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April 2015 Mamas!

  1. loki

    pear / 1787 posts

    @Banana330: ya i find target canada amazing! but i guess it depends which store you go to. people complain about them a lot up here but i always seem to have luck! obviously not AS amazing as target in the us but still pretty great! i recently walked through one with a friend in waterloo and it was good. i usually go to the newmarket one or the aurora one and never have issues.

  2. Banana330

    nectarine / 2317 posts

    @loki: hmm good to know.

    I do find it frustrating that some items are US only. Everyone on here seems to love the rock 'n play but it's not sold in canada. I found a changing pad i love but the colour is limited to one store that really only ships to the US.

  3. loki

    pear / 1787 posts

    @Banana330: i hate that i can't browse the canadian target website... they only really have flyers on there, no items listed. i always look on the target US website but i know that is pointless because the same stock isn't available! i didn't know that about the rock n play! ya i'm trying not to get my heart set on things online and just plan to go to a store when i'm ready and pick out stuff that's available. trying to make it easy on myself and not get attached to any one item.

  4. Banana330

    nectarine / 2317 posts

    @loki: like your brown grey crib?

    I know i have a friend who lives in the US and is coming back for the holidays.. i'm totally going to make her bring me stuff!

  5. loki

    pear / 1787 posts

    @Banana330: my brown gray crib IS available. it's the dresser that's not i'm still getting the crib and will just have a mismatched dresser. baby won't care, i'm sure.

  6. lulu22

    apricot / 306 posts

    I'm loving all this talk of baby gear! I too have set up a registry on amazon. I agree that lucy's list is overwhelming and there is a lot on there that I won't get. we are planning to buy a stroller in the holiday sales and hoping that our families will gift us some of the other big ticket items like the crib etc. This is the first grandchild for both our families so we are lucky.

    @PawPrints: my amazon registry is listed by category. It just came out that way. There must be a way to change the settings? that said, within each category the new items are displayed first, but at least there are categories.

    DH and I are 100% on board with cloth diapering. We plan to use all-in-ones (will probably try grovia and bumgenius) with liners. What we have not decided, is if we will do newborn cloth... it seems like a big outlay for a short period of time, so I don't know. I think I might register for some newborn diapers and we can just use what we get part-time with disposables as a 'test run'. We also plan to use disposables when we travel, which is fairly often, but we really want to use cloth at home.

  7. PawPrints

    pomegranate / 3658 posts

    @loki: You can always stain/paint the dresser or make your DH do it.

    @lulu22: We have friends lending us their stash of newborn cloth diapers, which I'm pretty thrilled about. Their advice was that cloth is even better for the newborn stage since you're going through so, so many diapers a day that disposables just get ludicrously expensive.

    I forgot to mention, two fairly obvious additional sources of registry guidance: Amazon product reviews, and emailing/talking to other people who have kids. Lots of great advice and guidance from experienced parents, and the product reviews can alert you to some of the common gripes that people have.

  8. loki

    pear / 1787 posts

    @PawPrints: i definitely considered that... and planned on doing it. but decided in the end, i was too lazy and not matching isn't really a big deal at all.

  9. marionberry

    pomelo / 5041 posts

    @loki: For what it's worth here are the items I found to be a must with ds!

    Carseat: Chicco Keyfit 30
    Stroller: Keyfit Caddy and then Chicco Liteway Umbrella
    Monitor: Motorola Digital Video Monitor
    Sound Machine: Marpac Dohm Dual Sound Machine
    Changing Pad: Get Generic, They're All the Same Really
    Mattress: Sealy Baby Posturpedic
    Sleeping: We first bought a Pack n Play with diaper changer that ds hated, but we used it a ton as a changing table in our room while ds co-slept with me (I swore I'd never do that but it ended up being super easy), then we transferred him to a crib - we have the Davinci Jenny Lind. We now use his PnP to contain him while I get ready in the morning or to sleep in on vacation, so not a waste at all.
    Bottles: I breastfed, but when he needed bottles for daycare the Tommee Tippee worked best for us, followed by the Avent Natural as he got bigger.
    Changing Pad Liners: Boppy liners (they come in packs of 3 and it prevents you from always changing your changing pad cover; plus you can wash them and reuse.
    Chair: Best Chair - that brand is amazing and we got microfiber so it was easy to clean milk off.
    Breastpads: Lansinoh Disposable (needed for first few months).
    Bath: Angelcare Baby Bath Support - in honesty we bought a Fisher Price one with insert that we loved for J but this seemed like it might be easier so we're trying it as a second bath for the twins and my friend who used it for her daughter loved it.
    Washcloths: Just buy the cheap 5-pack at Target; we still use them.
    Bouncer/Swing: DS loved his Fisher Price My Little Lamb bouncer and swing; the bouncers are a must for the twins as he spent 80% of his days in this from 0-4 months and the swing was useful when ds was about 3-7 months.
    Pacifiers: I used them sparingly, but when I did the Avent Soothies are awesome.

    Ok I'm probably forgetting some things and I already told you about my carriers. Hope this helps a bit as just another reference for items. We registered at Target and BRU and found people bought from Target more often just because they have closer stores to where I live. I know plenty of women who loved their Amazon registries though.

  10. loki

    pear / 1787 posts

    @marionberry: OMG amazing run down, thank you!!!! The second time moms in here are LIFESAVERS. Definitely gonna look into a bunch of your recos, thank you!

  11. SunshineMcC

    kiwi / 563 posts

    @marionberry: totally second @loki - super helpful. Thank you!

    Ugh, gall bladder pain is back - it's moving from just under my rib through to my back and my shoulder now - not fun. At our appointment last week my doc said to monitor it, but it's going from uncomfortable to painful, and has been accompanied by some pretty wicked heartburn the past 24 hours. So.Not.Fun. What have you guys found helpful for heartburn? Are Tums fine to take? Anyone else ever deal with gall bladder or gall stone issues while pregnant? <end whining>

  12. PawPrints

    pomegranate / 3658 posts

    @marionberry: This is great! I will cross-reference with my registry. So your DS co-slept in the bed with you, not in the PNP? That worked well?

  13. Banana330

    nectarine / 2317 posts

    @marionberry: super helpful!

    @SunshineMcC: tums are fine, I've been taking them when I get the occasional heartburn. If you need something stronger check out motherisk.org they list what you can take and its run by a top children's hospital.

  14. marionberry

    pomelo / 5041 posts

    @SunshineMcC: I popped Tums like they were candy the second half of my pregnancy last time for the heartburn. I totally recommend the berry ones that are extra strength. Hope they help! I think there are some stronger meds you can take but ask your doctor. I was never willing to take anything heavier during my last pregnancy.
    @PawPrints: Yes we coslept for the first few months. Originally we tried the PnP but he didn't really like it and honestly I found it exhausting to get out of bed multiple times in the night to breastfeed. If you have room in your bed and aren't a heavy sleeper I totally recommend it. You don't sleep as well because you're worried about accidentally rolling over on baby but it really worked for us and I've known a lot of people who have done it as well or at least used a cosleeper so that it was a close version of that. Most of the time ds slept between me and DH but other times he slept on my stomach. He just seemed happiest being close to us, like how skin-to-skin soothes them.

  15. Rockies11

    persimmon / 1363 posts

    @SunshineMcC: I have GERD, so lots of heartburn. Tums are fine to take and are a good source of calcium, but don't work that well. You can take basically all over the counter heartburn stuff - zantac, prilosec, etc. and you can take it in far greater quantities that are recommended on the box. With the last pregnancy, I was taking 4 150 mgs of zantac a day by the end, which was the dose recommended by my gastro and obstetrician. Oh also, it's actually true that heartburn does lead to more hair on baby's head!

  16. loki

    pear / 1787 posts

    @Rockies11: oh man this makes me want heartburn! i want a baby with a full head of hair but that likely won't be the case, we were both born super bald haha.

    question for you guys - has anyone talked to you about throwing showers? who is hosting them and when will you have them? april is kind of an awkward time for us because weather can be so bad in february/march. my best friend's baby is due mar 5 so we're having to work around her too! it gets to be tough.

  17. Rockies11

    persimmon / 1363 posts

    @loki: It was kind of gross hair to be honest - like super duper black and really thick and straight. It changed really quickly, and she has curly sandy blonde hair now. It sort of felt like that black hair was just a defence against her head getting burned by my stomach acid or something.

  18. loki

    pear / 1787 posts

    @Rockies11: ya i've never been up close and personal with that first baby hair. but it looks so cute in pictures! haha. my husband is half japanese and his mom said when her kids were born everyone's first question was about their hair... but none of em had that black straight shiny full hair!

  19. lulu22

    apricot / 306 posts

    @loki: I wasn't planning on having a shower because I only moved to the area recently and don't really know that many people. But then when I told my next door neighbor I was pregnant a few weeks ago, she got SUPER excited and insisted that she must throw me a shower (and practically begged me to let her). I feel kinda weird asking new friends and acquaintances to buy shower gifts, as traditionally I've always had just a small group of very close-knit friends (who are now all on the other side of the world!) My neighbor told me the other day that 6 months pregnant is the best time to have a shower and that we should have something in December. I was like, NO WAY that is too soon for me and suggested Feb instead. At least the winters here in California are mild so we will probably still have it outside by the pool. I do still feel a bit weird about the whole thing though.

  20. loki

    pear / 1787 posts

    @lulu22: aw that's so sweet of her! ya December is a tought time because of holidays, people are already so busy and poor. i got married in february so struggled with bridal showers too! i think i'm aiming to have mine at the end of february. one of my best friends just offered to throw a friends shower for me (which is what made me bring it up in here) so i think we'll do it mid-late february. my other pregnant friend just might not be able to attend!

  21. lulu22

    apricot / 306 posts

    @loki: yes, my neighbor is a total sweetie, I feel very lucky! I think late-feb is a good time too, and is probably what I will aim for. I agree that december is a hard month, and somehow it just seems so far from April 2015, even though it's not really. So nice that your best friend is organizing something - excuse my ignorance, but what is a friends shower? Is that where guys come too? Or does it mean just girlfriends and no family? I'm so clueless about showers, they are not so common where I come from!

  22. SunshineMcC

    kiwi / 563 posts

    @Banana330: @marionberry: @Rockies11: thanks for the info. I talked to my doctor last night, and she also suggested starting with Tums, at least 1/hour as long as the heartbeart continues. It helped a bit last night, but still felt like I had a fireball lodged when I went to bed!

    I've eaten super duper bland things today - cheerios and a fruit popsicle and haven't had any pain or heartburn today, so am hoping I can at least control the pain with diet. I did have a few donut holes yesterday, so that might have been the culprit - so much for indulging while pregnant!

    @loki: I haven't had anyone say anything yet about showers, so am definitely going to sit tight - I would feel very strange asking someone to host for me. My family is spread out and a few hours away, so I don't think my mom will be the one to organize. For our wedding, my BFF did, and my MIL threw one too, so am thinking they may offer again - we'll see! Fun to think about!

    Our guest room is packed to the gills with stuff, and I'm trying to get DH to tackle it, since most is his, but he's not too excited about it. I don't want to be a nag about it, but also want to get the room empty so we can start decorating! Any tips for being nice and still getting DH to get things done?

  23. Mrs. Sunshine

    hostess / cantaloupe / 6486 posts

    @SunshineMcC: no tips! But we have to buy a storage building to put all our crap that's currently in what will be the new baby's room. lol we have a lot of work to do &this pregnancy is zipping by!

  24. loki

    pear / 1787 posts

    @lulu22: i don't even know if friends showers are a real thing. haha. but our friends do them... because then they dont' have to go to the boring family showers where you spend hours opening gifts... we usually make them super casual. for my wedding, my best friend through a shower/bachelorette combo that was super fun! just makes it more like a girls day with maybe like 20 of my good girl friends... and then it lightens the load for when my family throws a shower because they can just invite the family and it's not a huge undertaking. ya know? but ya not sure if its' a real thing or something we just do! i always like the friends showers best because they're so low key & laid back.

    i think my mom will throw my family shower (i'm hoping) but she lives 2 hours away as well so she is taking about renting the clubhouse at the golf course my aunt used to live on. my aunt would've totally hosted my shower but she passed away last year so i think doing it at the clubhouse would be nice. but we'll see!

    our nursery is always PACKED, like no walking room.... no tips on dealing with the DH... i have decided tackling ours is gonna be my job and the heavy/awful stuff i'll just put aside or in the hallway for my husband to deal with. i wanna get cracking on it too because we find out the gender next week! i know i'll be all about nurseries once i know.

  25. Banana330

    nectarine / 2317 posts

    @SunshineMcC: I find cinnamon gives me heartburn which sucks cause I just bought a bunch of cinnamon oatmeal a for breakfasts!

    I've started clearing out our spare room, I have to re plaster the ceiling before we can really get on to change but I've already started gathering ideas! It will be pretty gender neutral so I'm not worried about starting before we know!

  26. ineebee

    pear / 1580 posts

    @loki: As for showers, I'm in kind of an awesome and unique living situation, and my very sweet and thoughtful friend who is -let's say- closer than a next-door neighbor offered a few weeks ago to throw me my shower! Very, very sweet. I'm also kinda new to the area, so she had the great idea of communicating with my mom, aunts and friends who live far away to see what day would work for the most people. Since it's my parents' first grandchild, I imagine they'll be pretty stoked to travel for a baby shower.

  27. loki

    pear / 1787 posts

    @ineebee: aw you guys are so lucky to have these great neighbours. i wish i had neighbour friends. so nice of them to consider your family too! so lovely.

  28. Mrs. Sunshine

    hostess / cantaloupe / 6486 posts

    Since this baby will also be a girl I'm not sure what we will do as far as a shower or sprinkle goes. I kind of want to have a diaper party but many any people said that cloth diapering was stupid & that I wouldn't stick with it so I kinda don't want to admit that we stopped (even though LO'S bleeding bottom was a hell of a good reason) so I don't know what we are going to do.

  29. lulu22

    apricot / 306 posts

    @SunshineMcC: ugh, if you find a way to get your DH on the job let me know! Our nursery was my home office until I quit my job a couple of weeks ago (long story, not related to being pregnant), anyway, I've cleared out all my stuff already but DH has a heap of his stuff stored in there too, and is NOT feeling any inkling to sort it out. That said, I did order some removable wallpaper samples and I stuck them up last night and asked his opinion, and he was like "oh, where is the crib going, what's going where? I'm going to have to get my stuff out of here"... so maybe that was the little seed finally sprouting..

  30. Rockies11

    persimmon / 1363 posts

    @SunshineMcC: Not to be too pedantic, but the problem with heartburn in pregnancy is physical - the muscle that holds where the esophagus and stomach connect is relaxed due to pregnancy hormones, so there's nothing that stops the acid from bouncing around in there. Diet can help a bit, and tums just neutralizes the acid for a bit, but pills work better because they stop acid production for a longer period of time. It tends to get worse when pregnancy progresses because it pushes the stomach more and more flat so it shoots more acid up the esophagus. So if you're having trouble now, it may get worse, and the pills are safe! Also, my husband never cleaned out the spare room, so I ended up doing it when I lost patience, lol. So no tips here.

  31. PawPrints

    pomegranate / 3658 posts

    @loki: I've actually never been to an outdoor shower, so the time of year seems fine to me! I know of at least two that are in the works - my friends are all talking about hosting one together, and my only request has been that it be "boozy and co-ed." (Mainly because I want people to have a good time. Regular baby showers honestly kind of creep me out.) My friends seem happy to oblige. My coworkers are also excited about throwing me a shower. I haven't heard if family is planning anything but they all live far away.

  32. Banana330

    nectarine / 2317 posts

    @PawPrints: sounds like my kind of shower! I went to a baby shower in the summer with no booze... it was pretty painful...

  33. delight

    pomelo / 5326 posts

    @NeekieRose: happy birthday to your beautiful daughter. I was a little sad when Livy turned 1 this summer, but it just keeps getting better and better!

    @loki: I didn't end up wearing LO too much for a variety of reasons. However, for this next one I think for sanity reasons and because LO1 will still be small I'll be wearing the baby lots. I like the Boba/Moby for the first few months. It is daunting to wrap but I just watched a lot of YouTube videos and practiced with a teddy bear. It snuggles baby really close which is nice. I had a Mei Tei which I love, it is part wrap and part soft-structured. I used it the most when she was 6 months and I took her to Florida. It was perfect for travelling. I also had a hand me down Bjorn which I used when just going to friends' houses in the neighborhood but didn't want to keep her in too long because of the "crotch-dangling" issues. I agree with people that you should go try some out and see which one feels comfy to you.

    Oh and I only registered at BRU but all my girlfriends say snugglebugz is the best. Is there one near you? One just opened in my city.

  34. loki

    pear / 1787 posts

    @delight: thanks for the tips! i'll definitely try some on and it might be something i pick up post-baby if i'm finding that i need my hands. since it's my first i won't have another little one to contend with so not even sure how much wearing i'll do! we'll see.
    also i've heard great things about snuggle bugz too but they aren't really close to me... i'm north of the city and they're all west-end ish, although our parents both live near a store. none of our friends or other family members do though!

  35. SunshineMcC

    kiwi / 563 posts

    @Rockies11: thanks for the info! It's good to hear that other pills are safe. My doc recommended Zantac to start. The diet is more to control the gall bladder issues I've been having - anything the slightest bit greasy or fatty (even a donut hole) gives me pain that shoots straight through to my back! Not fun, so am trying to stick to healthy, bland things but cravings hit! I've been nervous about taking anything over the counter (trying to be as natural as possible), So it's super reassuring to hear from others. Thanks again!

  36. SunshineMcC

    kiwi / 563 posts

    Happy Halloween! Here's my costume from my work party today!!



  37. Rockies11

    persimmon / 1363 posts

    @SunshineMcC: eek re: gallbladder issues! I know it's super scary to take things when you're pregnant, but zantac really is okay if you need it!

  38. Mrs. Sunshine

    hostess / cantaloupe / 6486 posts

    @SunshineMcC: so so cute!

  39. Boopers

    pear / 1548 posts

    @SunshineMcC: love it!

  40. SunshineMcC

    kiwi / 563 posts

    @Mrs. Sunshine: @Boopers: thanks! It was fun!

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