Queer & Pregnant & Parenting - April, May, June! - Page 14

[CrystalPerez]

Qmama- I can SO relate to your birth story! from the stay in the hospital before (iv liquids and countless trips to the bathrom, unplugging and plugging back in) they said I would be there a few weeks and I only lasted a day and a half before I gave birth. My little C was a few weeks earlier and weighed a few more oz than your lo, and mine took 2 weeks to get the feeding tube out. What a journey!!! Thank you for sharing it.

[carmen358]

I'm so relieved and happy for you and your DP, Brite

[seraf]

I have a silly question.

Is it possible to prevent a newborn from getting a bald spot on the back if his or her head? SB rubbed all his hair off in the back with his thrashing around. It's finally growing back in (but blonder) and I would like to prevent the bald spot with SD.

In other news last night was rough. I'm spoiled with a baby who normally gets up once a night. Last night he was up 6 times! Sara woke up with contractions but not all out labor repeatedly. A woke 4 times (bad dream, cold, pee, etc) and O even got up with a bad dream. Yesh.

[justrose13]

seraf: I, too, wondered avoiding the bald spot. it seems as though they'd have to lay down almost never... and, I'd have to say that sounds like a rough night. I hope you get some good sleep from now until the baby comes, you will need it! oh, and you asked what S has been talking about... I'm not really sure most of the time but he's sure knows!

[mami2mami]

Qmama- We loved your birth story and those lovely pictures of your lil girl. We are so happy everything turned out ok after having such a BIG scare. Thank you for sharing!

Wehrli- Loved the pics

Seraf- If you find the answer to the balding epidemic, please let us know. The same thing is going on with L, she has a thin strip of hair missing from the back part of her head. Sorry you guys had such a rough night and we hope you ladies get some rest before Soren makes his debut.

Sara-How are you feeling today? Did your belly drop any more?

Isa- How are you feeling lately? How's your babymoon? How are you ladies doing + one?

Crystal- How are things going at home?

[seraf]

Wehrli and Mami, I asked google and the only thing I could find was to put a piece of silk or satin everyplace baby goes. One in the carseat, one in the bouncer, one on the bed. I managed to keep Shay's away for a month or so by having him sleep on my arm. His main bald spot is in the back, despite the fact that he mostly sleeps on his side. I think did most of the damage in the carseat, really.

[smilingsara]

Mami, I may have dropped a bit more. I dunno I can't see much past my belly anymOre. Poor ari, I ran I ran over her like 4 times today.

[DesertSunsets]

Whew!  I just got back from a five day trip to Denver for a conference put on by the American Adoption Congress.  It was quite the experience!  They even had several workshops regarding donor-conceived individuals, and one was attended by Wendy and Ryan of the Donor Sibling Registry.  But more on that later - I'm totally beat but I've had it in my head all day that I wanted to post a picture of the painting I did of Wehrli's Silas.  

As you may recall, Wehrli posted this photo awhile back of S breastfeeding: 

I pm'ed her, because I was so taken by S's eyes and the way the photo was framed.  I asked for her permission to paint it, and now with her permission I'm sharing it with you all: 

I'm actually hoping to maybe bring in some more portraiture business and earn a little bit of extra money by doing something I love, so if anyone knows of somebody looking for very affordable portraits (or paintings of any photograph, really), please consider sending them my direction!  At this point, I'm asking $75 for a single-subject 11 x 14 on canvas.  The paintings are all acrylic.  

I will be back later to try to catch up on personals and update everyone on the new stuff going on here!  

P.S. We did get the Honda CR-V I wanted!  Yay!  

[AmandaHope]

Desert (and Wehrli): How beautiful! I love it!  The eyes really come through in the painting; what a unique and loving portrait.  Thank you both for sharing it. 

Sara: I saw on FB that you are feeling DONE with the pregnancy.  Hope your little guy accommodates as soon as he is ready ;-).  Hang in there. 

Qmama: Thanks for sharing your birth story.  As someone who is often skeptical of manufactured "emergencies" in childbirth, I was moved by the necessity of your little one's delivery and your bravery in the face of a really frightening set of possibilities.  Congrats on getting through it and best wishes as you continue to handle and process it.  That is a lot to handle.  I'm thrilled to hear that the transition to daycare is going well and that you feel confident in her safety and comfort when she isn't with you.  What a relief. How are you doing during this second week of work? 

Crystal: Still no hope of therapy?  Maybe just for you?  How is the sleeping going?

Hi to everyone else!

AFU: Up from 1:30-4am with (first) a happy wakeful baby and (second) with a throwing up all over my bed from too much snot and nursing baby and (third) with a mostly happy post-cleanup wakeful baby.  I feel like someone filled my head with sand.  Even on these tough days, though, I find I have so much more patience and less frustration than I did with Z.  I'm loving parenting a baby the second time around.  I'm handing of 180 oz of milk to my friend for her niece today. Lots of room in the basement freezer now! 
 

[smilingsara]

Its not that I'm done with the pregnancy, I'm just so stinkin ready to meet him!!!

[smilingsara]

or maybe I am done with it

[qmama42]

Thanks all for the lovely comments on my birth story. It was definitely intense and I am glad to have gotten through it. For a while, I wasn't quite sure that I was handling it very well in the aftermath. But I found some great support and over time things have really gotten better. I am barely three months removed from the experience and already I am mourning the fact that we are done with baby-making. I never thought I'd want more than two kids, but I already feel sad that we are done. I am already beginning to give away Baby S's newborn things--how did this go so fast?

As for day care, while I felt pretty good about it by the end of last week, we took two steps back when I realized on Friday night that S picked up Rotavirus (for those not in the know, it is a highly contagious bacteria that causes diarrhea and GI distress and is passed thru fecal-oral contact, contaminated hands, surfaces, etc). Needless to say, I was extremely unhappy and we ended up at the peds office on Saturday morning. Based on when she became symptomatic, we figured she picked it up either her first or second day there. Yuck. She is much better now and was happy as a clam this morning. Just the first thing in a long line of crap she'll be picking up over these next few years...sigh. The pediatrician was able to talk me down from the crazy ledge where I was about to pull her out of school, quit my job and file a lawsuit.

Ahope--Sorry about your rough night. I agree, I have so much more patience this second time around. It's really nice to have a lessened sense of anxiety/desperation around sleepness nights and all that. It has allowed me to just enjoy the experience of parenting so much more. Sending you vibes for a good night's sleep for you and L tonight. Kudos on the milk donation too! What a wonderful gift for your friend!

Desert--Wow! What an amazing painting! I may need to commission you when I can find the right photograph. You really captured him in the painting! Congrats on the CRV too! Did you get the 2012? I saw one on the road the other day and really liked the redesign, though the other model years are nice and roomy too. We looked at them too when we were on a vehicle search last fall but ended up getting a prius v.

Crystal--Hugs to you! I had forgotten that Cohen had gotten off to a rocky start too. It is so tough to endure all of that uncertainty at the beginning. The experience has made me so much more empathetic and I felt like I just scratched the surface of understanding what its like to be discharged from the hospital without your baby, having a lo in the nicu and having to just be patient.

How are things at home for you? Any progress?

Sara-- Sending you strength for these last days with Soren hanging out on the inside...

[glassesgirlnj]

Crystal and Qmama, you're both to be congratulated for the challenging births you experienced, and how well you managed them!

Seraf and AmandaHope, here's hoping you can get *some* sleep in the next few days...

Desert, you're right, that picture really does bring out Wehrli's child's eyes!  Beautiful!  (Desert, do you have an Etsy shop for your art?  Or have you been turned off by all the drama over there lately?)

As for us, we took Seraf's advice to give A some nakey time this weekend, on Chux, old sheets, mattress protectors, etc.  She spent a lot of that time rolling on her side and exploring her toes, and then when we diapered her again, and put her back in her Pack & Play, she used the wall to steady herself while she rolled over on her own!  Huzzah!  Thanks for the suggestion, Seraf!

So now she seems to prefer sleeping on her stomach, just like me. (We're not supposed to keep flipping her over to put her "back to sleep", are we?)

[smilingsara]

thanks qmama! you rock!

I'm 38 weeks tomorrow. 

My belly button looks weird (from what sara tells me. I surely cannot see it). It never popped out, but it feels like its all lumpy inside. 

We did a belly cast last night. That was very amusing! I still can't get all of the vasoline off of me. Its HUGE! I swear from what I see my belly isn't that large.

[AmandaHope]

Originally Posted by smilingsara 

thanks qmama! you rock!

I'm 38 weeks tomorrow. 

My belly button looks weird (from what sara tells me. I surely cannot see it). It never popped out, but it feels like its all lumpy inside. 

We did a belly cast last night. That was very amusing! I still can't get all of the vasoline off of me. Its HUGE! I swear from what I see my belly isn't that large.

I know!  We did a belly cast that is still hanging out under L's crib waiting to be plastered/glossed/finished/whatever.  And it is HUGE. Like I'm sure at least three babies could fit in it.  Maybe four. Makes me think twice about putting it on the wall--don't think there is space and not sure if my ego can handle it.  I swear I didn't feel that big when I was pregnant.  I never felt huge, really.  Weird.  Anyway, I'm glad you did it.  And your belly button will lose the lumps once the baby is out of there.  Enjoy these last days of pregnancy if you can... 

Trying to leave work to get home a bit early.  A reporter from a local paper (in our Republican county) is coming to take photos of our family for inclusion in an article about Mother's Day (or...Mothers' Day).  Funny to feel like the token lesbian mothers. But I suppose that's exactly what we are.  It's all good.

[carmen358]

Originally Posted by smilingsara 

or maybe I am done with it

Hang in there! At 39 and a half weeks I was telling my doula that I was going to be offered a "stretch and sweep" the next day at my midwife appointment and I wasn't sure if I should accept. She told me to remember that I would never be pregnant with this baby again and to keep that in mind when making a decision. It had a big impact on me and I decided not to do it....but I went into labour on my own the next day anyway ;) Enjoy the last (hard!) days of your pregnancy!!!

[smilingsara]

thanks guys! I'm trying to enjoy it! I'M JUST sooooo excited to meet the little guy!

[LibraryLady]

Morning all!  Sorry for the sporadic posts, but as you recall: crazy business.  DP's mom arrived Friday evening for a three week stay (all good, we like each other and it's nice to have someone else to babywrangle occasionally) DP defends her dissertation tomorrow (and then immediately afterwards, has to have office hours for her students who are turning in papers~ I told her that I'm sure they wouldn't mind having her advise them while drunk) and then the overwhelming process of packing continues.  All my kitty-sitting possibilities have fallen through, and now we're looking at finding a boarding cattery near Greenville for the time we'll be overseas. So expensive, and Iggy my Aspergers cat is going to have a nervous breakdown, but I'm not really seeing what else we can do at this point. It seems like every day something else gets added to the pile. 

Sara~ I'm going to have to second the emotion that no matter how heavy and  cranky and constantly kicked from within you feel now, this is your only time to have with this little bit in there and you'll miss it. I love having Ace on the outside to play with, but sometimes in bed I wish we were still 'together' and I could just lie there and know her and feel her wiggle around. 

AHope~ I just finished finishing my belly cast and it does look SO HUGE!!!!!!!!!  I held it up to my front and I just got lost in it. It does seem big enough to hold four babies (though I'm glad it didn't)  Also, 180 oz?!!  DANG GIRL!!!

Desert~ BEAUTIFUL portrait!!!  I know which pic of Alice I'd love to have you copy, so when you hang up your shingle, let me know! 

I'm missing people, sorry, but HELLO!!!!  And I'll leave you with a photo of my gal

[prettyisa]

Desert—I love the painting! (and Wehrli—good for you, making such an excellent subject to be painted!)

Sara—I’ll second what library said—I had a nice crying jag when we got E home from the hospital and I realized that she wouldn’t be kicking me as I fell asleep any more. Still makes me kind of sad to think about, actually.

Qmama—ugh. Sorry about the rotovirus. Not a way to inspire confidence, for sure. To make you feel better, I send you a picture of E, looking nervous about her first run-in with the dr’s office, but fabulously dressed thanks to you! Also, even though it’s a terrible picture of me, we stopped to meet some goats on our way home. She wasn’t too impressed with them, either, possibly because they had their, ‘is that a snack?’ faces on…






Ahope—oo! I want to see your feature story!

Library—it’s amazing how much she looks like you! I’m sorry about your poor kitties—how long will you be gone?

AFM—DP is heading out for a conference out of town today, which is causing mild anxiety over here. She’s sad to be leaving us for the next few days, and I’m scared of spending three days one on one with my mother, especially since my MIL has come and primed the pump for us to deal with our mother-daughter relationship issues. The ones we’ve been successfully avoiding for the last 15+ years or so. –sigh- I think we do need to talk about some stuff, but I hate confrontation. I’m also feeling a little guilty for E’s new case of baby acne, since I know it’s all my fault. Poor thing. She continues to be a doll-baby, though. Only cries when she has a reason to, wants us to sit up and pat her when she has hiccups, gazes around at things and is generally very sweet. We’ve been trying to leave the house with her more, but I get nervous…

[KSDoulaMama]

Isa- Ahh, mom guilt strikes already. I'm not sure what it is that is making you feel responsible for baby acne, but when I start to feel guilty, I always ask myself, "Did I do the best I could with the information and resources I had?" and in general the answer is yes. I'm going to assume (since you are such a thoughtful and loving mother) that the same is true for you. Also, baby E is so stinkin cute, I can't get over it! I love the outfit and I love her little face!!!