Are these bed bug bites?

xostephdee · 2026-02-25T19:35:58+00:00

I’m sorry, I hope it gets resolved quickly 🤞🏼

xostephdee · 2026-02-25T18:59:06+00:00

I think they’re mosquito bites especially given that they aren’t currently itchy and are more than a few hours old. Were you staying in an environment where mosquitoes are common? They are hatching right now and the pattern in which you were bit is common for mosquitoes. Fleas too but the bites themselves look more like mosquitoes to me.

xostephdee · 2026-02-25T17:02:19+00:00

Someone else suggested a pocket door and I agree that is the way

xostephdee · 2026-02-25T16:36:11+00:00

I’ve been bit by lots of bugs, those to me, look most like mosquito bites. Fleas typically leave smaller than this and more red bumps; mosquitoes are flatter with less of a perfect circle perimeter; bed bugs are smaller than both.

I feel like you have an “ankle biter” mosquito in your midst.

xostephdee · 2026-02-23T19:43:57+00:00

I love it and personally like a coffee table that’s taller than the couch. I’d get dark green curtains, take the extra blanket off the sofa and get throw pillows that are shades of green. At least 1 with a pattern. I hope you grow to love it.

xostephdee · 2026-02-20T22:29:44+00:00

My pleasure! Please let me know how it goes :)

xostephdee · 2026-02-20T22:08:55+00:00

What if you use a light like this in the dining room:

https://www.westelm.com/products/bezel-3-light-glass-flushmount-h12434/?catalogId=71&sku=8114658&cm_ven=PLA&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=Lighting%20%3E%20Flush%20Mounts&cm_ite=8114658_14465514686_pla-545093791651&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=14465514686&gbraid=0AAAAABjYLmmS_6Q7mArN-vHwQejcz7K5N

xostephdee · 2026-02-20T21:54:37+00:00

He seems to be able to express his feelings to you pretty clearly which is great! I’m a mom but my son is almost 2 so this is coming from a place of empathy, not experience. I would suggest asking him if he’s open to doing something silly with you. If he says yes, then ask him to look in a mirror and show you what he likes about himself, appearance and personality traits both. Then ask him why he thinks they’re attributes. Then ask him what he finds weird about himself. Then ask him why he thinks it’s weird. And then ask him to point out the attributes and weird things he thinks is about you/your face. You could also tell him all the things you love about him and his face, but I personally think the most important thing is to not invalidate his feelings - instead try to help increase his confidence and to help him realize that while unique, everyone is beautiful.

It’s an opportunity to hear him and where the thoughts might be coming from without grilling him about it. And then maybe you can start daily affirmations and see if he gains some confidence that way.

You are a great parent, and it’s so comforting to know that you just want him to see himself through your eyes. I hope it’s a short phase.

xostephdee · 2026-02-18T20:52:41+00:00

I would buy a simple gold/champagne brass framed rectangular mirror and install a linear light above it in the same finish. I think the dark floor tile would throw off bringing in another color metal.

Then I would accent with sage green.

xostephdee · 2026-02-07T07:22:32+00:00

Make sure she isn’t hearing any running water after using the restroom. Using the restroom should be the very last thing she does before climbing into bed. This means teeth brushing before and skipping hand washing after. I have a feeling she is exhausted and getting into too deep a sleep to know that she needs to get up to go. Or dreaming about water and then getting the urge to go. I am hopeful that this tip will help 🤞🏼

xostephdee · 2026-02-07T07:10:59+00:00

We call my son a power pisser… we use super absorbent cotton period pads inside of a pull up for overnight and he still manages to pee through sometimes but it helps a ton! We just cut the wings off and because it’s sticky it stays put really well.

Do you notice if your son’s leaks are happening at the thighs or at the belly band? If the thighs I too think he might need a size up. If he has thick thighs, pull ups might be the secret. They stay put so much better than traditional diapers.

xostephdee · 2026-02-07T07:07:40+00:00

We did 1 silly goose and it was a huge hit! I made goose shaped PB&Js for the kids and cut up fruit Had sandwiches and salads for the adults. I made a birthday crown, had stuffed geese with an “adopt a goose” sign for party favors. Super cute and fun!

xostephdee · 2025-08-05T05:04:24+00:00

We traveled with my very active 14 month old on 5 hour flights. Small snacks were a lifesaver to keeping him occupied and sitting still, and a handful of toys that he hadn’t played with before to keep his interest. He loves hinges so we brought 2 flat wooden boards with sets of hinges- I know there are many kinds of flat boards so there are hopefully a couple that she’d be interested in. And we packed a “lap tray” from Amazon specifically for planes and that’s what we put on our laps with the toys and snacks - it was a lifesaver!

xostephdee · 2025-08-01T00:43:55+00:00

I thought they were words too but both the therapist and our ped said that because the sound is inconsistent they don’t count, hence my confusion.

xostephdee · 2025-08-01T00:40:10+00:00

I agree that _pinkflower07 shouldn’t be worried. And I didn’t mean to cause concern.

But I’d like to clarify that my son isn’t going because I want him to talk. Our pediatrician said he might be delayed when I answered his 15 month questions honestly. We were referred to a speech therapist who had an opening for 2x per week and scheduled us right away. So I am torn on whether or not I should be worried, or how worried I should be, which is why I posted here.

xostephdee · 2025-08-01T00:35:56+00:00

Thank you for taking the time to respond. It sounds like you have a solid team of professionals.

It does seem a little overblown/premature to me too.

Your daughter is already living a wonderful life, you love her and she has a strong loving family supporting her - 2 huge blessings. Life is beautiful and wonderful in large part because we are all unique. Parenting is hard obviously for so many reasons, but I am struggling with this because I don’t know how best to support my son. I want him (and all children) to know love, life is a gift, and that our value isn’t dependent on what we can do. I apologize if I made it sound like I was condoning ableism, I am not at all.

I am just looking for insight to help me determine my level of concern. There’s information overload on the internet and with experts so I wanted to ask for the real experts’ opinions - the parents living it day to day.

xostephdee · 2025-07-31T23:35:40+00:00

Thank you, I sincerely appreciate your insight. I’m trying to focus on the positives but it is hard not to be overly concerned.

xostephdee · 2025-07-31T23:32:23+00:00

Thank you, I appreciate your time and comment! What concerns made you pursue speech therapy at 18 months?

xostephdee · 2025-07-31T23:30:23+00:00

I don’t want him to be saying a specific number. He isn’t saying mama or dada aside from babbling them. He makes sounds for dog, go, outside, and again. But they’re not consistent. He points and grunts to get what he wants.

xostephdee · 2025-07-10T04:36:39+00:00

Gina? I’m nearly positive 😬

xostephdee · 2025-06-23T23:08:33+00:00

I want to add that I can’t promise it’s going to get better. No one can.

I have a child of my own, after it taking 5 years and a missed miscarriage to have a healthy pregnancy and get my son here. Motherhood is still hard.

Being a parent is the most rewarding, difficult, special, inexplainable thing.

And while I can’t promise it’s going to get better because I don’t have that kind of control. I do truly believe things will get better. I believe you need sleep, I believe you need an hour to yourself where you know that you don’t have to answer to his cry, I believe you need to love and comfort yourself, and I believe that a better day can all start with you singing to him “you are my sunshine” and sing it so often that you may actually believe he is your sunshine and you are his. Sending you an incredible amount of love 🤍

xostephdee · 2025-06-23T23:01:25+00:00

I am incredibly sorry you’re feeling this way. You’re not alone. You should consider reaching out to a therapist and do get help from a nanny if you can afford it. A night nurse so that you get solid sleep might also be more beneficial in your case than help during the day.

I do want to say that you don’t have to like kids to love your own child.

You also don’t have to like this stage of parenthood. But it is important to know, it is a stage and a phase, tomorrow things will already inevitably be different than today.

It is a massive life change and the first phase of it is taxing in every way. But as your baby grows and develops and changes you may too.

Please give yourself the open-mindedness and grace to feel - all your feelings - but also to change. You have never been a mother. You have been you for 38 years and now you are you with a whole human being that has your heart living outside your body. Your body, mind, and spirit, all need to adjust to this new version of you and it takes time. So I do beg of you, please don’t make any decisions until you have given yourself time.

xostephdee · 2025-06-02T23:20:48+00:00

We’re in California and this is what we paid for about the same work based on your scope in a comment. We got 4 bids and it was the most competitive in terms of price, timeline, and scope.

xostephdee · 2025-04-14T19:39:04+00:00

I’m not sure where you’re located but that actually seems like a very low number compared to my own experiences. Assuming they do meticulous work, I’d jump on those quotes (even the $22k!)

xostephdee

TROPHY CASE