#39: "The little man is healthy, happy, and as loud as his daddy"

[gbmifan]

I had three babies all boys. The first weighted 5lbs8oz, he was born 8 weeks early after I had been at work all day. My water broke that night and we could not stop labor. Got to the hospital and five hours later he was here. Was a good size and the Dr. on call thought I had my dates wrong. I new I was right, and 10 minutes after he was born he had respiratory distress and transfered to the neonatal intensive care. Was there for ten days with periods of having apnea and bradycardia, and high bilirubin. Finally came home, he was nursed for one year, but took him a little while to get the idea on how to do it. He kept wanting to blow instead of suck. My second boy weighed 9#5oz, was in labor a short time and delivered after being at the hospital for about two hours. He was a big baby for me since I am under five foot tall. He got stuck and his heart rate dropped so they did a mid forcep delivery in turn I had third degree tares(SP) and a vaginal laceration that took an hour and a half to sew me up. My third weighed 8#8oz, they kept telling me he was going to be over ten pounds, I kept telling them I was not going to deliver that big of baby. Thank goodness he was smaller. Scared me a little bit when they said he had a heart murmer, but it is functional , no problems with it. Played sports with no problems. Back then we just did not take any drugs during labor. You took classes to learn how to breathe, but because of my early delivery for the first one I never finished them. Was able to nurse all of the boys for a year each. I always teased my husband he never lost sleep because I would get up the minute I heard them. The only problem I had was with my third child who would not take a bottle when I was at work. He would wait till I got home to eat. The first day I returned to work I left my husban with a newborn, a 2.5 year old, and a 5 year old. I called him a lunch time to see how things were going. His comment was he did not care to discuss it. That when I discovered my youngest was never going to have anything but the breast in his mouth. He never sucked his thumb or took a pacifer.

[annabear]

Bringing over some pretties from CV - Orlando, one year ago tonight...

[Thankful4Clay]

I had a career in IT. I was working for Target Corp in Minneapolis. I was making great money, but I was tired of the long drive and the political BS you get in a big corporation. I quit in June of 2004 thinking I would take the summer off and find a new job in the fall.

Fall came and I wasn't sure if I wanted to go work for another big corp. With the skills that I had, that was my only option. I kept putting it off and before long, my skills were old and I couldn't find a job. I also have a background in banking (high school and college years). I went to work for a local bank in their call center. The pay was less than half of what I made at Target, but it's close to home and there is minimal stress. When I leave work, I leave work. I'm not on-call like I was before and it's a different feeling altogether. It's a small local bank so I don't have to deal with the corporate BS.

If I were younger or if I really needed a good paying job, I'd go back to school. Luckily, my husband makes a good income and we live a simple life. We've been in our house for ten years, so our mortgage is reasonable and we drive old cars.

[laljeterfan]

Bringing over some pretties from CV - Orlando, one year ago tonight...

OOOOHHHH- I really like those two!

Love all the cute baby pictures, everyone. Geez, I don't think I EVER looked as young as some of you looked. After my son was born, someone I worked with saw his picture on my desk and asked if he was my grandson! I was highly insulted. Annoyingly enough, another co-worker asked me the same question last week! :23: Guess I've just always looked like a hag!

cotton so sorry to hear about the job loss.

[spikesmom]

{{{{{Cotton}}}}} so sorry to hear about your job...

I was almost 31 when my son was born and I mostly remember being tired a lot the first eight weeks... I slept when he slept, and I had him in our bed too - sometimes I was just too tired not to... I felt like I slept, nursed, slept, nursed... I know I did more than that, but dang... some days it took extra energy to drag my butt into the shower... I do remember holding him A LOT... I just loved holding him in my arms and rocking him and singing to him in a voice that only he could have loved... I never believed that you could spoil your baby by holding them too much... didn't compute to me... I think I was a more mellow mother by being older because I know me... but I can tell you, it might have been easier to be younger energy-wise... I might have gotten more showers in!!

[keepingfaith]

Thank you guys for kind words about the picture of me and Paul. He's 35 now, which means I'm 35 years older, but he's still my Sweet P. Speaking of older, I'm approaching the birthday that shall not be named this year. Therefore, I've been blocking the word birthday lately, so Happy Birthday to all you Leo Lionesses. Hope you got to really roar on your day. I'm just staying in denial for now. Hopefully, I'll adjust by next year.

ETA: {{{Cotton}}} That situation fully sucks. Big Corp = Heartlessness

[Gibby]

I'm lovin' all of the purdy Clay pics!!

{{{{Cotton and sister}}}}} Good luck to both of you in finding a new job!

OOlsee, I wish you the best in your job hunt, too. I've worked part-time in my profession since my girls were born, so unfortunately I don't have any ideas for you. Seems like going back to school for a bit might be a good way to get back into the job market.

Man, we were YOUNG back in the day...

I was born old. I'm younger than that now.

Heeee.

I actually am reluctant to post a pic of myself with my dtrs. when they were little, because I weigh 30 pounds less now. And my hair is blonder, too. Overall I think I look better now! You look great in that pic, much better than I looked when my girls were babies!

So, I'll just post a couple of pics of my two little blond girls. They didn't always dress alike, but I seem to have more pics of them in matching clothes!

This one really cracks me up, cuz my younger daughter is mad about me taking her picture! IIRC she was READY to open Christmas presents, and taking pictures was a huge bother!

[keepingfaith]

Gibby, what pretty girls you have. I love that sweet picture with them in the blue sweaters and arms around each other. How precious is that!

[Carolina Clay]

Hello, FCA!

This is the mother of my grandson, whose picture I've shared here several times. She weighed 6 lbs. 7 ozs. on a day that a football squad was born. The grandmother of one of the other babies asked my husband if she was premature, and he answered, "No, 'mam, she was 10 years late." True -- plus both her parents are quite short.

She made up for that tardiness by coming into the world after only an hour of labor.

There's a slide show in the current Carolina blog as part of an Orlando concert reprise.

So sorry, Cotton.

Have a great week, all! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Caro

[KAndre]

Heh...

Paul straight from the hospital...I always thought he looked like a little old man. The boy was definitely overcooked - my mother was horrified at how determined he was to hold his head up...

I have no idea why but Paul always preferred being stomach down and looking around. From the get go. And I thought I was enormously fat then. Well, technically I was.

By six months, you can tell he never missed a meal...

By eighteen months, not really a baby any more...

[Carolina Clay]

KAndre, thnx for sharing your son with us. Lots of good memories, I'm sure.

I was about to think I had shut down the thread again.

Nite, all!

Caro

[Couch Tomato]

heee baby mania.

KAndre you look like my cousin Pam. heee Awww FCA i enjoyed seeing all the photos of all you and your babies. They are all adorable. And you all were looking good too. KF I love the idea of you feeling younger as you get older. I love it.

[Scarlett]

Checking in after running so many errands tonight...

to {{{Cotton and Cottonsis}}} Hope you find a better position soon!!! And for those *(^%'s that did this, pbbbbtttt!!! <insert Clay picture here>

Thanks for all the pretty pictures of your sweet ones, laljeterfan, keepingfaith, Cha cha, Gibby, Carolina Clay and KAndre!!!

I'm sorry to hear about your migraine, annabear, but thanks for the Orlando memories!!!

Best of luck, 00lsee!!! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

I used to collect albums.....original pressings. 50s and 60s stuff. I had over 2000 albums at one time. But I got tired of having to move them from house to house, the crates were so heavy, and then CDs came along, and they had better sound, and were easier to deal with. So I gave most of them away. I regret it now. I still have about a hundred of my most treasured ones.

Oh nooooo!!! Vinyls have better sound quality than CD's! Glad you kept your hundred best.

Topic:

And lastly,

[luckiest1]

OK, I'll play.

I was young.

And then there were two!

Three is enough. LOL

[KAndre]

Heh...I think the "lookin' good" were a strong contributor to a subsequent baby appearance! Ask Clay!

In less than 26 hours, a small segment of the eHP will be on our way to the exotic Far East! Yay!

[aikim]

Good Morning Everyone,

30 Days until "Spam, Wonderful, Spam"!

38 Days until Clay is Partying with Paula!

59 Days until The BAF Gala!

Everyone have a great day!

Kim

[FromClaygary]

Good morning from wet and chilly Moncton, NB! I think the area is suffering from the effects of Fay. HURRICANE Fay, that is.

I'm off to Charlottetown PEI shortly.

Bought my first Spam tickets last night, about ten seconds before the power went out! :lmaosmiley-1:

Hope that isn't a sign!

Loving all of the baby pictures~as I'm not at home, I have no access to any of mine. After 30+ years the new-infant-at-home memories have faded~pretty much all I remember is always being tired At that point there was no such thing as mat leave and I had to work; so, you took whatever vacation time you had to have your baby, and went back to work. I know with the younger two boys I was back to work (fulltime) in about 3 weeks. Fortunately, I had a very good babysitter, but none of my kids was ever breast fed for obvious reasons. Doesn't seem to have hurt them a bit!

I often think about Clay, Jaymes and Parker and how they are managing. I know they will have lots of help if it is wanted, but I strongly suspect Clay will want to be and IS fully involved. Thinking about those gi-normous hands changing a 6-lb baby butt makes me all schmoopie. I hope he is enjoying this time to the fullest and spoiling Jaymes and Parker to bits.

ETA: The past few days, I've also been remembering some of his comments over the time Jaymes was pregnant, and I think he must have been bursting at the seams. Remember when someone in an interview asked him what he was reading? And he said he'd just purchased a favorite childhood book? (Mortimer Wintergreen) I wonder if he was stocking up....or reading to Parker in utero?

[Claymatron]

Waves to FromClaygary in Moncton!!! Congrats on the Spam tickets...enjoy your holiday!

Oh cool, baby talk! (Luckiest1, your kids have sure grown up!!! Love the photos!)

My son was born three weeks before my 18th birthday and my daughter, two months after my 19th. I don't have any photos of them as babies in my computer (bad mother), but since they're 47 and 46 now, it's understandable. My little guy was 5 lbs 3 oz., and a breach birth. I nursed him and was on a 3 hour feeding schedule. I did put him into bed with me because he was such a lazy eater, I would never have gotten any sleep, but since I was the type who didn't move when I slept, he was fine. I've read some horror stories since, but he survived and grew up to be a big, strong, healthy police officer.

I didn't nurse my daughter, although she was only 5 lbs 6 oz at birth, because my toddler son was only 15 months old at the time and didn't feel it was fair for him to have to share my attention to that extent. Never slept with my infant daughter in bed with me, but even though she was not breast fed, she grew up to be a lovely, strong, healthy Special Ed teacher.

I must have done something right!

Hope we get to see some pix of Parker. I'm pretty sure someone will have those on his computer.

[liney23]

Caroline... your daughter was a pixie... such curly hair!

KAndre... Paul is a sweetie! Good luck on your trip!

luckiest... CUTE you and cute little you's.

Gibby... your daughters are darling. Who could blame that younger one for the face... not nice to tantilize with all those presents just waiting to be opened.

cha cha... I still can't get over two sets of twins. I bow down to you!!!

:F_05BL17blowkiss: to any other mommy/baby picture posters! They are fun to see! I just may have to scan a couple of pictures in myself and join the fun!

Speaking of jobs, y'all....

Work is definitely on my mind these days!

Do any of you have advice for a long-time homemaker looking to re-enter the job market? I could probably do secretarial work, as I once did, but my financial needs have grown considerably since my last 'real' employed position. I'm having trouble figuring out what the going rate actually IS for various types of employment!

So, I am wondering if I should go to a training school or go ahead and finish a degree which might allow me to earn more in the long run? Any career-changers out there? Displaced homemakers? Back-to-school-while-working-ers?

Thanks in advance. PMs welcome.

Sorry, again, Cotton. That stinketh mightily.

00lsee... I would either go to a training school or finish your degree. After being a homemaker for 25 years, I went to a training school and learned secretarial skills. My first job was at age 46. After only 4 years I became an office manager and now make good money. I can do just about anything in word, excel and powerpoint, so all my employers have loved me over the years. Good luck!!!

The only problem I had was with my third child who would not take a bottle when I was at work. He would wait till I got home to eat. The first day I returned to work I left my husban with a newborn, a 2.5 year old, and a 5 year old. I called him a lunch time to see how things were going. His comment was he did not care to discuss it. That when I discovered my youngest was never going to have anything but the breast in his mouth. He never sucked his thumb or took a pacifer.

gbm... BWAH!!! the bolded part cracked me up!

FromClagary... you made me schoopie! Thinking of Clay changing diapers, rocking his baby, singing lullabies, taking pictures. Thinking of those big ole feet walking the floor... Awwww!

I've been awake since 3:30am. Finally just gave up and got up. I'm gonna be hurting by the end of the day for sure!

[jamar1700]

RIP LeRoi Moore.

The band went on with its show Tuesday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where lead singer Dave Matthews dedicated the entire show to Moore.

"It's always easier to leave than be left," Matthews told the crowd,

*sniff*

[luckiest1]

Yep, I'll take baby talk over angsting about record labels and second singles anyday.

FromClaygary, now you've made me want to go back and watch/listen to every interview he gave in the past year or so.

Those Orlando pix last night were great, too. Hard to believe it's been a year.

00lsee, I went back to school for computer programming at age 37, after being a stay at home mom/school bus driver (a job where you can take your kids) for 14 years. It was tough but I did it and it gave me a sense of accomplishment. Took me a while but I finally found a job in my field and am happy now. Good luck in whatever you choose to do!

{{{Cotton}}}

[Carolina Clay]

Good Morning! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

Thnx for all the baby pix, stories, and comments! DD still has blond curls. I wish digital cameras, not to mention computers, had been around for all the memorable moments "way back then."

Save travels to the eHP contingent headed to the Far East!

Have a great day, all!

Caro

[ldyjocelyn]

RIP LeRoi Moore.

The band went on with its show Tuesday night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where lead singer Dave Matthews dedicated the entire show to Moore.

"It's always easier to leave than be left," Matthews told the crowd,

*sniff*

I saw that this morning. I've always liked the Dave Matthews Band, and he'll be a huge loss to them. *sniff* is right.

00lsee, I would second (third? fifth?) the suggestion to get at least a few classes under your belt, specifically regarding technology. If you know Microsoft Word 2003 (or 2007, as I'm having to learn right now myself) and the rest of the Office Suite stuff, you should be in good shape. Think too about what kind of positions you want to apply for -- there may be a special skill you need to develop for these jobs, and school would be good, IMO. Of course, some people learn better with a book and trying it themselves; if you are that way, go for it! Good luck in whatever you decide!

[annabear]

00lsee, I would second (third? fifth?) the suggestion to get at least a few classes under your belt, specifically regarding technology. If you know Microsoft Word 2003 (or 2007, as I'm having to learn right now myself) and the rest of the Office Suite stuff, you should be in good shape. Think too about what kind of positions you want to apply for -- there may be a special skill you need to develop for these jobs, and school would be good, IMO. Of course, some people learn better with a book and trying it themselves; if you are that way, go for it! Good luck in whatever you decide!

OK, I'll third or fourth or sixth (depending on who's on second ) this suggestion! I especially agree with knowing the MS Office suite - those are pretty much basics anymore. Of course, going back to school is always a good way to go, says the new student .

Good luck in whatever you decide to do, 00lsee! :F_05BL17blowkiss:

[djs111]

Heeee.....here are pictures of me and my brand-new teensy baby - in the one on the right, I just brought him home, he was 4 days old and weighed 5 pounds (6 weeks early) - I was wearing a wig, dunno why. The one on the left is one month later, Christopher had gained about 3 pounds, and I had lost almost all the baby weight. And in the interests of fairness, the next picture is me and my sister at the Raleigh fair, on our way to see Clay! I weigh about 60 pounds more than I did after the baby was born. I need to lose it! The last picture is my grandson, in my home office, who is now 4 inches taller than me! We figure he will top out at 6'4".

I too was in data processing for a loooong time, took too much time off, then ran into the dismal Tampa job market - we lost almost 100,000 jobs in 1 year. So I am looking for ANYTHING, I just need to supplement SS.