Queer and Newborn!

[smartycat]

I have been meaning to start this thread for a long time now. I really want to keep up and keep in touch with our mamas who have graduated from the Queer and Pregnant thread. And to give those mothers a place to continue the awesome bonds we began in Queer TTC.

I will start a list of babies born in the past year, going off of mothers I have gotten to know since we joined the board one year ago. If you have been lurking and want to join the list, please feel free to either PM or put your information in bold in a post.

And here we go....

:December 2008::
Tigermiep (and dp M), Anders Xavier Born at 10am on 12-11-08 7# 7oz and 21.5" long

To be announced:
MujerMamaMismo, due 12/14/2008
Simcon, due 12/20/2008
shaller (tiggerkong), due mid - December

:November 2008::
JenInMpls (DP Jo), E.W. born 11/24/2008

October 2008:
Becca, Phoebe Joy born 10/9/2008


:August 2008::
AngelaM (Angela), Ocean Rae born 8/10/2008
Venustx, Triplets!! Levi, Sage, and Jillian born 8/12/2008
Scalpel (Jess, DP Darcie), Alexis Jean born 8/29/2008

:July 2008::
kk_davey, Grier born 7/7/2008
mamimapster, Jocheved (Julia) Hadassah Bat Sara V' Miriam born 7/15/2008

May 2008:
msjodi, Delaney Cait born 5/1/2008
mamastotwo, Boy/Girl twins born 5/2/2008
thismama, Zelda born 5/6/2008
pdxmomazon had carys on 5/10/2008!

Enjoy! If this takes off, we can start new threads when the old one gets too long. Can't wait to hear about all the joys and tribulations of mothering an infant.

[JenInMpls]

whoop whoop thanx smartycat :

[KnittingTigers]

yay! i was just thinking we needed this! thanks!

kid on my lap, can't type much now, but am thrilled to have this space.

[MujerMamaMismo]

: Oh boy...I cannot wait to be here! Thanks smartycat.

[pdxmomazon]

I lurk more than anything here, but pdxmomazon had carys on 5/10/2008!

[thismama]

Hey there! Great idea for a thread, thanks. So my lil girlie is 7 mos and I also have a 5 year old. We're messing around with the solids thing and I'm kinda in exam hell right now, some of which got postponed coz we were in the hospital (they thought she had meningitis and did all these nightmarish tests, she had nothing, it was horrible ) and I'm looking forward to the holiday break!

[2happymamas]

I wanna play! Kinda....I keep alternating between wanting to have this baby so we can meet/hold our daughter and being a little sad that she won't be in me anymore. I have enjoyed this pregnancy and LOVE having her in me and feeling her move.

I get SO excited about her upcoming birth and sometimes a little bittersweet about not having her in my belly anymore.

[KnittingTigers]

Originally Posted by 2happymamas

I wanna play! Kinda....I keep alternating between wanting to have this baby so we can meet/hold our daughter and being a little sad that she won't be in me anymore. I have enjoyed this pregnancy and LOVE having her in me and feeling her move.

I get SO excited about her upcoming birth and sometimes a little bittersweet about not having her in my belly anymore.

Yes, I totally understand! I felt the same way about giving birth to Ocean. I also felt/feel similarly now about her growing up, getting big, etc. We had some serious weight loss problems in the beginning, and she was such a little peanut for so long. Now she's a beast, and while I'm thrilled that she's healthy and gaining weight, part of me feels this sadness about the fact that she's not a newborn anymore. Funny, huh?

[mamastotwo]

Hello all,

I have been on here infrequently not so much do to the birth of #3&4 but the discovery of Facebook. I am shocked at hoe many of my formerly straight classmates have turned to the dark side LOL we could of had even more fun!

The twins are now 7 months and very gross motor motivated! 3 out of 4 kids have been sick with colds and ear infections the last week so sleep has been minimal but besides that we're all doing well.

More later.

Jeninmpls - good to see you here too!!!

[Scalpel]

Great thread smarty!! We are just enjoying our 3 1/2 month old daughter Lexie. She is the highlight of our life. Always examining things and drooling!! We are going through the inital steps at our RE's office to give lexie a brother or sister.


http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/k.../Alexis176.jpg


http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/k.../Alexis189.jpg


http://i283.photobucket.com/albums/k.../Alexis170.jpg

[tigermiep]

hi! we're delighted to be here!!!!

[Ruthla]

Oh, you're talking about queer mamas (and papas?) of newborns.

I thought you were starting a thread about newborns who were queer, and I was thinking "um, don't you need to wait at least a couple of years before figuring that out?"

[JenInMpls]

hm, I suppose 'queer with newborns' would be more accurate?

[FtMPapa]

That is some funny, y'all.

Anyone got pets? How are the pets dealing?

It's so funny - the number one question I've gotten from people who know I'm TTC is "How are you going to look after all those animals AND a baby?"

I have to admit, being the sole breadwinner, walker, feeder, waterer, vet-taker-toer, litter box scooper, diaperer, driver, etc, for what will be a family of FIVE (two cats, one giant dog, one me, and at least one baby) is a little daunting.

I've started saying "Oh, I'm planning to give the cats to a friend and send the dog to the pound...." I keep a totally straight face while I say it, and so far, two people actually thought I was serious.

Bear in mind, my dog and I are very bonded, we spend a lot of time together, I can't imagine life without her. And everyone knows it. She comes to the office with me most days, we regularly receive mail addressed to both of us, and when I arrived at my department's holiday party the other night, the first question I got was "Where's Monty?"

I sort of assume that looking after a baby will fall into the same category as the cats and the dog - I know intellectually that I spend a lot of time and money on them, but I never really count the cost or notice it, because I love them so much and they make my life worth living.

Am I completely delusional?

[thismama]

I personally lost all interest in my pets once my first child was born. Obviously everyone has different experiences, but for me the bond was so intense and the level of care required so all consuming that I just didn't have one ounce of nurturing energy left for my animals. Depends on your relationship with your pets though, obviously, and the doggie love of my life had already died when my babe came along. I have an old dog now but I won't get another for years and years. I just have no energy or desire for my pets anymore. WHich has caused some drama with my childless lesbian friends who judge me pretty harshly for not prioritizing my pets the way they do. I mean, I don't neglect the dog or anything but I just don't care to talk lots about her or make her the centre of my life anymore. Kinda feel some guilt about that but it is what it is, yk?

eta - Oooh FTMPapa I see you have a Great Dane. Even I could probably get it up for a Great Dane.

[FtMPapa]

Originally Posted by thismama

eta - Oooh FTMPapa I see you have a Great Dane. Even I could probably get it up for a Great Dane.

She's my girl. We do everything together, my ex and I got her together, and we were all together for four years, then we were apart for 1.5 years, but it's been just us and the cats for the last 2+ years. Having a dog as a single person is a verry different bond from what it was with the ex - although he was the primary dog servant. He took her to work, he drove her around, he made the key decisions about her diet and medical care, but I was the weekend papa, I mostly walked her and I was The Fun Guy. Now, I'm the Everything Guy, though she still gets excited to smell mail from him.

It's sad to me to think that our bond might change when a baby comes into our family. It is a lot harder to navigate the world with a dog and a baby, on daily outings and errands and such. I've done it with kids I've looked after, and it's just more complicated, logistically.

[MujerMamaMismo]

We've got a dog and 2 cats - all whom I love but I'm not a super-crazy pet person.

Anyway, they are totally onto us with this baby thing. The dog has become super protective of me since I've been on maternity leave - she barks every time someone walks past the house - it's very sweet but it's driving me nuts.

The cats have become feral in the last month. Our little angel cat (a ragdoll) has started spraying in the house, including on and in the pram. Our other cat who has always been a bit aggressive has turned into a nightmare. I've just ordered some pheromone plug-ins but if they don't work we really will have to re-home her. She's actually dangerous and has been attacking humans as well as her sisters. We can't risk that with a little babe in the house.

I'm pretty nervous about what's going to happen when everyone meets!

[jp79]

I wanna play too!

We're expecting our second baby (a girl!) late-January. Very EXCITED and also a little nervous...

We have a 10 month old beagle-pug hybrid. We've been working furiously at training her before the baby arrives. We're all doing really good. Clicker training is our friend. That Pavlov was certainly on to something!

We also had plans to have our little guy on his way to being diaper-free by the time new baby arrived. Clearly, however, that just is not happening.

[smartycat]

Welcome Miep to this side!! ::

MMM, your turn soon! : !!

And Jennaba, can't wait to add you and your LO.

I'm excited to see our first real topic here and one that is so close to my heart. I worry a lot about how the animals will handle the transition. My Pomeranian is nervous around children, but then again, when she is around the kids in Quasar's family, there is generally some huge 20-30 person function going on. Our German Shepherd seems very jealous already. If you tell him about the baby, he just hangs his head and slinks off to the other room.

Hopefully the introduction of the baby will go well. Our menagarie is so used to us bringing in new members on a fairly regular basis, that maybe they won't look at the child as anything more than one more annoying pet. :

We do get really annoyed when people ask us if we are getting rid of any of the pets. And while I understand that some pets are not safe to be around children, rehoming pets because they are no longer "convenient" is a sore spot for me. We have worked pretty extensively with a local dog rescue group and rehoming because people just don't want to deal with a baby and a pet is a real issue. Maybe I just don't get it yet because our baby is not here yet, but it breaks my heart to see people turn their backs on their pets.

[thismama]

Uh oh this is starting to sound like my housemate and that crew.

eta - I will say, not to sound like a know it all coz I have kiddos, but really for a lot of people things do change. Not for everyone for sure, and I don't want to tell anyone how they will be, but I also kinda get sick of the judgment from people who do not have children yet. Kids and pets are hard to juggle, first the newborn stage where you can barely take a pee, and then later when they harass the pet and you pull out your own hair trying to figure out how to get them to stop or keep them separate. It's not really easy, at least not for everyone.