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Toddlers Today's MomsTalk Archive WHAT A WEEK, a very tierd Christi here.Well, the very brilliant Dr. I told you all about must know I had told a FEW people about what he said, but first..... Thursday evening we had went to my folks to dinner, and decided Caleb was sounding worse, so we would take him to the ER. I hate doing this, but we have no "after hours clinic", its ER or nothing. So in we wetn, I was thinking he would tell us Caleb was fine--no way. They gave him a breathing treatment, but it didnt help, so he was admitted.(He was put in a epi-tent, and given a steroid and lots of breathing treatments) Our Dr was in to see Caleb in the morning and he said the "team Dr." had called him so he knew he had seen Dr C, he asked what he said and I told him, his eyes about popped out of his head! He said "That doesnt make me very happy!" I said yeah me either. He asked me like 3 more times, did he really say that? By now i had told the ER dr., all of the nurses and resp. specialist--anyone I could find! Anyway, I still expected Caleb could go home, but our Dr said no way. (He always is on the side of caution) So we stayed all day Fri. and Friday night. Saturday morning he came back in and said he sounded better, but we had to stay for the day to make sure he would be okay with out any treatments and out of the tent. Finally at 3 pm today we got to come home. ***BRAGGING MOM AHEAD*** Caleb was so good!! He adapted so well, he only really cried to get out of the tent once, then I just climbed in (a cute pic. I am sure) with him. He was smily and giggling the whole time--this is why I didnt think he was THAT sick. Man, when it rains it pours! (The other Dr's office called looking for us 4 times Friday--seems they told us to go see our Dr knowing he ws not going to be in the office) All is going well with mom, not really any news, she will know more in the next week. Thank you all so much for the prayers! I cant tell you how much I appreciate them! I only did a little scanning of the posts so... JENNIFER*** keep peace in your family! Even if it means you have to swallow the mean comments. This is only my opinion, but I would do anything (almost) if my DH's family was on better terms, we are the outcast's, and it really hurts our feelings when they are mean, but it doesnt matter anymore now, so I go for going to keep peace. Thats all I have to say (you think it is a long enough post???) Later guys! Christi & Caleb 13 months email: plumbs@coiinc.com Sunday, December 12, 1999 at 01:18:29 (EST)) Hi All, I am back again this morning while my computer is co-operating. Nolan and my Dh are both napping they both have bad colds. I told my Dh if I got what they got they are in trouble. They have me to take cae of them, but when I get sick it's me still looking after Nolan ,and I don't get any rest. Men are sucks! Nolan slept last night through the night. It is great catching up on sleep. Christi- Nolan had croup when he was 3 months old. They hospitalized him at the time also, and put him on the machines, and kept him over night. Then we had to rent the machine for a month,and buy the medication. That was expensive, but it was worth it! Thankgoodness for health coverage. He has been doing great since he had it, but we also haven't had winter yet. I keep his room cold all year, we shut the vent off in his room, and that seems to help with his breathing,and he sleeps better also. That is what my doctor told me to do. It has helped us so far. I'm glad to hear things are ok so far with your mom. Keep smiling!! A short note since I posted yesterday also. Have a great day and week mom's and Todd's!! later, Darleen & Nolan (13mths) email: j7smith@ciaccess.com Sunday, December 12, 1999 at 11:34:29 (EST)) Hi mommies. Ok, who sent the flu my way? Just kidding - 2 kids at the sitters were sick this week. Jarin woke up about 3:45 Saturday morning and DH brought him into our room. I nursed him and he promptly threw up all over me and our bed. When we went into his room, sure enough, he had also thrown up in is bed and on his floor. We got Jarin, our bed, and me cleaned up and I sat in the recliner with Jarin. About 5, he threw up again. Then I got himto sleep until about 7:30, he nursed, slept and woke about 9:30. Thankfully, he played and acted fine all day. Then last night, he got really fussy for about 2 1/2 hours and threw up again. He slept wonderfully last night and has been fine so far today. Now, as long as I don't get it. (Fingers crossed) I have to tell you guys how funny Jarin was Friday night. We went to my sister's and the sitter was also invited. Jarin just stared at her and smiled, then he would bury his head in my shoulder. Later, he opened the door and peeked at her, then would come running back to me. He finally just got down and played and was so good. That's why it was such a shock when he was puking all night. **Kahne: that is so awful about your friend at school I will definitely say a prayer for him. Good luck on the rest of your finals. **Moriah AKA Pig girl: LOL at that comment!! I always eat too much at this time of year. Yay for Alex's weight gain!!! Yeah, right, Alex sleeps with you because of the trach. (Just kidding). I'm glad to know i'm not the only one who still ends up with a little one in my bed most nights. =) **Crystal: Jarin also loves the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" song. That is so awful about the twin's death. =( **Darleen: Glad to see you back. That is so great that nolan sleeps so well for you. No millenium plans here - DH gets to work that night. Your block party sounds like lots of fun. **Shelly: Thanks for the bday wishes. LOL at the ex-lax comment to Christi. **Dawn: Welcome back to you and Erica and congrats on the birth of Eli. I am so glad you get to be a SAHM now and Erica gets to be home with you full time now. **Judy: Welcome back to you and Elijah as well, and congrats on the birth of Michael David. Jarin still loves the tub, so I don't have any advice for you. **Christi: Sorry to hear that Caleb was so sick. I'm glad you told your Dr. about the other doc. I hope you get some sleep now and yay for Caleb being so good through it all. **Whiny one at my leg, so I'd better go. Patty and Jarin - 15 1/2 months email: tematheny@ctlnet.com Sunday, December 12, 1999 at 16:23:16 (EST)) Crystal here. DH amd DArrel are napping. We went over to my parents earlier this morning to do some laundry, and Darrel was having a blast!!! He was walking around laughing and with a huge smile. Of course, everytime we go over, my parents have to give him some food. Well, today, all DArrel wanted to do was play with the food and climb all over his table. And, everytime some one left the room and came back, Darrel would say "Hi" to them. And he got a kick out of it when he was told "Hi" back. :) Such a sociable little one. I can't remember who asked, but DH is from a small town in Oregon called Mapleton. It's over by Eugene and Florence. And don't worry, I'm definitely going to the dr. on Wednesday night after I get off work and get my check cashed. I'll let everyone know what I find out on Thursday when dh goes to shoot pool. Well, that's it for now. I'll talk to everyone Thursday if I don't get on before then. Crystal and DArrel email: cjeanmurphy@yahoo.com Sunday, December 12, 1999 at 19:38:01 (EST)) Hi ladies, just skimming the posts tonight, so no personals (sorry!) Just wanted to thank all of you who responded to my SIL crisis....I think we will still go there for Xmas, u know, to keep peace and all. My mom and I agree that it is best. One week exactly until the Billy Joel concert!! I am counting the days... Adam was wired tonight, DH gave him some Coca-Cola at lunch and he didn't want to settle down! I worked, and our store was SO busy! I can't go shopping until next Sat (after payday) I am dreading facing the crowds, but I gotta do it! Well, I have to go iron DH clothes for work tomorrow, so I think I will say goodnight! Jennifer and Adam (almost 16 mths!) email: ddock@gte.net Sunday, December 12, 1999 at 22:55:55 (EST)) Hi from LisaB. MIL kept Max Saturday so DH and I could go Christmas shopping. It was so nice to eat out and be able to eat - rather than feed Max, entertain Max, etc.! I held Max up to turn off the bathroom light switch after his bath last night. DH was still cleaning up and I said "Oops, you left Daddy in the dark". Max giggled and said "dark" as plain as day!!! Of course, he hasn't said it since. The lady with the twins was in the office Friday to see her Mom. I almost said something about the maternity clothes but didn't as I work with and am friends with her Mom and don't want to stir up trouble. The thing that ticks me off the worse isn't the condition of the clothes but the fact that this girl never ONCE said "thank you", wrote a thank you note, or did ANYTHING to thank me (although her Mother told me she - the Mom - appreciated my kindness). I saved her loads of $$$. I don't expect a big present or anything ... just a simple note saying "thanks". Heck, Friday was the 1st time I EVER even saw the girl and how many people loan stuff to strangers? I guess everyone else is just smarter than I was - LOL!!!! BETH: Yeah on Allison using the potty! I'm thinking of buying Max one after the new year just to see what he does with it. PATTY: I hope Jarin is sleeping better now. That crying at the sitter must really suck. Max cries or whimpers for about a minute and is then fine and THAT almost breaks my heart. How gross, getting puked on! KAHNE: I'm so sorry for your classmate. It really puts it all in perspective, doesn't it? Good luck with finals. CRYSTAL: I'm glad to hear you'll make it to the doctor this week. I'm really concerned about you. Yeah on Darrel moving to the 18-month room and on work going so well. Regarding the move, I would move ... even if it will be hard. The main thing now is to rebuild that relationship (not saying your marriage is bad ... just that being apart so long strains any relationship). If you change your mind about the move now you are breaking a promise and destroying his trust in your word. I'm sure you could easily find a daycare in Oregon to work at and it sounds like Darrel makes friends easily. The move would be easier on him now than when he's older and more attached to people. Just remember that you guys can always move back to Texas if Oregon doesn't work out. MORIAH: 12 oz in a week?! Way to go, Alex!!!! I've also turned into a major chow-hound, especially since I've weaned Max. I think I'm substituting chocolate for nursing and it's really starting to show. DAWN: Welcome back!!! I'm so glad you're with your babies full-time now. Did your oldest adjust pretty well to the change? Are you living with your Mom? If not, does the oldest still see her a lot? (Sorry - I didn't mention your kids names in my notes and can't remember them now!). JUDY: Welcome back to you also!!!! Max loved his bath until about 2 months ago. For about 3 weeks he screamed everytime he got in the tub. We reduced his baths to every other night and shorten them to 5 minutes or less - washed his hair, then his body, and out ASAP. We also tried blowing bubbles to entertain him, which helped a little. After about 3 weeks he started loving baths again - go figure! I've read that it's common for 1-year olds to be afraid of the drain. CHRISTIE: I'm sorry Caleb was in the hospital but am glad he finally got treated. What was the official diagnosis? Croup?? I got my snail mail Christmas card list. I didn't have enough of our Christmas portraits left to mail out so I had DH take several photos of Max & I by the tree (hoping 1 of them will look good!). I need to finish the roll tonight and get them developed tomorrow - so it might be the end of the week before I get my cards mailed out. LisaB & Max (15 months) email: lisa_lab@hotmail.com Monday, December 13, 1999 at 10:55:38 (EST)) Julianne here, I can't believe it is Monday already. This weekend just flew by. We had fun going to a beautiful wedding on Saturday. Stayed out late and drank too much. I can't believe that it cost us more for the sitter than for the wedding present! Sunday we had a get-together at my Grandma's house for some birthdays. I thought Colton was really well behaved. Her house is also very small and w/ so many people there he normally gets fussy and starts screaming. He played really well. My sister's girl didn't want to share her new dr set with him though and that caused a little bit of a problem. Evidently my BIL made a not so nice comment to my DH though. Colton came running into the kitchen and he turned to my DH and told him to spank Colton and get him to sit down. Hello, he is not even a year and a half. He has every right to run around. My mom and Grandma watch him and he was just coming into the kitchen to see them. That made me so mad--luckily DH didn't tell me until the ride home. I wouldn't be so upset, but I really made an extra effort to make sure I was watching him and not relying on my mom or someone else to keep him out of trouble. Oh well, it should be interesting at my sister's house for Christmas. Rita: So you have your hands full w/ Maddy the Energizer Bunny! Some days Dh & I just look at eachother and wonder how a kid can run around non-stop for so long. We try to make sure Colton gets wrestle time to wear him out some. His latest thing it to be flipped over onto the couch. I hear you on people expecting children to behave when they are so little. I think people, even parents, forget that they are only kids, just a year or so from being a little baby. Beth: How cute Allison shouting for her Daddy. Did she go potty in a children's potty chair or on the big potty w/ an child's seat. I have been debating which to buy for Colton. The thought of having to emply a child's potty does not thrill me, but I wonder if it will be easier for training purposes. Leanne: Sorry to hear the potty-training progress has stopped. Hope Cynthia begins sleeping better for you soon too. Patty: Sorry to hear Jarin had the flu. Sure hope you avoid getting it too. It was good for Jarin to see his sitter in a social setting. Cute about him peeking at her. Kahne: My heart goes out to the guy at your school losing his family so quickly like that. It really makes me appreciate what I have. Crystal: Yeah for Darrel getting to move into the 18 mo class. Keep up the great job at work. So sad to read about the funeral. That is something I just don't allow myself to think about. It scares me so and gets me thinking of all the bad things that could happen to Colton just by accident. Sounds like you have quite a dilemma on your hands about moving. I think you and Doug have lots to discuss. Maybe he needs to make sure moving to Oregon will prove to be better, not just because he thinks so. Does he have a job out there for sure or does he "think" he can get a better one. Moving so far away is a major change and needs to be carefully planned. Moriah: Yeah for Alex gaining so much weight. Darleen: We don't have anything planned for NYE yet. I will check w/ the grandparents to see if they are willing to watch Colton and then just see what happens. We are not planning too good in advance on this one. I would be happy to just stay home though. Dawn: Welcome back. Judy: Welcome back too. What a scare you had w/ Michael and the virus. I have heard of kids suddenly being scared of the tub for fear of being sucked down the drain. Maybe you have to show him that only water & bubbles are small enough to go down and that he and his toys are too big to fit. Christi: So glad that Caleb is home and feeling better. I almost forgot, I had Colton's picture taken w/ Santa. There was a Santa set up at our grocery store. No line or anything. So after I checked out I quickly stopped and got Colton's picture taken. I didn't exactly have him dressed for the occasion but felt not having to wait in line at the mall was a good trade off. Julianne & Colton 17 mo email: jjones@batts.com Monday, December 13, 1999 at 11:03:17 (EST)) LisaB back with a quick note for JULIANNE. I HATE people who expect little kids to add like adults. I was 14 when my brother was born and he was the only little one in the family at the time. My immediate family used to hate Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners at Grandma's as my Grandfather, aunts, uncles, cousins, my BIL, etc. thought John was entirely out of control because he dared to move around and make noise. We were vindicated later, however. Several of my cousins and my sister had kids and they WERE out of control (taking showers together at family gatherings - covering the floors with water in the process, coloring on walls, deliberately dropping food on the carpet and grinding it in with their feet, etc.). All of a sudden everyone was apologizing to Mom for their prior attitudes towards John and telling her how well-behaved he had always been. I guess the moral is to just ignore all these people and their comments as one day they will come to realize, like you already know, that Colton is just a little boy and that, for his age, he's very well behaved. Also - stick your tongue out at these people as they leave the room. They won't see it but it'll make you feel 100% better!!!!!! LisaB Monday, December 13, 1999 at 11:16:33 (EST)) Good morning ladies. A very tired SARAH here. HANNAH's sick again!! :( I got about an hour of sleep last night. It's so weird, she was great Friday and Saturday (in the best mood Saturday night) and then Sunday morning when DH went to get her out of the crib, she had thrown up. She was real lethargic yesterday, and her eyes looked awful. She kept food down, and I tried to give her alot to drink. Then last night, I took her temp and it was 104 and she threw up in the middle of the night. All night long she laid in her crib, kind of whining (like her little body ached). I should have just brought her in bed with us. So DH has her today, and he's real sick too. I hope I don't get it again!! I was supposed to take her in to get her shots tomorrow. Now that will probably be postponed!! :( I got the day off for it, too. Oh well, just as well if she's not feeling good. We just can't have a "healthy" weekend!!! I just hope we're all better by Christmas!!! Say a little prayer for us, please. SUE - Good to hear from you!! Holy cow, CAM's a big boy!! That's great! LISA B. - Scary about the man abducting little girls! I'm glad they caught the bastard!!! LEANNE - Girl, you can vent here anytime!! Good luck with CYNTHIA! KELLI - Great for E saying her #'s!! How's grandpa? JULIANNE - I figured your friend must have some help! That would have pissed me off what your BIL said! BETH - YEA ALLISON!!!! That's great! PATTY - Sounds like the same thing happened with JARIN and HANNAH. :( I know what you mean about it happening so fast!! KAHNE - Good luck with finals!! My heart goes out to that guy! My friend also knows a guy (childhood friend) who just lost his 8 month pregnant wife and baby girl! :( :( I'll pray for him! MORIAH - You go ALEX!!!! I'm glad you received the pictures I sent! CRYSTAL - The funeral must have been sad! I lost my cousin (4 years old) last July, and it happened on his mom's birthday! :( :( DAWN - Of course I remember you!! Welcome back! That's great you're a SAHM now!!! :) JUDY - WELCOME BACK AND CONGRATS!!! Sorry MICHAEL had RSV. HANNAH had that when she was 5 months old. It's scary! CHRISTI - I'm glad CALEB is better now. Must have been frightening! JENNIFER - You're not excited for the Billy Joel concert, are you?!!?!? LOL My ex was a huge fan of BJ. One year for his bday, I bought him a ticket. Well ladies, hope you all have a great day. I won't be back until Wednesday. Hopefully I have a healthy family then!! Sarah and Hannah (15 months) email: smoore@geatoir.cfer.com Monday, December 13, 1999 at 11:25:59 (EST)) Good morning from Helen&Amanda!! Well- we're still around- haven't had a chance to post with all the shopping and trying to organize my house!! Yes I think the 'how to organize from the inside out' book is helping me get things in order around here!! I actually was in the basement unpacking and condensing things over the weekend! An update- FYI-- in case your not hearing on your news like we are all day long(!!)- All the firefighters were found- the funerals are this week and one last Freday- they've gone over the one million $$ mark as of last week- ( for the families), The memorial was the largest gathering in US history of firefighters- 20,000+ from all over- including London.It was a very nice memorial- something to be remembered always. Our neighbour has put in over 90hrs in overtime since the fire started- he is a walking zombie, needless to say.( Patty-- you can relate to that can't you!) Amanda is still putting our shoes away when we forget- carrying them to the closet and whining until someone notices and opens it for her!! LISAB-- I would have been so upset!! I never lent out my clothes unless it was someone I knew very well and it was only one item or so. Sorry you learned the hard way. I hope they are salviagable and not many have to be replaced!!Shall we begin calling you 'goddess' or would you prefer something else!!LOL!! Great that your friend layed it on thick!!! JULIANNE--Great that the triplets are doing well!! REBECCA-- Don't hesitate to vent here- thats what we are here for!! Get sleep- you need it chasing Paige around all day and being up at night w/her.Thats wonderful that you have someone to go to for money, don't be embarrased, thats what parents are for when your in need.And about the shopping- the sales are getting better the closer to X-mas we get- Paige is still young and a couple things will thrill her, your relatives will also get her a couple things too so don't worry about her!! I only got 4-5 items for Amanda- she won't know the diff. and she will get a few things from the grandparents. Go downtown window shopping- Amanda loves to look at all the window displays- or go to the library and check out X-mas books for you or Paige- do some baking, decorate- hope your feeling better soon!!:O) BETH-- Congrats on Allison going potty!! CRYSTAL-- Congrats on Darrel moving to the big boy class!! Don't worry about Darrel being scared of the potty- its a very normal reaction- thats why they say to let them let you know when they are ready to be trained- and they say to wait close to 2yrs so they have the ability to know the feeling of needing to go potty and the ability to hold it in until they get to a potty.Sorry if I'm being repetitive.:O) Thats so sad about the twin that died- I think it is a blessing that they had twins and still have one to hold and help them get through this awful time. I'm sure the baby girl is missing her brother since they have been together for 9mos and then sleeping together since birth- its SOOOO sad. :O( MORIAH-- Glad Alex is gaining-- And you are too!!LOL!! So am I unfortunately--As DH puts it-- its time to get off the feed bag!!! I am nagging him still- after 3+ wks to get the treadmill upstairs so I will use it- or maybe just look at itLOL!! DARLEEN--We are going to BIL's for New Years Eve-- the kids are invited too so that means we have to bring Amanda- so I will be leaving early unfortunately! WELCOME--DAWN&JUDY!!!!!!! CHRISTI--Glad Caleb is better!! PATTY--Hope Jarin is over the stomach bug- thats the worst--Amanda hasn't had that YET!! My older two 'barf' all the time when sick and alway have- never seem to get to the toilet in time! Well I should go and put Miss Grumpy in bed for a nap!! LATER!!!! Helen&Amanda@16mos(#3) Monday, December 13, 1999 at 11:58:47 (EST)) Well, Allison went on the potty 3 times on Sat, 3 on Sun and then again this morning when she got up! I am so excited!! I am not going to expect too much as she is still so young, but she knows what she is doing now as twice on Sat and Sun she told me she had to go (looked at me and said peepee while playing, and I had to ask her if she wanted to go potty, but I count that :-). She has been sitting on the potty for a couple of weeks now (her choice) but never produced anything until Friday night. She is still wetting in her diapers which is to be expected at this stage, but at least we are on our way! No #2 yet, but I'm definitely not pressuring in that area (haven't even suggested it to her yet)as I know it can lead to many problems! I want this to be fun for her and something she WANTS to do. We still have plenty of time to master the art. Now a few personals. Helen - I think I need that book, but I'm not organized enough to make time to be able to read it! LOL Sarah - I hope Hannah is better soon and that you avoid the sickness as well. Julianne - Allison's potty chair can either be a small potty or one that you put on the regular potty as a seat. She hated sitting on it on the big potty though. I think it scared her. So we just use the small one. That might be an option for you since you don't really know which Colton would like better. I'll look tonight and let you know what brand it is tomorrow. Lisa B - I know what you mean about eating out. I never get to eat a hot meal if Allison's with me. DH and I work less than a mile from one another so we often go out to lunch together while Allison is at the sitter's. Not as nice as dinner, but still a good break. Crystal - keep us posted on your condition. Patty - I hope Jarin is better soon too! Christi - I'm glad Caleb is better and that you were able to catch it in time. What exactly did her have? Judy - welcome back! Allison still loves the tub so no suggestions. Glad Elijah is adjusting well. Dawn - welcom back! I remember you! I'm so glad you're a SAHM now. I was so concerned about your situation! Shelly - or should I say "Shaleen". Too funny. Should we call you the goddess now instead of Lisa? Darleen - for New Year's we are having a millenium "crawl" in our neighborhood. As it hits New Year's in different countries ( starting at Ireland and working our way across the Atlantic until we reach the US)we are going to celebrate at a different house. Each house will represent a different country and will decorate and serve food native to that country. My house is Iceland!! Anyone have any good suggestions for decorations etc?? Sarah g - thanks for the compliment on Allison! Moriah - WOW!! 12 oz in one week! You'll be able to turn that car seat around before you know it!! Kahne - that is so sad about the guy in your class :-( I just could not imagine what a terrible time he must be going through. Well guys, time for me to get back to work. Have a great day. Talk to you later Beth and Allison (18.5 months) email: bobwite@msn.com Monday, December 13, 1999 at 14:18:38 (EST)) Hi from Christi, what a nasty day here, full of fog, it s just now starting to lift (12:30 pm). I don't have a whole lot to say, Caleb is doing well, I couldnt get a follow up visit with OUR Dr. until the 27th, but that is okay, I will wait! Do you all think I should fight paying for the first Dr's bill? Let me know. PATTY & SARAH** sorry that Jarin and Hannah are so sick, I dont think I would do very well with vomiting children, snot and poop I can do :o) LISA*** yes, Caleb did have croup MORIAH*** I know that I am overweight because I just LOVE food, any kind. Chocolate is best, but burgers, lasagne, turkey etc.....its all good! :) Good for Alex!!! 12 ounces is great! He must be eating like I do :-) Well, ladies hope you all have a good day! Chrsiti & Caleb 13 months Monday, December 13, 1999 at 14:42:53 (EST)) Hello from Rita Phew! I did get some of the things done I had planned for this weekend. My sister bailed on me at the last minute and Larry and I made all the tamales ourselves. The gifts are wrapped, the cards are done, but the tree is still bare and I have to make stockings. I think that I should just make some big sacks. Since we only give gifts to the children in on my side, we get stocking stuffers for everyone. Some of the stuffers have gotten kind of big over the years, so there is no good-sized stocking that I can make. I thought that Amy was a little congested on Sunday and was preparing for the worst, but she fooled me. She has more teeth on the way. What a sneaky little one...Larry let me sleep in the other day and Amy came into the room and said "wake up" to me. We usually tell her to go and wake up Maddy every day, so it was funny to actually hear her say it and realize that she picked up on the right concept. Maddy wore us out this weekend, as usual. Time for that indoor trampoline... Patty - Sorry to hear that Jarin is sick. It's so hard when little ones are ill since they can't tell us and we are always so surprised. Hope he gets better soon and that you stay healty. Christi - How scary for Caleb. He sounds like such a trouper. Hope that he's 100% soon. We'll keep your mom in our prayers. Dawn and Judy - Welcome back! Julianne - I think that we have the same potty that Beth described. It can be used alone, on the regular toilet or used as a step stool. It's made by Safety 1st. Does BIL have any kids of his own? He needs a little education. Moriah - Good for Alex! He is making such great progress these days since he has gotten the valve. He sounds like such a character. Christmas will be so much fun with him this year. Sarah - Sorry to hear that Hannah and DH are sick, too. Say healthy and take good care of your sweeties. Beth - Iceland, huh? Fish and volcanoes are all I can picture. How about a fire and ice theme? That sounds like such a great idea for NYE. I don't think that our court would be up for that kind of thing since we have a lot of retired folks and very few young families. Well, I have to get back to some work. Take care everyone and stay healthy! Rita, Maddy & Amy email: ritad@home.com Monday, December 13, 1999 at 15:09:17 (EST)) Rebecca here... Let me start by saying thankyou to LisaB, Moriah, Sarah, and Sue for your e-mails and cards. And thatnkyouLynda, Rita, Julianne, Shelly, Romaine, Helen, Patty, and SarahG for you posts and words of encouragement. I am feeling better. Thursday night I had a very long cry in my husband's arms. I got a little more sleep than normal (dh got up with Paige). I really think I was exhausted and I was pushing down any negative emotion. I guess it all kind of exploded. Friday night my parents took us out for dinner and then bought us our Christmas Tree. I have a couple of friends coming over tonight to help decorate. I did get most of my Christams baking done. I worked all weekend and I have to say that I'm glad I only have to do that one more time (next weekend)! People were soo rude. I don't think I could hold my tongue if I had to go back even part time. Oh, I did get a good piece of news Thursday. I've lost 20 pounds. I wasn't even trying! I guess between eating better (not great, but better) and chasing Paige I've found an effective weight lose program!LOL I still have 40+ to loose, but it will happen in time. DH says I have to stop loosing since my clothes aren't fitting me anymore!LOL I didn't really read the posts since there were so many. I'll try to catch up tomorrow. Thankyou for being such wonderful friends!!! Rebecca & Paige (13 months today) email: burn@canadawired.com Monday, December 13, 1999 at 15:32:04 (EST)) Hi, Romaine and Saba here! Count-down week for me! We leave to go home on Saturday!!!!! Can't wait to show off the girls once again and to see Leanne and her brood! Saba is going to have fun w/ the girls!!! Our evening was nice on Saturday. We let Saba stay up for a little bit b/c she would not have slept hearing people arrive. She went down quite well afterward. Last night we took her to see a Christmas program at a church. I think that she enjoyed it. She notices EVERYTHING and when they turned on the overhead behind us for the words for the songs for the performers, she was noisily pointing it out (as well as every time they changed the music!). I plan to go visiting 1 day and have a friend over on another this week-I am trying to get out more so that Saba can play w/ others. Plus, I will be back at work soon... On Fri. am I am getting an IVP done. I have been having some problems this past week and am getting this done so they can see where the problem lies. I should have had it done a year ago. I hope that the dye does not affect breast milk at all. So many are not feeling well here! Get well to all of you and your little kidlets! It is awful to be sick! Dawn-Hi to you here too! Beth-Yay Allison-I am so jealous! Saba is not showing much interest. I was thinking of giving it a try in January. Kahne-How terrible for that male friend! I cannot imagine his pain! Prayers go out to him! Crystal-I am gald that you are having things lookd into! Sarah g-Thanks for the cute Santa pics! Christi-Get well Caleb! Jennifer-Billy Joel is on tour?! My DH loves him! Did he bring out a new cd that we somehow missed? Have a fabulous time! Julianne-Sitters are hugely expensive! That is why we don't go out! We are 1 hour from the city, so have to pay minimum 2 hours just for travel time, never mind actually doing anything! Glad that you had a good time at the wedding! Sarah-Poor Hannah-Get well soon! Helen-How cute that she is putting the shoes away! Later..... Romaine and Saba 21 mos email: rrantry@yahoo.ca Monday, December 13, 1999 at 18:45:05 (EST)) Hi everyone I am back hopefully. Angel is finally on the mend she was so sick the last month and a bit. Actually it was longer than that but doctors mine and one of his partners told me nothing was wrong with Angel. WEll finally aobut a week and half ago Angel ran a really high fever I couldnt get to come down with nothing so off to the clinic. It was a Sunday! Well I am glad I did she had a massive throat infection which he said she has had for over a month. Her glands were aall swollen and her throat was so red and raw he said he was surprised to hear she was eating anything! See mommys know when somethign is wrong with their little ones! So she is on the mend now! I have really missed you guys a lot!!!! I dont want to offend any of you but I am going to start fresh too many msgs to read and respond too! Well is very almost ready for christmas. We have to decorate the tree, send cards out tomorrow, shopping all done thank god with the malls that busy! WEll I am really glad to be back!!!!!!!! Diane (Angel 17 months) Diane Morgan email: jadimorgan@home.com Monday, December 13, 1999 at 22:35:51 (EST)) Hi its Lynda here. We have just got back from Xmas shopping and Ella is sleeping (thankfully). Gee shopping is a lot more tiring with a little one along - I imagine its a major exercise for those of you with more than one child! Like lots of others on the board (and all over the world) we had Ella's picture taken with Santa today. We were in a queue and I asked one of the elves how long it might take. She took me to one side and whispered in my ear "not too long ... we have 4 santas working today" which I thought was quite funny. Hopefully Ella's photo will turn out okay (they mail them in a few days) - we put her in Santa's lap without her seeing him and managed to get a smile - when the photo was over he turned her around to see him and she screamed a scream of pure terror - so much for Santa being a lovable old man! Sarah - thaks for the photos - your family is very photogenic. My favourite was the one of a very cheeky Hannah with the backwards cap. Moriah - thanks also for the photos - Alex looked so peaceful. After our experience today I can unterstand why he was crying beforehand. Thats great that Alex gained a lot of weight. Beth - thanks also for the photos - Allison is a very pretty little girl - the Christmas photo especially was adorable. Allison calling for her daddy is very cute - what a shame daddy wasn't there to hear her! Congrats also on the steps towards toilet training, sounds like Allison is making quick progress! Sue - Cameron and Ella are very close in age - Ella turns one on Jan 5th. She also only has 2 bottom teeth. I think you did the smart thing to put her in daycare whilst you did your shopping and wrappping - Much quicker and less painful for you. Lisa B - Sorry to hear no positive this month. Have you just started ? Ella sleeps with us when I am desperate for sleep because if she wakes in the middle of the night, she usually goes straight to sleep in our bed - whereas it is a bit more work for me to get her back to sleep in her cot. That abduction story is very scary - unfortunately Australia is becoming more and more like the US and from time to time we have similar problems. Jennifer - have fun at the Billy Joel concert. I am a big fan of his - 52nd Street was my first ever album (remember - round vinyl things with holes in them!!! )which I bought when I was 13. Rebbecca - very glad to hear you are feeling better. Sounds like you have a great DH. Lynda and Ella (11.5 months) email: ljpjyoung@ozemail.com.au Tuesday, December 14, 1999 at 01:11:27 (EST)) Hi Ladies, Kahne here. Finals are over, now I have 4 weeks to spend with my family, YEAH. My friends wife and baby were buried on Saturday. They buried her with the baby in her arms. I am so sad for him. I hope he comes back soon, I want to send him a card, but I do not have his address. I cant believe all of these deaths so close to christmas. It really breaks my heart, but makes me thankful for what I have. I am really tired, concidering I stayed up all night cramming, but I am back! Love all of you! Kahne and Cat 11 months email: kahneandsteve@hotmail.com Tuesday, December 14, 1999 at 02:25:14 (EST)) Colton finally has another tooth--#7! I think he is still working on a few more. Drool just pours out these past few weeks & he is constantly sticking out his tongue & rubbing his gums w/ it. He had a major boo boo last night. We were watching his Elmo video and he was dancing so cute. He will stomp around and twirl circles. This gets him dizzy and he fell to the floor a couple of times--no biggie. That is until he fell and smacked his head on a shelf on the entertainment center. It caught him right above the bridge of his nose. I think I cried just as hard as he did. Oh, that must have hurt so bad. I coudln't stop thinking about it. I was happy when he woke up during the night so I could bring him to our bed and cuddle w/ him. He has a lovely red mark on his forehead and it is somewhat swollen, but not black & blue (yet?). Just in time for all these Christmas holiday get-togethers!! LisaB: Colton loves turning the light switch off & on too. Great that Max made the connection and said "dark". Thanks for your comments. I asked my mom yesterday about what she thought of Colton's behavior and explained the remark BIL made. She totally agreed w/ me so that made me feel much better. Sarah: Here's hoping that you manage to avoid the flu. I always find it hard to avoid, especially when getting thrown-up on. Helen: So cute about Amanda putting the shoes away. I have a treadmill and love it. I have not been on it much since I got pg w/ Colton, but the last few weeks have tried to make an effort to change that. The year that I was on it 3+ times a week for 20-60 min I had so much more energy and was really healthy--no major colds, just a scratchy throat hear and there. It is great that you meet your DH for lunch. Sounds like you are going to have a great NYE celebration. What a fun idea. Rita: How cute that Maddy told you to "wake up". My BIL has a 5 year old and a 6 mo baby, that is why his comment really bothered me. He should understand! Rebecca: Great job losing 20 pounds. I am glad to hear that you are feeling better. Leanne: Sounds like you have a busy week planned. It is good that you are making play dates for Saba w/ other kids. Diane: Welcome back and glad that Angel is feeling better. It is kind of scarey reading about these drs who don't seem to know what they are doing lately. Lynda: Too cute about tricking Ella not to look at Santa. Colton cried when I sat him on Santa's lap at first but then managed to look at the camera--no smile though. Kahne: Enjoy your winter break. Well, I am off to rid my computer of some viruses. Several of us at work are infected and this is the 3rd software package we are trying. Hope it works. Julianne & Colton 17 mo email: jjones@batts.com Tuesday, December 14, 1999 at 10:18:06 (EST)) Leanne here fully awake for once! Just a "quicky" to give an update. First off thank you all for your support and allowing me to "vent" I really appreciate it. Excuse me for not posting but I just dont have the time today but hopefully I can play catch up tomorrow! Cynthia slept through 2 nights in a row !! And no accidents for 3 days!!! WOO HOO, I dont know what changed but I welcome it! It is weird that she started all this none sleeping and peeing at once and now it has disappeared just as quickly!! Who can understand kids???? TOMORROW IS THE DAY!!!!! Not only will it be my "30th BD" which does not bother me but we should hopefully find out that we have a HEALTHY BABY BOY OR GIRL at 8am tomorrow! I cant wait! I can just see that the baby will have its legs so tightly crossed that we wont be able to see a thing! Oh well I just want to be blessed with a healthy baby! It is great to be able to share this with you guys (Romaine no peeking!!!!) If we can find out we have not decided if we are telling the family.... would like to keep it a secret though but with Romaine and I at the same site she may have to keep the secret with me!!! :) Till tomorrow!!...... Leanne Blissfully rested!!! Tuesday, December 14, 1999 at 13:47:21 (EST)) When I put my shirt on my toddler, there is a moment or two, when going over her head that she gets 'lost' in the shirt. When this happens, she turns into a stone statue and seems to revel in her being 'lost in her shirt'. Anyway, ham salad sounds good. Melanie email: mikirobin@hotmail.com Tuesday, December 14, 1999 at 13:48:04 (EST)) Hi from Helen&Amanda!! The telephone repair man is here so this will be quick-- BIRDIE----WHERE ARE YOU?????????? Kahne-- Thats so sad about the mother and baby- 'nice' they were buried together- it will be a long healing process for him.:O( Diane--Welcome back- glad to hear Angel is getting better--Do you pronounce Angel in french- your from Canada is whyI ask?? Rebecca-- glad your feeling better- keep geting your ZZZ's!!20lbs- thats great- what are you doing to lose all that weight?? Julianne--Sorry Colton got a 'boo-boo'- hope he didn'tget a shiner!! Leanne--Congrats on Cynthia sleeping and doing so well potty training!!!! HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY!!!!!!! If anyone has pics please send them my way-- Thanks LisaB and Moriah-- love to see updates- cute boys!!!!I willsend more out when I get another film developed- after x-mas probably. PS-- We have our tree up finally!! LATER!!! Helen&Amanda@16mos(#3) email: mhim27@hotmail.com Tuesday, December 14, 1999 at 14:25:36 (EST)) Hi from LisaB. Max is getting teeth #15 & 16. He was fussy and clingy last night (had to cuddle for 45 minutes to get him sound asleep ... and then he woke around 3 and came in bed with me). I think it was a combo of teething and DH being out of town for work. I did the 1 hour photo and 1 hour reprints this morning so I will send out my cards to the people on the "snail mail card list" tomorrow. SARAH M: I hope DH and Hannah are better by the time you read this. I got your photos at home without any problems. The problem with hotmail is you only get 2000 KB and your e-mail was around 1600 KB. I saved them as jpg files (much smaller) and will send them to Shelly and Sarah G (who also have hotmail) but unfortunately when DH saved the files on disk he accidentially deleted the family photo. If you can, can you resend it to me as I didn't get to see it (DH just copied the files on disk for me). HELEN: I'm guess I'm just too nice but I refuse to change. The lady who borrowed my clothes was young and needed every extra $$$ to buy stuff for her twins. She mainly borrowed everyday outfits and I got them all used or on sale so I can afford to replace them if I need to. I'm just a big old softie. BETH: Hey, just carve a ice sculpture in your free time as a decoration - LOL!!!! CHRISTI: I would pay the charges as the doctor provided a service ... but I would also report the poor care to the state licensing board, the head of any group he's in (if there are several docs in the same office), etc. REBECCA: Congrats on losing the 20lbs!!!! I'm so glad you're back and feeling better. {{{{hug from me to you}}}}} SARAH G: Can you please e-mail me your pictures? LYNDA: We've been TTC for about a month so I would have been really shocked if AF hadn't arrived! Then again, it only took 2 months of trying to conceive Max. MELANIE: Welcome! How old is your daughter? What's her name? Her statute pose sounds adorable. CANDANCE e-mailed me yesterday and Tanner has a cold. :-( LisaB & Max (15 months) email: lisa_lab@hotmail.com Tuesday, December 14, 1999 at 15:17:56 (EST)) Good afternoon everyone. Well, I hate to admit it, but I have been less than productive today at work. I just can't seem to get motivated today so I have been surfing the net looking for ideas about Iceland. DH thought it would be better to do Greenland (same time zone) because he thought I would be able to find more info, but there is TON of stuff out there about Iceland and virtually nothing about Greenland. Weird. I'm going to have to try to find some fireworks to set off as they are traditional in the Icelandic New Year. I also found some pretty tasty sounding recipes out there too (some pretty nasty ones as well like singed sheep's head with the eyes intact YUCK!!). Having trouble with decorations. Would love to be able to get my hands on a snow maker and fill my front yard with snow and be the only house on the block with snow in their yard, but that's just a little extravagant! LOL Now a few personals! Lisa B - WOW!! What a bunch of teeth Max has. Allison has 14 now, but I don't think 15 and 16 are far behind either. Helen - I sent some new pictures your way! Leanne - congrats on getting some much needed sleep!! Julianne - the brand on that potty chair was The First Years. Kahne - congrats on finals being over. I had tears in my eyes reading your post thinking of that poor man though :-( Lynda - thanks for the compliment! Diane - so scary that Dr.s can be so wrong what seems like so much of the time! Romaine - when do you have to go back to work?? What do you do? Rebecca - so glad you are feeling better. The holidays can be an overwhelming time of year for anybody! Rita - Amy sounds so cute coming in and waking you up! Christi - Not sure what to do about the bill. My DH would throw a big fit and refuse to pay (he did it once when Allison was misdiagnosed for an ear infection), but I tend to agree with Lisa B. I would definitely report him either way. Well, that's all for today. Talk to you ladies later Beth and Allison (18.5 months) email: bobwite@msn.com Tuesday, December 14, 1999 at 17:01:50 (EST)) Hi its a tired Lynda here... and its not because of Ella. I went out last night with the mothers from our playgroup. We do this every couple of months to give us some time to ourselves and also to catch up with those mums that are working full time and can't come to playgroup anymore. I thought I would only go for a couple of hours, but was enjoying myself and stayed on til about 12:00. Unfortunately Ella still woke for her early morning feed at 4:30am and then wanted to get up at 6:30am. Oh well ...it was worth it .. and I can have an early night tonight to catch up. Julianne - poor Colton! I hope the swelling goes away soon and doesn't come up all black and blue. Leanne - good luck with the ultrasound - looking forward to hearing about it. Lynda & Ella (11.5 mths) email: ljpjyoung@ozemail.com.au Tuesday, December 14, 1999 at 17:53:14 (EST)) Hello from Rita I actually finished all of the things I had set out for myself to do today at work. Wow. Now I can post with a clear conscience. There still seems so much to be done these days. The tree is done with a minumum of ornaments this year. DH cut a smaller tree to put up on a table since he has to have a train that circumnavigates the tree. Well at least I don't have to make a tree skirt since we are using quilt batting for snow. Now I have to make the invitations for the girls' BD party and get them out and start planning for that. No more events to plan until Halloween, thank goodness! Rebecca - Glad to hear that you are feeling better. You have a wonderful DH. Twenty pounds? I need to know your secret. Diane - Welcome back. Sorry to hear that Angel wasso sick for such a long time before the doctors realized it. Sometimes they make us feel like idiots when we really know when our babies are ill. Kahne - Congrats on finishing up finals! I can remember how good that felt. Now you can relax and enjoy your family. My prayers are with your friend - I cannot imagine how he must be feeling, especially at this time of the year. Julianne - Poor Colton! Maddy is always doing something to get a bruise. Amy gave us a scare the other day. The bathroom door was left open and Amy decided to climb into the tub (she loves baths). I heard a boom and a cry. Luckily she did not hit her head, but she sure was shaken up. DH has to remember to close the door. She has become quite a little monkey, climbing on everything. Leanne - Happy Birthday and happy ultrasound to you, too! I hope that baby is cooperative. We are all anxious to know... Lynda - How neat that you go out with your mom's group. My sister has been active with her moms' group for more than seven years. They still have a few nights out and once a year they go out to lunch and to a spa in the Napa valley. It's great to keep up once the children get older. I wish that I had been involved in such a group. Well, I had better go. Take care everyone! Rita, Maddy & Amy email: ritad@home.com Tuesday, December 14, 1999 at 19:12:50 (EST)) Good Afternoon, it's Debbie. This may be a fast post, Maddie is suppose to be sleeping, but is singing Happy Birthday to Barbie and is waking up Emilee. My little angel... Also, she has been climbing into Emilee's crib again and waking her up. My little angel...... The girls & I went to a "play group" today. We made alot of new friends. And they scrap book too. A lady who is a distributor for several different companys has scrap times 2 times a week. One on Monday night and one on Wednesday morning. She even has a yard full of toys so you can bring the little angels. I can't wait. I haven't been able to keep up. I'm ashamed to say I haven't even started Emilee's. Poor baby. Tomorrow I go to a meeting with the Healthy Start/Community Connection for Children to get our "Activity Day" going. I don't think we'll get up and running until after the holidays. But at least we're working on it. Can't wait, these girls need to get out and be around other little ones. Ok, me too. All the Christmas shopping is done, nothing wrapped but at least it's in the closet. We will start baking next week. I don't have alot to do, but I'll have to freeze everything so we don't eat it all before Christmas. Patty - Happy Belated Birthday to you! You old woman! LOL hi Tom. Hope Jarin's feeling better soon. Lisa - That really makes me mad. You try to do something nice for someone and they dont respect your things. I loaned my sewing machine to a neighbor and their dog knocked it off the table. Long story, but of course it was broken and they didn't/couldn't find replacement parts. So, I hate to say it but I refuse to loan anything anymore. Could you please send Max's pic's again, for some reason I couldn't open them, thanks. You're so lucky, shopping and eating out without Max. I have given up on that. Sarah - Hope Hannah's better soon. Try to send the pic's again. Helen - So sad about the firefighters. Cute about Amanda and the shoes. Beth - Great that Allison's using the potty. Rita - You are one busy mom. So glad Maddy is ok. I'm taking the girls to a lady's house Thursday to make tamales. She doesn't know what she's in for. Rebecca - I've been thinking about you. You hang in there. 20 pounds, thats GREAT! Keep it up. Diane - Welcome back. Kahne - Enjoy your holidays and your family. Madison is in trouble now, she's in the crib again with Emilee. At least they're laughing. I guess I shouldn't complain. I do have so much to be greatful for. Hope everyone is doing well and staying warm. Take care & talk to you all soon. Debbie, Maddie & Emilee email: debngreg@qnet.com Tuesday, December 14, 1999 at 19:45:22 (EST)) Hi mommies. I thought I'd read all the posts, but I'm just not up to it, so this will be fairly quick. Jarin is feeling better, he was sick Friday night and once on Saturday. Sunday night, DH ended up with it and he was sick most of the night. Monday night, Jesse was up twice throwing up and, guess who came home from work today and got sick this afternoon? UGH, we are the sick family right now. Now we'll see if Jaime ends up with it. At least I hope we'll be all be healthy for Christmas now. **Thanks for the thoughts on Jarin feeling better - LisaB,(being puked on isn't nearly as bad as being the one who's sick!) Julianne (no, I didn't avoid it!)Sarah (sorry Hannah's sick again too), Beth, Rita, and Helen (Jesse is GREAT about making it to the toilet in time. He was up twice and the first time I didn't even know it. He never even came in to get me!) **Hope everyone else is ok. Hope to talk more later. Patty and Jarin - 15 1/2 months email: tematheny@ctlnet.com Tuesday, December 14, 1999 at 22:34:47 (EST)) Hi there everyone! Sounds like a lot of mommies and children are under the weather! Angel woke up at 6:30 this morning when dh left for work. She wouldnt go back to sleep either so she was really really cranky today. I feel so bad I lost my temper a few times with her but gave her lots of hugs and told her sorry and that I loved her. Feeling a little guilty now. I would love to see pics of anyone's children. Once I get mine scanned I will send mine out to you guys. Helen: You are right I am from Canada but we dont pronounce it in french. Kahne: sad , sad story. I have read a lot of sad stories lately! Leanne: happy birthday and good luck with the ultrasound. Well I am working the next couple of days will try and check in at night. I am going to take a nice relaxing bath now and then go to bed. take care everyone Diane (Angel 17 months) Diane Morgan email: jadimorgan@home.com Tuesday, December 14, 1999 at 23:28:09 (EST)) Hi from LisaB. I'm taking a much needed break - after spending 2 days entering numbers in a spreadsheet my total is off so I get to spend the rest of the morning trying to find my typos. Fun, Fun - NOT!!!! DH is still out of town. Max won't talk or listen to him on the phone. He just listens for a second and starts pushing buttons. Last night he tilted his head to help hold the phone by his ear and listened and listened with a big smile on his face. It was soooo cute!!! Max slept in his crib all night (YEAH!) but it took 45 minutes again to get him to sleep. I'm weak and lay down on my bed with him until he falls asleep and then transfer him to the crib. If he wakes during the night we generally leave him in the crib to "cry it out" ... unless he starts wailing. I finally got him to bed and then did my Christmas cards for the snail mail list. By that time I was 1/2 asleep, couldn't remember all the kids names, couldn't remember the exact spelling of names, etc. - so please forgive me for any errors! BETH: Sheep's head? Yummy, yummy! What time should I be there?!!!!!! (Yes, that's sarcasm in my voice). RITA: I bet the holidays are extra hectic for you with the girl's birthdays. DEBBIE: Maddie sounds just a LITTLE ornery ... LOL!!!! Play group sounds like fun. PATTY: Get better soon. Hi to everyone else. I just skimmed the posts so I'm sure I missed some people. LisaB & Max (15 months) email: lisa_lab@hotmail.com Wednesday, December 15, 1999 at 12:06:06 (EST)) Good morning. SARAH here. Well, my little silly goose is soooo sick! It's been going on since Sunday. She has the flu. Finally yesterday we had to take her to Children's Hospital (pediatrician was afraid she might be dehydrated). She was, but they didn't give her an iv!!!! Is that weird. They just kept making us give HANNAH apple juice through a straw and "observed" her for 4 hours!!! I'm kind of mad about it!!! What do you ladies think????? And then she woke up screaming and crying uncontrollably last night. I KNOW she's not okay!!!!! I'm calling her doctor back today! Please say a little prayer for her. REBECCA - Glad you're feeling better. DIANE - Welcome back! Glad ANGEL is better. Yes, we mommies DO know when there is something wrong. And my gut is telling me there is more wrong with HANNAH then what they told me. LEANNE - SO???????? PATTY - Man, JARIN and HANNAH always have the same thing at the same time.....doesn't it seem that way? Hope your family gets healthy soon. Well ladies, that's all for now. My mind is somewhere else. Love you guys! Sarah and Hannah (15 months) email: smoore@geatoir.cfer.com Wednesday, December 15, 1999 at 12:20:17 (EST)) Hi from Christi Not much going on again today, Caleb is starting to cough again (not as much of a bark as before), hopefully it is just a dry throat. Mom go her biopsy results yesturday, it is definatly cancer, she goes thursday to find out what kind, set up treatments etc. What a terrible time of the year for all of this! We are getting some rain/snow today, I am really ready for the snow, I want it to stick so bad!! I am worse than the kids! BETH*** YEAH for Allison going potty!! I started my DD at 18 months (kind of) and she was done before her 2nd B-day--good luck! Your NYE party sounds fun! RITA*** Sounds like you had a busy week-end, glad Amy isn't sick, but sometimes teeth are just as bad. REBECCA*** I am glad you are feeling better! Good for you loosing 20 pounds!!! ROMAINE*** Glad Saturday went well! Good luck with your IVP, hope you get the results you are hoping for. DIANE*** Glad Angel is finally getting better! Moms always know when something is wrong with our babies, but Dr's can make us feel like we don't really know, but we do! LYNDA*** My DD was/is also afraid of the jolly guy, this is the first year we got her picture with him since she was 2 months old. She is 4 now. Your night out withthe girls sounds fun! KAHNE***I am praying for yourfriend, how sad! I hope youenjoy your time off JULIANNE*** Sorry Colton got hurt! In a half joking manner i have started tellin my DD "Its all fun and games until someone gets hurt" Does anyone else remeber this saying form when we were kids?? LEANNE*** Glad you got some much deserved sleep! I didn't realize you and Romaine were related, are you sisters? LISA B.*** Thanks for your input, I think I will call the clinic to atleast tell someone there about it. Caleb is sitting next to me playing with the stacking rings, he is having a ball, throwing them and laughing at himself, he is getting to be such a ham! Last night DD's dance class was watch week, Caleb went out into the middle of the floor and started "dancing" for everyone. Stomping his feeting, andlaughing like crazy. Okay, better go! Christi & Caleb 13 months Wednesday, December 15, 1999 at 12:21:01 (EST)) Hello from Helen&Amanda!! Well Amanda is finally asleep- the 'phone guy' was here again so I couldn't put her to bed since he had to get in the attic and the pull down is in her room. He finally fixed the phone!!! So I made more banana bread- the other ones went in the trash since I thought I would make 4X the recipe and it didn't turn out!! This time I made two separate bowls,doubled and its fine- one I put choc. chips on top-- the other walnuts.I am going to make apple pies when I'm done here- they should last a meal or two. Theytake so long to make and then dissappear!! DEBBIE--I agree with people not taking care of others' property- thats terrible about your sewing machine, unless you REALLY know someone and how careful they will be, don't expect it back in the same condition-I've learned. LISAB-- Thats great Max slept for you!! Amanda has been sleeping too and hardly gets up at all anymore- over a month now- and no bottle for longer. I packed them away last week in the basement, I did it quick b/f the guilt came over me. :O( SARAH- Sorry Hannah is so sick-- yes go with your instinct, we know our babies behavior better than doctors- hope you got her in to the doc today and have a diagnosis. DIANE-- I was just wondering since a friend told me someone's baby's name and it was Angel pronounced in Fr.-- pretty name either way! Christi-- Caleb sounds so cute playing by himself- and dancing!! Amanda loves to dance- especially 'Shania'- as soon as the beat starts she starts wiggling. OK--- did I miss something-- WHERE IS BIRDIE???? she has been missing since last Monday. Thats not like her to be away so long. I called my parents this AM to let them know their pkg of presents were on the way-- Amanda was gabbing to them and wouldn't give me the phone!! She was so funny- then cried and I had to let them go b/c she was so upset!! Helen&Amanda@16mos(#3) Wednesday, December 15, 1999 at 14:38:32 (EST)) I had one more question I forgot to ask...when did you(or are you planning to) teach your little ones to feed themselves with a spoon/fork? Caleb kind of did today at lunch, I put the food on the fork then gave it to him. Also, I have been wondering about Birdie, hope all is okay if you are reading but not posting!! Christi & Caleb again :-) Wednesday, December 15, 1999 at 16:18:41 (EST)) Hi mommies. I am feeling better today. Went back to work and then had my hair highlighted. Just couldn't cancel that appointment. LOL. Jarin is now saying "Two" if you say "One". It actually sounds like "do", but it is so cute. Of course, he only does it when he feels like it and never when I want him to tell someone. Tonight Jaime and Jesse also taught him "Where's your boobies?" He would point to one and then just CRACK UP laughing. He had us all rolling. It was so funny. (This was after his bath, so he could see where they were)=) Jarin has some diarrhea still and his poor little bottom is beat red. He screams when I change him. =( I am using the Nystatin we got when he was in the hospital in September. I hope it clears up quickly. It was slow on here today. Nice for me, since I'm still not feeling quite up to par and I know I missed stuff the past two days. Anyway,... **LisaB: Ok, I know I missed something. "Sheep's head" in your post to Beth? What is that???? I'm glad Max slept in his crib for you. Jarin is back to waking at least once a night. I know we are going to have to "Ferberize" again. I just want to make sure he's not still sick when we try. **Sarah: I hope Hannah is better soon! I can't believe they didn't give her an IV. Jarin had one and was admitted when he was dehydrated, but they also did a blood test and got some number which they determined was low enough for him to be admitted. Did they do a blood test? Yes, our little ones do tend to be sick at the same time, don't they? Hmmm, what are they up to when we're not around? **Christi: I bet Caleb was the hit of the dance class with his dancing. I'm glad his cough is sounding better. I let Jarin feed himself when I'm not in a hurry and don't care about the mess. Bad, I know, but I still feed him most of the time. **Helen: Quite the baker, aren't you? Gees! I have cookie dough in the fridge for cut-outs, but then I got sick, so haven't made them yet. But that's about as much baking as I do. Amanda sounds so cute on the phone with her grandparents. i bet they love it! Jarin just listens, but won't say anything on the phone. I've been wondering about Birdie too???? **Gotta put monster boy to bed. Take care. Patty and Jarin - 15 1/2 months email: tematheny@ctlnet.com Wednesday, December 15, 1999 at 23:16:02 (EST)) Hi all, from Stacey... I hope you all are doing well. I have been keeping up with the posts, but haven't felt much like posting lately. I don't know if it is PPD or what but something just feels off and I can't quite shake the blues. I got some bad news today from my cousin...she had a baby boy (Sebastian) on Oct 26, and last week he woke up about 7PM screaming, and throwing up. They figured he had the flu, but he kept screaming and so the Dr. finally gave her an appointment at 2:00 the next afternoon. He was not sure what was wrong so he referred her to the hospital to get an ultrasound done on Sebastian, and the techs did not know how to do one on such a small baby. Then they asked my cousin if she knew whether it is ok to mix pedialyte with formula. Scary. They could not find what was wrong so they wanted to do exploratory surgery on Sebastian, and she refused and demanded a referral to the Children's hospital at Stanford. She received the referral after much negotiating, and at Stanford they discovered that Sebastian had a tumor the size of a grape in his stomach that was blocking his intestines, and his intestines were rotting from being clogged. They operated right away, and he is in the pediatric ICU on tubes and everything. My cousin Geneen is really young (only 20) and this is her first baby and she is pretty scared. Please keep little Sebastian in your prayers... I am sorry to be such a downer, and I wish I were up to doing personals, but I don't feel like I have anything valuable to say right now. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season, full of magic. You are all in my thoughts... Stacey, Franchesca, and Alexa email: stacey.romero@home.com Wednesday, December 15, 1999 at 23:22:02 (EST)) Hi its Lynda here - had a very busy day at work today and am just sneaking in for a quick peek (except it is never that quick - by the time the board loads, I catch up on my reading and then reply.... oh well its good fun!) then its off to do a few things for tomorrow and then to bed. Rita - I am in the middle of designing an invitation for Ella's b'day right now as she was born early Jan like Amy. I bought Microsoft Home Publishing Suite a couple of days ago and am looking through that for ideas. I couln't think of a good theme, so think I will go with two photo's of Ella on the front of the card - one at birth and one recent one with the caption "From this .... to this...". What are you doing for the girls ? I have a vague recollection from the born in Jan board of you being a real computer wizz - so I am expecting that you will be doing something quite clever!!! Our mothers group is a great outlet and I have made some good friends - I hope we are still together in 7 years, like your sister's group. Debbie - I am not sure I understand what you mean when you say you do "scrap books" - is that when you put photos in a blank book and write captions ??? Sarah - I am sorry to hear that Hannah has the flu and that it was so bad that she had to go to hospital. Maybe she was only slighly dehydrated and that's why they didn't give her an IV ? But I don't understand why apple juice to drink - what's wrong with water ?? Maybe they thought she would prefer the juice ??? Stacey - very sad about your cousins baby, I hope he makes a speedy recovery and is out of the ICU as quickly as is possible. Lynda & Ella (11.5mths) email: ljpjyoung@ozemail.com.au Thursday, December 16, 1999 at 05:49:38 (EST)) Hi from LisaB. I'm curious what everyone is doing to try to teach their little ones about the true meaning of Christmas. I make a point of always putting $1 in every Salvation Army kettle I pass when Max is with me to orientate him to "charity" and "giving". I also have a cloth navity set (cutouts that were sewn together and stuffed with cardboard bases to make them stand) that he plays with. Of course he likes to leave Mary and Joseph on the floor and run over them with his tricyle - LOL!!!! Every morning we tell Baby Jesus "good night" and we tell him "good bye" in the morning when we leave for daycare. I know he's too young to understand all this but I really want him to realize Christmas is about more than just Santa Clause and presents. I'm also wondering where Birdie and Kelli are. Birdie e-mailed me last week to thank me for forwarding an e-mail to her, but she didn't put any personal comments in it. I'm going to e-mail them both after I get off here, telling them the "friend" stuff has all blown over and everyone is friends again. CRYSTAL: Please post soon and let us know the results of your doctor visit. I'm concerned about you. SARAH/LYNDA: Hey, I'm an expert on dehydration as I got dehydrated bad enough 5 times while pregnant to require IVs. Water, juice, and other similar fluids are not enough. When you're dehydration your electolytes level goes down and they need to be replenished ASAP - hence the need for an IV or something like Pedialyte. I would complain to your doctor and also to the board of the hospital. It sounds like Hannah received inadequate care (and if she did receive adequate care that they didn't provide adequate information to you). I hope your little angel is feeling better soon. CHRISTIE: Keep us posted on your Mom. She's still in my prayers. I remember the "fun and games" saying. Max only ocassionally uses a spoon or fork ... and when he does I have to fill it for him. He prefers to eat with his fingers, which I think is normal at his age. HELEN: Want to move in with me? I have a nice new overn and you can bake to your heart's content!!! PATTY: I'm glad you feel better. I hope Jarin's rear is all better soon also. How funny - now that he can "count" to 2 he can count his boobies!!!! Beth's neighborhood is having a NYE party and each house is a country located in each time zone. They go to each house as the clock strikes midnight in that country. Beth's house is Iceland and she had said sheep's head was a native dish. STACEY: Sebastin and his family are in my thoughts and prayers. I hope you feel better soon. LisaB & Max (15 months) email: lisa_lab@hotmail.com Thursday, December 16, 1999 at 11:19:55 (EST)) Birdie here. Sorry I went away. It's nice to be missed however. Thanks Christi and Lisa and Helen for asking and checking on me. The board was getting too stressful for me. I thought it was pretty crazy to be discussing with DH things about people I have never even met. Getting angry and stressed out about people I will probably never meet. I was afraid of really going nuts and coming on here and saying some things I really shouldn't and not in a nice way so I took a much needed break. I've been with some of you for 2 years now, so I could never go away completely. 2 years??? Holy toledo!!! Okay, enough of that. Noah still has a bad cold. His voice is so raspy and he's still coughing. I've done everything so I guess now i just need to wait. I had strept throat which totally sucked. My cousin who is more like a sister and lives here in town, was diagnosed with MS on Friday. We are very very sad. She was trying to have a baby. She's only 31. As for my little munchkin he is great. He now knows where his nose, mouth, chest, belly, and his all time favorite, the PEE PEE, are. He likes to walk holding my hand now which I think is sweet and he's really into hugging...everyone. Kids at the store, people he doesn't know, stuffed animals etc. I love him so much. Can't wait for Christmas. He's going to be so excited. He loves the Christmas tree, hates Santa. Take care. Birdie and Noah (one) email: LJU777@AOL.COM Thursday, December 16, 1999 at 12:13:08 (EST)) BIRDIE: WELCOME BACK!!!! Noah sounds so cute with his "pee pee"!!!! So sorry about your relative with MS. Will she still be able to have kids? I might be losing it from I think Charline (Hayden's mom on BT) has MS. I also find myself discussing people from the board with DH. I figure I'm closer to you guys than some of my "in real life" friends. I had a pen-pal for years as a kid I never met, Grandparents in CA that I've only seen a handful of times, etc. I truly believe you don't have to actually meet to be friends. Birdie did touch on something I want to address. If ANYONE has a problem with me, please e-mail me and tell me. I know I get preachy and opinionated sometimes. I love being free to say what I think but if I offend you, go overboard, etc. I would like to know about it. I think we all get carried away sometimes and our posts might not really get across the point or feelings we were trying to convey. I'm generally an easy going person and don't hold grudges and value privacy ... so if you have a beef with me please e-mail me and let me know. I would rather clear the air, address the issue, and work past it than have valued friends like Birdie leave because of something I've posted (and Birdie, don't worry, I'm not feeling responsible for your departure). I won't mention your e-mail on the board at all. And if I have a personal issue with someone, I'll be sure to e-mail you about it. Ok - I'll get off my soap box now :-0 LisaB Thursday, December 16, 1999 at 12:33:30 (EST)) Katy here Okay, I just need to vent for a moment, so please excuse me. This morning, Liam, for GOD knows what reason, woke up at 3:15. Of course he wouldn't go back to sleep, so mommy had to get up with him while daddy slept peacefully. At about 6 I put him back in bed and then went back to bed a half hour later. We then woke up at 10 and DH was up again half hour later. I am trying so hard not to get really mad at Liam because he gets up at weird hours but it's throwing my schedule off. And invariably, I'm the one that gets up with him and DH can't seem to understand why I am so tired all the time and don't want to do anything. I just put Liam back in his bed with some toys because he was getting into all sorts of things he's not supposed to get into. I can't wait until we move into a bigger house, so Liam will have his own room to play in. Katy and Liam email: princess__bride@hotmail.com Thursday, December 16, 1999 at 13:31:15 (EST)) Well, so much for my vacation day yesterday. Colton had a fever so I did not get any baking, Christmas cards, or wrapping done. He just wanted to be held. I think we watched every one of his videos! My Grandma came over for a little while so I could keep my nail appointment. I decided to have them done again. It makes me feel so much better about myself even though I think they are a bit of an extravagance. I am getting used to typing w/ them again! Last night when I took Colton's temp it was almost 104. I got pretty scared & called my dr's office ER line. The nurse who called me back was really helpful. I got a few hours of sleep in between his crying and sleeplessness. His temp was still 102-103 this morning so I told work I would have to take him to the Dr and be in around lunch. I have a conference call I must be here for in about 10 min's. Anyway, Colton has double ear infection again! My mom is watching him this afternoon since I thought he should have a least one day at home w/ medication before I send him to daycare. I hate it that I have to pay for the daycare when he isn't there though. Oh well. Leanne: Happy 30th Birthday. What did you find out, or is baby going to surprise you? Debbie: Sounds like you found a great way to scrapbook. You should be caught up in no time. LOL! Patty: Sorry to hear you caught the flu! Cute about Jarin saying "two". Sarah: Wow, what an ordeal w/ Hannah you had. I thought we were going to end up in the ER last night. I would definatly question the treatment you received w/ your dr. Hope she feels better soon. Christi: I will be thinking about your mom today and hope the drs come up w/ a good treatment program. I use that saying when my DH does silly childish things sometimes--I end up getting called "Donna"--MIL's name! Stacey: Sorry to hear about Sebastian. I will keep him & your cousin in my thoughts and prayers. Birdie: How cute that Noah will hold your hand. Colton will once in a great while only. Gotto Go, have a great day everyone. Julianne & Colton 17 mo email: jjones@batts.com Thursday, December 16, 1999 at 14:08:51 (EST)) Hello from Rita I had a surprise job interview yesterday that went from 4-6PM. (engineers keep late hours) I don't feel too positive about it, but I have two other interviews that should be coming up soon. It's really funny becasue was exactly two years ago that I interviewed for my present job. Birdie - Welcome back. You are my touchstone, you know, since we were the last ones on PT. I hope that you feel comfortable enough to stay with us. I update DH from time to time on how everyone on the board is doing. He is actually glad that I have the board since it is my "virtual moms' group". Lisa is correct about Charline. My MIL was also diagnosed with MS long before DH was born. Pregnancy itself does not cause symptoms to flare up, so women who have been diagnosed with MS can have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies. My MIL has had MS for more than 40 years. Stacey - I hope that Sebastian recovers quickly. He will be in our prayers. I am so glad that your cousin insisted that he be referred to Stanford! There have been too many examples of doctors not listening to moms lately. Lynda - Jen is our resident computer wizard on the January board since she is a web programmer. I am actually going the hand crafted route for the girls' invitations. Both Maddy and Amy love the show "Blue's Clues," so I am going to make a blue paw print for the invitation. I, too, am a scrapbooker. It's really a big craft craze here in the states. It can be quite an artistic endeavor with decorative papers, scissors, paper punches, special pens and stickers. It can also be done digitally with some of the printing and photo development software. Christi - My mom's interpretation of that maxim was "After the laughing comes the crying." I hope that I never catch myself saying that! Lisa B - I am planning to take Maddy to the Children's Mass on Christmas Eve for the first time this year. I am totally on my own for this since DH is agnostic, at best. I haven't put out my Grandmother's creche since the stable is in need of major repairs. I am hoping that this will be a good point to really start talking more about religious/moral issues overall. Maddy says her "prayer" every night but still thinks that the prayer is "Amy's down to sleep." Well, I had best get back to the job on hand. Take care everyone! Rita, Maddy & Amy email: ritad@home.com Thursday, December 16, 1999 at 14:50:28 (EST)) Hi ladies, I've been behind on reading the posts and doing personals so today i hope I can catch up. Just a little update on my family situation....my brother called me the other day and basically said that he agreed with my SIL and what she said. He said she didn't go about airing her feelings in a good way, but that he thought her feelings were valid. I told him that I didn't see the whole thing the way they do and we ended it at that. He also brought up some things and instances where supposedly Adam was the focus of attention all the time, and apparently my SIL had lied about them because the way my brother told me, they didn't happen that way and he wasn't even there when they happened. So, my SIL is stirring up things and lying to my brother about them. My brother is still trying to get over the death of his father and so my mother and I were not even going to tell him what my SIL said so that he wouldn't get more stressed...and we didn't. But, looks like my SIL hasn't stopped bitching about it to him and she asked him to get in the middle of it and talk to everyone instead of taking the responsibility upon herself to lay everything to rest. So, long story short, my parents are going over to their house for dinner on Xmas, but we are going to dinner with DH's family and then going to see my mom and dad when they get home. This way I don't have to worry about Adam "stealing" all of the attention away from their kids. Ok, I'm done venting now. Thanks for listening! I get our picture disk back tomorrow and I have all of your e-mail addresses, so look out for a Xmas e-card from us in the next few days! Julianne- I would've been *steaming* if someone told me or my DH to spank Adam!!! How dare he say that! What did your DH say in response to that?? Sarah- Sorry Hannah was sick! My mom has pneumonia, everyone around us seems to be sick right now! Helen- Cute abuot the shoes....when we leave shoes out, Adam goes and gets them, but he doesn't put them up, he gives them to us and expects us to put them on! Rebecca- Hope you are feeling better real soon.....keep your chin up, Xmas is coming soon! Romaine- This is probably going to be Billy's last tour and his last concert is in Madison Square Garden on NYE. He has said he is going to give up touring and producing albums and go into writing classical music. That's why I'm so pshyced to see him on Sunday!! Diane- Angel is sick too? Poor thing, hope she feels better soon! Kahne- It is so devastating about your friend, I wanted to cry just reading your posts......he's in our prayers Leanne- Happy birthday to you......happy birthday to you.... Christi- So sorry to hear about your mom...I always think waht I would do if that happened to my mom...the truth is, I just don't know. May strength be with both of you. Oh, and I have started trying to teach Adam how to use utensils. He manages his spoon pretty good once he gets the food on it! Stacey- How sad about the baby....why do these things happen? Birdie- I was LOL abobut the Pee-Pee thing. Adam loves showing me that too!! Isn't having Noah the best thing in the world? I feel the same about my little one. I love walking hand in hand with him.... Katy- I feel your pain about DH! They don't seem to understand that being a mom is a full time job and that we do get tired too!! Well, sorry if I missed anyone. Adam will be waking up soon, but before I go I have to tell you what he did the other day. I put him down for his nap and it was quiet so I thought he was sleeping. Then I heard him talking and walking around in his crib. When I went in to check on him, he was naked from the waist down (no diaper) and was pointing at his diaper which was balled up in the corner of his crib and had a tiny little poop-ball in it. He was going "ooh, ooh" at it and wouldn't go near it because of the poo-poo. I died laughing, and he thought it was quite funny too. Kids!! Jennifer and Adam 16 mths on Sat email: ddock@gte.net Thursday, December 16, 1999 at 14:54:50 (EST)) Hello from LauraB - It's been atleast a month since I last posted so I will not be able to catch up on all the latest news with everyone but do plan to read the newest posts and try better to keep up. Shane's christmas pictures came out really cute and I was happy with the service at JCPenney. You can actually get the pictures e-mailed to you for a small fee and then download them and send them to whoever you want. Shane has now started pointing at everything and can say mama and dada and ball. He loves the basketball hoop that my sister gave him for his birthday and can shoot it in the basket if he is standing on the couch next to the hoop. It makes noise and lights up whenever you make a basket and he loves that best of all. I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays. We are trying to focus on giving and not so much on receiving but I think my MIL is going to spoil my son rotten. She said she wasn't going to go overboard but I think she did anyways. I know she can't help herself and I myself have to fight the urge to buy Shane everything he seems to want. We decided a good way to start Shane on the road to giving was we let him pick out a toy and then we gave it to Toys for Tots. I think it will be a nice tradition to show him that others aren't as fortunate and he can feel like he is contributing by giving something he likes. Well I need to go for now. Moriah - I did read your post and am glad that Alex is doing so well. I know you must feel so much joy now that Alex is chatting away. Love to all LauraB @Shane 13 months email: xxbryant@aol.com Thursday, December 16, 1999 at 15:11:13 (EST)) Hi Mom's and Todd's Nothing to post, I just wanted to WISH EVERY BODY AND THERE FAMILIES AND VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS, AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR! ENJOY THE MILLENIUM! Nolan, myself, and my Dh wish you all health, wealth, and happiness! All the best for 2000! I will probably post before Christmas, but if not, enjoy! Talk to you in 2000! Nolan is doing great. He is trying to talk, and shakes his head no whenever we tell him to leave the Christmas tree alone. Love to all of you! Darleen & Nolan 13 months email: j7smith@ciaccess.com Thursday, December 16, 1999 at 15:51:50 (EST)) Hi everyone! I have had an awful day, so I am just going to lay it all on you, hope it is okay. This morning I took DD to school, her Christmas program was today, and so was the gift exchange, oops, I forgot about it, so I ran to the store and grabbed a book. Then I get home, tell DH I want to be back to the school early to help the teachers set up for the program etc. He flew off the wall, "how am I gonna get everything done? blah blah, blah" We finally made it to the school, Caleb and my mom in tow. After it is over we are heading home, I am suppose to get some of my kids at noon, and here he goes again--I am thinking is it my fault we don't have the money to buy all of the gifts we planned to get? NO! (He was going to go shopping in a larger town, about 60 miles away). Well, he is outside smoking--not allowed in my house!!!--and I hear him talking to someone, I figure FINALLY my day care kids are here, no better. The pastor I love dearly and his wife are coming to visit (they now live about 2 hours away). As soon as I saw him I burst into tears, and flew into his arms. All this time I have kept everything inside about my mom, the new pastor I don't mesh with etc. It was so good to see them, but now I cannot stop crying. I know God 'fixed" it so my daycare kids were an hour late, and I could visit, and it was a blessing to see them. I got to talk to them about mom (they didnt know yet), about our new pastor, my beautiful Caleb--I was trying to get PG when they left, they had never seen him. I figured if I ever did start to cry I wouldnt stop, and so far it has been 90 minutes, and I am still crying. I am sorry to post all of this, but I feel so much better getting it out. Thanks to all of you for "listening", I am getting pretty dependant on my "cyber friends". BIRDIE***I hope you stick aroung, I missed you. STACEY*** I will be praying for Sebastian, and his family!!! I didn't take notes, so this is all for now, see you all soon! Christi & Caleb 13 months email: plumbs@coiinc.com Thursday, December 16, 1999 at 16:17:20 (EST)) Hello from Helen&Amanda!! Glad your back BIRDIE-- since I feel like I 'know' you now that we met you had me worried- sorry things were getting to you- it gets to me too sometimes- we shouldn'tlet it though!!Noah is quite a little flirt- hugging everyone still! LOL!!How cute!! Amanda is keeping me busy- too bad we weren't closer so they could get together.Hope Noah is better soon. Patty-- Hope Jarin's little butt gets better soon- I hate trying to wipe a sore bum- I feel so bad. :O( Glad to hear you had some 'mom' time and got your hair done.Jarin sounds cute counting. So your kids are teaching Jarin'cute' things too!!LOL! Amanda , besides picking toe jam- jumps off counters- stairs- screams and chases the dog- either by foot or w/her trike or anything she can get her hands on, and loves to have yelling matches w/DD- they take turns screaming and then Amanda laughs her head off.She is definately not as shy as my first two were. Stacey-- Poor little Sebastian- hope he is better soon!!!!! LisaB-- I usually get a gift and drop it off in the box at the mall- I don't give $$ to anyone since they did those reports of how much actually go to the needy. Crystal-- Any results yet???????????? Katy-- Yes my DHwonders how I can be so tired and uninterested in 'him' at the end of the day too-Amanda is into everything too--its normal and the only way to avoid big messes is to keep things out of reach unfortunately-- and, a bigger house means more rooms to make messes in-LOL!! Christi--Glad you had a good visit with your pastor,hope your feeling better soon. :O) Well we ran errands today, Amanda slept in the truck for over an hour and then I got her up at Wal-mart and we did some shopping. I have all my presents wrapped, only a couple things I had to order left, baked 3 apple pies yesterday, they turned out good, and did all my cards this morning and got them mailed out. So I need to make one more batch of cookies and that should be it. Well-- hope all the sick little ones are better soon- like Patty said, its better to get it over with b/f the holidays! Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season and not getting too stressed out over things-- LATER!!! Helen&Amanda@16mos(#3) Thursday, December 16, 1999 at 17:14:34 (EST)) Hi mommies. Jarin (knock on wood again!) did much better at the baby sitter's today. She said she told him she knew he was being silly and he played and was very good. Such a relief to hear! I hope tomorrow goes as well. I tried to tell her that he could count if I said "One". So I said it, and what did he do? Looked at her, grinned, and then buried his face in my shoulder. What a monster boy! I have to agree with so many of you who are saying that all of us "cyber friends" are as close as the irl friends. My dh also gets to hear all about you guys. I figure it's been almost 2 years for me too, although I did take a break when PT got really negative, but I think that was before most of you were on. **Stacey: I hope you are feeling better soon. If you can't seem to "shake it" though, please let your dr. know. Trust me on this one. I didn't and it took more than two years before I got help. I hope everything works out for Sebastian. =( **LisaB: I'm sorry, but I was totally LOL at Max riding his tricycle over Mary and Joseph. Now THAT is teaching him the true meaning of Christmas. I could just picture it. I had to tell DH and he was laughing too. So funny. I've been emailing Kelli just about every day. She is fine and so is Elizabeth, she's still pretty upset about her grandfather. Thanks for the explanation on sheep head. YUCK! We say prayers before dinner (when I cook, so not often) and Jarin thinks it is the funniest thing ever. He just looks from one of us to the other and grins. He sits with me while Jesse and I say his prayers too and he does the same thing. Apparently, prayers are pretty funny things. **Birdie: So glad to see you back! That is so cute that Noah holds your hand. I can never get Jarin to do that. He's too busy going about his merry way. Hey, could I get a hug from Noah? Yes, LisaB and Rita are right- Charline is the one with MS. My neighbor also has it and she is doing just fine. **Katy: I hope you get some sleep. You sound pretty stressed out. I hope Liam goes back to a more normal schedule. I know Jarin still wakes up in the middle of the night almost every night. **Julianne: I want my nails done too! Sorry to hear that Colton has another ear infection. That is so not fun. **Christi: I'm glad you were able to "vent" to your old pastor. I'm sure you felt relieved getting everything out. I hope your day gets better. Let us know what you find out about your mom. **Rita: Ok, girl, you also had me cracking up with the "Amy's down to sleep". Jesse used to say "Now I lamb me down to sleep". They are so cute with what they translate things as. **Jennifer: Sorry things are getting worse with your SIL. That is so funny about Adam and the poopoo diaper in the crib. I would've died laughing too. =) **LauraB: Glad to see you back and glad to hear Shane is doing well. =) **Helen: So funny that DD and Amanda have screaming fests. I could just picture that! Hey, if you have any of that apple pie left, could you send some my way? =) **Ok, signing off now. Bye! Patty and Jarin - 15 1/2 months email: tematheny@ctlnet.com Thursday, December 16, 1999 at 19:19:04 (EST)) Hello everyone-- is there something wrong with this site- there are no new posts and it took forever to get on here?????? I'll check in later!! Helen&Amanda Friday, December 17, 1999 at 12:07:28 (EST)) Good morning ladies! SARAH here. Yea...IT'S FRIDAY!!!! And I have all next week off!!! Well, HANNAH seems to be doing much better! She's just got a cough and runny nose now. At least she started eating and drinking!!! She ended up losing a pound in 1 week!!!!! That's alot for a 15 month old!! Anyway, alot of you were surprised with the way she was treated at the hospital (as well as I!!). I talked to her ped. on Wednesday (the day after the hospital) and she was FURIOUS!!! The hospital called her that night HANNAH was there and told her the diagnosis. Well I guess she was outraged at the way she was treated! First off, she was mad they gave her apple juice since she had diarrhea, and secondly she was mad because the hospital didn't do anything DH and I couldn't have done AT HOME!!! She said it was a waste of our time and $$! Like she said, "I sent her to the hospital to get better (I.V.) and they didn't make her better!" So...she called the Director of the hospital to complain. So, bottom line is.....I WAS RIGHT TO BE UPSET!!! After the visit to the hospital, everyone thought I was kind of overreating! Well, let me tell you, I know my child better than ANYBODY, and I know when there's something wrong! Ok, that's enough about that!! :) Thanks for listening! LOL CHRISTI - Sometimes a good cry makes us feel better! I'm glad you got a chance to talk to your pastor! Hey girl, you're only human! :) PATTY - No, they didn't even do a blood test on HANNAH either!! How is JARIN feeling? I just hope we're all healthy for Christmas (especially HANNAH). STACEY - How is SEBASTIAN doing? I'll keep them in my thoughts and prayers! LYNDA - Your question about why did they feed her apple juice and not water?? Well, I don't know why they fed her apple juice (because of having diarrhea) and I don't think they fed her water because she was still throwing up and water is hard to stay down. LISA B. - As I said above, her ped was really mad about the situation! BIRDIE - HI!! Good to hear from you! JENNIFER - Your mom has pnemonia? Hope she's feeling better! LAURA B. - GOod to hear from you and about SHANE! JULIANNE - Thank you for all of the cute emails!! I just want to thank you all for the get well wishes for HANNAH!! That means alot to me! You gals are the best. And yes, I share your stories with my DH too! :) I don't know if I'll be able to get on at all next week. I haven't done any shopping yet, so my week off will consist of shopping, wrapping, baking, etc. In other words, BUSY! So...if I don't get on at home, I want to wish you all a MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! Please ladies, be safe! Love you all!!! :) Sarah and Hannah (15 months) email: smoore@geatoir.cfer.com Friday, December 17, 1999 at 12:49:56 (EST)) Hi, Romaine here! Just got back from my IVP. Looks like I have a kidney stone sitting o my right kidney. Hopefully it will not decide to come down!!! Christi-Thanks for the well-wishes! Jennifer-Have an awesome time at the concert-green w/ envy!! (I have never been, DH has gone a couple of times!!! He's green too!) I heard that he was going to do some classical. I wonder if he will record any of it? Tomorrow we leave for home!!!Can't wait!! I want to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas, Hannukah, Ramadan (or whatever you celebrate) and a JOYOUS Millenium new year! I may not get back on-line 'til Jan. We are not returning 'til the 30th. When I return, I will be 32! Someone asked where I work (I apologize for not writing it down). I am a gr. 1 teacher and am expected to return to work in March-I know that it is a ways off, but it feels like it is right on top of me! Prayers are still going out to those who are in need. And yes, Leanne and I are sisters. She won't tell me what she is having, I am hoping that she will post it for you!!! We are also married to brothers! Anyway, Happy Holidays to you all!!!!! I will be back in a couple of weeks! Romaine and Saba 21 mos who has gone for a walk w/ Daddy email: rrantry@yahoo.ca Friday, December 17, 1999 at 14:10:08 (EST)) Hi from LisaB. Slow day here. Max was up at 11 last night and then off and on from 3-5. I was weak and just put him in bed with us so I could get some sleep. RITA: I got your card yesterday and it was beautiful. I was really impressed - I thought you had bought a photo card frame at first (until I looked more closely)!!!!! KATY: I also get mad at Max sometimes when he refuses to cooperate ... but I remind myself that he's just a little kid and make it a point to try to hide my frustation from him (esp. when it's sleeping issue as he'll pick up on any agitation of mine and just be that much more wound up). As you can see from above I'm a softie and often just put Max in bed with us (but he sleeps most of the time in his crib all night). If you're at wits ends you might want to try ferberizing or that sleepwise bok. JULIANNE: I hope Colton's ears are better soon. JENNIFER: Too funny on the poo-poo!!!! I agree that it's best to drop the issue with your brother but I would definitely discuss it face-to-face with your SIL as she seems to be the main problem. LAURA B: If you have photos, please e-mail me some!!! CHRISTIE: Vent anytime ... that's what we're here for. No matter how old we are we're still like toddlers in that sometimes a good cry helps to calm us down and release our pent up frustation. PATTY: Please tell Kelli hi for me. Yep, I'm waiting to get my "go straight to hell" pass any day as I let Max abuse the navity set! This morning he kept throwing Baby Jesus and the manager in the empty bathtub and then bugging me to dig it out for him - LOL!!! ROMAINE: So what happens to the kidney stone? Will it dissolve on it's own, will you need medicine or surgery, etc.? How cool that you and Leanne are both sisters and SILs!!!!!!!!!! Have a great weekend and I'll talk to you next week! LisaB & Max (15 months) email: lisa_lab@hotmail.com Friday, December 17, 1999 at 17:06:12 (EST)) Hello from Rita My goodness it's quiet around here! Everyone must be heading out for the holidays... I am still trying to figure out how to finish all the things that I want to get done before Christmas. Usually my family all gets together the first weekend after Christmas, but my oldest sister is hosting it this year and decided to have it the day after Christmas. This means the loss of an extra week that I always count on for finishing up the things for my family. My sister tried to get my other sibings' support to do the same thing last year when I was hosting, but I refused. Can you guess that she has always been rather controlling and often tries to thwart me? LOL Christi - Sometimes we need to cry like that. I am glad that you were able to see your former Pastor. Sarah - I hope that Hannah recovers quickly. If you don't get back to the board have a great Christmas! I'll be trying to get my baking done and everything next week, too. We don't get next week off, but generally get the week between Christmas and New Year off. I am on-call this year, though and we can't go away. It would have been nice to take the girls up to the snow. Lisa B - Somehow I don't think that you are on the road straight to hell, especially over the Nativity set figures. I think that I should find a new child-friendly set for next year. Amy loves to take the people out of Maddy's dollhouse and carry them around the house. I am sure that Baby Jesus will be very easy for her to carry off, too. My cats are also known for stealing things. Last year they stole the lid to my minature Christmas teapot. Well, I had better get going. Take care everyone. Have a safe and sane weekend. Rita, Maddy & Amy email: ritad@home.com Friday, December 17, 1999 at 17:28:51 (EST)) Surprise, it's Julianne on a Saturday. I had a project that kept me busy all day on Friday--even worked an hour late to finish it. YUCK I missed going to my sister's daughter's Christmas program too. Not a fun Friday. Colton is still very crabby. His little ears must hurt so bad. I am getting worried about his eating too. In the last month he has refused to eat any meat or vegetables and hardly touches fruit and cheese. What's left that he does eat? Not much. Since he has been sick he doesn't want his bottle much either. I think he has lost a couple of pounds because the PA commented that he weighed the same Thurs as he did at his 15 mo check-up! If his eating doesn't improve over the weekend I will call his dr. He hasn't pooped in 3 days either, which is very unusual for him. Hopefully he is right now, since I have left him w/ DH and he almost always poops when DH watches him. I am supposed to be grocery shopping. I decided to stop at our shop and chat w/ you girls since I missed a few days already this week. Plus I needed a fun break since so much time w/ a crabby sick child has me on a very short fuse and I need to cheer up. We were supposed to go out tonight but since DH is feeling sick too we had to cancel. Funny thing is that whenever I am feeling sick DH tells me it is nothing and to act fun and happy and we never get to cancel plans! What a double standard. Colton has been pulling wheelies on his 3-wheel toy motorcycle. We keep it in the house and he rides it all over. DH will tell him to "pop the clutch" and he will stand up, pull back on the handlebars and lift the front tire off the ground. Of course he has the cutest "hey mom, aren't I cool" look on his face when he does it. Ok, enough babbling and on to the personals... Rita: How did your job interview go. I should be done w/ my job now the end of January and then who knows. I was hoping to join the HR consulting firm my boss is starting up but they won't be ready for another person for 6 months or so. So I will be sending out my resume' and doing the fun interviewing thing too. Thanks for the Christmas card. Your girls are so cute. Colton had fun looking at the card. You are very creative. Jennifer: Sorry to hear you are having more trouble w/ your SIL & brother. Hopefully they will come to their senses soon. My DH didn't say anything back to my BIL about his spanking comment--too shocked I guess. How funny about Adam staying away from the dirty diaper. So far Colton does not undress himself at all. Christi: Sorry you had such a bad day, but it turned out good when you got to have a good talk w/ your former paster & his wife. Patty: We are kind of lax on the prayer thing too w/ Colton. It is rare that all three of us sit down to a homecooked meal. When we do pray he stops and just freezes. He can't figure out what is going on. My mom has taught him to cover his eyes w/ his hands by telling him to say Amen. He won't do it for us though. Sarah: I was glad to read that your dr called the director of the hospital about how you were treated. Have a great week off, sounds like you have lots of plans set. I hope you get a chance to check in w/ us though. LisaB: Thanks for the Christmas card and pictures. I love the one w/ Max & Santa. Colton has slept in our bed almost all week. I am hoping that tonight he will be in his own bed. I need a good night's sleep. Enjoy the holiday's everyone. Julianne & Colton 17 mo email: jjones@batts.com Saturday, December 18, 1999 at 16:28:59 (EST)) |