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NMY Graduates Love Thread, Part 5

33K views 606 replies 20 participants last post by  TinyFrog 
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#52 ·
cking, it was an adjunct position, and they didn't have the enrollment to run my course in the spring. So I'm left high and dry, and because I was an independent contractor, I'm not eligible for unemployment. Ah well, I may have an interview next week after all. Not as good money and the travel is further, but we'll see.

but you're so close! how exciting


zoe, have a safe trip. This is such an amazing exciting time for you.

sihaya, sometmes you gotta do what you gotta do. I am still hoping for the best, of course.
 
#54 ·
Fenton [running around diaperless]: "I have to go poop! I have to go poop!"
Me [getting up to follow him to bathroom]: "OK, let's go!"
Fenton: [pushes me back to sit in chair] "No, you stay here while I go". [comes running back to me] "Wait, will you wipe my nose?"



Quote:

Originally Posted by Sihaya View Post
Thank you all
ZB, thank you so much. I really appreciate it!

I did something I swore I wouldn't do and got my blood drawn today to check HCG and progesterone levels. Going in on Friday
I did the same thing with Fenton's pregnancy.
I didn't feel the same need with Reece, it really can help without creating a different world view.
 
#55 ·
shanna

Westley seems to be changing up his sleep/nap habits. I used to put him down for all his naps by swaddling and then rocking him in his bouncer with my foot. It was nearly fool proof, even if he didn't look very tired. I loved that I could knit or have my hands otherwise occupied while putting him to sleep. It's not working anymore though
He nurses to sleep more often now, if I try to lay him in his bouncer before he's totally out, he just arches his back and protests, and then I have to fight to get him to take the breast again and it's 20 more minutes to get him relaxed and asleep. And his naps have been a lot shorter too. I'm hoping we get back into a rhythm again soon. His first two teeth broke through last week, so maybe it's the teething discomfort that's throwing him off.

He does seem to do better on days that we get out of the house. I took him to "lap time" at the library today. It's advertised as being for infants and young toddlers (Story-time afterward is for the older toddler-preschoolers). He was definitely one of the youngest babies there who didn't have an older sibling participating. He seemed to enjoy it though, grinning and bouncing up and down during the songs. He fell asleep in the wrap on the walk home
. ( I
being able to walk to the library) I just need more ideas on things to go out and do in the winter. I tend to be sort of a homebody. Tomorrow I think I'll be brave and attend the local AP playgroup. I've never been before, I'm feeling sort of shy.
 
#57 ·
have had such an exciting adventure so far.

first, got to the hotel around 10, but ended up staying up until midnight rearranging bags and having a snack. slept until 4 am, and got out to the shuttle by 5, airport at 5:15, and everything checked in and through security by 5:45. (check the EC forum for a funny story about hawk and the first security check!)

got onto the first flight and it was great. he fussed a bit now and again, but otherwise napped for about 3 of the 6 hrs of the flight (toward the end) and mostly played happily for the first 3 hrs. so, it was all in all very easy.

get to SF at 11 and the ticket/check in is closed until 3:30. we have a boarding pass, so we go through security because that's where there is a mexican restaurant rather than a food court. have a great lunch, and then head to our gate. we ar the only ones there, it's really sunny and open, and hawk runs around and plays while we alternate napping!

around 5:30 the gate opens and i go to make sure that our boarding passes are right. on a hunch, we'd purchased tickets for Aus for 3 mo after our arrival as per the visitor visa rules, but when they checked my passport, they wouldn't let me in because it expired on Feb 9, 10.

i told them i planned on having the consulate do it for me, but they said it wouldn't work because there weren't enough days (they talked with immigration, who contacted the consulate, who then said it would take too long).

we got bumped from our flight.

thankfully, we were in San Fran where my aunt lives! We called her and are at her house now.

we then went to the SF passport agency office. got the new passport today. it couldn't ahve been easier! it was so great.

then, spent the day hanging around SF and enjoyed that thoroughly too. such a great day.

get to sleep in tomorrow morning and head over to the air port at 3:30 to check in and make sure our bags are in tact (They'd pulled our checked bags off the plane).

so, we fly out tomorrow at 7, which is what i wanted for hawk originally anyway (to spend time with my aunt before, see SF).

also, ryan saw producers Barrie Osborn (Lord of the Rings) and also Frances Ford Copala (Sp?) at his restaurant in SF! both serendipitous!
 
#59 ·
i was wondering where you were. looks like April we will be going. we have a friend in Adelaide too.

we figure if we don't get the visa (we will), we'll see Aus and then make plans. if we do get the visa, then we'll just make it a quick trip to Aus for a weekend or so to visit friends and see a few things, and then head back to NZ to continue with the business.

if my friend in adelaide is not going to be in adelaide, then we'll go to melbourne instead.
 
#60 ·
Got my blood results back today and things look great
HCG levels are good and doubling time was 38 hours. My progesterone came back above 25 (I wanted to see it at 20 or higher). I am very relieved and excited!

Also, my mom had a dream yesterday that I had a baby girl who was born in October
I hadn't told her I was pg yet, but after she called and told me about the dream I just had to. She has had dreams like that before, too. For some silly reason, the dream makes me really hopeful, especially since it was so specific about the month.

Next big milestone is listening for the heartbeat at 12 weeks (~2 months from now). After that, I think I'll really be able to relax, but until then, I'm still holding my breath a bit
 
#61 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Sihaya View Post
Got my blood results back today and things look great
HCG levels are good and doubling time was 38 hours. My progesterone came back above 25 (I wanted to see it at 20 or higher). I am very relieved and excited!

Also, my mom had a dream yesterday that I had a baby girl who was born in October
I hadn't told her I was pg yet, but after she called and told me about the dream I just had to. She has had dreams like that before, too. For some silly reason, the dream makes me really hopeful, especially since it was so specific about the month.

Next big milestone is listening for the heartbeat at 12 weeks (~2 months from now). After that, I think I'll really be able to relax, but until then, I'm still holding my breath a bit


Great news!

Things here were soooo much better yesterday! Westley got 11 hours of sleep at night and 2 good naps during the day. Today's looking good so far, but I'm leaving for work soon, hopefully that won't throw him off (he comes with me).
 
#62 ·
Yay for good results Steph! So cool about your mom's dream.


Angelorum, Great that Westley got some good sleep. Really cool that he comes to work with you. I meant to post earlier that I think it's a really good idea to check out the AP playgroup. I've met some great friends through things like that and it really has helped me out.

ZB, I hope the rest of your journey has gone well. Great that you got the new passport right away. LOL about Hawk's adventures with the TSA agent.


Full moon this morning, but nothing happening here yet.


 
#63 ·
Great news Sihaya and Angelorum!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by cking View Post
Full moon this morning, but nothing happening here yet.



You must be getting close, I get giddy when I see you've posted


GREAT weekend this weekend. I got a massage, had breakfast alone in a restaurant and had a date with DH last night. Lord, I need that after 6 weeks of consecutive sickness in my house. Going to keep my own sickness at bay with what DH calls my "witches brew": tea of ginger, garlic, cloves and peppercorns. I feel it coming on, but I'm ready for the fight now. Spirits are high! AND, I saw tank tops for sale in a clothing store. VERY good for morale!
 
#64 ·
Shanna, Good for you for taking time for yourself. I am not getting enough and it is getting on my last nerve! Still major bedtime resistance happening here.
I am also feeling guilty that I am depriving her of sleep, in that she has to get up in the morning to go to sch so we can go to work.
 
#65 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by PiePie View Post
Shanna, Good for you for taking time for yourself. I am not getting enough and it is getting on my last nerve! Still major bedtime resistance happening here.
I am also feeling guilty that I am depriving her of sleep, in that she has to get up in the morning to go to sch so we can go to work.
The bedtime routine has been one of my greatest frustrations in parenting
. I've (only recently) had good luck with the following routine for naps - it helped divorce me from outcome even when it didn't "work" in the conventional sense:
Read set number of books
Tuck him into bed with a snack, water, a toy
Turn on quiet music for him, on repeat (his choice)
Tell him he doesn't have to go to sleep, he can play with his toy, do whatever he wants, but he MUST STAY IN HIS BED.

The only way I respond to the outcome is if he doesn't nap at all, bedtime commences 1 hour earlier and we dont leave him alone any time after 4 pm because he will fall asleep. It also means we don't watch anything on tv for the rest of the day because...he'll fall asleep. He seems to understand it's not a punishment, just a logical progression. Usually we watch 30 minutes of something after the nap.

Basically, this works because it gets him to stay in one place long enough to fall asleep. Some days he falls asleep when he needs to, some days he doesn't. But I am able to parent him a lot better when I'm not spending 2 hours being abused, when I know he's tired. I don't know if this is appropriate for L's age and temperment, but Fenton has done well with it and it's done wonders for me feeling like I get a small piece of my own time in the landscape of all I give during the day. I do it for the nap, but you could try it for bedtime, especially if you're in bed in the same room reading? As for our bedtime, it's still taking 60-90 minutes. But I can accept that if I'm not also doing it in teh afternoon for naps.
~~~~~
I've had an epiphany that is changing my parenting. Self regulation for my children children is a fallacy. I'm shocked that my almost 3-year-old doesn't eat when he's hungry, sleep when he's tired. It doesn't make sense to me, maybe recognition of these symptoms is learned. But I'm finally confident enough to say my child needs help preventing over-tiredness and extreme hunger. The world is simply too interesting to him sometimes to take care of his basic needs. I'm surprised by this, and i didn't believe it for the longest time. It doesn't help me to control less (which I need help with), but it does help me to not feel like a victim when my child is manic due to hunger or exhaustion.
 
#67 ·
Q went to the dentist with me a few weeks ago just to look around and see Mommy go sit in the chair (then DH took him home).

He has a "happy visit" late Feb. to meet Ms. Cindy, sit in the chair (go up and down), look at his mouth on the screen (using the little camera they put in your mouth), etc. If he does well, they'll clean and check him out then. If he seems unsure, it'll just be a fun visit and we'll come back for cleaning (once we've prepared him more). He's awesome about anything if he's been prepped well with role playing, etc. so I'm not too worried.
 
#68 ·
Maev is 2.5 and hasn't been to the dentist yet either. I am planning on taking her sometime in the next three months though. Just have to get my act together and find a good dentist. I've been putting it off because I need to go to and I know they're going to tell me I need my wisdom teeth out and I don't want to.
I'm very scared of being put to sleep.


Shanna, what you do for naps is what we do for bedtime. It's worked very well so far (1 month).
 
#69 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Holiztic View Post
Q went to the dentist with me a few weeks ago just to look around and see Mommy go sit in the chair (then DH took him home).

He has a "happy visit" late Feb. to meet Ms. Cindy, sit in the chair (go up and down), look at his mouth on the screen (using the little camera they put in your mouth), etc. If he does well, they'll clean and check him out then. If he seems unsure, it'll just be a fun visit and we'll come back for cleaning (once we've prepared him more). He's awesome about anything if he's been prepped well with role playing, etc. so I'm not too worried.
what a great idea!
 
#70 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by ~Shanna~ View Post
The bedtime routine has been one of my greatest frustrations in parenting
. I've (only recently) had good luck with the following routine for naps - it helped divorce me from outcome even when it didn't "work" in the conventional sense:
Read set number of books
Tuck him into bed with a snack, water, a toy
Turn on quiet music for him, on repeat (his choice)
Tell him he doesn't have to go to sleep, he can play with his toy, do whatever he wants, but he MUST STAY IN HIS BED.

The only way I respond to the outcome is if he doesn't nap at all, bedtime commences 1 hour earlier and we dont leave him alone any time after 4 pm because he will fall asleep. It also means we don't watch anything on tv for the rest of the day because...he'll fall asleep. He seems to understand it's not a punishment, just a logical progression. Usually we watch 30 minutes of something after the nap.

Basically, this works because it gets him to stay in one place long enough to fall asleep. Some days he falls asleep when he needs to, some days he doesn't. But I am able to parent him a lot better when I'm not spending 2 hours being abused, when I know he's tired. I don't know if this is appropriate for L's age and temperment, but Fenton has done well with it and it's done wonders for me feeling like I get a small piece of my own time in the landscape of all I give during the day. I do it for the nap, but you could try it for bedtime, especially if you're in bed in the same room reading? As for our bedtime, it's still taking 60-90 minutes. But I can accept that if I'm not also doing it in teh afternoon for naps.
~~~~~
I've had an epiphany that is changing my parenting. Self regulation for my children children is a fallacy. I'm shocked that my almost 3-year-old doesn't eat when he's hungry, sleep when he's tired. It doesn't make sense to me, maybe recognition of these symptoms is learned. But I'm finally confident enough to say my child needs help preventing over-tiredness and extreme hunger. The world is simply too interesting to him sometimes to take care of his basic needs. I'm surprised by this, and i didn't believe it for the longest time. It doesn't help me to control less (which I need help with), but it does help me to not feel like a victim when my child is manic due to hunger or exhaustion.
BEDTIME/SLEEP: shanna, i have tried something similar to your plan (no food in there) but it does not work because she won't stay in bed and/or she wants me (ideally me and DH) in the room with her. the thing is, she will self-regulate, it will just be with a later nap and then a later bedtime which makes getting up in time for sch/work the suck.

DENTIST: DD has been to the dentist i intend(ed) to take her to twice with me, sitting on my lap. i tried to schedule an appt. a while back but the dentist explained that she does not do cleanings foro under 3s unless the parents insist on it and that the initial under 3 visit is to educate parents against juices, etc. done. that dentist has relocated, making her less convenient (and she wasn't so convenient before). i like her (she has twins who are pushing 3) but i hate her waiting room and her untimeliness. the other dentist i would consider does not have such a hot waiting room either. i need to make an appt. to, because my ped made me promise to have a cleaning during her 3rd yr.
 
#71 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Holiztic View Post
He's awesome about anything if he's been prepped well with role playing, etc. so I'm not too worried.
Fenton is....decidedly NOT
. He hates strangers touching him, it's part of why his hair is so long and why I've put this off....

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maela View Post
Shanna, what you do for naps is what we do for bedtime. It's worked very well so far (1 month).
I've been thinking about expanding it, but Fenton has said a couple of times "I want you to come with me" at bedtime, making me think he's nervous about a slippery slope. He;s been so indepandant on his own that I don't want to shove him. I think our next encouragement would be him in his own bed over him going to sleep on his own. Did I tell you all about the firetruck bed we were gifted? Just waiting on DHs grad school acceptances to see what room/when to set it up to pique interest (domino effect that is too boring to explain why the two are related).

Tomorrow I'm enrolling in the Birth Mentor training program with Birthing From Within!!!!
 
#72 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by ~Shanna~ View Post
Tomorrow I'm enrolling in the Birth Mentor training program with Birthing From Within!!!!
Awesome. As you know via fb, I've just put my birth attendant application in. I'm so so so excited. there's no reason I won't be accepted but I'm still nervous!

I've also decided to accept a place in the Australian Breastfeeding Association (our LLL) breastfeeding counselling training program. They've been on my back for a while now and I really do want to do it - I'm just not convinced about my actual capacity to undertake two courses at once. But if I don't do it now, it'll be another few years by the time I've been preggo and birthed another babe and hung out with the newbie...so now it is. And Sebby is going to childcare on Friday mornings, and my mum is taking him on Weds afternoons and my sis on Monday afternoons. I think that's a reasonable amount of care - i wouldn't want anymore, afterall, I did stay-home to be with him!

Meanwhile, sleep is hell here too. The only way I can get him to sleep is by restraining him (with cuddles) and eventually he's screamed enough that he's exhausted and nurses quickly off to sleep. Otherwise it's hours of nursing and running away, rinse and repeat. We're playing with frequency of naps and naptimes too but nothing is really working.

zoebird: welcome to the southern hemisphere. I hope it's a little cooler in your part of the world. we're melting today.

I just managed a successful sleep transfer from car to bed - complete with shoes on. Hope that doesn't wake him up in 5 minutes!
 
#73 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by MujerMamaMismo View Post
Awesome. As you know via fb, I've just put my birth attendant application in.
I know, I've been inspired!

Quote:

Originally Posted by MujerMamaMismo View Post
Meanwhile, sleep is hell here too. The only way I can get him to sleep is by restraining him (with cuddles) and eventually he's screamed enough that he's exhausted and nurses quickly off to sleep. Otherwise it's hours of nursing and running away, rinse and repeat. We're playing with frequency of naps and naptimes too but nothing is really working.
Is he teething? I'm so sorry that sleep has been such a nightmare for you for so long
The flip side is my sister's youngest who has slept 12 hours straight since practically birth, and she wasn't thriving for a while. There can be wisdom in the mania. I can't remember if you've tried cutting out dairy? I hate suggesting it because it's such a PITA, but it's rare that I haven't seen that work for people.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MujerMamaMismo View Post
we're melting today.
I'm so damn tired of winter


Quote:

Originally Posted by MujerMamaMismo View Post
I just managed a successful sleep transfer from car to bed - complete with shoes on. Hope that doesn't wake him up in 5 minutes!
How did it go?
 
#74 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by MujerMamaMismo View Post
I just managed a successful sleep transfer from car to bed - complete with shoes on. Hope that doesn't wake him up in 5 minutes!
Aaahhh, doesn't that feel great?! It's like hitting a homerun or something!

Jaim has been such a great baby for the past week until yesterday. I'm pretty sure it's because I've had a few things with dairy in them. I've been experimenting to figure out exactly what I can eat and what bothers him. Ugh, I was really hoping the dairy thing was all in my head, but it looks like I really do need to stay away from it. The good thing is that I think I can eat things with just a little bit of dairy in them. But I had scrambled eggs (cooked with milk) and pancakes the other day at the ILs, and I think that was going too far? Anyway, now we're just riding out the next few days of fussiness; poor little baby.


He's going to be four months on thursday!

Shanna, I don't know if you feel this way, but I really feel like I miss Maev. Especially on these fussy days when I can't even pass the baby to DH. Even though I spend all day with her, I don't feel like I can just focus on her, yk; at least not in the amount that I used to be able to. And I think it's worsened by the fact that this little guy does not nap well at all. There are some days when I just start crying because I miss her so much. She and Dh are much closer now - which is great - but I don't want her to forget about me. I guess I'm a little jealous.
 
#75 ·
Dairy- I had to cut it completely with Westley for the first few months. I couldn't even cook with butter, or use margarine with whey in it. Dairy was one of my main sources of protein when I was pregnant, so it was a big adjustment. I was in denial about it making a difference for the longest time too. I can have it in moderation now (oh, how I've missed cheese!), I think I got a little too excited with it last week though, which may have contributed to the fussiness.

We went to the AP playgroup today. I had planned on thursday, but Westley fell asleep 30 min. before it started and there was no way I was waking him up for anything. There was one gal I knew there from LLL, and it was nice to chat with everyone. Definitely going again sometime.

Good luck with the bedtimes everyone, ya'll are making me scared of toddlerhood
 
#76 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by ~Shanna~ View Post
The flip side is my sister's youngest who has slept 12 hours straight since practically birth, and she wasn't thriving for a while.
Can I thank you for this reminder? There has been much talk in my world about Nurture Shock, which I haven't read but intend to (I've got a long list, just like everyone else, I'm sure). Apparently Chapter 2 is about The Lost Hour (of sleep) and how it damages children. Our downstairs neighbor is a child psychologist who used to specialize in sleep (now specializes in giftedness) and his wife made a huge deal at a party this week about the connection between both long and early sleep at a party and sent DH into a bit of a tizzy. To be fair, the adults in our house are not happy with the bedtime situation, and DD is not happy with the morning situation, so something does need to change, but the extra guilt has been loading me down. BTW, she went to bed easily and on time last night when I just cut out the routine!
 
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