Weekly thread, Nov 8-15

[jenfl]

One more week down!

[Amandamanda]

woohoo!
my dh has a second interview on tuesday. pleaseeeee lets all pray he gets this job. i dont want to stay in cold weather. *fingers crossed*

hmm.. i was 21 weeks yesterday which seems crazy to me! baby boy has had a quiet few days, but thanks to the fetascope im not driving him crazy with the doppler haha. i can actually find his heartbeat a lot faster with the fetascope than with the doppler, isnt that funny?

my back is feeling better, but now my kids all have sniffles and coughs. i'm sure its just a regular cold- no fever, they are all up and doing normal stuff, but i am wondering if we should skip church today. or maybe only go for the first hour where we all sit together and leave before we break up into our separate classes. hmm..

[jenfl]

Originally Posted by Amandamanda

woohoo!
my dh has a second interview on tuesday. pleaseeeee lets all pray he gets this job. i dont want to stay in cold weather. *fingers crossed*

Would love to have another MDC momma in the area!! Good luck to your DH!!

[Carley]

Yesterday was so bizarre. I had the WHOLE day to myself! I did some shopping for my sweet nephew's 2nd birthday, 1 1/2 yoga class & then the world's longest haircut! I was gone from 10:30-5!!! It was surreal!

When I got home & DD was still at Grandma's house - I missed her so much and had just wanted to get into pj's early & snuggle! Then DH dropped the bomb that his mom wanted to pick her up for a sleepover! Nooooooo!!

I was totally jealous! This is MY kid! I want at least 1 weekened night with her! Gah! /hormones

Thankfully MIL felt sick after her nap (um... wow. That sounds HORRIBLE! Don't tell anyone I said that! ) & so I got my lovebug

Anyone else feel like making the most out of every single minute with their kiddo before another baby is introduced??? I know most of you have more than one at home - do you feel the same way? Or is it different?

I have always wanted to be a mommy of many, but I have to say I'm so thankful for this last stretch we have together just the two of us! Things are SOOOOOOOOO easy!

DH is taking us out to breakfast this morning!! Helloooooo eggs benedict!!! Then DD & I are out shopping for the rest of our Operation Christmas Child donations!!! SO fun!!!!!

[Amandamanda]

Originally Posted by Carley

I have always wanted to be a mommy of many, but I have to say I'm so thankful for this last stretch we have together just the two of us! Things are SOOOOOOOOO easy!

i was like this a lot when going from 1 to 2. it was hard for me to fathom that there would be someone new in the mix, because here it was just me and her (i was a single mom till she was 3 so that added to it) and i felt like she was my little buddy, my best friend, my mini me, we were two peas in a pod so the thought of having another kid was just so daunting. i KNEW i would never love another kid as much. but of course, dd2 came and i love her just as much and i had a lot of the same feelings before dd3 came because dd2 and dd3 are only 21 months apart so i had a lot of BUT SHE IS MY BABY!! feelings. this time i havent really felt that way but it might be because we were actually ttc this baby, and the fact that it is a boy makes these feelings a little different. like it is OKAY to love him in a different way than my girls because he is a boy, so while i am sure that i will love him the same, it is okay to be worried that it will be different. does that make any sense?

[sehbub]

Carley, I'm finding myself bursting in to tears at times thinking about my little boy and how in just a few short months, he won't be THE baby anymore. He'll still, of course, alway be MY baby, but he'll be, for lack of a better word, replaced. I know he'll be fine, and I know our family will bounce back seamlessly and this baby will bring nothing but joy and love and exponentially more fun, but still, I worry.

And in line with this...when DD3 was born, she was 10 weeks early, and weighed 3lbs. We have a picture of her holding DH's wedding band and had all of her fingers wrapped inside the ring. It could have been a bangle bracelet with no problem. Last night she was playing on DH's lap and fiddling with his ring and he handed it to her, at which point she slipped it on her finger and we both looked at each other, realizing that she couldn't even get 2 fingers in there anymore. THAT hit me like a ton of bricks...just realizing how fast this all really goes.

I can't believe my oldest is going to be 10 in 2 months, or that DS will really be 3 in Feb. It's all just soooo fast.

Ugh. Now I'm all weepy. It doesn't help that I'm in TREMENDOUS amounts of pain because I totally overdid it cleaning yesterday and my back is protesting vehemently and I can barely walk. Seriously, this neck/back issue is so lame.

[bubbamummy]

yay another week down indeed!!

I always catch these threads at the begining and then they get super long and I cant keep up

we meet our possible doula on Wednesday she sounded lovely on the phone. she is young (early 20's) and has no kids...would this concern anyone? at the moment im reserving judgement until i meet her, im sure she can still very easily be an awesome doula!! I mean my friend has no kids and is an amazing midwife, it makes no difference....right!?!?
she wanted a 'birth plan' which seems crazy as im only 16 weeks (almost) but I quickly wrote one. It has lots more 'un-mainstream' ideas compared to my one with DS (lights low, limted noise etc etc) anyone else done a BP yet?

[GreenTeaGinger61]

Amandaamanda: Good luck for your dh! Hope you get to move to warmer weather! When I see friends and family's updates from Maine concerning weather, I am so glad that I moved South:P

Carley: This is my fourth baby, and I'm still getting all teary eyed about my P not being the "baby" anymore. The last few nights she's been sleeping with me and I just want to sob as I"m snuggling her against me. It's kind of silly because I KNOW at this point that I'll love her just as much as the new baby but the reality is that a lot of energy does get poured into a new baby. It all balances out but those few months seem so hard on the youngest. So yeah I've been enjoying babying my four year old lately:P

Dh is getting over the flu. And it appears that I'm not getting it. Sigh. I've had three people in the house with it and nothing. LOL. Dh was pretty miserable on Friday and Saturday...high fever, coughing, stuffy nose, and just general achiness. Lots of moaning.

I slept for six hours in a row last night!!!! This is major for me. I'm cleaning now and feel like I have so much energy. Hurray. I am finishing up my bathroom which is so tiny and still was utterly disgusting. Gross. I"m starting to rethink the whole wanting another boy thing.

[Dena]

Originally Posted by Carley

Anyone else feel like making the most out of every single minute with their kiddo before another baby is introduced??? I know most of you have more than one at home - do you feel the same way? Or is it different?

I did feel that way when dd2 was on the way. And dd1 and I did a lot of fun things together during that time. But we have also had a lot of fun outings "just the two of us" since, either when dd2 naps or when she just stays home with Papa. And now I am feeling that way a little about dd2 - like I need to treasure this time she is my baby, and I have one on one time with her before the twins arrive.

Originally Posted by Amandamanda

woohoo!
my dh has a second interview on tuesday. pleaseeeee lets all pray he gets this job. i dont want to stay in cold weather. *fingers crossed*

Good luck!! I hope he gets it!!

AFM, yesterday was the pits. Dd1 had an attitude all day, and we ended up not going to pick out our Christmas tree (we go to a u-cut lot and pick one out early, and then go bring it home after T-day) because we didn't want to reward her 'tude. Sigh. Usually, missing out on something like that turns her around (after a tantrum, of course ), but not yesterday. She and dd2 were at each others' throats all.day.long. Urgh. And then our basement flooded. Like four inches of water. And there was stuff on the floor, like a big bag of baby clothes, that got wet. It has never flooded that high before, and even the stuff in the higher part in the back of the basement, where we had some books and a trunk full of my scrapbooks got wet. So dh brought stuff up last night and I spent a couple of hours separating pages and standing scrapbooks up. I haven't looked at them yet this morning. Still hoping for the best. I really don't care if they are wrinkly and water stained, as long as I can still read them. It is all stuff that really doesn't matter to anyone but me anyway. And today I need to wash baby clothes. As if the laundry already piled up wasn't enough. Sigh. It was just a stupid, stupid day. By the end of the day, I was looking at a mail order catalogue, and saw a little plaque that said, "I'll have a cafe mocha valium vodka latte to go, please," and it totally sounded perfect. But my dr. would probably frown on that, hm?

I did have some fun looking at baby names online last night. Some of the names in the name directories really crack me up. I mean, some of them are obviously cultural/foriegn language names that just sound different, or have different meanings in English (like Ha or Nhi), and some might be ok, but just not to my taste (Sparkle, Bambi), and some I can even see as wishful thinking (Obedience, Silence) but seriously, who would name a child Medusa? I did see Fauna though, and had an evil moment when I considered naming twin girls Flora and Fauna. It passed.

[rhiOrion]

So I need some house advice. We've been wanting to buy a house with MORE space than we have now. Preferably in the 1600-2000sq ft range, with 3 bedrooms and a bonus room, or 4 bedrooms. But most of what we've been finding has needed work and/or is in crappy cookie cutter neighborhoods that we don't really love.

But we stumbled upon this house the other day and went to see it today. We LOVE it. Brand new hardwood floors, kitchen floor, carpet upstairs. Fresh paint. Big fenced in back yard. Huge two car garage.

But it's only 1450 sq ft, and really only two bedrooms plus a huge loft room upstairs. The loft is 17x17 and could potentially have a wall added to become a true room.

We love the neighborhood, and the yard. The garage must be relatively dry, because the current owners have a bunch of microphones set up out there (I think I want to be their friends, I think they're total bluegrass hippies... lots of guitars and amps and a mandolin and violin. They have two pigs in the back yard).

But is buying a 2 bedroom house sort of stupid? My DH has rather LARGE hobbies. Music takes up a lot of room, plus his HUGE computer desk (he's an animator).

I'm so torn.

Here's the listing. Hopefully you guys won't stalk me if we decide to buy this house.

http://listings.listhub.net/pages/TR...?channel=gbase

So, I know some of you live in small houses... how do you DO it?

[ivymae]

We are downsizing from 5/6 bedrooms (3000sq ft)to 2/3 bedrooms (1400 sqft). People think we are crazy. Does the price/lot give you any wiggle room as far as adding on later (it looks promising..)? Is there a basement you can finish? Can you add on over the garage? Can your DH rent office space out of the house? For us, neighborhood makes a huge difference, and it is worth it. Good luck!

[rhiOrion]

Originally Posted by ivymae

We are downsizing from 5/6 bedrooms (3000sq ft)to 2/3 bedrooms (1400 sqft). People think we are crazy. Does the price/lot give you any wiggle room as far as adding on later (it looks promising..)? Is there a basement you can finish? Can you add on over the garage? Can your DH rent office space out of the house? For us, neighborhood makes a huge difference, and it is worth it. Good luck!

I think we could potentially add on to the house at some point- though I don't know ANYTHING about that, or if there would be anything that would make that not possible. I'd love to put a wall on the loft area to make it a true third bedroom, and then add a big sun room to the back of the house.

So, you're going to have three kids and two adults in a 1400 sq foot house, so it must be doable!

[Amandamanda]

Originally Posted by Dena

I considered naming twin girls Flora and Fauna. It passed.

pleaseee do it haha! when do you find out gender btw?

[ivymae]

Originally Posted by rhiOrion

I think we could potentially add on to the house at some point- though I don't know ANYTHING about that, or if there would be anything that would make that not possible. I'd love to put a wall on the loft area to make it a true third bedroom, and then add a big sun room to the back of the house.

So, you're going to have three kids and two adults in a 1400 sq foot house, so it must be doable!

A couple ways we are making it work: 1) our girls will share a room while they are little, and by the time they are old enough to want their own rooms, we will either add onto the back, or be able to buy a larger house in the same neighborhood. 2) We try to live simply. We do not go overboard with gifts, and when we buy new things, other things leave the house. This is hard with kids. 3) Everything has it's place, and we build storage into as many places as we can (coffee table. under beds, etc).

[LenaC]

Warning, a whiny post ahead! Argh, mood swings! I get into such bad moods sometimes and have trouble shaking it off. Plus, I'm feeling tired and wanting my naps, and my toddler decided to skip his. Seriously, I never drink coffee when non-pregnant, and I've been drinking the allowed limit of two cups of coffee a day, and I want more! Someone suggested low iron, I think, so I might try a bit of supplementing. As a side note, I'm jelous of those, who have prenatal yoga classes close by. No such luck over here. I do have the DVD that I did during last pregnancy, but I feel awkward doing it in my in-laws living room (we are living with them now) because I hate being interrupted during my yoga and someone can walk in anytime. We decided to sign up for a new gym membership, so I might start going to Aqua Aerobics in the morning. That sounds fantastic!

My u/s is scheduled for November 16. I can hardly wait! I hope time goes by quickly, and I really hope we'll be able to find out the gender. Last time, so that baby would move, I would have some juice on the way to the doctor, but this baby is not as crazy active as my son was. Keeping my fingers crossed

[crazyeight]

Originally Posted by rhiOrion

So I need some house advice. We've been wanting to buy a house with MORE space than we have now. Preferably in the 1600-2000sq ft range, with 3 bedrooms and a bonus room, or 4 bedrooms. But most of what we've been finding has needed work and/or is in crappy cookie cutter neighborhoods that we don't really love.

But we stumbled upon this house the other day and went to see it today. We LOVE it. Brand new hardwood floors, kitchen floor, carpet upstairs. Fresh paint. Big fenced in back yard. Huge two car garage.

But it's only 1450 sq ft, and really only two bedrooms plus a huge loft room upstairs. The loft is 17x17 and could potentially have a wall added to become a true room.

We love the neighborhood, and the yard. The garage must be relatively dry, because the current owners have a bunch of microphones set up out there (I think I want to be their friends, I think they're total bluegrass hippies... lots of guitars and amps and a mandolin and violin. They have two pigs in the back yard).

But is buying a 2 bedroom house sort of stupid? My DH has rather LARGE hobbies. Music takes up a lot of room, plus his HUGE computer desk (he's an animator).

I'm so torn.

Here's the listing. Hopefully you guys won't stalk me if we decide to buy this house.

http://listings.listhub.net/pages/TR...?channel=gbase

So, I know some of you live in small houses... how do you DO it?

wow that place looks gorgeous! i'd say there's LOTS of options if you really love a place. i think the best part of owning a place you love is doing renovations to make even MORE loveable which seems so impossible! i officially live in a 355 s.f. house with 2 kids and myself. i went from the typical 3 bd/2 bath/2 car garage to this! and it's weird but it works. you just gotta learn what you DON"T need (i.e. the stacks of newspapers hehe) i let go of some of my "stock up" stuff that i would never use but the biggest thing was that i got rid of the MAN in my life! this place is small, i don't have my own room and WON"T work for the rest of my life but if i were to own i could add 2 large rooms and be pretty comfy here.

Originally Posted by Dena

I did feel that way when dd2 was on the way. And dd1 and I did a lot of fun things together during that time. But we have also had a lot of fun outings "just the two of us" since, either when dd2 naps or when she just stays home with Papa. And now I am feeling that way a little about dd2 - like I need to treasure this time she is my baby, and I have one on one time with her before the twins arrive.



Good luck!! I hope he gets it!!

AFM, yesterday was the pits. Dd1 had an attitude all day, and we ended up not going to pick out our Christmas tree (we go to a u-cut lot and pick one out early, and then go bring it home after T-day) because we didn't want to reward her 'tude. Sigh. Usually, missing out on something like that turns her around (after a tantrum, of course ), but not yesterday. She and dd2 were at each others' throats all.day.long. Urgh. And then our basement flooded. Like four inches of water. And there was stuff on the floor, like a big bag of baby clothes, that got wet. It has never flooded that high before, and even the stuff in the higher part in the back of the basement, where we had some books and a trunk full of my scrapbooks got wet. So dh brought stuff up last night and I spent a couple of hours separating pages and standing scrapbooks up. I haven't looked at them yet this morning. Still hoping for the best. I really don't care if they are wrinkly and water stained, as long as I can still read them. It is all stuff that really doesn't matter to anyone but me anyway. And today I need to wash baby clothes. As if the laundry already piled up wasn't enough. Sigh. It was just a stupid, stupid day. By the end of the day, I was looking at a mail order catalogue, and saw a little plaque that said, "I'll have a cafe mocha valium vodka latte to go, please," and it totally sounded perfect. But my dr. would probably frown on that, hm?

I did have some fun looking at baby names online last night. Some of the names in the name directories really crack me up. I mean, some of them are obviously cultural/foriegn language names that just sound different, or have different meanings in English (like Ha or Nhi), and some might be ok, but just not to my taste (Sparkle, Bambi), and some I can even see as wishful thinking (Obedience, Silence) but seriously, who would name a child Medusa? I did see Fauna though, and had an evil moment when I considered naming twin girls Flora and Fauna. It passed.

can i have one of those?! sounds like the perfect drink.

that's hilarious! brilliant!

[jenfl]

Why did no one tell me earlier that Betty Crocker has a mix that involves dropping cookie dough into brownies?!

ETA: Okay, YUM!

[GreenTeaGinger61]

We live in a 1400 sf house with three kids soon to be four and two adults. Honestly it's great right now with the kids being little but I"m not sure how it would work out if they were teens. My friend lives in a similar space and I know she's starting to go mad now that her kids are older.

How we do it: All the kids share a room, their choice. They have a bunk bed with a full on the bottom. One daughter sleeps on the top, and the other sleeps on the bottom with ds. So far they're thrilled with this. Upstairs we have a refinished attic. If ds decides he wants this own room, the attic is divided into two rooms, and he can have the smaller room. Right now we have the smaller room as a t.v. room, and the bigger room is a play area.

We are starting to run out of room for books (gasp). And honestly we could use a library/study area but oh well. I'm a major Ikea junkie so we have lots of neat storage things. And I do try to keep our lives veyr simple. We purge three or four times a year, etc.

For us, it's all about the neighborhood. We love it here, and it's worth living in a smaller space.

[Dena]

Originally Posted by GreenTeaGinger61

For us, it's all about the neighborhood. We love it here, and it's worth living in a smaller space.

This is us, too. We have two, soon to be four, kids in a 1470 sq. ft. house. I am pretty sure we will need to add on in a couple of years, though, mostly due to the configuration of the house - the bedrooms upstairs are just not workable for four kids. Another two or three hundred square feet really should do it. I would honestly prefer not to have a huge house - unless we win the lottery or something. Just too much to keep track of, and waaay to much to clean!

I think all told it is worth it to live in a smaller house in a neighborhood you LOVE than a bigger house in a place you can't stand. Before kids, dh and I lived in a 2000+ square foot house (got a great deal and fixed it up) in a neighborhood that was horrible for us. We had nothing in common with our neighbors, and our political and social philosophies differed to the point they all stopped speaking to us. We were miserable, and even though we were trying to have a child at that point, and the house would have been great for a family, we had to move. The energy in the neighborhood as a whole was so bad for us it literally almost destroyed our marriage.

The house we are in now, while it feels cramped sometimes, is in a neighborhood we love, with neighbors we adore. Within weeks of moving in our relationship was back on track, and dd1 was on her way just a couple of months later. (Yes, we still had to do IVF, but it worked that time - the first two cycles hadn't) The house and the whole neighborhood have a very peaceful, healing vibe, and it was well worth the sacrifice in space to live here.

[GreenTeaGinger61]

RhiOrion: My dh and I just got done looking at the pictures, and we both LOVED it. I'd move in there with my three if I could. I would seriouly figure out a way to make it work.