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Toddlers Today's MomsTalk Archive Hi All, Darleen here! Well I'm not sure if nolan is getting better or worse. When I think he is getting better, he gets crabby on me, and wants to be held all the time. He is still on the antibiotics, but I'm not sure if they are helping him. He goes to the Dr. on Wednesday for a check up, I hope I am a paranoid mother, because the thought of him having to be on anymore medicine doesn't make me to impressed. He is a real man when he is sick. A whiner, and a complainer, but i feel sorry for him. My mom looked in his mouth, and said his insisors are coming in, and those are the most painful ones. We had a night from _ell last night. We stayed overnight at my parents, he was so restless sleeping with me, I never got very much sleep. He cried when I put him in the crib tonight. He likes the big bed, but i'm not ready for that yet. Well I told my parents we were moving to Toronto, my mom was very upset, and my dad was really supportive as usual. My mom was a witch to me when I was telling her. Somedays I dislike her very much, and other days she is wonderful. I was so excited telling them, but when she got upset I started to think twice about the move. Are we or aren't we doing the right thing? Nothing is finalized yet. Hopefully soon. Now for the personals: Christi- We are moving further from you unfortunately, but closer to New York way. A friend of mine, her boyfriend lives in Chicago, he is moving to Canada when they get married in June. I was telling her how you and I chat back and forth, she thought that was neat, and if she ever moved to Chicago I could go and visit both of you. You are about 7 hours from us now, plus three more when we move to Toronto. Thanks everyone for your input on the soother and the bottle, my parents said the same thing to me, but i always said when I had kids there would be no way they would have a bottle or a soother after the age of 1. Well....... I have almost a 11/2 year old, and he still has both. Oh well, someday they will disappear. I love nolan dearly, and he knows it, he is spoiled rotten by me. My Dh told me to stop buying toys for him because he never plays with his toys, he would rather play with the phones and the T.V remotes. He is like a man with the remote, and a woman with the phone!! HAHA! Well have a good night and week-end everyone! For those of you that have snow keep it, we have brown/green grass, and I love it! Darleen & Nolan (14 months Sunday the 9th) email: j7smith@ciaccess.com Sunday, January 09, 2000 at 00:06:29 (EST)) Hi! Christi again I finally have the boys in bed, Barry (my DC kid) went down very well, I was expecting a hard night, but I guess its just like day time to him, hope he sleeps longer! :-) Today is DH's birthday, a big 28. Caleb and Lexi got him a beard trimmer (his blew up) and I got him a gift card for a multi media store (he is too hard to buy for). Then we had a cookie cake, and ice cream, a nice night. Few personals...... MISTY*** Welcome to you and Cody! :-) MORIAH*** I will keep Rachel, her family, and her Dr's in my prayers, please keep us updated!! MICHELLE*** What is a 'pig shave'? I know a wedge, a weight line, a buzz etc. Just curious. LISA B.*** +++++ thoughts coming your way!! Let us know if you test. So cool about Max talking up a storm! Good for him!!! JULIANNE*** LOL at HR being like daycare, I think it might be worse, adults can voice their opinion more, and louder!! CATHY G.*** HI! Welcome to you and Alison Okay, I will go for now, hope you all have a good week-end! Christi & Caleb (again) email: plumbs@coiinc.com Sunday, January 09, 2000 at 00:07:02 (EST)) Good evening to all!!! Riley is bugging his bros so I have time to post finally. My job is great. Thurs. night Riley had tummy troubles. I took him to daycare Fri. morning and left him. But when I got to work, I felt horrible. So my boss let me work for 2 hrs and then I went home. She wanted me to go home after I got there. I'm lucky to have a good boss. My DCP was grumpy, being sick with a sinus infec. herself. So poor Riley got no special attention even though the only other kid there is her 8 month baby. He was sitting in the kitchen all alone crying when I got there. When the other little boy comes back, then he'll be much happier. He was so happy to see me. I am so happy to be working again, for a variety of reasons. But when I see my guy not happy, I want to never leave him again. After my Mom gets her uncle into a care home, she will try to take him 1 day a week. My sis might try to take him every other Tue. That way, he isn't at daycare so much. I have a question for all. I work 6 miles from my house. My oldest is 12, and pretty good at babysitting while I run errands and things. My DCP has mentioned that she may not do this in the summer. I think that, for 4 hours, 4 days a week, Tay can take care of his bros during summer. What do you all think? Would you do it in my place? We have very specific rules about what goes on while I'm out of the house. So far they have not breached any of the rules. No friends are allowed at the house, no computer, no N64, no TV, no outside and no rough housing. Last night, the older 2 and I went out to dinner with Jim. It was a dinner for both our b-days. His 12/27 and mine 1/6. It was really nice. He's coming out to my moms for b-day cake tomorrow. I asked him what brought this on and he really didn't have an explanation. We used to get along really good. I stayed at his house and cooked and cleaned for him, he did things around my house for me. We make better friends and occasional lovers then anything else. We do not have the sex anymore. Which is fine by me and him. He bought me firewood for my b-day. I know that sounds funny. But I've been wanting a cord and was afraid if I tried to buy it some guy would take advantage because I don't know anything about it. So, he bought it for me. I love having a fire every couple of days. We can't always have them because of asthma. Anyway, so things are looking really nice. It's nice to be able to talk and not fight. He is trying really hard to get rid of GF. But she is determined not to let go. If she knew about the dinner, wood and b-day party, she'd probably try to kill at least one of us!!!! We went to dinner out of Yreka, so not to be seen. The gossip is thick around here. If someone seen us having dinner together, by the next day the story would be, we were having sex right there on the table!!!!LOL. I don't have many personals as I didn't take notes. Does anyone else try to abbreviate and then not understand what you meant when your posting later. Or maybe that's just a red head problem.....LOL Romaine, Darling!***Be thankful that she only blamed the toot on the baby. Here in this house, a toot brings on racuois laughter and contests. This is the territory when you own boys!!!!!!! Human whoopie cushions. Makes you want to go out and have some boys huh???? Any bodily noise or secretion is real live entertainment here. Want to come visit?????LOL Sad*** Cheer up! You have a hubby who sounds supportive. I don't mean to sound unkind, but try to do it alone 24/7. That's what I do. I feel like you occasionally. I think if I hear Mom one more time, I'll explode. When this happens, I go out and get a mocha and run errands. There should be a free therapist at the church you attend or a therapist in town that charges on a sliding income scale. Tell some of your friends, the ones you always listen to, that YOU need some ears for a change. I was telling my ex last night, who can't stand the thought of being alone, to learn to take comfort in your children. Riley, was highly unplanned in my life. I think about how much time I'de have to ride, read and play if I had not had him. The older two are not so demanding anymore and easier to take with or leave behind. But, what fun would it be, not to have all of them or any of them, to share my life with? Take a long look at what is good in your life and then write it down on an index card. Tape it to your mirror, read it every day. My therapist has had me do this excersise many times. Cherish, Yourself, your dh and your kids! Here is my e-mail address. If I've made you mad or you want to talk some more, here I am. shelly@bobvance.com To everyone else. Good night!!!!! Shelly & Riley 21 months Sunday, January 09, 2000 at 00:09:16 (EST)) Hi Ladies, Kahne here, Why are men the way they are??? DH's ousin had a baby today (well his wife did, anyway). And Dh decided that we need to start trying again when cat is 4. Well I had decided when Cat was a baby that I wanted to have only one child. I had a very difficult pregnancy, and labor, and I can never have a baby vaginally. I have a horrendous scar, and will have to have it reopened. HE does NOT have to go through nine months of hospital stays, vomiting, and with my history of miscarriage, oh, I dont think I can handle a fourth one. It is really causin a problem, he has been stomping around cursing and glaring at me. Then his mom comes over and of course takes his side! I really wanted to try to get into medical school, how am I supposed to do that with 2 little ones??? Do I sound selfish? I feel like I am whining about nothing when there are people we care about like Sad, whoever you are, I feel for you darlin!, having MUCH worse trouble than this! But what do I do??? Do I have another, who I will love of course, no doubt, or do I give my body the break it deserves? This culd cause serious problems with my marriage! What can I do?????????????????????? I am so sorry to vent, but I can always turn to you guys! HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kahne and Cat 1 email: kahneandsteve@hotmail.com Sunday, January 09, 2000 at 01:35:40 (EST)) Hi from Cathy G- We had an early morning after a bad night. My oldest (5.5) was awake several times with bad dreams about snakes. I had a hard time getting back to sleep - I think I slept 4 hours. We plan to go skating today. We live in Ottawa where we have the world's longest outdoor skating rink (the Canal) and this will be our first time out on it this year. Beth - Allison sounds so sweet. I just get the arms around the legs - no kisses. LisaB - Poor Max with his time-out. I heard a speaker say at 14 months you can start giving a child time-outs, so I tried it with Alison - but of course she wouldn't stay still for me, so I tried puttung her in her bed, which was a disaster. I'm impressed with Max for sitting still. Julianne - I am so far behind on my albums. There is a 9am to midnight workshop in February that I'm thinking of going to to try to get caught up. Rita - sure are a lot of colds and flus going around - I hope you are better soon. Michelle - hope the entertaining wasn't too bad. Moriah - I will pray for Rachel. Sad - please don't feel embarrassed, there is nothing wrong with how you are feeling. What abour talking to your priest or minister, or your doctor? Darleen - poor Nolan. Are the incisors the pointy teeth? Alison has all 4 of hers coming in now. Shelley - I'm happy for you about your work. Happy belated birthday. Kahne - no you are not being selfish. Bye for now Cathy CathyG and Alison (17 motnhs) Sunday, January 09, 2000 at 09:35:44 (EST)) Hi from LisaB, Max, and BB#2 (bouncing baby #2). YEP, I took the test this morning and it was positive!!!! I figured I was as I've been so tired and in bed each night by 9 but tried not to get my hopes up. I woke DH up at 5:30, right after I took the test to tell him. The first thing he said was "Wow, my boys can really swim, can't they?!" LOL!!! It took 2 months with Max and 1 with this one to conceive so we decided we'll have to watch out or we'll have a dozen before we know it!!!! Max goes to the doc tomorrow and we have the same doc. I'm going to ask if I can just do the pg test tomorrow so I can get my HMO required referral to my OB/GYN. I'm excited, sad (happy little family now - why change it?), aprehensive (what if this pregnancy is as bad as my last one), etc. But most of all happy!!!! I'm washing up the maternity clothes I had loaned out today - figure the further along I get the less I'll feel like doing it. I figure I'm due September 11, 2000, but haven't verified that with any of the due date calendars, etc. Sorry - no time for personals. Have to run to the store and buy some milk for Max to take to the sitters. I already have that pg brain syndrome as I was just at the store the other day and forgot his milk. "SEE" you all tomorrow!!! LisaB, Max (16 months), and BB#2 email: lisa_lab@hotmail.com Sunday, January 09, 2000 at 13:09:15 (EST)) Hi Darleen here! Not much to post today, Nolan is napping so I thought I would check out TT to see what was going on today, and see how everybody is doing. We are having a lazy day here at home today, it is crappy weather here today, rainy and cold. We rented Nintendo 64 games, our nephew let us borrow his machine, so that is what Dh is doing for excitement today. LisaB- Congratulations on baby #2,I'm really happy for you. We are going to start trying this summer, I would like Nolan and Baby # 2 to be 2.5 years apart if it happens that way. We will keep our fingers crossed. I can't remember who asked me, yes the incisors are the 4 fangs (pointy teeth), they are suppose to be the most painful. My opinion on the 12 year old babysitter all depends on the maturity level. I have a 12 year old neice who babysits her 8 and 9 year old brother and sister every morning and night before and after school while there mom is at school and working, and she does great, now as far as looking after somebody Nolan's age (1), i would not let her do it alone. I prefer a 16 year old, or one of our parents. I started babysitting when I was 11, but my parents lived next door if there was any problems then they were there to help me. Does your 12 year old having a babysitting course licence? Here in Canada, they can't babysit until they have taken the course, otherwise the parents can be fined, depending on the age of the children. Use your own descretion! Well I guess I should go and do laundry for the week. Have a great day and week. Talk to you all again soon. Darleen & Nolan (14 months today) email: j7smith@ciaccess.com Sunday, January 09, 2000 at 14:00:36 (EST)) Hi! Sarah g here. OOOO- it's nice to get a few minutes to read all the posts. Dh went grocery shopping with Isaac and Sofia is napping!! I'm making a giant pot of chicken soup for my aunt's family- everybody's got the flu at her house. I'm fighting a cold as well- it's a stinker of a flu season. Isaac is doing well. He woke up in an exceptionally happy mood this morning. Living with my parents, we took advantage of this last night and had my mom listen for the kids (with the monitor) in the night while we went out for a movie. We saw The Talented Mr. Ripley. Creepy movie!! But it was great. Isaac only woke up once to go potty my mom said at first he was upset that she came to get him instead of me. But after she explained that we went bye bye and she was there to take care of him, he cheered up and gave her a big hug. Some of you might remember some of the problems dh and I have been dealing with (especially financial.) Well, back in November I told dh that I needed him to have a better job that would support us by Jan. 31 or he could leave. I really thought a long time about it before giving him that ultimatum (really 2 1/2 years) and I've finally been ready to put the pressure on him to see if he wants to act like a father or not. I went to counselling once just before the holidays, but James wouldn't come. It was quite helpful for me to get some objectve insight to our situation. He's procrastinated completely and now the 31st is only a couple weeks away. He did do some good job hunting last week, but as we all know, it takes some time to find a job, let a lone one that you can be satified with. Anyway, I'm sorry to ramble, but please say a prayer for us if you think about it. I feel like I'm prepared to parent without him, but I know our kids need him to support them properly and participate in their lives. Ugghhh! How 'bout a few personals... Lisa B- CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! Hope all goes well and that you'll have a great pregnancy!!!! Kahne- I say trust your instincts! You know what's best for your body AND your life! I just wish you the best in convincing your dh of that. Michelle- I loved your hair cut story about "me look like monster!" That was a crack up!! Sad sometimes- I think everybody has normal ups and downs in their days and throughout their lives. Get the help you need! It's ok to feel the way you do, but you deserve to help yourself. Please vent here any time - I think we all benefit from that aspect of this board! :) Well, ladies- I'd love to post some more, but I should go put laundry away. FUN FUN! Sarah g and Isaac email: gat_men@hotmail.com Sunday, January 09, 2000 at 18:34:41 (EST)) HI! Christi here Not much going on here, so.............. DARLEEN***OH, 10 hours is too far! BUT, when we vacation at Niagra Falls, I will let you know LOL :-) SHELLY***Illinois law says you must be 12 to be alone, 13 to care for other kids, Check you rlaw, and go with your gut KAHNE***Good Luck! I don't know what to say. SARAH G.*** I WILL be praying, family is important! LISA B.*** YEAH FOR YOU!!!! I am so very happy for you, I hope your pregnancy goes better than Max's--my second was storybook, I hope the same for you! Okay, now I am surronded by pregnant people, 5 IRL friends, now what is the count 3 here? Anyway, would somebody PLEASE explain it to my DH that a large house and lots of THINGS is not what makes a family happy, love is? I know $$ would be tight, but it is now, so what. But, why have a baby with somebody who doesnt want another? I keep trying to tell myself if he wouldn't be happy then none of us would be, but, I want #3. Someone slap me and tell me I am to be thankful for the family I do have. Okay, I think I have it all out now, sorry! Well, on that lovely note I will close for now, see you all soon! Christi & Caleb 14 months email: plumbs@coiinc.com Sunday, January 09, 2000 at 23:58:18 (EST)) Hey everyone! Where does the time go? It seems I never have any free time to get on here anymore! Ugh! Elizabeth is sick yet again! She's been sick on and off for about 2 weeks now... well actually more like 2 or 3 months! It's mainly been colds, runny noses, coughs, etc. but I still think she's been battling an ear infection. I'm taking her to the doctor tomorrow to see if I can't get her back to my healthy girl! I also have a dr.s appt. tomorrow. I found a lump on my left breast on the upper far left side. It's very tender and achy. I quit nursing Elizabeth a year ago this month but I could still squeeze out a drop or two of milk about a month or two ago. I'm guessing it's just an infected milk gland or something. Atleast, that's what I'm hoping! Elizabeth has been fussy and whiny ALL NIGHT tonight! She's also become quite the picky eater. She used to be my "eat everything in front of me" girl. Not any more! I swear I prepared 5 or 6 meals for her today at lunch alone until she ate anything. She's also now the world's worst at taking medicine. It used to be where she would just open her mouth and I'd sqeeze in the medicine. Now, it's WWIII around here when the time comes to give her medicine! And to top it off, my DH has the flu... and you know how men get when they are sick! There, how's that for complaining??!! LOL!! My mom always said that I took complaining to an art form! Hahahaha! Calgon... take me away! LOL! Okay... onto the personals, But I gotta make them quick. First of all... LISAB... C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S ! ! ! ! ! I am so happy & excited for you!!! I had to laugh at your dh's comment! Too funny! I wish you a very happy, healthy, stress-free, easy pregnancy this time around! I guess now we have to compete with the PT board! Again, congrats! Patty, After reading what's happened to you and Jarin this past week, I am very happy to hear that you have found other arrangements for Jarin! I know you must feel like a brick has been lifted! I hope everything goes so smoothly for you!! Hope everything else is going great for you and your family! Beth, How's the potty training going? We got a potty chair for Elizabeth and she loves to go in our bathroom, lift the lid to the potty chair and sit down (fully clothed, I might add) with one of my PARENTS magazine. It's way too cute. She also likes to lug her potty chair in front of the TV in the family room. We haven't tried to "potty" yet. I'm letting her get used to the chair right now. Helen, I saw the same Oprah with Marie on it. I thought it was great that Marie let her kids clean instead of a having a house cleaner! Moriah, I have been thinking of and praying for Baby Rachel and her parents! Any new news??? Well gang, I'm exhausted so I better get. Oh... BTW: Dear AF was supposed to visit yesterday. She hasn't showed up yet. Hmmm? LisaB, I might join you before long over at PT. Kelli & Elizabeth, 18 months on the 15th! email: rkncs@aol.com Monday, January 10, 2000 at 01:02:03 (EST)) Thank you Lisa B., Sarah G., Helen, Christi and Shelly (in your own way. LOL) and everyone for your support. i really did need a place to go that night and i've been thinking alot over the week-end. I am going to call a post partum support number in the a.m. even though i doubt it is post partum but i'm sure they can point me in the right direction. i'm also going to call my dr, i know I'll be embarrassed to admit this to her because she knows my happy self really well (8 yrs) but i think it is necessary. don't worry i would never ever ever do anything to my little one(s) that i would regret. I love them far to much. it's really nice to know that i have a place to come now when i'm feeling that way. thanks also for the invitation to email personally but i think i'll hold off on that for now. maybe later. oh, as a first step, along with promising to make those calls tomorrow, i've called a friend to go to a "tumble, play group" in the am. that's a start i guess. i know if i waited until the morning to call her to go i wouldn't feel like it but now i'm committed. And for those of you in worse situations than me - i know, this is not so bad in the scope of things, but i guess it should be repaired. MOriah - i am praying for baby Rachel. Please let us know how it went. sad sometimes Monday, January 10, 2000 at 01:13:19 (EST)) Happy Sunday! It's Moriah. I have limited info but it sounds like Rachel is doing better for the moment. They did not do the surgery yesterday, instead did a cath test to look at the anatomy of her vascular system around her heart. They're taking it day by day & more than likely she'll have the surgery in the next week. She is stable for the moment & at least in the right hospital in case anything changes. I'll keep you posted. Geoff made it home with the boat last night :) So he should be back here now to live with us LOL! Anyway I'm happy for him to be here & so is Alex. Alex hadn't really said DADA hardly at all bt at 4am this morning when Geoff came home (Alex was already awake being a party animal!) Alex screamed DADA as soon as Geoff got within sight! Too cute! Of course melted daddy's heart. Okay - my eating is WAY OUT OF CONTROL!! What's wrong with me! Why can't I just be sensible? I'm so annoyed with myself yet I just keep slamming the food. I think it's boredom from being in the house so much. Plus I'm just plain lazy. No excuses - I just haven't been exercising. The funny thing is that I genuinely like to exercise. It always makes me feel so good. But I just can't get motivated. Pretty soon I'm going to be so fat that I won't fit in ANYTHING I own. YUCK! Not much else new here so on to the personals! Lisa B - WOW! Congratulations! I really send some good vibes your way! But since your gall bladder was removed then you have a good chance for a normal pregnancy right? I hope so! Thanks for the update on Barbara! She had emailed me during the summer & we had gone back & forth for a while. But then her address was a casualty of my computer crash so I haven't chatted since. Michelle - Is Riley still on formula? You can mix the formula with part whole milk instead of just water (to make 6oz formula: 2 oz whole milk, 4 oz water & 3 scoops formula powder). That really works good. I hope your social outing wasn't too bad! It's so hard to find couple friends where everyone gets along! Beth - Allison sounds so cute doing "leg hugs". Alex is a total cuddle bug too! Rita - How was the party?? Sad Sometimes - I know that it get monotonous sometimes but the bottom line is you CAN'T change your mind now about being a mom. You can get a part time or full time job if you want. But no matter what your child is here to stay. Personally I think you just need to give your self a little attitude adjustment. I have to do this frequently when I get down on Alex's situation. I have to remind myself that moping gets you no where. You might as well be positive & try to look on the bright side. Hope it works out for you. Buck up little camper :) Misty - Welcome! Did you post with us on PT? Shelly - My input is that that is way too much responsibility for Taylor. I know that he is a great kid & a super help but he's only 12. Maybe 1 day a week but 4 days is asking alot. Don't be like mom & dad with Tammy & pile on too much stuff. Look how it negatively affected her! Anyway Mom should hopefully be able to help out more if she get's Uncle Bill into a home. Kahne - I'd say wait to make a decision like that. The thing is Cat just turned 1 so if he wants to try when she's 4 you have 3 years to change your mind or him change his. Why fight about it now when who know's what your situation will be 3 years from now. I respect your attitude on both points (school & your body). I truly believe that pregnancy should be wanted by both parents so if either of you is hesitant than waiting is the best answer. Christie - see my post to Kahne above. Maybe if you wait a while your DH will change his mind. Alrighty I guess I better go. Hope you all have a pleasant evening! Chat again tomorrow! Moriah & Alex (15 months) email: geoffandmoriah@msn.com Monday, January 10, 2000 at 01:25:52 (EST)) Hi its Lynda here. Well Ella's party was a lot of fun but boy am I tired today. We had helium balloons and the kids (and adults) had a lot of fun with them. Ella got cake all over her face and hands - and hopefully we caught that and some of the other fun moments on film. LisaB - CONGRATULATIONS! You sure don't waste any time! LOL at your DH's comments - my DH said something similar after we got pregnant on our honeymoon - but then complained he had been ripped off because he didn't get to have heaps of sex while we were trying! Well I didn't take any notes and have skimmed the posts and now can't remember what I read. So thats it for now. Lynda & Ella (1year) email: ljpjyoung@ozemail.com.au Monday, January 10, 2000 at 05:04:20 (EST)) Hello, it's Louise & James here - I haven't posted for over 2 months now but hopefully some of you will remember me! I thought it was about time I joined in again! I e-mailed Patty recently and explained that I'd initially stopped posting because I'd had the week from hell - my Dad had a heart attack (luckily minor and he's now fully recovered), DH was in a car smash and fractured his arm, and James went down with a really nasty dose of Hand, Foot and Mouth disease! By the time everyone had recovered (can you imagine having two sick males in the house?!) and I got back to the board, all that Friend of a Friend stuff was going on and I decided to quit. But guess what, the addiction started up again and I recently started reading and catching up again. So a very belated but very happy New Year to you all! Things are good here - James is so great, he's saying quite a few words now but still resorts to grunting most of the time. Most of the time he sounds like a cross between a caveman and a chimp. He has recently mastered 'juice' and 'shoes' but tends to get them the wrong way round and shouts 'shoes' when he sees his beaker, LOL! For those of you who joined recently (or those who don't remember!), I live in London, England. I'm 33, DH is 34, James (14 months) is our first child. DH is a sound engineer and is away a lot (Moriah I can sympathise) - he does a lot of music tours and some TV. I resigned from my job a few months after returning from mat. leave as James wasn't happy in day care (similar story to Patty's Jarin), but then my company offered me a 10 month contract to work 2 days a week, which I accepted as my Mum has him one day and then he's with a (great) new sitter the other day. I guess I'll be a full time SAHM when the contract finishes. I'm really looking forward to it, which I never thought I would as I used to be so into my work. I'm constantly amazed at how much motherhood changes you - on the whole it's fantastic, but it takes so much adjustment sometimes! Anyway enough rambling about myself, a couple of personals: LISAB - Congratulations!! Great news. I hope this pregnancy goes well for you. I'm envious - not that I'm TTC yet, but it took me nearly a year to conceive James. We agreed to start TTC late summer, but I do sometimes wonder, now I'm 33, whether I shold be getting on with it sooner in case I have problems. On the other hand, I'm not sure if I can cope with another pregnancy yet - I had a great pregnancy, but had a newborn with the worst colic ever and had PPD, and I'm secretely dreading it all happening again. Anyway that's my problem - I'm thrilled for you! SAD - hope you're feeling better - don't forget that depression that's affecting your life, as opposed to feeling a bit down sometimes, is often chemically/hormonally triggered and needs help just like any other illness. Don't feel bad - obviously there are lots of people worse off, but if something is 'out of synch' in your body, you NEED help to put it right. I had a real problem accepting a course of anti-depressants when I had PPD - I felt ashamed and that because I am a 'coper' I ought to have been able to shake it off myself & I just ended up putting more pressure on myself. I don't mean to preach and I'm not saying anti-depressants are the answer for you, but I'm glad you're seeking help and don't feel bad about feeling bad! LYNDA - hi, you're from Melbourne, right? My sister was there before Xmas visiting friends. I have great friends in Sydney and family in Adelaide, my parents have been over a couple of times, and DH and I were planning a big Australia trip and then I got pregnant! We'l lget there one day! KAHNE - I understand your decision, it's your body and I also have a few unresolved issues about another baby (see my note to LISAB). As someone else said (sorry can't remember who) - you just may feel differently in a year or two, so maybe don't shut the door on the option just yet (I'm not trying to minimize how you're feeling now though). Hi to everyone else, Louise & James (14 months) email: rnash78035@aol.com Monday, January 10, 2000 at 10:24:45 (EST)) Sorry, Louise again - I forgot to say, I remember a while back promising to send some photos but never got round to it because of everything that happened. I do have some new ones though - please let me know if you would like to receive them. Louise & James (14 months) email: rnash78035@aol.com Monday, January 10, 2000 at 10:41:07 (EST)) Good morning ladies. SARAH here. I hope everyone had a great weekend. Ours was pretty good. Our "date" didn't turn out as I had anticipated, though! :( Figures...I knew something would happen since I was SO excited about it. Oh well! HANNAH was a great girl this weekend! I'm pretty sure her bottom incisors are coming in. She seems to be in pain at times. Poor thing!! LISA - CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! I'm so happy for you guys! My DH thought he was Superman when I found out I was preggo seein' as I got preggo on the pill.LOL Here's to wishing you a healthy, easy pregnancy!! :) :) MICHELLE - I would love to see pictures! MORIAH - I just saw your post this morning about prayer requests for Rachel. And then read she's doing better. I will continue to keep her in my prayers!! SAD SOMETIMES - I think we all go through the same feelings at one time or another. I still have those feelings once in a while (not all of the time though!) Please don't be embarrassed! There are plenty of women on this board who have admitted to being depressed!! We're here to support everyone! Like several others have already told you, please feel free to email me ANYTIME!! :) Cheer up sweetie! MISTY and CODI - WELCOME!!! You'll love it here! PATTY - How is JARIN today? I hope he's feeling better! LYNDA - I'm glad the party was fun! :) CHRISTI - Happy belated Birthday to your DH!! SHELLY - Did your email address change recently? I agree with what DARLEEN said about babysitting...maturity level. KAHNE - I hope you and DH can come to an agreeable decision. Good luck! SARAH g - I want to see that movie SO BAD!!! I love Matt Damon and Gwenyth Paltrow!!! I hope DH can find a job soon. I think you should stick to your guns. You gave DH the ultimatim several months ago. If you give in, he'll take advantage of that. KELLI - Good luck at the doctor today. I hope you're okay!!! Let us know! I'm sorry ELIZABETH is sick! HANNAH is the same way with eating and medicine. She used to be SO GREAT at both, and now it's definitely a challenge!!! BETH - Fun chatting with you on Friday!!!! :) Well ladies, I'd better get to work. I need to leave early today, so I've got lots to do. Take care! Sarah and Hannah (16 months) email: smoore@geatoir.cfer.com Monday, January 10, 2000 at 10:48:17 (EST)) Me again. I just noticed LOUISE's post after I posted. LOUISE - HI!!! Welcome back. I'm so glad you decided to come back. I've been thinking about you and JAMES! How is your dad and DH??? One more thing to SAD SOMETIMES. I re-read my post, and I don't mean to come off sounding like this isn't a problem. I almost acted like "just cheer up and things will get better". I do think you need to talk to a professional. I know how serious depression can be. But, you do know you ALWAYS have us to "talk" to. Good luck!! :) OK, that's really it for today. Hope you all have a great day....even if it is Monday!!! Sarah again! :) Monday, January 10, 2000 at 10:58:05 (EST)) Hello from Rita We are very slowly on the mend around our house. The cold symptoms are still hanging on, but at least we are not feverish or achy this week. I took today off - I was supposed to have a physical (date got changed). So I will get my textbooks and do some other stuff. A day all to myself with no sick babies - wow! We survived the party yesterday. I kept it pretty simple since I don't have that much energy yet. I served a few munchies along with the cake. With only having family, it was still 20 people. Amy was very dainty with her cake. She did very well with her walking and impressed everyone who hadn't seen her walk on Christmas. They all think that she is so quiet - ha! The girls still got loads of stuff. The big problem is that Maddy thinks her toys are only for her, but that Amy's toys (especially her little ride-on car) are hers too. Needless to say, we are having some bad behavior problems these days with her. Misty & Codi - Welcome to the board! Louise - Welcome back. Sounds like you had a very rough time of it for a while. How's your mum doing? Sad Sometimes - I can really only second what everyone else has said. I think that talking about the way you feel (even to us) is a very important first step to take. I hope that you can find a good way work out your feelings whether it is counseling, a support group or medication. It can be so overwhelming to be all of the things that the people in our lives need us to be. I hope that you can be who you need to be and that it brings you peace and contentment. Keep talking, we will be listening. Kahne - I don't think that you are being selfish - your concerns are very real. You do have time, however, before a decision like that has to be made. Is it possible to open up a dialogue with DH about the pros and cons and make it an on-going discussion? You may find that you both change your mind over time. When my DH came 'round and said that it would be a good idea to have another baby, I was back to thinking about having only Maddy. Cathy - Welcome back. Thanks for the well wishes. I only started scrapbooking last year, so I am very far behind with no baby books or anything. Lisa B - Welcome BB#2! He he! Be careful, you might be like my mom - her mom told her that she got pregnant faster than she could get a new dress. Moriah - We'll keep Rachel in our prayers. Glad to hear that Geoff is home. I am having a hard time imagining how I am going to cope with Larry being gone for just nine days next month. I realize how much of a team we are when it comes to caring for the girls. You'll have to send me some survival tips. Well, I do need to get to the bank, so I had better get out of my jammies and get moving. Take care everyone! Rita & Amy email: ritad@home.com Monday, January 10, 2000 at 13:16:08 (EST)) Oh my gosh, you guys are so wonderful. I couldn't even imagine getting so much support. However, I'm mad at everyone now. I came here to chat so that I wouldn't continue to cry and now you've all made me cry again. Thanks alot. LOL. I guess you could say I hit my breaking point this morning when I called my Dr. and they wouldn't fit me in. Then I called the hospital for a post partum support number and they said they don't have one. That's when I lost it and started to bawl. Why is it that when someone needs help no one will help? I couldn't stop the tears and the kids got lots of hugs just because I needed them. Poor kids, next thing I know they will be like Max and say "let go!". Anyway, I finally called my Dr. Office back and asked the nurse to just ask if my doc could fit me in. Of course the tears probably helped and i have an appointment this afternoon. Thank goodness. I know I'll be fine, I just don't know what's wrong. I hope my doc can help, my poor dh doesn't know what to do with me anymore. He took the little ones shopping with him today so I could have some time. THANKS GUYS YOU'RE THE BEST. sad sometimes Monday, January 10, 2000 at 14:19:40 (EST)) Julianne here wishing the weekend wasn't over. I had a really good weekend. Lots of fun and laughs w/ DH--we don't get near enough of those anymore. We rented the video Knottington Hill and actually spent an evening curled up on the couch, cuddling, eating ice-cream and joking together. Colton was such a good boy all weekend too. He can be quite a challenge around the dishwasher. My mom lets him stand on the door and help her unload. DH thinks he is too heavy to do that so I have to try to break him of the habit. I told DH that I got a workout trying to empty the dishwasher w/ Colton helping. He would try to put the silverware in his mouth before giving them to me, try putting the bowls on his head, and stand on the cookie sheets! Rita: How's everyone feeling at your house? I too love my CM bag for scrapbooking. I finishd 8 pgs which caught me up to Christmas. Have fun w/ the ABC book. For X take a picture of someone laying on the floor w/ their body looking like an X. Michelle: You might have me confused w/ someone else, I live in Michigan. I scrapbook about 5 minutes from my house at the town hall. Moriah: Glad to hear that baby Rachel is doing a little better. I will keep praying for her and her parents. What a great welcome home from Alex your DH got! Sad Sometimes: It is good that you made some appointments to try to get some help. There certainly are days when I get so overwhelmed with the pressures of work, finances, being a wife and mother. I really miss the carefree days of being a teenager and young adult before all the responsiblities zapped me of my happy go lucky attitude. I find myself wishing I could find that person so often lately. I just try not to let the stress get to me, but that sure is easier said that done. I have often thought about counseling, but have always chickened out. Misti & Codi: Welcome. Darleen: Sorry your mother is making you have second thoughts about the move. You have to do what is right for your family even if your mother isn't supportive. Shelly: To be honest I am not comfortable with the idea of a 12 year old watching 2 younger brothers alone on such a regular basis. Once is a while should be alright. Too much responsiblity and too risky if the wrong person notices that your kids do not have adult supervision for part of the day every day. I don't want to scare you, but really think this through. Kahne: You do need to make your Dh understand where you are coming from w/ all your medical concerns. Maybe get all the info on the risks and sit down w/ your DH & dr so he understands what he is asking of you. Also, remind him that he is getting upset about something several years down the road and you don't really know how either of you might feel in a couple of years about having another child. CathyG: Did you have fun ice-skating? I used to ice-skate all the time when I was a child, now I haven't in years. Our neighbor has a pond and I was thinking about buying a pair of skates so I could get some good exercise & maybe pull Colton around on a sled. However, the pond isn't anywhere near freezing yet so maybe I'll wait until next year. Can you tell that I am a procrastinator?? SarahG: It's good that your DH is showing effort to look for a better job. Keep after him though. Yeah for getting out and seeing a movie. I want to see that one too. Kelli: Sure hope Elizabeth starts feeling better and returns to your good eater. It's not fun trying to come up w/ something they want to eat. Louise: Welcome back. Yes, I would love to see photos. Cute about James calling his juice "shoes". Julianne & Colton email: jjones@batts.com Monday, January 10, 2000 at 14:49:08 (EST)) Hi from LisaB. Max went to the doctor today. The little squirt is now 26 lb.!!! The bad news is that he still has fluid in his ears. They did a hearing test and the chart is supposed show various peaks - one had moderate peaks and the other was flat. :-( So, we're off to the ear doctor in a month to see about tubes. This really sucks as Max has only had 2 ear infections. Oh well, I would rather do the tube ordeal than have him have any hearing loss. The doc confirmed my pregnancy - due 9/17/00. I'll go for my first OB/GYN visit in about 6 weeks. PATTY: Please tell me the tubes are no big deal!!!! I remember you saying Jarin couldn't eat before hand & about the 1st thing Max does in the morning is march into the kitchen to demand his oatmeal. JULIANNE: Hey, the numbers drive me BATTY sometimes!!! Other days I wish all the people would leave me along so I could just play with numbers all day - LOL! MICHELLE: I would love to see photos! MISTY: Welcome! SHELLY: I would be leery of letting a 12 year old babysit that much. My 13-year old niece babysits her 6-yr old brother and 1-yr old sister a lot. The 6-yr old resents being bossed around by his sister and the 13-yr old resents having to give up so much of her free time. Also, my 12-yr old niece on DH's side is in the same situation with her siblings (5 and 8). The 5 year old fell and busted up his knee really bad several months ago (ended up with surgery). The 12 year old completely freaked and I hate to think what the result would have been if her Dad hadn't just gotten home when the accident happened. KAHNE: Your MIL needs to mind her own business. What was DH doing discussing such a personal issue with her anyway? Don't have another baby unless both of you want it, as you know how much pregnancy, childbirth, and child rearing takes out of you. Don't let the scar, however, be a factor. You'll have that scar regardless. My sis had 3 c-sections and the scar has always looked about the same. MORIAH: Thanks for the e-mail!!! I gained about 5 lb over the holidays, adding to the 10 I gained after I weaned Max. I feel like a cow ... and I'll know it'll get worse with being pregnant. I hope this pregnancy will be easy since the gall bladder is gone but I'm still a little worried. Then again, I would go thru every moment of my prior pregnancy again if I had to as I love the end result so much!!!! SARAH G: I hope DH finds a good job. I'm sure there are deaper issues at work but I wouldn't throw away a marriage over the amount of $$ someone makes. Like Christie said love makes a home, not $$$ or possessions. Keep us posted!!! CHRISTI: I would just keep mentioning having another. Maybe DH just needs to get used to the idea. KELLY: I hope Elizabeth and DH get better soon so you can get a break. I hope to see you on PT soon!!! LOUISE: Welcome back! Please send me photos. RITA: GET HEALTHY!!!!! LisaB, Max (16 months), & BB#2 email: lisa_lab@hotmail.com Monday, January 10, 2000 at 14:59:08 (EST)) A quick Hello fromHelen&Amanda!! Ididn'ttake notes but only can remember a couple things-- LISAB-- So happy for you-- hope this PG goes more smoothly than the 1st since you've had the galbladder OP and your nasal passage done too-- any morning sickness yet or is it too soon?? CONGRATULATIONS!!!! EVERYONE-- the last thing someone wants to hear if they think they are depressed or have PPD is to change their attitude or to just snap out of it and be thankful ----- there'smore to it than that- Please don't be offended!(it falls into the same category as someone having a miscarriage and people saying 'you'll have more'!) SAD-- Keep posting here if you need to , hope you will post your name someday- hope your day is going well!!:O) MORIAH-- How is little RACHEL doing???? Amanda picked up her cereal bowl this AM and drank the milk that was left- so cute!! DH bought a new computer and we should get it the end of the week so if I dissappear for a while- thats why. Amanda is awake--LATER!!! Helen&Amanda@17mos(#3) Monday, January 10, 2000 at 15:03:52 (EST)) Hello from LauraB - I wanted to post last night but my DH wasn't being so Dear and I figured I'd wait until I could do it in peace today. My DH has been sick these past two weeks and I have had it. The last week was with a cold and you would have thought he was dying. I know he didn't feel good but why is it when I have a cold I am forced to go on and he gets to become a complete invalid? Yes he has to go to work but doesn't he realize that when I am sick I don't get to clock out. I still have to feed, change and entertain Shane whether or not I feel good. UGHH................ OK I feel so much better now that I have vented. Sorry you ladies have to hear me complain but I know you all understand what I am talking about unlike my husband. Shane is working on the "Itsy Bitsy Spider". It's so cute, he puts his hands above his head and then tries to wiggle his fingers like a spider. I am so glad that he seems to really like music. I hope that this continues into his preschool years because I know it's good for him. OK enough bragging onto personals. ROMAINE - Saba sounds so cute with her little sister. SUE - Too cute about Cameron the Chimp Boy! SUE, SARAH & Patti - I'm with you on the blow up dolls for dh. I guess if I want to have baby #2 I need to have an attitude adjustment. LISAB - I think it makes it harder when kids are being punished and they don't cry but give you that sad look. Congrats on Max's first sentence and congrats on baby #2. MISTY & CODI - Welcome. Kahne - Try not to get too upset right now. You do have time to think about it and you never know DH might decide he's happy the way thing s are and you want another. I do think that he had no business letting his mother in on this discussion. It's not any of her business. Thanks ladies for letting me vent. Hopefully I will be all better tomorrow. LauraB@Shane 14 months email: xxbryant@aol.com Monday, January 10, 2000 at 15:52:32 (EST)) Hi Everyone! HAPPY MONDAY! My Dh came home today at lunch with good news. He talked to the guy in Toronto that wants to hire him, and the guy said everything should be finalized by Friday. We are hoping, praying, and keeping our fingers crossed. I am excited about moving, I think the main excitement is a new place to live, I hate moving, but I like looking at house when Open House come available. Unfortunately we are not buying until we get familiar with the city we will be living in. I hope Nolan adjusts really well wherever we go. My Dh would love to live in the United States if a job came along, but it's hard to find out about jobs in the U.S. when you live in Canada. He used to tell his classmates when he was younger that he was born in Michigan, he wasn't, he was born here. Julianne- Thanks for the boost of confidence. It's hard sometimes to overlook what parents say when they are usually right. My dad was very happy for us, I think he gave my mom a talking too by the sounds of it, he apologized for her behaviour. I wish she would do it herself, but my mom is always right she figures. She told me she would never come and visit us because she hates city traffic, I said that was fine, to remember that when we have baby #2, I don't want her at the hospital or my house, That shut her up. Now maybe she will think before she says things. Christi- I would love to meet you if you ever come to Canada to Niagara Falls, we are moving closer to Niagara actually. We are about 3.5 hours from there now, but Toronto is 1.5 hours from Niagara. It is beautiful in Niagara. I haven't been since my Dh and I were dating. I would love to do something romantic for my 30th birthday without Nolan. Who knows my Dh could surprise me. HAHA! Sad times- keep venting, that is what we are here for. I like to keep my personal life to myself, but feel free we are all here to listen to you. A minister is a great person to talk to also, I talked to mine when we were first married and having marital problems, I felt wonderful after I talked to him. My Dh never did, and still doesn't know I talked to anybody about us, I don't think he would be too impressed, men are especially private when it comes to there personal lives, at least my Dh is. I think I have a bit of ppd too, Nolan has been whiney and driving me nuts lately, somedays I wish I could hide and never come out. I love him dearly, but boy are children ever hard work. It was easier when I could send them home, and never have a worry. Nolan is having a great nap right now, we are coming up on 2 hours. Well I better go and do some housework while he is still napping. Have a great day and week everybody! Keep Smiling :) Darleen & Nolan 14 months email: j7smith@ciaccess.com Monday, January 10, 2000 at 16:02:08 (EST)) Hayley here. Well, made it through the biopsy, and got the results today - negative!!! A huge relief. However, the biopsy was still scary. You'd think having a baby would make going to the hospital for other treatment a no-brainer, but I still got no sleep the night before and was very much on-edge while I waited for the biopsy to be performed. Adding insult to injury, I was scheduled for 9:00 a.m. surgury, but the nurses inadvertently brought the 10:30 patient to the surgeon, so he said "just flip their order." No big deal to him, but an extra 1 1/2 hrs. of waiting for me! Anyway, thank god for drugs. I remember them injecting me with the anesthesia, and the next thing I know, I'm in the recovery room. I have about a 3 inch scar now - hopefully, it'll shrink. Also, so much for being taken care of by my family. The original plan was DH would take care of me and put Becca in day care. Of course, the day before the surgery, DH gets the flu and Becca gets an ear-infection. We've been to the DR's 4 times this week between the 3 of us! So I ended up having to tell my MIL what was going on since we needed some help - so now she's hysterical that I might have cancer. And when hubby comes to get me after the surgery, he's wrapped up in a blanked doing his "poor me, the martyr" routine. They asked if I wanted a wheelchair, and I said "yeah, for him." He did bring flowers for my birthday, though, which we've postponed celebrating until February - I always hated a January birthday anyway. This weekend was a drag - a whiny hubby and baby, and me not supposed to lift anything or I'd pull the stitches. Being back at work today is a welcome relief! To those you sent prayers/messages, thanks a lot! Personals: Shelly - we have the same birthday - hope you enjoyed the firewood! Misty - welcome! Kahne - I'm in the same boat. My DH's 43, I'm 37, and he keeps hinting for a 2nd. He forgets that the pregnancy was a drag, and he was pretty much a burden, rather than a help, for the 1st 6 mos. Plus, I (neurotically) worry about there being a problem with another child due to my age. I figure, if you have one perfect baby, why roll the dice again! Especially if you have any close friends or family in the area (Becca has a cousin 10 miles away), they can serve as a proxy for a sibling. Don't let him pressure you. hayley & becca (15 mos) email: hayley.thompson@citicorp.com Monday, January 10, 2000 at 16:03:52 (EST)) HI!!! Chrisit here, in a good mood, but not so sure why, the whole house still needs cleaned and I still have to finish my proposal for the school board due on Wednesday. (Wow, that sounds so much more official in type!!) :-) WEBMOTHER*** Could you archive, please, thanks for all of your work to make the site work! KELLI*** Hope Elizabeth is back to herself soon! SAD*** Glad you are feeling better. How did it go with your DR? Tears will work wonders sometimes, I know it did with my Dr's nurse! MORIAH*** Glad Geoff got home safe, enjoy him ;-) That is SO cute about Alex calling for him when he saw him, that would have brought me to tears! LYNDA***Glad Ella's party went so well! LOUISE*** Welcome back to you and James, I am not sure if I remeber you, I have only "been here" for about 3 months. I would love to see pictures of James!! SARAH*** Sorry your date night didn't work out like you had planned. RITA*** This may not help, but I don't think they grow out of the "whats yours is mine, and whats mine is mine" thing. Lexi is always wanting to play with Caleb's toys, but he cannot touch hers! JULIANNE*** Your fun night with DH sounds great! LAURA B.*** I feel for you on the DH end. Mine is finally feeling better, but if I was sick, too bad. LISA B.*** Let us know what happens with Max. Well ladies, I will se you later Christi & Caleb 14 months email: plumbs@coiinc.com Monday, January 10, 2000 at 16:19:34 (EST)) Hi Guys, we're back. Our computer crashed a few days before Dec 31, and we had to give in and get a new one! I'm so excited, we just got it today, it's a gateway and its great! (Our other one was REALLY old) Missed everyone, hope all your new years plans went well. Well DH is buying me a scanner for my b-day so soon I will really be able to send pics of my sweet Adam! I will never be able to catch up on personals, so I'm starting from scratch! See ya'll again tomorrow! Jennifer and Adam 16mo email: ddock@gte.net Monday, January 10, 2000 at 16:57:02 (EST)) Happy Monday everyone. I hope you all had a good weekend. I did. Friday we went out with a few friends of ours then Sat. we had all our friends over for the Kentucky basketball game and I cooked chicken burritos. Allison loves it when people come over as they all make over her and give her pretty much undivided attention. Especially this one guy. He are his wife are trying to get pregnant and he is just "in love" with Allison. He will sit and play with her and read her books, etc. It's really pretty sweet. I can't wait till they have one. They'll make great parents. Sunday we went out to lunch with DH's parents as it was his moms birthday. I definitely didn't want to come back to work this morning. The alarm went off and DH asked "Is today a work day??". I laughed at him. Michelle - I would love to see some pictures. Sad - glad that you got in to see your Dr. today. Glad that you are deciding to seek help. Keep us posted on how everything turns out. We are here for you. Moriah - I will be praying for Rachel. I just read about her today. I'm glad that DH is finally home. Mine will be gone for 3 days this week and I can't stand it, but I'm lucky compared to you! Misty - welcome! I seem to remember your name. Did you every post on Babies Today? Darleen - I hope Nolan is feeling better. Congrats on the new job. Good luck in your move. Lisa B - CONGRATULATIONS!!! I have the baby bug too, but DH and I have decided that we just can't afford one right now. We are hoping that maybe within the next year we will be able to. Oh, by the way, my raise went through (with back pay to NOV. 1) right before Christmas so maybe that will help. Hayley - so glad that your biopsy came out negative. What a relief that must have been for you. Laura B - Shane sounds too cute with his Itsy Bitsy spider! Louise - I would love to see some pictures. Rita - Amy sounds too cute with her cake. Glad that everyone seems to be getting better around your way. Sarah - so why didn't your date go so well?? You just left us hanging with no real details! Talk to you ladies later. Beth and Allison (18.5 months) email: bobwite@msn.com Monday, January 10, 2000 at 17:15:06 (EST)) Hi mommies. Jarin is taking a lovely nap right now, so I have some time to catch up and post. He was such an angel last night, but i'm not sharing anymore in case it jinxes me. LOL. I came home from work today and Jarin came running over to me, smiling at me, and hugging me. We spun around doing the whole "Hi, hi, hi, my baby, my baby"routine. He loves it and was just so cheery. =) I love him sooo much I can't even tell you. **Darleen: I hope Nolan's check up on goes well on Wednesday and all is well with him. I liked your comeback to your mom about not seeing bb#2 at the hospital. Hope everything works out ok for you, dh, and your parents. **Shelly: Too sad about Riley crying at the dcp. =( Your dinner with your ex sounds nice. Hope he gets rid of the gf. I babysat at 12 for a little girl, but it was only about 2 hours a day and not every day. **Kahne: I agree with someone who said DH needs to understand the risks. Is there any way a doctor could explain them to dh? If you don't desperately WANT another one, I wouldn't have another baby until you both WANT one. **LisaB: CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!! =) =) =) =) =) What exciting news for you. LOL at DH's comment. 26 lbs? Man, he is going to double Jarin before too long! heehee. September 17th is Jaime's birthday. The tubes thing really wasn't that big of a deal. Jarin couldn't eat anything after midnight, but we had to be at the surgery place at 6AM and he was done by 8:30. Not fun, but not too horrible. And he has been much more healthy since he got them - at least his ears have been. =) I know just the test you are talking about too. Jarin's line was flat too. =( **Sarahg: I hope your dh gets better soon so you can have a break. Also good luck with his job siutation. I will say a little prayer for your situation. **Christi: Sometimes I want another one too, but I don't want to have to put another baby in daycare. =( I won't have another unless I can stay home. I agree with you about the archive! It is taking me forever to get on here again. A proposal for the school board, huh? I'm impressed! **Kelli: I hope Elizabeth feels better soon. Poor thing has been sick about as much as Jarin! I hope the lump on your breast is nothing. Let us know. LOL at Elizabeth sitting on the potty chair with the Parents magazine. Now where has she seen that? **Moriah: Thanks for the update on Rachel. I hope she continues to do well. Yay for Alex and "Dada". =) **Lynda: Glad you enjoyed Ella's party! **Louise: Welcome back!! LOL at James being a chimp/caveman. Jarin sounds exactly the same. Motherhood sure does change us, doesn't it? I'd love to see James. Email me pics please! **Sarah: Sorry your date didn't go so great. =( Jarin is being very smiley today, thanks for asking! =) **Rita: I know it's not funny, but I couldn't help LOL at Maddy with her toys/our toys. =) **sad: I hope your Dr appt. goes well. Please tell the Dr. EVERYTHING so he/she gets a clear picture of what you are going through. **Julianne: I also need to have more dh time. Ask him, he'll surely agree! =) LOL Also cracking up at how much fun you must've had unloading the dishwasher. Sounds like me trying to fold laundry with Jarin! **Helen: Too cute about Amanda drinking milk from the bowl. I have to agree with you, from someone who's suffered from depression, the last thing I needed to hear was to just get over it. I wanted to be over it so badly, but I couldn't. I knew that I had nothing to be depressed over, and that made it worse wondering why I couldn't control it. **LauraB: Jarin loves to do the Itsy Bitsy Spider. It is the ONE thing that will ALWAYS bring a smile to his face. =) **Hayley: Glad your biopsy came back ok. Shame on that Dr making you wait 1 1/2 hours! How would they feel if the patient had been one of their family? **Jennifer & Adam: Welcome back! **Ok, I think I have written a novel, so I will go now. Patty & Jarin email: tematheny@ctlnet.com Monday, January 10, 2000 at 17:57:50 (EST)) I think I'm going to be ok. And guys... Thank you. sad sometimes Monday, January 10, 2000 at 19:47:10 (EST)) Hello girls! I am new to this board, I post on the expecting mommy's board, and just found this one! I have two beautiful little girls ages 4 and 20 months, and am expecting our third little girl April 19th! I hope to get to know you all! I will chit chat with you all later! Laters Juls Julie-Ann ( juls ) email: jatrottier@home.com Monday, January 10, 2000 at 19:49:37 (EST)) Hi it's Moriah Just a quick post on the Sad Sometimes post that I posted last night. I know that I offended some people with my attitude adjustment comment but here's where that comes from. Everyday I deal with the fact that this whole experience is not at all what I planned for. And sometimes that get's me pretty down. In fact I have really bad days sometimes. BUT I cannot change my situation - I have no choice but to deal with it. So I adjust my attitude & get on with it. That's what helps me the most & more importantly what's best for Alex. That's all! I'm sorry for anyone I offendedb. The advice I gave is something that I use for myself & that's why I gave it. I don't mean to imply that you just shake off depression like dust. Moriah email: geoffandmoriah@msn.com Monday, January 10, 2000 at 21:55:55 (EST)) Hi its Lynda here. Its a stinking hot day here in Melbourne (34 deg cel) and we have just got back from picking a friend up from the airport. Ella is hot and grumpy but has thankfully fallen asleep. Ella had her 12 month check up yesterday and her stats are 22lbs and 29 1/2 inches. The health sister also did a few developmental checks which Ella passed. It is so hard to believe that a year has passed so quickly - this time last year I was adjusting to having a newborn around. It seems with each new stage they get more lovable - I guess this must end sometime hey? Like teenagers are lovable ???!!! Louise: Hi - nice to hear from another non-american/canadian (not intending to offend all americans and canadians here - just that there are so few "other" nationalities that post) I am also working 2 days a week which I find is a good balance between work and home. You have family in Australia and Dh has family in the UK (he is English and his grandparents are still there). We also hope to get to visit England again one day. Rita: Glad to hear that the party went well, but sorry to hear that your colds are still around. Hope you shake them very soon. Julianne: - You mentioned about helping unload the dishwasher. Ella loves the dishwasher, but I read that the chemicals used are dangerous to babies, and can be picked up from the insides of the D/W - Has anyone else heard that ?? Hayley - congrats on the results of your biopsy. The weekend sounded pretty yuk though - but I guess getting the "right" result for the biopsy must have made things a bit better. Christi - the photos of Alexis and Caleb are lovely. How did you get them to pose so well ?? A faint cry in the distance ..... better go and see. Bye for now Lynda & Ella (12 months) email: ljpjyoung@ozemail.com.au Tuesday, January 11, 2000 at 02:04:16 (EST)) Hey everyone! I took Elizabeth to the doctor today. She's now on Augmentin, her third antibiotic in 3 months. Her poor little ears are STILL infected!! If this antibiotic doesn't do the trick, I'm taking her to a specialist. I just hate giving her antibiotics! I know she needs them right now, but I hate it! As for me, I went into the doctors office for my tender, achy breast and came out with a POSITIVE pregnancy test result! Talk about SHOCKED!!!!! When I became pregnant with Elizabeth, I atleast FELT pregnant (crampy, achy tender all over, etc.) My only complaint today was a tender breast with a possible lump. (fibroids are common in my family which probably explained the lump) I am still trying to let it all sink in. I'm going to have another baby. They figure that I'm about 5 weeks pregnant which will have me due sometime around Sept. 13th. I am excited, overwhelmed, and very scared but also VERY happy. I'm just wondering how it will be with 2 little ones. I know it will be twice the work. There will be 2 years and 2 months between Elizabeth and the new baby. I just hope that is a good spacing! Lynda, Happy FIRST B-day to ELLA (a little belated- sorry!) Louise, I was so glad to see you back! I'm so sorry to hear about your dad, but atleast it was a mild attack! I, too, layed low while that "friend of a friend" business was going on. Send some picts my way please! Patty, Jarin sounds way too cute! I just love it when Elizabeth hugs and loves on me like that! SarahM, Sorry your date didn't go as planned. I'm with Beth, don't leave us hanging... Rita, Was it Amy's Birthday? I've been out of the loop lately! HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY TO AMY! Julianne, Elizabeth likes to lick ALL the silverware in the dishwasher before I put it up too. She always licks the spoon and says, "Mmmm". I end up doing the spoons by hand again! Helen, too cute about Amanda drinking the milk from her bowl. They learn so quickly! LauraB, MEN! Hayley, Yea for the negative test results! What a relief! Beth, Awe, come on... you know that baby bug is going to get to you! Julie-ann, Welcome and Congrats! I'll probably see you on PT!! Kelli & Elizabeth, almost 18 months email: rkncs@aol.com Tuesday, January 11, 2000 at 02:45:19 (EST)) Rebecca here... Sorry I haven't been around much lately. I've been really trying to get out of the house and accomplish things. I miss you guys soo much, but right now I need to be someone other a mommy (at least every once in a while). That sounds bad. How can I explain this? When I'm home, sitting on the computer, I find that my depression can get worse, and my motivation to actually achieve anything goes away. This is just my way of dealing I guess. I will try to be back on a more regular basis once I've kicked the worse of this thing. LisaB - YEAH! I'm so happy for you! Kahne - No, I don't think that you are being selfish about a second baby. DH (and his nosey mother) need to hear your side and your reasons. You have very reasonable fears. Besides, it's your body!!! Sad sometimes - I hope that talking to your doctor has helped. I know it did me a world of good. The fact that your doctor knows you so well will make him/her realize how different you have become. It could be PPD. That can occur anywhere in the first 3 years. I've been on anti-depressants for about 3 months and it has made a big difference for me. I also joined a support group where I can talk about my feelings and my everyday life. It's wonderful being able to have everyone's heads bobbing in agreement when you're talking. You aren't alone. A really great book is This Isn't What I Expected by Karen Kleiman and Valerie Raskin. It gives you alot of ideas on how to change your life around. Having a great husband (or friend) makes alot of difference. I hope you continue to feel comfortable posting here and that you find the love and support you need. Well, now that I've written my novel, I'll say goodnight. I hate that I'm missing so much in everyone's lives. Please forgive me! I do scan the posts every few days so I do get to see some of the highlights and my name. Hugs to all of you and your little ones. Good night. Rebecca & Paige (14 months) email: burn@canadawired.com Tuesday, January 11, 2000 at 03:12:19 (EST)) Hi from LisaB. I'm starting to have doubts about BB#2. DH got called out of town unexpectenly for work yesterday and didn't get home until 10:30. I was so tired I got down on the floor and played legos and blocks with Max ... I was afraid I would konk out if I sat in a chair - LOL!!!!! Our furnace (only a year old) died Friday. A guy worked on it Sat. but only fixed it enuf that we could manually kick it on when the house got cold. He came back yesterday with the part he needed to fix it properly ... but when I got home the furnace still wouldn't work (and DH hadn't shown me how to manually do it). Poor Max took a quick bath as the house was only 69 and he was shivering by the time I drug him out. DH got the furnace manually started when he got home but this morning it wouldn't even start manually. I'm so ticked. It's even a name brand furnance ... workmenship sucks anymore. And you would think the idiot repairman would have checked it all out to ensure the furnace worked before he left. UGH!!!! I forget to mention that DH was pissed about me posting my pg here. Who knows why?! I asked and got no response. He agrees that he doesn't want to tell family and friends yet (have only told babysitter to reserve a spot). I told him it's not like you guys know anyone we know IRL so you won't let the cat out of the bag ... and I HAVE to tell someone the news!!!! Max, just the last few days, has started hugging his toys (stuffed animals, etc.) and grinning. Too bad he's not that loving with me - I have to beg for hugs & kises any more! And I swear his temper tantrums get worse every day. HELEN: I've had a little quesiness but nothing major. HAYLEY: Yeah on the negative results! JENNIFER: Welcome back! JULIE-ANN: Welcome. MORIAH: I see both sides of the depression thing. Somethings it's all in your attitude, as you said is the case with you. Other times, like after my Mom's open-heart surgery, it's a chemical imbalance (i.e., a medical condition, no different than high blood pressure). KELLI: Congrats, fellow PG buddy!!!! You're due 4 days before me!!!!! There will be almost 25 months between Max and BB#2. LisaB & Max (16 months) email: lisa_lab@hotmail.com Tuesday, January 11, 2000 at 11:14:48 (EST)) OK...here we go with the "baby bug" again!!!! :) :) :) SARAH here. KELLI - I almost fell off my chair when I read your post!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!! :) :) LISA - Now that it is official.....CONGRATULATIONS (again!) :) I don't think tubes are that bad. RITA - I'm glad you all are recovering. JULIANNE - HANNAH is the same way with the dishwasher. HELEN - Cute how AMANDA drank her milk from the bowl. LYNDA - Send some heat this way!!!!! LAURA - HANNAH does the same thing when we sing Itsy Bitsy Spider. :) DARLEEN - Good luck with the move. HAYLEY - Great news!!! :) JENNIFER - Thank you for the pictures!! ADAM is such a cutie!!! BETH - Sounds like you had a fun weekend! JULS - WELCOME!!! You'll love it here. Just a little background on myself...I am 28 years old. HANNAH is our first (16 months). She was unplanned, but the BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO US!!!! We live in Denver, CO. REBECCA - Good to hear from you. I'm glad to hear you're getting out!! :) Hope you all have a great day! Geez, now I want another baby!!! :) Sarah and Hannah (16 months) email: smoore@geatoir.cfer.com Tuesday, January 11, 2000 at 11:21:05 (EST)) Hi, Louise & James here. Wow, I'm getting broody with all these pg hormones about! Not much new here - except James was SOOOOO cute this morning - it was really hard to wake him up (most unusual!) and he was so sleepy when he saw me, he just kept saying 'Cat? Cat?' and looking around as if he was still asleep. He must have been dreaming about cats! KELLI - Wow! Huge congratulations! I'm really pleased for you, a little brother or sister for Elizabeth!! Keep well. SARAH - thanks for the welcome. My Dad is OK now thanks - he had had a minor heart attack a few years ago then this one. There isn't any heart disease luckily, and he's quite fit, but obviously the docs are telling him that they're warnings and he has to slow down. It was pretty sobering, thought luckily not more serious. DH is also fine - the smash wasn't serious (and not his fault!!) but having fractured his arm he couldn't work for 3 weeks, and couldn't do anything with James or around the house (so no change there then - LOL!) It was a difficult time. RITA - thanks for asking about my Mum. She's doing well, considering everything she's had to cope with lately. We had a big family gathering for NYE, I think it was very poignant for her. Glad to hear you're all (slowly) recovering - it seems like the whole of the UK has been hit with ths flu epidemic too. JULIANNE - your weekend sounds great! DH and I need to spend some time together like that too. LAURA B, SUE, SARAH & PATTY - add me to the blow-up dolls mail order list! I don't know whaht's wrong with me, LISAB and KELLI need to send me some 'procreation' hormones, LOL! LAURA B - I can so identify with the 'men being ill' syndrome. HAYLEY - I'm so glad you ended up with good news. Must be a huge weight off your mind. SAD SOMETIMES - Glad you seem to be on the up - remember it can be a slow process JULIE-ANN - Welcome! LYNDA - we'll have to meet halfway one day! Feels so weird to hear you talking about how hot it is when it's so grey and miserable here. One of my closest friends and colleagues is from near Melbourne - Great Ocean Road? - I think that's the area - she went home for Christmas and has come back with a tan - I hate her!!! JULIANE/LISAB/CHRISTI/BETH/PATTY/KELLI -I'll mail photos tonight or tomorrow (once DH has shown me how, I'm sorry to admit! Louise & James (14 months) email: rnash78035@aol.com Tuesday, January 11, 2000 at 12:34:25 (EST)) Colton has his 18 mo checkup at the drs this afternoon. It is a good thing too because I think his ear infection might be back. He has been sticking his fingers in his ears, had a fever yesterday and is back to eating only liquids. When I got home yesterday my Mom said that he wasn't feeling his normal self. I took one look at him & could tell he was sick. He always gets really pale and has red/pink circles around his eyes when he is sick. Poor little guy had enough energy to stay up until almost midnight though! His latest thing is to say "owie", which sounds more like "o-eeee" when he gets hurt. He has been holding out his hand that last few days saying o-e and then we will kiss it better! I think he is doing it just for attention as it doesn't seem like it really hurts. Also, he can play the harmonica! DH showed him how and now a week later he can make music, well sort of, come out already. He will bring it to DH and then they will play with it together. Christi: Thanks for the pics of Caleb & Alexis. The one of them looking at the book together is just adorable. LisaB: CONGRATULATIONS on your PG. I had to LOL at the comments your DH made. I meant to post this yesterday, but I got so many interruptions that I missed you. Please forgive me. I was getting ready for work this AM and it hit me that I might not have posted my congrat's yesterday and so I checked and saw I hadn't. I didn't want you to think I was stuck up or anything by omitting posting to you. LOL Hope your furnace gets fixed right this time. Laura: There is just some male code that makes men turn into wimpy babies when they are sick. Maybe we spoil our little boys too much. Oh, well, if that's the cause I will be continuing the cycle as I love to spoil Colton!! Darleen: That's great news about the job offer for your DH. Hayley: I am so glad the results were negative! What a horror having your biopsy postponed. Again, that male code of not allowing the wife to be sick must have kicked in! Sorry you didn't get the pampering you deserved. Patty: We sure can tell how much you love Jarin from your posts!! Juls: Welcome. I love your name by the way! I only have 1 or 2 friends that call me Juls. I usually insist on Julianne--habit from junior high where there were too many Julies. Lynda: Great 1 yr check-up for Ella. I had not heard about the dangerous dishwashing chemicles. Just one more reason to keep him off the door. Kelli: Wow,PG, weren't you just shocked?? CONGRATULATIONS!!!! How exciting. Kind of neat you and LisaB being PG together. Rebecca: Don't feel you have to post everyday. I do because I need to get a break from my stressful job most days. Just don't leave us all together!! Louise: Too funny about James dreaming about a cat and then wondering where it went. Lunch time is over so I had better get back to work. Julianne & Colton 18 mo Today!! email: jjones@batts.com Tuesday, January 11, 2000 at 13:38:10 (EST)) Good morning from Rita I am back at work this AM. Yuck. Neither of the girls wanted to wake up this morning and I can't blame them. They are not back into the routine of getting up for daycare after spending two weeks at home with us. Hayley - I am relieved to hear your good news. What a tough weekend you had. I hope you all get better quickly. Kelli - Wow! What's happening around here? I am almost afraid to post on the board for fear of "catching" this latest bug. A couple of moms on the Born in January 99 Board are also PG. Congratulations! Lisa B - The second PG is always different since you have your first baby to look after. I never had the luxury of taking the naps that I did when I was PG the first time. I can relate to how tired you felt. I hope you can get that furnace repaired/replaced. Louise - Please send some pictures my way too. I would love to see you and James. Rebecca - It's always good to hear from you. Post when you can. I am glad that you have found a support group. Well, I had better get some work done. Take care everyone and stay healthy! Rita & Amy email: ritad@home.com Tuesday, January 11, 2000 at 13:48:30 (EST)) Howdy from Sue and Cam! Was at another office all day yesterday, so I'm just getting back here now. Seems like I missed even more than usual over the weekend! LISAB and KELLI - Wow! Congratulations to you both. I also have the baby bug, but can't risk another pg. Dh and I have had a couple "exploratory" discussions about adopting. Hope you both have very healthy wonderful pregnancies! MORIAH - any additional news on baby Rachel? I'm keeping her in my thoughts. SAD SOMETIMES - hope you're having an "up" day. I do understand how you feel. I spent 8 months feeling much the same way and hating myself for it. At the time, I also thought I was the only horrible mom who felt that way, but now know I was very wrong. I finally went to my doctor too and have been taking an antidepressent for several months now and feel like a whole new person. Had I really understood that PPD is a medical condition and wouldn't just go away if I tried hard enough, I wouldn't have waited so long! We're ALL entitled to a rough day here and there. Face it, our jobs as moms, wives, lovers, employees, friends, and daughters are all overwhelming! Throw in the isolation that many SAHMs feel or the wild schedule of moms who work outside the home, and we are superhuman to make it through each and every day! Cam has his 12 month checkup tomorrow and I'll keep you posted on his "stats." I'm not too worried about most of the developmental checks - except for his eating. He just will NOT even attempt to eat table food or feed himself. If it does't come from me or the DCP on a spoon, forget it! I gave him a 1/4 of a cheerio the other day and he gagged and sputtered like I'm crammed a whole loaf of bread in his mouth! It'll be interesting to see what the doc thinks. Other than that he's great - not to mention adorable, lovable, brilliant, smart, and funny. Did I mention that I adore him? LOL! I'm taking the day off of work to bring him to his appointment, then spend the day together. I'm dragging him along grocery shopping, but plan to make up for it by taking a nice hike in the afternoon. Will try to check in before the end of the day. If not, will "see" you all Thursday. Smile! Sue and Cameron email: sbarry@key.org Tuesday, January 11, 2000 at 14:24:21 (EST)) Hi everyone, Christi here Not much going on here, just a normal day, thank goodness :-) HAYLEY*** I am SO glad to hear your good news! I can only imagine the huge burden that has been lifted off of you. LYNDA*** Alexis was great to pose for the pictures, Caleb on the other hand.....it took 30 minutes to get teh 2 poses :-) JENNIFER*** Welcome Back!! I wa beginning to wonder about you! Thanks for the pictures of Adam--Caleb has that same outfit, for his birthday, its so cute!! I loved your family pic too, we really need to have one taken. JULS*** WELCOME!! :-) LISA*** Hope your furnace is up and running soon! REBECCA*** Do what you need to do to feel better! We will be here :-) JULIANNE*** Thanks! Have to take Alexis to the Dr today, better get going! Christi & Caleb 14 months email: plumbs@coiinc.com Tuesday, January 11, 2000 at 14:26:31 (EST)) Hello fromHelen&Amanda!! ARCHIVE PLEASE--THANKS!!!!! Its taken almost 15min to get here!! REBECCA--Glad your doing sowell!! LISAB-- Congrats on the PG!!!( I know-I had to say it again!) KELLI!!!!!??????? You too!! CONGRATULATIONS-- what a nice surprise!! SHELLY- Jim and DH share the same B-day! BETH- Congrats on the raise! JULS- WELCOME!! JENNIFER--Congrats on the new computer! Ours is comming this week! PATTY- So glad Jarin is such a 'happy camper' when he sees you return!! THats great! KELLI- Hope Elizabeth is better! MORIAH- So sad about little Rachel- hope she is improving and strong enough for more tests and procedures, I'll say a prayer for her- :O( HALEY-- Great news!!! What a relief! DARLEEN- Congrats on DH's new job- hope everything works out well! Amanda is making me nuts with NO--NO-- thats all she says besides that-- but she says in a high pitched voice-THAAAAAAAAAT--------THAAAAAAAAAAAAT until we answer- gets REALLY annoying at times- especially when she is pointing to a person and screaming THAAAAAAAATTTTT!!!!!!! And the 'no's' are really sassy- not sweet at all, and she thinks she knows what she is saying, everything is no and then she wants help and starts grunting- you all know that noise!! Is cute though! Better go- she is awake after a 3+ hour nap- can't complain about that! LATER!! Helen&Amanda@17mos(#3) Tuesday, January 11, 2000 at 15:02:22 (EST)) Hello girls!! It's Juls here! It's snowing!! WOO HOO!!! I wont be able to post right now, I have a doctors appointment to get to, but I will be back later today, thank you for the warm welcome!! Hope all of you are having a great day, and we will chat later! Laters Juls Julie email: jatrottier@home.com Tuesday, January 11, 2000 at 15:46:35 (EST)) Remind me not to drink the water around this place!!! LOL!!!. Not that another baby would be a bad thing, but daycare for 2 would be really hard on us right now and there is no way I can afford to quit my job so it looks like I will have to resist my urges for now!! Kelli - WOW!!! Congrats what a huge surprise that must have been! Of course I have the baby bug, I'm just going to have to keep him squashed for a while that's all! You and Lisa can't leave us for PT now. You have to keep up here too and that's an order!! LOL Lisa B - did you hear that? You can't abandon us now. Hope your furnace problem is resolved soon. Don't you just hate shoddy workmanship? Helen - Amanda sounds cute with her "that". Allison used to say "more" for anything she wanted. We made her start saying the word for things. It's really helped expand her vocabulary as well as help us understand more of what she wants. Sue - good luck with the 12m. check. Let us know how it goes. Rita - glad to hear that your family is finally starting to get healthy. Julianne - I hope that Colton is not sick!! Let us know how the Dr. visit goes. Louise - James sounds cute waking up and asking the the cat. Sarah - add me to list of those that want another baby. We just can't afford one right now. I guess you and I can pine away about it together. Rebecca - I hope you get to feeling better and feel like you can join us again. As someone else said don't worry about keeping up and posting everyday. I find it impossible sometimes and I post from work (more chance to goof off that at home LOL!) Lynda - please send some of the warmth our way. Today is the first day I've even seen the sun in about 3 weeks, but it's still pretty cold out. Juls -welcome!! Hope you become a regular in our little group. Patty - so glad Jarin was happy when you got home. I just love it when Allison is in a happy mood. Just makes my day great! Well guess I should get back to work. Talk to you ladies later Beth and Allison (18.5 months) email: bobwite@msn.com Tuesday, January 11, 2000 at 15:50:03 (EST)) Oh, by the way, I e-mailed the web mother asking her to archive so hopefully it will be done soon! Beth Tuesday, January 11, 2000 at 15:51:36 (EST)) Hey, it's Birdie. Welcome newcomers!!!! Things are great here. Still no snow. Very weird weather. Noah is napping and I am heading to the mall. (DH is home early) Romaine- Good info Michelle- Great idea Helen- Ohhh, the washer and dryer would have been perfect. Our guy took photos of every room. Very stressful. Good advice. E-mail me your address and I'll send you all the pictures. Rita- Hope you are all feeling better. Patty- I know you weren't talking to me but I bet this web site will end up having an empty nest page at the rate we are all going, and we'll all be on it! Hayley- Yahoo!!!! Kelli- Oh my gosh! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! LisaB- That was quick. Well done. CONGRATULATIONS!!! Moriah- Very cool chatting with you. Wish we lived closer...I'd be over with tootsie rolls, chips, and an exercise video!!! Shelly- Oh the joys of boys. Things to look forward to. Sad- So sorry you are feeling down. It sounds like you are taking the right steps in getting help. How old are your little ones? Boys or girls? Are you in the US? Hope things are better soon. Thanks for all the advice on veggies and beds and potty's etc... Take care. Birdie and Noah (13 months) email: LJU777@AOL.COM Tuesday, January 11, 2000 at 16:54:50 (EST)) Hi guys. Sarah g here. The kids are napping so, hooray :o) I've got time to post. Here's a weird question. Does anyone have good advice on getting chocolate stains out? Isaac spilled chocolate milk on himself in the car last week (ok, I was out for a my mocha fix and he's caught on that he can get chocolate milk at the drive thru espresso also.) I'm rotten at laundry and usually ruin more stained clothes, than actually get the stains out. Dh sprained his thumb last night pillow fighting with Isaac, so he convieniently called in sick and is out job hunting again. He is so absent minded, though, he left his social security card on the counter, which he needed to give a copy of to an agency. GRIPE GRIPE!!!!! (sorry...) I swear most men can't think and do something else at the same time! Kelli- WOW!! Congratulations!!!! My kids are 23 months apart and it's a constant work out, but it's absolutely worth it all. I'm sure you guys will adjust great. :) Lisa B- Thanks for the insight. There are other issues at work here. It's all about the effort and capability people put out. Sorry to hear about Max's ears. I hope you are feeling well and catch some extra needed rest! Rita- Glad the girls' party went well. Glad to hear everyone is on their way to wellness! Helen- I know what you mean about annoying statements from the little ones. Right now Isaac has been into "what's gonna happen if..." Hope Amanda lets up on THAAAAAT soon :) Julianne- Best wishes for Colton getting well soon. Jennifer- Thanks for the pictures! What a doll! Louise- I'd love to see a picture of James. Well- ladies the kitchen is calling me!! bye! Sarah g and Isaac (2 1/2) email: gat_men@hotmail.com Tuesday, January 11, 2000 at 18:16:00 (EST)) Hi mommies. It's taken me twice as long as normal to read the posts since Jarin decided he needed to be on my lap and playing while I read. I've been tickling him and getting his neck with kisses and he has just been giggling away. =) I love that little laugh. It just makes me laugh hearing it. And, guess what? Amidst all the giggling, I spotted four new teeth in his mouth! Hmmm, could this be why he was so grouchy about a week ago? LOL Ok, it's official. Jarin really is a monster boy. The past two night I have been trying not to go to him in the middle of the night and to put him to bed awake. I've put him down about 9:30 both nights and he's only cried for five minutes! Yay! (I hope I'm not jinxing this!) The first night he slept until 7:30, nursed and slept until 9:30! Can you believe it? But last night, he woke around 3AM and was playing in his bed. DH and I could hear him playing his activity center, talking, etc. Then he cried a little, cried again around 4, and again around 5, but I, being the strong woman, didn't go to him. SO... I thought I would sneak in this morning before I went to work and there he was, huddled in the corner of his crib, IN HIS DIAPER!!!! The little monster had taken off his pajamas and was sleeping in his diaper and his little feet were freezing. He woke up when I tried to cover him up so I dressed him and nursed him. I felt bad for him being cold, but I couldn't help but LOL at the little guy. =) **Christi: Thanks for the pics. The kids are so cute. Is Lexi ok? **Juls: Welcome to the board. 3 girls? Soon you'll be catching up with Leanne and her 4 girls! **Moriah: Please don't think I was offended by your post. I wasn't at all. I just know that sometimes you can give yourself an attitude adjustment and sometimes no matter how hard you try it just doesn't work. I have so much admiration for you and your situation. You have managed to keep such a good strong head on your shoulders. I know I never would've handled everything so well. I hope I didn't upset you!! **Lynda: Yes, they do seem so lovable and more so each day. However, as the parent of a teenager, there is somewhere a point where that stops. LOL **Kelli: CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!I imagine you were pretty shocked. I hope the Augmentin works. I remember Jarin had a really bad time on that - upset his tummy a lot. So you and Lisa are due four days apart? How cool is that? **Rebecca: Post when you want. I always wonder how you are doing. Please don't feel like you have to keep up with everyone. **LisaB: Ahhh, the pregnancy sleepiness strikes already. YUCK, YUCK, YUCK! I hated being that tired all the time. LOL. I hope the furnace gets working soon. Poor Max shivering in the tub! Jarin's tantrums are also getting worse. Thanks a lot for letting Max teach him those! LOL Ok, I'm running out right now to find all your IRL friends and tell them your news before you can. heeheee **Sarah and Beth: Hey, don't you two go getting pregnant. I don't want to be the only non-pregnant one here! Yay, Beth for sending an archive note!!! **Louise: Too cute about James being so sleepy. I'll look for an order form for the blow up dolls for you. LOL. I'll be looking forward to seeing the pics. =) **Julianne: That is so sweet about colton and the owees. I hope he doesn't have another ear infection. =( I would love to see him play the harmonica. I bet that is a Kodak moment. =) Yep, I do love my little monster boy. I can't imagine what I ever did without him. **Sue: Let us know Cam's stats after his appt. Jarin also still eats baby food a lot of the time. If I can't get him to eat table food, I want him to eat something! Hey, do you like Cam just a little? LOL **Helen: So Amanda likes the word "No", huh? Isn't that so great when they learn that word? LOL. Jarin says "that" every once in a while, but mostly he still grunts in the whiny voice when he wants something. Jarin takes 3 hour naps about twice a week. It's nice to have some time to myself, as much as I love the little monster, I still need time to rejuvenate every once in a while. =) **Birdie: LOL about us all posting on an empty nest syndrome page. Knowing all ofus, you're probably right!!! **Gotta go start dinner. Take care everyone. Patty and Jarin - 16 1/2 months email: tematheny@ctlnet.com Tuesday, January 11, 2000 at 18:25:22 (EST)) Hi girls, I hope I didn't miss anyone on pictures, I got a few returned mail notices so if anyone didn't get them, e-mail me and let me know and I'll send them right along! Boy am I sure enjoying this new computer! Adam is cute, but I'm beginning to think he's starting his terrible twos a little early. He's been throwing horrible tantrums lately and they really grate on my nerves. He was sick last week, and he was the sweetest momma's boy. He wanted to spend every minute in my arms, but as soon as he started feeling better, it was back to devil child! Well, gotta go he's waking up...I promise, promise that I will do personals next post!! Jennifer and Adam 16mo email: ddock@gte.net Tuesday, January 11, 2000 at 18:31:59 (EST)) Hi from Lynda It is early morning here and I am trying to decide what to so for the day. On the one hand I could stay home and catch up on the washing or ironing - or .... Ella and I could go and visit. Sue's post about taking a hike has inspired me and going out wins! (although I will need to do some things quickly before we go). Colton: Happy 18mth birthday Kelli: Have you gotten over the shock yet! Congratulations! I agree with Beth that we want you and LisaB to stay her and fill us in on your second pg as you go. Rebecca: Totally understand about needing time for yourself and an identity other than "Mummy". Post when you feel like it and stay away when you don't - but it would be nice to hear how you are going every now and then. Louise: the Great Ocean Road is quite near Melbourne. It is on the coast (surprise! surprise!) at the "bottom" of Aust and very picturesque. Where abouts in the UK are you ( I can't remember if you said already) Sue: Looking forward to hearing about the 12 mth check up. Your post about going for a hike has inspired me today - thank you. Helen: What do you give her to get 3+ hrs sleep ??!! Can I have some ???!!LOL!! Lynda & Ella (12 months) email: ljpjyoung@ozemail.com.au Tuesday, January 11, 2000 at 18:45:45 (EST)) Hi, it's Michelle I just sat down and read all the posts when I heard Evan in the kitchen in the cookie jar. Little Stinker - I waited to see what he was going to do and he peeked around the corner at me, I pretended I didn't see him so he stepped out and had a bag of snow ball smarties (the big size of course). He was standing in the hall whispering, "need a bowl, need a bowl", I think he was contemplating if he should ask me or not. THen he decided not to and started walking toward the family room (away from me). I said HEY - and he turned around and gave a sheepish smile and said, need a bowl. I guess he'd decided he was going to eat the whole bag! Oh BOY! Rita - I had to laugh at your story about Maddies new toys being Amy's. Apparently little RIley didn't get any X-Mas presents because Evan thinks they are all his! Evan and Riley are 16 months apart - how far are Maddy and Amy? Christie - A BUZZ - I couldn't remember the word for it DUH! That's what he has. When I was a kid they called them pig shaves. Louise - Poor James having hand foot and mouth disease. Did you get it too? I got it once from my neice and boy does it smart. It looks like it would be itchy but it's stingy. OWWWW. Poor little guy. Glad to hear he is better now. KELLI AND LISA - YAY!!! CONGRATULATIONS on your news. Your babies will be born almost the same day. Moriah - I too have the munchies way to often! UGGh, I lost almost all the weight after I had Riley and now I am gaining it back. I saw a sign the other day that said ... my idea of a balanced diet is a cookie in each hand. YES! Julianne - SOrry I mistook you for someone else. Now it will drive me crazy trying to figure out who it is. Juls - WELCOME! I signed up for a painting class this week - craft painting on wood - not painting walls!! It starts on Friday, I'm really excited about it although I know I won't have much time to paint at home. Does anyone else do that... oh wait, I remember someone got a scroll saw for their Birthday a while back! Better go - I hear Riley stirring and I'd better make sure Evan didn't pour himself more smarties! Talk later. Michelle and Riley 16 months email: mwells@telupslanet.net Tuesday, January 11, 2000 at 18:56:07 (EST)) Hayley here. Becca's finally on the mend (hurray), but the antibiotics are killing her GI tract! Anyone know any "natural" cures or foods to help kids on antibiotics, which also kill the "good" bacteria? DH's still sick and whiney (week 2 1/2) with this awful flu. I'd love to see him get menstrual cramps, just once..... I'll be working frantically tomorrow, then dashing to the DR's to have my stitches taken out from the biopsy, then rushing home to pack. Becca and I leave Thurs. for a 5 day trip to Miami for an aunt's surprise 60th bday party. I normally wouldn't endure the 5 1/2 hr. flight with a toddler, but she's my late dad's last sibling, has multiple sclerosis, so I figured we should really make the trek from San Francisco. Christi: your kids are adorable. My holiday card was Becca screaming on Santa's (DH in costume) lap with the caption "happy holidays from hell!" I'll have to post it. Kelly & Lisa B: Congratulations to both of you - better you then me!! hayley and rebecca (15 mos) email: hayley.thompson@citicorp.com Tuesday, January 11, 2000 at 19:09:26 (EST)) Hi, Romaine and Saba here! I let this go for too many days (plus I could not get my server to link up on the weekend) and now the4re are so many to catch up on. Iam afraid I will not do all. The girls' naps have not really coincided today, so I am pressed for time. Saba seems to have learned a ton of new words these past 2 weeks and is now linking 2 word sentences! Patty-glad that new arrangements will work! Julianne-LOL about Santa sneezing on the gifts! Rita- I hate it when DH is not around! Shelly-Happy belated 33rd!! You have the hardest job in the world, being a single mom!! ROTFL about boys, noises, etc. If only you knew my sense of humour! One of the funniest things I ever saw was the "out-take" in a Bug's Life w/ the burping bugs and one ------! Laura-Glad that you nabbed Shane in time! Michelle-Cute about monster! Helen-Cute slapping own hands! Christi-Don't worry about taking away comfort items. They wean themselves in their own time! Saba's is a Knottie dolly that she adores! DH twice has had to go out and find her when she was left behind! We do have an extra though for if she totally disappears! Cathy G-I am dreading getting up for work too! Right now, the girls are sleeping 'til 8 or 9! I'll have to get up 5:30 or so when I go back and Dh is on days so that I have time to spend w/ them and get them ready.....and me.... Beth-Cute of Allison! Saba has been doing that lately too! Lisa B-Thanks-we think so too!! Lisa B and Kelli-Congrats! How very exciting! I am jealous :) and it makes me sad, b/c we are not planning to have any more (DH says that he loves the girls and has no more room on his lap-LOL!). I LOVED being pg!! and had very good pgs. Lisa-LOL on 1st time! Leanne and I get pg quick too. It took 3 mos. w/ my 1st, but 1st time w/ the following 3. I really have to be careful w/ this pill, it is time sensitive! Being pg while raising a toddler is WAY different!!! I really noticed the fatigue this time. It was not bad the days that I worked, but the days that I was off and looked after Saba and my work partner's son that was 4 mos. old was brutal! I was so glad that they went for naps at the same time and I would crash too!!! There were times while playing w/ them I could barely keep my eyes open! One day when I was 6 weeks along, BOTH were screaming!! I ended up calling her (it was already after hours) and asking her to come NOW b/c I was at my wits end and freaked at what would I do w/ 2 of my own????? I felt so totally helpless and useless!! Hmmmm...I don't mean to sound negative!!!:):):):) I REALLY don't know how Leanne, LuCynda and others w/ several children survive being pg!!! You are goddesses!!!!:):):):):):) Julianne-You are in Calgary???? Rita-Get well! Moriah-Prayers go out to Rachel and her family! I CANNOT imagine...... Sad-Glad that you were able to get in to see your doctor. I have really ahd my moments, esp. when I was pg w/ DD2. I am fortunate that it has not gotten worse. I am a hermit when I don't work though and it is an effort to make plans w/ others...Please e-mail me if you need to talk more... Helen-You sound like me! i like things to be just so as well, but am learning that w/ kids it can't quite be. I don't know how I will manage the house stuff once I go back to work and DH is super helpful! Misty-Welcome! Kahne-Have you talked w/ DH again and reminded him of why you'd agreed on one? I ahve no idea what your experience was, but it certainly sounds like a 1 child one to me. Laura B-cute actions! Hayley-GLAD that it is neg!!! Juls-Welcome! REALLY gotta run! Romaine and Saba 22 mos today! email: rrantry@yahoo.ca Tuesday, January 11, 2000 at 19:12:41 (EST)) I have to just comment to all you who have encouraged the anon poster "SAD" Sometimes we just do not know what TRIGGERS saddness and all the difficulties that people have to face and struggle with and most of these people are the QUIET people...the people who bare it and never let it out ....bottle it up. BETH: I think the Misty you are thinking of is the Misty whose was freinds with Mimie and who had lost that "de" in childbirth! She seemsed so sweet and so heartbroken like it was her own fault or something, but sometimes , moderen meds or not, THE BIBLE even tells us, "A woman who travaileth in childbirth suffereth worse than any other ailment on this earth",,,,,modern meds or not, we still do lose some. I still think of her and how she seemed to be there for everyone else. Sad: hang in there. Im with you....prayers and thots. Moriah: I remember how tuff you alwasys seemd and yet when you got your care package, how your tears of joy showed thru the pages and i loved you for it, for tho you were strong, you were still human and so vulnerable and needed to know you had US. I agree sometimes we need to tuffen up, but sometimes when our feet have been swept out from under us , like Mimie's when Jimmy yanked those babies....I think how on earth does SHE hold up and hold on and yet patty said she still seems to lov e him, the *&^()(@#*$_@(#!!! I hate him for what he did to her. She seems SO sweet! I wish we could do something to cheer her up.. Patty: One day it will get better with jarin. he may have asthma. what it almost sounds like to me. however most docs cant or wont check them til thay are three. Do any of you remember that Paula that used to post on Preg Today? I was her frind at work and she had posted frequently, i moved, does she ever email anyone here? and what happened with the gal who called her baby Dillpickle????????? Sara and Takoma Washington Sara Tuesday, January 11, 2000 at 20:05:47 (EST)) Good Afternoon, its Debbie. We have managed to get Maddie well and keep Emilee well. I don't know how, but we did it. I chased around after Maddie with a can of Lysol and tried to spray everything she touched, washed hands until I had bleeding cracks in mine. Oh, the joys of sick little ones. Our little Mommie & Me group met today. We first started off at the fish hatchery (where we live) and then ended up in our front yard. There were 9 little ones and 7 mommies. We have a huge swing set w/slide, wagon, 2 bikes, cozy coupe, you get the picture. Kinda like ToysRus. We all had alot of fun. The "play day/activity day" which I'am trying to get started with the Community Connection/Healthy Start people is still under construction. We hope to get it started by the 1st of Feb. So much paper work, glad I don't have to do it. Maddie is getting so "grown up". She tells me "I no baby, Emilee is the baby". If she would only use the big girl potty, then she will be grown up. Still working on that, not at a very fast pace though. Emilee is starting to say more words. She has several phones and will hold it to her ear and say "hello". She even calls my dad "pappa" on the phone. I think he gets teary eyed. She also says "sissy, dog, ball". It's a start. LisaB- Congratulations, stay healthy and get LOTS of rest. You're gonna need it! LOL Kelli - Congratulations to you too. What a surprise. You get your rest too! At least you and Lisa are alot younger than me and have more energy. Cause you're gonna need it too!LOL Maddie just recovered from the flu and a eye infection and was on Augmentin, she hated it. First we tried the liquid, no go. Then we got the pills. I had to get a hammer and smash them up in her food. She didn't get the full 10 days of it. She knew is was in her food or milk. She's too smart. Hope Elizabeth gets well soon. Christi - Thanks for the pictures of Alexis and Caleb. Beautiful babies. Julainne - Thanks for your pictures too. Adam is so handsome. Nice looking family. Thanks for the postcard too. I just saw it today. Lynda - A very belated Happy 1st Birthday to Ella. Sounds like she had a great day. Patty - Emilee has taken off her clothes before too. It's kinda a shock when you find the that way. Is Jarin still at your sisters? Wouldn't you just love to have another one? I can tell you are gonna get the bug! LOL Rita - Glad everyone is getting somewhat better. I don't know how you manage. LOL about Maddy and "her" toys. My Maddie did the exact same thing to Emilee. Emilee also got a little ride on car for Christmas and Maddie thinks it's hers. She thinks everything Emilee got is hers. Big behavioral problems here too. Poor little Amy and Emilee. The Maddie/Maddy's are gonna get it someday. Welcome all new Moms and Babies. Hello- Birdie, Sarah, Helen, Beth, Rebecca, Moriah, Shelly and everyone else I've missed. Take care everyone, talk soon. Debbie, Maddie & Emilee email: debngreg@qnet.com Tuesday, January 11, 2000 at 20:34:31 (EST)) LisaB***Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kahne***Give it time. Either he will change his mind or you will. Hang in there. Moriah***You didn't offend me at all. Even with getting help, we are the only ones who can pull ourselves out and put the therapists words to work. Sad***I'm always "in my own way" that is what keeps me going. Got to run. Shelly & Riley Tuesday, January 11, 2000 at 21:40:15 (EST)) Hello Ladies, Kahne here, Well another semester has started. I am studying human growth and developent this go round. So prety soon I will be an expert on our little ones! Things between DH and I are OK, the subject of another baby has been dropped for the time being. DH's aunt died Friday, and my great grandmother died Saturday. So, all weekend and the past two days were spent at funerals. It wasnt too bad, Cat seemed to get the idea that something wasnt quite right, and was good for the most part. I think she is sarting to get another tooth, she has been fussy and pulling at her ear and chewing on everything. I gave her a dose of Tylenol and put her to bed at nine. She didnt even fuss for a second, total silence, it was quite nice. My BIL's little girl is stying with us for a few days and her and Cat are playing SO WELL. She just turned three. I gave them a bath together yesterday, and they got me more wet than themselves, lol. Ok, enough rambling, but thank all of you for the advice on TTC#2. Sad Sometimes: Hang in there, we are here for you, it WILL get better! Hayley: Give Rebecca LOTS of yogurt, it will restore the normal flora of the intestinal tract, and stop the diiareah. Kelli and Lisa B: CONGRATULATIONS, however, keep it to yourself! LOL, cause I dont want it! Sarah G: For the choco stain, there is a product at wal mart called TODDLER TIME. It is in a pink and white bottle, and it will get any stain out of anything. I even use it on our clothes. It is about three dollars per bottle. Ok, gotta run. Love you guys and post soon! Kahne and Cat 1 email: kahneandsteve@hotmail.com Wednesday, January 12, 2000 at 00:36:54 (EST)) Hey everyone! Not much going on here. I was tired all day and was able to catch a 45 min. nap but that seemed to make me more tired. Elizabeth was pretty good today. She's just WAY too cute. Here's a question for eveyrone: Elizabeth needs her first haircut. Her hair is fine, but it's getting long enough to get in her face. Right now, Elizabeth has big time stranger anxiety, so I'me very weary of taking her to a professional... Although I'd feel more comfortable with someone else doing it. How many of you cut your childs hair yourself? Any suggestions? I'm really dreading it because I know she won't sit still for 2 seconds!!! Rebecca, I hope you are doing okay. It sounds like getting out is good for you. Do what makes you feel the best, but please let us know how you are doing from time to time. LISAB, What a drag about your furnace!! Elizabeth loves on her dolls and stuffed animals too! She'll hold them tight and pat their backs and say, "ooohhh baby!" It's too cute! SarahM, You think you were about to fall off your chair when you read my post! HA! I was sitting in the room reading a magazine at the doctors office and the doc poked her head in and said "congratulations". Me, being totally shocked said, "Congratulations for what?" It took me a minute to catch my breath! But, I'm so happy with the suprising results! Louise, Cute story about James waking up saying, "cat". Julianne, How's Colton? That's cute about his "owie". Rita, It's so hard to get back into a routine! Hope everyone is feeling good and healthy! Hello Lynda, Birdie, Sue and Juls! And thnx for the congratulations! Helen, Amanda sounds like she's a strong-willed child! Elizabeth says Thaaaaaaat all the time too! Beth, I had to laugh when I read your post about the drinking water around here! I'll try to keep up with both, we'll see! I'll always be here though- as long as you all don't mind my whining about heartburn and other lovely pregnancy symptoms! After all, you guys were my first cyber-buds! SarahG, I use Spray & Wash stain stick. It works wonders for me. I'm somewhat a fanatic about stains... I carry the stain stick with me at all times! You can use it for up to 5 days before washing. If a stain doesn't come out after washing, DON'T dry it... simply lay out to dry and apply the stain stick again and wash it again. I just had to do that when Elizabeth got Tylenol all over the front of a white sweatshirt. It all came out, thankfully! Patty, Jarin has been giving Eliz. bad ideas! LOL! just kidding! For the past 3 nights now, Elizabeth has been crying herself to sleep. She only cries for about 5 minutes but she NEVER used to cry when I put her down. I think I'm the worlds worst when I think Elizabeth is cold in her bed! I always end up waking her up to cover her up. I just know I'd hate to be cold while trying to sleep and Elizabeth is helpless in that dept. so I feel guilty when I think she's cold. I hope Elizabeth's little tummy can handle Augmentin. Yeah, I thought it was pretty cool that Lisa & I have close due dates too. I'm glad that atleast someone that I know (sord-of) will be going through the same thing. Michelle, Cute "need a bowl" story!! You should have a blast with your painting class! My MIL does that and she sells TONS of stuff at a craft booth! Hayley, Wow, you are going to be so busy the next few days! Good luck on the flight to Fla! Romaine, I have been feeling like you did when you were 6 weeks pregnant, babysitting a 4 mo. old and also had Saba to look after. Although i'm not babysitting and only have Elizabeth, she wears me out good and at the end of the day, I wonder if I'll be able to handle two! Scares me to death! Debbie, So glad to hear everyone is healthy! Hope it stays that way! Maddie and Emily sound so cute. They are growing so very fast, aren't they?! It's a bear to get elizabeth's Augmentin down her! I tried to see if she wanted to do it herself (thinking it was a power thing). Well, the medicine flew across the room. I'd like to try putting it in her food, but there is no guarentee that she'll eat very much of it... she's become picky the past few days. So, I have to restrain her on the floor with my arms and legs. We have WWF wrestling on our living room floor! LOL! I hate doing it, but it's got to get done! Kahne, so sorry to hear aobut your Dh's aunt and your great grandmother! What a weekend!!! I know it must have been so difficult! Well gang, I better get off of here. You all take care and have a good week! Kelli & Elizabeth, almost 18 mo. email: rkncs@aol.com Wednesday, January 12, 2000 at 02:10:32 (EST)) Hi From CathyG... It is one of those days - my 5 year old woke up throwing up and DH and I had a fight about who should stay home. This is my 4th day back at work, so I feel somewhat obliged to at least show up, but I feel I should be at home with Emma. Anyway, I am here for the morning and 2 meetings and then I'll be home. Alison has gone to the caregiver's. I can't believe the rash of pregnancy news - LisaB and Kelli - congratulations to you both. DH's birthday is Sept 17 and we always seem to have wonderful weather then - I think it's a great time to have a birthday. I wish you both healthy pregnancies. Darleen - It was me asking about the incisors. Alison has all 4 coming in and is a bit irritable - I guess that explains it. I hope the job in Toronto comes through. Good idea to rent for a while, Toronto is so big. Where will DH's job be? My DH spends about 1 day a week there, and keeps threatening me with a move. Sarah G - good luck to you and DH - I hope you can work things out. Kelli - I hope Elizabeth gets better soon. I took Alison to First Choice Haircutters (I don't know if they are an American or Canadian chain). I think at the big chains they are used to kids, and quite experienced about dealing with them. I sat in the chair, with Alison on my lap, and the stylist gave her the brush that they sweep the cut hair off to play with. She did not keep terribly still, but the lady was able to do a reasonable job, and we were done in about 10 minutes. I would only trim bangs myself - Alison is way too squirmy. LisaB - I hope Max gets better soon too. Julianne - Alison loves the dishwash too. Skating was fun, although it was quite warn and there were puddles on the ice. I'm going to a scrapbooking workshop tonight - I'd be happy if I could get 4 pages done. Hayley - I am relieved for you about the biopsy, and hope that everyone recovers quickly at your house. I had to skim the rest of the posts as I've got to get ready for the meeting. Hope to see you all tomorrow. CathyG and Alison (17 months) Wednesday, January 12, 2000 at 10:41:43 (EST)) Hi everyone, Louise here. James has been a real monster boy today, eating me out of house and home. He at an ENORMOUS breakfast, then ate most of mine and has spent the morning pointing at the cupboard where all his 'snack' foods are kept and yelling! I swear he eats more than me some days! Does anyone know if they go through a growth spurt around a year/14 months? He's never been that heavy (at his year check he was 24 pounds, just over 50th centile), but he's very tall and I guess he just has hollow legs! I wouldn't mind but whenever we go out and he sees other people eating, he turns these huge plaintive eyes on them and sobs as though I never feed him, the little monster! I had to share this with you guys - beware - a big moan about DH is coming up. I should say before I start that DH is a kind, supportive, wonderful husband (sometimes, LOL!) - seriously he can be very demonstrative and loving so I feel bad about moaning. BUT - last night we were talking about the next baby etc (inspired by all the pregnancies around here), and I was saying that although it wouldn't hold me back, I was scared of having another nightmare delivery and difficult recovery (long story but I basically had an emergency C-section after 18 hours of back labour, and then there was an awful problem with the epidural), and, to get to the point, DH said, 'yeah, it was rough, but just imagine how it was for me, I had to be in the operating theatre with you and it's worse for the person watching, and I had to come every day to the hospital and you know how I hate hospitals'!!!! I was so staggered I was actually speechless. What are they like? Anyway, I'm still speechless when I think about it so I'd better stop! BTW - I will send the photos tonight. JULIANNE - Colton sounds so funny with his 'Oweee' and his harmonica. It's funny what natural little actors they are isn't it? James also loves to play to the gallery. RITA/SARAH G -I'll add you to the photo list HELEN - I can imagine that 'THAAAAAT' could be irritating, but at least she says it - James just grunts!! BETH - thanks for e-mailing about archiving, it's taking me ages to get on as well. PATTY - I can just imagine Jarin sleeping there, the picture of innocence, stripped to his diaper! They do the strangest things sometimes, I guess they have their own logic! LYNDA - I live just north of London. I've lived in London most of my life although my parents are originally from Scotland and I still have a load of family up there. MICHELLE - Luckily I didn't pick up the Hand, Foot and Mouth disease, I really felt for James, it was obviously really sore and he looked so pitiful. For a mild childhood illness it seemed really bad if you see what I mean! HAYLEY - As I think Kahne said, natural yoghurt works wonders. DEBBIE - Your Mommy & Me club sounds good. You must have so much energy to organise things like that and have 2 kids! KAHNE - I'm sorry about DH's aunt and your Great Grnadmother. Seems you've had a lot of bereavements lately. KELLI - We got James's hair cut for the first time at the weekend (he looks like such a little man now!). I never thought he'd sit still, and I was really worried when they put him in a sort of high chair instead of on my knee as I'd thought, but he was really good - he was so fascinated he kept pretty still and it was over really quickly, 10 minutes maximum. Louise & James (14 months) email: rnash78035@aol.com Wednesday, January 12, 2000 at 11:46:48 (EST)) Hi from LisaB. The furnace is fixed - YEAH!!! It was so nice to come home to and walk up in a warm house. I plan to send out "pregnancy announcements" with Max's 18-mo pictures (by the time I get them taken & back I'll be around 3 months preggers). I'm going to have Moriah's Zanycards do the cards (if she'll accept the job!) I'm thinking of having a picture of Max playing with his "baby doll" with the overlay saying something about "Max wants to announce he'll be a big brother on or about September 17, 2000". What do you all think? I think I'll get a shot of Max dragging the doll around like a caveman (the only way he plays with it)!!! JULIANNE: Colton sounds so old with his owie and harmonica. BETH: Congrats on your raise! SARAH G (? I think - forgot to note name!): Sick from a sprained thumb? TOO funny! PATTY: Wow! 4 new teeth, huh? How funny that Jarin got his pjs off! Does he sleep with a blanket? I started using one with Max when he turned one. HAYLEY: Good luck on your trip with Becca. SARA: Welcome back! KAHNE: I'm sorry to hear about the deaths in the family. It sounds like Cat and her cousin are having a ball together. KELLI: Max got his 1st haircut just before his 1st b-day. I asked around to find a saloon that took young kids. He sat on my lap while they cut his hair. I've cut his hair myself ever since, usually when he's asleep. LOUISE: James and his starving boy looks in public are TOO funny! Sorry about DH. Yeah, I hate hospitals and gore also and wouldn't want to see a c-section. Still, you had it much worse ... labor, the c-section, recovery, etc. Men can be so self-centered. LisaB, Max (16 mo.), & BB#2 (4 wks in oven) email: lisa_lab@hotmail.com Wednesday, January 12, 2000 at 12:28:49 (EST)) hi again from LisaB. The sitter just called. Max's little buddy who is always hugging and kissing Max just got confirmed with Influenza A. Due to the outbreak the kid and everyone in his house is being put on antibotics. I'm taking Max in to the doctor this afternoon, esp. as he had a cold Monday and congestion in his lungs (but doc thought was a minor cold so no meds). I really hope Max avoids the flu. I'm not sure if they will give me any preventive meds or not since I'm pregnant. Plus I have a few toys in the car but no books or the other "standard" distractions to get Max to sit still and behave in the waiting room at the doctor. One more joy of motherhood (and pregnancy), huh?! LisaB email: lisa_lab@hotmail.com Wednesday, January 12, 2000 at 13:08:17 (EST)) LisaB ... back again. Stupid pregnancy brain - I forgot to tell you I'm especially afraid Max will get the flu as he had fluid on his lungs at his appointment on Monday. The doc wasn't real concerned about it as Max was getting over a cold and has the fluid in his ears. Now I'm all worried thinking the fluid in his lungs is because he has the flu and just isn't showing symptoms yet. I'll sign off now and PROMISE I won't be back until tomorrow! :-) LisaB Wednesday, January 12, 2000 at 13:52:31 (EST)) Hi Everyone! Thank-you to everyone who sent pictures to us of there little ones. We all have such adoreable babies! Well.....Nolan is off to the Dr this afternnon to see what else is the matter with him. I hope he has a clean bill of health, I've been avoiding taken him to play groups and out period to avoid getting sick. It seems to hit him really hard when he gets sick. The other night he cried really hard for 15 mins, my Dh nor I could do anything for him, he wouldn't let us. This morning I took him out to Wal-Mart, and he started to fuss so I picked him up, and he fell asleep in my arms. It was cute. Everybody was commenting, but boy........is he ever heavy. This is short, i can hear him screaming so I better go and check up on him. Have a great day. Darleen & Nolan (14mths) email: j7smith@ciaccess.com Wednesday, January 12, 2000 at 14:06:20 (EST)) Colton sure hasn't grown much since his 15 month checkup. He is 31 3/4 inches tall and weighs just under 23 pounds. I could swear he weighs more than that. The dr checked his ears and it does look like his ear infection is returning so he needs another 2 wks of medicine and then the dr is putting him on a preventative antibiotic to get him through the winter season. Anybody else had to go through that? I am just worried about too much medication causing resistant strains. The dr really stressed that we have to stop letting him have a bottle during the night when he wakes up. We started up again when he got sick because he was eating so little I couldn't refuse his pleas for his ba-ba. So last night I tried to just give him water and he had such a terrible fit that I gave in. I know, wrong thing to do, but at 1 am in the morning I'm a pretty weak person. Anyway, DH and I got into it again. He keeps insisting that Colton sleeps too much during the day and that is why he is waking up. Hello...the kid is not waking up to play he is waking up to eat. He is sleeping in over an hour later than usual so I know he is plenty tired. Why must DH think he knows more than me when it comes to Colton???? Ok, you can add my DH to the not so dear list for this week. Helen: What, Amanda saying "no" and "that" all the time isn't so cute anymore? LOL Hopefully she will discover some new words soon. Patty: Great job on not going to get Jarin when he was crying during the night. I need to get firm w/ Colton again too. I know what you mean about feeling guilty about Jarin being cold when sleeping. I hate it when I find Colton uncovered as his room is the coldest. Jennifer: I din't get the picture of Adam. Please send one. Michelle: Too cute about Evan needing the bowl but deciding not to ask you. Enjoy your painting class. Hayley: Yogurt is a must when taking antibiotics. Romaine: Yeah for Saba's 2-word sentences. It's so cute to hear our little ones talk. Nope, I do not live in Calgary, I am in Michigan. Maybe you are who Michelle has me mixed up w/??? Debbie: LOL at the picture of you chasing the germs around the house w/ lysol. Sounds like you & the girls are involved in a fun playgroup. Yeah for Emilee's new words. Oops, I think you ment my post for Jennifer (Adam's mom). Kahne: Sorry about the deaths in your family. It must be fun for Cat having a playmate this week. Kelli: We just got Colton's hair cut for the 2nd time last night. Both DH & I go w/ him so that DH can hold him and I can help occupy him w/ books or toys so that he sits still. It went really good both times. I tried cutting his bangs myself and couldn't get him to sit still enough and was way too worried that I would poke his eyes out! CathyG: Have fun scrapbooking tonight. Louise: So James is a little moocher already wanting others to share their food w/ him--too funny. Men sure do think the world revolves around them! What a shocker of a comment your DH made to you. See you all tomorrow. Julianne & Colton 18 months email: jjones@batts.com Wednesday, January 12, 2000 at 15:04:15 (EST)) Hi ladies, My name is Marha I am a 21 year old mother of one little boy, his name is Daniel he is now almost 14 months old. I am a SAHM for now. We have just recently moved to Alabama and are looking to meet other babies and moms. I usally post at parentsoup but though I would look in here for a change. My dh and I are tring to concive #2 (blush) soon. How old are everyones kids? Nice to meet everyone! Marha & Daniel Marha email: lottsalovein@yahoo.com Wednesday, January 12, 2000 at 16:18:04 (EST)) Hi ladies, My name is Marha I am a 21 year old mother of one little boy, his name is Daniel he is now almost 14 months old. I am a SAHM for now. We have just recently moved to Alabama and are looking to meet other babies and moms. I usally post at parentsoup but though I would look in here for a change. My dh and I are tring to concive #2 (blush) soon. How old are everyones kids? Nice to meet everyone Marha & Daniel email: lottsalovein@yahoo.com Wednesday, January 12, 2000 at 16:18:52 (EST)) Hi again from CathyG - I am home looking after Emma, who was bouncing around when I got home, having too much fun. We watched a little TV and then I told her that she had to rest so her stomach could get better. She proceeded to have a nosebleed, and has just gone to sleep. Louise - I have heard of hand, fot and mouth disease, but I don't know what itis. It sounds bad! LisaB - the cards sound great. I will keep my fingers crossed about the flu. I forget where you live - is the flu really bad there? Here we are supposed to be getting the big onslaught very soon. Julianne - my oldest had a persistent ear infection that started when she was about 17 months, and we tried about 3 antibiotics before it was gone. My family doctor eventually sent us to an ENT, and at that time the infection was gone, and he told us to finish up the bottle we were on, but on a once a day basis to prevent a recurrence. We did this, and it seemed to work - she's now 5.5, and has never had another ear infection, so it didn't seem to harm her resistance. BTW - I got home to find a message from my CM consultant cancelling the workshop tonight - I was the only one signed up!! I can't imagine her business is doing too well. Oh well, I will try to set up and do some on my own tonight. Bye all! CathyG and Alison (17 motnhs) Wednesday, January 12, 2000 at 16:45:15 (EST)) Hi Mom's it's Darleen again. We just got home from the Dr, Nolan has a clean bill of health thankgoodness. He is napping now, hopefully until 5pm, then he will go to bed nice and early tonight. Nolan weighs 23lbs 2 3/4oz. I thought he was heavier, but he's not. Welcome Marha! Gotta go I spoke to soon Nolan is awake now screaming power nap. Have a good night! Darleen & Nolan (14mths) email: j7smith@ciaccess.com Wednesday, January 12, 2000 at 17:38:02 (EST)) Hello everyone! Hey just a question, why is this board backwards? It is kind of a pain in the butt!! :) And I can't post and read your posts at the same time! :( Which really sucks! So that means that I have no respones to anyone, sorry, don't kick me off yet!! tee hee! I am trying to learn everyones name still, and I recgonize a few people, Leanne, are you the same Leanne ( Dec 15th birthday Leanne? ) , and Kelli, I've seen you on the other borad! :) Well my Shaelynn and Alexandra were exposed to the chickenpocks on Christmas day and still no spots, Friday if still no spots then the are clear!! I was kind of hoping that they would get them , b/c that means that when they do get them I will probably have 3 children with them!! EEEKKK! :) Well I am sure I have bored you to tears so I am going to scaddadle now, but will be back tomorrow or maybe if I can tonight! I hope I can do personals next time! Take care everyone! Laters Juls Julie email: jatrottier@home.com Wednesday, January 12, 2000 at 19:59:13 (EST)) Hi everyone, from Stacey! Longtime no post! It has been since before Christmas for me, and I am not even going to attempt to catch up. I am instead going to take advantage of the fact that I have two little girls sleeping and try to touch on anything major. I have been reading from time to time, but I just have not been able to post. This is due in large part that Franchesca is obsessed with the fish on our screensaver and gets very upset if the computer is on but the fish are not there. It is impossible to read, or type, with her squirming and trying to attack the keyboard and bring back the fish... I fear my big girl is going to grow up somewhat of a bully. We went to a party on Saturday, and she made a two year old cry because she wanted the toy he had and went and started pushing him away from it and slapping his hands. I went and got her and took her away, but the rest of the day he would cry when he saw her. Poor kid. She has also been giving her little sister a beating again lately. Alexa has a big scratch down her nose from a toy that was thrown at her, and the other day Franchesca scribbled all over her forehead with an inkpen (I of course was at work and DH was washing dishes and decided to leave Alexa on the floor on her activity gym, brilliant man that he is...). Then, Franchesca bit Alexa's knee. I guess she was having a bad week last week. The killer though, is that we got the wonderful idea in our heads to try to attend mass for New Years. I brought plenty of books and cookies for Franchesca, and we sat in the back in case we had to sneak out. The second mass started and the priest stood up to sing, Franchesca starts clapping and yelling "Bravo" "Bravo" at the top of her lungs. We lasted through five minutes of mass before ducking out. I guess we won't be trying that for a while again. I had planned on baptising the girls together, but now I am worried about how Franchesca will behave. As for Alexa, she takes it all in stride. She is still her usual sweet self. We really lucked out. We take her places and people are amazed at how happy she always is. It is almost easy to forget she is there, with all of the attention Franchesca demands, especially since she can stare at her hand for an hour and be perfectly content. I don't know if any of you remember, but for a while my BIL and his wife and daughter were living with us and helping with childcare. They missed family, and when Alexa was 2 weeks old they packed up and left with only a day's notice. Well, they called last week and want to move back in for another year. They plan to leave my niece with her grandmother and come so that they can work and save money for the business they started (they ran out of capital). I have really mixed feelings about this, but I think we are going to give it a go. I had gotten really comfortable just being us in our little house... As for personals, I have missed far too much to catch up on, so let me just touch on some of the highlights... LisaB--Congratulations! I am very excited for you! I wish you a healthy and easy pregnancy this time around. My birthday is September 18, and I have always been partial to September birthdays... Kelli--Congrats to you too! Sounds like a big, happy surprise you had! See message above to LisaB about September birthdays. I hope Elizabeth feels better soon. Patty--I am so glad you got things worked out for Jarin and childcare. No child should have to go through that. I have interviewed at many places but generally have been dissatisfied with the adult to child ratio in daycare places here, which is why DH made the decision to work from home and be a SAHD for now. Louise--Why is it that men think EVERYTHING revolves around them. Your poor husband, having had to watc hyou experience a long labor and emergency C section. I know they feel helpless seeing us in pain, but worse for them, COME ON!! Kahne--I think you were given some good advice about not making a final decision about another baby when it wouldn't be for a few more years anyway. Wait and see what happens then. Sad Sometimes--I still get my share of ups and downs, and am overwhelmed sometimes, having two small children so close together and working fulltime. I am glad you reached out and got help, from us and from your Dr. And Moriah--I think your advice did make sense, about trying to change your attitude. You cannot change your situation, so you need to try to see the positive side. The important thing is that if you cannot see it on your own, you reach out to someone to help you find the positive side, or at least make the situation bearable, and that is what Sad Sometimes did. I may contact you some day if I ever have time to send out baby announcements for Alexa (I know, I know, she is three and a half months old, and I am a horrible mom since Franchesca's were done when she was a week old, pictures and all. Welcome to my reality). Hello to everyone I missed, well wishes to all who are sick, happy thoughts to all who are sad, boy vibes or girl vibes to all who are pregnant (do we know what we are hoping for this time around or no preferences yet?) I have missed you all and will try to check in more regularly once again!!! Stacey, Franchesca (17 mos), and Alexa (3.5 months) Wednesday, January 12, 2000 at 22:26:53 (EST)) Hi!! Elizabeth jabbers ALL the time! It's so cute! I have no clue what she's saying half the time, but it's very important! She's so independant right now it's not even funny! I have been asking her if she want's a baby and all she says is, "Ahhhh babies!" She loves kids and babies! CathyG, Hi! It sounds like Emma began feeling better later in the day. I sure hope so. Louise, James must be going through a growth spurt if he's begging for food! WOW- What a comment DH made!!! My dh is very supportive of me. He always tells me I have the hardest job in the world: carrying the child for 9 months, giving birth and then being a mother! You know what they say: If men were to have the babies, each family would only have one child because they couldn't handle it! LOL! LisaB, Yea for furnace being fixed! That's a cute announcement idea! My DH was so proud and excited that he called EVERYONE (out of state)on our cell phone the second we walked out of the dr. office after I found out the news! Then, the next day, he sent a mass e-mail at work saying he was going to be a dad again. The man can't keep secrets! (he even had to give me my Christmas present 2 weeks before Christmas! LOL) Hope you guys stay away from the nasty flu! Darleen, Glad Nolan is Healthy!! Julianne, I hope the antibiotic works this time!! Good luck with giving up the bottle. We took the bottle away from Elizabeth cold turkey when she was 16 months (in Nov.) It wasn't that bad at all. I do give her yogurt before bed to fill her tummy. Marha, Welcome to you and Daniel! A little bit about me: I'm 25, a SAHM, live in Colorado, been married for 4 1/2 years, we have 1 daughter Elizabeth... 18 months on Saturday and we're expecting our second child in September. Stacey, Your post had me rolling! Franchesca sounds so cute! From the fish on the pc, to "franchesca the bully" to New Years Mass... My Dh & I died laughing... at your expense! LOL! I think you should do what your gut tells you about your BIL and sil moving back in. Personally, with their past history, I'd say no. I don't see how they can leave their little girl behind! Good luck! Oh, and btw, it doesn't matter what sex this child is. (although, I secretly want another girl mainly because I have all girl clothes!) Where are SarahM. and Patty?? Hope you guys are okay! I better go... I'm exhausted! Take care eveyrone! Kelli & Elizabeth, 18 mo...almost email: rkncs@aol.com Thursday, January 13, 2000 at 01:35:52 (EST)) Hello to all. I hope you are in bed instead of on the pc like me. I just got home from seeing the Green Mile with exdh. What a great movie. I had a hard time watching some of the stuff. Have you ever noticed that the minute you become a mom, you can't watch the same things anymore? Last Sun. night, we were at my Mom's for my b-day cake. We were playing a card game called spoons. It's very loud and you have to yell the word spoon. Riley was in and out. Sitting in my lap and then running off to play with bros. Well, the next night, Tay and I were playing checkers. I was teasing him and saying "woohoo I'm winning". Riley looks up at me and yells Poons!(spoons). I cracked up. I guess I didn't realize he had been paying a lot of attention to our games Sun. night. Who was it that said babies don't pay attention to everything? Oh yeah!! That was me, whenever I cuss, I think "he's didn't hear that!"LOL Anyway. I'm getting along great w/exdh. I feel like he is really trying to get back on track and I'm trying to be his friend and be supportive. My oldest sis cannot understand this and is always asking if we are dating. I'm not even telling her we went to the movies. Well, it's bed time so only a few personals. Kelli*** I'm sorry, I forgot to congratulate you too. That is so great you both are due on the same day. All this "babyitis" is making me wish I was not done. (Breath, Moriah!!!!!!)LOL Birdie***How's things out there in Maine? Moriah***Anymore fits out of Master Alex? I was telling Mom about the "swab" incident. Bye for now! SHELLY & RILEY Thursday, January 13, 2000 at 03:10:29 (EST)) A soon to be sick Christi here--I can feel it coming on. I am sorry to say I did not have time to read all of the posts and take notes, I just scanned them quickly, sorry it will be a selfish post. First, I have to tell you about my night from H**L! I had to meet with the fundraising comittee at 5:30 last night to finalize things before the board meeting. (This is only a preschool board) They totally threw out my favorite ideas, and decided to sell cookbooks, ugh, now guess who will be in charge of distributing, getting $$ etc. But, thats what was decided on so.......We get to that part of the board meeting, and here we go again. Maybe this isn't what we want to sell, maybe we should do candy again....we did this for 45 minutes. Again, we decided on cook books. I wanted to scream! So, finally at 9pm I got home. DH has the kids upstairs, just out of the bath. (I am still mad about the meeting[s]) Anyway, he proceeds to tell me how Alexis did something to Caleb (although he is not sure what), but he was bleeding from the mouth and his hand. The pointer finger on his left hand was somehow smashed--the fingernail is black, and was still bleeding. Can I not leave the house 1 night a month!?! Here is the thing, I get totally woozy to my stomach when I think of not having a finger/toenail, I always have, and who do you think will have to clean it out everyday, and clip the remaining nail-----ME!YUCK. And since he will not leave a band aid on, I am worried it will get infected, and when he eats will food get in it and burn? And then I wake up feeling like crap! Aren't you glad I posted today?? I am sorry guys, but i had to get it out before DC kids get here. Thanks everyone, I will check bak in a nap time and try to catch up! Christi & Caleb 14 months email: plumbs@coiinc.com Thursday, January 13, 2000 at 09:38:33 (EST)) Good morning from CathyG - We had a calm morning Emma is feeling better and DH took the kids to the caregivers. I've got a large boring document to review, and I am trying to delay. Stacey - Franchesca sounds like a real little monkey. Ithink her bravo's sounded very cute. Alison is also a bit of a bully, she has a real assertive personality, plus she is BIG. She is the size of a 2 year old, and seems to know that she can push her weight around. She is with 3 other kids ages 18 months to 2 1/2, so I expect she will soon learn about finer social skills! Kelli - Isn't the jabbering fun? I like it when Alsion looks at me and says something that she knows is important, she looks so serious. Shelley - Riley must have made you melt with his POONS. How cute. Darleen - I'm glad Nolan is doing better. On to my document, I guess. CathyG and Alison (17 months) Thursday, January 13, 2000 at 09:47:47 (EST)) Well, Allison pooped in the potty last night for the second time ever, but this time she actually ASKED to go!!!!! We were settling down for bed and she said "Pee pee!" She does this every night and usually goes about 90% of the time (sometimes I think she is just being the little girl that cried pee pee, but that's another story.). Well, we went in there and she sat down, but got up without doing anything. So I took in to get her dressed. She threw a fit insisting, "NO, Pee pee!!! peepee!." So, I took her back in there and she didn't go again. Well, we went through this routine about 3 times. Each time her insisting more loudly that she had to go. So finally, I asked if she wanted to sit on the big potty. She said yes so I helped her up and held her(so she wouldn't fall in!). She sat there for a long time then finally pooped!.. I was so excited and so was she. I guess she knew it was coming, it was just taking a while to get there! Sarah g - I like the stain stick too. There is also this stuff call Zout that takes out lots of stuff too. Like Kelli said, if it doesn't come out, DON'T DRY IT!! that will only cause the stain to set in. You still have a chance if you keep it wet. Patty - glad that Jarin is sleeping better for you. Hope the trend continues. Michelle - Riley sounds too cute getting the cookies down and needing a bowl. Hayley - as everyone else has said, yogurt works well. Make sure the kind you get has the natural acidopholus still in it as that is the stuff you need. Debbie - Wow! you sound like one busy lady! Your play group sounds like fun. Kahne - good luck with school this semester. Kelli - I cut Allison hair in the tub, but I know there are places that specialize in children's cuts. You should check around for something like that in your area. Juls - I think that the PT board is backward!! LOL! We had a vote on here and most people voted to keep it this way. As this is the way PT was when we all starting posting on there. I like it better. This board isn't near as big as PT so it doesn't take as long to load. To each his own I guess. Stacey - I was LOL at Franchesca yelling Bravo at the priest. Too funny! Hope she starts acting better soon for you! Kelli - Elizabeth sounds so cute with her ahhh babies comment. Allison loves babies too, but I don't think she'd like me with another baby. She's pretty jealous of other kids in the church nursery, etc. Well, I may try to check in later today. Have a great day everyone. Beth and Allison (18.5 months) email: bobwite@msn.com Thursday, January 13, 2000 at 10:26:45 (EST)) Good morning all! It's Sue back in the office after a day of playing hookey yesterday to bring Cam to his 12-month checkup. We also had a great day grocery shopping, playing in his swing, and going for a nice long walk (well, he had a great time, I froze my butt off!). His vitals are as follows: Weight: 24 lbs., 6 oz. (Moo!) Length: 30 1/2 inches Head: 18 3/4 inches Nothing else major from his visit - got two shots and a finger-prick blood test for lead (law here in Mass.). I did ask the doc about him not wanting to feed himself and she said she wasn't concerned at this point and to just keep offering him the opportunity to do it if he wants to. I didn't have too much time to read the posts after being out yesterday and facing the mountain of crud that accumulated since Tuesday. It also took me an extra half hour to get in today because it's FINALLY snowing. Yeah for playing in it, but Boo for driving! I may head out early if it keeps piling up (I have an hour commute in good weather!). I'll catch up more later or tomorrow morning. Hope everyone stays happy and healthy! Sue and Chunky Monkey Boy email: sbarry@key.org Thursday, January 13, 2000 at 11:13:13 (EST)) My mom said that she got Colton to count to 3 yesterday. All DH & I could get out of him was "tooo" after lots of prompting! He keeps wanting us to say the "Baa Baa Black Sheep" nursery ryhme. That is how mom is teaching him to count! Last night was a rough one, but we didn't bring Colton to our bed. Around midnight I sat with him on the couch and let him drink a 1/2 bottle (followed by water) and then had to stand by his crib for quite a while to get him to sleep. He would keep feeling around him and saying "da-da?". He just loves sleeping by DH. Finally he went to sleep so I could go back to bed. About an hour later DH got to stand by him and do it all over again. He did manage to sleep until 6 am so I thought it went OK. Lisa: I love your announcement idea. Sure hope Max doesn't get the flu. Darleen: I know what you mean about Nolan feeling so heavy sleeping on your shoulder. Last visit to the grocery store Colton decided to sleep 3/4s of the time on my shoulder. I sure got lots of comments and pity looks trying to shop and push the cart w/ my sleepy little boy. Great check-up Nolan. Marha & Daniel: Welcome. Colton is our only child and just turned 18 months. CathyG: Sorry your workshop got cancelled. Thanks for the ear & medicine info and how it affected your kids. Juls: There's a new law in MI that requires children at daycare to get the chickenpox vaccine so Colton got his shot on Tuesday. I sure hope it works like it is supposed to. Stacey: Too funny about Franshesca wanting to see the fish and making little boys cry already. What fun you seem to be having w/ her! I think you are brave to take your BIL & wife in again. Kelli: It's great that Elizabeth loves babies. Too funny about your DH telling the "world" about your PG. It's great that he is so excited and supportive of you. Christi: What a bad night you had. Sure hope Caleb's finger heals quick. Hey, if you need some recipe ideas let us know. Beth: Congrats on Allison insisting on going potty and then finally pooping. Maybe she needed a magazine! LOL Sue: Great check-up for Monkey Boy! Yeah, it's Friday tomorrow!!! Plus, I am getting my hair done tonight while MIL watches Colton. Julianne & Colton 18 mo email: jjones@batts.com Thursday, January 13, 2000 at 13:35:00 (EST)) Just had to post. I noticed that I put 18.5 months for Allison's age and she is really 19.5 months. Wishful thinking I guess, not wanting her to grow up!! Julianne - I was cracking up at your magazine comment. I may have to try that next time! LOL Talk to you guys later! Beth and Allison (19.5 months) email: bobwite@msn.com Thursday, January 13, 2000 at 14:53:49 (EST)) Hello from Rita Things are so crazy these days with some of the new responsibilities I have at work. I wonder how am I ever going to do it and keep up with school, too? Eeek. Amy's walking has really taken off - she'll be running in no time. She really gets around fast and gets into all sorts of stuff. DH caught her with a piece of dogfood the other day. She is pretty much finger feeding herself solids and it's time for me to give her the spoon to play with at meals. The teething is still rough at night, so my plans to take away the binky are squelched for the time being. We are going to work on removing the bottle this weekend. She goes and wakes up Maddy every morning now. It so cute to see her pull the covers from Maddy and to try to snuggle with her. She can even climb up onto Maddy's bed to sneak off with Maddy's beloved Winnie the Pooh. Michelle - Maddy and Amy are two years and four days apart. We laugh that I must have only been fertile once, at the same time each year. Lisa B - I hope that Max can stay healthy and that you don't have to worry about the flu. Darleen - Glad to hear that Nolan has a clean bill of health. Christi - What an awful day you had! Please stay healthy. Sue - Sounds like Chunky Monkey boy is doing quite well. Jennifer & Christi - Thanks for the pictures! Julianne - We have been having a bit of rain to your snow. We need a lot more, so I actually hope that we get more rain this weekend. Stacey - Sorry that I missed you. We were so sick over the holidays and I am still recovering from it. I haven't braved taking Maddy to church since she misbehaved at Amy's baptism. I can just picture Franchesca saying "Bravo". Sounds like your house is as active as mine with the interactions between the girls. Well, I had better get going to get some lunch and study before my meeting this PM. Take care everyone! Rita & Amy(1 yr) email: ritad@home.com Thursday, January 13, 2000 at 15:20:16 (EST)) Hi from LisaB. I'm now officially a bad Mom. I was so tired last night that I went to bed at 8:30. I woke briefly at 9:00 when DH put Max to bed (we lay down in my bed together until Max falls asleep and cuddle!). I also woke around 10:30 when DH came to bed. I got up at 4 to pee and then slept until the alarm went off. I guess Max woke up at 11 and was screaming REAL loud. I NEVER heard him. DH got up with him and rocked him for about 1/2 hour and gave him gas drops (Max was tooting pretty bad). Max's lungs sounded better yesterday and no signs of the flu. The doctor went ahead and put him on preventive meds thou as he's had a cold, has fluid in his ears, I'm pg and we want to avoid me getting sick, and as Max and the "sicko" at daycare are always hugging and kissing all over each other. She did a culture to verify he doesn't have the flu ... but the lab STILL hasn't sent her the results (and it's been 23 hours). JULIANNE: We give Max a snack and juice about 5 minutes before bedtime to ensure he doesn't wake up hungry. Colton may just be waking up from habit thou. Yeah on him counting! MARHA: Welcome! CATHY G: I'm from Missouri. Several local schools have closed from the flu. JULIE/JULS: Hey, you're confusing me using different names here and on PT - LOL! I like the way PT loads so quick but really prefer the format of this board. It's easy to scan down to the "new posts" and then you can just read thru them, in the order they were posted. STACEY: Franschesca and the screen saver is so adorable! I love the "bravo" at Mass; I bet she got several snickers!!!! And, of course, some "evil" looks from the people too young to have kids and those too old to remember what's it's like to have a little one - LOL! I would be leery of letting BIL and SIL move back in, considering all the rouble they caused before. They are leaving their DD for a year??????! I want a girl and DH wants a boy (he says he wouldn't know what to do with a girl!). CHRISTI: I hope today is better than yesterday! Hang in there :-) BETH: Yeah on Allison pooping in the potty. SUE: I have a hour commute also - yuck. RITA: How cute, Emily cuddling with Maddy. I hope Max and his sibling will be that close. Hi to everyone else. I'm still swamped at work and am having a hard time keeping up here and at PT so I don't get personals in to everyone ... but I enjoy reading all your posts and all of you are in my thoughts. Hopefully I can be a "better" poster once I find my desk again - LOL! LisaB & Max (16 months) email: lisa_lab@hotmail.com Thursday, January 13, 2000 at 16:33:30 (EST)) Julianne again. I have been meaning to post the following info, but keep forgetting about it until I rife through my desk drawer. I came across a small article on where to get a free copy of "The What to Expect Guide to Car Seat Safety." I have ordered mine, but not received it, so am not sure how helpful it is, but thought it would be worth a try. Just call 1-800-955-4500 to ask for your free copy. They are available in English and Spanish. Julianne email: jjones@batts.come Thursday, January 13, 2000 at 17:12:54 (EST)) Hi Mom's Darleen here! SNOW, SNOW, SNOW!!!!!!! YUK,YUK,YUK! We got dumped on last night! Nolan doesn't like the snow either! I am glad, I hate getting cold and wet. I was outside bright and early shovelling the driveway, and cleaning off the van for my lovely Dh before he went to work. The van was nice and warm for him and Nolan, and the driveway was cleaned off. Do I get any thanks???? NOOOOOOO! I called him at lunch, and told him we had to buy a new shovel, our handle broke off, he said no wonder because he was working so hard before he went to work, so his co-workers could hear him. I told him he could shovel his way out in the morning for now on,and Nolan and I will stay in bed where it's nice and warm. He thinks he's funny, he's actually lazy when it comes to outside work, I shovel, I mow the lawn, I do the gardening, I do everything. He brings home the pay check so he tells me. Sorry I'm venting, but I am tired of trying to keep house, and always having to clean up after him and Nolan. Does anybody else feel the same way as myself, or should I be thankful that we can afford for me to stay home, and not complain about what I do? When we move, I am definetly looking for a job, I love being home with Nolan, but I am tired of doing the same thing everyday, I need a change! personels: Kahne-Thanks for the pictures of Cat, they are adoreable, I love the backgrounds. Kristi-Sorry to hear about your night, it's crappy when nothing goes the way you think it should. I hope Caleb is feeling better soon. I'm sorry, I can't remember who said in there post that there Dh says the child won't sleep at night if they get to much sleep during the day. I need that break during the day, I figure if Nolan is willing to sleep that long, then he must need it. My Dh says the same as whoever's Dh said it, he always wants me to keep him up during the day, or limit his naps. I said no way. He can stay home, and I'll go to work if he wants him not to nap. Nolan has been napping for 3 hours now, I guess I better go and wake him so he will sleep tonight. Have a great day, and week-end everybody! Darleen & Nolan 14mths email: j7smith@ciaccess.com Thursday, January 13, 2000 at 17:17:21 (EST)) Hi! Sarah g here. Ok guys, I might have to add Sofia to the toddler board. In the last week she has been changing so quickly! Since she can pull herself up now, all she wants to do is stand and "walk" with help (while we hold her hands.) I even bought her her first pair of shoes yesterday (size 1!). She can't stand to be fed baby food anymore. She's only got 2 teeth, but she eats almost everything we eat. She's only 15 pounds, but just shovels the food in! Isaac is pretty tickled with her new talents. The last 2 days though, he's been trying to eat his playdough!!! He's played with playdough for a year now, I think. Suddenly, he wants to eat it!! Thanks everybody for the stain help! Amazingly I did get the chocolate stain out. I used Simple Green, so I didn't have to make a trip to the store. Julie- Welcome! If you right click on the link to post, you can open that in another window, so you can go back and forth between reading and posting. Looking forward to hearing more from you! Louise- I meant to post this sooner- the other day when I was reading the posts, I laughed about your story of how James says "shoes" when he sees his cup. Isaac asked me what I was laughing about, so I told him the little story. He thought it was great, he even asked me the next day to tell him the story about the boy who says shoes instead of juice. Hope you are all doing well. Sofie's awake! Gotta go! Sarah g and Isaac (2 1/2) and Sofia (9 mo) email: gat_men@hotmail.com Thursday, January 13, 2000 at 17:31:01 (EST)) Hi mommies. OMG! I missed one day and it has taken me forever to read all the posts! Plus, Jarin has been whiny today and keeps wanting to nurse. I only let him nurse in the AM, before nap, and at bedtime, so he isn't too happy when I keep telling him no. He has managed to keep his jammies on the past two nights. LOL. He fell asleep on my lap last night while we were rocking, so no crying himself to sleep. He slept from 9:50-5:15 before we brought him to our bed, so I think that it is going pretty well. Freezing rain here last night and this morning, so no school for us today. I needed the extra sleep and got to cuddle with Jarin for his nap. You all know how I hate that! =) **Jennifer: Thanks for the pics. Adam is a doll. Sounds like 16 months must be the time for tantrums, since your Adam, Max, and Jarin are all becoming champs at them. **Hayley: I, too, was going to suggest yogurt. **Romaine: Yay for Saba and her two word sentences. Jarin has started to say more lately. His newest words are "baby, ball, and boob". LOL **Sara: Tracey is the one with Dill pickle. They were without internet service for a while, and I haven't heard from her lately. I don't know about Paula. Mimii is doing ok, but not great. **Debbie: Sounds like you had fun at the Mommie & Me group. Glad you were able to keep Emilee well and get Maddie well. Jarin is still going to my sister's on Wednesdays. SIL hasn't yet had him since school was cancelled today and last week DH was off. Yes, I will probably get the baby bug, but DH says no more and I know I don't want to go through this day care stuff anymore!!! **Kelli: I used to cut Jaime's hair when she was little - just her bangs. Sorry to hear that Jarin has taught Elizabeth to cry at night. LOL. I also have to restrain Jarin by pinning his arms and legs down to give him medicine. It breaks my heart to do it, but how else do you get it down them? Hey, was DH just a LITTLE excited over your news? LOL **CathyG: Glad to hear Emma is doing better today. **Louise: So my monster boy has a twin in England, huh? LOL. Gees, send some of his appetite over here. Jarin won't eat anything lately! Worse for DH? Give me a break. I'm sure it was hard for him to watch, but with 18 hours of back labor, a C-section and a bad epidural, I don't think his mental pain can even begin to compare with yours!!! **LisaB: Yay for the furnace being fixed. I love the Zandycard idea. The caveman cracked me up. Yes, Jarin has a blanket in the crib. It was all wadded up in the corner opposite Jarin. I hope you avoid the flu. Hey, at least DH got up with Max so you got some good sleep! **Kahne: Sorry to hear about the deaths in your family. **Darleen: Jarin is also very heavy when he falls asleep when I'm carrying him. Glad to hear Nolan got a clean bill of health. **Julianne: Jaime and Jesse were both on preventative meds-Jaime for her ears and Jesse for his kidney problems. They both did ok and didn't build up resistance. DHs always think they know more and I don't get it either. Good luck with the sleeping problems. Jarin will also count 1-2 with tons of prompting and two is definitely his favorite number. **Welcome to Marha and Daniel. **Juls: Take lots of notes. heehee. Hope your kids don't get the chicken pox (of they do if that's what you want.) **Stacey: LOL at Franchesca yelling "Bravo" at church. I would've cracked up. Poor Alexa though. How can your BIL and SIL leave their daughter for a year????? It's so nice that your DH can be a SAHD. **Shelly: I loved that movie!! **Christi: Poor Caleb's finger. Hope you are not getting too sick. **Beth: Yay for Allison telling you she had to go poop on the potty! I use Biz for stains. I put it in the washing machine and let the cycle start, then shut off the machine and let it soak overnight. Then I restart the machine in the morning. It gets out EVERYTHING! Even if it has been dried. **Sue: Sounds like Cam is quite healthy. Jarin was the same height, but 5 lbs lighter. LOL **Rita: Too cute about Amy waking up Maddy. =) **Gotta go. Take care all. Patty and Jarin - 16 1/2 months email: tematheny@ctlnet.com Thursday, January 13, 2000 at 17:55:34 (EST)) Hi again, from Stacey! Well, I have two girls who are wide awake, but lazy and just laying around so I am going to take advantage of this free time and post again-- Rita--I am sorry that we missed you too. I know you all have been really sick, and I figured that was what happened. I will let you know the next time we will be up in your neck of the woods... Shelly--You had me laughing about Riley and the poons. Franchesca calls them poons too, and "boke" for fork. They seem to be her favorite toys of late. To all of you who were wondering how my BIL and SIL could leave their daughter for a year, (or 7 months or whatever it will be), I have wondered the same thing. I know I could never do it. Personally, I think it is due in large part to their ages (SIL is 20, BIL 22, and their daughter is 4) and the fact that they still seem to be pretty immature when it comes to taking responsibility for her. They take care of immediate needs, but there is no discipline, and they would give her soda and candy and bottles all the time because it was easier than doing what was best for her and dealing with her whining. I think they will miss her a lot, but at the same time I think they will be relieved at not having to worry about disciplining her and be able to concentrate on working and saving money for their business. And my niece is very close to her grandmother (she is the only granddaughter) and she is spoiled rotten by them and will probably be very happy, because when she was here we tried to instill discipline for her and since it was not coming from her parents she resented it. It is so nice to be home from work today. DH had a meeting today for his new job. He got a teaching position at the Community College's Center for Continuing Education. He will be giving classes on Adobe and HTML. So since he had this all day meeting, I took the day off to stay home with my girls. I went to see my physical therapist this morning, as I am still having a lot of tailbone pain that never went away after I had Alexa. Lisa B--I can understand your DH wanting another boy, when I was pregnant the second time I wanted another girl, in part because I had all of Franchesca's clothes and they were going to be so close in age I figured it would be easier, but also because I am more familiar with girls, and girl parts. I watched my friend's son one day before I knew Alexa was to be a girl, and I was REALLY uncomfortable changing his diaper and dealing with parts I wasn't used to. Good luck either way. Kelli--Aren't hand me downs a lifesaver! I have not bought ANY clothes for Alexa yet. Between Franchesca's stuff, which a lot of was hardly worn, and baby gifts, Alexa hasn't needed a thing. Well, Franchesca is up and running, and I just heard what sounded like the zipper on my purse being opened, so I had best be off before she grabs my cell phone and tries to call China or something (and you THINK I am exaggerating...) Stacey, Franchesca, and Alexa Thursday, January 13, 2000 at 18:56:40 (EST)) Good Afternoon, it's Debbie. Hope everyone is having/had a good day. Ours is going pretty smoothly. For once. Julianne - Sorry I got you and Jennifer mixed up. Try to be strong at night with Colton. Mabye feed him a snack before bedtime. Jennifer - Sorry. Kelli - A friend told me about grape chewable Augmentin. Have you heard of this? Poor little Elizabeth. Dh & I had a talk about holding her down to give her meds, but decided against it. More his choice than mine. I cut Maddie & Emilee's bangs. My girlfriend who does my hair trims Maddie's back & sides. I just sit them in the highchair and trim fast. What a wonderful dh you have. Too bad more men aren't like him. Mine is, to a limit. Louise - I really dont have that much energy. I use to have a lot more. Wow, James eats alot. That's great. I had 24 hours of labor and then a emergency C-section. Yes, they have the hard part. I would love to see pictures of James. We have friends near Marlow. My step FIL is from England and he took dh & myself, SIL & son, BIL & son & MIL several years ago. We had a great time. Love those pubs! Darleen - When is Nolan's birthday? Emilee's is Nov 4th. I agree with you on naps. Stacey - Hi, good to hear from you. Maddie is somewhat the same with Emilee as Francesca is with Alexa. Hopefully it will get better, soon. Great Bravo story. What a crackup. China? I know she could do it. LOL Shelly - I think that's great being friends with your ex. It can only be a positive thing for your kids. So Riley likes to play "poons". Too cute. Christi - Try not to worry too much, maybe it won't be that bad. I'm glad you posted today! LOL Beth - I'm jealous. Allison pooping on the Big Potty. Maddie will only go # 1, once in a while. Sue - Cam sounds very healthy. You must be doing a very good job. Patty - I really would like to stop nursing. And then again I know I would miss it. Cause it will never happen again. Marha - Welcome. I have two girls. Maddie is 34 months and Emilee is 14 months. Gotta start dinner, take care everyone and talk later. Debbie, Maddie & Emilee email: debngreg@qnet.com Thursday, January 13, 2000 at 20:13:34 (EST)) Hi All Darleen again! Not much to post, I was bored, and thought I would check out TT to see what was going on. Debbie- Nolan's birthday is Nov.9th. He is a busy busy boy! I hope my next baby is a girl whenever I get pregnant again, hopefully this summer. I agree, handy me down clothes are wonderful, I have been given almost everything from my siblings friends, and baby gifts. Same with Nolan's toys. Either that, or I go to Value Village, a second hand store here in Canada and buy almost brand new Osh Gosh clothes. My favorite clothes for Nolan. The only thing we buy brand new are shoes. I buy Nolan's at Wal-Mart or Pay-less shoes. Yard sales are great in the Summer, I bought Nolan alot of v-tech toys, little tykes, and fisher price. Have a good night, talk to you all again soon. Darleen & Nolan14mths email: j7smith@ciaccess.com Thursday, January 13, 2000 at 22:04:17 (EST)) Hey everyone! Boy am I tired. I didn't do much at all today except play with Elizabeth. Even if I do try and do something else she will come take my hand and pull me to where she wants to play. If I sit down and play for a bit and then get up, she sighs really big and come pull me back over. She's just too cute!! I still just look at her in awe. I just love her sooo much. Sometimes I feel like I'm deserting my little girl because I'm pregnant and will soon have another child. Beth, YEA for ALlison Pooping!!! Yippeee!!!! She was trying to tell you something all along! Shelly, I'd like to see The Green Mile sometime. I haven't been in a movie theater in a year and a half! VERY cute story about Riley and "poons!" Christi, I hope you had a better day than last night! poor Caleb and his finger!! OUCH! I'm a weanie when it comes to finger/toe nails bent back too! Sue, Cam sounds like he's growing good!! Julianne, Elizabeth will count to three too except she'll say "two" over and over... she loves to say that! Did you enjoy getting your hair done? Any drastic changes? Rita, I was going to try to take Elizabeth's binky away at 15 months but she was also teething really bad... and still is! She only has 8 teeth right now, but more are coming in fast! So, needless to say, she's 18 mos. and still has her binky. LOL about Amy steeling Maddy's pooh! LIsaB, You have to get up an pee in the middle of the night now too? I hate it! I have to get up atleast once, sometimes twice at night! WOW... you were in bed by 8:30!! I never get to even post on here until atleast 10:30 or 11pm!! I think I'm going to have to change my schedule real quick... it's catching up with me and I'm beginning to get very tired. Darleen, Send some of that snow my way, would ya?!! Oh my, you need to let DH shovel that snow!!!!! Isn't that what he's around for anyway? LOL! SarahG, Sofia is growing fast isn't she? Patty, Yea, you had a day off today! I'm glad I'm not the only one who has to pin their child down to give them their medicine. I've been lucky today, this morning, I snuck her Augmentin into her oatmeal and tonight with ice cream. No fighting today! Julie, actually, the Pregnancy today board is backwards!! It used to be the way TT is now. I guess it's all what your used to, but I like the way this one is better! Oh yeah, maybe your kids could get the chicken pox vaccine??? Elizabeth got it at her year check up!! Stacey, I hope you enjoyed your day at home with the girls today!! Elizabeth's favorite toy is my purse also... probably because I never let her play with it. Debbie, yes, I have to say that I lucked out with my DH! He's the greatest!! He does everything for me and really takes care of me and ELizabeth, especially when I'm pregnant! SarahM, where are You??? Everything okay? There's a chance I'll be down in Denver late afternoon - early evening tonight. Kelli & Elizabeth, 18 months email: rkncs@aol.com Friday, January 14, 2000 at 01:47:41 (EST)) hi I'm Sonya and new to the board I have 2 little ones Diviya aged 2yrs and Aleya aged 4 months and live in Bombay, India Aleya is a peaceful little thing but Diviya has begun to throw regular tantrums. Worse she wakes up crying at night 1 or 2 times i dont know what i can do about it- we now sleep in her room and let the bay sleep in ours, i tell her stories at nite etc etc but nothing seems to work any suggestions ? Sonya email: subho@vsnl.com Friday, January 14, 2000 at 03:32:09 (EST)) Hi from Lynda well it lasted all of 4 weeks! - Ella being healthy that is. She has come down with some mystery virus that has given her a rash all over her face and head and flu like symptoms. The doctor assures me it isn't measles - but whatever it is it has knocked her for a six and she is very lethargic and irritable. Louise: - you sure had a horrible labour and whilst it may have been difficult for DH to watch you in pain I think it doesn't really compare to actually being in pain! LisaB - love your idea for the announcement - did you do anything creative to announce Max's birth? Kelli & others talking about haircuts - I wish!!! Ella has less hair than most newborns - it is growing, but incredibly slowly. Julianne: Like Colton, Ella will not keep her covers on - I too was worried in the winter and my mum made her some fleecy sleeping bags to sleep in. Marha: - Welcome to the board. I am a 35 yr old part-time WM/part-time SAHM with a 1 year old daughter. Christi: - hope things have improved for you since Thursday. Sue:- congrats on the Chunky Monkey's stats!!! Well thats it for now. I better go and spend some time with DH or there will be trouble! Lynda & Ella (12 mths) email: ljpjyoung@ozemail.com.au Friday, January 14, 2000 at 06:34:46 (EST)) Hi from Louise. Before I forget - I mailed out some photos of James last night to a few of you - at least I thought I did - I did it just before I went to bed, then this morning DH told me that when he'd come up to bed he'd noticed that the PC had crashed without sending them, so he managed to send one out (and changed my message accordingly!) Apparently I didn't make the other 2 small enough, I'll send them tonight, there's one of me in case you were wondering what I looked like and wanted to put a face to a name (I know I always love to see you guys as well as the babies). Apologies - I was never any good with technology!! Not much new here, I'm just about to go swimming with James, a few personals: JULIANNE - thanks for the e-mail - I AM that woman LOL! LISAB - I love the idea for the pregnancy announcement cards. What a great idea using Zandy cards - hey I bet if we put our minds to it we could create a very self sufficient little community here! Hope you get some much needed rest. MARHA - Welcome to you and Daniel CATHYG - The HFM virus is a bit of a nightmare - it starts out with flu like symptoms and fever, then they break out in little blisters around their mouths, hands and feet. They look very sore and seem to itch - they can also get them inside their throat which means they can't swallow well for a day or so. It's not at all serious and doesn't need any meds except Calpol (I think you call it Tylenol?) for fever, but it's awful while it lasts, James was very unhappy. STACEY - Franchesca sounds way too cute -- I bet their are times you could scream though! I really laughed at the stories. KELLI - Try to rest! Easy to say, I can't imagine being pregnant with a toddler, but you must take care of yourself. I know what you mean about having another baby and Elizabeth not being the whole focus of your love any more, it must feel odd, but guess what - I'll take a bet that you adore him/her just like you seem to quite like Elizabeth!!! SHELLEY - I'm glad things are good with your ex, it must be nice to have that kind of friendship after all you've been through. CHRISTI - hope you had a better day SARAHG - You made me laugh now with telling Isaac about James and his shoes! I'll store that one up to tell James when he's older! PATTY - SOOOO glad Jarin slept better. James also woke at 5.30 this am so they're obviously in synch! DEBBIE - see my note above re photos, I'll add you to the list! Marlow is really close to where I live, I have friends there and know it very well. SONYA - welcome. I can't advise you much re tantrums as my son is younger, but re the sleeping, it DOES work if you can be tough and wait a little longer each time before going in to her at night. Its awful while you're doing it, but it does break the habit, except for when they're ill or teething, as my boy is! Let us know how it goes. LYNDA - sorry Ella's unwell. James has had a couple of those 'non specific' viruses where he's had a light rash and fever and they've cleared up pretty quickly, if that's what it is. Talk later, Louise & James email: rnash78035@aol.com Friday, January 14, 2000 at 07:16:01 (EST)) Hi everyone from CathyG- We had quite a scare on our street last night. I was in the kitchen making dinner and I heard a siren, and it seemed to be quite close, which is unusual, our street is so quiet. I looked out the window and there were two fire trucks on the street, and the firefighters were rushing about, hooking up the hose to the hydrant. I couldn't see where the problem was, so I got bundled up and went out. One of the houses had smoke pouring out of the upstair window. It is a couple with about a 3-yr-old girl. I was alone with the kids, so I couldn't stay out, but soon an ambulance pulled up and I nearly died thinking about the little girl. Then after a while I got calls from a couple of neighbors to say they were all okay, and that the little one had been playing with matches and set the mattress on fire!!I don't know these folks well, and I don't know if they are smokers, but I can't imagine how she would have got matches - they seem so conscientious!! It was very scary and it is lucky that it wasn't worse. Beth - I am impressed with Allison, she is so young to be telling you. I have to let Alison have some thime without her diaper on for this rash she has, so we play in the bathroom each night for about half an hour. I've introduced the potty, but she thinks it is for putting toys in, so we put all the bath toys into the potty and then take them out and do it again. She's sat on it, but just scoots around like it's a little car. Sue - an hour commute! You must have to get up really early. I am lucky, mine is just half an hour. LisaB - You must really have needed the sleep. You are lucky that DH hears Max and gets up. My DH is deaf in one ear, and also sleeps like a log. If I have to get up in the night, he doesn't even notice. Darleen - We could use the snow here - it would warm things up (-38 today with the windchill). I am lucky in that my DH does all the outside stuff, mostly because I am incompetent at them. I had two brothers, and they did al that stuff at home, so I have NEVER cut the grass. It is a big thing that I can now light the barbeque. I will shovel the sidewalk, but I don't do the driveway. If DH is away, I pay someone to do it. I think it might be good for you to lookf for something part-time when you move, or get involved in some voluntary activity. Patty - I hate freezing rain, but we don't close school when we get it. What a nice unexpected day off. Sonya - Hi! I'm sorry I don't have a lot of advice about your daughter at night. I have had good sleepers. Maybe she is having bad dreams? Bye for now CathyG and Alsion (17 months) Friday, January 14, 2000 at 10:09:15 (EST)) Good morning ladies! Happy, happy, Friday!! :) SARAH here. Man, I miss 2 days and I'm gonna have an hours worth of reading to get caught up on. Just wanted to check in and say hi. I'm gonna catch up and post later!! Sarah and Hannah (16 months) email: smoore@geatoir.cfer.com Friday, January 14, 2000 at 10:10:42 (EST)) Christi here Well, Caleb's finger is looking better,since I really cleaned it up, but not great. I may call the Dr. today just to see if they want to look at it, it was red all around and bruised even on the back of his finger. EWW. I did give him Tylenol a couple of times, he was just crying and I could tell it was pain. And he suddenly LOVES to take medicine that comes in a dropper, so. I am still not feeling well. I am afraid I am getting the strep DH had a few weeks ago. When I took DD to school yesterday her teacher pulled me in the corner and talked to me about the board meeting. She told me (in a nutshell) that if we do any kind of fundraiser this spring she will more than likely quit. Lovely. So, now we are not having one, I told her to me making $800 to beef up our savings was not worth loosing 1 probably 2 teachers. What a mess. I did not get full notes taken, so sorry if I miss someone! BETH*** Yeah for Allison going potty SUE*** Glad Cam had a good check up, big boy! JULIANNE*** Good for you sticking to your guns, it is really hard to do LISA B.*** Hope Max stays healthy PATTY*** Hope you enjoyed your unexpected day off! DARLEEN*** I will mail you soon! Best be going for now, see you guys soon, I hope Christi & Caleb email: plumbs@coiinc.com Friday, January 14, 2000 at 10:17:26 (EST)) Hi from LisaB. This morning my little monster decided he didn't want to get dressed ... so he kept lifting his arms over his head and waving them around so I couldn't slide the one-piece outfit on over his head!!! Some stupid telemarketer called at 9 pm last night. I was in the process of putting Max in his crib so of course he woke up screaming. I guess DH checked the guy out on the phone for calling so late! Regarding medicine, I've been very lucky. Max has loved all the med he gotten (except the croup stuff). You mention medicine and he grins and opens his mouth really wide, like a bird! DARLEEN: Watching Nolan is a full-time job so you work just like DH and you 2 should split stuff at home evenly. I know, easily said than done! SARAH G: Sofia is growing up fast, isn't she?! PATTY: How funny that Jarin says "boob" ... until he says it really loud in public!!!! KELLI: I also feel like I'm short-changing Max by being pregnant. I know I'll love #2 as much as I do Max and will try to give them equal attention ... but I know the baby will require more of the time at first and am afraid Max will feel deserted. SONYA: Welcome! Maybe your toddler is waking up from teething or hunger. LYNDA: I'm sorry Ella is sick. I ordered cute little announcements for Max's birth with all the stats. I didn't do anything to announce my pg with him as I was so sick. CathyG: I'm glad your neighbors were all ok; how scary. Max loves to stick a balloon in the potty chair, lids off canning jars, etc. I guess he thinks it's a toy chest - LOL!! LisaB, Max (16 mo), & BB#2 email: lisa_lab@hotmail.com Friday, January 14, 2000 at 10:36:00 (EST)) HI...SARAH again. I decided to just skim posts, else it was going to take me forever, and I've been swamped at work (so I need to take advantage of my slow morning now). Yesterday was my mom's day to watch HANNAH. They met my sister and her two boys (3yrs,14 mo) at the mall. Well, I guess when they were eating lunch, my sister and the older boy left for a minute and my mom was there with the 2 little ones. My mom turned toward Ryan for not even 10 seconds, and HANNAH managed to fall out of her highchair, on her head, on the concrete floor. It upset me sooo much, but my poor mom...she told me what happened and then just put her head in her hands and started crying. She felt AWFUL!!!! I was planning on taking HANNAH to the doctor to get her shots today (was sick at 15 months and couldn't get them), but I took her in yesterday to get them, and to get checked out. She was fine. They just told me to watch her overnight, and to wake her up every couple of hours to make sure she wakes up easily. Well, she managed to wake up on her own every couple of hours!! Who wouldn't....shots, teeth coming in, fell on her head?!?! I think she's fine. I do have a question (I'm kind of embarrassed to ask...cause I should probably know!!!!) What shots do they get at 15 months??? They only gave her the MMR. Is that right? Or should she have gotten more? I was thinking she was supposed to get like 3 or something. She did do one thing last night that kind of surprised me (well, actually that girl NEVER ceases to surprise me!!) Lately whenever I have to go to the bathroom, I ask her if she wants to go potty with mommy. No, I'm not trying to potty train her just yet, but trying to let her realize what going potty is. Anyway, last night I asked her if she wanted to go potty with mommy, and she led me into the bathroom, and lifted up the lid to the toilet. I was so proud of her!!! Gosh, I love her so much. It just breaks my heart when she gets hurt!!! I'm sure they'll be ALOT more of that. Anyway, enough about me and on to a few personals: MARHA and DANIEL - WELCOME!! STACEY - Good to hear from you!!! Your stories about FRANCHESCA were cracking me up!! KELLI - I know what you mean about ELIZABETH being independent. HANNAH is the same way!! SO....are you coming in town??????? Let me know!!! Thanks for asking about me!! :) How are you feeling? BETH - Yea for ALLISON going poopy!!!! :) Smart girl!! LISA aka ABSENT MINDED PREGNANT WOMAN! - How are you feeling? Any sickness yet?? I'm glad MAX is feeling better!! JULIANNE - Thanks for that number!! Too funny DH thinking he's getting too much sleep. You cracked me up when you said "Does DH really think he knows more when it comes to COLTON??!?!" :) I'm feel the same way when it comes to HANNAH! SONYA - WELCOME!! OK ladies, that's all for now. In case I don't get a chance to check in before I leave today, I hope you all have a great weekend!!! Oh my gosh...my mom just called to see how HANNAH's doing, and started crying again. She's so sweet! I feel for her..cause I know how she's feeling! It happens to ALL of us! Take care! Sarah again!! Friday, January 14, 2000 at 10:59:04 (EST)) Happy Friday from Sue and Cameron! I have a 3-day weekend coming up and am so excited to go out and play in the snow with Cam. This is our first measurable snow since the beginning of last March. I used to love to ski and iceskate, but can't anymore since I've broken my right ankle 3 times and my left ankle twice. Of course I've never broken them doing anything athletic - one of them I did while getting out of bed in the morning (no joke!). LOL!! Guess I'll just run around the back yard pulling Cam in his sled. Don't know why, but I can't seem to keep with all your ladies these days. Everyone's lives are so busy, so just a couple notes to follow: KELLI and LISAB - glad to hear you're both feeling well. I remember that horrible pg fatigue and can't imagine feeling that way with Cameron buzzing around the house. You go girls! LOUISE - I was ROTFL about your post about your DH's comments. I, too, had a pretty miserable pregnancy and amazingly difficult c-section (5 hours, need I say more?). My DH made similar comments. My OB advised me to not attempt another pregnancy, and DH was relieved because he didn't think he could make it through another one! He even told me once he thought he might have post-traumatic stress syndrome from HIS experience. Go figure! I'd love to see him just once go through a day with menstrual cramps/backache/headache! As the saying goes "Can't live with 'em, can't shoot 'em legally!" I agree with you about hand-me-downs being lifesavers. Cam has put a definite crunch in our already tight budget and we'd never be able to afford to buy him so many nice clothes if it weren't from friends and family passing things along. The great thing is that I then pass them on to my friend who has a two-year old girl and boy/girl twins who are just 13 months younger. Suppose I should get back to the grind. I have a whole bunch of giant projects in the works and am very anxious to move them out! Starting next week, we'll also be short-handed because one of my co-workers is going in for surgery (tumor on her adrenal gland) and will be out for 6-8 weeks. We'll all miss her lots while she's on leave! If I don't get back before the end of the day, have WONDERFUL weekends! Sue and Cameron (12 1/2 months) email: sbarry@key.org Friday, January 14, 2000 at 11:20:01 (EST)) Hello from Birdie. Just a quick one. Lot's of work to do and things are crazy here. My cousin has MS, my uncle is in hospital having his aorta replaced, my 5 month old nephew has RSV and pneumonia, and my grandma is going blind. It's been quite a month. Anyway, we are all fine. There was a fire here in Maine the other night and triplet boys were killed and a firefighter. It has made me so sad. Remember how I was with the little boy lost forever in the mountains, well same thing. I keep thinking about them. Poor little things. There mother was able to get one child out but lost the 3 boys. Very sad stuff here. I feel guilty kind of that we are doing so well. Noah has a little flute that he keeps playing. He just loves it and blows it all day long. He is sooo cute and so much fun. he also has a slide, indoors, that he wants to use constantly. He's keeping me very busy. I love playing with him. Marha- Welcome. I also have a boy. He will be 14 months on the 25th. It's gone by so quickly. We live in Maine. Sonya- Welcome. I'm sure you'll get some good advice here. Shelly- Hello from balmy Maine. I think I may plant a palm tree. No snow in Southern Maine for like 310 days or something. Very very strange. I bought Noah a sled and snow suit that he may never get to use. Take care Birdie and Noah (13 months) email: LJU777@AOL.COM Friday, January 14, 2000 at 11:41:34 (EST)) Hello from Rita This is a quickie since I am posting from home before I head out to work. Amy had a bad night last night and I had a hard time sleeping, so I am a wreck this AM. I've got some major worries these days in addition to stressing about DH's long business trip. This is a time when I wish that I were fencing again to get out all of the stress. Lisa B and Kelli - I remember how the panic set in after I found out that I was PG with Amy. I felt so guilty that Maddy would not get the amount of attention she was used to and that Amy would never get that amount of attention. It was just one of those hormonal things, really. You have plenty of love and attention to give all of your babies, including your DHs, although they will have to pick a number. LOL Marha, Juls and Sonya - Welcome. I am soon to be 37, work fulltime outside of the home and have two DDs, Maddy (12/31/96) and Amy (1/4/99). Patty - I would like to have a snow day, once. I need to figure out if I have Monday off or not. When I worked in the Criminal justice system we got all of the court holidays off. In high tech, they don't take that many holidays: no Veterans' Day, etc. Lynda - Sorry that Ella is ill. We have had a few of those non-specific viral rashes at our house. I hope that she gets better soon. Louise - I know that both births were very stressful for my DH because he was so worried - he has a fear of hospitals and all that they imply. Even with that, I don't think that he would say that he had a worse experience than I did. Well, I had best get into the shower now that traffic is improving. Take care everyone! Rita & Amy email: ritad@home.com Friday, January 14, 2000 at 11:51:24 (EST)) Just a quick note from Sue. RITA - I too am soon to be 37. Do you think the "OTH" in MOTHER stands for "Over The Hill" in our cases? LOL!! Talk to you all soon! Sue email: sbarry@key.org Friday, January 14, 2000 at 12:31:16 (EST)) Yippie, DH, Colton and me all slept in this morning! I forgot to set the alarm and woke to DH saying that it was 8 am. I enjoyed the extra sleep since Colton fussed from 1:30 am to almost 4 am. At least DH & I took turns w/ him. We are not going to let him in our bed again so we both know we have to be firm. I hope Colton will be back to sleeping through the night SOON! Colton had fun playing at MIL's while I got my hair cut. They have a rocking horse and he loves to rock it. Sometimes he will rock and then jump off and fall on purpose to imitate the rodeo riders he has seen on a video at MILs. They enjoyed having him and he was really good for them. He suprised them when he covered his eyes to pray when they sat down to eat. Maybe he is learning some good habits after all. My hair do on the other hand is a mess. I have dark brown hair and prefer to be blonde so I get major hightlights instead of overall color so my hair is a nice blend of various tones. Anyway, you can't even tell I got my hair highlighted, my dark brown roots still show horribly. I was so dissapointed at the waste of money. My regular hairdresser changed salons and is too far away now. I guess I need to find another one! Rita: Good luck on taking Amy's bottle away, hopefully she will adjust really quickly. I am going to start offering Colton only water in his bottle as my next step to try to get him to give it up. You had me LOL at Amy sneaking in to take Maddy's Pooh while she is sleeping. LisaB: I try to give Colton food right before bed, but Mr. Fussy usually jsut squishes it onto the table or throws it on the floor! I think he wakes up more out of habit and pain from his ears or gums. No, you are not a bad mom for sleeping through Max's crying. DH's usually have selective hearing so why can't moms--once in a while? Louise: Thanks for the picture of James. I got the one of him, but not any of you. James is adorable and has beautiful blue eyes. Darleen: I too have a DH that does no housework, cooking, or even baging the garbage! Before I was PG I mowed the lawn too! Now we have a lawn service. Luckily DH has a plow truck for the snow or I would be out their shoveling too I imagine! I still can't figure out how he got me trained to do all this. LOL Sarah: Wow, Sofie's ready to chase after Isaac already. Patty: Yeah for having a snow day. Kelli: No, you are not going to be deserting your little girl by being PG--You are giving her a playmate and a friend! Too cute about Elizabeth wanting you to play with her all day. Sonya: Welcome. I hear you on your toddler not sleeping through the night. I am the last one to help you out on that problem as we are going through the same thing w/ Colton. I sure know how hard it is to let them cry and scream your name during the middle of the night. We are taking turns comfortating him in his room, but not allowing him to sleep w/ us anymore. Lynda: Sorry to hear about Ella being so sick and having a rash too. I hope she gets better soon. Let us know if the dr figures out what it is. Does Ella stay in the sleeping bag all night? CathyG: That sure is scary how the 3 year old got ahold of the matches and started such a fire. We don't even keep matches in the house. I may have gone overboard on babyproofing, but we don't have anything laying around that isn't out of Colton's reach. More things keep going in storage as he gets taller and learns how to use the step stool! Christi: Yeah for Caleb taking his medicine good. It's always a 50/50 toss-up whether Colton is going to take his or refuse to open his mouth. Hope his finger heals soon, for both your sakes! Have a great weekend everyone. Julianne & Colton 18 mo email: jjones@batts.com Friday, January 14, 2000 at 12:46:54 (EST)) Hi girls, I didn't think I'd have so much to catch up on!! I need to take a shower, but I'll do the best I can on catching up: Michelle: How old is Evan? Romaine: Congrats on Saba talking, I wish Adam could talk better instead of whining when he wants something! Kelli: I didn't think Adam would sit for his first haircut, but I brought him to this place here by my house called "cool cuts" and he sat and watched "Teletubbies" while he got his hair cut and he sat the whole time! Maybe if you could find a place like that she might be distracted enough to sit through it! Congrats to everyone who is expecting! Iwent off of the pill this month because it was deceasing my sex drive and increasing my weight! You never know, I may be next! Louise: Adam seems to be wanting to eat everything in sight too, maybe it is growth-spurt time! Oh, and for some reason men always have to make things a hundred times worse for them when it comes to things like that....my husband is such a baby when he has a cold, its all whining and moaning, but when I'm sick, its NEVER as bad as when he is sick.....he always has to sicker (is that a word?) anyway, I guarantee all men would never be able to go though childbirth...if they could, they would be the ones getting pregnant and having kids! LisaB: Poor Max!! Hope he feels better soon. Martha: Welcome!! I am a young mother too, I'm 22 (23 in Feb) Julie: Hi! What I do is open my wordpad in windows and switch back and forth while I read posts and do personals. It works pretty good. Christi: Sorry to hear about your night from hell, hope things get better! Adam hates taking medicine dropper or cup! As soon as he sees me take the bottle out he starts running away whining! Beth: Congrats on Allison's realization of the potty!! I take Adam in with me sometimes when I go and I try to explain things like "potty" and "flush", but he has no idea what the toilet is for!! Darleen: Same here! I enjoy Adam's nap time because then I can kind of "veg out" for a while, surf the web, take a shower etc. Adam naps for 2-3 hrs exactly 2 hrs after he wakes up in the morning. If we don't go out, then he takes another about 4pm and still goes to bed around 8p and sleeps through the night. Lynda: Did Ella run a fever for a few days before the rash? It could be Roseola, and it is harmless. CathyG: That is scary!! Fire scares me worse than anything else! Sorry to all those I missed... I have a question...do any of you moms work at home? The retail store I was working at over Xmas gave me the boot without any notice when business slowed down and they didn't need me anymore. Now I am looking for a job, but can only work in the evening because of Adam, or I would love to work at home. All the work at home things on the net want you to pay to get started....doesn't sound very legit to me. Any suggestions? Well, I'd better go take that shower!! Jennifer and Adam 16mo email: ddock@gte.net Friday, January 14, 2000 at 14:34:03 (EST)) Hi All Darleen again! HAPPY FRIDAY! Well I had Nolan to the Dr's again today, we were at play group this morning with a friend of mine, and I commented how crappy Nolan looked, she agreed. I looked in his right eye, and guess what? An eye infection! Is there ever an end to sicknesses? Poor guy, he was so tired, I had to wait an hour in the walk-in-clinic, my Dr closes at noon on Friday. Then they had an open outlet, he got a shock it was my fault, I was talking to another mother, and I heard him scream, her little girl told me he stuck his finger in the socket and got a shock. The out let is wide open. Stupid Dr's office whatever happen to child proof and safety in a Dr's office. So needless to say, he is now taking eye drops until the puss goes away. Oh........my! What a week, I either need a stiff drink or a holiday!! My Dh came home at noon and said the other company he was hoping for has made him an offer, so we are still negotiating needless to say. He forgot to tell the guy I want a moving company I am sick of doing it our selves. He said we can't have everything, I said well then you go alone, and Nolan and I will live here until we can afford to buy, and he can take the train back and forth on the week-ends, and see Nolan and I then. He wasn't very impressed with me. Oh well it effects us all, not just him, sometimes I think he forgets about Nolan and I, until he gets home at night. Didn't really read the personels, so I won't comment on anything today. Have a great week-end everybody! For those of you that have nice warm weather, you send it to me, and I will send you the snow. I wished I lived someplace hot all year round! Bye for now! Darleen & Nolan 14mths email: j7smith@ciaccess.com Friday, January 14, 2000 at 16:08:13 (EST)) I finally got max's flu test results back ... negative!!! DARLEEN: Poor Nolan. I would have complained to the doctor. They SHOULD know better than to have uncovered sockets. LisaB Friday, January 14, 2000 at 16:37:54 (EST)) I finally got max's flu test results back ... negative!!! DARLEEN: Poor Nolan. I would have complained to the doctor. They SHOULD know better than to have uncovered sockets. LisaB Friday, January 14, 2000 at 16:38:00 (EST)) Hi all! It's Moriah. Hope all is well! We seem to be sick :( Alex has been pretty cranky for 3 days, Geoff swears he's dying from a 99.5 fever (ge's getting NO sympathy here!) & I have a sore throat. Alex has his regular ENT appointment this afternoon so I'll get him all checked out. Hopefully we won't get any worse as the 3 of us had our flu shots. Alex is as cute as ever. Still jabbering up a storm. He looks like what he has to say is so important. Makes me giggle. I'm getting hardly any updates regarding Rachel. I don't think they have access to a modem line at the new hospital. Today I finally got one that said it's still a day-by-day process. They are still not doing the surgery until it's last option. SO that's all I know. Lori (mom) is seems to be doing a little better from the tone of the email. The prayers are working! On to the personals Jen - I'm in the same boat & haven't had much luck! It seems like unless you already had a job that you converted to working at home it's impossible. Most companies are very leary of lettin propriety info out of their offices (like accounting or data entry). The hottest freelance market here is graphic designer or web designers (not my strong point). It seems like you have to start you own business (very hard). I've been seriously looking for about 5 months with little success. One good thing I did was to email out my resume to several local companies telling them I wanted soley home based work. I didn't get a job yet but did get my name out there & some positive feed back. Also I've heard from several sources that anything that wants $ upfront for info is generally a scam. Let me know if you have any success. Where are you at in the country? Kelli - CONGRATULATIONS!!!! So happy fo you. I'm so jealous that you & Lisa get to do this together again! Okay - not jealous enough to join you LOL! Anyway - happy thoughts! Louise - Welcome back!!! I had to laugh at your DH & his comment regarding birth! Geoff always tells people that I had one more minute to push Alex out before he was going to get uo there and do it himself! PULEAZE! Like I said above he's whining about a measly 99.5 fever - if he had one cramp he'd die let alone a conraction. MEN!! Please send me a pic of James! Hayley - YAH! I'm so happy your news was good! Beth - wow you are obviously doing things right! I can't beleive Allison is doing so well potty training at such a young age! Way to go! I too am afraid to type here as I might get prego just by association! LOL LOL LOL Juls - welcome! Birdie - howdy girl! Our phone bills are going to get expensive! Are you sure you don't want to move to CA? Marha - welcome! Lisa B - how do the test for the flu? Stacey - Welcome back! I agree that taking in your BIL & SIL might be a bad idea. But I also know that saying no might cause a huge family issue so I'm sure that you don't need that stress either. I'm sorry for their DD getting left behind. Regarding your announcements - I'd do them anytime! In fact you can send me the address & everything & we'll take care of the whole thing from making them, stuffing the envelopes, addressing them, buying the postage & mailing them off. That way you have very little to worry about! Let me know! Well I better go! I'm getting annoyed as Alex's OT was supposed to be here over 45 minutes ago & she's late. BUT we have to leave in 1/2 hour to make his appointment - so she just might be SOL! She's not very nice anyway. I have to vent for a moment & say that these theraphy people who come to our house are pretty much inconsiderate! They are rarely on time, I guess figuring that our time in not valuable! UGH! Chat again soon! Moriah & Alex (15 months) email: geoffandmoriah@msn.com Friday, January 14, 2000 at 17:40:26 (EST)) Hi Ladies! Did you know that iParenting has turned Breastfeed.com (http://breastfeed.com) into a weekly publication? Now you can find weekly features, diaries, news items, expert questions and answers and more! We are currently looking for diary writers for the Breastfeed.com diaries. If you'd like to share your nursing experiences every week with our readers you will receive a printed, bound copy of your diary after you've finished it! Just send an introduction statement to me at jessica@iparenting.com. I look forward to hearing from you! Also, don't forget to stop by the Breastfeed.com MomsTalk! Jessica Williams email: jessica@iparenting.com Friday, January 14, 2000 at 17:41:12 (EST)) Hi, Romaine and Saba here. Spent the night in the hospital b/c that stone that I told you about b4 Christmas began to move. I went in to get something for the pain. I had to phone DH at work b/c the pain was so bad that I could not keep Tylenol down and I knew that I would be of no use to the girls b/c I could barely move. It was a useless night b/c after the first shot wore off in the afternoon, the pain never returned. The stone was not passed, so it all may come back at any time! I have an appointment w/ a urologist at the end of Feb. Hopefully we can control the formation of them w/ diet! I cannot beleive that I managed 2 weks of it w/out pain-killers when I was 37 weeks pg w/ Saba. This one must be a BOULDER! LOL! Debbie-How old is Maddie? Saba has no interest in p-ting. I ask if she wants to use the potty-no. I am so jealous of BETH's Allison! How did you do it? Saba has had her potty to play w/ for months. She uses it as a stool and chair and that is it! Kelli-DH took Saba (we butchered her hair when she was younger:)) to a hair place and held her in his lap. She cried the whole time, but her hair looked much better than when we'd done it! It seems overwhelming BEFORE they are born, but you get into the groove like you did w/ the first, but faster! Your kids will be 21 mos apart? Kahne-Sorry to hear of all the deaths in your family. LisaB-Fun announcement! Hope that Max (and you!) escape the flu! Julianne-oh! Michigan is along way from Calgary! I grew up there. Leanne (my sister) is there. She is the one! Not another infection! Poor Colton! Marha-Welcome! My girls are 18 mos apart. Darleen-Glad Nolan got a clean bill of health! Julie-Leanne is the one you think! (She's my sister). Welcome! I agree, I like the way PT loads. I would only scroll to where I needed and read backwards! This takes a while to load, esp. now that it is getting old! Stacey-Hello to you and your girls! Christi-AHHHHHHH!!! Patty-Nice cuddle for Jarin! It's funny, Saba plateaued for a while w/ her words, but now she is repeating most of what I say! Tomorrow we go to a wedding AND a funeral. I have a cake in the oven for the funeral. Enjoy your weekends! Romaine and Saba 22 mos email: rrantry@yahoo.ca Friday, January 14, 2000 at 18:15:35 (EST)) Holy Moly - I sat down to pay the bills and now I've been here for an hour and a half! I had fun though and that's what counts. I still don't know how everyone keeps up here! Now I have to get dinner done, clean the house, look after the kids and be at my painting class in less than 2 hours. Phew! Well, Riley has begun to tell me stories - jibber jabber stories but they are so sweet! He is talking like crazy! He says I no no - for "I don't know", Downtown, Daddy, Cookie, Juice, Mommy, Spike (his stuffed puppy), Tiny (Evan's stuffed puppy. I'm just so darned proud. PERSONALS: Sarah G and anyone els with stains. This may sound crazy but it works - I put 25% bleach 75% water into a spray bottle and spray them. It works wonderful on the light colours, yellows, light blue, pink, and whites but not on colours, which don't show stains much anyways! Kelli - you could try a kids salon if there is one around for Elizabeths haircut - they usually have neat chairs, give suckers, and let them watch cartoons? GOOD LUCK! Julianne - sorry to hear about your hair! I too have a toddler that wakes at night but he's getting better! Lisa B. Glad Max isn't sick. Sarah - so sorry about Hannahs fall, your poor Mom! and of course poor Hannah, I'm glad she is ok, that would have been so scary. Jennifer - Evan will be three on April 16. Riley is 16 mo, his Birthday is Sept 2. SO, we have children the same age - don't you just love that age? Riley has given the call of the wild - he was sleeping so I'll have to cut my personals short. Have a great week-end everyone. Michelle, Riley 16 mo email: mwells@telusplanet.net Friday, January 14, 2000 at 19:19:29 (EST)) Katy here Lisa- Congrats!! How are you going to tell Max that he's going to be a big brother? Moriah- So glad to hear that Alex is doing well. I hope he doesn't get the flu, cause Liam had it and he was miserable!! Hello to everyone else. I have been so busy lately trying to get all my reading for classes done. Then I get a message from a bill collector today threatening legal action. Mad me mad, they can threaten all they want, we literally have nothing to give. If I could give them their money I would, but we have no money. We even have to go to an appointment in two weeks to prove to the government we are still poor so we can keep our medical coverage and our assistance. I hate this feeling. I just needed to vent. Hope everyone keeps healthy and happy Katy and Liam email: princess__bride@hotmail.com Friday, January 14, 2000 at 19:56:48 (EST)) Hello, this is Birdie. I have so much trouble keeping up here and then boom, I'm on twice in one day. I have a question I meant to ask earlier but forgot. I want to know what you are all doing about teaching your little ones to share. Noah has just recently started taking toys out of other kids hands. He does not do it angrily and is not mean about it. He is just so interested in what anyone else has. I have been taking the toy back from him and giving it back to the other child. Any other tricks or ideas? I want him to be a sweet sharing kind of boy. Also, if I may brag just a little...Noah is now drinking from his sippy cup all day. He only has a bottle at bed time. I am so proud of him. It has been such a struggle as some of you may remember. He hated it so much. Also he is saying more word now. Nothing anyone else would really understand but I know what he means. Every day I just can't believe that I was given such an amazing baby, and so cute too. Okay, sorry. I just love him so much and the story about the triplets in the fire has made me so sad. I just keep hugging Noah. Jennifer- I work at home. I am the Director of Public relations for Special Olympics Maine. It is mostly phone, fax and computer stuff. It takes a lot of discipline but it's so worth it. We have two large insurance companies here that allow numerous employees to work at home. You may try calling your local ones. In addition I would recommend contacting small businesses and non profit orgs to see if they have any at home work you could do. Best of luck. Moriah- It's actually cold here today so CA sounds nice. I wish I was more into flying. I used to be but then I had Noah and became a big whimp about stuff like that. The conference I didn't go to this week was in San Fransisco. Probably no where near you but hey, it would have been the same state. Hope you guys feel better soon. It's so hard to be sick when you have two babies to take care. HEHEHEHE Okay, bye for now. Take care. Birdie and Noah (13 months) email: LJU777@AOL.COM Friday, January 14, 2000 at 20:22:59 (EST)) Has anyone heard from Crystal? I was hoping maybe she emailed someone to let them know how she's been, with the pregnancy and all. I hope she's OK. Just a concerned lurker Friday, January 14, 2000 at 22:24:39 (EST)) Hello from Helen&Amanda!! I have been really busy but thought I would check in on all of you. We got our new computer yesterdat b/f e went out to dinner and DH was up this AM getting the old one unhooked and this one running- well I got it un hooked -he hooked this one up and i got it running- we put the old one in DD's rm, she is happy!!Amanda is well and napping. Yes- has anyone heard from Crystal, is she still not online yet- was she pg ?????? I hope she is doing well and everything is well w/her and DH. She was so sweet and took so much crap from some here posting- sad. HOPE YOUR BACK SOON CRYSTAL!!! Well should go and get more 'stuff' done- LATER!!! Helen&Amanda@17mos Saturday, January 15, 2000 at 15:14:49 (EST)) Hi mommies. Jarin is taking his nap right now. He went to bed at 10:50 and cried for about 15 minutes at 5, but we didn't get up. He ended up sleeping until 9. Yay!That crying in the middle of the night sure breaks my heart though. **Stacey: Sounds like SIL and BIl were very young when they had your niece, but I still can't imagine leaving her for a year. I was only 17 when I had Jaime and I couldn't leave her for a week let alone a day. When DH & I went on our honeymoon, she was 4 1/2 and I cried the whole first day! LOL You also had me LOL at not knowing what to do with boy parts. **Debbie: I know what you mean about wanting to quit nursing, but also knowing this is the last time that I will probably ever get to do it. =( **Kelli: So cute that Elizabeth sighs and pulls you back over to play I am like you and rarely get to post before 10:30 or 11. **Sonya: Welcome to you and Diviya and Aleya. What pretty names. Jarin woke in the night all the time and still is at least 4-5 times a night. We've just recently started to put him to bed before he gets overly tired. He cries for a while, but it is working. Then in the middle of the night, I no longer go in his room. I hate it and I hate that he cries, but so far we are having some luck with this. **Lynda: Sorry to hear that Ella is sick again. My sister also has a bald little girl. Her DH jokes that she is follicly challenged. LOL **Louise: Thanks for the picture of James. He is so adorable. He reminded DH & I of Jarin. (Maybe that's why I thought he was so cute. LOL) **CathyG: I'm so glad your neighbor girl and her family are ok. Fire also scares me more than anything else, I think. I am like you - totally imcompetent at outside work, so my dh does it all. **Christi: Why would the teacher quit if you did a fund raiser? That seems odd to me. We never have a choice whether the school does a fund raiser or not. Yes, I enjoyed my day off. I hope you and Caleb are feeling better. **LisaB: I was picturing Max as a little bird opening his mouth for medicine. Too cute. I hate it when telemarketers call in the early morning or late evening. One called us one morning before 7AM! DH told him off too. Yes, I know one day I will pay for Jarin knowing the word boob. Yay for Max's flu test coming back negative. **Sarah: Poor Hannah! I'm glad she is ok. That's so sweet that your mom is so upset. My mom would be like "Oh well, these things happen." LOL She is a nurse and never got overly upset if we got hurt. At 15 months, Jarin got DTP, IPV, and HIB. He got his MMR at 12 months. **Sue: I get a three day weekend too and am very excited about it. =) Have fun playing in the snow with Cam. We still haven't had more than half an inch so far. **Birdie: Sorry to hear about all the sickness in your extended family. =( My sister has a slide in her house and Jarin plays on it constantly when she watches him. Yay for Noah drinking from his sippy cup. You can tell how much you love him and he is lucky to have so much love surrounding him. Any luck with the vegetables yet? **Rita: You need some stress relief. Hope you can get some soon. We normally don't get any court holidays off, so I'm not sure what's up with us actually getting MLK day off. **Julianne: Glad you guys got to sleep in, but yuck for having to be up from 1:30-4. Sounds like a Jarin trick. So cute that Colton covers his eyes to pray. =) Jarin thinks that prayers are the funniest things ever. as soon as we say our dinner prayer, he tries to fold his hands, but just smiles huge and giggles. It cracks us all up. Sorry to hear about the highlights. I just started getting mine done again and I hate it when you pay $$ and something doesn't turn out the way you want it. **Jennifer: Wow, how'd you get Adam to be such a good sleeper? Like Moriah, I've heard that any business you have to pay to get started is a scam. **Darleen: Sorry tohear about Nolan's eye infection and about getting shocked at the doctor's office. Shame on them! Hope he is better soon. **Moriah: Hope you and your family are better soon. Keep us up on what you find out about Rachel. The therapists that work with my little guy at school are also late a lot of the time or don't show up. It's like they think no one else's time is as important as theirs!! **Romaine: OUCH! That stone sounds so painful. =( **Michelle: Sounds like Riley is talking a lot. Jarin still only says a few words. I have a hard time keeping up too - it takes at least an hour each day. **Katy: I hope you and your family can find some relief from your $$ problems somehow. Good to hear from you again. I hope Liam is doing well. **Better get some work done around here. Patty and Jarin - 16 1/2 months email: tematheny@ctlnet.com Saturday, January 15, 2000 at 15:51:22 (EST)) It's Birdie on a Saturday. Holy toledo. Just a quick hello. Noah is taking a snooze. We just got back from Noah's play date. He went to play with a little girl from Gymboree class. We got him all dressed up and slicked back his hair and bought a small bouquet of flowers. When they answered the door there he was ready for his date. It was so cute. Hopefully we'll start him out early with the sensitive stuff and he'll be every girls dream guy later on. Of course i thought if he had a doll it would help with the sensitive stuff and all he does with it is drag it by the leg and slam it into walls. I'm trying!!! Patty- Thanks for asking. The other day he had broccoli and seemed to like it. Hopefully he'll catch on soon. I'd hate for him to be a tootsie roll addict like myself. Take care!!! Birdie and Noah (13 months) email: LJU777@AOL.COM Saturday, January 15, 2000 at 17:00:41 (EST)) Hi from Lynda. I seem to have picked up Ella's virus (but not the rash thank goodness) and have been achy and running a fever. I decided that as it was saturday I would take the opportunity to rest and spent most of yesterday in bed. DH did a great job of looking after Ella - but said to me today - "Gee its exhausting looking after her". This was music to my ears - some appreciation that it isn't a piece of cake looking after a 1 year old - and DH ONLY looked after her ie no housework, shopping, meals etc He is in bed now taking the opportunity to have a rest after his exhausting work yesterday! Also - I think it may be time to wean Ella as she has started biting me. She only has 2 breatfeeds currently - last thing at night and first thing in the morning. I was planning on cutting out the night one first. Does anyone have any tips for me? Cathy G: I too play in the bathroom with Ella when she has nappy rash to give her some time without her nappy on. Sarah: - Glad to hear that Hannah was fine after her fall. Babies really are quite tough aren't they. Sue: Didn't know getting out of bed could be so dangerous! Rita: You sure are coping with a lot at the moment. What a pity you can't do your fencing - I think resuming excercise has made me feel much better because it is an outlet for stress. Julianne:- Ella stays in her sleeping bag all night because it has arms on it and does up down the front like clothes - She can't yet take her clothes off. Well thats all I have. Bye for now. Lynda & Ella (12 mths) email: ljpjyoung@ozemail.com.au Saturday, January 15, 2000 at 23:13:49 (EST)) |