4

6/30/2008 5:24:35 PM

Having worked in childcare, most child centers will not call child protective services if you are a few minutes late to pick up your child unless it is obviously a sign of gross negligence. It's one thing to be 15 minutes late to pick up your child every so often and it's another thing to be a hour late on a regular basis. And in some situations, chronic tardiness is an excuse to call when you have suspicions about how things are at home.

And on daily 9 to 5 day care. . .forget it. Even if my child were healthy enough to go to day care, I would not do it unless our family could not survive without two incomes. And with the price of childcare and expense of holding down a job (commuting, work clothes, lunches out, etc), a lot of families are better off financially if someone can stay at home.

6/30/2008 5:30:52 PM

^ true. I have two boys (oldest will be 4 in august, youngest 2 in sept) and a girl on the way. My wife used to work at the daycare our boys went to, but we still had to pay 50% tuition on both, and it just didn't make sense for her to keep working even though she was making $15/hr.

Oh, and my boys have become significantly healthier since we have stopped taking them to daycare. We were missing 2 - 3 days of work a month (sometimes more) to take them to doctors and to stay home the required 24 hrs.

[Edited on June 30, 2008 at 6:17 PM. Reason : .]

6/30/2008 6:16:10 PM

Quote :

"a lot of families are better off financially if someone can stay at home."

only if those two incomes combined are less than $60k.

if both of you make a decent income (combined 100k+) well things are a lot rosier then.

6/30/2008 6:40:17 PM

If I were to go to work as what I am trained to do, I would make ~$17/hr. As a nanny, I made at least $15/hr. If I were to hire someone like myself to take care of my child and go to work in what I have a degree to do, I would essentially make $2/hr. Then you factor in gas, professional clothes, eating away from home, and time spent away from my child. . .boooooooooo! And that is the case with most of middle america. Given, not everyone hires a professional nanny or sends their kid to a premier childcare center. . .you can get cheaper childcare, but the thought of what you may end up with for minimum wage pay scares me.

6/30/2008 10:21:27 PM

Quote :

"but the thought of what you may end up with for minimum wage pay scares me."

very true.

i'm glad that our daycare offers a streaming video link. it adds to my peace of mind.

7/1/2008 3:26:34 AM

reading stuff about raising kids always scares the shit out of me.

7/1/2008 7:29:43 AM

This thread has inspired me to become a househusband. Now I just need to find a girl who is a good provider.

7/1/2008 8:33:24 AM

So my wife's due date is sunday, and this weekend she broke her wrist. We were out walking the dog around lake Johnson and she slipped on a muddy spot.

so that might make things interesting.

7/1/2008 11:11:08 AM

^^ aha, word to that.

when my wife is done with residency and making bank (unless we are all fucked by socialized medicine at that point), i'm going to go be a house husband.

7/1/2008 11:25:45 AM

Ok, i'm making this thread a post pics/videos of your kids doing funny shit.

Here's Amy falling asleep at the dinner table.

7/1/2008 2:35:05 PM

Is she day trading yet?

7/1/2008 2:35:42 PM

yeah man, she's buying clowns 'n shit.

7/1/2008 2:39:15 PM

^^^Kind of early for her to be practicing for all-nighters


That was adorable.

7/1/2008 2:45:26 PM

^^^^

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&friendID=78135166&albumId=549487

pics on the 3rd page.
Those pics were taken last year sometime. I haven't uploaded anymore.

[Edited on July 1, 2008 at 4:45 PM. Reason : page 3]

7/1/2008 4:45:23 PM

Nice video BobbyD, my son has never done that. He just rubs his eyes a lot when he's tired.

Here he is eating his first piece of chicken ever.

http://s163.photobucket.com/albums/t301/dkmdutere/?action=view¤t=Cameron8months014.flv

7/1/2008 4:50:58 PM

^ hahaha, at first he's all like

wtf is this

and then he's like

oh hell yes

that's like the perfect video for doing a voiceover.

7/1/2008 7:03:05 PM

hahaha that last video is awesome. def a good one to voiceover

7/1/2008 7:08:19 PM

we're at the hospital now, about 8 hours into labor. 6cm dilated and 100% effaced. should have a babe by morning


stupid free wireless internet here has facebook blocked.

7/3/2008 2:54:13 AM

congrats! i know what late night delivery is like. it's a huge buildup. after it's over and you're staring at your son/daughter, comes the release. get pizza (or something) delivered. better than the food they have there.

what was even better was the coffee i got to drink infront of the girl who couldn't have any for 9 mos.

7/3/2008 3:04:12 AM

^^ Congrats! And WTF to facebook being blocked

Quote :

"I'm just glad my parents volunteered to watch my son while I'm working. I don't have to "pay" for care so to speak, but I pay in other ways. It's a fantastic deal. I'd suggest it if you have parents like mine. "

Man, I really hope I can do this when I have kids. My mom doesn't work so it's not like she's doing anything else

7/3/2008 7:55:44 AM

Quote :

"My son didn't really start talking until after his second birthday, and he went from saying 4-5 words to speaking in sentences in the span of about 3 months. Our doc referred us for speech therapy at his 2-year-old checkup, which he ended up not needing. She said to wait and see for a couple of months and to go if he wasn't speaking by 27 months. If he understands you and can follow simple instructions, the words will follow."

Sean started talking! He has been using simple words for a while now, but after his vacation, he was a new boy. Of course, he could have been talking for a while now and I'm just now able to understand him, but man! it's crazy. Sentences and all that. Amazing!

Quote :

"Man, I really hope I can do this when I have kids. My mom doesn't work so it's not like she's doing anything else"

It really does take a village to raise a child. I'm just glad I am fortunate enough to have that kind of family. There are a lot of families out there that won't do that. That sucks. The momma's family won't do that. Sure, they'll take him for a weekend or something, but my family is there day in and day out since he was born. That takes commitment and generosity, the kind that can't be put into words. I am very grateful for what I have.

[Edited on July 3, 2008 at 12:57 PM. Reason : 1]

7/3/2008 12:54:53 PM

^^^ The worst part was that after 15 hours of labor, we had been up for 27 hours. Everybody's happy and healthy though, couldn't be better.

7/3/2008 4:39:33 PM

^^ Yeah, when I was little we lived with my grandparents so my parents wouldn't have to worry about daycare stuff. I'm sure my parents would do the same for me (though I wouldn't want to live with them ) it's just a matter of if we would be in the same city or not.

7/3/2008 8:44:10 PM

^^

same here man, her labor started early in the morning and they admitted her entirely too early (high risk i guess), but she was just laying there in pain, when she could have been productive and in pain. i still believe that the doc rushed her delivery so that she could get some sleep (she was on call).

i did not look so hot after being up for more than 24 hours. i can't believe i drove home to get some things i forgot and managed to find my way back.

7/4/2008 12:14:59 AM

Wish I would have had a video camera yesterday. My son (2.5 yr) was riding his bike all over the yard because we had a picnic and after I left, my wife said he was riding around, then all of a sudden, he fell asleep while riding the bike!

7/5/2008 12:44:47 PM

bump

Quote :

"I used to work 70 hours a week, but I peace out no later than 5p.m. now. "

[Edited on November 10, 2008 at 10:38 PM. Reason : i hear that bobby]

11/10/2008 10:33:41 PM

Hey rents....my sister just launched a website with a bunch of clever and helpful things for parents and their kids...some stuff is for newborns, other stuff is for any kids and I'm not a mom, but I know these things aren't the things you find in typical stores....so if anyone is interested in taking a look, PM me and I'll give you the URL and a coupon code for 15% off (and for the next week or so at least, it's free shipping)

^

11/10/2008 10:47:02 PM

^^

i wish i could peace out at 5.

11/11/2008 1:13:39 AM

My wife wants to start a family in a couple years but I laid out the cold hard reality for her: a child would make our health insurance go up to $860 a month. If I get a couple raises in 2 years I might be grossing $34K a year, so my take-home would be less than $1400/mo. My wife is a nanny, so she'd have to quit and be a stay-at-home mom, so my income would be the only income. Our current monthly bills are just under $1300. Gasoline, groceries, prescriptions, doctor visits, repairs, and her debts aren't included in that sum. Having her income keeps us above water, but you can see that we'd be up shit creek if we had a baby.

11/11/2008 10:12:06 AM

if she is a nanny couldn't she take the baby with her to work?

11/11/2008 12:59:43 PM

Quote :

"a child would make our health insurance go up to $860 a month"

haha, maybe through your work.... I go to AETNA direct for my wife and son, it is $200 a month for a better-than-average policy, and that's for both of them. My wife has gone to the doc once in the last year and my son has gone 3 times, it was like $120 out of pocket.

11/11/2008 1:45:29 PM

^Wow, sounds like I'm getting screwed on Blue Cross.

11/11/2008 1:52:37 PM

yeah, there are certain restrictions like only the first 4 office visits are $30 and then there's some out of pocket, but I could pay $300 a month and drop the deductible to around $1,000.

My work would have charged about $450 per month, even with the tax benefits it is still ~$150 cheaper per month

11/11/2008 2:00:07 PM

bcbs blows.

i had aetna and now have BCBS.

with aetna my total was $80 total for me and my son. health and dental for mid level coverage, little out of pocket.

11/11/2008 2:03:05 PM

You are getting screwed by BCBS. Under my husbands insurance, it cost us dollars a month to add Silas and we would pay the same amount for one kid or 20 kids under the family plan.

As a nanny, your wife can bring her child to work with her. If her current family would not allow her, she could find another one that would. Trust me. She might make less because she's bringing her child with her, but she would still be able to command some sort of income.

Another thing that a lot of people do not think about is that when you have a kid you stop spending fun money. All of the money that was spent on video games, bars, restraunts, movies, etc. . .goes to the baby. So the baby expense is kinda offset a bit. If it weren't for Silas's medical bills (which he wouldn't have had he been born a healthy and normal kid), our finances would probably have been better after having a kid.

11/11/2008 3:04:35 PM

anyone here use gDiapers?
I'm looking into them


my daughter turned one a few weeks ago! wow how time has flown by
she's become all of a sudden very independent and stubborn. She rarely eats anything unless she can feed herself. She loves the gerber graduates ravioli's and other little snacks. She shakes her head at jar food now. Right now she's tossing her puffs to our dogs (sitting patiently under her high chair)



[Edited on January 3, 2009 at 6:55 PM. Reason : update]

1/3/2009 6:47:07 PM

I thought about giving the gDiapers a shot while I was pregnant. And now that they're in our local BabiesRUs, I've started thinking about it again. They look very comfy.

I would have bought a starter pack had my husband not been with me.

1/3/2009 7:51:39 PM

The g diaper inserts aren't that much more $ than pampers other than the cost of the "g" diaper itself.

I might get a starter pack. I just wonder if our daycare will accept them.

1/3/2009 8:52:58 PM

What is the deal with all these awful kids shows?

Franklin - the adventures of a retarded turtle.

Dora the Explorer - the adventures of a retarded mexican girl who is known for wearing ill fitting clothing and has to have everything repeated to her multiple times.

I'm not saying all kids shows are terrible, but those are two that stand out.

Foreign (english speaking) kids shows are much better in that respect. Hell, even sesame street is better than that.

When did tv programming for children get so stupid?

1/7/2009 9:06:42 AM

Maya is with the grandparents this week and Ken and I are having a week to ourselves. I think he and I will come out a little more refreshed but I know I miss that baby Maya with a passion. I am trying not to drive over to grents.

1/7/2009 10:19:58 AM

^^ Haven't had to deal with that yet, we don't let Amy watch any TV yet, unless she decides she wants to watch sports when I have it on. So far she only cares if there's a commercial with a catchy song, in which case she'll start dancing to the song.

She's gotten in this phase where if she wants to be picked up and we don't comply, she'll throw herself on the floor and start screaming and flailing around. We just walk away and ignore her, and after a couple of minutes she realizes that she ain't getting her way and stops crying. So far, Parents 1, Amy 0.

Other than that, I almost feel like parenting is infinitely easier so far than I would have ever imagined. The hardest part is missing out on stuff like hanging out with my friends, or being able to take a week off work to go skiing without much hassle. It doesn't help that my wife just finished med school and is working 90 hours a week as an Intern, which makes me Mr. Mom.

1/7/2009 10:42:01 AM

my daughter ignores the tv unless there are animals on it (like mother like daughter).
sometimes I'll put the 'noggin' channel on but she rarely pays attention to it. If she hears music she'll dance though (basically just bouncing but it's adorable).

She tried blueberries, raspberries and blackberries for the first time yesterday and she loved them.

1/7/2009 11:45:22 AM

I just flew with my 16 month old son from CO to NC by myself for the first time. It was his 8th or 9th flight. He doesn't even cry. We flew Southwest and you have to stand in line before you board for about 10 minutes. I changed him right before we got in line and he dropped a nice turd as we were waiting. Stepped out of line, back to the bathroom, quick change, and back in line. Less than 1 minute later he dropped an even bigger turd. Repeat process, lose place in line, sit by fat woman. He slept for an hour and a half.

1/7/2009 12:05:10 PM

we haven't flown with her yet. She's been on 11-12 hour road trips with us many times though and did fine. We try and drive at night so she sleeps.

1/7/2009 12:08:50 PM

Wow long time since I've seen this thread, last time was over a year ago.

Now we have a 2 1/2 year old with another on the way, due in May. Should get really interesting then...

1/7/2009 12:18:46 PM

Congrats! We'll wait at least three years I figure, I think my wife will get lonely and bored once he starts school.

1/7/2009 12:21:48 PM

Quote :

"Other than that, I almost feel like parenting is infinitely easier so far than I would have ever imagined. The hardest part is missing out on stuff like hanging out with my friends, or being able to take a week off work to go skiing without much hassle. It doesn't help that my wife just finished med school and is working 90 hours a week as an Intern, which makes me Mr. Mom."

it's MUCH easier when they are younger. when sean was an infant, other parents mentioned how nostalgic they were about their children at that age. i didn't know what they meant, but now i do.

before he started speaking and eating adult food, taking care of him was a breeze. potty training, teaching him about forks/spoons, etc... takes it toll after a while. it's been worth it, but it's been hard.

of course it also has a lot to do with the child's temperament, some kids are just hard headed.

[Edited on January 7, 2009 at 12:32 PM. Reason : c]

1/7/2009 12:32:24 PM

Another benefit of having a kid is that I get a lot of photography practice. Actually had one photo I submitted to WUNC The State of Things get chosen for the pic of the week:

http://wunc.org/programs/tsot/

1/7/2009 1:15:30 PM

your pictures are pretty good. i need to take more pictures.

1/7/2009 1:30:12 PM