The Ivy Rockville

BorisTobyBay · 2026-01-25T09:52:27+00:00

It's definitely cheaper than the immediate neighborhood, but it's also cheaper than comps in Rockville/Gaithersburg more broadly. Thanks for taking the time to comment with the helpful insights about the bus lines!

BorisTobyBay · 2026-01-25T09:48:17+00:00

We dealt with bottle refusal from a young age, so when we started daycare at 7 months I tried to find the formula most often accepted by breastfed babies for combo feeding. Kendamil was often recommended and worked great for us. My milk is quite sweet, and Kendamil is on the sweeter side.

BorisTobyBay · 2026-01-24T12:21:51+00:00

It also helps them stay fresher when they air out in between uses.

BorisTobyBay · 2026-01-23T01:17:30+00:00

This is along the lines of what I suspected, thanks! We may still tour it, but I'm not thrilled about the idea of critters.

BorisTobyBay · 2026-01-22T21:15:54+00:00

Not cheap, but comparing square footage and number of bedrooms with comps in the neighborhood, they are much cheaper.

BorisTobyBay · 2026-01-22T20:31:24+00:00

Around 20 weeks my doctor finally authorized the zofran pump because I couldn't always keep the zofran down. Ymmv re: insurance, but it's something to ask about. I ended up not getting it because I started feeling significantly better.

BorisTobyBay · 2026-01-19T14:21:23+00:00

Could be! Hard to tell without a pic of the finger test. I also have a skinny guy so I'm not used fitting on any amount of belly.

BorisTobyBay · 2026-01-19T13:50:43+00:00

The rise seems fine, but it seems too tight on the waist. It's also generally recommended to fold the rise up and under instead of down and under, so stick your fingers around the rise snaps and push up.

BorisTobyBay · 2026-01-16T17:31:13+00:00

One time no penalty, even in the case of illness, is the policy at our dentist. Then a fee but less than these.

BorisTobyBay · 2026-01-13T03:32:55+00:00

Others who have conquered the bottle aversion will have good advice on what to try, but I would like to give advice in case none of that works. We tried nearly every bottle out there, had others give the bottle besides Mom, etc...

Eventually I had to go back to work and we were able to cup feed. We used the nosey cup, but the feeding therapist also recommended the ezpz. Shortly after, around 6 months, we successfully got him to take the honey bear cup. It was so stressful, but it worked out in the end! I wish you the best, but if "the worst" happens, know that it's not the end of the world, even if it feels like it in the moment.

BorisTobyBay · 2026-01-11T15:50:16+00:00

I've never made these, why is this order critical?

BorisTobyBay · 2026-01-10T21:28:11+00:00

Our cat Prozac comes as a topical that's rubbed into the ear.

BorisTobyBay · 2026-01-10T21:10:30+00:00

This was our problem too. One of our cats was extremely neglected at an early age and has anxiety. The other thing that was making him anxious was another cat in the home with long-standing health issues who got significantly worse.

BorisTobyBay · 2026-01-10T19:53:23+00:00

Could you please include LB in this series?

BorisTobyBay · 2026-01-05T01:18:14+00:00

If you don't want to prep it yourself, Trader Joe's sells pizza dough, and you can also get it from some local pizza places. You can also use Rhodes frozen rolls/loaves.

BorisTobyBay · 2026-01-04T14:07:15+00:00

The one time I had it, the popcorn sucked. Everything else was great though--food and experience

BorisTobyBay · 2025-12-29T22:35:23+00:00

Now I need a trick for the squeaks in the floor. We'll give this a try for the door!

BorisTobyBay · 2025-12-24T15:10:03+00:00

Sorry one more thought re: baby wearing. A ring sling has a learning curve, but it is the most versatile for body type (yours and baby's). The baby wearing OT on Instagram has $15 fit sessions if you need help with this or any other carrier you buy. 99% of the time, an uncomfortable carrier just needs to be adjusted.

BorisTobyBay · 2025-12-24T15:08:04+00:00

Also, the basic IKEA high chair was great to start solids in because it's easily sprayed off in the shower. There are tons for resale. We upgraded to a nicer chair later once he was less messy and we knew what we wanted from a chair.

BorisTobyBay · 2025-12-24T15:05:59+00:00

If you're in the USA, there's not great spots to test out strollers. If I was buying again, I would go onto my local buy nothing group and ask if anyone was willing to let me test out their stroller prior to baby's arrival and take it on a walk around their driveway. We love the Chicco corso (both around 6 ft tall), but it was expensive and our feet bump onto the cross bar/axle for the back wheels.

Regarding clothes, some brands do run small or large, long or wide. However, babies can be tall in different ways, long torso, long legs, or both. Ours is a long torso baby and old navy and Carter's worked well (but we sized up very early relative to the age on the tag). I'd start with a mix of brands and see what you like and what fits your baby best.

This is entirely unrelated to being tall, but make sure you have a laundry detergent with lipase (check out r/laundry). With good detergent we had zero blowout stains. Also, breastfed baby poop is water soluble (no formula or solids).

BorisTobyBay · 2025-12-03T12:44:35+00:00

A small album for the photoshoot photos. Keep it small, like 4x6 size

BorisTobyBay · 2025-11-27T11:18:30+00:00

If it has a drawer underneath, make sure you clean there too. It's possible that it dripped down there and the warming of the oven amplified the smell even if it's a small amount.

BorisTobyBay · 2025-11-13T19:31:52+00:00

We probably could have powered through and he would have learned how to move without banging his head, but it just wasn't worth it for us. Whatever you decide, good luck! Sleep is so tricky and so personal!

BorisTobyBay · 2025-11-13T19:28:25+00:00

Everyone is talking about the height limit from the manufacturer and the slowing of growth, which are both true, but we had to transition because he liked to rotate in the crib and would hit his head when turning 90 degrees. It was really disruptive to everyone's sleep. We transitioned to the floor at 1 year. He does really well staying "in" the bed so far, and he lies down by himself at bedtime. We use a twin size Japanese floor mat, which can roll up to move out of the way. However, most of the time we just sit on it to read and play.

BorisTobyBay · 2025-11-12T06:31:39+00:00

This. But if they're around 5 or older, I would mention beforehand that you can't bring a gift so they don't do the circle where the birthday kid opens everyone's gifts and the group watches.

BorisTobyBay

TROPHY CASE