November 2005 toddlers falling into October

[DreamsInDigital]

Can you believe it's only a month until we start birthday season? I cannot believe we are about to have 2 year olds! Wow!

Hope it's a great month for everyone!

Last month's thread

[Phoenix_Rising]

[kaspirant]

shamelessly reposting...

because I want everyone to help me pick which picture to get

Things aren't getting better. I've been trying to follow along but I can't seem to find time to post and respond. My class sizes are slimming down. My biggest class now only has 38 students : Friday one of my lovely cherubs : : took off with my cell phone. I am thinking some seriously un teacherly thoughts about my students this year...I just want to maime some of them.

I am going to see barcelona soon and seeing that I haven't heard back from spiritmomma will be sending beads off as soon as barcelona and I meet up. I refuse to let her mail them to me since we are so close and *need* to see each other. So expect them within the next month (hoping to send them out in the next few weeks) ladies...especially you out of this country folks it will prolly be that long.

I finally got the links to the pics of me modeling.

It's a crazy round about way you have to go to see the pictures.
But if you go to http://auntbetsy.lifepics.com/index.cfm and put Goddessa in the password line it will bring you to the log-in. You can use my email address to see the pics [e-mail]

*My* solo pictures are on page 3 picture numbers 65-69. I'm the one in the coraly/pink color. I am not sure which one we are going to get yet, feel free to give me your recommendations!! I'm 14 weeks pregnant in these pictures...*I* think I look HUGE. Then there are a gazillion of all the girls and such that I'm *in* Enjoy

[SoulJourney]

subbing subbing subbing!

[DreamsInDigital]

Originally Posted by spughy

But really the reason DiD can't get pregnant now is because how much would it suck to be running to the loo (either to pee or commune more closely with the toilet) every 5 minutes on your wedding day? Just kidding Lydia, you get yourself knocked up if you want.

ROFL I've thought of that and I'm thankful I'm not knocked up right now so at least I don't have to worry about it. I'm still nursing Winter quite a bit in addition to nursing Suriya constantly so I'm fairly certain my fertility won't be returning any time soon. Just...you know...wishing out loud.

[flapjack]

You have to slow down a bit to give me a chance to catch up, DiD. Though I have to say, this pregnancy is kicking me when I'm down. I'm knackered, my sacral joints are out of place, the insomnia is kicking in and I fainted yesterday morning before the school run and I don't know why

[DreamsInDigital]

Aw Helen that doesn't sound like much fun at all!

[Gunter]

we are safe in singapore! yay. the plane ride was about two hours which is nothing to us now after longer flights with ez. she drank juice and mama's milk then looked out the window and then nursed to sleep. pretty easy going this time.

everything is so expensive here though! i don't think we can afford to stay here much longer unless we find something more affordable for the month. not sure where we would go next if we leave. there is a birth center in the phillipines that is very open to novice doula/midwife types and offers training. thinking about that and thinking about heading back toward the usa. personally, i want to go back to bali but dh was so lonely there. he won't go for it. i can understand. any suggestions? i am meeting with a LLL leader here and a doula just to talk birth and BF. there don't seem to be any midwives but the OBs do attend HB and waterbirths are popular in the hospitals. all of those things are very different from my state in the usa.

helen,
this pregnancy is kicking my butt, too. fainting? are you feeling any better? i really hope so. yesterday, i was having cramps while walking around (we walk A LOT) so i wanted to lay down for the evening. i need food more often but my tummy gets full so quickly. then, we have to go hunt for food, again it seems not two hours later.

spughy- any cool places to recommend? we loved the bird park and the science center! we walked around on the roof of the esplanade and loved that. we're eating lots of indian food!

amy- glad you are getting the funk smell out of the house. it's so great to be able to prep a house before you actually move into it! did you find healthy paint in your area? and, are you going to smudge? i will have to do that to my house whenever i get back into it.

DID- i am sure i will need some tandem nursing tips from you, anytime you want to share. what would it be called if you were to nurse three lovelies?

kaspirant-i want to see those pics. did you get your cell phone back? that is such a large class! do you have a TA or two?

[DreamsInDigital]

Originally Posted by Gunter

DID- i am sure i will need some tandem nursing tips from you, anytime you want to share. what would it be called if you were to nurse three lovelies?

Haha I've seen it called triandem nursing. That sounds like an Olympic sport.

[spughy]

Here I was wondering why nobody'd posted on our thread for so long... duh, it's a new month now! I can't believe it's October already. But at the same time I have a pumpkin in my pantry, a pot roast on my stove and an apple pie in my oven so *something* must have clicked!

Gunter, the jungle reserve park in the centre of the island is a really fun place to go - although maybe not so much if you've been in a rural area prior to coming to Singapore. Coming from a city, I found it fascinating - the monkeys, the bugs, the SOUNDS of the bugs! Pretty cool. I also liked riding around on the monorail thingy. Unfortunately I was there on business so I didn't get a chance to look around much.

Helen - big s. I know it's pointless to tell you to take it easy, but try ok? Part of the reason you might be finding this pregnancy hard is because rather than one or two kids to look after you've got 3! Plus your FIL. And your boys are further away in school than they have been, and so on.

The dog is looking at me like she'll STARVE to death if she doesn't get her dinner right now this second. I'm not feeling particularly charitable towards her at the moment (read my domestic goddess blog to know why) but I suppose I should feed her anyhow.

Any ideas why a toddler would find the concept of sandwiching cheese in pastry and rolling it out disturbing? :

[DreamsInDigital]

My best friend is gone. She quit her job, moved out of state. But she never told me. I talked to her the very same day she turned in her resignation and she never told me. You know how I found out? The comments on her MySpace page said stuff like "Hope you guys make it there okay, let me know when you get there" and "I'll miss you but I know you're doing this to make your life better. I hope things turn out better for you guys out there." She hasn't answered her cellphone in 5 days. I've left messages on her MySpace and cellphone, with no reply.
So I asked Jim to look in the termination file and sure enough, there she is. Reasons were family, moving out of state. Submitted on the 28th. The last time I talked to her on the phone as she was driving home from work was that day. So she must have known she was leaving and she never even mentioned it!
I just don't understand how someone could call another person their best friend and then just up and move away without so much as a word about it.
And she was one of my bridesmaids and now my mom and dad are telling me I should ask my sister...Like I can just replace my best friend so easily.
I am heartbroken.

[flapjack]

DiD. So sorry. We did something vaguely similar, and some of my friends are still off with me now, even though we said goodbye.

Spughy, I have a stash of cookbooks next to the computer with suet pastry recipes for you. I'll get them typed up later. Being honest, though, I'm taking it easy and I still feel like shit.

[*Amy*]

Just subbing and popping into say, GOOD GOD, this is hard work. We are still laying the bamboo and trying to paint around it. Gunter, yes we are totally smudging, house blessing, and anything else good we can think of.

Back to the kneep pads. Oh and did I mention DH went back to work yesterday, so all of the home renovations are now the responsibility of me, my MIL, Brynn, and the handyman we hired to help with the floors. AWESOME. (Not.)

[barcelona]

Hi all! I am so excited that it's October. I love this month. Fall, cooler weather, anticipating holidays, etc.

I promise to catch up on the news but first, have to ask something:
I've gotten mastitis. AGAIN. probably the 7th time since I had Finley.
It seems to be milder than usual. My fever is under control with Tylenol (101 now, though it's been hovering between normal and 101 for the past several hours). I have one bad spot on my left breast that hurts like hell. It's a bit red. I'm nursing as much as possible and massaging the area (ow!) and putting warm compresses on. I am in bed, resting, drinking a lot of fluids. Is there anything else I can do before/besides call Dr. for antibiotics? The dr/antibiotic route is kind of not an option right now (NO money, no doctor yet even, insurance problems, etc). Help!!!

Also, why did I get it? Could it be that Finley isn't nursing as much these days, or is going longer stretches without nursing?? I've been going these longer stretches for weeks, so it seemed odd that suddenly my body reacted. Could it be a combo of the longer stretches and stress this week?

Sorry for the long *me* vent.

DiD, I am so sorry about your friend! That is heartbreaking and awful. Are you going to talk to her about it (if she answers your calls?)

Helen, I hope you feel better and can rest! Sounds like you're having a rough week. Yuck. Hang in there. Hugs!

Amy, good luck with the house-work! Sounds like a lot!

Thanks all for reading and helping.

More soon.

PS--Spughy, I looked at the note you had sent me months ago re: mastitis, and am just hoping I can get away with no antibiotics.

PPS--If I HAVE to use antibiotics, I could probably pay for them tomorrow. But, I also have to present another scene to the big wig woman at ABC.

[MelW]

kaspirant~ You look radiant! I think all of the photos are beautiful, so I don't have a vote for favourite

barcelona~ Ouch! It sounds like you're doing all of the right things. Extra vitamin C or Emergen-C could help, too. And check over on breastfeeding challenges, since they have tons of info about mastitis over there. Good luck with your meeting tomorrow, too.

DID~ I hope your wedding plans are okay

Helen~ Sending you lots of energy and second trimester energy vibes

Gunter~ Enjoy Singapore! I bet there is an amazing opportunity out there somewhere just waiting for you and your family.

Spughy~ No idea why the cheese and pastry is a problem, but I now have to *ask* all of the potatoes if it's okay for me to cut them. Apparently Mrs. Potato Head made quite an impression...

We have a nice weekend planned for both Canadian Thanksgiving and our 7th anniversary. Friday night we have a babysitter and are going to a reading to see some of dh's classmates (creative writing grad students) then to a Frank Black concert. Saturday we're hosting Thanksgiving harvest celebration meal with some friends. And Sunday seems earmarked for recovery and washing dishes, though Neela has requested a trip to the Raptor Center to see the hawks.

[flapjack]

Barcelona, don't call the doctor. Antibiotics aren't usually indicated for non-infective mastitis. Call in sick, take a day in bed with Finlay, high dosages of zinc and vitamin C and crap TV. Oh, and take a pregnancy test, unless you're certain of where you are in your cycle

Mel, the weekend sounds fun Have a great time!

Amy, if you can, get some cherry plum bach flower essence. Sooner or later cleaning someone else's crud is going to get on top of you, and it's good to have for when it does. (I hate cleaning so much that I put it in my spray bottles of vinegar and my washing up liquid). I still envy your beautiful new house though.

[barcelona]

Thanks Mel and Helen! I appreciate your fast helpful responses. I'm going to stock up on some Vitamin C, and I would zinc, but we don't have it/can't go buy it. Maybe tomorrow I can and will! Helen...pregnancy test? How could this be related? Aah!

I'm relieved I can probably avoid the doctor.

We don't have cable, so instead of crap TV, I'm just playing around online. Don't know how long that'll last, though. I feel like the pointed rest is helping, though.

What would I do without you ladies? Thank you! :

Mel, that is TOO cute about Neela needing you to ask the potatoes if you can cut them. !!! Sounds like a very fun weekend ahead. Enjoy!

I probably already mentioned this, but we're going to Canada Saturday through Wednesday for Canadian Thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to the dose of autumn and the meal and having my MIL play with Finley. Maybe DH and I will even get a wee date out of it.

And Kaspirant, I meant to also add that I love all the photos. You look beautiful! I can't pick out a favorite, either.

I'll keep you posted on how it goes tomorrow with big wig dragon lady.

[Gunter]

hey mamas,
ez has a bit of a fever right now so send us wellness vibes, would ya? i am having the hardest time getting connected with any of the birth community here. DH is so ready to leave. We may just be coming back to the states sooner than planned. I want to go back to the birth center in bali but he is not really up for it and i can totally understand why. it wouldn't be great right now, i know to go back for only a month and then have to leave again b/c of visa stuff. since we are thinking about coming back, we've talked about taking our time driving across the usa seeing the natl parks, hiking and hitting up veg restaurants along the way; we'd fly into seattle and drive to NC. perhaps a little MDC cross country visit to all you US mamas, as well? how fun would that be?! i can get my fall fix in, too and stop drooling over your posts about the weather and the pumpkins and the apples and the trees changing color.

barcelona- are you going to join the april DDC for us? woo hoo! seriously, i do hope that you are on the mend. do you have a local LLL to call, maybe? sounds like you are doing everything that anyone else would suggest though. I LOVE october, too!!! We usually have a huge halloween party and chili cook off. last year, our fam dressed up as star wars; the year before i was a preggo britney spears and dh was k.fed. love it and miss it!

mel- happy anniversary!!! we went to the bird park here in singapore and ez loved it! there was one in bali but we didn't make it out to it. ez liked the emus and the eagles and the penguins are her fave. there is a pic on my blog of her hugging a penguin statue; she kissed it all over, too. maybe that's why she has a fever now, all those germs. anyway, where is the Raptor Center? if you want to PM me instead, i would love to know in case we can drive by it on our USA tour when we get back to the states. We're planning to fly into seattle and drive back to nc seeing lots of stuff along the way and eating tons of vegan delights.

amy- "anything else good we can think of" that sounds awesome. i will be doing the same thing in a few months when we head back to our place. hope that your hard work is manageable with dh back to work now. thank god for MIL who help with our babes, eh?

DID- I am so sorry for your friend leaving w/o a word. some serious stuff must be going on and i bet you will know about it soon. she'll probably call back or e-mail you soon. had you all been drifting apart at all or do you think it's something with her family that's just too hard for her to talk about? whatever the situation, i hope that you will know what is up. when are you getting married; i should probably know this but was trying to think of it. don't let anyone pressure you to include people in your wedding that you don't want. not that i am any good about wedding advice b/c DH and i pretty much eloped. it wasn't a secret but we didn't want a big wedding b/c of all our family drama and b/c we were living across the country from each other, etc...we did have a big reception the week after we got back. we'd do things differently now if we were getting married but it's been over 9 years and we're happy being married. that's what it's all about anyway, right? loving life together...you two already do and will continue to regardless of which ladies are standing up on your day.

spughy- i read about that nature reserve! we may go to it or the zoo today. ez spiked a fever last night though and is pretty lethargic this morning so we're waiting it out. it's so freaking hot and humid here that we'd be okay waiting until the afternoon for outdoor walking. thanks for the tip!

[flapjack]

Gunter, I hope Ez is feeling better soon.

Barcelona, I've seen a LOT of women recently who've had either mastitis or flu during their 2ww the cycle they got pregnant with the second (or in my case, fourth.) So, you know... it could be a possibility.

[barcelona]

Helen, I would be completely *shocked* if I am pregnant...we were pretty careful this month...but I suppose it is possible. I should start my cycle this weekend, although it'll only be my 3rd PP period, so it could also come later.

Gunter, I hope little ez feels better by the time you're reading this! And I hope you and DH figure out what to do next. I'm sure whatever it is you, it's meant to be, and it'll be beautiful...If you do a cross-country trip, I guess we're not really on the way (LA), but would of course love to meet you all!!!

I'm a bit better...fever is down to 99.5, still sore, but have rested all day and done all that other good stuff. Hopefully I'll be well tomorrow, in time to do my scene, (which I'm not crazy about, and am a bit bummed about tonight, but will get over it), tomorrow for dragonlady big wig executive.
I'm not crazy about my scene, b/c I think my strength is in more natural, real acting, even if it is comedy...tapping into something human...and this scene is just like a sketch, an over the top, almost like an SNL sketch. They want something to really *bang* open or close the show with, and think this could be it. To give you an idea, by the end of the scene, I'm yelling "Take me, Sacred Beast!!!", to this guy, while he licks blood from a paper cut off my hand and growls like a lion.
I'm an actor, I can do it, fine, but it's not exactly me, or where I feel like I "shine", as an actor.

As I write it, though, I hope at least it gave some of you ladies a laugh.