October 28th Weekly thread « Back to Group Discussions

[darkblue0729]

Hope all is well mamas, I have read what is going on with you all and am sending love, peace, and crunchy hugs to each of you! We are getting so close! 

[Mamabeakley]

So, Darkblue, I guess this means you made it home?

We are in the path of Sandy so DH is outside with the boys sweeping leaves off the roof, putting out sandbags, etc.  The building I work in had a major flood after Irene & Lee a little more than a year ago so everything there is up off the floor, sandbagged, taped, and the power is turned off to prevent electrical problems.  Hoping for the best, preparing for the worst.  Although we may have been a little overboard with the hype - DD told me she was worried this would be a flood that would kill all the people, especially me!  Whoops.  Tried to reassure her that no, if there's a flood it will be one that makes a big mess and is really annoying - but here where we live, it will NOT be killing her family members!

I had a horrible night last night with no stretches of sleeep longer than 1 hour or so.  Ended up on the couch sleeping kind of half-way sitting up with DD on the other end of it since she was also restless and would NOT let me take her back to bed where she belonged - every time I tried she yelled at me!  I hope the pressure system moving towards us will make tonight better!

Kaliki, I think if baby is moving well there is probably nothing to worry about.  Hope you can get some reassurance from your mw soon!

My little excitement is that DH managed to bring home the girl baby clothes from his cousin's wife that I've been waiting for.  My brother has the boy baby clothes.  So soon I will be able to go through everything and pull out a selection for whatever we end up with :-)!

[zebrachick83]

I felt awful this morning. I literally just wanted to sit in bed and knit all day. Unfortunately, I have work to do for the rest of this month, but after this week, I'll be truly slowing down and getting myself ready for baby. Dh moved some things around in our bedroom, so I can start bringing in her bassinet and clothes, so I'm glad about that. I have lots of diapers to wash! 

Hope everyone that's close enough to be affected by Sandy escapes the worst of the storm!

[darkblue0729]

Originally Posted by Mamabeakley 

So, Darkblue, I guess this means you made it home?

Yes! Got in laaaaaaate Friday/early Saturday (I posted a pic of me in the belly photos thingy) it was great to be back in good ol' Utah, lol...if only because it put 2700 miles between me and all that. The house is cleaned out, everything has been shipped to the appropriate relations, funeral arrangements are done-although I am NOT keeping her urn on my mantle like she directed in her will, I mean, WTF?!?! So yeah, nooooo thanks to that, and I donated all of the stuff that was left without specific directions, met with an agent and am putting the house on the market-my mother had some half siblings in Jamaica who would really benefit from any help they can get, so I met with a lawyer friend of ours and am setting things up so that if/when the house sells the proceeds can get sent straight to them....I never wanted anything from my mother except her love and she was unable to give me that, and I finally have some peace about it. 

mamabeakley- Sandy sounds crazy scary, I was glad to be getting out when I did, I'm so sorry that your DD is scared! Sending peaceful vibes your way!

Kaliki-I agree that steady movement is a good sign! All in all I hope that you are able to get some comforting answers and feel better soon!

Zebrachick-Sorry you aren't feeling well mama, it sounds like you are super prepared though, I hope you are able to settle in and relax until your little girl gets here!

[Harmony96]

Eeep! We change months in this week's thread!

In other news, I get to go sit at the Social Security office for who knows how long tomorrow, to try to get replacement cards for the kids. It's open enrollment for DH's health insurance, but the kids' current cards are packed up somewhere from the move, still. I thought for sure they were in one particular spot, and they weren't there, so DH and I quickly skimmed through a couple dozen boxes and came up empty. Yay, just how I wanted to spend a Monday. AND, the crazy office keeps "school hours" of just 9:00 to 3:30. What's the deal?

[zebrachick83]

Originally Posted by Harmony96 

Eeep! We change months in this week's thread!
In other news, I get to go sit at the Social Security office for who knows how long tomorrow, to try to get replacement cards for the kids. It's open enrollment for DH's health insurance, but the kids' current cards are packed up somewhere from the move, still. I thought for sure they were in one particular spot, and they weren't there, so DH and I quickly skimmed through a couple dozen boxes and came up empty. Yay, just how I wanted to spend a Monday. AND, the crazy office keeps "school hours" of just 9:00 to 3:30. What's the deal?

Oh blah. Monday at the SS office sounds truly dreadful. Sorry. 

OAN: It's open enrollment for our insurance next week...lol. 

[stegenrae]

Oh, I forgot to subscribe earlier. :/

Harmony, good luck tomorrow. Pack a lunch, k? ;) (I'm not kidding)

zebrachick, I'm sorry you're having such a low-energy day. Light at the end of the tunnel is nice, though. Just don't burn yourself out too much this week if you can help it.

darkblue, I hope I'm not prying, but what are your plans for your mom's ashes? I can't believe she would have the audacity to tell you what to do with them--how crazy. Glad you have all that space between you and that and that you got so much done so quickly. I hope the house sells quickly and for a good price so your relatives in Jamaica will get the most benefit from the sale. (what a wonderful idea!)

ETA--mamabeakley (and everyone else in the path of this big storm)--I hope its bark is worse than its bite, and all the forewarning and preparation minimize any potential losses. Take care of yourself and I hope you're not having to bail out anything in your house!

DH got a bee in his bonnet to figure out carseat configurations in a way to fit all 3 kids in the back of our '07 Prius, and he thinks he has it. DS1 may be a bit tilted, but only a little bit, so it'll have to work. We calculated what our increase gas cost would be if I were to switch to the van instead, and it was pretty outrageous. So unless this totally doesn't work out, we're good for a bit and may be able to move around other seats between kids and vehicles when DD outgrows the bucket to keep it that way. And if it doesn't work out, there's a chance we can get a newer style Prius Wagon since it has a flatter bench seat in the back. It's all a pita, really. 

In the complaint department...:cry: This heartburn/reflux is seriously driving me to tears. I think I've had a grand total of an hour total today that I haven't had the acidic contents of my stomach in my throat. I've taken 2 Pepcids and 3 Tums Ultras so far today alone. (I don't even want to try counting how many I had to take last night while I attempted to sleep sitting up in bed.) It's also crappy for my cough that now won't go away because of the esophageal burns from the reflux. What particularly sucks is that I can't take any of my vitamins or supplements (much less eat or drink), and it's probably making me feel even crappier.

[travelmumma]

Hi Mummas!

Happy new week!!! Crazy!!!!

Zebra- sitting and knitting sounds great!!! Lets just meet up and do that shall we lol!

Harmony- those halloween pics of you and your famiy are just tooo adorable!!! Baby bear and Goldilocks!! Eat them up lol!

DarkBlue- so glad you are home! I think that sounds like a very nice idea- to send the house money to your relations in Jamaica. It would do good by the sounds of it xxx

MamaBeakley- Let us know how everything is going with Sandy. (Feels weird to write that as its my name too!) We dont ahve hurracaines here like you do there so I just cant imagine how scary and stressful it is for you xxx

Someting I have been wondering about- Whats it like where you live? All of us I mean? I t sounds like we are fairly spread out! Utah, California, Australia, soon to be Wales!

I live in a town close to Melbourne in Victoria. Its actually known for being one of the coldest places in Australia lol!! Its a really groegous old town, lots of old historic buidlings etc which is lovely. And its just coming into summer now so everything is green and flowering :) Every afternoon smells like freshly cut grass and Barbeques :) Can you tell I love summer??

So whats it like where you live?

Things here are good. Baby is engaged (already!!!!) which sometimes hurts lol! If i sit down quickly, i find im sitting on a little head!!! I have my only uni exam today, its on politics and multiculturalism. Then i only have to hand in 4 assignments and Im done!

Baby shower this sunday afternoon which im *kinda* looking forward to... Had a run in with my sister the other day were she told me that she would not visit me/bub and would not let my niece and newphew visit (13 years and 16years old) until I was "done with all that homebirht mess".... Yowch... She is the one hosting it. As much as Id love to wear a gorgeous dress and be all "glowy pregnant woman" Im thinking of making a shirt that says "NO HORROR STORIES PLEASE! THE BABY IS LISTENING!" on it and wearing that instead!

We will just have to wait and see!

DH is away alllllllllll of this week, so expect to see me on here a LOT lol

much love to all!!!!

[travelmumma]

oh PS

count how many days it is until you are "due". It will FREAK YOU OUT!!!

(me to DH last night- "Hye baby.. my calender reckons its 54 days til our due date.. Shit, that cants be right! I'll count again..... SHIT its actually 53") LOL!!!!

[stegenrae]

Originally Posted by travelmumma 

oh PS

count how many days it is until you are "due". It will FREAK YOU OUT!!!

(me to DH last night- "Hye baby.. my calender reckons its 54 days til our due date.. Shit, that cants be right! I'll count again..... SHIT its actually 53") LOL!!!!

I have a ticker on my local forum, and it tells me I have 48 days. Which would be shocking, except I couldn't manage a simple math problem last week, and calculated a much lower number for a moment. :P

[darkblue0729]

Stegen- You're not prying at all mama, and honestly I don't know...I've thought about purchasing a small plot in Maypen (Jamaica) via an agent and sending her ashes to be buried there because it was her birthplace-I can't have them in my house....it is freaking me out, lol. DH is going to be taking them down to a safety deposit box on Monday for safe keeping until I get a permanent place sorted out. 

Travelmumma-Sorry about the negative vibes about homebirthing mama *hugs* your shirt idea is cute and hilarious :) and holy crap!?!?! 53 days until we're due? That's bananas!

[esp831]

Hi ladies!  I have a presentation tomorrow, but decided to catch up with you all before practicing :)

Darkblue-I'm so glad to see you're back home.  I'm terribly sorry for what you've been through in the last while, it sounds completely draining.  I'll be thinking about you mama.

Rae-thanks for starting the car seat thread.  Fitting two side by side car seats in the back of my Outback has been plaguing me with worry!  I'll post on that thread ASAP.  I'm so sorry about the heartburn.  I know it's tough, but whatever you can safely take to make yourself comfortable is going to be ok for you and the baby.  It sounds like torture :(  I hope it passes very soon. 

Mamabeakley-We'll be thinking of you...glad you and your family are prepared.  And so great that you have a good baby clothes stash!

Zebrachick-I feel you on the exhaustive days :(  Hope you're blessed by the energy fairy soon!

TM-I'm in rainy Seattle.  Things are quite cozy now, so it's a great time to be nesting and cooking up comfort food.  I spent time in Belltown today (where grunge music was born...Nirvana, Pearl Jam etc) and was reminded of how absolutely cool this city can be.

Harmony-I second the lunch advice.  Maybe a good book too?

And let's see...41 days until my due date, but 45 days until I think the babe will grace up with his sweet presence.

Cieloblue...I keep meaning to PM you regarding DH/doula stuff, I'll do that soon!!

Have a great week lovelies!

[Harmony96]

Well, I packed books for the kids and a Kindle for me and I got there about 15 minutes before the doors opened. There were about another 15 or so people there, and more came in line behind me. Before the doors opened, someone came out and they separated us into two lines, one for benefits and one for cards. While we were still outside, they gave us a number. The cards line went in first, and someone inside was directing us to different windows where we'd be helped. We were close enough to the front of the line that we were able to sit right down at a window (which was still closed, lol). But just a few minutes after 9:00, the window opened, yay. Sadly, I didn't have the proper documentation for the kids. The ssa.gov site said that a health insurance card would be okay, but then the guy at the window said that I needed to have something that had their name and their birthday, like a shot record or school record. So I didn't get to apply for their actual cards. But since they had numbers issued to them already, the guy WAS able to give me a printout that had their numbers on them, which will be totally fine for what I need it for, yay. All in all, I was only out of the house for about an hour, so that wasn't too bad at all. And hey, now most of lunch is already made, lol.

[phatchristy]

Stegen-sorry about all the physical woes...I'm right there with you.  I'm finding it extraordinarily difficult to sleep these days.  I was about 90% better with my illness and seemed to get better sleep for about a week or so but it seems like the last week has been super difficult getting comfortable.  Waking up all the time, flipping over and repositioning.  Then any noise seems to wake me up too.

Travelmumma- Don't listen to the crud and discouraging comments.  Sometimes I think they lay it on pretty hard, especially when you're a first time mom and planning a first homebirth.  Try to find some good stories of first time moms homebirthing if stuff starts getting to you.  I was one of them here too...some people would make really obnoxious comments,  They just don't know what they're talking about!  I've learned too that some people seem to take it personally when you are a natural birther as well.  Like your parenting choices are somehow an attack on theirs.  But, that's another story alltogether...sigh.  It always comes down to doing what you know is best...which is a powerful thing.  When they say knowledge is power when it comes to birthing and mothering it's really the truth!  :)  You've done the research and you're setting yourself and baby up for the best outcome possible.  

[cieloazul]

Hi, ladies :)

DarkBlue - Welcome home. What a thing to go through. It sounds like you've handled it with grace and ease. Wishing you more of the same as you sort out the last details.

Mamabeakley - Stay safe during the storm. A little bit of hunkering down and getting cozy is fun but this sounds intense. Thinking of you and all the East Coast mamas today.

Zebra - How are you feeling today? Better I hope. I'm right there with you on wanting to nest.

Stegen - The heartburn sounds so yucky. Hope it lets up. But you looked great in your halloween costume on the other thread!

TM - The countdown is unreal. I've been measuring it in terms of "I'm due in X days, and X days ago I was ___" Counting backwards like that, DS was already back to school X days ago. That seems like last week! I love hearing about where you and others live. Here it's crisp and colorful. Lots of leaves. We turned the clocks back this weekend so dusk comes even earlier now.

Esp - What you said about carseats in an Outback spooked me. We have a Subaru and another smaller car. Haven't tried the two seats yet, just assumed they'd fit. But are you putting them side-by-side? We were going to do one behind the driver and one behind the passenger, which I'm not thrilled with because then we can't fit anyone else in the car. Anyway, I thought you weren't supposed to put a carseat in the rear middle seat of a Subaru, or at least that's what I recall from our WRX and my Outback before we sold it. Guess I should pop into the carseat thread! And you're sweet to PM me; no rush.

Harmony - Yay for getting out of SS before lunch! 

AFM, This feels like the last week of "normal". Next week I have a MW appointment, a follow-up U/S to check my placenta (up high vibes, please!), and a birth class with DH. And it kind of continues like that through November, with lots of last minute baby stuff on the calendar, and then *BAM* it will be December. Is anyone else's baby still flipping around a lot? Mine has been spending more time LOA just from what I can tell of hiccups and kicks and stuff but she still flips about. I can't remember when DS found his spot and stayed there, but I'm getting to where I'd like DD to just get (head) down to business already. Plus as she gets bigger I'm a lot more comfortable when she's snuggled in tight.

[esp831]

Oh!  I also forgot to say thanks for all of the helpful suggestions on finding a doula who might barter or something of the like.  I go to school at Bastyr University, which is also the home of a school for midwifery and doula training.  I have reached out numerous times in the Bastyr community regarding doulas-in-training and so far only one has responded, and said she would take us on a sliding scale.  I'm going to expand my search to greater Seattle now, ask my midwife, and take a look around at the hospital where we will deliver.  If all else fails, I'm still hoping my best friend can get here.

Christy-I have resigned myself to being in the phase of pregnancy where all I need is a good night's sleep and just can't get comfortable!!  I realize it's crucial for you and recovery from this illness.  I assume you have tried all of the pillow tricks, CALM magnesium, good sleep practices etc.  I'm sorry I don't have anything else to offer except for strong sleepy vibes I'm sending your way.

Cielo-I posted in the car seat thread, sorry to have spooked you!  UP HIGH PLACENTA vibes coming your way!!

[chicajones]

darkblue, so glad you're back! It sounds like you're really moving in to the next stage of things and I love all the positivity you've got. :) It can feel so good to move past a crazy time like what you've been through and know that it's behind you. 

travelmumma, good luck with your last few Uni assignments! Your town in Australia sounds beautiful -- I love historic towns. We live in a pretty old town in Florida and love it. I'll certainly be sad to leave it, but we're also very excited about heading to Wales. Which, by the way, looks like we'll be headed that way in late February. We've made complete peace with it at this point, and are really enjoying the good things about staying for the birth (being around a supportive community/family, using my dear friend/midwife, being near family for the holidays). It will still be a bit crazy moving with a 6-8 week old, but I know we can do it. It's usually pretty warm here throughout the winter, but we've had some crazy cold temps today due to all the Sandy mess. I'm actually wearing a long sleeved shirt and boots! Crazy. Oh, and I'm with everyone else on hoping your family will stand down a bit on the homebirth negative comments. I thought MamaHarrison and MamaBeakly had some great thoughts on the other thread -- you are making wise, informed decisions for your family and if they have a problem with it, they can go talk to someone else. It does seem like the best way to diffuse situations like that is just to be positive and change the subject, but I know that doesn't always work with family. 

cieloazul, I know exactly what you mean about things getting non-normal really fast! I feel like as soon as November is here (which is, um, this week), all the holiday craziness will let loose, plus all of our last minute birth preparations. I'm trying to knock out everything Christmas-related before the end of November, but we'll see how well that works out. The good thing is, it should make the last month before birth go by pretty quickly, unlike if our babes were being born in, say, August. 

Harmony, glad everything worked out decently with the SS office. I get to go apply for Medicaid and WIC next week, which I'm both excited about (because I'll be able to get my midwife's fee covered and possibly see a chiropractor) and dreading (all the paperwork, ugh). I'm hoping it's not a super crazy process. Government offices always stress me out a bit. 

re: low energy/exhaustive days: I feel like they keep happening to me just often enough to be really annoying, but just when I think I'm going to lose it, I wake up the next day and actually feel pretty good. I've noticed that eating well helps a lot, and taking a walk outside when I'm feeling a little tired (rather than a nap) can give me a really nice boost. Isn't it funny how some nights you just can't sleep, and then others it's fine? I pretty much always wake up with sore legs/hips (even using my body pillow), but the quality of my sleep varies. Oh, and I have been doing pelvic rocking at night and in the mornings and I feel like it helps my back a ton.

AFM, I gained SIX pounds between Thursday and yesterday! Yikes! I know some of it is from little boy growing, but I also ate pretty terribly over the weekend (we had a Halloween party and were busy most of the weekend). I'm back on track today and already feeling so much better. I swear I can FEEL him getting bigger though, and just sort of rolling back and forth (but he is staying head down, I think, so yay for that). 

We signed a rental contract for a vacation condo rental -- I'm so glad we found a place. It's only a few blocks from the beach, and it feels homey (not gross chintzy wicker 80's beach decor). There's plenty of room in the living room for our birthing tub, and it has two bathrooms, both with tubs (not large, but still nice enough to relax in). And, guilty pleasure -- cable! We haven't had a tv for over two years and I have a feeling it will be really nice to have cable in the bedroom while I'm recovering. We'll move in December 1st, and be there until the end of January. I'll admit I'm slightly paranoid I'll go into early labor -- December 1st will be 36 weeks and 4 days, and I know it's totally possible I could go into labor before then. If that happens, I don't know what we'll do...I guess the birth center would be our backup option. I need to start getting all of my supplies together, though. Any suggestions on good places to get deals on homebirth supplies (like the hose, etc)? My midwife said the Dollar Store is pretty great for a lot of it. I'm just praying that he waits until 38 weeks to come -- that would be perfect, we'd be settled in, and then we'd even get to see family for Christmas. But I also know full well that he could decide to wait until 41 weeks...que sera sera. 

I'm also getting the urge to wash all of his little clothes, and diapers, but I'm trying not to do everything too soon. Although, according to my countdown app, his EDD is only 57 days away! Augh! 

[segolilymama]

Hi everyone!

darkblue - welcome back :) You missed the snow ;) How insane for your mom to say where you should put her ashes in your house... Coming from a family with a lot of disfunction, I can relate though- when my gma died over a year ago, I went down to TX for funeral stuff; sitting in the funeral place, we find that the next-to-most recent agreement signed by my grandmother was in one of her drunken rages. It essentially read 'just burn me and throw the ashes away, no service because no one cares anyway.' Fortunately in the last few years of her life, she was sober & made ammends with people, and had a slightly more sensitive plan. Though we were all surprised that it still included cremation. Anyway, we made some ammendments for what we all wanted. AS crass as it sounds, she wasn't going to be there, and none of us really wanted to listen to some of what she requested, which included a list being read of each of her daughters, the things they had done to disappoint her, and the one good thing each of them had done. It was lucky that I was the one to read it, and explained that they didn't need to hear it. I threw it away. Anyway,. sorry didn't mean to go off about myself, lol, the point is, I can relate hon.

chica - I was giggling when reading about your rental - do the owners know you are planning to have a baby there? For some reason I found the idea of that conversation very funny. I'm assuming it didn't come up in the agreement ;)

TM - I live in Utah, not far from darkblue actually, in a rural area of the Salt lake Valley. I get the best of both worlds, so to speak - I have 5 acres, and the city within a short drive. We had our first snowy days last week. Now it's cold, muddy, and cold... but I love the crisp fall air, carving pumpkins, making tea & cider, etc. the golden/red leaves are starting to fall. Oh, and I vote for wearing a pretty dress AND a sign with your phrase on it. Best of both worlds ;)

harmony - so glad the ss office went well. I hate those kinds of errands....

mamaB hope you all are dry & safe!

I'm grateful I only have to work at the school 2 days again this week (W&F). I seriously cannot hardly create enough energy to do desk work and make dinner. I've upped my B & iron intake, which has helped a tiny bit. not enough to feel good, just enough to not cry at the end of the day from exhaustion :(

[kel]

travelmumma - I'm in a little NW Montana ski town, about an hour south of the Canadian border.  It snowed here for about a week, but has switched to rain now and the leaves are falling and it's a bit warmer again.  Hard to say whether trick or treating will be in the snow or the rain this year - I'll be happy if it's just not freezing out!  The weather in NW Montana is similar to the pacific northwest, but we have a much higher elevation and get really snowy winters with lots of thaws and freezes. 

And I've got 68 days until my due date, but guessing baby will show up about 10 days past that.  We've been cleaning and re-decorating and organizing here like crazy - so if we're able to keep it up! I feel like this house is going to be pretty, cozy, ready and happy feeling for babe's arrival and hunkering down for the winter together. 

xox

[tropicana74]

Originally Posted by travelmumma 

So whats it like where you live?

Well, we are in PA so currently very rainy and supposed to get very windy. I think the whole state just declared a "state of emergency" since Hurricane Sandy is making her way across the area. Not too worried though...I think we are far enough away from the coast that the worst it will do is ruin Halloween for my kiddos. 

Chicajones, I can not tell you how happy I am about the plan that you guys worked out to be able to have a home birth. It sounds perfect! I am so glad you are going to get the birth you want.

Darkblue, so so happy you are back home with your babies. I LOVED the picture of you with them! Your story has me thinking a lot about my own estranged parents and  what an ordeal it could potentially be when their time comes....ugh. I am so sorry you had to deal with this while pregnant. 

Zebrachick, hopefully you are feeling better and finding the energy to make it through the last of your work before you can take time off.

AMF, according to the calendar I am 42 days from my due date (which probably means at least 50+) ! 

I had an appointment with the MW today. I told her I am a bit concerned that baby isn't head down yet since my others were head down waaaay sooner than this. She said if I was a FTM she would be concerned but when you have had multiple births she doesn't fret about it until 38 weeks (said we would talk Webster technique chiro and moxie sticks at our next appointment if we need to). So, this LO still have a month to do more gymnastics before I have to worry! Phew. 

DH and I celebrated our 12 year anniversary yesterday. Among other things we went to see a movie. I figure it is going to be a long time before we will be able to go anywhere by ourselves for a 3 hour stretch so it was a fun excuse to see a movie. We saw ARGO. Totally worth seeing IMO.

For my TO DO list: We have the co-sleeper set up, NB clothes and blankets washed, and birth supplies in a basket in the corner. I need to get the glider and foot stool out of storage still. I am still totally undecided about the diaper situation so I need to buy a package of NB disposables to have on hand just in case I need them before I have made an official decision. Ordered some Christmas presents for the kids online and now I just need to pick up some fun stocking stuffers (in our house santa just fills the stockings). Feeling pretty good about how much I have got done/need to get done in the next 42 days.