It's August! - Page 5

[mirthfulmum]

Nancy - ITA with Piglet and OakEmber. I too was very paranoid about the whole co-sleeping thing before Alias was born. I read every article and book I could find and they all had these extensive DO NOT DO lists. I even read quite a few that advised against having the baby on pillow-top mattress (and guess what kind of expensive mattress we have). I spent the first few days of Alias' life very worried about our sleeping arangements. I fussed about the pillows and covers and I was almost convinced that we needed to get a co-sleeper. And then after about a week, I realized that my mommy instincts were going full force when I was asleep. I knew exactly where he was in the bed and I knew when he was warm and comfy and when he wasn't. And when Alias was hungry or fussy I just rolled over and gave him the breast, or rubbed his back, or tucked him under my arm, or whatever he needed. Once we got into the swing of things I had other mommas asking me what my secret was since I looked so well rested, being a mom to a newborn and all. I told them that co-sleeping was one of the best things I'd ever done as a new parent. It takes a few days to relax and enjoy it, but once you, Dh and the baby find your comfort zone in the big family bed, all three of you will have much easier and sleep-filled nights.

As for car seats, I didn't buy the infant bucket seat for Alias, instead we just bought the car seat that goes from infancy to toddlerhood. I regretted it. And wished that I had bought a bucket for Alias as they looked more comfortable and if he fell asleep in the car then I wouldn't have had to pull him out of his car seat (which always woke him up). So for Harrison we bought a bucket car seat. We bought the EvenFlo PortAbout. I did a bit of research and we choose that one. My recommendation is to check out E-pinions.com and do a search for carseats. The site is great, gives tons of info, and compares lots of brands. Even tells you who is selling it for the lowest price.

Kimberly - I hate being sick when pregnant, esp. with a stomach bug. Yuck. Feel better soon.

Amy - Oww! Hope your toe's not busted. Sounds like it really hurts!

I too am really feeling the exhaustion from just being pregnant. I find that I'll wake up feeling pretty good. Get everyone fed and dressed and be ready to start our day when I'm hit with just complete and total exhaustion. By about 10am I am pooped and ready to go back to bed. I haven't given our home a good cleaning for weeks, and boy does it show .

[True Blue]

28 weeks 2 days

Nancy-- We just put Mickade in the bed. I had a bassinet too, but that mostly wound up getting used for naps and such, so he could be nearby (we had a two story townhouse at the time). I was worried too, so I started using just one pillow, and wouldn't pull the down comforter up past my waist or so. That way, only sheet and light blanket could be on baby. I was totally paranoid about keeping the pillow away from him, so his head was more lined up with my chest. I heard and felt everything he did, and I could lay on my side in one position all night (i guess pregnancy prepares you for that, LOL!! But it's much less uncomfortable when there is no longer a person inside you ). I didn't let DS sleep in the middle of us bc DH is a very heavy sleeper and one night I saw him almost roll over on DS, so that was the end of that til DS was bigger. As for carseats, I would get an infant one (the Graco Snugride is always highly rated safety-wise) and honestly spend the money on a Britax Roundabout or Marathon. There is a great forum on Parentslplace.com about carseats, with lots of certified carseat techs who frequent the board and give excellent advice. If you go with the marathon, it's great bc it goes to like 65 lbs, so it will definitely last til you need a booster and your child is mature enough to use a seatbelt; however, if you have a small car it could be hard to fit in rear-facing. Go check out the board, you'll learn a lot and get lots of professional help!

I am tired all the time. I think that's all I need say for that discussion!!!

Thanks for the toe sympathy. It's a bit purple now, but the pain isn't too bad as long no one touches it LOL. Like when DS stepped on it earlier, ouch!! I don't think there's anything that can really be done for it so I just have to wait for it to heal up.

[bluehalo]

Another pro-co-sleeping mama here ... it just worked perfectly for us. I know there are some mamas and some babies who really just need their own space ... but I still don't sleep well w/o my boy snug and warm next to me. We'll be sidecar-ing a crib for this new baby, just to make sure we have enough room, but I anticipate it being a big snuggle fest for the most part. I say to at least give it a try and see if it works for you. Be prepared for other people to freak out about it though... my MIL would call me to tell me about her having horrible nightmares about me smothering Ethan, or him falling out of bed and falling down the stairs, etc. etc. Whatevah! :LOL

About car-seats ... I'm really out of the loop re: infant bucket seats. E's been in a Britax of one sort or another since around 5 months when we moved him from his bucket to a (rearfacing, of course) Roundabout. He's currently in the Marathon. We really have had *fantastic* experiences and I highly recommend them. I know some people think they're just for car seat snobs (whatever that means, *lol*) ... but we tried it based on research and lots of positive experiences of friends, and I truly love both of the Britax's that E. has been in. We're planning on doing the same thing this time around (starting off w/ the bucket ... it's a Graco something or the other, I don't even remember... and then switching to the Roundabout at around 5- months.).

[bluehalo]

and add me to the exhausted list ... I feel like I did during the early part of this pregnancy ... I would go to sleep w/ E., and wake up with E, getting at 9-10 hours of sleep, and still be totally drained. Some tasks tire me out just *thinking* about them! I've been meaning to clean and reorganize our sewing and playroom, and I just look at the chaos that they're in, and have *no* motivation. I've been sitting on my butt a lot, getting a lot of crocheting done, but that's about it. Ah well, I have 3 new soakers for this baby to show for it at least Add to that the fact that it's been raining here every day for what feels like weeks on end ... I can barely gear myself up to walk the dog and run necessary errands. *sigh* Waiting for the burst of energy everyone keeps promising me is around the corner...

[flitters]

hi mamas!

we'll be a cosleeping family too. we got a moses basket to put the baby in on the bed if dh is worried initially, but mostly i think that will get used for naps. we have 2 dogs so we want to be able to define some baby spaces as well.

gosh, the car seat thing was a real pain for us. went to this great store with good selection and it turns out my car (2001 subaru) is just really, really hard to fit. we tried so many seats and they all fit like crap - really wobbly and loose. we went home and dh made some adjustments and we were able to get a really good fit with one seat. it's an infant seat from pegpegpego (whatever that brand is). i think with dh's car adjustments we'll be able to get a good fit with a convertible seat once the baby outgrows the bucket.

tomorrow i'm heading away for a week for a business trip to a conference. amusingly, my mom is coming (we're also going to stop and see some tourist sites on the way). i'm really going to miss dh and the dogs while i'm gone but i know the week will be good and pass quickly. hopefully it will be good to spend time with my mom... generally we get along easily, but like most parents, she's quirky and we don't always see eye to eye. we're very close though so i suspect it will be a nice trip. i'm still pretty comfortable and my bladder is holding up pretty well so i think the car drive shouldn't be too bad. it's about 4 hours for tomorrow, 4 the next day and then maybe we'll do the whole return trip in one go of about 7 hours next week.

also wanted to say how much i love the october mamas gallery! maybe i can upload something before i go.

[mirthfulmum]

Just wanted to say that my darling husband just made me the yummiest snack! It was a peanut and raspbery jam snadwich with Lay's potato chips inside the sandwich. Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones but the man is a culinary genius!

[Jillerina]

Culinary genius you say? My Dad introduced all us kids to peanut butter and dill pickle sandwiches...now there is brilliance. Try it, you'll love it!

I can commiserate with every one of you tired, unmotivated mamas. I'm also dragging these days.

Re cosleeping, we loved cosleeping with newborn Clara right from the get go. What made us confident was that all three of us had our own set of blankets. Clara slept in the middle of the King sized bed swaddled up in some baby blanket and then DH and I slept on either side with single bedsheets. This worked great in the Summer but unfortunatly we don't have two extra single duvets so we won't be doing the same thing this time around. Although, I'm not nearly as concerned about any of those "rules" this time around anyway!

[Lucysmama]

Just wanted to say I will not be around much for a while - dd and I moved out today. (See my post in Parents as Partners if you wanna know background.)

Love to all you mamas and I will post when I can. I don't know how often I will get online.

[stanleymama]

Thanks everyone for the warm thoughts--I am doing better today, just feel a bit drained. I feel nervous to eat anything though--I don't want it to get flared back up.

Anyways--gottaknit-my dh callls me the "pillow-master" when pg because I take up most of the bed with all of my pillows tucked in the right places to keep me comfy. This time I have been using a body pillow, which has worked wonders, so he does have a bit more room. Its nice though he works nights so then I get the WHOLE bed to myself

OakEmber--I have a couple friends who live in Kelowna. I have never been there, but I here it is BEAUTIFUL--I am so jealous!!!

I hear everyone on being tired as well. I am able to get my stuff done around the house, but that is about it. My mil is with us for the summer and sometimes she will really piss me off with comments like " so when are going to bake cookies--we all want a treat." She can be wonderful, but when I am tired don't nag me. Sometimes she just doesn't get that I am TIRED and that dinner is a HUGE accomplishment. Ok there is my little vent.

Mamas--hope you all have a nice restful sleep tonight

[stanleymama]

Lucysmama--I just went and read your post. I am so sorry that you are going through something like this right now. I will keep you and Lucy in my prayers tonight

[Jillerina]

Oh Katie - I wish I were there to hug you in person tonight. I'm so incredibly sorry this is happening to you. I skimmed the thread over at Parents as Partners and all I can say is take all the time and space you need to make your next decision. If there is anything you need us October Mamas will be right here for you. I'll be thinking positive thoughts for you and Lucy until we hear from you again.

[bluehalo]

(((katie))) sending you much love and peace ... hoping you find the clarity you need in such a tough time. ((((humongo preggo belly hugs to you!))))

[gottaknit]

Katie, I hope you're doing alright. This is one of those times you wish you could just wake up and find out if was all a bad dream...

Thanks to all for responding to the co-sleeping/carseat questions. I'm going to have DH read your advice/opinions and see if he'd be comfortable with it.

I wonder how common cosleeping in a family bed is. I'm thinking maybe more people are doing this than will admit to it, even non-crunchy non-AP types. (The only "out" co-sleepers I know IRL are decidedly non-crunchy. They use sposies, eat tons of junk food and watch TV 6 hours a day. They co-sleep because their DD is adopted and had serious attachment issues when they first got her. It was her choice, not theirs, but now they love it!)
What with all the bad press about SIDS and paranoid peds, I can see why people would keep it a secret...

[flitters]

oh katie, such big hugs to you and lucy and your babe on the way. i'm sure you will find strength within you and i hope it brings you peace.

[blessed2bamommie]

Its 3 am here and I just got to the last page...

I got tired and started skimming and saw Katies post. I'm speechless. But, I know there is power in the name of Jesus and I just called upon His name for you.


yeah I been shoppin; but, I don't even feel like postin the link. I think I'll go to bed....once I do one last check...:

[3bees~1flower]

Katie....i don't have anything to add to the great advice you have already been given in the PAP thread...just wanted to give a and say that i'm thinking of you and that i'm so sorry you have to go thru this...

~Carrie

[OakEmber]

Awww Katie you are in our thoughts, and Lucy and baby too of course.

About the co-sleeping, I have been in a different place...being worried about how we will all fit in our queen sized bed and now I see a light! Ember slept at the foot of our bed last night...out of her own doing and actually stayed there for the night! It was cute, she asked me to hold her foot until she fell asleep and then at about 4 am I heard this little "Mommy, can you hold my foot". I have been trying to rack my brain throughout this pregnancy because we just don't have room for much of a sidecar arrangement, but I was surprised at how much room her being at the bottom opened up! I am sure that she isn't ready to transition to her room yet, she is scared to sleep there...plus like I have said, I still enjoy her in our bed and look forward to being a true family bed. Bluehalo- I feel akin to you because we both have our preschoolers with us

And remember how I said hadn't ever been kept awake by movement at night? It's true that kids like to make liars out of there mothers :LOL I didn't get much sleep last night Oakley was very active for about 2 hrs, I finally got up and had a bowl of cereal at 5 am and now not even a full 3 hrs later I am starving!!

About the carseat question, I do agree that it is handy to have the infant seat...if you buy one now and get a convertalbe in a few months then you will probably be set when the next one comes around and will possibly only need to buy a booster later. Ember is still in her Safe Embrace by Fisher Price, which they don't produce anymore unfortunately b/c I love it and have no complaints whatsoever and now Oakley will be in the infant seat until he gets too big for it at which time, Ember will probably be 40 lbs and be too big for hers....OK, no one asked for all this extra info, :LOL...I do recommend a Britax seat as well, when I bought the FP it was b/c the Britax wasn't available here in Canada (well there was one store in Toronto that I found it for $300 plus shipping and taxes ) but the FP had the same reputation for non-twisting straps which is IMO so important after having dealt with my sisters carseats! So especially being on your first child...spend the money on a seat you won't regret! And I am jealous of the Pegperego seat owner!! They didn't even make them until months after Ember was born but boy do I drool over them and basically all there things :LOL

Kimberly- Yes, I am pretty partial to the area that I live in, it is very beautiful.

[mirthfulmum]

Katie - I am speachless. I can only imagine how devastating this is for you and your little girl. Know that we at the October group are here for you.

[sqoya]

Glad I'm not the only one here with leaking problems! When I told my midwife I started leaking at 16 weeks, she was definitely surprised. Not exactly a comforting feeling when your 60 year old midwife gives you a look like "Haven't heard that one before!" (Really, she's great.)

Lucysmama - Not much help here. I think Annabelle Violet sounds absolutely beautiful. And then you can shorten it, if you want, or if she wants! Clementine is great, too, and the one Clementine I met was really nice and compasssionate and had an independent personality - she knew what she wanted in life and was very happy!

Piglet - congrats on the condo!!! I am completely envious of you moving to Vancouver - I'm from Seattle and would love to be back in that part of the country again!

We're not telling anyone our name picks either. I just don't want anyone to give me bad vibes! But, I'll probably share them will all of you...

Sex isn't so bad here. The only problem is that it takes me about 2 days to recover - I'm so tired all the time, that afterwards, I feel like I've been beat up! But then, a few days later, it's all I want again!

CourtneyandLogan - my church offered the same service, and I feel a little silly taking them up on it, but I guess I really should!

Stanleymama - I had some sort of food poisoning, too, a couple weeks ago. It was horrible and there's nothing I could do. Just feel miserable. Ugh.

I have to stop letting so many days go by without checking what everyone's been up to!!! I'm a complete slacker!

[True Blue]

Katie -- is about all I can offer...

I am in so much physical discomfort today!! Made a chiro appt for this afternoon when DH gets home. I usually have a problem with my left leg/hip even when I am not pg, but now something is getting pinched over my right leg, in the back, top of my butt. It's killing me, every step makes me feel like I'm gonna fall over! I hope the chiro does the trick or I won't make it 12 more weeks LOL. Anyone else starting to get these lovely aches, shooting pains, etc yet???