shannonabigail we buy a lot on iTunes and I get iTunes gift cards at Costco. They are usually 90$ for 100$ on iTunes. We wait for a sale and stock up - 80$ for 100$. Movie tickets, restaurants, skiing/ snowboarding packs, and stuff like that are great deals if you are already spending on those things. Some things are good in bulk - diapers, toilet paper, and non parishable items. We bought a chest freezer and buy meats there. We also do a weekly fruit. Buy bulk of one kind of fruit and eat it for a week in different ways. I can't say we have saved money per se bc we haven't checked but we spend less on months where we do a Costco run.
Ugh joi922, that sounds horrible and stressful. Hopefully they can figure it out and recover your work!
htuzzi324, I'm right there with you. I don't remember the last time I showered but M has been so clingy and I hate hearing her scream too. Even when my H takes her for a few minutes when he gets home, I can't relax because she's wailing and it makes me sad/tense.
I got a 5 hour stretch of sleep last night! Way better than the 1-2 hours we've been going the past week. But then she woke up at 3:30am and hasn't gone back to sleep... It's going to be a long day
I also can't stand hearing her scream, even when she is with MH. We have been trying to let her cio in his arms, which isn't really cio, but feels like it! Although it was pretty funny when last night I was making dinner and she was screaming in his arms so he was trying to sing I've Been Working On the Railroad (one of the songs I always sing to her) and failing miserably because he doesn't know the lyrics
joi922 this whole email thing baffles me. Has no one ever been gone for 60 days before?
ChrissDee do you bring lo with you around the ranch?
oopsiedaisies I expect pictures of your Tula! What's coming?
We are on duty for 5 days a week, 24 hours a day, so we live at the ranch. So yes, Ellie is always here with us. Some of the changes I am concerned about involve more dangerous or unpredictable children being admitted to our facility. My first priority is the safety of my own child and if it becomes a situation where I feel she is being put at risk, DH and I will have to find another job. But, like I said, we live here so that would also mean finding a house too.
I used to work for an organization that ran a group home. It's tough work so good for you and your husband. At least for us we were often pressured by the state to take kids outside our comfort zone, perhaps that is happening here. Still, no matter the reason you have to put Ellie first. Good luck!
Post by shannonabigail on Oct 28, 2015 9:40:09 GMT -5
If you have a minute could you vote for Owen to be the next Gerber baby? You can vote every day, so if you want to bookmark it, go for it. I'll only be posting this once, so don't worry about me spamming the daily randoms each day. Thanks!
motownthrowdown, FX for a postive MRI today! And who cares if it looks weird feeling her head. Y'all are obviously doing it right. Supermom!
tmclawchick Sam's has a lot of stuff not in bulk too, like a package of 2 shampoos/soap/toothbrushes, clothes, WINE, electronics for cheaper. Their tire place is usually cheaper and I like the service there. It's a good place to stock up on things like paper towels and toilet paper, laundry detergent, meat, etc. They're not sold in like packages of 20, it's more like packages of 2 or 4.
@aliam20, stay dry.
runningmommy519, Batman is not violent! He's a hero! A protector! A dark knight! lol
Oh for the moms who can't shower, you guys have probably already tried this, but have you taken the baby into the bathroom with you in a bouncy chair or something? I put E in her chair in the bathroom, turn the fan and water on, and she sits in there staring at her toys while I shower. She like the white noise of the fan and water, so she stays calm.
I did all the laundry and cleaned the kitchen yesterday so today is cleaning the house and bathrooms. How do 2.2 people make so many dirty clothes??? How does the 0.2 person have the most dirty clothes?? I want to go to the park but it's raining. Boo. Oh and there's a stupid fucking mosquito in the house and I can't find it and it's bitten me 14 times since yesterday. WTF@#*(%RYIUFJKSA.
telos oh yeah, hugest stink possible. The head of my division informed the other attorney managers and our general counsel of the issue at a meeting on Monday, and now IT is bearing the brunt of ALL the Office of the General Counsel's wrath. It's easy to ignore one attorney complaining - harder to ignore the GC and all the managers. I think we're all just flabbergasted that this was even possible, and royally pissed that we were never informed of the policy to begin with. IT has tried to shift the blame to me and my supervisor, saying we should have informed them I was going on leave. Well... IT should have informed us that this policy even existed. But there should still be a redundancy here - even if we don't say anything, IT should check before deleting accounts. But yeah, we're one of the largest groups of attorneys in my Agency, and I have work that involves virtually every major division in the Agency that is now gone. I also regularly work with another agency on my cases in federal court, and now the work I've done with that agency is gone too, so it's not just an internal problem. Livid doesn't even begin to describe it. We'll also be meeting with IT to discuss (ahem, inform them) that this policy is shittastic and violates our records retention policies. I.e., cease and desist being fuckwads and acting without agency approval when it comes to agency records.
Silver lining - one of my other coworkers also just went out on extended leave for a double knee replacement. She'll be out 3 months, and has been with the Agency 30 years. So at least we knew to have her account backed up while she's out so we don't lose her several decades worth of work, too.
I'm so excited. DH bought tickets for us to Cavalia. It's like cirque du soleil but with horses! It's going to be so nice!
I do hate pumping though! Trying to get enough for my friend to babysit. I really need to build a stash so I'm not scrambling to pump each time I want to go out.
I also need to make cookies for ds Halloween party, walk to the dentist with both kids, and clean the house. Haha noooooooo.
Omg. I'm seriously so jealous!!! I've watched some of their shows on TV (thank though RFD TV!). Horses and riders are talented! It's amazing to watch. Have lots of fun!!!
Oh for the ladies who shop at Costco, I'm looking into a membership there but was wondering about the meats there. Do they sell organic/vegetarian fed/cage free meat at Costco? Mainly chicken?
runningmommy519 I'm also writing a letter to DS1's pre-K teacher today because, two days in a row, he's come home with super sugary snacks in his bag. On Monday, three big cookies. On Tuesday, a fruit roll-up and two rolls of Smarties. (Haven't they learned anything from the Very Hungry Caterpillar?) Not to mention that today there's a party with candy and treats and tomorrow is trick-or-treat for our district...
I asked them if they were for birthdays, and DS1 said no, they're just "snacks." The parents' bring snacks for the whole class on a rotation for one snack time and the childcare and school provides all of the other snacks. I know that the childcare-provided snacks are good, because they post them on the parents' portal (peppers and hummus, multi-grain muffin and apple butter, etc.) The only guideline for parents-provided snacks is "two food groups." Anyway, I'm going to ask her to put those "snacks" in the parent mailbox and not send them home with DS1 anymore. It causes HUGE fights with DS1 and DD. And if I try to take it away, DS1 gets really angry and violent. Sending it home with the kid is a false choice, because once you put it in the kid's bag, the kid owns it.
Anyway, my letter to the teacher is like, one little sentence, "please put in parents' mailbox." Thanks for letting me say here what I really want to say...
@piedpiper07 yeah, when we were on the rotation for snack time, I sent in baby carrots and string cheese (from Costco!). They sent most of the carrots back home with us because the kids wouldn't eat them. (Why don't they send the sugary snacks back home to the sugary snack parents??)
The kicker is, we have a bento-style lunchbox and I always used to put just 2 or 3 chocolate chips in the small center compartment as a little something sweet. The teachers don't let him eat that at school, though. Can't win.
I keep complaining that my clothes don't fit and I still have half my baby weight to lose. Also that we spend too much money on eating out. Breakfast this morning? Hit up Starbucks for a caramel machiatto and croissant. Sigh.
I keep complaining that my clothes don't fit and I still have half my baby weight to lose. Also that we spend too much money on eating out. Breakfast this morning? Hit up Starbucks for a caramel machiatto and croissant. Sigh.
Same struggle except mine is candy. Because Halloween.
Post by skinandbones on Oct 28, 2015 10:37:04 GMT -5
So Little Bones's eye looked a little red last night. Dh was all "he's just tried." His eye still looked a little red this morning. I brushed it off because day care hasn't had any pink eye. So I thought. I just checked his daily sheet from the other day online. There has been a confirmed case. It doesn't say who it was but I think it's DS's buddy. I really hope he doesn't get it.
I have a roller. He rolled 5 times this morning. As a FTM I'm all yay. As someone who knows a tiny bit about babies I'm like crap.
Edit: Back to belly.
LOL I was so excited when DD1 started rolling at 5 months, mostly because my mom kept acting like she was delayed because my niece rolled so much sooner. DD2 is trying really hard now and I'm secretly dreading it. She sleeps great at night swaddled and I don't want to have to stop.
Get the Halo swaddle sack because then you can swaddle but they are safe for rollers. I'm afraid of mobile babies. I liked being able to set him down and him not move. Now? Constant vigilance.
I know, right @mrspanpan? See? All the lawyers and HR folks are super fired up about this for you joi922. You're making a big stink, right? You're creating a record of whose fault it is? Oh man, I would be SO angry.
runningmommy519 I don't think batman is violent. Did they give superheroes as an example? Batman fights crime with the police...
I relate to you in so many ways here. My DS1 also "fights bad guys" and shoots guns all of the time. It's just something little boys do. Even pretend guns he makes with his hands, though, I don't let him point at other children unless they are actively pretending and participating in the game with him. That's got to be something teachers are used to. They're little boys.
Also, I hate that they pass out candy at school. Don't they get enough of it on trick or treat? My DS1 had dental surgery less than a year ago and he's still not allowed to have certain types of candy. So many huge battles! This time of year isn't fun.
My mil wouldn't give H a fake gun when he was a kid until she came out one time and he was using a stick as a gun while all the other kids had fake ones. She realized at that point that he would turn anything into a gun. I think it's just something kids do.
Post by runningmommy519 on Oct 28, 2015 11:18:24 GMT -5
I think I need to clarify. There will be no food or candy coming home. There is a no food policy because of allergies. What I do not want is a bunch of cheap toys that I'm going to throw out anyway.
kaeguri, my baby loves water, so as soon as he figures out he's not getting in too, which is beginning shorter and shorter, he starts screaming again.
Ah. Mine hasn't learned to equate the sound of the shower with bath time yet. I still bathe her in the kitchen sink, so the water sounds different I guess?
Regarding rolling over, I'm hoping she'll take after me and not roll til she's 9 months haha. I was too fat to roll over until then. E isn't nearly as big as I was when I was a baby, so she'll probably roll sooner. MIL is convinced she's going to start crawling soon, bc when E is laying on her tummy she kicks her legs constantly like she's crawling. I hope not. I like knowing exactly where she is. Also, I haven't child proofed the house yet.
As of right now, A is still acting like herself. Last time, she was hysterical for most of the day (probably because she had a headache from the pressure). If they do surgery tomorrow like they plan to, it will be exactly 2 months since her last one.
MRI this afternoon. Our options are to put in 2 shunts, one in each ventricle, or poke holes in the membrane that divides them. The meningitis caused scarring that prevents the fluid from going freely between ventricles. Quick neurology lesson: ventricles are like water balloons full of brain Gatorade. They fill themselves and drain out (ideally). Hers don't drain like they should, so the balloons get bigger and bigger, pushing on her brain. The shunt pokes into the balloon and drains it. Normally, draining one will drain the other, but with her scarring, that doesn't happen.
I can't believe how quickly this has become "normal" for us. I mean, we're very worried about long term effects on her brain and we'd prefer that she didn't need brain surgery for the third time, but we're functioning pretty well. I think the fact that she's so happy and obviously not uncomfortable is helping immensely.
This is fascinating. How do you make a decision? Is one procedure riskier than the other?
Post by motownthrowdown on Oct 28, 2015 11:59:49 GMT -5
2dumbdogs the mri today will help her neurosurgeon decide if she's a candidate for the hole-poking option. The scarred wall needs to be relatively thin or it won't work, the hole will kind of suck itself closed.
The decision is based on several things. Putting in another shunt would mean an increased chance of shunt failure because there would be two instead of one. Shunts can mechanically malfunction, get clogged, or break down. The tubing will also need to be extended as she grows. The tube runs from her head down her neck to her stomach (all inside her body) and drains. As she gets taller, she'll eventually need more tubing.
Shunts can also get infected. Infection is obviously not good, because she could get meningitis again. If the shunt got infected, they would have to take it all out, put her on antibiotics, and put it back in.
The hole-poking method is a physical solution to the problem. Instead of shunting fluid out, you make the fluid able to flow to the shunt (like it does in normal people). The holes are made in a membrane between the hemispheres of the brain, like the white stuff between orange slices. It has no neurons or active function, so this would not cause physical problems for A. Problems with this method include a 50/50 failure rate in someone like her (age, mostly), creating debris that can clog the holes or the shunt, and the holes sucking closed on their own. Plus, her brain might not reabsorb the fluid anyway, and then we're right back here.
We aren't too crazy about the hole-poking, but we'll wait for the mri and the neurosurgeon opinion.
If you have a minute could you vote for Owen to be the next Gerber baby? You can vote every day, so if you want to bookmark it, go for it. I'll only be posting this once, so don't worry about me spamming the daily randoms each day. Thanks!
Re: warehouse stores, we have a Costco membership and use it to buy certain items - toilet paper, paper towels, trashbags, frozen chicken, diapers and wipes, and contacts. We don't have room for bulk storage for other food items so that's pretty much it. But they are cheap enough it makes sense for us to pay for the membership. We go about once every 3 months.
It's strange to hear all this talk of cold weather! It's just now getting cool enough at night where we leave A's onesie on when swaddling her...up until this past week, we'd strip her down to the diaper so she wouldn't overheat in the night.
A had her 2 month shots this morning. The look on her face was so sad! We plan to spend all day snuggling.
Is it normal to just have a completely off day? I'm assuming yes but this is unlike her so just unsure. She wouldn't sleep til late last night and then woke up every three hours. Today she is just crying all the time. I nurse her, she's fine and then towards the end starts crying and fighting me. So I change her and she's crying so I put her in her wrap and she looks around and then falls asleep. Wakes herself up an hour or so later crying and we repeat. She's almost 8w old so could be firmly in that leap? Or just overtired from last night? I miss my happy baby today!
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