The kid thread: Planning, pregnancy & parenting

[eternal sunshine]

KRR - I know you didn't ask me, but since I've been down that road I wanted to tell you that I'm thinking of you. The TTC journey can be difficult even for women with no know fertility issues. The hope and the letdown cycle after cycle can break you down. Try to keep your chin up!

[kristi28]

I'm glad that I'm not the only one with a DH who waits until the last minute. I was in the hospital recovering from my c-section when DH finally called his brother to come over and get the crib put together, the car seat installed, the dresser moved, .... We ended up buying a couple cases of beer, but DH (and 2 helpers) managed to watch "the big game" and get all the work done. I suspect that I took a nap.

To be fair, baby girl arrived slightly more than three weeks early. We found out on Monday that my BP was going up. I went back to get it checked on Thursday, induced that day, and baby girl arrived Friday. So Saturday my last minute husband is finally getting around to this stuff. Sigh.

[nasagreen]

sam814 - you have the wrong slash is all...use the one with the ? mark key instead of the other slash

palmetto - you want to send me your DH's email so we can tell him you want him to get his butt in gear?

re: nursery/nesting - I want to nest really badly but I don't have any place to do it. We have ZERO baby furniture/gear yet but I have found what I want for most everything and just have to get it after we move. No sense getting it now unless I found a great sale and then we'd have to find a place to store it for 6 weeks. Yeah, 6 weeks till we move! So nesting for me has been doing lists of crafts/sewing/quilting. I've decided to handmake 2 quilts for the baby that will go in the nursery color scheme so I'm going to start cutting those this weekend since I have monday off. I'm so excited!

[eternal sunshine]

kristi - wow!! my type A personality would have LOST it.

I've had the nursery pretty much finished since 20 weeks. The only thing missing right now is a crib mattress. Hoping I get one on Sunday at my shower, if not I'm going to go ahead and buy it after my next shower.

[moneymaven]

I think I am next (due 2/25/11), then eternal.

I was nesting last night - got the crib all setup with sheets, etc. Tonight we're going to work on the closet and dresser and organizing all of his clothes. We're also supposed to get the car seat delivered today, so we're going to take that to get the bases installed properly in each of our cars.

We still have a lot to do, and I am already 34 weeks (tomorrow)!!

[moneymaven]

eternal - I hope you have a wonderful shower!

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I never nested, everyone kept asking me if I was nesting and I'd say "nope". DH went bat shit crazy though the moment I hit 32 weeks. I've never seen the man clean like that in the 6 years we have been together!

[Deleted]

you want to send me your DH's email so we can tell him you want him to get his butt in gear?

Haha. Thanks for the offer! He KNOWS tho. I also mentioned it to his parents at dinner last night So of course they started offering to come help him out. The only thing that could sabotage me is his job, its been nuts lately and if he has to stay late on Saturday or gets called in on Sunday (which could likely occur) then I'm out of luck.

DH went bat shit crazy though the moment I hit 32 weeks. I've never seen the man clean like that in the 6 years we have been together!

I am SO hoping this happens in my house! I'd love a good deep clean (not done by me) right before LO arrives!

[kgb18]

Hi ladies! So much going on around here. We hit a big milestone with Avery this week. (At least it's a big milestone for us.) She is completely off the bottle! She's been taking her milk in a bottle first thing in the morning and before bed. She was drinking out of a sippy the rest of the day. I tried taking the bottle away from her when she turned 1. It didn't work. She pitched a royal fit, and my doctor said not to worry about it yet.

When I left my last job a few weeks ago, I quit giving her the morning bottle. I just gave her breakfast right away. She was fine with it. This week I started giving her a little snack and some milk in a sippy about 30 minutes before bed. She's been fine with that too. I'm so excited. She's 15-months-old. It was time. I'm glad I waited longer though instead of fighting it out a few months ago. It was not worth the fight if she just needed a little more time. The next challenge will be getting rid of the pacifier. She only uses it for sleep, so I'm going to wait a bit longer before trying that.

[Frugal Nurse]

Hi everyone! I was wondering if I could join this thread. I'm not actually pregnant yet, but DH and I are trying.

My story so far: My DH and I are 26, about to be 27, have been married 5 years, no kids. I got pregnant last year, miscarried in May, waited a few months because I was 10 weeks when the baby died, 13 when I actually had the miscarriage, and we are now in our fifth cycle of trying again. I didn't think it would take this long because when I got pregnant last time we were actually preventing! I thought, gosh, we must be super-fertile, but boy was I wrong!

Anyhow, I have been reading this thread for awhile, but wasn't sure if I could join since I'm not really a parent or pregnant yet.

[kgb18]

Of course you can join us frugalnurse. Welcome!! I'm so sorry for what you've gone through so far. I'll blow some baby dust your way.

[mom2-4monkeys]

Jan 12, 2011 16:06:28 GMT -5 @wendyloveshawaii said:

Momof4- what a blessing. I can only imagine the noise level at your house. I have two boys 21 and 10.....spaced 11 years apart ...not by choice....infertility issues. Are the two girls in pre-school yet?

Wendy,
yeah the noise is great in our house! One of the boys is now in love with screaming! Yes the girls are in school 4 days for a couple of hours.

[Sam_2.0]

Honestly, I am thinking of hiring Merry Maids or someone to come over at the beginning of July to really, seriously deep clean the place. DH hates to clean (he will if I ask, but...well...its never all the way clean when he's done). I think that will be a treat to myself. And maybe another visit from them around 6 weeks or so after the kiddo is here. And, if I am really lucky, once more around 12 weeks when I have to go back to work.

A girl can dream, right?

Nasa - thanks

[mom2-4monkeys]

Congrats to Guista and Regina, both of your babies are wonderful. thanks for sharing the pictures!!

[Frugal Nurse]

kgb- Thanks. It really has been a struggle but I just know it will be worth it once I finally become a mother!

[eh230]

For those of you working in a corporate setting, you might want to check out the corprette website today.

There is a really great discussion going on about TTC, having kids, and working.

[starearedkid]

Regarding the nursery; we moved in September (actually I found out I was pregnant the day we moved) so we easily designated one room for the baby, and just didn't put anything in it. So getting it ready won't be hard--because we don't have to move anything out of it! Besides the bedding and the wall color, we have no clue what we are doing with the rest of the room. I think by late February/Early March the room will at least be painted and the crib should be ordered. We have time though since I am only at 23 weeks right now.

[ladyki]

Jan 13, 2011 11:50:47 GMT -5 mommax4 said:

Ladyki- you asked about handling having them close together.

Momma- Thank you for your response, I just wanted to get some feedback on this issue.

[zbear]

gardengirl- glad you got to skype with your parents! maybe now that they tried it, they will like it and stick to it?

welcome frugal nurse! lots of baby dust to you!

sam- great news on the u/s, glad everything went well. although sorry you guys didn't get any pics. I still remember that u/s, it was so cool watching the baby bounce around, that was the first time I felt really really excited.

For the nursery we have a treadmill and a bunch of boxes in there so it all needs to be moved to the garage. Got the paint color and bedding picked though and we are also redoing the floors but we haven't looked at cribs or furniture. I guess we're ok because I'm only 23 weeks but I feel behind, no name and no nursery! ahh!

[ladyki]

Sam- Congrats on the U/S.

[ladyki]

frugalnurse- welcome and blowing baby dust your way.

[mommax4]

Sam (and anyone else thinking of hiring cleaning done)-if you can afford it, I would totally do it. My MIL gave me a deep clean service with local lady who cleans houses right after DD2 was born. We liked it so much, we kept her on a bi-weekly basis for about a year and a half. It was so nice to come home from work and the house to magically be clean! If you're serious about it, you can look on craigslist for people other than Merry Maids to do it. My guess is you can get a better rate. I'm not sure how much my MIL paid for the deep clean, but we spend $40 every 2 weeks when she came regularly.

[redwagon]

My mom pays someone $40 every two weeks, as well. Great idea!

My niece is turning 1 in February. As moms, what would you have wanted to get? What would you NOT want to have gotten? I've given her clothes and books and toys randomly over the year, so looking for ideas!

[starearedkid]

I gave my friend's daughter this: for Christmas. She is about 15 months old, and apparently LOVES it.

www.target.com/gp/detail.html/192-0236854-2207905?asin=B002YIX2H4&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=B002YIX2H4

It is a water drawing board, because she started to like to draw--and it definitely is safer to draw with water than crayon/marker. Plus, it doesn't look as babyish as the aquadoodle, so they figure she will get plenty of use as she gets older.

For her first birthday I got her this:

store.americangirl.com/agshop/html/item/id/141180/uid/95

Again, every time I visit, she lugs that doll around, and is fairly inseparable with it.

I don't know if either suggestion works for you though.

[boosmom]

sam - Glad the u/s went really well, even if you didn't get great pics. Hopefully, the next u/s will have lots of pics for you and DH. It's always reassuring when you get to see baby on the u/s and everything looks good.

kgb - congrats on eliminating the bottle! Glad Avery didn't mind so much after you waited a few months. #1 did put up a fight at 15+ months, but I figured it may only get worse. So, I definitely started #2 earlier with using the sippy, so we didn't have as much of a fight about it.

frugal - welcome! Good luck TTC.

red - we usually give a toy or nice clothing item and money. Money gifts are big around here, so if it's not where you are, then disregard that. I usually put the money into the kids' accounts and buy them what they need. I really like if the gift comes with a gift receipt, in case there are duplicates or something doesn't fit. 1 year olds tend to enjoy trains and things that move (even girls). Or musical things. Maybe tickets to some neat activity/aquarium/museum.

#1 ended up getting the front tooth extracted b/c it was so loose and the angle it had shifted caused it to be in the way when she bit down. But she did so great, no crying or anything. Thank goodness, they had a tv in the "procedure room" so she just watched whatever cartoon was on while they numbed her and pulled it out. Now she's missing her two front teeth and will probably remain that way for sometime until the permanent teeth are ready to descend. Oh well.... Tooth fairy gave her $5 for that tooth (usually it's just $1).

[taz157]

frugal - Welcome! Send baby dust your way! I lurked on this board for a while before we were TTC and then when we were TTC. This is a great board and I'm glad I found it.

Sam - Yeah on the u/s! Boo on him/her not cooperating to get their picture taken. I also like your idea of hiring a clean crew before the LO is born and then shortly before you go back to work. I may have steal that idea. I just have to talk DH into it. He doesn't like strangers in our house.

Nursery - The bedroom that we are going to use is one that is rarely used at the moment. When my mom lived with us for a few months, she stayed in that room. Right now, there is a bunch of "stuff" in there that has to find a new home (e.g., trash, donation, or another place). My DH and mom know that I want Snoopy decorations and will be gender neutral; however, I haven't gotten anything yet. I do want to go to Once Upon a Child to see what I can find or at least get ideas. I've just gotten get the mood to shop, which is so unlike me. For the past couple of weeks, I haven't been and it's been enough for me to get the essentials at the grocery store. However, I have been feeling better this week so I may do some this weekend. Still have time to decide so who knows.

My next appt is on the 17th and I can't wait!!! I hope we get to hear the heartbeat!

[jenna30]

frugalnurse... sorry for your loss. Welcome to the boards, and good luck with trying to conceive.

[NastyWoman]

Jan 11, 2011 20:23:26 GMT -5 gusitarenker said:

Hope this works!

Gusita,
congratulations on your beautiful little boy.

I have decided to give karma to new mom's --- maybe it brings luck in RL

[NastyWoman]

Jan 13, 2011 10:22:02 GMT -5 krr627 said:

yogii - Thanks! I am pretty emotional anyway, so combining TTC with that is difficult. I'm that girl who bawls at happy movie endings, gets really excited at Christmas or other special event, and cries when frustrated or upset. Good or bad, I tend to "wear my heart on my sleeves."

Where I come from they call that "I have high water" (easy flooding:P )

[NastyWoman]

Jan 13, 2011 15:53:34 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

I never nested, everyone kept asking me if I was nesting and I'd say "nope". DH went bat shit crazy though the moment I hit 32 weeks. I've never seen the man clean like that in the 6 years we have been together!

I am still waiting for that nesting instinct to hit and my youngest is older than several of you. Think I need to give up on that, or could I just suffer from a really, really delayed instinct to nest...