Weekly chat for June 10! - Page 2 « Back to Group Discussions

[NewMumJoy]

I'm envious of you all w/the gardens!  We never planted anything since moving here last fall, but I should at least throw together some mixed herb pots on our back deck, as it's not too late....

Eleuthia - Good luck w/your appointments!

Boots - Good luck w/your consult next week.  And hopefully you can gain some clarity on your timeframe of returning/not returning to work, that's a tough decision to make - but you still have time to sort it out!

JustChanti - Wow, you have a lot set in motion for the upcoming weeks - good luck w/everything!  This will make for some great storytelling to your kids someday!

LeAnn - Happy Anniversary!!!

LilyTiger - Sounds like a great baby shower you had!  Enjoy all the the new gear and adorable little baby things you've received!

ItHappened - Glad to hear the twins are doing well and hooray for scoring the stroller and car seats!!  Sounds like you're still on a tear in the kitchen - you go girl!!

LizBiz - I'd be up all night too, wondering about a big move like that!  So sorry to hear you got food poisoning, I can't imagine how extra miserable that would be at this late stage of pregnancy - hope you're all recovered from that by now.

AFM  - I'm also getting anxious for this baby to arrive.  I've had A LOT of free/alone time to myself these past 8 months and I'm ready to pour my soul & energy into this LO!!!  And I'm still not too worried about labor/birth itself (perhaps it's my rookie ignorance), however I do have some major worries about the postpartum days...and like, the rest of my life beyond that!  Pondering the big picture, my brain is left w/no room to worry about a few long hours of labor.....

We have our birthing class this week.  Since DH travels so often, we were unable to take any of the multi-day/week/weekend classes - so we had to sign up for a private 4 hr session at our home.  I'm disappointed that we won't get to meet w/other couples during a group class and feel like we're getting gipped since 12+hrs of material will be condensed into 4hrs for us.  I have a checkup on Friday, and DH will finally be around to join me and meet my doctor for the first time.  My checkups are still every 4wks (grrrrr) so I'll have LOTS of questions to catch up on w/doc this week.... :)

Oh, and it's Father's Day this weekend right??  Does anyone have special plans yet for their expectant Dads?  By some fluke DH will actually be home (with me!) this weekend (well, he actually leaves for Germany Sunday, but we can make Saturday count).... I have no idea what to do yet....

[Veritas Vitae]

Lily, that is so cool that your baby shower guests decorated onesies for the baby. Also, I've heard that pregnancies and births more closely align with your sisters as opposed to your mother.  In that case it is even more likely I will go late, which I am fine with from a financial perspective because I get two weeks paid off prior to my due date, then maternity doesn't start until the babies birth.  If I go late, it is like extra paid time off, which means I have more vacation I can take on the back-end to get me to extra paid holiday time off during Christmas/New Years holiday, which means I can have more time with baby before I need to start looking for a new job.

LizBiz, good luck with the upcoming news on the move, that is a lot to have to consider.

LeAnn, in the past I have not had a green thumb at all, even my cacti died, so I'm hoping that I am successful this time around.  My mother and father are both great gardeners and my dad is a botanist, so all of my projects start with a phone call to him, and then a couple more throughout the project.  I think I had four phone conversations with him, and some messages while planting my jasmine.  I'm also more willing to take a shot with a garden since my mom will be here in a couple of weeks and can guide me.  We always had a vegetable garden growing up and anything grown was always so much better than anything bought.  Congrats on your anniversary! 

Penny, your husband's comment about you not watching the movie cracked me up.  I could not watch that at all, but I don't even like seeing previews for scary movies...

Ithappened, I'm impressed with all of your freezer meal prep...I want to do a couple, I'd really like to do this delicious pumpkin walnut lasagna, but I guess I'd have to use canned pumpkin since they are out of season...other than that, I might just rely on my mom to cook.  She loves cooking for people as she still struggles with cooking for only herself.  And congrats on finding the strollers/car seats to use.

Poppy, that stinks you don't have A/C, we didn't have A/C or heat when I was in high school, and that was in Florida, it was horrible, I remember taking a lot of showers.

NewMum, sorry you don't have the chance to do a longer birthing class with other couples.  It was looking like B and I were going to need to do the same, since he has to travel a lot for work as well. Luckily at the last minute he got put on a local client.  Also, he already talked to HR and the POM (they do all the scheduling for engagements) and let them know that closer to the due date he would need to be on exclusively local clients.  All the same, the class should be informative.  And maybe you could look up some LLL meetings in your area that you could attend?

Father's Day plans:  I was bored a couple of weeks ago so I gave B his expectant father's gift early, an espresso maker with a card that said something along the lines of "you'll need this".  I got a really good deal on a machine off of Amazon.  B's parents will be visiting his maternal grandfather and family in NC, so they want us to come meet them for the weekend. That should be nice, I've met all of his paternal grandparents/aunts/uncles/cousins, but none of his extended maternal family.  Apparently, B takes after his maternal grandfather in looks and attitude, so this should be interesting.

[Ninetales]

 My mom's and my cycles are completely different.  She had three kids at all different gestational weeks.  I was an induction a few days early, my younger sister was within a few days of 40 weeks, and my youngest sister was about 41 weeks. 

Personally, I'm placing my bets on August 2, one day shy of 40 weeks.  Elsa was born just in time for me to miss the women's Figure Skating finals during the last Olympics, which is my favorite event.  In the summer, my favorite is women's gymnastics, and a local girl is very very likely to be a major contender for the all-around gold, which is something I definitely want to see, so I'm figuring the baby will come at a point to make me miss it.

[ithappened]

has anyone's older kids been especially difficult lately?

my 2.5yo has turned into a demanding OCD child who is constantly angry at me for anything... This morning he freaked out when I put his cereal in the orange bowl, he wanted the green then when i put it in the green bowl he ask for toast once I made toast he wanted the cereal in the red bowl but only if he got to put the milk in... I cannot win with this kid lately.

[poppylove]

Oh, I am so there with my almost 2 dd. Every...single....thing I tell her is a very snotty "nooo!"

This morning went like this;

Me: "You look beautiful in those pigtails today"

DD: "Noooo" Folds arms. Then throws herself on the ground. WTH is going on??? 

DH & I barely talk about baby (so different the second time around) so I know it is not because all I do is think about the upcoming to-do's. Maybe my general grumpiness? I dunno. 

Hugs to you Ithappened. 

[sallyrae17]

Originally Posted by ithappened 

has anyone's older kids been especially difficult lately?

my 2.5yo has turned into a demanding OCD child who is constantly angry at me for anything... This morning he freaked out when I put his cereal in the orange bowl, he wanted the green then when i put it in the green bowl he ask for toast once I made toast he wanted the cereal in the red bowl but only if he got to put the milk in... I cannot win with this kid lately.

That is classic 2 1/2 year old behavior. I thankfully already went through that. I'm now at the very demanding three year old stage. I don't miss 2 1/2. It gets better, though! 

[ithappened]

yeah things have been really rough between my DH and I lately - and DS attitude and high high demanding sudden needs has made it that much tougher.. is it terrible I'm looking forward to birth just to get 4-5 nights in the hospital 'alone'
 

[LilyTiger]

ithappened and poppylove, I'm so sorry your little ones are such handfuls now.  I really couldn't imagine going through pregnancy with a little one running around.  I've managed to stay so selfishly focused on this pregnancy.  I really feel for you.  And no, ithappened, no one would blame you in the slightest for wanting a few days of peaceful escape with your newest additions!  (Well, maybe not super peaceful).

For those of you who are musically inclined, my friend posted the song she wrote for our shower on YouTube.  If anyone needs a little pick me up, this makes me cry every time I hear it.  Ignore the dogs running around and barking and being ridiculous. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv3zZDX5s_A&feature=share

[poppylove]

LilyTiger, I am bawling!!! Soooo cute! Wonderful to see you and your happy DH. 

Ithappened: Nope, I think it is completely reasonable to be looking very forward to your days of rest!

[ilovetchotchkes]

OH EM EFF GEE!!!! 


Midwife appointment today. Once again, freaked out about baby's position. I happened to be in the exam room that the ultrasound machine was in. My MW said "ok, will it make you feel any better if we check and she's head down?" 

UHH YEAH!?!?!?


She switched it on. LO AND BEHOLD. Baby butt up in my ribs. Her butt is one BONY butt too because I could have SWORN that boniness was a head. nope, Feet wiggling too!!! 

I seriously BAWLED in relief. BAWLED, holding on to the poor woman like the was a life preserver. 

[LilyTiger]

Congrats, Tchotchkes!  Hopefully this takes a load off and you can enjoy what's left of the pregnancy!  Awesome news.

[sallyrae17]

Tchotchkes - YAY! I'm so happy for you!!! It's so reassuring to have your babe finally turn head down! Hopefully the rest of the pregnancy is smooth sailing for you!

[eleuthia]

yay, tchotchkes! 

i had my ultrasound & perinatal consult today. baby is measuring on track & the weight estimate is 4lbs+. my fibroid is unchanged. the perinatologist thinks my bleeding is from my polyp. this is all good. 

the not-so-good is that i have a succenturiate placenta & a probable velamentous cord insertion. basically my placenta is anterior and has a smaller extra lobe on the posterior side that is separated by membrane with unprotected fetal vessels & that's also where it looks like the cord inserts. it's at the top of my uterus, which is the best place for it to be. if it was by my cervix, it would be vasa previa, which is pretty dangerous (often means a csection at 35 weeks if it's detected). there is still a danger of vessels rupturing during labor, which would be really bad (the baby can bleed out really quickly), but the doctor made it seem that was unlikely. the other potential issue would be retained placenta (the lobes can separate so the main part is delivered but the smaller one stays behind) which could lead to hemorrhage. the doctor said he'd recommend being in the hospital (rather than the the birth center) with continuous monitoring since the baby could go into distress really quickly. he admitted he's a "hospital guy" since he only deals with high-risk births, but he did talk through a few of my options (birth center w/ continuous monitoring if emergency transfer would be quick enough, going to the hospital where my midwives have privileges, or going to the hospital closest to home). i am not sure if this will automatically risk me out of the birth center - i'll have to wait til my next appointment in 2 weeks unless they call first or i call them, but i spent the evening reading things and i'm kind of freaked out & i don't know if i want to risk an out-of-hospital birth. at the moment, i wish i could go live in the hospital just in case. i'm going to panic every time i have bleeding and i'm going to bleed again from the polyp so i'm basically anticipating living in anxiety til he's here. 

[NewMumJoy]

ItHappened - so sorry you're having such a rough time at home.  At this point I'M excited for you to be getting a few nights "off" at the hospital!!  Hang in there mama..... *hugs*

LilyTiger - omg, that was beautiful!  How special that was.... thanks for sharing that w/us!

tchotchkes - hoooray!!!  That's awesome news!!!

Eleuthia - fortunately baby is fine, but wow it sounds like quite a big deal going on w/your placenta. Sorry that you now have this to worry about, on top of the other concerns that you already had.  Was this discovered via ultrasound?  Although I'm sure it'll be keeping you up at night, at least you're now aware of this condition and can adjust your game plan to ensure the safest birth possible.  Is the hospital very far from your birth center (in the event of a transfer)?  Perhaps having your midwife deliver at the hospital would be a good compromise - although you'll miss the nice atmosphere of the birth center, she'd still be handling your birth and the extra doctors would be on hand if any additional support were needed....

[Veritas Vitae]

LilyTiger, that was beautiful!  What amazing friends.  I had a wonderful and fun group like that in FL.

Ithappened, enjoy the "free" time in the hospital, regardless of C-section or vaginal birth, it certainly sounds like you could use it.

Chotchkes, YAYYYY!  You have a head down baby!!!!!

Eleuthia, I'm so sorry you have so much going on.  The important thing is that the baby is healthy.  It sounds like you can speak with your doctor and midwife and make the plans that you will feel most comfortable with given the situation.  Even if the doctor you spoke to is more hospital-centric, he is, it seems, at least willing to make the situation the most comfortable for you, i.e. having your midwife present, or if she is with a hospital, going with that hospital: but most importantly, he seems willing to work with you. 

[Lizbiz]

Hey Y'all, 

Just finished a 13-hour workday here :) and still have another hour or so of work at home before I can call it quits for a few hours of sleep.  Just wanted to check in and say hello - Eleuthia - so sorry about the placenta issues.  I'll be keeping you and babe in my prayers - that all goes simply and smoothly and that you are peaceful with wherever the birth is.  I think I might be more comfortable in a hospital in that case too.  Chotckes - great great news about baby's position :).  Very happy for you.  

As for little ones being a handful - my sweet 2 1/2 year old woke up at 11:30pm last night with croup!  My husband took her to the ER and she got a steroid shot to help open up her airways and she's doing much better now - but it will be a sick week or so for her ;(, poor little gal.  Thank God my husband took on that duty - because I hadn't slept the night before and work is (just a little) busy.  But now he, poor guy, has an awful awful cold (probably same croup-causing virus).  My son is starting to hack, so we'll see if he comes down with the same. I'm hoping I somehow have a protective force field around me - it would be tough to have that cold this week.  We're hanging in there, but oh man, next week can't come soon enough!  

Still no news on the move or no move back to the US - maybe tomorrow I'll have some!  I am hoping and just can't wait to hear.  

Enjoy the day everyone... :)

[LeAnn A Doula]

Hugs to you, ithappened! I don't have a toddler but a few of my friends have had luck w allowing their tots to choose A or B (one time and defined by you) and then allowing them to do as much as they can for themselves. Pretty much montessori stuff. Having everything accessible to them but also communicating that they must also be responsible and clean up/put things away. And routine is HUGE! A place to eat, a place to play, etc. Just a few things that I know have been really helpful for them. They still have melt downs, obviously, just not as many and not as extreme and the LO's are so proud to be able to do things for themselves. I hope home gets more peaceful for you soon!

Lily -  That was awesome! Thank you for sharing. It made me miss my girls in Mpls so much! You and your DH look so happy! :)

Chotchkes - Yay! I'm happy you were able to get the reassurance you needed. Now you get to rub that baby butt for a couple months! I think that's what I have going on here, too. Baby butt on the rt side, feet and knees on the lft - except when she decides to curl up then its ALL on the rt side, oof!

Eleuthia - I'm glad all's well for you and baby at this point. Would it help to go and talk things over w your MW sooner? You have time but i know I feel better when I have a plan. Sounds like your Perinatologist is great. It's nice that he's aware of his bias and respectful of your choices. Sounds like you have a great team to support you and LO through this delivery.

Lizbiz - 13+ hrs and sick babies!? I would be falling over at this point.   So sorry that your LO is so sick. I hope your household gets healthy fast. Fingers crossed that you get news about your move sooner than later!

We should be getting our hard orders any day now (maybe today!). Which means the hunting can begin! Whew. I'm just praying that it all goes as smoothly as possible. Yesterday was my first day monitoring my glucose levels. Can I just say I HATE anything that makes me feel like a 'patient'. Ugh. Hopefully my levels will be fine and rule out GD, so I can stop fixating on my diet. It just makes me not want to eat when I have to pick apart every meal. Sorry about the whine, I couldn't help myself. Off to scope out the Norfolk housing situation. Happy Wednesday!!

[andaluza]

Mmm, blueberries! That sounds like a great thing to plant Penny!

Boots, I am sorry about the unexpected gene issue, but hope that things turn out ok, since it seems as though things have been going along fine. As you know, dh and I are dealing with uncertainty about how he's going to deal with the beginning of the school year. They also have him changing classrooms, but said he could come in July to set up his classroom, which would be a relief if he has to miss the first few weeks.

Keuriweo, I only had to go to the perinatal clinic twice, but I also felt differently about their care than my ob, probably because my visits there made me feel connected to the baby (I could see him on the scans), whereas my ob only listens to his heartbeat. I hope the classes go well--it sounds like you have a great attitude!

Veritas: I love jasmine!! We have planted a ton, but some of them stopped flowering after we planted them, despite fertilizing. One small plant we still have in a pot is flowering now and it's divine. At dh's childhood home there is a huge amount of it growing up the side of the house and it's fabulous.

Justchianti, I hope the weeks in the empty apartment fly by! I have no experience flying or driving when so far along, and I know flying has risks, but I think I would be more inclined to fly to get the trip over with as quickly as possible.

LeAnn, congrats on the anniversary! I have committed to taking dh to see Promethius as part of Father's day, so I'm hoping the scene is not too terrifying. I think dh is more squeamish in those circumstances than I would be, but we'll see.

So glad you had an amazing shower, Lily! Looks like things are really coming together in your house and for baby prep. What a cute video.

Ithappened, glad to hear that the babes are measuring well and you are getting some meal prep done. I've been a little more tired lately, but I can only imagine how you feel with 2 and being further along.

Poppy, so glad you survived the week. Do you have a good fan to deal with the heat? Sometimes they can make a big difference.

Lizbiz, hope you have a great decision to make soon about where you live.

Newmum, I wouldn't worry too much about missing some hours from the childbirth class.  If it's anything like ours, the teacher repeated exercises in different classes and also elaborated on some things with lots of personal anecdotes, which were sometimes superfluous. Dh thought she could have been much more succinct at times. But she did help us to think through a lot of issues and plan how we could respond to a variety of situations with some confidence and authority. So glad you'll have some time with your dh this weekend!

Veritas, what a great gift for your dh! I also gave dh some of his gifts early (some meaningful onesies), but I still have some books and a date night planned.

Tchotchkes: I am so relieved for you! Hoping you're feeling calmer now.

Eleuthia, I hope that the placenta issue does not cause you any problems, but it is really fortunate that you have discovered it and can take steps to ensure you and the baby are as safe as possible. I was reading on the April ddc (I think) about someone who had the worst possible complication but they didn't know about it until after she gave birth and everything turned out perfectly.

AFM, I am feeling bigger and less comfortable this week. I can still do fine on my walks and can still get work done at home with my legs up (thank goodness), but the belly seems to be going through a more uncomfortable stage. After some stress last night after talking to my mom (see houseguests thread), the upper right side of my belly was sore, which was so weird. Yesterday I found the heartbeat with the fetoscope on the lower left side for the first time ever, which made me happy since it means he has space to face my back (I was worried the placenta was somehow impeding that position). The heartbeat was back to the right front this morning. I could be wrong about the positions, of course!  

Have a great Wednesday, everyone.

[poppylove]

Tchotchkes: So happy there is a baby rump in your ribs!! Great news, that hopefully brought you some peace. 

Andaluza: My belly is uncomfortable too. I remember thinking last night how impatient I was feeling from the discomfort. It just came overnight. Sigh, two more months (well for me) Fun heartbeat finding. I want a fetoscope.

Eleuthia: Thinking of you. What an interesting set of diagnostics. Makes me a slight bit nervous about never having an ultrasound. Medical tech can be so vital under circumstances. 

Leann: How are you measuring? With a little monitor? That's what I did too. It was not fun. But, I totally trusted the info and felt confident I didn't have GD. 

Lizbiz: Sorry about baby girl. I am glad the shot helped. Hopefully she will be feeling better soon. And dh for that matter. Good luck on the big news. 

Making some zucchini bread today. Our csa had so much zucchini that I am tired of it. Recipe makes two loaves, so hopefully I can save one. I also have an appt with my midwife today. Looking forward to it.

Have a good day everyone. 

[lakeruby]

poppylove-- any particular zucchini bread recipe you love?  we have a HUGE bag of it that is really intimidating me right now :)