July 4 - July 11 thread

[JenInMpls]

Made it home. Phew.

First and foremost, sitting in the seat of my car was much, much more uncomfortable than it was driving up!!! Secondly, we drove right into a thunderstorm with horrible, no-visibility sheeting rain and lightning - I pulled over 3 times because I couldn't see the white line to follow it, and lightning struck within 100 feet of the car twice. It was horribly loud. I don't think that the thunderstorm scared Sprout so much, I had no problem with sitting and waiting on the side of the road for it to pass, but I spent at least 2 hours of the drive, if not closer to 3, driving through very heavy rain. I think it stressed me out. That + the uncomfortable posture seems to have convinced Sprout to move into some not-so-great position. I have been getting some ferocious jabs in my cervix today to the point where I was wondering if it was changing somehow. Jabs in the cervix formerly were uncomfortable and startling, these just plain hurt. No contractions, though. In the meantime I have retreated back to the bedroom and am sitting as tall as I can in a Schneidersitz (tailor's pose? can one say that in English? I'm still thinking in German) and sprout seems to have blissfully gone back to sleep...

Last night was a major transition night for me, going from a natural breeze-cooled 50 degree fahrenheit room and my own double bed and no noise except a slight rustle of leaves and a loon in the distance to sharing a queen bed with a human and a very snuggly cat, the air filter running and the air conditioner coming on at random moments. Thank goodness for the chance to sleep until 10 and no outside obligations whatsoever... for the foreseeable future, WOW! Jo brought me breakfast, too.

Oh, and can you believe, after those 5 hours in the car I came home with essentially a case of diaper rash!?? :eyesroll the combination of sweat, elastic and leukorrhea left me walking around like a cowboy after a long day in the saddle. I completely understand why babies cry about this! Hooray for Weleda calendula cream, even if it does make Jo sneeze.

The house is a disaster, but I did not expect otherwise. Sarah and Savannah, I came into the bedroom to find your shirts and suit in a (relatively neat) pile on the floor. I'll try to get to them this week.

Savannah - in the letters in this month's Mothering there is a picture of a mama tandem nursing her twins whom she birthed vaginally. Made me think of you!

Sydney is here to say that she has missed all of you... Jo said the cats knew yesterday, somehow, that I was coming home. They followed her around all day, meowing.

Jo says thanks for the birthday greetings.

I hope to get some bead shopping in tomorrow or Tuesday if Sprout is a touch more restful. Otherwise I'm just going to park myself here and do very little!! Wish our new light rail line went all the way to the Mall of America already, but that won't happen til April.

But IKEA opens in 10 days!!! Happy dance!

That's all for now, I guess. Glad to be back home.

xo, j

[Caroline248]

First off....


[QUOTE=mum2tori
OT: did anyone else notice that a few of the big circ debate posters HAD to have a little input into Caroline's thread even when she specifically asked it to not become a debate about circ right or wrong. It was like they couldn't stand to not be included in a discussion about it. :) Just thought it was interesting... back to your previoiusly scheduled discussion.



.[/QUOTE]


I wanted to apologize for having that little debate..I purposly posted it to you guys and NOT to the circ board to avoid the drama...Thanks to those of you that helped, I am definatly using your thoughts on my conversation with my husband.

Okay...I am doing fair. I am so tired. And getting really nasuaes at times. But I can live with that. I just wish I knew when this baby is coming!! He has already dropped so low I can't sit with my legs closed!

Since this is a new thread, I can't go back and see what everyone wrote! Jen, glad you are home and made it in one piece. Happy Bday to Jo! My DH turns 30 this year also!

Well, I was away at my uncles wedding all weekend. I am thrilled to be home, but I have to take the kids to the fireworks alone tonight since DH is working. Fun....

Everyone have a great Fourth...at least those of you here that celebrate!

Caroline

[4under6]

Well, I had too much to catch up on here to post replies too, so I'll just say Happy Monday to all, and hope everyone is faring well!

Welcome back, Jen!

I think I will go bead shopping today. Sounds fun!

We inherited a trampoline from my brother this weekend, and the kids have been bouncing non-stop! Boy, did they sleep well last night!

Friday night at work the baby felt so low in my pelvis that it was uncomfortable! But now it doesn't feel that way anymore. I think he's still flipping around in there.
I am now on the every 2 weeks schedule of visits to the OB. 32 weeks on Wednesday!

[chrissy]

Glad you made it home safe and sound Jen! Are you enjoying your new bathroom? You and your belly look great, by the way!

Caroline, I am starting to get nauseous again too. Ick! It's nothing like it was at the beginning and it mainly just comes when I am really hungry though.

So I am a big giant ball of grouch these days. I have absolutely zero patience and poor Noah and dh get the brunt of it. Maybe I should do more yoga. It's like the day I hit the 3rd trimester I went from happy, glowing pregnant lady to irritable, uncomfortable pregnant lady. I want to go back to how I was!!

Blah!

[JenInMpls]

to the wonderful one of you who posted the watermelon granita recipe, thank you thank you, I just had one and it really hit the spot.

The chiropractor affirmed my suspicion that Sprout was no longer vertex today; seems someone is lying transverse with their feet down. Harumph. She did a lot of myofascial work and hopefully stuff is back in balance again and maybe kid will turn again... meanwhile I'm going swimming tomorrow and am doing gentle counter-clockwise belly rubbing.

I did some bead shopping today too! We went to the Sprawl of Hysteria - oh pardon me, the Mall of America. Boy was that exhausting. TONS of people there. We also went to Target and added a couple of things to our registry, one of which was a stroller.

Family shower is set for October 3. I can feel already that I will have to put my foot down against gender-specific pastels and gender-stereotypical clothing (e.g. rompers that say "VARSITY FOOTBALL" on them, etc) since Sprout will already be here.

Happy Mondays all around.

j

ps: yes, the new bath is gorgeous, I'm just looking forward to when the grout is done curing, is sealed and we don't have to pussyfoot around the room and can finally install some storage and such!!

[msrog]

Welcome home, Jen; sorry your first night wasn't as relaxing... I wonder if they post those letters photos from the magazine on this web site? I don't get the print version. Have fun with the beads! And don't forget to get on all fours on your elbows with your butt in the air to help Sprout turn...

I got a couple of painful cervix jabs today too. Hmmmm, must be the weather, haha. I was sitting on the couch for one of them and gasped, then said, "hey, stop kicking me!". DH just chuckled.

We have our shower set for Aug. 2; I'll be 34 weeks (fundal height will probably be showing me about 44 weeks pregnant, haha!). I can't wait! Then I ended up having two other small showers, but both wanted them to be held after the twins arrive. I've never been to one of those; are they fun? Do you get anything besides clothes? There are so many other things I can think of that we will need... =O)

3under3, yay for your trampoline! DH and I had one when we lived in Virginia and LOVED it! Little middle school kids would walk by on their way home from school and ask to jump often. We still miss it...

I had just barely gotten the hang of my two-week dr. appts., when suddenly this week I start going weekly! Egads. It really is a full-time job gestating two babies, when you throw in the naps and rest breaks between household chores...

[mum2tori]

I wanted to apologize for having that little debate..I purposly posted it to you guys and NOT to the circ board to avoid the drama...Thanks to those of you that helped, I am definatly using your thoughts on my conversation with my husband.


Caroline you have nothing to apologize for. I went over to the Circ board to poke around a little bit. :bigeyes :bigeyes :bigeyes I don't blame you for not posting about it over there. Some of them are so over the top it's kind of off putting. YK? There were a few that are very even keeled posters and then there are some... don't they realize that getting rabid isn't the way to inform and educate others, especially those that are unsure. There's a difference between factual information and horrific scare tactics. :( Anyway, I hope we were able to help you with a little input. :)

I have the Watermelon granita recipe printed out and sitting right here on my desk. Has been for the last couple of days... and there is half a waterLEMON (as Tori calls it :LOL) sitting in the fridge. Just might need to break down and make some tomorrow. :)

After my appointment last week I'm on the 2 week cycle. We did do another u/s and actually put me a little more ahead. I'm about 30 weeks 5 days now. We also wrote the big payment check of $2700. :eek Still makes my heart skip when I have to write a check like that. :LOL Doesn't seem that long ago when writing a $500 check seemed to cause heart failure.

David had me install Mozilla as a browser yesterday instead of using IE6 anymore. This weekend Microsoft released a security patch for a bug that could cause someone to "trojan" your machine by just going to their website and you didn't even have to download anything. :yikes: :yikes: AND apparently this security glitch has been out in the "wild" for over 3 WEEKS!!! Not cool. That makes something like 150 security patches THIS year alone. And it isn't even a "complete patch". Here's a couple of links in case anyone is interested in reading. http://securityfocus.com/news/9054 (whihc says it doens't even work!), http://securityfocus.com/news/8982 and http://securityfocus.com/news/8998 . A good explanation... http://securityfocus.com/columnists/251 . Sorry, that's David's computer forte, he's a security specialist. So now I'm trying to get use to using Mozilla. It's not too different than IE but it is a little bit.

Well, I've officially traded in my computer chair for the birthing ball. My lower back and pelvic pain was getting out of control. It has helped some. Of course now it's a free-for-all with the ball and the kids. My computer is in the living room/playroom. So if I'm not sitting on the ball... it's getting rolled from one end of the room to the other. :LOL

Jen love the picture of your "stripes"! (Oh that's nothing, I'm a almost a zebra! :LOL) Very cute stripes. :) Glad to hear that you are home and in one piece. I hate driving in heavy rain.

I'm feeling a bit... "grumpy" too... :bag: Doesn't help that it's rained so much in the last 3 weeks. I think I'm a little achy from the rain too. :(

Hope everyone's Fourth was safe and fun.

[Kabes]

Oh no, mamas!!! You're not going to believe it . . . . . . . . . I lost my beads!!!

Along with my mind and several other thinkgs I'm sure were important. If I don't find them tomorrow I will re-buy. I can't get back to the bead store until Wed. though. Sorry, if I'm late with mailing.

I sure do wish I could keep everyone straight. Everytime I think I know which screen name goes w/ which mama name and circumstance I find out I've still got it wrong. I really don't know what my problem is.

Well, tomorrow I head off to a huge pool party for my niece. My SIL throws over the top parties for her kids! Tons of guests, food, food, pools, food, and guests. The party starts at noon and most people toay until the pool closes at 7pm!!! I haven't been to a pool yet this summer so I"m not sure how I"ll deal with the heat and my girls. Antoinette would probably dive right in- she is 17 months! It will be an adventure for sure :D .

We are trying to relocate to Va. (from NJ). We will be leaving dh's family/home state to go to mine. We're still trying to find him a job so it may or may not work out. Here is the kicker - if we moved we would rent an apartment from my aunt. The current tenent is leaving when is lease is up in Sept. 3. Then it will take 2 weeks to fix the place up again before we could move in, around the 17th. Yup, 4 days after my EDD!!! So, do we go early and live with my grandma for a month or move with a new-new-newborn?

Kara

[blipla]

Hi, can I join you all?

I'm almost 29 weeks pregnant with my fourth child, due around September 23rd. It seems I'm so busy (and tired) that I'm only now getting into this pregnancy in the third trimester. I feel bad about it, like I haven't been enjoyng it like I should or giving baby all the thought he or she deserves, . Mama guilt begins early, huh?

I just switched my care from a CNM practice to a homebirth midwife, and I think that has helped my outlook considerably. I wanted a homebirth from the beginning, but it wasn't financially possible in the beginning. That changed, and now I'm so looking forward to the birth! I think I was bit in denial before.

I have two daughters, ages 6 1/2 and almost 5, and a son age 2 1/2. My girls were born in the hospital and my son at home in a fishy pool.

I'm looking forward to getting to know you all!

[plantmommy]

Welcome!!!

I've been bad about posting in this thread.

[CdnAloha]

Baby Positions....

Hey Jen, do you know about these websites?

www.spinningbabies.com

http://www.homebirth.org.uk/ This second one has a page on optimal fetal positioning, although I found the first site better. This one was good for an overview of homebirth and birth preperation - helpful for any labour, at home or hospital.

Cheers,
Julia

[3boobykins]

Caroline and Chrissy--I'm getting nauseous at times too. My appetite is kinda low these days. I get hungry, know I need to eat, but nothing sounds good!

Jen--Sorry to hear Sprout is transverse, but it's pretty early still--I'm sure s/he will turn head down again!

blipla--Hi, and welcome! You're "due" one day before me. That's great that you were able to switch to a homebirth. DD was born at home in a fishy pool, too, and this baby will be as well.

Mum2tori--did you make the granita? It's such a yummy, refreshing thing to eat on a hot day. I also made my kids some watermelon popsicles with some of the pureed watermelon and they loved them!

It sounds like most of us are on the two-week appointment cycle now--I'll be there after my next appointment (next week) at 30 weeks.

Yay, DD is falling asleep at the boob right now, and ds is at his playgroup (he goes twice a week for 3 hrs and loves it), so I might get a nap in.

[fourlittlebirds]

Welcome, blipla! My kids are about the same ages as yours -- opposite sexes, though. :) We're planning a homebirth too.

Well, this is the first access I've had to the internet in several days! I took down the computer because I'm converting the computer room to a bedroom (so I can be closer to the bathroom -- my old bedroom was all the way across the house and up a flight of stairs from the bathroom!) We don't have a place for the computer yet so I just hooked it up here on the floor this morning. Anyway, my new bedroom is soooo nice! (It's also going to be the birthing room) I did a sponge/water color effect on the walls in green and blue. I gotta get a hold of a digital camera so I can post pictures!

I had a not so nice Friday, I'm pretty much over it but I just have to post about it anyway. I got stopped for speeding. The P.O. clocked me at 76 which is ridiculous, because I am one of those crazy people that always goes the speed limit -- I sometimes up it on our interstate highway but never over 72 (and at that, am still usually one of the slower ones.) I tend to drive conservatively everywhere else. I'm the "sunday driver" that other drivers get mad at. Immediately what came to mind is that something must be up with the speedometer on the car we just bought, we've only had it two months, and it's an old car ('76 Grand Wagoneer.) The thing is -- if I was going that fast and the speedometer *is* off I wouldn't have noticed it because this is a long, straight rural road. So no way to really judge speed except by the speedometer. Anyway, I explained this all to the officer but of course it's not his concern. So then he comes back to the car and says there's a problem. My license is expired. Somehow, with all the stuff going on this summer, it escaped my attention. So I'm two weeks overdue for renewal and was driving illegally. :( At first I didn't think it was that big a deal -- I mean, I don't have a criminal record, and I can prove that my address is correct (I live literally two blocks away from where he stopped me,) but again, that's not his concern. $237 dollars for each ticket. This is when I started to lose it. He walked back to his car and the tears sprung to my eyes, so I put my sunglasses on so he wouldn't see and think I was trying to manipulate him or something. So he comes back and tells me of course that I can't drive home, so we have to walk back in 90 degree heat carrying our groceries. Then he tells me that I need to have someone come pick up the car in the next hour or so (um, my husband is at work with no access to a phone, so this is going to be dificult, why can't it wait until this evening?) or he may have to have the car impounded, which he makes clear is his right to do right now and he's not going to only because he's such a nice guy. :irked: Then he said that he could also give me a ticket for not pulling over immediately, and when I tried to defend myself by explaining that the shoulder is only about two feet wide with 6' deep ditches on either side, and I didn't feel safe pulling over there, and that's why I slowed way down and put my turn signal on so that he would know I was going to pull over when I could (a turn-off was just up ahead,) and he said that I should have just stopped in the middle of the road then. !!! Gads, what am I supposed to say to that? Then he proceeds to grill me on my children's weights and ages to make sure that they are all in the appropriate seating. It just felt like it went on and on, and he had this tone in his voice was like he thought that I was a stupid wayward child, and it was so frustrating because I couldn't say what I was thinking, which was, so why the hell aren't you busting the semis that scream past my house at 80 miles an hour (in a 45 zone,) but of course I couldn't say anything except "yes, I understand." I just wanted to go home and drink some water and cry in peace. It was really not a good day. :(

[banana girl]

Oh! Blueviolet, that sounds awful!!! I'm sure I would have lost it! You poor mama!

I can't hardly wait to post all the details of my great weekend... but am too dang busy to do it yet! hopefully in the next hour or so, i will get all caught up. In the meantime, love to all

Anna Banana

[JenInMpls]

Ouchie, Linda, I'm sorry about your horrible experience. It makes me so sad and frustrated when people take advantage of their positions of power in situations like that. Thankfully your new room sounds nice and I hope that working with the green and blue helped your state of mind, blue especially can be very soothing.

Trying very hard to get my butt in gear to send off beads (not happening yet today!),

jen

ps: found a prenatal aquacize class at the YWCA where we're members! Yippee!!

[chrissy]

Oh Linda!!! :hug I hope your family cuddled you lots to make up for that jerk! Your room sounds beautiful. I hope you do take pictures for us to see.

Is today the day our beads are supposed to go out??? EEK!

[sistermama]

Oh Linda, how awful. I would definitely go to court on that one, because it seems over the top, and there's usually a good chance that the cop won't show up.

We had a good three day weekend, now its back to the grindstone in the office, and I have papers piled everywhere! I'm feeling really good though, my adjustment lasted for about a week, and that has really helped. Now I need to get myself back in. Hope everyone is having a good week.

[mum2tori]

Greetings all-

Welcome blipla! Join into any conversations that are going on. We're a happy chatty bunch.

Ugh Linda!! What is it with power-tripping police officers sometimes. :shake :shake Don't get me wrong, I have several friends that are P.O.s and respect the job they have to do but that guy was over the top. I swear sometimes here they only pull those of us over that can pay for tickets. Not that car billowing black smoke with no tags, bald tires, a busted out window, no suspension and 47 people crammed into it! They wouldn't be able pay for the fees and probably don't have a license, insurance or are even legally in this country. We have a lot of illegals here in Houston. :( That was unreasonable that he made you WALK in the heat with all the kids like that. :shake I'd have told him he was crazy if he'd tried to tell me that. :W I mean come on, your license had expired 2 WEEKS ago, it's not like it had been months. UGH!! Sorry he stressed you out so badly. Like a pregnant woman needs that! You new room sounds wonderful. Can't wait to see pictures. :)

Can't wait to hear about your weekend Anna!

I'm hoping to be able to sit down and sort out all the beads and addresses when the kids go down for a nap today... which means no naps today. :LOL Otherwise I'll be doing it tonight after they've gone to bed. :) I can't wait!! This is so much fun.

[Tree Swallow]

Hello, hello, I'm back online from a computer-free Fourth of July. Well, we were on the computer doing Quicken, etc. (yuck) but I haven't checked messages for days.

Yesterday I spent at the pool. It's so hard getting out, I almost didn't get in and float around much. I'm so glad I did. It felt great being so weightless! I wish I knew someone with a pool so I didn't have to display my ample rear to the public at the YMCA, but eh, what ya gonna do. :tsk

My next appointment is Thursday; I'm at 30 weeks now. I have an ultrasound scheduled for the 15th especially to look for heart abnormalities (I had one child born with a serious defect) but previous peeks have revealed nothing out of the ordinary.

Actually there's not much new with me. Getting more uncomfortable at night but hey, who isn't, right? I'm vowing to stay on prenatal vitamins the rest of my life; my fingernails look fantastic. LOL

I spent part of Sunday looking through old family pictures and other things from my grandparents' house, who both died last spring. I wish they were still around to talk about these photos! But they never shared them while they were alive. :( But I saw a picture of my grandfather's grandmother! Isn't that incredible. My grandfather was born in 1913 -- she had to have been born in the 1860s. And in France, too. Her son, my grandfather's father, was named Emil, like Emile de Becque in South Pacific! I'd love to use it for my little one, but his first and last name already are going to be exceedingly French sounding. Plus I want the middle name to be my father's. Anyway, I've been all caught up in the mists of time ever since looking through those boxes.

I have officially grown OUT of two items in my maternity wardrobe -- a pair of capri pants and some shorts that are just way too snug in the behind. Thankfully I planned for this and bought some things that were too large at the time I tried them on.

I've pretty much given up on exercising. Just a little stroll at a snail's pace just seems too much for me Ridiculous, I know. I wish I'd kept up better with the walking so I didn't find myself in this shape now. I wanted to be buff come "labor day!"

--

This is silly, but I was just looking throught the smilies and got all hysterical over this one: :Puke LOL!

[fourlittlebirds]

Samantha, that's just the thing, we are *not* wealthy people. I mean, I'm driving an old wagoneer! Would I be driving that if I had money? :LOL Almost $500. That's a huge amount of money to us. But you know, now I've learned my lesson. I'll never mess with the law like that again. :eyesroll To be fair, I sympathize with PO's position in general. I know it's not their job to make judgement calls (although I know they do, both good and bad.) It's just that his attitude was like rubbing salt in the wound. Although, what do I know, maybe he'd just gotten yelled at by his boss and was going through a divorce and just found out he had cancer. I mean, I know it's not all about me. In the moment it sure feels like that though. :guilty

On a lighter note, I ordered some Bravado bikini underwear. I had high hopes, but they've been dashed. They are very well-made, nice smooth fabric and seams, and in my size!, but they bunch up weirdly and uncomfortably. Hmph. haven't tried the Jockey men's yet, I went to the store to look at them and just couldn't imagine the male model's butt and my butt fitting in the same piece of fabric. :LOL I also got a new Polar Babies diaper cover, I've given up and gone back to them. Best I've found for my needs so far. So this time I'm going to try to take better care of them so maybe they'll last longer, and get some of that spray-on stuff that's supposed to restore the waterproof barrier when it wears off.

Well, I hope it doesn't screw anybody up that I'm going to be late with my beads. I can't drive until I get my license reinstated :irked: and I can't do that until Friday (somebody's got to take me into town, and nobody I know can really afford to take the time off from work for a non-emergency, and a taxi would be WAY expensive plus how stressful would it be having to wait in the stupid DMV for hours with my kids...) So I'll be a little late. I'm sorry!

Also I probably will not be able to be on the computer much for the next week (maybe not at all,) so I just want to say I hope you all have a good week!

[banana girl]

What a lovely, wonderful, awesome weekend with friends and family!

On Saturday i got to meet Kristi's darling little boy. She named him Korbin Travis. He was naturally born on July 1st, was breastfeeding within 10 minutes. I'm very proud of Kristi for refusing medication,and for laboring in a birthing tub. He was born on dry land, but just because she was ready to be out of the tub. Anyway, he's a lovely little man with long fingers, toes and feet. He's got his mama's nose! Very distinctive!

I got to snuggle him a bunch. i had the magic touch too! He cried for other visitors, but opened up his eyes and looked right at me for awhile before falling asleep in my arms. Oh, such lovely warm fuzzies!

Had to giggle when Kristi was all discreet about breastfeeding. I guess I am so used to my sister (and other women) simply whipping out a boob and feeding their kids... that her leaving the area where we all were, turning her back, getting a blanket for cover,.. seemed ludicrous! Much more embarassing for her and for us, than simply doing it and getting it over with. te hee hee!

We did manage to get some painting done on our bedroom to be. We got the walls painted white, primer for the colors we have picked out. Took afew hours... setting up, painting and putting everything away. But it felt so good to get something acomplished! Next time we visit we plan on painting the walls and ceiling. don't think we will get to the trim or floors. The funniest thing about this was how Jerome and i "talked" about it in our sleep! Seriously, i fell asleep thinking about the projest and remember waking up saying something about painting the walls soon. and Jerome answered me, by saying at least we had gotten some work done and that was what mattered! Ha! What goof balls me are!

i got to spend alot of time with my older brother and his wife, which was really cool. Of all of my siblings, he remains the most distant and unknown to me. He is nearly 10 years older than I and lived in with my dad after the divorce.. I was with mom. So, we just don't know each other very well. This spring, I've been helping him, with a big landscaping project at his new home. It has given us something to talk about and work on together. We sat alone on the porch in the evening talking for like 2 hours. other people came and went, but we stayed and connected. It really meant alot to me.

It was such a nice relaxing time... It is hard to be back at work!
Anna Banana

[JenInMpls]

Next time I make jam, someone remind me to use pectin and save myself all the time and trouble of stirring!!! *grrr* it took an awful long time and because I used less sugar, 7 pints of strawberries cooked down to a grand total of about 3 pints of jam, and I think they probably taste way cooked, too. :irked: Oh well, only we have to eat them.

Sprout is doing a little dance and I'm feeling a lot of movement up high, so I'm hoping that there are some feet UP. Julia, I did check out spinningbabies and am trying to work on some of their suggestions. I need to get swimming but the pool schedule just SUCKS! - pardon my language, but there is really no better way to describe it! Open lap swim time from about 10 - 12 every day?! For this we pay $60 a month?!! Maybe all of the hard core swimmers will see my belly and leave me a lane to myself! :LOL

Sydney is here saying that it's time for mama to come to bed... and I think she's right. It's been a long day. So... cheers to you all.

jen

ps: talked to Steph (badomama) last night, she's doing well, just working a lot.

[adventuregirl]

Just dropping in to subscribe to the new thread, haven't had time to read everyone's posts.

But I can see that Jen's back, congrats! You made it! Happy summer for real now!

Things are good here, got a big dose of pubic bone pain the other day, made me wonder what the next 2 months are going to feel like..... ugh!

Lovies to all you ladies, I'll catch up soon....

[Lazuli]

Anyone else have the sleepies that just won't go away? I've been drinking lots of water and taking my iron, but I feel tired so much of the time, but I try to nap and can't. I actually feel somewhat energetic right now so I'm going to try to get some stuff done around the house. I want to go to the quilt shop to get some flannel to make receiving blankets. My mother in law bought us a glider Monday. It's currently sitting in a box in the garage as we don't have a place for it in the living room just yet. Apparently she doesn't approve of the clothes we have for Vaysh. :scratch We have a few actual outfits, but most of the stuff we have are cute sleepers with animals on them. Oh well!

It's a beautiful windy day here and it's only supposed to be in the low 70's. Woo! I have the windows open and I'm going to hang laundry out on the line. Hope everyone has a great day!

[4under6]

Lazuli-

ME! ME!
I have been so sleepy these last few days!
Today is bad...I got enough sleep last night, but am very droopy with zero energy.
YAWN!

[sistermama]

Anyone else get REAL big all of a sudden! My belly is huge! I think it is because baby is finally head down most of the time, and there is a big butt in the air. You can feel the butt right through the top of my belly, which I made everyone in my office do today.

We finally did a big grocery trip this morning. I have been starving lately - for very proteiny things. I even bought a box of those precooked chicken pieces for in the work fridge.

I have a mw appt later this afternoon. Seems silly to go so often, but at least mw can bill Medicaid for it. My iron is probably still low, as I was out of Floradix for a couple of days.

Anna - I forget what thread I read it on, but someone mentioned seeing a woman in the bookstore put the "nursing blanket" over her and the baby's heads!!! Talk about drawing attention to yourself! You'll find that for us more well-endowed mamas, large breasts really come in handy for nursing. You can just flop them out the bottom of your shirt and no one is really the wiser!

[Lazuli]

I'm not having the best of days! I'm lonely and grumpy and my back hurts and I'm tired and bored. My husband is out of town until tomorrow night. *sigh* I was just in trying to do some cleaning in the sewing room and discovered one of the cats had gotten in there at some point and peed on a sheet that was on the floor. (Which has me wanting to kill the cats right now.) I hope they only got that one sheet! I'm paranoid that they might have gotten other things. Grr!

I just needed to vent a little. And here my day seemed to be going okay. I need to go tackle the mountain of clean clothes piled on the futon and heat up some pizza for lunch.

[sistermama]

Lazuli - my poor indoor/outdoor cats have been forcefully turned into laundry room / outdoor cats. I just couldn't stand the pee and the hair anymore. I feel bad about it, but at least they have a safe inside place and Jack plays outside with them a lot. Since we rescued them both from outside, I figure at least they are still better off than they were.

[Lazuli]

Sistermama - Our cats are normally pretty well behaved. (We have 5 of them.) I could never just turn them loose outside. We've had all of them since they were kittens and they've been indoor kitties since they were tiny tiny. Two of them are 6 (from the same litter, they came from a no kill shelter) and the other three are 2 (I think....) and came from our bushes. I love them dearly, but every now and then they do something like this. It's just one of those days...

[hjohnson]

Lazuli one of our indoor kitties became a mostly outdoor kitty. She was peeing all over the house and we tried everything in the book to help destress her to see if that would help. She is scared of Chris and pissed off because we moved 3 times in a year a half. As soon as she started going outside, she quit peeing inside. The other cat stays indoors all the time since he likes Christopher. Mina will eat, sleep for part of the day on the couch and then she want to be outdoors all night long.

[chrissy]

Oh Lazuli here's a BIG :hug for you!! I've been having lots of days like that, when nothing goes right. And stinky cat pee is never fun. More :hug

Anna, your weekend sounds lovely!

So I'm not yet feeling the major tiredness you mamas are but I am SO moody! And on a TMI note, I seem to be producing lots more moisture. It's not stinky or funky looking so I guess it's just a normal part of 28 weeks.

Better work on dinner now,

[sistermama]

Sorry Lazuli, didn't mean to make you think I was suggesting you put them out! Just sharing my own cat woes...

[banana girl]

Chrissy, i totally hear you on the too much moisture issue... i actually used my hubby's beard trimmer to trim things down. The long hair and extra moisture was driving me crazy!!! I've grown alot of hair during pregnany.... everywhere. And it has come in darker too.
In fact about two weeks ago I chopped my hair really short and everyone thought I had dyed it!!!! Even my hubby!

Had a super boring, pointless appointment with my doctor today. Waited in the reception area for almost an hour.... to see the doctor for about 15 minutes! She filled out my FMLA paperwork and listened to the baby's heartbeat. Thankfully, my midwife gets back soon and i can have more enjoyable visits again! The baby was really active the whole time i was there. The butt was pressed up against my belly button really hard for about 10 minutes! silly kid! But hey at least that butt is WHERE it should be!

Lazuli, aren't kitties great/awfull!!! Our cats have been freakish since we got home. They always need extra lots of loving when we've been gone. I just wish Bascha (our little girl cat) wouldn't nibble / nip to show affection. it drives me crazy!!! I get so mad when she nips me when we are snuggling. I know she's just loving me, but I can't just let her bite either! Very frustrating!

Hey Jen, say hi to Steph for us!

Well, I could have left 15 minutes ago! I am gonna go home to my husband now. Love to all and happy baby wiggles!

Anna Banana

[JenInMpls]

Sorry to those of you having problems on the kitty front. Ours seem pretty mellow still. I'm curious to see what happens when the canopy for the co-sleeper arrives and we set it up in the bedroom. They'll probably just go around it even though I am sure that they will both be disappointed that they can't sleep in it. Anna, the nipping behavior is left over from kittenhood and you can train it out of Bascha if you let your hand go limp when she nips at you. Usually the nipping will gradually turn itself into licking if you are very steadfast with going limp and not pulling away. My mom has trained it out of several cats.

Sarah - that's hilarious, the putting the blanket over both heads. As if *that* wouldn't attract any attention! Jo just pulled a blanket over her head and I laughed and laughed. She says it must be the 2-year-old "I-can't-see-you-so-you-can't-see-me" principle!!

It's been a funny day - had a hard time getting up but have managed to set up an appt with a doctor recommended by a friend for Sprout (and potentially myself, she's a holistic doc who's an MD and very open opinions about vaccination), talked to my insurance agent about health insurance possibilities, went and got MAILING PACKAGES for all of these beads, took a very long nap, and sorted paper throughout the house (culling bills and junk mail, organizing, recycling, etc). I seem to be having my biggest surges of energy at night lately, which is odd considering the schedule I was on at camp (up by 7:30, breakfast at 8:15... now I'm lucky if I can get out of bed by 9!).

We're on the track of a new car sometime this week or next. Jo's old one is all fixed and supposedly a sister of a co-worker might be interested in buying it, which would mean more $ for us than trading it in.

That is all that is new!

xo, j

[Runningmommy]

Hi ladies! I am new to the board! I hope to get to know you a little/lot before this baby is born. I am expecting #3 with two boys and excited about not knowing the gender of this one. Both my other pg.'s ended in preterm labor and I am at that point now where every little twinge has me worrying. I keep praying that this one will be different and want to hang around in my belly longer. This will also be my first unmedicated birth (was too uneducated about it all before to know better) and I finally found a doula, both of which I am super excited about. I have an OB and will be birthing in the hospital due to our history of preterm labor and needign the NICU both ohter times. I still feel that we will have a wonderful birth, just as my other two births were wonderful in their own way. I love being pg. and have great pg.'s up until the third trimester. I dont' have much time to write more now but hope to be able to keep up with all the posts! :) this board looks great! Thanks for having me! :)

[4under6]

Welcome, Runningmommy!

I am 32 weeks today!
Wheeeeee!

The baby's movements are getting SO unomfortable! Especially at night between 8pm-whenever I go to sleep.
Kicks under the ribs, way out to my side, tickling way down below, thumping on my cervix....and I have felt all of these things within the past 4 minutes!!!

[msrog]

Welcome, Blipla and Runningmommy!!! We're happy you jumped in!

Linda, what a horrific traffic stop; I am so sorry to hear you had to go through that. Ugh. I pray it all works out (goes away!)...

Next week starts my EVERY WEEK doctor visits, egads. It's actually two-week OB appts alternating with two-week perinatologist appts. This twin pregnancy is starting to be a full time job! Dr. appts, daily naps, too exhausted to do anything but sit on the recliner and read a book... Thank goodness Nicolas is old enough to fend for himself, haha!

Can you believe I've been running around for the past two weeks with my medical records in my purse (still trying to pick my delivering OB) and have not wanted to peek at the genders? I certainly can't tell dh that I have the papers; he'll look for sure. I can't wait to pick a doctor and ditch the papers!

More moisture and a bigger belly here, too... And HOT! Ick, I'm avoiding sleeping right now because when I tried earlier it just got too darn hot and sweaty in there, even in just my undies.

Anna and Linda, happy painting! That's very ambitious of you. Can't wait to see the final results.

Have a great week, mamas! Happy head=down vibes to all!

[JenInMpls]

I join Danielle in 32-week land today! How can this kid push in so many different directions at once?

I need a new option for positioning this kid; one of the spinning babies' sleep postures makes my back hurt so much that I just have to stop it. Perhaps I will go swim... I say that every day, don't I? Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps...

j

[Tree Swallow]

I just got back from seeing my OB. Everything looks fine -- except I can't believe how much I weigh! I don't feel this big! 191 pounds. And typically I weigh about 140~ish. It's unbelieveable to me that I've gained 50 pounds and still have 10 weeks to go. It's weird too because I still fit fine into size 10 maternity clothes. Maybe this little guy is just dense. LOL! Heartbeat I think was 131. My blood pressure is my normal low blood pressure and glucose tolerance test result was normal. I go back again in two weeks! DH went with me today and enjoyed hearing the heartbeat. I have an ultrasound next Thursday.

We're all allergic to cats here, so I haven't had a kitty in my life since I was a kid! My daughter loves them though, but our last kitty experience resulted in hives. DH has asthma, too, which would be extremely aggravated by pets! So no doggies or anything for us. Except Christopher has strongly hinted he'd love a rat for heaven's sake, when we move to the new house. A rat. Me, a rat owner. Not sure if I can picture it. :shake

:hola: Welcome to Runningmommy! Are you STILL running? I'm lucky if I can walk at any rate above a snail's pace. Hm, it's becoming clearer, perhaps, as to WHY I weigh 191 .... ;)

[CdnAloha]

Hey Jen, I have been looking more at the uk homebirth site for info on baby positions. I am also thinking about this, although I am just finishing my 30th week, so I have a couple more to go before it's a concern. Here is the direct link: http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/position.html. Also the links are quite helpful - they even link to spinning babies. :)

But yes -- go swimming! It is so refreshing and feels so good to be active and weightless.

I have been eating too much chocolate and junk food these last few days, so I'm really noticing weight gain. Oh well, I will try each day to eat better and worry about the weight after the baby is here.

Hugs to you all. Work is not giving me enough time to respond properly, so just to let you all know I am thinking of you.

Cheers,
Julia
P.S. Actually I have to admit the tour de France is quite time consuming too. Anyone else following it?

[banana girl]

I weighed in at 193 yesterday.... that's about 45ish pounds since before X-mas! Seems kinda surreal... My tailbone believes it though!

Anna Banana

[Caroline248]

Oh Anna, how uncomfortable!! I have gained 27 pounds so far...with my daughters I gained 70 and 40. Guess I gain more with girls!!

Also...Anna, I had a dream about you the other night. We were trying to figure out how I could mail you these popsicles you wanted without them melting...very odd...

Anyway, my back is breaking when I try to type on the computor...I reached 32 weeks and I am ready to be done!!!

Ok, not much to say now..

Caroline

[Robertsgirl]

Hello everyone!

We had an appt with our midwife on Mon and found out that I have marginal palcenta previa, so I've been dealing with the rollercoaster of emotion with that this week (as some of you ahve followed in the HBing thread). I'm doing better today. We have another US at 34 weeks to see if the placenta has moved, and then we'll go from there.

Weight gain.....I only gained one pound last month for a total of 21 lbs so far. I was really shocked because I have indulged in several desserts lately, which I never do....even not pg just not a dessert eater. Anyway, I asked my midwife if that was ok and she asked if I would of felt better if I ahd gained 12 instead of 1. I said no, but I still wonder. I am also on measuring at 29 weeks, so who knows what's going on. I don't really think there is anything wrong, it was just weird. Oh yeah, and Spud's heartbeat kept dropping when I was flat on my back. She said she wasn't concerned because it recovered well, but still......it was a weird appt all together. We also start our two week appts now. Do you do different things now that it is two weeks instead of 4? I just don't understand why we need to hear the heartbeat every two weeks now. Anyone know why your appts get closer from here on out? Its not like we are checking dialation or anything, don't do that at all. Just curious.

I've been wanting to go swimming sooooo bad! Maybe we'll join the YMCA so I have a place to swim. Just the thought of floating in water makes me relax!

Allergic to cats here too, although my DH LOVES them and would love to have one, I'm just not a cat person. And I must say that with my pg hormones, the next door neighbors dog that barks all night just might not make until our due date right now either! :yikes:

Moodiness still abounds here, although I must say that now that DH knows we have an issue that has really thrown me for a loop, he's been extra sweet and massaged my back every night! SO PP isn't all bad!!!! LOL!

Christi

[Lazuli]

I'm happier with my cats today than I was yesterday. :) One of them had me in tears last night. I went to the grocery for some pears and when i came home he darted out and went straight into the bushes. Luckily he came out and I was able to grab him and bring him inside. Yesterday was just an all around bad kitty day.

I'm sooooo tired today. Didn't sleep well, got up early and then went shopping. I think we're pretty set on baby stuff now, just need to order the diapers and the ottoman for the glider. Woo hoo! Have to leave before too long to go to my in laws. My husband gets home tonight, hurray!

I see my doctor next Tuesday for my last monthly appointment and then I start going every two weeks. It seems a bit much to me. All this talk about weight gain....I weighed 208 when I got pregnant, I currently weigh 210. (But I went down to 185 my first trimester.) It's weird to see how big I am and have the scale say I've only gained 2 lbs. I've been so sore today, I think it has to do with not sleeping well. I wish I could take a nap, but I've tried and just can't fall asleep which is very very annoying.

[JenInMpls]

Except Christopher has strongly hinted he'd love a rat for heaven's sake, when we move to the new house. A rat. Me, a rat owner. Not sure if I can picture it. :shake

Way :OT but how can I resist!

Ellen, rats are TERRIFIC pets!!!!! I have owned a dozen over the years and I can't recommend them highly enough as a pet for families with children. Rats are smart, affectionate, highly trainable and fastidiously clean. The only serious drawback to owning rats is that they have such a short lifespan. One of my most healthy, beloved rats lived to 3 and a half - all the rest lived to about 2 or 2 and a half. All of my rats were potty trained (yes, I'm serious) and seriously cuddly. They all rode on my shoulders and one was even trained to ride in my sleeve. Rats are pretty much the only rodent where the males of the species get along and can co-habitate; male hamsters and male mice need to be kept by themselves (I don't know about male gerbils). In fact, rats do best in pairs because they are very social animals. A solo rat will get lonely and sometimes a bit neurotic. Rats are not territorial the way hamsters are and the only time I was ever, EVER bitten by one of my rats was when he was suffering a seizure and was scared and out of himself.

Male rats are lazier (also seen as "mellower" by some rat owners) and tend toward obesity; female rats are more rambunctious and curious but nearly all female rats suffer from benign mammary tumors when they are older. If you have a good vet in your neighborhood with a penchance for pocket pets, he or she will frequently have a special rate for female rat tumor removal. No, I'm not kidding, mine does! The tumors frequently are more an aesthetic issue than a health issue for the rat; most pet owners don't like looking at a big lump on their little pet. I have had 7 male rats and 5 female and I have to admit that although my favorite big hunk o' rat was my big curly boy Leo (yes, he did have curly hair, and they did not come any sweeter!), I loved my zany girls Ellie and Lorie so much that just thinking about them now is making me tear up. (What a sentimental gal!!)

If it's the tail that bugs you - you will get over it because the personality of the rat (ratality?) will win you over so quickly.

So... if Christopher keeps hinting at a rat, do consider it. Jo is allergic to cats but was not allergic to my rats. Rats do not have high start-up or maintenance costs and owning two is no more difficult or expensive than owning one and is much better for the rat's mental health. Yes, I just referred to a rat's mental health! :D And I am thrilled to offer you all the advice that you seek on becoming a rat owner. PM me!!!

OK!! Enough about rats!

I went swimming today and it felt good... I did some handstands in the water to try to move Sprout into a head-down position. I've been feeling a lot of thumping very high tonight so I'm hoping that I was successful! gosh is it hard to do handstands under water when you're pregnant!

I have finally eclipsed my pre-pregnancy weight by 2 lbs. Does weight gain count from the low you hit (even if it is in your first tri) or from your pre-pregnancy weight? I always was shocked by the mom at our school who said that she barely got up to her pre-pregnancy weight by the end of her pregnancies but here I am in nearly the same situation. I was worried that I would really have gained in the past month, what with all of the incredible food they serve us at camp (not to mention the pastries in the cafe every afternoon - for free! :blush), but I think that 4 lbs in 4 weeks is pretty normal.

I need to go eat some food before we return our friends' car tonight. Jo's car is officially done. Now if we could only find someone to buy it.

tschüss,

jen

[fourlittlebirds]

I haven't weighed myself because it just seems unnecessary to me, and given that I have a past of obsessing about weight -- it's just healthier for me not to know. I do suspect though that most of whatever I've gained is baby-related, as my clothes all fit the same, and I look the same, except for in the tummy area of course. My tummy is getting nicely huge. :)

I think the reason for upping the frequency of appointments is two-fold; first, statistically women who are prone to be ill or have problems are most likely to have that manifest in the third trimester, since the pregnancy's demands on the body increase then. Second, there is more of a sense of immediacy in the third trimester, so that both caregiver and mother tend to feel like creating more of a connection with each other. For a healthy woman who has a good support system, though, it's not necessary medically speaking, nor even necessarily desired.

[fourlittlebirds]

I have owned rats too, and I have to agree that they are the best rodent-type pets by far! The only thing I couldn't stand was the smell. I just wasn't into cleaning the cage every single day, but if I didn't the urine smell would start to get to me. I can't remember what we were using, though, as litter. Some kind of chips and newspapers. What do you recommend, Jen?

[greenbeing]

:wave Hello everyone! gosh I've missed keeping up with all of you! We're finally back home after an awesome trip visiting family and friends. Had a sweet baby shower, went to the beach a couple times with my hubby, ate A LOT, and made the rounds visiting. I wish we had more time-seeing family only twice a year just doesn't seem enough. Anyone else far from family?

I'm definitely not caught up on all of the posts-just read this page...

Welcome Runningmommy!

re: weight gain- I feel like I've gained a lot. I think it's about 20-25 lbs already at 29 weeks. I'm wondering how much more I'll put on before the birth. I know I shouldn't worry about it, I'm exercising and eating well. But, it still is bothersome-especially when I tell people and they give me a hard time about it. At least my midwives are supportive and they actually like to see a 30-40lb gain. Also, at my last appointment, I was complaining because I was getting so soft and not toned as much and they said they've seen more problems with women who are super toned because their muscles are so tight, it's hard for them to relax. I don't know how true that is, but I'm going to go with it :)

I'll catch up more later...Hope you have a restful night!

Meredith

[JenInMpls]

What do you recommend, Jen?

for rat litter: I preferred 1/8" corncob bedding which I bought in massive, huge quantities from a speciality store in the area. This is rarely available in a pet store, though. 1/4" corncob is often available but can be hard on little rattie feet (they get blisters and no, I'm not kidding... pressure sores). The brand I preferred was bed-o-cob. Aspen shavings are also good, as are recycled paper beddings. Wheat beddings are not the best as they are clumping litters for cats and since rats are not only peeing in their litter but also living on it, that can cause sticky, clumpy problems. Cedar and pine shavings should absolutely not be used as the aromatic oils in them cause lung damage and cedar oil can also cause renal problems.

I was complaining because I was getting so soft and not toned as much and they said they've seen more problems with women who are super toned because their muscles are so tight, it's hard for them to relax. Ina May Gaskin tells in one of her books about a woman who was very athletic who was unable to relax during her labor; labor was going very slowly. Ina May worked out her muscles in her legs until they softened and the rest of her subsequently relaxed and she was more able to birth her baby. I guess if you're all tight and trying to be in control, it's much harder work than if you relax and let your body do what it needs to.

My cat is catching bugs (I hope... usually she lets them walk by and I have to catch them!) and it's time for me to go to bed, so good night!

j

[chrissy]

Meredith, It's great to have you back! I :love my bead by the way!!

[banana girl]

Hey all!

Yesterday was a yucky day... I ended up heading home early. At lunch time I started feeling headachey and nauseated and finally gave upa nd went home around 3:00. I treid to stick it out, I'm running out of paid sick leave. Oh well.

Felt much better after a little nap and visit to the chiropractor. While we were at the chiro office, his wife called and asked us to stop by their place if we wanted some free baby stuff. (They are friends of ours) So I got an entire garbage bag of free clothes, a few toys, 2 ugly sets of king sheets (for the homebirth) a car seat, a baby wash tub and a simple bouncy seat with lap restraint! The funniest thing about getting this stuff is that it is almost exactly the items my sister loaned me, but now needs for her baby! Isn't it great when the universe provides for you!!

About my 45 lbs of weight gain... the weirdest thing about it is how dang great I look! I don't feel fat and yucky. It's almost all tummy and boobs. My skin is glowing and taut, my nails shiny with health and my heair is thick and dark. I actually thought I hadn't changed much over the las month and was surprised to find out I had gained almost exactly 10 pounds! no one scolded me or stressed about my weight... I was just surprised.

Meredith, glad you had such a lovely vacation. Sounds heavenly! Way to go getting your beads mailed out so quick... you are our hero!!!

Hey Jen, thanks for the "go limp" suggestion with my affectionately nippy kitty. I tried it last night and she proceeded from nibbling to licking in a very short amount of time. I still don't want her to nibble on the baby, but will give it some time and try letting her learn to lick me instead. It sure beat getting all mad and yelling at her. She's such a snuggler!

Christi, i highly recomend swimming, my hubby and i got a Y membership for just that reason.. It's kinda a pain in the rear to get there during open swim time... i'm not really interested in laps. Recently, my favorite thing to do in the water is bounce... Just jump around, kinda like dancing, in fairly deep water and wiggle alot. It feels so good just to move freely! the biggest problem we've had is simply getting out thte door and to the pool. My bed is so dang inviting!

Ummm.. popsicles. Good idea Caroline!

Later all!
Anna Banana

[adventuregirl]

Hey Ladies! Finally got caught up.

Linda, I am so sorry about the PO incident, that would have made me cry too! I hope you can get out of the tickets, I would contest, after you have your lisence back and even your car checked to see how off the speedometer is, you can't lose much. I once got a ticket for expired registration, I never got the bill in the mail, so I fixed it and contested the ticket and got out of it.

I've been on 2 week appts since 28 weeks, its pretty much all the same, but I do like visiting my mw and chatting about things to come. At 36 weeks (4 short weeks form now!) I will begin weeklies, this may bother me as I have to travel 45 min each way to the mw, oh well.

I've gained 14 pounds so far, no loss at all. I sometimes feel like this may be too little, but my mw assures me that the babe is growing perfectly, and I do feel really good, so I'm not worried. Much of what I have read says that 20-40 is average, and I'm sure I'll pack on at least another 6 in the next 8 weeks. I also was a few pounds above my average when I got pg, so I figure that probably helped.

I hope you all are staying cool and have fun weekend plans! I am going to relax a bit, I have a really busy week next week, my mom is coming to visit and drop off my 9yo brother for a few weeks. Lots happening! Enjoy!

[banana girl]

Nesting is the plan for the weekend! I'm gonna clean house, do laundry sort baby clothes and quilt! We aren't going anywhere and i'm really looking forward to it! Unfortunatley Jerome has to work a lot, but that means I'll have time to write in my journal and sew.

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend, happy baby vibes to all!!!

Anna Banana

[sistermama]

I had my mw appt yesterday and Jack came with me. He was so excited to see Karen and get to play with all the cool toys. Everything for me was same old / same old. Low bp, no funky colors on the stick, good baby heart rate.

Jack and I had such a fun afternoon and night because we picked my best friend's three year old up at school and brought him home. Then my friend came from work at dinner time. It was the first time they were at our new house and they spent the night too.

A very funny thing happened at the school though. First of all, Lucas goes to the Jewish Community Center (he is not jewish, but they have a fabulous program). The bulk of the parents are very richy rich and snobby. Most of the moms don't work, but send their kids away all day, etc. So already, Tara often feels like the scholarship parent she is. Jack and I got there at snack time, so the teachers invited us to stay and eat. While we were talking, and the teachers were trying to figure out my and Tara's relationship, one of them asked me, so do you two live together? I about laughed my ass off, because I know that she totally meant, "Are you lesbians?" Like having matching short hair, funky glasses and liberal bumper stickers automatically gets us into the club.... Although, if I were ever to pick a woman to spend my life with and raise my kids it would definitely be her! :D :thumb Some days it sounds a lot better than cleaning up after dh (my other child)

[Tree Swallow]

Thanks for the rat advice! I have heard that they make good pets. Someone I know even had this hairless variety. You mentioned a specialty shop for the corn-cob bedding, Jen -- what sort of shop was it? Part of the reason I don't want to get a rat is having to clean the cage. I'm not sure my son is ready for that responsibility -- although, he might be. Did you keep your rats in a cage or aquarium?

Those interested in swimming might want to check if their YMCA has lane-walking. I've seen pools that have these lanes open all the time. So you could bop and dance down the aisle all you wanted.

I am so lacking in energy. After working all day, all I want to do is go home and lay down. Last night I did just that. I was even too tired to sit up!

I think I'm looking pretty good, despite all the weight gain. People tell me they think I've only gained baby weight, so I guess I don't show whatever pounds I've packed on. (A serious study of my posterior would yield a different answer, though, I'm sure.)

[Robertsgirl]

Ready for the weekend here. We got a call that all of our baby furniture is in except the crib (still don't know why we bought a crib since we plan on long time co sleeping, but anyway marketing works). So we are going to pick that up and have to drag all of the junk out of baby room so we can figure out how to fit everything back in it with furniture. Should be fun but exhausting!

I had to take my last wedding band off this morning. I'm not really swelling that much, or so I thought, but it was a struggle to get it off. I think I might go to Walmart and buy a cheapy band just so I don't look like some pregnant teen wandering around. :thumb

Anyone else just dieing from lack of sleep? I CANNOT get comfortbale. Either my hips are hurting or I am SOOOO HOT that I just can't get any good sleep. Oh well, guess it could be worse, I could be up walking a newborn all night already! That'll come soon enough!

If anyone is interested, I posted a bunch of pg photos we did on the beach last weekend on our website www.lachney.com. I think they turned out really great, shockingly enough since it was just my Aunt with a digicam taking them. And I was happy to say that my hair looks really healthy right now, GO PG HORMONES!

Happy weekend to all of you lovely ladies!

[JenInMpls]

I about laughed my ass off, because I know that she totally meant, "Are you lesbians?" Like having matching short hair, funky glasses and liberal bumper stickers automatically gets us into the club....

Aw shucks Sarah, didn't you know that that's really all it takes?! :LOL Of course it never hurts to have your keys hanging off of a carabiner attached to your belt loop or be a WNBA fan, either... *giggle* of course, of all those things about all I have are the funky glasses and a little bumper sticker for the local community radio station.

Ellen, on the rattie tip: (1) I purchased my Bed-o-cob bedding at a local farm, garden and pet supply store. Bed-o-cobs does have a toll-free # = 800-537-3370 - perhaps they could tell you who a local retailer is. If you google them don't be surprised to get a lot of research sites, it is the gold standard for animal bedding in research because it is clean, consistent and autoclavable to boot. (2) Hairless rats, ugh. Can't pet them, and they're all wrinkly. Besides, a good, clean haired rat has such a lovely sweet smell. (3) I recommend to everyone to keep their rats in a cage vs an aquarium because aquaria don't get good air flow which contributes to odor problems. PetSmart actually has a really nice rat cage that is about 18" by 24" which is just the right size for a couple of rats assuming that they're given a minimum of 2 hours of supervised run/play time outside of the cage per day. Besides, if you use a cage, you can hook up a hammock for them to sleep in, which they really, REALLY like. OK, I'm off of the rat rant now... love ratties!!

Had my 32-week check-up today and let's hear it for Jen and Sprout: go team! Sprout is vertex again with her/his back along my left side. Yippee! HB was in the 120s and all looks good. I'm going to start another thread though for the thing I have to think about for next appt: Group B strep. Finally, the last prenatal screening hurdle, but this is a big one with a lot of options.

Went swimming again today too. Yummy.

Am off to meet Jo for dinner. Too hot to cook and we're trying to get all of our dining out in while we can!!

xo, j

ps Anna: glad your kitty is responding so well. Persistence!!

[greenbeing]

Beautiful pics, Christi!

Ellen, I hear ya about lacking energy. I don't know if it's just the heat or maybe I'm lacking in iron. Today, I went for a walk, went to the license branch, sorted some boxes, and I was exhausted! I meant to just lay down for a half hour, but ended up sleeping 2 1/2 hours!

Jen and Sarah, glad to hear your appointments went well! I can't wait to see my midwife!

[JenInMpls]

I meant to just lay down for a half hour, but ended up sleeping 2 1/2 hours!

This has happened to me every day this week!

yawn, j

[fourlittlebirds]

Well, today I tried to get my license reinstated. I brought an old driver's license and a bunch of other identifying paperwork, and they even have my current photo on file, and they *still* need a birth certificate (which will take another week for me to get.) I can't tell you how annoyed I am. I mean, all I have to do to get a birth certificate is call the vital records department where I was born, and they'll send it to me -- they don't ask for any proof of ID. So how exactly does that prove to the DMV that I am who I am? ARGH! It feels like they're making it difficult just for the sake of making it difficult. I just don't get it.

But otherwise we had a very nice day. Since I can't drive (oops, actually I did, I moved the car from one parking space to the adjacent one, shhhhh!) we all went shopping together (I usually do it on a weekday with the kids) and it was a lot of fun. We also got our new linoleum for the kitchen, and will probably put it down tomorrow. I am SO happy about that, it's going to make a huge difference in how the space feels and will be much easier to keep clean. Then Sunday I get to go to the Oregon Country Fair with my girlfriends! Yayyyyy! It will be so much fun, I can't wait. :D

[msrog]

Christi, those pictures are gorgeous!!! You must have planned ahead to wear those matching outfits that look so nice on the sand and in front of the water. And that cool boat in the background -- perfect! Your hubby is very handsome. And you're right, your hair, belly, everything looks so pretty!

No fair, your belly is the same size as mine, I think. I'm having TWINS, darn it, when will my belly look bigger???? :D

And BTW, I am one of those married pg ladies running around looking like an unwed mother, haha! I knocked a diamond out of my wedding ring back in ?October? and haven't gotten it fixed. In fact, now I don't know where I put the ring and loose stone :yikes:

I have been taking those long naps, too! Aaaaaahhhhh. Though I am SO HOT lately, ick!

I've gained 24 pounds in 30 weeks. Up to 186. Started a bit overweight, at 162. I'm supposed to be gaining more, so I've been weighing every morning. Though it does seem that I gained more in a week when I was at my mom's and not weighing myself, hmmmm.... heh heh

Off to check the mail. After my nap we get to bring the crib down from the attic and rearrange our bedroom to accomodate it, yippee!!!

[chrissy]

Christi, thanks for sharing those pictures! You do look great!

Linda, oh dangit! I'm sorry you are having to deal with all that needless stress. I hope your fun day tomorrow at the fair makes up for it.

Jen, yay for Sprout moving back to head down!

About the weight gain, I'm not sure how much I've gained this time. I do weigh myself at my midwife appointments but she never comments on it or tells me how much I've gained. With Noah I gained 50. I don't think I've gained that much yet, maybe 20 or 25.

I'm pretty tired like lots of you guys are mentioning. The bummer is if I nap with Noah then I have a hard time falling asleep at night. Argh. Then I wake up every hour (at least it seems that often) having to pee. My lack of energy is really taking a toll on my dh. I'm not sure how to help though. I use all my energy playing with Noah and I just don't have much left for my dh. He needs lots of love and attention and I just feel like I don't have much to give right now. :(

I hope you all are having happy Saturdays,

[greenbeing]

okay, I just spent an hour and a half on the diapering forum!!! how can I sit here for that long??? I'm trying to get some more info on washing/pails/wipes and what not. All sorts of opinions out there-would any of you want to share your washing routine????

Linda, I hope you have an awesome day tomorrow and can forget about your DMV woes for a bit. They're a pain in the bum, aren't they? Of course I had to go get a new license yesterday, and I forgot my birth certificate (didn't even think about it), sooo I had to truck back home.

I better get in there and help dh with dinner. He's been running around like a busy bee today and me, well, just call me the slow sloth :)

[4under6]

Yay!
I got beads for y'all yesterday, and had fun!
They will go out on Monday.

I had my 32 week checkup yesterday; all is well.
I still haven't gained any weight from when I started this pregnancy. I was down 9 pounds, and now I'm down about 7.5.

Work sucks- I was miserable by the end of my shift last night! I did make good tips, though....everyone loves a preggo waitress!

[chrissy]

Had a massage this morning. It was bliss!

[JenInMpls]

Poor Jo has a cold :( probably the one I came home with, although I would be surprised by that considering that I was getting over it.

I had the most horrible intestinal pain last night and the worst part was there was no way I could get at my intestines to rub them! nor could I use a hot-water bottle! I wanted to massage my stomach gently but h* if I know where my stomach is right now! Somewhere up there between my breasts, I guess...

hogs and quiches,

j

ps: it's sunday, I'll go start a new thread.