March Moms 2006 - Year One, Part Two

[ShannonGH]

It's official! Got a definite darker BFP this morning. Edd is 12/26 or 27. Thanks for all the well wishes!

We weren't officially going to TTC till May but we decided to throw caution to the wind this cycle and low and behold....all it takes is one time!!

We're thrilled, but at the same time I think we're both a little bit more nervous this time around just b/c they'll be 2 instead of 1!!

Off to join the December pregnancy group!

[JennW]

Hi all! Happy Tuesday. Hope everyone is staying more dry today. I can't wait to hear more about all your pregnancies and TTCing since it will likely be a while yet for us. Yay Shannon!!!:)

Owen just pulled up to his knees for the first time.:) I know it's late compared to many of your babies but I am excited nonetheless.:D

All is well on our front. Finally all over the illnesses, etc. Just trucking along and waiting for spring - where is it? I am finally about to launch the announcement/invitation company. If anyone wants to check out the site, it's: www.doodlebrush.com. We're still in test mode so bear with me if you see any errors. (I hope it's OK to post that here? I'm more sharing info with "friends" than promoting.)

tara - You are so lucky. I don't have any friends IRL that have kids. It makes it so difficult being the only one with a baby!!!

Karen - There is nothing wrong or weird about only wanting one baby. Plenty of people only have one!

[junkinmytrunk]

ShannonGH!! I was thinking about you all morning!! So happy to hear Noa will be a BIG SISTER!! So exciting for your family!

And JennW - All right Owen - so glad he's pulling up. I think what you said (I think it was you at least) regarding doctors wanting our babies to be doing advanced calc at age 1 is ridic - I know Pierson goes at his own pace for everything - I can tell already he can't be told what to do :rolleyes: so I'm trying to worry less these days.

Bunny: I totally get wanting one baby. My younger sis had her tubes tied immediately after her first and only son was born. She knew she wanted one and that was that. I waver on it - on one hand I'd love to have another (not that I'm in the position to have one right now) but then when I'm up with Pierson at 2am, and he's crying from teething for the 21st night in a row, I can't imagine how I'd EVER do it with two.
--------------------------------------------

So to all the RO's....be sure to post some new baby belly shots for us!

ETA: Doodlebrush.com is adorable - way to go Jenn!

[JennW]

junk - You are so right, they all do their thing on their own time. As long as my doc is not worried about his progress, I try not to worry as well. It's difficult sometimes but I guess that is just part of mommyhood!;) ETA: Thanks!

[JennW]

Question: So here is my question about the progression of baby movements. He's been army crawling and also getting on his knees for months now. This morning he pulled up on a piece of furniture to his knees. How long after pulling up to their knees do they pull up to their feet? He doesn't look like he's ready for that but I'm just curious as I don't know much about this stuff at all.:)

[ShannonGH]

Jenn- I can't remember for sure. I think it was a couple weeks or less for Noa. Once she started pulling up to her knees, we started showing her how to get up to her feet (w/ the help from her pt): While he's on both knees, bring one bent knee up so that foot is touching the floor (so he's on one knee and one foot). Then, from there, push down on the knee that is up to put pressure on his foot...hopefully this will eventually cue his brain to put his weight on his foot and eventually stand! I hope that makes sense!

[MrsCantDecide]

Congratulations to our ROs --- tgal and ShannonGH!!

We got Lucas in for his 2nd haircut this weekend, and he was SOOO good! No crying or anything. Helps that we gave him a toy he LOVES but we don't pull it out often. :D

He's running around himself too, and he LOVES to be outside. Kicks and screams when I try to take him in for the night! ;) Luckily we can at least go for a walk using the stroller, as long as we're outside! He'd much rather be running around himself though chasing balls or his little walk behind car. :)

[junkinmytrunk]

Hi Jenn.
I think Pierson took about 3 weeksish to go from knees to standing. Right around there. He got the best practice using the rails in his crib, based on what I saw. HTH.

[JennW]

Thanks girls. I don't think he's ready for it yet, but I was just curious how it all happens!:)

[JennW]

Right after I posted here he started trying to pull up to his feet. All I had to do was wiggle Sponge Bob and throw him in the toy basket and Owen was pulling up to his feet to try and get in there.;) I guess I just have to give him a little motivation. I don't count it as actually pulling up yet, but we're on our way.

So, what is everyone up to? It's kinda quiet around here lately... How are all the mamas doing?

[tgal]

Shannon: Yipppeeee!!!

JennW: Great website! I'll definitely forward it around for ya if you don't mind. Owen is learning so quickly. Enjoy watching him make all his advances. It won't be long before he is taking steps. Sounds like he is going from one phase to the next much quicker than Eva.

What is going on here? Too many obligations and I want to quit my job and take a nice month vacation on a beach anywhere! Anyone want to go with me?

[mom2amelia]

Congratulations Tara and Shannon!!! How awesome. I hope you both have an easy 9 months!

[bunny nose]

JennW I am so happy that Owen is pulling up. So exciting isn't it? I was so happy when Nicky did it.

Thanks for all the kind words for only wanting one baby. I always get not so nice words form people about it. Nicky is a very good baby. And I am happy with him and only him. We don't really have room for another baby anyway. As far as moving- not an option. We live in an apartment that my IL's own. We pay really really really low rent. And this house will be ours one day. We have no reason to move and kill ourselves. We're happy and thats all that matters.

I asked my doctor in November about getting my tubes tied. He wouldn't even talk to me about it because I was also sitting there crying with the baby blues. LOL He was like, "I am not going to discuss this with you now." So I see him next month, we will talk then.

[losthoosier]

Congrats Shannon and TARA....

[ajb524]

Yay Jenn!! I'm so happy for Owen. It will be no time and he'll be getting in to everything ;)

[junkinmytrunk]

Guys - my little one woke up with a rash on his face. Take a look at the thread I started and let me know what you think:

http://www.constantchatter.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1306786&posted=1#post1306786

-----------------------------------

Hoping our newly preggo mommies are feeling OK - any morning sickness yet? Tgal - I'd be HAPPY to take you up on a tropical vacation - you say when and I'm there! :D

[JennW]

Thanks all for your advice.:)

Junk - So sorry about his rash. Poor guy.:( I don't know what it could be but I hope you get it figured out and solved soon.

Tropical Vacation - I am so in for that!!!:D

[ShannonGH]

Hmmm, no idea on the rash Lisa. Sorry. Hope it goes away soon though!

Feeling okay, a little blah and crampy. I know it could be much worse so I'm not complaining by any means. I was looking back at my notes from pg#1 and I never had any pg symptoms...None! I felt so great through the entire pgcy. Definitely feeling a little more blah this time around but definitely manageable so far. Thanks for asking. :)

[tunibell]

Tropical Vacation - Let's all go here (http://peterisland.com/) (where DH and I honeymooned). I'm sure it is dirt cheap to rent the entire island for all of us. ;)

[ShannonGH]

Oh man, I shouldn't have even clicked on that link tuni!!

[ellybella]

yay shannon and tgal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! congrats! sending sticky and healthy pregnancy vibes your way!! i'm a little jealous of your timing...i could use a couple more months. finally....some company!!

junk hope the rash clears soon. my guy has a fever and is gnawing like crazy. i'll take it, he needs more than 6 teeth! oh and i have not taken one belly shot yet...i know, this kiddo is already neglected :( .

opps, almost forgot tgal when are we leaving? i totally need a getaway.

[bunny nose]

Peter Island looks divine! When do we leave?

[JennW]

Ugh I'm with Shannon on that I shouldn't have clicked on that link! How beautiful!:)

[aprilshowers]

elly - I'd love to have a metro Boston area get-together. Maybe this summer when it gets nicer we can meet at a park? I know you're north, where is everyone else?

And speaking of vacations, I'm headed to San Fran in a couple of weeks. I know tuni is out there - anyone else? Anyone interested in getting together? DH will be at a conference for 4 days so DD and I will be one our own looking for some entertainment! I am terrified of how she is going to nap in a hotel room.

Oh and in big big news, she seems to have finally sprouted her THIRD tooth! Poor girl has been miserable though. We had no teething with the first two but she is making up for it with this one.

[junkinmytrunk]

Did the LA girls have their get together? Pictures, please :)

Elly - can't wait to see a pic!

April - yipee on the teeth - :)

Tuni - Okay, you've teased us all with Peter Island - you know, Pierson means "son of Peter" so I think I really need to start booking my trip!

[JennW]

April - Yay for a new tooth!:)

Speaking of teeth, do you guys have any tricks to get a look in your DC's mouth? Owen has been showing less signs of teething in the last week so I'm betting his molar(s?) has broken the surface but he won't let me look in there!

[junkinmytrunk]

JennW : I have that prob too! I lay him on some towels on the kitchen counter where there is lots of light and hold toys above his head to make him laugh, then I peek inside his mouth. Plenty of gymnastics, to be sure.

Speakingn of teeth, QOTD - how are you brushing teeth? Now that DS is so independent, I really can't get near him with a toothbrush. I've sorta given up at this point for a while. Any tips?

[JennW]

Junk - Owen likes getting his teeth brushed so far but he isn't too independent yet.;) I don't do a great job brushing b/c he opens up but then tries to chew on the toothbrush while I'm brushing. But, I figure it's giving him the general idea of what toothbrushing is and also getting his teeth somewhat clean, right? I hope?

[ShannonGH]

Good question re: toothbrushing! I'm good if I can quickly swipe each of her 11 (yes 11!) teeth with a toothbrush. I bought a childrens electric toothbrush the other day at target and poor thing, she's scared of it b/c of teh noise and vibrations. So it'll be awhile before we can use that. Would love to hear how others are handling brushing! Junk- glad to know I'm not the only one pretty lax with it right now!

[JennW]

Oh, I am slacking off on it too! Truth be told, I am slacking off on baths, too. He def does not get one every day and it makes me feel like the world’s worst mom. Sometimes not even every other day.:o Sometimes it’s all I can do to get him dressed and fed. Who knew it would be this hard to schedule such a little person’s day?:D:cool:

ETA: Shannon! Love the addition to your siggy!!!

[bunny nose]

I have the little finger brush that I use for brushing his teeth. I do a couple of quick rounds with it then give it to him. He lays there biting it while I dress him. We do it in the morning and evening after his bath.

[JennW]

Thought you guys might be interested in this since we were talking about Austim the other day:
Subject: Autism Speaks

Autism Speaks, our sponsoring organization for the Autism Awareness
campaign created a music video of the Five for Fighting song, "World",
which features images of autistic children and their families. It is a
truly moving video and was the work of their Creative Director and our
sponsor, Bill Shea.

The band is generously donating $0.49 to Autism Speaks for each time
the video is viewed. When you have a moment, please
visit the link below to watch the video and pass it along to your
friends and family. They are aiming for 10,000 hits, but hopefully we
can help them to surpass this goal.

http://www.whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com/videos/view/id/213154

[phart]

Truth be told, I am slacking off on baths, too. He def does not get one every day and it makes me feel like the world’s worst mom. Sometimes not even every other day

Ha! I have never bathed my kids every day nor every other day. Well, except over the summer when Aiden is outside a lot. I don't think it's needed at all. There was a time a few years ago when I stopped using shampoo to wash my hair and used baking soda. And I washed it maybe 1-2 times a week. To start you don't wash your hair for at least a week, more if you can. The theory is (basically) that we are animals and as animals our hair has natural (good) oils that get washed away each time we shampoo. Then our hair is dry so we condition which then means we need to wash more, etc. So if we stop washing so much then our hair has a chance to get back to it's natural state. I still only wash mine about 2 times a week but I wear it back a lot to help keep it cleaner. So I'm hoping that by not washing my kids hair so much I am giving them a fighting chance at keeping it a bit natural and not getting into the wash/condition/repeat cycle.

Same with soap. Water will generally get you clean enough unless you've been playing in oil.

I've been sick. Hopefully that makes sense:)

[kdotp]

Well, we have our 5th ear infection in 6 months (3rd in the last 2 months) so G goes in for tubes next week. I really hope this helps things. I'm also hoping this will help him catch up on some of his developments. He hasn't really added much to his communciation repertoire and hasn't been wanting to stand/pull up lately. Of course, now I'm all paranoid about post vax skill regression and Autism. :rolleyes:

ETA: We give G a bath approx 3 times/week.

[ShannonGH]

We give Noa a bath 1-2 times/week.

Poor Grant. :( I'm sure the tubes will help kdotp! Keep us posted on how the surgery goes!

[JennW]

Oh goody, I'm not the only one not doing daily baths. I feel so much better about myself now.:):p I was totally under the impression everyone bathed their kid every day except me.

kdotp - I hope the tubes help and he is better, soon! Poor guy!:(

[junkinmytrunk]

KDOTP: Sure hoping the tubes help - little lamb must be feelin' so crummy.

Bath: Well, we pretty much bathe every night unless he's sick or I'm sick or we've had a really late night. Hair gets shampooed every other night unless we have some major puke-age or babyfood going on up there. The only reason I bathe him every night is because it's the routine he's become used to. And I've become used to. And let me just say for us, a bath can last all of 7 minutes - it's a quick rinse down, suds up, rinse off, and it's go time :p .

[ellybella]

teeth brushing james has a few toothbrushes of his own, a couple kid size and an adult size. if he's in the bathroom with us when we're brushing we offer him his own and he usually copies. i try to use his brush on him every morning. he also seems to like carrying it around and chewing on it when his teeth are bothering him.

kdotp hope the tubes solve his ear problems. poor little guy.

ugh...hand, foot, mouth oh yes, we were diagnosed with this this afternoon. have no idea where we picked it up, but he's miserable. it started w/ a fever yesterday that just kept getting higher, 104.1 this morning. i took him in and they saw the blisters at the back of his mouth. at least we have a diagnosis, but there's not treatment. he was clingy today, not his usual happy independent self. i feel so badly for him. the dr. said it usually lasts 3-5 days.

[Christy5599]

Sorry to hear about that Elly! Patrick had that last summer and wasn't a very happy kid. I actually got it from him so wash those hands! ;-) Adults typically don't get the hand and foot blisters but my throat was on fire for several days. Hopefully he'll be feeling better soon!

Patrick currently has a mystery fever! The daycare called and had me pick him up yesterday afternoon with a temp of 102. He was home today and probably will be tomorrow as it just doesn't want to break. The strangest thing is that other than the fever he's acting and eating pretty normally. I'll give the doc a call tomorrow just to see what they say but I'm sure they'll just give me the usual, "keep him hydrated" speech.

Hope everyone is doing well, congrats to all of the RO's!!!!

[JennW]

elly and Christy - Hope James and Patrick are feeling better, soon! Poor little guys!

[ellybella]

christy james had a fever last week for a couple days just as his 6th tooth was about to pop through...are you expecting any more teeth?

[junkinmytrunk]

'Mornin' girlies. Happy Friday! Still waiting for the bellyshots, preggos! :)

I think I can speak for the NE ladies when I say IT'S A B-U-TFul day today!! So happy - will take Pierson for a muchly needed walk - yahoo!

Lost: Did you SoCal girls ever get together?

[losthoosier]

Nope. the babies got sick so we are rescheduling......

[MrsCantDecide]

Baths ~ Lucas doesn't get baths every night either. The daily baths dried his skin out too much. We usually get baths every 3rd day.

Teethbrushing ~ Lucas sometimes tries to brush his own teeth, but it doesn't happen all the time, and I have to admit, I forget to try and brush his teeth a lot. He doesn't like for me to do it, so he has to do it on his own! I think he'd like his own vibrating brush, since DH and I each have our own, but I didn't know if they were okay for kids his age.

kdotp Sorry to hear he has to get tubes. :( Hope it makes the ear infections go away though!

Elly & Christy ~ Hope your kiddos get to feeling better soon!

[MrsCantDecide]

Question ~ What kind of shoes do all your little ones wear? We have to have shoes on Lucas at daycare (state law), and the only ones we can find that he'll keep on, is the little old navy soft-soled "keds". But those can't be protecting his feet very well from the rocks he steps on! We bought him sandals, because those we can get on, but I'd like to get him started on some more sturdy tennis shoes. He's got little fat feet so they don't slide easily into most pairs of shoes.

What are you guys all doing for shoes?

[klm2klh]

Christy - It could be Roseola. Bascially it is a high fever for 3-5 days and once the fever breaks a rash appears. One of the things that they say about it is that other than having a fever the child acts normally. But they really can't diagnose it until the rash appears. I think that they are contagous from 2 days before the fever, but not once the rash appears.

Elly - Sorry to hear about the hand, foot & mouth. Poor little guy.

Shoes - Neither of the boys is walking so we don't really worry about shoes most of the time. If they do wear shoes it is usually just Robeez. We have a couple of other pairs, but they are kind clunky & more for looks than anything. I'm interested to hear about this though since it won't be long before we need some real shoes.


Nicholas & Campbell both seem to be better. Nicholas' ear infection hasn't totally cleared up, but he broke out in another rash (what is it with my kids and rashes!) and the doctor thinks it may be a reaction to his antibiotics so she didn't want to do another course of them yet. We just have to keep an eye on him, but it does seem to be bothering him less.

Also, Nicholas has taken some steps! He took a few a couple of weeks ago, but this past week he's taken a lot more. He definitely prefers crawling. Campbell still has no interest - I can't even get him to stand by himself. Usually he just gives me the "jello" legs, but occassionally I can get him to support himslf and take some steps if I hold both his hands.

[JennW]

Shoes – No walking in our house yet either so I don’t know much about this but I have heard people rave about Stride Rite, Pediped and See Kai Run as walking shoes. I think they all have the flexible soles for foot development. Owen has a few pairs of shoes but they are totally for looks at this point and he doesn’t like them much so he’s pretty much a sock-only or barefoot kid.:)

[ellybella]

shoes these are the two pairs of shoes we are alternating w/ now. he has another pair of see kai runs in the next size waiting for him and a pair of stride rite sandals that i bought this winter on clearance. hopefully they'll still fit when the weather calls for them.

http://www.shoes.com/productimages/shoes_iaec1024047.jpg

http://www.babyboatshop.com/photos/skr-kai-2.jpg

i actually just found a great sale on see kai run's w/ free shipping on some styles...lowest prices i've seen. http://www.babyboat.com

junk oh yes today is beautiful and more to come this weekend. i've been sitting outside while my under-the-weather son is having an uncharacteristicly long nap. hope this doesn't mean he's up half the night again :rolleyes:

[junkinmytrunk]

Elly: I love those SKR's - just ordered 3 pairs - great price! How ya feelin' today?

[Christy5599]

I talked to the dr this am and she also suspects Roseola, thanks KLM! She said to expect another day or so of fever and then the rash. The bad news? According to her he's still contageous until after the rash goes away. I think that's contrary to what I read on web md but we'll see what happens. The good news is that MIL is on school vacation next week so she can be home with him.

It's a beautiful day in NH! I want to get outside but so far Patrick is terribly clingy and not very happy. Oh well, hopefully there will be many more nice days to come!

[amychris03]

Elly Sorry about the Hand Foot Mouth diagnosis. I think just the name of that sounds horrible! Hope James is feeling better soon!

Christy5599 Hope he's feeling better soon!

Shoes: Mr. Fred Flintstone has to have Extra Wide (not even wide) shoes so we have to get all his shoes at Stride Rite. We have a pair of closed toe brown ones, and a pair of their Sandals, and they are both really good quality and good support for him since he's running around!

Tooth Brushing: Sam doesn't mind if I do it (very quickly) but he wont do it himself.

Bath: Sam loves his bath, so we do it most days, but sometimes it's just to play (no soap) and we only wash his hair once or twice a week.

[Tracie]

It sure is a beautiful day in NH! We just got back from a birthday party. I'm hoping to get out again after he's done with his nap.

Tgal and Shannon A HUGE congratulations to you both!

Teethbrushing I just do the best I can. He doesn't love it, but he'll let me do it. Usually. :rolleyes:

Baths I usually do every other night, but I don't mind going less if it works out that way. I don't think AJ's had a bath since Tuesday right now.

[kdotp]

DS is finally feeling better from his ear infection, thank goodness. I missed my normal, happy baby! I think the tubes will help so much! If only we could get a hold of our PCP to schedule the required pre-surgery physical. I called Thursday and left a message and they haven't called us back yet.

I think we're also getting our bottom molars. He's been a drool machine lately, and I think I saw that his gums were getting pale and bumpy in the area.

[ellybella]

especially for junk

17 weeks 3 days
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l95/jillmeuse/IMG_2882.jpg?t=1177207662

compared to 17 weeks w/ ds
http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l95/jillmeuse/17weeks.jpg?t=1177207731

james' fever finally broke and he is on the mend...thank goodness! it was a rough few days for him.

kdotp glad ds is feeling better.

christy hmmm...i need to read up on that. hope patrick recovers quickly.

amy it is a horrible name!

junk glad you scored a deal...i have a couple pairs in my cart.

[junkinmytrunk]

Oh your belly is soooooooooooooo cute! Love the pics...be sure to keep up posted with your photo progress - so much fun!

KDOTP: Thinking about you guys...

Will post more later - little guy is on the go.

Oh, we did get our 1st year pics FINALLY yesterday at JCPenney - they did a cute job. It takes I think 10 days to get the online version?? I'll have to double check to post....

[tgal]

Elly, I am so sorry to hear about the illness. I am glad to hear the fever finally broke. Cute belly shots! I can't believe you are 17 weeks along.

Brushing Teeth: Eva loves her tooth brush. I was letting her do her teeth on her own until I noticed a little plaque build up, so I've been letting her play with one brush and I sneek in and make sure all the teeth are really getting clean.

Baths: Definitely every other day. I agree with Phart, but dd loves her bath time and given that we still have a horrible time with getting her to bed. It is part of the routine. We don't wash with soap or shampoo every bath.

-------------
We are sick again. Urrgg, this has been a long frustrating winter here. I'm on my 5th sinus infection and was told this time I had ear infections. We didn't take dd in yet, but plan to today. She didn't seem to have it as bad as I do until this morning, I heard her in her crib hacking. Hopefully, it is just a bad cold on her end or I will feel horrible for not taking her in sooner.

[red_canuck]

hi guys! what a beautiful weekend we had up here! It was such fun. We got out the the bike trailor and took Logan for a spin. Oh my gosh, my legs are on fire today! We also hit up the park, Logan figured out how to swing by himself, we were quite impressed!

LOVE the belly shot elly!!

ugh tgal, I'm sorry to hear about the sickies!

jenn, yay for owen starting to pull up! Logan used the box of water bottles to pull up to his feet the first few times, it was the perfect height.

shoes, Logan has a pair of sandals, and one pair of running shoes for walking outside, but he's always barefoot until we go out.

teeth brushing - we have one of those finger brushes, and i try to get a good brushing in before each nap and then at bedtime. try being the optimal word :p

baths, don't worry jenn, we're not every dya bathers here with Logan! We had to cut way back because he developed some bad excema, which I think was being aggravated by the soap and water. Now he only gets spot cleaned most nights, and then maybe once a week shower?

food allergies - I'm so frustrated. It seems Logan's developed some food allergies late in the game. About amonth ago we started to notice some patches of excema on Logan's head, and they just kept getting worse. We couldn't figure out what was causing it until we realized it coincided with his new interest in food. lovely. We've had to start solids all over again to figure out what's the culprit. For a week now Logan' sbeen on nothing but sweet potatoes, then we added banana, then pears, and then this weekend we added goat's milk. So far the excema is looking SO much bette,r healing nicely. Not sure yet what foods were the culprit, but I'm thinking it was some berries I was mixing with his applesauce, maybe even the apples themselves, and cow's milk. ugh. So frustrating since he was JUST starting to eat! now he's back to mostly purees. I hate this.

in news about me, i finally got my first PPAF! 13 months PP :D I don't know whether to thank BFing, or PCOS for that! lol. it's not to pretty though, it's horrid! Far worse than i ever imagined! Please tell me they aren't all like this? if it weren't for the fact I'm super thrilled my body is working (I have PCOS and never cycled on my own for those who didn't know baou tour IF/TTC struggles) it would suck! hehe

[ShannonGH]

Looking BEEEAUTIFUL Elly!
I won't be posting any bare belly shots this time around. Unfortunately, my belly isn't as cute as it once was. ;)

tgal- so sorry you guys are under the weather. Hope you feel better soon!!

red- food allergies, uhg. I totally know the frustration. Even though Noa's bloodwork came back clear for allergies, we're still going fairly slow at introducing new foods. Then again, that may be b/c I'm lazy.:rolleyes:

junk- cannot wait to see P's pics!! We haven't gotten ours taken yet. I'm still waiting for Noa's rash on her face to clear. But, at this rate, she may be 18 mos for her 12-month pics!

Well, we got a mini-van this weekend. I never thought I'd LOVE it but I do! Very much!! It's so nice not to have to bend over to put dd in her seat. It's so spacious and comfy too. (tgal- sorry you have to hear everything twice now. :) )

[phart]

Cute belly, Elly! I'm so jealous that you're still pretty small with your second! I was so not small at that point.

[tray622]

I am SO behind :) CONGRATS to the RO's! You will have so much fun!

I am sick :( with bronchitis and I am praying Jocey doesnt get it. We have actually been sick free with her for over a month! Her doctors are happy and it appears that treatment is working.

[aprilshowers]

toothbrushing -We have a brightly colored step stool (painted by SIL for DD's 1st bday) for the bathroom. We only put it in front of the sink when it's toothbrushing time and she loves climbing up and reaching for the water. She also, for some odd reason, loves her iron drops. Since they can discolor her teeth I've gotten in the habit of giving them to her before we brush her teeth. So now she goes into the bathroom, points up to the drops and makes a toothbrushing sign. I have to tell her multiple times a day that it isn't time for vitamins!

bath - maybe twice a week? Except now she's got a diaper rash so I've been giving her a baking soda soak almost every day. But actual washing/shampooing only once or twice a week. Shannon - that is an interesting theory and makes perfect sense. Also gives me an actual reason other than laziness for DD's infrequent baths :)

kdotp - I'm sorry to hear about Grant's infection - I hope the tubes help out!

elly - poor little guy! Everyone here has been sick with high fevers too but our doc didn't say anything about hfm. I hope he is feeling better soon! OMG, those Merrells are so cute!

Amanda - do you have a carrier? When DD was sick, clingy and miserable last week, she was happiest when I strapped her on and just went outside. The nice weather hit at the perfect moment!

red - Congrats on AF! Funny the things we get excited about :) But, seriously, I am really happy for you.

shoes - Robeez knock-offs and a pair of See Kai Run. But she doesn't do any outside walking yet.

We had our first steps this weekend! Congrats to Nicholas, klm. It is so exciting, isn't it? I didn't expect it to be so much fun :) Once N has got it mastered, Campbell will probably decide it doesn't look so bad either :)

[klm2klh]

elly - love the belly shots - you look great!

tgal & tray - sorry to hear you guys are sick again. I was thinking we were finally going to be illness free this week (for the first time in a month), but Campbell was up all night and woke up with a runny nose - here we go again!

Red - I can't imagine how frustruating food allergies can be - hang in there! Also, congrats on the return of AF!

Shannon - Yeah!? for the minivan. I so don't want to have to go there, but I must admit they are so convenient! We rented one when we were in Hawaii - I can totally see why people have them. What kind did you get?

aprilshowers - Congrats to your DD on her first steps! It really is an amazing thing to see.


Nicholas is walking like crazy - it's so fun to see him do it without being coaxed! I really don't think Campbell is anywhere close to walking, but he climbs like a monkey! Onto the couch, over the armrest and on to the end table - he's a total daredevil! He still doesn't have very good balance or leg strength, so I wouldn't be surprised if it takes a while still.

[ShannonGH]

What kind did you get?

Honda Odyssey. yeah, I didn't think I would like it but I really do!

[Christy5599]

You read my mind April, while I haven't yet pulled out the dvd I was thinking I needed to watch the sling intro again so I could figure out the hip carry! We're heading to Phoenix in two weeks anyway so I think it will be doubly useful in the airport. MIL was home with him today, his rash is really bad. He's still not totally happy with the world but hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. I'm hoping he'll be back in daycare by Wednesday but realistically it will probably be Thursday.

It was beautiful here today!!!! I hope everyone had as nice a day as we did!!!

[ellybella]

thanks! for lookin' at my belly.

tgal i can't believe i'm 17 weeks either, closer to 18 now...yikes! dh says this one is "sneaking up on him".

phart i don't feel like the belly is so little, but thanks for thinking so. i had to wear a skirt today since i realized i have no maternity summer pants. a good excuse to shop i guess.

april love your toothbrushing routine. congrats on first steps!

toothpaste are you all using any toothpaste? if so which brand. so far we've just used water.

breast ultrasound i had to have an ultrasound today on my breast. i found a lump a couple weeks ago. it's not a mass, so that is a good sign. they think it's engorged tissue, since he doesn't get much milk from that side and i end up nursing more on the left. they won't know for certain until ds is completely weaned. so we're starting the evening nursing elimination starting tonight. dh is a little freaked and thinks i should get another opinion just to be sure. his mom died after a long battle w/ cancer that began as breast cancer. i'm ok w/ waiting. hopefully he'll be weaned in a few weeks. he's not going to be too excited about the new plan which means it will be more of a challenge.

red congrats on af. lucky dog for keeping her away this long. i had it back at 5 months pp.

shoes yayhoo, the sandals fit and we tried them out today. it was in the 80s...ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh so nice!

[Christy5599]

Thinking of you Elly, hopefully James will make weaning easier than you expect... but more importantly that they are able to tell you everything is fine when the weaning is done. **HUGS!**

[junkinmytrunk]

Elly thinking of you and like Christy said, once the weaning is done, they will be able to tell you all is well. Keep us posted.

Another beautiful day in NJ. Taking Pierson to a followup with the pediatric opthamologist for his lazy eye. He's a nice doctor - Pierson hugged and kissed him last time. He doesn't even hug and kiss me!!!! Hoping all goes well.

Gotta get us ready - will check back soon!

[JennW]

elly - My thoughts are with you. I hope your weaning experience is quick and easy so that you can get through the testing. Hopefully you'll hear that all is A-OK very soon.:)

[losthoosier]

elly~ thinking of you as you beging the weaning process. and hope everything turns out ok. My friend and a scare a couple weeks ago. It too was left over milk from 4 months.......... Also.. Love the belly

Toothbrushing~ we try to get it done at least once a night, but she loves it, and hates when we take it away. I use the orajel toothpaste . until we run out then will buy toothpaste from trader joes.

Bathing. She hates to get a bath, but seems like she gets dirty at daycare. They play outside 3 times a day, and then with food, and paint she needs a bath. She has lots of curly hair, and I think every type of food ends up in her hair. The probelm is she only will bathe with one of us. Other then that she is scared. we have tried everything toys, empty tub. So we just end up in the bath with us......

Shoes~ we buy lots of shoes as most shoes are to wide for her skinny feet and they always fall off. I love payless as they are cheap and work wonders. She wears white velcro shoes almost every day as they stay on her feet.
Also what size is everone wearing. it seems like she has been in size 4 for almost 6 months.

Food~ she has started to have a reaction to dairy so we have switched to soy. Does anyone have any other ideas for calcium intake as she can't have any dairy products.

[aprilshowers]

elly - I'll be thinking of you. I hope that everything works out alright. And no, we do not use any toothpaste.

[ellybella]

thanks girls for your thoughts, i really appreciate it. i'm sure it's all fine.

the drama never ends! so i called my ob this morning to tell them about james and the HFM diagnosis, since a lot of people were asking if it's ok w/ me being pg. well, i didn't really even think about it and continued to nurse ds, share food, give lots of kisses, etc. well turns out it can be a big deal. i had to go to the lab this afternoon to have a blood test to see if i'm immune to this certain virus. here's the good part...if i'm not i have to "move out of my house for a week", have a level 2 ultrasound, and see a genetics counselor. i really thought the nurse was joking when she told me the first part. i still can't believe it. oh and i must stop nursing asap until the test results come back. so let's all cross everything possible for immunity. good grief!

[ShannonGH]

Holy moly elly! So hoping you have immunity!!!! I would've thought that nurse was joking too!

[JennW]

I'm sorry elly. This is so not what you need right now especially while being pg, trying to wean and dealing with everything else. Fingers crossed for immunity. When will you get the results?

[amychris03]

Elly
Yikes. You poor thing. (((hugs))). First of all, I hope weaning goes well and everything is ok. I'm sure it will be. And I bet James will be more adaptable to it than you think, Sam sure was (which surprised me a lot). Secondly, I bet you have the immunity from being exposed to stuff when you were in school. I had a scare like that when I was PG when I was in contact with a kid with fifths disease, and I had the immunity. I really hope you dont have to move out! But if so, why not go to a spa? ;)

[kdotp]

elly Thinking of you!!

G got his tubes in this morning. We were up bright and early and at the Surgery Center by 6:15 for his 7:45 appointment. The whole surgery took less than 10 minutes and when the Dr. came back and talked to us afterwards he said G's inner ears were filled with thick fluid and it took some suction to get it all out. He also said this should really help his language development and hearing.

We were out and home a little after 8:30 and G slept from about 9-11ish. He's been up and playing for about an hour and a half now. Mostly happy but kind of whiny. I'm hoping he takes another nap this afternoon so I can sleep, too!!

[ShannonGH]

Yay! So happy things went well this am kdotp!

[tunibell]

elly - Good grief, woman! Thinking of you and crossing all crossables.

kdotp - I bet Grant is going to be a much happier little man from now on! I know quite a few little people who had the tubes put in and were much, much better off afterwards. One of my cousin's children was assumed to be a little "off" (painfully shy, hardly spoke) until it was discovered that the poor kid could barely hear he had so much fluid in his ears. Now all is well.

april - I hear you're coming to town! PM me and we can make a play date!

red - Yay for PPAF! I am still waiting...

We have officially thrown in the towel on the house hunt. :( We decided it was more important for me to remain a stay-at-home-mom than try to make this huge purchase in a crazy market. We are, however, going to look for a bigger rental, so that is something.

[yby1]

We've been fighting a cold over here for the last week and a half. It sucks. The whole family has had it, and we're still fighting it. Mattias didn't get it as bad as we did, but lately, it seems like Mattias like cold is coming back. His nose won't stop running. I've tried Benadryl and Robitussin, but they only help a little bit. I don't like to give him too much. When his nose was really stuffy, I ran the warm-mist vaporizer and on those days he STTN. Then he started to get a little cough because the the post-nasal drip, so I stopped running the vaporizer, but then his nose gets stuffy to the point where he can't breathe well and he wakes up - but no coughing. Then I tried running the vaporizer last night and he STTN, but he had the nasty little cough again - it's more of an occassional cough though. I called my parents a few minutes ago and they think he's doing better. He hasn't had a fever all week and he has energy and an appetite. I guess I don't know if I should run the vaporizer tonight or not - I don't want to use it often. We also have a cold-mist humidifier, but it doesn't seem to help him right now. I should probably call the Dr's office for advice. I wish he knew how to blow his nose - using that bulb suctioner sucks!

sorry for the ramble.

shoes - Mattias has 1 pair each of Stride Rite and Ricosta sneaks for the outdoors, he also has two pair of Pedipeds that I bought him during his cruising phase - I use these when he's indoors since they still fit him. :)

[aprilshowers]

OMG, elly, when it rains it pours! I will be thinking of you. Let us know how everything turns out. I'd offer you a place to stay if you needed one but I don't think you want to share a room with DD :)

tuni - I'd love to get together! I'm off to PM you now...

[junkinmytrunk]

Elly: I can't even believe that whole ordeal regarding HFM. Hoping all is going well...yeesh it does rain and pour simultaneously.
Yby1: I'm sick too. It sucks. Feel awful. So sorry Mattias is feeling lousy and there's nothing worse than beeing under the weather with a sick little one in tow. Hoping your posse gets well soon.
Tuni: It's just too bad about the home search. CA is the worst. Spring is always competitive for homebuying but it seems like on the coast, we never get a break. It's so lame. Amazing that owning a single family home, something so basic and so necessary, is nearly impossible in the big city. When we were buying our place in LA a few years back, it was just unreal to think we might never have a backyard. Growing up, EVERYONE had a house! I don't think I ever heard of condos until I was in my late teens! :eek:
KDOTP: Glad the op is over. Hope he's feeling better soon!
===============================

All is fine with Pierson's eyes. The ped op said we're looking much better and we'll see him in a year. Phew.

That's about it for now. Going to bed. feel so crappy. Hope you girls are all well.

Hugsnkisses,
L.

[JennW]

Add us to the sick list. Owen has been coughing for the last two days and today I have a sore throat. I just hope it passes over DH. There is no way I can take care of TWO babies and myself.:p Also, his appetite has diminished a bit with this cold. So of course it’s one more thing to worry about with his weight check appt. in a few weeks. Ugh. It’s such a vicious cycle.

Junk – Yay for Pierson getting a clean bill of eyesight from the eye doc.:)

kpotp – Yay for the surgery being over and done. I’m glad it went well.:)

Tuni – Sorry about the house hunt woes. We live in an expensive area as well (about 15 miles outside of NYC) so I feel your pain. Our area is not as bad as CA by a long shot but it’s still nowhere near affordable on even good salaries! For now, we are house poor and it SUCKS. Good luck finding a new place to live. That will be exciting to have more space!

yby – Feel better!

[aprilshowers]

JennW - just popping in quickly since I don't have much time but I wanted to suggest a fat-rich food for you. Have you tried sunflower seed butter? It tastes a lot like pb but without the nut concerns. You can get it at Trader Joe's and probably other places as well. DD (and now all her friends!) loves it.

Hope everyone's feeling better soon!

[JennW]

Thanks April - I will check it out and add it to my list of high fat goodies for him! I'm actually going to TJs next week so I'll look for it!

[Elenitsa]

Hi girls! I have been reading along for the most part but barely had time to post. Life has been mucho hectic. We have been trying to settle in to our new place. We had a small birthday celebration for DD b/c we had her christening on 3/24 with only 170 of our close friends and family (ha ha!). I'm Greek, so we really can't have it any other way. That turned into a big fiasco, as we alienated a bunch of our closest family when the catering facility changed rooms on us and also re-arranged the room layout putting family tables in the back. It caused HUGE controversy. Well the layout issue only affected DH family, not mine, so you can only imagine how that went down. To make matters worse, apparently we also totally mucked up the seating arrangments b/c everyone RSVP'd late, we had no time and stayed up to the weee hours of the morning doing it and we didn't have time to check it over. Soo things didn't really turn out great. All I can say, is that there will never be a next time. I have made it perfectly clear to DH, we not doing this ever again. Next time it will be small and intimate.


kpotd ~Speedy recover to your little one.

Elly~ Good luck with all. It sounds like you have your hands full. Congrats and H&H rest of your pregnancy.

Shannon ~ Congratulations H&H pregnancy!

I'm jealous, I wish I was part of RO club. We had planned on having started TTC in Dec, but our renovation was also supposed to have been done by Oct and we're still not done.

Hugs and Kisses to all the rest!!

[losthoosier]

the title of my post is going to be "HOW TO KNOCK OUT A BABY" Mackenzie will not sleep at night since "elimination bottle" She is up hourly crying. I finally broke down last night and gave her some bottles. But it didn't help. Mommie is going off of two hour sleep. I am not a happy camper.

On top of that she has another ear infection. We go to the Dr again on Friday and will bring up tubes. She also is having another set of X-rays off her head. She has two bumps on her head that have been there forever. The first set of x-rays came back negative for anything, but they want to check them monthly to make sure they don't turn into anything. I hate doing this as I have to hold her down as they take them and she screams the whole time.

[ajb524]

losthoosier- Sorry to hear she's not sleeping well. I'm sure the ear infection has got something to do with it. When Sean was having them frequently his sleep was horrible. The tubes have helped tremendously!!!! If we ever have another baby and he/she has ear problems like Sean I'll push for tubes even sooner than I did with Sean.

------------------------------------------------
Anyone else here have a kid that thinks both parents are named Dada??? Sean said Mama one time about 3 months ago. It's almost comical now. We'll say "mama" and he says dada. And the other day I had my back turned to him getting something out of the pantry and he kept saying dada and he got louder and louder until I turned around. This morning DH taught him how to say dog and we don't even have a dog :rolleyes:. I've just given up. He'll eventually call me mama I guess.

Allergies- He's been on claritin for about 3 weeks now. He's doing a lot better. I went through a whole month of him having a runny nose and finally it had some blood in it from being so irritated and the doc wanted to try claritin and so far it has helped.

[junkinmytrunk]

At long last, our 1 year portraits - yay! I'll just post two:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/210/474465088_4ae438ee29_m.jpg
and
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/203/474465090_f4416b256d.jpg?v=0

Lost: Wish I had advice on how to lull a little one to sleep. P went thru this for about 2 weeks - I had to play lullabies, sit with him and w ait for him to fall asleep. The trick after that was getting him to stay asleep. Not easy. Seems that has passed for the moment but he's still NOT STTN which sucks because he did for 3 nice, solid months. Sigh.

JennW: Sorry about being sick. I am hoping and praying P doesn't get it from me. Ugh big time. Oh, and I'll be here for another month - maybe we Jersey girls can reschedule if we're all healthy next week? Thoughts?

Okay, gotta force feed :O my child some more breakfast. He so hates eating. I am glad to see his interest in food has picked up - he'll touch and watch me eat but as soon as it passes his lips, pukecity. Oh, and he did this with Vanilla Haagen Dazs so you gotta wonder - maybe there is an obstruction of sorts in his throat?

[JennW]

Junk - HE IS SO CUTE! Did you get that jacket at Gap? I think I almost bought the same one! He looks adorable. I am totally up for a GTG. Let me know when. Next week doesn't work for me cause I have plans but the week after is completely open. By the way, Owen screamed his head off when I gave him ice cream!

[junkinmytrunk]

JennW: I got the jacket, pants and polo at Gymboree - such a great sale - the jacket was $12.99, pants $8.99 and I forget what the polo was but we wore it for Easter, these pix and another portrait sitting he did with his cousin. Wide open the following week - let's pick a date next week - sound OK? Bunny, maybe you can sneak out to meet us! :)

[ellybella]

junk cutie pics of the little man.

lost so sorry for your sleeping woes, hopefully it's just from the ear infection and she'll be sleeping soon. we have a little early riser on our hands the last week, 5:00am! um hello. i try my hardest no to get him until 6 so he knows it's not ok, but i'm awake so it still sucks!

kdotp glad the op went smoothly.

still awaiting can you believe i'm still waiting to get those test results back?? guess it wasn't so urgent after all. :confused:

no-nursing this is our third day of no nursing, and it's going ok. he'll sometimes try to lift my shirt or pick as if picking lint off of it. he doesn't really like me too far from him. he's been waking up super early this week and i think this may be why. this morning he was sooooo mad!!! and wanted it badly, i felt terrible. i hate the way it had to end, :( . i hope he gets over it soon. luckily he's drinking more milk during the day.

[JennW]

elly - So sorry you had to wean this way. It's not easy to do anyway but to be forced into it must be hard on you. Hope it gets better, soon.:(

Junk - Ah ha! Gymbo. That's where I saw it! Cute!:)

TGIF, all!:D

[bunny nose]

I love those pics Junk!

And yes, I will sneak out to meet you guys. LOL I don't think I have anything the week after next.

[JennZ]

elly,
Sorry you had to wean so suddenly! I feel for you! {{hugs}}

junk,
He is so cute!!

kdotp,
Glad Grant is doing better!

JennW and lost,
Hope your little ones are feeling better!

I'll come back later for more shout-outs! I'm sorry!
I'm finding it extremely difficult to keep up with all these threads!! LOL

[ellybella]

bad news i'm not immune to the parvovirus. the blood is now being tested to see if i have the virus. why they didn't just do that at the same time i'll never know. so i'll be waiting another 3 days for those results.

i still don't understand the connection w/ HFM. in what i've read so far about parvo (fifth's disease) HFM hasn't been mentioned. also, HFM is from the coxackie virus, not parvo. the symptoms of parvo are different from HFM and not what james had. so who the heck knows what's going on.

here's what the cdc says about it.

Usually, there is no serious complication for a pregnant woman or her baby because of exposure to a person with fifth disease. About 50% of women are already immune to parvovirus B19, and these women and their babies are protected from infection and illness. Even if a woman is susceptible and gets infected with parvovirus B19, she usually experiences only a mild illness. Likewise, her unborn baby usually does not have any problems attributable to parvovirus B19 infection.

Sometimes, however, parvovirus B19 infection will cause the unborn baby to have severe anemia and the woman may have a miscarriage. This occurs in less than 5% of all pregnant women who are infected with parvovirus B19 and occurs more commonly during the first half of pregnancy. There is no evidence that parvovirus B19 infection causes birth defects or mental retardation.



and what my ob may or may not do...
There is no universally recommended approach to monitor a pregnant woman who has a documented parvovirus B19 infection. Some physicians treat a parvovirus B19 infection in a pregnant woman as a low-risk condition and continue to provide routine prenatal care. Other physicians may increase the frequency of doctor visits and perform blood tests and ultrasound examinations to monitor the health of the unborn baby. The benefit of these tests in this situation, however, is not clear. If the unborn baby appears to be ill, there are special diagnostic and treatment options available, and your obstetrician will discuss these options with you and their potential benefits and risks.



on a brighter note...james had his first hair cut today! he sat on dh's lap and they got hair cuts simultaneously. it didn't phase him at all, more interested than anything.

[junkinmytrunk]

Elly - oy, yoy, what a nightmare. Keep us posted. Glad James had a good haircut experience. Pierson is on haircut strike - he's had a ton of cuts but all of the sudden he refuses...go figure.

[amychris03]

kdotp Glad Grants operation went well!

elly That's weird that they are testing you for Parvo. Hmm, I wonder what the link is? At any rate, when I was exposed to fifths, the nurse said that even if I wasn't immune, since I was in my second trimester it probably wouldn't be an issue. I guess they are usually more concerned in the first trimester for miscarriage and the third, for preterm labor is what she was saying. I can't remember what trimester you are currently in, but you've gotta at least be close to the second right?

ETA: This website makes it sound like the HFM virus isn't parvovirus if you scroll down to where it talks about pregnant women. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/enterovirus/hfhf.htm

[tgal]

Stopping by quickly! Elly, I am so sorry. Give us an update when you have a chance.

[aprilshowers]

elly - I'm sorry to hear you aren't immune and that things are so confusing. Sounds like your doc needs to spend a little more time thinking about your case! Glad to hear the haircut went well. DD had her first the other day too!

tuni - I'm not ignoring your PM, we've just been away. I need to get to work now but I promise I'll write back before we head out your way. Looks like Tues or Thurs would be best for getting together - does that work for you?

junk - did I read right that you're leaving Jersey?

Just got back from 4 days in GA. Man, it's hot down there! We had a great time though. DD was a champ what with all the late nights and stolen naps. She napped for 45 minutes on my back during a hike the other day. It was so cute. The flights were fine though harder than last time (when she was 9 months and NOT MOBILE). My sister was with us which helped to entertain her and the flight was only 3 hours long. But now I'm nervous about the 6 hour one we have on Friday!

[IUAlum]

No time for the replies you all deserve, but I'm thinking of everyone, especially Elly!

We have steps! Of course, Seth took his first steps while we were out of town this weekend. This morning he was up to 5 or 6 steps. He still seems to prefer crawling, but he seems very proud of himself when he's walking! :p

[kdotp]

Oh elly! Keep us posted on the results.

I cannot even tell you what a difference the tubes have made for G! I didn't think it was possible, but my baby is happier than before. He's not congested anymore, his balance has improved (he even stood by himself for a few seconds the other day!) and his babbling is much more clear. We have added "uh oh" to our vocabulary (and are having lots of fun tossing things over the side of the crib, our highchair, anything and then "Uh Oh-ing" every time. :p ) He's full of smiles and is just bouncy and happy! I'm so glad we had the surgery!

Oh, the itch to TTC #2 is getting stronger. I'm positive we'll wait until after our trip to NYC in September, but it's going to be hard! Part of me is really excited about TTC again but part of me is also very worried about what may happen (it'll take longer, we'll have more m/c, etc...)

[ellybella]

still no updates from the ob...i'm just chalking it up to them being overly cautious and everything is fine.

on a happier note...

we're having a girl!

still a little in shock, i was convinced we were having another boy. i also thought dh felt the same, but he said he was practicing reverse psychology :rolleyes:. it would have been much more economical if it was a boy, knowing my spending habits. let the shopping begin!

[JennW]

Yay IUAlum. Glad you and Seth are doing well.:)

Elly - Congrats on it being a girl! Oooh, there are such great girl clothes out there. Go shopping. Immediately.:p

kpotp - Glad the surgery has done such wonders for him!:D

Any NJ/NY mommas out there, we are planning a GTG next week - probably Tuesday. PM me or post here if interested.

[klm2klh]

Elly - Congrats on your girl! It may have been more economical to have another boy, but how fun to be having a girl! So many things are so much cuter for girls (shoes for instance, since we have been looking at those lately).

kdotp - I'm glad to hear that the tubes have made such a big difference for Grant.

[JennZ]

Congrats on your girl, elly!!

[aprilshowers]

Congrats elly!! At least you can save space by getting rid of the outgrown boy clothes now :)

[kdotp]

congrats on your girl, elly! Girl clothes are very fun to shop for. :D

[ShannonGH]

Congrats on your girl Elly!!! So exciting!
Unlike the first go-around, we're not finding out this time. I wanted to experience what both were like (finding out and not). I'm pretty convinced that this one is another girl though...which is more than fine with both of us! :) Oh, and take it from me, don't go *too* crazy with the girl clothes...I ended up having to sell some on ebay.:o

kdotp- Grant sounds like he's doing fabulous!! Yay for tubes!!

Not much new here. Noa had a horrid day today. Two 10 minute naps. Uhg. So tonight she was in bed asleep by 5:10pm.

Still feeling really good with this pregnancy. Just a some food aversions but nothing like last time where I lost 13lb in the first tri.

[JennW]

Unlike the first go-around, we're not finding out this time. I wanted to experience what both were like (finding out and not).
That is too funny. We are planning to do the same thing when we have #2. I didn't think anyone found out with #1 and not with #2. Glad I'm not the only one!:)

[bunny nose]

Been away for a couple of days. We are all sick in this house with a cold. It is Nicky's first cold. He's holding up like a trooper, but I wish I had more energy. I am so sick and so is DH. Even the dog is sick. He threw up Sunday and again today- in my car. Yuck!!!!

Will be back soon to talk more. Need some sleep.

[junkinmytrunk]

Hi guys - woefully behind on the shoutouts - hoping everyone is doing A-OK. Gotta keep it short - we're in the midst of a thunderstorm and I'm on my laptop which is a wee bit scary to me - but to answer Aprilshowers...., yep, we're going back to Cali. NJ just isn't good for me and I miss SoCal soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much. Leaving at the end of the month.

Okay, lighting is lighting up the sky so I'm signing off!!

[ShannonGH]

How exciting junk!!! Congrats on deciding to make the big move!!

[losthoosier]

Junk congrats on coming on back to California. Are you coming back to So Cal. If so once you get here you will have to join us. Do you know when you will make the move?

[losthoosier]

Elly- Congrats on a GIRL...... I love having my girl

[junkinmytrunk]

Lost: That's why I was so curious if you had the get together! :) I'll be there in about 3.5 weeks - May 31st. I'll be without my car till late June :( but it is what it is. I'll be in Whittier -- anyone in those parts?

Oh and Elly-- Congrats on the girl -- how exciting!

[aprilshowers]

Congrats, junk! That is very exciting! Good luck with the move - I have never done one cross-country and it seems like it would be difficult but I know you're an old pro at it now :)

[yby1]

Lost: That's why I was so curious if you had the get together! :) I'll be there in about 3.5 weeks - May 31st. I'll be without my car till late June :( but it is what it is. I'll be in Whittier -- anyone in those parts?

Oh and Elly-- Congrats on the girl -- how exciting!

Girl, we can meet you in Whittier. :)

[tunibell]

elly - Yay for a girl!!! And Shannon is right about clothing...I recently tallied up the amount I've spent on clothing for Piper since she was born and, um, WOW. I don't think I've spent that much on my own clothing in the last 5 years! :o

april - Tuesday or Thursday is great! I'll PM you my digits.

junk - Yippee!!! Everything is better in California! :D

IUAlum - Go Seth!!

kdotp - So glad Grant is doing better. Those tubes really do seem to help the little people so much.

I swear, Piper is trying to drop her afternoon nap instead of her morning nap. She's in her crib jabbering her head off right now. Yesterday she was awake from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. - I'd prefer not to have a repeat of that today!

Her signs are coming along nicely - so far, we've seen milk, mom, dad, eat, cereal, banana, more, car, cold, drink, ball, baby, sleep, water, hat, hurt, all done, and brush teeth. She's also pulling up and cruising everywhere, but so far has zero interest in walking - she freaks out if I try to take her hands and practice, so I'm just kind of letting her be for the moment. She's been sleeping much better too, thankfully; we're down to 1-2 wakings a night, and the first usually comes before I go to bed.

Only a little over a month until we start TTC #2! I wanted to wait until Piper was 15 months, so the kids would be at least 2 years apart. I also want to wait until after our anniversary (June 12th) so DH and I can celebrate with booze. :)

A recent pic of Miss P (she is eventually going to grow some hair, right??):
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/188/481797235_7f9fb7f580.jpg?v=0

[junkinmytrunk]

Starting from the most recent post:
Tuni: Piper is gorgeous -- and what a signin' fool! :) good for her! And Pierson is also trying to drop the afternoon nap!
Yby1: Yay! Whittier it is! I'm in Uptown - gotta be something there! I'll keep you posted when we touch ground!
April: LOL! I am the worst packer ever!
Bunny: Feel better and see you and JennW next week!
Shannon: Any luck with the naps?
Elly: Hope you are doing well over there...
Did I miss anyone? Sure hope not!

Wonder how Lovin' It and Kat are....they haven't visited in soooo long....

[Elenitsa]

Hello all! Wow, everyone has such excitement going on. I don't even know where to begin on all the responses.

Elly ~ Not having answers is sooo frustrating. Good luck to you. Congrats on the girl!

Junk ~ Wow, another move! Bravo for doing what's best for you!

Tuni ~ i know you have mentioned it, but I can't seem to find it. What signing program are you doing if any?

Over here in my parts, we have major teething going on. The eye teeth are coming in and we have major poops because of it.

[JennW]

I swear, Piper is trying to drop her afternoon nap instead of her morning nap. She's in her crib jabbering her head off right now. Yesterday she was awake from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. - I'd prefer not to have a repeat of that today!
Owen dropped his afternoon nap MONTHS ago. He takes his morning nap from about 8:30-10:00 (sometimes shorter, sometimes longer) and then he is up until bedtime at 6:00. It's rough if he has a cranky afternoon but when he does go down for the night he's exhausted so I think it helps his night sleep. Good luck!

[junkinmytrunk]

JennW: LOVE Owen's latest Avatar pic -- soooo cute. Did he used to have darker hair that gradually went lighter?

[junkinmytrunk]

Been thinking of you guys - hope all is going well.
-------------------------------------------

For those of you with DC who are not walking yet, does your baby have a bigger head? I just read that the larger the head, the slower the child is to begin walking. Alternately, those of you with babes who are on two feet, does your little one have a smaller noggin? Just curious. We're not walking yet....mama has a BIIIIIIIIIIIIG head - maybe like mama like son?

[losthoosier]

Junk~ My little one has a huge head...... Its off the charts, and has been walking for almost 3 months.

We have our first diaper rash here, and its horrid............. my poor baby is in so much pain.......... She is on a strong antibiotic and is teething so the doctors blame both................ We have let her run naked two days in a row... its kinda cool as she has had no accidents at all. She peed both times in the bathroom right before bath time. Not in the toliet but near the sink....

[JennW]

Junk – Thanks and yeah it is getting much lighter. It was super dark at birth and now it is pretty light brown with tons of golden highlights! Oh and Owen has a small head and is not walking!

Lost – Ouch. I hope the rash clears up soon. Poor thing!

[Elenitsa]

Lost ~ Diaper rash can be soo hard sometimes. Here's a couple of things to try. A surgical nurse advised me of both. #1 - Something at the pharmacy called triple paste. Its expensive, but if you really need she said it creates an impervious barrier. Also, mylanta (from the fridge, let it settle, do not shake, pour off the liquid portion and use the sludge type stuff from the bottom). Good luck!

[tunibell]

Junk - I recently read that temperment has a great deal to do with when a child walks. Piper has no interest in walking, and she's a pretty chill kid overall.

[MrsCantDecide]

Just chiming in regarding the diaper rash -- Triple paste IS wonderful (for Lucas it works, where as Bordeaoux ButtPaste does not) andyou can actually find it now in Target and Wal-Mart too! For a lot cheaper....


Hope everyone's doing well!

[amychris03]

Elly Congrats on your girl!!! How fun! Have you heard from the drs yet? How's the weaning going? I mean, obviously you are done at this point, but is James handling it ok?

Junk Congrats on your move!!! One winter did you in huh? I don't blame you! You'll definitely find an OT out there! How is Piersons feeding going? Any better? We are doing good here I suppose- you know, as good as you can do when you are in an IVF cycle. It's a lot more challenging this time with drs appointments now that we have Sam.

Lost Nakedness is honestly the most helpful! We use Boudreax's Butt Paste here and it works well for Sam.

Tuni
Sam dropped his afternoon nap first and went to one nap from 10:30-12:30, and then lately has moved it back from 1:30-3:30. Occasionally he would poop out and take a short nap around 3:30 when he was taking the earlier nap, but usually he did ok!

Elenista
We're in the throws of teething here too, Sam is getting his two top molars. He is constantly trying to chew on our furniture and then he cries. He doesn't want any chew toys anymore (other than his wand for his bubbles- which I figure is better than wood, huh?)

~~~
I mean honestly. Can Sam be sensitive to one more thing? Poor guy has the worlds most sensitive skin I guess. He fell and scraped his finger on the side Tuesday and because of it's weird position I washed it really well and put Liquid Bandaid on it. Of course he had a reaction to that. His skin is all red around the scrape and now the finger is starting to get infected. We had to take him to the dr and he needs antibiotic ointment. He is just getting so scratched and bruised up now that it's warm weather and he is in short sleeves and shorts! I guess it's part of being a boy, huh?


Edited to remove the strange Roll Eyes that showed up by Ellys name even though I never put them there! Very odd!

[junkinmytrunk]

RE: Head size ~ So much for the Mother of All Toddler Books theory...:rolleyes:

Tuni: Interesting regarding temperment. If you disregard the fact that P refuses all things even remotely looking like table food, he's a very chill kiddo. In fact, he's hardly baby-like at all. I'll have to Google that and check it out...

I also agree with El and MCD re: Triple Paste - P's booty cheeks bledfrom diaper rash last summer and our ped recommended the paste and prescribed 2 ointments. The paste was the outermost layer and kept the prescription creams in tact. It really is a terrific barrier product. Never tried Butt Paste - packaging is cute but DS is so skin sensitive I'm afraid to veer from our usual routine.

Amy: I'll be sending you TONS of babydust. In fact {{{*<*<*dust*>*>*}}}. Re: OT's --- can you recommend anyone?

Okay - the little snickerdoodle needs a diaper change -- be back later!

[aprilshowers]

lost - sorry about the diaper rash! Try adding some baking soda to her bath. It has worked wonders for DD.

amy - good luck with the IVF - I will be thinking of you guys.

[kdotp]

walking no walking here and G has a huge head (he's just a big kid overall) AND is a pretty easy-going guy.

I visited my IRL friend (who's also on CC) myshel who just had a baby earlier this week. Oh how I miss that tiny baby goodness!! We are definitely greenlighting TTC #2 in Sept.

[yby1]

walking - Mattias is now running like a mad man and he has a smallish head - it's in the 25th percentile.

[heidi0622]

hi all, it has been forever since I have posted in here I think...I'm faithfully reading along every day though...

walking: Ben's head has always been in the 50th percentile, yet his weight has hovered around 20th percentile, so I guess it may make it a little bigger. He's cruising and has taken 1 or 2 steps every few days, but is not walking yet...not sure if that follows the theory or not. I don't know if I really want to classify him as a pretty "chill" baby either. I just think he started crawling around 7 mos and can get around so fast by crawling that he has no interest in figuring out a new way to motor.

amy: good luck with the IVF, fingers crossed for you.

Fun to hear about all the ROs...can't believe how fast your pgcys seem to be going!

allergies: Ben has been congested for months now, so we took him in for some allergy testing. Turns out he tested positive for eggs, peanuts, dogs and mold. I was a little overwhelmed at first...but we're taking things one step at a time. We have him on an egg-free diet right now and can reintroduce them in a few weeks to see how he reacts. The dr. seems to think he will outgrow it since he has had plenty of eggs before we found out he was allergic and never had a severe reaction. We have a dog, but we're not at the point where we have to get rid of him...just have to make Ben's bedroom completely dog-free, use an air purifier, limit the interaction between the two and be a whole heck of a lot cleaner than we currently are (perfect excuse to hire a cleaning lady :)). He hasn't been exposed to peanuts yet, so I'm not sure what will happen there, but for now...we're keeping him peanut free and we'll see what happens. He's on breathing treatments every night and is doing a lot better, so I was happy to have some answers as to where the congestion was coming from...

[JennW]

amy - Good luck with the IVF cycle! I have all crossables crossed for you.:)

[JennZ]

Amy,
Good luck with the IVF!

Heidi,
Poor little Ben! How long will he have to have the breathing treatments?
I'm glad to hear he is starting to do better.

junk,
Wow! Another cross-country move! Good luck with everything!

[JennW]

A bit early, but still wanted to post...

Happy early Mother's Day!

Mothers ......................

This is for the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up barf laced with Oscar Mayer wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying, "It's alright honey, Mommy's here."

Who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end soothing crying babies who can't be comforted.

This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse.

For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes. And all the mothers who DON'T.

This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see.
And the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes.
And for the mothers who lost their baby in that precious 9 months that they will never get to watch grow on earth but one day will be reunited with in Heaven!

This is for the mothers whose priceless art collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors. And for all the mothers who froze their buns on metal bleachers at football or soccer games instead of watching from the warmth of their cars, so that when their kids asked, "Did you see me, Mom?" they could say, "Of course, I wouldn't have missed it for the world," and mean it.

This is for all the mothers who go hungry, so their children can eat. For all the mothers who read "Goodnight, Moon" twice a night for a year. And then read it again. "Just one more time."

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.

This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.

This is for every mother whose head turns automatically when a little voice calls "Mom?" in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home -- or even away at college.

This is for all the mothers who sent their kids to school with stomach aches assuring them they'd be just FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up. Right away.

This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can't find the words to reach them. This is for all the step-mothers who raised another woman's child or children, and gave their time, attention, and love... sometimes totally unappreciated!

For all the mothers who bite their lips until they bleed when their 14-year-olds dye their hair green.

For all the mothers of the victims of recent school shootings, and the mothers of those who did the shooting.

For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to be peaceful, and now pray they come home safely from a war.

What makes a good Mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time? Or is it in her heart? Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time?

The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby?

The panic, years later, that comes again at 2 A.M. when you just want to hear their key in the door and know they are safe again in your home?

Or the need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?

The emotions of motherhood are universal and so our thoughts are for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation...

And mature mothers learning to let go.
For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers.
Single mothers and married mothers.
Mothers with money, mothers without.
This is for you all.
For all of us.
Hang in there
In the end we can only do the best we can.
Tell them every day that we love them.
And pray.

Please pass along to all the Moms in your life.
"Home is what catches you when you fall - and we all fall."
Please pass this to a wonderful mother you know. (I just did)

[Tracie]

JennW That was beautiful. Thank you for sharing it!

Walking We're still not walking yet, but we have had steps. AJ's head is a higher percentile than his height/weight - 50 percentile versus 25, I believe. So maybe there is something there? I think he will be a walker when he is good and ready and not a moment before.

Congrats to elly on your little girl! Good luck with the IVF, amy! And good luck to junk on her move!

[ShannonGH]

For those of you whose child broke out from the mmr vaccine, how long did it last? Noa has the most horrid looking red spots completely covering her body and she's not acting like herself. Fever is gone (that only lasted 36ish hours) but this rash started Thurs evening and it has just gotten progressively worse. I called the ped this morning and they didn't seem overly concerned....chalked it up to the mmr and recommended benadryl. I hate vaccines.

[junkinmytrunk]

Shannon - Pierson had his spots for about 4 days total. He was lethargic, feverish, had no appetite and tired. I was shocked at how many spots P had -- tons on his trunk, extremeties and his sweet little face. I would think by tomorrow you'd start to see a bit of an improvement. So sorry Noa is suffering -- P had a bad reaction to his 4 month vaxes as well. I hate em too!! :mad:

[Tracie]

Shannon I, myself, had a reaction from the MMR #2 when I was seventeen. Mine only lasted a couple of days and the spots were only on my trunk. But then it's probably comparing apples and oranges comparing a seventeen year old's reaction to a one year old. I hope she feels better soon!

[ShannonGH]

Thanks Tracie and Lisa. Unfortunately, she's not much better today. This is day 3 w/ them so hopefully it won't be long.

[tray622]

Zoey had over a week of spots and very high fevers. We were actually in the hospital for a day with the fever. I was told that any adverse reaction such as those were to be reported. I will have to check my old posts but it was a CCer and LJer who knew the info. Zoey was even 2 when she had hers. I hope Noa feels better very soon!

[tgal]

Shannon: I hope Noa feels better very soon!

Amy: Good luck with the IVF!

Walking and head size: DD started walking at 12.5 months and her head size is in the 95%.

Laid back baby: I think there is something to that theory. Although, dh walked at 8 months and he is probably the most laid back person I know!

Junk: Congrats on the move!

Allergies: I am so sorry some of your little ones have to go through this! I have horrible asthma and allergies and I can say this is the worst year EVER! I hope your little ones make it through the season.

--------------------------

We are doing fine here. My family was in town for our annual party this past weekend. It is always eventful having my mom around! A friend of ours has a little boy and he left his plate of food on the table and Eva decided to help herself to gramcrackers with peanut butter. I wasn't around, but when I came back my mom was like, Eva loves peanut butter! I nearly died, but didn't freak. I figured if she were to have a reaction it would have happened fairly quickly. Other than that, not much going on. Eva had her first pony ride at the circus yesterday. If you ask her what the pony does, she starts bouncing up and down. She cracks us up!

On the pregnancy front, I'm thinking this is another girl. I have ms just as I did with Eva. We have our 8 week u/s this Friday. I can't wait.

[phart]

On the pregnancy front, I'm thinking this is another girl. I have ms just as I did with Eva. We have our 8 week u/s this Friday. I can't wait.

I had m/s with both Aiden and Maura. It was worse and stuck around longer with Maura though.

Shannon~~Oh dear! I hope Noa is feeling better today.

[junkinmytrunk]

JennW: Forgot to mention -- beautiful piece you shared about motherhood. Can you believe - our 2nd Mother's Day!?
Shannon: Thinking about Noa -- hope she is feeling better. Let us know.
Elly: How are you holding up? Check in when you have time.
-----------------------------
So Pierson *sorta* walked to me today!! He kept his arms straight out, Frankenstein style, and stumbled towards me about 4 steps. Good boy! :)

[yby1]

So Pierson *sorta* walked to me today!! He kept his arms straight out, Frankenstein style, and stumbled towards me about 4 steps. Good boy! :)

Cool! The frankenstein walk is soo cute. :p

[ShannonGH]

Thanks junk. :) She's definitely feeling better, although still not 100%. The rash (that looked just like the measles, head to toe) has started to fade everywhere except her face. On her face, where there once were spots, there are now petechiae (dark, purplish non-blanching dots caused by broken blood vessels). I guess she's just prone to getting petechiae b/c she's gotten it before and after various blood draws, everything has turned up fine. Regardless, we have an appt w/ a hemotologist on the 15th to cover all our bases.
How's packing going? ;) When's the big move??

[JennW]

Yay Pierson for walking!!!

Shannon, I hope Noa is back to 100%, soon!

We're doing pretty well here. Owen is getting two new teeth, DH just started a new job and my dog had emergency surgery this week, but other than that, absolutely nothing is going on.:rolleyes: We've been busy, to say the least, but very good. Still no walking or cruising, but he is climbing like a monkey now. It's fun to watch although with climbing comes falling and with that comes a nervous mama.

If I'm not back around, Happy Mother's Day to all! Our second - hard to believe!!!

[jennylou]

Mod here:

Since your babies have all turned one, it's time to start a new thread and move to the toddler forum. Congrats on the big milestone. :)

[ShannonGH]

Happy Mother's Day ladies!!!

[ShannonGH]

<crickets churping>
What's everyone been up to? Anything fun for mother's day? We went to visit my parents, which is always nice since my mom spoils me with yummy food and the chance to sleep in in the morning. Next week is my last week of work and then I'm a SAHM! Pregnancy is moving along...I'm 7w4d! Still feeling good, except for this cold/allergies I'm fighting. Hope everyone else is doing well!

[junkinmytrunk]

I didn't think we were allowed to post in here anymore....?

Anyways, I just got back from the doc - double ear infection, pink eye x 2 and tonsilitis -- all ME!! Pierson shared these joys so we were very sick on Mother's Day!

BBL -- headed out to pick up prescriptions :)

[yby1]

Yikes! Feel better soon!

We are being moved to the Toddler forum?? Goodness I feel like an old-timer. ;)

Mother's day was nice. I saw my mom, Mattias gave her a card and he signed it. ;) Went out to dinner, then relaxed.

Mattias loves climbing. we recently climbed onto our dining room table and gave us a table dance (it was more like jumping) :rolleyes: :p . His ability to climb is much better than his ability to get down, so we have to be careful. He can get up on that table in a split second though, it's scary.

He also loves stacking and put objects in objects. We'll often find his toys in our pantry and our food in his toy chest. The pantry door is child-proofed now. As is the pots and pans cabinet.

Oh, and he has a love of lifting the toilet lid and trying to play with the bowl water. He figured out how to open the doors, so we can't keep him out that way.

I gave birth to a monkey.

[tgal]

<crickets churping>

I know, I've been reading along via my cell phone, but it has been too hard to type on the phone. Plus, I didn't want to tick off the mods! Tuni's out threadmistress, right???? Is she still moving/house hunting??

[ellybella]

so my ob's an idiot according to my pediatrician :). so there is NO relationship between the parvo and hfm, "your ob is wrong, does he need to get out his book?". later, i tried to tell the ob nurse this, but she continued to tell me they are the same thing and i had to have another blood test in 4 weeks. yeah, i don't think so! so all of this hellabaloo was all for nothing. granted i never spoke to the dr., but she relayed info to/from him. i have an appointment tomorrow, but w/ a different dr. in the group, and i'm going to convey my irritation, grrrr.

sick again which is why we've been mia. james started w/ diarrhea on monday, then a fever tuesday, ok wednesday, more diarrhea thursday am then took him to the dr. he'd lost almost a 2 lbs, but weren't sure what was going on and asked us to collect a stool sample. then he got sick after his morning nap. so we all got the stomach bug again, luckily it wasn't as violent as the last time. however, it really took it's toll on me, i was very slow to feel better. today i'm back. i'm really irritated that we keep getting sick. and discouraged that 13 months of breastfeeding isn't protecting us against this stuff.

junk sounds like you're excited to move back! i'd miss that weather too! will you be working once you go or still at home? hope you two are feeling better too.

shannon, jennw i thought we'd like to keep this time a surprise too, but that didn't last. you have more will power than we do!

sleep fighter james has typically been super cooperative when going down for naps/nighttime, but since late last week he stands up and cries once we put him down. our usual routine is reading/rocking, then i hold him and sway near his crib and he'll reach for his bed and lay down and then not a peep. this has been the way for several months now. i'm so worried that this is a new thing! boo hoo.

[tray622]

Tuni is the threadmistress but I had helped her out here and there. If she is busy I can start a new thread... I will try to get to it tonight!

[klm2klh]

Shannon - yeah for being a SAHM! I never thought that I would want to be at home, but with twins (& the incredible daycare shortage here) it really made sense, fortunately we are lucky enough to have the option. Now that I am home with them I couldn't imagine having to leave them every day, although I definiltely have moments where I wish I could leave them :) .

Junk - Sorry to hear about all of your various ailments - get better soon!

yby1 - Mattias sounds just like Campbell - I was reading the paper at the table the other day and turned to see that he had climbed his highchair and was standing on the seat! He can't stand alone or walk, but he climbs like a monkey! Both he and Nicholas have discovered how to open doors & the toilet - it's amazing how quickly they figure these things out.

elly - Glad to hear that all of the fuss was for nothing. I'm sorry it was such a PITA for you.

[tunibell]

Am here...sorry sorry! Starting new thread right now. :)

[MarchMoms2006]

New thread is open....I skipped all the first page pic stuff, since we post pics throughout. Hope that's okay...if people want the "front page" stuff, though, I can always add it to the second or third pages.

I couldn't link to our old threads...are they gone??? If so, I will pretty much die...all of my milestone type info is in those threads! - tuni

[tray622]

Thanks Tuni!