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Pretty, pretty. A drapey cardigan (that instructs you to “hand wash,” which I instantly translate as “machine wash with Woolite on delicate,” because that’s how I roll) works for everyone, whether you’re pregnant, nursing, or beyond. I think the dark gray color is lovely, and I like that this one is longer in the back than the front — that is strangely hard to find. I like it open, as shown, but I’d also probably try it belted. It was $98, but is now marked to $51.75 at Last Call.Tahari Drape-Front Open Knit Cardigan, Gravel
N.B.: Last Call is now offering an extra 50% off all clearance.
(L-3)
Sales of note for 9.10.24
(See all of the latest workwear sales at Corporette!)
- Ann Taylor – 30% off your purchase
- Banana Republic Factory – Up to 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Boden – 15% off new styles
- Eloquii – $29 and up select styles; up to 50% off everything else
- J.Crew – Up to 50% off wear-to-work styles; extra 30% off sale styles
- J.Crew Factory – 40-60% off everything; extra 60% off clearance
- Lands’ End – 30% off full-price styles
- Loft – Extra 40% off sale styles
- Talbots – BOGO 50% everything, includes markdowns
- Zappos – 26,000+ women’s sale items! (check out these reader-favorite workwear brands on sale, and some of our favorite kids’ shoe brands on sale)
Kid/Family Sales
- Carter’s – Birthday sale, 40-50% off & extra 20% off select styles
- Hanna Andersson – Up to 50% off all baby; up to 40% off all Halloween
- J.Crew Crewcuts – Extra 30% off sale styles
- Old Navy – 40% off everything
- Target – BOGO 25% off select haircare, up to 25% off floor care items; up to 30% off indoor furniture up to 20% off TVs
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And — here are some of our latest threadjacks of interest – working mom questions asked by the commenters!
- The concept of “backup care” is so stupid…
- I need tips on managing employees in BigLaw who have to leave for daycare pickup…
- I’m thinking of leaning out to spend more time with my family – how can I find the perfect job for that?
- I’m now a SAHM and my husband needs to step up…
- How can I change my thinking to better recognize some of my husband’s contributions as important, like organizing the shed?
- What are your tips to having a good weekend with kids, especially with little kids? Do you have a set routine or plan?
morning schedules? says
What does everyone’s morning get-ready-for-work schedule look like? Especially curious if you have little tiny ones (i.e., under 3) who need constant supervision. I’m just heading back to work after a long maternity leave/SAH stint and I’m trying to think through logistics. My daughter is 11 mo. I’ve figured it takes me about 20-30 min to do shower/hair/make-up (no, I can’t shower at night — my hair doesn’t work with dry shampoo, starts to look greasy after about 12-14 hrs post shower, and gets all wonky after being slept on). One thing I’m having trouble with is my daughter’s wake-up time ranges from 5:00am to 7:30am depending on the day. I think she’s starting to transition off of morning nap and it’s throwing off her sleep patterns. If I could rely on her waking up at, say, 6:30, I could get stuff done before she woke up. But no way I’m waking up at 4:30am! Also trying to figure out when the dog is going to get walked (I’ve been doing midday walks with him while I’ve been home). My husband and I will trade off baby duty/getting ready in the morning, but I know the planning and getting everything done will fall mostly on me. (Side question: if you’ve transitioned from SAH to working, would love to hear about that. My husband says he’s not going to work late anymore now that I’m working, too, but I’m worried he’s going to feel he “has” to stay until 9:00/10:00/11:00pm anyway. Our jobs are equal pay, equal status, and require equal hours so he simply cannot work the 60+hr weeks he’s been putting in lately.) We’ve hired a nanny so no need to pack food, do daycare drop off, all that (luckily). But would be very curious to hear how other people’s mornings work. TIA!
JJ says
It took us a long time, but I think we’ve got a pretty good routine going right now. I go to bed around 9:30 or 10. My husband usually comes to bed around 11 or 11:30. I get up at 4:45 and work out in the mornings, either going to the gym or running outside. Our 3-year old wakes up between 5 and 6 most days, and we’ve taught him to either stay in bed and look at books or quietly play with toys in his room. He’s pretty good about that…most of the time.
My husband gets up around 6 and will bring 3-year old down and feed him breakfast. We let our kids watch TV while we get ready. I feel a little guilty about it, but it keeps them happy and us sane. I get back around 6:30 or so, hop in the shower while my husband eats breakfast and watches our son. Around 7 our younger son (18 months) wakes up and we’ll bring him down for breakfast. He sits in a high chair and watches TV while he eats. My husband will then shower while I do makeup, hair (usually letting it air dry or drying enough to clip it back), and then get both boys dressed for daycare. We then load up and drop the boys off around 7:45 or so.
Thinking back to when my kids were under a year, I think we kept them in a high chair while we got ready. It kept them confined and we could give them toys to entertain them. We also used an exersaucer a lot and just put it in our master bedroom so we could keep an eye on the baby while we got ready. At this point, the 3-year old is getting pretty self-sufficient, so life is a lot easier.
CHJ says
Routine, routine, routine. That’s the only way I survive these days! We also get up horribly early (5:00) but we have to be out the door by 6:45. This is what our routine looks like:
5:00 – 5:30 – Wake up, drink coffee, play with toddler. Husband walks the dog.
5:30 -6:00 – I shower and get ready. Husband gets toddler diapered and dressed for the day. (I used to pick out DS’s clothes, but ain’t nobody got time for that.)
6:00 – 6:30 – Husband showers and gets ready. I feed toddler breakfast (simple things like fruit and Cheerios).
6:30-6:45 – Frantic rush of boots, jackets, bags, and last minute things, and then out the door at 6:45.
Also, we have a dog walker who comes midday, so he can be walked early, rather than right before we leave the house.
CHJ says
Also, a few things that make the morning easier — DH and I both eat breakfast once we get to work. We store easy stuff in our offices (oatmeal/cereal or yogurt in the office fridge).
I also have a routine with my clothes where I have a Monday outfit, a Tuesday outfit, a Wednesday outfit, etc. It is pretty boring, but it saves me the time of thinking of what to wear in the morning.
Meg Murry says
+1 to keeping oatmeal at work. Even if you don’t do it every day, it is good to have for a backup / disaster day (and works for lunch or afternoon snack in a pinch too). Also keeps me away from drive thru breakfast/lunch most of the time, which my hips really don’t need.
JJ says
Wait – I’d love to hear more about days-of-the-week outfits. I find myself transitioning more and more to a Garanimals-type work wardrobe and this could be what I’m looking for.
CHJ says
It’s the best! It’s so boring, but it makes getting dressed for work so easy. Basically, I have five set outfits, one for each day. For example, Monday Outfit is a navy blouse and gray pants. Tuesday Outfit is a white patterned blouse from Ann Taylor and navy pants. So when it’s time to get ready in the morning, I just have to think “ok, it’s Tuesday. Grab Tuesday Outfit.” If an item gets worn out, I just replace it with a new item for that day. (For example, Friday’s shirt was looking worn, so I just bought a new Friday shirt for Friday Outfit).
Amazingly, no one notices. Even my husband said he couldn’t tell me which outfit goes with which day. I like each individual outfit enough that I’m happy with what I’m wearing each day, I know the outfit will work for my office, and don’t have to think about it. It’s great.
Nonny says
I am SO all over this. CHJ, you are a genius.
JJ says
Yes, I will be implementing something very similar very soon. This is a great idea.
noob says
We’re still working out the kinks, so I’m interested in other people’s answers. I’ve been back at work since the beginning of the year and baby is almost 6 months old.
Baby is in daycare, and typically my husband does drop off, and I do pickup. In an ideal world, I pass the baby off to him at 6:45 am, and either I’m out the door by 7 to hit the gym in our work building so I’m at my desk before 9, or I scramble to get ready and then leave by 7:30 in the hopes of beating traffic. This works when the baby wakes up between 5:45 and 6:15, everything is packed up the night before, and my husband is out of the shower by 6:30. Rarely do all these things happen, she wakes up much earlier, husband takes longer, or we don’t have things packed up the night before.
In the evening, I try to get her between 5-5:30, get her home, fed/nursed, bathed if necessary and then to bed by about 7:30. Ideally (again), my husband would get home by 7 and put her to bed while I started or finished up dinner. Realistically, that happens about half the time and frequently he picks up takeout or we order pizza.
What time does the nanny get there? If she gets there early enough for one of you to get ready after she arrives, could you stagger schedules? One of you gets ready and is out the door early am, the other is on baby duty until relieved by the nanny, then gets ready for work. Then the person who leaves for work early gets home first in the evenings to relive the nanny.
For us, it’s best if we don’t swap drop off and pick up — mostly because my work is more flexible, but also we work best with a semi-reliable schedule.
morning schedules? says
We don’t have the budget for that. We can afford 50 nanny hours/week. That’s just enough time for a full work week (plus evening hours after baby’s in bed) plus commuting. We just can’t afford to have her come earlier while we get ready!
CPA Lady says
It’s all me in the morning since my husband works nights. I wake up whenever my daughter does (usually somewhere between 5 & 6), feed her, change her into a fresh set of clothes, and put her in her bouncer chair thingy. If I showered the night before, I wash my face, brush my hair, and put on (a minimal amount of) makeup. I put her bottles in her little bag for daycare, play with her a little bit, sing her a song or two, and put her in her carseat. I take all my crap out to the car and get it started a few minutes before I put her in her carseat if the day is particularly cold. The last thing I do is put on my clothes, since she’s still a moderate spit-up risk.
I usually shower at night, but if I haven’t and she has woken up early, I sometimes take her in the bouncer and bring her into the bathroom with me while I take a shower. Then I narrate my “getting ready” process to her to keep her entertained.
I aim to be out the door around 7:15 and almost always am. I eat breakfast at work. I don’t work out at all, which I plan to change once she’s a little older and I’m not in survival mode. I also have basically no clothes to choose from since I did the KonMari thing too. I’m finding dresses to be extremely useful. I have one black ponte dress that I wear once or twice a week with different scarves.
rakma says
DD also has a range of wake up times, so if I’m up first, I hop in the shower right away. She’s usually pretty happy in her crib for ~10 minutes right when she wakes up, or DH goes to get her.
I’ve found that DD needs 20 minutes of cuddle/play time when she wakes up early, and then will happily be contained while I shower. So when she’s up first we cuddle, she has a snack, I have coffee while DH showers, she goes in the high chair while he makes lunch and I shower, and then he leaves and I finish getting ready.
We also have in-home childcare, and I found a little overlap in the morning is a godsend. I have ~20min between when my MIL comes and when I absolutely have to leave. That means I can do hair/makeup, or drink a cup of coffee, or leave early and run an errand.
Momata says
We are much less structured than you seem to be envisioning. Kid usually wakes up between 6:15 and 6:30, and we need to be up by 6:30 to leave around 7:20. Honestly, my husband and I just kind of vaguely supervise the kiddo while getting ready, making sure the other person is fully “on” when one of us is in the shower or otherwise fully indisposed. She plays in the bathroom while we’re in there, in the bedroom while we’re in there, and sometimes she wanders into another room and plays on her own. I usually dress the kid while my husband is in the shower. My kid and I both eat breakfast at daycare/work, and husband scarfs down a bowl of cereal while he lets the dog out and feeds it. Before kid was mobile, I had an exersaucer in the bedroom and a swing in the bathtub (separate from shower).
I do EVERYTHING the night before – lunches, my breakfast, and kid’s daycare food are all packed, her morning milk is poured into a sippy cup, her outfit and mine are set out.
JMDS says
I love the term “vaguely supervise” as this is exactly what I do. Glad I’m not the only one!
EB0220 says
Yep, me too. And it’s not even vague with the three year old. I set the baby up to play near the shower and let the preschooler roam free.
NewMomAnon says
I do morning routine solo regularly. My 1-yr old wakes up between 5:45 and 6:30, I bring her back to my bed and let her nurse until 7. Then I strip her down and we both jump in the shower; she plays with bath toys and “paints” on the shower door with water while I shower (I use no-tears products in case of splashing). I dry myself off in the shower, then dry her and let her play around in the bathroom while I do makeup, put gel in my hair (it air dries), and get dressed. Yes, sometimes she does pee on the bathroom floor….but it’s tile, so whatever. Then I get her dressed and we both eat breakfast together. Hats, coats, bags, lunches, etc in a flurry and we try to leave the house by 8, I drop her off at daycare around 8:30 and get into the office by 9.
I don’t know how you cram a dog walk into that, other than maybe bringing baby in the stroller/Ergo while your husband gets ready; once you get back from the dog walk, you get ready while husband gets baby ready and eats breakfast. A dog walker might be your friend here…
On mornings my kiddo sleeps longer, I roll out of bed at 6:30, shower and do as much prep as possible before she wakes up, and then incorporate her into the routine whenever she wakes up. Those mornings are actually more stressful because of the possibility that she’ll wake up mid-shower….she gets very sad to be left alone in her crib. But she’s a year old, so I am OK with letting her cry while I finish up a shower and throw on my robe.
One thing that simplified my mornings was an extreme closet purge – I did the KonMari method of keeping only the clothes that “spark joy.” Now everything in my closet fits, flatters, and feels good so it’s easier to get dressed.
JMDS says
I have an almost 11 month old and a nanny so I’ll play. We don’t really have a great routine down, but here is how this morning went. Little man woke up at 6:10. I wasn’t home for bedtime last night, so I do the morning (otherwise we alternate), so I got him up and changed and husband sticks the bottle on. Husband gets dressed and ready, while I feed and play with little man. Then we swapped, and I took a shower while husband made coffee and packed up with baby in the exersaucer. By the time I am out of the shower, husband has to leave, so I get dressed and sometimes blowdry my hair while little man plays in our bedroom. I use that John Frieda hot air brush thing which is a game changer. He doesn’t get in too much trouble, although this morning he pulled the last two tissues out of the box and ripped them to teeny tiny shreds. I got partially dressed and then made us both breakfast. Typically our nanny feeds him breakfast, but I’ve been working a lot this week so sometimes I like the fun food time. Then once my nanny gets in (always 5-7 minutes late), I finish getting ready and packing up. I do my makeup on the train (I know, I’m that girl).
Its a bit crazy and I worry that I don’t get enough baby time, but I take showers every other day to cut down on getting ready time and play as much as I can.
anne-on says
Routine, and doing as much stuff as possible in the morning is what saves me. Also, my son is nearly 3 so he’s old enough to play with toys in the morning while I get his breakfast ready.
Wake up – 6/6:15. Shower, makeup, dress, clip wet hair up.
(My husband gets up at 5:30 to shower, and then will feed my son when he wakes up anywhere from 6-6:30)
6:45-7:15 – Supervise breakfast, unload dishwasher, pack up school bag, feed cat, fold laundry/clean up kitchen as needed, put my stuff together for work, gather up anything for errands that need to be run during the day
7:15-7:30 – Play toys/read with my son (this gets cut if my husband needed to be out early and I took over breakfast for our son)
7:30 – Dress my son, let him watch cartoons while I dry my hair, warm up car and then load up all of our stuff
7:45/8 (8:15 on a bad day) – potty, shoes/coats/boots/etc. Nobody warned me how long a toddler likes to sit on a potty…
8:15 – school drop off
Breakfast/coffee is eaten at work. This all can get sped up if necessary but I really cherish our morning toys/reading time, and not overly rushing (ie nagging) my toddler.
morning schedules? says
Just reading this exhausts me! But definitely impressive.
NewMomAnon says
I kind of love mornings actually – I’ve consciously tried to leave enough time in the morning routine to let my daughter “help” me with things like putting on makeup, loading the dishwasher, feeding me, picking out her clothes, putting on my shoes. As long as I do as much logistical stuff as possible the night before and don’t have unrealistic expectations of timing (like the day I tried to get us out of the house in 20 minutes, haha), my morning routine with my daughter is one of my favorite parts of the day.
anne-on says
When my son was younger (and mobile but not interested in TV) I would let him ‘help’ me with my makeup and hair. He loooved playing with the brushes and opening/closing my makeup compacts. My husband thought it was a little odd but hey – he was exercising his fine motor skills and learning colors, right?
Burgher says
I watch the kids while husband gets ready. Then he leaves for daycare at 6:30 and I get ready. It has been fairly easy with 1 kid, not sure how it will work with 2 when I head back from maternity leave in a month!
anon eagle says
My children are 10 months and 2 yrs. My spouse gets up at 4:15am to walk the dog while allows me to sleep in until 4:30am.
Shower the night prior. Air dry hair. Put in hot rollers. Take out rollers. Add dry shampoo to roots (my hair is baby fine and needs something to give it texture). Pile hair on top of head with a scrunchy. Go to sleep NLT 10pm. When I get up I do my “big 3”– brush teeth, wash/moisturize face, and deodorant. If I’ve done my big 3, I know I can make it through the day with that basic hygiene routine. My first (milestone?) in the morning is 5:10– wake up the 2 year old and put her on the toilet then I dress her and do her hair. Meanwhile, my husband wakes up the baby and gives her a bottle. Baby still wears her fleece footie pajamas to daycare. Baby is propped up on a boppy pillow while she drinks her bottle and watches Dora the Explorer. When I am done with the 2 year old, she joins her sister in front of the TV while we gather their daycare bags (everything set out the night prior). At 5:47, we turn off Dora and start making our way to the car. We need to be pulling out of the garage by 5:50am. We drop the children off at daycare and then park in the commuter lot to catch our buses to work. When my spouse is out of town, I get up at 4:10am to get the family ready.
I also have a Mon/Tues/Wed outfit. I like to wear dresses/skirts and black tights in the winter so my winter wardrobe is all black, white, and cream with gold jewelry and black shoes. I am a minimalist so this system works great for me. I have enough work clothes to last 5 days, and I launder all my work clothes on the weekend.
I would recommend you revisit your hair routine and see if you can make the night-shower work. My night hair routine isn’t my first choice, but it works and allows me the time to apply some light make up. Also, try to assign your husband the baby duty so you can get ready first. My morning really goes downhill if I am not fully dressed and ready before my children wake up.
Carrie M says
It’s interesting to see what everyone does! Our one year old has a fairly regular wake-up time, so that helps. I basically do mornings because my husband does pick-up and dinner. We have stopped walking our dog in the mornings – we just let him in our yard for 5-10 minutes to do his business. He gets a midday walk, a walk around 7pm and a walk around 10pm. Here are our routines:
For days when I work out (2x a week)
5:30 – I wake up and go to a work out class
6:30 – husband lets dog out in yard and feeds him
6:45 – husband in shower
7:00 – I get home, shower and try to do my hair before daughter wakes; husband leaves for work
7:20/7:25 – I feed and dress daughter (who has usually been awake since 7, talking/singing in her crib) and have a few minutes of snuggle/play time
7:55 – I grab my yogurt for breakfast (which I eat at work) and her bottles (that I made night before), and get everyone in the car
8:00 – Leave for daycare
For days I don’t work out:
6:30 – I wake, let dog out in yard, and shower
6:45 – husband showers
7ish – I wake daughter, feed and dress her, play a little / snuggle
7:10 – husband leaves
7:40 – I grab my yogurt for breakfast (which I eat at work) and her bottles (that I made night before), and get everyone in the car
7:45 – Leave for daycare
If daughter wakes up before I’m ready, then I bring her into my room and vaguely supervise while she plays with books or toys on my floor. I’ve even brought her into the bathroom with me while I shower if I oversleep. She is actually pretty good at playing by herself….some days she’ll sit with a book for 20-30 minutes, just looking at the pictures, flipping the pages, talking aloud like she’s reading it, etc.
Midwest In-House says
We are blesse with a child (18 months) who almost always sleeps until we wake her, so the key to our morning is that we are both nearly ready before she gets up.
6:15 Alarm goes off; I shower while husband lets the dog out into yard to potty and feeds him
6:30 Make coffee and get ready (hair, makeup); husband showers and starts getting ready
7:05 I wake up daughter, dress her, brush her teeth, etc., while husband finishes getting ready
7:25 Husband feeds daughter while I get dressed
7:35 I head downstairs to interact with daughter as she finishes breakfast and help husband clean up breakfast mess
7:45 Start gathering bags and putting on coats to head out the door
7:50 Out the door; take husband to train station, drop off daughter at daycare — this puts me to work around 8:20
Like others, I eat breakfast at work. Now that I look at our schedule, husband and I could probably get up 15-20 mins later and still get out the door, but I hate being rushed in the morning so I’ll sacrifice a few minutes of sleep
Nonny says
Interesting to read everyone’s routines!
I have a 14-month-old. Our routine is as follows:
I do everything possible the night before. Lunch packed, anything extra needed for daycare packed, clothes laid out, dishes washed. Pre-baby I was a morning shower person. Now I shower at night – morning just does not work well anymore.
In the morning:
5:30-6:00 – baby wakes up sometime in here. Either I or my husband go in to her, depending on what time she wakes up. She is still nursing in the morning and at night, so at about 6:00 I nurse her.
6:15-6:30 – I change baby’s diaper and dress her for the day. Husband has his shower and gets dressed.
6:30-6:55 – Husband watches baby, takes baby downstairs to play, feeds cat. I wash face, brush teeth, do hair, get dressed.
6:55ish – I go downstairs and make breakfast for all three of us. Husband plays with baby.
7:10 – All three of us eat breakfast.
7:15 – I go back upstairs to put on makeup and finish hair. Husband finishes giving baby her breakfast, cleans up.
7:25 – Mad rush of socks, shoes, coats. Husband puts baby in car. I get baby’s lunch from fridge and join them both in car.
7:30 – We are out the door and on our way to daycare.
This schedule is pretty tight and only works because I’ve showered the night before. I really don’t know what we’d do if we had to walk a dog in there.
Ciao, pues says
This is fascinating! Y’all get up soooo early, how do you do it? I probably need to resign myself to going to bed earlier so that waking up early becomes routine, but I feel like by the time we get our 13 month old, fed, bathed, and in bed (7:30), our dinner cooked, eaten, and cleaned up, it’s already 9pm and I want another 2 hours to myself (to clean, pay bills, write emails/ make calls, watch t.v., read, hang w hubby, etc.). I’m just not ready to go to bed at 10:30, but I’m definitely not doing it right getting only 6 hours of sleep either…
CPA Lady says
I wake up whenever my daughter does, which ranges between 4:45 and 6:00. Usually somewhere in the 5 a.m. hour. I go to bed as soon as she does. I have gone to bed at 7:45 at the earliest, but typically go to bed around 8. I feel really boring, but I don’t care. It’s the only way I’m not a total wreck.
JJ says
Trust me, once you start getting up earlier, being sleepy at 9, 9:30, 10, or 10:30 is not hard! I’m lucky to make it until 10 most nights. That does leave me with about an hour of free time at night – after dishes are washed/trash taken out/daycare stuff packed (which duties the husband and I split).
Violet says
I’m an old mum, just coming out the end of school for one and university for the other , so I’ve been through the wonderful journey you are about to embark on. My tips are (in no particular order) :
– get a dog walker for at least 6 months or have the nanny do it if possible
-always, always have an outfit chosen the night before, including hose and handbag packed
-if you pack your own lunch pack it the night before and put it in the fridge in a bag . Remember the bag!
-don’t try to dress the baby, leave that for the nanny- a simple fruit breakfast will also tide baby over until you have gone and then nanny does the cereal etc. Obviously the fruit needs to be chopped up the night before
-always have at least 4-5 pairs of back up hose in your wardrobe and one in your desk
-some of my friends wore a dressing gown/robe from the second they got dressed to the second they left the house- saves dribbles
-have a high chair in the room where you dress and sit baby in it while you dress/makeup etc. The girls and I always listened the kids “Play school “type music during this period.
– eat breakfast in the office if you can ( this removes the whole prep and cleanup cycles)
-have the nanny arrive at least 20 mins before you have to leave, allows supervision for those inevitable times you are not quite ready.
-relax your housekeeping standards, ditto the ironing.
– get used to telling the nanny what is to be done in a firm voice, maybe also back this up with a list. Don’t just allow her to play with the baby all day, your health is important too.
Good Luck, you will get through it all !!!
Lyssa says
What are your thoughts on maternity pictures? I did not really have the urge to have them done last time, but I’m thinking that this time, with a focus on my 2 year old and my belly, would be really cute. I definitely want ones that would be easily sharable – I’m not crazy about the super-personal ones and definitely don’t want any nudity or suggestion of nudity (even the bare belly might be a bit much for me). Nothing too cheesy, just happy family niceness. I’m thinking April, when it’s warm enough to do outdoors, and I’m about 7 months and change, would work? Maybe a sundress or flowy skirt and casual top? Suggestions?
Maddie Ross says
I’m not a huge fan of maternity photos specifically, but I am a huge fan of photos of my kidlet. In my mind, I would probably set up a photo shoot for my child and then get a couple of the kid and me, and a couple of the the whole fam. I think the ones where people are just randomly hugging their belly are kind of funny, but that’s just me.
Tunnel says
+1
Nonny says
+2. Rather than maternity photos, we just “happened” to have our engagement photos taken when I was 8 months pregnant.
JJ says
I know 7-8 months is considered the maternity photos sweet spot – you’re very pregnant but not that “miserable swollen get-this-baby-out-of-me pregnant” (or maybe that was just me…).
I love the look of family pictures where the mom just happens to be pregnant. I’ve seen some good ones where the mom is wearing a maternity maxi dress or long flowy skirt and casual top.
anon says
We did family pictures (me, DH, toddler) when I was about 7.5 months pregnant. The photographer just snapped a few of me + belly solo and me + DH + belly. I’m so glad we did it. I didn’t want a full maternity shoot because I only really wanted one or two photos to frame. Plus, it was nice to have one last family photo session before our family went from 3 to 4. I wore a black dress, a big neclace, and leggings.
JJ says
I am a bit embarrassed to even be posting this, but here goes…My daughter’s ears have been a little funny ever since birth…asymmetrical, mushy, a bit floppy on top. Doesn’t look terrible, but it’s noticeable (at least to me). Pediatrician has been telling us it is nbd. Playgroup mom just informed me that it is fixable with little painless but pricy braces. But I called the md she recommended and was told my baby is too old (!) — treatment doesn’t work after 6 wk. All that said, in the real world, I rarely notice adult ears, so I assume this condition recedes or self corrects over time. But I figured I would ask here — have your kids’ ears normalized as they get older? Or is my baby destined to be made fun of on the playground, so to speak? Or maybe something in between….
anon eagle says
I have no real advice, but maybe your daughter’s ear will become less noticeable as her hair grows longer and you can alter her hairstyle? As for playground teasing, that is certainly a possibility. I have a terrible astigmatism and I have worn thick coke bottle glasses since I was 2 years old. My glasses were very unfashionable during my elementary and middle school years. I was teased a lot and it caused me a lot of sadness. My mother didn’t notice or she didn’t care. I was too embarrassed to bring it up so I kept it to myself. I think it is very good that you are sensitive to her feelings. I think if you show compassion and give your daughter tools to help her overcome the teasing she will emerge from this playground phase a much stronger person. Hug!
greenie says
My second daughter was born with dumbo ears (well not as big… but stuck out like Dumbo’s). They bothered me the first year. She’s 3 now and I don’t notice at all… they have developed a nicer form, but more importantly her hair is longer so they no longer are in view ALL THE TIME… this has been most helpful.
JJ says
I like your name!
I’ve seen baby pictures of my husband’s and he had very similar ears to what you are describing. As an adult (and even a teenager), his ears looked absolutely normal to me. So I would think it’s something that your daughter will probably “grow into.”
JJ-OP says
Sorry, didn’t realize someone else used this regularly! Next time I post I will change it up! (And thanks to everyone for their responses!)
MomAnon4This says
The only ear cosmetic surgery I’ve heard of is having ears that do seem to stick out “pinned back”. My uncle had this done when he must have been an older child or early teen.
My sister-in-law is quite self-conscious about her ears that stick out, but wears her hair long and over her ears usually, or her thick hair seems (to me) to push her ears forward; not sure.
The benefit to having this on both sides of the family is that if our children’s ears stick out, we can each blame each other’s family.
K says
Check out the thread here, where many posters said this issue resolved itself later on: http://www.mothering.com/forum/32-life-baby/583340-newborn-s-sort-folded-floppy-ear.html
OMGWTFBBQ says
I had a dating ultrasound today and the tech wouldn’t let me see anything….is this normal?
BKDC says
That hasn’t been my experience. Did the tech give you any feedback? Did you see your doctor afterward?
Newly pregnant says
+1 to this. That has not been my experience.
OMGWTFBBQ says
No feedback, no MD appointment….she said they’d call in a few days. I’m giving it until 3 and then calling the nurse.
rakma says
Sometimes techs are weird about the scans. I had one tech who didn’t explain anything, when they were obviously re-measuring the same thing over and over. After a consult with my dr and a follow up scan, everything was fine, but it was unnecessarily stressful at the time. This happened to be in the dr’s second office, so I just avoided scheduling scans there.
JMDS says
I would be unhappy with a practice that puts pregnant women through the stress of waiting days for the results of an ultrasound. I am sure everything is perfectly fine, but that is not cool.
My practice always had a doctor available to immediately review scans and give you results. Even when the appointments had doppler checks, if my doctor ever had a problem finding the heartbeat he would do a quick scan just so I wouldn’t be freaked out that something was off (even though it can be quite common for it to be difficult to find the heartbeat with the doppler).
MomAnon4This says
No. I have had bad results from early ultrasounds like that, and the technician might not tell you something, but then someone does – the midwife, the doctor, etc. A patient – a mother – deserves her information. Even if they can’t see anything, and they think it’s cysts or something, they tell you.
PregLawyer says
I got my follow-up phone calls from my doc the day after my anatomy scan and follow-up scan (couldn’t see the heart the first time.) Those were fortunately the “all’s well” calls, so I don’t know if it takes longer to give other news. This is also I’m sure very practice-specific, so it’s probably fine that your call is taking longer.
My ultrasound tech each time gave minimal information, but let us see the screen while she was doing everything. I was able to ask for more information (“Is that measurement normal?” “Is the heart rate in the right range?”) and she would tell me. She did not really offer any information, however.
CC says
I would love your recommendations on umbrella strollers! Will be using it to keep in the car for errands/general use and for traveling. I’m looking in the $100 range give or take, but would be willing to go up if there’s something miraculous out there.
anon eagle says
I bought this because it was #1 on the website. Works great for a cheapo. I can do set up/collapse 1 handed (with the use of my foot) while juggling a giant diaper bag and another baby on the hip.
http://www.amazon.com/First-Years-Stroller-City-Chic/dp/B002WB2G9I/ref=sr_1_1?s=baby-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1424972107&sr=1-1&keywords=umbrella+stroller
Burgher says
We have the same one that we bought for travel and it’s great. So much easier to deal with for errands than our bulky jogging stroller we had been lugging around. We actually have not used the jogging stroller since buying the umbrella stroller, though we’ll still use it for neighborhood walks once this brutal winter is over!
The only issue I’ve had is that the handle padding started to come apart almost immediately. I’ll probably have to tape it soon, but nbd, it still functions.
R says
http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00GJGA3BK
I have this one. $25. It’s perfect for errands/general use and lugging around the airport. I’m not a stuff-carrier, so I don’t need a bottom basket to shove things in, or something heavy enough to hang a fully loaded diaper bag on the back. I don’t see the need to spend more, unless you have special needs like twins or jogging or something.
OCAssociate says
Is anyone else avoiding rice/rice-based products for your babies based on the Consumer Reports findings about arsenic? My toddler still gets some rice, but I’m trying to limit it. I’m just wondering how paranoid other people are feeling.
NewMomAnon says
Unless my pediatrician sends out an alert, I don’t worry. But we also try to give a wide variety of foods and don’t focus too much on any one food product, so my kiddo eats any one type of food only a few times a week. I might feel differently if it was an every day thing, but probably not. I would call your pediatrician if you’re really worried.
KJ says
Same. I read up on it when we started her on rice cereal and just decided to make sure she got a variety of foods rather than avoid rice specifically. She eats finger foods now, so we don’t do rice cereal but she gets rice cakes and rice -based puffs.
MomAnon4This says
Do you want me to tell you about the radioactivity in bananas, too?
At the likely consumption level, these things are not a problem.
I am the worst mom says
We had a snow day from school today (K and pre-K children) in a part of the country where snow is an awesome novelty (and then melts a few hours later). They are happy not to be at school. They are happy to still be in PJs. But I feel so crummy that I can’t take them outside b/c I have been on 5 conference calls today and have to squeeze all of my work in around that. And now it is mostly gone :(
Newly pregnant says
You are not the worst mom. The kids are happy!
No you aren't! says
I grew up in Alabama, where snow significant enough to play in was a once every several years novelty. I was homeschooled grades 3-12, and not one single time during my entire childhood did my mother let us take a snow day or play in the snow before our schoolwork was finished (at which point the snow would be melted).
The difference between my story and your story is that you wanted to let your kids play in the snow but couldn’t, whereas my mom didn’t let us play in the snow even though she could have. You are not the worst mom, not by a long stretch.