neigboring towns go there for everything. It's a much more peaceful and relaxed way of life. NJ has become so stressful. Even going down the road to the mall involves sitting in traffic.

[BeckyM]

Hi Everyone!

Wow -- a lot happens in a week! I haven't gotten to visit the bulletin board at all this week, with going back to work. I feel really out of touch with you all. Though I've read all the posts, I can't remember everything you all said, so I know I'll forget to respond to some things I intended to.

First, welcome SueK! I hope everything goes smoothly for you. We'll love to have you join us as soon as your little one arrives!

For whoever asked -- I also took Katie to Stride Rite for her shoes. There's a nice one sort of across town from here, but it's near Wild Oats, so it's worth the trip. The woman who waited on us was really helpful and explained the differences in the shoes very well. She was also good with Katie. Incidentally, I just ordered two pairs of Robeez shoes today, based on all of your comments. I ordered one pair in her current size (the Fuchsia Daisy) and another pair in the next size up (Butterfly Plum). I figured it would be nice to have a flexible, easy pair of shoes for Katie to wear around the house. I don't often put her regular shoes on inside, because they have less flexible soles, plus they're somewhat challenging to get on, because Katie doesn't hold her feet still while I'm tying them. With the Robeez, the most difficult part was deciding which design to order. There are tons of cute ones!

It's interesting to read the daily menus and how much the other babies eat. Katie seems to eat more than anyone so far! Here's how her typical day goes:

6:30 or 7:00am -- nurse
7:30 or so -- 1 1/2 small whole wheat pancakes
about 1/3 a yobaby container
about 1/3 small can mandarin oranges

lunch (noonish) -- 4-6 ounces whole milk
1 piece of high-fiber bread of some sort
1/3 - 1/2 a banana
canned peas (a couple Tbsp worth)
some sort of "main dish", like a veggie burger,
lentil soup, chili, a scrambled egg yolk,
chicken pieces, etc.

dinner (6-7pm) -- 4-6 ounces whole milk
1 piece of high-fiber bread of some sort
a few Tbsp canned peaches or pears
1/2 jar pureed squash or sweet potatoes
some sort of "main dish" like described for lunch

9:00 pm -- nurse before bed

Katie usually eats really well at least two of the meals, then often she'll eat a bit less at the other meal. She is REALLY active during the day, so I guess she needs all those calories! Plus, she is definitely growing. Our pediatrician has 13-month well-baby visits instead of a one-year visit, so I don't know yet exactly how much Katie weighs these days. I think she's right around 19-20 lbs.

My return to work has been easier than I thought, though I miss Katie terribly while I'm gone. She has done very well with Miss Jill here at the house -- napping normally, eating normally, and generally being happy. The daycare is going to be delayed opening at least a couple more weeks, so Jill said she's available to watch Katie until it opens, as long as her kids don't get sick. So we're hoping for her kids to stay REALLY healthy.

Work itself is fine so far. Lots of things have changed in a year, but most things are pretty similar. Sometimes it feels like I wasn't ever gone. They're having me move into a new cubicle area, so I spent most of my three days this first week getting my new desk organized and getting my computer passwords re-set. The biggest frustration is that there has been some sort of problem with my e-mail password, and it still isn't fixed! I was able to get e-mail the first day, but it has been down ever since. Our department does almost all its communication by e-mail, so I'm sure I'm missing out on important things.

About transferring sleeping babies from carseats -- Katie ALWAYS wakes up! She used to keep sleeping when we had the infant carrier, but now that she's in her big-girl seat (also a Britax Marathon), she wakes up every time I try to take her out. I think she's just a light sleeper. If it's naptime or bedtime, she'll usually go back to sleep fairly easily in her crib. I've noticed she has been sleeping a lot less in her carseat lately though. Even when it's naptime, she'll stay awake in the carseat just looking around and playing with her toys for quite a while.

Kim & Joanne -- sorry to hear about your credit cards, and Kim about your checkbook. What rotten luck! And Joanne -- it's awful that the credit card company didn't believe you about the charges you told them you didn't make! Our credit card companies have called us before to ASK about charges we've made, because they didn't fit our normal purchase pattern. When I had Lasik eye surgery several years ago, we put it on the credit card, and since that was a much larger charge than we ever do, the company called to make sure it wasn't fraudulent. I also had my corporate American Express card # stolen once, and AmEx sent me a letter listing the charges they suspected were not valid -- large dollar amounts to Spiegel catalog and a couple other clothing places. They realized my # was stolen before I noticed anything!

About pictures -- we're thinking about getting a professional portrait done of Katie too. I guess we're atypical parents, because we haven't ever had a professional picture done of her. We've always gotten really cute ones on our digital camera, so we haven't bothered with anything else. We were actually thinking we might get pictures of her AND a family portrait, then give them to our families for Christmas. We need to do that soon, but my return to work has put all those sorts of things on hold for the moment.

I know there was more I meant to say, but I'm getting tired, and I've forgotten. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Oh -- congratulations Erin!

Becky

[nori]

Becky, glad your first week at work went well. I think it's great your company allowed you to take a full year off after you had Katie! I'm mostly happy to stay home with Noah, but sometimes I miss those work-days schedule. (Yeah, I know those working moms may not believe it. ) My company was a great place to work, and I still visit them with Noah. Everytime I go, people ask me "So when are you coming back?" Half joking, but I know if I really want to, they can find a spot for me and hire me. But then, again, I'd miss Noah so much plus I wouldn't be making enough to justify the daycare cost. We'll miss you around here, though. Can you log on from your work??

MrsReber, sounds like your property in VA is great! I really hope you can make it. Now forgive my ignorance, but is Vermont clse to VA??? or NJ? The reason I'm asking is my DH is *casually* looking into another job and one of them he's trying to apply is in Vermont. Although we have a lots of friends here in Tucson, this place is kind of too dry to our taste and honestly we miss four seasons. DH's job has been slow and he's not happy the way he hasn't promoted for a while. He's thinking if he has a job offer, he can ask his boss about promotion or pay raise more strongly. Anyway, when he mentioned about Vermont, I just thought about you...I don't know why. Oh, another place he applied for was in NJ, that's why.

Kim, glad to hear the supper club was success! I was impressed to read taht your DH was in charge of main dish cooking! Wow! We have our supper club monthly, but I am the cook always. He never offered to help me cook.

Heather, Logan is such a good boy not hurting mommy. Noah did bite me maybe twice and it hurt a lot!!!! I told him "NO" each time, and let him go off the breast. Since then, he hasn't done it to me, thank goodness. Sounds like he's doing well at the daycare, too. Good for you!

Thanks for those posting baby's eating schedule! It's interesting to see how others are doing, although I know every baby is different. We had crepes this morning (DH's repartorie.....on weekends) and Noah wanted to have some. I was a bit worried about egg whites, (he had rash before when he had scrambled egg) but thought give him tiny pieces. He LOVED it, and ended up eating the whole crape by himself! And good news is he didn't develop any rash this time! I was so glad.

Last night we went out for date and it was nice. It was a new restaurant in town and I had their daily special....Ahi Tuna steak with Wasabi crust or something like that. It was soooo good! Noah did very good at our friend's house and when we got there around 8:30pm to pick him up, he was still awake. My friend told us that he played with their 2 kids a lot, and when we got there he was winding down on teh bed with her and her DD, but he wasn't sleeping. We stayed a bit to talk to our friends and Noah was still happy to play with kids. Of course he was out on the way home.

Joanne, hope you had a nice party for Jameson! You must be exhausted by now!

[slknight]

Becky, I haven't had a professional pic done of Alex yet either. I think I might when he's 6 months, but we've also got so many good ones with the digital camera, I'm not sure it's worth the trouble. Glad to know I'm not the only one!

Nori, no Vermont and Virginia are not too close to each other. Depends on which part in each state, but they are at least 8, maybe 10 hours away from each other. From southern Virginia to northern Vermont, probably about 20 hours! But, Vermont is very close to me in Maine. My BIL has a ski-house there. It's only about 2 hours. Where in Vermont is he looking?

Alex is doing much better now that his ear infection is clearing up. He's also doing a bit better at daycare. He's eating well there now. But he's still not sleeping too great there. I think he just loves to look around so much that he's too distracted/busy to sleep. He'll get used to it.

He is really growing like a weed. He keeps growing out of everything I buy him. I am buying 18 month stuff already.

Susan

[nori]

Susan, I'm not sure which part of Vermont DH is talking about. It's not that realistic yet, but wow, it'll be close to you, huh? That's something I can look forward to.

Alex already wearing 18 months!! That's amazing!!!! Did you get to have him wear all cute infant outfits while he was smaller?
Glad to hear he's getting used to daycare now.

Noah went to bed around 7pm and he's still sleeping. It's 10pm now. I should go to bed I guess. Good night!

[MrsReber]

Hi Nori! Well, I'd vote for NJ, but only so that I could meet you and Noah! Other than that, I'd have to tell you to be very careful about what part of NJ the job would be in and where you'd live. It's extremely congested here and getting worse all the time. VT is about 4-6 hours from here or 8 depending on what town. My dad used to live in NH, right near the MA border and it'd take me 4 1/2 hours to get to his house. It really wasn't too bad. I could leave at 5:00am and be there in time to eat breakfast. (before children, of course )

DH is so proud of himself. He got a 12 point buck on Saturday while he was out hunting! Biggest deer he ever got. He called MIL to tell her. She wouldn't listen to him and then told him that she needs him to fix her old car so she can sell it and to change the oil on her new car. I felt so bad for him. He came in from the garage and told me that she's not interested in anything in his life and he told her he'd change her oil becuase it's the only way he'll get to see her. I was so sad to hear that from him. She's still planning on moving to FL and she thinks she's going to drive the whole way by herself. I told DH that she really shouldn't do that. I mean, she's 66 years old! Which reminds me, where's Anna Sue? I don't remember her posting since her MIL visit. I hope things are okay!

Becky, glad the transition back to work went well. I know what you mean about how it can feel like you never left. I keep thinking that last year at this time, I was home on leave with my babies. It almost feels like it never happened. It goes by so fast. Nori, I do understand that you can miss work at times. It's a big part of who you are. You give up that part of your identity when you decide to stay at home. Not that it's a bad thing, I'd LOVE to be at home, as you know. It is nice sometimes to be able to socialize with people at work and feel like part of the group, though.

Today, we're going to meet my mom and go apple picking. Then my mom wants to have lunch and then Brenden has a 2:00 appointment for his 15 month check up. I was going to see if I could switch it to earlier, but if he's getting shots, we'll be better off going after we have some fun. My mom told me of these plans on Friday so I'm trying to get all my work done this morning. Poor Casey is busy watching Elmo. Brenden is still asleep. I'm afraid he's not well. He has a cough and sometimes his nose runs.

Casey is helping me take care of my kitty. She's so cute, wanting to help give him medicine. She insists on petting his head for a while and feeling him purr. Then she tells me that he's going night night and that we need to leave him alone. She was blowing him kisses last night after we fed him. She's so much like me with her love of animals. Brenden is definitely turning into his dad. DH complains about how crazy he gets and how he gets into everything. I told him "it's you! I am a calm person!"

Joanne, hope the party went well yesterday and that the parents stayed around! That's a lot of kids!

[RunnerKim]

Becky - I'm "atypical" too - never had a professional picture taken of Lainey. We do have a lot of good ones so I just don't feel the need (and I know I'll get suckered into buying more than I want/need because I can't resist.) A friend of mine had a photographer take some photos outside (at a college campus) that were great - more natural. I loved a family photo that was taken of them laying in the grass. I'm more interested in doing something like that but probably want to wait for spring at this point. Katie is a good eater. Lainey'll do the same thing, normally not eating as well at lunch. Now that she's pretty much switched over to milk in a sippy cup (i.e., drinking less of her calories) she is starting to eat more. We still haven't introduced juice either as she STILL has runny poops (not all the time but it's not gone either).

Susan R. - that's so cute about Casey helping out with Stryper. Glad he's improving. Congratulations to your DH on his hunt. What do you do with all that meat (and innards). My dog would love some of that stuff - feel free to send it I need to get to know some hunters.

Susan (is your last name Knight?) K.?? 18 months?? seriously. Wow, he is a big boy. Bet you didn't get to use a lot of clothes for him. Nice thing about entering 18 months size is they should last longer. Glad Alex is adjusting to daycare. Just wasn't fair to have to deal with the ear infection on top of everything else.

Nori - did you have another good night with Noah? I can certainly understand wanting to have seasons again. I lived in Texas for a couple of years before going off to college in St. Louis and I was thrilled to experience Fall again. Your comment about Noah just biting you a couple times while nursing makes me wonder if breastfed babies are less likely to become biters? I had my monthly playgroup this weekend (where the other 3 babies are all within a couple of weeks of each other) and one of the babies was unhappy with her mother for taking something away and leaned over and bit her on the leg (or bit her pants anyway). I'm dreading dealing with the whole biting thing and hope I just don't have to.

Kim

[JoanneOR]

Mrs. Reber, sounds like you have a great day planned! Have fun!

Becky, glad to hear work went well. It's a bit easier (alot easier!) if you are comfortable with the daycare situation.

The party went really well. Only a few parents stayed, but the kids were really well behaved. Jameson had a blast. One of our neighbors and my SIL stayed and helped out alot with the kids. It appears a few of the girls in Jameson's class have a crush on him. They were really funny, dancing with him and giggling alot. One girl has told her mom and her teacher that she wants to marry him. It can't start this early!

Hope AnnaSue survived the MIL visit. She must be gone by now.

Mrs. Reber, that's sad for your DH about his mother. What a selfish person. Does she have a date for moving yet?

Well, Thursday is my first den meeting. I'm not really sure what I'm doing, but I hope it goes well. We are going to make a scrapbook, it's one of the achievements the scouts are supposed to do. I need to plan some field trips, too. Those should be fun.

Wow, Alex is a big boy! Caitlyn is just now wearing some 18 months, but some are still pretty big.

Nori, I think I would miss the seasons, too. Although ask me in a few months and I'm sure I'd be happy to give up winter! Vermont sure would be a big change!

I have to go on a trip next week from Wednesday till Saturday for work to St. Louis. At first I was excited about it, but now that's its closer, I don't want to go! I know I'll miss the kids. It's really not that far of a drive, maybe DH will drive up on his day off with the kids. That would be fun.

I should go do some work....

[RunnerKim]

I know what you mean about travel (without family) sounding great when it's far away. There's lots of fun stuff your DH and kids could do in St. Louis. The zoo is fabulous (and free!).

What grade is Jameson in??? Sheesh I thought it would be 5th grade before anything like that started (that's when I recall all the boys snapping bra straps).

Kim

[MrsReber]

Brenden and Casey had a blast picking apples. Casey wanted to pick them all off the tree and Brenden was picking up any apples he could find on the ground. Me and my mom had to check the bag to make sure we didn't have any rotted ones in there! They were both eating apples the whole time, too. It was pretty cute. We went to lunch afterwards and then straight to the doctor. Brenden got three shots, but they say he's done until kindergarten! I thought they got more shots than that. I'm glad there's no more. They change it every year, it seems. He's a tall boy, but very thin. He's 23lbs (30th percentile) and 33 1/4 inches (75th percentile). He'll be tall and thin, too. He's doing the exact same thing that Casey did, but she tapered off more in height. He's consitently 75th.

About the breastfed babies not biting- nope. That theory certainly apply for Brenden. I'm surprised I ever got to 9 months of breastfeeding with him. He was brutal, biting me all the time. It was very stressful. Yesterday, I noticed a nasty cut on Casey's arm. I asked her if she got cut. She said yes. I asked her what happened and she said "Yaggi bite". I found it sort of hard to believe that he'd bite her that badly, but later in the day, he bit her again! She tries to take things away from her and he doesn't know what else to do to defend himself. DH was so mad at Brenden! He said he doesn't even feel bad about his shots today because he's a bad baby! I yelled at him and told him that Brenden doesn't really understand what he's doing, he only knows that it works. He's sleeping now. He stayed up the whole time we were out!

Joanne, glad the party worked out well! Your son is a little cutie! Better watch out! MIL was supposed to have moved in the middle of September. I knew that wouldn't happen. I feel bad for DH's sister who has to live with her now. She is very selfish. I hope to never be like that with my kids. My mom is always there for me and very involved with my kids. Casey had a fit today when my mom got back in her car to leave. We were so sad for her. Last time MIL showed up, Casey and Brenden just stared at her. Of course, she wouldn't come in the house because she was too busy to stay. Just dropping her car off for DH to look at. .

Kim, DH guts the deer in the woods before he checks them in. It was really big. He spent Sunday butchering the deer himself. He gets some roasts out of it, but he mostly makes chopmeat. We had 80lbs of chop meat one year! Took us forever to eat it all. He gives some away, too! He used to give some to our lab, before he died last year. My dog has a bad reaction every time she eats venison. It makes her go all over the place. Yuck! Stryper seems a bit perkier today. Hard to tell. He is 17 years old, how perky can he be? But he's happy to be at home.

I better get going. Bear is over. Casey was having a fit so I left her to watch Bear in the Big Blue House. I was hoping she'd fall asleep, but I think she's still up. She hasn't taken a nap since Friday! Just refused, but she did go to bed earlier and she's been staying in bed all night, so that's something.