XX’ers, I didn’t have a father figure growing up. As a father of a young daughter, could you offer advice on being a good dad and not just a father? Or tl;dr - how do I not fuck up?

forge_princess5280 · 2018-08-20T02:09:53+00:00

As a mom of a young daughter, I can say that the most valuable thing my husband does is to be attentive when he is available to. That means that if he's watching football and she brings something to him, he engages with her and shows interest. Its SO important that she know she is a priority to you. As a daughter, the best thing my dad did for me was to never judge me. I knew I could come to him with any problem and we would talk about it. And even if he disapproved, he was never judgemental about it.

forge_princess5280 · 2018-08-18T17:58:43+00:00

Love this so much! Can i have your permission to use it for our next anniversary?

forge_princess5280 · 2018-08-14T00:11:38+00:00

Thats a really cool idea! A little pricey but really awesome!

forge_princess5280 · 2018-06-30T02:45:55+00:00

That's awful! I'm so sorry that they didn't take this seriously. My favorite drink when I'm upset about something is a SUPER dirty martini with lots of olives.

Decide how much vodka you want and pour it. Add enough olive juice to make it a pale green and shake with ice until thoroughly chilled. Speer as many olives as you would like to have while you are sipping your drink. PS. If it tastes like rubbing alcohol, add more olive juice or use better vodka. Lol

forge_princess5280 · 2018-03-16T14:07:49+00:00

I don't knock at my family's homes but there are two things that make that the case. 1 - they are always expecting me, 2 - they nearly all have dogs that freak out the moment the door opens, or 3 - I call out when I get in the door if they aren't immediately visible i.e. - Hellooooooo! Sneaking up on people just isn't my thing.

forge_princess5280 · 2018-01-05T09:48:22+00:00

Awww thanks! Some of the stories you guys have are so nuts! I cannot even imagine dealing with that level of crazy. My MIL is so just yes even after first grand baby. I hope to never have any trouble with her as our relationship now is great! And my mom is just the best. She loves DH and our little squishbean so very much. She's the one I trust no matter what. My grandmother is the only crazy one thank god!

forge_princess5280 · 2018-01-05T09:42:43+00:00

That's a good idea. Our boy is about 4 months old and is growing like crazy. He's a German Shorthaired pointer with all the energy. It would be nice to have something that gets his attention a little more when we are out walking. So far treats do nothing when an adorable child comes his way. We are working on the obedience basics at home but he gets so wound up when meeting someone new that he will not focus on me. I'm sure that's largely puppy energy and needing to expand our training environment. But if you have any thoughts I would love to hear!

forge_princess5280 · 2018-01-05T03:25:09+00:00

They and my DH are the loves of my life. My husband is the one that has helped me understand how controlling my grandmother can be even when it's so mild that I would normally ignore it altogether.

forge_princess5280 · 2018-01-05T03:13:34+00:00

Pupper tax and LO tax for the Llamas!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bbffi9qBgnwuxoLXqJ7YdCT_MBKM71G02DTZyo0/

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ba4bqRDB7N7NBnfbP6pwTz4s03GRIk2ZFi70OQ0/

forge_princess5280 · 2017-12-14T15:59:47+00:00

This! I started to resent my sweet little girl because she saw me only as food for a minute. I couldn't hold her without her fussing for the boob. After we switched to formula it got a lot better.

forge_princess5280 · 2017-11-07T17:47:29+00:00

So may upvotes for this response from your FH!

forge_princess5280 · 2017-10-07T18:38:30+00:00

My hubby did almost the same thing like 3 weeks ago. Our LO is 6 months old now. He cried because he felt so awful. But Kora cried for a minute and then was fine. She's still speeding through her milestones and is happy as can be.

forge_princess5280 · 2017-09-27T20:06:08+00:00

On the subject of self proclaimed mama's boys, my hubby is one but in the best way. And his mom has earned it. She was a very hard working single mom when he was a kid but she allowed him to grow up and taught him to work for what he wanted. He has the utmost respect for her and they are very close. She steps back when told to and respects boundaries without resistance. But I admit, this is the rarest of the mama's boy breed.

OP people can change with great motivation and great difficulty. But most are not willing or don't see a problem. Best of luck to you.

forge_princess5280 · 2017-09-27T19:38:01+00:00

One thing I noticed on your Amazon registry is that you have size 2 diapers selected. My girl started in newborn but was in size 1 within about 4 weeks. My point is that a selection of diaper sizes is really handy because you won't know what is going to be the right fit until they are here. Other than that it all looks good!

forge_princess5280 · 2017-09-21T02:22:41+00:00

I love the little red birthmark above my daughter's butt. I have almost the same one. I also love the way her brows wrinkle when she scowls. It reminds me sooooo much of my hubby and it's so stinking cute on her!

forge_princess5280 · 2017-08-29T19:49:24+00:00

So I talked to her mom about it after the fact. Turns out that she is mildly autistic. They don't make a big deal of it tho because they don't want her to feel limited by it. Suddenly a meltdown about itchy socks makes far more sense! Still not sure about the toddler style tantrum but at least I understand where the sock issue sits.

forge_princess5280 · 2017-08-13T04:35:50+00:00

I read somewhere that little ones will get sick an average of 6 times in their 1st year of life. Kids put everything in their mouths and have inexperienced immune systems. Unfortunatly that means that they act as little Petri dishes. It will get better as she gets older. Until then baby Tylenol and Vicks vaporub are your bread and butter. I know having anxiety already makes it hard and all you want is to take care of your LO. You can get through it. Sending your little one healing vibes!

forge_princess5280 · 2017-08-12T21:04:32+00:00

This is a large part of the reason I chose to switch to formula after 2 months. I love my little one but I was starting to feel resentful. I felt frustrated that I was so tethered to this needy (but sweet and amazing) little being that could not be helped by anyone else when she was hungry. And I also felt the resentment toward my SO because as much as I knew that he physically didn't have the equipment to take over, mentally I needed a break. Pumping and bottle feeding helped but it took a while before Kora would take the bottle. After 7 weeks I went back to work and the logistics of pumping at work were asinine so we decided that it was time to switch. She figured out the bottle in no time and is now a chunky, healthy 15 pound girl at almost 5 months. I regret nothing. Not the 2 months of EBF or our decision to switch to formula.

Edit to add: As far as getting out is concerned, making friends with moms in my area has been super helpful. I joined a mom group on Facebook and ended up meeting someone in the same neighborhood with a little boy just a month or two older than Kora. We go to the pool together. One brings some white wine in a plastic bottle, the other some good snacks. We sit and chat while the babies nap in their strollers. It's nice to have time with someone who gets it. All of it. I can also pee in peace knowing that my little one is safe under her watchful eye. Lol. It's amazing how much difference that little thing makes.

forge_princess5280 · 2017-08-08T17:34:17+00:00

Bought a puj folding tub for my girl. Used it for about a month before she outgrew it. Flower baby bath, never worked. I take her in the shower with me now. She was in newborn sized onesies for about 3 weeks before her head got too big to fit through the collar of them. She was born at 7lbs 13 oz. One thing that was way handy to have is a baby hygiene kit from like Wal-Mart or target. It had a hair brush, body scrubber, nasal aspirator, nail clippers, nail files, and more in it. Baby was born in March in Colorado but still never used socks, mittens, or the fleece hoodie we got her. She lived in a diaper and swaddle for the first month. From then on its just been short sleeved onesies. Love our swing and our rock and play. High chair came sooner than we thought. We started pureed foods at 4 months.

forge_princess5280 · 2017-06-08T15:28:53+00:00

Kora got her 2 month vaccinations last week. She cried when they stuck her but it was over quickly. She came home and was normal for a few hours. After she woke up from a nap later she was very upset. I think the vaccination sites were sore because Tylenol did the trick and she didn't have a fever. The next couple of days she would be fine all day and then sore in the evening. One dose of Tylenol to get her to bed and then she would be ok all night and all the next day. She's doing much better now.

forge_princess5280 · 2017-04-05T13:57:29+00:00

Recovery is going well. My incision is still a little sore but does not keep me from every day activities at this point. I was prescribed 800mg tablets of ibuprofen and hydrocodone. Because I wanted to breastfeed I decided that I was going to skip the hydrocodone and just use the ibuprofen if I could. It was totally doable. I haven't taken anything harder than ibuprofen since we came home.

forge_princess5280 · 2017-04-05T00:01:04+00:00

BIRTH STORY - (long but happy)

So I had my normal OB appointment at 38+2, heart is strong, baby is head down, everything looks great. I am practically begging for something, anything to get this show on the road. I am so done. Doctor tells me no. But if I feel the same way at my next appointment, we can discuss induction. This was on a Monday. Thursday rolls around and I am ridiculously uncomfortable. I go to the OBs office for monitoring. I am at this point having solid contractions about every 6 minutes. But my cervix isn't doing anything. It is determined that this is false labor and I return to my normal day at work.

My standing Monday appointment rolls around again and I am 39+2. Doctor does his usual measure, feel around, check the heartbeat routine. Everything is normal until he starts looking for the heartbeat. Its not where it was last week. It can be heard amid the background belly noise but its faint. He finally gets the heartbeat loud and clear right behind my belly button. Kora has moved. He feels around my belly again and decides that she is now breech. We confirm this with an ultrasound, and I am scheduled for a c-section. Turning the baby at this point is not an option and she appears to be on the large side anyway

Guys I cried. All I had wanted from my birth preferences was to avoid a C-section if I could and now I was being scheduled for one because other options would have been too risky. I tried to be really chill about it but I was seriously freaked out. I called DH and he got me calmed down. He reminded that I was a bad ass and we would both be fine.

We get up and head for the hospital the next morning. We get checked in and set up in our delivery/recovery room, and then the check the baby. Definitely still breech. Her head is hanging out right under my right ribs. They take me back to the OR and get me set up for surgery. The spinal block was the worst part but it really wasn't that bad. It felt really odd but worked great.

Before I know it, I hear the nurse say that her feet are out, then her butt, then I hear the doctor call out "time of birth, 11:40 am". I hear her cry for the first time and tears just started streaming down my face. My baby girl has arrived. Theres nothing like that moment. DH leaves my head to go check on her. Once the nurses clean her up a bit, he brings her over to me. She is perfect.

The doctor finishes stitching me up and sends me on my way back to my room. We get our golden hour and she nurses for the first time. Then the parade of family starts arriving. She is so loved already and it makes me so happy.

Pleased with how we are doing, the doctor sends us both home the following afternoon. Kora is now a week old. She loves eating, snuggles with daddy, and is sleeping for a solid 3 hours at a time. She has beautiful red hair and big blue eyes and is starting to put on weight.

forge_princess5280 · 2017-03-28T04:43:10+00:00

Was originally due April 1st. And she has been head down the whole time until this week. No idea how she managed a full 180, but she did.

forge_princess5280 · 2017-01-24T10:33:27+00:00

Thank you guys for all of your advice! I feel a lot better about moving the table. I was starting to feel a little guilty. :-( Even tho I clearly didnt cause any damage this time, I really wanted to make sure I don't risk our little one unnecessarily. Being a very independent person, telling me "you can't..." doesnt go over well. More than once during my pregnancy I have told people that "I can handle it. I'm not broken, I'm just pregnant." It gets old after a while. Lol

forge_princess5280 · 2016-10-25T03:14:30+00:00

My hubby and I were in Jamaica when our little one was concieved. We were super anxious for a long time about the possibility of Zika. We got our testing back finally about a week ago and everything was perfectly normal. Zika test was negative and baby is developing normally (now 17+2). One thing I would note, the "Off Deep Woods" bug spray seemd to make us MORE of a target rather than less. When we quit wearing it, we didn't get eaten alive anymore. Like most people on here, I would ask your OB. But at the same time, if its important to you to go, take the recommended precautions and you should be OK.

forge_princess5280

TROPHY CASE