September 2009 Weddings
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Moms...
Kind of going off of the previous post, lets hear some of the following:
Since being a mom,
Things I've learned
Things I said/thought I would never do, but now do
Any other things you'd like to share.
This is not meant to turn into a debate(which still may), but more of a discussion or a way to share insight with other moms/moms to be.
I need to put the boys down for nap, but I will share in a little bit 
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Re: Moms...
Things I learned/discovered...
- Being a nanny/working with kids didn't prepare me for motherhood as much as I thought it would.
-People always have something to say to you about your parenting, and just need to take it with a grain of salt.
-Your child is going to get bumps and bruises, and no this does not mean you are a bad parent.
-I thought people were talking out of their butts when they told me how fast they grow up. Sadly, it is way too true.
-Your child may be advanced on something and behind on others. It is completely normal and don't let it worry you.
-Take TONS of pictures and document everything right away. They are learning and discovering things so quickly.
-Don't be afraid to admit that you were wrong and use it as a learning tool. Nobody is perfect, especially when it comes to being a parent.
Things I thought I'd never do...
-Give formula right away...that changed immediately since the hospital supplemented due to him being in the hospital for a week and to help with the jaundice.
-Give a pacifier right away...the nurses in the special care nursery also changed that right away. They gave him one while in there without asking us first. I learned at one of his first appointments that pacifiers help reduce the risk of SIDS so became all for it
-CIO...I still have a hard time doing it, but at his 9 month appt. the doctor said he will not feel neglected and at this age already have the ability to 'manipulate'. It is something I just started. I used to go in every few minutes and give him his pacifier since he'd throw it out, but the doctor said he is most likely doing it since he knows I will come in.
Items I love...
-Breathable bumper...We didn't use a bumper until about a month and an half ago, due to the risk of SIDS. However, he was moving around and getting his limbs stuck. Being the worrier I am, I still didn't want to use a regular one. I bought the breathable one and love it. It promotes good air flow, has little holes so if he presses against it can still breath, and collapses if he tries to stand on it.
-Mesh feeder...I love this! You can put anything in and not worry about choking. I especially love it for fresh fruit.
-Sophie the Giraffe...he loves so of course so do I!
-Seahorse
-Nuk sippy cups
-Bath seat (from buy buy baby)
Thats all I can think of right now.
updated 10.03.12
Things I've learned:
-waking up at 7am instead of 5:30 is sleeping in and feels fantastic
-when people say "it gets better" they forget to tell you when (which for us was about 3-4 months)
-although both Jimi and I are realizing how many mistakes our parents made, we blame them much less for those mistakes...this parenting stuff is hard
-when your baby falls, bumps into something, whatever, as long as they arent seriously hurt don't be afraid to laugh at them. They'll look to you on how to react, so if you laugh so will they, if you freak, so will they
Things I said/thought I would never do, but now do:
-I swore up and down I would NOT have baby toys, clothes, items lying around all rooms of the house. Ya, unless you have a maid good luck with that. We have designated toys for each room so theres always something there to give her (and it keeps each toy new and exciting) and sometimes, we don't put them in their bin cause, well, we're tired and cleaning isnt high on the priority list
-my goal for BF was 6month, and I was pretty sure that I'd stop at that. Its been 6 months, and honestly, I'm so not ready to stop. I would honestly miss breastfeeding and she does still need milk even with solids,so I've bumped my goal to 8 months, and we'll go from there.
Any other things you'd like to share :
This is not a competition so don't compare your baby's progress on what someone's else's baby is doing (this is especially important for those birth month boards). There are 5 areas they measure for babies learning - Fine Motor, Gross Motor, Problem Solving, Communication, and Social. Each baby prioritizes these on their own. One might focus more on fine and gross motor, so might seem a little behind with communication, while another might be advanced in social but a little behind in problem solving. Unless they seem below the normal ranges in all areas, and as long as they have a few strengths, don't worry, and let your baby learn at their own pace. Your baby doesn't need to be compared to show growth and you don't need the stress that comparing can cause.
{My Blog}
I have learned...
To not compare, all babies are different and reach milestones at different times.
Take lots of pictures and write everything down. Time flies by and it is so easy to forget all the little things.
To ask for help when I need it and not feel bad about it.
That just because your baby was 5 pounds at birth doesn't mean your delivery & recovery was easy...says the girl who goes weekly to vaginal physical therapy now!! ARGH!!
To take a break and not feel guilty. I haven't been the best at this but just recently started getting together more with my girlfriends without babies or husbands and it makes me such a better mom and just person in general. Balance is so important.
To not worry about what other people say or do, just do what works for our family. This is definitely still sometime I am working on.
That lots of experience working with babies still doesn't prepare you in the slightest for having your OWN baby.
That you can love your baby so so much but still think it is SO hard sometimes, and that is totally normal.
To never say never, there are quite a few things that I told myself I would never do before I was a parent and even when I was a new parent, that I do now.
That it is okay to miss some parts of our old life. Who wouldn't miss sleeping, randomly going away for the weekend and having nothing to do after work but relax and hang out on the couch?!
That it is fine to hate the moms whose babies sleep 12 hours at night and take 2 hours naps. HAHA just kidding about this one, kind of.
Things I thought I would never do...
Breastfeed for this long. I was definitely pro-breastfeeding but didn't see myself sticking with it past 6 months, especially at first because it was so hard. I am now planning on doing it at least until a year. I feel like after 6 months it just got a lot easier and less frequent so I didn't feel like we were attached at the boob as much anymore. Even though we have had our challenges I feel lucky to be able to breastfeed him still because I know that doesn't happen with everyone so I am totally not trying to make anyone feel badly.
Co-sleep. It wasn't something we planned on but became necessary for us at one point so we just went with it and I really loved it. Unfortunately he slept even worse when he was in our bed so it wasn't something we decided to do long term.
CIO. After 8 months of terrible sleep(I am talking him getting up 5 to sometimes even 8 times a night) and exhausting all other options we starting using the Ferber plan last week. It was very hard for me that it came to that but it worked amazingly well for him and he now sleeps(knock on wood!!) 7:30pm-5:15am and then 5:30-7:30am. He is so much happier now that he is rested and of course so are we! So hard but so worth it, for us anyway.
Things I love...there are so many but here are a few:
I totally agree about the breathable bumper, it is the best thing ever. He sleeps on his side and tummy now and is all over the place in the crib. It makes me worry so much less knowing he won't get him face up against a thick bumper.
Gumdrop pacifiers when he as tiny and then the Mam ones when he got a bit bigger. He was a picky paci guy and loved these.
My ring sling, we have used it SO much.
Rock N Play sleeper, he would not sleep laying on his back when he was a newborn so this was perfect.
The Leap Frog Pots & Veggies toy, he is obsessed with it.
The Miracle Blanket, we used it for swaddling until 5 months, it was a lifesaver.
Our Flip camera, we have so many cute and funny memories captured because of this thing. It is so tiny so we bring it everywhere and so easy to use.
Dr. Brown's sippy cup, he loves this thing.
I have many more but those are the ones that I could think of right now!
{My Blog}
{My Blog}
Things I've learned:
- Never say never. You can say you'll never do something all you want, but you'd be surprised how quickly you'll change your mind and try anything once whatever you'd planned doesn't work out.
- Not to be afraid to let baby explore. I was so scared Ellie would hurt herself when she first started crawling that I wouldn't let her out of my sight. But once we got good and babyproofed, I let her go, and her development skyrocketed.
- There's nothing like a sweet baby kiss from your own baby to make you forget your troubles.
- It's okay to take an hour or two to yourself once in a while.
- Nothing will break your heart more than the first time they get sick.
Things I said/thought I would never do, but now do:
- Co-sleep. It's what works for us and now I love it. Waking up to a smiling Ellie is the best part of my day.
- Formula feed. Honestly, mixing BM with formula when I went back to work was the only way to save my sanity, as pumping that much just didn't fit into my work schedule. And when Ellie self-weaned at 8 months, it broke my heart, but she's always been a little bit independent. Now, I'm just looking forward to May , when we can switch to whole milk and our grocery budget goes down!
- Let her watch TV. Sometimes, it's the only thing that keeps her still for 15 minutes while I get ready in the morning. She loves Yo Gabba Gabba, but I love Wonder Pets.
- I never, ever thought I could love her this much.
Any other things you'd like to share:
-Diaper Genies are your friend.
- I like Munchkin Mighty Grips cups the best.
- Not only is the Seahorse your friend, but so is any kind of silly dancing Valentine's Day monkey that you can find.
- Don't feel bad when you need to put her in the crib/pack & play/swing/walker/whatever and walk away for a few minutes. We all need to take a breather sometimes.