So this year I would have been able to file my taxes early...I have them all ready, but can't complete until the child tax credit forms come in. As of last month they were supposed to be ready 1/4, so I checked today and now they moved it back to 1/18! What a bummer.
I had that almost same conversation with my Dad on NYE. We were just sitting around talking at the table, and out of no where he asks "so which one of you is getting fixed after this?" Well...I didn't realize it was up for discussion! We have never implied or stated that this is most definitely our last baby. And I resent the fact that he doesn't think I would be an okay mom to more. It just seems like with baby #3 everyone feels the need to add their input in on how many kids we should be having. Three is not that big a number to me. DH and I both have 4 kids in our families. Each of our grandparents had 5. Anyone else having this problem with family?
We are only on baby #4 though this is my 11th pregnancy, and now we are getting the "another one?!?!" already because we are one of the very few people I know who just would love to have a big houseful of children...but also, I'm getting all sorts of opinions on why I shouldn't get pregnant anymore if I haven't been able to carry 7 of my 11 babies. So while I would hope that most would be really excited for us after what we've been through, instead it's turned into that. Ugh. I would think that my and DH's parenting would stand for SOMETHING...after all, we put so much more effort into it that most people we know (that sounds weird to say, but is a sad fact...we just feel like this is the most important thing we will do in life, so it's worth every effort we've got!!!), and we've been through a lot more "tough stuff" than most families our age. But apparently that doesn't contribute to our cause at all....
I just wanted to share a tip I've discovered for all the mamas trying to save money on baby stuff:
I've been buying baby boy clothes by the bag and box full on Kijiji (like Craig's List). I pick out just the things I actually like, and then re-list the lots for the same price. So, basically, free baby clothes! I'm SUPER picky about how I dress my kids, but I can't afford to buy everything new (especially since it's only gonna get barfed and pooped on anyway). This way I can focus on just buying the cutest things new (like a couple of going out in public outfits) and get things like sleepers for not a penny! :)
I even got four velcro swaddlers this way! And later I'm picking up a bag of clothes and the lady is throwing in a free vibrating seat. From somebody else I'm getting a My Brest Friend pillow in fantastic condition for $30 and an unused Baby K'tan for $20!!! Really good deals on those. The K'Tan is for DH (since my wrap is pink), and it might be too small. But I'm sure if it is, we can get at least $20 for it by re-listing it.
You gotta look for listings that are priced really well. A lot of people list things for too much, or for too much considering the condition the item is in. But if you can find somebody who's basically just listing it super cheap because they just want to clear out their house, you can get a great steal...maybe even make a profit.
UGH. So, does anybody remember that stupid kerfuffle I had trying to buy a diaper bag on ebay? The seller had promised to fix the problem...and never did. But because she took so long, Ebay refuses to escalate the case for me. >:(
So friggin' angry. It took so long because I was doing EXACTLY what ebay suggests (work out a resolution with the seller). And now they're basically telling me "tough luck." So now I'm working with my credit card company to do a charge back for me. The charge back won't cover the full cost of what I paid (since some of it came from PayPal funds I had in my account). And it will take 1-3 months to get the credit card refund. GAWD I am so hormonal and frustrated about this! I have been trying to get this resolved since October! And now I've got to go to even more hassle. I was hoping the CC company would have a speedier charge back process, so I can ORDER the replacement and have it here well before April. Now I'm going to have to hope the charge back goes through and risk another $130-165 + shipping if I want to get the bag I want.
I am amazed I have kept myself from crying so far...especially with how hormonal I've been lately. I was just trying to save a little money buying used and I ended up getting totally screwed.
Just poking my nose in to say hi! Tons going on here with my sick kids (pertussis). I am not sleeping more than 30-60 minutes at a time and so are they. Phew! The two girls are still having a really rough time but are slowly getting better. The rest of us are done or nearly done the prophylactic antibiotics, and we went in for shots today. My 2yo didn't even cry with his 5 shots...4yo was MAD though and told me, "I don't like pointy things!" LOL! My 13yo was nervous but did great. Hubby and I had the Tdap and flu vaccines and no reactions other than a sore arm and a little tired. Baby is still moving plenty. Flu has hit full force around here (both the A strain and also norovirus - a new strain of the nasty stomach virus that the shot obviously doesn't cover...I DO NOT want that!!!). Since we'll be lying low for awhile while the girls recover from their coughs (they aren't contagious now they've been on antibiotics but they need rest and I don't want to scare anyone either), it is an ideal time to get the shots and have the time to build antibodies before potentially exposing ourselves to something.
I have no qualms about getting everyone caught up on everything (except the chickenpox unless they don't catch it until they are older, and the Prevnar HPV one because it is so new). After going through this I feel the risk of them catching something just isn't worth it and it terrifies me to think that my in-utero baby's life could have been in danger if this had hit our house later than it did. The coughing girls will go in for theirs starting next month. I was nervous going in but it was really no big deal and all is well. I'm not living in fear anymore, of the shots or the diseases...giving it over to God and am very thankful everyone is okay and baby is protected and safe.
Hah! I was about to say the same thing! ...I wonder why this is! If only I was as tiny as you too!
Haha, I've started filing out, I should post another picture! I'm in LOVE with your bump, it's so cute and round!
OMG Mayday... I would be LIVID. He either didn't read your chart, mixed you up, or just made his opinions clear. All 3 inappropriate from a medical professional! I wouldn't go back, and I'd file a complaint. That's just.. yeah, no. You could be a 16 year old with 3 babies and pregnant with twins and it is NOT up to the OB to bring up sterilization(IMO). UGH UGH!
Oh....EXHAUSTION!! Anyone else? I can't sit anywhere for more than 5 minutes at a time without falling asleep! I know we already discussed how some of us have less energy in the 2nd tri than any other time, but man this gets old. I hate being too tired to exercise, or too tired to clean the house, or gosh...too tired to get up and make my kids a sandwich without feeling like I'm having teeth pulled. LOL
But the thing is, if I nap during the day, even for a few minutes...I have the potential to stay up ALL.NIGHT.LONG. I'm still tired, mind you, but that tiny bit of sleep (can't call it "extra" since I'm definitely lacking) combined with the pregnancy insomnia I get with night wakings...well...yeah. They don't work well together. Scratch that...they work TOO well together.
SO ME! I get tired no matter what, I could be busy, busy, busy or just watching TV and I'm completely wiped out within an hour of being awake. I was tired with my other pregnancies pretty much throughout, but not like this. This feels like 1st trimester sleepies or the very last week exhaustion. SO over it lol
Hey everyone, I'm due on the 7th. I can NOT wait, I've had horrific all day sickness this entire pregnancy, including now. Anyone else, and does anything help. doc wrote me zofran, I'm wearing seabands. I'm SO ready for april to get here already!!!!
I don't necessarily feel DRAINED tired, but I've need a lot more sleep than usual as we approach the third tri. The last month or so I've been sleeping like a LOG...I sleep 9 hours a night and sleep through the kids waking up etc. My hubs has been their sole night-time parent if they need anything. Very unusual for me -- I tend more towards insomnia than sleepiness as a pregnant woman and I must say this is a really nice change!
Kailey'smom, so sorry you are still struggling with nausea!!
I'm exhausted here too. Maybe the holidays drained me or the horrible way I have been eating. And now everyone except me has a miserable cold.... Then I fell down the porch steps a couple days ago and I'm still sore from it. Been a tough couple days!
I don't have much to say tonight, but I wanted to check in :)
Hey everyone, I'm due on the 7th. I can NOT wait, I've had horrific all day sickness this entire pregnancy, including now. Anyone else, and does anything help. doc wrote me zofran, I'm wearing seabands. I'm SO ready for april to get here already!!!!
I'm so sorry... I can't imagine that kind of misery. I'm due on the 7th as well, and just this week I weaned myself off my nausea meds, so had I not taken them, I would have been in for the long term nausea. I took vitamin B6 with unisom, a fairly widely-used treatment, and it's an actual precription pill in Canada, I hear. It was low-risk, cheap, and a cure for me.. worth a try. Hope you can catch a break before the baby comes!
I'm drained. I'm looking to see if I can improve my diet to help with the fatigue a little. A lot of the problem is that I'm awake in the middle of the night due to not sleeping. However, it's kind of convenient because it's easier to get up with my toddler. I'm making up for it by taking naps in the middle of the day though. My house has completely been trashed over the last week since I haven't been able to stay on top of it. DH decided to "help".
We went car shopping first thing this morning (bought a new pathfinder!) and have been on the go most of the day. After driving out to show the in-laws we came home and I started doing some picking up around the house. Now I'm sitting on the couch with my feet up because during dinner I was getting REALLY strong braxton hicks contractions. My entire abdomen was just rock solid and I was really uncomfortable. Think I'll be going to bed when DD does tonight. Just exhausted.
I've been asked why we decided to have another if we "already had the perfect family" with a boy and a girl.. uhhh, seriously? May be your definition of a "perfect" family, but it obviously wasn't ours.. funny that these same people now say since it's another girl we'll have to have #4 and hope it's a boy. Amazes me people have the balls to think they have any say in my reproduction. ...Ok, I'm going to go bottle these pregnancy hormones up now lol
No one has made any comments yet about this being baby #4 to me, but DH said some of the women at work have started to refer to him as Mr. Rabbit (or something like that). DH's family is not thrilled about our "have as many as God's gives us" mentality, but they have accepted it. I love being a mother and I love my kids :) I hope we are blessed with many more! It helps that I live in an area down south that has a lot of big families, so we aren't looked at as being "odd". In the end, it's no one's business but mine. We take care good care of our children so why should anyone else care how many we have?
Something I have noticed is that many people think 2 is the perfect number only because that's just what our culture has projected on us. Many times if you show them a positive attitude about having more than 2, they will change their attitude as well.
When I pumped 13 & 10 years ago for my boys I used the Medela Pump In Style - which is what I received for Christmas this year too 
It was a fantastic breastpump and it has only improved. I pumped exclusivly for my first son for 5 months and for my second son for 14 months (he continued to breastfeed until he was 3).
I will return to work at 6 weeks and plan to pump again fulltime.
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