A little bit about yourself...

[CandyApple]

.

[fiddledebi]

Hi abshoup!

I'm Debi, also married to my college sweetheart. We've been married 6 years and together 10. We have a 2.5 year old daughter who is just an awesome little kid. I work full time, but telecommute 2 days a week. After this baby comes, I'm going to try to go to part time, and just not work those 2 days that I'm home.

I manage the web and internet services for a major national not-for-profit, and my dh is an investment analyst. In my free time (ha!) I play the fiddle and sing in various ensembles through my local folk music school -- lots of old timey and early country type music. I also love reading and writing and cooking vegetarian meals.

Looking forward to seeing what everyone else is all about, aside from being moms!

[nabigus]

Hi, both. On my way out to get groceries, so this will be the quick version.

I, too, am married to my college sweetie, for 5 1/2 years. We're expecting our first, over the moon about it. It's going to be a little exciting towards the beginning--dh is in law school, and I'm a doctoral candidate in sociology, and we're going to juggle childcare between the two of us. I'll just be starting my fourth year, so I will be frantic this next semester trying to get a dissertation proposal finished (well, actually, started and finished! :LOL )

Am an avid knitter, reader, sewer, and community gardener (though I've taken a hiatus from gardening out of sloth since we moved to the big city). Love to cook--and, naturally, to eat!

cheers to all,
Nancy

[mags]

Hi mamas!

I'm mags, mom to 11 mo old joshua. Yup, I will have two babies close in age! Anyway, my DH is also my college sweetheart. We've been married for 5.5 yrs, but together for a total of 13 yrs (yikes, has it been that long???). I am currently a SAHM, however I worked as a critical care RN for several yrs. I'm still pondering the idea of getting my MSN to become a nurse practioner, and I am even thinking that becoming a LC would be interesting too, but we live in a small town and I'm afraid there is not enough business for all of the LCs here to begin with.

Anyway, we are currently living in ohio. We are excited about this baby, b/c we were able to get pregnant on our own. Last time, it took a long time, I had two m/c's and finally needed meds to get and stay pregnant. I am on progesterone suppositories this time (again), since low progesterone (luteal phase defect), has always been a problem. I am also still BFing baby #1 and my LP was only 4-5 days the cycle before i got pregnant, so what a surprise! I have no clue if he will wean if my supply starts to dwindle, but I do get stressed, b/c he is a boob only baby, he never took the bottle and most of the time kind of just plays around with his sippy cup. Luckily, he does enjoy solids, but I have noticed that in the past two months he has become a very serious nursling (we went through some major biting issues before that), so who knows, I *may* end up tandem nursing!

I am also a cloth diapering mom, I also wear my baby, and am eager to put some cloth on my new baby's bum and wear him or her in one of my many slings! I am a very strong supporter of BFing, if any of you have questions, ask away. I had a VERY hard time BFing, went through just about everything except mastitis. I do not consider myself completely AP. We are having another hospital birth (my DH works at the hospital, so it would be free for us), I do vax and we do not co-sleep, b/c DH is a violent sleeper and our spoiled dog sleeps with us as well.

Anyway, so far this pregnancy is going ok. The m/s really hit me bad this wk. I am afraid it is going to be a repeat of last time, when I had m/s my entire pregnancy and threw up a lot too. I was dreading this, esp since I have to care for a 11 mo old too. I am not really showing yet, but I do feel kind of fat andI am bloated for sure. The insomnia is bad, but I had it bad last time too, so what can I do, it's a pregnancy thing for me. My biggest fear, other than the 24-7 m/s is how to manage having two babies 18 mo apart! :blush

[isismama]

Hi!

I am the mama of a very delightful and energetic three-year old named Eli. I'm thinking of homeschooling (unschooling) him but haven't decided completely. I am a part-time anthropology student and I work a few hours a week as a customer service agent in a call centre. My partner is an assistant professor of philosophy.

In my spare time I love to go to films, do political activism, knit, make aromatherapy beauty products, and bake vegan goodies. We are pretty ap although I reject some of the ap ideas about gender. My partner and I parent as equally as possible.

I am planning a home waterbirth but I'm still feeling cautious about this pregnancy due to previous miscarriages. Morning sickness is hitting me HARD these days!

Becky

[CrunchyClark]

Hi, I'm Holly married to my sweetie for not quite two years, but been together heading up on 5 yrs. We have two homeschooled boys--8 and 4. My hubby is currently deployed to Afghanistan with a rebuilding team working in a remote mountain village to get their economy functional. We talk to him once every few weeks is all :(

I'm a SAHM, and do some crafty things for local farmer's markets/craft shows in the summer/fall. It's my 'off season' right now and I'm loving relaxing. My boys breastfed until 19 mos and 3.5 yrs and my little one still sleeps with us when he crawls in about 3 a.m.

I'm almost 8 weeks pregnant with twins who aren't biologically related to me. I'm carrying them for our family friends who are over the moon excited about their new babies! This is a first for them :)

[Kaitnbugsmom]

Okay, my turn I guess. Warning: I stink at these things...

I'm Judith, soon to be married to my high school sweetheart after a nine year separation. I'm also in the process of getting a divorce from my husband of five years. Of course thanks to the disgustingly bass ackwards laws of the state of Indiana, my divorce can't be final until this baby is born and DNA tested. Blegh.

I have two girls who will be six and four in February, and I myself will be twenty seven. Egads. It freaks me out to realize I'm that old. And my beloved will be twenty-nine in April. Yikes. Seems like only yesterday we were sixteen and eighteen...

[Anguschick1]

Ok, here goes.....

I'm Em, married to high-schol sweetheart as well for 5 1/2 years now, together for 10 years. Ds is 20 months old (when did THAT happen?!) and never still unless he's sleeping. We live in the Chicago suburbs, but are looking to buy a farm anywhere from right after the baby is born to 2 years from now. We have 2 dogs, 1 cat, some saltwater fish. Unfortunately, our last golden mantella frog passed away just before Christmas.

I like cooking and am just getting into sewing clothes for ds. I hope to make some maternity/nursing clothes that don't look like mummus.

I'm measuring 10 weeks rather than the 6 that I should be, so we could be looking at multiples, an earlier due date or just really out of shape abs from ds's pregnancy! We'll find out more next week with an ultrasound.

Really looking forward to getting to know you all better!

[ktmama]

Hi all. I'm Kate. I have a lovely 7 year old dd and am newly married to my 2nd husband. I've been divorced from dd's dad since 2001. I'm due in late August, just one day after dd's 8th birthday. If this baby is born on time, I'll be one Aries living in a house with three Virgos :nut

I'm feeling really out of practice with the pg thing - so much has changed over the past eight years, particularly in the area of slings and cloth diapers (both of which I used last time). I'm a pretty committed AP mom and have seen fantastic results with my dd. I plan on doing things pretty much the same this time, beginning with a homebirth. The only difficulties I encountered with dd were a VERY long labor (36 hours) and difficulty latching on. But after working at it with nipple shields for six months, she finally latched on on her own and kept at it for 18 more months. :thumb

I run a consulting business from home raising money for non-profits (Debi, maybe we should talk) and I've been in this field for about 20 years. I have a masters degree in social work. I'll be 40 by the time my baby is born and I'm feeling my age a bit with more fatigue than last time, but no serious m/s or other symptoms.

I'm an avid reader, knitter, yogi and student of the French language. My dh is Swiss and a native French speaker. We will raise our baby bilingual and my dd is currently taking French class. We all just spent two weeks there for the holidays and she amazed me with her quick command of conversation. I treasure my friends and family (six sisters and two brothers, 14 nieces and nephews) and my clients. I look forward to going on this incredible journey with you all.

Holly, my heart goes out to you. :grouphug My dh and I were recently reunited after being separated for nearly six months and it was agonizing.

[Abylite]

Hello!

Married for almost 10 years~ expecting our first baby in August. We had 2 m/c but are hopeful for a healthy baby this summer. We are a little "older" 35 & 37. I'm a "Leo"...and maybe the baby will be too!!! Poor DH!!

I teach pediatric nursing at a university and work a day a week as a pedi nurse practitioner. My hubby is in the financial field.

We've moved around alot...friends call us "gypsies".. right now we live in RI~ considering moving back to the Pacific Northwest in a year...love and miss the area.

I'm learning and reading everything I can on Breastfeeding, natural births, etc. while I have "time off" in between my semesters.

Good to "meet" everyone!!!

[heldt123]

Hi everyone!

Well, I've been married for for 4-1/2 years to a not always nice man...long story. We have a 2-1/2 year old boy who is my special "pal." :love He is such a sweetheart! Stay at home mom for 2 years and currently clean timeshares two days a week. Also, I sell on Ebay when finances are tough. Really close to finishing my B.A., but can't rationalize paying on more school loans when I won't be working full time to pay for it. I LOVE gardening and doing things outside like mowing the yard, going for walks, hiking, camping, roller blading, etc... I also enjoy scrapbooking and almost any kind of crafts. Garage Sale Maniac!!

I'm not 100% AP either (new concept for me), but there are a lot of aspects that I have been doing anyway just out of instinct. Looking to buy a sling, but they are soo expensive. Also want to cloth diaper and going to stock up early so we don't get "stuck" with another huge baby shower supply of dump fillers.

Planning a homebirth, but we will see how everything goes. Nice to meet you all!

[munchkinsmum]

Hi There, I am Cheryl, mum to a great little girl, Jenna, who is 2 1/2. My husband and i have been together for almost 15 years (yikes!) although only married for just over 3.
Until recently I worked as a clinic director in a chiropractic clinic. I try hard to live a more natural lifestyle - some days succeeding more than others :) Now I am a WAHM, I own my own nursing necklace business. Quite a swtich from the busy days at the office but I am really enjoying the creative side of life.
I would describe myself as AP with CC leanings. I am a strong BF advocate too. I think I am also on the way to being a sling junkie. This new baby is a great excuse to buy a few that I have been wanting to try but couldn't justify buying with a toddler. We cosleep too.
My first birth was a very fast homebirth with labour starting at the cottage (2 hours away) and us arriving home just in time - the midwife didn't get there in time though. Maybe this time
I look forward to getting to know everyone,

[JesiLynne]

Hello, my name is JesiLynne!!!!!!!!!!!
I am 21 and have been married 2 years to my Dh, who has a dd from his first marriage. I have "adopted" her in spirit and am trying to save up the money to legally adopt her, ( biomom doesn't care and is giving up her rights willingly)It's gonna cost $4000
DD is exactly 15 1/2 years younger than a I am and it's very ironic. I wanted to get married and have a baby girl at 15!
God said, not now, and later on "answered my prayer" :thumb Dh and I have have a 17 month ds together and I am 4 days over due with my first homebirth! Hopefully a sister for the 2 munchkins!
I was homeschoolded exclusively by my AP/NFL mom and dad who are still together after 30 years this year!!!!!!!!
My mom had 3 outta 5 births at home, I was born in an Osteopathic Hospital and my sis was born at a hospital with a GP and Midwife.
Dh works for a roofing/siding comp. he's "The Office Guy"
DD is 6 y/o and in 2nd grade ( homeschooled)
Ds just learned how to walk and is starting to talk more, we live in a tiny 700sq ft apartment and have to be moved out by the end of this month, but can't find a new place :angry No one wants to call us back
Later in life I paln on becoming a homebirth midwife, and I am pretty big on AP and NFL, dd is almost completely vegan by her own choice and I just haven't given DS any meat.
We cosleep, DD coslept with Dh for 3 years before I even met him! :thumb
I'm big into NON PROCESSED food,and would love if we could do more!
Plus I think if if they made a hybrid SUV I would do whatever it took to get one!

Okay I think I'm done!
Next.................

[K's Mom!]

Hello to all!

I am Andrya. I am 23 and married to Alex (also 23). We are highschool sweethearts. We have been together 7 years and married for 3 this year. Wow! I feel like I have found my soulmate :love . We have one angel, m/c @10 1/2 weeks in 2001. but, were blessed with a daughter in 2003. We named her Kaianna Rae. She will be 2 on the 20th! I am currently a Homeo-ecomnomic Engineer (SAHM) :LOL I love this title, I feel all important!! Ha! Anyhow, I absolutely love being a wife and mommy! IMO I have the best job ever. aside from that, I love to sew (have begun making maternity dresses for this coming summer), I crochet, love doing crafts with DD, and work on my artwork whenever I have any available time. I also love to read. I just finished the book Follow The River. It's a story about an Amazing woman. I highly recommend it. :thumb
We live in North Pole, Alaska. It was pretty fun taking my DD to the Santa Claus house to meet Santa. My town really, really, gets into christmas! It's fun. We love to sled and play outdoors whenever the weather permits. It gets pretty cold here! YIKES!
I have also been a part of creating a parenting network for our community. My town does not have anything like this. We try to emphasize natural living and parenting. We host a Continuum Concept reading group for families, and will be starting The Natural Child reading group. I really enjoy this. I feel that It is such a relief to be around other like minded mamas and papas! I love not having to explain my parenting views to them :thumb . My husband and I are semi AP/ CC. We sling but not co-sleep; as my DD was 17 mos. when I learned of AP and had just transitioned to her toddler bed and was quite comfy where she was. But, now as she's gotten older and can open doors, she quite frequently comes and gets into our bed in the early morning! :love I LOVE THIS! :love We are looking forward to meeting our boy or girl in August! :D However, it's sort of hard to be eager about the thought of another birth, when I have m/c before. But, I just have to have faith that what is meant to happen will happen.


~~~~~~Andrya :throb Alex and playful mama to Kaianna :2toddler: serrogate mama to Sadie cat, and expecting bump in mid- late August :makebaby:

[lilgreen]

This is a great idea! I don't have much time to visit here, let a lone post, but I have a few minutes now.

I am mama to 3 yr old Thomas. He is kind, active and definitely got his daddy's funny bone! Dh and I have been married for 4.5 years.

I work full-time while DH is a full-time student. He will be a HS social studies teacher come fall. I was a full-time student (& ft mom!), too, up until this past fall when I returned to work to get enough hours for mat benefits because we were hoping for another :)

Luckily, here in Canada, we get a whole year of mat benefits (55% of your income) and my work tops it up to 85% for the first 15 weeks. So, I am eagerly looking forward to that time with my precious ones!

Fall 2006 I will be returning to school for graduate studies in development issues (so I can work for an NGO or the UN and help the desperate children around the world).

So, lots of exciting times to come for us here on the beautiful west coast!

Take good care all of you!

Love and peace,
Beth

[Little Cluck]

I am the proud mama of 2 boys, Samuel and Silas (3 and 1). We live on 160 acres in the midwest. Unfortunately, our house is right next to the highway! Hope to change that someday!

Both of my boys were born at home. We co-sleep part-time, cloth diaper, breastfeed, and homeschool.

I am a former public school kindergarten teacher. Met my dh on the internet. Married him 9 mos. later and that was about 4.5 yrs. ago.

[Mama Coltrane]

Hi- My name is Kerri.
I am married to Carl, a high school Math teacher and Mom to a 1 1/2 year old named Coltrane Liam.
Our life is great here in New England. We live at a private school which is on 1600 acres. Needless to say, we have alot of land to explore.

I am an acupuncturist, herbalist and massage therapist, although I am not practicing now. I decided to be Mom and I do the occasional treatment out of my house. Feel free to ask me questions concerning Chinese Medicine. I like talking about it, it keeps it fresh in my mind.

In our spare time, my husband , son and I like to play music, sing and dance. I also knit and crochet, as well as do other crafts.
Oh, i have to get going- I have my first prenatal visit in 30 minutes and that is about how long it takes to get there!

See you.
As you can see, I am new here and don't know how to use all those cute little symbols everyone uses.

[KYCat]

Here goes :
My name is Cathy and dh and I have been married 6 1/2 years now -- whoa! We have 2 beautiful boys Gus 4 1/2 and Max who is just 2. I have a bs in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology and worked in a lab until the babies started coming. After they came, I was able to work part-time at night while dh watched them until 1 1/2 years ago, when our lab was closed. I'm still adjusting to not having an outside schedule just for me, but I love the time with my family. I love to read and count on my bookclub for my mental stimulation. (The big drag about staying home is that I am AWFUL at housekeeping. When I wasn't here all of the time I didn't feel as personally responsible for it. DH is a true partner and never complains, but I do feel guilty.) We are an AP/ mainstream mix. Both boys were hospital births with epidurals/ we co-sleep and cloth diaper. We're all vegetarians who try to eat healthy but we do enjoy convenience foods. It's all a process right ;).
We are looking forward to our new addition, although my nausea has been pretty bad- it's finally letting up a little this week. When I lie around, I question my ability to mother the two I have let alone another! Today while we were eating lunch, Gus leaned over unexpectedly and got right up to my belly and said hi there Sweet Pea. I'm glad that the boys are excited. Hopefully in a few weeks this morning sickness will leave and we can all excitedly await Sweet Pea.

[Ellie Jan]

Hi - My name is Marcia.

I'm 29 years old, married to DH (37) for 3 1/2 years. We have a DD Taylor who is almost 18 months old. I'm a SAHM but I take care of 2 other children during the school day. DH is a High School teacher and he loves it. Once this baby comes I won't be taking care of other children anymore. We are hoping to move in the Spring, closer to my parents.

Marcia

[rainbowmoon]

Hi. I'm April,30. married to DH for 2 years (lived together 7) and we are now expecting #2. Right now I'm a SAHM to my sweet 10mo ds, I love being at home with him :love and I am looking fowrad to having 2 under 2! Haven't had much time for hobbies since ds was born (or at least they always get set aside & sit unfinished most of the time) but when I have time I like to crochet, cook, sew,crafts,etc. I used to hike before I got pg with #1 but it's been a looong time since I've been anywhere other than a paved kept trail. :eyesroll I am vegetarian and was vegan for a couple of years but have since gone back to dairy :bag: I am hoping to keep a better eye on my diet this time around as last pg was when I started eating dairy and was just OUT of CONTROL! :LOL I gained 60lbs! (too much Ben NJErry's I guess ;) )

anyway that's a little about me. I'm looking forward to getting to know you all better in the coming months!

[littleeagle]

I am a28 yr old SAHM to to three wonderful kids sarah 10( mine from a previous relationship),Dylan 6 and Emilee 3. Hubby and I have been married for almost 9 yrs, he adopted my oldest when she was 4. We are now expecting number 4 around aug 17 (which is 3 days before oldest's birthday yikes lol) I am pretty much an only child my half siblings are way older and we are not close so i love the idea of a big family. Hubby works for an automotive manufacter as a training consultant so unfournatly he does travel alot. I love to read,do photography and talk :) looking foward to post with u guys :thumb

[nancy926]

Hi all,
I'm Nancy (36). DH (34) and I have been together 10 years, married 4.5 years. Our DD is 2 years old and keeps us busy!

DH is a SAHD and I'm a FT medical/health writer who works at home. We lived in Maryland for 7 years before moving to VT in 2003 - we love it up here!

I like reading, sewing, kayaking, skiing, writing, and going to the theatre...although I haven't done some of those things in a LONG time, lol. I'm also a runner, though now that the weather is cold and I am in the first trimester, I am slacking off.

:)
Nancy

[shockels]

What a great idea for a thread!

Hi! I'm Sandra (29) married to Jeremy (29) for 4 years. We met and got married in about 5 months and some days I feel like we're STILL getting to know eachother! I'm currenty in nursing school and should graduate with my BSN in June 2006. I have two previous degrees (a bachelor's and master's in English) and have had to promise J. that this is my last degree for at least 5 years. :) What can I say? I really know how to do the student thing! Jeremy is a cook at a local bakery here in Portland OR and loves it. He dreams of opening his own restaurant someday.

I like to knit, cook, take lots of walks and garden in the spring and summer. As this is our first babe I am still doing lots of reading and thinking and figuring out what kind of parent I want to be. I see myself in ten years time living in a big old house with lots of kids running around, being the kind of nurse I personally would want if I was in the hospital.

Great to meet all of you and I look forward to spending the next 7months or so in your company!

Sandra

[ChelseaG]

Hi all,
My name is Chelsea - married to Joe since last Sept 4th (Newlyweds!)
We are due Aug 4th with our first baby after a m/c (blighted ovum) in Oct. Children are a big priority for both of us (I'm 30, he's 36) so we decided to not waste any time!
I recently switched careers and am now a real estate agent - which is nice because I am basically an independent contractor and can work as little or as much as I want... We live in the suburbs NE of Detroit - but hope to move to the Ann Arbor area soon. DH is a local promotion rep for a major record label and basically travels around to radio stations and convinces them to play the new music coming out (what I used to do and how we met). Its a fun job sometimes, great perks - but is kind of like glorified babysitting - you have to deal with LOTS of huge egos...
I will be birthing in a birthing center with a great mw and considering a water birth and hypnobirthing as well. Planning on cloth diapering, co-sleeping, baby wearing and of course breastfeeding. I am a former yoga instructor - and I am trying to get back into it now - but I have absolutely NO energy...
Looking forward to getting to know you and sharing this journey with you all!
Chelsea

[Mayapapaya]

I (31 yo) am also married to my college sweetheart (33 yo) for almost 8 years, together for 12. We live in NY and have two kids, a five year old girl and an almost 2 year old boy.

I am doing my pediatric neurology fellowship and will likely end up treating autistic kids, as I have done quite a bit of research in that area. Dh is a resident in rehabilitation medicine.

As you can probably imagine, my life is pretty hectic, so I'm pretty much all about working and parenting when I'm not working. I used to have lots of hobbies, and when I finish my training, I look forward to working part-time so that I can focus more on my writing and artsy and earthy things that I love to do.

Glad to be here...