September 2005~ We're One...Oh how Fun!

[randysmandy]

hmbay You reminded me..Hunter is now fully trained to poop on the potty! He runs in the bathroom and put his little potty seat on the toilet and we help him from there. He read his 4 wheeler magazine! Happened about a week ago. Just need to get him to pee on the potty-is only he was more like Alex!
You are brave to try the BBB-we still are not STTN and still haev the paci-what a hard thing to get rid of!

[AndreaMMS]

Thanks for all the concern and advice- Naomi seems to be doing much better. The color is back in her face.

It's so funny how our kids all have such different time-lines for things! Naomi has a huge vocabulary, but will NOT take a cup over a bottle (I've tried every kind out there) can't sleep without a paci, and has no interest at ALL in potty training!

[cr8zyforaf]

andrea - go with your gut - there probably won't be much they can do if she is having wet diapers and eating/drinking but it might make you feel better. Hugs to you!

wildcat - glad to hear Lauren is feeling better.

hmbay - wow - a bbb??? Gosh, I feel so far behind. Ash is in no way ready for that - DH and joke that she will be roaming around the house if we put her in a bed.

randysmandy - POOPING in the potty?? I got Ash a potty over the weekend and all she wants to do is stand in it.

solong - glad to hear that court is on the mend..just in time for you to go back to work..perfect timing don't you think :).

for those of you in daycare - a question - Ash will be transitioning to tods in March (toddlers..I am so not ready) and the teacher there has a daughter Ashley's age who will be in her mom's class - do you think this is fair? I am on the fence..many of the moms are up in arms about it. I don't know how I feel.

[hmbay]

BBB--we moved Colin around 18 months. Alex is only 15 1/2 however he hops in and out of Colins all the time and just thinks it's the greatest. he's also constantly throwing his pacis out of his crib and screaming to get them back we we thought between his love of Colin's bed and the ability to get his own pacis perhaps he would sleep better. So far no--we had to put a lock on his door or yes he'd be wandering around the house. We did this with Colin as well. Like I said so far he hasn't actually slept in it--yesterday he napped on the floor next to the bed DH said. Many kids are happy in their cribs for years but we just decided it might help his horrible sleep habits (or it might not).

Andrea--so glad to hear Alex isn't the only baby refusing sippies.

[AlisonCO]

Hunter is now fully trained to poop on the potty! He runs in the bathroom and put his little potty seat on the toilet and we help him from there. He read his 4 wheeler magazine!
Oh my, mandy - that is awesome!!! Go H:)

Caitlin sits on the potty every night before bath and pees about every third night. Aidan was fully trained in about 2 weeks because he was ready so I will not be stressing over this with Caitlin.

Andrea - SO glad that N is looking/feeling better!

wildcat - I am so glad to hear that you were able to get an appt so soon with a good ENT.

BB - I agree with you about the SAM thing - I have such a routine that is really is pretty easy and smooth most days. The weekends are sometimes harder becasue DH messes us up:)

the teacher there has a daughter Ashley's age who will be in her mom's class - do you think this is fair? I am on the fence..many of the moms are up in arms about it. I don't know how I feel.

cr8zy - not in daycare, but I would be concerned about this from a safety standpoint. If there were a fire or other emergency, it is the teachers job to remain calm and get everyone out. I would be concerned that in a situation like that she would automatically become Mom and take care of her own first. When I was a case manager, I couldn't even have my dog in the car with me if I had a client with me because they want to make sure that my attention would always be on the client first. Just my thoughts.

Big Bed - No way - I am waiting as long as possible. Both of my kids have always liked their crib so I see no reason to move them. Aidan was about 2.5 and although that transition went well, he gets up more now than he did in the crib.

I love having a StrideRite outlet just up the road from me. I got $46 shoes for $20.

I'm jealous:) I did buy both of Caitlins SR's on amazon.com - they were cheaper and the shipping is free when you spend $25. I got her a cute pair of sneakers but they are still a bit too big - she is still wearing a size 3.5!

[hmbay]

AlisonCo--I have the biggest outlet mall in MN about 10 miles from me. Amazingly enough I only go there a few times a year. ;) DH doesn't know how lucky he is I don't go more often. I only spend the money on stride-rites for the first pair. Then I go with Payless or Target although I do like the stride-rites and I guess for the outlet prices I should go there more often but it's just easier to pick up stuff at Target since I'm there at least once a week anyhow for something or other.

[Sandie78]

Let's see...
Potty training Ha! I'm going to get a potty chair this summer and we'll start thinking about it, but I'm not really going to push it until summer '08.
Andrea When Zach had his stomach flu a month ago the doc said it was perfectly normal for him to have diarrhea up to 3 weeks! Eww. Luckily his did not last that long. But by all means take Naomi if you are concerned.
Big Bed Another big heck no. I like him being contained. Maybe we'll switch him when we have our next kid so we don't have to buy another crib so at least 9+ months.
STTN & Pacis Zach STTN about 98% of the time. Occasionally he'll whimper then go back to sleep. Once in a blue moon he'll need some comforting. He ditched the paci about 10 months ago, just lost interest.
Being a SAHM I feel like being a SAHM is just like any other job in that you have good days and bad days. Some days are great and other days I hand Zach off to Daddy as soon as he walks in the door. All in all I feel very blessed that I am able to do this as I have always wanted to.
Happy New Year everyone.

[Cr8nme]

Sorry to hear all of the babies are sick or have been sick... I too am part of this. Noelle had a HIGH fever over the weekend then started with a Nasty rash... well she has Roseola and I refuse to send her to daycare... its just no fair to the other kids.

Well I am off to bathed my child and try to o to bed at a respectable time:rolleyes:

[solongtogo]

Potty training not yet for us either, but she has interest in flushing and watching the water go down the toilet. Might get her a training potty in a few months.

Big girl bed No way. She moves too much at night to even consider. She needs to consistently sttn before I will even consider that. So she may be in a crib for the rest of her life :)

cr8n courtney got roseola several months ago...I feel for you. The fever is the worst part and once that's over with, it's much better. After her fever is gone she won't be contagious anymore and can go back to daycare.

Hope all the kidlets feel better today.

[wildcat]

Lauren's back at daycare today, yea! Well, not so much yea since she's probably just going to come down with something else now:rolleyes:. She seems to be doing much better, but VERY clingy with mommy (doesn't want daddy). I guess it makes since, normally kids want their mommy's when they're sick, right?

shoes - Since a few of you mentioned Stride Rites, I have been wanting to know...what's the big deal about Stride Rite's? I've only had Lauren in Robeez and Pedipeds thus far (other than a few pairs of "fancy" shoes that she only wore for special occasions like with her Christmas dress) and have no desire to get her into real shoes for awhile (she's been walking for 2 months, but I want to give her some more time). Anyway, I'm looking at what shoes we'll get next and can't figure out why the Stride Rite's are so expensive! TIA!:)

potty training - I'm totally impressed with the kiddos using the potty!! I had no idea they could understand the concept at this age!! I'm watching for signs for Lauren to be ready (she's saying uh-oh when she potty's sometimes, but not consistent) as I'd like to PT ASAP so that we can quit fighting the diaper rashes. My plan is to read about it over the next few months and give it a go around 18 months, if she seems ready.

big bed - NO WAY!! The longer she'll sleep in her crib without knowing she could have a big girl bed, the better!! We bought her a convertible crib, so we don't need her out for the next kid (although that wouldn't be until she was around 3 anyway). I have no desire for her to be able to get out of bed at night and play or come and find mommy!;)

andrea - I hope Naomi's feeling more herself today!!

cr8nme - I don't know what roseola is, but high fevers are no fun. I hope Noelle feels better soon!

Sandie - "at least 9+ months"...does that mean your TTC?:D

cr8zyforaf - I wouldn't be crazy about the idea of a teacher's kid in her own class. I would just worry/wonder if she was taking more time with her own kid or as someone else pointed out, in cases of emergency would she freak out more and maybe get her kid safe first (which would be the right mama instinct!). That being said, when Lauren was in in-home daycare the first 6 months, the lady also watched her great-granddaughter part-time (2 months younger than Lauren) and it never really occurred to me to be bothered by it bc she was so very attached to Lauren. Go with your gut.

[Sandie78]

Sandie - "at least 9+ months"...does that mean your TTC?:D



We are, but so far no BFP. Hopefully soon. :)

[solongtogo]

stride rites are good first walking shoes because they offer good support for both the feet and ankles. However, I've read that barefoot is the way to go when learning to walk...I'm still planning on going out and getting a pair of stride rites this weekend for the kid

[AlisonCO]

I agree with solong. Stride Rites have a great flexible sole, are breathable and fit great. They still let the new walkers "feel" the ground while offering protection. I believe that they are the only shoe that comes in 4 widths - narrow, regular, wide and extra wide. Caitlin still wears her Robeez as much as possible, but with a 3 year old brother, we are outside alot and she needs the protection and support! I go to a fancy boutique to get the kids measured and then buy them online.
http://www.striderite.com/images/us/local/products/detail/LAURENII.JPG
These are the ones that C has now and I love them becasue the leather is all very thin and soft - not bulky like some sneakers. This was especially important becasue she really didn't like wearing shoes in the beginning.

[Brink]

Wow, you guys have been busy the last few days. Things are going better here, I had the flu for almost 3 wks and am feeling better today. Babies are doing well, we are 29wks 3days which is huge for us. I'm on the monitors now from 6am to 11pm with a little time off for a shower and dinner with family. I'll probaby start getting monitored through the night at some point.

Potty training - OMG I haven't even started to think about this yet. I imagine I won't do anything until the babies are here and our life slows down a little.

Big Bed - We'll stay in the crib for a while. She does throw the paci's out once in a while which is irritating, but better than the alternative for now.

I feel like I am so far behind in her life right now. I get to see her everyday for about 3 hours, but I'm not the one who takes care of her, so it just feels wierd. I want these babies to stay in as long as possible, but I also can't wait to get back home with Aimee.

[jo&sean]

Hi everyone. We have been MIA for a few days. So sorry to hear about all of the sick babies! Hope everyone is on the mend soon.

Potty Trainingp - I am totally impressed that Hunter is already working on this! Addison tells us when she wants her diaper changed and just started acting interested in the potty so we should get her a potty I guess. She will actuall say "dirty diaper". It's pretty cute because sometime it sounds like "dirty daddy".....

Big Bed - We are thinking about this but haven't decided on anything yet. Maybe that would help her STTN...(wishful thinking!)

Brink - So glad you are feeling better and that the babies are doing so well. I can't imagine what it must feel like to be away from Aimee for so long. I am thinking about you guys.

Addison's new words today were "sticker" and "purple". She is adding at least 2-3 new words every day. I love it! She is working on her eye teeth and it has been a rough past few nights. We were enjoying her only waking 1 to 2 times a night, now we are back up to 5 or 6. Oh Joy! ;)

[cr8zyforaf]

Brink - woo hoo..you are almost there. I am sure Aimee misses you as much as you miss her!

Striderite - we are also lucky enough to have an outlet close - I've never paid more than $25 for a pair...

So, we've been struck by the RSV bug...spent the morning at the doctor getting nebulized..which she HATED. It was AWFUL and I went by myself (DH and my mom offered and I said no..I thought we would get some cough medicine and be done). She is now on Alimentum. Her fever got to 104 this AM..which is the only reason I took her in..I swore the cough was just a standard 'cold'. I feel awful.

[Cr8nme]

Brink~ Wow! I know Aimee really misses you! So what is the ideal point that you would like to make it to... I guess I am asking if you have a target week. I am glad that the babies are doing well... it must be hard to be on the monitors all the time though

[Brink]

Typing with one hand because of the angle i'm at. As always your support is appreciated. Cr8nme - we are trying for 34 weeks, which is about Feb 3 or so. Hopefully we will make it that far. ok - too hard to type...........

[Cr8nme]

Brink~ Ooohh you are soo close. I am really excited...:D :D

[solongtogo]

cr8zy: God, you just can't win :(

[AlisonCO]

Oh cr8zy, Poor A! She is just having a terrible time staying healthy. This must be so hard on you - hang in there!

jo - I think that C learns about 2 new words per day too. She is so chatty, I can't wait to be able to understand the sentences she forms.

Brink - So Monday is 30 weeks?! WOW! You are so strong and I hope that you and the babies hang in there for 4 more weeks!

We had a fun weekend. Saturday we had pictures taken (went well, see below:)), went out to lunch (man do I like takeout better) and then played in the snow. Today Caitlin ran errands with DH since Aidan had a friend over to play. They went to get DH a haircut and he said that she sat absolutely still on his lap.

She has been sleeping OK, but has been so restless from around 5-6:30am. She has also been kind of a pill about meal time. I think that her mouth is sore so she only wants soft food - even tonight we had pizza and she threw quite a bit of it.


https://www.searsphotos.com/ImageServer/dep_show_line_item.aspx?I=F4280C52-DE3C-4A95-9946-FA8B1EE3A258&C=Nat
https://www.searsphotos.com/ImageServer/dep_show_line_item.aspx?I=DEF9A3FB-B885-4D2F-B584-564BB406B6E6&C=Nat&R=90

They really look like siblings now, don't ya think? They really did do well and they absolutely deserved the milkshake that they shared afterwards:)

[solongtogo]

Those are great pictures! Boy you can definitely see that they are siblings..they look exactly alike! How precious!

[randysmandy]

Alison They DO look alike! What cuties.

Hunter is sick AGAIN. HE went to the playground on Thur and I am afraid he caught something there. It has been SO warm out that none of the bugs are being killed. So he is caughing (and it is phlemy) and he has a runny nose..but sleeping ok still-knock on wood.

cr8zy You poor thing!
BrinkThe time is going by fast..before you know it you will have 3 healthy children and you will be enjoying every minute of it. :)

[cr8zyforaf]

alison - they both have such sweet faces..and yes, you can def tell they are siblings!

randsysmandy - poor hunter - keep an eye on the cough..not to be an alarmist but that is how Ash's started. The doc told me RSV is going around. It is also so warm here - nothing is being killed off. This weekend it got into the 70s. Crazy.

Ash and I are home and the alumentum is making her bounce off the walls..she was up all night, got up with DH around 6 (I slept from 6-8:30 THANK GOD) and she is still showing no signs of being ready for a nap..poor mommy!

[wildcat]

Quick post as I need to work and my time at work is going to be limited....

Just got back from the ENT, Lauren's having surgery to put in ear tubes and remove her adnoids 2 weeks from today. They want her out of daycare between now and then, especially due to the huge outbreak of RSV (sorry cr8zyforaf going on right now! If she's sick, they can't operate, and if she gets RSV, it's an automatic 6 week wait period, so we're going to do what it takes to keep her out of daycare. We'll split time where we can and next week we might send her to my parents/grandparents for the week (3 hours away, I'll be so very sad:( ). Also, no play dates, stay away from shopping carts or wipe them down, etc.

The dr. said it's definitely time for the ear tubes and normally they wait on the adnoids unless they need ear tubes a second time, but bc of how sick she's been, she definitely recommends taking them out. She said Lauren has that "sick, allergy" look to her (dark circles under her eyes, lines under her eyes which I actually noticed was really bad when we babysat my 8 month old nephew last week and he had such a good complexion) and that after surgery we're going to have a new kid...that totally made me start crying in the dr's office...I felt so bad that she's been sick for so long and there was nothing I could do but wait until she'd been sick for SO long that they'd do tubes/adnoids:(. Anyway, I'm happy that we finally get to do something about it and from what every person I've mentioned it to, it'll change our world. The part that's sad to me is that with tubes, they just put them to sleep with the mask, but with the adnoids, we have to intubate (sp?)..put the tube down her throat. She's too little!!

Anyway, I hope the sick kiddos get better!

Alison - OMG - they look so much alike!!

[AlisonCO]

Thank you all:)

wildcat - I am SO glad that the ENT is ready to move forward with the surgery. I know that the idea of surgery and intubation is scary, but we will all be thinking of you and L that day!!!

cr8zy - Is bouncing off the wall a side effect of the RSV meds? Did A eventually nap?

mandy - Hope that H is feeling better!

[crow]

Hello everyone, I can't believe I have the energy to log in. I have been just so so tired, with the holidays, then getting sick--I have been sick for over 2 weeks. I caught something when we were at ILs--ILs caught it too. One family brought their 2 sick children. Crowbaby got sick too, sniffly, coughing, but he still is a ball of energy.

I have to vent my pet peeve about others dragging their obviously sick, runny nosed, coughing children to large family gatherings. At the dinner, there was a little 5 week old there too! She could have gotten ill. I know the family wants to see the families, esp the new 5 weeker, but it just seemed terribly self centered to me. We were the only ones who had to fly into town, and the flight back was not pretty. And it would have been worse if crowbaby's nose was stuffed or something. There were some kids screaming on the plane b/c of the pressures in their inner ears. Mine were hurting from the cold, so I would just hate for babies to feel the same way!


Alison your children are adorable and so so photogenic--I say that every time, you know!

brink oh my, woman, you are doing so well! It must hard to be monitored all day. Are you are getting good rest? I could not feel comfortable and rest in the hospital--after delivery. With all the bp checks, etc.

Poor Hunter randysmandyI also can't believe how contagious the playground must be! Crowbaby has gotten several colds from there!

cr8zy, don't be too hard on yourself about the RSV--we have all been there similarly. Get well soon, Ashley!

wildcat so good that Lauren can have the surgeries. I hope she stays well so she can have them asap.

We're going out of town this week. It will be the first time our baby has slept outside of his own crib or portacrib at ILs/my parents. We are really nervous b/c he is a great sleeper--in his own crib. He doesn't do well with new places! Oh wait, we did go away for his first Christmas--that was really a nightmare--babe would NOT sleep more than 2 hours all 3 nights. We were soooo exhausted. I think I complained about last year!

Will be back to tell you have this goes!

[hmbay]

crow--my IL's think nothing of bringing their obviously sick kids to family gatherings and then wonder why you get annoyed at them. Heck one of my IL's brought their 5 kids--2 of which were sick--to the hospital the day Alex was born and got him sick. He was less than a week old and came down with his first cold. I wanted to KILL them. hope you guys feel better soon.

[cr8zyforaf]

wildcat - so sorry about Lauren. You did all that you could and are a great mommy...hopefully, this will turn Lauren around which I am sure it will. I also had the same thing - adnoids removed and tubes at a very young age and it was the best thing my parents could have done for me..I have never once had another ear infection.

crow - it amazes me how parents take their sick kids out. I think Ash got this from a kid that came to our Christmas party that HACKED all over everyone and everything while the parents got wasted. Good luck with the traveling. I am sure crowbaby will do fine!!

Question - I think I will also start a thread on this to ask - this medicine is making Ashley off the wall hyper. Has anyone else had this experience with Alementum? The doctor warned me but this is insane...I gave her a dose last night at 8 when she woke up hacking...she literally bounced around for 3 hours and I had to physically hold her down to get her to sleep.

[cr8zyforaf]

I have to come in and give a big fat Thanks to wildcat and philandnikki - switching from Albuterol to Xopenex has made a world of difference...last night we both got a full nights sleep. Thank you both from the bottom of my heart!!!

[AlisonCO]

That is wonderful!! Why wouldn't a doctor try the X medicine first if it has less side effects?

[wildcat]

cr8zyforaf - You're welcome;).

alison - We had to go through the albuterol hell first too. In our case it's because the xoponex is so expensive that insurance won't cover it unless albuterol "fails" first (side effects, etc). After day 4 of albuterol, I wouldn't have cared what it was going to cost, I would have paid the full price myself!

I'm on day 2 of staying home with Lauren and I think I want to be a SAHM:p. After realizing that I'm going to get nothing done but light housework here and there and just playing with her all day instead of trying to work, our day was wonderful:). I don't think we had even one tempertantrum all day! Hmmmm, need to figure that budget again without my salary!;)

[cr8zyforaf]

wildcat - yes, it was very hard to come back to work.

The doctor did say it may make her a bit hyper - but seriously - I wish I would have taken video - it was like she wanted to come out of her skin...for hours despite the fact that she was exhausted..I had to hold her down to get her calm enough to sleep and even that took hours.

She is back at daycare today - I PRAY that she doesn't get sick again...

[randysmandy]

Wildcat Everything will go great and Lauren will be so happy (and healhty) at the end of the surgery.
Crow I don't understand people-when I'm sick all Iwant is my bed and my house. I don't understand why people have to take their children out when they are sick and get others sick or make their child worse.

Hunter is still sick, coughing, but not wheesing. He has a runny nose and I have to call and find out if he is feeling better in a minute. But he is sleeping good, which is awesome.

We found out today that one of our good friends (known her for 20 years this year) has stage 2A Cancer....I'm so sick of this disease...if we could only find a cure :-( If you recall I just lost my step grandmother to it in October.

We saw snow today...one plus.

[philnikki]

You're welcome Kim! :)

[AlisonCO]

alison - We had to go through the albuterol hell first too. In our case it's because the xoponex is so expensive that insurance won't cover it unless albuterol "fails" first (side effects, etc). After day 4 of albuterol, I wouldn't have cared what it was going to cost, I would have paid the full price myself!


Ah, I should have guessed that it was insurance related! Like my husbands vasectomy is covered 100% but god fricken forbid they cover an IUD for me:rolleyes:

wildcat - I am glad that you are enjoying your time home with L!

mandy - Oh I am so sorry to hear about your friend - maybe one of our kids will find a cure!

[randysmandy]

Alison That would be wonderful!

[BeachBum]

You know I read along everyday, but i am just now realizing how little I reply. I feel so up to date with all of you, but just don't do a lot of sharing I guess. I was backing up to do shout outs, but I'm so far behind that it doesn't feel worth it.

We had such a great weekend, last weekend. The weather was so perfect, a peak of spring. It was 78 and sunny. We went and lunch at an outdoor place at the beach with my sister and BIL. BIL is in grad school so we don't see much of him. It was nice to all hang out and H was sooooooo good and fun. It just makes all the difference. We also went out in the boat with my parents. It was a lot of fun. Henry was timid at first, but by the end of the ride I wanted to tie him down. :)

The weather has gotten cold (high mid 60s today) so it is back to "winter" here. We haven't had many cold days so it is kind of nice. H has so many cold weather clothes that I haven't even taken the tags off. Such a waste. I will not be buying like that next year. Most of it was clearance from the winter before or ebay, but still.

We are still feeling the learning tower love here. I'm so glad we got that thing. H just climbed up there to get some milk which made me think of it.

We are just starting to undertake a backyard redo. We live in a new house but in a neighborhood that is designed "old". We have small lots and alleys so our backyard isn't much more than a courtyard. We are having to move our garage door and jack up all of our concrete, but we will gain about 35 x25 feet. I'm really excited, but gosh getting it done is a PITA. I meet with a landscape architect on the 23rd, and his minimum fee is $3500. Holy crap.

I picked up the Little Tikes 8 in 1 off playground off ebay and it is great. We just need more room for it. We had to reconfigure it 2x to get it to fit in our current yard!

I'm making an outfit for H and I am so excited about it. I mean, I'm not much of a seamstress, but I can embellish! I found some really cute sock monkey fabric and I am embellishing 2 t-shirts and a pair of jeans. I usually just buy craft supplies then do nothing.HA. But I actually started last night. I figured if I told you guys someone would ask for pics later and then I'd be guilted into finishing. hehehe

Picture people sucks. Seriously I had the worst experience there this week. I went b/c I got a coupon and was hard pressed to even spend $12 the pics were so bad. I'm sure part of it was the photographer, but I think that just by the nature of the camera not being free moving (attached to that pole) it would be hard to take pics of a toddler. Since they aren't digital they cant do any cropping/ re-centering of the photos either. For that type of photography I like portrait innovations so much better!


Well I hope everyone is feeling better.

[randysmandy]

BeachBum Sounds like you live near me! The weather is about 40 today, but was 65 this past weekend. I am actually an Architect, but do alot of landscape work as well. Too bad you can't hire me! But our fees really are high-I agree. I am still an intern, so my boss can't really bill too high for me, but he gets paid a crapload. It kind of makes up for the jobs which take longer than a proposed fee I suppose. The Learning Tower looks awesome-we were going to get one and never did, but I am rethinking our decision since all Hunter does is take out my entire P&P collection from the cabinets!

[cr8zyforaf]

So, Ashley is hacking again. I am taking her back to the doctor today. I am also making an appointment with a cardiologist (I was told she has a functioning heart murmur at her last appointment). Putting my head in the sand and pretending I didn't hear it really isn't a solution. She was up all night last night again. I just can't do this for much longer.

beach - so nice to get an update. I also hate the Picture People - they totally STINK and are expensive. I can't wait to see the outfit you are making!!

Nikki - where in the heck do you get those aviators..seriously, they are some of the funniest things I've seen. how is Ava feeling these days? how is the new daycare working out?

[Cr8nme]

Cr8zy~ The place I take Noelle is called Portrait Innovations. There is one is Waldorf, MD which may not be too far from you!

[cr8zyforaf]

Thanks cr8nme - I may have to try that since Noelle's pictures are always fabulous. I go to Kiddie Kandids in Columbia mall.

How is noelle feeling - is the pink eye clearing up?

[solongtogo]

cr8zy: you must spend a small fortune in co pays :(

[cr8zyforaf]

I was just over in the sept07 mommy group (I am bored) and I see I need to give a congrats to Sabrespa.

And yes, at 10 a pop, copays add up.

Cardiologist appointment is on the 22nd. Pray that nothing is wrong.

[Brink]

Just checking in with everyone. Can't remember if I gave you the latest baby update. We had our u/s yesterday and Baby A is 3lb 8oz and Baby B is 3lb 13oz - grow babies grow.....

Aimee now has her first case of pink eye - lovely. DH and I pinned her down last night to get the drops in. He is on his own this morning, wonder how that went.

Aside from that, all is well in our world, just counting off the days.

Randysmandy - so sorry to hear about your friend. Did they catch it early enough that the prognosis is good? I sure hope so.

Cr8zy - good luck with the cardiologist appt. I don't know if you recall, but Aimee has one of the "good" murmurs also. We were told we don't have to go back unless the ped sees a change at some point. Hopefully A's is the same way.

Have a great day everyone.

[randysmandy]

sabrespa OH MY GOSH-CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think every other day I want another baby, but I feel like it's too soon although I wanted my children to be 3 years apart-I would have to get pregnant next Dec!

[wildcat]

I'm home with Lauren again today, DH was supposed to be but he had emergency meetings at work due to layoffs being announced and his team may be affected (he manages a group of 20). I'm not complaining though, other than I do have work to get done and working from 10pm - 2am each night hasn't been much fun.:rolleyes: Lauren and I have had such a good morning though, I might start pushing the part-time talk to DH again! I ran numbers yesterday and if we cut the extras like the housecleaner and the meal prep place, we'd still have the same amount of "leftover, to savings" money each month!

Something dawned on me yesterday. Lauren started with these bad diaper rashes back in September and at her 12 month WBV the first week of October, I asked the ped if it could be related to the whole milk as that was the only thing that was different (we'd just weaned and she'd gone to 100% whole milk). She said she doubted it and we've been doing sitz baths twice a day and rotating 2 different diaper cremes at each diaper change just to keep the rash under control. Well, 4 months later and we've been on a soy diet (milk free) for 3 weeks and it just occurred to me yesterday that her bottom has lookd PERFECT for about 2.5 weeks!!! And, we've backed off to 1 bath a day and it still looks good! I really do think it's the cows milk. That's annoying since I brought it up 3 months ago, but what are you going to do?

sabre - Congrat's!!!! Am I right that this will be #3?

randymandy - Sounds like we're on the same time schedule, I've always thought 2 kids, 3 years apart and next December sounds too soon to me!:D

brink - I'm always so excited to read your posts and hear your progress. Keep up the good work on providing such a great home for those two baby girls! Sorry about the pink eye, we've been there 2 or 3 times...those drops work quickly. We just let Lauren keep her eyes close and put the drop in the inside corner of her eye and then when she opens, it goes in. I'm sure at this age it's much more difficult to keep them still, though!

cr8zyforaf - Here's me playing dr...I wonder if Ashley needs something besides just the xoponex to control everything? We've ended up having Lauren on Pulmicort, Xoponex, Singulair, and no milk diet to get her cough/congestion/asthma under control. Good luck with your appt on the 22nd, that's my lucky number so that's a good sign;), (Lauren's surgery is on the same day!). I hear ya on the copays...we're at $15 each and $30 each to all these specialists we've been seeing. I'm so annoyed we set our medical flex spending account thing at a mere $300 for 2007...Lauren started with all these medical problems the week after we did benefit elections:rolleyes:.

beachbum - We've been to both Portrait Innovations and Picture People and have had wonderful pictures to where we spend $200 and such awful pictures that we walk out without buying anything. I think it really depends on the "photographer" (using that term really loosely as I think if they'd just let me have the dam* camera I'd do a better job most of the time!) you get. We're actually looking into hiring a photography student willing to do it for cheap for Lauren's next round of pics at 18months. Didn't someone say they had info on that??

[sabrespa]

Thank you!

I've been meaning to pop in here and tell you. It was a surprise, actually we were done having kids and DH was going to get snipped at the first of this year. You just never know what will happen! I'm due 9/6 (Anthony's bday is 9/10). I'm hoping the baby comes in August so that their bdays will at least be a couple of weeks apart.

[solongtogo]

Congrats Sabre!

[AlisonCO]

Congrats sabrespa!!!

Brink - Wow, I can't believe how well your little ones are growing!

cr8zy - How did the appt go? We will be thinking about you guys when you go to the cardiologist!

wildcat - I am so glad that L is doing so much better now. At some point in the future can you try to introduce milk back in?

We are doing well. Caitlin is still not sleeping all that well at night. At first I thought teeth, but now I think that it might be nightmares or sep anxiety because Motrin is doing nothing and all she wants to do is be picked up for a few minutes. Last night she cried out twice and it was such a terrible sound.

[jo&sean]

Congrats Sabre!

I haven't been here in a few days and feel like we missed so much. I hope all the sick babies get to feeling better soon.

Wildcat - I am sorry that Luaren has to have surgery but it will help so much. Glad you have been enjoying staying home - it is fun isn't it!? Before I quit my job and started my own biz, I was nervous and crunched numbers all day long but in the end, it really does work itself out.

Cr8zy- I'll be thinking of Ashley.

I have been running non stop the past three days - I really just want a break! Addison has an incredible knack of knowing that mommy has tons to do so she takes a very, very short nap. On days I don't have much to do, she naps forever!

Question about bottles... - We are having a really hard time weaning Addison from the bottle. She is fine during the day but evenings, it is an all out war. She wants a bottle and nothing else will suffice. The only reason we have wanted to wean her from it is because everyone keeps telling us "it's bad". But why is it so bad? She doesn't use a paci, doesn't suck her thumb, doesn't snuggle with a blanket or teddy - she has her "baba". It is her comfort and security. Is this really that bad at this age?

[wildcat]

alison - IMHO, I think Lauren has an allergy to the milk protein itself. For 3 months before we introduced whole milk, she had cheese and ice cream with no problem. We introduced whole milk and we suddenly had diaper rash, coughing, congestion, and asthma (all new to Lauren at that time). So, I'm going to wait until after the surgery, and then introduce a little bit of cheese and see what it does. If it makes things bad, we'll stay off, if not, I'll let her have limited cheese for awhile and gradually add the amount. However, she'll probably have to stay off whole milk until she's older (not sure, I've heard anywhere from 3-8 years old)...she should outgrow it eventually, just like the asthma. Lauren does that cry thing during her naps a lot, but she usually goes back down. Is Caitlin fully awake when she does it?

jo&sean - Well, what our ped said anyway, is that the sucking action of a bottle/paci do something to the eustachian tube which doesn't help ear infections (not sure it causes them or not). That's all I needed to know bc due to Lauren's history of ear infections, we ditched both the bottle and paci right after she turned 12 months. Our ped also said the younger it is, the easier the habit is to break, it only gets harder. But, as you know, every ped says something different.:rolleyes:

[hmbay]

Congrats sabrespa!

bottles--having a hard time ditching them here too.

[wildcat]

qotd - Are your kids showing a preference for one hand or the other? Lauren primarily uses her left hand to draw, carry things, brush her teeth, eat, etc. If you hand her something, she'll grab it with her left. I just didn't know how soon we "know" which hand will be dominant? Also, I'm surprised bc I think there is only like 1 leftie in my entire family, but I guess it's probably not genetic, huh?:p

[solongtogo]

Courtney still gets one bottle before bedtime too...and I was going to try weaning a few weeks back but she got very sick. I dont' have a problem with her still having one bottle a day...I think we'll try again around 20 or so months. She'll be old enough to understand that her bottle is 'broken' :D

qotd I think I've read that we'll see the dominant hand around 2 years old...Court eats with her right hand, but she colors with both hands.

[philnikki]

Hi everyone! Sorry I am so horrible at popping in here. It takes all I have to keep up on LJ some days, but its one of my resolutions to be a better buddy to those of you not on LJ.

And update on us....

We are *almost* in our new home! We are painting it this weekend. Should be interesting! We have a crew of around 4 people (including Phil &I).

Ava started a new daycare a week ago and she is doing wonderfully. This one is the "premier" daycare in our area (we live in a small area, so not a ton of options round here) and she finally made her way up the waiting list (she was no. 17 for the wobbler room 6 mos ago). I have noticed that since she started daycare, a lot of her development has really taken off. (She was home from the time she was 6 mos old, after her RSV hospitalization). As far as her asthma, Ava is on the same meds as Lauren: pulmicort, xoponex and sngulair (granules). She's like a little old lady with all of her meds. It unfortunately doesn't seem to make a bit of difference though, and she has been on prednisone to get rid of each cold she has had since September. Thus, we will be visiting a specialist with the next cold.

Now, onto SO's!

Brink - I am so glad things are going well so far with the babies! I think about you often!

cr8zy - As you can tell from my update, Ava is doing very well in daycare! Thanks for asking :)

wildcat - Have they done a RAST on Lauren, yet? They did that for Ava to make sure her asthma wasn't being caused by other factors, and Ava came up negative for cow's milk protien and a number of other things.

Congrats to Sabre!!!

qotd Ava seems to prefer her right hand for most everything. My dad was a lefty though, so it wouldn't shock me if she did end up left handed.

I shall leave you with a pic! :)

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c139/philnikki/Ava%20Pics/January%202007/DWTS004.jpg

[wildcat]

nikki - Ava's such a doll!!! Thanks for sharing her pic:). I'm so glad you like the new daycare!! And do you think you're going to get away without showing pictures of the new house?? We at least need to see Ava's new room!!;) Nope, no RAST on Lauren (I think that's an allergy test, right?). I asked our allergist/asthma dr. about testing for a milk protein allergy and he said that there is a very very small % of the population that is actually "allergic" to milk, but that a much larger % of the population is intolerant (or something like that). So, even if the test came back negative for cow milk protein allergy (which odds are it would), he would still have us do a milk-free diet to see if Lauren is intolerant or whatever it's called! I honestly think she doesn't tolerate milk...I've noticed a huge improvement in her breathing/congestion as well as clearing up of the diaper rashes. Supposedly it's another of those things that kids outgrow as they get older and their systems can tolerate the milk better (just like bronchial tubes and asthma or eustachian tubes and ear infections). Hopefully that made some sense..hehe.

[cr8zyforaf]

wildcat - what a great job you've done on pinpointing the cause of Lauren's misery. There is a little girl at our center who is on soy for the same reason - she cannot tolerate something in milk..she does fine with cheese, yogurt...but milk is bad. Thanks for the info on all the meds..Ash is actually off everything - the doctor said the cough could linger for weeks but her lungs sounded great..thank god.

Nikki - ava is adorable!! Great news about the daycare. Can't wait to see pictures of the house.

Brink - grow babies!! When you took Aimee to the specialist - did they have to do an echocardiogram? I was told that was a possibility and just want to be prepared.

bottle - we still get one at bedtime and I know I need to drop it but I am not ready...maybe in a few weeks.

hand - she eats mostly with the right...but draws with both. I think it is still a bit early.

Ash got the OK to stop all meds and hopefully, this stupid cough will be gone soon. Her lungs are clear and her fever is gone so she is back in daycare. Today is purple day - everyone had their little Ravens jerseys on...totally cute.


GO RAVENS!!!

[BeachBum]

Right Hand/Left Hand-- So interesting, and I don't know if it's fact or a theory but my mom said she saw on discovery recently that all lefties had a twin in utero that didn't make it.

Brink-Wow, getting so close. I think of you and the babies often. I know this time must be so hard for you, but you are handling things so well. I feel like as good as you (and DH) have done during this tough time you will be just fine with all 3 kiddos once you are home.

Wildcat-I really hope that you can make SAH work. If it is what you want (even for just a little while) I really encourage you to go for it. I hope you can get DH on board.

Sabre-congrats! life does work out in funny ways. it is also funny how excited we can be over something that we didn't intend to happen :)

Bottles-we are still nursing, but H has been ok with not getting a bottle when Grammie babysits. I'm surprised. But if DH tries to go to him at night he yells. NOOO. Mama. Boo. (as in boobie). Ha.

Are any other kids obsessed with wearing mom and dad's shoes? H spends 1/2 his life clomping around in Steve's (or my) shoes. It is so freaking funny. Last night he was wearing my sister's 3 inch heels. :)

[randysmandy]

Nikki Congrats on the house. We are still looking for land or a house-whatever comes first. Please post pics.
Beachbum Henry cracked me up! Hunter attempts to get our shoes on, but falls. Henry looks like a pro! Love the heels LOL.

Sleepless nights these past few. Up from 11:15pm-1am and up at 5:30 and then 7. Hates the crib, the couch and laying on mommy. I guess DH is more comfy :rolleyes: Still coughing and runny nose, but getting there!

BottleHaven't seen one in 9 months!

Hunter grabs with his left and uses his right, but throws lefty-I decided he is UNdecided! Interesting about the lefty theory.

[cr8zyforaf]

I usually post to snapfish but I posted a few to shutterfly.

Fresh out of the tub (you can see the crazy hair):

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7df35b3127cce8085483b797e00000016109IZt3Lho0o

We took her to get her first haircut today.

Before:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7df35b3127cce8085352139c200000015109IZt3Lho0o

During (not happy)

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7df35b3127cce808534c379b800000015109IZt3Lho0o

After

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b7df35b3127cce808534a779dc00000015109IZt3Lho0o

solong - is there an easy way for me to crop that other little girl out of the last picture?

[AlisonCO]

cr8zy - Darn it, I can't see your pictures. Let's just say that I am a bit jealous of all of you with girls with hair that actually need a haircut! I hope that A stays healthy!

BB - Aidan loves to wear our shoes - he especially loves a pair of pink pumps:) Caitlin doesn't yet - her feet are so tiny that she gets frustrated. I love the pic of H wearing the black high heals!

wildcat - I too hope that you can make the SAH thing work at least part time - this is such a fun age to be with them!

bottles - Caitlin gets one bottle of milk at night while getting her massage after bath. I am not going to push to get rid of it yet because we brush her teeth after and she is done with the 4oz in about 1 minute (and then she throws it) so it doesn't sit in her mouth.

hand preference - No, she still uses both. She does better with a spoon and fork with her right hand, but throws the ball very well with her left. For some reason I think that I read somewhere that it can take until age 2 or so to really develop a preference. But my kids might be confused because my mom and grandpa are ambidextrous, my sister is a lefty and my husband is a righty but play hockey and golf as a lefty and snowboards goofy:)

We have had a pretty good weekend. It has been cold - 11 degrees yesterday and 6 today. The kids have been pretty good, but the dogs are driving me crazy - there is no freakin way we are going for a walk so today we played hide and seek with them and the kids inside. I wish that I had had the camera because the look on Cailtin's face when the dogs and I found her and DH was priceless.

[wildcat]

We're having a pretty good weekend here, but like alison, it's freezing and we've been getting freezing rain since Friday! We've had a break in the weather each morning and ran some errands so we didn't go too stir crazy! Lauren's still healthy, keep your fingers crossed!

cr8zyforaf - I don't think I've seen pictures of Ashley in awhile, she's gorgeous! I love those big blue eyes! I'm so impressed with her on the carousel!! Lauren won't even ride that thing with me holding onto her or on the horse with her, we have to ride on the sled thing and even then she grips onto me for dear life!

beachbum - Henry is too funny in the shoes! Lauren has always loved her own shoes and wants them on and wants to play with them. A couple times she's tried to put ours on, but they're just way too big on her little feet and she's still not 100% coordinated with her walking.:p

hands - Thanks for all the responses! I thought it was still a bit too early, but Lauren probably uses her left hand 90% of the time (eating, drawing, and grabbing for things), so I'll be surprised if she ends up being right handed.

[solongtogo]

cr8zy-no easy way since she's right behind her....you'd have to crop it close to right above her head...cloning her out won't work well either since the background of the carosel has so many colors...I can try a crop for you tomorrow.

And might I say...ha ha to you and your ravens. Go colts :D

[philnikki]

Hey all. Glad you guys still remember me :) Sorry it had been so long since posting. I needed a CC break for awhile :)

As far as the house, its still coming along. We painted the entire second floor this past weekend, which was a chore because we had to prime the whole thing too! Yikes! I painted Ava's room a bright pink that I am now thinking about changing. It seems too dark to me now. Maybe I should just wait till the trip and the curtains are in before I make a final decision? Of course, its easier to change now than later. Decisions, decisions! Here is a teaser pic of the house:

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c139/philnikki/The%20House/12.jpg

The rest are located in this album: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8CbMmzRq1bMaS&notag=1

Enjoy!

[BeachBum]

I can't see Ashley's pics. Poo!

Pretty house, Nikki. :) How exciting.

[pixiecat]

Hi ladies! Sorry I have been MIA for awhile. Things have been busy (of course) and we've all had the stomach flu... fun fun fun!

nikki - I love the cutie patootie pictures of Ava. Your house is beautiful too! Congrats on being (almost) done! Maybe you could go w/ really light curtains (sheers?) for A's bright pink room. Might lighten it up a bit.

wildcat - I've been following along re: Lauren's breathing problems & ear infections... I've heard that the tubes work miracles. Looks like you may have found the anser to your other problem too (milk protein allergy?) I'm thinking of you & hope that you guys can put all these illnesses behind you soon. Good luck w/ the p/t sahm discussion w/ DH!!

hand preference - I also saw that "In the Womb" show where they talked about lefties being the surviving twin. Apparently some twins are "mirror image" where they are identical, but everthing is on the opposite side... sometimes even their organs! Amazing. Brink - this show made me think of you, as they showed a set of momo twins. It is amazing the bond that your girls will have... Anyway, Lily doesn't really have a hand preference yet, and I have also heard that it doesn't "stick" until about 2 years old.

Allison - I guess I shouldn't be complaining so much about our weather out here! Good luck not going stir-crazy! Stay warm! (Oh, I also wanted to say that your children are so beautiful and are starting to look SO much alike! Darling!)

cr8zy - I don't think that shutterfly or snapfish allow you to post pics anymore. I use "flickr" to upload my pics now. Total pita. Thank goodness A is getting better.

sabre - CONGRATULATIONS!! What wonderful news. Hope you have a H&H 9 months!!

BeachBum - those pics of H in your shoes totally cracked me up! Oooh, he will *LOVE* you for those pictures some day. ha ha!

bottles - Lily had been drinking one bottle/day at day care, but we decided to cut it out & she hasn't cared at all. She prefers to drink from a straw. Although I have the *worst* time getting her to drink milk. She definitely does not drink enough. Does anyone else have this problem? She eats lots of dairy (cheese/yogurt), should I worry about this? Sometimes I can only get her to drink 1-2 onces/day! :eek: I hate to go the flavored milk route, but I'm not sure how serious this is. I need to talk to her ped, but would appreciate any advice!

Here are a couple of pics of Lily with some major crib-hair! (I can't get over how "old" she looks in the second one!):

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/160/358353622_8de96c463a.jpg?v=0

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/143/358353628_3e29dabe39.jpg?v=0

Hope everyone has a great rest of your holiday!

[Sandie78]

Great pictures everyone! (I can't see some of them.) We're doing good. Zach is supposed to be napping right now, but I can still hear him talking. :p
Here's a picture of my little guy.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/138/358400701_0b1d62dd73.jpg?v=0

[Brink]

Happy Monday everyone. We are officially 31 weeks today. 3 more to go before these babies arrive.

Pixie - my DH taped the "in the womb - multiples" for me, so I'll have to watch it later this week. I had no idea they had a momo set on there. I can't wait to see it.

Cr8zy - I can't remember when Ashleys cardiologist appt is. Good luck. Yes, we had an echo done with Aimee. It was kinda weird because they hook up all the wires to her chest and so that was scary, but in reality it really wasn't that big of a deal. I remember after it was over saying, "that's it?" Hopefully yours will be very quick too.

Love the pictures of the little ones. I'll have to wait until I get back home to post any pics of Aimee. She is getting so big......

Well, take care all.

[randysmandy]

I have the day off and Hunter has ben napping for 3 hours-WOO HOO-I don't know what to do with myself! Here are a few pics from last weekend. Doesn't it look like fall?
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l154/randysmandy/DSC06720-1.jpg
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l154/randysmandy/DSC06732.jpg

[wildcat]

I'm totally loving all the pictures! You girls have inspired me to get my butt in gear and upload the last month or so of pictures! I'll post something later this week...I'll have time then:(. My "plan" for daycare this week needed 7 people to stay healthy and of course, that didn't happen...my SIL woke-up sick this morning. So, DH is home with Lauren today (holiday for him). We were going to have SIL watch Lauren Tues/Wed then she was going to my parents house (3 hours away) Wed evening then we'd pick her up on Friday. So now, she's going to my parents tomorrow instead. That means I don't get to see her from the time she goes to bed tonight until Friday night.:( I've only been away from her 1 other time and that was for 6 nights in October when DH and I went on vacation and while I was sad, we had a great time. This time, I'm just going to be working and being sad.:( My admin assistant said I'm looking at this wrong and that I should be looking forward to a break. I guess, I've just never felt that way about Lauren:rolleyes:.

[solongtogo]

Brink: wow....only 3 weeks left! Great job cookin those kidlets up...I didn't think you'd make it this far, but now I've got no doubt that they're going to stay in there until you deliver. Is there a chance they can just monitor and let them stay in as long as possible, or are they definitely being evicted in 3 weeks?

[AlisonCO]

I love coming in here and seeing new pictures!

mandy - H is so cute - I love the b&w.

pixie - L is so adorable - she does look like a little kid, not a toddler in the second pic. Thank you for the compliments on mine.

Sandie - Z has such a great smile!

nikki - That is going to be a beautiful home when it is finished!

cr8zy - I can see your pics now! A is so cute - I love the pic of her on the carosel.

Brink - Keep up the great work!

wildcat - It is going to be so hard to be away from L so maybe you and DH can stay busy - OK, that sounds bad:D What I mean is maybe you two can have some mini dates, or do some things around the house.

[Brink]

Solongtogo - they will definitely be evicted at 34 weeks. There isn't enough of a benefit in them staying in there to offset the risk of a "cord accident". Even though I'm being monitored most of the day, there is still a risk of fetal death while they are in there. It's pretty small, but it's still there so definitely becomes not worth the risk after 34 weeks. Some studies even say 32 weeks, but we are going to the 34 week mark. I can't believe it's getting closer. Three weeks still sounds really far away though... hopefully it will be here before I know it. Thanks for asking.

[Cr8nme]

brink~ I am sooo proud of you! You are a trooper! It seems like time has flown by but I am sure it didn't feel that way to you,lol Hang in there and I can't wait to see pics of your 3 girls :eek: Sooo how long will the girls have to stay in the hospital?

[cr8zyforaf]

Brink - you go!! Seriously, hats off to you - I don't know if I could have done what you've done. 3 weeks will be gone before you know it. How is Aimee feeling? I bet she will be glad to get her mommy home!! Our appointment is on the 22nd - thanks for asking.

wildcat - wow, that is quite a juggle - 7 people? I also wouldn't look forward to the break - it will suck being away from Lauren for that long.

Ash is still hacking and coughing..which means up at night. I am exhausted. If anyone would have told me that in 16 months, I would be getting as little sleep as I am, I would have never believed it to be possible!

I am reading - Motherhood - Loving Every Other Minute of it - what a great read. For those of you who struggle with motherhood (I will admit it, I do. I miss my old life so much sometimes - although I wouldn't trade Ashley for anything) it makes you feel not so alone.

[solongtogo]

I am reading - Motherhood - Loving Every Other Minute of it - what a great read. For those of you who struggle with motherhood (I will admit it, I do. I miss my old life so much sometimes - although I wouldn't trade Ashley for anything) it makes you feel not so alone.


I'll have to pick this up. I too am not loving motherhood every night at 2am. If I don't get one night of uninterupted sleep soon, so help me....

[cr8zyforaf]

I think we all struggle with various things and don’t discuss it because we are supposed to be thrilled and grateful and happy about being a mom all the time. This book made me cry – I remember the first few months how absolutely miserable I was but I had to tell everyone how happy I was, how this was the happiest time of my life.

Even now, like solong, I am getting NO SLEEP (I don’t think I’ve had more than 4 hours of consecutive sleep in weeks, if not months), I have to get up and go to work, I have to deal with a cranky, moody 16 month old. When I finally get her down, I have my husband staring at me because he wants to talk, cuddle, have s*x and really all I want to do is go to bed because I know in a few short hours, I will have to deal with a screaming child.

And friends – most of my really good friends are child free – most don’t want kids and now, they don’t want me as part of their group unless I can find a sitter which I hate to do because I already spend so much time away from her. So, most of those girls, I haven’t seen since they came to see me at the hospital. Thank god for the mom’s I’ve met at daycare – we are all in the same boat..all trying to juggle 15 balls in the air at once and it isn’t easy and it certainly isn’t thrilling 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

[hmbay]

Even now, like solong, I am getting NO SLEEP (I don’t think I’ve had more than 4 hours of consecutive sleep in weeks, if not months), I have to get up and go to work, I have to deal with a cranky, moody 16 month old. When I finally get her down, I have my husband staring at me because he wants to talk, cuddle, have s*x and really all I want to do is go to bed because I know in a few short hours, I will have to deal with a screaming child.

You aren't the only one. Alex has a good night here and there where he sleeps all night (doesn't go to bed until 10pm either which bites) until around 5:30/6:30 but most nights he's up 1-3 times a night still or gets up and stays up for an hour or more. My first was nothing like this so I'm just at my rope's end trying to figure out what to do with him. When he wakes up he needs a diaper change and a bottle (which leads to another damn diaper change later). I have to get him off the bottle to get him back to sleep but it's quick and it works (usually). He also has night terrors, loses his paci (thinking about trying to ditch that soon) or just plain gets lonely I think (also considered putting him in the same room with my 3 year old). No advice here--just letting you know we're still, unfortunately, having the same sleep problems we were having earlier just like you (and husbands who want "their" time after the kid goes to bed when all you want is your own "ME" time and some sleep).

[charmcitygirl]

count me in too, in the no sleep club. z has been getting up every 2 hours for the past several nights, and hasn't sttn in weeks.

[Brink]

So sorry for those mommies not sleeping at night. We were so lucky with Aimee and her sleep. But, I can relate since I haven't slept very much with this pregnancy. Then I'm never going to sleep again with the twins. Ugh, makes me tired thinking about it.

Cr8nme - not sure how long they will be in the NICU. They say to use their original due date as a rule of thumb, but there are so many things that can change that. If we get to the 34 weeks, we are hoping they will only spend 2 weeks in the hospital. But, if they have any complications at all, that can change very quickly. I will definitely post pictures as soon as I can after they are born,

Thanks to everyone for your encouragement. It has been a really long road to get to where we are. I know each one of you would do the exact same thing if you were in my position. We are moms - what other choice do we have?

[hmbay]

Brink--hang in there. It's almost over. My first was born at 34/35 weeks (I always thought my due date was 1 week later than my OB said so I say he was born at 34 weeks 5 days, my OB says he was born at 35 weeks 5 days). He spent 17 days in the level II nursery (not as intense as the true NICU). If you haven't already read the book "Preemies" I'd highly recommend it. It was well written in a way that didn't freak you out. Hopefully you make it to 34 weeks and they only have a minimal hospital stay.

[Cr8nme]

I think we all struggle with various things and don’t discuss it because we are supposed to be thrilled and grateful and happy about being a mom all the time. This book made me cry – I remember the first few months how absolutely miserable I was but I had to tell everyone how happy I was, how this was the happiest time of my life.

I laugh at this because I remember telling people that it hadn't set in yet that I was someones mom! Like I am responsible foir this persons life!!!! However now after reading what all of you write each day I must admit that Noelle has always been a great sleeper by standards. When she was around 6 months old she woke up at 10 pm, 3:30 and 7pm or so. At 9 months old she woke up one time at 3:30, at 12months old up until now she sleeps from 7:30 until 7 am. I am blessed. Another thing is I have never changed her bedtime... it has always been between 7-8pm.

I really hope you all get some sleep soon for your sanity!

[BeachBum]

I finished Henry's monkey outfit!
<<pic removed>>

Henry still wakes up at night too. Usually just once, which feels like heaven compared to where we've been. :)

[wildcat]

My heart goes out to all you sleepless moms:(. I honestly don't know how you do it. I'll never complain about being tired again!!

Well, Lauren is 3 hours away:(. She's having a great time with my parents and grandparents! My mom said she's totally hamming it up and having my grandpa chase her through the house and is showing off her signs. I'm glad they get some 1x1 time with her, but it's still hard on mommy:o. Then, my mom just called to tell me that she's LOVING her McDonald's hamburger. She's never had McDonald's before, I was purposely avoiding it:rolleyes:. Oh well, that's probably the first meat she's ate in 3 months! (cr8zyforaf - 7 people had to stay healthy for my original plan...brother, SIL, nephew, parents, and grandparents. My SIL and nephew ended up sick, so she couldn't stay with them a few days this week, so off to my parents and grandparents houses for 3.5 days.)

So, now my DH and I are sitting on the couch looking at eachother wondering what the heck to do with ourselves!! I think we're going to go out to eat without a kid...that'll be the first time since our vacation last October! So, there may be some benefits...;).

[Cr8nme]

Wildcat~ Wow... I have never been away from Noelle :( its going to be pretty hard but your gonna get your groove back ,lol ;)

[BeachBum]

wildcat-At least Lauren is having a great time with grandma! I know it must be hard to be away, but I think you've got the right attitude :) Absoutely go out to dinner and enjoy your alone time with DH.

Brink- I feel so excited the babies :) I'm so glad you've kept us in the loop all this time.

Well yesterday our thermometer said it was 84. DH and I laid out in the back yard and took a nap. Today the high is 58- crazy!

[Cr8nme]

Its SNOWING here is Dallas!!!! We are all off work because you know its rare for this in Dallas.

I meant to mention that we bought a house! I am really excited. I have it all decorated. Its by no means my dream house but it will do until Noelle starts school then we may move because I really would like to have a house on a lake one day. I will be sure to post pictures

[cr8zyforaf]

cr8nme - congrats on the house - can't wait to see pictures.

beach - we are having the same weather - this weekend it was 75 and now it is windy and 30..crazy. The monkey outfit is adorable...did you make the jeans? Was it a pattern? I want to make Ashley the shirt - maybe do pink to make it more 'girly'.

Brink - I am so excited for you - it is almost time to meet your new babies!!

Not much going on here - DH's grandmother is in the hospital with pneumonia - the weather here is awful and everyone is sick - one day it is 80 the next it is 30...we haven't had any frost. Weird. Ash is still hacking at night but the doctor said the cough could stick around for weeks.

wildcat - at least Lauren is having a great time...enjoy yourself (I know, easier said than done).

[solongtogo]

I heard that somewhere in New Hampshire the wind chill makes it feel like its NEGATIVE 70 degrees!

I can tolerate cold weather, but not that shat.

Love the monkey outfit...especially the banana cuffs :)

[AlisonCO]

BeachBum - OMG that is such a cute outift, and the model is adorable:) You are so darn talented - that kind of stuff sells for big bucks in boutiques!

Brink - Yeah for having the birthday scheduled!

wildcat - I hope that the week goes very quickly - enjoy these mini dates with your DH! My mom introduced Caitlin to McD's about 3 weeks ago - apparently she loved the cheeseburger and vanilla milkshake:)

Cr8nme - Congrats on the new house - when do you move?

Ughh - I am in such a funk today. I think that I am PMSing so I just feel drained. Today we had a disasterous outing to the mall. The playarea was pretty dead so we went in. Aidan get his shoes off and Caitlin falls and bangs her nose. Then not 1 minute later Aidan slid down this big tree and smashed his foot - it must have really been bad becasue he is still limping now, 4 hours later. I don't think that it warrants a doc visit becasue he can wiggle his foot and toes. So we picked up our pictures at Sears and left. DH is so great about giving me time away/breaks when he is home, but it is never enough - isn't that terrible? It's like 2 hours isn't enough time - I swear that I need like 2 days before I would feel more rejuvinated. Also the kids are playing more together which is great, but almost everything ends in Caitlin crying - either because it got too rough, he took her toy or she is frustrated because things aren't going her way. Sorry, for the long complaint - geez, I am in a whiny mood. Hope that you all are doing well.

[Cr8nme]

Hi All... I am home with Noelle trying to get some things done around the house... I attempted to leave the house today to get paint swatches and drop by steinmart but I took one look at the weather and said no... its just nasty here. Noelle has pink eye... last week it was the left eye and this week its the right. Hmm I guess I can't win. She also has a terrible case of watery green diareah(sp) which has cause her to mess up every pair of pants she has had on,lol Hmmm other than that I am exctied to be moving apartment life sucks. We are closing on the house february 8th and will move in about the 16th or so. We may go and pick out the wood flooring for out Master Bedroom which I am truly excited about! I have always wanted wood in my house and eventually we are going to do the family room and formals and maybe even the kitchen :D We are having the cabinets redone and get this we went to a local floor store and were looking at tile... Well they had a luna pearl 12x12 tile for $1 a sqaure foot :EEK: some of it was stained but we left with 60 sq feet of it!!!! I"m really happy and we are probably going to put this on the countertops in the kitchen.

I hope everyone is well. Poor little Noelle has been sleep for 3 hours yay me LOL

[cr8zyforaf]

hmbay - congrats!!!

cr8nme - sorry noelle has pink eye!

allison - that sounds like a horrible trip to the park. We've had days like that. Hope you are feeling better.

[BeachBum]

Thanks for the compliments on the monkey outfit. No way did I "make" the jeans/t-shirt. I just embellished jeans and a t I got at wal-mart. I must say I do know why people charge $90 for outfits like that now. It was a PITA. :)

Well I have been in internet hell. Some of you may have seen my brief post in chit chat. Someone stole my password to hotmail, which was the same I used for ebay. (dumb I know) They bought $43,000 worth of stuff on my account. I have no idea how they got my password. I have a firewall at home and do not use a shared computer. So figuring out what is going on has been awful. I'm also not sure what else they could do to me having that info, so I cancelled my credit card etc.
Not to meniton they changed my email password so I can't get into my account. So at this point I dont have any of my contacts. There are several college friends who I only keep up with via email and I hope I don't end up loosing touch over this. I'm so frustrated.

Not much else going on in our world. I am totally itching for a vacation. Before Henry we used to travel quite a bit. I am having a hard time staying put now....Andrea, didn't you have a trip planned? or maybe that is where you are now?

Congrats Heather (hmbay)--I saw in Kim's sleep thread you guys got a BFP!

Cr8me-That is exciting about the house! I just loved picking out all our stuff when we built our place. I learned so much that I wish I could do it again! Hope noelle feels better. pink eye sucks--and so does diahreah

Alison-hope you are having a better day!

[wildcat]

Only 4.5 more hours until I can see, hold, kiss and hug my little girl!!! This has been a LONG 3/4 days!!

beachbum - OMG!!! I'm so sorry!!! I'm not too good about my passwords, my DH is always on me about it. After your experience, I'll be changing everything this weekend! I really hope you can straighten it all out. Can you send hotmail a message to freeze your account? Is there anything in your email that would be bad (cc numbers, etc)? Is ebay taking care of everything?

cr8nme - So sorry about the pink eye! Lauren's had it a few times and they've always told us to use the drops in both eyes (even if the infection is only in one) bc it'll spread....not that you asked for advice;), but I'd use the drops in both eyes for however long they told you to use them. Yucky on the explosions, those aren't any fun!

alison - So, others have to give up control when their parents have their children too?;) I'm such a type-A control freak it's killing me!!:o

cr8zyforaf - How's Ashley's cough today?

[Brink]

Beachbum - OMG - I can't believe that. I sure hope they catch the people. It must be so frustrating to have that happen. I just found out last month that someone stole my credit card info and had charged a bunch of things. Luckily the cc company recognized the fraud and didn't honor the payments, but still.

Cr8nme - congrats on the house. That is so exciting for you. Bummer about the pinkeye. Aimee had it about 2 weeks ago too, not fun at all.

Well - 17 days to go..........

Names - need help

Now that we are getting this close, the fact that we have not decided on names is worrying me..... we are not sharing names with anyone IRL but thought you ladies could give me your opinions or ideas. (I posted this over in my March thread, but I really trust you guys - help.)

Our daughter is Aimee Jean (the middle name is my mom, sister and MIL middle name)

We are thinking about

Katherine Louise (calling her Katie, the middle name is mine)
Kristi _______ ( we are really struggling with the second name. The only reason I came up with this one is that 4 of our nurses are named Kristi, so we thought that might be cute. Still not 100% on it and have no idea on a middle name.)

Help!

[randysmandy]

GET READY FOR THIS STORY......
My friend called me yesterday to tell me he became a father. YAY for my friends. Now for th weird part.....
The mother of his child is only a friend and had NO IDEA SHE WAS PREGNANT!!!!
Now we have all been through this (andsome of are again).. how in the WORLD did she not know? I mean-Andrea you were teeny tiny, but come on, didn't you feel Naomi move? I saw her today. The baby s 6lbs13oz and 19" long. The mom looks like she has a roll-a roll-for a belly!
Anyone have personal experience with this??? Is this girl nuts??? She said she felt weird at work a few days ago, but got a light period all along and was only 2 weeks early. never felt the baby move and gained weight only in her face.
Now onto shoutouts:
beachbum that totally stinks about your account--online shopping is scary, but I do it all the time. You aren't the only one who does things like that :-)
Cr8nme Awesome about the house-I envy you and Nikki-I can't wait to move.
brinkYAY for you and the babies....my friend just named her baby Kendall Rae is you are looking for "K's"
wildcatHold tight and soon will be really holding her tight :-)
Have a great weekend everyone!!!

[randysmandy]

PS I forgot part of the crazy story--the girl went in cause she had stomach pains..they told her she was in labor!

[Cr8nme]

Mandy~ Those stories trip me out... I mean I only gaines 14 pounds and I felt Noelle every single day after 5 or 6 months. especially after orange juice,lol I think some people that say those things really do "think" they are pregnant but deny it thinking it may go away or are crazy you know. However I will say that my friend who is kinda obese never was able to tell she was pregnant but knew if that makes sense. Her stomach was already really big and she really couldn't tell if the baby was kicking or not. Now I may be able to be believe that.

[randysmandy]

the funny thing is this girl weighed 125lbs!!! And she didn't grow out of her pant size......hard to believe

[AlisonCO]

hmbay - CONGRATS!

BB - That is awful!!! I hope that everything gets resolved quickly!

mandy - ITA with cr8nme - I think that the majority of people are in denial. I don't care how big you are, you have to have a feeling/intuition that you are pregnant. I hope that they can all come together for the baby.

Brink - I think Katie(Katherine) is beautiful and cute - it goes with Aimee too. I don't love Kristi, it just takes me back to the 80's:) Maybe you could do Kristin and call her Kristi? How about Anne (Annie), Elizabeth (Lizzie), Alison :) (Allie), Maggie, Caroline (Cari) - or do you want another K name? Maybe Kerri (Cari), Kailey, Kelsey, Kelly.

wildcat - Yes, sometimes you have to let the grandparents have some special things that they do, even if they make you crazy! I figure that ice cream etc will be OK a couple of times per month.

Thank you all - we had a much better day today. We had a play date with a friend and they had a great time. We also got to get outside for 30 minutes after lunch which makes everyone happier. DH and I have a date night planned for tomorrow night so that will be fun - I might try to sneak out for a pedicure tomorrow afternoon.

Have a great weekend!!!

[Cr8nme]

brink~ Hmm I too don't love Kristi but I love katlyn (but that might be too close to katie), if you are going to keep two K's then here are some other options

kaila
kayla
Katrina
Kaleigh
Kaley
Kamryn
Kara
Kaydence

Some of these may be far fetch but it was all I could think of ;)

[BeachBum]

Brink- I like Katherine Louise a lot!
I have a friend whos daughter is Katherine (Kate) and her middle name is Grace. The mom is Grace too. I think that Grace is a name that would go nicely with both Aimee and Katie. I think it is nice, classic and very feminine like Aimee and Katherine.
I also think Caroline is really nice and has the "K" sound although it is not spelled that way. I also have a friend Kari which has good connotatoins for me.
What about Kendall? or Kinsey? or Kara?

[Sandie78]

Brink How about Kristin, Kristina, Kristine, or Kristianne with the middle name of Elizabeth?

[Cr8nme]

Hey ladies I can't win for losing... firstroseola 3 weeks ago then pink eye in the left eye 2 weeks ago , the right eye last week and now ROTAVIRUS :( Poor Noelle and mommy or daddy aren't going to have any vacation time whatsoever!

[solongtogo]

Ok seriously....now I didn't gain weight with being pregnant, but there's nothing mistaking a good swift kick in your stomach. That girl must be absolutely non observant as all get out.

cr8-I'm sorry :(

hmbay-congrats!

[AndreaMMS]

Hey, all!

We just got back from Aruba! It was gorgeous there, and we had a good time. I've got to say, though, it will be a good long time before we try to do a vacation like that with Naomi again. She loved it, but holy COW was she a lot of work! She is a total daredevil- no fear at ALL. Which in some ways was good- she loves new places and new people. She adapted really well to being away from home, except for sleeping (up every few hours, up for the day between 4-6AM- ugh!). Oh, and eating (she would get very cranky in the restaurants). Huh. Ok, maybe she didn't adapt that well. But the major challenge was that we couldn't take our eyes off of her for a single second or she would run head first into the pool or ocean. I'm not kidding- she would go completely underwater, we'd fish her out, she'd wipe her face, and want to do it again!:eek: I swear, she is a teenage boy in disguise. Rich and I literally had to take turns being able to turn away from her to check out the beautiful scenery.

Here are a few photos:

http://astefens.photosite.com/~photos/tn/7886205_1024.ts1169238346794.jpg
http://astefens.photosite.com/~photos/tn/7886256_1024.ts1169238539945.jpg
http://astefens.photosite.com/~photos/tn/7886193_1024.ts1169238306496.jpg
http://astefens.photosite.com/~photos/tn/7886237_1024.ts1169238489329.jpg


I've got an absolute TON to catch up on in here...

but first-

hmbay- Wow! Congratulations!!:)

Mandy-
Geez, that's a nutty story. I do have a friend (a very nice, very normal person) who had no idea she was pregnant until she was 6 months along (she's a little overweight, and always had irregular periods), and I thought THAT was bizzare!

Andrea you were teeny tiny, but come on, didn't you feel Naomi move?

Oooooooooooh yeah, I definately felt her. However, in my case, even if I hadn't felt her, I think the 9 months of constant vomiting might have clued me in that *something* was afoot.

I think you have got to be pretty seriously out of touch with yourself to not know you're pregnant until the kid is popping out. I couldn't imagine!

[AlisonCO]

Andrea - Those are great pics - she is so cute! Sounds like a fun trip - I can't believe what a daredevil she is.

Cr8nme - Poor N. I hope that she is feeling better today!

We had a fun weekend. Aidan and I went to a birthday party today so DH and Caitlin went out by themselves. It is so fun to spend time with the kids one on one. They had a great time and DH said that this single mom was totally flirting with him and C at the bookstore:rolleyes: I asked him if he was wearing his wedding ring - he was;)

[wildcat]

Lauren's surgery is in 2 hours, wish us luck!! I'll BBL with the details.

real quick...
andrea - Great pics!!!

[BeachBum]

Super duper pics, Andrea! that 1st one is so great. Would you mind sharing which resort you went to in Aruba and your general review of the place? You can PM me is you want.

I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for Lauren.

[Cr8nme]

Wildcat~ i will be thinking of lauren Good luck!!!

[AlisonCO]

Wildcat - Thinking very positive thoughts for you all today!!!

[solongtogo]

Good luck Lauren!

[wildcat]

We're back! All is well and I think she's waking up just fine. They were supposed to start at 8:30, but were running an hour behind, so she ended up falling asleep on me before they took her back, so the "hand-off" was actually easy! They gave her the gas mask to put her to sleep, started an IV in her foot, and then intubated her (tube down her throat), then did the procedures. 30 minutes later the dr. came out and talked to us and said surgery went fine (ear tubes and removing her adnoids) but that her tonsils look like they're chronically infected and look like that of a teenagers that's been chronically sick and that she may be a strep carrier. So, when we go back for our follow-up appt in 4 weeks, she's going to swab her throat to test. She thinks that we're on the road to removing her tonsils, too.:(

Anyway, a few minutes later they called my DH and I back and she was being held by a nurse and crying. She was super puffy from the IV and red and reached for me as soon as she saw me and then calmed down. For the next 45 minutes, she had moments of sleeping then she'd wake and cry for a few minutes then be fine. They had a bit of trouble getting her to stop bleeding after taking the IV out, but it's ok now, just a huge knot on her foot. Then she started throwing up as we were leaving (from the anethesthia). She threw-up in the car a little bit, but pretty much just slept, threw up when we got home, and then for the last hour has been sleeping on me or my mom. We've gotten her to drink a little sprite/water combo to calm her stomach and gave her some Tylenol, so hopefully we tummy settles down enough to eat something soon.

Thanks for all the good thoughts and support you guys have offered over the last few months. I really think we're on our way to recovery and will have a happy, healthy baby girl shortly!

[cr8zyforaf]

Good luck Lauren...I will be sending good thoughts your way.

Real quick - Ash had her appointment this AM - heart murmur is normal and they want her to come back right before her first dental cleaning to make sure things were still fine. She didn't even have to be put under - she sat still the whole time and we were so proud of her.

[AlisonCO]

YEAH Ashley!!! What great news!

YEAH Lauren!!! I am so glad that everything went well. I wanted to say that my DH and all of his family had their tonsils out at a young age and they are the healthiest people. When we all get a bad cold, DH's gets a very mild one where as I always get a sinus infection. He has never had strep, an ear infection, bronchitis or a sinus infection - ever!

[charmcitygirl]

wildcat so glad to hear that the surgery went well. hope lauren starts to feel more like herself real soon.

[fifibee]

Been away forever, but slowly catching up with everyone.

Wildcat -- I'm sooooo glad that the surgery went well and I hope Lauren has a quick recovery. With our kids being so young, I'm sure you need all the support and encouragement you can get to help alleviate some of the anxieties that may come with the surgery. I'm definitely sending you and your family lots of **hugs** and good thoughts.

Cr8zy -- Yay for Ashley's heart murmur being normal. She's such a brave girl for sitting still and letting the adults do their examination.

Andrea -- I love your pics from Aruba! You are absolutely right about traveling with a toddler. When we went to Hawaii, we went through the exact same thing with Max as well.

AlisonCO -- I had a good chuckle reading your story about your DH. I might be a little twisted but I always feel "proud" when I know other ppl find DH attractive. They may look, but I get to go home with him is what I always say. ;)

Brink -- I've been keeping you and your family in mind especially with our 2nd pregnancies being so close. I'm so glad the twins are still doing well and I can't wait to hear more good news with the coming weeks.

Brief update with us:

I just started taking Max to daycare recently and I'm finally realizing how traumatizing it can be for both mom and child. I had to run out of the place the other day because I couldn't watch Max react so hysterically. I ended up feeling an incredible guilt for the rest of the day. Luckily, I was told that Max recovered quickly when they started feeding him mid-morning snack (fruits, his favorite) and soon forgot about mommy. :) It's been a few days but I'm still feeling guilty about sending him out. I hope I'll get over this hump soon.

I'm currently 34 weeks in my 2nd pregnancy and I'm definitely starting to feel more discomfort in the lower region. For some reason, I don't remember feeling like this during my first pregnancy with Max. It's definitely not pleasant and I hope now that I have some help with Max, I can get a little more rest and relaxation for the rest of this pregnancy. I'm definitely not ready to have #2 early and I'm hoping we can make it to 40 weeks. :P

Hope everyone is having a good Monday!

[Brink]

Wildcat - I am so glad to hear Lauren's surgery went well. That had to be extremely tough to sit in the waiting room during that. My nephew just had the tubes put in a couple of weeks ago and they saw a huge difference right away. Good luck.

Cr8zy - so happy to hear the cardio appt went well. Since it is a "good" murmer, do you have to go back for regular visits? We were told we didn't have to unless our ped detected a change.

Fifebee - I can't believe you are 34 weeks already. I hope for your sake he/she stays in there another 6 weeks (although when you are 38-39 weeks, you might change your mind and really want that baby out of there).

32 weeks today - 2 more weeks to go. Can't wait.

Thanks for all the suggestions on the names. I really do appreciate them. Still don't know what we are going to do, but at least it gives me more to consider.

[jo&sean]

Lots of catching up to do!

Wildcat - I am soooo glad that Lauren's surgery went well. What a relief for you.

Cr8zy - Glad the cardio appointment went well and what a relief for you too. That is amazing that A was able sit/lay still!

Beachbum - Love the monkey outfit - Henry is such a handsome little guy :)

Andrea - Glad you had a good time on vacation (despite dare devil baby ;) ) You guys look really happy in your pics.

Mandy - That is an absolutely crazy story. I just don't understand how someone would not know when the baby got bigger. Glad the baby is ok!

Hmbay - Congrats!!!

Fifibe - You are already 34 weeks?!! Where did the time go! It seems like just yesterday when you told everyone news.

Brink - Yeah for making it this far. You are going to have two healthy little girls. How exciting for you. I am sure you will figure out the name thing in plenty of time.

Cr8nme - How is Noelle today? I am sorry she has been so sick.

I'm sorry if I missed anyone.

We have been so busy around our house - doing what I am not really sure of but busy nonetheless. Addison has been going crazy with her vocabulary. She will repeat anything we ask her too and picks up at least 5 new words a day. It makes my head spin thinking about it. Her favorite word today: Rabbit. We really have to be careful what we say because we don't want a potty mouthed baby :) It's bad enough that she already says things like "lumber", "roofing" and other building related words. Guess Daddy and I talk too much about work!

We decided to put Addison back in school for two days per week. We tried sharing a nanny with another family this past month and it has been a disaster with scheduling. I thought we would have two concrete days each week but it hasn't worked out that way. The other "mom" is not a nice person and the nanny is totally scared of her so she is bullied around. I don't want or need a full time person so we decided to take her back to school. She starts next Thursday. I think she is at a point where she will really enjoy it and with it being only a couple days per week, it will seem more like a play day for her then anything. I will actually be able to get some work done during the daytime...what a treat that will be!

We are still having sleep issues - the past couple of nights she has been up 5 times. I know that as soon as we get her sleep figured out we will have another one ;)

[AndreaMMS]

Wildcat- I'm so glad Lauren came through ok!!! Hopefully she'll be a much healthier kid from now on. By the way, I met Lauren's twin yesterday. A new girl came into Naomi's gymboree class, and I literlly did a double take- she looks just like Lauren's photos, right down to the haircut! And when her Mom called her name, what was it? ??? LAUREN!:eek:

Cr8zy- Oh, wow, I'm so glad that Ashley's test came back ok!!!! That must have been so scary for you. FYI Both Rich and his Mom have a something called a "slight mitrovalve prolapse" which sounds to me like Ahsley- the only thing that it means is that they have to take antibiotics before seeing a dentist. Other than that, no issues AT ALL.

Brink- YAY!!! Just two more weeks!!! I'm a little fuzzy- are you looking for "K" names? Karina, Kathena, Katya, Katherine, Katrina, Karen, Kayla....

[wildcat]

My mom is home with Lauren today (and tomorrow) while DH and I are working. She woke-up before I left so I got to spend a little time with her and she seemed to actually be feeling pretty good (especially considering she hadn't had any Tylenol in over 10 hours!!). She was eating her breakfast really well when I left, so hopefully her and my mom have a good day! She has to wear ear plugs in the bath now, and I thought she'd hate it, but she actually totally didn't care! I swear, I make everything WAY too big of a deal (giving up the paci/bottle/BF, breathing treatments, ear plugs, etc)...she's taken it all in stride and never really cared...I just need to learn to not stress about any of it! She's also done really well with the ear drops (3 drops in each ear, 3x's a day for 3 days and then whenever she gets sick)...again, I thought she'd freak and she just lays there and lets us do it and then put cotton in her ears. I wonder if it's bc she's getting so used to all the meds and getting messed with all the time or if just possibly she understands it will all make it better?:rolleyes: I know, they don't understand that yet, but I wish they did!

andrea - OMG, how weird!!! One of my friends had another friend (who I don't know) that had a little girl on 9/27/06 (exactly 1 year after Lauren was born) and named her Lauren...I thought that was weird enough...but your story...that's bizarre!! Maybe we all really do have a twin out there somewhere!:p

cr8zyforaf - I'm so glad Ashley's appt (echo?) went well! As I said above, it's amazing how well they handle stuff...better than their parents I think;). How's her cough doing?

jo&sean - Like you, I just LOVE hearing the new words everyday! It's so incredible to me that they can learn at such a fast rate! I'm so sorry the nannyshare didn't work out...but I'm sure Addison will love being at daycare, there's so much to do/see/play with!

fifibee - I'm so sorry about the daycare drama:(. When Lauren changed to her 1 year toddler room, the transition was really hard on her. What helped is that we enrolled her in the breakfast program and she would get to eat right when she got there and god knows my kid is motivated by food!:p Not sure if that's an option for you, but if he did good with mid-morning snack, it might help! Just know it does get easier, although I still prefer my DH to drop off and me to pick up so that I get the hugs/kisses!

[solongtogo]

Kim- yay for the clear bill of health for Ashley!!

Glad to hear Lauren is doing great!

[Brink]

Well, Aimee got her first bloody nose last night. We were down in the playroom and she tripped and landed flat on her face. She came up with a bloody nose - poor little thing. The crying didn't last too long and it went away pretty quick, but I still felt bad for her.

I'm officially on 24/7 monitoring. Baby A gave us a scare last night that makes it necessary to watch them really close over the next 2 weeks. Very nerve wracking...........Come on February 5th.

[cr8zyforaf]

Brink - sending good vibes your way. Come on Feb 5th...it is almost here!! Poor Aimee...Ash did the same thing at daycare on Tuesday - she slipped on a book. And no, we don't have to go back for regular visits..just another exam before her first dental cleaning to make sure things are OK.

wildcat - so glad that Lauren is feeling better. It is so great that your family has pitched in to help! And yes, all of this is probably so much harder on us than it is on them.

Andrea - your pictures are amazing. It looks like you guys had a great time..naomi sounds just like Ashley - sleeping is a nightmare away from home. I love the picture of you holding her up in the air in the water...fantastic!

jo&sean - so sorry about the sleep issue and the issues with the nanny sharing. Sounds like a few days a week in daycare is a perfect solution.

fifi - gosh, where did the time go? Sorry about the daycare issues - it will probably take some time to adjust.

cr8nme - how is noelle feeling?

alison - glad to hear you are feeling better..it stinks to be in a funk.

Ashley has been sleeping - except for Friday night last week - my MIL watched her - didn't follow any of my instructions - she called at 9PM and Ashley still wasn't in bed - she was looking for Ashley's can of formula??? So the late bed time combined with my MIL probably annoying the cr*p out of her led to us being up ALL.NIGHT. MIL swears it is her teeth so I had to call her Sunday morning to tell her she slept from 7:30-7 and also has slept every night this week. Loony b*tch.

I also dropped the last bottle last week :(....she is doing great, doesn't even miss it. I of course do. Now she goes into her crib awake and usually either falls asleep soon without crying or a fake 'lets see if mommy comes to get me' cry.

[Cr8nme]

Hey All... Noelle is doing a lot better but it is Mommy who is sick now...

Cr8zy~ I am sooo glad that A is sleeping. I hope you are enjoying your sleep.

Bottle~ Since Cr8zy brought it up... I alos no longer give Noelle a bottle anymore although I did give her one 2 nights ago because she has been soo sick she wouldn't take any solids and I was afriad she wasn't getting enough nutrients.

[randysmandy]

WOW I can't even try to catch up!!!
Wildcat Sounds like Lauren is on the road to recovery-and so fast!! I'm sure she will be healthy in no time and how great is that going to be??

cr8zyforaf Can of formula??? I just love the MIL's!! Mine asked me if someone out of the ordinary watched Hunter this weekend and gave him his way cause he wouldn't go down for a nap...I laughed and said-just DH and I! Whatever.

Andrea I am jealous of your vaca! It looks like you had so much fun. You should have a fun summer with all the swimming Naomi likes to do :-)

Brink I'm thinking of you and the babies everyday..you've come so far...they are both going to be here soon!!!!! Just tell them to stop pulling on the cord-they will be out soon :-)

Fifibee I hope my second pregnancy (whenever that may be) goes by as fast as yours has...well to us anyways. Did it go by faster cause you had Max?

Hunter either sleeps from 7pm-3am and wants to go on the couch or sleeps from 8pm-5am and up for the day-yikes! And now we have to sit in his room til he falls alseep-I can thank DH for that.

Does anyone have Valentine's Day plans yet? Man that came quick! I told DH it's his year to plan...I have a feeling we will be sitting at home with pizza and a movie :rolleyes:

I have to get back to work-I'm sorry if I missed anyone.

[solongtogo]

cr8zy: did you just stop giving her the bottle? How'd she do??

Brink: will you have a csection then? I can't remember if you had one with Aimee or not?

[Brink]

Solongtogo - I had a c-section with Aimee, but even if I hadn't I would definitely have one with the twins. It's too dangerous to try and deliver them naturally since more than likely their cords are tangled and many times wrapped around their necks.

Had an ultrasound today - twins are measureing 4lb 9oz for Baby A and 4lb even for Baby B. 12 more days to go - gosh this is getting uncomfortable. I have babies kicking me in the cervix/bladder and babies shoved up under my ribs...........

Valentines Plans - definitely out for us. Although, I should be home by then, maybe DH and I can try and sneak away for dinner or something. Not counting on it though.

[cr8zyforaf]

solong - she was starting to push the bottle away or only drink a few sips so I just stopped. I now give her a sippy with milk but most of the time, she refuses it. I do have concerns about her milk intake and not getting enough..so I offer many times during and after dinner. She is doing great and hasn't asked for it. I think it may be helping her sleep better - maybe her tummy was too full..who knows.

Now the pacifier, that will be another story I am sure.

[solongtogo]

Courtney is 17 months old today...almost a year and half. It sure has gone by quickly.

Dork that I am, has anyone else started thinking of the 2nd birthday party :D? We're going to do a mickey mouse theme...she loves that mouse so much.

[cr8zyforaf]

solong - yeah to cort..what a big girl. And yes, I've started planning/worrying about her second party. I would like to include animals..dogs maybe..SHE LOVES her lab Bailey and is obsessed with dogs in general.

[jo&sean]

Valentines Plans - Glad you mentioned that! I am going to work on Valentines Cards this afternoon - needed a project :)

Cr8nme- Hope you are feeling better!

Brink - Your little ones just keep growing and growing. I can't imagine how it must be to be literally filled up with babies!! One is bad enough ;) Sorry about the scare - we will keep sending positive vibes your way.

Frustrations!
We had an issue with one of our dogs on Tuesday. Addison is OK which is the most important thing. We have a dog behaviorist coming to spend the afternoon with us early next week. In the meantime, we have to keep the dogs separated which is really, really hard to do. They are very much a part of our family and they look like they have been shunned in the worst way.

What happened was Addison was pestering one of the dogs and the dog gave her an open mouthed warning. Not a bite but the same thing a mother dog would do to an annoying puppy. Addison wasn't the least bit concerned and the dog knew right away that she crossed the line. It is really our fault for not being right there to watch her and it goes to show you that no matter how nice and sweet your dog is, it only takes a second for them to become agitated. I don't blame the dog at all - she was cornered and knowing her, gave Addison all the dog warnings she could but since Addison doesn't speak dog, she had no idea what the dog was trying to tell her.

Bottles - I am at my wits end with the bottle situation. The past few nights Addison has woke up wanting a bottle and it is a total scream fest. I keep telling myself we just need to get through these first few days and then it will be all right but boy is it hard!

Second Birthday Party - I am already thinking about ideas...but I haven't told anyone IRL yet ;)

[AndreaMMS]

Just got back from the pediatrician. I did Naomi's 15 month visit...the day after she turned 16 months!:o

According to the doctor, Naomi is very healthy, developmentally ahead of the curve, but VERY underweight:

Height- 31 1/2 inches - 75th percentile

Weight: 20 pounds, 1 oz- 7th percentile.

The doctor is a little concerned about it. Sigh. Naomi drinks a TON of milk, but eats a lot as well. Doc is concerned that all the milk may be somehow affecting how she is absorbing the food (seriously, the kid eats like a horse!). So I'm supposed to cut her down to 24 oz of milk a day, and add good fats to her diet - butter on her veggies instead of steamed, real chicken nuggets and hamburger instead of the soy versions, etc.

I'm trying not to freak out. I'm on the small side, so is my husband. My neices and nephew on my husbands side are tall, very thin teenagers.S o I'm thinking it's just metabolism, but still....she said that if Naomi hasn't gained a sigificant anount by 18 months they want to do some "metabolic testing." Does anyone know what that could mean? What would they look for? SHOULD I be worried?:(

My instincts are telling me that we're going to change her diet, she won't gain, they'll test her, and there will be nothing wrong, she's just thin.

Doc also said she has 6 teeth coming in, and I need to get her off the bottle and binkie by the time she's two. Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh....

Any other suggstions to get her to gain weight in a healthy way? I may post this in the general parenting section as well....

Brink- sorry for the scare! It sounds like the twins are gaining weight like champs, though! Oh, they have cyber-aunties all over the country who can't WAIT for them to get here! How is the name game going?

Jo- ugh, it's awful to have baby vs. pet issues. I have that constantly with my 9 year-old crazy cat....my heart goes out to you.

Solong- wow, happy 1/2 birthday, Courtney! I can't believe you're already planning the party!:p

Kim- wanna run awa