Guess who got a new pack and play for Christmas?

[Mama Mia]

That's true, my grandkids don't sleep in a bathroom.. but I don't think her putting the kid in the bathroom has ANYTHING to do with money. They seem to have a large place ( much larger than some places I lived in when my kids were little - and none of them slept in a freaking bathroom ) and even have 2 bedrooms for heavens sake .. so the bathroom issue isn't about lack of cash.

On the SF move issue -- she's looking for rentals for 5thousand a month ??? Even in San Francisco, and the rest of the Bay Area, you could get a very nice place for that much. Although how on earth she could afford that much is beyond me -- even if her husband is making 80k, a third of that will go to taxes anyway.

[Wolfie]

That's true, my grandkids don't sleep in a bathroom.. but I don't think her putting the kid in the bathroom has ANYTHING to do with money. They seem to have a large place ( much larger than some places I lived in when my kids were little - and none of them slept in a freaking bathroom ) and even have 2 bedrooms for heavens sake .. so the bathroom issue isn't about lack of cash.

On the SF move issue -- she's looking for rentals for 5thousand a month ??? Even in San Francisco, and the rest of the Bay Area, you could get a very nice place for that much. Although how on earth she could afford that much is beyond me -- even if her husband is making 80k, a third of that will go to taxes anyway.

I think she has a very poor concept of money. And a poor concept of real life. I am amazed at the outfits she posts- she talks about how it was a "good deal" if only one item was thrifted, many of the other items can be well over $100.....

[Wolfie]

What does Walnut creek cost now adays? My x got the flat on Powell, but I do stay there when I'm in the city. I know he gets a bundle renting it and its only a 675 sq ft studio (nice off the street in the back of the building.) But heck thats at Powell and Clay.

To be honest, I'm not sure. It is still pretty pricy.

[Guest Anonymous]

I had a worse thought-- Jordyn or Jennifer.

You ain't kidding!

[Mommy22alyns]

I totally knew it was Bathroom Baby. Poor T1.

[Katiebug]

He's going to work for a global management consulting firm, its a big name co. they do mergers and acquisitions. The co. will routinely pay grad degrees and salaries for the best and the brightest. In return you must work for them for x period of time after graduation. He currently gets school paid and a 'stipend'. A stipend that is healthy enough to keep thatwife in their 2bdrm Chi Town high rise. I don't know what exactly he will be doing there.

That must be a hefty "stipend". A cousin of mine and her husband lived in a nice high rise 2 bedroom apartment in a good area of Chicago for a year and their combined income at the time was at least $160K+ per year. It was not a cheap apartment at all.

I can't complain, my employer foots the bill for me to go to grad school while working. They've paid for two master's degrees including books and fees. Someday they'll pay for me to at least take nursing school prereqs if not pay for nursing school (and my job has nothing to do with health care).

[antifundie]

Of all the things to snark on, her husband's salary isn't one of them--it sounds like they do QUITE well--they just don't chose to spend their money on their kid. (I've been reading her blog for a while)--anyways, it seems to me that they save A LOT of the money they earn, and therefore she talks about budgeting and stuff. I'm guessing that he'll get paid enough to live wherever they want (well, within reason).

He was working for them before the move to Chicago, and will still work for them after he's done with school. I don't think he sounds like a very nice guy, but I *do* think he sounds like a very hard-working person. I don't mean to defend them entirely, but I've been reading her blog for a couple of years, and the whole job security thing seems to be really important to him. I have my issues with the LDS church, but I *do* like that they apparently encourage men to take care of their families money-wise. I don't get the impression that the LDS church would look too kindly on a man who quit his job to study the Bible.

So, it's not really a lack of funds that keep baby in the bathroom, it's really just their own decision. Yeah. And I think it's weird that they left T1's toys at his grandparents when he's not there on a regular basis. It'd be one thing if the Grandparents lived down the street, but since they don't it seems really really weird to me.

[Witsec7]

I don't think anyone was bitching about his salary. At issue has always been her spending money on herself and thatwife ignoring her child or being needlessly cruel to him. Its not a weird decision to keep him in the bathroom, its a selfish one, that may or may not have impacted his delays. (There are others here more knowledgeable on that subject than I.)

[genericJname]

That sounds pretty old to be sleeping every night in a pack n play

[antifundie]

Sorry, I wasn't clear---(damn NYE drinking!)--more like, they will be able to live just fine in SF.

And I totally agree with the neglect and weirdness surrounding her kid. I don't understand her at all--I've read other 'mommy blogs" where (even if they are poor-ish) there is lots of interaction with kids, lots of care and concern, interest in making life better/more beautiful, etc., for the kid. TW doesn't seem to care about her kid at all. If she had a blog that was more like "This is about me"--sure. For example I read a weightloss blog where the author has several children but never mentions them in detail because that's not the point of her blog. But TW--she has issues.

I first noticed her food issues. Since I'm not a parent, some of the kid issues didn't really occur to me since I tend to skim the posts about her parenting advice, although I didn't think she was a stellar mom. But the food..eesh.

ETA: By Weirdness I mean some of the obsession with her "birth story"--and the neglect--that's obvious.

[liltwinstar]

I try not to read stuff about Bathroom Baby because it makes my blood pressure go crazy. Lack of money certainly isn't the issue...BB's dad makes a bundle. So it's just ignorance? Laziness? I don't know what. Whatever it is, the whole thing makes me sad. Sure, toddlers might like to play with cardboard boxes, but I think part of the fun of having a kid would be getting the child fun Christmas presents, right? And interacting with him, teaching him new stuff, etc. None of that seems to be happening, and it's really, really sad.

[apple1]

I try not to read stuff about Bathroom Baby because it makes my blood pressure go crazy. Lack of money certainly isn't the issue...BB's dad makes a bundle. So it's just ignorance? Laziness? I don't know what. Whatever it is, the whole thing makes me sad. Sure, toddlers might like to play with cardboard boxes, but I think part of the fun of having a kid would be getting the child fun Christmas presents, right? And interacting with him, teaching him new stuff, etc. None of that seems to be happening, and it's really, really sad.

That.

Actually, I think that they should be reported to CPS. Maybe her apparent mental health issues would be recognized and the outcome would be better care for this child.

[Tanaqui]

My parents are giving him their pack n' play, which is the best gift sine we were going to buy another one for him (he has outgrown the mini one he uses now).

It's not even a new one, it's a hand-me-down from her parents. Probably the one they've been using in the darkroom/bathroom when T1 gets stored with the grandparents.

[GiGi_41]

I have reported what I know but I don't know where (address) they live so it wasn't much. I just forward the webpage and some pictures.

[apple1]

I have reported what I know but I don't know where (address) they live so it wasn't much. I just forward the webpage and some pictures.

Thank you. :-)

[ilovetchotchkes]

The kid is close to 2, right? They could start transitioning him to a toddler bed. The cheapest Kindle on the market right now is $79 and a quick search on both Amazon and Babies R Us indicates a wide range of toddler beds for less than $79. The problem is that a toddler bed requires a crib mattress. Since this baby has been sleeping in a pack & play in the flipping bathroom, I don't think they have one to use. Also, not every kid is ready to transition to a bed before 2. The only people I know IRL who moved a kid to a bed before 2 years old were those who needed the crib for a new arrival. These two would also have to actually clear out the extra bedroom and make it safe for a free-roaming toddler, and we know that won't be happening.

Little Bug is 17 months old and nowhere near ready to have a toddler bed. We're all pretty happy with her in a crib and we plan to keep her in it until she starts trying to climb out. We're hoping we can get her past her 2nd birthday before we need to transition her to a big girl bed.

Our kid still occasionally naps in a Pack & Play, and if the grandparents were babysitting overnight she'd be sleeping in one. She's within the weight and size limits and I see no problem with having her do that once in a while. I do think it's cruel to have a toddler sleeping in a playard/travel crib every night - they need comfort and space and by their very nature a Pack & Play isn't the greatest for either of those.

My toddler skipped toddler bed entirely. I would be HAPPY to give Thatbitch the crib mattress and toddler bed mine refused to sleep in, really, its been used less that 5 times as a bed. (We coslept until about 14 months then we put a double bed in his room so I could nurse him to sleep). But she'd probably sell it and use the money for something for HER.

I seriously hate her so much.

[clarinetpower]

She keeps him in a pen to sleep and a pen to play. A toddler bed would mean he could actually choose to get out and do things when he wanted, which she will not allow. He might wreck some of her expensive stuff! And he only has 5 toys anyway, so it's not like he *needs* to move around. :roll:

[ilovetchotchkes]

She keeps him in a pen to sleep and a pen to play. A toddler bed would mean he could actually choose to get out and do things when he wanted, which she will not allow. He might wreck some of her expensive stuff! And he only has 5 toys anyway, so it's not like he *needs* to move around. :roll:

Kids wreck stuff, its a part of life !!!

Why else would there be a website called "shit my kids have ruined" with the tag line "no judgement, just commiseration here"

Hell, my son ruined a $400 camera, 175 year old victorian sofa (ok it just needs to be reupholstered but still), has used crayons over every flat surface in the house.... and I still let him roam free range. He's a kid! That's what kids do and if I dont' want my new DSLR ruined, i keep it high out of reach. (although at this point that's not as effective as I'd like as it seems i've given birth to a MONKEY hence why I bought an additional insurance policy on it!) ! TW disgusts me SO much its not even funny. If I ever met her in real life, I'd have to restrain the urge to slap her across the face.

Edited because what I said was a little harsh....blood sugar was low and I have placenta brain....

[Mama Mia]

Of course, if she is going to KEEP him in the bathroom lets all say a heart-felt prayer that she DOESN'T put him in a toddler bed. Or someone really will need to notify the authorities. The bathroom is the main room you are not supposed to let your toddler roam freely in !

[aelar]

Cribs always seemed like jails to me, and I didn't really want to put my baby in one. Our plan was to baby-proof her room, and let her sleep on a bed on the floor when she outgrew her pack-n-play. We've had a twin mattress since she was born, and she's always played there, taken most of her naps there, and sleeps there with me in the mornings so I can nurse and get a bit more sleep.

Since we were only planning to use it for a short time, and because we knew we'd be traveling a lot, we bought the travel-sized playard. Babies are supposed to have very firm mattresses, so it didn't seem like comfort would be an issue before a year, and I had hoped that the pack-n-play would be an acceptable place for her to sleep until she was walking at least.

Reading here sometimes makes me feel a little guilty about my plan (but she does -not- sleep in the bathroom, we gave her the biggest bedroom in the house). She is only in there for sleep and for a few minutes here and there during the day when we need to keep her safe (and we have lovely pictures all around and a fabulous mobile, she actually loves spending time in her bassinet). I think she has been comfortable enough in there, even if it isn't a real crib with a mattress and all.

However, even being a proponent of pack-n-plays, I can't believe an almost two-year old is sleeping every night in a travel playard. Just can't fathom. Because while she's not particularly tall, at six months my girl is already big enough that she can't move around as much in the bassinet as I'd like for her. I am starting the babyproofing as soon as we get home, because she won't be regularly sleeping in her pack-n-play for more than another month or two. As soon as she can easily roll over, we'll be switching her to the bed, because the travel-sized playards are just too cramped!

Unless this kid is the smallest little boy ever, TW is being incredibly cruel just making him sleep in a travel-sized pack-n-play, let alone spending any awake time in one. Maybe the pack-n-play she has is actually the normal-sized one I'm thinking of (still cramped for a two-year old, but at least he could sleep stretched out) and the one she's getting from her parents is an over-sized one? I hope?

[fakepigtails73]

No, that was my first reaction too.

Likewise.

[Witsec7]

Looks like its gonna be a busy year for thatwife. And through clever planning she's minimized her parenting time with T1. Talk about being an efficient homemaker.

BECAUSE WE’RE MOVING TO SAN FRANCISCO!

I’ve been anxious to tell you for weeks now, but we had a few loose ends to tie up first. That Husband has accepted a position with a new company starting Fall 2012, and so we’ll be moving out to the west coast around August. We think we’ll be living somewhere between San Francisco and San Jose, though definitely not anywhere close to downtown San Francisco since I’ve named 3 bedrooms and a backyard as requirements for our next place of residence. If I could choose any city in the United States to live in, San Francisco would top my list. Great weather (not too hot, not too cold), I can eat localganic year round, beautiful light for photography, close enough to drive to see my family for the holidays.

This coming year is going to be a big one for us. TH will graduate in June, I’ll move to Provo, he will move to Washington, I will go to school for 6 weeks, I’ll graduate in August, we hope to go to Poland that same month, come back and move into our new place in San Francisco, TH and I have a trip to Thailand planned in September, and then he’ll come back and immediately start work at a firm that will have him travelling several days/week. It’s exhausting to think about, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

2012 is going to be the BEST YEAR EVER. I’m sure of it.

I'm a bit confused on the hubbymans emp. now. In the past it was clear he was going to grad school on a stipend from a company he would work for after graduation. I could be wrong.

[MerryHappy]

I'm guessing that means the therapy that the child is/was receiving will end. :(

[Witsec7]

I'm guessing that means the therapy that the child is/was receiving will end. :(

No mention of continuing therapy but since she or her minions read here I'm sure it will be addressed :lol:

[Wolfie]

She appears to have no idea how far apart SF and SJ are, or maybe she just doesn't understand commute time and traffic in the area. But I've seen that with lots of people not from the area. I hope she figures it out before they lock themselves into a lease.