Small update and a couple questions...

Hi ladies,

How are you all doing?  I am doing ok.  I think Jer and I have come to grips with this whole pregnancy thing and wrapped our head around it.  We're still waiting to tell our parents.  Makes me feel like a teenager.  LOL  Oh well, the latest we'll be able to tell them is in December.  Jer's Mom, stepdad and sister are coming for a visit on the 18th-23rd.  So I'll be almost at the 1/2 way point by then and surely showing.. this is only pregnancy #9 for me.  haha  So i'll definitely tell them... because there is no way I will let them think I just gained weight. 

I have another u/s scheduled for October 20th at 7pm at the imaging place.  I am so thankful that they have late appointments and they are so much nicer than the tech at the docs office.  She is short and abrupt... nice to an extent, but sometimes I feel like she goes too quickly and doesn't let you experience the whole thing.  Doc also told me to start my asprin therapy.  They wanted me to wait until that sub chorionic hematoma had reabsorbed more.  The 2nd u/s showed that the hematoma was less than 1mm, so he felt ok with me starting the asprin. 

Okie.. on to the questions.  We have a crib for Syd right now.  She is 20 months and pretty much sleeps through the night.  When baby comes she will be almost 2.5 yrs old.  I am thinking I could get away with moving her to a toddler bed and putting the baby in the crib.  She'll actually be older than that when the baby needs to move to a crib.  Syd was almost 5 months before she got out of the basinette, not because she outgrew it...but she was moving around too much.  They will also be sharing a room when the baby goes to the crib.  I am pretty sure that she will do ok in the toddler bed, because Sam was like 15-16 months old when we moved him.  I put a gate in the doorway and left the door open.  Kait had her own room then, so Sam never messed with her.  I am worried that Syd will get out of bed and get in with the baby.  Or if the baby waking up will wake her... (hopefully by the time they move in together baby will be a long night sleeper) Any experience on toddlers and infants rooming together?

2nd question... strollers... we currently have the Graco Metrolite.  I like it.  Syd isn't a big stroller rider anymore.  She will ride in her little car that has the long handle for us to push her in.. and we usually take the metrolite with us to carry OUR things and the diaper bag... or for her to nap in, incase she gets tired.  I was looking at the sit n stand kind, the kind that you can click the carseat into... any suggestions??  or recommendations?

3rd question.... swings... we had one of the portable kind that was low to the floor.  It was a hand-me-down.. and one day Jer put our neighbors kid in it and he was too heavy and it conked out for good.  LOL  So Syd was never a swing kinda kid.  Although, I think it would have allowed me to get more things done in the house.  I want to get a swing for this baby... any suggestions?  Bouncers too... ours was a cool one, but one of the bungie things for it broke.... so it's gone. 

Thanks ladies.  Hope all is well.

Hugs
B

Hey B....

So glad you are now getting more and more comfy...God definitely has something in store for you! My little bro was a surprise but I cannot imagine our lives without him..he is amazing and very outstanding young man (he just graduated with dual Masters Degrees from Harvard). That among many other things....God has a plan for you and Jer for sure!

Will your family be mad that you waited that long to tell them? It is your own business so it should not matter anyway...glad you got an evening U/S too....that is cool!

So, I don't have much experience on your questions but will give you my opinions if I were in your shoes :)

1) I would put Syd in the toddler bed. I have a friend whose son just turned 2 in July and they just started the toddler bed....am sure they will get use to living in the same room too. My brother and his wife have their kiddos share a room and they are about 18 months apart.
2) I love the Metrolite :) That is what I have too. I like the sit and stand stroller too. I heard there is a good Graco one too.
3) Nathan was not much of a swing guy either. I had an awesome bouncy and then someone got us this other swing and we never ended up using it. I am posting pics below of the one Nathan loved (bouncy) and the swing we got and never used. :)
Ours was a bit different in color but is made by boppy.

if we are blessed with another one, i will definitely try this one. Made by Fisher Price.

I hope that helps....lots of prayers and thoughts to you sweets!

Ann

I am happy you are starting feel better about things. I know that will make it easier for you!!

Both of my boys were in toddler beds by the time they were about a year and a half. Mostly cause they are both hyper and started trying to climb out at that time and so we got toddler beds and rails and I did not have to worry about the climb and fall and they both did well.

I have been shopping craigslist myself. I feel some of the things they use when they are first born are outgrown so long I just look whats in the stores and find them on craigslist. I found a bouncer for 10 and swing for 25 and they are ones still being sold now in stores. Of course we have bought a few new things and all but so many things we have bought used. Its so nice.

I hope everything just keeps getting better for you. Keep us updated!!!

I'm glad you guys are coming to grips with the pregnancy.  I felt the same way with this pregnancy and still look in the mirror every morning and say "SERIOSULY?!!"  I felt like a teenager telling my mom I was pregnant when I had to do it too.  So pathetic but I thought she'd kill me!  LOL.

Kellen just turned 2 on Sept 1st.  We converted our crib to a toddler bed at about 20 months and put one of those guard rails on it.  It took up the entire length of the bed and he never really got out very often.  It was the Ikea one where it had an actual headboard and footboard - not the high ends of the crib (like a daybed) so he could have gotten out if he wanted to...but he never really did. 

THEN, we needed the crib back to put in the twins' room.  We took apart Holden's bunk bed and put one in K's room.  I put the rail on thinking he wouldn't get out...RIGHT!  LOL.  It's only been 2 weeks but OMG, I'm ready to beat the child!  He is constantly getting out and playing at night and nap times.  SOOOOO wish we would have just bought another toddler bed!  Oh-well, it's done.

So, I think that a toddler bed would be great.  If you're worried, get the rail, it REALLY helped.  We got ours at a consignment shop for super cheap.  Less than $10.

As for the rest, we have a Baby Trend Sit and Stand.  LOVE IT.  We got it when Kellen was born so Holden could ride in the back and Kellen up front.  HOWEVER, none of the sit and stands (any brand I believe) recline fully.  So, when the little ones are big enough to sit without the car seat, it's not the best place to nap or do diaper changes.  But, I do still love it.  

As for swings and bouncies, got got a few at garage sales this summer and when friends and family see them, they tell me that they LOVED the ones that we got.  I think it's the SAME exact ones that Ann posted.  The swing goes front to back and side to side and the bouncer is the boppy.

Hope that helps!

Sandy

Bridget,

We put Riley in a toddler bed at 2 so we could use the crib for Jantzen. It's worked out fine. Also, now that we have moved, Jantzen and Riley are sharing a room. It seems to be working out fine. Jantzen sleeps through the night now. So neither of them are waking each other up in the middle of the night.

Strollers? I went ahead and bought the graco double stroller with the matching carseat. We go ALOT of places through the summer and it's been a life saver. Riley walks alot but gets pooped so she rides and Jantzen can be in his carseat at the same time.

Swings? I would try to find a nice used one on Craigslist or consignment shop. That is such a personal thing for babies. 3 of mine loved the swing, Jantzen hated it. thankfully I didn't buy a brand new one, and had a hand me down for Johnny's neice.

Good Luck and YAY.....for you and Jer.

I love our stroller and you can click a car seat on one side and have a toddler sitting on the other.  It's not a sit and stand, but I love it.    It's pricey, but I think it's worth it.  It's the Bumbleride Indie Twin.  We will be getting the singleton version for Maryn.   

I second that swing that Ann suggested.  We have the Fisher Price papasan swings and I love them.  More importantly the kids love them.   The best part is that you can plug them into the wall versus having them run on batteries.   Some swings will only run on batteries and we would be broke if we had to power these things on batteries only. 

I cannot remember the name of our bouncy seats, but they were nothing spectacular.  I think they were made by Graco.   

We had a similar situation.  Our little girl Brooklynn was 2 in June.  We had a boy, Carson in July.  What we did was back in February we set up a toddler bed in the nursery and just had it in there for a a few weeks first.  We thought it would get her used to the idea of having it in the room.  Then, we put her to bed in it one night on a weekend but left the crib set up with her sheets, and it dropped (just in case) for a few weeks.  The first night, she got out about 4 times, each time we put her back.  The next night 2 times. By the 3rd night, she only cried about 30 seconds.    After the few weeks, when she didn't even miss her crib, then we took apart the sheets, etc.  We figured since we would need the crib by the fall for the new baby, we wouldn't even tear/talk down the crib.  Plus we figured we knew she needed to get used to it being there for the new baby. 

After Carson was born, we actually had him in our room in a basinet until he was pretty much sleeping through the night (about 2 - 2/12 months).  Once that happened (yeah!), then we would put Brooklynn to bed first about 8 -8:30, once she is asleep, then we take him and put him to bed.  It actually has worked really well!  It he wakes up early to eat (about 4), crying, it doesn't seem to wake her.  BUT, once in a great while (about once every month or so) she will wake up crying just to be covered up something, (like last night), then he did get woke up.  Then we did end up having to get him up and feeding him a bottle to get him back down. 

Overall, it has worked out pretty well.  Unfortunately, that is the way it had to work with a 3 bedroom house and a 15 year old, us, and a 2 year, and newborm. 

Good luck! 

Debbie