question for all you experienced mothers

It gets worse. Often they choose that time to point out difference between you and them. LOUDLY!

nope, BTDTGTTS (been there, done that, got the tshirt). DS is very aware that he and daddy have the same equippment but that mommy is completely different, and he doens't hesitate to point it out.....however, it is usually only at home these days, and most often out of the blue ("Mommy, how come you don't have..........? Did you break it off?" LOL). We are introducing him to the concept of privacy, and he actually is grasping it rather quickly, though I still think that he is too young to send him into a restroom stall alone (he's only 3)...I just help him get on the seat, then turn slightly away from him so he gets privacy, but not abandonment.

Larisa

LN (remove NOSPAM) wrote:

But with boys, don't you get the father to take them to the toilet (if he's out with you)?

DS would NOT settle at night in the hospital, I think it was too quiet. He sleeps quite well at night at home, we haven't been away overnight yet.

IF dad is out with you, but how often does that happen? Not often enough in my house! I tried to get DH to do the grocery shopping once (without the distraction of DS) and he got lost, so I can only imagine what would happen if we all were out. I can still do most of the groceries (hard to lift things, so the heavier items have to wait until I can get DH to get them).

HOWEVER...having said that....the last time we were all out together, I went to go to the bathroom, and DS threw the most awful fit when he saw me walking away...he *had* to come with me....he didn't want daddy to take him,...it goes in phases.

Larisa

Pat > Melinda: Oh YES! And the Dad gets locker room duty and shower

With DD#1 and DD#2, I had most of the bathroom duty. DH said that the mens room wasn't appropriate. When DS#1 and DS#2 came along (at the same time), I said that the ladies room wasn't appropriate.

-- Teresa in Colorado snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.net

Didn't the name help you at all? Or was it something like "Pat" or "Chris" that didn't help you figure out the male/female thing at all? I've been tired before, but not THAT tired!

But then again, once I had a totally believable, realistic dream that I'd had another baby. I mean, the baby was born and nurtured through its early life in the dream and everything. Later that week I was at the doctor's and the nurse was taking my history.

Her: Number of live births? Me: Three. (2 second pause) No, wait, two! Her: (Puzzled look) Then I had to explain about the dream!

I still have to think carefully and count before I answer that question! "3" is the answer that pops into my mind even though I really know it's 2!

Dragonfly

and you have the gall to ask me why I couldn't remember the sex of my baby? LOL I've had dreams that were so real too that I will tell people about them thinking they really happened.

I was half asleep, so I couldn't remember if I had a boy or girl, therefore, the name had escaped me too. (I'm really bad with sleep deprivation!)

The only time I ever seriously mixed the twins was during a 4 am feeding. I just finished feeding Spikeand put her in her crib, and DH brought me a hungry baby, saying Spike was hungry. I said "Spike's a pig. I just fed her." Turns out I had fed Giles on Spike's side!

One time when my oldest was maybe two months old, I took him someplace on a very hot muggy day (I was living in Indiana at the time). An old fuddy duddy who saw us had a fit because all I had on my baby was a sunsuit. I was supposed to have this baby wrapped in a blanket - no matter how hot it was! I didn't notice that she was wrapped in a blanket!

Here's my absent-minded mother story.

My sister and I had babies 6 months apart. When I was about due, my sister came out for an extended visit. Mom paid for sister to visit my doctor - sisters insurance was military and she hadn't seen a doctor yet. While I waited my turn with the Dr., sister filled out this long form which asked about previous pregnancies etc. One question said - previous births...state - with check boxes next to "alive" or "dead".

Dial forward a few weeks to me in the recovery room. Now, I am absolutely pooped from a 24 hour labor followed by an emergency c-section. We learned I don't like morpine and so I was throwing up as well. But, being that this is Friday afternoon, the record lady wants my paperwork filled out NOW so she can go home and not have to come back over the weekend as it's July 4th holiday and she surely has other plans. So, in between throwing up into a little bowl, she is asking me questions and I am trying to gather my brain cells together enough to give her coherent answers.

She asks me how to spell my husbands middle name - Allen - but he always joked about how he could never remember how to spell his middle name until High School - Alan, Allan, Allen etc. So, I hesitated, spelled it wrong and quickly corrected myself. She glares. Then she asked for his birthdate. That I got right first try. Then she said "state". Now, honestly, all my brain could come up with was that form my sister had filled out and I'm thinking...."alive or dead"? what kind of question is that, of course he was born alive, or we wouldn't be married or have a kid. I was totally lost. I looked at her (like an idiot I am sure) and said "state?" and she glared and said "STATE". I sat there way too long until finally some synapses fired and I said "OH! You mean like State of the Union?" She heaved this huge sigh and said "yes, STATE." Oh, I said, Idaho. She looked at me like no right minded person would be born in Idaho and said "I'll come back tomorrow to get your correct answer" and walked out of the room.

Why they ask women who have just been through 9 months of pregnancy and who knows how many hours of labor to answer all those darn questions is beyond me!

marcella slightly less c> Didn't the name help you at all? Or was it something like "Pat" or

Don't forget about the singlet, stop them getting too cool. One mothers group here put out a book about surviving your baby's first year sane which recommends in extreme hot weather to dress baby in singlet and nappy only.

A couple of times early on, when DS was getting me up several times a night, I had to think real hard about whether I'd fed him already and remembered to change him before getting back into bed! The 4am feed was the worst for me.

Marissa, I'm not in experience mother, but big sis, cousin and auntie. So I've been there. The swing (you call it a swinging chair) is a godsend. Hope its the wind up kind and not battery operated, because there is nothing worse than a screaming baby at 2 a.m. and no batteries for the swing. My nephew also liked the vibrating chair, it probably bounces also when the motor is turned off. Onsies look like T-shirts that snap at the crotch. Sleepers have feet. Onsies are supposed to by underwear, but mostly our babies wore them without anything else. Same with the sleepers. And not just at bedtime. If its cold, add more clothes. If its hot, take clothes off. Babies aren't really that hard!

Maureen

Dr. Quilter wrote:

Aha! But you are wrong, my dear Maureen! The wind up kind are from H*ll! Just as the baby falls asleep, you have to wind the (*(&( thing and the noise wakes up the baby. Better yet, just make sure you have lots of batteries. LOL

Not all babies like swings! DS did not like it at all! But all the girls did. Yes, for Giles and Spike we had 2 swings - one we had already, plus one borrowed one.

We had a baby rocking chair that James loved - when he was tiny I sat him by my feet and twitched it with a toe... When he got bigger, he bounced it himself. I could park it anywhere!

The week after I got home, my big sis came to stay to help (Loves her nephews, but wouldn't want one of her own! Perfect auntie - indulges the fun things but is as firm as little Sis and I on manners and the like!). We parked baby James in his chair in the middle of the dining table while we turned the room out! He could see our faces and hear us talk, so didn't feel left out. Screaming not an option - he gave up when he cottoned on to us turning on a bit of loud machinery every time he screeched for anything other than a nappy or food! Food processor, hoover, dishwasher, whatever...

The other really neat thing we had was a Silver Cross pushchair with a clip in seat that was also a car seat: we plonked him in the seat and put him in the car, and shoved the wheels in the car boot, and off we went. Didn't have to fish him out of the car seat to get him out of the car, and the seat also had a carry handle and bits under it so you could use it as a rocker on the floor, or prop it up as a still chair. Very useful item! I also use the buggy seat quite a bit in that push chair. I sold the whole combo to my next door neighbours boss when James outgrew it and walked everywhere, aged 3 and a half.