Weekly Chat ~ Feb 11 - Feb 17 « Back to Group Discussions

[Quinalla]

Oops, forgot to start a new one this morning!

Got some organizing done this weekend, have 3 bags and 2 boxes to take to be donated sometime this week. Trash can is also pretty much full and trash isn't until Thursday! Ah well, progress is good. Baby room is nearly empty now (DH wanted to empty it first) and I started going through the baby clothes this morning, haven't gotten through too much, but just a quick glance we are probably pretty set on N-6m and maybe 9m too, so that's nice. I'm sure I'll still buy a few things here and there, especially boy stuff, but we may be ok on clothes for awhile. I got a ton of gender neutral hand-me-downs from a cousin in the 0-9m range so shouldn't be too bad. I am definitely planning to ship all these baby clothes to my Mom as soon as our twins outgrow them. I might keep coming home outfits, but that will probably be it, will be nice to clear those bins out of here. DD finally napped on Friday at daycare and was good for naps this weekend, not so much for sleeping at night though. Ah well, she is just continuing her anti-sleep campaign!

I'll come back and respond later to folks from last thread, gotta get back to work!

[Quinalla]

nstewart, yes thank goodness one hospital is being reasonable, insurance is really a huge PITA to deal with sometimes. I know at my Dad's dental office it is the worst thing dealing with insurance for them. Yeah, we have a small group of friends met in online gaming and most of them I've never met in person, though I have talked to them over voice chat and many are now friended on facebook, so it's about as close as you can get to meeting without meeting We all tend to try and meet up and play the next game coming out together, it's nice. I've always been a huge geek and gamer, the culture has evolved some since I started so its been interesting. It's still very much a boys club which can be frustrating, but I do surround myself with other gamers who are not sexists, so that helps!

AmandaLynnH, yeah insurance is always fun to try to figure out what is the best plan for this time, sounds like you got good advice! Glad you aren't shy about returning things, I wish I had returned a few things from my first baby shower and especially my wedding shower, ugh! And don't worry about being a non-breastfeeder, everyone has to do what works for their family!

adventuregirl, oof on all the meetings last week, hopefully this week will be better for you!

[timesway]

AHHH what a day..

ended up in a full blown row with bf in maternity unit.. and then him being asked to step outside to calm down, him running off and everything going mad.. i eventually had my scan and was rushed through an appointment.. but i just feel so shaken.. i hate the way life feels atm.. i just feel like im lacking the ability to look foreward because bf is so unhappy and i want to be there for him i really do. but its leaving me so exhausted and he pushes me so much, and every so often i just cant cope anymore :( i just dont know what to do.. :( i feel so lonely, and ive done that silly depressed thing where you cut yourself off from everyone around you, and dont let anyone in.. so your even more alone as you dont let anyone support you.. ARGH.. hate it..

im soooo glad i dont have to deal with insurance.. much as nhs is pretty irritating at time and ever so slightly corrupt im not sure id even be able to get insurance with my health probs if we had to.. so i hope they dont abolish it (theres talk of it a lot lately)

[PhilsBabyMama]

I'm sorry, Timesaway. Pregnancy can be a stressful, emotional time all on its own without added stuff on top of it. I really hope things settle down for you.

[AmandaLynnH]

Times, I hope things start to look up for you soon!  Pregnancy is stressful enough without all the extra junk.

Shhh...don't tell anyone, but I think there's something in my belly.  And I'm pretty sure it's trying to rock climb on my ribs.

[nstewart]

Time, I hope things settle down for you soon.  Maybe you need to hear this...sometimes it's ok to just take care of yourself.  It's your natural instinct to take care of your BF because you love him, but you need to take care of you too.  And if you can't do both it is o.k. for you to chose yourself ahead of him, especially because you are taking care of that little bub you are carrying too. If you can, just step back and ask yourself what you really need for you right now, and know that you do deserve that much, to have those needs met by those around you. 

Katie, I'm glad to hear you are making so much progress!  Well done!!

I had a nice, quiet weekend.  Friday night DH and I made some progress in our spare room, organizing, pitching stuff, lining items up for donation, etc. (another wild and crazy Friday night, I know )  DH had to work all day Saturday, so DS and I drove out to visit my grandparents.  I haven't seen them since Christmas, and it's always nice to catch up.  Saturday night I started organizing photos that were all just in this one bin from about 1996 until now.  Ugh.  Lots of fun memories, but a big job getting them in order and in photo albums.  It's a long-overdue task and I've got to say kind of made me miss highschool 'cause man did we have some fun parties!!  Sunday DH and I took DS swimming to a "beach" type pool so he could wade in as shallow or deep as he wanted.  DH had to work again last night on the same project deadline, so DS and I played outside, then watched an episode of Fraggel Rock (anyone else remember that show??), and I organized some more photos and finished a great book I'd been reading after DS went to bed.  This week, I am just hoping to continue on in the organization.  I'm excited to go through DSs newborn items but won't let myself do it until the spare room is organized, so that's a good incentive.   Oh, and I have a MW appointment on Weds.  I'm assuming my blood work etc. all came back fine as I think she'd have gotten in touch with me if it wasn't.

I hope everyone else is doing well this week.  Any valentine's plans?

[Kate&Joey]

It sounds like most of us are in the organizing phase. 

I now have 2 bins of baby / little boy stuff to consign and 3+ bins of things to donate.  We also need to go through all of DS's toys.  When we moved into this house in fall of 2011, we never unpacked most of the toys; they're still in boxes in the spare room.  DS is at a stage now where he just wants to play sports or Kindle games.    I would love to get rid of a bunch of battery toys that were gifts and also don't seem too girl appropriate.  I've already separated out a bin of infant toys so these are for older kids.  My goal is to keep only 1 or 2 bins of the other stuff.

I ordered some crib sheets and bookends for the baby's "area."  We're not doing a proper nursery; just creating a space for her in our room.  There's a large sitting area type space that should fit a dresser, chair and a half for nursing, and the crib.  I still feel like it's too early to set up the crib.  Although I'm sure the room will look a lot better without crib pieces leaning all over our walls!

Times - I feel so badly for you.  Do you think it would help if you and the BF had some time apart?  You need to concentrate on YOU !!!  Do you have any girlfriends you could enlist to rotate around to keep you company?  Sending good thoughts for less stress....

Amanda - I think there's an alien in my belly. 

Valentine's Day - DH is traveling that day.  But we've had a "date" on the calendar for Friday for quite a while.  The plans are a surprise...he sent me a calendar invite.     DS is going to my parents' house for the weekend (he's out of school for President's Day anyway).  DSD's birthday is Saturday, but it's her mother's weekend.  We will go to her soccer game to see her though.  I have a great idea for post-game birthday snacks for the girls, but the tricky part is getting her mother to"allow" DH to bring something on "her" weekend.  We'll see....

[adventuregirl]

Times - so sorry for the bf stuff! Hope it gets better! And I agree, take care of yourself & baby as first priority, you won't be any help to bf if you aren't ok.

Katie - you seem to be nesting x2! How appropriate. :) So awesome to get that all done!

Still busy at work over here, lots of meetings this week too. But at least its now and not in 3 months. Still also struggling with the hips at night, I think I am getting used to it and finding the right position seems a little easier, but I still haven't found a way to make it go away. Although I think the real answer to that is BIRTH, so I'll have to wait a bit for that solution. I can't believe the 3rd trimester is almost here! I'm 26 wks today, but some of you are there already, wow!

No Valentines plans here, our anniversary is in a couple weeks, so we celebrate that instead, skipping V day. But we do have a weekend without DD, so will probably go out on a date since we can. 

[Quinalla]

Timesway, I'll second nstewart, it is ok to take care of yourself. I know I sometimes need reminders that it is as I get so wrapped up in taking care of everyone else, so don't feel bad about doing what you need to do for you and your baby. I hope everything calms down for you soon

nstewart, OMG Fraggle Rock, I caught episodes of this on some random TV channel last year maybe? I watched quite a bit of it when I was a kid! Love to hear about all your organizing too.

Kate&Joey, I need to get rid of some of DDs toys, we did trash a few really junky ones not too long ago (DHs grandma is bad about getting really junky toys, but she doesn't visit so I don't have to worry about tossing them), but she still has way too many. I want to go through her stuffed animals and get rid of 1/4 to 1/2 and go through the rest and maybe get rid of a few, she's not too bad on the non-stuffed animal front

adventuregirl, at nesting x2, I'm just antsy I think because so much stuff is having to wait on the remodel, by this time last pregnancy I had almost everything done except final washing of clothes and buying some more last minute things (diapers, wipes, etc.). Also, since DH is so into decluttering right now, gotta do it while the getting is good! He's never been into it before now so it is really awesome to be on the same page. But yeah, I am all about being prepared because I have terrible luck, so the couple times when I'm not prepared, the worst always happens, I seriously have spreadsheets for the weirdest things

Got through the rest of DDs old 3-6 month clothes this morning, don't need to get anything in that size range. I'll tackle 0-3 month hopefully tomorrow, but from the looks of the piles, probably don't need much if anything there either. And I even have newborn stuff in gender neutral too, so might be set there as well, for some reason I was thinking it was all girly, but looks like about half & half! I'm going through the bins and counting everything and re-laying it out so it is in proper order to be taken out when needed. I wish I could stock the dresser now, but that will have to wait until after carpet I think. Dunno, I'll talk to DH, maybe he won't care as it is hard to move the dresser without taking out the drawers regardless as they tend to fall out while carrying them.

Talked to the remodel guy again to hammer out some details, he's stopping by tomorrow to do some more measurements and pick up the carpet samples he left. We didn't like the ones he left, so we'll probably go look this week or this weekend to see what we can find. He suggested we look online too, but we are mostly going by feel first, then picking colors that work for the feel and online is useless for that! Ah well, we've got nearly all the little details worked out and we got the cabinets figured out which has the big lead time.

[Quinalla]

Oh, and my only plans for Valentines Day are picking up some Valentines for DD to give to her daycare classmates and some carrots or other veggie for her Valentine's Day party. I'll probably get some conversations hearts too as I like those. DH & I don't do Valentines Day, so /shrug. It's fun to have a kid giving out Valentines cards though, I always enjoyed doing that as a kid.

[CoBabyMaker]

Times, I am sorry things are rough with your BF right now.   Perhaps some time apart would be good.  I hope you have some friends come around that can lift your spirits!

NStewart, Your Friday nights sound about as exciting as ours!...Maybe a little project, a little food network.  Woop!  Sounds like you had a nice weekend though! 

Kate&Joey, I feel you on the toys!  I am wondering if ours are breeding in there because I felt like I had them under control and organized just a few weeks ago.  I think I need to do a random stuffed animal purge around here.

Sheryl, I hope your weekend alone is nice!  I am 26 weeks today too!

Katie,  That's great that you have enough gender neutral clothes, that will make things easier!  I would probably just put them away in the dresser too-they are always easier to move with the drawers removed.

Well, thankfully today is going much better than yesterday.  So glad for that!  It was nothing huge, just lots of little things that made for a discouraging day.  On the up side I finished making the girls comforters for their bunk beds so now I can start on the baby blanket for a friend who is due March 1.  I'd like to finish before the baby comes but we shall see if that happens.

A friend brought me a swing for baby this morning and I gave her some clothes for her DD.  She is 14 weeks and just starting to feel better.  I could tell she was excited to be out of the house and have someone to talk to but still tired.  It also made me get in gear to mop my floors which really needed to be done so that's a bonus!

  My dad sent out a confusing e-mail this morning in his effort to have a better relationship with us and communicate more.  My grandpa and has been in the hospital since Christmas and just came home jan.30th so they have been stressed out but it was confusing none the less.  It focused on detailing (in bullet points)  all the reasons my grandparents declining health was due to my grandma following health fads.   While some of this is probably related they are also just getting old, they are in their late 80s.  Sigh.  I actually had to forward it to DH and ask him to help me come up with an appropriate response.  All either of us could come up with was to say that we would keep praying for them.  :shrug 

No valentine plans here either.  Just making pink heart pancakes for breakfast and hopefully I can come up with a few other fun ideas.  Sometimes DH has little things up his sleeve to we will see.

[Quinalla]

CoBaby, sounds like you are getting lots of things done! Glad your friend stopped by, it can be so hard when you are in the fatigued part! I think your response to your Dad's e-mail sounds good, sounds like your Dad is just trying to process and using a big group e-mail to do so. The pink heart pancakes sound fun

Did the blood draw for the 1-hour GD test, babies both were 150-ish for HBs (boy was kicking the probe as usual, girl was flipping around as usual) and my OB was originally going to schedule me again for 4 weeks, but changed her mind and said let's just go to 2 weeks now with twins, so I'll see her in 2 weeks, then the MFM the week after for my next U/S, etc.. She said she will want to do NSTs, but not until 30 weeks or so. Also, she said she would definitely write a prescription for a breast pump for me, but warned me that insurance companies are making it difficult for people to get them, lots of paperwork and hoops. So I'm going to call the company back I decide to go with and see if there is any paperwork I need to get and whatever else, last time they told me just a prescription faxed to them was fine, so we'll see if they have changed their tune!

Got through the 0-3m clothes this morning. I think we are pretty well set there too except I wouldn't mind a couple more one-piece outfits and pants in neutral/boy colors, so I'm going to be on the lookout for on sale 0-3m boy stuff. I'll go through newborn tomorrow probably and then get into the larger sizes. But the 0-3 and 3-6 clothes are all in a bin neatly organized with 0-3 on top, so that's good!

[BaileyB]

Originally Posted by timesway 

AHHH what a day..

ended up in a full blown row with bf in maternity unit.. and then him being asked to step outside to calm down, him running off and everything going mad.. i eventually had my scan and was rushed through an appointment.. but i just feel so shaken.. i hate the way life feels atm.. i just feel like im lacking the ability to look foreward because bf is so unhappy and i want to be there for him i really do. but its leaving me so exhausted and he pushes me so much, and every so often i just cant cope anymore :( i just dont know what to do.. :( i feel so lonely, and ive done that silly depressed thing where you cut yourself off from everyone around you, and dont let anyone in.. so your even more alone as you dont let anyone support you.. ARGH.. hate it..

im soooo glad i dont have to deal with insurance.. much as nhs is pretty irritating at time and ever so slightly corrupt im not sure id even be able to get insurance with my health probs if we had to.. so i hope they dont abolish it (theres talk of it a lot lately)

Hugs Times! I am really bad at boyfriend advice. The only guy I dated I married, so not much dating experience.

Originally Posted by nstewart 

Time, I hope things settle down for you soon.  Maybe you need to hear this...sometimes it's ok to just take care of yourself.  It's your natural instinct to take care of your BF because you love him, but you need to take care of you too.  And if you can't do both it is o.k. for you to chose yourself ahead of him, especially because you are taking care of that little bub you are carrying too. If you can, just step back and ask yourself what you really need for you right now, and know that you do deserve that much, to have those needs met by those around you. 

Katie, I'm glad to hear you are making so much progress!  Well done!!

I had a nice, quiet weekend.  Friday night DH and I made some progress in our spare room, organizing, pitching stuff, lining items up for donation, etc. (another wild and crazy Friday night, I know )  DH had to work all day Saturday, so DS and I drove out to visit my grandparents.  I haven't seen them since Christmas, and it's always nice to catch up.  Saturday night I started organizing photos that were all just in this one bin from about 1996 until now.  Ugh.  Lots of fun memories, but a big job getting them in order and in photo albums.  It's a long-overdue task and I've got to say kind of made me miss highschool 'cause man did we have some fun parties!!  Sunday DH and I took DS swimming to a "beach" type pool so he could wade in as shallow or deep as he wanted.  DH had to work again last night on the same project deadline, so DS and I played outside, then watched an episode of Fraggel Rock (anyone else remember that show??), and I organized some more photos and finished a great book I'd been reading after DS went to bed.  This week, I am just hoping to continue on in the organization.  I'm excited to go through DSs newborn items but won't let myself do it until the spare room is organized, so that's a good incentive.   Oh, and I have a MW appointment on Weds.  I'm assuming my blood work etc. all came back fine as I think she'd have gotten in touch with me if it wasn't.

I hope everyone else is doing well this week.  Any valentine's plans?

Lol to Fraggle rock. We were at our financial meeting lastnite and our friend's pastor runs it. I was trying to decide who or what he reminded me of and I totally was thinking something from Fraggle Rock! haha.

Originally Posted by Kate&Joey 

It sounds like most of us are in the organizing phase. 

I now have 2 bins of baby / little boy stuff to consign and 3+ bins of things to donate.  We also need to go through all of DS's toys.  When we moved into this house in fall of 2011, we never unpacked most of the toys; they're still in boxes in the spare room.  DS is at a stage now where he just wants to play sports or Kindle games.    I would love to get rid of a bunch of battery toys that were gifts and also don't seem too girl appropriate.  I've already separated out a bin of infant toys so these are for older kids.  My goal is to keep only 1 or 2 bins of the other stuff.

I ordered some crib sheets and bookends for the baby's "area."  We're not doing a proper nursery; just creating a space for her in our room.  There's a large sitting area type space that should fit a dresser, chair and a half for nursing, and the crib.  I still feel like it's too early to set up the crib.  Although I'm sure the room will look a lot better without crib pieces leaning all over our walls!

Times - I feel so badly for you.  Do you think it would help if you and the BF had some time apart?  You need to concentrate on YOU !!!  Do you have any girlfriends you could enlist to rotate around to keep you company?  Sending good thoughts for less stress....

Amanda - I think there's an alien in my belly. 

Valentine's Day - DH is traveling that day.  But we've had a "date" on the calendar for Friday for quite a while.  The plans are a surprise...he sent me a calendar invite.     DS is going to my parents' house for the weekend (he's out of school for President's Day anyway).  DSD's birthday is Saturday, but it's her mother's weekend.  We will go to her soccer game to see her though.  I have a great idea for post-game birthday snacks for the girls, but the tricky part is getting her mother to"allow" DH to bring something on "her" weekend.  We'll see....

There's an alien in my belly too and somehow she can have her hands tickling my pubic bone and have her feet in my diaphragm. I really don't remember this from my other pregnancies. I am wondering if this baby is just carrying higher.

Originally Posted by adventuregirl 

Times - so sorry for the bf stuff! Hope it gets better! And I agree, take care of yourself & baby as first priority, you won't be any help to bf if you aren't ok.

Katie - you seem to be nesting x2! How appropriate. :) So awesome to get that all done!

Still busy at work over here, lots of meetings this week too. But at least its now and not in 3 months. Still also struggling with the hips at night, I think I am getting used to it and finding the right position seems a little easier, but I still haven't found a way to make it go away. Although I think the real answer to that is BIRTH, so I'll have to wait a bit for that solution. I can't believe the 3rd trimester is almost here! I'm 26 wks today, but some of you are there already, wow!

No Valentines plans here, our anniversary is in a couple weeks, so we celebrate that instead, skipping V day. But we do have a weekend without DD, so will probably go out on a date since we can. 

I think I am getting better at sleeping at night too. I have it figured out which ways I can move to eleviate some hip pain and how to roll over without popping anything!

Originally Posted by Quinalla 

Timesway, I'll second nstewart, it is ok to take care of yourself. I know I sometimes need reminders that it is as I get so wrapped up in taking care of everyone else, so don't feel bad about doing what you need to do for you and your baby. I hope everything calms down for you soon

nstewart, OMG Fraggle Rock, I caught episodes of this on some random TV channel last year maybe? I watched quite a bit of it when I was a kid! Love to hear about all your organizing too.

Kate&Joey, I need to get rid of some of DDs toys, we did trash a few really junky ones not too long ago (DHs grandma is bad about getting really junky toys, but she doesn't visit so I don't have to worry about tossing them), but she still has way too many. I want to go through her stuffed animals and get rid of 1/4 to 1/2 and go through the rest and maybe get rid of a few, she's not too bad on the non-stuffed animal front

adventuregirl, at nesting x2, I'm just antsy I think because so much stuff is having to wait on the remodel, by this time last pregnancy I had almost everything done except final washing of clothes and buying some more last minute things (diapers, wipes, etc.). Also, since DH is so into decluttering right now, gotta do it while the getting is good! He's never been into it before now so it is really awesome to be on the same page. But yeah, I am all about being prepared because I have terrible luck, so the couple times when I'm not prepared, the worst always happens, I seriously have spreadsheets for the weirdest things

Got through the rest of DDs old 3-6 month clothes this morning, don't need to get anything in that size range. I'll tackle 0-3 month hopefully tomorrow, but from the looks of the piles, probably don't need much if anything there either. And I even have newborn stuff in gender neutral too, so might be set there as well, for some reason I was thinking it was all girly, but looks like about half & half! I'm going through the bins and counting everything and re-laying it out so it is in proper order to be taken out when needed. I wish I could stock the dresser now, but that will have to wait until after carpet I think. Dunno, I'll talk to DH, maybe he won't care as it is hard to move the dresser without taking out the drawers regardless as they tend to fall out while carrying them.

Talked to the remodel guy again to hammer out some details, he's stopping by tomorrow to do some more measurements and pick up the carpet samples he left. We didn't like the ones he left, so we'll probably go look this week or this weekend to see what we can find. He suggested we look online too, but we are mostly going by feel first, then picking colors that work for the feel and online is useless for that! Ah well, we've got nearly all the little details worked out and we got the cabinets figured out which has the big lead time.

I am nesting like crazy too! I went to Target yesterday to return a stroller that ended up not working out, and I came home with a cartful of home decor! Oops! Although the house looks really nice! haha. I redecorated, cleaned, and organized DD's toys like crazy. I even somehow moved a tv cabinet by myself...not sure that was a good idea, I was a little BH-y lastnite but not sore today so that is good. If only my nesting would make me want to do laundry. Our laundry room is in the basement and our clothes have to be put away on the second floor and that is just too many damn stairs for me! I have been just bringing them to the main floor to fold but DD loves to unfold and scatter the clean clothes so that is really unmotivating me to do it.

Originally Posted by CoBabyMaker 

Times, I am sorry things are rough with your BF right now.   Perhaps some time apart would be good.  I hope you have some friends come around that can lift your spirits!

NStewart, Your Friday nights sound about as exciting as ours!...Maybe a little project, a little food network.  Woop!  Sounds like you had a nice weekend though! 

Kate&Joey, I feel you on the toys!  I am wondering if ours are breeding in there because I felt like I had them under control and organized just a few weeks ago.  I think I need to do a random stuffed animal purge around here.

Sheryl, I hope your weekend alone is nice!  I am 26 weeks today too!

Katie,  That's great that you have enough gender neutral clothes, that will make things easier!  I would probably just put them away in the dresser too-they are always easier to move with the drawers removed.

Well, thankfully today is going much better than yesterday.  So glad for that!  It was nothing huge, just lots of little things that made for a discouraging day.  On the up side I finished making the girls comforters for their bunk beds so now I can start on the baby blanket for a friend who is due March 1.  I'd like to finish before the baby comes but we shall see if that happens.

A friend brought me a swing for baby this morning and I gave her some clothes for her DD.  She is 14 weeks and just starting to feel better.  I could tell she was excited to be out of the house and have someone to talk to but still tired.  It also made me get in gear to mop my floors which really needed to be done so that's a bonus!

  My dad sent out a confusing e-mail this morning in his effort to have a better relationship with us and communicate more.  My grandpa and has been in the hospital since Christmas and just came home jan.30th so they have been stressed out but it was confusing none the less.  It focused on detailing (in bullet points)  all the reasons my grandparents declining health was due to my grandma following health fads.   While some of this is probably related they are also just getting old, they are in their late 80s.  Sigh.  I actually had to forward it to DH and ask him to help me come up with an appropriate response.  All either of us could come up with was to say that we would keep praying for them.  :shrug 

No valentine plans here either.  Just making pink heart pancakes for breakfast and hopefully I can come up with a few other fun ideas.  Sometimes DH has little things up his sleeve to we will see.

Sorry about the email from your dad. It's weird how some people try to communicate. Sometimes all you can do is say, "ummm, ok."

We don't have any valentines plans that I know of. I have a physical therapy appt earlier in the afternoon and I think DH is working in the morning. DH mom watched DD lastnite for us and she brought her a little valentines day gift of some really cute heart pajamas. She already had her pajamas on when MIL got there but of course immediatley needed to change into the new ones when she saw them.

Has anyone been having a lack of appetite? I had a few days last week where I was starving 24/7 but since then I have had barely any appetite. I think I must be carrying this baby higher because I never had the complaint of feeling like the baby is pressing up into my stomach like this one does. I had to crawl on the floor to pick up DD's toys yesterday because every time I tried to bend over to pick them up I could feel some body part jabbing right into my diaphragm. Almost like there's a tent pole in there or something, or a kick stand, haha. I am kind of appreciating the lack of weight gain though. I haven't gained anything in the last 2 weeks which is a nice change from gaining 1-2 pounds a week.

[eepeepee]

Originally Posted by Quinalla 

Timesway, I'll second nstewart, it is ok to take care of yourself. I know I sometimes need reminders that it is as I get so wrapped up in taking care of everyone else, so don't feel bad about doing what you need to do for you and your baby. I hope everything calms down for you soon

Timesway - I'm joining in the chorus here: I know it's hard, but look out for yourself first.  I had to do the same thing recently with my sister, who just separated from her husband (after 8 months of marriage).  I'm the older sister, and my instinct is to be there for her in everything, to listen, to advise, to feel everything with her.  And I tried, but I was just feeling it all too deeply: I was too sad for both of them, too stressed, too wrapped up in it.  I had to take a step back and tell her that I love her and support her, but I my own emotional health needs to be my top priority right now.  It was so difficult to do, but she was completely understanding.  I know the boyfriend dynamic can be different from the sibling dynamic (although we certainly have had a complicated relationship, too!), but I really think it's best in a situation like this to just take a step back and put yourself first.  

Sorry, I hope I didn't get too preachy!  That just really struck a chord with me.  Take care of yourself, mama!

[eepeepee]

Originally Posted by BaileyB 

Has anyone been having a lack of appetite? I had a few days last week where I was starving 24/7 but since then I have had barely any appetite.

Yes!  Me too.  It's bordered on nausea a few times as well; I figured since the baby's getting bigger, she must be doing something wonky to my stomach?  I've had to remind myself to eat a few times recently, which is weird for me.

[Quinalla]

BaileyB, sounds like you have a baby who likes to stretch out long maybe? I know I did that with my Mom to the point at the end where she would have to pull off the road while driving as I would just stretch and stretch and I was so long I've been carrying low so far, my girl is often kicking/punching my cervix now (ow) and always trying to hide behind my hips and my boy is usually right on top of her., so I'm not getting too much of a smooshed stomach yet, so I've been eating a lot still!

eepeepee, yeah if they are hanging out up high or even just your uterus impinging. I'm still very hungry, though I definitely can't fit as much in my stomach as normal, so I'm just eating often.

[nstewart]

It's been a quiet week on this thread so far, I hope everyone is doing well.

Kate, it sounds like you are doing awesome on the organizing front!  Well done!  I hope DH has a great surprise up his sleeve for you for Valentine's day. 

Sheryl, glad to hear you are sleeping better!  It's so tough when sleep is an issue.  Enjoy your date night with DH this weekend.

Katie, you guys are really motoring through your reno!  That's great!  It's so much work but I'm sure you'll be so glad to have it done before the babes arrive.  It's also nice you don't have to rush out and buy clothes. I am sure you'll get some more stuff as gifts anyway.  The only thing I would worry about with putting the clothes in the dresser and stuff right now is construction dust, even just from laying carpet, etc.  It would be unfortunate to go to the work of sorting, washing, folding, and putting away only to have to re-wash, fold and sort in a few weeks!  I hope your results are good on the glucose screen.  (I will be finding out for sure in an hour, at my MW appointment, but am assuming I'm all good since she hasn't called before now).  It's really unfortunate to hear that insurance companies are giving people a hard time about the breast pumps, but I suppose not surprising.  I apologize in advance to anyone who works at an insurance company, but I really think the way that they try to scr@w people out of benefits they are entitled to is BS, that and the nickle and diming drive me crazy (and this coming from a Cdn who has public health care and is really griping about car and home insurance.  I can't imagine some of the frustration you mamas down south must deal with!!)  Anyway, I hope you don't deal with any hassle and just have to send in your RX as you were told earlier.

Co, I'm glad you had a nice visit with your friend.  Sorry about your Dad's email.  I agree, it sounds like he's processing more than communicating, but if this has been a problem area for him I guess at least he's making an effort.  Sometimes all you can do is respond just like you did.  Sorry to hear also that your grandparents have been in such poor health.

Bailey, I like your kind of nesting!  It sounds fun!  My appetite is up and down.  Some days I am STARVED, other days I don't have much appetite.  Or, some days I will go from not really hungry to ravenous in a matter of what feels like minutes.  I am gaining about 1lb per week, give or take, so I'm fine with that.  If I continue on as I have been I'll end up being up about 34lbs by 40 weeks, which is a good 10-15lbs less than last time.  I am not super focued on weight gain though.  I figure I'll gain what I gain, and as long as I am eating healthy foods (mostly ) and just eating when I'm hungry, not picking and snacking from boredom, then I will not feel bad for gaining 50lbs again if that's where I end up.  I feel like this baby is higher than DS was too.  I feel like I am already getting kicks in my ribs, and I find it extremely difficult to bend over to pick things up.  Taking pants on/off is a huge pain, socks and shoes are even worse.  (Katie, Lisidea and any other multiple mammas, feel free to give me a cyber whack for that, I can only imagine how it is for you!)

Organizing continues at our house.  The spare room is 99% organized now! YAY!  Just need to put a few shelves in the closet and put away a few more items and then give it a good dust and it's done.  I have also made it through all of our photos from 1996/97 to the present, have them organized by year (or my best guess) and have started putting them in albums.  I think that a few more evenings and that monster of a task will be done.  It also made me realize that we have not printed ANY photos since 2007.  I am thinking of doing albums on picaboo like my SIL does, one for each year or something.  When the photos are done I will move on to baby clothes (which will be exciting!).

I girl friend of mine that I haven't seen in some time invited me to go to an NHL game with her tonight.  It'll be fun to catch up.  We were really close in law school and essentially until I had DS, but have seen less of eachother since then.  A combo of reasons: she is single with no kids, so we have less in common and also less opportunity for me to see her in the evenings, etc. than before I had DS, and we both moved offices and don't work out at the same gym anymore, which is where we saw eachother pretty well daily before, and partly because I couldn't deal with the constant drama in her life anymore.  Anyway, I still care about how she's doing and catching up will be good.

No Valentine's day plans here either.  DH and I don't really celebrate Valentines for the most part.  I think I'll get a card for DS and a small gift like a book or stickers.  I love the heart pancake idea, maybe I can do something like that for DS too.  I did get DH a magazine subscription he's been wanting as a gift (to a German architectural/engineering magazine, lol) so I reminded him in passing that tomorrow was Valenites so he'll hopefully at least pick up a card for me so he doesn't feel bad.  I don't care if he remembers or gets me anything, but I don't want to surprise him and have him feel bad for not doing anything or getting me anything.

ETA: Steph, I've been thinking about you and hope you're doing ok.

[CoBabyMaker]

Bailey, Sounds like fun to redecorate everything!  Target always has such great finds.   I've been guilty of moving things I probably shouldn't too.  It's hard to embrace those limitations once we are in the groove of doing something!  I feel you on wishing that nesting made me want to do laundry!  I can wash it like nobody's business but after that, it's a crap shoot. I wish I could relate on not having an appetite!  I feel like I'm always digging in the kitchen for something!

Katie, Way to go on the organizing!  NStewart does have a good point on construction dust but I guess that depends on where the dresser is stored right now.  I hope you can get your breast pump without too much hassle.

Nstewart, I have been wanting to make family "Yearbooks" of sort for our photos too!  Since everything is digital now we have tons of pictures but hardly any are printed.  I hope you have a great time with your friend!  That sounds like a fun night out!  The different seasons of friendship are interesting but it's always fun to reconnect.  Insurance is certainly a pain.  I guess they are there to make money like any business but it can be so frustrating to deal with!

It's been a pretty good day here.  We took DHs aunt to run some errands which meant a trip to the pet store.  The kids always love it so much!  Then it was nice enough today to actually go to the park!  I am so glad for that!  We walked over which meant I got some exercise (It's not far but pulling two kids in the wagon makes it a little more interesting.) and did a few arm exercises while the kids played.  Then I started chatting with another mom and we realized that we knew each other from growing up.  Her grandma lived down the street and she spent a fair amount of time there so we played a lot. Small world!  She's pregnant too and due in April. 

I'm actually getting really excited about trying to make Valentine's Day special for the girls tomorrow!  It's random holiday to me but they get so excited about things that it makes it fun.  I think I am going to try to set up the table in a cute way with some craft paper and cute hearts I found and printed online.  The girls are very excited about making pink heart pancakes.  I think I may try to make pasta with beets for dinner so that it will be pink as well.  I'd like to take some valentines to family as well but we will see how the day shapes up.  I got some cranberry juice today to make some gelatin hearts with for DD to take to AWANAs to share with her other friend who has food allergies since they can't have the other treats.  I've never tried to cut shapes from homemade gelatin before so I hope it works ok.

Edited by CoBabyMaker - 2/13/13 at 6:42pm

[jacquelinej]

Times I hope things get better.  Being pregnant is stressful enough.  Sometimes focusing only on you will make the other person in your life take a step back and re-evaluate.  That is what I have found, and it doesn't always work so you have to be prepared to go it alone if necessary.  But I think you are at the stage where you are prepared to do this but not willing.  Totally understandable when it involves love.

Fraggle Rock!  I love Fraggle Rock!  I admit to owning the DVD's too ;)

We are stressed and tired.  We are surviving but this is getting really hard.  I had thought that we would be moving into a place no later then March 1st.  But that doesn't look like it will happen.  It is a bad season to try to rent in Boston.  We have had to reconsider breaking the lease with our tenant except that it would only solve problems on a very temporary basis and would create more in the very near future.  Our hosts are very close friends, but there is only so much time we can spend together.  The woman and I are good friends but she just went through a failed IVF cycle and I am really sensitive about her feeling.  After all, I've been there!  This Friday will be 3 weeks since our return.  DH is now getting very anxious because, although he is spending a lot of time working, he is not accomplishing as much as when we were in Japan because he has more responsibilities in his department and less time for writing and research.  This is coming down on me, unfortunately in the form of irritation and implications that I am not doing enough.  Quite frustrating when all I have done since we got back is unpack and repack our stuff (twice) so it could all fit in 1 bedroom with us and 2 beds, figure out cell phones, research, find and buy a car, and find a house.  A lot of work and no fun.  We did go skiing on Sunday but of course I didn't get to ski.

The good news is we are waiting for approval on a rental house I found south of Boston in an area where we are considering buying.  It's very difficult to get into this particular area without buying.  I had to about sit on the relator to get him to schedule the viewing.  There was some problem with the current tenant which was the issue.  If everything goes through, we should be moving in 30 days.  We will find out hopefully by end of day tomorrow if we have been approved.

My RA flare is getting better, but I think the stress is what is perpetuating it.  If only I could stop the stress!  If we get into a house in March, I have no idea how everything is going to get done and our stuff moved, much less unpacked before the baby arrives.  TIme is getting close for me, it's breathing down my neck.  I don't have anything other then 5 onsies and a few blankets.  I don't want to buy stuff because of the move and yet, I feel I have to start doing something toward preparation soon.

[Quinalla]

nstewart, good point on the construction dust, though I don't think it will be an issue since all the baby stuff will be on the 2nd floor with doors closed and they will be doing the work on the first floor in the kitchen and in the garage for the most part. There will be some dust from pulling off the current trim and putting new on, but I don't think it will be too big of a deal. Honestly, I usually end up rewashing all the clothes again after they are organized and in the dressers right before the babies arrive as they start to get that "dresser smell". I have such sensitive skin, I will rewash my own clothes if I haven't worn them for awhile, so I just do it automatically for babies. It really doesn't surprise me that insurance companies are making it hard unfortunately, so far mine hasn't been too bad, just disorganized, but we'll see once I actually start the process!

CoBaby, yeah it is something to consider and thanks, I'm hoping it won't be too big of a hassle. Glad my OB is on board so I can get started now.

jacquelinej, sorry everything is so stressful for you, my family when I was growing up stayed with another family after our house fire. It went from their family of 4 in their good sized 4 bedroom house to adding a family of 6! Even though we got along pretty well, it got old for all of us crammed in there together, so I know how hard that can be for sure. I hope you are able to buy that rental house, sorry you are having to micromanage your realtor, but sometimes that is what it takes! I hear you on feeling like time is breathing down on you, there is way too much stuff I can't or don't want to do/buy because I'm waiting on our remodel and it is making me very antsy! Making lists and doing a few things I can do now has helped some, but still.

DD and her classmates were so excited this morning at daycare to pass out Valentines and have their Valentines day party today, it was cute Can't wait to see how DD is after. She hasn't been napping at daycare again this week, but I don't know what else I can do to help them with it since she often doesn't nap for us either.

Tile guy stopped by (I met him at the house during lunch) and measured and let me know exactly what we needed to buy, so we'll get that taken care of this weekend (order stuff if it isn't in) and hopefully also look at and pick out carpet at the same place we'll get the tile. Well, off to get Chipotle for dinner!