Maternity Monday: Ruffled Dress

Does anyone have lunya pyjamas? They have been slowly wearing me down on instagram and I am going to pull the trigger one day. But man, it $$$$ for pyjamas.

I’m in a state that has handled Covid pretty well (not as well as NYC, but in the next tier I would say). Our cases are still increasing a little bit but measures are being taken to try and keep it under control. We’ve had some limited reopening and there is enforcement so business that violate the regulations are getting cited, fined and then for a second violation shut down. Its not perfect but its pretty good. In my specific local, there is reasonably good mask compliance among adults and kids, and while folks are socializing more now it tends to be outside and some precautions are in place. Yet, schools are not open and daycare is very hit or miss. Because of our state’s regulations and because my parents live in the south, I can’t travel to see my parents and they can’t come to us. My inlaws are in state that is doing reasonably well so they have been able to come once. I haven’t seen my dad who is medically fragile since December. My extended family lives overseas so I know it will be a long time before I see them. Life on a day to day basis is fine. There are irritations – food is still frequently out of stock where I am, I currently can’t get my preferred brand of diapers in the size I need anywhere. Nothing in particular is wrong, its just sad. Its going to be like this for a long time — probably another year. What are people’s thoughts on when life will be reasonably normal? Like reliably groceries? Being able to see family in the US (driving not flying)? School for my kiddo? I’m hoping by Fall 2021 – is that reasonable? I know no one knows but what do people think? I really need an “end point” to keep this manageable.

DS just turned 2. He naps great (2-3 hours) in his crib at home and never tries to get out. However, he is refusing to nap at my parents’ apartment. He typically spends a day at their place every weekend and has a blast, but comes home over-tired and crabby. He realized a few months ago that he could climb out of their pack and play and has refused to nap since. They’ve tried one of those pop-up tents that covers the pack and play (which terrified him) and the kind of cot he uses very successfully to nap at daycare. They have limited space, and typically try to set him up for a nap in their guest room, where they have a queen sized bed and some office stuff. I think the problem might be two-fold- 1) that he sees their home as a “fun only” kind of place, and 2) that he knows his toys are in the guest room where he’s trying to nap. He’s very good-natured and eager to please, but is a party animal. My folks want him to spend the night, but I don’t think that’s a good idea until he naps successfully there. I’m concerned about my parents caving and bringing him into the bed- my husband and I strongly want to avoid setting this precedent with him. Any suggestions? Maybe one of those foldable travel cribs would feel more like his crib at home?

Any tips on bottle introduction when our nanny starts next month? Baby will be 5.5 months and has so far refused to take a bottle from her dad (to be fair, we have been extremely lazy about trying, what with pandemic and caring for our older child). We’ve tried both types of bottles that we already had (avent and comotomo), plus a nuk sippy cup which she seemed to like somewhat better. I will be WFH but prefer to pump and have the nanny bottle feed rather than bring baby to me to nurse, so that my schedule isn’t beholden to baby’s and to minimize caregiver transitions. Should we do some sort of gradual intro, where nanny has her for 3-4 hours and offers a bottle, or do we just go straight to 7 hours and let baby be hungry if she refuses the bottle? We’re also planning to start offering cereal mixed with breastmilk soon, which could be an option to get baby some calories without a bottle.
Our nanny is awesome but has less baby experience than the magical daycare teachers who had our older child (also a bottle refuser) happily taking a bottle within a week, so I want to have a good gameplan going in, for everyone’s sake. What have others done that has worked?

On a related note, any thoughts on over-the-ear headphones vs earbuds for noise canceling? I am kind of dreading hearing my baby cry while trying to work and want to invest in something high quality that will be comfortable all day, pair easily with my iPhone and Dell laptop, and has a decent microphone for calls. Looking at AirPod pros and the Bose over-the-ear model.

did you talk to your friend? I hope so! I know this is a difficult situation, but I am glad you are looking out for the kid.

Is there any service like HomePay that is at all less expensive? Hiring a nanny for the first time and our friends who have done the taxes themselves strongly recommend not doing it yourself. Nanny will be probably 50/50 at our home and her home so also trying to determine if it’s correctly a W2 situation…

It’s my daughter’s last week of preschool and daycare. By the middle of next week, she’ll be a kindergartener. She’s my youngest, and I feel like all the covid stress is keeping me from having a “normal” reaction about any of this? I really want to be soaking up all these lasts (and firsts!), but it’s like I’m numb to having any normal feelings about this transition. I’ve been a daycare parent for over 10 years now. It has been a huge part of our lives, I adore the teachers, and yet I feel nothing right now! Gah. I hate this. Thanks, pandemic, for ruining yet another thing. Thank goodness DD seems excited, at least.