Ack! Taxlady, I'm so sorry about that. You must feel really left out. I can kind of understand, because I have friends that I don't want to tell . . . I know it will hurt them that I'm living this dream while they're not able to (and mostly are single males, so they really REALLY aren't able to), but I also know that if I never tell them then they'll be upset by that. And I don't think any of them would say that I'm their best friend. I did tell one of them just the other day, and he sounded happy, and like he would like to come visit the baby (he lives many hours away), so that was encouraging. Anyway, I just wanted to mention that she probably really was trying to not hurt you, but has a very different idea than you do of how to do that. I'm sorry she acted that way, it would make me feel like she didn't trust me to be happy for her. Anyway, in other news, I'm crossing my fingers for you from now until your 2WW ends in a BFP! (Well, okay, I'll be honest, I'm only mentally crossing them . . . otherwise I couldn't type or do anything else for quite a few days . . . but I can keep them mentally crossed even in my sleep!)
Caly: I'm glad you're feeling a bit better again. It sounds like that position would be good, and all you can do is try. If they don't want your awesomeness, it's their loss. I also hate applying for jobs, but you're right: you never get one unless you apply. Good luck! Also, for future periods (you know, next year, by which time you'll have forgotten this information) I find that Alleve works wonders on cramps. There were times Ibuprofen couldn't touch my cramps, but Alleve always at least took them down to a manageable level - like to where I could sleep most of the night, instead of literally thrashing around and moaning in pain. It wasn't available in Canada for years, and I would always get my parents to get me some, or pick some up when I was down there . . . it's the good stuff for pain relief, at least for me. Anyway, I'm sure you won't need to know that for a while, but I wanted to mention it so you could file it away for later, and so anyone else could avail themselves of the cure for cramps. Also, it's okay to be upset about three pregnancy announcements in one day - that's a lot to handle! Don't feel bad about your reaction, I think it was totally normal and reasonable. I'm betting you didn't tell THEM that they were rubbing salt in the wound, did you? So no worries. Also, I am with you on the reaction of doctors (and many other people) about weight. It's just so silly that they feel like they can dismiss every other aspect of a person "until they lose some weight". It's not like the overweight people of the world need to beat themselves up about anything, and although weight is one factor in health, it's only one factor - it's not like it defines the person's whole health picture.
Catheleni: Yeah, Echo got to where she wanted something all the time. I think what she wanted was to be young again, but since we couldn't give her that, she just kept asking for it. Bark, bark. It was pretty frustrating at the time, but I sure do miss it now. I hope your guy starts feeling better again!
Val: You know, I just now realized, this very minute, that you're in the second trimester, aren't you? My goodness, time flies (like an arrow . . . fruit flies like a banana. I love that joke, love it!) Congrats on your new living room furniture, and what the heck is up with the recliners not working? It's such a ridiculous thing that we get brand-new things that don't work. We just installed a new door in our chicken coop - factory pre-hung door, supposed to be pretty straightforward, and it doesn't close easily. Sigh. Anyway, I hope that all gets fixed up. And I hope your MIL is doing okay, I know when I get tired like that it's always because I'm coming down with something (or, apparently, because I'm pregnant). I hope that's all it is, and that it's something minor. Like a cold.
Boots: I'm sorry about AF, and I'm sorry about your PMS. It is so hard to feel so upset and realize that it's PMS and therefore irrational and not be able to do a damned thing about it. Like getting AF isn't frustrating enough, we're also saddled with these uncontrollable, unpleasant hormonally caused emotions? It's very unfair, and you don't deserve to feel that way, and if you don't like people and don't want to be around them when you feel that way anyway, you don't need to feel bad about it. Also, I HATE when people see fit to make fun of my bad moods - like they think that will help? It makes me wish, actually, that I could cry on command, so I could make them feel like real jerks for kicking me when I'm down. Anyway, maybe that wasn't what people were doing, but if it was, I apologize for them, and heartily so. And yeah, I do dream about animals a fair bit. I had a dream about my pregnant goat and a pregnant facebook friend from high school once - it was only a little weird, compared to some of my dreams. It had a rowboat in it.
Rosie: Honestly, I don't hang out in the Digging in the Earth section as much as I ought to. I know it's probably great, but I mostly just like to mess around and do stuff here . . . and read a lot of gardening books. And look at "flower porn" on the internet . . . or in those glossy catalogs some companies send out. Today I was drooling over a selection of irises online, trying to narrow down the selection I'm hoping to order, and ended up adding more to the list instead, thus making my job harder. I have to budget my flower garden . . . because otherwise I would spend . . . let's see . . . about $750 on flowers this year. Oh, I forgot that I want peonies someday, make that $850. And, yeah, we aren't exactly flush with cash, so I have to winnow it down . . . but it's SO HARD with irises. I pretty much want them all. It helps that I have looked at lists of what other people can grow here (because many irises can't take our winters), and I'll almost only get something if someone here has already successfully grown it. Anyway, that's not really the functional part of the farm at all, but it's the part that sustains me, I guess. I like the animals an awful lot, but if I make a mistake with them it could have dire consequences - like when my MIL's dog showed my dog how to kill sheep a couple of years ago. That was a real blow to my confidence and to my emotional stability. We were going to eat them anyway, but not after letting the dogs basically torture them, it was really truly awful. I'm learning a lot from the animals, because there are a lot of challenges, but it also can be very stressful. The veggie garden is pretty satisfying, but also can be sort of frustrating because something always goes wrong there too - nothing too severe, it's not like we'll starve if the mice ruin all our beets (two years in a row), but some aspects of it are frustrating too. On the other hand, both the animals and the veggies give us quite a few triumphs, too. Last year I harvested about 45 squashes and pumpkins. That's a lot. We still haven't eaten them all. And the goats are both doing okay, and our new sheep are not afraid of the dogs, but also don't try to get out of the pen, so they're safe. We put a pack saddle on one of our donkeys the other day and took her for a walk, and it went well. But the flowers are the part that just give me joy - they're easy, if I mess up it has no real consequences, and they make me happy every time I look at them. Now I just have to figure out how to keep the donkeys from eating them this summer . . . And I also assumed I was infertile, or at least sub-fertile. I guess not really assumed, but feared it pretty strongly. I think it's incredibly common for women to feel that way . . . maybe it's kind of like men worrying about the size of their . . . um, feet. Pretty common, but mostly unfounded. I know that doesn't really help, but nonetheless . . . there it is.
Ramzubo: How are you doing? You're always here supporting all the rest of us, but you never have an AFM section. Just wondering how you're doing, how the recovery is coming along. Sending you gentle hugs.
Northstar: I'm sorry AF found you too. Keep your chin up, lady, you're just starting out. You'll get there soon. And I think everyone here understands your frustration. I tried to start out assuming it would take at least five months (since that's the average), and realizing that that might mean that it would take 10 months or more. Not that it really helped keep me from feeling disappointed, but it helped a little bit, I think.
Tickletoes: Sorry about the migraine, and sorry about the lecture too! It's nice that your DH wants to look after you, but surely he could recognize that you already weren't happy with the outcome of that combination and wouldn't do it again. Have some trust, DH! We can all assure you, TT wouldn't do anything that she thought would endanger your TTC!
Carla: I also love all those flowers! Good choices. I think you need not only a certain number of posts, but also to have been on the forum for a week, before you get a signature. I think you've got the number of posts you need, you're just waiting on the time to pass.
Birdie: I like the idea of trying to be more positive. Right now, I'm not even really trying for positive in my life, just balanced. It's okay if I say negative things, but then I have to think of positive things too (and say them). It's working out alright so far, I think I'm doing a bit better at it. As for irises in landscaping, the great thing about them is that if you find a variety that does well in your area, they're pretty low-maintenance. They don't even need a lot of watering in most climates. In fact, we have a bunch of very old irises in a bed at the end of our (long) driveway, and I weed that bed about twice a year and water it approximately never, and they bloom quite happily anyway. They're great! Also, they smell like lemon cleaner, which really cracks me up. Your talk about elimination communication reminded me, I talked to my MIL about it when she was here, and she seemed incredulous . . . or at least surprised. I think it helped when I told her that I know two people that have had it work for them (well, one it worked for and one it's in the process of working for).
AFM: Already said most of it. Been pretty busy, working on the chicken coop again, starting (and ordering) seeds, still sleeping quite a bit but not as much. MIL did finally come here, and she was clearly happy about our being pregnant (well, happier than I expected - she's not all that excitable). She did have some less than stellar things to say about giving birth, breastfeeding, and babies, because she had a hard time with all three, but I did ask. I don't want just the nice stories, but she always takes it a little far, saying, "I don't really know why anyone does it!" When I pointed out that she chose to do it twice, she said, "Well, yes, the imperative is there, but still". She's funny. Anyway, I talked to my SIL about a week ago, and she told me that she and her DH have decided to TTC, but she's not telling anyone else. Her mom (my MIL) because she's not exactly got the "support" thing figured out, and her MIL because she will be all crazy excited and might make her DH change his mind. Sigh. Anyway, that's about the size of things here. Time for snack, then bed. Love to you, ladies!
Conceiving #1 in Our 30's April 2011 
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