Queer and Pregnant: October, November and December - Page 28

[prettyisa]

AHope—those woolies you won are SO cute! I can’t wait to see pics of L squirming around in them! Maybe you should get her a little leather motorcycle jacket to complete the look?

Seraf—I think the cake balls are pretty easy to make—and they do taste good! Do chocolate cake, though, or something else with a flavor—the white cake was kind of overpoweringly sweet. (not unlike your little guy, come to think of it. Though we can take it where he’s concerned!). Sorry A’s having a tough time—at least she’s expressing it, though, I guess. Easier to help find ways to make her feel involved than if she just got quiet or angry, right?

Library—we got an advent calendar that used to belong to DP’s grandma—SO HAPPY! I’ve been missing the one I had as a child for years now, but never got around to actually, you know, purchasing one. I keep getting the crappy chocolate kind and being disappointed that the illustrations aren’t as magical as I remember from the paper version. I can’t wait for Thursday to see what’s behind the little door!

AFM—doctor breakup went well! She used to work for the other hospital (we think it was just too routine and boring for her, so she switched to a more cutting-edge teaching place instead) so had lots of comments about it. And admitted that her wife HATED the birth experience they had where she’s working now. But since we’ve known her for 3 or 4 years now, she gave us her personal email address and seemed open to attending local queer mama events (she’s got a pair of 7 month olds), so maybe we’ll get to be friends. She did say she was sad she’ll miss the birth but we told her that since she lives near our new hospital we’d just invite her over if she really wants to come. I doubt it’ll happen, but what the hell? What’s another person in the room, right?
Oh, her parting doctorly care of me is that I am dehydrated, so DP (feeling vindicated, since she’s been saying that for weeks) took me to the nearest truck stop and got me a plastic 44oz beverage container that I am to drink from all day, every day from now on. It’s hard drinking this much water.

[LibraryLady]

Morning All~  Rough evening with Alice, who cried and didn't want to go to sleep. Then DP and I had a fuss with each other because I got frustrated with Alice's fuss. DP says I'm too negative and that Alice isn't really a fussy baby. I agree I can be negative, but Alice does fuss, so who knows?  Now I'm tired, but have a busy day. Fun.

Seraf~ Yes, trees. Like advent calendars. And outfits. And traditional meals. DP is a Christmas Freak and the celebration is a month long 'round these parts.  Whew.  Thanks for the pull-up/crawling tip. I'm ready for Alice's great leap forward-- she seems to have stalled. Though I think she is talking in her own way. I think she says "cat" and "Iggy" (the name of one of our cats).   I still wouldn't put it past her to go straight to running.  Love the photos!!!

AHope~ Your woolies sound amazing!!! I want some of those~ I think they'd be great for our drafty house!  I might have to try the old sweater trick...

Isa~  I'm so glad your breakup went well. Things like that can be so nervewracking, so I'm glad it was smooth. I'm sorry also about the dehydration, and yes it is so hard to drink that much water, but I have found that the kind of cup you got does help. Having a straw helps too. It seems easier to drink  a lot with a straw.

AFM~ Not much.  A few years ago at my friends' behest, I got ordained on the internets so I could perform their marriage ceremony. They gave my name to some friends of theirs, so tonight I'm going to rehearse and Thursday night I'm going to marry them too. Easy extra money! And always the amusing irony of being able to marry people, but not get married myself. Fun. 

Hope all is well. It's been quiet around here!!!!

[qmama42]

Hello all, you were one click away from getting a lengthy post from me yesterday until it was eaten. Argh. By that point, I was too tired to do it all over again, so here I am now. I’ll be 29 weeks tomorrow (woohoo!) and I feel huge. I had my 1hr GTT and blood count last week. Dr called me yesterday morning and told me that I was anemic and should start iron supplements right away. I guess that would explain the shortness of breath and overwhelming exhaustion, even after a relaxing four-day weekend. I went to new seasons yesterday and picked some up and I already feel better. Glucose test was normal.

Thanksgiving was good. We spent the day with friends and had some amazing food. At least I think it was amazing. These days I can only eat a toddler-sized portion and even then I still  feel sick afterwards.

Isa—Sounds like your break-up went well. And how cool that she might still be able to attend your birth! The good thing about the break-up is that now you can be friends. About the water—yuck. I am such a bad water drinker and it’s all I can do to choke a glass down during the day, so I totally feel you on that one.

Seraf—What great pictures of your family! I really should drag my camera out more often. I’m sorry that A is having such a rough time. It’s heartbreaking to see our little ones having a hard time adjusting. I hope this is just a short phase that she’s going through and that she’ll settle back in and find her place. And yes, I’m waiting to see Sara’s belly pic!

Library—I’m sorry to hear that you had a rough night with Alice. May you make it through the day without being too tired. Btw, I loved the picture of Alice in the roasting pan! How adorable…

OMOM—Loved the u/s pic! Totally fun and creative! How are you feeling?

KS—How are you feeling? I’m so sorry that the m/s has been so brutal. And being sick on top of that is miserable. I’ve been following your blog for updates too! I hope the m/s starts to wane soon and that you can reach a point where pregnancy is actually enjoyable.

Ahope—Sorry to hear about the argument on Thanksgiving. The holidays can be so hard that way. I’m hoping that the dust has settled some though. It sounds like you are finding a groove with Lilah. It’s so fun when babies start to become more interactive!

I know I’m missing others, so hello to all! Gotta get back to work…

[AmandaHope]

Qmama: Congrats on good glucose test results and on 29 weeks!  Glad that the iron supplements are already helping you feel better.  That must be a relief.  And yes, I guess I am feeling more in my groove with Lilah.  She's still not into a predictable routine (naps most of the day one day, hardly at all the next, bed at 8pm one night, 11pm the next, etc.), but I'm just less stressed by the variation and extra thankful for my time with her now that I'm out of the house a few days/week because of work.   What are your post-baby work plans?  Remind us what kind of work you do again?

Library: I had one of those nights with Lilah on Sat. night. She just would NOT go to sleep!  She nursed, squirmed, squealed, fussed, smiled, and nursed some more, but  no sleep.  I wondered whether the two glasses of wine and cup of coffee I had with our T-day dinner was the problem.  That's certainly more alcohol and caffeine than I usually have, so I'm not going to indulge like that again any time soon.  Anyway, last night, Lilah was asleep at 8:30pm and actually stayed asleep until I came to bed at 11pm and then slept reasonably well all night (with a few quick nursing breaks). I hope you get a good night tonight.  As for negativity, I often feel too negative, and I sometimes feel that way about DP, too.  It is really hard to maintain a positive outlook if that just isn't your usual way of seeing things.  I'm trying to fake it a bit in hopes that I'll feel it more often on my own.  It isn't easy. 

Isa: Ooh--another queer mama family!  Exciting!  Should I invite them on the 18th, or is that too weird for you?  Speaking of weird dynamics, my rabbi is coming with her partner and twin 15-month-old boys.  I really like her, but it is funny that she is my rabbi.  I guess building queer mama community IRL requires crossing some social boundaries.

Mami: How's it going at home?  I so hope you can come on the 18th!  We'd love to meet your beautiful family (and you, of course).

As for my shopping spree last night, here are pics of the longies and also the fitted diapers that I got.  I got some nursing camis and an amber teething necklace, too.  The prices were all amazing (20-50% of retail), but I still feel guilty for overdoing it.  Now I'll have to get a few more covers for the fitted dipes, but then I will be DONE buying cloth diapers!  Done! 

[SwtRainbowBrite]

Mami: Welcome to the world LAYLA!!!! She is Beautiful!!!

Library: I just love that Thanksgiving pic of Alice! Sorry to hear that Alice was fussy  DP tells me not to be a "Negative Nancy" often so you are in good company  But I am happy to hear that you are feeling better! I too got ordained online a few years ago and it made my mom so livid because I was walking around calling myself a minister to irk her hehe! But the irony that I can get ordained and marry others, but can't legally get married (and it be recognized nation-wide) is a huge slap in the face indeed!

OMama: What an awesome ultrasound pic!

Seraf: I love the pics! S is getting so big and it looks like O & A are such great olders siblings to him! And yes I am impatiently waiting for Sara's belly pics!

Isa: I am happy to hear that your breakup went well! And I am so there with the water thing, DP is always barking "DRINK" to me and I just pout and sip my water she gets pretty frustrated with me LOL!

Qmama: I am happy to hear that everything went well with your testing and that the iron is helping with your energy!

Ahope: I love those longies they are so ROCKSTAR!

I know there are some that I missed, so

AFM: Once again I have to apologize for sucking at posting. I still feel like crap so it has been really hard to do much of anything. I am a little over 9 weeks and I can't believe that in less than a week I will be in the double digits!!! We have had several appointments with our RE and yesterday we had our 1st appt with our back up OB (we go to a Midwife for primary care, but in case the baby has any issues or I develop any during the pregnancy we wanted to make sure to have our Dreamteam of health care providers) they gave us an ultrasound and it was Amazing to see how much our little bean has grown!! s/he has little arms and legs and we got to see movement as well which was awesome it was like watching a Gummy Bear Dance LOL!! DP & I are so in LOVE! It is starting to sink in that this is really happening! We have told both of our mothers, our brothers, and I just sent my Dad a custmized bib because it is killing my mom to not talk to him about it LOL! Well I hope everyone had a Fabulous Thanksgiving! I promise to do better

Here is a pic of our bean/gummy bear

[smilingsara]

Rainbow: I love how funny you make breaking up seem! No one ever says "I am so glad to hear your break up went well". It cracked me up.

AmandaHope: Great longies! She is gonna look AWESOME in those! Can we see a picture of her cute self modeling them sometime, please?!

Qmama: 29 weeks already?! Holy moly!

Library: What a cute turkey you guys had this year! So tasty looking! Feeling better?! My ears are itching like crazy and still hurt. I don't think my meds are helping me so much.

isa: I didn't like drinking water much 2 years ago, but I gave it a try and now I like water almost more than I like a cold soda. It grew on me and hopefully it'll grow on you too! Have you tried putting a flavoring thing in it, like a drink mix to go thingy?! 

Indigo: How's your fam?! Getting close to time.

Starling: How are you up up north?! Any snow you can spare?!

OMOM: How about you ladies?! Still having fun hot cocoa dates?!

Escher: How's that boy doing?!

Mami: How's that beautiful little girl doing?! Did she like turkey day with the family?!

Adastra: How are you doing due date buddy?!

2ez: How's J?! Are his football games treating him well?! Cute facebook pictures!

Mizyellow: Wow that was hard to type your name! I REALLY hope we get to see you guys this weekend! Shay REALLY wants to meet Harrison! 

Dawn: How's the lovely miss raya?! Things at home going well?!

AFM: I gave shay his first bottle yesterday! He chugged it like a champ and then was super gassy afterwords. He and I are going to a birthcircle meeting tomorrow, to have some 'mommy and me' time. It should be good fun, its going to be 2.5 hours with driving but I think it will go oh so smoothly and if not, we will just leave early! He is getting HUGE! 11 lbs 9 ozs and about 24 inches long. He is doing great with the telling us he has to go potty and when he's hungry. What a chill little boy we have! The ecing is way easier than I thought it would be! 

Going home to cleveland was fun and seeing my little cousins (so not little anymore) was even more fun! I really missed them and they are all so excited to meet my family this summer! We are going up (Sara, Shay and I) next weekend for him to meet my whole cleveland family and some good friends at my old temple too! Then I leave for Israel on the 13th and I couldn't be more excited! I have everything together now and I cannot believe its in less than two weeks. 

I felt a flutter yesterday! I'm beyond thrilled and cannot wait to feel more! Here's a picture of Shay and I. He is 4 weeks today and I'm 17 weeks. Holy Cow!

 

and Shay's first bottle!

[seraf]

Isa, by the third trimester I was drinking 60-90 oz a day. Try half juice and half water. Much more palatable. Also, soup and jello count toward hydration. I have been thinking on the sock question. Around 3 weeks we started having a couple of brands that will stay on. I don't know what brands they are, tho. They have ribbing or balls around the ankles to help tho. 

Library, you know, I have talked about what a hard time I had with Ari, her mama doesn't remember her as fussy, either. A has had a little fussy fussy time a couple of nights this week. If she is only fussy in the evenings, and that's when you se her, you are going Isee her as fussier. 

Qmama, I take a lot of pictures on my phone and email them to photobucket. Then I copy and paste when I'm on a real computer. Boo for anemia, yay for feeling better, tho. 

AmandaHope, cute britches. 

Rainbow, 9 weeks! Time is flying!  What a cute little gummy bear. 

Sara, cute bump and cute parrot on your shoulder. 

[mami2mami]

Now that things have settled down in the house a bit I have some time to write our birth story. We were scheduled for a cervadil induction on Monday 11-21st and we were to start pitocin the following morning. Things actually started naturally on their own Sunday night. DP was up all night having contractions that were about 13 minutes apart and I was extremely excited that it began naturally. Monday morning we had an appt. and we were almost certain that the doc was going to send us directly over to labor and delivery. Surprisingly he let DP go back home until the scheduled induction later on that night. We came back home and did our best to relax and get ready for what was coming. We made it to the hospital at about 7:45 p.m. but they did not insert the cervadil until 9:50 p.m. Labor and delivery was full so we were put in an antepartum room for the night which didn't turn out so bad because I was allowed to lay in the empty bed next to DP. When they checked DP she was already 2 centimeters. The night was very long because DP was contracting the whole time. DP was already having a hard time getting around because she was having pains and of course because she had the IV pole to drag around. She was very thirsty and I was more than happy to be the one running back and forth to refill her ice and water. That was the least I can do! I felt bad that DP was laying there in so much pain and there was nothing I can do but offer water and help to the bathroom. After laying awake all night the nurse came in at around 7:15 a.m. and offered DP some pain med that would go through her IV, so that she can rest before having the pitocin started. Unfortunately for DP 20 minutes after the medicine was given they began to prepare her for the move to labor and delivery, she had no time to sleep off the medicine. As they wheeled DP to the other side of the hospital she looked back at me and told me that she was feeling very dizzy and she had to throw up. I informed the nurse who grabbed the nearest bowl for her to throw up in. By this time I was feeling extremely bad for DP. We made it to labor and delivery at about 8:30 a.m. The doctor came in and checked DP and she was 4 centimeters. The pitocin was started at about 9 a.m. and DP quickly felt the surge in her contractions. She was extremely exhausted by now because she hadn't really slept since Saturday night. We made the decision to have an epidural with the hopes that she can rest a little bit. While waiting for the anesthesiologist DP's water broke. The epidural was started at about 10:15 but DP had no relief because she kept telling me she felt pressure. When the nurse came back in and checked we were told that we were already at 7 centimeters. The nurse left and a few minutes later DP told me that there was another gush of fluid and she felt as if the baby was coming out. I couldn't believe how fast things were moving! I went out to get the nurse and when she checked DP was complete. I was so proud of her because she was taking it all like a champ! The doctor was called in and spent a total of 6 minutes in the room before our Layla was born at 10:56 a.m. I held DP's head while she was coached to push by the doctor. After the first push I was able to see our daughters' head. The doctor told DP to wait and push on the next contraction but DP was on a schedule of her own and told the doctor she was pushing now. 2 pushes more and the baby was out! I was the first to call out that we had a girl and I kissed DP on the forehead and through tears told her how beautiful she was. DP was sooo strong and I was amazed at how well she did delivering our precious bundle. As soon as the baby was assessed they handed her back to DP and she was able to feed her. I can not explain the level of respect I gained for DP as my partner after watching her push our daughter out. She gave me a gift that I will treasure for the rest of my life. Layla was perfect from the second I seen the tip of her head.

AFM: Things at home are pretty much back to normal with our other 2.  Layla is a very good baby! She came home 24 hours after she was born which gave us time to get ready for Thanksgiving. She is sleeping and eating well. Her favorite time to be up is between 3 and 5:30 a.m. Layla is officially 1 week old today and her cord finished falling off. She has her first visit witht he pediatrician tomorrow morning. We are a little worried about the ride there because it will take about an hour to get there. She has been outside twice already and has done well. DP is a little worried because she is breast feeding her and is not sure how to go about doing it in public. She does not want to pump because she tried it once and it left her nipples sore and scabbed. It still hurts her when the baby latches on. Any advice? We also want to thank all of you ladies for the support you have shown us throughout our pregnancy, it is greatly appreciated!

[AmandaHope]

Mami: Re bf-ing in public.  I like to wear either a nursing shirt or a nursing camisole under a shirt or sweater. The cami is great, because you can pull it down and pull up the shirt/sweater, and very little flesh shows.  It just takes some getting used to. I wouldn't bother pumping just to feed in public, especially if the pumping hurts.  She should make sure the breast shields on the pump aren't too small.  The sides of the nipple itself should NOT touch the inside of the shields.  If so, she needs bigger shields and should probably be measured by a lactation consultant to make sure she gets the right size.  So the breast feeding is going well otherwise?  I hope so!  Congrats on one week!  And thanks for sharing your beautiful birth story.

Sara: lookin' great!  I love that pic of you feeding S his bottle.  You look so bonded to one another, and your nose ring makes me nostalgic for mine (took it out about 6 years ago when I was on the academic job market and now feel too old to do it again).  Can't wait to hear about your trip to Israel--wow.  I'll be curious to hear about the politics of the trip (ie, what they tell you about Palestinian land claims, etc.). 

Rainbow: Congratulations on the scan!  What a relief to see your little gummy bear dancing around in there.  Sweet.

AFM: I just had a lovely time watching the "I Kissed A Girl" episode of Glee (with songs by Indigo Girls and KD Lang, among others) while Lilah nursed and snoozed in my arms.  DP fell asleep with Z, though, so I'll have to watch it again with her later. 

[justrose13]

rainbow, yay for dancin' gummy bears!!!

Sara, awesome pic of your DS and your belly!

AHope, I gotta start watching Glee...

Mami, re: BFing in public... I have one of thegot covers: https://www.uddercovers.com/cart I got mine free with a promo code, only paid like $8 for shipping... I believe that the promo code is "candie", well I think that code is for the free sling, which I also got free at the same time as the cover. I really like the cover! the sling, well, I think I ordered the wrong size.

[Mizyellow]

Mami:  Love your birth story! As far as breastfeeding in public, I just kinda do it. I can't figure out to do it covered so I just put the boob in his mouth and call it a day.  But I am an odd one with that stuff. i have no shame:)

Ahope: I have been trying to get baby H on a better sleep pattern. So I try to get him to ttake an hour nap in the morning, afternoon, and early evening. It doesn't always work but when it does he is a happier kid all around. He is totally breaking in a tooth right now, so he is a little grumpy in general. Are you loving 4 months as much as I am though? If I could keep him this way forever I totally would.

Sara: I LOVE that belly, you totally are looking preggo! I hope we can come out too, we are certainly going to try. I have  aworkshop in th emorning to lead and I am hoping it doesn't last forever! Are you feeling better these days?

Seraf: I love your pics, I am dealing with the same thing with Lennon wanting to spend all of his time with Ed these days. I know it is just because he gets all the attention at Eds (and spoiled) but it crushes my soul everytime he cries when his dad brings him home. I am sure it will get easier. I hope :)

Starling: How that booby feeding going? Are you done supplementing yet?

Library: Looks like we are all neg nancies around here. Chels calls me a pessimist, well maybe she is right. But I think you are fabulous. And you have the cutest red head EVER.

Qmama: 29 weeks? Jeez pregnancies pass so quickly when they are not yours! Belly pic?

Isa: Your posts make me laugh. I broke up with my Ob in the beginning of my pregnancy and switched to a midwife but I didn't call her and or tell her in person.  I just never called, texted and avoided her like the plague. I am so a college aged boy.

QOTD: I wanna hear stories of how your beautiful fam came to be. Like how you met DP and the blossoming of your love. Kids and how they were conceived. All that good warm fuzzy stuff. I could use some warmth on this chilly morning.

My baby is lying here yelling at me to be done typing. Jeez harrison I am trying to get caught up with my ladies. Ugh ;)

[prettyisa]

Sara—what’s really frustrating is that usually I LOVE water! It’s almost the only thing I drink! But for some reason it’s the only thing that really tastes gross now that I’m knocked up. I tried crystal light, but even half a packet is too sweet and makes it taste even more gross. I dragged a lime in to work with me today, so maybe I’ll get around to cutting that up and see if it’ll help… You guys are so cute! And I can’t believe your trip is almost here! You’re going to have such an awesome time!

Seraf—I’ll try it—I worry about having too much sugar, but maybe I need to get over it for the hydration part… Our friends had little socks with velcro around the ankles to keep them on that seemed to work well. Not sure what the brand was…

Mami—great birth story! For the breastfeeding—have you thought of getting a coverup of some kind? Or just a blanket? There are fancier ones that have a little wire that the mom doing the feeding can look down and see the baby through, even though no one walking by can see what they’re doing, if she’s worried about modesty issues.

Mizyellow—if we didn’t really like her and want to be friends we probably would have gone that route, but she was my regular doctor before switching practices, and we basically forced her to give us her new work info so we could follow her like little queer groupies. What can I say? She’s the only lesbian fertility specialist family practice doctor (who is also a lesbian) that I know!

Ahope—let’s just do it! I need to email her anyway, so I’ll just invite her—is that ok? I don’t know if it’ll be enough notice, but I think it’d be fun if they can make it. While I’m inviting people to your house, would you mind if I invite my mom and her wife? They are so ridiculously thrilled to be grammas that I think they’d about explode if they got to come over and dandle babies all afternoon. If not, no biggie!

Library—word. Straw is my new best buddy. And wedding officiating must be so fun! I wrote our ceremony and we’ve had two sets of friends ask to steal parts of it—sometimes I wonder if all the talking I do would translate well into officiating, but I’ve never been asked to try it out.

Qmama—glad they caught the anemia! I hope you’re feeling MUCH better in no time!

Brite! I love your little bear! And the dancing is fun, too—glad it’s all going well, and I hope you also feel better soon!

[justrose13]

isa, have you tried to add Emergen-C to your water? http://www.emergenc.com/ it's found in my grocery store with the vitamins. I had the same problem with water during parts of my pregnancy... I LOVE water normally! I drank a lot of vitamin water (mostly the zero cal stuff with stevia). good luck staying hydrated!

[seraf]

Mami, if your nipples are still sore and scabbed from pumping, I bet nursing is very uncomfortable. This was my third go round nursin. And I had a really hard time. Lots of pain with latching and nursing.  What helped with that were position changes to keep his jaws off the scabs, really focusing on getting a good latch and him not being starving. A couple of things to try, if you are engorged, hand express a little to make the breast soft for an easier latch. If one side is really sore feed on the other side first so L isn't in shark attack mode on the sore side. I personally think pumping takes all the convenience out if nursing. It's really hard to nurse discreetly in public when you're still having a hard time with the latch. I'm just now getting to the point where nursing in public. Practice makes perfect. What I do is either nurse in the sling so the edge covers the boob or I cover from about his ear down with a blanket. I have been using either a nursing camii under my shirt or a tube top or belly band to cover my tummy. I even tried to wear a tank with holes cut, but it was too hard to unhook the bra under the tank to nurse until I figured out to put he tank top under the bra. Basically everything is covered except the boob while I'm trying to latch. Then everything is covered. When I was struggling with his latch I would turn my back to the room or go in the bathroom just long enough to latch him on. Good luck and practice practice practice! Yellow, Sara and I met online. She as the third Sara(h) to message me that day. We talked for almost a month before I drove up to Pittsburgh for a date. We were planning to go to an art museum. I decided to go up early and check out some other museums I thought the kids might like but between the first and second museum I got lost and called her. We went for lunch and she got chicken fingers and I started second guessing th date, but it turned out pretty good. We dated long distance for over a year before she moved down here.  The kids conceptions were all different. But the last 2 conceptions stories aren't all that warm and fuzzy. Sara inseminated me and then had to leave the room to barf but she didn't pass out, so that was good. The last one we changed rooms so I didn't pour water over the jerks loudly smoking under our bedroom window. They both took, so that is a happy ending. One of the results is snoring and stinking like sour milk right now in my lap. He is so cute and getting fatter by the hour. 

[starling&diesel]

Hello all ... Just dropping in briefly while I procrastinate from an online course I'm doing to maintain my paramedic license.  Bah. 

Mami ... Your DP has a long breastfeeding career ahead of her and so my advice is to not start anything that you're not willing to do for the duration of breastfeeding.  I can only speak for myself on this one; I got over any nerves or embarrassment and just did what I had to do, strange looks or comments be damned.  HOWEVER, I live in a very crunchy neighbourhood in a pretty crunchy city in a fairly crunchy province and a kinda crunchy country, so it's easy to brush off the odd offender.  I do encourage mamas to claim their space and right to nurse in public though. I've never used a cover, but those ones that Isa is talking about look pretty cool for those mamas wanting to cover up.  I'm with AmandaH ... I wear a cami tank top under a shirt.  Pull up, yank down, nothing shows.  Good luck!  And thank you for sharing your birth story!

Sara ... Love the pictures.  Makes me consider letting bottles into our lives.  I was so protective of the boob exclusivity with my firstborn, but I do feel more relaxed this time.  Not sure if I'm relaxed enough to bring on the bottles though.  It would be nice for dp to feed him though.  No snow yet!  We're in Lotusland though ... Vancouver sometimes doesn't get any snow, even when the rest of the country is blanketed.

Yellow ... Thanks for asking!  I'm supplementing a little bit still because he'd only gained 2.5oz when I checked after a week of no supp'ing.  I think my supply wanes late afternoon, because that's when he gets a little fussy and if I give him a 2oz top up with the Lact-Aid, he settles.  I'm basically following his lead.  If I give him any more than about 4-6oz a day, he gets super gassy and has a hard tummy and is miserable.  I'll find out next Monday what he weighs.

Isa ... Cold herbal tea!  That's all I could stomach during my pregnancy.  Raspberry mint, lemon, etc.  Yum yum.  And whenever you're ready, bring on the Red Raspberry Leaf tea.  I brewed that up and let it steep for a LONG time (overnight) and mixed it with sweet lemonade and drank it cold. 

Rainbow ... So glad to hear that all is well with your baby and you!  I love ultrasounds.  So reassuring.  Even if babies might not like them.  I swear, if I could've, I would've had a peek in there every other day!  I SO wanted a zipper down my belly so I could check in quickly whenever I wanted.  I think that would be the ultimate invention. 

AmandaH ... Those longies are so gosh darned cute!  I put H in wool longies every day.  We have about five that I rotate.  I don't lanolize them though, because he wears them over PUL covers on his dipes, so no need to.  He is so cozy and warm in them!  Can't wait to see a pic of L in those bad boys! 

Library ... Hello my fellow booklover and writer!  After I'm done this dang paramedic course, I'll be working on edits whilst standing and swaying and wearing baby H.  Not all that productive.  I still have your mss!  Someday!  Are you finding any time to write?

AFM:  All's good!  I'm an eternal optimist, which is why I've never thought either of my babies have been fussy or colicky or otherwise afflicted, nevermind the actuality.  I think my undying optimism is also why we skipped the Terrible Two's entirely, and why I was totally caught off guard by my (nearly) three-year-old's first real tantrum the other day.  It's all sunshine and puppy dogs at our house!  Seriously, we could be taken down a notch or two. 

Here's a sibling pic ... so hard to capture!  And other pic of the boy child, wearing some of the previously mentioned longies.  The ones in the pic are machine knit, which I don't like as much as the hand knit ones we have.  He's wearing them Madonna-style because they go up to his armpits, so I thought I'd put the wool against his skin and keep him cozy.  Also, I find if I put a onesie on over his dipes, they sometimes wick moisture in a nasty way.  I usually just put him in t's and pants, but I love the little tie dyed onesie and haven't gotten around to getting my sister to hack off the bottom and surge it.  That's what we do with the onesies we love.  Turn 'em into t's. 

Hello to everyone else who I didn't get to!  Must go back to my paramedic course and then onto editing.  Bah.  Must be productive while boy child sleeps and girl child is out at library storytime with dp. 

[prettyisa]

Wow—I love the rainbow onesie! Apparently my stepsister has taken to tie-dye, so who knows? Maybe I’ll get one for my very own someday!

QOTD—we met on craigslist. In the roommate section. I was living in what can only be described as a med student flophouse (they rotated in every three months and worked weird hours) with some creepy guy who had arranged dates for himself (three, plus a date auction, and was talking about taking up yoga to ‘meet the ladies’) for the day he moved to town. He also liked to leave the house unlocked, open, and empty. Not cool. My lovely DP posted the only intelligent ad for a roommate, and apparently I was the only one to respond with reasonably correct grammar. I moved in, she announced that she was looking into dating ladies, we talked ourselves silly, our other roommate rolled her eyes (since I was straight and DP was corrupting me), and three weeks later ‘hurricane’ Ernesto gave us a good excuse to splash in puddles, hop in the pool together and ‘watch a movie’, after which I moved my stuff into her room and we got a lovely Japanese exchange student to take my old room. There was a brief break there when I moved up to IL, but we missed each other so she opted to brave the cold for me. And since then it’s been a steady stream of me insisting that we do things (buy house, have wedding, make babies) and her good-naturedly going along with it.

[LibraryLady]

Hey all~ 

Sneaking a moment out of my book processing to say hello and look at all the fabby photos of everyone's adorable kids (and gummy bears!)

Mami~ Thank you for your amazing birth story. Wow! Our bodies are powerful things. And I agree about BFing in public:  just do it!  Drape a blanket over the baby, or just wear a loose shirt and pull it up. Nothing's going to show, and if anyone gives you weird looks or ugly comments, give them both barrels of your righteous wrath "Well, excuse me for giving my baby the very best start in life!"

Isa~ Straws. Mmmm.  Wedding officiating is fun, and a very unique experience. I've been to weddings, of course, but you're either a guest or a bridesmaid or something, but when you're the officiant people treat you with an odd kind of reverence, which would be appropriate I guess for a reverend, but for someone who bought their god cred off the internet makes me giggle. It's nice to give people a start in life, though. And the extra money never hurts.

Starling~ Nice to hear from you! Glad you're keeping busy (HA!) And glad you have a quiet moment to visit. I do get a moment here and there to write...I'm very excited about my current project, so that is really nice.  I'm still looking forward to hearing your thoughts if ever you have a moment, but I know how busy it gets fo sho!

MizYellow~ Selfish baby yelling at you while you're trying to type!!!  You'd think they'd give us a break once in a while, eh?

AHope~ We watched Glee too~ love that show!!! And Santana- yowza!! I'm allowed to express my extreme admiration for Santana since I came home and caught DP watching the Zooey Deschanel show on hulu      I think my favorite song of the night was 'Jolene.' 

Brite~ Great to see you and your gummy bear! I'm glad you're feeling ok. 

Seraf and Sara~ Love the photos!

Ok, time's running short, but I do have time for the QOTD:   When I met DP I had given up. I'd even gone on a couple of dates with a guy and I am a serious gold star, so you can tell how desperate I'd become.  I was living in London and on my own. It was Thanksgiving week, so I was extra pitiful, alone in the big city with no pumpkin pie to be had.  A friend of a friend called and asked me out on a date, and even though I knew we didn't have super chemistry, I agreed. We went to a club called the Battersea Barge, an actual barge at anchor on the Thames.  It was a mixed evening, gay and straight, and I sat and had a nice time with my date, chatting etc.  She said a friend of hers was going to join us, and pretty soon I saw this super cute girl come in. I thought "No way a girl that foxy is queer" but she came right over to our table and introduced herself and that was it. We both lived in West London and took the same tube home (Picadilly line) so we chatted all the way to my stop.  I asked for her number and she said "Oh, I never remember my cell phone. Give me your number and I"ll call you" I thought "I am getting the total brush off" but I gave her my number anyway and she called the next day and we've been together ever since. Eight years as of Monday. Awwwww.... 

[ad astra]

Smilingsara- you look great! thanks for asking I'm... hanging in there probably describes it best.  Doing ok physically other than the fatigue that does not seem to let up - I was really hoping to get some of my energy back in the 2nd tri but so far it has not happened.  I'm struggling with anxiety quite a bit hence the lack of posting (I don't think anybody would appreciate daily: "I'm scared out of my mind" post) - but I'm trying to keep up with reading the thread. We are having a ton of appointments and follow up... half of them exclusively for reassurance.  Your upcoming trip sounds amazing! Enjoy! 

[AmandaHope]

Ad Astra: I'm sorry to hear that your anxiety has been intense, although I can certainly understand why.  Remind me where you are in the second tri again?  Which testing have you done?  Do you feel reassured by your appointments and diagnostics?  Have you tried other anxiety management techniques such as prenatal yoga, meditation (maybe hypnobabies--the pregnancy affirmations CD is super positive and encouraging), acupuncture (works for some), even cognitive therapy?  I have a history of anxiety too (um...in case you couldn't tell from my posts ) and have found some relief in those techniques.  Prenatal yoga was especially good for pregnancy-related anxiety.  Hugs to you.  Please feel free to post even when you are feeling bad.

Starling: That pic of the two kids is PRECIOUS. 

I had to come home from work earlier than planned bc Lilah had a really rough afternoon (she ate in the morning but refused the bottle afterward, was super sensitive, crying hard and easily, etc.). She nursed for nearly 2 hours straight after I got back.  Oops--she woke up...more nursing to come, apparently.  Nighty night.

[onemommyonemama]

starling - how old is your DD? what month was she born? How are you finding life with two? I look at your pics and think - well first I think how freaken beautiful those kids are and second I think, whoa - this is us in a few months!!! Do tell... How is your DD handling things?

QOTD - DW and I met when (scandal) I was a camper and she was a counsellor at a high school social justice summer camp. Nothing happened those many first years. I wasn't even out then or aware of myself. But I was attracted to her without knowing it. It was four years later when I was half way through uni and she was in her masters program that she shared about her sexuality one night with me and some other counsellors (I had been working there 3 years). I asked her a tonne of questions. I had started to figure I was queer that year in uni :) and was wondering alot of things about how people live - especially about having families and such. That winter we went on a winter hiking trip (not recommended - we were climbing mountains and crap. I'm outdoorsy and athletic but that was just crazy. We summited once and it was so blizzardy it was the same view as the bottom :( I'm more of a summer hike up a mountain gal). ANyways we ended up hooking up on that mountain - so totally worth it. But we've never signed up to do it again :)

The next year I was living in West africa for the year and was bummed because we had really hit it off and I was totally ready to uhaul this woman into my life forever. She ended up finishing up a teaching contact and coming with. It was one hell of an intense year - and it was awesome. I don't recommend honeymooning in ghana where it is illegal to be queer and you are in a small village with no privacy and your hormones are so suppressed you become a zombie (that was me).

We moved back to Ontario after the year and moved in together. We got married in 2008 after I finished my degree. DP got pregnant that summer and our little one was born the following May. I have always wanted to carry, same with DW - so we always planned on switching it up if we could. We thought we'd have them closer, but we really had no idea how crazy parenting was - and we weren't ready (I don't think we are ready yet!) for another one. We will be though. as ready as you can be :)

personals later - :)