GS is currently obsessed with the wheels on the bus. Last night, over the baby monitor, he sang himself to sleep singing it. He then woke up this morning and was still singing 
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During her last visit, LMM was poking around her grandfather’s office and found an old recorder that was given to her mom back when she was in elementary school! I guess when we moved, it ended up in the box with all musical instruments etc. which now sat collecting dust in the office. Oh joys… We got to listen to some music! 
The cats were terrified and hid wherever they could. They have never heard such loud, whistling noise! 
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I made a nourishing beef soup for my niece and also a friend, shortly after they gave birth. My MIL made soups for me—H had to go fetch them.
After our older child, I had 3 months of maternity and then H had 6 weeks where he could work for 4 hours at night M, Tu, Th, F and all day Wednesday. Mom or H would bring S to nurse and we’d eat a takeout lunch during my lunch hour (S absolutely refused any bottle, even with breast milk). He would keep me up all night nursing. After 6 weeks, I quit my job for about 8 years and stayed home to raise kids.
H had planned to get a ton done while he was home with S but agreed working was easier than staying home with a child/infant. H got nothing done that he had planned.
Re-entering workforce was a challenge. I was definitely off the career track but no regrets. I enjoyed my time at home and all my jobs (but very low SS & retirement).
My son-in-law was putting my 3 year old granddaughter to bed and he made a comment about how she had so many clothes. She told him “it’s okay it was on sale”. My son-in-law said she must have learned that phrase from me and my daughter.
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@mom60 I only have 4 outfits I’m taking to GD tomorrow. I did buy all of them on sale!
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My grand nieces & grand nephews all have LOTS of adorable outfits & toys. Many are hand me downs, some my brother and SisIL take delight in buying from thrift shop, especially when you can fill a paper bag for $1.
I just give them books & cash for ed savings.
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I fund 529 accounts for the grands, but I still love buying them clothes. And yes, there are great sales. GD is already ( at 3.5 ) quite the fashion lover.
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This reminded me of my mom. She was worried when she found out I was having a boy… she was 1 of 6 girls and I was a girl. (She did have 2 brothers, but they weren’t as big a part of her life). Then she went out with one of her sisters and bought 22 baby boy outfits… including several pairs of shoes :). I’m sure there were all on sale.
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I am hopeful my kids will use and give through buy nothing groups and things like that. They care about the environment, and are pretty frugal (except when they’re not). I expect I will buy a fair amount, but I would rather buy less and fund education (and some vacations) more. I could quite literally see my son and DIL saying “you go buy clothes and we will pay you” because I’m retired and have time, and they know I like a bargain.
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D has friends with daughters younger than hers so the clothes do get passed on. GS is only 8 months old, but she has already been passing on his outgrown things.
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My D is a whiz at Buy Nothing for clothes, toys, sports equipment, etc. She and her college friends also send packages of clothes back and forth to each other. I genuinely only buy clothes to fill a need like a winter coat or underwear, when asked.
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At least now there is video chat available so you can still share in some ‘milestones’ that a 1 month old might have, like smiling. And you can just watch him/her sleep for hours on end. Not the same, but better than nothing.
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My nephew and wife have figured out that they can get anything they need from friends and her two sisters who have had babies this year. They are having a HUGE shower and have registered for only a few things and put ‘donate to this item’ on large, expensive items which I think is smart so no one feels it necessary to buy a $400 stroller even though that’s the one they want and can contribute to the one they picked out. They don’t know the sex so the only clothes they’ve requested are sleepers and onesies (white), but they said they already have a ton of clothes from hand-me-downs.
They are thrifty and don’t want tons and tons of stuff. Their house is small. They have a huge dog that thinks all plush toys are hers to slobber on so those will be limited. I think they are being so smart.
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Hopefully the dog will adjust well with the baby. Sounds like they are practical and cautious. I would never leave a baby/toddler alone with a dog, no matter how gentle they have been. Jealous behavior or some animal instinct might kick in. Some breeds more relevant to needing caution. Dogs have territorial behavior. My DD2 had a wool throw rug that she got at a bargain for $300; her BF’s little dog peed on it a little. Later when she got her big dog/Siberian Huskie, he went beelined right to that spot and peed big time. Destroyed rug.
The strollers that are available are great. DD1 has one that works with her two youngest, and the 3rd youngest can actually scoot under the baby’s area and ride along as well. It is a single wide stroller.
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This dog will never be alone with the baby because this dog has no boundaries, jumps around on furniture, trips people, will eat anything left on a counter or table. It is an Irish doodle and has no idea she’s not a lap dog.
They’d be worried the dog would knock over a person holding the baby or jump on a bed with the newborn on it. Sorry doggie, your life of free roaming the house is about to be over.
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My kids don’t need new but as a grandma I enjoy buying them things. They always seem to be out of pajamas.
My locals belong to a local mom group that has been a great resource for buying, selling and sharing. When we need a 2nd portable crib my daughter was able to borrow one. They also use Facebook marketplace.
My youngest lives rural but has gotten lucky with hand me downs.
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D and family are 4 people in a 900 square foot apartment. So yes, space is a premium.
Up until last summer they had a very well trained mid-sized pup who understood early on that his job was to guard his “puppies." His favorite thing was to join them all on the bed for evening story time. They had to let him go last summer after a brief illness and the kids were broken hearted.
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My grands just called us up on their new Tincan phone – what a great idea!
Anyone else heard of this?
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I had to google that but it looks very cool. Great idea
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I got a call from FL grands two Sundays back on their landline phone. I’m an hour behind them, so it was early for me. A great way to start my day, however. The 5 yo doesn’t have phone manners yet, so when she is done talking they drop the phone in the lap of my S and walk away. The landline is just a few months old in their house, so I guess they will learn.
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