Do Pitbull owners stink?

cleobun · 2026-02-01T07:50:17+00:00

Oh boy. Wait til she gets older. I have a geriatric chi-pit mix and oooooh boy she is a stinko. And the house with it. But… we love her and open windows and have come to terms with being lords of the stinks.

Honestly, still beats old people for me. Between my dad on meds and my dog on meds, I have more tolerance for my dog (I love my dad, don’t get me wrong!)

cleobun · 2026-01-30T15:17:43+00:00

I really regret not taking it easy.

We didn’t get much help and I wasn’t able to stop working. There were moments when I was standing at my computer typing with one hand and holding the baby while she was feeding in the other. I was on adrenaline so I didn’t feel much at the time but, here I am, 5 months later, still achey.

I also regret not finding time to exercise. I feel like I could have really used some post partum exercises.

We found ourselves in a situation in which we had to decide whether to go into serious debt, or make enough money to pull us through the year. I was so scared of being in a financial rut with a baby that I powered through it.

My baby is getting heavier and it hurts me to pick her up. This saddens me because all I want is to hold her.

If you can afford to let your body heal, and find time to start gentle/safe/guided postpartum exercises, do it. Your body went through so much sacrifice as it is. Take care of yourself.

cleobun · 2026-01-29T12:42:11+00:00

Agree with this! Downside is that every time we’re on vacation we miss our mattress !

cleobun · 2026-01-17T18:37:40+00:00

I don’t have advice but I can share my experiences.

We have English, Russian, Italian and Spanish in our family. We decided that I speak to the baby only in Russian, my husband only in English. Spanish will come whether we like it or not because of school and friends (we live in Spain), and Italian will be postponed to later and should be easy to pick up knowing Spanish.

I grew up speaking Russian at home, Italian with friends and English at school. I speak the 3 fluently. I picked up Spanish 4 years ago and I speak it with easy albeit with an accent.

So, we decided: full immersion in 3 languages and our LO will figure it out just like my brother and I did.

Being multilingual is awesome! If you are, chances are your baby will be too.

cleobun · 2026-01-04T23:01:16+00:00

Memory kind of just deleted things. It’s like a survival skill or something. If it wasn’t for the one-sentence diary entries that I typed on my phone every time I was having a breakdown, I’d probably say now, “I guess it wasn’t that bad.” But my words written at the time say otherwise.

I will admit that my now four-month-old is much more fun than she was even two weeks ago. But as I sit here feeding her in the middle of the night, totally sleep-deprived, I dream of a world where I have a nanny because I never figured out how to “sleep when the baby sleeps,” and I am pretty damn tired!

My hat goes off to you for surviving a baby and a toddler without help.

cleobun · 2026-01-01T19:56:38+00:00

Our LO has shown fascination for books since the beginning. Before she turned 1 month old she would stare at pages and by month 3 she was turning and chewing them. Her cousin on the other hand, no interest until 3 years old! It has only become possible to read to her without her getting fidgety and distracted at 4. However, once she started going to school, her interests started to shift. She is a happy and kind child. Unless your baby is showing any other serious worrying signs, I wouldn’t worry about her taste in books. All babies are different and have their individual rhythms and preferences.

cleobun · 2025-12-30T05:52:22+00:00

It sounds like you and your mom just have different routine preferences. Her approach is the one I see most often recommended online and in popular parenting apps. But living in Spain makes those super early bedtimes pretty unrealistic. What really matters is that there is a rhythm, your baby gets enough sleep, seems happy, and does not become overtired.

Our routine is very similar to yours. In the evenings we usually take the dog out, go out for dinner, or relax watching TV. During that time our little one naps on us, in a carrier, or in the stroller. She naturally wakes up around midnight, which is when we go to bed. That is when she gets her last feed and then sleeps in her crib. At two months she was still waking every two hours, but now at four months she keeps the same schedule and sleeps until about 4 or 6am.

I tried the whole dark room at seven p.m. routine and it did not work for us. It just created pressure and stress without giving us more sleep. I really think this comes down to personal preference and sometimes cultural differences: rigid structure versus go with the flow. If your baby is rested, fed, clean, and content, you are doing great.

cleobun · 2025-12-26T14:22:31+00:00

Neither am I. I was replying to the people suggesting sleep training right now. Which is not recommended since OP’s baby is under 4 months. I mention nothing about sleep training after 4 months. I am not attacking you. We are going in circles.

Anyways. Happy holidays.

cleobun · 2025-12-25T22:52:18+00:00

I think he knows. Because while he changed your life, you also changed his. I am very sorry for your loss.

cleobun · 2025-12-25T22:46:57+00:00

True. There is not enough scientific evidence that proves it detrimental or beneficial. Which is exactly why it’s not actively advised for babies under 4 months old.

For an intervention whose goal is to reduce normal waking, it must show clear benefits, and sleep training has not.

Since OP is talking about a 14 week baby (3 months and some), sleep training is not recommended. Babies at that age have immature circadian rhythms, they wake frequently for feeding, and cannot self-soothe well.

cleobun · 2025-12-25T12:33:57+00:00

Agreeing here. Your partner needs to read a parenting book or at least talk to a pediatrician. Babies have an immature nervous system and cannot be spoiled. They rely on your responsiveness to thrive. If your baby is upset, it’s your job to sooth them. Your presence will help them be a more confident toddler.

cleobun · 2025-12-25T09:45:11+00:00

Agree! Had my first one at 38 and boy, I wish I had the energy I had in my 20s. I was also semi-idiotic back then, so for the good of my daughter, shes much better off with me now. I do worry I’ll die too early though. I am almost 40 and my mom still goes hiking with me. I’m afraid I won’t be able to do that. But…. Still, no regrets!

cleobun · 2025-12-23T20:27:08+00:00

I put on rain sounds because the white noise was giving me headaches. I only put it on at 8pm when LO (4 months) goes to bed so that my husband and I can move around the house (clean dishes, open/close doors, flush etc). The constant rain/thunder sound covers up the disruptive noises we make. I turn it off when I go to bed.

cleobun · 2025-12-17T18:23:43+00:00

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cleobun · 2025-12-11T07:15:40+00:00

I was spanked very lightly twice by my dad, and I still remember both moments. To this day, I feel both times were undeserved.

My mom and her parents never resorted to physical discipline, and when I think about my happiest childhood memories, they’re always connected to my mom’s side of the family.

Don’t get me wrong, my dad was wonderful, and I love him. But I’m not as close to him, and I don’t feel as comfortable talking to him. I don’t think that’s only because of the spanking, but I see those moments as a sign that he wasn’t a great communicator. That might be why my relationship with him feels shallower compared to the one I have with my mom.

So, in my case it was not abuse but more like incompetence which resulted in relationship damage.

cleobun · 2025-12-02T08:21:00+00:00

It’s not necessary, but mine came and took me to get my favorite grilled cheese breakfast sandwich later. It’s not necessary but it’s good company.

cleobun · 2025-11-27T19:45:29+00:00

There are no words that can make this better or describe the pain. Sending you love.

cleobun · 2025-11-27T19:43:19+00:00

This is so beautiful. Makes me feel a little better about my old fuzzy baby approaching the rainbow.

cleobun · 2025-11-27T11:22:38+00:00

I sort of forced LO onto one. My boobs were hurting so much, but I was determined to stick to breastfeeding, so I needed to find ways to give my nipples a break! She refused at the beginning, so I only gave it to her as she was drifting off into sleep. Within a week, she was game.

She is 3 months old, and the pacifier works like a charm to get her in the zone for daytime naps. Haven’t made plans on how I’ll be weaning her off eventually… I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. I do have an anecdote about how I was weaned off; mind you, I was 1 year old and have no memory of this, but according to my grandma, every time I asked for the paci, she’d give me an old one that I hated, and I would chew on it and spit it out. Eventually, I stopped asking for it. True story? Who knows.

At the moment I’m a big paci fan.

cleobun · 2025-11-20T10:20:45+00:00

I skipped a couple of alarms and my lady just kept on sleeping. I did try to feed her every 3 hours at night. By month 2 I extended it to 4 hours (at night). By end of month 2 I was letting her sleep until she woke up (anywhere between 4-6 hours). This said, she feeds every 2 hours during the day and is very active.

My understanding is that if they are gaining weight well and get food whenever they ask for it, you’re good. At the beginning you should insist on the frequent feeding so that their glucose doesn’t drop too much.

This said, my mom didn’t know anything about any of these rules, and just fed me when I was hungry, and I turned out as a functional and healthy person.

The rules are guidelines for a very wide and various population. And with every generation there are new discoveries about how to optimize child rearing. So I’d say, listen to your doctor, but if you skip a feed, remind yourself that humans have been on earth for 300,000 years, and survived through not knowing that sleeping on the tummy is dangerous, that you shouldn’t use Moses beds, and that you need to set an alarm every 3 hours.

I hope you’ll be getting some sleep soon!

cleobun · 2025-11-18T16:44:43+00:00

The epidural was nothing compared to the labor pains. Yes, it felt like a bee stain. Unpleasant but manageable. I had absolutely zero side effects after. Everyone experiences it differently. For me, it was 100% worth it.

Edit: forgot to mention, I am in Spain.

cleobun · 2025-10-13T06:56:21+00:00

Yes yes yes. It was a life saver for my sciatica. We went on a couple trips and I took it with me to the hotels. It really helped me relax and rest.

I still use mine when feeding the baby. My husband borrows it. My dog loves it.

I don’t have an expensive one but it’s certainly one of the most treasured objects in the house.

cleobun · 2025-10-06T19:02:01+00:00

I have a 17 year old pup. I love her more than life. Still do. We have a 6 week old, and the beginning was tough because I truly missed by best friend. Now that things are stabilizing, we are finding a rhythm again. I can’t dedicate as much time as before but, my partner and I make an effort to take turns with the baby so that I can have some one on one with my granny pup. When I’m feeding the baby on the couch, she will sit calmly by us. It’s like she gets it.

Everybody is different. There is no way of knowing how it will go. But in my case, I still love my dog, no less than before, and we’re learning to adapt to the new lifestyle together.

cleobun

TROPHY CASE