June 27-July 3 weekly thread

[marieangela]

Hello all. Thought I'd start this one up since I don't feel like working right now. It has been HOT! I usually don't mind the heat, but it just wears me out these days. Even when I'm in my air conditioned house, I don't feel like doing anything. I really need to clean this week, too. Dh's parents are coming to visit this weekend and my house is a mess. Mil is the type to notice all kinds of things. She always wants me to go out and do something so she can be with ds (without me) and then she does laundry and such. Last time she was here, I threw the dirty diapers in the basement so she wouldn't wash them and she saw them when she was taking ds's clothes down to put in the wash. Ugh. I know it doesn't sound that horrible to some, but she uses way too much detergent and really messes up my diapers. Dh scheduled himself off for Sunday, but thinks he might have to work anyway. Sorry to complain. The visit has been on my mind since dh told me. I really hope it's not all me on Sat and Sun.
As far as pregnancy goes, I'm feeling huge and slow, but otherwise pretty good. I need to take another belly picture. I went to my first prenatal yoga class yesterday and it was really nice. I feel bad that I don't have much time to focus on baby brother since I'm so focused on ds. The yoga class was better than doing the tape at home, because I wasn't rushing through or worrying about what else needed done during ds's nap time or anything. I kind of wish I had started it sooner, but better late than never.
My next mw appt is a week from tomorrow. Since I haven't heard anything, I assume I passed the 1 hr gtt. I have been loving ice cream lately, though. I just discovered that my local grocery store is carrying Julie's Organic ice cream and it is quite tasty. Also, my dad, ds and I have been going to the farmer's market again and there is someone there who sells the best oatmeal cookies. I can't pass them up. I imagine I have put on a few pounds.
I quit rambling now. I hope everyone had a nice weekend and is feeling well.

[nolajen]

Hello everybody! Happy Monday. Hope you all had nice weekends.

Here we were busy playing with concrete - making small sample forms to practice and test colors for our kitchen counter tops. Dh & I were working really well together and had lots of fun (not always the case w/ home improvement projects!), but by Sunday afternoon I was tired. We're going to mix some more tomorrow evening, experimenting with some color variations of green and red. We're aiming to get the cabinets installed over the weekend of July 9-10. I sure hope my energy levels stay high till then.

Also, I finally got back to the bead shop to buy supplies for stringing my birth beads. How are everyone else's coming along? I still think I want to turn them into a bracelet but haven't hit on the right sequence for the beads just yet. Though I'm having fun trying. I bought some pins, like the one Lisa/Curlyfry included, to attach some of the bigger beads as charms, cause it was too long for my wrist otherwise.

I also bought some beads to decorate an old chandelier, so that's been a fun little side project. It's really nice to be doing creative things again. I'd kind of lost the urge for awhile there... Maybe after these projects are completed I'll finally pull out the ol' sewing machine!

Marieangela, I totally hear you on the ice cream. Last week we were on a pretty big binge here.: I'd actually love to get an ice cream maker to play with this summer. That way I could try to do some fresh fruit sorbets and at least attempt to be a little healthier... And good luck with the in law's visit. I'll keep my finger's crossed for your husband not having to work. I'd go bonkers if I had to entertain mine for a weekend w/o the husband's help!

I hope everyone else is doing well.

[ebensmama]

Hi Mamas!

I'm still trying to keep up in here, though at times it seems like a useless endeavor! This has been the most insane summer of my entire life to date. I'm starting to really get worn out!

I've been cleaning up a storm, and trying to get our yard in shape for the 4th of July party we have every year. It's just about there - the rest is up to DH (lawn-mowing, hedge-trimming...those sorts of things). My garden is looking presentable, and the inside is clean already - I'll just have to quick-spruce at the end of the week. We have a lot of food shopping to do though...and a ped appointment this week...and are in the middle of a big plumbing project my dad is completing for us.

I haven't even had time to really check out all the beautiful birth beads yet. I mean, I looked at them when they arrived and read the awesome notes enclosed, but I have yet to really check 'em out and try to come up with a way to string them. Oi.

In fact, I have not done ONE thing for *me* since...sheesh, I cannot even remember. It seems as though my life has revolved around cleaning, home-improving, doing laundry, packing and unpacking for the two trips we've taken, etc. etc. etc....I haven't even taken a walk in awhile! We have another trip and a host of other engagement coming up too...there's really no end in sight 'til the end of July. I'm soooooooo over all this insanity already!

Anyway, I do still pop in here and read up, though I've had little time to respond to much. I hope everyone is doing super, dealing well with the heat, and enjoying the last couple months of pregnancy!

~Keely

[mom2threenurslings]

Aaaaahhh! Just got back from my "girls' day out". We mostly ran errands, but took a nice break for lunch. I picked Rachel (17 yr old friend/babysitter...will be at moonbaby's birth as she was at Z and H's!) and we bought paint for my bathroom. She picked out the color, which I love...but I'm not sure how it will actually look in the bathroom! :LOL I'm such a bad judge - and she's very experienced picking out paint/painting - that I left it up to her! Then we met her family at AAA so she could sign her traveller's checks, since they leave for England tomorrow!!! We had lunch at our favorite place. It was great to have a little time out without having to keep track of children! I stopped at consignment shop on the way home and bought a cute outfit w/moons on it for Moonbaby.

We are now the proud owner of a Kirby vacuum! My dh picked it up from the woman who was freecycling it this morning. I think this may put my nesting in overdrive...if I can ever find the time and energy to actually clean anything!

I take my newly-3-year-old dd to the ped for her checkup tomorrow. I hope the ped doesn't ask too many questions about us not vaxing (we haven't been there since dd was 18 months and at that point had "put off" vaxing because dd had recently been sick). I'm still doing research on both sides of the issue and have severe preggo brain, so I know I won't be able to put together a coherent reason for her if she asks! :LOL AND she doesn't know I'm pg yet, so I'll have to have the "I'm having a homebirth" discussion coupled with the "Midwives will do the first two weeks of newborn care at home and we won't be vaxing." discussion. Wish me luck!

I have my next midwife appointment on Friday. I'll find out the results of my gtt then and see if I've gained any weight in the past two weeks. I lost a pound in the previous two weeks and my mw wasn't happy about it, so I hope I at least stayed the same. I have a feeling I gained a couple pounds, though!!!

I'll catch up with everyone later...gotta go take care of some overly cranky children while dh makes pancakes for dinner (I have no idea what he's thinking!!!).

[Goldiemom]

I just wanted to pop in and say a quick howdy. I am not having the worlds greatest day. My cars air conditioner is seriously broken and will be almost $500 minimum to fix. So I don't think it will be getting fixed any time soon. Dh and I probably won't be able to get a house for awhile. Like at least 4 months or so from now. Yikes! That really ticks me off, but hey, what can I do?

I of course am feeling huge and gross and really sweaty right now, so that makes me a bit cranky. I feel bad for everyone around me. The fuse on my temper is almost non existant and things are just not peachy.

On the upside, at least we have a roof over our heads and dh has a good job that allows me to be able to stay home with my kiddos. The weekend was nice as dd stayed over with her grandparents. Today ds started summer school and that was great. I had my mw appt today. All is well with baby and we are measuring right on track. I gained almost 4 lbs in 2 1/2 weeks. I am just happy to be on the plus side of my pre-pregnancy weight now.

Hope that everyone else had a good weekend. Keep your fingers crossed that the rest of the week is better than today. Take care.

[wenat]

Well, last weekend was a lot of fun. Went to a kiddie swapmeet and picked up some teeny-tiny stuff for DS2 to wear. I went through the wardrobe and discovered that I have lots of 3-6 mo and up stuff, but not much 0-3 mo stuff that's suitable for cool Septembers. (DS1 was a June baby, and it was a hot June, so he spent most of the first 2-3 months in diapershirts.)

Then there was a local parade on Sunday that DS and I went to, and he had a ball. We went with one of my oldest friends and her family, so I got to catch up with her while we were watching the parade go by. Afterwards, DS was telling me all about what he saw -- DRUMS! (mimics beating a drum). CARS! TRUCKS! Dancers! I'm guessing he had a great time. <g>

There's a local Canada Day parade coming up on Friday, so I think we'll take him there, weather permitting. (That is one thing I'm grateful for -- it's been a cool, cloudy and rainy June so far, so I haven't been as uncomfortable as some of you.)

My bad news is that I just got a phone call from my doctor to tell me that I failed the 1-hour glucose screen, so they want me to take the 3-hour test. Sigh. I'm NOT looking forward to that ordeal. But I'm off on Thursday, so I might just get my mom to watch DS that morning while I do the test. It's just so BORING, plus the clinic is loaded with sick people, so I'm just terrified that I'll get something just by sitting there for 3 hours. (I had the same score this time around that I got with the last pregnancy, so I actually debated just not taking the next test and letting my doctor get annoyed with me. <g>)

I've strung my beads into a little bracelet for now, with knots between each bead in case it breaks. But I'm still undecided about whether that's going to be the final "look" for the bracelet. It's hanging up on my bulletin board for now so that I can keep looking at it and trying to decide. But I'm totally impressed with how well the beads all seem to "fit" together, despite being so different from each other!

[mom2threenurslings]

Argh! Why does responsible parenting (even of the unborn!) have to be so difficult? I have a dentist appointment in two weeks to get a bunch of cavities filled. I've never had a filling done before, so am researching the subject. I'll call the dentist office tomorrow to see what type of fillings they use, because there is NO WAY I'm getting amalgam fillings (mercury) and I need to know if I either have to fight the dentist to get composite fillings or fight the insurance company to get them/see a different dentist (since I can't find one around here who actually takes the insurance, even though many are on their list of providers! ).

I made it through the pediatrician appointment amazingly easily today! Yippee! When I said at this time we've decided not to vax anymore, she simply wrote a note on the chart saying something like "Mom decided to delay further vaccination." and had me sign it, as she has no idea what the immunization laws are because no one has ever refused vaxes before! I educated her a bit on vax laws in CT.

I'm looking forward to my midwife appointment on Friday - 29 weeks. Time is just FLYING!!!

I just keep thinking: I could have this baby as early as 9 weeks from now (38 weeks) and then I panic that we haven't yet sold the Jeep (nevermind bought a van), we have tons to do around the house, we have NO MONEY and a birth tub, python, and some other birth supplies to buy, dh has an unexpected week off in July (maintenence week - the entire company closes down) which means no paycheck which means we're in big trouble ..... AArrgh! If we could just sell the Jeep, we could use some of the money to buy a minivan and the rest to pay bills and buy birth supplies and we'd be all set. It's been listed in several papers and online for a couple weeks now and nothing. And it costs lots of $$$ to place the dern ads! Anyone else in panic mode???

I guess I'll go put my kids to bed now and then get some cleaning done, work on ds's birthday present, and go through all my stuff to see if I have anything worth selling to make a little extra $!

[cuqui]

The heat has eased up a bit here in CT.

Had my midwife appt this am at the Birthing Center, took my 2 'midwives in training' with me, my 2 dds :LOL . They wanted to hear the heartbeat and watch me have my blood drawn for the 1hr GTT, they crack me up! They had a million questions for my midwife. After the visit I took them upstairs to the actual birthing area, the bedrooms, family room, kitchen part. I showed them a picture hanging on the wall of me with my older dd when she was only 11 days old, they got a kick out of that and I also showed them the room where they were both born. I asked them to choose a room for this birth and they both want their sibling to be born in the same room they were born in.

Have lots of bbq's to go to this weekend, can't wait, I don't have to cooka nd everyone wants to get me something.

Got a sitter lined up for Saturday evening so DH & I can go out for a nice romantic dinner . Hold on, isn't that how I got into this in the 1st place, well it's safe for now :LOL

BTW, I'm measuring right on track and weight gain is at less than a lb a wk. No swelling, BP normal, so things are good and I feel great.
I still need naps in the afternoon, otherwise I'm out by 8pm.

What are everyone's plans for the long weekend?

Have fun, drink lots of water and stay happy!

[sbm1001]

This past weekend was good for us. My mil came to town & it was actually a very fast visit. I expected it to be long & drawn out (torture) but it went smoothly & I was very happy with it. I got to spend some time in a pool for the first time in forever this weekend. We've been in this house since last fall & miss having a pool out our front door like we did at our old apt's.

Tonight we went to a Pack Meeting for Cub Scouts & my ds got a few belt loops from things he did at Scout Camp a few weeks ago. We went to a park that had a water feature so the boys got to play & have a great time, too. Plus they supplied all the burgers & hotdogs & everyone brought something to add to it. I had some WONDERFUL potato salad!!! I never even thought about putting pickles in it. YUM!!

My next appt. with my midwife isn't until late next month. She doesn't start the 2 week appt's until 32 weeks. I just had an appt. last week that went well. I've gained another pound, so I'm up 3 but still down by 10. I thought for sure I'd have gained at least 5 pounds in the weeks between visits but I guess not this time. You wouldn't know it by looking at me, though. I'm starting to get the tell-tale waddle a bit.

The placenta seems to be just above my uterine scar, which is good. Hopefully it'll keep moving up so I don't have to worry about placenta acreta or procreta. She's keeping an eye on it to make sure it does keep above the scar, which makes me feel at ease.

Heartburn is KILLER lately! The tums are barely touching it. Someone recommended liquid Mylanta to me recently. She said it worked wonders & felt so good going down. My only issue with it is I don't like anything thick in my mouth. It makes me gag. :LOL

I hope you ladies have a safe, healthy week!

Belly rubs,
Shannon

[phathui5]

Tomorrow is my almost 30 week appointment at the birth center. It'll be my first real appointment with them since switching from the hospital midwives, so I'm looking forward to it. I want to call them today though and find out what my iron level was when they drew blood last week. I guess it could wait until the appointment, but I'd like to know.

[Goldiemom]

Happy Wednesday all! The week is half over!!! *happy dance* I am so looking forward to this weekend. I love the 4th cause of the fireworks and all that good stuff. Plus my Dad and Grandma have birthdays this weekend.

Ds is off to his second day of summer school. He really likes school {so I am enjoying that while it lasts}. But I need to find his backpack. The apartment seems to have eaten it. *sigh*

My plans for today are pretty simple. Rest, relax, take dd to playgroup, be home in time to grab ds from the bus and then make pb&j's for lunch. I also need to find my living room floor again. I know that I have one, I am just not sure where it went. Hehe.

So far things are going well for us this week. Except for Monday which is a day I would just as soon forget. I hope that the week is going by quickly for the rest of you. Dh and I testify in court tomorrow, so ds and dd get to go with us to court. How fun! Take care everyone and I will check in later.

[mom2threenurslings]

cuqui...It sounds like your dd's had lots of fun! Where are you birthing (if you don't mind me asking...then again, you may have already told me and I could just be having a mega preggo brain moment!)? It sounds like you're doing great!!!

Shannon...Glad to hear everything went smoothly for you this past weekend! sorry about the heartburn...have you tried a sip of apple cider vinegar?

phathui5...Have fun at your appointment tomorrow!

Me? I'm going a bit today. In a veeery strange mood and have no idea why!

[mom2threenurslings]

Hey Goldie! It took me so long to write my post (interrupted by kids!) that you posted while I was still typing!

Good luck in court tomorrow...I hope everything goes smoothly for you. You have a living room floor??? Really? I could have sworn I had one, but I can't find mine anywhere! I did discover the dining room (/ homeschool room / craft room!) floor the other day!

THIS WEEKEND is July 4th weekend!?!?! Where did the time go??? I need to go buy birthday presents and supplies for the kids' party on Monday!!! (It's a party for my Zachary - (5) and Haley (3), my sister's Hannah (8) and my other sister's Jessica (13).)

[Goldiemom]

Wow Amanda, that sounds like a grand event indeed. I am hoping that you are just celebrating all these birthdays at one time. Or do they really all share the same weekend? Anyway, I won't get to see Dad and Grandma on their birthday's but we will all be getting together on the 23rd or 24th of July. It is pretty amazing that the 4th seems to have just snuck up on us. In so many ways this summer is just going by too fast, and in so many others it just isn't going by fast enough. YKWIM? Take care everyone!

[spsmom]

ok, now i am all freaked out!
mom2threenurslings, thanks a lot! 9 weeks away! i haven't even looked at homebirth supplies list! i know it's long an i need to start getting the hosue in order. we are trying to get our bedroom done with paint and stuff before september. i really want to have a more serene place than what it looks like now!

i think we have decided not to find out what we are having. this will be our last so the surprise will be fun!

i haven't decided on taking the glucose test yet. luckily my mw is accepting of any test i decline. i tested negative with my son, so i am on the fence right now.

next mw appt is next week. boy, time is flying! this baby is soa ctive it's crazy. and she doens't not like it when i sleep on my left side. i get a nice kick in the rib!

so ds and i are driving out to AZ next week. it will be a 6 hour drive if we only stop a couple of times. dh has to stay and work. i ahve done the drive with ds alone before and i have done it alone while pregnant. but not pregnant and with a child! i think ds will be fine, though. i am borrowing my mom's portable dvd player for the trip. am i crazy!!!???

i am actaully going out because my girlfriends and i will be performing a birth blessing for myself and another friend who is expecting as well. i am so excited about having this ceremony instead of a baby shower. as i get older and (not always feeling wiser) i am heading toward a more spiritual side of life, oh geez, i am so babbling now! sorry! i thinki made this one long enough! have a great week!

[Full Heart]

The kids did 4th of july collages yesterday and made quite the mess. We were still cleaning up this am :LOL I can't belive its almost July! Of course 36 weeks just can't come soon enough, and at the same time I feel like its coming too fast. I haven't done anything to prepare for the baby. Ok well, I bought a sleeper and the baby book and thats it. I have to get all the diapers out, all the clothes and wash (like I don't do enough laundry the way it is), plus get all the birth supplies.

I am really uncomfortable at night now. Doesn't matter how much I prop myself up something ends up hurting. Last night dh reached over for my hand and grabbed by wedge. Then he reached down looking for my leg and grabed my body pillow :LOL Poor guy can't even find his wife for all the pillows.

Michelle

[mom2threenurslings]

Goldie...The birthdays are June 18, June 26, July 17 and July 24 ... it's easier to celebrate them all on the 4th and go to the local amusement park to see fireworks afterwards! We also have a January birthday party for my ds, Alex (Dec. 22) and my sister's dd Holly (January 9) (and my mom (Jan 17), dh (Jan 3) and I (Dec 30)!!!). Moonbaby will be the only one to have his/her own party in September! :LOL We'll just have to celebrate it with my sister's Sept. 11 birthday!

spsmom...Sorry for freaking you out!!! Have fun on your drive to Arizona and in Arizona! I don't think you're crazy...I've driven 8 hours to PA and 6 hours to MD at 7-8 months pregnant (and 1-2 kids in tow!). We usually leave in the middle of the night (1-2am) so that the kids sleep most of the way!!!

Michelle...I hear you about dh not being able to find you! :LOL I have a body pillow, another pillow, a rolled up comforter, and a blanket basically surrounding me at night. Somehow in the middle of the night my 3 year old dd steals my body pillow for her bed...I think I may just let her have it!

I'm sooooo tired today. I slept horribly last night, tossing and turning so much that the bottom sheet came off my bed and was rolled up into a ball next to me! I need a nap, but have waaaaaay too much to do!

[cuqui]

My girls are outside dancing in the rain, NAKED! LOL!

Amanda (mom2three), I'm having my baby at http://www.ctbirthcenter.com/, take a tour, it's really lovely. Have a great time at the party. I always have my girls b-days together one is late Sept & the other late Oct, they love sharing a party, they are so sad that this year I can't do it at home for them as we have in the last 4 yrs. I just think it will be too much for me with a newborn. So my soon to be 7 yr old will have a needlepoint party at our local yarn/knitting shop and the soon to be 5 yr old will have her party at a local farm. They are looking forward to next year when they can share their party with their new sibling!

Goldie good luck in court!

Michelle, that is really funny about your DH. Mine sleeps in another bed in another room, I take up too much space.

spsmom have a safe drive and a fun time!

Shannon for heartburn I have been drinking 'Eater's Digest' Tea by Traditional Medicinals and also taking papaya enzyme, it has made a world of a different. I have not tried the vingear but heard it works.
have fun everyone!

[mom2threenurslings]

cuqui....Aaah! That one! I birthed Haley at the Birthplace at St. Mary's (the only other midwife-run birth center in CT, but not freestanding like Danbury). It's beautiful!
Running naked in the rain....sounds like my kids, except they won't go out with the thunder!

[UmmIbadullah]

Hi Mamas

It's been really great catching up on all of your "goings on". Sounds like everyone is healthy and babies are doing well. It is crazy that the summer is passing so quickly but I'm excited to have baby in my arms in get passed tthis heat uuggh.

My updates include trying to finally decide where I'm gonna have this baby. Although I am finally feeling settled into my home in NJ it looks like I may have to stay at my mom's in NY toward the end so I can birth at the hsptl with midwives, with a possiblity that if I go in at nite I'll deliver with "my midwife" who I've been seeing since Preg#1.
Last nite I slipped in the bathroom, trying to pick up the boys toys out the tub. I hit my belly smack on the side of the tub. I wasn't going to call MW but I said let me not be too cautious, she told me to go to ER out here, if I was in NY she said she would have definitely had me come in and stay overnite for monitoring. This happened around 10pm. So dh and I walk to nearest hsptl about 12 blocks away, they take me up to labor and delivery. The woman who was transporting me asked me if I was having my baby there and I was like no. She said she had her 1st with a MW and loved tha t birth, she had her 2nd at that hsptl and hated it. She told me she had cntrx on and off for 2days at home, on 3rd went to hsptl after a few hours with no progression(mind u she and baby were fine, membranes still intact) they told her they were going to start pitocin, of course that was the knockout punch and then she had an epi to cope. Thankfully the pitocin worked and she didn't end up with C-sec.
As for my experience: L&D was pretty full, so I didn't get into one of the LDR rooms which I had hoped to see I was in some other room, even though there was only one bed, it was set up with four curtains so I'm assuming this was the type of room they used for women in early labor, when policy was still to take you to the delivery room for birth.I had to stay on monitor for 4hrs and I had a routine IV. I had a chance to ask one of the nurses a few questions. She said(I think) that there is only one MW, I saw her once when she came in my room to fix my monitor, wish I had known then so I could have talked to her more. Anyhoo other than that most of the Dr's r male, so that is a problem for religious reasons. Just the fact that there is only one MW and the experience of the woman transporting me I'm thinking that I'd better stay clear of that hospital cause that seems headed straight for the every intervention in the book route.
I have one more hospital to check out, out here. Umm does anyone think i'm too far along(29weeks 2morrow) to be picked up by a midwifery practice?..I need to give them a call ASAP.

Ok sorry for going on and on..take care everyone. Enjoy your weekends