Winter Cycle Friends 2009/2010 - Everyone Welcome!

[gi]

Hi ladies,

Sorry for been MIA but jason is soooo busy its hard to get his computer!!!

Babyluv Yeah for sleeping thro the night!!!!!! Ah Kayla still hasnt figured it out yet i try to let her cry but she is too darn hungary she wolfs the bottle down usually with her hands covering her eyes as she is still sooooo tired but needs food!!! Ah yeah she still loves swimming though j has a vomiting bug so we didnt go today but hopefully sometime this week, arent they just so cute in their togs?? I got Kayla a red and white polka dot 2 piece today she is going to look so cute and chubby in it!!

Katie wow he is growing!!!! Oh Kayla has a tushie and love handles ha ha with clothes on she just looks big and solid but naked baby is chubby!!!!! She still insists on eating every 2 hrs even with solids!!!! Hell i gave her porridge and a full 7 0z bottle at 4pm today and she roared for a bottle at 5:45pm and drank the lot!!! the greedy little fecker, everyone has told me eating solids will make a big diff. esp at night....nope she just wants more food....thinking of sending her to Over Eaters anomayous!! Ah katie can you really believe we finally did it, every day is just truly magical. When are you going to go again????? I would love to cycle soon but it will be at least 1.5yrs!

Angela thankfully the constipation has gone and my goodnesss was there an explosion!!!!! Seriously it went thro her baby gro and on my jeans yuk!!! but hey happy baby again!!!!! How are you finding juggling work and motherhood???? I am depressed just thinking about it....7 wks to go and counting

Franca did you manage some sleep???? Is it cause your little one insists on been fed or can you just not sleep????

Poor Kayla was wreaked tonight and had to go to bed at 6:30pm!!! though i reckon she will want a bottle around 1 am an i am guessing an early start tomorrow!! Jason has had vomiting bug all weekend so couldnt handle Kayla he just laid on couch all wkend, i feel sorry for him but my goodness its bloody hard doing absolutly everything cleaning, shopping ironing, baby etc i am whacked!! Oh and Finally got Kayla christened friday night, the poor priest was late as he forgot about it! It was a bit emotional as its only sinking in the journey we went thro. to get her. Right gonna finish me glass of vino and hit the sack as i sense a baby wanting a bottle in the wee hours of the morning....or can i pray that the porridge worked miracles

gi xx

[Stephanieford78]

Quickly stopping in to say hello and I love all you gorgeous mommies! I simply LOVE all the baby photos and videos! PA, I can see you are going to be big with that video camera! Everyone's babies are getting so big so fast! We are all very lucky! I saw some of you posted about the price of progesterone. Can you believe it? More expensive than gold? Girls who are going for another baby need to look in to how this will effect your cycle and savings! Anyway, the twins are doing great and getting chunkier by the day and smiling and giggling up a storm. I think Ethan will be learning to crawl very soon. Lina is still behind him, but hoping she catches up soon. She is just so content and he is a go get 'er. Ok... as much as I want to say more. I have to close my eyes. The time change screwed up our whole schedule today. Back to square one. Right now though... I am going to that square with the sheets and pillow on top of it. Love love love love love!!

Gi, sorry I missed your pm, I replied to your inbox on FB.

[natasha10]

steph- i didnt know there was a problem now with the price of progesterone. im gooing to have to look into, Dh was just asking me last night if we'd have another baby. I was wordless. after my delievery was hell i didnt even think we'd be talking or thinking right now of another. but of course i want to try again in a few years but whoo that threw me off and scared me. I havent even forgot what i went throught i seems like yesterday and to already be discussing when we'd do it again. OH no! frightening. =)

angela- oh no. the daycares i went to were crazy like that. Everyone i went to see to put nataliah in had policy's up the butt. and i hate that. How do you now when your going to be late or sick or anything, they are babies. To be so strict is ridiculous. Ihope you figure it out with them because a great daycare is hard to find. Sounds like otherwise gabriella likes it so it makes you feel good about leaving her there. and thats hard to do as it is. I cant ever get to anappt on time these days. it seems like everytime i want to leave she wants to eat. Im sure its harder cuz im breastfeeding and cant just add some formula to water and walk out. but i just cant believe they hounded you over 15 mins. i would of went off too. thanks the pics just turned out great im happy about them.I hope work and everything gets better for you.

It seems since almost all of us have babies or are pregnant even is just so busy now. I remember quickly sneaking on line to catch up with all of you and i was pages behind. its odd to see how slowly the pages are turning now. I bet eventually everyone will become less busy and hectic once the babies grow. All of you are on FB too huh?

So I have bad news.. the dog is driving me insane. He's in the stage of being an adult =) he's lifting hid leg and peeingon everything. I caught him the other day and now we're wondering how long its been going on. Im making an appt to get him neutered. i cant still stop him from biting. its just getting worse and now he's trying to take off outside the second i open the door. OH i hate this. im thinking of just getting rid of him mat times. he's a hand ful. actually two handfuls lol. more than i thought. I can say i thought having a dog would be easy. i know now.

so sunday is my 1st wedding anniversary. time just flew. it seems like last month we married.

have a great week ladies and dont work to hard.

[karenthescorpio]

Hi ladies. I'm having a baby girl!

[gi]

Karen Congrats thats Fantastic news!!!! Nearly half way there, once you get over your hurdle of 23 wks you will be flying it!!!

Natasha would you try doggie training??? It could do the trick. Cant believe you are nearly a year married, remember last year you had your 2ww during your honeymoon didnt you???

Steph no worries, i am a terrible facebook friend as i rarely log on!!

gi xx

[PA_FA]

Karen- yeaaaaaaaaaaaaa that was the post I was searching for.

You all know i stink at catching up on here.... so much better at fb but I can't tell you all my secrets like I can here.

Natasha- happy anniversary! time does fly huh? I'm sorry about your dog issues. Woah on the baby question...maybe he was just fishing for info??? Your pictures are gorgeous!!!!!!!! Is that the little guy who is giving you all the problems? (The dog I mean)

Steph- I love all of your fb pics. I'm sorry Andrew is gone for a bit now. I know it has to be hard...much harder than when Chris leaves this month for 5 w. I really wish you were closer to the northeast! How long will his deployment be? Any idea?

gi- sorry the priest forgot about the christening. I would have been crying too. Heck, I cry when I read I Love You, Little One to Addison. LOL I hope Jason is feeling better. Barfing is no fun! MMMM...vino. I can't tell you just how happy I am that I can have a glass...or bottle again. Red or white my friend?

Sara- How are the babies? They didn't catch a cold did they? Hope you are doing well!

Babyluv- yes, off for a year. Thank God...it's getting off to a bang! Everything seems so upside down right now...more on that in my update. Yea for sleeping through the night. I wonder when my chunky monkey will do that?

Anglea- I am glad Gabriella is feeling better and I am so happy to hear it is not RSV. I told you on FB but I'll say it again...WTG on the trip to Costa Rica! If you are a coffee drinker they have great coffee!
Katie- You are right...yea for healthy babies. I marvel all the time at what we all went through. No tushie huh? Maybe you could stuff his pants with toilet paper for a funny picture to torture him with when he's older?

Franca- Are you sleeping yet love?

AFM- WOW I have not had a chance to really post since I gave birth a month ago. I'm so sorry!!!!!!!
I'm just going to start at the beginning with quick updates. So much has happened I'm afraid I won't get to update before Addy wakes up.
I'm not even sure if I updated you all after she was born...I was in a drug haze for a solid week. When she was 12hrs old she went to NICU for hypoglycemia...low blood sugar. We got her back 30hrs later. Then she got jaundice. That wasn't too bad and we went home on day 4. (Feb 13) We gave her her first sponge bath a few days later. She hated it and started crying. My mother-in-law ripped her out of my arms while I was bathing her and said I had to comfort her. Um...no...I'm the mom. I just wanted to get it over with so I could dress her again and warm her up. Crying was not hurting her. But BOY was I PISSED that my hubby's mom did that. Chris didn't even say anything to stop her. UGH.
5 days after I got home I ended back in the ER. The Dr thought I was having a heart attack. They ran a bunch of tests...no heart attack, no stroke, no pulmonary embolism. My heart rate was in the 40s. It was so scary. I thought I was going to die and leave Addison without a Mommy. I just kept thinking...God...all we did to get here and have this baby, I just can not die and leave her alone. It was horrible. OK I'm sitting here crying as I type this remembering how scared I was. the Dr said that my heart was weak from surgery and giving birth. It should resolve itself in 6-8weeks. In the meantime I need to reduce my stress...HA that's not going to happen. I did stop taking the pain pills they gave me and it seemed to make my heart rate go back to normal.

After 2 weeks my mother-in-law went home. That night my mom fell twice and ended up in the hospital. She was admitted for 5 days. Oh did I mention that the first week home for me...along with the ER...I caught a cold too? Right...back to my mom. She ended up going to physical therapy. The same kind as she had back in November. She wanted to go to a different place though so she went to a nursing home that does PT/OT. She and us have decided that she will live there permanently. She has been getting more and more confused lately. Her neurologist thinks it is the MS and the other Drs and nurses think it is early dementia. 4 days before she went to the hospital she called us at 1am. It was the first night I had given up Addy to my MIL so we could sleep the entire night. So mom calls at 1am asking us to come get a dessert she just baked and take out her trash. She thought it was 1PM on Tuesday her trash day. It was 1AM on Sunday. UM...right. While she was in the hospital she would take off her oxygen at night and walk around. The head nurse found her twice looking for her kitchen so she could bake something. That kind of sealed the deal. She could really hurt herself or others if this behavior keeps going on at home. So now I am trying to close out her condo and get her moved into the nursing home. It's so hard to do it all by myself with a baby and hubby flying all the time. He leaves for TX in 2 weeks then I'll be alone trying to pack and move my mom's stuff. I need a nannny.

So Addison...oh God she's amazing. When she first wakes up she stretches and makes these cute faces while she keeps her eyes closed. Then she finally opens them and looks at me and smiles. It's like she's thinking, OH it's you! I know you! It just makes me melt. So she was 9lb6oz at birth and then dropped to 8lb14oz at day 5. By day 12 she was back up to 9lb8oz and 23inches. TODAY....oh wait ladies....she weighs in at 12lb2oz!!!!!!!!! OMG She's only 4w4d. I asked the nurse if she was eating too much. She said no...she's just healthy. Well, I'd say so. No length check today...just weight and her second Heb B shot.

I think that's all of the updates for me. Sorry it has taken me so long to update all of you. I think about you all constantly and love seeing the FB updates. I will still continue to post on here because like I said before I can't say all of this on FB. I would tell you all anything...but not the other 400 people on my FB list. LOL (Lots of work people)

SOOOOOOOO...Steph is headed to PA this summer. How many of you would be interested in meeting up? I know a lot of us live in NJ/NY and OH.

[gi]

Goodness PA it never rains but pours for you!!!! What an eventful month you have had, you must have been so terrified in hospital but i am glad to hear all is ok, little Addisson needs her mammy!!! Think all MILs can be annoying while jasons mam means the best in the world sometimes she drives me mad eg. Kayla is starting to make strange lately esp with jasons parents (i think the shout rather than talk to her and frighten the life out of her) so jasons mam decided the best way to hold her was to have her in a standing position on her (j's mams) legs and cover her eyes! well Kayla freaked out, i wasnt there but jason told her to hold her right she was frightening the life out of her! and she is constantly telling me i have her to warm, too cold, spoiled etc i feel bad giving out as she genuinely is a nice lady! Oh and also jasons dad told up till friday he was very worried about Kaylas ability to focus or concentrate now for goodness sake she passed her tests recently with flying colours and she is only 15wks old she has the concentration level of a bloody goldfish at this age!!! ok finished venting ha ha. I hope your mam is ok but it is the right decision to put her in a home, you have your own busy life now and Addisson needs you, it will be tough seeing her in a home but its best for all.

gi xx p.s red wine my friend i have a glass every night....actually jason has literally handed me one just now!!!!

[katie99]

Hi everyone

Grrr, typical, I just wrote a long post and we have that rolling ball type of mouse that gets sticky easily? so of course in my ultimate wisdom I turned it over to wipe it off and lost my post! Oh how that irritates me!

Sara - Oh, honey, I'm with you - I have no idea how they're growing so fast! Why cant they just stay this little for longer? How are you handling twins and being back at school? You must be running nonstop all the time. How are those cuties doing? - xoxo

Natasha - Wow, married one year already? jeez, where does the time go? I loved the pictures you posted, you have a beautiful family! As for your puppy, I think Gi is right. Even if you just have a few professional training sessions it should help alot since they'll teach you how to respond to behaviors that arent acceptable. Some dogs are just more willful than others, but with the proper training he will get whats expected of him and you'll all be happier then. How is mommyhood going? - xoxo

Angela - Oh, honey I'm sorry to hear that your day care center is giving you a hard time, I mean sometimes schedules change, run late and you shouldnt have to feel like you're interruppting their day. I hope that it gets settled since both you & Miss Gabriella like it there. Aw, speaking of Gabriella, her picture on FB in her little dress? She is such a cutie pie! Love it! xoxo

Babyluv- I'm with you girl, I've been in Spring cleaning mode also, unfortunately the weather isnt anything but cold & damp here though, I know the warm weather is coming, i just wish it would hurry up! It sounds like Amelia & Juliette are doing great and Yay for sleeping all night for mommy! We love them so much, but I'd love you more after a full nights sleep, right? lol. - xoxo

Gi - Aw, I cant believe the priest forgot Kayla's christening, thankfully he remembered before it had to be reschedules though! What a disaster that would have been! Well, Kayla beat Ryan, we still havent booked a date for his. We were waiting for better weather, but he's 4.5 months already so it needs to be done soon. jeez how does time pass so fast these days? Aw you have to post a picture of her in her little two piece bathing suit - she must be adorable!
- xoxo Go enjoy your glass of vino! Hi to your Mam- xoxo

Steph - How are you holding up twin mama? You poor thing, I wish we didnt live so far away, it must feel like you never get a moment to yourself. I cant believe that Ethan is ready to start crawling already - you arent kidding when you say he likes to go fast! At the rate he's been going he's likely to be walking by 8-10 months, do you think? Aw, yeah, isnt it appalling about the P17 progesterone shot? I cannot fathom how 1 drug company can have the only rights to make something as important as to help prevent preterm labor? And its absolutely disgusting that they are allowed to price gouge like that! It doesnt affect the regular PIO that most ivf patients take, but its a particular compound thats used with patients who are predisposed to PTL. and they have to nerve to lie and say that they will "help" out patients that cant afford to buy it - yeah, sure they will, after raising their price from $15 up to $1500!!??? yeah, I believe they "care" about money only. I dont see how things like this arent illegal? sigh. sorry to rant, but this topic is definitely under my skin and I really feel badly for anyone affected by it, its such a shame. Hang in there honey, we all know that you're our version of Superwoman but even SuperWoman needs a break too sometimes right? Much love- xoxoxo

PA - Whoa, you've had waaay too much going on around you for the first month home with the beautiful Miss Addison. And right at the time when you walk around like a zombie totally sleep deprived too. I'm sorry honey, you have to try and get rest whenever you can, ok? Holy moley! that cutie pie is 12lbs already?! Wow! Ryan was 12lbs at his 2 month appt. You have a strong healthy growing girl there! They all grow at their own pace, but its fun to see the differences between all our babies too, isnt it? Whew for your MIL going home after stressing you like that! Sometimes I wish that either one of us had some family, but you cant miss what you never had and when I hear how uncomfy some visits are? well then I think that maybe its fine and besides friends become family anyway. How is she liking the mamaroo? Ryan is about to outgrow his swing and boy was that a lifesaver when he was first home to about 12 weeks! Now its all about the jumpy chair, though I'd like to pich up something else to add the the baby "circuit" haha.Haha, now that Ryan is in size 3 pampers it looks like he has a tooshie, but nope theres no tooshie to speak of yet. Try to get some rest mama, I know its hard to deal with your mom's things too, but it sounds like it worked out for the best, she'll be well looked after and safe and thats a huge relief for you. - xoxo

AFM - Nothing is new really. I'm just lost in Mommyland and I love every minute of it. Ryan is doing great and finally is enjoying solids. Well, ok, so he still doesnt like bananas, but sweet potatoes, peaches and oatmeal seem to be a big hit. Odd, I dont care too much for thwe taste of bananas either. He does the same as PA's DD with the cutie pie stretches and then finally the open eyes and smiles all around. I'm not a morning person, but seeing his smiles first thing when he wakes up sure does change that I tell you. Now for the rest of the day he still just takes cat naps until his eyelids look purple from him being so tired but refusing to just give in and take a nap already.Its like he thinks he's going to miss someting if he sleeps. So when it looks like he's wearing purple eyeshadow,I know its overdue, lol. He is still a drooling factory, all day everyday I think teething cant be too far off for him to be running like a faucet all day. So Umm, from what I've heard about them being a crankypants for teething I cant say that I'm looking forward to it. His new game is to see how many times I can bend over in a day, fun yes? he wants his toys and then throws them down and looks down at them until I get them back for him, funny at first, but after 50 times or so? umm, not so much. I'm so lucky to have a happy "easy" baby since he really doesnt cry often, he smile most of the time. Well, now he's discovered screaming, like this high pitched squealing sound? too funny! I usually ask him if he's practicing to be an opera singer and he smiles and laughs more. His sense of comedic timing is still dead on, sometimes I wonder if he knows exactly what I'm saying to him? It sure seems it sometimes. So i'll be 41 next week - ugh. But since time isnt on my side anymore I feel the need to not wait too long to try for a sibling. Yes, I am crazy, I know. So if all goes well i'll have a 1.5 year old and a newborn? Whew! i'll surely be kept on my toes, yes? Strangely, this doesnt freak me out - I cant wait actually. I'd like to get an RE appt for April and if my RE's schedule lines up with my AF, then maybe I could transfer around May? Eeeeek, this is too exciting!! Of course it all depends on how booked my RE is and how long he'll want to suppress me, and I know its early ladies but I'm all over this! i'm still holding back from posting on the IVF cycling threads though, i think its too soon yet, and lets face the fact that lately I suck as a cylce buddy - but Mister Ryan is soooo cute, how can I not be sucked into babyland 24/7? We all came so far to get here and you all mean alot to me, I never would have made it through 7 attempts without you girls and this forum - much love to you all - xoxoxoxo

[rayofsunshine]

Hi ladies!

Karen-WooHoo for our next cutie patootie girl Time is just flying by-I'm sure you are anxious and excited for time to go quickly and bring the beautiful girl into your arms. Do you have a name already picked out? How are you feeling these days?

Babyluv-It sounds like everyone is doing so well. I think I might have to take on the challenge of letting Jake cry it out-Laney sleeps through the night but Jake still wakes up screaming for food. He does go right back to sleep after eating so I haven't done much to break the cycle I read your FB post out loud about a Disney trip to meet up-my daughter was ready to pack her bag. She thinks that would be awesome (she has been saving her pennies for that trip for quite some time!)

Steph-How are you doing without Andrew? I think we'd all like to be close enough to help out. You do still have your friend living with you, right? Hopefully that is helpful for you. It seems crazy that Ethan is close to crawling. Isn't it funny how differently the babies' personalities/growth are from each other?

Katie-I am SO EXCITED for you and the next go around with IVF. You are a wonderful mom and Ryan's brother/sister will be so lucky to join your family. I'm with Ryan...I have to force myself to eat bananas because they are not very high on my list. We have stuck with cereal but haven't added veggies or fruits. I think we'll start this week since I have time at home during our spring break vacation.

PA-My heart goes out to you. You have been through so much lately. I am so glad you are enjoying being a mommy and having those beautiful moments with Addison. She is such a doll! A nanny would be a beautiful thing, wouldn't it?! I hope things settle now with your mom and her living situation. I'm sure that was a very hard position to be in but she needs that additional help and you have so much to juggle already.

Gi-Kayla and my Jake would get along famously...both LOVE their food! I give both babies cereal and Jake is the one who hogs it down and still wants more. I feel like he is an endless pit for food. Is Kayla still enjoying swimming? How is Jason feeling? I hate the stomach flu so I feel for him!

Natasha-I'm sorry your puppy is still giving you fits. The puppy training may be a good option-it is so hard to do everything yourself with the baby. Happy wedding anniversary-how exciting!!

Angela-Did you work out the daycare issues? I still can't believe they would care if she comes late. I hope everything has worked out for you and that stress is lifted. Are you at home for now or are back to traveling?

AFM-We are on spring break right now so we went to my parents this last weekend. A 5 hour car ride is still not my idea of fun but the babies did well. We had 4 month check ups today. Jake weighed 15'14" and Laney weighed 15 lbs even. What chunky babies!!! They did well with shots and seem to be pretty healthy right now. I'll have to post more later...Jake is demanding food right now

[Stephanieford78]

Karen - A GIRL! How exciting! Did you call to confirm as well? I remember you saying you wanted to do that to prevent a oops like Katie had. lol Congratulations!!! Now to buy pinks and purples!

Sara - I am doing well without him, just lonely at night though. I think with as much as we have been apart, this is nothing. I just don't like not being bale to talk to him. I have things I need to tell him and ask him and I can't. No fun! As for my friend, she can't really help me. I am the one always helping her. One kid is overwhelming to her plus she works. So the only time she really helps is to watch the babies while I take a shower.

Katie - I am just fine. I am a still suffering from cabin fever, but Amy and I are going shopping tomorrow so maybe that will help. I need a few things for sure. Ethan is right on track if not just slightly behind my other three. I was reading Alex's baby book last night and it said at 6 months she was crawling and pulling herself up with the help of furniture. So I think that is where Ethan is headed. Lina is still behind, she just doesn't have the same go get 'em attitude, yet anyway. The prog issue is something that can really get any one of us upset. I am glad to know it doesn't effect you though. I didn't know that the PIO was different. WHEW!

Pa - Andrew is just away for training right now. He will be back in April. He doesn't leave for a few more months for his deployment. He will be gone for a year when that comes.

Natasha - I forgot to mention how awesome your pics look! I'm sorry about the dog issues. I am sure you will make the right decision for you on what to do with him. Maybe getting fixed will calm him down? I know smaller dogs are harder to potty train, but each breed and each dog is different. Hope it all works out!

Ok ladies... time for sleep. I have a lot to do tomorrow and the babies are asleep. YAY! No staying up till 2am after the 10pm feeding. I am loving the 8 o'clock schedule!!

[Franca]

Hello girls

This time last year we were all stressing about our ivf treatments, some of us were injecting our hormones and some of us either in our 2ww or just confirmed pregnant. Now look at us we have our precious babies ...amazing what we all went through, some highs and some lows. Did any of you even slightly imagine from last year that we will be here chatting about labour or why won't baby sleep? We all really did look out for eachother and i'v never had so much love and support for something so important as this. I mean we've not even met. I'm so proud of us all it really gives me joyful tears. I hope that we do meet and keep in touch because i know for a fact that i couldn't never forget you all. You have been here for the most important part of my life. I just want to say thankyou and i love you and i truely mean it.
friends forever

xxxxxxx

ps sleep is bit better
xx

[PA_FA]

Awe Franca you made me cry. I feel the same way too. I would go out of my way to do anything for you all. Love you too honey! I promise as soon as I start flying again my first trip will be London. (then Ireland Gi)

Katie- not sure if you saw my post on FB today. I took Addison to "meet her maker". (Not in the True Blood sense for those of you who watch the show) LOL Anyhow, Dr's wife was not there but I saw Dr and Jane. He gave me a huge hug when I left and it was all I could do not to start crying. I feel like I owe him everything. I know we all cooked our babies but he put them there. I am so grateful for Drs like him.

AFM- My photographer posted a link to a couple of pics of Addison. I guess the rest are not ready yet? I just wanted to share the link with you all. Much love! XOXO

http://www.neussephotography.net/?p=3937

[angelaezra]

Babyluv – I hope I don’t have to switch daycares either because I really like the care they are providing her. I picked her up a little early yesterday and she didn’t know that I was there yet … and the lead teacher was changing her diaper and laughing and talking with her. All I could hear is her laughing and I saw her smiling, so I know she is growing attached to them also. But, I can’t continue to be so stressed about getting her there on time in the mornings! So I will have to just play it by ear I guess.

Gi – I think juggling motherhood and working extremely hard if you get out of your routine. It is very hard to do it all but it definitely gets a lot easier once you find a routine and stick with it. But, there are days when I still feel like I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off but it is making me extremely organized…

Stephanie – the twins are just growing so quickly! I am glad things are going well for you guys. So you think Ethan will be crawling soon … it is just so unbelievable because it seems like he was just born! The time is just flying by…

Natasha – Happy anniversary! Wow, your first year just flew by didn’t it? Believe me; the rest will go by just as quickly too! It will be 11 years for us in June and I really can’t believe that more than a decade has passed since we said “I do”!

I have been asking about getting a dog and my DH says the same thing that you are talking about. He says depending on what kind of dog you get and their personality and training, they can be very overwhelming when trying to raise a newborn. I never grew up with a dog but he has had one all of his life as a child. So maybe we will get one when she is a little older.

Karen – OMG – I am just so very thrilled for you! You are going to LOVE buying her outfits. The clothes they make for girls are so darn cute!!! Now, if I can just stay out of those stores! I went to go buy Gabriella her first fancy dress and $100 dollars later I left with the dress, hair bow, stockings, socks, and sweater! Ok, I know it is insane since she probably will not be able to fit it in a few months. But, I wanted a nice dress for our wedding reception that we went to last weekend and her uncle’s wedding in Canada in May. I hope you are still feeling great!

PA_FA – Thanks again for the congrats! I am so conflicted because we want to take Gabriella but I am worried about her catching something from Costa Rica. I asked her pediatrician and he said that he wouldn’t recommend it because she is too small right now. He also said that most foreign countries recommend certain immunizations and that she is too little to even get the shots. So I think we will have to leave her with my parents and my sister. But, we will miss her soooo much! What do you think? Have you been there before?

I would have been furious with my mother-in-law if she would have done that too. You might have to set boundaries with her in the near future!!!! I can see her getting worse with not only the advice but her actions. I was just talking about this very thing with my manager. It seems like all I heard before she was born was “when am I going to have a grandchild” and now it is “you should be doing this or that”.

I am sorry that you had to make the difficult decision about putting your mom in the nursing home but I think you did the right thing. I haven’t had a chance to mention it because of insane work schedule but we had to put my grandmother in a nursing home about 3 weeks ago too. She kept falling at her apartment and was getting more and more confused. I think she was so confused that she kept overdosing on her medications because she would forget that she already took them. My mom tried everything possible but it just got too much for my mom and dad to handle! She still thinks that she is going back to her apartment after she gets a little stronger but I think she will be there permanently because it is just too dangerous by herself!

I am so glad that you are feeling better! I would have been scared also. But, you are right that giving birth takes a lot out of a woman so please, please take it easy!

Katie – Thank you regarding her dress! I am certainly enjoying motherhood for sure. I try to take her everywhere with me. I even took her to work with me today because I planned on taking a vacation day but several physicians have been asking me to bring her in so I took her to a few offices today.

OMG – it is time to cycle already? It seems like the time just flew by. Katie that is so very exciting. I have to admit that we have been talking about a sibling for Gabriella also. So I think next February I will try a FET because I have 6 frozen embryos left. I can’t wait to follow your pregnancy! Happy early birthday!!!!

Sara – so far so good with the daycare but then again I haven’t had to bring her late lately but I am sure it is coming! I sure hate that I am having problems as I like her teacher but oh well, if I have to find another center then so be it. I can’t believe that the babies are 15 pounds already!! I just took Gabriella when she was 13 weeks and she was only 10 pounds … lol. I think she will be a little baby! I hope you enjoyed your spring break!!!

Franca – I feel the same way about you ladies also! I don’t think I would have ever made it through my nail biting pregnancy without you guys! I do think about what you said about last year and it does seem so crazy that now our babies are finally here!!!! I just love it!!

AFM – sorry that I have been MIA but being back at work is so overwhelming! I am so glad that it is finally Friday but it seems like the weekend just flies by! We are getting ready to leave in a few weeks for Costa Rica and like I told PA … debating whether or not to take her with us. Her passport finally came in a few weeks ago but my concern is catching something because it does have a jungle atmosphere. Other than that, everything seems to be going well. She finally has gotten over her cold and back to her happy self! Well have a great night ladies!

Angela

[karenthescorpio]

Hi ladies. Thanks for all the sweet messages about baby girl. Her first name will be Gemma, which means precious gem. It's Latin and mostly used in Italy, Spain and now England. I am not sure of her middle name yet...but it can't start with an "A", b/c then her initials would be GAS....and I just can't do that to her. HEHEHE

My dear MIL has gone off the deep end and started buying little Gemma dresses...I mean fancy, organza, poofy, dresses. I've already received 5 and it's just been a week since we told her she's having a grand-daughter. hehehe. I suppose little Gemma will look fabulous in her first few photo sessions, since the dresses are for 0-3 months. She won't be doing much. I told MIL no more dresses for this age group. Plus she'll arrive in the heat of summer and I can't think of anything worse than wearing a poofy dress in July/August!

I'm getting more excited about her arrival. Once I hit 24 weeks I'll start shopping for the necessities...like furniture, stroller, car seat, etc. It's going to be so much fun!

So speaking of baby supplies, what are the most practical and best strollers? I keep leaning towards a city mini and thought I'd also get one of those snap-n-go's so I can just keep her in her car seat in the early months. I figure you ladies are the best one's to ask since you are living the reality now.

So this week is my 21st week! Only 16 more to go! YEAH!!!! Starting to feel lots of little pokes and flutters. Such an amazing thing!

Katie- I understand the desire to get moving on a sibling for Ryan. I'll be 41 in November and really want to give my little girl a sibling too. I have 4 great frosties just waiting to be born. I'll be sending you positive vibes for everything to fall into place.

Also- I'd love to meet up when Steph comes to PA. I live in NJ near NYC. My only concern is that baby girl will be a newborn and I'm not sure how we will all be doing. I'll just have to play it by ear! xoxo
xoxo
Karen

[PA_FA]

Angela- I have not been to Costa Rica but I really want to go! Chris has been a few times for work. Honestly, being a tropical local, I would not take my child there yet. I've been to Belize a number of times and in the jungle areas the mosquitoes are horrible. I took malaria meds before we left for the trip. I'm not sure if a baby could even get that medicine. I hope you have a wonderful time. Take lots of pictures for facebook!

Karen- Too funny about MIL. At least you know not to have too much 0-3mo stuff. I have soooooooo much and now Addison is in 6mo. I'm glad you thought about initials. LOL GAS would not be very good. Of course we will have to see how you are doing when Steph gets up here. There are a few of us close to you up here. Just yell if you ever need anything. I drive 78 in my sleep practically.

AFM- Here is the dirt I can't or won't post on FB. Saturday night I spent the entire evening in the Children's ER with Addison. My poor baby is sick. She has diarrhea and has been vomiting. It just breaks my heart...I mean she's only 5w old. She just looks so sad like why is this happening to me. I feel horrible. I have tried to make sure that no one was around her if they were sick. She was getting very dehydrated and once she vomitted on me on Sat. that was it. I loaded her up and drove to the ER. We were there for 6 hours getting her full of fluid. Luckily she was able to drink 11oz of pedialyte so they did not have to put an IV in her and we didn't have to get admitted. After we got home I set my alarm to wake her for a feeding. Normally she wakes on her own. Not this time. She scared Mommy so bad. She did not want to wake up for food at all. She was still so lethargic. UGH I HATE THIS! On Sunday she started feeling better a bit. (I think) She hasn't had diarrhea since Sunday morning but her fever was almost 100 in the afternoon. She did ok last night but I had to wake her for feeding again. The last time she vomited on me was around noon today. I just want to put her in a bubble.
Well, that's all for me. Love you all! XOXO