Not Mamas Yet Tribe Winter/Spring 2010 - Page 6

[nemrac917]

I guess this is a good group to join.

Currently childless at age 30, married just over 6 years to 37yo hubby. Waiting a few more years as I'm currently in school full-time for a career change and work part-time on the side. I want to be done with school, have a job, have health insurance, and be out of the probationary period for new-hires before we start trying. That likely puts us around mid-2012.

I'm using that time to do research, make changes to our diet, and lose weight. At my heaviest, I was 307 (at 5'7"). I'm currently sitting around 240-242. I'd like to lose another 60lbs or so before we start trying. Since I'm going to be close to that 35yo mark, I want to do what I can to stay out of the hospital for the birth.

While I'd like to also wait until we bought another house, I'm not sure that is something realistic for us in the next few years.

Until then, I'm a mamma to the furbabies. 2 Dobermans, 4 cats (2 sets of brothers), 1 horse, and 1 hermit crab (the only one to survive the move from IA to NY).

If you want to add my birthday, it's 9/17/79.

[gfreelishy]

Originally Posted by nemrac917

I guess this is a good group to join.

Currently childless at age 30, married just over 6 years to 37yo hubby. Waiting a few more years as I'm currently in school full-time for a career change and work part-time on the side. I want to be done with school, have a job, have health insurance, and be out of the probationary period for new-hires before we start trying. That likely puts us around mid-2012.

I'm using that time to do research, make changes to our diet, and lose weight. At my heaviest, I was 307 (at 5'7"). I'm currently sitting around 240-242. I'd like to lose another 60lbs or so before we start trying. Since I'm going to be close to that 35yo mark, I want to do what I can to stay out of the hospital for the birth.

While I'd like to also wait until we bought another house, I'm not sure that is something realistic for us in the next few years.

Until then, I'm a mamma to the furbabies. 2 Dobermans, 4 cats (2 sets of brothers), 1 horse, and 1 hermit crab (the only one to survive the move from IA to NY).

If you want to add my birthday, it's 9/17/79.

Sounds like you've got a good plan going there!

Welcome to MDC and the NMY tribe!

[Mother Cake]

Huge Progress

We got the living room set up--finally! There are still a lot of boxes in the house, and some are in the main living area, but most are more "hidden" and we can now have company over! I am so excited. It was one of the biggest things on my "do before TTC" list.

Two of the other biggies, doc and dent appts, are underway. In both cases we each needed to be seen multiple times because these are "initial" visits. Ugh. Oh well. At least insurance will cover most of the costs.

On to taxes and finishing those final boxes.

Welcome nemrac917 & aquarius aspiring. Glad to have you both here.

[oiseau]

Welcome to the new people! I'll update the welcome post within the next few days once I sleep off my last chemo treatment. I only have one more left then I'm DONE DONE DONE!! I'm pretty excited about it since it also means I can start my official countdown to being able to TTC (2-5 years from Friday the 26th!).

[gfreelishy]

Originally Posted by oiseau

Welcome to the new people! I'll update the welcome post within the next few days once I sleep off my last chemo treatment. I only have one more left then I'm DONE DONE DONE!! I'm pretty excited about it since it also means I can start my official countdown to being able to TTC (2-5 years from Friday the 26th!).

YAY YAY YAY! One more treatment! Countdown! Happy days!

[KaylaBeanie]

Originally Posted by oiseau

Welcome to the new people! I'll update the welcome post within the next few days once I sleep off my last chemo treatment. I only have one more left then I'm DONE DONE DONE!! I'm pretty excited about it since it also means I can start my official countdown to being able to TTC (2-5 years from Friday the 26th!).

I'm sad that you'll be here with us way young, single girls for a few years yet, but I'm so glad you can wrap this up, and spend your next years getting healthier before becoming a mama

We've been quiet lately, so here are a few questions to get us going!

-What kind of birth are you hoping for? Water, home, home water, hospital, etc?

-Any more name ideas?

-Where do you want to live/where do you live?

-How many kiddos do you want, and does anyone plan to adopt?

I'll answer later...I'm nowhere near done studying for this test...it's 1:40 am, and I have to be up at 7:45 for school, then work 4-8. I'll be so dead, but this is a terrible habit I get in to...I get 4-5 hours of sleep, then the next night I'll get 12.

[nemrac917]

I'll answer before I head out to work...

Type of birth? Home water, facility water (birthing center or water-friendly hospital)

Names? Girl's name: #1 Marianna Hali'a (Marianna after my grandmother, Mary Ann. Hali'a is Hawaiian for "in honor of" or "in memory of".)

Don't have a 2nd girl's name picked out yet, with DG initials.

Boy's name: #1 Damien Gabriel (this one's up for debate with hubby). I also like Darius Gregori.

#2 Malakai (no 'A' middle name yet, also up for debate with hubby)

We may add another middle name to the DG names to include my grandfather, whose initials were DW. Either DWG or DGW.

Living? We hope to be living in NW Illinois at that time.

How many? For us, it's going to be 1 or 2.

[musiclovinglife]

Hi everyone! I'm new to this forum! I'm 28 and DH is almost 41. I'm Canadian and he's American, and we've been living together in the States for 4 years. He just got his Canadian visa so we're planning an imminent move to Canada, two hours from my hometown, when he gets employment!

We've been waiting to try because we live in a high cost of living area and can only afford a very tiny 2-room apartment. We could never be able to afford any real estate here, hence why we're moving to be closer to my family as well.

-What kind of birth are you hoping for? Water, home, home water, hospital, etc?

I'm hoping for a home waterbirth if I can get a midwife in Canada (they can't answer to all the demand they get) and if we can get a mortgage. If not, I'd love to have a waterbirth at the birth center or if I can't for any reason, a natural birth at a hospital.

-Any more name ideas?

Yes, but I'm keeping them until our babies are born!

-Where do you want to live/where do you live?

East Coast, USA, and want to move to Canada.

-How many kiddos do you want, and does anyone plan to adopt?

We want at least 2 kids. DH wants only 2 and I'm dreaming of 4, however I've been struggling with chronic pain issues for the past 5 years, so I might not be able to handle more than 2. We plan to adopt if we can't get PG.

[Mother Cake]

I'll play.

-What kind of birth are you hoping for? Water, home, home water, hospital, etc?

Home birth. Maybe water, depends on what I want in the moment.

-Any more name ideas?

Like the pp said, I'm keeping them until the baby is here.

-Where do you want to live/where do you live?

We live in a big metro area. I wish we could live in a small town in the country, but DH's work will probably keep us in or near major cities, and to me, one metro area is much like another--they always have too many people and too much traffic. So I'll settle for a mild climate.

-How many kiddos do you want, and does anyone plan to adopt?
I want at least 3. DH has agreed to 3, but not sure about more than that. We'd adopt if we can't get pg.

[gfreelishy]

musiclovinglife

And woohoo for tribe games! Haha.

*What kind of birth are you hoping for? Water, home, home water, hospital, etc?
-- At home! In the water! That's how I wanna do it for sure! I love baths. And home. So heck, why not help my baby come into that kind of soothing environment right?!


*Any more name ideas?
-- Ughh. Names are such a complicated thing. Haha. I'm horrible at that. I love anything original and unique.


*Where do you want to live/where do you live?
-- I want to live in MN like I always have! Hopefully in the St. Paul area too (again, like I always have!). The weather's always changing, there's a diverse population, many organic/ eco-friendly places, my family's all near there, and there's a UU church there too. What's not to love, right?


*How many kiddos do you want, and does anyone plan to adopt?
-- I want one kid for now. One of my sisters wants to have lots of kids, so my one kid can be friends with her kids! I've always been super close with my cousins, so I would love it if my kids are close with theirs too. If I have the money, I would love to adopt a child from South America. Also, I totally want to teach my tots not only English, but Spanish, and some sign language too! The younger you start teaching 'em, the easier it will be to learn in the future I think!

[KaylaBeanie]

Originally Posted by gfreelishy

*What kind of birth are you hoping for? Water, home, home water, hospital, etc?
-- At home! In the water! That's how I wanna do it for sure! I love baths. And home. So heck, why not help my baby come into that kind of soothing environment right?!

Woohoo Lish, can't wait to be there like ten years down the road (For you new ladies, we're real life BFFs).

Okay, I'll play now

*What kind of birth are you hoping for?*
At home, absolutely. The only way I'd even consider a hospital birth is if I had legitimate concerns that actually required a c-section(aka placenta previa, yes, breech, absolutely not). Ideally, it'll be in the water. I'll definitely have the tub available, but obviously I can't say for sure if that's where I'll have the baby.

*Any more name ideas?*
Lord knows what I'll actually end up using, haha. I used that baby name thing posted earlier(Nymbler?) and found some cool names. I like Dexter, Eisley, Harper, Jude, Juliet, Juniper, Nola(long story, but it's also my car's name), and Luca are all names I like. I am not looking forward to the naming aspect of having a baby, I'm so indecisive!

*Where do you want to live/where do you live?*
I moved to the Kansas City area about 10 months ago, and I hate it. I'm transferring to the University of Alabama in just over a year, and then moving as soon as I graduate! I'm a huge city person. I have always thought I'd live out west, but since I'll be a high school social sciences teacher, and they're a dime a dozen, I'll go to whichever city I can get a job in that is not the south. As much as I hate the cold, I would LOVE to live in Uptown in Minneapolis. I hate the country, and I despise suburbs. It's all city for me

*How many kiddos do you want/do you plan to adopt?*
One for me! I really want an only. If I ever decided I wanted a second(unlikely), I would wait about 8-9 years. If I then decided I wanted a third, I would adopt.

Let's add a few more non-baby ones!

*Do you have any hobbies?*
I love to read, shop, listen to music and cook. I read at least 300 books a year, usually upwards of 400, in addition to several magazines I read each month like Glamour, Cosmo, Veg News, tattoo magazines, etc. I'm a huge shopper and I spend way too much money on clothes. I die of happiness every time I step into a Macy's. That's definitely something non-crunchy about me! I'm a huge music fan, usually more indie stuff, though I do love the upbeat radio songs at times too. My love of cooking is a pretty recent thing. I became vegetarian five months ago, and I've tried a tons of great recipes since then.

*What do you do as a job? What's your dream job?*
I'm a very new nanny! I watch a 6 year old boy 2 days a week, except spring break and summer, when I'll be watching him 4-5 days a week. It's my third week, and I really enjoy it. It tires me though! He definitely reinforces my desire to only have one kid. I'm going to school to become a teacher, and I'm completing my doula training as soon as I have the time and money. The plan is to doula in the summers while teaching the other 9 months of the year. Ultimately, I would love to become a CPM, but that may or may not ever happen.

*Any non-crunchy confessions?* (note, keep it light and within MDC guidelines, we don't want these removed )
I adore kraft mac and cheese. I've tried that organic stuff, and it grosses me out. Same with doritos...the cool ranch ones? I'm a goner. I can eat a whole bag in one sitting. Like I said earlier, I'm a huge shopper, and I never buy clothing second hand, and to be honest, I probably never will. I love guilty pleasure tv shows, and not-so-secretly wish that Gossip Girl was real and I was a member of that society, because I think the clothes are absolutely to die for. And the shoes! I'm a terrible vegetarian because I got Uggs for Christmas. I wasn't thinking about the fact they were sheepskin when I got them, and now I figure it'd be worse to just waste them and buy another pair of non-skin boots. I drink so much Diet Coke, I'm surprised I don't have ulcers from all the acid. I get my hair professionally done, I don't do the at-home eco-friendly hair dyes. I watch a crap-load of TV, because I like background noise other than music when I do my homework (which is never ending). In my defense, I keep it on the news usually

...wow. I'm slightly ashamed by the length of my uncrunchiness! Ha, I'm sure I'm not alone.

[nemrac917]

*Do you have any hobbies?*
Reading, movies, and trail riding on my wonderful horse, Meteor. Cooking, music, concerts, and probably a few things I'm forgetting.

*What do you do as a job? What's your dream job?*
Right now, I'm a medical assistant for a local doctor part-time and a full-time nursing student. Combining those two with a 45-min commute, I have NO free time during the school year.

Dream job won't happen for quite some time, but eventually I'd like to become a practicing midwife. I think that'll wait until after the kid(s) is old enough to survive without having mommy around all the time (like college).

*Any non-crunchy confessions?*

I adore kraft mac and cheese. (DITTO!!!)

[gfreelishy]

Originally Posted by KaylaBeanie

*Any more name ideas?*
Lord knows what I'll actually end up using, haha. I used that baby name thing posted earlier(Nymbler?) and found some cool names. I like Dexter, Eisley, Harper, Jude, Juliet, Juniper, Nola(long story, but it's also my car's name), and Luca are all names I like. I am not looking forward to the naming aspect of having a baby, I'm so indecisive!



*What do you do as a job? What's your dream job?*
I'm a very new nanny! I watch a 6 year old boy 2 days a week, except spring break and summer, when I'll be watching him 4-5 days a week. It's my third week, and I really enjoy it. It tires me though! He definitely reinforces my desire to only have one kid. I'm going to school to become a teacher, and I'm completing my doula training as soon as I have the time and money. The plan is to doula in the summers while teaching the other 9 months of the year. Ultimately, I would love to become a CPM, but that may or may not ever happen.

At least you have name ideas! I don't even have that much! Haha. Also, YAY for future teachers!!!! And omg that would be amazing if you could live in MN/ Uptown, please and thanks! Then I can live by you and our kids can actually be friends!

Okay, now on to the new questions!

*Do you have any hobbies?*
:: Here in Spain ::
1. Listening to music-- constantly! Unless I'm in class or eating a meal, I'm always listening to music.
2. Facebooking/ Social networking in general-- I admit it, I'm addicted! But I think it's okay because I'm 4,000 miles away from my fam and friends and that's basically my only way to stay in contact with them all!
3. Reading-- this is very new to me! I never used to read until I came to Spain and now have nothing but time on my hands. I like it.
4. Walking everywhere
5. Going out with my roomies!
6. Learning about other religions/ cultures
7. Trying to better educate myself on health related things

:: Back in the states ::
1. Music
2. Movies
3. TV (I'm a total Disney channel addict! and The Office!)
4. Working
5. Studying with my friends
6. Partying

*What do you do as a job? What's your dream job?*
~ In Spain I have no job. But when I get back to the state I'll likely be working in food service full time. I've been doing food service stuff for 5+ years and I actually don't mind it at all!

~ My dream job? Hm... To be a high school special ed. teacher, preferably in a diverse setting (maybe where I could use my Spanish skills?!). Then I eventually want to go on to get my Master's degree in counseling! I have always wanted to be a counselor and a teacher. But the teacher one took priority. But I would LOVE to be a counselor someday...

*Any non-crunchy confessions?*
~ I'm not a vegetarian. I use my computer a lot. I wear a wire bra most of the time. Ummm.. that's all I can think of for that.

[oiseau]

I like this game!! Here are my answers:

1. Birth: I'm planning a homebirth. Not sure yet about water or not. I can see the appeal of laboring in the water, but for some reason, the idea of actually birthing in the water kinda weirds me out. I would only birth in a hospital if it was truly necessary due to health issues, especially since I now have negative hospital associations. I can't imagine me or my brand new baby being touched by hospital gloves or being poked or prodded.
Ideally, I want to give birth at home in my space with my things and my home smell with my partner and an awesome team of midwives/doulas and possibly my mom and/or my best friend. Low key, quiet and peaceful for everyone.

2. Names: girls: Wren, Miriam Luna (Miri for short); Boy: Griffin, and uh, boy names are hard!

3. I'd like to move back to Mass., close enough to Boston that we can easily get there for restaurants/shopping/etc., but far enough away that we have enough land for a little farm. We'd live to live in Ipswich, MA, but I doubt we'll ever be rich enough for that. Otherwise, upstate NY near Ithaca. I also like where I live now (DC region) because I have close friends here and there are enough crunchy resources, but it's a bit too urban for us.
Alternatively, New Zealand.

4. Two kids (as a good friend told me, only have as many kids as you have sets of arms/parents). I plan to have them close in age (less than 2 yrs apart).

5. Hobbies: anything related to food (cooking, gardening, farming, eating, walking around fancy grocery stores), hanging out with animals (except my rouge iguana who is currently tearing the house apart and driving us nuts), reading, spending time with kid friends

6. Job: I'm a research biologist and I do a mix of molecular biology, physiology and actual animal husbandry all involving birds. It's about as close to my dream job as I could possibly have right now. I have plans to go to vet school at some point and I'd like to be a food animal vet for small organic farms. I'm hoping to go to New Zealand for vet school.

7. Non-crunchy confessions: hmm, I HATE whole grain pasta/rice. I also hate lettuce of all kinds. Besides that, I stick to no-preservatives, no-processed foods. Other than that, nothing is jumping out at me. Oh, sometimes I microwave plastic

[gfreelishy]

Originally Posted by oiseau

I like this game!! Here are my answers:

1. Birth: I'm planning a homebirth. Not sure yet about water or not. I can see the appeal of laboring in the water, but for some reason, the idea of actually birthing in the water kinda weirds me out. I would only birth in a hospital if it was truly necessary due to health issues, especially since I now have negative hospital associations. I can't imagine me or my brand new baby being touched by hospital gloves or being poked or prodded.
Ideally, I want to give birth at home in my space with my things and my home smell with my partner and an awesome team of midwives/doulas and possibly my mom and/or my best friend. Low key, quiet and peaceful for everyone.

2. Names: girls: Wren, Miriam Luna (Miri for short); Boy: Griffin, and uh, boy names are hard!

3. I'd like to move back to Mass., close enough to Boston that we can easily get there for restaurants/shopping/etc., but far enough away that we have enough land for a little farm. We'd live to live in Ipswich, MA, but I doubt we'll ever be rich enough for that. Otherwise, upstate NY near Ithaca. I also like where I live now (DC region) because I have close friends here and there are enough crunchy resources, but it's a bit too urban for us.
Alternatively, New Zealand.

4. Two kids (as a good friend told me, only have as many kids as you have sets of arms/parents). I plan to have them close in age (less than 2 yrs apart).

5. Hobbies: anything related to food (cooking, gardening, farming, eating, walking around fancy grocery stores), hanging out with animals (except my rouge iguana who is currently tearing the house apart and driving us nuts), reading, spending time with kid friends

6. Job: I'm a research biologist and I do a mix of molecular biology, physiology and actual animal husbandry all involving birds. It's about as close to my dream job as I could possibly have right now. I have plans to go to vet school at some point and I'd like to be a food animal vet for small organic farms. I'm hoping to go to New Zealand for vet school.

7. Non-crunchy confessions: hmm, I HATE whole grain pasta/rice. I also hate lettuce of all kinds. Besides that, I stick to no-preservatives, no-processed foods. Other than that, nothing is jumping out at me. Oh, sometimes I microwave plastic

Haha! I love your answers! I adore your baby name choices! I would be so scared to let an iguana run around my house?! Is that what yours does? Lol, that's hilarious!! Also, why New Zealand??

[oiseau]

Thanks!

Yeah, the iguana is free range right now. She used to have a cage, but we moved about a month ago and the 7yr old homemade cage with a billion pieces to be zip-tied together was trashed so that no one in the house (i.e. my boyfriend) would have a mental breakdown. We'd moved it too many times and were just sick and tired of it. Unfortunately, we drained our bank accounts to be able to move and couldn't afford to get a new cage, so she's been roaming ever since. We just finally got tax returns in the mail, so we can afford the new cage, but it's been crazy.
We can't shut her in the extra bedroom because it's full of plants that she will (already did) eat. We can't shut her in our bedroom because the cats sleep in there and we can't lock them away from their litterbox. If we shut the bedroom doors and leave her to roam the rest of the house, she either knocks things over or climbs on the rat cage which angers the rats and they bite her through the cage. We like the cold days when the iguana doesn't feel like moving. I also lost her nail clippers in the move so her claws are super sharp, making her extra menacing. We love her, really, but she's a big trouble maker! We'll all be happy for her to have her own safe space to destroy. (full disclosure: even when we get the new cage, we still won't lock her up...we never do. It's nice to have the option though!).

New Zealand because, well, why not?! Also, because they have a really awesome vet school with a emphasis on food animals in a system that's not so awful, industrial agriculture, like in the US. Also, according to my boyfriend, they have tuataras (ancient lizards) and they filmed the Lord of the Rings there!! At this point, it looks like it probably won't happen until we have kids and said kids are in grade school. It's always fun to live in another country for awhile though (I lived in France for a year when I was 18).

[gfreelishy]

My goodness!!! Sounds like quite the party house you have over there!

But yes, hopefully you can get a cage soon for Mr/Mrs iguana! Phew sounds hectic. :P Ha.

And woohoo! That would be fun!! I'm studying abroad in Spain now and I'm loving it-- so I definitely agree with you on that it's nice to live in a new country for a bit! I'm excited to go home and such, but it is definitely an experience of a lifetime!!!

[Mother Cake]

*Do you have any hobbies?*
Reading & listening to audio books, belly dancing, cooking, gardening.

*What do you do as a job? What's your dream job?*
I have my dream job--I'm a homemaker. The only thing that could make it better is to have several kiddos of my own.

*Any non-crunchy confessions?*
I love long, hot showers and deep hot baths (and the area we live in is water poor).

Oiseau, DH and I went to NZ on our honeymoon--super cool country, but be prepared for the bio-hazard screening on your way in. I would love to live there for a while, although one of the people we met there said a lot of Americans experience a kind of culture shock when they try to live there for any length of time. I couldn't get her to pin down super clearly what the differences were, but she basically said that NZ culture is more like Brittish culture, and Aussie culture is more like American culture. Just something to keep in mind; I'm not trying to dissuade you from going or anything.

[nemrac917]

Originally Posted by oiseau

Otherwise, upstate NY near Ithaca. I also like where I live now (DC region) because I have close friends here and there are enough crunchy resources, but it's a bit too urban for us.
Alternatively, New Zealand.

I had to LOL at this. I'm currently living near Ithaca (about 15-20min north) and would absolutely LOVE to head to NZ. My grandmother was born/raised there and I apparently still have oodles of family living down there, mostly on the north island, though a few sheep farmers on the south island, too.

[oiseau]

Originally Posted by nemrac917

I had to LOL at this. I'm currently living near Ithaca (about 15-20min north) and would absolutely LOVE to head to NZ. My grandmother was born/raised there and I apparently still have oodles of family living down there, mostly on the north island, though a few sheep farmers on the south island, too.

My boyfriend went to Cornell and fell in love with Ithaca when he lived there. He is originally from the Corning/Bath area, so not too far away. I've still never been to Ithaca, but it sounds cool enough for me.