Weekly Randoms: 04.02

SandNStarsNJ · April 2017

kristah2 said:

I think we've settle on NYC beginning of May.
Any suggestions on what areas to stay (that won't break the bank but can be easy commutes with baby)? I think we're flying into la guardia. Also open to suggestions of things to do!

What part of the city are you interested in?
What kind of activities do you enjoy?
And define not expensive... because if you're staying in the city, it's not going to be cheap (and clean).

And while it might be too late, if you're interested in something like Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, you want to book those tickets now, especially if you're looking to go into the Statue of Liberty and up to the crown (assuming its open again).

kristah2 · April 2017

@SandNStarsNJ I never really considered most of that! I appreciate all the advice you have!!
Were definitely looking to do the typical touristy things - Central Park, time square, etc. We may look into tickets for a hockey game or baseball game or something at some point. and I want to go to the zoo!
Were figuring probably 5 full days there so dabble in a bit of everything (and go shopping!)

Were thinking 200$ a night. Open to using transportation. We can't do super long walks since H had surgery on both of his knees and had a hard time sometimes.

kvruns · April 2017

I just sat down for the first time after doing a ton of chores tonight. Turn on the monitor and it is going strong - guess ignorance is bliss I couldn't hear him over the dishwasher, washing dishes and tv. SIgh.

kvruns · April 2017

@kristah2 definitely get a subway pass that is for unlimited rides for 5 days or a week or whatever it is. That can help with not walking as much but be cheaper than cabs.

We went 2 Christmasss ago but stayed in Long Island City in Queens to save money. It would have been nice to be in midtown but we saved a ton and were right by the Subway and it was a short trip in each day.

SandNStarsNJ · April 2017

I have so many thoughts but am super scrambled @kristah2...

There is more than one zoo. I enjoyed the Bronx Zoo, personally but will require some public transportation navigation.

Central Park is 7 sq miles so you want to try and enter where you'll find things of interest for the sake of cutting down on walking. Their zoo is near the carousel which is cute and super old school and you can traipse on through Strawberry Fields. The Museum of Natural History is about a mile from there and across the street from the park's entrance. It can be really nice when it's warm - lunch outside, spots to hangout in the grass, on rocks and even near a little water (not to mention free to do).

Also on the cheap side is Governor's Island which is a 10 minute ferry ride from lower Manhattan. It's gorgeous with lots to do - there are bike rentals, lots of bike/walking paths, hammocks to hang out in, historical buildings, a castle, slides, varying event on weekends, food trucks and so forth. The ferry is like a $1-2 per person, you can bring the stroller and I'm pretty sure it's free in the morning on weekends.

I'm also a big fan of Sunday afternoon dining in Little Italy (in the village). They close the streets, pull the tables out and bribe you with sangria to pick their restaurant.

Katz Deli is a little bit of a tourist trap, but totally friendly for eating with a screaming baby.

For me, Times Square is a necessary evil to get to a show but if you've never been there, I would swing by, grab a coffee and watch people for a bit. There are some tables and chairs sprinkled about. If you like BBQ there's a place called Virgil's right there.

I'm going to stop there and let somebody else chime in. I think @RhodaMorgenstern lives in Brooklyn so she's probably got some good places... which reminds me, we're big fans of the Brooklyn Flea in Fort Green.

kvruns · April 2017

Ugh i can't sleep. Woke up at 2am and can't get back to sleep. My throat is killing me, neck is sore and too much on my mind. Work is gonna suck

SandNStarsNJ · April 2017

I get the whole creepy child in horror movies thing and I think ODD might be a good casting call at this point. I walk out of the bathroom into a dark bedroom where DH is sound asleep and who is standing there sleep disheveled, clutching an animal? At least this time i wasn't sleeping when she tip-toed in.

SandNStarsNJ · April 2017

@ladybug2821 I just read that Amazon is live streaming NFL games this coming season!

kvruns · April 2017

SandNStarsNJ said:

I get the whole creepy child in horror movies thing and I think ODD might be a good casting call at this point. I walk out of the bathroom into a dark bedroom where DH is sound asleep and who is standing there sleep disheveled, clutching an animal? At least this time i wasn't sleeping when she tip-toed in.

that would creep me out. I'm a paranoid sleeper (like every little noise would wake me up and I used to think people were breaking in even when I had an alarm system) so I am afraid of B coming in like that and scaring me

kristah2 · April 2017

@SandNStarsNJ thanks so much for the advice!!!!! I've been once but it was basically a 24 hour layover so I never got to do much and H has never been!
@kvruns we're looking at queens or maybe even closer to Laguardia but I'm worried about getting into the city every time we want to do something from there.
How find the subway? We would have M with us so H is a little nervous about it.

ETA: @SandNStarsNJ I would never sleep again.

kvruns · April 2017

@kristah2 with the baby I'd lean toward staying in the city. I do think LIC was a good compromise as our hotel was the first or second stop after crossing the bridge between Manhattan and Queens so it wasn't a long ride at all but I don't know if I'd want to do it with a baby. At the very least I think you would want to avoid rush hour because we had to squeeze on a couple mornings and it was awful.

My H stayed out by Flushing (so even further into Queens) a few years ago and he said it took forever to get in to the city so I definitely wouldn't want that with a baby.

SandNStarsNJ · April 2017

kvruns said:

@kristah2 with the baby I'd lean toward staying in the city.

snip

I second this. You do not want to stay near LaGuardia. The extra you'll pay in Manhattan will offset all the driving into the city/tolls and time wasted. Traffic sucks and the MTA is pretty easy and accessible.

m6agua · April 2017

@kristah2 I don't know much about NYC but I was in the NJ area for a wedding once. We stayed in NJ and took the PATH into the city to World Trade Center. It was pretty easy. First thing we did was the 9/11 memorial. The memorial itself is free but the museum part is what cost money. I think it was well worth it. We then took an Uber up to times square, ate and then walked to central park and walked around for a bit. We did the ferry to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty from the NJ side. We stayed on the ferry at the statue since you couldn't go up on it at all and the view was nicer from afar (but still close). We did get off at Ellis Island and that was cool.

We only had one day in the city so I'm not much help.

Anyone have recommendations for Chicago with a baby? We are going down to meet up with some friends in May. We will be driving there since its only a few hours away. I think we want to do the Shedd Aquarium and either Willis Tower or 360Chicago. We might do the Lincoln Park Zoo and walk around Millennium park as well. We only will have 2 full days. Still need to figure out where I want to book a hotel. I'm thinking outside downtown to save money since we only will be sleeping there. Since we are driving I can bring my Pack N Play, BOB stroller and a baby carrier.

kvruns · April 2017

@m6agua I love Hotwire for Chicago hotels and usually stay in the River North or Magnificent Mile area for anywhere from $100-150 a night depending on time of year. And for parking we use Park Whiz for way cheaper parking than the hotels.

Not quite for babies but Maggie Daly park by Millenium Park is a really cool playground area, I like it as an adult haha. We did Shedd Aquiarium this past fall, just did the general admission part which was plenty to see since we didn't care about the upgraded sections. Walking around Lincoln Park Zoo would be fun if the weather is nice.

RhodaMorgenstern · April 2017

@kristah2 I'm originally from Brooklyn so I'm happy to give some ideas. Try to stay in Brooklyn or potentially downtown Manhattan. Midtown can get super noisy for babies. Also, do you wear your baby? It would probably be easier since very few subway stations are handicap accessible so struggling down the stairs with a stroller would be awful.
If you stay in Brooklyn, there's a fantastic children's museum. Try eating outside if it's a nice day. There's a lot of options in the Village (Greenwich is the Village but the East Village is also nice and pretty family friendly now).
Sinde your husband has knee issues, I second @SandNStarsNJ that you should make a plan for walking around Central Park. It can get pretty crowded and it's really long. Also, if you want to do the Central Park Zoo, you can walk out of the park on the east side and get to Museum Mile. Not terribly family friendly but the Met is pay what you want and has some amazing galleries.

RhodaMorgenstern · April 2017

@kristah2 also if you don't want to lug around a car seat and plan on traveling with just a stroller or wearing the baby, there are a few car services that will pick you up from LGA in a town car with a car seat already installed. If you want, I'm happy to find the one my in laws used when they came to NY for my wedding. If you fly into JFK though, the subway goes right to the air train.
There's also several chain hotels in Chelsea. It should be fairly quiet and there's things of interest around there (the Highline, great art galleries and restaurants). It's also in between 2 lines (the 1,2,3 runs up 7th avenue and the A,C,E generally runs up 8th avenue).

kristah2 · April 2017

@RhodaMorgenstern thank you!! I'll probably have a million questions prior to going.
@SandNStarsNJ I sent you a PM!

Ladybug2821 · April 2017

I really want to get my hair done and it is much needed. But there is just no point with so much still falling out. It has gotten so thin. When it stops, does it eventually go back to normal or am I stuck with this super thin hair??

kvruns · April 2017

Making my first donation through Human Milk for Human Babies. Kind of annoyed because she is late and I was going to pump before she came but just assumed she would be on time and I would do it right after. Boooo. Now I'll be pumping almost an hour late though it isn't the end of the world

lajoliedreamer · April 2017

Ladybug2821 said:

I really want to get my hair done and it is much needed. But there is just no point with so much still falling out. It has gotten so thin. When it stops, does it eventually go back to normal or am I stuck with this super thin hair??

Mine has finally slowed to almost normal shedding level so I'm getting a trim tomorrow. Everyone's hair reacts to pregnancy differently, so I can't speak to your thinness, but my hair actually seems a little thicker than it used to be (despite how much I lost the last two months). I have a friend who went from wavy hair to curls after having kids, so you just never know what will happen! I say, go get your hair done, it will make you feel more human and maybe your hairdresser will have suggestions for the thinness.

kvruns · April 2017

Whenever I go to kiss LO on the cheek he moves his face so I land on his lips (errr his open mouth likely trying to eat my face). Makes me laugh every time

RhodaMorgenstern · April 2017

@kristah2 you're from Western Canada, right? We're going to a wedding in Kamloops in September and we're debating between flying into Calgary, renting a car and seeing Banff and Lake Louise or flying into Vancouver and spending a few days there. What are your thoughts?

Ladybug2821 · April 2017

Anyone on a non dairy diet? I'm having such a hard time finding quick and easy things from the grocery store that can be heated up quickly. I have a few regular items but I'm getting sick of them. Same with fast food. I can't just get a 4 piece nugget anymore to hold me over until my next meal. I feel like I'm limited to fast food hamburgers and that's not something I would normally eat.

ZoeFer · April 2017

@kristah2 If you are okay with that idea, try airbnb . Because you wont get a decent hotel room for $200 in the city but you could get a pretty nice studio apartment or even 1bd. I would choose to stay in an apartment setting with the baby.
I personally like upper west side or maybe West Harlem, it is so easy to commute and nice to walk around to central park and museums. There are also small boutique hotels in those regions. Also, some parts of Brooklyn (Brooklyn heights, dumbo, williamsburg) is great. Bronx zoo, Yankee stadium etc might be too far to anywhere you might wanna stay (although I live in the Bronx

), but you can use subway to get there. You can also PM me if you want more details about the neighborhoods etc.

kvruns · April 2017

B had his 4 month checkup and took his shots like a champ again. He cries more when hungry than for the shots. He weighed a whopping 13 lb 3.5 oz and that was right after a bottle at daycare. Jumped from 2% to the 5% haha

jsmai · April 2017

Ladybug2821 said: mmm

Anyone on a non dairy diet? I'm having such a hard time finding quick and easy things from the grocery store that can be heated up quickly. I have a few regular items but I'm getting sick of them. Same with fast food. I can't just get a 4 piece nugget anymore to hold me over until my next meal. I feel like I'm limited to fast food hamburgers and that's not something I would normally eat.

We are dairy free right now too. Wendy's nuggets are dairy free. Fries are typically "safe" too in most fast food places. Not always my first choice, but if it works if I'm caught without food.

At home I keep fruits and nuts on the kitchen bar to snack on throughout the day. H will typically cook a weeks worth of meals over the weekend so I have easy reheatables. Home made seems to be the best way to guarantee no dairy. Steamables from the grocery store might be another fast option, maybe?

kristah2 · April 2017

@RhodaMorgenstern I'm actually from eastern Canada ! But I have lived in Ontario and Manitoba.
I would definitely recommend flying into Calgary! Banff is a national park and it's amazing! Plus the drive from Calgary to bc is beautiful!!
My cousin (who's like a sister to me) lives in vernon and knows bc quite well if you have any questions you can feel free to pm me!

Thanks to everyone for so much travel info! It's super cool to have so many people who are spread out in so many places to ask questions to! Especially knowing someone who lives in areas that we would go to vacation, seems so weird!
If there are mamas travelling maybe we should start a travel thread so we can all ask questions about different areas etc?

SandNStarsNJ · April 2017

Ladybug2821 said:

Anyone on a non dairy diet? I'm having such a hard time finding quick and easy things from the grocery store that can be heated up quickly. I have a few regular items but I'm getting sick of them. Same with fast food. I can't just get a 4 piece nugget anymore to hold me over until my next meal. I feel like I'm limited to fast food hamburgers and that's not something I would normally eat.

I make a paleo friendly trail mix that I keep everywhere: cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, unsweetened coconut flakes and dried fruit. I'm also a big fan of some cashew butter and apple or guacamole and snap peas or an old-school hard boiled egg. There are also a few frozen meals that Trader Joe's (not sure if they're in FL) that are easy heat and eat: potatoes, peppers and onions are my favorite.

kvruns said:

Making my first donation through Human Milk for Human Babies.
snip

How'd it go? I had looked into it last time around but never committed and truthfully never went through my entire stash anyway...

And weirdly celebratory news, DH has put the possibility of another kid back on the table!

kvruns · April 2017

@SandNStarsNJ went well. Really just handed it over and she asked me if I wanted to see the baby who was in the car with the older child so I went for a peek. I actually went to school with her husband (had figured this out ahead of time) so not sure if that is why she said that or figured maybe someone would want to see the baby to whom she is donating.

m6agua · April 2017

@kristah2 I think a travel thread is a good idea!

DH got a promotion yesterday! He works for a large retail store and has been applying/interviewing for the past couple years but has always been passed up (which most of his co-workers were confused by, but office politics you know). This time he got it. I am so happy for him.

kvruns · April 2017

congrats to your H @m6agua Will he be at the same store just a different position?

I'm jealous of all of the vacation plans. My industry conference is in San Diego this year and I would love to go. If H was able to take care of the baby it would be an awesome cheap vacation and his dad/step mom are in Orange County so we could see them too. But he just isn't there yet and no way he could handle the baby all day while I'm in a conference

desoky01 · April 2017

On a tmi note, anybody have a yeast infection while breastfeeding? I hate to have to go in to get tested and all that, but I don't want it to lead to thrush if I wait too long. I feel like I've had to message our doc about a million times over so many things!

kristah2 · April 2017

@m6agua amazing news!!!! Congrats!!

@kvruns Super cool place for a conference! Sucks you aren't able to go. For me, H could probably handle it but I can't imagine leaving M alone for any length of time. I'm a crazy mom.

@desoky01 I had one when pregnant and got thrush myself. Miserable.
I got the start of one whole breast feeding and just used the cream for a bit and cleared up. If it's not bad maybe try that and some probiotics (or yogurt)? If there's no doubting it I'd see a doctor. I know thrush has ended breast feeding for SO many people.

Ladybug2821 · April 2017

@desoky01 I think I've had the start of one a couple times. I just used cream and coconut oil and the feeling went away. I also put the coconut oil on my nipples because my LC said it will kill the bacteria there also and is safe for LO to consume. I didn't have thrush and never go it so maybe it helped.

SandNStarsNJ · April 2017

In the last 24 hours I have become insanely itchy - hands, scalp, etc... postpartum something? Or what? Please tell me someone else is just plain itchy.

MrsMaryK2016 · April 2017

SandNStarsNJ said:

In the last 24 hours I have become insanely itchy - hands, scalp, etc... postpartum something? Or what? Please tell me someone else is just plain itchy.

My husband gets this every summer. It's an allergy to some kind of tree pollen. Do you get raised welts where you scratch? If so you'll need to go to the doctor to get a steroid cream. Good luck!

hoosiermama-2 · April 2017

Just got a popup when i signed in telling me that it's my Bumpiversary! Can't believe it's been a whole year. We found out we were expecting April 3... the time flew by.

SandNStarsNJ · April 2017

Even more random than the itchy question... has anybody ever gotten really light headed before and found it was a result of something you ate? Like too much sugar or something?

desoky01 · April 2017

@SandNStarsNJ I feel like I've felt this before after something really sugary or with lots of caffeine or something, like soda. My best friend feels this way often after eating/drinking various things.

SandNStarsNJ · April 2017

Thanks @mrsmaryk2016 & @desoky01. I think I'm having one of those weeks where my body can't keep up with me. It might be time for another Whole30.

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