February 2013 Rockstar Mamas Thread - Page 6

[akind1]

It's a hugging sort of day.

So, yesterday Gabe woke up with a dry diaper. Last night he refused a diaper for bed, so I laid him on towels with a trash bag sandwiched between them. I thought we were a ways from night training, so I've not bought a waterproof mattress pad yet . . . we'll see what happens when he wakes up. I'd be thrilled if he was night trained this easily, but DH looked really skeptical.

37 weeks tomorrow, OB appointment later this morning. yay.

Carrie - so sucky about your infection! feel better soon!

[MarineWife]

Oh, wow, Kat, you could have that baby any time now!

Did y'all see the video I posted on FB of the two Dutch guys who experienced simulated labor? It was funny and very interesting. The one guy who went all the way through looked and sounded just like a woman in labor.

Carrie ~ Sorry about the infection. Did they tell you what it was if not strep? I guess at the end it doesn't really matter if you need abx either way.

Interesting, though, that the doc would have diagnosed strep based on a visual exam when it wasn't. That's how they diagnose lots of things like flu deaths. They don't test for the flu. They just assume flu if you present with "flu-like" symptoms and then call it an outbreak and try to scare everyone into getting the vaccine.

JJ ~ D wears soft soled shoes and he still falls down a lot. He doesn't get seriously hurt. It's all part of learning. He likes to run, which is the cutest thing, but he falls more often. He also likes to climb on everything and almost always falls off at some point.

Have any of you tried taking your LOs somewhere where they could wander a bit safely just to see how far they'll go? Studies say that, although they may look like they are wandering or running off, most toddlers will only go a set distance (I can't remember what the distance is) before they come back. D will walk a bit ahead of me. Sometimes I get nervous about it but as long as I don't freak out and go chasing after him, he doesn't usually run off. He will run off if he thinks/knows I'm going to stop him from doing something he wants to do but that's normal.

We signed all the papers for the refi. Now it's just a matter of waiting for them to be reviewed and approved and then our current loan paid off. I wish we had done this 2+ years ago. Two realizations I have come to this year: one, don't wait for dh to make a decision about something because he won't. Two, don't let dh do anymore home repairs because it always ends up costing us more when we have to have a professional come in and fix his mess.

[MarineWife]

I forgot to tell you all about D and the potty. I keep his little potty in the family room for him to play with/use. The other day he was naked, came to me, pointed at his butt and said, "poo." I said, "Oh, you have to poo? Go in your potty," and pointed at it. He went and sat on it, got up, walked around, sat on it again and got up again. I think he did that at least 3 times. He never went pee or poo, though.

[akind1]

If Gabe isn't trying to chase her down, Norah will keep going and not look back. When we are at playgrounds and some quieter stores - or the mall on a quiet day - I let her roam. Gabe will run a good bit ahead, but stop to look back at some point, or will stop when asked. Norah never has. She doesn't run for the street or anywhere dangerous. (I have friends whose kids do) - but as a very pregnant person, it's further and faster than I feel like travelling.  In stores, usually she will eventually circle back, and at the playground, she's going to play, I just like to stay close because really the equipment isn't designed for her age, and she needs a little supervision on it still.

Back from the OB - I'm GBS + which stinks. I don't want to be on abx. blood pressure and everything looks good. This baby is getting so low. I'm uncomfortable. My hips hurt, but we see the chiro on Thursday, and that should help some.  Gabe's bed was dry this morning! need to work more going to the bathroom while we are out.

D and the potty is cute! at least he sits? maybe he just had gas?

And yay on the refi! LOL at the professionals though . . .

[onetwoten]

Originally Posted by MarineWife 


JJ ~ D wears soft soled shoes and he still falls down a lot. He doesn't get seriously hurt. It's all part of learning. He likes to run, which is the cutest thing, but he falls more often. He also likes to climb on everything and almost always falls off at some point.

Have any of you tried taking your LOs somewhere where they could wander a bit safely just to see how far they'll go?
[\quote]

Oh poor wording on my part. I meant because the ground ad floors are so messy, and her soft soles will get ruined, plus if she falls it meas she's covered in slushy mess. Summer will be better!

When were at the indoor playground and stuff I try really hard to just let her be. She is really good at looking back and making sure I'm watching her. But she's also at the age where the most exciting thing to do it sit in the bottom of the slide while others are trying to slide down it, so I end up having to redirect her anyways. But on the while yeah I try to let her explore as she wants. In the grocery store or such though, between the mess ad her distractivility, she's just not ready.

Originally Posted by akind1 

Back from the OB - I'm GBS + which stinks. I don't want to be on abx. blood pressure and everything looks good. This baby is getting so low. I'm uncomfortable. My hips hurt, but we see the chiro on Thursday, and that should help some.  Gabe's bed was dry this morning! need to work more going to the bathroom while we are out.

Yay gabe!! What a feat!

Would you consider not getting the antibiotics? Or is it something you strongly believe in. We were in the fence- we said we'd test and then decide. Even if I tested pos, I wanted to watch and wait fr symptoms and risk factors. DH wasn't sure and still was leaning towards the abxs. Thankfully I was negative so it wasn't an issue. But I'm terrified of ivs, so that was a big factor. And having laboured without an IV now, I can't imagine having to have one

[onetwoten]

Apparently my first foray into using quotes in te phone didn't work so well. Lol



Ps tenley is on the mend somewhat and now I'm totally hit with it. Throat, head, nose, sinuses. Joy. I work the next three days in a row.

[MarineWife]

I started feeling the cold coming on yesterday. My sinuses are killing me and I'm hot.

I had to consciously let go of my attachment to D's shoes. He drags his toes because he likes the sound it makes. The toes are scraped up now. I can see they won't last long. Good thing he's my last.

Kat ~ Do you know if they just did a vag swab or if they also did an anal swab? If they did an anal swab, the results are essentially irrelevant. Also, you could be + now and negative in two weeks. That test really doesn't mean anything. There are things you can do other than take abx. You can use garlic as a suppository. You can also take garlic and echinacea and probably other stuff. I can't remember it all. I am always + but didn't have any abx with K or D and they were both fine.

[akind1]

Boo for sick mamas. we get no rest.

Meh, the abx aren't a big deal to me - it's a mini bag they hang every 4 hours you are there, the rest of the time I can be just hep/saline locked (which I consent to anyway - I'd rather have the iv access early, then them need it later when I'm way beyond being touched) - And of course, in 2 weeks I could be negative, it's funny to me that they test so early (36 weeks) - knowing that your "status" isn't static and could change. I'll ask at my next appointment if they would do a re-test. JIC.

I have bought all but Norah's first pair of shoes used. I have no attachments! LOL. Though I'm finding some of her clothes hard to let go of.  *sigh* need to work on that.

[onetwoten]

That makes sense. If you have no worries about the IV, then it's kind of a different ballgame. The only time I've had to have an IV in previously, I hyperventilated the whole time. So you can see how that would be counterpoductive for a natural relaxed birth! lol

I've bought most of Ten's shoes used, except for three pairs I bought on a 50% off of clearance sale, which are hte current ones she's wearing. I'm ok with normal wear and tear, but don't want to push it with slush soaking through them, kwim? Dry concrete is one thing, but this is a little too messy for my likes. lol

Have to leave for work in 30 minutes. Still wearing pjs and have bleary eyes. Need to get moving. 

[MarineWife]

Originally Posted by akind1 

it's funny to me that they test so early (36 weeks) - knowing that your "status" isn't static and could change. I'll ask at my next appointment if they would do a re-test. JIC.

They probably do it that early because if you were to go into labor at any time after 36 weeks they wouldn't stop it. They think they need to know so they can be proactive. Will they test you again? I didn't most OBs did, unless maybe you ask.

If you want, specifically ask them not to do an anal swab or even ask them to let you do it. A lot of times it's only positive from the anal sample, which is really irrelevant to whether or not it's safe to have a vaginal birth. I mean, the baby ain't comin' out your butt. Like I said, I was always + except the one time I refused the anal swab. That time I was negative.

[Baby_Cakes]

bummer on the gbs+!  Booo.  Will you retest in a 2 weeks?  just shove garlic up there!  that'll do it!

Hooray on dry bottoms!!!

I've let finn go as far as he wants and he never looks back, lol.  at the play ground, it's right near a baseball field and it's fenced in enough that he can wander and be free.  He just keeps on going!!!  I don't think he'd ever come back.   I def don't trust him enough in stores.  He would just be gone and I really can't be chasing him around.  he does need to learn to stay close.  It's just an important thing for me.  We'll get there someday...

the dr didn't tell me what the specific infection was, no.  but he did say it was apparent in my blood.  I'm happy b/c he really took me being a nursing mom as a huge deal.  He said based on looking at my throat he would give abx, but bc i'm nursing there was no reason to give me something if I don't need it.  That's why he wanted to do bloodwork.  I appreciated that so much.  And then at the end of the visit, he asked how old my baby was, and I said 18 months.  He looked so startled!  He said, "oh I thought it was a little baby!"  I said, "No he's quite the toddler now!" and he said, "that's great, wow, ok.  so this is perfectly safe.  No worries." and was just truly baffled/impressed.  

Also the nurse that I saw at first asked me how old my baby was and I had told her 18 mo.  she must have misheard me.  on her way out after taking my temp and bp, she said, "congrats on the new baby" and left.  I chuckled.  

[akind1]

I'll ask at the next visit if they'll retest -

People generally double take at Norah's age, because she's small - weight wise -  But obviously has such verbal and motor skills of an older baby/toddler. Finn is such a big guy! I can't imagine nursing such a toddler (but I plan on it this go round - it's just hard to wrap my head around. Kind of like the idea of parenting a teenager).

I need to start keeping more fruit in the house. The kids will eat it, but somehow we run out and all that's left is carbs and cheese. They need more food! LOL.

Sounds like a good doctor - is that your regular doctor, or urgent care?

[Baby_Cakes]

omg I can't imagine parenting a teen either.  especially a teenage girl.  I'm so so so in for it!!!

FWIW he still looks like a baby when he's nursing.  

I did this really neat project with a few girls in my ddc, called a day in the life.  We took a pic of everything we did and then uploaded all the pics into an album.  I had such fun doing it and it was so neat to see our day in a nutshell.  It was really a blast!  I would love to share the album with you guys.  How would be the best way?  Hmm..

You guys should do it, too!

need to hop in the shower.  Almost school pick up!

Oh - it was urgent care!!  

Edited by Baby_Cakes - 2/12/13 at 12:23pm

[MarineWife]

It's hard to keep fresh fruit in the house because it goes bad so quickly. We can only keep about 3 days worth and then we'd need to go to the store for more, which I don't have the motivation to do. Luckily, dh can stop at the store almost every night on the way home from work in case we need anything.

[Baby_Cakes]

We almost always have bananas.  I'll buy a green bunch and a yellow bunch and they'll turn ripe right on time.  Apples we get at costco, a big pack lasts us a week or so.  Hmm..oh and a huge bag of baby carrots lasts us awhile.  We do a lot of smoothies but for snacking we stick to just apples, bananas, carrots, edamame (frozen), olives, pickles, cucumbers (with dressing to dip) and broccoli (frozen).  I steam up the edamame and broccoli and they snack on that.  Lately i've been buying nuts and mixing up a bowl of cashews, almonds, some animal crackers, and a few chocolate chips and setting it out.  They go to town.  

Finn's FAVORITE snack in the universe is cherry tomatoes.  He gets so excited!

Edited by Baby_Cakes - 2/12/13 at 7:38pm

[AnnieA]

Does Finn do ok with the almonds? I feel like Ava doesn't have big enough teeth yet to handle harder nuts. She would probably be ok with cashews.

[akind1]

We do the same with bananas, a green bunch and a yellow bunch. The kids' favorite thing is the mixed fruit bowl from the grocery store, but it's pricey. We get it only as a treat. DH stopped and got strawberries on the way home. Gabe loves strawberries. We go to the store (OK, "I" go to the store) maybe once a week. DH goes as often as he deems necessary. Raw veggies are not eaten by anyone here, but the kids do like edamame - might pick some up next time I remember.

Norah, who still only has a handful of teeth, does fine with cashews. Haven't tried almonds. She LOVES pomegranate seeds, if they weren't so much, I'd buy more for her. It's hard to justify the expense when there are less expensive healthy options.

Norah used to like tomatoes, now, she's like, meh. same with strawberries. I think when they were both a new thing, it was like OMG. now there are so many things she's tried, she's a little more demanding :)

Love that Finn gets so excited though! that's too cute!

I like the picture idea. You can create albums on photobucket  or another photosharing source and share them with us here, or via PM if there might be something you want kept private.

[Baby_Cakes]

Originally Posted by AnnieA 

Does Finn do ok with the almonds? I feel like Ava doesn't have big enough teeth yet to handle harder nuts. She would probably be ok with cashews.

He does fine, but he has almost all his teeth.  He's got all his molars (except obv the 2 year molars).  Sometimes I see him nibbling them with his front teeth first, breaking them in half before really chewing them with the sides.  

I'm going to see if I can make up an album to share it!  

[MarineWife]

We eat lots of raw carrots, celery, broccoli and cauliflower. I try to stick to fruits that are in season (which drives dh batty) so right now we have apples, oranges, grapefruit, red grapes, kiwi, pears and bananas. I don't like bananas unless they are still slightly green. My kids seem to go through spurts when they love them so we will buy them and then suddenly they stop eating them and we end up throwing a bunch out. So, now, we only buy a small bunch at a time. Kellen loves pears. He ate two yesterday. Ryan turned us on to pomegranate. I like it but no one else does and it's too much work for me so we don't buy them. Oh, and avocado we have almost all the time but the kids don't usually eat that.

Dylan has eaten almonds. They come out almost exactly the same way they went in, big chunks, some that look like they were maybe just bit in half.

Carrie ~ Is there anywhere you can take Finn that is safe just to walk and wander and see how far he goes? Maybe he doesn't turn back at the park because he knows he can only go so far before he hits the fence. I wouldn't let D wander in a busy, crowded store or mall. The stores here don't get too crowded usually. Our street isn't busy, either. Sometimes we get people who drive through too fast but their are cars parked on either side so that's not even really a danger unless D gets way into the street.

Ethan never darted off or even stepped into the street. I remember being amazed that he would walk along the sidewalk in Hawaii when he was 1-2 years old and not take one step toward the curb. He would always only go a certain distance and stop and come back to me. I remember when K was around two my dad was visiting and hovering over him following him back and forth along the sidewalk in front of the house. I told my dad that he didn't need to do that because K wouldn't go in the street but my dad didn't believe me so he kept hovering. K never did go in the street. I don't remember having any difficulty with him when he was younger, either. I remember Ryan used to dart off but I was a much more nervous, anxious mother with him. I didn't trust him and believed all the "wisdom" that said children needed to be constantly watched and controlled so it makes sense that he would try to take off any time he could. He thought it may be the only time he'd get a chance.

[Baby_Cakes]

Ha - food for thought, one of my friends posted a link on how to show respect to your husband.  I found most of the points very old fashioned and a little too religious for me.  BUT I clicked on the flip side and found myself nodding along with SO many of the tips on how to show your wife you love her.  Thought it was worth sharing!

The tips for the husband.

the tips for the wife.

MW - the backyard is pretty safe and he runs around free back there.  But, it's fenced/barricaded so I don't know how far he'd go if he "got out".  I don't think there's really anywhere safe (no roads, no crowds) that I could let him just go until he decides to come back. 

Maybe when the snow melts and it's a bit warmer, the track could work...

He's doing great with hand holding.  I think the next step will be letting him try to hold the cart at the store.  We'll see if he can understand that yet, I still don't think he's there yet.

Edited by Baby_Cakes - 2/13/13 at 7:32am