Kingston,Jamaica

[nae-nae]

good morning everyone

CONGRATS KIMORE!!! sooooo happy for you!!! Finally, you deserve it!!!

kc - congrats on the mat leave....you must be so relieved to be finished work for a year. It's nice to spend all that time with the baby. She'll be here before you know it!!! I know you'll be very busy after Tianna is born, but please let us know how mommy and baby are doing when you can. I'm so excited for you

chelley - come work with me ;D my company tops up your salary to 100% for the first 17 weeks....after that it's straight EI. I hope to God hubby has a full time permanent job by then otherwise I'll be going back to work :'( there's no way we can live on $400 a week. That would cover my mortgage and that's it!!! baby would starve and go diaperless on that :'( and we'd be in the dark with no heat or phone lol too bad thet don't pay you more on EI

 

[lonely_wife]

Good morning everyone!!!

Congrats mylilangel on the news you got from Kingston even though having to pay something is not the best of news you know that they are working on your file

Wow Kc you must be pumped about starting your mat leave!!!!!! That is great news now you can finalize Tiana's room (if you you are still up to it)... When are you due???

 

[chelley]

ladyposh... my hubby lived in the area too when he went to highschool... but he headed up to claremont to do his school tho... when we lived on the island we used to make a trip down to the beach a couple times a month... rio nuevo is a nice quiet little spot, enjoyed it

nae... sign me up!!! i need something new, been here WAY too long and the commute is KILLING me now... blah! although i'm supposed to start working from the office out in Mississauga 3 days a week... that'll help... but hey your 17 weeks is better than what i get, nothing!!!!

i hear ya, no way i could have survived the leave had we not planned it well in advance and been living with family on the rock... kids school fees alone were like 60,000j for a 3 month term (they did 2 terms)... (it was a lot to me then, but it's all relative, i am (and was) paying way more than that in day care per MONTH now(and before leave))... and the car was a big stupid expense (that we couldn't have lived without!) and all the other normal things we needed to buy like food and light and water (yes we had to buy water, stupid drought), and gas and phone... so without any REAL bills we got by and still the only way we survived it was through our combined savings, a $7000 tax return and me bringing down 150 lbs (3 large cases FULL) of diapers!!!! (only had to buy diapers for the last few weeks we were there)... no regrets, it was a great opportunity, and as i said, would have been hard to do it otherwise and i probably would have been back to work before 6m was up... Top up is def where it's AT!!!! (need to find a government job if you want to have a big family in this country )

 

[kc416]

so pumped! I am due on April 9th 4.5 weeks from now, but midwife has ordered me to stay home from work - shucks lol (my last day should have been March 15 anyways) due to some prelabour symptoms. Without going into too much detail just some cramping, spotting, contractions and dilation! Not sure if little Tiana is going to make it until 40 weeks, but anything after a week and a half from now is full term (37 weeks) soooooooooooo.... we are counting down and hoping she stays in there until then even though I am dying to meet her. I cant even call my hubby without him thinking I am in labour lol so i have stopped calling him at odd times.

as I type I am looking at a few things to order on line for the babies room... I have tons and tons of stuff and all the basics, but I still need a dresser, mobile, lamp, car seat, baby carrier, extra nipples for bottles, bottle brush, formula (if baby doesnt like breastfeeding or doesnt take) a high chair, bassinet, rails for the conversion crib and hamper for her dutty clothes. i have a list in front of me obviously.

Our colours are lime green and purple - even though we are not going to paint the room from its cream colour, we are just (i should say ME cuz he doesnt have a say lol) going to do lots of decorations and buy blank canvas squares and paint them in our colours, my friend is really artsy, i am not at all, so she is going to help me with the craft side of it all, she has a vision so i am running with it. Our theme is princess and the frog since we found out that Tiana is the name of the princess from the new movie and she is the first black princess, so we thought it was fitting, so lots of princessy things, lots of frogs and garden theme, butterflys and lady bugs and that kinda thing. Very excited about finally being able to start getting all of it together so i can hang things on the wall and see it evolve, right now just her closet is done with her clothes in it, which i stare at every day. I was just waiting for the time off so i could be home when the delivery truck comes to drop off all the things I order, oh and the 500 dollar gift card that my company is giving me to babiesrus on Thursday at my "see you later" party. I pay the bills at my company too so i saw it on the amex bill LOL! So that will cover a lot of my expenses.

Chelley - no my work is not topping me up, but i got a huge bonus on the first of March which kept me happy. He paid it to me early and I thought i was going to miss out on it while on Mat leave but my work came through. I wish I got topped up but I will be making the max of 465 a week. Luckily my job involves investing peoples money and giving financial advice so I am well prepared and able to manage money really really well... so i am not concerned about making a lot less than I am used to. I will just have to stop going to fancy resturants and buying designer clothing unless on sale and i have enough shoes to last me a life time even though I will never admit it to hubby, so for the next year I just have to control myself thats all. But i know all about those companies that top up... that is the best, they are sooo lucky! Plus for the last 9 months I have been saving like a fiend, so we are good! and thankfully hubby is working too!

 

[ebonyshine]

kc .... So wonderful to hear that you're using a midwife. I'm actually a practising midwife in Durham. I'm sure you're loving the extra TLC. midwifery is a very smal community so I'm sure I probably know her or know of her. Anyhow, stay rested, kick your feet up relax and stay hydrated.

 

[chelley]

KC... complications are scary... take it easy, the time is almost there (everything would be fine at this stage in the game i'm sure, but it's better for everyone if she bakes a little longer!)

the room sounds SOOOO cute... for my daughter's first (and second room, we moved and i redid the theme), i did two tone minty green vertical stripes (with the darker colour being glossy, the lighter colour being flat), and decorated around that with soft yellows and pinks... for my first son's room we gave him the room that was blue walls already and slapped a few things up around... for my baby, well, he got a playpen in our room... LOL... sadly the excitement (and TIME) to do all these things typically diminishes as the number of children increases!

it's great that you have savings and your hubby's income... and yes, NO SHOPPING gets harder to do than say once things level out and you get in a routine with her... nothing else to do but wander the malls during the day LOL!!!

as far as baby things.. get a SLING!!!!... they are amazing (so much better than one of those snuggli)... my 2nd son was colicky and wearing him in a sling was the ONLY thing that kept him happy, and my hands free! can do it from birth (my first son was a 34 weeker and i wore him from about 7days old) ... i suggested them to so many people after that and they all LOVED them...

i have a couple different styles (one is a huge piece of material that is fairly complicated, but isn't sized, so hubby can wear it), the others are more around the size and look like traditional "slings"... after my second, the sling was the VERY first thing i bought when i found out i was pregnant... and also what i asked for from the shower i had (a sling and as many diapers as i can carry on the plane!)).... I can lend you one if you'd like even, i think we're close in size if i remember correctly! pm me if you'd like!

 

[lonely_wife]

Wow Kc... that is so awesome reading about the little one.... I understand why you would be so excited to meet her and I thought it was funny when you talked about WE but then said it was you lol I can totally relate to that... That's how it was for the wedding decorations and most of the wedding actually so I am excited to see what will happen when we start having kids I am sure it will be the same I guess woman just always have visions of what it is exaclty that we want I am very excited for you and hubby and can't wait to hear all about the delivery ;D

 

[kc416]

thanks everyone, I guess we can talk about babies while we wait for some news from immigration for you guys.... immigration, babies... they go hand in hand... and in no perticular order

I have a sling - a big peice of material with a ring in it Maya ring sling so stinking cute......and I also have a baby carrier (mostly for hubby) by ergo. I ordered them from this website. I love this place, its a little pricey but im all about organics. http://www.bynature.ca/

http://www.bynature.ca/baby/baby-slings-baby-carriers/baby-slings/maya-wrap-baby-ring-slings.html this one is for me

http://www.bynature.ca/baby/baby-slings-baby-carriers/best-baby-carriers/ergo-baby-carrier-sport-1.html this one is for hubby

I also have some cloth nappies that I am going to try out, I think i might be a little more ambitious than I can actually pull off but I will give it a try and soon as baby and me have settled down. It will save a lot of money but will be doing a lot of laundry. I know they have nappy services that come and pick them up but something about holding nappies for a week in a nappy genie turns me off. Its not like i have a garage or a spare room to kinda hide them in, I live in a 2 bedroom apartment - not happening i dont think. Id rarther do a load of laundry a day.

 

[lilmaya]

Ladies... all this talk of babies is making my biological clock tick!! lol. I am so excited for my husband and I to be together to start a family of our own!!

I am however soooo disappointed that tomorrow is ANOTHER holiday for Kingston I had no idea.

 

[kc416]

I know right lilmaya, they get so much vacation time at that embassy recognizing both canadian and jamaican holidays! sorry for the dissapointment. Hopefully today and thursday will make up for it!

 

[chelley]

i didn't care for the Maya one... found it awkward and digged into me in weird places... my gf liked hers just fine, tho... ... let me know how you care for it...

i have the new native (this is the one i used when he was a preemie), a couple hot slings (similar to new native, but softer, stretchier cotton and they come in funky colours/designs,) and a peanut shell (another similar one, but more material, hardly used this one, just loved the pattern), these are all quick and easy to throw on, good for shopping, in and out of the car/stroller or whatever... become more difficult as the baby gets bigger to get them in and out.. and harder on the back!

the wrap i liked best is the cuddli wrap (which hubby wore a few times but thought was just weird lol)...these are better for when you'll be wearing them for longer times (better support), but harder to breast feed (biggest complaint, there should be an easy access door or something lol)... my son loved the wraps as he got older and could face out and see, harder to do comfortably with a sling... better as they get older (for baby, not necessarily for you!)

the maya does have the convience of being a bit of a "crossover" (a little more support than a sling, but a wrap style)... which i guess is nice, just didn't think it would work well for me...

i remember when my son started getting bigger and uncomfortable in the new native (they are snug and the material is a not very stretchy but great natural cotton), i went around to 3 or 4 baby boutiques and tried on so many different styles before i settled on the ones i had... it was an obsession i had for a few weeks... he really liked the hotslings which had the added benefit of not being stupidly expensive like some of the other ones!

it's SO hard to shop for them while you're pregnant! you're brave to order it without trying it on! for me they are like shoes, being comfortable is important since you could be wearing it for hours!

ahhhh baby talk brings back so many memories!!! i could also talk for a day on strollers too lol

ebonyshine... the world keeps getting smaller, i used to work with a girl who quit to start her own business as a doula... she also lives in durham! she does all sorts of community awareness projects and wrote a book with a few other women a few years a back... i know you're not her since she is happily married for many years and not to a jamaican that i know of i agree, midwives are the way to go... my midwife was amazing and sat thru my csection with me (my son tied himself in knots in my stomach and had to come out at 34 weeks, no labour)... i wish i could have went with a midwife with my baby, but it was a scheduled c...

 

[chelley]

btw, i researched the cloth business and i am just not that domestic to wash, NOPE!... it's too much money for a service that takes away on any reasonable frequency, so going that way there's not much savings other than to the envrionment, and that's questionable...

i just went with cutting pampers coupons whenever i saw them and stocking up on sale... still do to this day, can save a lot!

good luck!

 

[ladyposh]

Chelley I dont believe it the Doula you are speaking about is one of my best friends.....DAMN this world is small.....You use to work at a Law Office????

 

[chelley]

lol... no.. may or may not be the same person... i'll pm you...

 

[kc416]

I love love love having a midwife, I actually have 3. I have my first midwife, then a backup midwife and then a student midwife who is my age and we get along so well. Very happy to go with a midwife would recommend it to all my friends. I am also thinking of hiring a doula to assist me with my labour. I am planning if all goes as planned to do a natural birth in a birthing pool and I love the services they offer with their package. They offer massage, mani pedi, proffessional photos, pre and post home visits, shopping and cooking for you, assisting with pretty much everything. So I am all about it. Midwife is covered by ohip but not the doula obviously, so i dont mind spending a little extra for the experience, especially since its my first. I have been doing some research and havent found one specifically as yet. I am in the downtown toronto area.

Chelley, will let you know how i like the wraps and slings and baby carriers that I have. I just fell in love what the little picture and the colours of the wrap, im a sucker for that kinda thing. I havent tested it out yet but once I do i will let you know. There are so many of them out there, its hard to just pick one.