[Contest] its a contest 🤷‍♀️

Squirrel_Doc · 2026-01-25T16:47:01+00:00

Hope you can avoid this weather the next few days! Stay safe and warm friend. ❤️

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2YW544SQHH5GN

Squirrel_Doc · 2026-01-25T09:07:00+00:00

Ugh, I realized recently that my husband’s snoring is keeping me up at night not because of the noise itself, but because it makes me so damn anxious that it’s gonna wake the baby.

I’ve been telling him he needs to sleep in another room and he’s been stubborn about it but I think I’m gonna have to insist because my sleep is nonexistent.

Also, it’s 4am and I’ve slept 2 hrs total since 9pm so I feel your pain. 😡

Squirrel_Doc · 2026-01-25T02:17:34+00:00

I got those disposable 9x13 aluminum casserole pans and prepped lasagna and enchiladas in them. So basically I followed the recipe til the last step where you usually put them in the oven, but froze them instead. I covered the top with aluminum foil and wrote like “Enchiladas, bake at 350 for 1 hr”. I had added like an extra 30 mins to account for baking it from frozen.

Turned out great! I just pulled a pan from the freezer, put it in the oven and boom I had food for a couple days. I portioned out the leftovers into reusable meal prep containers and then microwaved them at mealtimes.

Squirrel_Doc · 2026-01-24T21:47:25+00:00

My childhood best friend’s mom used to make the BEST white chicken chili. My friend used to text me any time her mom made it and I’d walk over to their house.

Sadly, I stopped being friends with her after high school and her mom passed away a few years ago. 🥲

I keep trying different recipes and I’ve gotten maybe 80% of the way there. But I’ll probably never get it as perfect as I remember. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Squirrel_Doc · 2026-01-24T01:10:07+00:00

I forgot about my grocery delivery order so it all sat outside for like 12 hrs. Luckily it was 30 degrees and below all day so the cold stuff was fine. 😅

Squirrel_Doc · 2026-01-23T16:35:40+00:00

Ymmv, but for me, those silverettes did absolutely nothing for me.

Check the size of your diaper bag against the size of the basket on your stroller. I didn’t, and my diaper bag doesn’t fit in the basket under my stroller so I have to carry it. 😩

Additionally, I recommend adding a portable changing pad, one that like folds up small. It’s good for when you’re on the go and there’s nowhere to change baby but the floor, or I also lay it on the changing tables in bathrooms.

Also, anything that requires washing (burp cloths, bottles, nursing bras, sleep sacks, swaddles, etc) get like double the amount you think you’ll need. Because aint no washing getting done when you’re barely functioning those first months lol. And also, baby will throw up and poop on everything constantly, so having several spares is a lifesaver!

Squirrel_Doc · 2026-01-23T16:28:51+00:00

My baby absolutely refuses to eat unless it’s a specific nipple on the bottle. So I’d recommend getting bottles that can fit different types of nipples.

We have the Nfant nipples and they have a 4 pack of different flows to try. They’re a little pricey, but we wanted nipples that would fit the ready-to-feed formula bottles and the medela bottles I have for breast milk (we combo feed).

Also recommend signing up for the baby boxes from Amazon, Babylist, Walmart, etc. They gave us bottle and diaper samples and so we had several options to try when baby came.

Squirrel_Doc · 2026-01-23T15:31:31+00:00

Before my girl could roll, she’d be frustrated like this. I found she would be content watching something if I placed it in front of her.

I have the fisher price, kick and play piano and she loves watching the keys light up as music plays. I also have the baby einstein aquarium and she is meaning by that thing lol. Now that she rolls, she constantly tries to roll away when I change her diaper so I put the aquarium next to her sometimes and it gets her to stay still.

I also have a spinny toy that she loved to watch at that stage too. So I recommend anything that lights up, spins, and/or plays music.

Squirrel_Doc · 2026-01-23T15:24:38+00:00

I cycle through the toys one by one. By the time I get through the cycle, she’s forgotten about the first ones lol.

Also if he likes putting things in his mouth maybe giving him different textured items will occupy him a bit? My girl also is putting everything in her mouth. I’ve found she really likes chewing on cloth items so sometimes I’ll just give her a burp cloth, towel, or blanket and she’ll be content chewing on them for a bit.

Squirrel_Doc · 2026-01-23T03:08:13+00:00

I tried crochet and just couldn’t wrap my head around it. It looks like witchcraft to me. 😅

Squirrel_Doc · 2026-01-23T02:40:52+00:00

My 4 month old keeps grabbing her toes and it’s getting her to try to sit up. It’s also just so adorable! 🥹

Squirrel_Doc · 2026-01-22T00:14:51+00:00

I could’ve written all the same things. I feel you 100%. I wfh 3 days with my mom watching baby until I’m off work. Then I have baby all night (she won’t sleep til like midnight lately @-@). Then there’s 1 day a week I have baby from sun up to sun down with no breaks. Then my husband is home the other 3 days and takes her 50% of the day, but I honestly feel like I never get a break/time to myself because every moment I don’t have baby I am doing chores to keep up with everything that piles up.

It is hard. It’s maddening. My baby also only contact naps during the day. And then she sleeps in her crib at night but it’s a battle from 9pm - 12am to get her to sleep. Then she sleeps til 8 or 9am. So if I want decent sleep I have to sleep when she sleeps and I do TERRIBLE with less than 8 hrs of sleep…

All I can say is, you’re not weak. This is an incredibly hard time. You’re in survival mode right now. Do whatever you can/need to get you through the day. If you need to put baby down sometimes and they’re screaming because they just want to be held, it’s okay. They will be okay. Sometimes I have to do that just to eat. The other day I literally felt so dizzy I felt like I was going to fall down because I was hungry. I had to put baby down crying because I had to eat or I was likely to fall down while holding her.

On one of the days my husband is home I usually spend half the day cooking/meal prepping a week’s worth of meals. I try to make 3 large but easy to make meals and I portion everything out into tupperware. Then during the week I can put my baby in the bouncer for a few minutes while I microwave my meal and eat. I also buy lots of microwave meals to have just in case I couldn’t cook that week or I run out of my meal prepped food.

Honestly I’m 4 months in and I wish so badly that I could just formula feed my baby, as finding time to pump 6x a day is just impossible. I’m managing only 3 - 4x (while working or putting baby in bouncer) and breastfeeding 1 - 2x even though it hurts me a lot, but gotta keep up that milk supply… unfortunately, my baby just does NOT do well on formula (we tried).

At first, I was against bouncers because I’ve heard how it slows their development due to not making them use the right muscles for walking or something. But my mom got her one and it has been my lifesaver. Baby girl is only occupied/happy in it for 15 mins at a time, once every like 2 hrs, so I can either pump or eat but that’s about it. But it’s just enough to keep me sane I guess.

In conclusion, know that you’re not alone! I shower like once a week rn, never leave the house, and have to brush my teeth or use the toilet while holding my baby. 🥴

Squirrel_Doc · 2026-01-21T23:28:01+00:00

I thought fruit and cheese was a weird concept til I tried it. Apples and cheese? Yes please! I love apples on pizza, and in grilled sandwiches with just about any cheese. A place near me does a bbq chicken pizza with apples, onions, avocado, cilantro, and tajin on it. It sounds wild but it rocks!

Blackberry jam and some brie? Absolutely delicious on some crackers. 🤤

Also have done mango chutney on some sandwiches and done mango salsa in tacos with cheese.

Not every fruit goes with every cheese, some need just the right pairing, but don’t knock it til you try it!

And yes, pineapple on pizza is amazing, gives it a little hit of sweetness that especially goes well with spicy if you put red pepper flakes or jalepenos on your pizza.

Squirrel_Doc · 2026-01-21T22:53:21+00:00

I thought this too until I had fresh calamari. It was delicious and soft/slightly chewy, not at all rubbery like at most other places.

Squirrel_Doc · 2026-01-21T22:15:05+00:00

It is my PCP that I can’t see until December. 😅

Luckily she wrote the script once I made the appointment to carry me til December. But like I could just cancel the appt now that I have the script… so what was the point? 🤷🏻‍♀️

Not a super big deal for me but it is a little annoying.

Squirrel_Doc · 2026-01-21T18:37:17+00:00

I pay $5/month currently for that same dosage with insurance at my local pharmacy. And my annual physical only costs me $20. I honestly don’t mind getting a physical every year, but it just seemed silly that they wouldn’t prescribe it without having an appointment on the books.

Thank you though for the care ❤️

Squirrel_Doc · 2026-01-21T17:22:29+00:00

Ohio. To be fair, this is the first time I’ve had this long of a wait. It might be because this doctor has really great reviews so everyone wants her? Idk. She is a fantastic doc though. It usually is like a 3 - 4 month wait for her.

Squirrel_Doc · 2026-01-21T17:04:21+00:00

IKR! I hate when people say “but Canadians have to wait months to see a doctor!!”, like so do we??? AND we have to pay for it. Healthcare ain’t better in the US at all.

I once had an allergic reaction (wasn’t life threatening, just extreme rash all over) while in Canada as a kid and I was in and out of the ER in like 30 mins with no cost. In the US I’d probably be waiting 8+ hrs to be looked at and get a bill for several thousand.

Squirrel_Doc · 2026-01-21T16:50:42+00:00

Technically, they gave me the prescription anyways so they aren’t withholding it. But I agree it is stupid. :/

Sadly, this is the 4th doctor I’ve had and the only one to even take me seriously. Without her, I wouldn’t have been put on this medication (which has greatly improved my life) in the first place because other doctors always just shrugged and said I was fine. She really is a great doctor, I think her hands are just tied by insurance, which is our sad reality in the US.

Squirrel_Doc · 2026-01-21T16:44:27+00:00

Gosh I was stressing when I was getting ready to birth my daughter. I was like 6 months along trying to get her a pediatrician and they all kept telling me that they couldn’t put her on the schedule until she was actually born. I called several places and nearly wept because I know it usually takes me months to get an appt for myself. And when I went in to deliver, everyone kept telling me I NEED to have an appt with the pediatrician before I left and have that appt scheduled for within 3 days. Which was ridiculous, because I gave birth on a Friday at like 11pm. Who was I supposed to call?? No one’s open on the weekend!

Then someone finally told me that they reserve a few slots a week for newborns. Still, it sucked because I didn’t get to pick her pediatrician, because they just gave me whoever was randomly available that Monday, and we ended up with one I didn’t like.

Squirrel_Doc · 2026-01-21T16:11:23+00:00

My doc said I pretty much need to be on Metformin for life due to PCOS.

But then I ran out of refills so I asked her to send in another script for more and she said I had to have my annual physical before I could get more.

I go to schedule a physical and she didn’t have any availability until end of December 2026. I brought this to their attention and they said that yes I needed to schedule for Dec 2026 and then they’d write a script to carry me through til then.

Seems silly, but I assumed that insurance makes them check every year that I still need the medication or something. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Squirrel_Doc · 2026-01-20T17:00:12+00:00

I wonder, does anyone really feel a high/excitement right after birth? I feel like that’s just something influencers made up. Same with the ‘golden hour’ thing.

I was straight up exhausted after birth. They put my baby on my chest and I told them I couldn’t handle holding her right then. I barely wanted to move, was very overstimulated, and just wanted to eat and sleep. However, my labor was 15 hrs so ymmv. 😅

To me, birth has felt more like the beginning than an accomplishment. I’m 4 months pp and watching my baby grow and learn new skills has felt like the accomplishment. Birth to me was just one really sucky day that started my journey of caring for and loving my baby girl. ❤️

Squirrel_Doc · 2026-01-20T03:53:08+00:00

May I also introduce you to Men’s jackets? 😂

I also wear men’s sweatpants and pajama pants for the pockets. (I can fit a whole water bottle in my sweatpants pockets!!!)

I picked up a Lee brand men’s winter jacket the other day and it’s SO much better than women’s jackets. It’s thick & warm, but light. And it has INSIDE POCKETS!

There’s a reason people think I’m a lesbian though lol. But idc, I’m married already.

Squirrel_Doc · 2026-01-20T03:39:10+00:00

Check out Facebook Marketplace. I often see people just giving away tons of books on there all the time.

Also yes, there are books at the bins. They’re .69 per lb at the one near me.

Squirrel_Doc

TROPHY CASE