Queer, Pregnant, and Parenting! November, December, and January 2013!!! - Page 23

[wishin'&hopin']

Seraf--that's pretty darn amazing!  Wow.  I never felt comfortable using a ring sling for anything but an in the front or on the hip carry tho...I had/have a kid who arches his back fairly often in carriers, so the ring sling felt unstable once he got big enough to wiggle up in it and arch away from me.  

Otherwise...Happy New Year!!!  I counted today and we would (if baby came at 37 weeks) have a full term baby in 16 weeks...yikes!!!  I can't wait for babywearing the new little--I'm guessing it will feel odd given that I wear a 30 pound toddler most days!  

[Cananny]

Seraf.. I only expect this from you.. LOL.. you managed to find a way to wear 3... I dont think Im brave enough to wear all three,, Ive done two in a sling.. and that was not comfy! LOVE the video!!

[lisedea]

Seraf--Awesome! You so COULD have a third baby.

[seraf]

Wishin, where has the time gone? You're halfway there! Are y'all feeling movement? My kids have tried arching backward once or twice apiece, found themselves hanging upside down by their legs and been done with it. I usually manage to keep the top tight enough to keep them upright.

CaNanny, I do lots of double, it's heavy. Shay mostly walks now. There's a family we know with 3 foster babies and they use the stroller and a giant van. We just have an easier time with slings for certain trips (we always have slings in the car but not always strollers), I can't walk the dog and handle a stroller, lol, I guess we all have our limits.

Lise, I'm good with two, but I think you'll rock three. I was just happy that I could nurse without moving them around. You could easily put 2 on your front/side and one on your back, but you can't nurse in a high back carry. I think generally you could just wear one sling to pop a baby in and then carry the other two in the colic hold or on your hips. It's pretty easy to pick a baby up one handed, you'll be a pro in no time.

[seraf]

About baby wearing, again.

Thinking about why I love slings, most of my baby wearing is in the house. We do have a stroller in the house for the past couple of weeks but the kids are the only ones who use it usually. My morning routine is pretty basic. Shay and I get up. I take him potty, wash his rump and then plop him in his highchair for breakfast. When Soren wakes we repeat. After breakfast we go downstairs for coffee and a chat with my mom and her dog. Then we go back upstairs, through 3 doors and a baby gate. I can open doors while holding 2 babies but whichever hand holds the coffee is within reach of the baby in that arm and seems to be seen as an offering. The sling helps me keep the coffee out of reach so less is likely to be spilled. Then we play in the living room until bath time and first nap. If we stay in the house the boys mostly play on the floor. Sometimes a kid bonks his head while I'm in the middle of cleaning or getting lunch ready and he goes into the sling so I can finish what I need to do. Evenings are fussy or busy times sometimes and I frequently wind up with a baby on my hip. The sling mostly just saves my arm.

Oh, strangest compliment I ever got was from a bodybuilder admiring my forearms. "How much do you lift?" "Um, she's about 30 pounds."

[prettyisa]

Desert—thank you for posting those pics of Everleigh in her little dress! I had been looking at the one that made it to fb and wishing that I could see more of her in it—she’s just so stinkin’ cute (as seraf would say)!! I think it’s funny how I was never a ‘baby’ person, but now I get so attached to other peoples’ littles. What about last names/initials on the dipes?

Cananny—if anyone is going to be ready for triplets, I think it would be you! I mean, at least you have experience with lots of kids and already know what you’re doing in a lot of ways. Obviously it’ll be different when they’re yours, but your skills and style will still be there. Feb is so soon!

Planet—damn. I’m sorry the sleep stuff isn’t working anymore! I have no idea about naps—we put E down when she’s being feisty and seems tired. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. Honestly, I think it would be easier to just let him stay napping whenever and wherever since it frees you up from having to be home at certain times, as long as he is managing to get some sleep in.

East2west—congrats on your little boy! I was having a conversation with my best friend this week about her second daughter and whether she thought it was better to find out the sex beforehand (they waited on the first but found out on the second). She said that she wished she had waited because when she found out it was a girl she was really disappointed. But that once her daughter was in her arms she was so thrilled that it was Callie that there was no way to wish for anyone else. I hope you have that same experience.

Seraf—that cosleeping tutorial is both awesome and hilarious. I especially like Shay (or Soren?) helping out!

Lise—ugh. Sorry they’re being like that. I think that, like Pokey said, people forget that there are time and costs associated with formula and disposables, too. Hopefully once you get going with it people will see the benefits (or at least shut up about the drawbacks). Meanwhile—do you want anything to help get through the bedrest boredom? Books? TV suggestions? Elaborate craft projects? Is there anything we can send you?

Bigfoot and MrsandMrs—welcome and congrats!

Max—I hope that stuff kicks in for you soon! It sounds like you are on track!

Happy New Year to everyone! Things have been pretty rough at our house—we got some kind of nasty something, so all three of us have been fighting off lots of sneezing, sore throated ick. Luckily we were in FL for the weekend, so DP and I handed the baby over to grandma and laid around on the couch watching crappy tv and eating too many creampuffs. Of course now E has been taught about 8 new tricks, which seems to happen whenever my MIL gets ahold of her. She’s happily crawl(ish)ing around now, and has even managed to get herself into a seated position a couple times on her own. And now that we’re in 2013 I’m starting to think about #2. We won’t be trying again until this fall, but I need to figure out weaning since the RE will want me done with breastfeeding before we start the egg retrieval stuff again. Any advice on making it a good transition? She’s eating more and more real food, but I’m still providing most of her calories. I won’t start cutting down on nursing at all until after her birthday in April, but I’d like to get a game plan in place so I can wrap my head around it before we need to start. I get sad thinking about it, but I also know that people eat food, so it’s bound to happen someday.

[maxK]

Seraf- You are so funny! Do you ever use any other types of carriers or just the fabric?

PrettyIsa- Does your little one take a bottle now or has she ever tried it? You are such a trooper for getting back into the TCC game!

Cananny- Remember that discussion you started about working at home or not working? I've been obsessed with trying to find remote employment, something online. For a few days now I have been dreaming about working from home and I wake up in the middle of the night to search the web. How are you feeling?

[pokeyAC]

seraf-Your demos are awesome!  I really enjoyed all of them. You could do an illustrated book or something.  What size bed do you have?  The baby above your head sounds kind of tricky to me. 

max-If you find any decent home employment, please let us know.  There is a WAHM forum on here where there is discussion of this sort of thing.  It seems like it sounds like a simple enough idea but finding a legitimate job is tricky.  I'm hoping I might be able to change my hours a little bit or even work from home a little.  Not many people in my office do it, but it might be possible.

isa-I hope you are all feeling better soon!

wishin'-Time flies, doesn't it?  I can't believe how close you are or Cananny.  I can't believe I will be 16 weeks tomorrow!

AFM-Happy New Year everyone!    We have really enjoyed our holidays.  We didn't travel or do anything too stressful besides work.  I'm so glad it's a new year.  We have so much to do.  Yesterday we went baby and furniture shopping.  We got overwhelmed and tired pretty fast, but it was really helpful.  We were able to play with lots of different strollers and look at lots of beds and changing tables and such so now we have a better idea of what we want.  They had the arm's reach co-sleepers that I want to get.  It seemed a little flimsy but I'm hoping it was just that something wasn't set up right about it.  I also got a used breast pump from a friend of Cananny's who isn't using it anymore.  It's wonderful to receive things we will be able to use and I hope to be able to pass them on to someone else later to keep the cycle going.  We have saved up money for a car and should be able to buy one soon so car shopping is next on the agenda.  Then we just have to rearrange our entire apartment and build some furniture from IKEA. 

[carmen358]

isa, sorry to hear you've been sick. Not fun over the holidays. Do you absolutely have to wean? I know starling was still nursing E when she conceived H so maybe she will have some more info.

Sounds like you're doing some serious nesting, pokey :)

Afm: 9 weeks today. I seem to remember the nausea and weights that feel like they are hanging off my breasts lightened up between 9 and 10 weeks with DD. I'm so bloated that along with my already baby looking tummy I have no idea how I will hide it until the end of January. We won't tell people until we're about 13 weeks at least I think. We haven't told DD yet either so there has been a lot of "mama just feels a bit sick but she'll be fine soon." She's going to be SO excited. At least until the baby arrives ;) But first, I have to get through my u/s tomorrow morning. Super nervous and still worried about the results.

[pokeyAC]

carmen- I hope your ultrasound is great tomorrow!  I'm sorry you are feeling crappy, but I'm sure it's makes you happy too.  I have been bloated the whole time too so I just look big all over.  I am also hoping to wait before I tell more people but we shall see.  We are doing some serious nesting!  We also need to clean out our garage so we can fit a car inside.  There are too many break-ins in our neighborhood to leave it on the street all the time.  We want to have a garage sale if the weather holds out.  We need to make some space.

[seraf]

Isa, my kids were older when they weaned, and I felt like Shay was barely nursing at all right after his birthday but when I pump I realized how much milk I still make, so he must just be more efficient. I think you just figure out when she nurses and slowly replace nursing sessions with meals. Like just food at lunch. Then just food at lunch and dinner. On and on. I think the last nursing of the day is hardest to cut out, but you can move it earlier until its close to dinner and gone. Shay eats a ton and still nurses 24 ounces a day, so you will probably need to give her more cow milk or toddler formula.

Max, the Mai tie is sewn fabric! We recently aquired an Ergo but I mostly just use tie slings because they're so versital and cheap. I can't think of a structured carrier that puts baby in a position that can't be achieved with simple cloth but I don't know lots about the structured carriers.

Pokey, it's cool that you and CaNanny are so close. Baby shopping is super fun. We have a full and twin side by side. When Soren slept over my head, we slept sideways across the beds. When he moved down onto the bed, I started sleeping facing him instead of Shay since Shay was so much bigger and Soren's voice so quiet.

Here's a silly (and totally unsafe, don't try this at home!) picture of the boys sharing an umbrella stroller. Shay broke out with pox a few hours later, so he felt tired and crummy.

[seraf]

Cross post, Carmen, good luck at the ultrasound!

[Cananny]

Hello from the boredom of "bed rest" I am thankful I am only on modified and can still get up to shower.. i can even run an errand a day.. ( that about all I can handle before I am 100 percent wiped out) 

Isa.. thank you.. I feel DP and I are more prepared than most .. but we have also not been sleep deprived except for the 2 short term foster babies.. So I wonder how we will function with a lot less sleep... and im sorry you and DP were sick.. I finally am better after a 2.5 week horrible cold and deep chest infection/ear infection and thrush.. Now.. no one is allowed within 50 feet of me if they are even a tiny bit sick.. it took me too long to recover..  also yay for thinking of # 2..will you do IVF again? 

Max.. Yes It does seem really hard to find a legit job.. I think the key is knowing someone and getting in that way.. Finances are our biggest worry.. I actually went and applied for some help for now because finances are really tight..It is just so exp to live here in the bay as you know. .. Its weird I never planned on not working so this is all new to me. I am feeling pretty good.. tired for sure.. the babies are much more active now and think 4-5 am are great times to be awake :) Its hard to eat much at one sitting so im having to eat more often and much smaller amounts.. that is good practice anyways!

Pokey.. YAY I am so glad you got the breast pump from E..  how fun that you guys went baby shopping...and wow 16 weeks.. time is going by for you guys too... soon you will know the sex of that little bean.. Im calling girl :) We will have to get together in the next week or so.. I have lots of free time right now LOL

Carmen.. FX for an amazing U/S and let us know how it goes please!!

AFM... i spend to much time playing games and surfing the web. ..I have started reading a book.. one that ISA sent me :)  I will prob finish it in a day or two ( I am a really fast reader) 

And the nursery is done... we got the last piece ( the boys blankets that we had made) it all looks sooooo cute.. I love going in there and envisioning 3 babies.. Speaking of.. we have 7.5weeks to go until my c section!!!!!!

[outdoorsy]

Carmen - Good luck on the u/s! I was nervous too!

AFM - 15 weeks. On my second attempt at the NT scan, they still couldn't get the baby in the right position, so now I'm definitely having the DNA test. But it's not for a couple of weeks yet.

[maxK]

PokeyAC- Did you have any preferences for strollers when you went to look?

Buying Stuff - We have been eye-balling the things that will suit an infant then there are things you can take off and change as they get bigger. I would also like a car seat like that too where it can change as the baby gets older. Does anyone have recommendations for strollers or car seats?

[esenbee2]

max -I have been looking into the buybuybaby Graco Size4Me, which is different than the babiesrus Graco MySize? It seems like a good one that can go from rear facing infant seat to front facing with harness. It is reasonably priced too. But I haven't made up my mind.

[wishin'&hopin']

MaxK--we babywore pretty much exclusively with a sling and a moby so we didn't need a stroller for a little baby.  We have used one of the maclaren umbrella strollers (the volo) which is for babies 6 months and older fairly often.  It's been a sturdy thing and we still use it on occasion and I would recommend it.  As for carseats, I've been pretty happy with the Graco MyRide65 and we have used it since birth (DS will be three in April).  However, as we anticipate the next little, it's obvious that there is NO way we can fit another carseat next to it in our car (it's really wide) and I think we will be replacing it with a Diono R120 for DS1 and either another Diono or a Combi Coccoro for DS2 (so, if you plan on more kiddos, puzzling together carseats is something to consider).

[Cananny]

Max I love love love the diono/sunshine kids radian carseats... They hold 5 lbs to 120 lbs ( some are 100 lbs) it is one of the more exp seats but I prefer over britax ... It is super sturdy and it's narrow so it takes up much less space !!! I've had them in my car for nanny kids the last five years and have gotten many others to love them just as much!!! We will buy them for the boys once out of infant carseats!!!

Strollers... I like maclaren they fold up nice and are pretty lightweight but if you walk a ton a bob jogger or city mini are the better choices for long walks especially in sf

I've been doing this stuff for so many years now... I'm glad I don't have to spend hours some parents have to researching the best options!

[mrsandmrs]

cananny - maybe you should post the books you're reading and we can chat you up about them to keep you entertained. or you could start a "book club, hosted by cananny" post! 

carmen - good luck on your ultrasound! 

people sure love those radian carseats. ive never used one, but i cant believe how passionate their owners are! they must be great. 

[esenbee2]

Or the Graco All-in-One. I'm a Graco mama and haven't looked into many others