PS Mommies Thread!

[TravelingGal]

Hehehe, Tacori, I totally know! That''s why I didn''t even check...I''m shocked that I didn''t, actually. If you ever decided you didn''t like Amelia and me, you could pump us full of BPA-FULL recommendations and I''d never know.

Website for the clips...I recommend www.mom4life.com I just got word from their customer service...they are prompt. They only have the little girl clips on their site, so if you want big girl ones (which are an inch bigger), you''ll have to go to another site. Also, I have not seen the mint chocolate on any site yet Tacori, but I haven''t really looked for it. Wonder if it is a new design?

 

[Burk]

Tacori~ Some teachers do the spring thing because that lengthens maternity leave. I liked having T in January because I basically missed the entire 3rd quarter and came back for 9 weeks and then had summer with her. I'd really like to have the next one the end of November so it stretches into our long winter break so I get some "free" maternity time and then I'll have the summer off as well. We'll see what happens. You never know. It took my SIL and BIL almost 2 years to get preggo with their second after getting preggo pretty easy with their first. I'm trying not to take the fact that we got pregnant easy for granted. The mint chocolate is on the chloeinstyle site I ordered T's from. Sooo cute....

I don't talk about BPA stuff with my real life friends, either. They don't really seem to care????? Maybe ignorance is bliss? I don't get it.

 

[TravelingGal]

Hey ladies, have a question and advice is appreciated...

So now that I am back from my biz trip, I want to wean Amelia off the pacifier. I chose to keep her on it because I knew I had that trip scheduled and wanted to give my mom and TGuy a bit of extra ammo. Any tips on weaning?

I only give her the pacifier to sleep. I don''t even take them out with me anymore as she is fine without one (I never got her fully in the habit of taking it outside of sleeptime). Should I go cold turkey? Naps first?

Or...

Do you think it''s really necessary to wean if it''s something she likes and only gets for sleep? I''m not opposed to pacifiers in general but figure it''s easier to wean now than later...

 

[sasa]

Tacori, which website do you go to on researching BPA-free stuff? Because the website I go to listed Gerber''s silicone tip spoon as BPA-free
According to my sister, I''m a psycho mom when it come to safe plastic. She is one of those mom that don''t care about BPA.

Tgal, can''t help you on the pacifier, little B don''t take pacifier from day one

 

[Burk]

Tgal~Regarding the pacifier: T only uses hers for sleep as well. I will put her to sleep without it but keep 2 in her crib. I''ll hear her wake up in the middle of the night talking and moving about and when I go get her in the morning she has a pacifier. I think it helps her get back to sleep. I honestly don''t know if she''d be as good of a sleeper if she couldn''t put her paci in to get back to sleep when she wakes. So for us it really isn''t worth it right now. I think it''s a personal choice. I see nothing wrong with an infant having a pacifier. I do see a problem with a 3 year old with one, however!

 

[TravelingGal]

Thanks Burk and Bobo...

Burk, I''m thinking that she sleeps well (or goes back to sleep well) because of it too. I''ll be interested to see what our other mamas say.

I got another email from mom4life''s customer service. No more reorders of those clips until December. So what you see is what is left. She said if there was a style I wanted, to let them know and they will include it on the reorder. I really am impressed with their service so far!

 

[ellaila]

Bobo, the www.thesoftlanding.com is a good site for BPA stuff. Well, BPA-free stuff No advice on the paci as my guys didn''t use them for very long at all. Thankfully never really had to wean them off it!

I got the hair clips today - they''re so cute! I got the same flower Tayva has but K''s is pink with a green center. I wanted white but they didn''t have it. I also got the ice cream cones. I *loved* the butterly but it was a little too big for Ms K''s little face! Will def. post a photo or two later once the bambinos have gone to bed! Tacori, they had the choc. mint there, and I wish I could''ve bought it and sent it to you (I promise I''d charge less in S&H than the other web sites) but of course I don''t have your address! It was cute, but the brown background blended too much into K''s hair so it didn''t look great on her.

Hmm, I think I may need that butterfly after all. I mean, she''ll grow into it, right?

 

[TravelingGal]

Ella, I thought the butterfly might be too big for my pinhead, but I think it would cool big...have you seen some of the pics on giddygiddy? It looks good oversized! I almost got some big girl clips because I wanted to bold look.

Did they have a good selection there? There was a store near me that has them but I have yet to go look. It was cheaper for me to buy online because of free shipping and no tax. How much did your store charge?

 

[Tacori E-ring]

TGal, I would never do that! So I was telling my neighbor about the clips and she said I should just make my own. I probably could. Maybe burk will post what they look like on the other side. I did see the mint chocolate on one of those sites. Can''t remember which on though. T LOVES her pacis. At first I felt like I should weened but then realized what was the point. I mean I won''t let her have one forever but I think the first year, year and a half is okay. It really soothes her and she seriously hides them. She''ll be playing and I will look over and suddenly she has a paci in her mouth. She is a talker so I am not worried about it affecting her speech. Anyways, good luck. No real advice.

Burk, if a friend ASKS then I share my knowledge/research with them but I agree. People don''t seem to be concerned

I think it is such an easy thing to prevent...I don''t get it. I have a friend that got preggo with #1 on the first shot and is now preggo with #2. #2 only took 2 months so you never know. Sometimes I have the same worries but I am not going to risk getting preggo before I am ready b/c of it. Sounds like you are ready though

Bobo, I like this website. I seriously cannot remember what it said about Gerber. They are too small for T now anyways.

Ella, you are so sweet. I am obsessed with her brown pedipeds (with dots) so basically all her fall clothes were bought to match. Yeah, I am a geek. I never thought of the brown blending in...hmmmm...

 

[Tacori E-ring]

BTW Tessa has her first tiny piece of pizza today. My neighbor was feeding it to her 8 month old boys and asked if T wanted one. I thought why not. She feeds them whatever they are having for dinner. Of course she LOVED it. She "MmmmMmmmMmmm"ed the whole time. DH was not happy though

 

[TravelingGal]

OK gals, I have been doing some shopping and thought I''d pass along some info...I''ll try to do it without breaking PS rules..

Swim stuff...thought it would be good to buy now since it''s end of season sale..

Bought the float with the canopy at onestepahead.com They are a reputable company - I checked BBB’s site and it seems they resolve any complaints that come their way. It was on sale for $11.95 (these are normally about $24 from what I can see online) and I checked retailmenot.com and found a 15% off order coupon code. I won''t put the code here because that violates the rules, but it''s pretty obvious which the most current code is. If you haven’t checked out retailmenot.com, bookmark it…it’s awesome! It searches for all the codes out there for the etailer and I’ve saved a bit of money doing it.

http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=6650&cmSource=Search

I also got these floaties which were 50% off

http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=534594&cmSource=Search

Apparently they are better than the plastic ones and have good reviews. I figure I will take Amelia swimming a lot…after all, I forgot we have a pool in our complex!!

I also was going to buy a peapod plus (the bigger version of the one we have) at onestepahead since I love ours so much and it will come in handy even when camping. It’s normally 89.99 and I thought with the 15% off it’s not a bad deal. I see them for $79.99 around all the time. But I googled it to be sure, and saw it on amazon for way cheap $64.99! It was sold by travelingwithkids.com so I went to their site directly and bought from them because I found a code for 15% off on retailmenot. If you look for the code, don''t put the space between the words...it went through once I did that.

https://www.travelingwithkids.com/proddetail.php?prod=PeaPodPlus

Thought you all may or may not be interested. Amelia is so tall that I figured having it couldn’t hurt. I’ll resell it if she decides she doesn’t like to sleep in the big one but I like having them and it will be handy for trips as hotel room cribs are gross, as Tacori can attest!

 

[TravelingGal]

I am leaning toward keeping the paci thing going. I dunno...I guess I will talk to TGuy about it since he''s her dad and should have input. Thanks for your input again gals!

I forgot to mention...Amelia has been officially DISCHARGED from physical therapy. We are done! But I have to keep up with the stretches and exercises over the course of her first year.

I have spent way too much money on Amelia in the last couple of days. 50 bucks on barrettes. Holy moly am I crazy or what. I guess it''s ok because I never shop for myself...so she can be my indulgence because I do like to bargain hunt.

Tacori...pizza, yum! I wish we could post video of our babies, because I would love to hear Tessa yum yum yumming. LOL.

So, ladies...question for you.

Do you still feel comfortable posting pics of your little ones? Do you ever wonder if there is a crazy out there lurking? Have you ever heard of any bad stories coming from posting pics? So far I am fine with it, but I wonder from time to time...

 

[flutterby]

Thanks for the compliments on the pictures ladies...I have a Canon Rebel XT and I just bought new lenses, and took a two day mamarazzi photography workshop. I also bought adobe lightroom for editing. I''m far from professional but I am trying to get better pics of Ian!

All this talk of clips I have to plug this etsy site of a local girl I know through another board.... http://www.beachbabydesigns.com/ I have bough clips from her for friends and they are awesome. Obviously Amelia wont need more for awhile, but just another option for those looking.

Those are great deals from one step ahead. A friend of mine worked for them for several years as a buyer. Its a good company located right outside of Chicago...a private parent owned company. I will check out the deals later!

 

[TravelingGal]

How cool msf, you will have to post more of your "work!"

OK, I did a search for felt clips to see what else was out there. Hmmmm....anyone takers on this one?

 

[msb700]

tacori: quick question about the pizza...do u give Tessa just small pieces and u squish it with ur fingers or do u puree it? I'm just wondering coz im thinking that the cheese mite stick to the roof of their mouth and be frustrating? no?

i am having SO much trouble getting little K to eat ANYTHING that is not pureed and he should have been totally fine with table food by now....i am at a total loss as to wat to do ..i keep giving him stuff from wat we eat but he just doesnt like it...

ETA: oh and it turns out his egg allergy ISNT gone...hrmph!!! i am taking him for his MMR vaccination tomorrow and i asked my mom (she babysits while im in the office) to give him some eggs just as an additional reassurance that he is totally allergy free before the vaccine..she calls me later saying that he still has it

)

 

[Tacori E-ring]

TGal, I meant to tell you too that I much rather have T use a paci than her thumb. I have heard breaking thumb sucking is MUCH harder plus worse for her teeth. Just a thought. Not sure if you saw but we have the same floaty. of course I cannot remember where I got it b/c it was back in April but I think I paid around $15. I have even seen it at BRU so I think it is a popular one. Videos would be fun to post. I have some funny ones. Sometimes I do feel selfish posting her picture. Obviously I never know who''s lurking. I guess there will be a point where I stop. Not sure when that will be.

MsF, keep up the good work. Your photos are always awesome. I wished we lived in LA so you could take some of T

msb, I don''t puree any table food. I just give it to her as is. The pizza was cold so I don''t think the cheese stuck to the roof of her mouth. My neighbor said she gives it to them hot as well. I just cut it into a 1" strip and she went to town. Sounds like K is just stubborn. I have no real advice just sympathy. Does he at least feed himself with the pureed baby food? Sorry about the eggs!

 

[ellaila]

MSB, little K won''t take Puffs or Cheerios? Honestly, he WON''T choke on them! Maybe if you feed him a few and he sees that he likes them, he''ll then feed himself them? Or maybe a mash of avocado and banana or something like that? Not a puree but a lumpy mush. Since I made a lot of my guys'' foods, they got used to texture very early on, which I''m happy about.

TGal, that barette is .... uhhh ....

I mean, I get not going all girly-girly with hearts and flowers and all, but eeeek.

And just to keep you guys updated on my BC issue - since I know you care! - I just finished with my 2nd month of NuvaRing, and yes, it definitely makes me a nutjob. I''m getting the Mirena in two weeks. Hallelujah!!!!

OK, a few photos at last!!!

This one I just think is cute

 

[ellaila]

My little yogi (and that's Gabe crawing right to Monkey's cat food and water fountain)

 

[ellaila]

Ms K with her new giddy giddy!

 

[ellaila]

And her other new barrette

 

[ellaila]

And last but not least ...

Gabe''s hair is getting so long over his ears, but I can''t cut it just yet - it''s too soon!! Oh, and you can see all of K''s teeth here!!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Ella, how cute! T is obsessed with a/c vents too. I think she likes to feel the "wind" blowing on her face. K looks darling in those clips. Makes me want one (or five)! Also I can''t believe how many teeth she has. Gabe is so cute too. Someone told me you aren''t suppose to cut their hair for the first year. Not sure if that is true or not.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Ella, they are beautiful! I really love that first pic, they just look like they''re so much fun to be with!

TGal, my old body was really nothing to write home about! Quicker I can fill out the saggy bits again with another baby the better!

This time, maybe I''ll ask for a little cosmetic tidy-up round my tummy while they''re operating, since I''ll need a c-section again anyway. I''m not quite ready to TTC again yet but I know I''m not done at one. I may come to regret this, because Amelia has been a very easy baby so far, apart from her daytime sleep aversion. Feeding, night sleeping, travelling etc have been easy. Another could be quite different!

Don''t know if this is of interest, but the UK Dept of Health advises using an orthodontic pacifier for sleeping / naps only and to use it up to 6 months at least, and preferably up to a year. Apparently it helps keep airways open and offers some protection against SIDS.

Oh, and what an um, unusual hair clip!

Jen

 

[msb700]

Tacori/ella: thanks for the food tips..little K will eat bananas (without me mushing them) fine, i also give him avocados with yogurt and hes happy with that...and would also munch on a peach if he sees me eating one...i give him biscuits (that sorta melt in the mouth) and hes perfectly fine with those two and can finish 5 biscuits at a time sometimes...which is great...but then..thats it!! anything else and he immediately spits up..

i did give him cheerios for the first time today..he didnt spit it out but he did have this 'look' like 'wat in the world is this?!'....

apologies for sounding totally stupid here, but i have no idea wat puffs are

i have looked in every single supermarket/baby store for something called puffs over here, but nothing could be found...can u direct me if i could perhaps purchase it online? (unfortunately over here there is such a LITTTTTTTTLE selection of food for babies that its so hard to introduce different kinds of textures/tastes/etc to babies..hrmph!!!)


ella: could ur kids be any cuter????? they're so adorable!! i have always wanted twins and i can just imagine how much fun it is when they start to interact/play with each other...maybe all this PS twin dust can come my way when we TTC again (probably in another 6/8 months

ETA: Tacori, he does feed himself with the spoon with his pureed food (well half end up either on the tray or on his bib, but at least he dips the spoon and directs it to his mouth...)

 

[Jas12]

Tgal-- The paci topic is timely for me b/c i just did a big google search on paci dependency yesterday. i am thinking my ''sleep hell'' might be b/c of it. I have officially ruled out hunger and temperature so i am onto the paci now.
I think that if amelia sleeps well with it and isn''t waking many times a night looking for you to pop it back in then i don''t see a big reason to wean. Cohen on the other hand seems to be waking each time it falls out--which, if my theory is correct, is about once an hour thru the night! In his case it is a sleep prop and not a comfort item (as the Baby whisperer has coined them). I just put Co down for a nap without the paci. I am going to start with the naps and see what happens.

 

[snlee]

ella, K and G are getting so big! They are so cute! Love the pictures! Really cute felt clips too!

The felt clip TGal posted is creepy. The eyes give me the heebie-jeebies!

TGal, good question about posting pictures. Since my baby will be born soon, I''ve been thinking about this from time to time. I love looking at pictures of your little ones so I want to share pictures too. But it IS a public forum and ANYONE can see them. Sometimes I wish it wasn''t public. I''d have no problem sharing with you PS mommies. I don''t even like putting pictures of myself on here. I want to try to remain as anonymous as I can, in case someone I know finds PS. I asked DH how he felt about me posting pictures of our baby and he said he''s fine with it, which surprised me.

I''m curious how others feel.

 

[sasa]

ella, thanks for the link! The kids are too cute~Ms K looks so elegant with the flower clip.

Tacori, thanks for the link too!

TGal, I have the same concern, I think right now it''s ok, because his look will change but as he get older I probably will stop posting his pix.

msb700, I have the same problem just opposite situation. little B won''t eat pureed food, he prefer more solid and table food. But he is only 6 months going to 7 months so the only table food I gave him so far is tiny pieces of toast (which he love) and some baby rice cracker I got from the Japanese supermarket.

 

[TravelingGal]

msb, sorry to hear about the egg allergy. How that work if he has to take the MMR shot?

Tacori, yeah, I figure 24.99 is the SRP and most don''t sell it at that, but prices are still a bit high for this product if it isn''t sold out already.

Ella, woo hoo...it''s been too long since we''ve seen your cuties. What dolls. I love the clips on K! You picked good ones...I really like that pink flower! I think it''s labeled as "dark pink" on the giddy giddy site, and of course it wasn''t available at mom4life.

I got Amelia a red one, which is suppose to be her color under her birth sign (not that I really care about those things).

MrsM, I hear ya. I wouldn''t mind exchanging my current c-section scar for a nicer one and may bring it up if I have another. Guess there is a slight benefit of having to have a scheduled c-section.

Thanks again for all your weigh in on the paci. Sounds like it would be beneficial to keep it. Now I have to go and get some new pacis...she needs the bigger ones. Jas, I will have to check out what you''ve been reading up on. I don''t think Amelia is dependent on it, but I wonder if that could happen at any point. Once it''s out, she doesn''t seem to care. But what I have been noticing recently is that it seems to be staying IN. Sometimes through her entire nap. Hm.

About the pic posting...yeah....I gotta think at some point I will stop too. Maybe when the next round of preggos come over and post their cuties? Hee.

 

[curlygirl]

Hi mommies! Have I mentioned how much I love this thread and miss all of you?!?!?

ella, I can''t believe how big the twins are!! They are just too stinking cute! Love Miss K''s hair clip. I have to get some of those!

TGal, first let me say that I love you. Ok, now moving on. Lily still uses her pacifier to sleep and when she''s having meltdowns. The pediatrician has no problem with it as long as it''s not a 24/7 thing and actually told us not to try to take it away at this point until after the new baby comes and there''s been a long enough adjustment period! I say if it helps Amelia sleep, then it''s good for both of you. Eventually, "a bird" will come and take it away--apparently that''s what happened with mine!!!! BTW, am I a sick person because I like that hair clip you posted?!

msb, K is such a loverboy! His curls and eyes are just gorgeous. I''m sorry he''s still being a picky eater but I''m sure he''ll grow out of it. When we give pizza to Lily, we just cut it up into small pieces and she feeds herself. We make sure it''s kind of cool so the cheese isn''t too oozy and she doesn''t burn her mouth. Regarding puffs, I had a feeling you might not be able to find them in your part of the world! They are made by Gerber. Here''s a link to some other Gerber snacks: http://www.gerber.com/Products/ProductLine_Detail.aspx?PLineId=9a8d2981-4e8c-48f7-ad4d-c5c5a3b1902b&PCatId=9772c526-b81c-45a2-80c7-dd7893122bea&PMilestoneId=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000
Lily loves the yogurt melts, wagon wheels and crunchies as well. I hope you can find them over there. Sorry about the egg allergy. That can''t be easy on you...

Tacori, I love all the Take and Toss stuff--cups, spoons, forks. They are great and I don''t get all bent out of shape if we forget them at a restaurant or someone''s house. I think you were also an advocate of the Nuby cups--I just got Lily a bunch of their 10 oz. no-spill gripper cups (BPA-free of course!) and she loves them. I think they remind her of a bottle so they are very soothing, plus the spout is soft so it''s nice. And they come in cute colors!!

MrsM, I felt just like you did after Lily was born--I was totally ready for another one. Then the reality hit me when she was 8 months old and I really was pregnant again!!!! I''m still in shock but I guess everything happens for a reason. Just give yourself a little time before you dive into this. It''s a HUGE life changing thing--bigger than just having one!

Jas, Lily used to wake up when the pacifier fell out and it was so annoying. Eventually, she figured out where it was in the crib and put it back in her own mouth by herself!! I don''t blame you for wanting to wean Co from it but try scattering a few around his crib while he sleeps and he might be able to find one by himself!

Bobo, little B is waaay too cute in your avatar!!! How is he doing with the solids?

lili, we need some pics of your little princess. I want to see what her hair is doing these days!!!

Ok, I''m off to pick Lily up from her new daycare. She''s been there for 2 days and it''s been kinda rough at the drop off but she''s fine after a little while. Hopefully she''ll adjust quickly and be all settled in there before her sister shows up and totally screws up her life!!!! I''ll be back soon to add more. Miss you all!!

 

[divergrrl]

Snlee: I am very aware this is a public forum. I was on BabyCenter back in 2004 when I was pg with my 1st, and we decided to go private after a lurker was busted for stealing photos & passing them off as her own children (we were the dec 2004 group) and we have a private site now. There are 30 of us left. But we have everybody''s contact info, we visit each other, and its truly a lot of fun. I''m just careful what I put on here, since it is public & I''m sure there are unsavory lurkers out there. It''s too bad there are a bunch of gross, sick, loonies out there.

Lead: Well...here is my take on it. I was TERRIFIED last year when Jake had about 4 Thomas trains recalled for lead & he had chewed half the paint off them. I took him to the ped & my ped was like..."ehhh..I''m more worried about your 100 year old home" . Since the interior of my home was wood (no paint), and we replaced all the plumbing (no lead solder) I knew my house was fine. So we had Jake''s blood drawn & a lead serum level test performed. He was fine. So...binkies, pvc spoons, etc and the lead exposure from chewing the paint off his trains didn''t do a damn thing. I still got rid of the trains, but I''m not going out of my way to be uber vigilant and buy new spoons, binks, etc. D will only take the Nuk paci anyway.

So while I don''t knowingly buy things that have lead, I also don''t freak out anymore. Call it 2nd baby syndrome, but this time around I''m just not too worried. I just bought D a "paci-feeder" bottle for those times when I can''t feed her in the car. Its a clear plastic bottle. Most likely BPA--it wasn''t stamped on the bottom so I can''t tell. But seeing as Jake got full on BPA bottles for 19 months, I''m like...WHATEVER. She''ll probably drink out of it a handful of times, and I''m not going to freak out over that. And she drinks room temp bottles, so I''m not heating anything (which contributes to greater leaching). Plus..I was filtering her water through a Brita Pitcher...again...CLEAR PLASTIC. so much for my bpa free bottles. *slapping forehead* Most of my friends here haven''t even heard of BPA and I see Avent & Dr. Browns Bottles bottles being used all over the place. I told one friend & she looked at me as if I had gone stark raving mad.

I think our being on this forum & being pro-active, research driven, and of above average intelligence, we tend to be over vigilant and over careful. Which is not necessarily a bad thing.

Pacifiers: Tgal....Jake just weaned himself from his. (he''s almost 3 years 9mos) we quit letting him take it out in public at about 2.5 years old. His dentist was fine with it. His teeth are fine. I tried to wean him earlier & my dad talked me out of it. He said "if it comforts him & helps him sleep, why on earth would you want to take that security away from him". I agree with my dad. Every morning when he would get up, he''d go put it in his dresser drawer. One day he just decided he didn''t want it. I''ll do the same with D. She only gets it at bedtime now, but I keep one in my bag when we are out in case she needs it...which is rarely, but I am sure grateful in those moments when she does melt down & I do have it. Magic.


Tgal again: OMG....you said my 2 most favorite words in the world. Saltwater Pool. Oh divine holy bliss and I love it. When we were at the Hilton in Sonoma county in July, they had a saltwater pool and I about died and went to heaven. It feels like silk on your skin...nice clean soft silk.

Sunscreen: yeah, go for physical blocks vs. chemical. Zinc Dioxide, Titanium dioxide work great. There has been a rash of controversy about the safety, etc of sunblocks. I asked my dermatologist 2 weeks ago (I had my skin check & asked about my melasma) and she said she doesn''t give a whole lot of credence to the studies that were done & they are safe. I just LOVE CONFLICTING advice. *not*. At any rate, I prefer the physical blocks for my family because they work better & irritate our skin less. I break out with the chemical ones.

Love the clips everyone! My friend who took my maternity photos is actually friends with the Mom4life girl. She lost a baby last year I think & her blog is heartbreaking, but she is a great spirit.

I have a skully bow for D...and pink skully vans too!