Sept 2004 Mamas - Welcome to Toddlerhood! - Page 5

[hjohnson]

I am part of the 30s club as well. I turned 30 this past June. There are days where I feel like I am 21 and there are days when I feel like I am 40.

David just got over a 24 hour stomach flu. Poor guy threw up on me 3 times at Wal-Mart Friday night. Of course later that evening was a bit scarier when he hit 102.6 at 2:30am. Thankfully he is back to his happy self.

[leomom]

Poor David!

I am 30 also...will be 31 in December. I feel like I'm..well, 30,....not really young, but not really old. :LOL

[AugustineM]

Originally Posted by leomom

Augustine..congrats! I'm curious, have you noticed a drop in your milk supply? How does that work, does it go down and then back up again?

I'm curious about this myself. I find it so hard to know what my supply is doing. I hear Thor gulping when he nurses, but only right at first, and only if it's been at least 3 hours in between. So I know he's getting some. But the past 3 nights have been crazy. He wants to nurse, or be latched on, ALL. NIGHT. LONG. Thursday night I just couldn't take it anymore, so my husband and I layed in bed with him and tried to soothe him. He cried off and on from 1-4:30. He was supposed to go to daycare that day but there was no way I could take him, so DH stayed home with him. Then Thor stared getting sick yesterday, just a runny nose (yellow, yucky), and really has been stepping up the nursing a lot. So, I don't know if it's the pregnancy or the sicky that's getting him.

I was reading that often moms have a drop in supply at the end of the first trimester, then again at the beginning of the third. Some quit making milk altogether, some babies wean, but some just keep on nursin'. Which I bet is what Thor will do, since if he can't nurse he completely falls apart.

I'll be 30 in April. It seems strange to say. My 20's just went by so quickly. Met DH when I was 22... it doesn't seem that long ago!

Veganbaby -- The symptoms you have sound like what happened to me the month before I started AF.

YBecca -- That's so cool about robin doing the motions for Itsy Bitsy!! She's so smart.

[Yo Becca]

Leomom - I'd be happy to help quilt Kate's clothes - and a trade could definitely be arranged It might take a while though - I'm determined to finish the quilt I'm working on now, and I'm taking 2 classes to learn new quilts in early dec. But I one of the patterns is a great scrap quilt. Congrats to kate on those first steps.

So glad David feels better!

Meg - I go back and forth between feeling older and younger than my age (28). Being a teacher definitely highlights how much I've grown up inthe past 10 years, but it also keeps me in touch with young folks. I really miss having my own classes, actually - it's great energy for me to be around teenagers, even though they make me feel old too. :LOL

[jilly]

Welcome, Meg! The more the merrier, I say! I found this group about 6 mos ago and I've been addicted ever since.

AugustineM -- Congratulations! I hope the baby sticks!

Leomom, congrats on Kate's steps, that's so fun!

YBecca -- I swear Robin is going to win a nobel prize someday, she's so clever

It is getting chilly around here, too. Forget t-shirts, I broke out all my winter clothes last week and stowed my summer ones. I've been in long sleeved shirts and layers for two or three weeks now. Sigh. I do love fall and winter, though, so I'm not really complaining.

Andrew's newest trick is to spin in circles and try to get dizzy. He sort of pivots on one foot and goes around and around. It's very cute. He is also facinated by our thermostat. We have to stop and touch it every time we walk down the hallway. And we have to open the hall closet and look at the vaccuum. Can we say future electrician or engineer, anyone? He is definitely over whatever was wrong and back to his happy self, which is nice. I think he is glad to be back on a schedule and have a mom with two arms again.

We are not TTC right now, but letting nature take its course. I think I'm going to finally get a period soon becuase I've been feeling really tired and crampy all week. Of course, "letting nature take its course" doesn't really happen, because I can always tell exactly when I am ovulating, so I can cheat. I was at my friend's baby shower yesterday and it was giving me baby fever.

I am almost 30, and I'm pretty happy about it. When I was 15 my sister was 30, and she had a big positive influence on me in my late teens She was a super vibrant beautiful SAHM and then homeschooling missionary in her 30's, so I am inspired to be fantastic. And I feel so much more at home in my own skin now. I too am young looking, though. Two years ago when I was substitute teaching, there was this one secretary at this one school that would always think I was a student. She would ignore me forever until I said "Hi, I'm a teacher and I'm here subbing for . . . " And then she'd be all surprised. Now that I'm a minister's wife DH is forever telling me to dress my age so that people think I'm older. I'm not sure what it means to dress my age, but I try.

Well, I'm off to ignore my messy house and take a bath. Have a good night, all.

Jill

[HeatherB]

Originally Posted by Mama Bear

HeatherB - July 9, 1999 is when we got married. My b-day is Dec 16, 1980. Good luck with your party!!!

That is wild! You're two weeks ahead of me. :LOL We were married on July 24, 1999, and my birthday is December 30, 1980! If your DS was born two weeks ahead of mine, I'm gonna fall over. :LOL

AugustineM, congrats!! I still can't believe we've got mamas with more babies on the way!! I'm hoping to have another in 2 years or so - but of course that'll our 3rd.

veganbaby - Definitely sounds like AF might be on the way. I hated the "false starts" after Gabriel. I've had times when I was sure it was coming for me, but so far nothing. Of course I've also had strange muscle twitches - you know, the ones that those first "kicks" feel like! But I'm really 100% sure I'm NOT pg! It helps that I had those twitches in between boys, too.

Iain just got his 5th tooth! I don't know when it popped through, but in the last couple of days. Still working on that first molar, though. Eek.

Thanks for all the well-wishes for the Open House! It was very small, but a success. The ladies who came had a lot of fun, and I confess, they liked my house! We had to unpack a TON to get ready for this, so our house was, for the first time, just how we wanted it (at least in the public areas! :LOL). It was nice to have others in the house, see that it really DOES work for events, and have them appreciate it. They liked the project, the products, and overall had a lovely time. I also got a new recruit!! With ZERO effort! I was stunned, but thrilled! This mama actually has a September baby, too - he's 5 days younger than Iain. They got to play for awhile while we filled out paperwork and I helped her pick out her starter kit. She's as excited about it as I was when I first was introduced, so I know she's going to have fun! She also owns an online retail store with FB, HHs, Shoo Shoos, mini showers (just got one!), etc. So it was a good day!

Though, by the end of the day both boys were fried.... and Iain ended up settling down and going to play with Gabriel, still clutching a pen he'd picked up from my desk. It was a while later when I discovered that they had drawn all over my brand new pillow covers (discontinued), brand new couch (finally delivered 2 days before), and chair cushion (white). : I've never been so furious with them in my life!! I sent G to bed straight away, deciding that was better than spanking the tar out of him when I was livid. Iain was sobbing, Gabriel was sobbing, and it was all I could do not to cry, scream, or hit something.

The internet is helpful, though, and I found some ideas for using alcohol to get it out. Still working on it, but I think we'll be able to salvage everything. I'm wondering if I needed a lesson in what's more important - my stuff or my kids!! I confess, my brand new, finally "just right" stuff seemed awfully important!! But obviously my kids are a lot more valuable than furniture, which in 20 years just won't be all that great anymore, anyway. Gotta say an AP-perspective is a good thing in stressful situations! I kept thinking, "Never spank when you're angry... never spank when you're angry." I do believe in spanking under some circumstances, but I think G learned his lesson without it!

So, anyhow, it was quite shock to have my kids to something "naughty" (they're really such good kids!!) So Mommy will be more attentive and hopefully Kids will be back to their wonderful selves! :LOL

Eek, gotta get some stuff done for MOPS... anyone else involved in a MOPS group?

Take care, mamas!!

[FeministFatale]

We aren't ttc, we really like having larger age differences between children. Chloë was 3.5 y.o. when I got pregnant with LaRue. I think if I were to do it again, I would have even waited until Chloë was 4.5 y.o. instead. I really like being able to just concentrate on one baby at a time, then when s/he is old enough to be more self-sufficient than it's time to have another. Though we aren't sure that we are going to have anymore children.

LaRue is going through a really big signing phase, she picks up signs instantly and she knows a lot of signs already. Bird, dog, cat, baby, eat, more, shoes, water, I'm forgetting some. After reading about Robin and Itsy Bitsy Spider I sang that to LaRue today. We love singing songs like that, but I'm always forgetting to sing that one. She picked up how to do the finger motions right away and for the rest of the day she would try to get me to sing it again by doing the spider climbing. It's great, she really loves to sign and when she learns new words she looks expecting for the corresponding sign. It's a good thing that we are sort of proficient in sign. Well, my dh knows lots of signs because his parents are deaf, which also makes it that much more important for our girls to know how to sign.

It's still really hot around here, today it was in the 90s. We had LaRue's birthday party today and it was held outside and it was so hot. We were planning on having her birthday party last week, but then there were a few local fires in the mountains surrounding my area and it was raining ash the day before her party. The air quality was just so poor that we decided to postpone it.

Ok, now I must get back to my work, I'm so friggin' exhausted though. The party took a lot out of me, so I've been putting off my work. I have to finish sewing up a baby sleeper for a customer.

[maylea_moon]

I'm definately in that category where I feel much older than I really am. I turned 21 in July but most of my mom friends are in their late 20s. I relate to them better than my friends my own age because obviously, most friends my age aren't parents yet. The people I find I relate to the most are my 2 sister in laws. One is 26 with a 3.5 year old and a 3 month old. The other is 28 with a 3 year old and pg with #2 who is due in early May.

It's kind of a strange situation because I actually live somewhere where being a mother in your early 20s is the norm. I live in south eastern Idaho where the majority of the population is Mormon (I am not) and it's quite common for them to marry and have children young. But with them, as you can guess, I'm still an outcast because I am not mormon. All the friends I grew up with I can't really relate to either because in Seattle (where I grew up) it's much more typical to start having children in your 30s.

It's funny because now that I think of it (I come from a family of 5 kids) my mother had her first (me) at 21 and her last (my youngest brother) at 40 so she knows what it's like to be a young mama and a more "mature" mama.

[lucysmom]

Just a quick note -- I've been up since 2:30 a.m. to take our dogs for a walk, do dishes, water plants ... and am now relaxing a little before heading to bed for another hour of sleep. I have been taking Lucy to bed about 9:30 & then I fall asleep too, try as I might to stay awake, creep away and do adult chores after she goes to sleep. So middle of the night, after DP wakes me when he comes to bed, is my only time to get much done. Weird schedule, but it seems to be working OK.

Anna, your tales of Mielle's conversations are mind-boggling. I don't think I've ever heard of a kid her age using sentences like that. What a smartie!!

And I just have to say that I think I must be the oldest of this group; I'm 39, had Lucy when I was 38. She's our first and probably our only child. I have regrets about that -- if my life had been different in my early 30s I would love to have had a second child. Always planned to. But I was working really hard on things that seemed to be important, and wanted to know what I could accomplish in the world if I was really single-minded; and then DP and I had numerous challenges it seemed we should try to overcome before having kids, none of which actually were overcome when we had Lucy, so that reason for delay I do regret. I wish she would have a sibling. If our fortunes change a lot quickly, maybe we will be in a position to foster or adopt another, older, child a little while down the line.

I worry that I will be an old mom who finds it harder to ski, bike, hike etc. with Lucy as she gets older, but I guess I just have to work hard to stay fit & healthy.

Anyway, all of you who just turned 30 and feel old ... you ain't!!

Off for my hour of sleep ...

Lisa

[leomom]

Beccam that sounds great. Just pm me whenever you finish your current quilt. I'm in no hurry.

Heather, I keep having those muscle twitches or stirrings and reminding myself that I just couldn't be pregnant- I think! :LOL

[StacyL]

Originally Posted by AugustineM

StacyL -- Yes, it looks like we're on the same timeline for our family! My dad's Bday is June 1. I redid a due date calculator, because I think I'm about 5 weeks, not 6, which would make the EDD 6/10/06. I am going to go over to the June due date club now... How are you feeling lately?

I am feeling really awful. Yesterday was my worst day yet. I will be glad when the m/s passes. Speaking of ages, etc. I am going to be 36 in 3 weeks, so it is good I am pg since I am no spring chicken. I regret starting my life so late, but I figure I could get maybe 4 kiddos out before I run out of fertility.

Must. Go. Lay. Down.

[leomom]

Originally Posted by StacyL

I am feeling really awful. Yesterday was my worst day yet. I will be glad when the m/s passes. Speaking of ages, etc. I am going to be 36 in 3 weeks, so it is good I am pg since I am no spring chicken. I regret starting my life so late, but I figure I could get maybe 4 kiddos out before I run out of fertility.

Must. Go. Lay. Down.

Poor thing! M/S is the worst! I hope it passes quickly for you.

Just this last week, Kate has gotten into the "tantrum" phase. She just gets so mad at me and I have no idea why. I can't figure out what she wants, and she has no patience for my lack of understanding.

[Yo Becca]

Stacey - best wishes on the MS passing quickly.

Leomom- I sat up with RObin for a while this morning and couldn't go back to sleep for brainstorming quilt ideas! Are you wanting a wall hanging or a usable quilt?

Robin is entering a crazy nut child phase - running, spinning, dancing all the time she's awake. Getting into everything. It's exhausting! I have a few errands I need to run todya, and I'm dreading chasing her all over stores. The plus side is that she enjoys her stroller more b/c she likes looking at everything - but I have to stay in constant motion. and part of my errands today includes some shopping. I "shop" for clothes these days by just buying whatever I think might work, tryingit on at home and then returning it later. :LOL Not that I'm buying very much - I'm mostly buying and returning b/c nothing is fitting me right (ofcourse, I;m also limiting my options b/c I'll only buy stuff that's on serious sale. I'm still not fitting into all my pre-baby clothes, but I look like a hobo. I have to have some things for work, etc. but I hate to spend money on clothes right now)

Robin somehow just deleted only one paragraph of my post, so here it is again:

HeatherB - glad your party went well, but so sorry for your bg mess. Here's my best tip for removing ink form machin washables:
wet the area and scrub it with a little bit of detergent and a toothbrush. Then spray the area with hairspray and scrub some more. It doesn't need a lot of detergent, but add more water and hairspray and det. and keep scrubbing and it should all come out. Then machine wash as usual. This works everytime for me - and b/c I use my hands when I teach I write on my clothes all the time. it's the only reason I keep a little travel size hairspray! I don't know what would work best for the sofa, since it's hard to rinse. GOod luck. and it is frustrating, but probably inevitable.

Wish me luck - heading to the mall, old navy and target - what am I thinking?

But on friday I'm heading to the beach with my SIL, her sister and my mom (who wants to bring my brother grrrr....it's supposed to be a girls time!)

[leomom]

Becca,

a usable quilt would be awesome!

I, too, am having clothing issues. I am so sick of putting on pants that are just a little too snug to be comfy or look good on me. : And these are the pants I bought AFTER giving birth when I had lost most of the weight. But now those are snug. I don't understand how I am gaining weight. I eat healthy, when I get to, and I walk almost daily. It seems like I'm always cleaning or slinging or something, so shouldn't I be losing instead of packing it on?

[Mama Bear]

Originally Posted by HeatherB

That is wild! You're two weeks ahead of me. :LOL We were married on July 24, 1999, and my birthday is December 30, 1980! If your DS was born two weeks ahead of mine, I'm gonna fall over. :LOL

Ds b-day is Sept 4.

Don't have much time -

Gotta run!

[midwestmeg]

Okay, so the being sick part of pregnancy I don't miss. I hope you're over it soon, AugustineM and StacyL.

And that clothes thing.... grrrr. The hardest part is to find some time to shop and enjoy it. This summer I did get out a little more, mainly because we don't have air conditioning and it was so HOT this summer. So I'd cruise the mall and let dh put Cecilia to bed. It was nice, but until we have an REI in our area, I'll always be bored.

I can't figure out ttc! What does it stand for?!

I think a little time between babies is nice, but I always get all freaked out about Greg's age and think we should get it done now! My goal is to be home full time for awhile (I still work a lot, although I take Cecilia with) and then Greg (dh) and I can kind of switch roles, he can be home more and I can work. I've never really had a 'career' although I have spent a lot of time in school!

Whoa, Cecilia hasn't markered my furniture yet, but I dread the day. I do love my stuff!! I totally feel for you, HeatherB. It is hard not to react in anger.

Leomom, I hear you about the tantrums. Cecilia can only use pointing, screaming and grunting to communicate and it gets frusterating. I tell her what I think she should be saying 'more water please, mommy? okay' and I am regretting not teaching her some signs.

Lucysmom, I love your schedule! That's so funny! I bet you get a lot done at night because it is so nice and quiet.

[Yo Becca]

Meg -
TTC=trying to conceive (as opposed to TTA - trying to avoid (conception))
THe TTC boards practically have their own language of abbreviations. My fave is POAS - Peeing on a stick, or taking a preg test :LOL

[midwestmeg]

Oh, so simple, ttc, got it! Thanks Becca!

Hey everyone, what kinds of shoes are your kids wearing? Cis is in Robeez right now, but that obviously isn't going to cut it pretty soon. Ideas?

[JenInMpls]

Originally Posted by midwestmeg

Hey everyone, what kinds of shoes are your kids wearing? Cis is in Robeez right now, but that obviously isn't going to cut it pretty soon. Ideas?

T has a pair of brown leather stride rites his grandma bought him. I kinda wish we had gotten the cruisers instead of the walkers, because the cruisers are more flexible but still sturdy, but oh well. I read on a web page that you should buy shoes as wide as possible. - j

[hjohnson]

Originally Posted by midwestmeg

Oh, so simple, ttc, got it! Thanks Becca!

Hey everyone, what kinds of shoes are your kids wearing? Cis is in Robeez right now, but that obviously isn't going to cut it pretty soon. Ideas?

Currently David doesn't have any shoes. He has been shoeless since summertime. He outgrew his 0-6month Robeez. I am planning on buying him a pair of 6-12month Shoo Shoos if I can find the pair I want at the mall. He hates shoes so my plan is to get the Shoo Shoos and once he is used to those and walking well, then I will get him a pair of shoes for outside. Probally from the Stride Rite outlet.