10(ish) Saturdays until I have all the sushi and wine! Plus, you know, hold a new baby in my arms
We spent the entire evening outside since it was nice / warm weather. We even ate outside. It was glorious. Especially since my son is definitely happiest outdoors. I made him a “nature bracelet” that was just tape with the sticky side out, and he spent almost an hour looking for “treasures” to stick to it (flowers, feathers, leaves, twigs). Played tag, listened for birds and found a couple nests high in our trees. Too bad it’s getting cold again this weekend. I’m ready for more evenings like tonight.
@professormama, don't get me wrong, I am definitely so very over pregnancy and ready to be done (especially after the night at work I just had)... at the same time, we don't have a nursery with finished drywall yet and I have no place to organize baby things . Logically, I know we would be fine because I have the essentials where I need them (pack and play with bassinet, newborn clothes, cloth diapers), but I get so stressed by clutter and disarray.
Hoping the four days off my DH has this week will get most of the remaining heavy lifting done in the nursery so I can start painting.
@rennie1108 Have you heard of the Feed Baby app? It tracks sleeping, feedings and diaper changes. Plus you can sync it with your partner (in the pro version). I found it super helpful with my first and will be using it again!
Good news is my boss isn't going to make me do a presentation
Bad news is she piled a million things on my plate. She pretty much plans to work me to the bone until I have a baby. It we are not training anyone to replace me. So I can only expect it will be crazy when I return from maternity leave.
Me: 32 DH: 31
TTC #2 since January 2018
Baby #1 DD Born 8/25/2016 BFP: 8/11/18 Due: 4/26/18
@kosmo86, my sympathy! I know how much my job is gonna miss me while I'm out, which is a nice feeling on the one hand, and totally overwhelming on the other. Hang in there! How much longer are you working? Taking any time off before babe or working right up to your due date?
@kosmo86 That sounds stressful! I'm kind of in the other boat, in that my job is so boring and we all do the same thing in the lab so I won't really be missed at all. It would've been a lot more stressful if I had this baby when I was at my last job. I miss the responsibility, but I'm glad I won't have the stress.
I can't remember if I already posted this (b/c I'm sleep deprived), but DH surprised me and painted the nursery this weekend while I was out of town. That makes me really excited and more motivated to actually get shit done. Team: can't wait for pregnancy to be over! 9 more Saturdays for me, if all goes according to due date!
6ish more Saturdays here! My MIL promised me a four pack of one of my fave seasonal beers and it comes out in the next couple weeks...so I'll have some of those on deck for me!
@TheSouffleGirl - She is well aware. I work for a large organization and our team supports a lot of different departments ( I am a data analyst) but I am the only person who works a specific department (marketing). I only plan to take 12 weeks so I will work up until the day. At this point the plan is for someone from another team (who knows my data fairly well) to "help" part time with my work load while I am gone. So besides some training they will not start until I am gone.
ETA: the only real good thing is that I really don't have to worry about job security. My boss loves me and it is going to be very hard on her to lose me for 12 weeks.
Me: 32 DH: 31
TTC #2 since January 2018
Baby #1 DD Born 8/25/2016 BFP: 8/11/18 Due: 4/26/18
@kosmo86 I was wondering if your boss was upset with your pregnancy and essentially punishing you for being pregnant. I'm glad she loves you.
My work is babysitting for a couple families. One of the families is letting me stop working Valentines day which is really appreciated but they want me to help find a replacement for me. That has been stressful. Trying to find a woman within our church who is available during the day, during the school year, and has substantial childcare experience and no current job or midday college courses is proving quite difficult and frankly I think they should look into daycare because they only need a sitter for 5 more weeks after they let me go. Because of cost, they'd rather have a person come to their home. Since DH and I are friends with the family, I work for $5/hr. I don't think they're going to find that kind of deal outside of a miracle. I'm not volunteering to stay past the time I was told I can stop. I plan on finishing out with the other family and RESTING. lol
@mighty_montgomery, if I could find someone to babysit for $5 an hour I wouldn't want to let them go! That's really kind of you. Babysitters around here are at least $12 for college students, and go up to $15/$20 an hour if they have CPR/first aid or any other kind of certifications.
I got a Starbucks iced white chocolate mocha since I'm waiting for my mom's doctor appointment to be over and I'm dragging... I don't usually drink coffee, and didn't realize it would be *quite* this strong. I'm expecting babe to either start throwing a dance party or a migraine to hit me by the end of today now.
@mighty_montgomery wow they are getting childcare at a steal from you. Just wow! I think it'd be hard to find that price point and availability outside of friends, church family, and family. Are there any SAHM in your friend circle that could help? When I was little I stayed with a cousin who was a SAHM before she had her 2nd kid. Definitely take advantage of the rest - if I was able I'd take the last month off from work but I want all of those 12 weeks with baby.
@mighty_montgomery@kangstadt: It's tripping me out how much babysitting costs can vary. I don't know what area @mighty_montgomery is in, but if y'all lived here, I'd be more shocked that @kangstadt is paying $15-20 than that @mighty_montgomery felt like a little discount took her down to $5 (not saying she isn't super nice or anything ). I've never paid more than $10 or asked whether anyone was certified, and websites make that look normal for my area (more like $12 if you hire off the site, but I'm guessing that's because the site takes some kind of cut, or the total stranger factor?) @kangstadt, I really hope you also live somewhere where pay is proportionately higher, too, so you can still go out, 'cause if I had to pay $15-20 an hour we would have like a once every 2-months date to McDonald's, and that'd be it.
For Christmas, my sister got me and DH a gift card for our favorite restaurant. I also happened to get a $15 loyalty coupon in my email today. We’re going there to eat for lunch today, and probably going all out because we have so much “free” money to spend. I cannot WAIT. So ready for crawfish bisque and my favorite shrimp dish. Also creme brûlée. I do admit that I’m a little bummed I can’t drink - this restaurant is one of my favorite places to drink and has the best peach Bellinis. At least they have yummy flavored lemonades.
Random: is anyone celebrating Valentine’s Day? A coworker asked what my plans are and what I’d like for a gift, and it made me think. Me and DH don’t do gifts anymore for any occasion, minus little fun stuff. We do a nice meal together instead. Coworker definitely thought this was weird, but why spend money on gifts when we can spend it on food instead? 🤷🏻♀️
@lilpotatomama we don't normally celebrate Valentine's Day. We both feel like it's a "fake" holiday. We are going on a date this Saturday but it's just because the timing worked out for DD to be at her grandparents.
@TheSouffleGirl, nope, at least for me it's impossible to afford a sitter. It would cost hourly more than I make an hour at my job. I rely on friends and family watching DS when we need it, and other than that DH and I get our "date nights," by working out together or playing games at friends' houses (where we are lucky enough to be able to take DS with us). It's the main reason my sister uses me as her primary babysitter, too expensive otherwise.
@lilpotatomama, enjoy your lunch! That sounds awesome. And as far as Valentine's day, DH makes a bigger deal out of gifts for holidays than I do, so I may get flowers or chocolate, but we're also on a tight budget so I've told him nothing big. Totally agree that food is more important, haha, or nice sentimental gifts like a card drawn by DS. I would definitely take advantage of the excuse for a date night with your hubby though! Especially since it may be awhile after baby comes before you guys get a chance for one.
@lilpotatomama all I really want from DH for Valentine’s Day is a love letter and time alone without phones with him. So no, not weird for you to spend the money on food. Our anniversary/birthday dinners are usually at home anyway, and if I have a say, it’s often mussels for dinner because they are cheap and elegant! I think V-Day might be celebrated on the 13th with a hospital tour and dinner alone if I can convince someone to babysit DD.
also, DD apparently loves avocado toast. As do I. How have I never had it before?
Team Take Your Time Baby over here. Lots of moving parts to still sort out and don’t feel so horrible that I want this to be over.
$15/hr is baseline in my area, which is why we never ever go out without family babysitting. I’ve paid that to 1) move, and 2) go to my cousin’s wedding where all family was also attending.
The only person we trust to babysit and pay them to do it, is my cousin who is 17 (and no, won't be babysitting the baby). She charges $5/hr but we pay her about $10. All of our other babysitters are working for free (aka grandparents and aunts/uncles).
+1 to not really a Valentine's Day person. It's miserable as a single person and then when you're married/in a relationship, it feels forced to celebrate your love/life together. We much rather celebrate our anniversary; although we will probably make a nice meal at home or go out on a date around the holiday. We will get DD a small something, because let's face, she's our real Valentine
@kangstad: Oh man, that's crazy! It's a good thing you have game nights you can take DS to. I kind of want to say "the costs of childcare are crazy," but it's also not like I don't want babysitters to earn a livable wage, so it's just hard all around.
@lilpotatomama, @gollygeeitsamy: We don't do much for Valentine's Day. I definitely feel like it's one of the more comercially-cooked-up holidays, but at the same time it doesn't seem to me objectively insane for there to be a day you are supposed to focus on your SO. (Then again, I sometimes feel like ALL holidays where you are told to honor something other than a specific individual or historical event [ie all American holidays but MLK day and 4th of July] are contrived. So I dunno.)
Our tradition is to eat Chinese food and watch a Disney movie. We usually order in. Totally agree on spending more on food than gifts for it, too, because I guess the gifting is what feels contrived to me vs quality time (it feels much more like a "real" holiday to me to have a special meal)?
@gollygeeitsamy we just use it as a excuse for a date and some time out to have fun. Never on the 14th, though. Not trying to mess with the crowds! @kangstadt yes! I love sentimental stuff. I have a small box in my closet with every single card I’ve ever been given from the time I was a little kid. I still have the notes my mom used to put in my lunch! They take up absolutely no space in my closet, about the size of a shoebox, so I don’t feel like a packrat. A card will always mean more to me than a gift. @lyse01 that’s so smart. I love mussels! Especially in a nice, tomato type of broth. And avocado toast is the BEST.
I am on team Done With Pregnancy. Like @TheSouffleGirl said, I’d be more than happy to pop this baby out already if she was full term. I’m really, really hoping for the first week of April, but of course she can take her time if she needs to.
Babysitting prices in my are are like @kangstadt . We definitely don’t do many things out because we can’t afford both a night out/activity AND a sitter. My parents watch DD sometimes but we try to limit that to the times they don’t have my siblings so it’s not often. I almost had to skip my favorite cousins wedding because we had to get a sitter and even though we got a great deal from a friend, it was still a nice chunk of change on top of the present and everything else required.
Date nights here are random and spur of the moment when DD takes a late nap, lol. They generally are a movie with dinner we that can actually hear instead of reading the subtitles to get half the dialogue cause she’s too loud/crazy and we don’t want to turn it up to deafening levels to hear over her.
this is my backup acct. prevously helloblueeyes
Me:32 DH:33 Married:04/2012 DD:07/2014 BFP 8/14/2018 #2 due 4/18/2019
@lilpotatomama We don't really celebrate Valentine's Day. We get each other cards with a little love note in them, and that's it. Actually this year DH is flying to Austin to visit his soon and he leaves on the 14th before I get home from work. So I won't even see him haha.
My stepdaughter has babysat a few times, and I think most people pay about $5 a kid around here, sometimes more though if it's just one child. I'm glad we have DH's stepmom who lives in the area and has offered already to babysit! But I'll definitely find a babysitter, hopefully in my neighborhood, who is reasonable.
I agree that most holidays seem way too commercial/materialistic for me. They mostly mean more to me now that I can celebrate them with DS though. I'll probably have him make some Valentine cards for the grandparents and such since I love little reasons to encourage him to practice writing, and crafts are just fun all around.
@lilpotatomama I got DH a card and some food we saw on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives the other day. He might get me some flowers or dessert. We don't do a whole lot but we'll maybe eat something nicer than our usual weeknight fare. Since we conceived DS so soon after we started dating we've never had a V-day without DS around, and he was born 5 days before our first V-day (EDD was V-day!), we've never done a whole lot. But our first wedding anniversary is a few weeks after so maybe we'll go out to dinner then.
Galentines Day though....a bunch of my college girlfriends and I are going to get Mexican food together on 2/13. I wish I could have a marg SO. BAD.
Re: Babysitting: Wow. You guys have got me feeling SUPER lucky to live where I do, because I have ZERO family (read: free babysitters) around! (Not that you can pay these people to get to your house at 4am for your surgery, though... had to inconvenience a sweet single friend for that one. :P And still working on what to do with DD when baby comes!)
@TheSouffleGirl, I'm definitely lucky to have friends and family willing to help out, otherwise I have no clue what I would do with DS when labor starts! Our tentative plan is to call my sister or BIL, depending on time of day, and have them take DS to my parents (older and retired, but able to watch DS since he's so independent now). Do you still have that single friend around who could be your emergency "we're headed to the hospital, can you come watch DD," call?
@TheSouffleGirl I’ve only just gotten my plans sorted for DD while I’m in the hospital. It’s team coverage: day primary: neighbor/library mom day secondary: library mom night primary: cousin staying at our house night secondary: at MIL/FIL’s house potential for my mom to tag in/out or keep house if over the weekend.
still need to send the email around to everyone with contact info so they can sort some things out among themselves without bothering us.
@kangstadt I did a community center project with construction paper/stamps/sequins/scissors/markers/glitter glue sticks for age 4+...basically cut out a heart and decorate. They were adorable.
Valentine's Day - we do small gifts like chocolates and something fun for the kids to acknowledge the day, but it's such a money grab H and I don't bother with the big fancy gifts or dinner any more.
Babysitters - in our area are $15-20/hour which makes going out for a nice dinner even that much more expensive when you have to come home and fork over $80 for a teen to sit on your couch, watch your netflix and eat your food. Thankfully my mom is a short drive away and so willing to watch the kids.
Me: 31 H: 36 L & N twin girls: 3yo. Born at 30 weeks. 2 month NICU stay BFP Aug 2018: EDD April 2019
DD has a doctors appointment that she’s going to get shots at on the 12th. So I expect her to still be a grumpy mess come V day knowing my luck. I asked DH if there were any plans and got a nonsense answer, lol. He’s probably lost since I can’t have chocolate/candy this year.
I actually randomly found a small thing I might buy DH, it’s under $10 and probably all I’d get him. We might do a movie and a nicer dinner but that’s if I feel up to it/remember to meal plan it in.
this is my backup acct. prevously helloblueeyes
Me:32 DH:33 Married:04/2012 DD:07/2014 BFP 8/14/2018 #2 due 4/18/2019
@kangstadt I did a valentines activity with my kiddo where I cut out paper hearts in red and white paper - I glued the white on top of the red, then had my kiddo paint them. He got really into it and made 30, at which point I cut him off because I was tired of cutting out paper hearts. But we are using them as valentines for his classmates since we are doing no-shopping February. Im also thinking I’ll do homemade playdough with him this weekend for something fun / easy. Then I’ll give him a heart cookie cutter and some “lose parts” (cut up pipe cleaners in pink or red, pompoms in pink and red, etc). Usually something like that is a hit. Another one I’ve seen recently that we might do is cut out various size hearts (large to small) in a bunch of colors of construction paper. Do two of each, and layer/ glue one set of hearts together so it’s largest on the bottom, smallest on top, in a kind of heart rainbow. Then lay the second set of hearts spread out on the table, and ask your child to replicate the heart you made. This is good for learning too because it lets you practice language about order (first, then, last, etc), as well as size comparisons in conversation and it’s fun for kiddo.
I mentioned my plan - no gifts, but I did schedule a couples massage. And we have a gift card to a restaraunt. I got my brother in law and his wife to agree to babysit for us like yall, we’ve never been big gift givers for Valentine’s Day either. But I do try to make every holiday fun and special for my kiddo. We’ve been doing / will be doing the above activities. And on Valentine’s Day I’ll probably cut up construction paper hearts and stick them around the room, try to dig out some books about love, etc. We might plan a special family meal (still cook at home, but something “fancy” that my son loves like steak and broccoli and frozen rolls).
@lilpotatomama SO and I don’t really do Valentine’s Day, but occasionally I’ll make him a card or give him cookies or something. His family never celebrated holidays, so there’s only a select few that I require his participation.
I’m so ridiculously emotional today. I forgot to bring the paper plates to DD’s class for her 100th Day of School party. I know they can just use the paper trays from the cafeteria, but I broke down sobbing anyways. I’m so ready for April, SOOOO READY.
In reply to all the babysitting price comments, I’m a nanny and have to charge $20hr plus $5hr per extra kid. I have bills too. It’s also not the easiest job. I’ve had to make meals from scratch that I’ve never freaking seen before because people request the most for their kids. I’ve been kicked in the face, punched, and had food thrown at me. A lot of people around my area have over the top expectations when all they do when they watch their own kids is give them a tablet to play on. $20hr isn’t nearly enough for what I do, but it’s all I can negotiate since there are so many unexperienced teenagers charging $10hr to make babysitters/nannies look bad. I cant count how many times people have made rude comments about what I do because they saw one nanny on tv slap a child of force feed them food.
We might just get takeout and watch a movie after DD goes to bed for Valentines. I do like getting a card though, from H because words are my love language. I get him one too, but I don’t think he particularly cares. Food is more his style. Maybe I’ll make him brownies. Which, if I do have GD, I’ll be very jealous of. Lol.
We had no free babysitters for DD’s first year and couldn’t really afford to pay one. But now that SIL lives nearby we are so grateful for the occasional date. We get her gift cards sometimes, or swing by and get her ice cream on the way home from our date as “payment.” Haha.
@harveyisaboysname if I’m expecting you to do more than throw a tablet in my kid’s face, serve pre-prepared food, and call me if there are any issues, then I expect to pay you more. And as a nanny, I definitely expect you to do more and problem solve on your own. I definitely think $20+/hour is fair.
but I also had trouble getting paid $20/hr for skilled writing/managing work so I can’t afford to pay more than I make.
Re: Randoms w/o 2/4
Literally my emotions when reading that. Although I’m wondering if I phrase it that way to DH how he’ll take it. This could work in my favor, lol.
prevously helloblueeyes
Me:32 DH:33 Married:04/2012 DD:07/2014
BFP 8/14/2018 #2 due 4/18/2019
We spent the entire evening outside since it was nice / warm weather. We even ate outside. It was glorious. Especially since my son is definitely happiest outdoors. I made him a “nature bracelet” that was just tape with the sticky side out, and he spent almost an hour looking for “treasures” to stick to it (flowers, feathers, leaves, twigs). Played tag, listened for birds and found a couple nests high in our trees. Too bad it’s getting cold again this weekend. I’m ready for more evenings like tonight.
Hoping the four days off my DH has this week will get most of the remaining heavy lifting done in the nursery so I can start painting.
DS#2 due 25 April 2019
Bad news is she piled a million things on my plate. She pretty much plans to work me to the bone until I have a baby. It we are not training anyone to replace me. So I can only expect it will be crazy when I return from maternity leave.
BFP: 8/11/18 Due: 4/26/18
Team Can't Freaking Wait over here. 82 days still, but I'd have this baby tomorrow if I could magically make her full term!
ETA: 11 Saturdays till martinis and NORMAL (if larger) PANTS!
I can't remember if I already posted this (b/c I'm sleep deprived), but DH surprised me and painted the nursery this weekend while I was out of town. That makes me really excited and more motivated to actually get shit done. Team: can't wait for pregnancy to be over! 9 more Saturdays for me, if all goes according to due date!
@rennie1108 YAY! for painted room!
@TheSouffleGirl - She is well aware. I work for a large organization and our team supports a lot of different departments ( I am a data analyst) but I am the only person who works a specific department (marketing). I only plan to take 12 weeks so I will work up until the day. At this point the plan is for someone from another team (who knows my data fairly well) to "help" part time with my work load while I am gone. So besides some training they will not start until I am gone.
ETA: the only real good thing is that I really don't have to worry about job security. My boss loves me and it is going to be very hard on her to lose me for 12 weeks.
BFP: 8/11/18 Due: 4/26/18
My work is babysitting for a couple families. One of the families is letting me stop working Valentines day which is really appreciated but they want me to help find a replacement for me. That has been stressful. Trying to find a woman within our church who is available during the day, during the school year, and has substantial childcare experience and no current job or midday college courses is proving quite difficult and frankly I think they should look into daycare because they only need a sitter for 5 more weeks after they let me go. Because of cost, they'd rather have a person come to their home. Since DH and I are friends with the family, I work for $5/hr. I don't think they're going to find that kind of deal outside of a miracle.
I'm not volunteering to stay past the time I was told I can stop. I plan on finishing out with the other family and RESTING. lol
I got a Starbucks iced white chocolate mocha since I'm waiting for my mom's doctor appointment to be over and I'm dragging... I don't usually drink coffee, and didn't realize it would be *quite* this strong. I'm expecting babe to either start throwing a dance party or a migraine to hit me by the end of today now.
Oops.
Random: is anyone celebrating Valentine’s Day? A coworker asked what my plans are and what I’d like for a gift, and it made me think. Me and DH don’t do gifts anymore for any occasion, minus little fun stuff. We do a nice meal together instead. Coworker definitely thought this was weird, but why spend money on gifts when we can spend it on food instead? 🤷🏻♀️
@lilpotatomama, enjoy your lunch! That sounds awesome. And as far as Valentine's day, DH makes a bigger deal out of gifts for holidays than I do, so I may get flowers or chocolate, but we're also on a tight budget so I've told him nothing big. Totally agree that food is more important, haha, or nice sentimental gifts like a card drawn by DS. I would definitely take advantage of the excuse for a date night with your hubby though! Especially since it may be awhile after baby comes before you guys get a chance for one.
also, DD apparently loves avocado toast. As do I. How have I never had it before?
Team Take Your Time Baby over here. Lots of moving parts to still sort out and don’t feel so horrible that I want this to be over.
$15/hr is baseline in my area, which is why we never ever go out without family babysitting. I’ve paid that to 1) move, and 2) go to my cousin’s wedding where all family was also attending.
+1 to not really a Valentine's Day person. It's miserable as a single person and then when you're married/in a relationship, it feels forced to celebrate your love/life together. We much rather celebrate our anniversary; although we will probably make a nice meal at home or go out on a date around the holiday. We will get DD a small something, because let's face, she's our real Valentine
@lilpotatomama, @gollygeeitsamy: We don't do much for Valentine's Day. I definitely feel like it's one of the more comercially-cooked-up holidays, but at the same time it doesn't seem to me objectively insane for there to be a day you are supposed to focus on your SO. (Then again, I sometimes feel like ALL holidays where you are told to honor something other than a specific individual or historical event [ie all American holidays but MLK day and 4th of July] are contrived. So I dunno.)
Our tradition is to eat Chinese food and watch a Disney movie. We usually order in. Totally agree on spending more on food than gifts for it, too, because I guess the gifting is what feels contrived to me vs quality time (it feels much more like a "real" holiday to me to have a special meal)?
@kangstadt yes! I love sentimental stuff. I have a small box in my closet with every single card I’ve ever been given from the time I was a little kid. I still have the notes my mom used to put in my lunch! They take up absolutely no space in my closet, about the size of a shoebox, so I don’t feel like a packrat. A card will always mean more to me than a gift.
@lyse01 that’s so smart. I love mussels! Especially in a nice, tomato type of broth. And avocado toast is the BEST.
I am on team Done With Pregnancy. Like @TheSouffleGirl said, I’d be more than happy to pop this baby out already if she was full term. I’m really, really hoping for the first week of April, but of course she can take her time if she needs to.
Date nights here are random and spur of the moment when DD takes a late nap, lol. They generally are a movie with dinner we that can actually hear instead of reading the subtitles to get half the dialogue cause she’s too loud/crazy and we don’t want to turn it up to deafening levels to hear over her.
prevously helloblueeyes
Me:32 DH:33 Married:04/2012 DD:07/2014
BFP 8/14/2018 #2 due 4/18/2019
My stepdaughter has babysat a few times, and I think most people pay about $5 a kid around here, sometimes more though if it's just one child. I'm glad we have DH's stepmom who lives in the area and has offered already to babysit! But I'll definitely find a babysitter, hopefully in my neighborhood, who is reasonable.
Galentines Day though....a bunch of my college girlfriends and I are going to get Mexican food together on 2/13. I wish I could have a marg SO. BAD.
day primary: neighbor/library mom
day secondary: library mom
night primary: cousin staying at our house
night secondary: at MIL/FIL’s house
potential for my mom to tag in/out or keep house if over the weekend.
still need to send the email around to everyone with contact info so they can sort some things out among themselves without bothering us.
@kangstadt I did a community center project with construction paper/stamps/sequins/scissors/markers/glitter glue sticks for age 4+...basically cut out a heart and decorate. They were adorable.
Valentine's Day - we do small gifts like chocolates and something fun for the kids to acknowledge the day, but it's such a money grab H and I don't bother with the big fancy gifts or dinner any more.
Babysitters - in our area are $15-20/hour which makes going out for a nice dinner even that much more expensive when you have to come home and fork over $80 for a teen to sit on your couch, watch your netflix and eat your food. Thankfully my mom is a short drive away and so willing to watch the kids.
H: 36
L & N twin girls: 3yo. Born at 30 weeks. 2 month NICU stay
BFP Aug 2018: EDD April 2019
I actually randomly found a small thing I might buy DH, it’s under $10 and probably all I’d get him. We might do a movie and a nicer dinner but that’s if I feel up to it/remember to meal plan it in.
prevously helloblueeyes
Me:32 DH:33 Married:04/2012 DD:07/2014
BFP 8/14/2018 #2 due 4/18/2019
Im also thinking I’ll do homemade playdough with him this weekend for something fun / easy. Then I’ll give him a heart cookie cutter and some “lose parts” (cut up pipe cleaners in pink or red, pompoms in pink and red, etc). Usually something like that is a hit.
Another one I’ve seen recently that we might do is cut out various size hearts (large to small) in a bunch of colors of construction paper. Do two of each, and layer/ glue one set of hearts together so it’s largest on the bottom, smallest on top, in a kind of heart rainbow. Then lay the second set of hearts spread out on the table, and ask your child to replicate the heart you made. This is good for learning too because it lets you practice language about order (first, then, last, etc), as well as size comparisons in conversation and it’s fun for kiddo.
I mentioned my plan - no gifts, but I did schedule a couples massage. And we have a gift card to a restaraunt. I got my brother in law and his wife to agree to babysit for us
like yall, we’ve never been big gift givers for Valentine’s Day either. But I do try to make every holiday fun and special for my kiddo. We’ve been doing / will be doing the above activities. And on Valentine’s Day I’ll probably cut up construction paper hearts and stick them around the room, try to dig out some books about love, etc. We might plan a special family meal (still cook at home, but something “fancy” that my son loves like steak and broccoli and frozen rolls).
A lot of people around my area have over the top expectations when all they do when they watch their own kids is give them a tablet to play on. $20hr isn’t nearly enough for what I do, but it’s all I can negotiate since there are so many unexperienced teenagers charging $10hr to make babysitters/nannies look bad.
I cant count how many times people have made rude comments about what I do because they saw one nanny on tv slap a child of force feed them food.
I have an issue paying that much for the teen down the street who just watches TV while my kids are up in bed fast asleep.
H: 36
L & N twin girls: 3yo. Born at 30 weeks. 2 month NICU stay
BFP Aug 2018: EDD April 2019
We had no free babysitters for DD’s first year and couldn’t really afford to pay one. But now that SIL lives nearby we are so grateful for the occasional date. We get her gift cards sometimes, or swing by and get her ice cream on the way home from our date as “payment.” Haha.
but I also had trouble getting paid $20/hr for skilled writing/managing work so I can’t afford to pay more than I make.