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Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

IT'S FRIDAY!! YAY!

S&I, thinking about you during your glucose test today and wishing you tons of luck!

China, great advice on picking something and sticking with it, keeping in mind that it won't work all the time. I had to laugh when you said that the book will say that if you do this, your baby will do x--and if it doesn't happen you cry. I can totally see myself waking up D in the middle of the night saying "our baby is BROKEN and won't do ANY of the things the books say!"

LC, yay for reaching term!!! That's exciting--like the last big milestone. And I'm a bit jealous about your fruit. I've been slowly eating my oatmeal for about a half of an hour now and I don't think I can stomach another bite. Fruit sounds better!

Pancake, that is the best preggo brain surprise ever! I wish I'd forgotten about a pendant!! Or maybe some studs? Any forgotten-about diamond is a pleasant surprise in my book!

AFM, work is kicking my butt. I've been leaving after 8pm and getting in before 7am to try to wrap up everything I need...I hope this doesn't last another 2 weeks or I will keel over from exhaustion. I think what's frustrating is that I'm a planner and had finished up all of my client-facing deliverables by January so that I wouldn't be swamped this month. But now the client is hoping I can squeeze in a few projects over the next couple of weeks. So I have a big presentation this morning and am declaring that this is IT for me. My replacement is going to have to take the lead on the next project!
 
S&I, yes you can drink water during your 3 hr test. I was plenty thirsty too since I wasn't used to sweet drinks also. I'm thinkking of you today. I hope you pass. And bring something to do while you're there. 3 hrs is a LOOOONG time.

NEL, wow you're so dilligent at work. It's all I can do to just show up and work unitl 5-6PM. I'm like exhausted and falling asleep at my desk. LOL! I guess I could bring things to do at home, but i don't think I will. Your boss is really lucky to have such a good worker like you. You tell him/her I said that too. :)

China, thanks for your opinion on inductions. I have this sinking feeling that Ethan's going to take his sweet time getting here. And I agree, we'll try to find a method that will work with babies and try to stick with it. I guess it's important that BOTH parents are consistent too. You have such a great outlook/attitude about parenting. I'm very impressed.

AFM, I had a dream that I went into labor last night. Early labor. I was half awake because the dog was squeaking for breakfast, and I dreamt that I was having contractions and I lost my mucous plug. Luckily when I woke up and peed, I didn't. but it was kinda funny.

~LC (37w,1D)
 
Baby-proofing...

I bought all the bits necessary and then never got round to fitting most of them!

Daisy was rather intrigued by electrical sockets and cables so I gave her a spare extension lead with a 4 point socket on one end to play with. She spent a morning turning the switches on and off and plugging and unplugging it. Since then she has shown absolutely no interest in sockets or cables or plugs to the extent that I gave all my plug and socket covers to a friend.

Daisy is also not interested in opening cupboards and drawers, but we did fit magnetic locks (Emmay Whatlock)to the under-sink cupboards in both the kitchen and bathroom and another to the drinks cabinet! They're a little tricky to fit (if you have thick cupboard doors then you need to use the extender that comes in the kit) but they're strong, very quick and easy to open with the magnetic key and invisible.

We were redoing our kitchen when D was around 5 months and I deliberately bought an oven with a cool-touch door so that even if she stands up against it (which she does) she can't get burnt.

I tried the plastic stick-on covers on the corners of our bed but madam kept peeling them off for fun and the glue did a lot of damage to the wood so we gave up.

John Lewis do a safety kit with most things. www.babysecurity.co.uk is a good site, eBay also has lots of things. IKEA also produce some good child safety equipment.

How much you need to baby-proof will depend on your child - I always get a shock when other kids come round here and are into everything!

One thing I do advise is having televisions and any speaker systems well above child level as they are irresistable to little fingers. I'm also a fan of showing children how things work rather than banning them which just makes them much more attractive. We put a grill in front of all the DVD, audio equipment (rare earth magnets are brilliant for fixing things in place temporarily and the field is so small and concentrated that it doesn't affect the equipment) until she was old enough to not post pieces of toast into it.
 
Pancake - That's hilarious! Too bad you didn't already have it paid for too. That would have been perfect! Like finding money in the pocket of an old coat! :tongue:

LC - Yay for full term!

S&I - I was wondering how I was carrying...I was finding it hard to tell because of my short waist. Sometimes is easier for others to notice! Thanks for agreeing on the girl names! We're stil throwing around a couple others. DH still thinks Emma sounds like an old lady name ha. Good luck with your glucose test! I'm a little worried for mine too. Funny story about that. At my last appointment, a lady walked in and said "I was supposed to be drinking the stuff for my glucose test, but my nephew got ahold of it and drank about half the bottle, can I have another jug please" Hahahaha!

Afm, still discussing girl names. We both like Lacey Morgan...good or bad? DH and I are going away for the day tomorrow. We're heading to the outlets, then dinner at the family resort that we go to every year.Sunday my cousin and I are going "shopping" to register for baby stuff. My mom already bought the monkey crib bedding that we picked out because it's on sale at BRU! Yay! Last Saturday/early Sunday morning about 3am, I heard the scanner in our house come through with a call to my parents house. I was turning over in bed and heard it and my heart dropped. My brother is bipolar, the worst form of it. He's fine, and then gets in denial about his illness, stops taking meds, and he starts having trouble sleeping, then starts drinking on top of it. Anyway, so I tried calling my mom and finally got through all she said was "Yes it's Mike, I can't talk right now" and hangs up. Called me back a couple minutes later and told me he was in handcuffs to protect himself and others. The police took him to the hospital to get medication. There's a lot more to the story, but too much to type. He's still not right at the moment. He's been in and out of the hospital for this multiple times. I try to avoid him right now while I'm pregnant because it stresses me out, not knowing what he's going to do or say. Just hoping and praying that he gets the help he needs.
 
Pancake- My preggo moments I forget simple words and ask if reindeer are real. You get surprised by jewels! Hilarious.

S&I- Good luck today! Hope it isn't tooooo bad.

NEL- Some of my worst moments were reading 3 different books at once with baby screaming. They all say something different, nothing seemed to work and I just wanted someone to tell me what to do. The reality is you can't really sleep train a newborn. I think you can help them with a consistent routine, but a lot of early sleeping is just baby's nature. Around 3 months and then 6 months I think you can start really trying stuff, but first few months- just survive. And I had a good sleeper! Even good sleepers though have their moments. My advice is step away from the books. Get some good tips, then just trust your instincts. Even if you think you don't have them, you do.

LLiang- :lol: :lol: :lol: I am going to email my DH and told him you said that. That is a very sweet compliment, but trust me, it's taken me a long time to come to this outlook. I was a stressed out and neurotic new parent and did not enjoy it very much. That makes me sad, but it is what it is. It's easy to have this outlook now b/c I got through it. While I was in it, I wasn't so zen. I hope hope hope I have learned something and will be much more easy-going with #2, but we'll see. Sleep deprivation and hormones can make a mess out of anyone. Funny that you are having labor dreams. I never did, and I never actually went into labor on my own(was induced).

Missy- Funny about the kid drinking the sugar stuff!!! I love Emma- it did used to be an old person's name, but it's become quite popular and modern. It was my grandma's name, actually (one of them) but it's too popular around here. All of the old lady names are now the new trendy names. Lacey Morgan is cute- love the Morgan. What about Lily Morgan? Do you have boy names?
 
China - Yes our boy name is set! Carter Anthony :P

So, just got some not so great news at work. They offer no maternity leave. No short term disability. It could be added to the insurance policy, but only to the company as a whole and it would be employee paid. I wouldn't be covered anyway at this point because it would be considered a pre-existing condition at this point. I'm entitled to the 12 week FLMA leave, but it's unpaid. So the only paid time I have is 2 weeks vacation, and 3 sick days because I used one sick day already (would have been nice to know or I wouldn't have USED that day!!!) Why are they just now telling me this...leaving me not much time to even save enough money. They said they would keep my job for the full 12 weeks, well whoop de do, thanks for nothing. And then asked me how long I planned on being off. Well, not much longer than 2 weeks obviously because I can't afford to not have pay. So another lady at work said "maybe they only told you this because they don't want you to come back at all and you'll just quit and then not be entitled to unemployment pay" Maybe. I wish I could just not come back haha. Wow too much to think about. They've known since I was like 8 weeks pregnant and are just now dropping this news on me....why. Man the punishment you get for wanting to bring a child into the world...
 
Oh, Missy, I'm so, so sorry about your company's terrible maternity leave policy. I would not be in a very good mood if I learned that while 8 weeks pregnant! Is this a new policy that started as of 1/1? I know that two years ago my agency slightly modified their maternity plan and I interviewed elsewhere (this was before we TTC)...though through that process I learned our program was still better than most and ultimately stayed. Still, I would have been more frustrated to learn about the modification if I were already pregnant and my hands were more tied!

I'm so sorry to hear about your brother, that's terrible. You're definitely doing the right thing by focusing on yourself and reducing the stress in your life. I have a niece that causes me stress and I literally had to come up with a plan for avoiding her during Christmas because I just didn't want the stress.

The good news is that tomorrow should be fun for you and your husband! And yay for getting the crib!

China, I really hope to adopt the zen attitude. I feel like I am very capable of being the neurotic new parent. And I don't want to be that way! I'm just hoping to take everything in stride and try to enjoy it without becoming a ball of crying, overwhelmed stress that is not fun to be around. Knowing areas you want to improve is one thing, but actually BEING the person you want to be is another!

LC, in your dream were you having contractions? I was having a few contractions the other night and dreamt about going into labor. Except I'd already delivered the baby and it was a baby dinosaur? It was weird. Anyway, maybe it's premonition :) You are full-term now! :)

Strangely, I've never been overly tired during this pregnancy. I get uncomfortable doing anything for long periods of time, so I get tired in that sense, but energy wise I've felt pretty normal. I haven't even taken a nap, I don't think. Still, I'm planning to leave by 6 tonight!
 
NEL - Actually, I would have rather found out when I was 8 weeks pregnant so I could better prepare for something like this (I told them I was pregnant around 8 weeks, so they could have told me a long time ago). They waited until today to tell me that there is no maternity leave. They didn't even know...HR had to call our insurance company to get all the information. So there is no paperwork stating my true benefits. I jsut think it's funny, they were through all that trouble getting the information without talking to me first now even knowing if I was coming back or not. It just sounds fishy to me, like they're hoping this bad news makes me mad and I quit on them. Ultimately leaving me no opportunity for unemployment. Thanks for listening about my brother. It's really hard when you're stuck not knowing how to handle him or the situation.
 
Missy, oops, I have no idea why I said 8 weeks, my brain is dead. I meant to say that it would stink to find out at the half way mark. If you were 8 weeks, you'd have more time to prepare at least! I'm just really sorry because it's crappy news to find out now. Hopefully this weekend you can try to take a little mental break!
 
Monarch: Congrats on team pink! I think it's good you allowed yourself to just process the news and feel whatever feelings surfaced. Are you starting to get excited?

Steph: Another pink!! How fun! What's with all the devoid-of-personality US techs? Everyone seems to be having mediocre US experiences because of these people.

Pancake: Your hospital bad list seems to cover all the bases. Are you anticipating how long you'll be in the hospital, or is there an average length of stay? Also, your to-do-list tackling skills are amazing- you've been busy! Wanna take a go at my lists? (which I can't ever complete!) :lol:

Missy: Basketball bump! I think BOY for you, though I have no explanation as to why... just a gut feeling. Sorry things are stressful for you right now. I know you weren't happy with work in the first place, and now this maternity policy (or lack of) on top of it! Would you consider leaving and finding other employment after the baby is born? Hope your brother is starting to improve. Take some time for yourself and enjoy time with your DH this weekend- sounds like you could use it!

LC: TERM! Woo! Your baby could be here at any moment! Based on your labor dream, I'd say Ethan's due date is at the forefront of your mind. Understandably so! How are you feeling??

Mayerling: Glad the cramps are nothing to be concerned about. What did the GP say?

Muff: What a sweet bump- and your shirt is ADORABLE. Is that a regular top or a maternity top? I love stripes! :love:

NEL: Your hours are insane, lady. I understand your desire to wrap up all the loose odds and ends, but don't bee too hard on yourself!! How is Byron doing? Have you thought about how you're going to introduce your newfs to the baby? I know they're a super-gentle breed, so I imagine they'll both love your little girl immensely :love:

China: Can't wait to hear the results from your envelope-opening next month! I am going to try to keep your advice re: baby books/manuals/advice in mind. There's no RIGHT way to do anything, is there? Each baby is different and responds differently soothing techniques and schedules. That being said, I've watched some videos on the 5 S's and am blown always by how well they work... my question is, however, once the sway/shhh/swaddle/side/sucking stops, does the baby turn into insta-crab again? I'm not sure I can "Shhhhhhhhh" for hours straight :wink2:

AFM: The snow is-a-blowin' here in Denver. They canceled school last night, which is very unusual in an urban district. I loved snow days as a child, but as an adult/teacher, they are BORING. :cheeky:

Where are all the belly pics?! My uterus is now ~two fingers below my navel. By the time evening rolls around and I have a baby + bloat + dinner combo going on, and my bump is pretty substantial. In the AM I still just look pudgy. I've made a full transition to maternity pants/skirts, and when I got home yesterday DH had emptied my drawers of my old pants. He laid them out on the guest bed and said, "You aren't going to be wearing these for a LONG time. You need to put them in plastic bins... it's time." ;( I'm dying to feel movement, too... I may go bananas is I have to wait any longer than three weeks to notice kicks and jabs.

Hope you preggos are having a wonderful, wonderful Friday. Enjoy your weekends!!

Eta: 16 weeks 1 day. Last week as the fastest of my pregnancy, thus far... I'm wondering if I've reached the point where time starts to fly by!
 
Missy, ugh! What a terrible way your work handled the whole maternity leave thing. Unbelievable and way unprofessional! Either your company is just incredibly disorganized or they're a bunch of jerks. Either way it really puts you in a hard spot. I Hpoe you and your DH can figure out what to do next. Do you have family near by that can watch the LO while you're at work? I agree Emma might be an "old lady name" but it's becoming quite popular now. Hoping your brother will be OK. I can imagine how stressful it is. My family situation is stressful also (no way near yours) so I can empathize some. Do what's best for you and your family.

NEL, really funny that you dreamt your birth a dinosaur! THat's pretty strange. Yes I was having contractions in my dream. I didnt actually give birth in my dream, I got up to "early labor". Couldn't tell if I was contracting in real life, though since I was like half asleep. Good for you for having such good energy levels. Mine go through phases I get so tired at work sometimes. And I've definitely napped during the day and wish I could nap during the work day.

China, I hope I will not be That Neurotic Parent, but I guess it's always sometihng that 1st timers latch onto. I guess we'll try to be as prepared as we can, and the rest we'll just "wing it." As I was telling my sister, DH and I should be able to do this. We're both smart etc. And in the end I think we'll do what we think is best and it's our baby so the most important is what WE think is best. Right? I seriously don't think this baby's going to come on time. I have absolutely no reason to believe that except it's just a feeling I guess. Did you have a feeling one way or another with O?

PPM, wow, you DH is such an organizer. He does bring up a good point about getting packing up your pants. I actually have been lucky enough to stay in most of my pants during my pregnancy. My tops on the other hand should have been packed away a long time ago. 16 wks, you'll probably be able to start feeling some movement soon. As my midwife told me, if you feel anything just tell yourself it's the baby. I think around 17 wks I started feeling little flutters, kind of like a safety cap of a bottle popping out.

~LC (37W, 1D)
 
Missy- That royally sucks re: your mat leave, or lack thereof. Do you have any other options? What do you plan to do with little one when you return to work? Scouring my brain trying to think of options for you. Also, I'm really sorry about your brother. My advice- which is easy to give, and very difficult to follow- is to try and detach a little bit from the situation. Let your parents handle it if they can, be supportive to both them and your brother- but try not to get involved. I know it's hard and I know you care, but stress is not good for mamas to be. I've had some family dynamics- not the same as yours, but difficult situations- and I actually found that the more I detached, but lent support, wished and prayed for wellness, etc., the better the situation got. I know it's different b/c you are worried about his safety- but your priority right now has to be you and baby. Hugs. Hope your brother is getting the help he needs.

PPM- Babies do whatever they want and never do exactly what you want. I don't think there is a "right" way- every baby responds differently and every parent has different levels of coping. The trick to me is to get basic principles down- consistency is key. Protecting the naps and bedtimes is key (to me). But how you get them to sleep and what methods you are comfortable using varies. I think you have to get to know your kid and then use your instinct and what works. I will say again- the first 8 to 12 weeks are about survival. Do what you need to do for you and your baby. You can't set "bad habits" that early, and even if you do, I think they are pretty easily fixable at 3 or 4 months old. Once your baby gets bigger and you have a handle on their temperment, etc., then its easier to figure out how to handle them.

Well, that's the thing with the 5 S's. :cheeky: Sometimes it took 5 mintues, sometimes I did that for an hour in the middle of the night. Usually I just used it to get him to calm down and stop screaming, and then I could just hold him or put him down. It isn't magic, but it's a great tool.

NEL- Exactly. I think new mothers put such pressure on themselves to be thrilled and full of joy at all times, to instantly turn into an earth mother of infinite patience and instinct, and to stroll through life glowing and wearing a baby. Most of us simply aren't like that, and even if you are, a screaming newborn will try the most patient and zen among us. Being a mother is really really really HARD. But the trade off is so worth it, I promise. But don't feel bad if you are frustrated and annoyed and impatient and wonder what happened to your life at moments. ;)) You can feel that way and still be a great mother. I will say that I am not a Type A neurotic personality, I was very zen during pregnancy and I was a neurotic mess as a new mother. But I got better at it. I think you're going to be a great mom.

Lliang- I somehow suspected O would be late. I was 3 weeks late, as was my brother. My sister was 3 months early, but that's a different story. Then after he didn't show up during his due date week, I kinda knew he was going to be forced out. It was weird, waiting around and never going into labor. And when they induced me, I was 0 % dilated, no movement at all. I can't imagine how long he would have stuck in there on his own.
 
ChinaCat|1328307730|3118526 said:
NEL- Exactly. I think new mothers put such pressure on themselves to be thrilled and full of joy at all times, to instantly turn into an earth mother of infinite patience and instinct, and to stroll through life glowing and wearing a baby. Most of us simply aren't like that, and even if you are, a screaming newborn will try the most patient and zen among us. .
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:o Oh no! So, you mean, I WON'T be like that? :lol: :lol: I'm kidding, as that isn't my actual expectation of parenthood... and yet... somewhere in a weird fantasy world, way in the back of my (usually) rational mind, I dream that your description is exactly what it will be like. I know it wont be. It can't be. I isn't like that for ANYONE! I am not the exception, either. Maybe I fantasize about blissfully happy and zen moms & babies to ease my nerves over the reality of what will be... A reality that I cannot even BEGIN to imagine at this point.
 
Ha ha PPM- I couldn't imagine it either. I remember when I was on the board last go-round and people were talking about real baby stuff- diapers and sleep books and the like- and I read it but sort of like I was translating something from Greek. And even this time, I can't really imagine a NEW baby, or what it will be like with 2. You just have to figure it out as you go.

I think you should indulge in dreams of perfect babydom, as long as you know that if it ISN'T like that, not to be totally disappointed. I remember in O's first months, other first time moms kept posting on FB about the bliss and joy of a newborn and how it was the best month of their lives, etc. And it made me feel so bad about myself, like why didn't I feel that way? And then of course I saw them in person and they were having just as hard a time as I was. So everyone has hard moments, even zen moms.

And the thing is, you WILL have those perfect moments. But they come in between lots of crying (from you AND baby) and frustration and poop. :cheeky:

But back to fun pregnancy talk! Sorry to derail the thread.

I'm trying to help my sister register. Oy. I forgot how much STUFF there is!

Oh I forgot LLiang- was it you that asked about the BF class and husbands? Mine came to ours, and I'm so glad he did. It's a lot of info and you really will need their support. It was good b/c he got how important it was, but also he remembered a bunch of things that I forgot. I think my DH had to physically hold O and latch him on to me for the first 2 weeks. So if he's going, that's a good thing! It's not too terribly creepy or anything.
 
China - oh plenty of Aussies watch HEAPS of TV - we don't though. I think it would be nice to have cable whilst I'm home with baby, up at night etc though. Cable probably only got started in Australia about 15 or so years ago, lots of people have it but not the way that it seems universal in the States. Re the Happiest Baby stuff - I am not really so keen on the books that push a "method" of settling/whatever it is they're trying to achieve. We know what we have in our artillery and we will see what works... particularly in the first few months anyway!

S&I - To be fair, Lesley did email me several times, the first couple of times I just pushed it aside as something to sort when I had time (then never had time), then she emailed me to follow up a couple of months later, but somehow that went into my spam folder. I am not fussed though - the stone has been safely stored with them (which is probably why I wasn't worried enough to remember!). Thanks for saying I'm organised - I am definitely not, but we are getting there! Have you got your GTT results back? Hope all is ok.

NEL - I know, pregnancy definitely did something weird to my brain. I am usually obsessive about any new bling I might get - and this one is quite a substantial little thing for me! But it is a nice "surprise" for myself. It's the self-gift that keeps self-giving! Your stamina is amazing, I would be so tired with those hours!

LC - your dream was hilarious!! I giggled out loud. I had a feeling that Dot might come a bit early. Looking less and less likely now!! I would have liked my husband to come to the breastfeeding class, but it was "women only" :roll: The men went to some other class about what babies are all about or something - DH didn't go to that, and it turned out he was working that evening anyway.

Missy - I don't mind Morgan as a middle name but am not such a huge fan of Lacey - I think, though, that this is because it's not a name you hear here in Australia and I'm not used to the sound of it. Would you think about using Mackenzie as a middle name still? I think it's cute :) Carter Anthony is an awesome boy's name! So sorry to hear that your brother is unwell again. One of my closest friends' sister has severe bipolar and I know how disabling it can be and how anxiety-provoking and stressful it can be for loved ones. I hope he is stable again soon. I would be seething if the same thing happened to me re maternity leave and how they sprung it on you like that. I suppose that all you can do is process the information, then decide what is best for you and your new family.

PPM, my ability to work through a "To Do" list has been conferred by pregnancy - I was the world's worst procrastinator before! I think it's just knowing at the back of my mind that if I don't do [X] now, it will never be done - or not for a long time, anyway - that makes it all happen. My hospital bag list is based on the standard stay for the hospital I'm booked at - 4 nights for a normal delivery, 5 for C/S. My pregnancy definitely started to speed along from around 16-17 weeks. It is crazy how quickly it goes once you can feel movement and feel reassured that things are fine all the time!

AFM - Still here! (obviously!). 38 weeks, 5 days, same old same old. Dot is still stretching, punching and kicking in there, but nothing exciting and new to report. This morning I did the last coat of paint on the nursery skirting boards and doors (a few drips - oops - but not too bad overall and I doubt anyone will examine them too closely!) and then it's just the window to go (which hasn't been started yet).

Doo doo doo...*twiddle thumbs*
 
LOL, I don't know where to post this so am defaulting to here - my wedding set is the PS "Jewel of the Week"! I almost choked!

ETA: Wish I could actually get it ONTO my finger at the moment. Grumble. Actually, I just hope that I will be able to get it onto my finger again "one day"... :roll:
 
pancake|1328322142|3118665 said:
LOL, I don't know where to post this so am defaulting to here - my wedding set is the PS "Jewel of the Week"! I almost choked!

ETA: Wish I could actually get it ONTO my finger at the moment. Grumble. Actually, I just hope that I will be able to get it onto my finger again "one day"... :roll:
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I hope the choking was in a good way, pancake ;)) You have a beautiful wedding set and it is more than deserving of being Jewel of the Week. Congrats!
 
Hi ladies, just popping in for a quickie. I'm not quite ready to jump into this big girl thread, but I'll be over here soon!

NEL, I just wanted to ask where you got your crib from??? The nursery is adorable and I love the crib! Thx!
 
Meg, I'm not NEL but I remember she said she got a Jenny Lind crib.

~LC
 
Happy Sunday! Hope you are all well and wonderful.

I'm kicking back today- grading, grocery shopping, and doing a bit of cleaning. DH and I went to my teacher-friend's baby shower last night: Holy babies and pregnant ladies!! There were FOUR kiddos under the age of 1, and FOUR pregnant ladies (myself included). This friend is 39 and most of her friends are 35+, so the baby boom makes some sense.

What car seats did you ladies purchase? When picking up a gift for the shower, I stumbled upon a Graco Snugride 35 that was $30 off (was used as display, no more box), so I bought it. We were going to get a Chicco Keyfit 30, but this seemed like a good deal. Now I'm second guessing. We have 90 days to return, so I'm not stressing just yet. It doesn't expire until late 2016, so there's a lot of life left on it. Would you guys ever buy a display model, assuming it was clean and there was no obvious damage or wear? Our stroller was a floor model, too :wink2:
 
lliang_chi|1328449973|3119471 said:
Meg, I'm not NEL but I remember she said she got a Jenny Lind crib.

~LC
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That's the one! Thanks LC!
 
I really have no business posting here (wish I did! haha, but that's another story). Anyway, I love talking baby stuff, so I'm chiming in!

Megumic - I have the Jenny Lind too. A few of us here do. Google Jenny Lind and nursery and you'll find tons of great nursery decorating ideas. Even though my little princess never sleeps in hers, I do still love it for its vintage loveliness! There are a few different manufacturers that make it, and you can find the style at several different stores. I got mine from albeebaby because they had the best deal at the time on the Davinci Jenny Lind (I think that's the brand I have . . .) Have fun shopping!

PPM - Have you price compared the car seat you purchased on-line? $30 off a non-sale price at a BRU, for example, might not be the best deal. I had a Graco Snugride (they are very well reviewed seats), but the one that goes to 22 lbs. I switched my baby into a convertible car seat (I am totally guessing, at around 8 months maybe). The infant seats are great for the convenience of being able to lift sleeping baby out of car without waking her, but I don't think I would be doing that up to 35 pounds, so that's another thing to consider. I assume the Snugrides that go up to 22 lbs are easier to manage. Last thought -- various car seats, even from the same manufacturer, will have different fabrics and some have thicker padding. I fully admit that I can be nuts about certain things, and some of those Graco car seats have really rough fabric and not a lot of padding. I have no idea what model you have, but I guess my point is, that might not be something you even thought about if you just happened upon a great deal, in that you wouldn't necessarily be looking at a bunch of different options. Ok, I lied, I do have one more thought. I'm pretty sure BRU will let customers bring car seats out to their cars to make sure they will fit. I assume they use the floor model. Probably not a big deal, but I don't think I would go with a floor model, but take that with a grain of salt, because like I said, I can be a nut!
 
PPM, we got our car seat from my friend. Her son's not even a year and a really big baby. It was probably used only 6 months. I can't really comment on the price since I haven't price shopped at all for seats since we have one. But whether or not to get the floor model, I see nothing wrong with it. It's not like it's the test model or something, it's pretty much been used for display mostly I would think. Now for something like I crib, not sure if I'd do floor model because I for one rigorously shook cribs to test their stability. Can't imagine how many hundreds more people have done the same thing.

LV, Didn't think about lifting a car seat + baby and considering the weight of it. We did consider it when deciding between putting the seat in the center position or one of the sides. We ultimate decided on the side since DH said it was a FAR reach to unsnap the seat from the center. For your convertible seat do you still keep it in a rear facing position? When do you switch to front facing?
 
lliang_chi|1328501142|3119932 said:
PPM, we got our car seat from my friend. Her son's not even a year and a really big baby. It was probably used only 6 months. I can't really comment on the price since I haven't price shopped at all for seats since we have one. But whether or not to get the floor model, I see nothing wrong with it. It's not like it's the test model or something, it's pretty much been used for display mostly I would think. Now for something like I crib, not sure if I'd do floor model because I for one rigorously shook cribs to test their stability. Can't imagine how many hundreds more people have done the same thing.

LV, Didn't think about lifting a car seat + baby and considering the weight of it. We did consider it when deciding between putting the seat in the center position or one of the sides. We ultimate decided on the side since DH said it was a FAR reach to unsnap the seat from the center. For your convertible seat do you still keep it in a rear facing position? When do you switch to front facing?
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LC, I do still rear-face. They say until age 2, but you can still rear-face for longer as long as under weight/height limits. http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html
 
LV: I don't have a stellar gut feeling about the car seat and now I feel worse :oops: I have rational-but-intense worries about product defects, other people's germs and things like bed bugs. The thought of people putting the seat in their cars time and time again is enough to push me over the edge... Which is silly! (I feel silly admitting it, anyway) We wanted to get the Keyfit 30 and maybe that's what we'll stick to- A new Chicco Keyfit 30. It'd be one thing if the carseat was new-ish and came from a close friend, but I don't know who was handling this one. And you're right: I'm not going to haul a 35lb baby around in that thing!

Now I feel like a neurotic nut job :rolleyes: Sometimes I am blinded by a good-seeming deal. I am also notoriously plagued by buyers remorse. Thank goodness for 90-day return policies! My husband is going to think I'm going crazy.

ETA: You wish you had "business" posting here, eh? Well... What is stopping you?! :cheeky: (But until that time comes, please, post away!! Your insight is greatly appreciated!)
 
I haven't posted in a few days so I have a lot to catch up on.

Meg, I envy you for already thinking about baby stuff to buy. I feel like I'm really behind on baby stuff. Even maternity stuff I haven't really given much thought to. Though yesterday I did try to buy maternity bras to sleep in (I'm afraid the ladies will sag if I don't :D) but they didn't have my size.

Pancake, I wish that like you I suddenly remembered I had a fully paid for piece of bling just waiting for me to pick it up :lickout:

LC, what did the contractions feel like in the dream? I dreamt I had a son the other day; didn't dream of the labour, just of already having a baby.

Missy, I love Morgan!

China, thanks for the advice on not expecting everything to run as smoothly as a book would have us believe. I actually have delusions of being able to sleep-train the baby in the first month! :shock:

AFM, nothing new to report. Still haven't felt any flutters at 17w6d; I wish they come soon. Some mild cramping every once in a while. Still trying to figure out whether to have the baby here or back home. Yeah, nothing much. Here's a couple of bump pics. I'm terrible at documenting the bump; these two were taken about 10 days apart. I think my belly has really popped now.

DSC02007.jpg Bump at 16w2d
DSC02008_0.jpg Bump at 17w5d
 
Mayerling, look at your teeny tiny little tummy--it's adorable! And don't sweat the baby stuff, you have time! You'll go on a baby-stuff-buying kick and knock out a lot of things at once.

PnPsMom, I've heard great things about the Snugride--and I think it's the recommended car seat in the Baby Bargains book. We have the Keyfit 30, though obviously we haven't used it yet. I have nothing to compare it to, but I've installed the base in both cars (one has a LATCH system and one has a shoulder belt) and I have to admit that the base was a breeze to install. Hopefully that doesn't mean I did it wrong...anyway, I've heard the Snugride base is also easy to install.

Byron is doing better, thanks for asking! As for the introductions, I think it should be fine. All of the "stuff" has been in our house for a few weeks now (the swing, pack and play, etc.), so he's gotten used to it. We've brought him into the nursery a few times, but he doesn't like going upstairs, so I just don't think he'll come up there very much. D is planning to bring a receiving blanket home from the hospital every night to get both of the dogs used to the scent. Bo is extremely easy-going and I don't worry about him, but he's also goofy and clutzy, so that is the only thing that makes me nervous. Byron was always super gentle around kids--you could tell that he "got" it, but Bo isn't as smart :) What do you guys plan on doing with the pooch?

Meg, sorry I didn't see your post yesterday. I was sucked in by the super bowl. LC and LV are correct, it's a Jenny Lind crib. What I didn't realize was that Jenny Lind is a style of crib made by several manuracturers. Like LV, I have the Davinci. I had planned to get it from Amazon, but they were on back order when I was ready to order. I can't remember if I got it from albeebaby or cribs.com. I had planned to spend more money on a crib, but it got great reviews and was the most vintage-style crib I could find, so I'm very happy I didn't have to spend more!

Pancake, woohoo for your ring being the jewel of the week!! And yay for getting some painting done--I know exactly how you feel about the twiddling of the thumbs. I still have a few things on my to-do list, but I'm just really ready to meet her. And be able to walk normally again :)

China, thank you for being the voice of reason :) I love hearing about every mom's experience, but it makes me feel much more "normal" when I hear that it's okay to be overwhelmed, to be scared. I realize that for some, being a new mom is the most magical experience ever. I'm just afraid that if I expect that, I'll feel guilty when I want to cry.

LC, we also put the car seat base on the side (passenger side) because reaching to the middle seemed like a stretch. Also, we have to move the passenger seat up to accommodate the seat when it's in, so it's easier to just move that seat up as opposed to both the driver and passenger seat up (if car seat was in the middle).

When are your weekly appointments now? Are you working from home at all?

AFM, hanging in there. Even though the ultrasound tech told me at 34 weeks that there was really no room for her to drop, it seems she's a-droppin'! I had to cancel my OB appt. last Friday because work was so crazy, but I'm definitely going this Wednesday (when I'll be full-term). I'm interested to see what she says about my progress.

I spent the weekend running errands, cleaning and prepping the super bowl. I got the hospital bags partially packed as well. I need to finish doing that and I need to make a few things to freeze. I've only made meatballs so far, but I'd like to make a casserole or two and a lasagna.

I took a bump pic last week, but haven't had time to download it. I'll do that this week!
 
NEL, thanks for thinking of me on Friday. Sorry work seems to be taking advantage of you before you go on maternity leave! I have a feeling that might happen to me too. Hope your presentation went well, and I agree that it's time for your replacement to take over. Hope you left work at a decent hour on Friday! I was also planning on having my parents take home a worn baby's hat or some other piece of clothing that will have his scent on it, to let Pixie sniff the heck out of it. Pixie will be staying with my parents while we're at the hospital, so that's why my parents would take the baby items home with them instead of DH. She's gone into the nursery with us whenever we're in there, so she's getting used to the new stuff that's in there.

LC, the weird thing is that when I went in there with my bottle of water, the nurse said that I can only drink a little, and that they really didn't want me to drink any! I knew drinking water wouldn't affect my blood, so I just ignored her and drank when I was thirsty. Let's hope it was your subconscious incorporating your real-life contractions into your dreams, and not a premonition (unless of course, you want Ethan to come early!).

Pandora, thanks for your insight on baby-proofing. Sounds like Daisy is one smart cookie, figuring out that electrical sockets aren't all that much fun.

Missy, the good news is that you have plenty of time to settle on a girl name. I don't think Emma is an old-lady name at all. Lacey and Morgan are both good names too. Funny about that lady's nephew drinking that stuff. Hope you had fun registering for stuff yesterday. Awesome that your mom already got you the crib bedding set. So sorry to hear about your brother though - that must be really tough to have to separate yourself from him, but you really need to do what's best for you and baby. Stress is no good for either one of you! I hope your brother can get back on his meds and recover soon. I've been trying to distance myself from someone lately, and she's not taking my non-responses to her numerous phone calls, voicemail, text messages, email, and FB messages as a hint! That really stinks about your work's lack of maternity leave! I hope you can figure out a way to make things work out, and if finding a new job is the answer, so be it. Does your mom or MIL live in town? Maybe one of them can help out when you go back to work?

China, I now have 2 minor bruises on the insides of my elbows. They had to stick me 3 times on my left vein because the 2nd try on my right vein ended up drawing no blood! Ugh, I warned them about my stubborn veins.

PPM, I think it was sweet of your DH to pull out your pre-preggo clothes to pack away. Mine never got packed away, so they're just taking up space. Your baby will be perfect! Random story - we were at our local BBBaby yesterday, and a mom had her crying son in the shopping cart. By the time she turned her attention back to him, he was having a full-out meltdown. She picked him up and was telling him that he was beyond help and there was nothing she could do for him anymore. When she walked past us, she asked "Are you sure you're ready for this?" - I just smiled and chuckled. Are you going to return the Graco car seat? We got the Chicco Keyfit 30 even though it was more expensive than the Graco and some other brands. I don't think I'd trust any of the display models, due to tons of customers being able to touch and play with them. A lot of the displays I've seen at BRU looked pretty crappy and beat up. None of the gliders/rockers there ever actually rocked!

pancake, how are you feeling? When do you get your lovely pendant? I'm still waiting on the call from my OB's office to tell me my results. I was dreaming all last night that I failed, so I should be prepared. Ha! Ooh, and congrats on being chosen as "Jewel of the Week"! I've missed my set since I switched to a new bigger plain band, but I didn't want to get my set stuck on my finger. I pulled out my e-ring the other day, just to say "Hi" to it, and see how far it would go on my finger. It still fit, just too snug for my comfort.

mayerling, you definitely have plenty of time to think about all the baby stuff. Your tiny bump is adorable! Just wait until it gets bigger than your boobs! :))

AFM, I got the call from my OB's office saying that I failed the 1-hour and 2-hour blood draws of the 3-hour test. My 1-hour draw was just barely failing by a few points, but my 2-hour draw didn't drop enough, which is worse than just barely failing the 1-hour draw. My 3-hour draw was 40 points below the cutoff point, so at least my body can handle all the sugar - it's just a little slow! Now I have to make an appointment with a high-risk maternal office that's in the same building as my OB's office, so at least there's that. DH and I went to BBBaby this weekend to purchase our glider. We ended up picking a darker fabric color for the cushion so it was considered a custom order, which is 8-12 weeks out. DH almost had a cow, telling me we should have taken care of it earlier. Blah. The salesperson did say it's possible that it could come in earlier though. We also picked out a diaper bag while we were there. He picked out the most generic looking Eddie Bauer bag, but it's growing on me. The fabric is much better quality than the plastic-y bags that come in all those bright colors - it's just a plain brown bag with brown leather trim.

(29w+3d)
 
Hello wonderful ladies of the preggo thread! :wavey:

At 19 weeks pregnant, I figured I should probably make the leap over to this (very active) thread. A part of me has been hesitant since this thread is so active and I’m afraid it will take forever to catch up, but I guess there’s no better time than the present!

This is Baby #2 for DH and me. We have a 2-year old son who will be 2.9 years old when bundle #2 arrives. We found out last week we are having a GIRL! So happy :love: . I mean, we would have been happy either way, so long as baby is healthy, but DH and I have decided we’re “two and through” and I’m happy to be able to experience one of each. My due date is 7/1.

Although the ultrasound tech confirmed we’re having a girl, I made an appointment for another u/s at an outside clinic to confirm. I'm slightly neurotic :rolleyes: . They guaranty 99.9% accuracy, and our u/s tech confirmed with 95% accuracy. I know, I’m cah-razy! We go next weekend.

The first trimester was a living hell between m/s, exhaustion, emotional ups and downs, acne, dry, brittle hair. Basically, a hot mess (and still sort of am) throughout the first trimester. My pregnancy with DS was perfect. A little nausea in the beginning that quickly passed, flawless skin, shiny thick hair, and an abundance of energy. What a difference a pregnancy can make…

Anywhoo – I am going to attempt to catch up on this thread. I’m home sick today with the flu (super!) so this is a good time to catch up.

Looking forward to being a part of this thread.
 
LV, thanks for teh link to the car seat info. And for sure, we definitely appreciate the BTDT advice.

PPM, Good thing you have your 90 day return policy. Maybe you can get your Chicco in the same color as the Graco and your DH will be none the wiser. LOL. Just kidding. We also have a pooch that we'll need to introduce to Ethan's smells. I think Sis will take care of the dog while we're in the hospital, but we also have one of my girlfriends that LOVES our dog, so she might take her for a weekend or something. Either way, we'll probably bring the baby hat for Quizas to smell and get used it.

Mayer, I can't remember what the contractions felt like. I remember seeing ripples in water or sometihng in my dream that I think was supposed to symbolize contractions? I normally don't get menstrual cramps, but early in my 1st tri, I had uterus stretching that was freaking me out. The nurse said it was normal, so I think that's what contractions would feel like. Won't know until I start having them though, I"ll let you know. I sleep with support too, I use those bralettes (for lack of a better word), like light support you can use for yoga or just hanging about weekend time. I'm a D-cup pre-preg, and stopped wearing my old bras around 22 wks so. I think I'm probably a E or DD or something now. Haven't tried any maternity bras yet, I should do that this weekend. Lovely bump pics, you're looking great!

NEL, DH and I had the dickens of a time installing our car seat, we really had to cram and tug to get the shoulder strap to buckle. Our car is old, so we didn't have the latch mechanism either. When DH got it inspected, the firemen said that it looked good and didn't have to reinstall it. They also told DH there's a bunch of people that show up with the car seat still in the box. Make sure you get your seat inspected. DH said he just googled "Fire Department Child Seat Inspection" and there was a # he could call for appointments. He didn't got to our local fire station, but it wasn't far away and he said the firemen were all really cool guys. Are you and D still taking the train into work? Does your commuter train run pretty regularly? DH was/is taking the commuter rail to work too, and he said everyone's aghast that he is.
Everyone: You're *still* taking the train to work?
DH: (non-chalantly) Yeah, I still have 10 rides to use up. [back story, the rail system raised rates and the old tickets need to be used up by end of Feb]
Everyone: But your wife can go into labor ANY SECOND NOW!!!!
We don't see it as such a big deal since 1) neither of us think Ethan's coming in the next week or two. 2) Even if he does come early, it'll take DH 2-3 hrs to get home via train, which is totally not such a bad deal in terms of timing. I mean, early labor usually lasts "forever" right?

Pancake, jewel of the week! Go you! And yeah I stopped wearing my e-ring a while ago and my wedding ring about 1.5 months ago. It fits but feels tighter than what's comfortable for me. So if you're not around should we assume you're busy with a baby by now???

S&I, with the CT that I have, I actually wouldn't mind if Ethan comes early, but I highly doubt he will. I'm glad you passed your 3 hr test, but they're still making you check in with the high-risk folks? Hooray for picking up a glider. I think you should be OK with getting it for your DS though. We just got the email that DH's dressers should be ready in a few week's time for delivery arrangement. Glad you're liking the diaper bag; quality fabric is way important, so nice choice for your DH.

Sugarpie, welcome! How exciting you're having a girl! Sorry the first tri has been havoc for you, but it seems like you're doing better. So funny that you're doing a confirmation U/S. Hey , if I could I totally would too. Sorry you're laid up, I hope you bump that flu soon!

AFM, I have a 37 week pic to load when I get home today. So I'll do that. I'm now on weekly appts. Had one this morning actually. Pretty boring, just listened to the heart beat and measured me. Hoo hum. I just need to see one more midwife to make it through the rotation. I booked my appts through the week after my EDD, hoping Ethan will come before that, but I'm pretty sure he'll need to be evicted. Got my cloth diaper stash, so did that yesterday. But I left one out of the laundry load, so I have to do that one.

Also had our last shower yesterday, the one with all my friends. It was great! It rolled into a Super Bowl party too so it was ton of fun. Sis's BF was first anti-baby anything when the game's on, but we realized that it was a really good way to get through all the boring pre-pre-game stuff. It was really fun, and it was nice seeing everyone. J said "Maybe next year we'll have a Super Birthday Bowl." I suppose we could, it'd be early but fun for everyone.

We got the last few things I was hoping for from the registries: Cloth diapers, snap-n-go, and ergo carrier. Plus a few other things, toys, bath time stuff, etc. I think we'll need a 2nd base (but we don't have our 2nd car yet so no rush), and a changing pad etc. But other than that, we've got pretty much everything we need. Need to clear some more books from overhead shelves, and jerry-rig the dresser a little taller so DH doesn't kill his back changing Ethan all the time.

I think that's it for me!

~LC (37W, 4D)
 
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