Weekly thread, Oct 11 - 18 - Page 9

[OneWithTwo]

off to the ultrasound..so nervous and anxious

[sew_crafty_girl]

Good luck Ericka!

Sara, I hope your little guy is ok.

[GreenTeaGinger61]

Good luck Ericka!

[Pepper44]

You all post too much. I can't keep up! I just read most of the posts since the last time I logged on, but I can't keep it all straight in my brain long enough to respond to everyone. I swear I already have pregnancy brain--this happened with my DD where I forget how to write coherent sentences, make stupid spelling errors, and generally feel like my brain is sort of numb.

Shantiani and everyone else who commented about living far away from things...My DH and I have this same argument. He wants to live in the middle of downtown where he can walk to everything. (Except Lexington does not have a great downtown like that, HAH.) And I want to live miles from the nearest busy street with only a few neighbors, if any. I think the problem is that he grew up in the city and I spent lots of time on my grandparent's dairy farm (in Highland Co. Ohio, just outside of Cincinnati, btw.) He doesn't know how great it is to live 30 minutes from civilization!

I love waking up in the morning and sitting on the front porch and watching the sun rise when all you can hear (or smell) are roosters, cows, and horses, and tweeting birds. Here, in the suburb, we hear sirens all night long, trains, loud neighbors, dogs barking, etc.

I've been trying to convince DH that living on a farm in the country would be like a relaxing retreat when he comes home from work...no traffic, peace and quiet, no nosy neighbors...

We're only 23 so I guess we have plenty of time to get it all together and move, but I want to move NOW!

It's interesting reading what you all do for a career! I went to college for early elementary education. I dropped out when I had one semester of classes plus the full time student teaching semester left. DD was born then, and I realized it was important to me to stay home with her. Now we plan on homeschooling, because I did not like anything I learned in my education classes or the attitudes of teachers when I did some of my lessons in local schools. I just can't imagine subjecting my bright, excited DD to that.

I love being a SAHM, even though it makes us very poor!

I'm also a photographer. I *really* love photography! I mainly do portraits of children. My site is www.amyamosphotography.com I haven't been taking any appointments recently though, because I feel too sick...fall is such a busy season, last year I made a lot of $$ in October and November! It feels crazy to make so much money doing something that's fun!

[Pepper44]

Forgot to add, good luck Erickalynne!!! I'll be thinking about you.

[ivymae]

Originally Posted by smeisnotapirate

I have to take DS to the doctor today - first time since his NB checkup (we don't vax, and I keep track of his height/weight so WBVs are pretty pointless). In the past 24 hours, he's developed these raw, pussy blister-looking pustules on his scrotum and his penis is swollen. He's not happy, and I don't blame him.

So........ wish us luck. I'm sure this doctor will be able to help (he's really good at what he does), but I'm dreading the 10-minute "my child has autism and WE have HIM vaxed, so why aren't you vaxing yours?" talk that is inevitable. Or even the "you should come in for WBVs - we could have caught this!" , which I'm sure they couldn't have unless we went for a WBV............... today.

Poor little guy. I hope the Dr can help, even if he has commentary. I feel sooooooo blessed to have a pediatrician who believes that parents know their children better than the state does, and does not push any vax's or medications. He even selectively and delays vaxing his grandkids, congratulates us on extended breastfeeding, and saw us at 6pm on christmas eve last year (during a snow storm) to listen to DD1's cough. Love him. We drive an hour each way to see him, but he is SO worth it. I'll see if i can clone him for you.

On town vs country living: I grew up in rural OK, and am kind of over the 'drive an hour to the nearest store' thing. We live in town, but in a quieter area, and have a double lot where we are planning to put in raised bed gardens and chickens. We are 10 minutes from downtown, and 5 minutes from the edge of town, where the forest starts. We joke about moving an hour outside of town, where DH's family has a lake cabin, but I would go stir crazy.

[justamama]

Originally Posted by CherryBomb

Before I got pregnant with dd3 I worked in supported living services with mentally and physically disabled adults (entry level position). I LOVED my job.

This is exactly what I just started doing! I like feeling like I'm actually doing something at work. Plus I got paid to take a 4 hour nap on the overnight shift I picked up last night. Even if I did wake up every 5 min because I've never been in a house where you could sleep on the overnights and I felt guilty about it!

[Peace+Hope]

sme, what's a WBV? i hope your little guy is ok.

i've really gotta start reading about vaxing and how to pick a pediatrician. i actually know one, my x-boyfriend from highschool, but i think he's probably mainstream.

i have some local resources for finding a good dr., but would love any book recommendations for learning more about alternative health (to standard care for infants and kids) any of you guys can recommend.

sometimes reading the non-vax stuff on MDC boards (which i only have a tiny bit, and mostly around the H1N1 vax) makes me nervous - a lot of flaming and people already decided... not so much a place for a newby to the issue like me. strikes me as more complicated than the circumcision debate, which took about 5 seconds of reading to open my eyes

[OneWithTwo]

it's a boy.

[sew_crafty_girl]

Ericka

[ivymae]

Ericka

[rhiOrion]

[Peace+Hope]

ericka. are you gonna be ok?

[Pepper44]

Erika...keep trying to think of that beautiful new baby in your arms in a few months and how much you'll love him as soon as you see him, and please feel free to post honestly here how you are feeling so that we can support you!

[Amandamanda]

s ericka. did you check out in-gender.com?

[MaterPrimaePuellae]

Ericka . If you want to vent or talk or whatever, you know there are plenty in our DDC who sympathize... and I'm feeling more certain every day that we will be in the same boat.

Originally Posted by Peace+Hope

mater, whoo, i'm sorry about your career frustration. i've read a lot about the situation you describe in higher ed. maybe somewhere, some opportunity will come? any tutoring near you? i remember your saying in the naming thread that you were interested in latinette names. do you have a source for that? my BIL is a latin teacher (highschool) and my sister is pulling her hair out b/c they can NOT agree on names for their boy who's due in december. she says he keeps picking classical names, but won't go into details. i'm imagining the worst: caesar, nero....

Thanks. I appreciate the sympathy. I really, really hope I can find a part time job either tutoring or working in a private school or teaching evening classes.
Regarding the names: girl names are SO easy. I mean, my DD's name is Constance, which is from Latin (consto, constare, to stand fast). I would like Vera (true) for another girl. Miranda (she who will/must be admired), Amanda (she who must/will be loved), Clarissa, Carissa (brighest, dearest). Okay, I could go on for pages and pages, and with girl names, you can find practically any virtue you like and come up with a word in Latin than can be turned into a good sounding name.
But I don't think I can, in good conscience, name a boy Virtus or, for that matter, Julius, Virgil, Cato, Marcus (well, Marcus is okay but might as well just be Mark), etc. Maybe Lucretius in honor of the only B I ever got in college. Thank you, De Rerum Natura.

Originally Posted by Pepper44

I love waking up in the morning and sitting on the front porch and watching the sun rise when all you can hear (or smell) are roosters, cows, and horses, and tweeting birds. Here, in the suburb, we hear sirens all night long, trains, loud neighbors, dogs barking, etc.

It's interesting reading what you all do for a career! I went to college for early elementary education. I dropped out when I had one semester of classes plus the full time student teaching semester left. DD was born then, and I realized it was important to me to stay home with her. Now we plan on homeschooling, because I did not like anything I learned in my education classes or the attitudes of teachers when I did some of my lessons in local schools. I just can't imagine subjecting my bright, excited DD to that.

I love being a SAHM, even though it makes us very poor!

I'm also a photographer. I *really* love photography! I mainly do portraits of children. My site is www.amyamosphotography.com I haven't been taking any appointments recently though, because I feel too sick...fall is such a busy season, last year I made a lot of $$ in October and November! It feels crazy to make so much money doing something that's fun!

Oh, I'll enjoy looking at your page, I'm sure!

I also plan to homeschool! My mom homeschooled me through 9th grade (the public school system where we live is truly atrocious-- like, near the bottom in a state which is near the bottom in the country) and it worked out well for me! Also, I want DD to have a classical education, which I can provide at a very low cost
Even if those reasons did not exist, though, I TOTALLY agree with you that the vast majority of the education students I met, and education instructors I met, would have convinced to homeschool. I know there are AWESOME teachers out there (my best friend from high school is one, and I had many myself), but the "luck of the draw" aspect scares me.

Originally Posted by Peace+Hope

sometimes reading the non-vax stuff on MDC boards (which i only have a tiny bit, and mostly around the H1N1 vax) makes me nervous - a lot of flaming and people already decided... not so much a place for a newby to the issue like me. strikes me as more complicated than the circumcision debate, which took about 5 seconds of reading to open my eyes

I totally agree that is a complicated issue and that the vehemence on the vax board can sometimes be off-putting! For me, once I realized that there were some vaxes I definitely did not want/need (for example, I would *much* prefer DD develop natural immunity to chicken pox, or, DD is not in daycare [or any sort of group-care situation] so really does not need the rotavirus vax or the Hep A vax), I began to question the whole schedule. There are probably still some vaccinations that we will do with the new baby, but we live such minimally social lives (especially interacting with other kids) that I feel very comfortable waiting for more development of the blood/brain barrier before getting them.

I think the very best thing you can do is to research each individual vaccine-- looking at the whole schedule can be a bit overwhelming. Once you get over the "oh my goodness, I'm a selective vaccinator!" hump, it really does get easier

I really liked the Sears book. It is very moderate but gave me lots of useful information (about ingredients, incidence of morbidity/mortality, etc)

[ChristyM26]

Erika. I remember that feeling from last time.

[Pepper44]

Originally Posted by Peace+Hope

sme, what's a WBV? i hope your little guy is ok.

i've really gotta start reading about vaxing and how to pick a pediatrician. i actually know one, my x-boyfriend from highschool, but i think he's probably mainstream.

i have some local resources for finding a good dr., but would love any book recommendations for learning more about alternative health (to standard care for infants and kids) any of you guys can recommend.

sometimes reading the non-vax stuff on MDC boards (which i only have a tiny bit, and mostly around the H1N1 vax) makes me nervous - a lot of flaming and people already decided... not so much a place for a newby to the issue like me. strikes me as more complicated than the circumcision debate, which took about 5 seconds of reading to open my eyes

WBV=well baby visits. I personally think these are a waste of time, we just go to one once every year or two for a check-up to stay updated in doctor records in case we need medical care for some reason.

One vax book I found very, very informative was Just a Little Prick. You can get it for free, and her second book also (which I have but didn't read yet) from here.
It's very anti-vax but it is chock full of scientific studies, medical information, and lists every single source...many of which you can look into further on pub med.

Another good book is Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent's Guide: How to Make Safe, Sensible Decisions about the Risks, Benefits, and Alternatives

The Dr. Sears book has some different info in it. I read it a long time ago and I can't remember specifically, but I think it has some pro vax and alternative vaccine schedule suggestions in it.

This site, PROVE, has interesting information. If you sign up for their mailing list they often send current news and very interesting research articles.

Tons of links with enough info to keep you reading for days:
http://www.*********/vaccines.html
It lists info for each vaccine separately. The Just a Little Prick book does that also.

Some interesting things on this site as well:
http://drtenpenny.com/default.aspx

Most of this is anti-vax information. Maybe someone else who vaccinates can chime in with pro-vax links?

I'm very happy with our choice not to vaccinate. My DD gets sick maybe once or twice a year, and she's usually only sick for one or two days. Our neighbors 3 little girls are fully vaxed and they are constantly sick with viruses, allergies, and have constant runny noses! Maybe it's a coincidence...but I don't think so!

One great place to start is learning how vaccines work in the body, how the create artificial immunity to a disease and what side effects that has on the immune system. I have the text of a great article that I copied and pasted once to my blog. I can email it to you if you are interested. It explains a lot about this. It was something that PROVE emailed me once and it completely solidified my decision not to vaccinate.

[crazyeight]

(((hugs))) erika

[Peace+Hope]

Originally Posted by MaterPrimaePuellae

I don't think I can, in good conscience, name a boy Virtus or, for that matter, Julius, Virgil, Cato, Marcus (well, Marcus is okay but might as well just be Mark), etc. Maybe Lucretius in honor of the only B I ever got in college. Thank you, De Rerum Natura.

haha, yeah, and they're having a boy. oh well

I totally agree that is a complicated issue and that the vehemence on the vax board can sometimes be off-putting! For me, once I realized that there were some vaxes I definitely did not want/need (for example, I would *much* prefer DD develop natural immunity to chicken pox, or, DD is not in daycare [or any sort of group-care situation] so really does not need the rotavirus vax or the Hep A vax), I began to question the whole schedule. There are probably still some vaccinations that we will do with the new baby, but we live such minimally social lives (especially interacting with other kids) that I feel very comfortable waiting for more development of the blood/brain barrier before getting them.

I think the very best thing you can do is to research each individual vaccine-- looking at the whole schedule can be a bit overwhelming. Once you get over the "oh my goodness, I'm a selective vaccinator!" hump, it really does get easier

I really liked the Sears book. It is very moderate but gave me lots of useful information (about ingredients, incidence of morbidity/mortality, etc)

eh, what whole list?

i guess you mean dr. sears "the vaccination book." i'll definitely take a look at that... THANKS!