*Baby Corner*

[sara535 15]

Stina he is SO CUTE!!!!

and Desire, I agree, I also had some discharge after the C-section. I kinda freaked out but my doc also said its normail, its just fluid thats released as the internal incisions are healing. I also cant beleive you are going back to work already, do you really have to?

Eveline, I think its good you have Adam in daycare, both for him and yourself. As soon as he gets used to it he'll probably love it and you certainly need a few quiet hours a day even if its just to sleep or go to the grocery store, plus spend a little solo time with Allie. Hopefully it will just take a couple of days for him to adjust

Kelly, I bet Zaid will settle right in and sounds like you finally found a good spot. I know from experience it makes a world of difference to be a working mom if your mind is at ease.

Carrie - Ayman is super cute. I just dont beleive for a minute that he is spoiled

Hope all other sick babies are feeling better today!

Amirah just cute 2 more bottom teeth this weekend so she is up to 8 already. wow!

[chri'stina 190]

Thanks Sara. So what is Amirah up to these days? lol I mean, is she trying to walk yet ? Crawling all over?

[keltic 1]

But to have to pay these people who want to be paid in cash so they don't have to claim an income is just BS imo.

absolutely! i dont know if i could really trust anyone who would want to do that anyway... if they are willing to cheat taxes like that, what else are they willing to lie about? would they lie to me about what happens while my child is in their care?

just a reminder for anyone who is paying in cash to an individual... if you want to be able to claim your expenses for childcare on your taxes, you will have to provide receipts AND either a tax ID number or Social Security number...

we had one of our friends watch our son for the first 5 months or so after i returned to work... then she got another job and we placed him in a small daycare out of one woman's home... we had paid my friend with checks or money orders so that we would have proof for taxes... the lady who watches him out of her home now actually has a federal tax ID number and mails out a yearly statement of paid fees to each parent...

when we gave all our receipts to our accountant, he informed us that we had to have my friend's SSN in addition to the receipts to be able to file those expenses...

i would think that if the person you pay wants cash because they dont want to report the income, will probably NOT give you their SSN... then you will have to show "due diligence"...

My babysitter refused to provide me with her social security number. Can I still claim the amount I paid to the babysitter for child care while I worked? If so, how do I claim these child care expenses on my tax return?

Yes, if you meet the other requirements to claim the child and dependent care credit, but are missing the social security number or other taxpayer identification required ID number of a provider, you can still claim the credit by demonstrating "due diligence" in attempting to secure this information.

If a provider of child care refuses to give the identifying information, the taxpayer can still claim the credit however, the taxpayer must provide whatever information is available about the provider (such as name and address) on the form used to claim the credit Form 2441 (PDF), Child and Dependent Care Expenses, or Form 1040A, Schedule 2 (PDF), Child and Dependent Care Expenses for Form 1040A Filers). The taxpayer should write "see page 2" in the columns requesting the missing information. The taxpayer should write at the bottom of page 2 that the provider refused to give the requested information. This statement will show that the taxpayer used due diligence in trying to secure and furnish the identifying information.

For more information refer to Form W-10 (PDF), Dependent Care Provider's Identification and Certification, the instruction for Form 2441 (PDF), Child and Dependent Care Expenses, Publication 503, Child and Dependent Care Expense, or Tax Topic 602, Child and Dependent Care Credit.

http://www.irs.gov/faqs/faq7.html

so, basically, if you want to file your expenses, the IRS will know about their income anyway

[sara535 15]

She's gonna walk any day. In fact, she CAN walk but she just lacks that last bit of confidence to let go of our hands. but she is a climber, like a little mountain goat. yesterday while I was here at the computer I turned around and she was teetering on the very back of the easy chair! yikes!

[keltic 1]

Here are pictures I took the day after Kavi turned 7 months old.

kavi is absolutely adorable... i see a lot of you in him... you must be so proud!

[~ Karima ~ 0]

Stina Kavi is soooo cute! Thanks for the idea with the boppy too. I will try that since Ayman wants to sit up but tends to fall forward.

Sara, wow 8 teeth. I'm just waiting for the day Ayman pops one. I know it could be a while, but he is trying to eat everything. He tried to chew on my finger last night when I wasn't looking. lol

[keltic 1]

She's gonna walk any day. In fact, she CAN walk but she just lacks that last bit of confidence to let go of our hands. but she is a climber, like a little mountain goat. yesterday while I was here at the computer I turned around and she was teetering on the very back of the easy chair! yikes!

she is starting early with that!!!!!

we have a row of bookshelves behind the sofa, to keep little hands safely away... my son loves to climb up onto the back of the sofa and go for them... it terrifies me, and that just makes him even more determined to do it! he can do it so quickly, too...

*sigh

[keltic 1]

Stina Kavi is soooo cute! Thanks for the idea with the boppy too. I will try that since Ayman wants to sit up but tends to fall forward.

Sara, wow 8 teeth. I'm just waiting for the day Ayman pops one. I know it could be a while, but he is trying to eat everything. He tried to chew on my finger last night when I wasn't looking. lol

i saw you have a bumbo for Ayman... i would have been lost without ours... did you know they make a plastic tray that you can attach?

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2963568

[~ Karima ~ 0]

But to have to pay these people who want to be paid in cash so they don't have to claim an income is just BS imo.

absolutely! i dont know if i could really trust anyone who would want to do that anyway... if they are willing to cheat taxes like that, what else are they willing to lie about? would they lie to me about what happens while my child is in their care?

just a reminder for anyone who is paying in cash to an individual... if you want to be able to claim your expenses for childcare on your taxes, you will have to provide receipts AND either a tax ID number or Social Security number...

we had one of our friends watch our son for the first 5 months or so after i returned to work... then she got another job and we placed him in a small daycare out of one woman's home... we had paid my friend with checks or money orders so that we would have proof for taxes... the lady who watches him out of her home now actually has a federal tax ID number and mails out a yearly statement of paid fees to each parent...

when we gave all our receipts to our accountant, he informed us that we had to have my friend's SSN in addition to the receipts to be able to file those expenses...

i would think that if the person you pay wants cash because they dont want to report the income, will probably NOT give you their SSN... then you will have to show "due diligence"...

My babysitter refused to provide me with her social security number. Can I still claim the amount I paid to the babysitter for child care while I worked? If so, how do I claim these child care expenses on my tax return?

Yes, if you meet the other requirements to claim the child and dependent care credit, but are missing the social security number or other taxpayer identification required ID number of a provider, you can still claim the credit by demonstrating "due diligence" in attempting to secure this information.

If a provider of child care refuses to give the identifying information, the taxpayer can still claim the credit however, the taxpayer must provide whatever information is available about the provider (such as name and address) on the form used to claim the credit Form 2441 (PDF), Child and Dependent Care Expenses, or Form 1040A, Schedule 2 (PDF), Child and Dependent Care Expenses for Form 1040A Filers). The taxpayer should write "see page 2" in the columns requesting the missing information. The taxpayer should write at the bottom of page 2 that the provider refused to give the requested information. This statement will show that the taxpayer used due diligence in trying to secure and furnish the identifying information.

For more information refer to Form W-10 (PDF), Dependent Care Provider's Identification and Certification, the instruction for Form 2441 (PDF), Child and Dependent Care Expenses, Publication 503, Child and Dependent Care Expense, or Tax Topic 602, Child and Dependent Care Credit.

http://www.irs.gov/faqs/faq7.html

so, basically, if you want to file your expenses, the IRS will know about their income anyway

Very good points Keltic. I also agree 100% about the lying part. That is exactly what I told my husband and why we refuse to pay anyone cash.

I would also like to add that if anyone's company offers a Dependent Care Flex Spending Account, USE it. Depending on your filing status and income level, it actually will save your more money in the long run. Someone correct me if I am wrong, but from what I've read you can only claim *up to* $3000 of childcare expense on your tax return, BUT you can deduct *up to* $5000 from your paychecks each year. This lowers your taxable income, which lowers the amount of taxes you pay.

Here is a quick overview of a Dept Care FSA....

How does the Dependent Care FSA Work?

Your employer will establish a Dependent Care FSA on your behalf. The amount that you elect to contribute will be pro-rated and deducted from each paycheck for the upcoming plan year. These deductions will appear as a credit to your Dependent Care FSA. As you incur eligible expenses you will submit a claim to your employer to draw funds from your account. Paying for dependent care on a pre-tax basis means your taxable income is lower and, consequently, your taxes are lower.

What are examples of eligible dependent care expenses that qualify for reimbursement from the Dependent Care FSA?

Sample eligible dependent care expenses include daycare, day camp, nursery school, preschool, and adult daycare and caregiver expenses.

What is an eligible dependent for the Dependent Care FSA?

An eligible dependent is an individual whose care expenses may be reimbursed under the Dependent Care FSA. The individual must spend at least eight hours per day in your home and can be any one of the following:

§ A child under age 13 for whom you have custody most of the time even though your former spouse may claim the child for income tax purposes

§ Any other dependent who is physically or mentally unable to care for himself or herself

§ Your spouse, if physically or mentally incapable of self-care

What is a Qualifying Dependent Care Provider?

Qualifying Dependent Care Providers may include: daycare centers, an individual who provides care inside or outside your home (a child of yours under age 19 or another individual for whom you claim a personal exemption do not qualify as care providers), facilities for pre-school children, and a housekeeper whose services include, in part, providing care for a qualifying individual

What do I submit to get reimbursed for qualifying dependent care expenses?

To draw funds from your Dependent Care FSA, you simply submit a claim online (may be paper) and send necessary substantiation documentation for your claim to the administrator. Upon receipt, review, and approval of the claim, the administrator will reimburse you from your spending account. When completing a Dependent Care FSA Claim, you must include the following information: dates of service, name of qualifying dependent(s) for which services were provided, amount of the charge, name of the providers of the services, the providers tax ID or social security number and signature of provider on the claim form, or receipt or other proof of payment.

How much reimbursement will I receive each time I submit a claim?

Your benefits administrator will reimburse the claim up to the available balance in your Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account at the time you submit the claim. If there are insufficient funds in your FSA to reimburse the entire claim, the remaining amount of the claim will be held until payroll deductions are credited to your account. You will not have to re-submit the claim.

What happens if I don't incur enough eligible expenses during the plan year to claim reimbursement of all the money I have contributed to the Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account?

IRS rules do not permit a refund of any unused funds that remain in your Dependent Care FSA at the end of a plan year. You may however change your election in the plan if you have a change of status occur (example: You unexpectedly change your daycare providers and you new daycare provider is significantly less expensive.) Also, you cannot transfer money designed for the Dependent Care FSA to any other account or fund. For this reason, it is important that you be conservative when setting your targeted contribution to the Dependent Care FSA.

If I contribute to our Dependent Care FSA, does it affect my ability to take advantage of the Dependent Care Tax Credit on my personal income tax filing?

Expenses that are reimbursed through the Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account cannot be used as deductible expenses when filing your personal income taxes. In many cases, the Dependent Care FSA provides a greater tax benefit than the Dependent Care Tax Credit received when claiming it on an individual's tax returns. Variables affecting which method is better include level of income, exemptions and number of dependents receiving care. You may wish to discuss each choice with your tax accountant to ensure you are getting the greatest tax savings available to you.

What happens if I terminate employment?

If you terminate employment, your participation in the Dependent Care FSA will automatically terminate. However, you can receive reimbursement for eligible dependent care expenses incurred prior to termination.

Important to know…

§ The maximum annual contribution allowed to your Dependent Care Flexible Spending account is $5,000. If you are married and filing separate tax returns, your maximum is $2500.

§ Money you choose to put into this account is only available for reimbursement during the plan year. If there is money left in your account at the end of the year you lose it, so be careful to estimate your eligible dependent expenses carefully.

§ The elections you make for this account during enrollment are your elections for the entire plan year. You may change them only if you have a qualified change in status.

§ The money you elect to put into this account must only be used for eligible dependent care expenses for your dependents. For example you cannot request reimbursement from this account for medical expenses because those expenses must be reimbursed from the Medical Flexible Spending Account.

§ The money you elect to put into this account is available as it is deducted from your paycheck. If your claims exceed the funds available in your account the claims will be reimbursed as soon as the money has been deposited into the account.

[~ Karima ~ 0]

Stina Kavi is soooo cute! Thanks for the idea with the boppy too. I will try that since Ayman wants to sit up but tends to fall forward.

Sara, wow 8 teeth. I'm just waiting for the day Ayman pops one. I know it could be a while, but he is trying to eat everything. He tried to chew on my finger last night when I wasn't looking. lol

i saw you have a bumbo for Ayman... i would have been lost without ours... did you know they make a plastic tray that you can attach?

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2963568

I think his is actually one of those BeBePods and not a Bumbo. You can buy the trays for those too, but it says only for the BeBePod Plus. His isn't a plus so I'm not sure how one would attach.

[Nessa 23]

tomorrow is my first u/s yay!!

[chri'stina 190]

Cool, Nessa! My first u/s was around 8 weeks. They didn't usually do it that early at my office but my midwife thought I might be further along than I thought (not really, just a week or less ahead it turned out). So I was excited to get one! The heart beating was cool to see, and he looked like a little peanut or lima bean or something.

Here:

(there is a reflection on the pic if you see some reddish color, I took a picture of the u/s printout since I don't have a scanner.)

My next u/s was at 12 weeks, also unplanned but b/c we couldn't hear the heartbeat since sometimes that's still too early to hear it, and my midwife just wanted to make sure. That 12 week u/s he had little arms and legs and a face structure.

She's gonna walk any day. In fact, she CAN walk but she just lacks that last bit of confidence to let go of our hands. but she is a climber, like a little mountain goat. yesterday while I was here at the computer I turned around and she was teetering on the very back of the easy chair! yikes!

Wow! Kavi is about to crawl. My mom said I walked around 10 months, and if Kavi does that, yikes!!!

Here are pictures I took the day after Kavi turned 7 months old.

kavi is absolutely adorable... i see a lot of you in him... you must be so proud!

Thanks! I am glad you think he looks like me too. A lot of people say he looks just like his dad, which he does a lot, but I can see me in him too.

Stina Kavi is soooo cute! Thanks for the idea with the boppy too. I will try that since Ayman wants to sit up but tends to fall forward.

Sara, wow 8 teeth. I'm just waiting for the day Ayman pops one. I know it could be a while, but he is trying to eat everything. He tried to chew on my finger last night when I wasn't looking. lol

We have a bebe pod a friend let us use(no tray either though), now that Kavi can pretty much sit he of course won't stay in it and never liked being in it a lot, I don't know why hehe. He'd last maybe 10 minutes.

[Nessa 23]

yeah i can't wait til the baby is big so i can have one of those 3-d u/s

[TracyLuis 0]

yeah i can't wait til the baby is big so i can have one of those 3-d u/s

We did the 3D/4D ultrasounds and it was really very cool. They provided us a DVD of the entire session and a CD of all the still photos they took during the session. However, I don't think my baby looked much like the 3D image I saw....but that's ok because he came out MUCH cuter!

[Nessa 23]

lol