Welcome to the best thread! Congratulations, and I’m so glad your D and GD are doing fine!
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Congratulations, glad to hear everyone is fine. I had 2 C sections and my recovery were quite easy and quick.
We are traveling to Europe with 2 GDs, 4.5 and 9 months, in 2 weeks. GD1 is a pro on the plane now. GD2 traveled when she was 10 weeks old, but this will be the first time she is fully aware. D1 booked a seat for all of us in premium economy on the way out. On the way back (I am not coming back with them) she originally only booked 3 business class tickets, but I told her that lap babies were most likely to get hurt if there were turbulences on flight. I said they would be better off in economy with 4 seats.
They do usually bring their portable crib when traveling, but this place where we are staying provide cribs and a lot of baby equipment. They will also use the local diapers. I am told to only bring a carry on. No room for extra luggage’s.
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This is awesome. I don’t live far from D and SIL, and I was retired when they had GD. I went over every day during their leave, giving them a chance to take a shower or a nap, run errands, make dinner, whatever helped them. They were so grateful … and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with GD!
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Love that you have a healthy momma and healthy baby - yes placental abruption meant immediate emergency c-section. Glad your daughter had the great care.
Absolutely standard with hospital birth should be 48 hours, and I did get that with my two children’s birth in 1994 and 1996. The HMOs were really pushing 24-hour turn-around, and that conversation was going in our area in 1994. For me, the 48 hours was necessary, and they also realize it is necessary for the baby – and a lot of public outcry. It took a long time for me to kick into full labor with my first daughter, and Pitocin drip until the fill in MD (my OB-GYN went on vacation, and this was who he lined up, and who I had never seen). The hospital-MD ‘protocol’ seemed to have the MD not come in until a certain level of labor - and mine was dragging out quite a bit after Pitocin drip started – and he did break my water and probably advanced the Pit drip. Had a bit of trouble earlier with the admitting nurse who wanted to send me home (thinking false labor, not advancing) and when she left the room DH said “let’s get the hell out of here!” and I said “I am too sick to leave”. They had given me a sleeping pill to ‘relax me’ and I promptly threw it up. When labor was advancing (when I decided to start working with the contractions with pushing - no advising from said nurse), that nurse acted totally surprised, and then could not start my IV because I was dehydrated. Another nurse took over. It turns out I was the only one in labor, it was a Sunday, and that terrible nurse was going to be able to go home early if no-one was in labor. So much for quality care and patient first. I was pasty white later that night and the next day, it was so physically draining for me. In 1996, I was induced by my OB-GYN and it went well - I almost went w/o anesthesia; MD also had another induced labor in the next room which he thought would go longer, but he delivered that one first.
So glad you are able to be able to help at home with the new parents and baby. First time mom establishing nursing, the healing, and both parents’ sleep deprivation/working out so one can get sleep. My mom had visited, and we alternated with the baby bassinet next to her – I chose not to breast feed because I was older and going back to work with lots of responsibilities - and breast pumps not that great back then. DD1 has breast fed all her babies - with this one she has a breast milk catcher (there is a term for it but I don’t remember it) which she uses on the other breast while breast feeding. DD1 got a work accommodation to work 20 hours/week from home which she started during part of her 12 weeks’ maternity leave (and probably other leave time use) to stretch out time with the baby. Her work site lactation room is too far to be useful for her, so unsure how much she can do before she ‘dries up’ - which she did with baby #3 and baby #4. She supplemented formula and then at age one, due to baby having enough table food nutrition and handling whole milk stopped the formula. DD1 doesn’t go back to work FT at work site M - F until Sept 2nd.
SIL was on paternity leave with this baby, and he was very attentive to mom and baby, while I took care of the other 4 children. It took about a week for the baby to be on a little bit of a sleep schedule, and then the parents were also a bit coordinated - but with baby being hungry, mom of course with the breast feeding. SIL can take the 12-week paternity leave in broken up segments one week at a time or chained time together, whatever works best for them (he is in the Army). DD1 has hired a summer nanny which covers care of baby during her work-at-home hours and also care of older two kids (taking them to library, summer activities) who did not want to be in the summer daycare program (they were in it last year).
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We have been watching DD’s baby and puppy (both now 10 months) three days a week since November 1st. DD is a high school math teacher so she is off for the summer. So yesterday was our last day. In August when she goes back he will go to daycare three days a week and each grandma will watch him one day a week.
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I will be watching DGD3 for several weeks this summer, as her regular preschool only has a 3-week session. DS and DIL have found her 2 other daycare “camps” for some of the other weeks, and DH and I will fill in other weeks.
I am a bit worried for her, with all those transitions to the new daycares, with new teachers and friends for short periods of time. She has a speech delay, and is not reliably potty trained at school, and it just seems like a lot for her. She is a real love, and friendly and easy-going, but I have my concerns. Then again, might be a bit bored with just me and grandpa!
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I was born in Salem, MA!
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That’s what we do (daycare three days, grandparents one day each). It’s perfect! The grandparents split childcare (3 days one week, 2 days the following week) until she was 21 months … I loved it, but it was really hard work.
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Congratulations, NJSue, to you and your family!
I hope your D has a quick and easy recovery.
GD performed in her first official dance recital this week. It was so sweet! The older kids were amazing.
We’re so happy to have GS and GD home from school for three months. They keep pretty busy with sports, activities, and play dates, but we still have lots of time together.
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Big congratulations to all, especially to the new mom. Hope she heals quickly. 
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GD has a good sense of humor, but she is also inadvertently funny.
She has been very talkative lately.
SIL: One a scale from 1 to 10 how chatty are you?
GD: Eleven
Her daycare class is moving up to preschool level ( D and SIL are happy- tuition is lower). They move the kids up by “ readiness “ and she was one of the first two to move up. The good news is that her best friend moved up with her, the bad news is that she is upset with her former teachers b/c she thinks they threw her out of the class. But she is making new friends so that’s good.
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DD/SiL had offer accepted on place they like. Moving date is tentatively mid July. New place has a cute little yard.
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I don’t have grandchildren, but I buy gifts for our friends’ grandchildren. Not sure this is the right place to ask, but can anyone recommend the best interactive globe for a 6-year-old? I have looked on Amazon, and it seems like many of them have issues whether functionality, or ads (?), or inaccuracies.
IDK anything about interactive globes, but I am an old-fashioned kind of gal when it comes to something like this.
When my children were in elementary school (Catholic) and their classrooms did not have a globe, I purchased one each for a number of classrooms at their grade levels and beyond after asking the teachers if they wanted one.
I have an old-fashioned globe, and some countries of course keep changing names and sometimes major cities like New Delhi back to Mumbai. My oldest grandchild just turned 7, and they have too much stuff now in their home for wanting the globe (the child can look on the internet for more accuracy). I might bring it in the fall to see if GS1 and GD1 are interested in the world at this point in their lives.
Thank you for your input. I don’t necessarily disagree with you, but an interactive globe is specifically what the mother of this child asked me to get him for his birthday.
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We recently bought this one for our 5 yr old “soon to be the next Sir David”. It shows where different animals come from. The globe was a huge hit!!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B09TCZ7B7V
ETA: sorry I did not see that you wanted interactive. This one is not a “talking” globe.
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I would find out more specifics on ‘interactive globe’ and ask about the one that BunsenBurner specified but it is not interactive.
If you have an interactive one available, ask the mother if that is what she had in mind.
This one gets a 4.6 rating and is on sale
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I had an overwhelming and educational experience this afternoon. D & family are planning a trip to Chicago in late July and she wants to take GD to the American Girl store for lunch. That means she wants to give GD her Samantha doll (the first one she received; she ended up with 5 before it was all said & done. Has them all still, along with many accessories). Samantha needed a hair refresh, so D calls this afternoon to see if I wanted to ride to the local AG store, about half an hour away in traffic, to accomplish that task.
I vividly remember when Pleasant Company started up and there were just the 3 dolls and I remember the gradual expansion of the line and the takeover by Mattel. Haven’t kept up with the AG line in years, so what a shock I had when I saw all the various dolls and their goodies. Also, a shock to see the collector’s version of some Disney characters reimagined as AG dolls at $310 each (Elsa & Anna). I told my S on the phone a little while ago that it was like D had a long term recovery, but had fallen off the wagon as she examined all of the stuff. The only thing we bought besides a hair refresh was a backpack case that GD can use to protect the doll when they are on their trip, but my, what temptations! I wish I owned that stock!!!
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We got this globe for my 5 year old grandson for Christmas. He loves it!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PXR5J2D?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1
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