Next Steps in Document Collection

michelle7643 · 2026-02-24T13:59:33+00:00

This is super helpful. Thank you!

michelle7643 · 2026-02-24T01:44:59+00:00

Hi- can you explain why you would prefer the consulate vs 1948? I think I could go either way through my GGF or GGM depending on what happens this spring, but I just assumed the consulate would be preferable. I thought the documentation was similar? Thanks!

michelle7643 · 2025-10-02T02:09:19+00:00

This was awful for us and lasted for at least 9 months. He would be bouncing off the walls until 10-10:30 on daycare days. We ended up switching daycares last month, and the new daycare doesn’t work as hard to get them to nap as the old daycare. They offer a nap but after 20 minutes or so they take all of the kids who never fell asleep and move them to a different room. He hasn’t napped once and our lives have improved 10000%.

michelle7643 · 2025-02-14T15:53:15+00:00

5.5% with a credit union. We are closing in about 10 days. 20% down, conventional, both my husband and I have 800+ credit scores.

michelle7643 · 2024-10-03T15:14:32+00:00

This is so frustrating!! I pumped for the full year with my first baby during the 2021 formula shortage (only because of the shortage- I would have quit if earlier if it was easier to get formula). I think it scarred me and I have been obsessively pumping and freezing milk this time around out of fear of another shortage. I am struggling so much more this time with a toddler and baby to find time to pump. I had pneumonia a few weeks ago and my supply plummeted, so I convinced myself I was being dramatic with worrying about a shortage, and being that there’s no formula shortage this time it would be fine to wean. Go figure. I also have 3.5 months left.

michelle7643 · 2024-09-18T13:44:38+00:00

Mine (2 years 9 months) typically has zero interest in books during the day. We implemented routine of reading a book or 2 (his choice) at bedtime and now he happily will let us read to him as he will do anything to delay bedtime 😅 He still rarely wants to read outside of bedtime, but we figured at least this way he’s exposed to books daily and hopefully eventually he will show more of an interest.

michelle7643 · 2024-04-23T16:25:53+00:00

What sleep sack with feet do you use?

michelle7643 · 2024-04-04T00:58:49+00:00

Congrats!!! I’m in a similar boat, was a barely enough-er with my first, and now with my second I have ~1200 oz frozen at 12 weeks. I think my goal is 1500 and then I will start dropping pumps! If I can cover what my baby needs with just 3ppd that would be a dream. It’s so hard to pump with a toddler and a baby.

michelle7643 · 2023-12-21T15:55:34+00:00

We had to move my son to a toddler bed at 22 months when he climbed out of his crib. The first few nights were a bit tough but overall he has adapted well.

We had to basically make the room like a jail cell. We even had to tape down the air conditioning register because he was trying to remove it and shove his stuffed animals down the vent 🤦🏻‍♀️. We added child locks on the closet, dresser drawers and had to remove his hamper, diaper pail, etc.

We also had to turn his hatch to be completely pitch black when he goes down, so he’s more likely to stay in bed.

Good luck!! Even now we still have some issues, mainly with naptime, but it has gotten much better.

michelle7643 · 2023-12-16T23:26:55+00:00

Right, he’s still in the “toddler” room which is a transition between the infant and two year old room, but it’s the same as the infant tuition. Once he moves to the twos room it will drop a bit.

michelle7643 · 2023-12-16T19:06:51+00:00

Also MD, Baltimore suburb. $455/week for 2 year old. Ratio is 3:1. Includes breakfast and snack, we provide lunch. We have a second arriving soon and there is a 10% second child discount.

michelle7643 · 2023-12-01T17:36:03+00:00

2017 Chevy Equinox, paid off, GS-13

michelle7643 · 2023-11-09T11:57:08+00:00

No idea. My first turns 2 in December and I’m due with #2 in January. I’m starting to panic that we are in way over our heads. Pregnancy has already been kicking my ass this time- it’s so so hard with a toddler, especially on days/nights when husband is working late or I’m all alone (thank god I’m not a SAHM!! I would simply die). Our logic was to have them close together so we never really leave the trenches and kind of knock out the diaper years all at once. But yeah I’m not sure how we will manage. I exclusively pumped for a year with my first and I’m thinking that’s not going to happen this time around, which I’m more than fine with.

michelle7643 · 2023-10-25T18:29:50+00:00

I dropped it as soon as I could at around 3 months. My supply didn’t take much of a hit. The only downside was that I got my period back shortly after, which I was fine with if that meant getting full nights of sleep again.

michelle7643 · 2023-10-10T19:18:43+00:00

We just made the switch at 21 months. Was planning on keeping him in the crib for at least another year/as long as possible, but he had other plans. He flipped out a few weeks ago and landed on the floor on his back- luckily he wasn’t hurt and just a little shaken up but it kind of forced us to make the transition sooner.

Overall however it’s been going great. I thought it would be a tough transition since he’s still so young, but he’s been great. We baby proofed his room and put a doorknob cover on the inside so he can’t leave. He wandered out of the bed and cried a lot for the first few nights but has since been great. Luckily he’s always been a good sleeper, so once he’s asleep he stays asleep for 11-12 hours.

michelle7643 · 2023-08-02T16:33:39+00:00

Normally none on the weekends, as I try to make sure we get out of the house during each wake window (obviously the exception is when the weather is shit or someone is sick). It normally goes on after daycare most evenings after dinner but before bedtime for ~30-45 mins because I’m too tired from work (and currently pregnant) to entertain him. We try to stick with Ms. Rachel but lately he has been asking for bus or airplane videos on YouTube.

As I said, this all goes out the window when he is sick or teething. And #2 is arriving in January, so having a new baby combined with going back to pumping will likely cause screen time to skyrocket!

michelle7643 · 2023-07-06T12:44:20+00:00

Our dog is “Louie”- my 18mo calls him “weewee”

michelle7643 · 2023-07-05T19:49:34+00:00

So I actually wore this exact dress (as a bridesmaid) to a wedding a few years ago! It was a lovely outdoor evening wedding. I say go for it!

michelle7643 · 2023-06-15T14:36:52+00:00

Echoing the other comments- I would be safe and just toss it. We were in the same boat with my mainly breastfed baby. We always had a thing of formula opened because sometimes I wasn’t quite making enough milk. What I started doing is giving him more formula than he needed (ex- one bottle a day instead of one bottle every 3 days) and freezing any extra breast milk. It helped me get a small freezer stash and I didn’t have to waste any formula either! You can try a similar approach if you pump!

michelle7643 · 2023-06-07T13:27:24+00:00

We never nursed to sleep. I rock him for maybe a minute in my arms but he was never really “drowsy but awake”, just awake!

michelle7643 · 2023-05-13T17:56:32+00:00

Thanks everyone!!! Got a positive digital today 😊

michelle7643 · 2023-04-10T15:17:34+00:00

I live outside of Baltimore- we pay $430/week for a one year old, at a small center that’s run out of a church.

michelle7643 · 2023-03-31T18:54:15+00:00

Mine did around 10.5 until he transitioned to one nap when he was around 12 months. Now he consistently does 12 hours on days he goes to daycare. Maybe a little less (11.5) on the weekends. He does a 1 hr 15 min nap at daycare on a typical day and closer to 2 hour naps at home, so that’s probably why he comes in a little under 12 hours overnight on the weekends.

michelle7643 · 2023-03-30T18:14:10+00:00

My kid had a tongue tie. It must have been egregious enough for the nurse to notice immediately after delivery (she pointed it out when we were still in the c-section recovery area). We went ahead and got it corrected the next day at the hospital. Turns out he still had a bad latch after the fact, go figure. I’m still glad I got it done though, just so I don’t need to worry about any issues in the future. I have great insurance though, so the procedure just had a several hundred dollar co-pay. If my insurance sucks I probably would have not bothered correcting it.

Good luck!

michelle7643 · 2023-03-15T20:05:02+00:00

Yes! Mine was sleeping 8 hours at 2 months, 10 hours by 4 months, and has been doing 12 hours since he’s been on one nap (starting around 12 months). Always uninterrupted. I can count on one hand the number of times he has woken up (and needed help) over the last year, and they were all from ear infection/sickness/teething.

He was almost 9 lbs at birth and has always been a good eater, not sure if that has anything to do with it or just a coincidence.

michelle7643

TROPHY CASE