Momof3

Having a co-ed baby shower with a monkey theme. I got a suggestion on a Banana split bar which I think is great but because its going to be held in March/April I am gonna have to have other foods for those not in the "ice cream mood" Since guys are going we need "man food" so please suggest foods as well as a fun monkey themed name for them.

My kids have helped come up with the folowing;

Swinging sandwiches - cut up subs

where another yahoo user suggested a trail mix, called Jungle mix

Many many suggestions on monkey bread...but need a few more

Have fun with this!!

I now have a boy name but need a middle name, prefer it starts with R but doesnt have to that goes with Jonah....

I like Tristan Aiden, and Schuyler Benjamin. Husband likes Cypher Reece and Javon Reece. I am looking for the PERFECT name to go with my other kids Sierra, Samantha, Myckenzie and Bella.

I have 4 daughters, have always wanted a boy. Girls are thrilled and so are we, but we dont have a name for him!! Worst thing is its like it HAS to be perfect at this point. I wanted Tristan for several years and my brother named his son Christian, which is really close. Then we picked Aiden, and Jayden. My sister named her son Kayden. Grr...is nothing sacred? So I am now lost, looking at long lists of names and not finding the "right one". I even dreamt his name was Tristan Aiden, which made his initials TAD and my husband called him Tadpole. Cute dream, but I think I would be accused of copying my nephews names. What do you think?

My husband has always loved his initials and so I would like to use them. J.R.D. His name is Justin Ryan and we dont want a Jr. and only obvious limitation is ex's names so Jeremiah is out and we have a daughter named Bella so Jacob would just cause people to joke because of the movie. Thanks in advance!!

I am having my last baby, my fifth and its a boy! Yay! We have 4 girls, and we are all excited. I have NEVER had a baby shower and so we are planning a fun couples shower with alot of games played minute to win it style. Its gonna be a blast! I have alot of ideas for decor, favors, games ect. However I am stumped on foods that compliment our theme. especially because one of our guests had a major banana allergy. We have a cake, and are making serving sizes of monkey balls in monkey cupcake wrappers. What foods can you think of?

(They have to be good for both sexes ie no petite celery sandwiches...)

I am having my last baby, my fifth and its a boy! Yay! We have 4 girls, and we are all excited. I have NEVER had a baby shower and so we are planning a fun couples shower with alot of games played minute to win it style. Its gonna be a blast! I have alot of ideas for decor, favors, games ect. However I am stumped on foods that compliment our theme. especially because one of our guests had a major banana allergy. We have a cake, and are making serving sizes of monkey balls in monkey cupcake wrappers. What foods can you think of?

(They have to be good for both sexes ie no petite celery sandwiches...)

My husband and I had a desperate time finding boys names we love. We have narrowed it down to his favorite and mine. Needless to say these are our faves so we dont need suggestions on other names or insults on these, just need to know which one you like better please...

Skylar Raine

or

Cypher Reece

My whole life I have wanted a son. Now here I am with 4 daughters. I have names that I have always had on hand in case I had a boy. I am pregnant for the last time, and not sure of the sex. My husband and I have a girl name (Shiloh Mae, he chose it and I agreed to it) but we don't agree on any boy names. Here are the current choices;

Jovan Reece

Benjamin Skylar

I won't tell you which is mine or his, that way I get a honest answer which is better.

K ladies need help, what is the best door prize you have ever gotten at a shower? Also what is something you wouldn't mind getting?

Okay so I lost my mucus plug weeks ago. I even had 17 hrs of hard contractions that left me 100%effaced and very soft, dilated 2.5 cm before it stopped completely. I have since been crampy, tired and nauseous. Yesterday morning I had really stretchy cervical mucus that was brownish red. Last night I had much more mucus and it had red thin lines through it. I felt alot of pressure last night as well as lower back pain and had to stand for awhile because baby was pushing down so hard I couldn't sit. I woke several times in the night with awful cramps and very uncomfortable braxton hicks. I woke this morning sore and still nauseous. I had more mucus with a pink tinge about an hour ago and now have a headache. I am 38 weeks and 2 days (in my 39th week) due next friday. This is my fourth baby. I have never experienced this before, with my others I had contractions and shortly after had my baby. first labor was 14 hours came on due date, second 2.5 hours, 6 days early and third 1.5 hours, 13 days early.

Has anybody else had a similar experience, and if so when did you go into labor?

Don't get me wrong I ADORE my husband. Lately however he has been REALLY getting on my nerves. Here are a few examples;

I was in the tub and he came into the room and I asked, do my breasts look fuller to you? His reply was "definatly saggier if thats what you mean" After seeing my face he said, "Like heavier hanging" then realizing he hadn't helped said "I am not gonna be able to get my foot out of my mouth huh?" I said no and he made a quick exit.

I wait to take baths for when I have someone at home, now that my tummy is really big I sometimes need help getting out of the bath. I told him, "now that you are home I am gonna hop in the tub, I will call you if I need you" Sure enough I got stuck. After calling for "someone, anyone?" for ten min I was able to roll and get up slipping only once. Thank Goodness I was able to catch myself. When I got dressed and went looking for everyone, hubby had taken everyone outside to play. Grr...

And finally, I have been asking for a diaper bag for weeks. I have gone on and on about how I wanted it to match my grey and white stroller. Hopefully pink to match the head support. Mind you baby is due anyday. I was able to find a really cute one for $15 but hubby wouldn't let me get it. Come to find out his family sent a few big boxes full of stuff for the shower I never had. How sweet right? Inside was a big brown diaper bag. I said why didn't you tell em about the pink one I wanted, He went on and on about how ungrateful I was. I LOVED the "mail order baby shower" cried and laughed as I opened each gift. How come he didn't pass on however that I was in love with this obviously much cheaper diaper bag? He says "I get what I get, stop complaining."

Anybody else have hubby on your last nerve?

Boy-

Jovan Reece or Jovan Skylar

Girl-

Bella Rose or Bella Rosemarie

We have discussed for hours, and I have given in to Jovan (Jo-von) as the first name as he was very passionate about it. I however got Bella as the first name which I love (and NO it is not from Twilight!!)

I am looking for opinions on which name is better as one of these four names will be my childs name. So please keep all rude opinions to yourself.

Okay so this is baby #4 for me. Babies 1,2, and 3 were all girls with strong 160 heartbeats. This baby averages 130 to high 140's. Dr.'s office did a sonogram at 18 weeks and wrote "girl?" on the pic she printed for me. This baby the pregnancy is very different from my others, I am craving cereal, cheese and fruit. Others cravings were all candy and sweets. This one I am growing hair like crazy, last ones I didn't. Also gained alot more before, I mean ALOT more weight,100lbs each in apposed to the 42lbs this time. Others I was big everywhere, this one is ALL BELLY. This one had me really tired and sick at the beginning, others we super easy pregnancies. My belly is SUPER heavy and I am sooo tired all the time. I know the heartbeat theory isn't science but what was your experience and did you "feel" like the baby was a certain sex and were you right?

One lady came up to me in JC-Penney's and started caressing my belly with two hands while asking me all about my baby. I grabbed her by the wrists, looked her straight in the eye and said "***** do I know you? Do you randomly molest strangers or am I just special?" My husband said, "c'mon honey, sorry she gets moody when she gets tired..." Then quickly led me away as the woman stood, mouth open staring at me in disbelief. Needless to say he was in the doghouse. But honestly I don't go around rubbing peoples body's, so why just because I am pregnant do people think they can touch me?

I have this thing in the back of my head that I will get to the hospital and have a boy, while expecting a girl. I am all set for baby girl and dream every night that I go into labor and have a boy. The idea is both exciting and terrifying! I bought girl clothes, blankets etc. I like the girl name not the boy name. (hubby wants Jovan Reece for boy, I always wanted Skylar) If I did have a boy that would take so much running to get things ready for him and I will be incapacitated and relying on hubby and kids to get it ready!

Has anyone had this happen or a fear that this will happen?

So I heard that as your baby pulls nutrients from your body it triggers cravings that will fill those nutrient needs.

However my brothers GF (due any day) is eating corned beef smeared with cream cheese and wrapped around a pickle, and I'm not sure that could fill any need. Besides an overwhelming desire to puke :)

My cravings have been fruits and cereals. Most recently a love of red peppers and chocolate ice cream (not together)...lol

How about you guys? What are you craving and do you think it is filling a "nutrient need"?

Also while we are at it, is there anything that you CANNOT eat now that you are preggy? Personally I cannot eat most meats without throwing them back up on my plate.

I have noticed lately that when my husband gets upset with me, my kids act up, or my mother calls I can get really really stressed. I feel sick, get anxious, heart starts to beat fast and I get lightheaded. Mind you my issues causing the stress symptoms are so minor it never would have bothered me before. So I tell hubby, I am getting upset you need to stop now. He seems to think I am avoiding issues and using my pregnancy as my excuse. The whole thing is really upsetting me. Granted I am nearing the end, and we can be just dealing with anxiety. Is anyone else feeling that their stress is effecting them more than normal?

Okay so even though this is baby #4 I still am experiencing things that I never have before. I think it would help if anyone else has felt this, as I am too anxious to wait until Dr appointment this afternoon, so here goes;

I feel like sometimes the baby pinches my vagina. Yeah I know crazy right? Seriously feels like someone squeezes around the side of it. I know its nothing I have felt before and it may just be a weird sensation as my mucus plug breaks away early, you never know. (I am in 33rd week, 1st was on time to the day, second was 6 days early, third was 12 days early) Has anyone else felt this, and if so what did your Dr say it was? It is driving me crazy and stopped my sex life dead. :(

(CNN) -- Babies who died from sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, show lower amounts of the brain chemical serotonin, says a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Levels of serotonin, which regulate a baby's sleep, heart rate and breathing, were 26 percent lower in the brain stems of babies who died of SIDS than in those of babies who died of other causes, the study says. Researchers believe a low level of serotonin may be the "fundamental abnormality" in babies who die from SIDS. In the brain stem, serotonin acts as an alarm system, waking up a baby when breathing is disrupted. Babies without it can be unaware that they are not breathing enough oxygen, causing them to die in their sleep, according to the study. The study also found that infants with insufficient serotonin also had low levels of the enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase, which is needed to make serotonin. Levels of that were 22 percent lower in SIDS babies.

To avoid the risk of SIDS, she and other doctors recommend that parents make sure that babies can breathe uninhibited during sleep: Place babies on their backs to avoid their rolling over, don't over-bundle the baby, and don't leave loose bedding or stuffed toys in the crib.