~~Sept 04 Mamas--Summer is Here!~~ - Page 3

[Mama Bear]

I just realized I forgot to subscribe to the new thread. I need to catch up, but wanted to post first.
I have been really out of it. My nausea/vomitting seems to have finally subsided!!! V is doing really well. His speech has just taken off and he cracks me up everyday with the things he says. He's also been taking private swim lessons at our neighborhood pool and he's doing so well.

I am almost 20 weeks along. We had our ultrasound this morning. Everything looked great, measurements were right on for a due date of 11/5. We found out that we are having a boy....























and a boy!!!!!!!!! : Yup folks - TWINS!!!! That explains why I have been feeling so awful this time around. We are in complete shock. We are excited, but mostly shocked right now. I will write more later - I need to go rest

[chrissy]

Christine, oh my GOSH!!! did you have any idea/feeling that you might be having twins? how wonderful! does this change any of your plans for your delivery? Congratulations X 2!

Samantha, that is hilarious about the feet! wonder where she came up with that one?

ack, gotta run

[HeatherB]

Christine, congrats and congrats!! How wonderful, exciting, and scary - all at the same time! I thought for a brief time that we were having twins (seemed to be measuring large and had really strong symptoms - nausea, fatigue) but it's just one! It was exciting to think about it for a while, but I definitely had some trepidation. I'm sure you will do GREAT though and really enjoy your two little ones!

[MommyofPunkiePie]

Christine: CONGARATULATIONS!!!: How very exciting! How very exciting! (Get it, twins? I'm just cracking myself up!: )

[AugustineM]

Christine! Wow! How exciting. My DH always has said he wanted twins...

Samantha, that is hilarious about the feet smelling. Thor is coming up with all these weird things lately, too. Like, he'll get the can opener out of the cupboard and start pinching things with it, then look at it for a minute and say, "I pinch my penis." OK, buddy, that might hurt a bit. He's also really into saying "sorry," "thank you" and "please" and he always overemphasizes them. Like, "Mama, I'm SO SORRY for running into Anna. I didn't mean it. It's an axydent." And he's been telling everyone he sees lately to "Stay out of trouble!!" I don't know where he got that, I never tell him that. I kind of think it might be from reading curious george, since the man in the yellow hat is always telling george to "be a good little monkey and stay out of trouble."

OK, gotta go to bed. Thor threw up 10 times yesterday and now has horrible runny poo, enough so that I've actually put him in a diaper a couple times since there was just too much mess... yuck... I'm really hoping Dh and I don't get it!

[midwestmeg]

We're going!! Up to AK. I can't wait to see all my family and friends at HOME!! I found tickets for $400; so much more affordable that the $700+ it was looking like. I guess I didn't realize how much I really did want to see my dad until I found the tickets. We (me, Carl and Cecilia) at really wierd (or weird? Jen, sp?) times, but what the heck.

Thank you, Minnesota Revenue for sending me some $$ (just yesterday!) and thanks to my girlfriend who will pick us up and have us stay with her.

Augustine; we'll be up from the 11th of July to the 22nd. That should be about the peak of the season... But I still have high hopes for visiting with you. And we have always wanted to do the haul road trip; I think it sounds like great fun. Take a sweater- or 10!!

Christine; . Wow! One of my friends IRL and on mdc is having surprise twins. She also found out at 20 weeks. I am so excited for her- for you, too!! She is also having two boys. WHAT A SURPRISE- CONGRATS!!

Samantha: FEET?!! So funny!! I think 2.5 year olds say some pretty great things. It is so neat to see how they reason.

[StacyL]

Christine - congrats on the twins!

[AugustineM]

Meg -- awesome!! So are you and both of the kids going or is it just you and Carl? Either way it will be so fun to meet you! When your travel date gets closer we'll have to exchange numbers.

We're in the thick of rotavirus, I think. Tony has it bad, Thor is worse today, and Anna actually threw up this morning which she's never done before. She seems to feel fine but... yuck. I don't feel very well but I don't have any of the vomiting or watery poo, but I'm totally expecting to get it as well. Though I was lying in bed this morning thinking that someone has to keep this group together and it might as well be me! I'm just crossing my fingers.

I'm worried about thor getting dehydrated. Does anyone have any suggestions? He doesn't nurse anymore... at a time like this you wish they would, eh?

[MommyofPunkiePie]

Originally Posted by AugustineM

I'm worried about thor getting dehydrated. Does anyone have any suggestions? He doesn't nurse anymore... at a time like this you wish they would, eh?

E had the runs yesterday pretty bad (hasn't had them in over a year!), and I don't think she peed at all until this morning! She's still nursing, but she just would take a couple sips and say she was done. She wouldn't drink water, and without a car I couldn't get to the store to even look for Smart Water or Vitamin Water (I know at least one of them at least is like Gatorade minus the junk). So I gave her frozen fruit. I gave her a bowl of frozen melon balls, which ended up getting nuked for 13 seconds to take the freeze off of them. And she asked for more of her *freezy treat*. I figure the water content is high enough to sub for actually liquids. Another thing I used is cucumber, without the seeds and skin. It's 90-something % water, too. It's not the best, but it works for E.

I hope your family recovers quickly!

[midwestmeg]

All three of us are going to AK; what am I thinking?!: I am considering starting a new thread 'How much kid crap can I carry through the airport?' I know that I want Cecilia to sit in her carseat, mainly just to keep her contained. I will take our good stroller (do I need to worry about it getting thrashed if I gate check it?) and I will put the carseat on my back with one of those goofy backpack things. Celia gets her backpack and I'll carry a diaper bag. That's it!

But I'll check Carl's car seat and pack-n-play. Plus our luggage. And on the way home we'll have fish boxes, too! Thank goodness I am going to and from pretty quiet terminals. I hate bringing the stupid pen for Carl, but that is really where he likes to sleep.

How much are the kids growing this summer?!! Cecilia is just shooting up. She currently has no shoes that fit. She outgrew her Keens overnight, it seems. And how much are your kids still naked? I have made Cecilia start putting on clothes when company comes, but she is mainly still nude. All the time.

And another question; what kind of carseats are you using? I know I'm obsessed... : Cecilia uses a Marathon in my car, but I've got to replace my 'back up' seat for my mom's malibu & greg's truck. Plus we'll use it in AK. Cecilia is light, but tall and I am in no hurry to take her out of a harness. I can't decide if I should go for a cheap Graco Cargo (harness for awhile longer and then a belt positioner-$80) or go a step up and use a Fisher Price version of the Marathon ($130). And, of course I have to find a seat for Carl, too. This is what I get for using all my SIL's carseats for so long...

Sam; great hydration ideas! I use gatorade for celia. nak!

[MommyofPunkiePie]

Originally Posted by midwestmeg

How much are the kids growing this summer?!! Cecilia is just shooting up. She currently has no shoes that fit. She outgrew her Keens overnight, it seems. And how much are your kids still naked? I have made Cecilia start putting on clothes when company comes, but she is mainly still nude. All the time.

E's not growing too, too much, but when I bought her a swimsuit I had to get a girl's size 5! She's 40 pounds. She's wearing size 8 shoes, and the last time I measured her height she was 37.5 inches (about 2 months ago). Summer clothes are all girl's XS (4/5), but pants have to be maybe 4T-5T because of the length. She's just sooo big!

And another question; what kind of carseats are you using? I know I'm obsessed... Cecilia uses a Marathon in my car, but I've got to replace my 'back up' seat for my mom's malibu & greg's truck. Plus we'll use it in AK. Cecilia is light, but tall and I am in no hurry to take her out of a harness. I can't decide if I should go for a cheap Graco Cargo (harness for awhile longer and then a belt positioner-$80) or go a step up and use a Fisher Price version of the Marathon ($130). And, of course I have to find a seat for Carl, too. This is what I get for using all my SIL's carseats for so long...

I have the Decathlon and I love it. I did all the research when E was 4 months (when she outgrew the bucket) and bought the Cosco Alpha Omega Elite (I think that's what it's called) based on what I saw. It was very safe when we had our accident (rear-facing), and it converts to a booster up to 100 lbs. Of course after the accident I went with the Britax because now I *really* appreciate a good car seat.

[AugustineM]

Thor has had the Cosco Alpha Omega Elite forever. It's really a good carseat for him. And it turns into a booster. Anna's in the Marathon. It's great too.

Wow, Sam is big! Thor keeps hovering at 31 lbs and he's taller than average but not really tall. He wears 3T perfectly. He's got a super slender butt and tummy, so 4Ts are Waaay too big. His feet grow like crazy though. We just bought him some size 10s and they're already fitting too well. Anna, on the other hand, is a bruiser! She can wear 2T already. And size 6 or 7 shoes.

Meg, that's awesome that Cecilia is coming too! Are you flying all the way to Kenai or just to Anchorage? Do you need a ride or anything? It will be great fun to have you come visit us down on the beach.

[JenInMpls]

Holy smokes, have I got a dainty kid?! He's barely breaking 30 lbs and 2Ts finally fit him - although 3T shirts are starting to look better than the 2Ts simply because there is less Britney Spears effect

We went to Germany with him wearing size 5.5 shoes and came home wearing 7.5 : *that* was crazy. He has a pair of size 8 Keens right now that fit him just great.

Car seats: we have a Britax Marathon and love it... and we have a Cosco Alpha Omega ... Nighthawk or some other raptor, I don't remember... it was a gift from a family at school, a very thoughtful one. Right now we have both in our car because my friend (former Sept 04 DDC'er badomama, Steph) is due to have a baby any day now and we just need to have the extra one in there for her son in case we have to take him. I like the Marathon better because you can remove and WASH the cover, plus we ordered a nice denim cover that is cooler than the synthetic black fuzz of the Cosco.

If you are reading this, Heather Johnson, you should pipe up about the seat you got, I can't remember the name of it, but it is designed by a company that makes seats for race cars!

Meg: we checked the stroller plane-side on this last trip and there was no problem whatsoever. I am SO PROUD of the fact that we made it to the airport solely by mass transportation - bus to light rail to airport. We had one big rolling duffel, the car seat in a rolling cover (I highly recommend this and they are available at Target! - you can put extra things in there beyond the car seat, too, like diapers or SHOES!), the stroller, a rolling carry-on and each of us had a smaller carry-on. We ended up putting T in the Ergo, the car seat in the stroller and one person pulling the rolling duffel in one hand and the rolling carry-on in the other... but when T got weary of the Ergo and wouldn't cooperate anymore, we put him in the stroller and one person could push the stroller and pull the rolling carry-on and the other person pulled the duffel and the car seat! I also have a handy thing that lets you strap the car seat to a rolling carry-on and supposedly you could then strap your kid into the car seat, but I found that a little weird.

Still, strapping the car seat onto the carry-on worked GREAT when I was taking the car seat on the plane with me and if you want to borrow it, let me know. (Also, if you want to drive to our house and then have me drive you to the airport or light rail and then leave the car at our house, let me know that, too...)

You might want to consider sending the fish home, though. Just for convenience's sake? You're each allowed 2 pieces of checked luggage, and if you've already got the pack and play and a car seat and one suitcase, then you've got one left (unless you bought a ticket for carl?).

Anyway... summer can go away now, please, we really got spoiled in Spokane by the lovely weather... here it is 90 and humid. BLEAH. I don't care much for that kind of summer!

*wave* jen

[midwestmeg]

Okay.... Cecilia's stats- 39'' tall and 28 lbs; wearing a 3T/4T top and 4T pants, the girl has legs! She still has big huge blue eyes; people ALWAYS are commenting on the kids eyes. Her feet have just exploded into a size 8 or 24 euro.

Thanks for the travel tips!!

I just ordered the bags you are talking about, Jen and I'm going to do it a lot like you did. I will have my stroller (and I bought a bag for that, too) and wear Cecilia's car seat on my back (it's a black bag that the seat goes in and I wear it like a backpack). Carl's seat will be in the rolling black bag and be checked. Thank you Target.com for liberating me from some $$ for 3 black bags...

I decided that if I was spending all this $$ on bags, then I might as well take my Britaxes. Then, at Toys are us of all places, I found the two seats I wanted for my 'other' seats. A plain jane Comfortsport for Carl and a plain Cargo for Cecilia. The Cargo will keep her harnessed for awhile; she has a ways to go before she goes over the top slots. The Comfortsport will keep Carl until age 3, I figure. I know it only goes to 30 lbs rearfacing, but I just don't think I'd be able to convince Carl to stay rearfacing that long! I looked and looked for the best stuff on the 'net, but I REFUSE to pay shipping for carseats and I don't need to be distracted by ideas like 'would a sunshine radian fit in mom's car?!'

I guess I saw a really bad car accident this winter and when I watched them pull the carseat out, my heart broke and I realized that I was serious about carseat safety. Sam, I am so glad that E came through your accident so well.

Jen; we're flying suncountry, which has higher bag weight limits, 70lbs and it will be cheaper to just pack the fish with me. Everyone does it... I'll pack my own fish at the cannery and the boxes are fabulous; we use them for everything! So if you want to eat some salmon with us sometime, just let me know... I don't think carseats count towards your bags, but I'll check. Perhaps I'll skip that stupid p-n-p.

Augs; my girlfriend will get us in Anch. My sister is in town also, so I should be able to get around between the two of them. My dad has an extra car for us and I'm assuming my sister will want it.. but I should be able to drop her at Snug (probably for days!) if I want to use the Trooper.

Oh, one more thing... yesterday in a fit I threw away ALL of Cecilia's nuks. Yes, she still used them. Here is why:
1. they smell
2. they are in our bed and I end up sleeping on them
3. Cecilia gets 'cattails' (hairs on them) and gags
4. they make her talk funny
5. they are affecting her teeth
6. I'm sick of the da*n things!

So last night she cried, of course and I held her and sang Old macdonald 50 times, per her request. Greg says I'm mean and she'll give them up when she wants to. I do believe she is outside with Nana waiting for the trash man right now. I told her the trash man took them, so she's going to ask for them back today! :

[3boobykins]

Does anyone remember me? I was part of the original Sept. 04 group, not a prolific poster by any means, though. I check in here from time to time to see how everyone is doing, and thought I'd finally post.

First, congrats on all the new babies and expecting mamas! We are DONE having babies and looking forward to enjoying our children as they grow. It took me a long time to get to that place of being done and feeling good about it. For a long time I wanted a fourth, felt jealous when I saw pregnant women and newborn babies, etc, but our life is so full now, and at this point I'd be freaked out if I got pregnant instead of overjoyed. So would dh!

Bhavani is very 2.5, or actually, 2.75 these days. She's demanding and stubborn, but has a great sense of humor and is often very sweet and loving. She's continued to be a petite toddler at around 24.5 lbs and she's not very tall either, but I'm not good at measuring height so I don't know specifics. But she's short enough that she's petite but not extremely skinny. She can still wear 12 mo. shorts and 18 mo. capri pants. She's still pretty bald on top and her hair is wispy all over, and gets matted into tiny dreads starting the day it's washed and combed out. She's mostly potty-learned, not in diapers at all anymore but still misses, usually pee, once or twice a day. She talks very well. She was an "average" talker until about 2.5, then she just took off, talking in full sentences, and her pronunciation is very clear and precise, except she adds a little something extra to some words, like car is "car-a" and she has some funny little language quirks, like when she's hungry she says "I want something to the eat." She's weaned (mother-led, it needed to be done, and she did great with it, no tears!),and sleeps with her brother and sister in their room, and has stayed overnight with my parents (and her siblings), several times, and she loved it. I can't believe my youngest will be three in three months. It's exciting to me that my kids are growing up, not sad like I thought it would be. I love watching their personalities develop and seeing them interact.

I am enjoying knitting these days, always working on several projects at a time, and learning to play mandolin. We also got a Gordon Setter puppy about a month and a half ago. He's a handful, but we love him like crazy and are working with a trainer so we end up with a well-mannered dog. I'll post photos of him and the kids when I get the chance.

Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Heather

[JenInMpls]

HEATHER!!!!

love seeing old faces

We are on day 17 post-pox-exposure and T has been the whiniest thing today, so I'm hopeful...

xoxo j

oh, ps Meg: my mom threw my bottles and nuks out when I was 3 and to this day I still have terrible oral/sucking needs (gum, candy, and I've been told I suck my thumb in my sleep sometimes). Do the two go together? I dunno, but I have my suspicions. Are they really affecting her bite? Is there something you could mount on the wall or tie to a bedpost where she could put them so you don't lie on them? Maybe you'd hate them less if you gave her the responsibility for keeping track of them and keeping them clean... just a thought *shrug*

[3boobykins]

Aww, thanks for the warm welcom, Jen!

We were exposed to chicken pox several times in the past 6 or so weeks, but no one got it. We probably weren't around it for long enough, since we knew after the fact, or we'd have had the kids share cups or lick each other or something.

It's nice to be back here. I hope to keep up this time! We'll be moving on to the Childhood Years in about 3 months when our little ones become 3-year-olds. Unbelievable! Weren't we all just newly pregnant with our sept. babes and moaning about morning sickness?

[midwestmeg]

Originally Posted by JenInMpls

HEATHER!!!!


oh, ps Meg: my mom threw my bottles and nuks out when I was 3 and to this day I still have terrible oral/sucking needs (gum, candy, and I've been told I suck my thumb in my sleep sometimes). Do the two go together? I dunno, but I have my suspicions. Are they really affecting her bite? Is there something you could mount on the wall or tie to a bedpost where she could put them so you don't lie on them? Maybe you'd hate them less if you gave her the responsibility for keeping track of them and keeping them clean... just a thought *shrug*

Well, this is what I secretly worry about, since I feel that Cecilia has very high sucking needs. Greg doesn't voice this concern, per say, but says 'she'll give them up when she's ready.' Then he tells the story of how his parents tried everything to get him to stop sucking his thumb, but he didn't! I also was a thumb sucker.


So yes, I hear you.

Last night at bed time we had no tears; b/c I gave her three of Carl's 'baby nuks' that he doesn't like with the end cut off of them. She was happy to hold them and her babydoll (named 'carseat baby'). So maybe it's okay and my timing was right?!! However, Greg has been rooting around the house and finding stray nuks for her (although he doesn't admit this!) so this morning she woke up and 'found' one. I suppose like weaning from anything, you take a big step forward and then a small one back.


Hi Heather! I joined this group when Cecilia was about a year old.... it's my 'mom connection.'

I totally hear you about 3 vs 4 babies.... it's a funny thing, isn't it?! I would love four children.

[crazyeight]

Originally Posted by 3boobykins

It's nice to be back here. I hope to keep up this time! We'll be moving on to the Childhood Years in about 3 months when our little ones become 3-year-olds. Unbelievable! Weren't we all just newly pregnant with our sept. babes and moaning about morning sickness?

NOOOOO!!!!! they aren't children! they're still just babies....its so hard for me to think that ds is supposed to be moving on.

i feel like such a horrible mom. ds is delayed in so many things and i know its because i am just not the kind of person who is on the floor always interacting and always talking. i enjoy my quiet time (although theres too much of it right now) and i just can't get myself to talk to the kids like i should. ds can't speak in sentences and hardly knows 50 words (he repeats everything just doesn't use them all), according to the early interventionist testing stuff he is only at a year/year and a half development for small motor skills, self cleaning/dressing, and barely 2 years with speach. i think this is why i feel sooo tired and upset all the time. we've been stuck at 1 year for 2 years! : and to top it all of i know that i am not really going to be able to change much with dd. the child play just drives me NUTS. i zone out and i just can't get down there to do the mind numbing repetitiveness that he requires. :

oh and yes i was just pregnant with my sept baby.....last year! lol

[bobandjess99]

hi everyone...havent posted here much, been very sick with new pregnancy, due around New Years.....Mambear - YIKES!! I have had feelings I have twins, but no other real reason to believe so. we'll see. My baby is so big!!! But, because we live in a stupid state, noone will take her for preschool, because you have to be 3 by June 1st, so I'm going crazy!!! The next state over (a few miles away, we live on the border) is a much mroe reasonable state, with a Dec 1 cutoff date, so I might send her to preschool there. I never thought I'd do" school, but she wants to go SO badly. eh.