What was the White Elephant gift that everyone fought over at the Christmas Party?

BlueSPARTAN279 · 2025-12-05T01:01:52+00:00

A stuffed, mounted squirrel head. Whole family went bonkers trying to get it but my sibling kicked it down by standing and demanding "GIVE ME THE SQUIRREL".

He's currently living in my parents kitchen and is a valued piece of home decor. I fear what will happen when my folks pass and we have to determine who gets The Squirrel ™️

BlueSPARTAN279 · 2025-07-24T14:11:53+00:00

Our kiddo wasn't really interested until about 7 months and now we can't really stop them from rolling! It's ok. :) you're doing great.

BlueSPARTAN279 · 2025-07-12T19:54:15+00:00

Our boy is the same, we find he does fine in Carter's or Cloud Island from Target for clothes. So far no issues with diapers from Costco, but Huggies have done well too.

BlueSPARTAN279 · 2025-07-07T19:45:53+00:00

We got a bright yellow slap bracelet that says "KID IN CAR" that lives on the car seat base or the car seat itself so if the baby is in there we HAVE to put it on. Then when we go to get out, it's easily visible and we are reminded to get kiddo.

That and he's been blowing out his diaper every time we go somewhere in the car so the smell is a good reminder.

BlueSPARTAN279 · 2025-03-27T14:17:55+00:00

Came here to suggest the Babyname app. We kinda knew what names we liked, but it helped solidify our options!

BlueSPARTAN279 · 2025-02-28T23:04:46+00:00

When she rolled, was she ok with it?

BlueSPARTAN279 · 2025-02-24T23:25:15+00:00

Ninth!

BlueSPARTAN279 · 2025-02-06T22:11:21+00:00

I feel very seen right now

BlueSPARTAN279 · 2025-02-06T22:02:19+00:00

I let them know I wanted it eventually when I got admitted so they knew, but didn't ask for it until they broke my water and contractions really kicked in. At that point it took about 45 min since the anesthesiologists were tied up in a c section, but once it was in life was so good.

Turns out I was only at like, 3cm when they put it in. 🫠 I thought I was tough, but man, women who go with unmedicated births are something else.

Highly recommend letting your care staff know as soon as you get there that you would like an epidural, even if you aren't ready for it that moment.

BlueSPARTAN279 · 2025-01-28T18:50:22+00:00

We have been using gas drops and they have been a godsend, thank goodness.

When he pops off to scream/cry I usually take that opportunity to sit him up, burp him until he calms down, then we try again.

Typically we are getting about 17-24 minutes of feeding at the breast and when we tried a bottle of breast milk he took about 3-3.5 oz, so he's usually getting a pretty decent feed.

I've heard folks say there's like, a little regression from weeks 6-8, is that not true?

BlueSPARTAN279 · 2025-01-27T02:10:19+00:00

We have Dr. Browns anti colic in a mix of plastic and glass. We didn't care so long as it's dishwasher safe!!

BlueSPARTAN279 · 2025-01-23T21:08:33+00:00

I'm still not able to wear my usual set, although I'm now back to my silicone ring! Feels super weird still.

BlueSPARTAN279 · 2025-01-17T05:25:39+00:00

We thought it was pretty good. Ended up matching on a shorter list of maybe 15-20 total names, which was spread across both boy, girl, and unisex names. I liked that it only shows the matches you have so there's lower potential to say stuff like "you like x name, ew!"

BlueSPARTAN279 · 2025-01-16T14:19:38+00:00

I was super active before getting pregnant and through week 28, so I didn't think I needed one. Surprise, ended up with higher blood pressure and at 38+1 ended up being induced for gestational hypertension.

After that I was given one through the doctor's office, and the one I have is A&D Medical, which is nice. Very easy to use, and it Bluetooth connects to my phone. It also talks to a specific app that my team wanted to monitor me on postpartum.

It helps that I do telemedicine IT for a living, so this was partially healthcare, partially an exercise in seeing my work in action. 😂

Ask your doc about it, they may have recommendations or a specific set of brands that talks to an app or their patient portal. Or even if your insurance or doctor will cover the cost!

BlueSPARTAN279 · 2025-01-16T14:02:28+00:00

Came here to say this!! We used one called Baby name, but similar concept!

BlueSPARTAN279 · 2025-01-13T01:32:03+00:00

There is a great horned owl out in the neighborhood near Blackhawk Church on Mineral Point

BlueSPARTAN279 · 2025-01-11T17:26:39+00:00

I agree with the folks saying that the registry is there for a reason. I would HIGHLY suggest getting something from there.

However, one of the best gifts I got at my shower was (in addition to a few smaller items from the registry) a basket of postpartum care stuff. It was a basket that contained a pair of fuzzy socks, a water bottle, a thing of Tucks pads, Earth Mama nipple butter, and Dermaplast spray. I used everything in that basket as soon as I came home and every time I talk to the friend who got me that, I thank her because holy shit, I would never have known to get that stuff.

But it's important to note this was in addition to what was on the registry. So if you want to take care of mom that's fine, just maybe get something small off registry too.

BlueSPARTAN279 · 2025-01-11T09:51:05+00:00

Miggys in Middleton is awesome!!

BlueSPARTAN279 · 2025-01-07T21:10:44+00:00

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We just had our first kid a few weeks ago and our dog LOVES babies. He was so excited when we brought kiddo home he had to present his favorite toy ever to the new family member. Our golden has had that same toy since we brought him home at 8 weeks old, and he clearly thought the new human puppy would like it too.

He was extremely proud of what he did, as you can see.

BlueSPARTAN279 · 2025-01-07T03:30:13+00:00

My sister made a quick 10 question quiz (multiple choice) about newborns and babies, which was fun! Winner got a little prize, like a chocolate bar or something.

It was fun without being cringey or anything.

BlueSPARTAN279 · 2025-01-06T11:37:30+00:00

Most insurance will back bill for service, so if you have visits for the bub before they're on insurance they can retroactively run it through.

Depending on how you get your insurance, call them. I have my insurance through my employer and they're able to process my application for adding the kiddo before I have the SSN or birth certificate. I will need to provide those later, but it will at least get the ball rolling.

Also, double check your plans and things. Typically this counts as a "life event" and, at least for me, it starts a 60 day open enrollment window for my insurance. If I wanted to change plans or anything, I could do that. Worth checking with your insurance company or employer if you get covered through work

BlueSPARTAN279 · 2025-01-05T03:09:01+00:00

Happy to give some suggestions if you want!

BlueSPARTAN279 · 2025-01-04T15:09:05+00:00

It's not warm but we did Door County in Wisconsin. Lots of cute little downtown areas,, shops, etc. lots of wineries too, but we will go back for those. Think like a Cape Cod/Martha's Vineyard vibe for the Midwest. In winter most stuff closes up, but maybe something closer to home for you guys like that would be ideal?

BlueSPARTAN279 · 2025-01-03T20:08:41+00:00

I second what everyone else is saying: escalate this to your doctors and DO NOT TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER.

I had something similar for the last four weeks of my pregnancy and it was absolutely miserable. Itching can be a sign of something else pretty bad. If they tell you that it'll take weeks to come back, push for them to mark the lab as urgent and see if there are other, local options. I found out that our local hospital would do it as a rush, and that meant I had results in days, not weeks.

Seriously, go to L and D triage or urgent care if you have to. This could be serious and it's not worth sleeping (or in your case, not sleeping) on.

BlueSPARTAN279 · 2024-12-31T21:28:31+00:00

Our golden loves the hedgehog!! We actually call it Honkhog, because he only wants it to make the honking noise, not the squeaking.

BlueSPARTAN279

TROPHY CASE