*Our Nov. '05 independent toddlers*--July thread! - Page 8

[kaspirant]

Yeah I really am pregnant.

I'm still not sure I'm convinced...But I have been SOO sick. UGH! I remember being sick but it's one of those selective memory things.

barcelona selfishly I am hoping you are preggo...seriously how fun would it be to go through it all together ooh and with Jacob I was 18 dpo when I was still getting negative hpt's and went to the doctor for a horrific cold. He gave me a crazy long list of prescriptions which freaked me out a little because I was just sure I was pregnant. I told him my fears and he did the pregnancy test just so I would take my meds and get better....yeah when the results came back...he took ALL the meds away and said good luck getting better

MelW Jacob is the same way around water...scares me sometimes. We are starting a mommy and me swim class Tuesday. I'm so excited!!

*Amy* have a great trip!!

spughy Ummm yes. We have full blown Potter Fever here. I'll post pics next weekend of our *costumes* for Friday...we've been planning this for over a year...and we saw Potter 5 on Imax with the 3-D fight scene...Luckily for me Jacob napped and amazingly I was able to pee before and after and didn't have to leave during. I am of the persuasion that the books are far better than the movies. AND yay!!! for being DONE! I'm seriously jealous!!!!!!!!!!!

savvybabygrace and Awaken I don't totally understand as I don't have a newborn *yet* but I'm feeling a bit of the same way...only **I** am the one out of control. I know part of it is what is going on with my body with the pregnancy...but I feel like a HORRIBLE mama right now because I stopped taking my meds for PPD cold turkey July 2nd because of the +HPT and I just feel like my needs have skyrocketed and while I was able to put him first so much before I am finding it harder and harder between trips to the bathroom, constantly eating, my aversion to the car and my inability to be comfortable outside in the summer heat....not to mention my poor DH who has received the brunt of my anger and frustration at just not being able to do the things I want to do let alone *need* to do. SO to sum that all up. You are not alone.

HoneyTree LOL at your realization of where your time goes. I thought I'd be better at keeping up with not working...but I am soooo much worse. I am trying to stay off the computer when Jacob is awake...and I'm finding that I am enjoying his naps quite a bit falling asleep with him!

flapjack the pic is priceless...beautiful both of you!!'


Okay...SOooo sorry I've dropped the ball on this but I wanted to throw out there one last time to make sure all who want to be involved are...I'm sending out PM's for the beads and want to make sure we have the count right. Soooo last chance to jump in mama's...and those of you who've already expressed interest watch your PM's.

Okay we'll I have a house to clean, cupcakes to bake and more cleaning to do...not to mention finishing touches on our costumes for Friday...TTYL

[flapjack]

Kaspirant, I want to slap your doctor. What the hell was he doing giving a breastfeeding mother meds that weren't safe for pregnancy in the first place????????? Can I? Please?

Thanks for the compliments on my gal- I could have posted pics of the boys screaming their heads off on the ferris wheel as well, but didn't think they were as cute...

[Kavita]

kaspirant--have you tried taking some omega 3 fatty acids? Good for depression, good for breastfeeding, good for pregnancy. I actually like Nordic naturals DHA for kids, they have strawberry flavored softgels that are pretty tasty. (Just watch the total vitamin A levels, esp. since you're pregnant, and cod liver oil has vit. A in it--don't want to exceed that if you're taking a prenatal.) I think it's pretty common to get a bit deficient in the omega fatty acid department, esp. since your body gives it all to the baby.


We're off to a playdate with a mom I met at the grocery store in a while, so I'll catch up with y'all later!

[HoneyTree]

Hi, mamas! It sounds like a lot of us had really nice weekends, with picnics, playdates, baking, road trips, etc. We went to the beach on Sunday evening--I can't believe I'd never thought of that before! Usually we try to leave super early, but of course are late by an hour at least, so end up arriving at the peak hot/sun hours of the day; I'm worried the whole time about sunburn, we're all kind of cranky and tired, and we get back in the car in moods unbefitting a day at the beach. So this time, we did our usual Sunday morning stuff--went to the brunch buffet at our co-op, cleaned house a bit listening to our favorite radio show (blues for two hours followed by singer/songwriters for two hours!), took a family nap around noon, woke at 2, and were in the car headed to the shore by 3. We got there at 4, and it was gorgeous! Still several families there, but not crowded, low sun, and we were all well-rested and well-fed and so got back in the car at 8 p.m. happy happy happy and rocking out to the Who all the way home. It was a really nice time.

Helen, let me clarify: I think your Birks are hysterical in that kind of delightfully unexpected, turn-a-preconceived-notion-on-its-head kind of way, as only hot pink and zebra-print "hippie" shoes can! I myself have been in a tan Birk sandal/brown Birk clog rut for about three years; your shoes have inspired me to possibly branch out to (gasp!) purple! when these wear out.

Mel, I am insanely envious of your lack of PPAF!

[barcelona]

what lovely, beautiful weekends everyone had!

and helen, i forgot to mention in my 2ww-obsessed message, how incredibly adorable and beautiful both you and skye are! thank you for sharing. i would love to see your boys too

spughy, how are you enjoying your first official day of SAHM-ness?? so exciting!!!

kavita, hope you had a nice playdate today.

and kaspirant, hang in there! have fun at HP friday! are you taking jacob? alex and i are hoping to see it this week, while we're in FL with my parents. i think Finley will be happy to go with them while we see it. i'm excited!!! i LOVE harry potter, and also can't wait for the last book to come out.

and hugs to the mamas having a hard time with two. i can't imagine. i find myself losing patience and having quite a hard time when finley is in a particular mood, which is quite often these days...the mood of resisting most of my suggestions, testing me, shouting no, etc, etc.

fern, how's it going? any improvements in your situation? thinking of you...

i tested this morning, at 16 dpo, and got a negative, so i am pretty much resigned to the fact that i am probably not pregnant. of course, if i still don't have AF and am going crazy with wondering, i will test again in a week. it's funny...i started the journey out feeling quite scared and overwhelmed at the possibility of being pregnant now, as we have been "planning" to wait til Finley is 3 or 4 to TTC. but the idea really grew on me, while i waited, and imagined what we'd do/our life would be, if i was pregnant. so, by the time i was getting BNF, i was quite disappointed and sad. ultimately, though, after getting used to the idea, again, that i am probably not pregnant now, i am okay with it, and somewhat relieved, with a tinge of sadness.

it would be more ideal for us to be a bit more in order and stable before having another.

of course, if i have news of a very belated BFP next week, i'll be thrilled, no doubt.

thanks for all of your feedback regarding cramping and PPAFs and all. i so so appreciate it!!!

happy monday to all.

[Awaken]

Helen- I thoroughly enjoyed seeing a pic of you and Skye!! I may have already said that but can't look back now! I haven't seen Brassed Off, but we really enjoyed Billy Elliott, and I do remember the scenery well.

Kaspirant- to you. I'm sure you are going through so much right now w/ the pg news, your changing hormones, the heat, and the stopping of the meds. I hope things even out soon.

Originally Posted by flapjack

ETA: Mary, I've been thinking about your situation, and Kier, yours, too. And I have been reading some research lately about how when stress (like the likelihood of one's child running into the street, EVERYTHING about having a 2 week old) is a dominant factor in a situation, we get a surge of stress hormones and we operate from the limbic part of our brain (the fight or flight place) rather than the cerebral place, the ratioinal, calm, thoughtful brain. So basically all our decisions and actions are filtered through that anxiety. One suggestion I read, from a Becky Bailey book for teachers, used the acronym S.T.A.R. to help with remembering the very first thing to do when you feel stress in your body, via tight shoulders, quick, shallow breathing, tense muscles, angry thoughts, etc.: Stop, Take a breath, And Relax. I don't know if that is helpful or if that is a "Duh! The problem is I CAN'T relax!" kind of suggestion, but the idea is that if you can just get your body to move away from the stress a little bit, then your brain will follow--your thinking brain can take the front seat again.

Teresa- thanks so much for that, really. It means a lot. While "STAR" may not be a newsflash, as with most things in life, it's usually the basic, common-sense things that work the best! It helps to be reminded that there's a physiological reason for how I'm feeling and acting! I was able to do some reflecting and I'm realizing that Ezra has all of a sudden become an opinionated toddler and harder to manage, whereas he was such an easy and happy baby, which is perfectly normal, but it makes sense that it would be hard for me and Ethan to deal with. The resultant squabbling, crying, and hectic days that this entails is just setting us both off- we need to find a new balance. things were similar when he first started crawling. And I'm so overly sensitive to noise, hunger, and lack of sleep, all of which are facts of life when you have young kids!

[spughy]

Kaspirant: I hope things smooth out for you soon.

Well, so far my first day of SAHMing is going fairly smoothly. We went to playgroup, had a good time, and Rowan's asleep at the moment. She did wake up 1/2 hour into her nap but the magical boobie fixed that pretty quick

Now I'm trying to decide if I should cook the whole chicken for dinner, or cut it up and put some of it in the freezer, some in the stock pot and some in the oven. One way produces leftovers and stock later, the other way produces stock now and dinner now and either chicken strips or legs later. Hmmmm... I think I'm going to go with cutting it up. And the best part is, I don't have to run my decisions by anyone else!

Oh, baby waking up, gotta go...

[MamaFern]

jayme, wow.. yopur tattoo is stunning!@ tim saw it and said" is that milkurt milurt?' thats what he calls nursing
what a beautiful mothers day gift!

kaspirant: sososo congrats on your BFP!..woohoo! more babies.

helen: thats great news..i mean, its not bad news, so im happy. i loved the picture by the way. what a fabulous ride! and skye and you are both so lovely!

what have i missed.. i just skimmed..so.

nothing new here. my sil is here with her 2 kiddos so we are having kid maddness. tim started a job yesterday that starts at 5am..so he was overjoyed by the screamimng kids while he was trying to sleep early. yeah right. no one wanted to settle down, well except me and my sil and tim. go figure.
i worked 16 hours this weekend, but im getting good tips, so its not soOoOO bad. i told my boss that i dont much like cleaning rooms (the chemicals and all) and so im working more in the icecream/food stand, which i much prefer. ngaio is a monster but a sweet one.. totally getting into being all grown up. she talks so well. today she said "be careful" to her cousin who was climbing on something precarious. so cute.

i should go, but i wanted to say hi.

love!fern

[savvybabygrace]

kaspirant, i too went off PPD meds after getting the +HPT. it was a scary few weeks, but i made it through. if you ever want to talk about this, PM me. i've been there and back again. you'll make it through. CONGRATS on the wonderful news!

can i just say that i don't think i can stand the suspense of Harry Potter any longer? LOL!

[spughy]

Hi Fern! : Glad you're still popping in now and again!

I had an extremely busy day, mostly WITHOUT Rowan as her grandparents are kind of insisting she goes over there a couple days a week - she does love them lots and is happy there, so I figure, why not? This morning I dropped her off (she barely looked up when I said bye) and hit the gym for a great workout, then I did some grocery shopping & ran some errands, went home, did a couple loads of laundry, cleaned the kitchen, made some stock, cleaned up two huge junk piles in our bedroom, and erased all traces of cat barf from the entryway (she likes to barf in our shoes and got dinner mostly prepped. In peace. Ahhh, bliss! Then I went and picked her up (oh, and the dog, too - they are Full Service babysitters!! ) came home, and we went outside to play for a bit and I had a nice chat with my neighbour while Rowan managed to soak herself splashing in their pool (supervised... I just didn't feel like undertaking the struggle to keep her away from it - clothes can be changed...). Oh and I managed to change the kitty litter as well. I feel so productive, like we are FINALLY pulling ahead in the battle against the housework.

Gotta put the bug to bed now - just figured I'd post to bump our thread a bit! Where are y'all???

[barcelona]

spughy, sounds like a delightful day!

and fern, so glad things are getting a bit better.

awaken, i hope you're having a more peaceful week.

i'm here, but hardly. we are leaving early in the morning to fly to florida to see my parents. i'm already kind of stressed, if you guys remember...our relationship isn't the greatest. my mom already sounds peevish, i think b/c my husband is coming. ridiculous. anyway...hopefully it'll be at least okay/bearable, without confrontation and/or too much toxicity.

thankfully, today, DH was home today and helped take care of many to-do's, helping me feel less overwhelmed in the game of life, and also took care of finley while i went to a much needed kundalini yoga class. ah!!! it was heaven. i really needed it, on so many levels. and i am much less stressed and more focused, uplifted, strong, and peaceful having gone.

i probably won't be able to post much while we're gone, but will be back home in a week and will be in touch then at the latest!

[kaspirant]

a bit of Harry Potter Mania...

Our costumes are complete for the Harry Potter book release party Friday night!!!

We dyed our hair RED...any clue who we are going as?!?! OMG i can't wait to post pics of us...we went all out *drove over an hour away tonight to pick up some finishing touches to my costume. Jacob is going to be a house elf. We have a pillowcase for him to wear with just his pre-folds and a gorgeous wool soaker ...not to mention the SPEW button his babysitter made for him...oh and just for fun we sewed a sock to the back of his pillowcase *Yells 2319...ooh we've watched Monster's INC one too many times...*


OK...I'm finalizing numbers for the beads and when the pumpkin goes down for his nap tomorrow all who've shown interest will get the final bead count and my addy as a PM.

*hugs* and thanks for all the kind words. If I can just keep the naseausness at bay and keep busy I do much better!!

[flapjack]

I celebrated 12 weeks by LMP by being violently ill this morning, after nearly a month of no nausea. I think you're contagious
I've been a bit MIA, mostly because I've been really down about an incident with Alex at school. Coming on top of Isaac's report, I just feel a bit "meh. What the heck am I doing having another one? Someone should just take these three away because I'm obviously an unfit mother."

[Kavita]

kaspirant, have fun with HP mania! Sounds wild!

For the record--I enjoyed the first several books. I left off somewhere with the books, and I don't exactly remember where (Prisoner of Azkaban maybe?) I saw the first movie, and didn't enjoy the it that much, I found it long and rather boring frankly, although I guess there were parts of it I enjoyed. Have seen no subsequent movies, don't entirely plan to see this one. Will probably read the rest of the books at some juncture. And my biggest HP claim to fame is that I have this flatware: http://www.gourmetsettings.com/ (you might have to look up "treble clef", if you care that much or are really bored)
which I found out after I'd already picked it, was used in the first movie as the flatware of hogwarts academy.

barcelona, good luck with the visit! Hopefully the parents will behave themselves. And if not, just remember that that's what hotels are for!

spughy--dogs AND the baby? Do Grandma and Grandpa want to relocate to Louisville, Kentucky by any chance? : Sounds like you were able to get a lot done!

flapjack--hope you're feeling better.

savvybabygrace--

Fern--hope the job is going better!

Here things are going okay. I had a little fight with DH last night, and didn't get enough sleep, so I'm not feeling very happy/motivated this morning. It's also a very warm and humid but grey cloudy day here, so that's not snapping me out of it either! Oh well. I'm sure once I really get moving, get dressed and maybe eat I will feel better!

I'm still trying to get the house set up here. Most of our stuff is unpacked, but now it's sort of organizing and decorating. Our living/dining rooms are really small and chopped up, so it's difficult to find furniture that will fit and look nice and suit our needs. We are looking to buy a sofa and a dining table and chairs, primarily. Of course, I'm already pulled into the repeating cycle of ongoing cleaning and trying to feed everyone (by one means or another, we still eat out a lot) and that seems to take a lot of my time, and for one reason or another it seems to take me more time than it takes everyone else.

Our trip to India is shaping up for the fall, sometime in October/November. I wrote a bunch about that but it somehow got deleted. (It could have something to do with Ella sitting on my lap and saying "push, push!" and pushing the mouse button/keys!) Anyway, it should be interesting trying to get settled here and then trying to get ready to go there for a month!

And our mystery of the day--we arrived home last night to find a bag of huge zucchini and summer squash sitting on the porch, with no note, and we're not totally certain who they are from! I have a hunch but it's not yet verified. But there may be some zucchini bread in our near future!

[StrawberryFields]

Hi November moms

I haven't participated in a November 05 thread in so long because I have been wrapped up in my pregnancy. I'll be 12 weeks on Saturday and I got to hear the heartbeat for the first time today so I am feeling a lot more reassured and excited and relieved.

Life with a toddler has been C.R.A.Z.Y. lately. We *just* nightweaned and I can't believe how easy it was. I was dreading it and I thought it was going to be a nightmare and that he would never stand for it and that I wouldn't be strong enough but he was just a little upset for like 2 days but then he was over it and we've had no problems since! A lot of times he'll even sleep straight through the night now from around 10 PM until 5 or 5:30 AM when before he woke at least 2-3 times to nurse.

Because of how draining my pregnancy has been on me I am admittedly thinking about the possibility of weaning ds completely. I am really not sure about that one yet, it's a new idea that needs a lot, a LOT of thought. Are all of you still nursing or has anyone gone through the weaning process already? Any words of wisdom? I am really not sure what to do about it or how to come to a decision.

I am really enjoying this age because he is learning so much now and has so many new words and ideas and thoughts that I can barely keep up. I find myself having to step back a lot because he is just so cute and smart all the time that I am just completely enamored with him and I don't want to smother him!!

[flapjack]

I'll put this on this thread, rather than in Feb: Skye is nursing twice a day now, and for us, this is working. As you know, I'm having a terrifyingly easy pregnancy but the exhaustion could easily be there, and I can manage that level of nursing without crawling out of my skin. I hadn't honestly expected her to still be on the boob at the end of July though- I thought this was it and she was weaning for good.

[Kavita]

Why are we so slow right now? I keep having to search for our thread!

Anyway, I don't have too much to say but I'm bumping us up!

I need to really get some work done around here--houseguests coming on Saturday! Argh!

[DreamsInDigital]

Helen I'm so glad you've found a balance that works for the both of you. Winter only nurses 2-3 times a day right now too, mostly because his teeth drive me batty.

[sarahcecile]

Just wanted to jump in and say "hi" to everyone!

Sorry I never post, maybe one of these days DSL will come to the boonies...

- Sarah

[StrawberryFields]

Originally Posted by flapjack

I'll put this on this thread, rather than in Feb: Skye is nursing twice a day now, and for us, this is working. As you know, I'm having a terrifyingly easy pregnancy but the exhaustion could easily be there, and I can manage that level of nursing without crawling out of my skin. I hadn't honestly expected her to still be on the boob at the end of July though- I thought this was it and she was weaning for good.

Man, Andrew must nurse at least 10x per day, plus cluster nursing sessions when he wakes up in the morning and from his nap. And he drinks cow's milk, too--and eats a truckload of food! He's only about 20 lbs. He loves his nur-nurs!