January 2005 Mommies - Come on in! :)

[SaphirimalMei]

Nothing new going here, we're all getting over the same cold and have a horrendous cough to boot, it's no fun! But Jimmy's finally back at work today after being out for 4 days, GREAT loss in pay! Austin came home early on Tuesday because he spiked a fever of 103.5 at daycare. So 1/2 day gone there for me! Then he stayed home yesterday with Jimmy. Back to normal today. I swear I need to quarantine all of us for a week to get us all better!
Lara, this sounds like us! It's awful! Jillys been out of daycare and Phil's been off work since last friday. I came down with it starting wednesday, but worked anyways since we really need the $. I'm taking tomorrow off, but wont really get to rest since Jilly'll be home with me. The poor thing, after making it a whole year with only one illness, this damned virus has really kicked the you-know-what out of Jilly. She's got a horribly runny nose, a cough that wont quit and double ear infections. I feel so bad for that little girl :( We'll survive, but this week has been a disaster!

Here's a few piccies from J's birthday.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6dc29b3127cce974f226975d200000015108Actmbhy1btI

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6dc29b3127cce974f227375c800000015108Actmbhy1btI

auntie sara singing happy b-day over the phone :)
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6dc29b3127cce974f2d9fb48b00000016108Actmbhy1btI

[AusAshMommy]

Marisa ~ LOL!! I can SO relate! Right after I posted the above, Jimmy called me and asked me to pick him up, he blacked out at work and they were sending him home. Then around 3:45 Antoinette called and said Austin had a fever of 103.5 and could I come pick him up. Well I get there and he's eating his snack and you'd never know he had a fever outside of the fact that he felt warm. Go figure! He was running around the house like a MAD MAN tonight! Oy! Now, I am feeling the burn out...I have been coughing like no one's business for a few days, but tonight I am feeling it BIG TIME! I am congested and coughing...I bought myself a cough medicine tonight and it's wearing off...

I am SO ANNOYED!!!

[lorbo]

i thought i'd reply here while i had the chance...considering i suck at keeping up...i read, but i lose time in responding-bad me!!!

a short update...but news...
i don't know if anybody remembers me mentioning the fights i was having with my insurance company. we were "responsible" for 7 u/s-we had a change in our policy in december-thus the smaller number of u/s up until his birth. i spent many months contacting the insurance company and the hospitals about all the bills and our responsibilities and their responsibilities. ultimately, our insurance company denied two appeals-those were supposed to be "neutral" decisions-surprisingly, we lost to the insurance company. my husband got disgusted and tried to get me to give up the fight and just pay them-the total for the bills was about 250. i then appealed to the Insurance Department of my state and we had a very short talk on the phone with the mediator-who was pretty much considered the judge. he asked if we had anything to add to all the documents sent by both parties and we(the insurance company and ourselves) said no and the decision was to be made in later december after he reviewed all the documents and such. we just received another bill for an u/s dated 1/6 today. i had just returned home from the emergency room(thought i broke my ankle-it's just a bad sprain that looks UGLY!) and was eating when DH gave me the document from the "judge" and i thought i was going to throw up. WE WON!!! i almost had tears running down my face, big smile and said over and over i knew i was right. the judge agreed with my assessment of the policy-that it was ambiguous, that the u/s weren't just a diagnostic tool-he felt that this was a necessary instrument-such that a thermometer or blood pressure machine was...in order to keep my son alive, he also stated that they failed to comply with their part of the insurance policy and that they needed to pay the hospital. if i could have, i would've been jumping all over the house...i called all my relatives and friends(those i couldn't reach, got email). i did pat myself on the back and said i did for principle and DH agreed with me-even though i mentioned how he told me to give it up and he said, yes, it did teach them and you were right.

so, what does this mean? DH has already mentioned that maybe we will consider another child-though i know it's a tough road-and i've had a tough time with DH lately, as well as DD-it's one less stressor and i can feel my blood pressure decreasing already.

[Lizzie Beth]

YAYYYYY, Lorbo!!! That's wonderful about the mediator's decision!! Finally somebody called it right.

[Lizzie Beth]

Saph- Look, it's Cindy Lou Who!!! So cute!!

Sorry about all the yuck, Saph and Lara - Healthy vibes to everyone!!

[AusAshMommy]

Drs Update:

Austin - Strep
Jimmy - Bronchitis
Me - Viral
Ashley - ??? we were called and she had a fever of 101.5...she's very tired right now and ready to crash...so we'll see how she fairs over the weekend...

[Jenzen01]

Ugh, Lara, sorry to hear you're dealing with so much. Maybe you'll get a free pass for the rest of the year after this cycle of illnesses. :)

Gabe is cranky-teething boy today. I finally got my finger in there, and I can feel one sticking through, so I'm sure there's more on the way.

He was such a good soul this weekend. When he's not cranky, he can entertain himself for quite a while. It's nice to not constantly be helping him with things.

Oh, and he really likes the Baby Einstein DVDs. I was hesitant to introduce TV to him, but what the heck? He really likes animals right now, so the DVDs are very entertaining for him. We just got Baby Noah and Animals in Your Neighborhood.

ttfn,
Jen

[AusAshMommy]

Jen ~ Not counting on it...but I am hoping the move to warmer climates helps some...we'll see though...

Sorry Gabe was so cranky over the weekend...hoping his tooth comes in soon!

**quiet congrats on the newest pumpkin in the patch ;)**

************
Weekend Update:

Well it was a roller coaster...Saturday the kids were normal sick cranky, we all took 3.5 hr naps on Sat afternoon. Then through the night Sat into Sun we got dumped on w/11" of snow! We were planning on staying holed up in the house anyways, but Austin was itching to get out in the snow. Being sick I said NO WAY! Ashley was being SUPER CLINGY yesterday and every single second of the day she wanted her Mommy! Oy! I wasn't able to get much done for Austin. I was home alone and it was NO FUN...I crashed hard lastnight and slept out of mere exhaustion!

I caved this morning and accepted a prescription for myself. My virus turned into a sinus infection over the weekend. The mucinex the doc reccomended didn't help a LICK and I called them this morning and they are calling in the Rx for me today. So hopefully it'll help me feel better. I am still picking up an OTC decongestant to help me get through the rest of today...

Back to work...TTFN!

[Jenzen01]

Wow. It's quiet in here.

Gabe is definitely teething. He was up at 10:30 and then at 4:30. Ugh. I'm hoping that whatever is bothering him breaks through soon. Cranky, cranky boy.

Lara - Thanks for the congrats. ;)

[AusAshMommy]

Jen ~ Does Motrin/Tylenol not do anything for him???

Welcome ;)

[Jenzen01]

It works, but it wears off. I gave it to him at 10:30 when he woke up and again at 5:30 or something like that this morning.

Tonight, he's getting it before bed. I usually do that when he's teething, but I wasn't getting the signals fast enough this time. It took him crying in the middle of the night for me to realize he needed the Motrin.

[AusAshMommy]

Ah yes...Motrin before bed is a MUST! And, if he should wake in the middle of the night...so long as it's been 8hrs...re-dose! LOL!!!

[SaphirimalMei]

Quick update from me:
We’re all slowly getting healthy over here. None of us is 100%, but getting closer ;) Jilly has been a crackup lately. Her latest thing is nodding “Yes”. Every time I say something affirmative (yes, uh huh, ok, etc) she nods “Yes”. It’s so cute!!! I’ve also had progress with the whole “sharing” thing. If she gets a hold of something I don’t want her to have, I tell her “That’s mommy’s…can Mommy have that?” and I hold out my hand. 90% of the time, she actually hands it over! :D


Yobito:
I cannot believe I am already at 30+ weeks. Here’s my stats, just for sharing’s sake
weight: total gained 13 lbs
measuring: 3 weeks ahead!!!! :eek:


The Big Bad News
Phil was fired last Friday. It was an office politics thing, but they're hiding behind a bullsh!% attendance policy that’s not actually in the employee handbook. They say he no-call-no-showed. This is an outright lie. He called his supervisor the flipping night before! She claims "not to recall" that their conversation ever took place. They also claim that "even if you did call the night before" (and he did) it wouldn’t count since it wasn’t 2 hours before his shift was to start. WTF? This "policy" is NOT in the employee handbook. I read the whole handbook...that "policy" doesn’t exist! When this was going down in Friday, Phil asked for documentation, and they refused to give it to him. Since Colorado is an at-will employment state, I don’t know how much recourse we really have. Since Phil is now jobless, not only does it mean we've lost his income and wont be able to pay our bills, this also means we've lost our health insurance and cobra is not really an option since it'll be $1100/month, so I have no idea what the hell we are going to do. Needless to say I am TOTALLY FREAKING OUT!

[AusAshMommy]

Marisa ~ YIKES! I know how scary that is! Get him on unemployment ASAP and onto your insurance (if offered) ASAP!

Speak with an attorney, HR specialists and find out if there is recourse. If nothing else perhaps you can get a settlement. Does he really want his job back? I wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them...

Anyhew, how cute about Jilly!!! LOL!!! :D

WOW! 10 short weeks to go..can it be???

[Jenzen01]

(((((((Marisa))))))))

I read your post on the April moms board, too, and I was going to PM you. That is awful!!!! I hope you can find some solution. Is there any state support you can get on? My cousin's husband was fired just before she delivered, and there was some state option for pregnant woman. I really can't remember the details, but it paid for her delivery.

You'll be in my thoughts ...

And, holy crap! You're going to have another baby in just 10 weeks or less!!! :)

[AusAshMommy]

Marisa ~ Hope you don't mind...I took your post to my prof from my HR class and here's what she told me:

Wow…..sounds messy….they were obviously looking for a way to get rid of him.



Since he’s no longer w/ the company, he can certainly file a claim w/ the EEOC for wrongful termination – that’s legit under at-will employment. It really depends how hard he wants to push the issue but I would definitely start w/ the EEOC…..their website has all the info on how to file a claim. www.eeoc.gov

This is from a woman who owns her own HR Management Consulting Firm...

Good Luck!

[twinnyme]

Wow, Marisa - I am so sorry. I hope everything works out and that you can remain as stress-free as possible for your sake and little Obito's sake. I'm so sorry!!

Jen - congrats on the sticky baby!!! A little pumpkin, how exciting! :D

Hope everyone else is getting over their illnesses.... So far we've been lucky. None of us seems to have picked up any bugs from the plane rides (though DH seems to have picked up Becca's ear infection before we even left; he's going to the doctor's tonight).

We had a very nice trip - relaxing despite the "awful" weather - for Miami, anyway, 50s and 60s mostly. (But at least we missed the 18 inches of snow in Boston and in my parents' case, the 26.9" record-setting snowstorm in NY!) Becca got to go in the pool for maybe 5 minutes one day. :( But she had a great time, and was an angel on the plane (both ways). Poor thing was in carseats a lot yesterday, though, and was so excited to get home and see all her toys, so we had a bit of a rough night.... She loved seeing Grandma & Grandpa, and was walking a million times more, plus Grandma taught her how to clap, and she ate GREAT! Guess the fresh air and new experiences gave her a healthy appetite. DH and I enjoyed our two nights away, though I think those nights exhausted my parents. I don't think they ever truly believed us when we said Becca gets up at 5:30 a.m. no matter what time she goes to bed. Well, my mother reported that she woke up at 5:28 on the dot each day. And one of the mornings we were away, DH woke up (around 8) and said, "yay, it's not 5 a.m.!" :D

Anyway, I didn't get to pictures last night, but will probably post some by the end of the day.... (We had a bit of a problem getting home last night. FIL/MIL picked us up but forgot our house keys - we'd left them with them! - and so we had to drive an hour out of our way to go pick them up. Didn't realize it until we got to our door, so poor Becca was in her carseat an extra hour and didn't like it one little bit!!! I think next time we're definitely carrying our keys with us no matter what! :rolleyes: )

[Jenzen01]

Ugh. Another night of teething hell at our house. Please, just let these teeth break through!!! Gabe has such a snotty nose that he won't le me wipe it anymore without a fight. It drips into his mouth, and then he smears it everywhere. Gross, yes, I know. He is crying over everything! The only thing that made him happy this morning was a Baby Einstein DVD. Man, he's addicted to those DVDs.

As for pumpkin baby, my betas came back at 4,990 yesterday, so things look good!

Wer're supposed to get a ton of snow tonight and tomorrow along with drifting. Nice. Gotta love February.

Jen

[AusAshMommy]

Jen ~ Can you give him something to chew on to help his tooth (not like he probably isn't chewing on everything in sight) but specifically...a teething ring or a cool towel...

YAY!!! How wonderful!! :)

[Lizzie Beth]

Jen - YAYYYYYYYYY!!!! So cool, another new little one to look forward to..

Marisa - oh, crap. I can't imagine how stressed out you must feel - and Phil, too, for that matter. Have you checked out any of the eeoc websites yet? Sounds like it's a great opportunity for Phil to get the heck out of that company - doesn't sound like such a hot place to work, if you've got people willing to outright lie about conversations like his supervisor did. At some point a while ago, weren't you thinking of moving to be closer to your stepdaughters? Will this be a factor in Phil's job search? From this point on, make sure Phil documents every freaking detail of every contact with his old company...could come in handy later on..

We just got back from our trip to my Mom's this afternoon - we went skiing yesterday..

http://images.snapfish.com/346328745%7Ffp335%3Enu%3D3238%3E942%3E5%3B9%3EWSNR CG%3D32335365%3B%3A96%3Anu0mrj
Me BEFORE my ABC Wide World of Sports Fall....

http://images.snapfish.com/346328745%7Ffp335%3Enu%3D3238%3E942%3E5%3B9%3EWSNR CG%3D32335365%3B%3A96%3Bnu0mrj
The cute flag my mom put out..

http://images.snapfish.com/346328745%7Ffp335%3Enu%3D3238%3E942%3E5%3B9%3EWSNR CG%3D32335365%3B%3A96%3Cnu0mrj
Would you girls like some cake??

http://images.snapfish.com/346328745%7Ffp335%3Enu%3D3238%3E942%3E5%3B9%3EWSNR CG%3D32335365%3B%3A974nu0mrj
I'm walkin' yes, indeed, I'm talkin'...

And she is talking a bit, too - first sentence was at Nana's.... She lifted up the blanket covering Mom's Scottie Dog and said very clearly, "Hi, Dog!!"

[AusAshMommy]

Lizzie ~ AWWW she's soo cute! Love the flag, so sweet!

[twinnyme]

Cute photos of Susannah, Lizzie Beth - I especially love seeing her in that cute sleeper that Becca also has....

Well, DH now has a double ear infection, following right upon Becca's single one.... He got a prescription tonight after getting it checked out, and we went to the ped's to make sure Becca's was all gone... it is, thank goodness.

Some photos from our trip:

The swimsuit photo - the one day she was able to wear it (too cold most of the time)
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6dc34b3127cce972f93ce827b00000015109AZOHLhy1bo

Another cute photo down by the pool
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6dc34b3127cce972f93a7032200000015109AZOHLhy1bo

Checking out the view from my parents' condo
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6dc34b3127cce972f9032432e00000016109AZOHLhy1bo

playing telephone - a new "skill" she learned while there
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6dc34b3127cce972f9666c24900000016109AZOHLhy1bo

From chocolate to lemons....
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6dc34b3127cce972f9622c20d00000016109AZOHLhy1bo

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6dc34b3127cce972fbf28828b00000016109AZOHLhy1bo

[AusAshMommy]

Bringing this from the depths of nah-nah land! LOL!!!

Ashley is walking more and more everyday! YAHOO!! She's been all over the house and then some...we even had her walk from the house to the car when we went out on Sat afternoon, with me holding her hand of course and she did it!!! YAY!! There's been more independant walking as she's getting braver everyday with taking more and more steps each day...we also have two new teeth coming in up top so little missy has been cranky and clingy all weekend and not sleeping overly well either. She slept lastnight out of sheer exhaustion the poor thing...

Austin is learning how to dress himself! Can you believe that?!?!?! He can put everything on we just need to help point him in the right direction showing him what goes in the front and what goes in the back!

I am trucking right through my stat class...Mom's been a HUGE help to me thus far. I spent 3 hrs over at her place on Sun evening getting some tutoring on probability as it went right over my head! But I understand it better now that she explained it to me. Math and Stat really isn't something that can be self-taught and she's helping TONS! So I feel much more confident now with her helping me...

Nothing else to report...how is everyone? Where'd everybody go?

[SaphirimalMei]

hello y'all,
been MIA but everything is going ok. Phil got snipped this morning, so we’re pleased to finally have that done. (if y’all remember, he was supposed to get snipped after Jilly was born…whoops! :p ) Our insurance is good thru the end of the month, so we figured we’d better just do it to it. Lucky for us, it only is costing us a copay! $25! Yee haw!

We went and got Jilly’s 1-year pics taken and spent too much. But she looks darling, so it’s totally worth it. I’ll post em asap.

Better get back to work, but I wanted to drop by real quick :) Thanks for the well wishes and the advice!

[AusAshMommy]

Marisa ~ Glad to see that you guys are in higher spirits! Can't wait to see the pics...

Poor Phil...*OUCH* is what Jimmy would say! LOL!!!

[Jenzen01]

Wow. Very quiet thread lately.

Lara - Glad to hear all is well at your place. I can't imagine Gabe dressing himself ... must seem like Austin's growing up too fast. :)

Marissa - Glad to hear your spirits are up. I hope everything continues to go well at your house. You're really getting close to having that baby! I saw that a lot of the March moms are already giving birth.

As for us, we had super-tantrum boy this morning because he wanted to watch Baby Einstein. Al says Gabe is like a crack addict ... all he can think about is his TV fix. This morning, the tantrum came during breakfast. He took one bite of a pancake and told me he was done. I said, "no, you're not done," and the screaming commenced. He was crying so hard that he choked on his food. So, I let him down and he watched Baby Einstein and was happy as a lark for the rest of the morning. What shoudl I do? Any suggestions? I'm half tempted to cut him off cold turkey because I don't like this TV fascination thing.

So, any advice is truly appreciated.

Jen

[twinnyme]

Sorry, Jen, no advice on the TV thing - thank goodness we haven't hit that yet (though since I've been a bit more lenient about tv lately, we may be heading that way....)

Marisa - can't wait to see new Jilly piccies!

Lara - cool about Ashley's walking. It is AMAZING how quickly it picks up speed. Becca is walking up a storm - the change from Friday to today is absolutely amazing - we went to the Children's Museum yesterday in Boston and everyone was asking how old she was, I think because she was walking all around and because she's so tiny it looks strange. :D Regarding the walking, for SO LONG I have wanted Becca to play more independently while I'm in the same room with her or the next room - and now that she's walking she seems to be doing much better at it, wanting to walk everywhere and flying around the room on her own barely looking at me. While I 99% love it (I can get more stuff done), 1% of me is astounded by it and wondering where my baby has gone. I didn't think I'd feel this way, but I also didn't realize walking would change it so dramatically. I find myself wondering why crawling didn't make the same difference? I mean, they can still get around then, so why is it walking that makes the biggest difference?? Just interesting to me.

We had fun at the museum but I will NEVER again go during School Vacation Week; it was a madhouse! We also had a playdate on Sunday night with friends and their 17-month-old daughter, at their place. It was a LOT of fun - so nice to get out and chat with them while the girls played (or shall I say, fought over every single toy? I thought kids were supposed to do "parallel play" at this age; instead, they wanted the same exact toy every time. Too funny!) It's great because they live right in our town so we just kept calling each other with updates on nap schedules until everyone was up and in a good mood before getting together!

My CC access from home has been very strange. For some reason, since Friday night, I haven't been able to post reply's from my home computer - the computer keeps getting caught up on CC and knocking me off. Very disturbing - but I got a lot of editing done this weekend!!! I don't know what's going on. (Every other website seems to work; I thought DH might have configured the computer to keep me off CC - to stop feeding my addiction!! LOL but he says he didn't!) I couldn't wait to get to work today to try it out and it seems to work.... But this is also a very busy week at work, so I probably won't be on much.

Nice to catch up with everyone!

[lorbo]

i'm here as well...just tired and cranky...i have to stop playing on the computer when i get home from work. i don't have much energy at that time of the morning to reply...

James is a little demon...i know we need to bring the toys up from the "computer" room. DH sees it as the toys taking over the living room, but he's bored with the little amount and same toys that have been there since the birthdays. sunday night, i called home to check on everybody while i was working and DH told me James unscrewed his cup and dumped BM on the rug...i said good for him and got the backlash from DH that i won't be happy when the rug smells like sour milk-i said if you clean it up, it'll be fine...ugh, he's such a baby about the rug and the furniture and everything-apparently, he never did anything to his parents' house growing up and he lived in a bubble:rolleyes: still not walking...but i'm not concerned! he's a mad crawler-he's so fast, if Brooke leaves the gate to the steps open for a few seconds, he's there like a flash! same goes with the kitchen, i'm getting frustrated with the pressure mount gate because Brooke pulls it down and James ends up in the kitchen-with the cat's water bowl, food bowl and litter box-i don't want a repeat of seeing my child munching on some cat poop(that's such a gross picture in my head, and Brooke did it twice:eek: ) should go...wanted to get a few books at the library and i have to work tonight unfortunately!

[marchfamily]

Just checking in to let you know I'm following along. Super busy these last couple of weeks (we're implementing a new software program). E is getting closer and closer to taking her first steps. She can walk from one room to another just holding one finger. She got her bottom molars - so 12 teeth total. Think the 'eye teeth' might be coming soon.

[AusAshMommy]

So nice to 'see' everyone here! Seems we've all been so very busy lately...

Jen ~ As for the TV thing, I'd say let him have it during breakfast if it'll get him to eat something, anything! I know that's terrible, but eating has become such a battle with us and Austin, that I'd do anything to get him to eat...even if it's letting him watch TV....sorry it's not the best answer but sometimes we parents have to cave from time-to-time...

Yup! He's learning how to dress himself, somedays are better than others, but we have success about 75% of the time! It's wonderful I tell ya!

Melissa ~ AWW! Sounds like your trip to the museum was a blast! I am hoping to get the kids to the Aquarium in Baltimore next month before we move, I have a play-date set-up with one of the gals I graduated from college with. Ashley is a demon about walking, however, she'll only do it if we're not talking to/or encouraging her to do it. If we pay the least bit of attention to her while she's walking, immediately she's down on her butt and crawling...it's odd I know. But...But...we can get her to walk from the car to the house and the house to the car...she LOVES to do that much at least!

Well I got yet another call from Ante this morning, Austin puked all over her living room rug, had a fever of 101, and was complaining about his ear hurting. So...I picked him up, took off of work AGAIN, took him to the Drs to find out that he doesn't have an ear infection, but his ear canal is red, and that the Dr couldn't see his whole ear...his strep is clear and his nausea is GONE...Jimmy gave him his amoxicillan this morning and when we got home I looked @ the bottle...it had expired, that's why he puked. Wonderful! So he's fine now, but I am sticking to the B-R-A-T diet until tomorrow at least, just to make sure. So he's a little tired, a little cranky but none the less for wear. Jimmy will be staying home with him tomorrow, have to be fever free for 24hrs...

I left Ashley @ daycare, so as not to pass anything to her. I've been working from home sporadically today. But, I am EXTREMELY tired to say the least, my Stat class is kicking my behind royally...

[twinnyme]

Hello! I got a lot done at work today so I'm using the last few minutes of the day to check in and play a bit....

You know, it's funny you say that about the TV and eating, Lara. I read that recently in the "picky eaters" thread about a suggestion and I thought, how crazy! I try everything in my power to not let Becca eat in front of the TV because I don't want her to grow up a couch potato like us! But when we were in Florida, my mother often put her in the booster seat in front of the TV to eat (and I'm much more relaxed about TV at other people's houses - we play by their rules, basically). I couldn't believe it. I still don't do that at home, but hey, whatever works sometimes, right?

I have a potential playdate to the Aquarium for some Friday in the next few weeks with the mother/daughter of the family we saw last weekend. She said she's been wanting to do that for a while, too. So I'm hoping it works out.

If we pay the least bit of attention to her while she's walking, immediately she's down on her butt and crawling...it's odd I know.

Although this is not true of Becca in terms of walking, it IS in terms of eating or drinking from a sippy. If she's doing well eating/drinking, I try to busy myself doing something else - I pull her highchair to the doorway of the kitchen (it's in the dining room usually) and wash dishes while she eats or something, because she eats better if I'm not praising/encouraging/hovering. Too funny!

We've had rough sleeping times again lately but I'm happy to report that Becca slept 7:30-7:15 and 7:15-7:15 the last two nights (and we've had to wake her up both mornings) so maybe the sleep tide is turning. I hope so. I don't get my hopes up too high anymore because they come crashing down if her sleep patterns worsen again. So I'm just keeping my fingers crossed this time!

ETA: Oh, and the transition to the next daycare room is going better as well. The first three days (last Wed. and Thursday and this Tues.) were pretty rough, they said she cried a lot in the new room and didn't last there long, but she seems to be adjusting MUCH better now, thank goodness for her sake.

[twinnyme]

If you have time and want to get into the discussion again, I have a QOTD (and a funny story to go along with it):

Yesterday my sister and I spoke on the phone. She said her son (2.5 years) was asked recently by someone what he wants to be when he grows up, and he said "fireman" and "race car driver." She said to him, "what about a ballerina?" and he said "no, only girls are ballerinas"! Aside from the cuteness of that, we are both shocked by his response - where did he get that from? And why has he always been fascinated by cars and things that go while now Becca is becoming obsessed with her dolls and feeding/dressing her "baby dolls" (I call them that; still no words really except dada)?

We both think we haven't consciously pushed gender-related things on them. But on the other hand, as she said, no one gave Zachary a doll for HIS first birthday or Christmas. Becca got many. The other day (before this conversation) because she has been so into her dolls, I actually took all the cars out of the toybox to see if she was interested. She likes the wheels, but that's about it.

She carries her two dolls (one Cabbage Patch, one Little Mommy) with her everywhere, along with her bunny blanket still, and it's just so interesting to me. OTOH, sometimes she'll carry a baseball/football card around in her hands or some other small toy, but primarily it's the blanket and one of the dolls. I'm sure that I may have encouraged her to play with her dolls once SHE expressed interest in them (like I encourage her to play with books and any other toys in which she expresses interest) but I don't believe I've ever pushed them on her... but subconsciously, who knows?

Anyway, I just thought this would be an interesting discussion. I remember us in here touching on this topic briefly before, but I'm just curious as the kids get older, if anyone is noticing this more or less now?

[Jenzen01]

QOTD -

I pretty firmly believe that boys and girls are just boys and girls. You can talk all you want about gender neutrality or whatnot, but they just gravitate toward certain things. Gabe has always been interested in balls and trucks. Granted, I do buy those things for him, but when he's at the daycare, I occasionally see him pick up dolls, and he is quickly bored by them. He runs right into the room and grabs the ball whenever he has a chance. And, I never taught him to make the truck sound, but he does it all the time. I'm sure he picked up on that at daycare, but it's funny that it attracted him so much. He's been doing it since he was about 6 or 7 months old.

I think the gender-neutral idea is grand in theory but not true in reality.

I was discussing this with a coworker. It's suprising how little you have to do for your little one to follow the appropriate gender specific "rules." It's just part of who they are.

Jen

[twinnyme]

Thanks for the great response, Jen!

I think the gender-neutral idea is grand in theory but not true in reality. I was discussing this with a coworker. It's suprising how little you have to do for your little one to follow the appropriate gender specific "rules." It's just part of who they are.

This is pretty much the conclusion my sister and I came to last night, I just didn't want to bias the discussion. :) I guess it's just that we haven't seen it in action as much as we are now, and it's fascinating to watch and experience it. I have no problem with it whatsoever, I'm just so fascinated by how it's panning out. I've never studied this much and to see it in action like this is just amazing sometimes. At some point I'll post a video clip of Becca walking around carrying her dolls - it's just too funny and cute!

[SaphirimalMei]

Good QOTD, Melissa...

Guess I never really thought about it. The only one with a dolly in our house is our puppy-boy, Saint. It was part of a hand-me-down bunch of toys and was going to be Jilly's, but before she was born, he claimed it for himself. He even grooms it! LOL! I have never consciously made a decision to have Jilly play with "gender specific" toys though. Maybe I'll test it out. She does have a rabbit dressed as a girl and with bows on "her" ears, but all Jilly is interested in are the ribbons the bows are made of. Once she works the bow loose and unravels the knot, she is done with it. Now that I'm thinking about it...Saint and Jilly are playing "against type". Saint drags around a dolly, while Jilly drags around DHs shoes :p

[marchfamily]

QOTD - We have a mutant. E hates her dolls. My sister gave her a doll for her first birthday and E kept thowing it down. I've tried playing with her and various dolls other times and she just doesn't like them. But, giver her a farm animal and she's in heaven. Funny, huh.

[Jenzen01]

What woud you say are gender-specific play identities? Aside from toys, I know that boys play differently than girls, but I'm not that read up on this topic. Don't girls use role-playing more? Stuff like that ...

Have any of you noticed differences in "how" they play, not necessarily with "what" they play with?

I'll go first: Right now, I'd say Gabe has some of the typical boy "large-motor" skills going on because he likes throwing balls and climbing and wrestling. He also is really big into putting things in containers and taking them out. He doesn't organize, but he likes to work on how things fit together. How would you type that behavior?

Last night, he played with my pots and pans for a good 30 minutes without making a peep. He sorted the lids and tried them on all the different pots. Then, he started putting the pots in the pots and seeing what fit with what. It was fun to watch.

Jen

[marchfamily]

He also is really big into putting things in containers and taking them out.

This is a favorite activity in our house too!

[AusAshMommy]

Oh my interesting discussion here...

Let's see Austin is more into his trucks, cars, balls, trains, and power rangers than any of Ashley's dolls...but but he'll sit down and play with her baby toys in a heart beat. Ashley though is more interested in Austin's legos, his cars/trucks and the like. Only wants her dolls as comfort items when she's sleeping. At Ante's she'll take the stacking cups and put one inside the other, sort of like sorting. But, she'll also take the blocks and put them inside the container, take them out and pass them back and forth between more than one container...

She's not really into balls simply because she can't figure out how to make them work...we don't have gender specific stuff yet in our house as her dolls live in her crib mostly...

[lorbo]

Brookie loved all types of balls for ages. going in to a store, that's what she'd beg me for...that said, she's a complete girlie girl. she carries around her baby doll, begs me to wear makeup.

James, OTOH, enjoys his firetruck and his peekablock container. he'll take off with Brooke's doll...but it doesn't hold his interest. let's not get in to a discussion of clothing-i've dressed James in his sister's pink thermals and other clothing when we're hanging around the house-surprisingly, DH hasn't really said much about that!

[twinnyme]

You know the more I thought about this today (I had some time to read along but no time to post; it's been a busy day) the more I realized two things:

1) Becca plays with lots more things than just her dolls, and
2) the kids don't realize whether what they're doing is gender-specific or not - like Gabe's pots example, they just play with what they want to.

Becca LOVES loud noises lately - experimenting with throwing everything around. She also loves stacking things - it's actually part of our bedtime routine now; she LOVES playing with her bath stacking cups even from outside of the tub (we leave them sitting on the side of the tub). She also likes to play with what I call her "kitchen bowl" - sort of odds and ends kitchen stuff I've put in a big wooden salad bowl for her that I leave in her toy area. She also loves her ball popper and as Amanda said, her Fisher-Price toys (zoo and house). And she loves to climb lately, too. So I guess she plays with a lot of stuff, maybe I just notice the gender-specific ones. Anyway, just some thoughts to ponder....

As for Jen's question:

What woud you say are gender-specific play identities? Aside from toys, I know that boys play differently than girls, but I'm not that read up on this topic. Don't girls use role-playing more? Stuff like that ... Have any of you noticed differences in "how" they play, not necessarily with "what" they play with?

I haven't really noticed this yet, only because I'm not around my nephews enough with Becca, I don't think, to notice this. And she's just really starting to "play." Becca's closest daycare friend is a little boy named Ben (a month younger than her) and they are both equally assertive (aggressive?) with one another. I don't see her around other little girls often enough to notice whether that's any different....

Our exciting weekend news is that we're going to buy Becca her first real pair of shoes, probably at Stride Rite. Yay!

[lokahi]

Interesting discussion...

Andrew (13 mos) likes to play with big brother toys, especially the 'fire truck' push toy. But if he had a choice he prefers non-toys: remote control, XBox control, and pot & pans :P

Elton (3yr) *loves* things that go...bus, construction trucks, fire truck, and trains. He loves to dig in the dirt/sand. He also likes books, drawing, Mega Blocks, and Play-do.

He has Velcro veggies that you cut and put together. And pretends to have a picnic with his pals- Mickey (mouse) and Puppy.

He likes to clean up - broom & dust pan and dust cloth. He likes to helps Mommy :) He helps me load the clothes in the washer and then put them into the dryer.

Just recently E development a liking to DORA the Explorer. At first DH and I were surprised, but we learned to accept it. Afterall he's starting to like girls ;) And he's learning Spanish and to solve problems.

QOTD- Just curious though...What's your take on Dora?

ETA: I can deleted the question above, since E is actually Jan 2003.

[marchfamily]

QOTD- Just curious though...What's your take on Dora?


Who's Dora? Kidding, but have never seen it or brought it around E.

Look what's been developing at our house over the last couple of days....

<deleted video link>

[AusAshMommy]

I actually don't mind Dora because she teaches Spanish, Counting, Shapes and other basics...I'd actually prefer her over Sponge Bob Square Pants and other Nick Toons...

[twinnyme]

Amanda - yay for Ellie's walking!! :) And is that a shopping cart I see peeking out in the background? I bet she loves that. And don't you just love clipshack? I just uploaded and emailed 4 videos to my family last night! Btw, I noticed today when I was looking for a St. Patrick's Day card design that Snapfish now has something similar to Clipshack if anyone's interested. I'm sticking with Clipshack because it's still free- Snapfish's is free for a month's trial then $2.99/month.

Anyway, we have exciting news here, too. We bought 2 "real" pairs of shoes for Becca yesterday at Stride Rite. We got:

the Lauren II sneakers
http://www.striderite.com/images/us/local/products/thumb/LAURENII.JPG

and

the Katy maryjane everyday shoes:
http://www.striderite.com/images/us/local/products/thumb/KATYWHITE.JPG

in navy blue. We bumped into one of Becca's daycare friends there shopping for shoes, too. So we had fun buying shoes together! She seemed to have a little trouble in the sneakers yesterday but is doing much better in them today, and I plan to have her wear the maryjanes tomorrow (she seemed to do much better in those yesterday).

About Dora, my 3-year-old nephew LOVES Dora, so that's right in line with Elton! :D I bought him the Dora version of Candyland for Christmas.... We haven't watched it yet, but I'd venture to guess that Becca pretty much knows who Elmo is. We only watch Sesame Street and Baby Einstein DVD's pretty much, though since she loves music and to dance so much, we've tried out both the Wiggles and the Doodlebops (sp?) - neither of which I'm very impressed with. I feel like both of them pander to the fan/event type thing - BOTH episodes we saw had the groups going onto a stage setting with an audience, and that kind of felt strange to me, like they were trying TOO hard to sell something. There's something we watched on TV yesterday that had good background music, though, that she was dancing up a storm, too, and I was kind of surprised - but what it was is escaping me at the moment....

[lorbo]

the doodlebops drive me insane-DD loves them. we're actually working on cutting out tv to see how DD reacts. I've told her she can watch little einsteins and jojo's circus. about the wiggles-the whole idea of them is a little bit freaky...that said, now that i've been watching them for 2-3 years...i love them, their songs are catchy and they get kids up dancing. when we took DD in august to the concert-I had soooo much fun, more than Brooke. i do not like nickelodeon and i know i'll sound horrible for saying that-i find spongebob offensive and my sister used to tell me how her daughters loved the powerpuff girls-she would tell me about their shows and i was shocked...i don't remember the cartoons i watched being like that. we don't watch barney. Brooke has wanted to watch dora...but i love disney's kiddie shows.

we had to go to SIL's baby shower...and the ladies loved James! he was in a wonderful mood and very pleasant-not screaming and a few of them asked about him and we moved in to the story of James' birth and hospital stays. everyone kept saying you'd never know what he went thru. SIL's friends wanted to take off with him and one even said he was her new boyfriend-my coworker was a bit upset about that:D she's his first girlfriend!

nothing really new here, lots of drooling and noserunning-hopefully that means some teeth are going to break thru...

[Lizzie Beth]

I'm okay with Dora, although she seems a little intense and irritating to me. LOVE Blue's Clues and Oobi, Franklin and 64 Zoo Lane, all on Noggin.

I've long ago resigned myself that Susie will be watching her share of TV - after all, she is at home w/ DH one or two days a week. At least she gets a break from it at daycare... :rolleyes:

[SaphirimalMei]

TV - I'm ok with a bit of TV. Jilly's fave is Peep and the Big Wide World on TLC. That's the only cartoony show she watches other than the occasional spin through the They Might Be Giants Here Come the ABCs DVD.

The big news in our house...
FANGS WILL BE ARRIVING ANY DAY! They are on the brink of breaking through the gum! :D

[Jenzen01]

SaphirimalMei - Gabe also loves Peep and the Big Wide World. Last night, he grabbed the remote in our bedroom, stood by the TV and said, "Peep. Peep." Now how do you explain to a 1-year-old that Peep only comes on at 7 a.m.? :)

Gabe is really starting to use some words correctly. When he sees a baby on TV, he'll say "baby" very clearly. He says "da-da" nicely, too, but I can't get him to say "mama" that often. Last night I was telling him to say mama, and he looked me square in the eye and said, "da-da." And I nursed this kid for a year!!! :)

Jen

[AusAshMommy]

Jen ~ LOL @ Gabe! Too cute! Ashley doesn't pay much attention to the TV unless she's totally zonked out tired!

Mama hasn't been peeped yet in our house, if we ask her 'Ashley, Where's Mama?' she just shakes her head 'NO!' She'll say Dada no problem, but Mama has YET to come out of her mouth! I didn't say it either until my little bro (who's bigger than me right now) came home from the hospital, I was 17 mos old. That ain't gonna happen here because 1) She'll be 17 mos old in 3 mos, and 2) She won't get a younger sib for another 2-3 yrs...so we'll see!

[twinnyme]

SaphirimalMei - Gabe also loves Peep and the Big Wide World. Last night, he grabbed the remote in our bedroom, stood by the TV and said, "Peep. Peep." Now how do you explain to a 1-year-old that Peep only comes on at 7 a.m.?

You get TIVO - no, just kidding, we don't have it, but my sister does! But then again, her son was asking the other day if he could watch AMERICAN IDOL. (He's 2 and a half!!!) :rolleyes:

Still no words except dada for us, too, but we finally got a head nod out of her the other day - I asked her if she wanted to go to her toys downstairs (we were in her room). She looked at me all serious for a moment, then solemnly nodded her head. I was so excited! I know we'll still see the shaking of the head much more often, but it was cute. :D

[SaphirimalMei]

Words: So far, Jilly can say - Dad, Dog, Hi, Mom, Pup, Sock & Yuck
They are inconsistent ('cept for "Dad" :rolleyes: ), but she does say them, so I count it.

Jilly went in for a follow up on her ear infections and they look perfect :)
She now weighs 20lbs .5oz! She's finally broken the 20lb mark!

QUESTION:
For those of you who's kiddo is over 20 lbs, who has made the change to a
forward-facing carseat position? I think Jilly would be happier to be
forward-facing, but I still feel like she's safer the way she is. I'll prolly end up
keeping her rear-facing til atleast 18 months and possibly til 24, if I can. I'm
just a worry wart though, so I wanted to get y'all's take on it.

[SaphirimalMei]

Also wanted to add recent piccies:

from Jillian's 1 year photo shoot...

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6dc09b3127cce97206c9a84df00000015108Actmbhy1btI

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6dc09b3127cce97206c8905fc00000015108Actmbhy1btI

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6dc09b3127cce97206c8e84cb00000015108Actmbhy1btI

[Jenzen01]

forward-facing - Marissa, the regs are 20 pounds AND a 1 year old, so we didn't switch Gabe until after his birthday. He was 20 pounds a looonnnggg time ago, but we kept him rear-facing until just now. It's better. I can keep my eye on him, and he's more entertained with seeing us. My dad did some reading, and the purpose of rear-facing till 1 year old is because of neck muscle development. After a year, they have much stonger muscles and can handle more.

[AusAshMommy]

Marisa ~ Ashley hit 20lbs shortly after her 1st B-Day and we turned her around, initially it freaked her out, but she was cool with it. With the rate she's gaining height, keeping her rear facing until she's 18 mos would not be possible, she's already 30" tall!

So I'm in compliance, if you keep her rear facing make sure she has the leg room necessary.

[marchfamily]

Cute Jilly pictures!

For those of you who's kiddo is over 20 lbs, who has made the change to a forward-facing carseat position?

We asked E's ped. He recommended that we turn her around after one year (she was past 20#)....even though I worried rear-facing was safer.

Earlier QOTD/RE:TV-E doesn't show much interest other than the occasional Sesame Street. And, we TIVO it, just in case.

[twinnyme]

Great photos of Jilly!! I love the second one; her expression is priceless!

QOTD: Becca's not over 20 lbs. yet (I don't think; she's felt heavier lately) so we haven't switched it yet. We'll wait until at least her 15 month WBV, because we don't have a way to weigh her before then...

[SaphirimalMei]

I was just seeing what the consensus over here was about making the switch. I have read that the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) says that the soonest it is ok to switch is 1 yr & 20 lbs, but that it is safest to have kids rear-facing as long as possible. I'm just trying to gauge if I was being a Nervous Nelly or not :P

Here's a link to the AAP, if anyone's interested: AAP Policy on Rear-Facing (http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics%3b109/3/550)

Lara - Yeah, Jilly's pretty long too, but she's always been pretty light, so I've not had to think about switching her before now. I've read, though, that having bent knees rear-facing does not preclude safety.

[Jenzen01]

Marissa - Thanks for that link. I guess I didn't realize that rear-facing was preferred for as long as possible.

[lorbo]

James is still rear facing and i don't really have any plans to change him anytime soon. he's comfortable and he interacts with Brooke-i think it's easier for them to see each other that way.

[marchfamily]

Hmmm...doubt E would like to be turned again. Great link, Marisa. I can never seem to find what I'm looking for on the AAP link.

[Lizzie Beth]

I've had Susie turned forward facing since she was 9 mos. She was WAY over 20 lbs by then and I had to get a bigger carseat, and it was practically impossible to put her in the backseat of the truck w/ the seat in the rear-facing position. I mean it was just literally impossible. And she got a big kick out of being able to see Mommy - she cooled it on the random screaming for a while... Somebody had better call CPS on me...Lizzie Beth is a BAD MOMMY.

Hopefully we'll be able to capitalize next time on the trick of having Susie forward-facing and future baby rear-facing so they can socialize.

[AusAshMommy]

Marisa ~ Yeah I can see how that wouldn't hinder it...

Ashley is really tall for her age, so he dr sais...30" is a height Austin didn't hit until he was something like 17-18 mos old. Though he far surpassed her in weight at this point, he was shorter. Now though, I have to mess w/his carseat and pull the back up, his head's almost over the top...

[twinnyme]

Hi everyone. Just wanted to stop by and say hi and I hope everyone has a good weekend! Things are good with us; I've just had a LOT of trouble with CC access. It's weird. So the first thing I do now is go to my journal to record things and usually by the time I start to try to get here and to other Parenting threads, well, by that time, CC has usually kicked me off! Weird.

Anyway, we're all doing well. I think this is the longest (maybe a month now?) that Becca hasn't been sick this winter, and she's doing so well. She is doing much better with her transition to the toddler room at daycare (just finished week 3 of her transition), she is walking up a storm. For the last few days, she's also been perfecting a new skill: getting up from sitting to standing when she's in the middle of the room and doesn't have anything to hold onto to do this. She gets into this triangular shape, feet and hands on the floor, then pushes herself up. It's amazing! (to me, anyway) :rolleyes:

I'm actually taking care of myself better, too. I got a haircut yesterday for the first time in MONTHS (desperately needed) - found a salon in NH (about 1/2 hour from us) that has complimentary babysitting. They were great with Becca (the play area was HUGE) and I was in heaven. Already made my follow-up appointment! :D Dave & I also went out last night while his parents watched her - it was a client event of his so a bit like "work" but fun nonetheless to get out, dress up, and be among adults! I also finally went to the doctor for a check up, and I have made plans for a trip to NYC at the end of the month to visit my family. I want to see my sister pregnant and I want to see everyone.

Becca is also doing MUCH MUCH better at STTN so that is helping a great deal. At first I thought she was STTN only on the days she was at daycare (when she napped for only an hour or so a day) but this week that's not panning out so much, which is great - because I was getting really worried: If she naps for only an hour on the days I'm home with her I'd never get editing done!! But yesterday she napped for 3.5 HOURS :eek: and still STTN so I'm thrilled.

Anyway, this afternoon we're going to meet up with our friends from NC who drove up to MA for the weekend (yes, just for the weekend) to go to one of their parents' vows renewal. They have three kids, too. I have no idea how they do this trip overnight all the time - and they do do it a few times a year. Crazy! They'll be in western Mass. so we're meeting in the middle. Last time they were here that we managed to see them was quite a while ago and Becca's bedtime prevented her from seeing them (we *are* flexible parents and DID try to keep her up but she just wasn't having any of it - she was much younger). Anyway, I'm excited to have the kids meet - their youngest girl is only a couple of months older than Becca.

Well, I have a few more things to pack in Becca's bag for our day trip so I'd better run. Hope everyone's doing well.

Oh, one more thing: Found this the perfect lunch dish yesterday for daycare lunches (at BRU):

http://www.sassybaby.com/FilesCustom/HTMLEditor/Images/358-Item.jpg

It's the On-the-Go Feeding Set (http://www.sassybaby.com/category?cattype=category&catid=26&productid=274&product=On-the-Go%20Feeding%20Set), and it basically has three smaller bowls with lids that fit into one larger bowl with lids - and it's rectangular so it fits perfectly in her insulated lunch bag. So I think her lunches this week will be easier to pack. Very excited about that! (We have to pack her lunches now completely in an insulated lunch bag - they don't have a large enough fridge in the toddler room for all the kids' lunches. So far it's worked out pretty well, but using lots of sandwich baggies gets a little messy. I love this new dish!)

[AusAshMommy]

HUGE YAHOO'S COMING...

Jimmy's transfer is a go!!! Store Manager called today! He's got the job and moving into the Lowe's on New Centre Dr in Wilmington!!!!

We got a house to rent!! Application was approved this morning!!! Off of Gordon Road in Wilmington!!!

The Steelcase Dealership is considering my application VERY VERY seriously!!!!

The daycare center has openings and is AWESOME!!!!

3 Weeks Ladies and It's Official!!!! OMG!!!

[twinnyme]

Congratulations, Lara! Sounds like everything's coming together.

How was your weekend away with your mother? (that was this weekend, right?)

[SaphirimalMei]

Lara - That's awesome news all the way around! Congrats!

Nothin earthshaking here...
Phil's still jobless, but he finally did complete his application for unemployment benefits. Hopefully it comes though soon! I am now 33 wks 3 days and am having trouble believing that I really only have a little over 3 weeks til this baby is FULL TERM!. :eek: Jilly's doing great. Her fangs are still hovering just above the gumline and refusing to come through. Come on already!!! Sheesh! This girl's waited long enough! Fangs! Come on down! Youre the next contestant on the Price Is Right!

[twinnyme]

Her fangs are still hovering just above the gumline and refusing to come through. Come on already!!! Sheesh! This girl's waited long enough! Fangs! Come on down! Youre the next contestant on the Price Is Right!

Too funny, Marisa! Can Becca be the next contestant after Jilly? Still no teeth here, either. Someone told me recently their kid didn't have teeth until 21 months. I hope we don't have to wait that long!

[Jenzen01]

hi ladies,

lara - yeah for all the good news! that's fabulous!

marisa and twinnyme - enjoy the wait for teeth because teething equals crankiness in our house. :rolleyes:

as for us, i've had a lot of bad news in the past few days. for starters, my cousin lost her baby at 16 weeks gestation. she had to deliver the baby this weekend. so sad. and then yesterday, i found out a family friend died in a car accident on sunday night. so, the funeral is on thursday and i have to travel 2 hours north to my parents. i'll probably stay over with gabe so grandma and grandpa can see him.

otherwise, gabe is doing great. i think he's getting ready to break another tooth because he's been night-waking again. plus, the mood swings have started again. why couldn't they all come in at once? we're getting one molar at a time. ugh.

he sang "eee-i-eee-i-oh" while watchig baby einstein last night. it was sooooo cute.

jen

[lokahi]

Lara
That's awesome!

Jen
I'm sorry about your cousin and your family friend. Sending a prayer to you and your loved ones!!!

[twinnyme]

Jen-I'm so sorry about your cousin and your family friend.

he sang "eee-i-eee-i-oh" while watchig baby einstein last night. it was sooooo cute.

Very cute! Hmm, night-wakings and mood swings, huh? I think that could describe Becca as well lately - plus clingy! This does pass, right? :D

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

[AusAshMommy]

Jen ~ So sorry to hear about the loss within your family...hope everyone is on the mend ok.

***********
We've had a BIG day today, first Austin went to the dentist today for the 1st time...he was ok when they were showing him the tools they use and he let them put the paper bib on him, but he wanted no part of the exam itself, and they had to visually count his teeth. He didn't want to open up for them or nothing...I think next time we'll try a pediatric dentist.

I heard from the dealership and I GOT THE JOB!!!! It's for less pay than I make now but I'll be back up to the pay scale I am now within 6 mos, however, there will be commissions in there as well once I get productive on the sales floor. So yeah!! He's flexible on the start date and is willing to work around my move!

Downside here though is tomorrow I have to spill the beans to Antoinette. It's not gonna be easy, but I have to...not looking forward to it...oh gee I wonder why...

What else? Not much...putting in my two weeks @ work officially tomorrow! YAY!!!!

[twinnyme]

Congratulations on getting the job, Lara! I hope your giving notice today goes/went well!

We're looking forward to the unseasonably nice weather we're expecting this weekend. I had a playdate at a playground this morning but it fell through and Becca is napping now but I'm hoping we can get to the playground this afternoon. We also have an outdoor playdate for tomorrow, and having friends and their two kids over on Sunday. I want us to be outside as much as possible - so it'll help us get through the last bit of winter/cabin fever. For so long, I couldn't wait for winter to be over (and I still want it to be over), but I've realized that Becca actually hasn't been sick for about a month now. This week is the first week she's had a bit of a runny nose, but that's it. We just have to keep the trend going until spring is unofficially (as well as officially) here, which in the northeast is usually way after March - except this weekend, of course! :D

[marchfamily]

For those that have Little People fans....

http://www.fisher-price.com/content/v4/us/fpstore/img/easter_ecomm.jpg

[twinnyme]

Very cute, Amanda, thanks for posting. I may just have to get that for Becca. We're going to go with mostly non-food items in her Easter basket, so that's perfect. It can go with her FP house. I only hope I can find it in the stores; since I probably won't buy much else from the site, I don't want to pay shipping. I found the cutest Easter-themed hair accessories kit the other day at Walmart for her basket, too. We were just about to leave the store, so I didn't buy it yet, but I plan to! I can't believe Easter is only a month away now. I've got to get cracking.

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

[Jenzen01]

Hey all,

Congrats, Lara!

Very cute Little People toys, Amanda. I just wish Gabe liked those. :)

Easter baskets - I have already gotten a football, a book and a new sippy cup with frogs on it for Gabe's Easter basket. I sort of overestimated the size of his basket. I don't think I'll have enough room for everything in there, and I might have to reassess things.

Thanks for all your thoughts. I spent the end of last week at my Mom and Dad's, and it turned into a very healing sort of weekend. I went to the funeral, which was huge, and had a good talk with my cousin. It helped to just be there. It was very hard for me to deal with everything when I couldn't be there to hold a hand, give a hug, etc.

Gabe discovered the sandbox while at my parents'. He loved it. When I picked him up to leave, he did that dead-weight trick and started crying. He was covered in sand, but it was worth it. That's what kids are supposed to do, right? We also had nice weather this weekend, so Gabe got to spend lots of time outside. It was like letting a dog out of a kennel.

ttfn,
Jen

[AusAshMommy]

Thanks everyone for the congrats!! We're very excited, we have decided to take an apartment we were approved for, and I just spoke w/them and got our new address! So thrilled!!! :D

Cute idea for the Easter basket, we haven't started thinking about Easter baskets yet, we're so wrapped up w/the move. In the past we've done non-food items and the kids loved it.

I did put my notice in on Friday w/work and w/Antoinette. She was a little upset, but she understood our reasons. As for work, well...it was the normal. My manager didn't even notice...she annoys me so badly.

We got a letter on Friday from our management company saying that we didn't give enough notice w/them for vacating, which is not the case, and that we're responsible for our rent through early May. WTF?? We turned in our notice in February and they lost it! So I am going to dispute this w/landlord-tenant affairs. I hate that they get tenants w/all the legal jargon and whatnot in the leases...and they hold things. Annoying!

Otherwise, we had a great weekend. Took the kids down to the Aquarium yesterday and had a day outing w/a friend of mine from Hood and her hubby and son. Austin LOVED it had a blast looking at all the fish and frogs and other animals. Wasn't too keen on the shark tank, was content to watch from afar, but he LOVED the dolphin show especially! So all in all it was a good day, long ride, but well worth it.

Hope everyone else had a good weekend.

Jen ~ So glad the weekend was a healing one for you, sounded like everyone needed it.

[lawyerwifemom]

Hi! I've been so lax about posting lately! I've been in Denver for work alot, until last week! I've been trying to read along though.

We just got back from a week in San Diego and LA. We met up with lots of old friends and had a great time! We went to California Adventure, Disneyland, Sea World, San Diego Wild Animal Park, Mission Bay beach, and Rich went rock climbing and mountain biking with friends.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6dd33b3127cce97baac9324ae00000035138AbuWbdq4atK
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6dd33b3127cce97baa6fba5f300000026108AbuWbdq4atK
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6dd33b3127cce97baba9e24a800000036108AbuWbdq4atK
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6dd33b3127cce97a5581c448800000035108AbuWbdq4atK

Rachel's newest favorite phrase--shouted out randomly in a sing song voice of course--is "STAY AWAY FROM THAT NUDIE BAR"!!. My fault. I joking said that to Rich as he left our hotel in Mission Bay to go get dinner and bring it back. The neighborhood we were in was upscale and clean but inexplicably had several "ALL NUDE" places next to the local Starbucks and Krispy Kreme. Interesting zoning. Of course, Rachel has now said this 100+ times despite our best efforts to ignore, distract, redirect etc. She even said it in her SLEEP one night!!!! I almost choked one time because I could not stop laughing.

Rachel LOVED Disneyland. She got hugs from all the Princesses, Goofy, Max (goofy's son), Minnie, Stitch, Chip, Raffiti and more. She was SO thrilled to meet Cinderella. We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel and had breakfast at Goofy's kitchen. Rachel was not scared of any of the characters and LOVED all the rides (with the exception of Mr Toad's). She has been talking nonstop about everything since our return. She was also really, really impressed with the Ginger ale on the airplane.

Wyatt loved Its a Small World and the Dumbo ride. He just kind of took everything in stride. The highlight of the trip for him was chasing birds on the beach!

The Wild Animal Park and Sea World were great too. The weather sucked on Friday when we were at the WAP so we didn't get to see as much as we'd have liked but we did get to see lions copulating ;)!

The Shamu show at Sea World was a thrill for everyone. And Rachel loved holding a starfish and feeding sea lions and dolphins. All in all it was a great trip. But we have decided that we are pretty much going to get a condo or two room suite from now on. Having all of us in one hotel room was a challenge at times. Although when we got home, Rachel told us the house is too big and she wants to live in a hotel room!!!!

Oh, another highlight. We curb checked our bags on our way home but decided to keep the rental car a bit longer since the kids were sleeping. So we tooled around San Diego harbor for a bit. Just as we were heading back, Wyatt PUKED rancid curdled milk all over his clothes and carseat. SO smelly. And we had just checked our bags. Well, he ended up wearing a lime green "San Diego" shortall outfit on the plane. Some lady asked me "how old is SHE". (this is a first!) Clearly, he was looking quite manly :)!

I will try to be better about keeping up with everyone. Congrats on the move etc Lara!

[AusAshMommy]

LawyerwifeMom ~ Sounds like an awesome trip!!! We're waiting until Ashley is old enough to enjoy Disney World before we take them, but it sounds like the kids did so well!

LOL @ Rachel's newest phrase...amazing what they pick up isn't it?!?!?!

Thanks! We're so very excited!!

[twinnyme]

Great photos, Heather! Sounds like you had a great trip.

[twinnyme]

My sister just let me know that her ultrasound yesterday showed she's expecting a GIRL!!! I can't even say how excited I am that Becca will have a girl cousin. My niece is due in September!!! I can't believe I can even say "niece" - we have five nephews; this will be our first niece. Yay! :D

[AusAshMommy]

Melissa ~ Awesome news!!!! :D YAY for Becca!!!!

[twinnyme]

Thanks, Lara- and you beat me to it. I was going to come back and ask you if you had any suggestions for any books about having a little sister, given that Ashley is Austin's little sister? I'd love to get a book for my nephew, too. Gotta get shopping now!! :) And sorting - I have tons of stuff to pass down now.

[lawyerwifemom]

Melissa, congratulations on the neice! There are a bunch of cute big brother/sibling books. One that Rachel likes is "Froggy's Baby Sister". I can't say I am a HUGE fan of Froggy--he's a little flippant generally--but it is a cute book about all the things he can do with his baby sister, like teaching her to catch flies:) .

We did have a great time. Thanks!

Lara, we have lots of friends in LA so I am sure we will go back every couple years to Disneyland. But we might also try DisneyWorld in a couple years when baby Meredith is about 2 (can you believe she'll be here in only 3 months!). DH's family is in Tennessee and GA so we are planning to meet up with them.

[twinnyme]

Melissa, congratulations on the neice! There are a bunch of cute big brother/sibling books. One that Rachel likes is "Froggy's Baby Sister". I can't say I am a HUGE fan of Froggy--he's a little flippant generally--but it is a cute book about all the things he can do with his baby sister, like teaching her to catch flies:)

Thanks, Heather! I just checked out Amazon and found the book you recommended plus a few others. Good thing I have a "playdate" at a bookstore on Saturday with a friend - I'll be doing some book shopping for Becca (for Easter basket) and Zachary about becoming a big brother! :)

[Jenzen01]

Just had to pop in with our traumatic tale ...

Last night, Gabe was climbing on the couch when he decided to go head first over the arm. Al grabbed him by the ankle, and I caught him before his head the floor. However, he still screamed bloody murder. Well, he was hurt. He couldn't walk at all. Every time he stood up, he would collapse and cry. I guess he must have pulled something when Al grabbed his ankle. So, in the midst of deciding what to do, Al and I got in a fight. Nice. We decided to wait till morning to see if Gabe could walk.

This morning, Al brought Gabe downstairs, and when he set him on the floor, Gabe collapsed again. He cried every time he tried walking. So, I called the nurse and made an appointment. An hour later, Gabe was standing on his leg, and then walking with a limp, and then walking OK. So, I called back and canceled the appointment and asked to speak to a nurse. She recommended I come in anyway, but by this time, the appointment slot was gone, and I would have to wait till the afternoon. I decided to just watch him and see if he's OK. He's at daycare this morning, and I gave them instructions to keep their eyes on him to see if he's limping at all.

For the love of Pete. I am so tired of all the drama around here ...

Jen

[AusAshMommy]

Jen ~ Sorry for all the drama...hopefully life settle's a tad soon!

[twinnyme]

That's scary, Jen! I'm glad Gabe seems okay! Hopefully you have a nice peaceful relaxing weekend in your plans....

Btw, I can't resist: Do you mean he was like this on the couch? Becca's been doing this a lot lately and it drives me crazy. And silly mommy, I taught her to roll across the floor the other day, just for fun. Now she's NOT doing it on her own on the floor, but she likes to flop over on the couch every once in a while. Scares me silly. :eek:

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e160/melissakelleher/3patty.jpg

[marchfamily]

Melissa - we just got that same dress for E (from the ILs).

Jen - Your Gabe sounds like he's ALL BOY! You'll probably have to get used to it. (But I'm sure you were scared out of your whits!)

[twinnyme]

Amanda - My mother bought Becca that dress (about a year ago! :rolleyes: on clearance) so I did a "photo shoot" a while ago and sent out St. Patrick's Day cards this year. It's 18 months but fits her well which is odd since she's barely in 12 months clothing. She'll wear it to daycare tomorrow, since she won't be there on Friday! :) I mean, how often is she really going to get to wear it? Would love to see a photo of E. in it after St. Patty's Day!

[marchfamily]

For those that are still getting Easter basket presents... $5 off at TRU coupon:

http://www.californiafreebies.com/toysrus-printable-coupon.jpg

[twinnyme]

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e160/melissakelleher/pattyday.jpg

[AusAshMommy]

Melissa ~ Cute pics of Becca!!! We don't make a big fuss over St. PAtty's day here...none of us own a lick of green so we don't bother...but Becca looks adorable!!!

Jen ~ Honestly, I hate to say it but Gabe sounds like a true to form Boy and you'll have lots of little heart attacks like that over his lifetime, Austin's given us more than we can keep track of...

[twinnyme]

Melissa ~ Cute pics of Becca!!! We don't make a big fuss over St. PAtty's day here...none of us own a lick of green so we don't bother...but Becca looks adorable!!

Thanks, Lara. We aren't really into St. Patrick's Day either - it was just my excuse to do a card of her in the dress my mother got her! :o I did so many of her last year, and this year this will probably be it until Christmas.

And my sister keeps saying how pretty Becca looks in green with her coloring, so of course I bought her tons of green clothes today! And for my niece, too - all on clearance for various times next year. I love shopping for girls! We went to the mall this morning, then to storytime (I'm trying to keep her up all morning and get out because she's pretty much on just one afternoon nap now), and she's napping now. So I'd better get to work editing before she wakes up.

[marchfamily]

Great card Melissa! I'll try to get a picture of E in her shamrock dress. Not sure how much use it will be getting considering there's snow on the ground.

[lokahi]

Melissa, cute card :)

Happy St. Patty's Day!

[AusAshMommy]

Melissa ~ I know I have to stear clear of the girls clothes sections @ the mall otherwise I get in HUGE trouble, clearance or not...LOL!!!

[SaphirimalMei]

Hello everyone!
Happy St. Patrick's Day :D

I'm eating my Corned Beef and Cabbage tonight! Well, I'll likely steer away from the cabbage, but I'll do my share of corned beef eating! :o Jilly's my little green girl today in her green velvet dress. So cute! Now if only she'd start walking on her own, she'll be less frustrated...she gets all hung up on her dress when she's crawling.

I dont get why this girl isn't walking yet! Her legs are strong, she's an excellent cruiser, she loves to be in motion; following after me and Phil, chasing the dog, etc. We do our best to encourage her every day, but nothin yet :( She does do this wierd left foot turn-in thing that worries me. When walking (holding onto our fingers/her push walker thing) she twists her left foot in at a wierd angle. It's not ALL the time, or I'd already have taken her to the ped, but its still enough to worry me. Anyone else's babe do this when learning to walk?

She's teething up a storm, but STILL nothing has broken through the gum. When she lets me lift up her little lip to see her gums...I can see the outline of a FULL ROW OF TEETH!!!! It's really wierd. Her 2 front ones are the closest to the surface and better break through any day cuz I want Little Miss Teething Crankypants 2006 to go away! She's been night-waking again and driving me crazy! Even if I can HER back to sleep, I have a terrible time falling back asleep myself. Arg!

In other news: TWO April babies have already arrived!!! EEK! :eek:

[Jenzen01]

Happy St. Patty's Day!

SaphirimalMei - Ah! April babies already! That must push the panic button, huh? :) I hope Jilly's teeth break through, too. I know how awful that night waking can be on a girl ... we've been going through molar city around our house. Of course, they can't come in all at once ... instead, they're spaced about two weeks apart. So, as soon as I get used to sleeping again, another one comes in.

I'm a little jealous of all the girl clothes talk. Of course, I did have a dream last night that I had a girl, so who knows. :) I've convinced myself this baby is a girl because I'm craving fruit a lot. With Gabe, I was a meat and cheese girl.

Guess what my little boy discovered? BUGS! He likes to stand at the daycare window and watch the boxelder beetles, which are coming out with the warm weather. He even picked one up and delivered it to his mama. Such a boy!!!

Ugh. I just ate the rest of my foot-long Subway sub and now I feel gross.

Jen

[Lizzie Beth]

Becca's card is so cute!! After all, aren't you near Boston, so St. Pat's is pretty much on par with Christmas, no?

Well, girls, I know I said I wanted to wait, (and I did) but apparently fate has other plans...

I'm knocked up!!

I was trying to keep from catching pg on my little computer fertility software program, but I had an earlier miscalculation because I had some spotting that I thought was a period, which threw everything off. By the time I realized (and fixed the system) it was too late.. We fooled around about four days before I actually ovulated, but apparently that wasn't enough time to dodge the bullet! Oh, well, c'est la vie.

I grumbled for about thirty minutes that I really didn't want to be pukey this summer, and that I had wanted a June baby so I could hang out in the summertime with the kids, but by the end of the night I had dragged my short list of names out from last time and am busy working on a name. A girl name. I'd lay money that this is another girl.. No male sperm could hang around for that long waitin' on that egg, methinks.

So anyway, my due date is November 21. Which works out pretty nicely at work - my supervisor is leaving in June on maternity, there have been strong hints that I'll be taking her spot. She's planning on coming back in November, so about the time I'm ready to go, she'll be back!

[SaphirimalMei]

Congrats Lizzie!!!

[twinnyme]

Wow, congratulations, Lizzie Beth! That's great!

[lawyerwifemom]

Congratulations Lizzie

Rachel and Wyatt are 22 months apart (which is what I am calculating yours will be?) and it is working out great. They are buddies and love making each other laugh.

[lokahi]

Congrats Lizzie!!!
Wishing you a happy & healthy 9 months!

Elton & Andrew are 24 months apart. And they're best buddies ;)

[Lizzie Beth]

Thanks, mommies!!

And thanks Lokahi and lawyerwifemom - They'll be about 22-23 months apart.. I just keep thinking how I hate to do this to Susie, but it would happen someday anyway, right?? It makes me feel better to hear you say that they might actually enjoy each other... ;)

[AusAshMommy]

Congrats Lizzie!! The spacing is fun...it's about as far apart as Austin and Ashley and while it's trying @ times, it's wonderful too!

[Jenzen01]

Whoo-hoo! Congrats, Lizzie!! What good news to find on a Monday morning! Gabe and the next one will be about 22 months apart, as well.

ttfn,
Jen

[marchfamily]

Congrats Lizzie! I think Susannah will love being a big sister!

Wow, lots of repeat offenders in our little thread...

[AusAshMommy]

Hmmm...thus far what's that 4 RO's since our little ones last Jan??? I could be off though...

[twinnyme]

but by the end of the night I had dragged my short list of names out from last time and am busy working on a name. A girl name. I'd lay money that this is another girl.. No male sperm could hang around for that long waitin' on that egg, methinks.

So, Lizzie Beth, any names in the front running yet? :D

Hmmm...thus far what's that 4 RO's since our little ones last Jan??? I could be off though...

I think that's right - whoops, actually, five - Jen, Amanda, Marisa, Heather, and Lizzie! Definitely not me, though! Not yet.... Am I missing anyone?

[AusAshMommy]

Melissa ~ Ah that's right...

[Lizzie Beth]

Thanks, ladies... I'm still a little bit shocked. I mean, I know how this happened, but sheesh, we fooled around like three days before I O'd. On the bright side, this does take the decision-making stress of "when are we going to try for the next one" out of the picture, so that's not a bad thing...

Plus, if it is a girl, all the clothes will be the right gender & season.. And even if it's a boy, I bought lots of unisex stuff for Susie anyway.

As for names, Twinny, I found the short list of names when we were picking Susannah. It has Kathleen, Claire, Emma and Kathryn. I really like Emma so far, but I haven't even gotten into it yet with my husband, and that man is PICKY.

[Jenzen01]

Hi all,

Just wanted to drop off some new pics of Mr. Gabe.

First time in the sandbox. (Boy was he serious about it.)

http://images.snapfish.com/3465%3B867%3B%7Ffp343%3Enu%3D3237%3E%3A%3C4%3E2%3B 9%3E%3A398%3B%3Ba38354832%3E23244%3A2%3B89%3A38ot1 lsi

Helping Mommy make supper:

http://images.snapfish.com/3465%3B867%3B%7Ffp343%3Enu%3D3237%3E%3A%3C4%3E2%3B 9%3E%3A398%3B%3Ba38354832%3E23244%3A2%3B89%3A33ot1 lsi

Styrofoam peanut paradise:

http://images.snapfish.com/3465%3B867%3B%7Ffp346%3Enu%3D3237%3E%3A%3C4%3E2%3B 9%3E%3A398%3B%3Ba38354832%3E23244%3A2%3B898%3B9ot1 lsi

[AusAshMommy]

LOL @ The Gabe shots!!! He's such a ham!

[lokahi]

Jen
Great pics! Love his expression in #3.

. . .
I sub at the preschool on Wednesday & Thursday. In-laws are watching the boys.

We got our loan approved at the Credit Union. We went down to the dealership to reserve our new car!!! Hopefully we'll get all the paperwork done, and have it later this week ;)

[Jenzen01]

hey mommies,

just stumbled across brio on the nov. 2006 thread! remember her from our old wc group? looks like we have another RO. :) :)

[twinnyme]

Beautiful pictures of Gabe, Jen - and thanks for the update on Amy and Sarah! Btw, how's Gabe's leg?

Lizzie Beth - love the names! Have fun choosing.

lokahi - Congrats on the new car!

Not much going on here.... Becca has been 100% on the sippy for about 2 weeks now (ETA: except for a bedtime bottle, which she refuses half the time anyway), and has STTN for 8 days running (hoping the 9th is tonight). I'm thrilled about both these developments! :D She and I are also heading to NYC this weekend for our (now-) annual mid-tax season trip to see my family.

[brio96]

Yup, you caught me! Repeat offender that I am. Well, at least I'm not alone. ;) I know some of the names changed when the switch occured from WC so I'm not totally sure who everyone is (my own fault) but I think I recognized all of the other RO's in the previous post.

Hi everyone!! Long time no write. I can't believe it's been almost 16 months since Sarah was born and that I'm actually going to go through this "circus" again with #2. While I haven't been really active (read: not all) on these boards, I have been lurking and following along over the past year. I love all of the pictures of the kids (Becca still has all that hair!!) and it's great to hear that you're all doing well.


We've been good. Busy, but good. I finally made some friends down here in the sticks (KY) and don't hate being here as much as I did before. It's amazing how a child opens up your social life where none existed before. :rolleyes: Sarah is well although showing some signs of being a preemie that they said might happen. She's still not walking (although she's close) and apparently her verbal skills aren't where the doctor hoped they'd be at this point. I'm not sure I buy into his thinking though because she "talks" up a storm and does have her own way of telling me exactly what she wants. But, based on his "medical references" she should apparently have a few more words in her repitiore (sp?).

Other than that, I'm still trying to absorb our new news. I'm sicker than I was with Sarah and way more tired. This baby was planned, but I'm still kind of nervous about managing two kids so close in age. My newest obsession is double strollers (hey, if I can't register and freak out about the "right" kind of monitor, I need to obsess about something) and just the thought of getting two out the door is hysterical to me right now.

Must get to bed. I'll try to be less of a stranger around here especially since all of us repeats are going to need some support.

Bye for now!

Amy

[brio96]

P.S....

http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos1585/8/20/21/7/89/0/89072120808_0_ALB.jpg
almost a year (November 2005)

http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos1769/8/61/41/70/33/0/33704161808_0_ALB.jpg

http://images.kodakgallery.com/photos1769/8/61/51/30/28/0/28305161808_0_ALB.jpg
15 months with 4 teeth

[twinnyme]

Sarah's so cute, Amy!! Welcome back! And congratulations on #2. Glad you're enjoying KY now!

I'm not sure I buy into his thinking though because she "talks" up a storm and does have her own way of telling me exactly what she wants. But, based on his "medical references" she should apparently have a few more words in her repitiore (sp?).

I wouldn't worry about this... though of course I'm sure we all do. Becca still only has mama and dada in her repertoire of words and we think she may be saying her own version of "hi" now. But that's it, yet she also "talks" up a storm and communicates in her own way - though that's mostly yelling, pointing, and pulling on my chin! :rolleyes: And she wasn't even a preemie!

Anyway, glad to see you around and have fun picking out a double stroller!

ETA: Yup, Becca still has all that hair and more - btw, her latest skill? Putting her headbands on by herself. She doesn't quite suceed; they fall right off the back of her head, but she is SO cute trying to do it! I use headbands a lot now; they're MUCH easier on daycare days than trying to wrestle her hair into ponytails or barrettes. And she hasn't tried to get them OUT yet - just in!

[AusAshMommy]

Amy ~ So good to 'see' you!!!! Everything is going good here, things are sort of chaotic as we're in the midst of a move down to NC next week! Sarah is adorable!!!!

I feel your pain w/being sicker and more tired w/#2 vs. #1...I was like that w/Ashley so I can totally relate!

Ashley will only say "Dada" "Hi" "Bye" "Ashee" "Austin" "Ante" I have yet to get Mama out of the child...

Welcome back!!!

************
Move Update:

Things are trucking along nicely, we're 90% packed w/all the non-necessities and weeding through the necessities to try and figure out what we can absolutely do without for the next week and a half. I am attempting to convince Jimmy that it's ok to pack somethings now vs. later...he's a procrastrinator. So guess what's getting packed next week while he's working....his precious movies! LOL!!! We've got the truck all lined up, now all we're missing is a driver...oy that's been a saga I hate to ride the roller coaster on...

Anyhew, that's where we're at now!

[twinnyme]

Wow, next week already, Lara? Good luck with all the packing/moving!

[Jenzen01]

Just wanted to pop in to tell you all that WE HEARD THE HEARTBEAT TODAY!!

:) :) :)

[twinnyme]

Just wanted to pop in to tell you all that WE HEARD THE HEARTBEAT TODAY!!

:) :) :)

How wonderful, Jen. Congratulations!

Everyone - I'm getting a little concerned about Marisa. I saw in her journal tonight that she had pre-term labor that sent her to the hospital on Sunday (but was released). She posted on Monday but it doesn't look like she's posted anything since.... Marisa, if you're around and up to it, let us know how you and Yobito are doing, please! :)

ETA: Marisa's friend posted in her journal:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Etoile
I'll post to update you--Mei is doing OK, Jilly is sick (103 fever, fussy) so she probably has been too focused on that. Mei's tired and uncomfortable but no more contractions since the night she went to L&D!

[brio96]

That's so great Jen. I can't wait to hear ours in a few weeks!

How far along is Marisa? Glad to hear everything is okay.

Just to update y'all (I'm loving the southern Y'all now) Sarah actually decided to start walking yesterday!! She's been doing a lot of standing on her own (i.e. not holding onto anything) lately and yesterday just decided to let go and take 6 or 7 steps on her own. I had tears in my eyes I was so proud of her!!!! We still have a little more time before she's fully walking all the time, but I was so relieved to see that bit of progress.

Lara Good luck with the move!

[SaphirimalMei]

checking in over here and cross posting from my journal.

Amy - welcome back and congrats on sarah's impending little sibling!

Jen - Yay for hearing the h/b! I still can't get over hearing yobito's :)

Melissa - You're sweet for being a worrywart. Sorry I'm such a terrible poster :p

Lara - good luck with finding a driver for the truck...sounds like a PITA!

As of today, I am:
http://preg.fertilityfriend.com/pregticker/SaphirimalBaby/preg.png
EEK! 29 days left???? Holy Heck!

I'm doing ok. Trying to take it easy and rest as much as possible. Jilly is feeling better, so that's groovy, but she woke up at 5:30 this morning! Silly girl! Since I was up, I made us some eggs and strawberries for breckie this morn. She loved the eggs as usual, but stuck up her nose at the strawberries. :rolleyes: In fact, she's been so picky food-wise PLUS so hyper activity-wise lately, she's lost weight! She's down to 19lbs 7oz. It's mind-boggling. Wierd tangent, but I guess never expected to have a skinny child. Since Phil and I are so...fluffy, it just never occurred to me that any child of ours would be a skinny minnie. Who knew?

[twinnyme]

Melissa - You're sweet for being a worrywart. Sorry I'm such a terrible poster :p

I hope you didn't mind my inquiry. I was just hoping you were okay.

It's mind-boggling. Wierd tangent, but I guess never expected to have a skinny child. Since Phil and I are so...fluffy, it just never occurred to me that any child of ours would be a skinny minnie. Who knew?

It's funny but I *always* say the same thing. I'm still getting questions about her walking because she is so tiny - and next to me and Dave, who aren't skinny by any stretch of the imagination, it's kind of ridiculous!

Becca & I are off to NY tomorrow morning. Have a good weekend, everyone!

[marchfamily]

Popping in....

Brio - Congrats on your pregnancy! Glad you could find us!
Jen - Yey for the heartbeat! I'm sure it was music to your ears...
Marisa - I can't believe your baby is due so soon!

Waving "hi" to everyone! Big brother is watching the internet thing...so trying to cut back...

[SaphirimalMei]

Melissa - nope, dont mind at all ;)

Amanda - I can't believe your baby is due so soon! Neither can I! EEK!

Today I leave for a dr appt at 2:45. Phil and Jilly are having daddy/daughter day. I am jealous. Phil said he gave Jilly a cracker earlier, she proceeded to lick the salt off, feed the rest of the cracker to saint, and request another cracker! LOL! Goofball! :p

[lokahi]

Brio,
Congrats! Wishing you a happy & healthy 9 months :)

Jen,
Isn't it amazing to hear baby's heartbeat! I'm so glad you & baby are doing well.

Marisa,
Baby will soon be here! Have you guys decided on names?

...

What's new with us?

My new favorite pictures of the boys.
Elton is such a GREAT big brother! He helps Andrew comb his hair, brush teeth, and even feeds him ;)
{delete pic}


We have a new 2006 Toyota Highlander!!!
http://www.toyota.com/toyotaConfigApp/image?id=4598745&ts=1064342506000

[AusAshMommy]

Hey All ~ Yup next week...amazing isn't it??? LOL!!!

Marisa ~ So glad to hear your ok!! Getting close though! I know your excited/anxious!!!!

Jen ~ YAY!!! So awesome!!!! I know that is the most wonderful sound in the whole wide world!

Melissa ~ Hi!!

Amanda ~ Oy know that one all too well...used to work with some super anal internet monitors...NOT FUN!

Lokahi ~ Awww!!! So cute!

***********
We're doing good, things are trucking along nicely, we're down to the essentials and trying to determine what we can and can't live with over the next week. We still don't have a driver, but Dad asked to have me check how much a tow hitch would be for his truck...I did and it's reasonable enough. I did one last grocery trip lastnight to hold us over for another week...it wasn't much and we're not taking food with us, we have a roach problem severly and we don't want to transfer it. We've tried everything to get rid of them, but they live in our neighbors house and they come through the walls, it's beyond NASTY! Anyways, so to avoid taking them with us we're not taking any food.

Well Ashley beckons...TTFN!

[lawyerwifemom]

Jen Congratulatulations on hearing the heartbeat!

Marisa I hope your little one stays put a little longer. How exciting you are so close!

Amy Nice to see you around here! I am almost 28 weeks with our third (a girl). We're a busy little group here.

Lara Good luck with the move!

[twinnyme]

Hi everyone! Becca and I are back from our trip to NY. We had a great time, and got home at around 5 today, after a quick stop at DH's office to stretch our legs and to see DH. Becca was a great traveler as usual and a great sleeper (so we're still on our STTN streak, thank goodness). I'm exhausted, though, but just wanted to catch up and say hi. Off to crash on the couch! ETA: There are a few pictures in my journal....

[AusAshMommy]

I am beyond psyched! I just finished my stat class w/an A+!!! Go me!!! I struggled through it totally...but I did it!!! WIHOO!!!! That brings my GPA up to 3.83! Go me!

[twinnyme]

I am beyond psyched! I just finished my stat class w/an A+!!! Go me!!! I struggled through it totally...but I did it!!! WIHOO!!!! That brings my GPA up to 3.83! Go me!

Congratulations, Lara!

Big brother is watching the internet thing...so trying to cut back...

I meant to respond to this yesterday but forgot. I have the same issue at work right now, so I try to stay off CC as much as possible there. I'm usually on 5 minutes total now at work. Have a good day, everyone.

[lokahi]

I'm so happy for you Lara! Congrats & Best wishes :)

[SaphirimalMei]

I posted it in my journal, but I wanted to do a quick drive-by over here to say...

Guess who's gums finally spawned a little baby fanglet!!! :D
It's barely above the gumline and J keeps rubbing her tongue over it. So cute!

[twinnyme]

Hey Marisa! Guess what. I think Becca and Jilly are on the same wavelength when it comes to teeth.

She also has a tooth!!! Her teacher at daycare told me. They all say they can see it. I cannot see it for the life of me. I can FEEL it but I cannot see it. It's on the bottom left. Guess it's just come through the gums but they said they could "see" it on Tuesday even (but didn't tell me then because they wanted me to see it on my own). I feel like a neglectful mother that I didn't notice it (and that I still can't see it) but I guess maybe since it's her first tooth I really have no idea what a tooth looks like coming in - I thought it would just pop up full size all of a sudden. No? Anyway, so I guess we can say that Tuesday, March 28th, is when she got her first tooth. I can't wait until it comes all the way out and I can see it! :D

All weekend in NY she kept putting a finger into her mouth, which she's never really done before, and feeling around. So I had a feeling something was going on, and I guess it was. I gave her Motrin tonight just in case - thinking maybe that teething was the issue last night with sleep (after STTN for almost 3 weeks straight, she woke up at 1 a.m. last night). We'll see how tonight goes.

Hope everyone's doing well!

[Jenzen01]

Add us to the teething group.

Gabe is getting the last of his molars, and his eye tooth are also just about ready to pop. Funny thing is that most of this happened while I was in Atlantic City last week, so Al had to deal with all the crankiness by himself. He told me he has a new appreciation for me. :) That alone made the trip worth it. :)

Feeling so tired this morning. I thought I was past the ickiness of the first trimester, but it popped up again.

I'm taking Gabe for his first big-boy haircut tomorrow. We're going to get it cut pretty short. Should be cute. I'll be sure to take pics.

ttfn,
Jen

[twinnyme]

Funny thing is that most of this happened while I was in Atlantic City last week, so Al had to deal with all the crankiness by himself. He told me he has a new appreciation for me. :) That alone made the trip worth it. :)

Absolutely!! Sorry you're still feeling yicky, though. Can't wait to see photos of Gabe's haircut. I'm actually considering MAYBE getting Becca her first trim soon... just mentioned it to DH last night. We'll see.

It's beautiful here in Mass. and Becca and I just spent 1.5 hours at the playground and she's napping now, so I'd better get to work. I want to get my work done so we can go back to the playground this afternoon! It's a good workout for me, too, chasing her all around!

[marchfamily]

Popping in to say hi to everyone! E is making attempts to walk on her own - a couple of steps at a time. She practices pulling herself up and sitting back down for a hour at a time. She's currently in love with daddy and apple slices. Still working on getting those eye teeth (which will make 16 total). She still doesn't crawl and doesn't say anything. But, she will kiss my belly when you ask where the baby is. Cute.

QOTD - Anyone dealing with "discipline" issues? E has taken to biting me when she gets frustrated. I don't want to make a big deal out of it, but I don't want her biting people either.

How about another QOTD - With daylight savings, are you going to adjust your kiddo's sleep time? I think we're going to keep E up until 7:30pm instead of putting her to bed by 7pm. Hopefully she's sleep later too.

[twinnyme]

She's currently in love with daddy and apple slices.

Very cute, Amanda! We're actually having trouble with the opposite. Becca seems to be on the I-want-Mama-and-Mama-only channel these days and I think it's really getting to DH. When we came back from our trip she was a little better with him, but I know it hurts him. We're working on it. I try to remind him it's a phase that will likely be cyclical and someday soon she'll be on daddy mode but I'm sure it hurts.

QOTD1: Discipline - Becca doesn't bite - no teeth, ha ha - but when she's frustrated (or excited) she tends to hit my face -- more because she's flailing about, though, so I don't make a big deal of it except to continually repeat, "no hitting Mama (or anyone)". I need more ideas, too, because other than that I seem to just stick to the old stand-by of distraction and redirection, which only works somewhat.

QOTD: Daylight Savings Time - not sure how we're going to handle this. Becca goes to bed right now at 7:30 usually (no later than 8 ever) and I really don't want her bedtime to get much later than that. Although I'd love for her to sleep later in the morning (she tends to get up at 6-6:30 though every blue moon sleeps until 7), I don't really want her to go to bed much later than she does now because I like the early bedtime. I'm on my own a lot of time with her at night (DH works late a lot) and I need some downtime, too. But I don't really know what to do about the adjustment so I just posted in that thread about it for some more ideas.

[brio96]

Discipline Does Sarah laughing in my face whenever I try to curb bad behavior count as discipline? :rolleyes: I try to be firm with her when she's either hit or poked but I'm not entirely sure I'm getting through. She has a fascination with eyes and noses which usually involves her sticking her fingers in someone elses eyes and nose and this is our main point of contention lately. And, I know she's not doing it to be malicous (sp) but she's been "hitting" (more like touching but not softly) other babies in the head. Most kids don't even notice but she seems to go after the one REALLY sensitive baby in our playgroup every week. Great, my sweet little baby girl is a bully at 16 months. :o

No book or advice article really covers specific tactics at this age, so the only thing I'm really doing is being consistent when she does it and trying to explain in plain language that hitting hurts or hitting makes people sad/mad/cry. I also try to take her away from the situation and get her involved in something else so she loses interest. It's beyond frustrating some days.

This pregnancy is going a lot less smoothly than Sarah's and I wish I knew how good I had it back then! I have had m/s and nausea everyday and can barely get out of bed some days I'm so tired. I'm trying every remedy I can think of to get food to stay down, but boy this is not the fun part of pregnancy I remember. I'm counting down the days until the 2nd trimester this time!

Teeth We still only have 4 (all in front) that have come through all the way but I think some more are starting to poke through. Our ped said that she should have more teeth than she does, but what exactly does he want me to do about it?

Daylight Savings Time I keep meaning to put her to bed 15 minutes earlier (or is it later?) but have forgotten each time. I don't remember doing anything specific last time so I'm not sure if I'll actually get around to it. If there was any issue last time, I seem to remember her adjusting quickly.

I can't believe some of you are having babies so soon! I hope you're all feeling well.

[twinnyme]

Teeth We still only have 4 (all in front) that have come through all the way but I think some more are starting to poke through. Our ped said that she should have more teeth than she does, but what exactly does he want me to do about it?

That's pretty fun, Amy!! We have her 15 month WBV next Friday and every time I ask our ped. about her having no teeth, he doesn't seem concerned at all. In fact, I get the feeling he doesn't even know much about it (but he must, right?) Anyway, there's nothing we can do about i