Jewel

We are from out of state. I lived in Mesa as a little girl but have not been there in 20 years so I am sure a lot has changed. What is Mesa and the surrounding area like? Any recommendations on a good place to raise a family? Any feedback is appreciated. Thank you!

We have a son named Noah. We are having another baby but don't know the sex! We have some name choices in mind but are having a much harder time agreeing on a boy name. Any thoughts/suggestions? So far...

Girls - middle name must be Michelle

Violet

Lillian

Annalisa

Boys

Levi

Ryan

Thank you for your help!

What do you think of Vince all on its own? Should it be Vincent with the nickname Vince? This one is a little tricky for me because I am not fond of Vinny as a nickname.....

Thank you all!

My son is just over 10 months old. I know the time has come to move on from strictly pureed foods and to introduce finger foods and other textures. We have already started doing this, but it has been a slow go. Of course I am worried about him choking, and his (understandable) strange reaction to the new textures only compounds this. I don't want to hold him back nor do I want to push him.

Moms, help. How did you get through this stage? Can you please tell me specifically what you fed your child, how big the pieces were/texture, etc. and how you intergrated this into your child's eating?

Is this about the age you started this introduction, too?

Thank you so much! :o)))))

My son's name is Noah. What should his little brother or little sister's name be? I would like the name to start with a different letter than me, my husband and our son, so the name cannot start with a C,J or N.

Can't wait to hear your suggestions! Thanks so much :o)

I am returning to work next Monday and I am so sad to leave my baby. I have never cried so much. My dream was always to be a stay at home mom! Financially, this did not work for my family. I bring home the higher salary and the benefits. I am very grateful to have a good job to provide for my family - I know they are hard to come by nowadays. But, I can't help but wonder how other Mom's have done it. Can you please give me some insight? What does your family do for health benefits? How do you survive on one salary? Or do you work different schedules? What do you do for housing? I am hoping we can get there some day.

Thank you :)

My son will be 3 months old in about a week. He is eating 6 oz of formula approx every 3-4 hours...and still seems like such a hungry boy! Always looking for food. He is about 13 lbs, growing well, plenty of dirty diapers.... what more should I do? I am not sure if I should increase his intake of formula? When I was at the Dr.'s for his 2 month check up I said that he is eating 6 oz of formula but also spitting up pretty good. She said that on average babies will eat 4 oz every 3-4 hours and that I should try it and wait for him to allow it to settle in his tummy and see if he is still hungry. Tried it, did not notice any less spit up and he seemed miserable! So, he has been back to 6 oz and his spit up has actually improved, but now he seems to need more food and like he is on a growth spurt!

I never really got any info on feeding schedules. When should I increase? I have gotten suggestions to add a tiny bit of cereal to the formula to make him more comfortable, especially at night. Obviously this suggestion came from older family members who tried it. In fact, my mother did this with me on the advice of the pediatrician! However, most of the information I read says this is a no-no. What are your thoughts? I will be consulting the doctor, but I would like your feedback to mull over.

Thank you!

Has anyone fed this to their baby? What was the result? How many times in a night did you feed this to your baby? In your experience, did your baby sleep for a longer stretch during the night?

Thank you :o)

What is your philosophy on this? My son is 7 weeks old. I have read that if he hasn't shown signs of hunger by 4 hours since his last feeding and is sleeping, I should wake him to feed him. Yes, or wait until he is "telling" me that he is hungry? Is your parenting style more go with the flow, or more structured?

Thank you!

My son makes a mess out of himself and his crib sheets every night with spit up. I walk in to find his little face in a wet spot. Does your baby do the same thing? Any tips to help him?

Our neighbors are setting up for a party. We were invited, but will be out this afternoon so we will not be going. We were out for a while this morning and came home to a note on our door that said "We borrowed some of your lawn furniture, hope you don't mind. If it is not too late when you get home, please stop by". We looked in our backyard, and half our lawn furniture is gone!

If they had asked ahead of time, we would have most likely said yes. However, I am upset they didn't ask and I also don't want to set a precedent that every time they have a party, they can borrow our lawn furniture.

What are your suggestions on how to handle this?

I am going to be a new mom and have a pretty extensive baby registry. I was told to add a lot, but really, I am pretty conservative by nature. I tried to add sensible items, but realizing that I have no idea what I am in for, I also added suggestions from family members, friends, baby books etc. My fear is that once we get our little boy home, I will find that I missed the most important things. So, my question to you, in the midst of all the extras, what did you find was most important for your baby? The stuff that you use every day?

Thanks so much!!!

We are having a little boy this September (yeah!!!!) and have settled on the name Noah Christopher. I love it, but I am concerned that is falls so high on the SSA listing. Yet, I don't ever hear the name Noah used in my area. How common is it?

Thank you! :o)))))

I work full time and find lunch so difficult. I end up eating out everyday which is killing my bank account. With all the restrictions - no lunch meat, no frozen meals - I find lunch is so limited. What do you eat? Please help!

For all the Mommies:

I am 5 feet tall and due with my first, a baby boy, around October 1st! I am crib shopping and having a lot of trouble. I am concerned about the style of the crib and wondering if I need a drop down side because I am so short. I seem to have trouble reaching in when I "test" the cribs in the store. This may sound stupid, but how high is the baby situated in the crib? Do I need a drop down side? Also, where did you get your crib and do you have any recommendations?

Thanks so much!

We just found out yesterday that we are having a little boy! My husband and are have not been able to agree on a name, but here are a few that we have suggested to one another. Middle name will be Christopher to honor a family member and we do not want to make that the first name.

Noah

Nathan

George

Gavin

Ryan

Jaxon

What do you think? Any other suggestions? Thank you!

Have you noticed a lot of babies or little boys named Jackson or Gavin? These are my 2 favorite boys names, but I am getting the sense that they are becoming way too common. What do you think?

I am about 10 weeks along. I had all these plans for whole grains, probiotic yogurts, tons of fruits and veggies, lean meats. And half of it makes my stomach turn!!!! I am not saying I am chowing down on McNuggets, but I feel bad if I choose a plain bagel over a whole wheat bagel, or regular pasta over some grilled chicken. But, these plain-jane options seem to be the only things that don't make me ill. I really am trying my best to eat as healthy as possible, but sometimes I just feel I am not doing enough. Your thoughts? How are you handling " the food thing?"

It is too soon to tell if we are having a boy or a girl. We are all set with our name selection for a girl, but I feel so bad because we have nothing for a boy. Can you help? I would like to avoid a name ending in the "ens" (Aiden, Ethan, Jayden, Caden, etc). We like strong, masculine names....nothing that could be mistaken for a girl.

Thanks so much for your suggestions and best wishes to everyone!