British Bun in the Oven

[Fandango 1,439]

Oh God, that sounds awful Trace

[TracyTN 237]

It was not fun, that's for sure!! She hasn't been the happiest baby the last few days. Last night was some better, but nothing has really made her happy since at least Thursday. We figure it has to be teething. She hasn't been eating much either, so maybe she doesn't feel quite right. Who knows!?

OH and she got out of her crib yesterday!! Chas was asleep, his alarm went off but he didn't hear her, so he started dozing back off. He subconsciously heard her make a sound, then heard a noise - next thing he knew, she was standing there looking him in the face!!! (Normally we keep her bedroom door shut but had it ajar since she'd been sick.) We're not sure if it was a fluke - or she just fell - or what. I put her in there for a nap after I got home. She was NOT happy about it at first, so I watched her through the crack in the door. She made no attempt to get out of it. We're starting to think she had tossed her stuffed doggie out, wanted it and fell somehow. The crib is already on the lowest setting. We took the bumpers out to wash them so she didn't use those to heft herself out. Color us puzzled.

We will convert it to a day bed if we have to, but that will mean she can get out whenever she pleases (including if we're wanting her to nap). UGH!!!

[Fandango 1,439]

Whoa, I've been seriously neglecting this thread! Your latest pics are just simply gorgeous, btw.

Nick just got over having a little teeny cold...was sick for about a day. Nothing terribly major though...wow, look at how far we've all come as mothers, lol. I didn't even call the doc because I knew what she was going to say. So mommy instinct kicked in, and within a day, he was much much better.

He is turning 1 on Wednesday! Holy moley, where does the time go?

He's a funny boy...very happy, loves to laugh. Likes to flirt with the ladies. Seriously, he will make eyes at a woman, and smile...it's so funny. Men, he couldn't be bothered with. He's babbling along, but it's been more of the same mama dada baba type stuff. I was a little more advanced in the verbal dept at his age, but as I have always said in here, kids go by their own timeline. So we're not concerned or anything like that. He walks, although he's still at the drunken sailor stage, and falls on his bum more often than not. He LOVES the Publix shopping cart with the 'car' basket. He grabs onto both wheels and it's just so darned cute.

All in all, it's been a crazy and challenging year. It's pretty surreal, tbh. We've had crazy worry filled nights, emergency trips to the hospital, silent reflux/digestion problems, etc. I have been a complete nervous wreck! But now, it's all subsided, and I feel like we are better & calmer parents, lol. I am trying not to 'sweat the small stuff'....I don't want to coddle him to the point of him being too dependent on us. Like, one day he was walking, then he fell over and banged his head. I picked him up and calmly soothed him, checked his head to see how bad it was. He stopped crying within 30 seconds. Now, the old me would have insisted we go to the hospital, possibly wanted a CAT scan (I realize that would have never happened, but that's the worrier in me)...the new me, cuddled him and told him it was ok WHILE I STAYED CALM..and within 2 minutes he was wiggling out of my arms to get on the floor again.

He's definitely a mama's boy, but it's very important to us to raise a strong, capable child. I'm probably not explaining this entirely right, but I hope you guys know what I mean. There's a difference between mama's boy...and a mama's boy...I think we have all met our share of those men, and my son will not be one of them. Not that we're doing tough love, lol....but there is a definite balance that we're trying to maintain.

Edited September 3, 2011 by Anita Cocktail

[Pooky 3,778]

He is turning 1 on Wednesday! Holy moley, where does the time go?

Time flies by, that's for sure.

Our little munchkin starts school ... SCHOOL ... on Thursday. This Thursday! That's 5 year gone by in the blink of an eye.

Edited September 4, 2011 by Pooky

[Fandango 1,439]

CONGRATULATIONS RACHEL!!!! Our newest expecting mommy! (L)

Come on, give us the deets...how far along, do you know the sex, etc etc etc.

Pooky, I have a feeling that I'm going to be echoing your statements in a few years How's school going for your little darling?

[Alex & Rachel 78]

Hello thread!

(I wanted to venture in before, as I love reading happy threads like these - but didn't really feel like I had a good excuse!)

I'm only about six weeks along and I haven't even seen the doctor yet - so cross fingers everything goes well. I haven't told many friends but I also can't keep the news to myself so online has seemed a good option! The tests were definitely positive - each one showed up that second, dark line straight away!

Oh and the last three years have flown by without any children - so I can only imagine how quickly time flies with children!

[TracyTN 237]

Congratulations, Rachel!! :) The time sure does fly - your little bun will be 1 before you know it.

Haven't been here much either. A lot going on (mainly with myself!), but Emily is fine. I'm convinced she's being blonde about the walking though. She'll let us hold her hands above her head and walk her, but she's shown very few signs of wanting to do it on her own. Slow with teeth and now with walking. I try to remind myself this is no reflection on my mothering but I still feel like I should be on the short bus or something. Frankly with the hours I've been working and my own ream of doctor's appointments, I've barely had time to think about much else.

Then my next door neighbor comments on her Facebook about MAKING Halloween costumes for both her children. I know she's a stay at home mom and I'm not, but that still made me feel like a colossal mom failure. I can't get it together enough to make Emily's outfit, aside from the fact that I know zero about sewing anyway. UGH. Just been a rough few months for me I guess.

[Alex & Rachel 78]

Thank you, Tracy!

And, hugs! You certainly sound very far from being any kind of failure. And there are far more important ways of being a good mother than knowing how to sew!

I was also late to walk and very late to speak (I didn't really start speaking until I was 4!) I even remember going to see a speech therapist, and having her wave toys in front of me in an effort to get me to talk about them. I had no problems - I was simply the kind of child who hated practising. I didn't want to walk or talk until I felt more confident of my abilities. Once I did start walking, I began to walk everywhere... and likewise, once I started talking, I was really hard to shut up!

My brother was very early with both... we are all different!

[TracyTN 237]

Thanks so much Rachel - that made me feel better on a lot of levels. I guess it's 'working mother guilt' at play a bit (with the costume thing) but I know I am doing the right thing for our family.

She was slow to crawl and slow to get her teeth so I shouldn't be surprised that she's taking her time about walking to. She actually did 2 steps last night on her own which was the most she's ever done. She'll get there when she's ready, I guess!

I'm excited to be involved in your pregnancy journey. Are you guys going to find out if it's a boy or a girl? We didn't find out and I'm really glad we didn't. But I can definitely see logic in finding out, too (we would if we were going to have another).

[Pooky 3,778]

Pooky, I have a feeling that I'm going to be echoing your statements in a few years How's school going for your little darling?

The munchkin will be fine at school. She loves to learn things.

The better half is going to bawl when she waves her onto the bus, then wonder what to do now, wonder why it's so quiet, and help the cat get over having his best friend gone for 7 hours a day.

It's the school I'm worried about. The munchkin can be ... well ... irrepressible

[Empress of Groovy 373]

Hi, everyone!

I started a new job a few weeks ago, and it's really cutting into my InterWeb time!

Many congrats to all! Rachel, what exciting news! I hope you're feeling well and all that. When is your first doctor's appointment? Pooky, that's awesome about your little offspring going off to school. I remember when my niece (now almost 8) went off to kindergarten, and I practically burst into tears picturing her with her little backpack, getting on the bus (God help me when Madeleine starts school). And happy first birthday to Nick!

Tracy, go easy on yerself! It sounds like you (and indeed Em) are doing just fine. I too feel some of the working muthuh...something. Guilt is too strong a word, but it's something along those lines. I know she's well taken care of, and I honestly think she has more fun at daycare, with loving people and little kids her age, than she would at home with me, boring Mom. Mad-Ag, admittedly, seems ahead of the curve with walking (which I'll get to) and teeth, but not so great on the food front. She also still throws up whenever she gets a cold. She is now eating table food, just not a lot of it. We've tried introducing her to all kinds of things, and she's already showing preferences for certain foods (all very messy, of course), but she still only eats a few bites and then fusses to get out of the chair. She never really liked baby food except for the sweet stuff. I know it's a little early to get concerned, but I wonder if I'm going to be one of those muthuhs who end up getting the toddler formula. We tried giving her steamed broccoli the other week. Apparently Taylor (her buddy) loves it, so we thought we'd give it a try. Madeleine made a comical face of disgust, spit it out, and then started screaming. As Jon would say, no manners, but what a critic!

So...Mad-Ag is officially walking! She took her first steps two or three weeks ago, but this past weekend, she started toddling all over the place. At daycare, she now gets to visit the "Ones" room (she can't officially move up until her first birthday) and play with the big kids. I also have to get her a real pair of shoes. It's exciting, but it's also showing the flaw in our babyproofing approach, which involves placing pillows over stuff.

Mad-Ag a couple of weeks ago:

Boy do I know how to dress my kid! (check the socks)

[Alex & Rachel 78]

You're very welcome, Tracy.

Thank you! First doctor's appointment isn't until the 5th of October, gah, so far out! Hopefully everything progresses smoothly.

And hey - the clothes look clean and comfortable, which is all a child needs! And you have socks - our family is always misplacing socks, and growing up I was lucky if I could find a non-holey sock, let alone a matching pair! Our family's dog even went through a period when she was young of eating whole socks.

I dig the bib - orange and pink were actually my wedding colours!

[Fandango 1,439]

Hey all, just a fly by post to say hello and send some out to my fellow mommies. Again, congrats Rachel!!!!

Yay for new jobs Julie! I too have been very busy lately...so much to do and never enough time to do it. It certainly is interesting trying to strike that balance.

Tracy, don't let your neighbor make you feel bad. Some people are domestically inclined like that...and it says nothing about YOUR parenting skills that you're not Suzy Homemaker. I'm sure if you were a SAHM, you'd have a lot more time to do stuff, but part of being a happy mom (imo) is knowing whether you're that type of person or not. I'm probably rambling and perhaps not making sense...but recently, I've come to the realization that I am not a full SAHM...I need adult interaction, I like working. I feel more alive when I'm working deals. I know that sounds bad, but it's true. It's not that I don't love being Nick's mom...but there is more to life than just dishes and Word World and singing about the flipping wheels on the bus.

She made her kids costumes. Well la-de-fricken-da

As a side note (but somewhat related) I just saw this the other day, and lolled big-style:

ps - I'll update on Nick tomorrow. There's so much to say, but we are having his baptism today, so I don't have the time to go into technicolor detail right now

[TracyTN 237]

Hey all, just a fly by post to say hello and send some out to my fellow mommies. Again, congrats Rachel!!!!

Yay for new jobs Julie! I too have been very busy lately...so much to do and never enough time to do it. It certainly is interesting trying to strike that balance.

Tracy, don't let your neighbor make you feel bad. Some people are domestically inclined like that...and it says nothing about YOUR parenting skills that you're not Suzy Homemaker. I'm sure if you were a SAHM, you'd have a lot more time to do stuff, but part of being a happy mom (imo) is knowing whether you're that type of person or not. I'm probably rambling and perhaps not making sense...but recently, I've come to the realization that I am not a full SAHM...I need adult interaction, I like working. I feel more alive when I'm working deals. I know that sounds bad, but it's true. It's not that I don't love being Nick's mom...but there is more to life than just dishes and Word World and singing about the flipping wheels on the bus.

She made her kids costumes. Well la-de-fricken-da

As a side note (but somewhat related) I just saw this the other day, and lolled big-style:

ps - I'll update on Nick tomorrow. There's so much to say, but we are having his baptism today, so I don't have the time to go into technicolor detail right now

OMG that pic is HILARIOUS!!!!! One of my coworkers is PG (due in December) and she's doing natural childbirth. I nearly said 'or so you think.' LOL But I figured that would be mean of me so I said nothing. I just wonder how fast she'll really be asking for drugs. And if not, yes - I suppose she WILL be superior to us all...

And thanks for the comments on the Halloween costumes. I know she didn't mean it in a rub your nose in it sort of way (she was just asking folks what they could go as, and to think of things that might be easier for her to make) - I just felt like a failure all on my own. LMAO!!!

Like you, I definitely do not have the SAHM gene anywhere in my pool. After yesterday (Em up early, Chas catching up on sleep), I was so ready for her to go to bed, it wasn't even funny. Not that I don't enjoy her, but sometimes when she is crabby, and nothing you do makes her un-crabby, I'm just over it.

YAY for Mad-Ag!!! I'm so impressed. Her bun in the oven cousin Emily still remains a crawler with only 4 teeth. Can you say behind much?? She took about 2 steps at my mom's house Saturday but otherwise, she falls to her butt to crawl. I think she just doesn't trust her balance yet. I can only imagine what my bitchy MIL would be saying to me right now if she knew. I'm sure its all my fault somehow. I just dread her 15 month appt if she isn't walking by then. The freaking doc will probably send her for an MRI or some shite. UGH!!! I may put it off until later in October to avoid the lecture.

Loved the pics from Nick's baptism, Lisa.

[Alex & Rachel 78]

Aah, love The Onion!

My mother, being Catholic, felt it was her duty to give birth with no pain relief; she had four of us without, then when she had twins, she was given an epidural. After that she said, 'if they ever offer you an epidural, TAKE IT! Easiest birth ever!'

I am already growing very tired of the nausea and fatigue - still many weeks to go! I'm also crazily missing my family recently. I've never really been homesick before!